Dumbarton Presbytery are hosting an Explorers’ Conference at the end of March which will have a headline attraction of the Moderator, Right Rev Dr Russell Moffat attending as part of his visit to the area. The Conference will be held in Dumbarton’s Riverside Kirk on Tuesday 28th March at 7pm.
The Conference has been set up as there is a chronic shortage in the Presbytery of Readers and retired ministers to cover pulpit supply in the various parishes. The aim is that the people of the kirk will be equipped to lead worship, firstly in their own kirk and if there can be a recognised qualification coming from this, then throughout the whole of Presbytery.
This initial conference will help people to see if they have a calling to lead local worship and there will be a follow up 2 day training event. This will be held locally and will take place over a weekend. Conference organiser, Rev Christine Murdoch, pointed out that they will not be training people to necessarily be a minister clone, but to have the freedom to lead worship, or parts of worship in new ways, perhaps dance or drama, but as part of a team. It is thought that the team dimension will encourage people to volunteer together and help build one another.
For those interested, the advice given is that they should initially pray and then speak with their own minister before contacting the conference organisers.
Those who organise events such as this should use local printers to produce leaflets detailing what is happening and when and Minuteman Press is delighted to have done just that for this Conference.
