Time for Reflection
The Presiding Officer (Ken
Macintosh):
Good afternoon. The first item of business this
afternoon is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leaders
are Majors Lynn and Raelton Gibbs, who are divisional leaders of
the Salvation Army's west Scotland division.
Major Raelton Gibbs (Salvation
Army):
Thank you for the opportunity to address
members, which we consider to be a privilege. For 13 years, Lynn
and I have been in the best club in the world. You may ask: which
one? It is the grandparents’ club, and we have recently welcomed
our third grandchild into the world. How special and important
are positive family relationships?
Reading to our children and grandchildren has
always been a joy, and one of their favourite stories from the
Old Testament is the story of Noah. Initially, they had the
excitement of the animals coming in two by two, but then there
was the beginning of understanding of how, in obedience, Noah
built the ark, which to everybody else around was an act of
madness. Only when the rain came did everybody think that Noah
might not have been so crazy, but it came too late for
them.
We were in danger of having similar thoughts to
that crowd of people when we learned that the Salvation Army in
west Scotland was building a boat in the middle of inner-city
Easterhouse in Glasgow. On the face of it, that seemed to be a
similar act of madness; why on earth did they want to do
it?
Major Lynn Gibbs (Salvation
Army):
The rains came we saw
quite a lot in Glasgow, although though not to the same extent as
Noah and we witnessed that the building of the boat in a garage
brought together a group of people who had been struggling to
cope and to come together. It gave them hope and a reason for
change, which resulted in their developing a community and
supporting one another. They have formed a walking club and a
fishing club, and they have formed positive relationships one
couple is now engaged to be marriedand achieved things that they
thought would never be possible. One gentleman started to sing in
a choir and was thrilled to have the joy of singing here at the
Parliament in a homelessness choir.
We got involved and listened to some of the
people there, and it was no surprise to learn that the project
had little, if anything, to do with a boat. It had more to do
with honesty, acceptance, love, care and understanding. Those
elements all make communities and the special, important
relationships that we all need. Whatever perspective we come
from, whether political, scientific or spiritual, we all work
together to help people who feel hopeless
Major Raelton
Gibbs:
to give friendship to people who are
lonely
Major Lynn Gibbs:
and to give joy to people who are sad.
Major Raelton
Gibbs:
We can make a difference as individuals, but a
greater impact will happen if we work together.
Major Lynn Gibbs:
As the Bible tells us:
And now these three remain: faith, hope and
love. But the greatest of these is love.â€
Major Raelton
Gibbs:
Thank you.
