Features

Pictures by Derek Fett unless stated

General Assembly 2016

Monday May 16 2016

Welcome to Life and Work's coverage of the 2016 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which opens on Saturday May 21.

We will be providing daily updates from the Assembly hall, as well as giving you a flavour of some of the fringe events. Feel free to get involved in the debates by contacting us through Facebook, Twitter or email. A webcast of the proceedings, along with full reports and key speeches, will be available through the General Assembly area of the Church of Scotland website.

Read our interview with the Moderator-Designate, the Rev Dr Russell Barr.

Here are our summaries of the reports to the Assembly

If you're a General Assembly newbie, you may want to check out our Beginner's Guide.

Business timetable

Fringe timetable

And finally, here's what happened last year.

Friday May 27

During the usual warm and emotional final session, the Moderator told the General Assembly that 'energy and vitality... like the rushing wind of Pentecost' had rushed through the hall this week. He said it had been 'exciting, energising, exhausting (and) uplifting'.

Dr Barr added: "What is there not to enjoy about being in the company of sisters and brothers in Christ? What is there not to enjoy about being in the company of sisters and brothers in Christ who come to this place in this assembly from all over the world? We are the people of the way. We are the people of God's way and if the story of the Emmaus Road is about a journey it sets before us the truth that, as we go our separate ways, there is always one who is walking with us and who will be waiting to meet us at our journey's end."

Church warned to expect 'significant' reductions in church buildings