Journey and Vision: thoughts from a brand new Convenor

I am Sally Foster-Fulton, Associate Minister at Dunblane Cathedral  and the new Convenor of the Church of Society Council. It’s an extraordinary thought for me, coming as I do from South Carolina (yes, you read that right, South Carolina!) to not just be Convenor of this amazing Council but to have to try to follow Ian and walk the wide path he has laid out for me. When you come to a turning point or a mile-marker on a journey is a good point to take a moment and look back at where you came from to give you perspective, a sense of proportion, a minute to catch your breath and gather your strength for the move ahead.

This is my first blog as Convener. But before I get started I want to look back at where we’ve come from. Ian Galloway has journeyed with us for four years, sharing his unique gift for leadership. His clear vision for social justice has given the Church and Society Council a lens to look through – always focusing on one question: “how will this work benefit our brothers and sisters in most need?”

This year at the General Assembly that vision was seen (and heard) in every single report and motion. The question resonated through discussions on domestic violence against women, on human trafficking, on sectarianism, on Gaza. It was embodied in the report by the Special Commission on the Purposes of Economics as the Church grappled with the upside-down world we live in where increasingly fewer and fewer have more and more, while more and more have less and less.

But reports are only as good as the people who pick them up and use them. Over the next year, as we continue to build on the work done, the vision Ian has helped us see more clearly will hold us on course. I look forward to the journey!