Over the past week St John"s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen has hit headlines across the world. Following a week of intense media interest, the Rt Rev Dr Robert Gillies, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney has written the following reflection for the Aberdeen Press & Journal: “St John"s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen is a grand, stately building standing high and proud, overlooking Aberdeen rail station. Inside it is an exquisite gem with fine stained glass, beautiful frescoes and a real place of peace on the edge of the city centre. It"s been a place of prayer for well over 150 years. “All of that might seem natural enough for a church. But St John"s is different because on its church grounds, and connected to it by doors and pathways and sharing a common car park, is a mosque. “There"s never been any secret about this. Amongst other Media, national television filmed the walk of witness which members of the congregation of St John"s did with worshippers from the mosque on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. So why did everything go global last week after a very good piece in the Press and Journal? I"ve no real answer though no doubt the journalists at the P & J might, with some significant justification, claim that their story on St John"s and its neighbouring mosque got to places that none of the other stuff did. “And it was good that it did. The media of the world was in contact with St John"s and just for a few days it seemed that the eyes of the world were moving alternately between the inauguration of a new Pope, a new Archbishop of Canterbury and a church in Aberdeen. The praise was enormous. People around the globe were celebrating and thanking us for forming bonds of friendship and offering hospitality to our neighbours. Indeed, in his inaugural message to religious leaders, the new Pope spoke of the importance of the promotion of friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions – he even repeated this message, such is the importance of it. “And that"s what is crucial about what St John"s is doing. The Rector, Canon Poobalan, saw his neighbours praying one Friday afternoon, overflowing from the mosque, on a cold November day in bare feet, as is the Islamic tradition. That couldn"t be. If you see someone in need and you can meet that need you do so. Canon Poobalan opened his church so that any of the Muslims who wished could pray inside. A granite church in Aberdeen in November isn"t the warmest place in the world, but at least it gave shelter and somewhere that was dry and frost free. “That"s what St John"s church and its congregation is good at – offering hospitality, offering friendship, building relationships and securing trust. Their invitation was accepted by the Muslims. And it works well. Something local is being built with a global significance. It may be overstating things to say that we are contributing to world peace but I genuinely believe that we are. “With all the media interest last week there was some mayhem managing it all. Inevitably a few detractors sought to bring a negative tone to what is a good news story. But that"s to be expected. Whenever the church has done something right there"s always a few who try to virus it away. But from around the world hundreds and hundreds of messages all testified to the wonderful thing that is being done at St John"s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen. “St John"s will carry on its wonderful work. There"s a lovely parable in the New Testament about someone needing bread. Would his neighbour offer a stone instead of what was needed? Surely not? When the Moslem worshippers in Crown Terrace needed a place to pray we could offer them somewhere. It was neighbourly, it was right. Perhaps to some it has come as a surprise. But for it all and because of it the world is a better place. “Each day of each week St John"s is a place of prayer and worship firmly and securely rooted in the western Christian tradition. The only thing that has changed in the last few days is that more people than ever before know it is and respect it for what it does.” -ends-
Over the past week St John"s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen has hit headlines across the world. Following a week of intense media interest, the Rt Rev Dr Robert Gillies, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney has written the following reflection for the Aberdeen Press & Journal.
