A special service of thanksgiving to mark 80 years of Christian Aid took place on Sunday 21 September at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness.
The service, which was jointly organised by Christian Aid Scotland and the Cathedral, was led by the Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, who also preached the sermon.
Val Brown, Head of Christian Aid Scotland, said: “Thank you to all who attended the service, as well as all those who made this special event happen. Thank you for wonderful music, thoughtful prayers, a very powerful address, and for expressing so well the true nature of partnership.”
In his sermon Bishop Mark spoke about the responsibility of tending his own land in Caithness, and reflected on the stories he has heard from people, across the world, notably in Palestine, India and Brazil who have lost their land due to conflict and climate change.
Turning to the founding of Christian Aid he said: “Christian Aid started because across Europe in 1945 there were people who had been displaced. And there was no question whether they were displaced from Germany, or from France, or from Italy, or from Scandinavia. They were displaced people. And Christian Aid was set up by the British and Irish churches to find a way of helping them, enabling them to get some stability, to find land again, to find somewhere they could live, to begin the process of rediscovering their lives; learning to love in a world which had been blown apart.
“And throughout the last 80 years, time after time after time, crises in the world, moments when people are struggling, moments when people are frightened: Christian Aid has stepped up to the mark, quite proudly declaring its name (saying) “Look at me, I am loved by God; you are loved by God; and the planet we inhabit is loved by God.” Eighty years of telling people that they are loved, and showing them how they are loved. That deserves to be celebrated”
He concluded: “So on this 80th anniversary, can I say from the bottom of my heart: thank you, Christian Aid. God bless all of you who work in Christian Aid, and may we continue to work together to find a way to enable everyone to stand on their bit of land, give thanks for the harvest before them, and hope that they learn to share it.”
Also participating in the service was Charlie Mieklejohn, Community Relations and Fundraising Manager for Christian Aid Scotland who read the old testament reading, Emmanuel Tay from the Cathedral who read the epistle, and the Provost of the Cathedral, the Very Rev Sarah Murray who led the intercessions. The Rev Laura Symon was Deacon, and the junior choir of St Andrew’s Cathedral lead the music under the direction of Adrian Marple.
