As a nation we are failing to grasp the relevance of God in our lives. Dr David Hope, the Archbishop of York, has warned that the spiritual health (of England) is in jeopardy. He said his church was failing in its duty to help a ‘spiritually lost’ people. Are we, in Scotland, doing any better?

In their day, the prophets recognised a similar malaise. The following paragraphs are quoted from introductory pages in the Good News Bible. "The prophets came from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life: Jeremiah was a priest's son, Daniel was a nobleman, Amos was a herdsman. But all were called by God to deliver his message to the people of Israel and Judah. The nation had become slack and forgetful of God's Law. They no longer obeyed God or allowed his Law to shape their lives and their society. They offered sacrifices to keep God happy while they went their own way. But God was far from happy. He sent the prophets to call the people back; to expose the wrongs in society and remind them that their first priority was to live out God's standards. The prophets came at crisis points in the history of Israel and Judah: most spoke to the southern kingdom of Judah, but some were sent to other countries with a special message from God: Amos to the northern kingdom of Israel. They spoke in the name of God: they were convinced of God's power; they pronounced God's judgement but almost always they also declared a message of hope: darkness, in the end, would give way to God's glorious light".

"We are challenged to share Christ with others. We cannot monopolize the good news. All around us are men and women who know enough of God's glory and holiness to make their rejection of him inexcusable. They too, like us, stand condemned. Their knowledge, their religion, their righteousness cannot save them. Only Christ can. Their mouth is closed in guilt; let our mouth be opened in testimony." ( from The Message of Romans by John Stott)

The day to day work of the Trust continues thanks to the commitment of Bruce, Ruth and the teams. In November 2001, we reluctantly had to accept the resignation of Mrs Anne Robinson, one of our founder Trustees. We are very grateful to Anne for her support of the Trust in many ways, financially, by practical help and through prayer. She has since moved to Inverness and we wish her health and happiness in her life there. Her departure brings into focus the need to find other Trustees to guide and lead the Trust forward.

Alan Mackinlay