Robin Paisley speaks on the new arrangement whereby he is rector of stooling, Dumfries and also a minister in the local Methodist circuit. This is pushing the canon on local ecumenical issues far beyond what it was intended todo. Robin seems very pleased.

EMU talks come next. They we between us and the Methodist, and URC. We don’t know what they are talking about.

+ldris is up next to talk about the link between Glasgow and Galloway and Gothenburg. He pronounces Porvoo as Por-voo and Gothenburg as Gottenburg. Swedish classes needed in G & G,I think. The ICRC have a logo on the screen. Rather like the London Olympics logo it is dynamic. It moves. It is very ugly. It consists of two hands around a blue globe.

Alex Gordon comes to the mike to speak about Reilley. This is the agreement we have with French Protestants. (NB I’m sure French Protestants are great. I go to the local parish church when I’m in France and have always been made to feel very welcome.)Well, I thought he was gong to speak about Reilley. Instead he seems to be talking about Focalere. Perhaps I missed an important bit.

Sarah Tomlinson gives her report in the guise of Kimberly Bohan. Sarah is our rep as a Young Person in the Anglican Communion.She remains our rep for 13 years. She will then be an old person.

Elspeth Davey speaks about a trip to Geneva. Sounds like a nice idea.

“45 % of our congregations are less than 20 in number when they gather on a Sunday.”

Anne Parkhurst retires from the Overseas Committee. She is replaced by Duncan McCosh.

Retirement Homes. As usual Braeburn is in a good state,whilst St Serf’s does not seen able to produce projected figures to help make decisions about the future. It seems to be that the homes will be transferred to an ‘arms length body’.

Dialogue between people of different faiths.

For the first time, an Imam & a Rabbi were invited into Synod to have a discussion. There is a motion to encourage clergy to try to get ministers’ fraternals to invite interfaith representatives into their meetings.

Rabbi David Rose spoke of the fact that we all face issues in common drugs youth work, environmental issues. Imam Muhammad Sajjad spoke of us being neighbour. Jesus spoke the truth when be spoke of loving the Lord your all with ill your heart and your neighbour as yourself. We must as neighbours, neighbourliness is part of the love of God.

Gill Young spoke of the need to become ordinary neighbours rather than living in separate communities. One of the answers was to eat together. The mosque door is open to everyone.

Marion Chatterley asks whether the time has come to work on joint action and not just talking.

Anne Parkhurst mentioned the Jubilee Scotland movement as embracing different faiths.

Ian Fergusson asked whether the other faiths were offended by Christian symbols such as the cross. Answer was that the Muslim hijjab needs to be respected in a tolerant society, just like the cross.

Tin Reed spoke about how he used to believe that interfaith meant watering down our faith. Contact with other faiths, especially Muslims from the Gambia had led him to change his mind. The motion passed with overwhelming support.

Nancy Adams spoke of an upcoming Conference on work amongst older people. She then spoke to Motion 20 giving assent to the Common statement of the Churches regarding the Bicentenary of the Act abolishing the North Atlantic Slave Trade. This also condemns forms of slavery that exist today.

The motion is carried with overwhelming support.

People chairing synod need to understand the difference between something passing unanimously or passing nem con. Perhaps this will be included in the development day for synod chair people next year.

Ministry Development Committee. Judith George spoke. Interestingly, she spoke of clergy having skills. This is a complete turnaround from the days when TlSEC students were told that they were not engaged in a skills based course.

Lewis Smith spoke for the Home Mission Committee. They have now taken on the brief of the Retreats Committee. An apprisal of Journey of the Baptised is to take place. An independent pesos has been appointed to engage in this review. The identity of this person was not revealed.

Bishop David spoke of a changing shift to thinking about the Diocese being the place of focus for mission rather than the Province.

Bishop Elect, Mark spoke on the Provincial Youth Network. Is there a danger of the PYN being a separate network from the Province? They we now trying to work with all the Boards and Committees to ensure that it is as integrated as possible.

John Richardson introduces the debate.

We are back to our hobby – reforming Canon 4. This is the canon that deals with the election of bishops. We love revising this. We do it often.

Aberdeen have proposed an amendment but then have to be encouraged to propose it. Indeed, they don’t.

The changes to Canon 4 pass easily.

Now we debate a discussion paper on Membership. There is a Motion to accept this paper. I’ve been quite nippy in the past about the fact that it is a nonsense to vote on discussion papers. We should not vote on them, we should discuss them.

During the debate, Malcolm Round says that we all know that we are an inclusive church.

In the surreal film version of General Synod, everyone arrives this morning wearing name budges, each of which says “I am Lexie Plumtree”.

In reality, the day begins with the presentation of the Golf Cup. There is a rumour in the benches around me to the effect that next year it is going to be darts.

We also start by being admonished by the Primus. Apparently the members of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney felt “traduced” during yesterday’s debate on the marriage liturgy. He seems to suggest that people’s comments, were hurtful. I’m surprised by this and wonder whether this is an ironic reference to the goings on in the Big Brother house. Is someone about to get thrown out from synod for being rude to Aberdeen?

I don’t think that Aberdeen & Orkney made their case very persuasively, but had better not say so, or else there will be an instant eviction.

First up this morning is the Admin Board. My handwriting recognition system interprets this as “Admin Beard” which is another happy surreal image to begin the day with. I imagine the Admin Board meeting members passing the Admin Beard amongst them. Whoever has the beard has the power.

Seems that the Dunderdale Fund is under subscribed. It gives money for small building projects.

I speak in a debate about retirement housing. I speak against a motion that will top slice legacies for this purpose. I also suggest that if the problem is too many people living in tied housing, then the answer is to get people out of tied housing. l am accused by the next speaker in the debate of living in fairy land. I murmur, barely audibly, “Oh yes, I live in fairy-land.”

Seem that you cannot be rude to Aberdeen in debate, but I can be called a fairy.

The motion falls. Fairy-land wins!

We move onto stuff about how clergy are paid. We are told once again that clergy are not employed, but are office holders. I don’t think that will stand up in court. I don’t think that being an office holder automatically excludes someone from being employed. The muttering I hear in the body of the synod indicates to me that others agree with me.

During the preceding coffee break, the convenor of the Liturgy Committee tells me that I an sitting in a dark corner. I presume he is taking about the lighting in the hall as he is taking photographs. When back in my place, I start to wonder. Is it really that dark? Was he trying to tell me something more significant.

Amendments to canons are made to include the protection of vulnerable adults in the church alongside the protection of children. And about time too.

Retiring Protection Officer Barbara Steele who recently retired is thanked. Quite right too. (The handwriting recognition technology I am blogging with recognises the way I write her name as Baboon Steele. It is not my fault. I blame Microsoft).

Lexie Plumtree speaks. We are all jealous of her name.

Liturgical formation. We have the chance to talk about what makes good liturgy. We talk a lot about the choice of hymns at the Synod Eucharist.

We move on to discuss the new Manage Liturgy. Andrew Barr tells us it is taken as read that marriage is by definition something between a husband and wife; it a man and a woman. I suspect there are those in the hall who disagree that this can be simply taken as read, and there we those who disagree with the statement itself.

(Gadgetvicar provided some helpful suggestions a couple of months ago as to how the new liturgy could be used for blessing gay couples).

The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney try to delay the introduction of the new Liturgy. They are not happy about matters of doctrine “They don’t the the use of the Book of Ruth. They don’t like what they see as an attempt to secularise marriage end want to maintain a distinctiveness for Christian Marriage over Marriage in General.

The Aberdeen motion falls by a significant margin.

Bishop Brian appeals for wee prayers for couples coming to be married who already have children.

The Liturgy is accepted by the synod unmodified.

Bishop Brian speaks entertainingly about the difference between the Episcopal Synod which consists of the bishops of the SEC and the College of Bishops which consists of the bishops of the SEC.They dress up for the former and let the public in. For the latter, they dress down and meet behind closed doors.

Bishop David speaks about what is coming up for the bishops. The “leadership of the bishops” vs our democratic institutions.

Bishop David tells us that the bishop have been listening to groups concerned with sexuality issues. News to me.

James Milne speaks on the Anglican Covenant and proposes the motion that the Faith & Order Board be given authority to respond on this subject.

Nancy Adams speaks of the brokenness of the Communion.

Alison Peden welcomes the emphasis on Mission in the covenant. However questions how the 39 Articles can be a unifying force. Why do we need to state a covenant when we have baptism and the Creeds which unite us? Devisive and defensive walls make up the Covenant.

Ian Hopkins speaks in favour of the covenant due to its relationality.

Bishop Brian says this is not necessarily the only show in town. We need to find different ways to deal with the problems of the Communion. Can we find way to hold together when we do not have a common mind? We have to become a community that can life with clashing values. We need a trust that passes understanding.

John Riches speaks. Is this the right way forward? Unity of Communion section suggests that our differences will be submitted to the Primates’ Meeting. Primates have gone too far. They are a dangerous body. Our models of decision making over the ordination of women needed time. There is a risk of of rushing far too fast. Colin Sibley – there is an traditionalist undercurrent to the Covenant. Regrets the need for “regret” on the part of the USA.

Malcolm Round says that there we people who can affirm the covenant. It is not extreme. There must be things we agree on.

Gill Young – what happens to those who cannot sign up to the covenant? Exclusion should not be in Christian vocabulary.

David Bayne agrees with John Riches. Covenant is 95% sugar and 5 % Strickenine . Primates decision making powers not good.

John Penman speaks. He worries at the creation of an Anglican College of Cardinals.

Bishop Martin speaks on autonomy something to protect us. Covenant takes that away. Danger of Covenant is who will interpret it.

Martin Robson says this is not good Anglican Doctrine. Need faith and reason together.

Bishop ldris says that there is no sense in which this is the end of the process.These proposals did not come from the Primates but the Standing Committee of the ACC.

James Milne replies to the debate. We are having more debate than we leave been asked to have. what happens if we say no to the final Covenant? It may not be that they will necessarily leave the Anglican Communion.

The Motion is carried.

Synod begins with a splendid Eucharist in St Mary’s cathedral. We know not the hymns. Then, back to Palmerston Place church for the welcoming of delegates who don’t have enough meetings to go to of their own. We then appoint prolocutors even though we don’t ever use them. The prolocutors are the people who will chair the Houses, if synod decides to meet in houses.

Patricia Petie proposes the minutes from last year. They are received without dissent.

We then have election announcements. There are places on the Admin Board though no-one seems to want to be on it. Richard Kilgour and Malcolm Round are elected onto the Standing Committee se long as synod agrees to increase its membership.

John Stuart says the usual system of bells and whistles will apply. This seems more exciting then it will be in reality. Speakers’ cards would be in use once again. This was originally my idea, as it happens, though not in the way they are being used.

Palmerston Place church has a very hideous banner which says upon it “Jesus said let the little ones come to me.” It is a reminder that I am one of the youngest people present.

The accounts are carried without question.

One of the things which I don’t really understand is that we are supposed to be in a time of increasing finances due to the Year of Stewardship which we are all engaged with. Yet, budgets do not seem to reflect this. Perhaps I misunderstand something.

Looks like quota is going up by 3% but we don’t vote on the budget until Saturday.