The 57th Free Church School in Theology was held between 14th and 17th September. In all about 50 men gathered at some point over the four days of the School, mostly for the full period. The School is residential, meeting in the pleasant surroundings of the Boys’ Brigade Training Centre at Carronvale House, Larbert (near Falkirk). It is designed for the encouragement of ministry and fellowship and is committed to the full-orbed Reformed Faith. There is an evening session on the Monday, a morning session on Thursday, and two full days in between. A wide range of theological, biblical, practical and pastoral subjects are addressed in 7 main addresses. Besides this there is a slot for presentation of missionary work and one for book reviews. In addition there are early morning prayer meetings, daily devotionals and evening worship.
The standard of papers, and the spiritual tone of the School this year were outstanding. There was a felt presence of the Lord, and a wonderful spirit of harmony among the men who gathered. The spread of nationalities of those who attended was remarkable. There were men from England, Ireland, United States, Canada, Sri Lanka, Italy, South Korea and Singapore, besides Scotland.
On the Monday evening Andrew Quigley, pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Airdrie, gave a lively and challenging address on ‘John Calvin: Life and Lessons.’ There was another paper on Calvin on the Wednesday evening, Malcolm Watts (Emmanuel, Salisbury) addressing ‘Calvin’s Theology’ in a moving and instructive paper. William Macleod (Knightwood, Glasgow) spoke helpfully on Jeremiah in the Tuesday Morning and in the afternoon Gavin Beers (Ayr) presented a stimulating case for Christian Education. Church history was the theme that evening, John J Murray (Glasgow) speaking on the 1859 Revival, reflecting the 150th anniversary of that movement of the Lord. On the Wednesday morning Jeremy Brooks (Protestant Trust Society) dealt with ‘The Sufficiency of Scripture,’ emphasising the centrality of Scripture in the life of the Church. This was another extremely capable address. The School was rounded off by Arthur Bentley-Taylor’s (Workington) helpful remarks on ‘Counselling the Dying and Bereaved,’ directing our thoughts particularly to the experiences of Job. The morning devotionals led by Sam Watson (Belfast) set the tone beautifully for every day, uplifting the Saviour and His work from Hebrews 9:26.
All in all it was a privilege to be present at the School. The papers were earnest, moving, instructive and stimulating. For the week the Carronvale House seemed a Bethel to those present. CDs are available for all the addresses. These can be ordered on the web-site. Lord willing it is anticipated that the School will be held again in Carronvale next year, 6th-9th September. For information contact the Secretary, Rev John J Murray, 7 Greenacres Way, Darnley, Glasgow, G53 7BG.
John W Keddie