Ignited in Scotland
Most likely, the words ‘Grace Baptist’ and ‘Scotland’ have seldom been combined in your hearing or reading. Though Baptists in Scotland were Calvinistic and thriving from the beginning, the reverses of the last century have been heartbreaking. Only pockets of such believers exist today.
In a country noted for its Reformers, Covenanters and pioneer missionaries, the spiritual situation is far from what it was. A frustrating lack of progress has been reported across all our churches.
How encouraging then that, on Saturday 14 January, more than 80 people from 17 churches gathered to support the launch of Grace Baptist Partnership (GBP) Scotland.
Barry King, of GBP, expounded 3 John on the mutual support of churches and workers as fellow workers for the truth. GBP Scotland’s general secretary, Ali McLachlan, explained future aims. They involve strengthening the witness of local churches and the training of leaders and churches for church planting.
Great interest was aroused in the ‘Basic training for church planter’s course’, which is running successfully in Manchester, Gloucester and London. Courses start in Scotland soon.
The prospect of planting churches in regions where scattered believers travel many miles to find biblical fellowship and where local communities go without a local church witness was met with real enthusiasm.
One delegate described the launch, saying, ‘The preaching was challenging, the hymns were powerful, the prayers were uplifting and the fellowship was superb’.
For more information on GBP Scotland and its Rebuild conference on 16-19 April, visit www.gbpscotland.org
Ali McLachlan
