New SU groups in Blairgowrie and Rattray

Three years ago Hope Evangelical Church, among others, were concerned about the lack of Christian youth work in the town of Blairgowrie and the surrounding area.  A key part of the problem was the lack of church contact with schools, apart from occasional assemblies run by the Church of Scotland which at that point had a vacancy. And so the churches began a prayer group, planning for what they could do to change this. 

They got in touch with Scripture Union and by God’s providential hand, a new director for Perth and Kinross had been appointed - Roy Osbourne, who was known in local schools since he used to run Strathmore Centre for Youth Development, which meant that he was a trusted face to approach them.

Within a few months they had started up an SU after school group at Rattray Primary, led by the minister of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church, Kim Lafferty, who is assisted by members of other local churches. And after a year of persistently asking the headteacher, they finally got the green light to start an SU group at Blairgowrie High School, too. Derek Johnstone, the pastor of Hope Evangelical Church, now runs it with another teacher. 

Currently, the churches in Blairgowrie are praying for the opportunity to start another group at another local primary school. They’ve found the main thing that helps them to make progress is partnering with SU, and time. By persevering and investing in relationships with the schools, God can make seeds grow even where it seems unlikely. 

The River Ericht which runs through Blairgowrie and Rattray, Perthshire