DONALD MORRISON
Points North Worker

I have now been in post for five months (April to August). It sounds like a long time though I need to keep reminding myself that as I work only part time it is only two and a half months in “real time”. The work is both exciting and challenging and my time has been spent researching the area and making contacts with people - the buzzword “networking”.
One of my discoveries, which will be no surprise to those of you who live here, is that the Points North area - the whole area north of the M80 belonging to the Cumbernauld Old and Condorrat parishes, from Blackwood to Westerwood and including the two industrial estates (Westfield and Wardpark) at either end - is enormous! Its population numbers 20,000 compared with 30,000 south of the M80 and I have heard that the green-field area at the EastField / Dullatur corner is a possible site for another 1000 houses.

Another discovery regards churches: a Google-map search revealed a total of 20 churches south of the M80, including five Church of Scotland and 4 Roman Catholic, while the north has only two - Craighalbert and our own service at the Forge Community Centre.

I have enjoyed meeting with loads of different people, those in the Cumbernauld Old and Condorrat congregations and in some of the other Cumbernauld churches and those in other places who are already involved in emerging church type work. In the process I have learnt a lot from these people and intend to continue networking especially with people in the Points North community itself.

My job description stipulated two particular tasks - to identify and initiate potential opportunities for (1) fresh expressions of church life and (2) other appropriate mission strategies. In regard to the latter I have identified the potential for a youth work partnership with Gary Gibson of Freedom City and a workplace chaplaincy initiative with Rev Grace Saunders of Condorrat Church of Scotland. I am also forging links with Craighalbert who are already making significant inroads into the Points North community and I feel it is crucial that our work should be undertaken in a spirit of co-operation with them. I am also aware of the mission opportunities that could come from being involved in community development initiatives in the area.

In addition, I am looking at the possibility of initiating a listening / counselling ministry in the area and offering various “introduction to Christianity” type courses - likely based on the Alpha model. In addition to the general Alpha course they have developed Senior Alpha, Student Alpha and Youth Alpha courses as well as two new courses on parenting and marriage to be rolled out later this year. At the centre of all these mission initiatives will be the “fresh expression of church life” which will initially be in the form of a “house group” formed along the lines of what in missional jargon is known as Missional Communities. I am hopeful that in the autumn we will have two such groups started - one from Cumbernauld Old and one from Condorrat.

So, while much has been done, there is still much more to do - and it is an exciting and challenging prospect for us all. Until now I have been staying with a friend in Springburn but as the work develops I am beginning to realise that I need to live in Cumbernauld itself. It is important that I become part of the community I am working in. As the job is part-time I work on alternative weeks, the other week I travel home to be with my family. Sometime soon, I hope to have a 'base' in Cumbernauld from which I can continue to build upon the work that has been started and is beginning to bear fruit.