The Nurture Action Group is convened by Willie McAlpine. The purpose of the Nurture Action Group is to develop discipleship in the lives of members of the congregation.
Many people in the church are put off by the word 'disciple'. Some think that the term should only be applied to the original friends of Jesus. However, Jesus commanded all his followers to be disciples.
To be a disciple we need to be continually challenged to grown in our faith. Many children go to Sunday School and leave when they are too old and very often we think in the church that we don't need Sunday School after the age of 11. In fact, the opposite is true! We perhaps need Sunday School well into our adult life as we are constantly struggling to apply our faith on a day to day basis in a world becoming more and more secular. It is the hope of the Kirk Session to encourage people of all ages to continue in their learning and in the process help nurture other people as we journey in faith together.
The remit for this group includes:
- leading people into a deeper spiritual commitment;
- helping members see the important of the 'spiritual' in day to day life;
- oversight of the Sunday School and other children's and youth groups (including working with the Mission Action Group to help plan and execute the annual Holiday Club);
- ensuring a regular Membership course is available for new attenders;
- encouraging greater participation by members in church life;
- promoting awareness of the different ministry opportunities in Greyfriars;
- identifying through active liaison with other Action Groups and Coordinating Group where there are new opportunities available for service in Greyfriars;
- identifying people's talents and gifts and helping them find ways to serve Christ in the church, parish, home or workplace;
- encouraging and providing opportunities for members to develop their prayer life;
- promoting good habits and practices for personal growth as a Christian;
- promoting Christian education;
- developing small / house groups;
- building a Discovering Spiritual Maturity course, using materials available, e.g. Emmaus;
- developing groups for those interested in faith (e.g. Living the Questions);
- developing awareness of justice and peace issues, including fair trade issues, Christian Aid, etc.;
- considering the Christian response to issues of local, national and international concern, reporting these to the Kirk Session, and challenging the Kirk Session and congregation to act on these issues;
- developing the children's library to provide useful resources for children to grow in their Christian journey;
- seeking advice when unsure how to proceed from, for instance, national advisers.