A lot has happened with 20schemes over the course of this summer, from holiday clubs to conferences to new partnerships. God is always at work in all things, but over the past few months 20schemes have seen Him do many big things.
On 20 June, the church-planting network hosted ‘Sing Scotland’ with Keith & Kristyn Getty and John Piper. The day began with a day conference where over 300 Christians from across the UK gathered. Topics focused on how we sing corporately and the preaching of God’s word.
The conference rounded off with a live session of Ask Pastor John (all the sessions are available here on YouTube).
On the final evening, the Usher Hall was filled as Keith & Kristyn Getty led the audience in hymns of worship. 20schemes were able to share their mission and tell the testimony of a believer from the schemes of Scotland.
There is hope that there will be many new and fruitful church partnerships that develop from ‘Sing Scotland.’
New partnerships
After months of meeting and prayer, two new church partnerships have come to fruition. The first is a revitalisation with Maryhill Evangelical Church, Glasgow. This team will be led by Tommy Millar, who has been training as a church planter for the past year. Lorne, Tommy’s wife, has been training with 20schemes as a women’s worker for the past two years. Together they have a love for the city of Glasgow and are keen to reach out to the community of Maryhill with the gospel. They are praying for the Lord to provide a home promptly for them to move into the scheme.
The second partnership is with Glenrothes Baptist Church. Glenrothes Baptist has joined with 20schemes to plant a church in a nearby scheme called Macedonia. This work is in its earliest stages. The church is praying for the Lord to provide a man who He has prepared to lead this work and for the Spirit to already be preparing the hearts of the people in Macedonia to receive the good news. 20schemes is thanking God for the congregations of Maryhill and Glenrothes, for their passion to reach the lost in their communities. This means that nine schemes are now being reached across Scotland.
Union with Union
This summer also saw the bringing together of 20schemes and Union School of Theology. Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh (where 20schemes offices are located) will be serving as a hub for training through Union. In collaboration with the Ragged School of Theology, students will receive accredited training from Union while serving in the context of a local church.
Camps and holiday clubs
Lastly, it has been a busy summer with various holiday clubs and camps. Gracemount Community Church in Edinburgh held a family fun day that included a dog show for local pet owners. Everyone was given an evangelistic book by Mez McConnell.
Meanwhile, a holiday club at a church plant in Bingham, Edinburgh was fully booked with a waiting list. Many Muslim children ended their week full of questions and wanting to take Bibles home.
Niddrie Community Church had a dance academy and football academy. While the children were in one of these classes, parents from the community spent time in the church café where local believers had great gospel conversations.
In Merkinch, Inverness and Barlanark, Glasgow holiday clubs were also full of children from their schemes. The churches there continue to pray for the Lord to grow the relationships that were formed over the week.
