Uniting in Prayer to Transform North Aberdeenshire

In 2010 I was disappointed to the point of frustration at some local churches drawing back from working together and could only think of calling people to pray, which I did (with little confidence in my ability to lead such). Two of the few people who met with me returned from the Uniting to Transform Scotland meeting in Stirling in September 2011, enthused to do more in our area. They affirmed me and we invited Jim Ritchie (the Scotland Trust) and Fred Drummond (Evangelical Alliance) to speak at a breakfast in February 2012 under the banner Uniting to Transform Aberdeenshire.

 
From this has evolved “Uniting in Prayer to Transform North Aberdeenshire” a bimonthly Saturday morning meeting near Mintlaw in the spacious home of a couple who generously use their home for “Father’s business”.
With people attending from Portsoy to Peterhead, we take time to share encouragements and perceived needs. The Lord’s presence and His purposes is what we seek from our prayers. Above all we aim to be led by the Holy Spirit. We feel a real sense of purpose and God’s blessing in our endeavour to take some kind of spiritual responsibility for our largely rural area.

 
Walking one day on my local beach, I discovered that a previous tide had transformed the entire beach, including ridged and steeply uneven sand, into a beautifully smooth surface offering no resistance to the sea’s advance. How quickly our God can change things. The smoothness spoke to me of unity, of openness. God is able to unite, to harmonize His Church with all its differences. Just as the sand cannot resist the power of the sea so our churches can be transformed and united by the direct intervention of our God. That is what we are looking for.

Dave Bestwick
dtbestwick@btinternet.com