It has been great to be back in Balerno High school since the beginning of May as it is a place that has been such a blessing to us as a church family over more than two decades. I am very grateful to Neil and his staff for being so positive and helpful as Edinburgh City Council eased their restrictions to allow us back in on a Sunday. We are so thankful that we have such a strong partnership with the school and look forward to continuing to work with Neil and his team to see how we can continue to Be Love here.
As I have thought back over the last two years the pandemic has showed us how vulnerable we are in relation to having a place where we can meet to worship as a church family on a Sunday morning in Balerno. If we were only working in partnership with the school then it would be simpler, but it is more complex as we are working with both the school and the council who are our official landlords. For example, we can’t have access on a Sunday evening here due to how the Council operates their weekend janitorial system.
Over the last six months I have had various conversations with members of the church family that have helped me to think through a way forward. Back in March I asked Derek Thomson to write a paper for Vestry which put forward the case for a Vestry sub-committee to be formed to carry out a building feasibility study tasked with assessing what options might be available to us. After discussing this and then meeting with Derek, the Vestry agreed to the proposal and asked Derek to chair the sub-committee which he has agreed to.
We are incredibly blessed to have people in our church family who are experts in the areas of property and buildings and with Vestry’s approval, Derek will be approaching some of these experts so that the sub-committee is a manageable size.
One of the things I see as a high priority is remaining in Balerno, but I also think it would be wise at this point that the sub-committee look at all the options available to us. This will then provide us with all the information we need to make an informed decision in the future. Ladycroft as a meeting place will not be under review and we are incredibly grateful for this building where so much has occurred in the history of St Mungo’s.
We are hoping that the sub-committee will be able to report back to the Vestry in late Autumn at which point they can consider and pray through the options. It may be that at this point that Vestry decide that Balerno High School is the best choice for us as we move forward. We will not be giving any church family updates until the sub-committee has reported back to Vestry and they have decided the next steps.
I wanted to share this news with you for two reasons. Firstly, to reassure you that after all we have been through, we are looking carefully at the best way forward for us as a church family in Balerno. Secondly so you can pray as the sub-committee takes on this work for wisdom and discernment.