Church of Scotland

19/03/2026

17/03/2026

The Scottish Parliament has voted to reject the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill by 69 votes to 57.

Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: "I welcome the news that the Scottish Parliament has chosen not to approve the Assisted Dying Bill.

"In May 2025, the General Assembly reaffirmed its opposition to assisted dying, following extensive Church-wide consideration, lengthy debate and a close vote.

"While there is a diversity of views within the Church, the considered opinion was that we could not support a change in the law.

“Christians believe that every human being is made in the image of God with inherent dignity and worth, this is true for how we live, as well as how we die.

"I recognise that the outcome will be a disappointment to many, but it was clear that the safeguards included did not offer sufficient protection.

"We have been consistent in our position that we need to prioritise the development of excellent palliative care services that are universally available and fully funded.

"Without that, had the Bill passed, we would fear that many vulnerable people might have seen an assisted death as their only realistic option.

"That concern remains and we will continue to advocate for increased funding and availability of palliative care.

"I would like to pay tribute to the hard and diligent work of our MSPs and the staff in the Scottish Parliament who have scrutinised this Bill over the past five years.

"It has been notable how respectfully the debate has been conducted and how gracious opponents have been to one another.

"My hope is that this spirit of kindness, even when there are deep political differences, can continue through the election campaign and beyond."

17/03/2026

Swapping South Africa for Scotland has not been too much of a challenge for Rev Karlien Becker, who is now six months into her role as parish minister for North Carrick in Ayrshire.

She does not even mind the rain, as she revealed in the Church of Scotland's monthly Talking Ministry feature.

"I love the green and you don't get that without the rain, so the weather isn't a problem for us," she said.

However, for Mrs Becker it was a visit to another northern European nation – Sweden – which was to sow the seeds which eventually led to her moving to a new continent.

Visiting the Scandinavian nation as a student, she admits that her first trip outside Africa came as a culture shock for the daughter of a minister brought up in a Christian home in a religious country.

"South Africa is a very Christian country and seeing so many people who don't go to church or don't believe was an eye-opener," she said.

"I did question a lot of things after that trip, but then I realised that believing in Jesus is my whole identity. He carries me through my every day."

Mrs Becker, whose engineer husband Hendrick (Hennie) has joined her on her Scottish adventure, went on to be ordained into the Dutch Reformed Church, as did her brother Jan, bringing the number of active ministers in the family up to three, including dad, Jan Senior.

Over the next 13 years she was to work in some widely differing congregations, beginning with a farming community in the town of Melmoth near the city of Durban where she led services not only at an Afrikaans-speaking church, but could also be found preaching to English-speakers and even a Zulu church, with the help of an interpreter.

That was followed by team ministry in the city of Cape Town where Sunday services could attract a congregation of 500, before going back to rural life in the town of Nuwerus in the Western Cape.

This is a community that was experiencing a drought that left many of her congregation too impoverished to come to church so she had to go to them, even if that meant having to travel 120Km (75 miles) on dirt roads.

It was in Nuwerus that Mrs Becker began thinking about a possible move to Scotland.

"A lot of my friends had already come here and I asked Hennie how he would feel about doing that, so it was in my mind, and it didn't go away," she said.

"Especially having gone to Sweden and growing up in a missionary home, I always had this feeling that a minister is not just called to be a light in their country, but to be a light in the world.

"I realised that there were large parts of the world where people were not going to church anymore and there was a need."

The couple moved to Scotland in the summer of 2024, settling first in Perth before eventually moving to south Ayrshire and the congregations of Maybole and Kirkoswald and Crosshill, now united as North Carrick Parish Church.

It is a busy life with three buildings to look after as well as five schools and two care homes in the parish as well as pastoral visits, but Mrs Becker is adapting well to Scotland – even though she has yet to successfully get Hennie into a kilt.

"We did a lot of travelling and just fell in love with Scotland," she said.

"Everyone asks: ‘what about the weather?' Well, I love the green and you don't get that without the rain, so the weather isn't a problem for us.

"I think a lot of people will wonder why I left South Africa because it does have a lot of challenges like poverty and crime and you can do wonderful work there.

"Sometimes, I do wonder myself why Scotland and not South Africa, but I feel called to be here at this time and stage."

Read the full interview on our Talking Ministry page:

https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/get-involved/serve/vocations/talking-ministry/2026/march-2026-rev-karlien-becker

15/03/2026

13/03/2026

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and congregation of Rev Richard Baxter, minister of Kelvin West Parish Church.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

🙏🙏🙏

It is with deep regret we announce the death of our beloved minister Rev Richard Baxter. His Funeral Service will be held at St. Kenneths, Fife on Wednesday 25th March at 9.45am. There will also be a service of thanksgiving at Kelvin West Parish Church on Saturday March 28th at 11am.

13/03/2026

The 30th anniversary of the Dunblane Tragedy, when 16 primary school children and their teacher were killed, will be marked by quiet and dignified reflection in the town today.

Churches will open their doors to allow people to have the space, opportunity and peace to remember and grieve in ways that are appropriate to them.

Rev Colin Renwick, minister at Dunblane Cathedral, has written a special prayer to mark the anniversary.

A Prayer from Dunblane Cathedral

Lord Jesus Christ, yourself once a child, vulnerable and at risk.

In silence we pray when words are not enough to capture the depths within,

or simply an intrusion into that place within us, where quietness should dwell.

Within these walls, that have rung with the laughter and the songs of children,

and witnessed the tears and heartbroken prayers of adults,

we remember and we pray.

We remember all those who will, forever, remain as children in our hearts.

We remember a teacher whose greatest instinct was to protect those entrusted to her care.

We remember the parents, the siblings, the grandparents and the friends, who will always mourn.

We remember all who bear scars to this very day.

As the fragile snowdrop breaks through the cold winter earth,

and somehow endures the elements that buffet it,

we give thanks for the resilience of many, and for the determination, arising out of tragedy, that this country should be a safer place than it used to be.

Amen.

Rev Colin Renwick says that for those whose lives were shattered by the tragic events of 13 March 1996, remembering is not confined to particular anniversaries.

"There are still those who, every day, think of a child they lost that day. Each birthday, each Christmas, the marriage of a sibling or contemporary, and many other events, still bring times of poignant remembering and wishing things had been different," he said

"The 16 children of Dunblane who died that day, and the teacher who died trying to protect them, will never be forgotten.

"Nor will people forget the determination and persistence of those who campaigned so hard to ensure that the gun laws in the United Kingdom were changed, making this country a safer place."

Dunblane Cathedral, which houses a memorial to the 17 who died in the tragedy with words taken from the Gospel of Matthew and The Children's Prayer by R.H. Stoddard, will be open from 10am to 8pm.

St Blane's Parish Church and Lecropt Kirk will also be open from 10am to 4pm.

As has been their custom on 13 March each year, The Roman Catholic Church of The Holy Family in Dunblane will be hosting a Mass in Remembrance of those who lost their life in the Dunblane Tragedy at 6pm, and other congregations in the town will be remembering those who lost their lives, and all those whose life was forever changed with the Dunblane Tragedy, on Sunday 15 March, as is their custom on the Sunday closest to each anniversary.

In addition, Dunblane Community Council has suggested that people may wish to place a candle in their window on 13 March as a mark of quiet remembering and respect.



Dunblane Cathedral