Some couples are like two peas in a pod. Others could not be more different from each other. Neither guarantees happiness – but the ones who are very different must work really hard.
In the 1960s six Church of Scotland ministers were deployed along the coast from North Berwick to Aberlady. Everyone understood this would be reduced to three ministers. Everyone had their own idea of how best to do this.
It happened piece meal. First Aberlady was linked with Gullane, then Dirleton with Abbey. The only partners left were St Andrew’s and Blackadder. In terms of culture and theology, the congregations were very different. They had very different understandings of what the church was called to be and do. Of all the possible combinations this seemed the least likely to flourish. Since all the other partners were now spoken for, however, it had to happen. To exacerbate matters, rather than a linkage (where congregations remain separate and share a minister) this was a union, where two congregations become one. It was something of a shotgun marriage!
St Andrew Blackadder came into being on March 5th, 1989. From all accounts the first few years were pretty stormy. Nonetheless something extraordinary happened. The union of two very different congregations released a huge spurt of energy and creativity. Working with differing perspectives was demanding. And it was also highly generative.
One tangible sign of that creativity is the building we worship in. In 2000 a Victorian single-use building was transformed into a multi-use contemporary space. It is both ancient and modern. It is up-to-date and timeless. The faith, vision, imagination and energy required to achieve this was generated by the marriage of two very different congregations. It was their combined strengths and perspectives that made this possible.
Paul describes Christ as our peace, who has made the two groups one (Ephesians 2:14). The two groups he is referring to are Jews and Gentiles. The early church was so dynamic because it was the marriage of these two very different strands. That’s why it became the channel through which the Holy Spirit changed the Roman Empire.
Today St Andrew Blackadder is made up of people from many different Christian traditions. That means we don’t always agree. Sometimes we think others (both church members and leaders) aren’t on the right page. I believe, in 2026, that kind of tension remains a source of great strength and potential just as it was in 1989. Releasing that requires grace and understanding. It demands that we focus on primary rather than secondary things. We affirm together our core convictions, expressed for example in the Nicene Creed. We concentrate on the core calling of the church, which is to participate in God’s mission. That is what is primary. The rest is secondary.
The people of St Andrew Blackadder did this in the 1990’s. The building we worship in reminds us what can be achieved by the Holy Spirit when God’s people do this.
| Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1)
Witness 1: St Andrew, who brought people to Jesus – Sermon 18/1/26 Witness 2: John Blackadder, who preached the word in season and out of season – All Age Talk 25/1/26 Witness 3: The people who founded the church of St Andrew in North Berwick. ‘Make the most of every opportunity’ (Colossians 4:5). Witness 4: St Andrew’s Church, Kirk Ports: ‘Hear the word of the Lord’ (Ezekiel 37:4) Witness 5: Blackadder Free Church: ‘Go. I am sending you’ (Exodus 3:10) Witness 6: The people behind the building we worship in today: ‘Let your light shine’ (Matthew 5:16) Witness 7: 1990’s Congregation: Christ, our peace, who makes two groups one (Ephesians 2:14) |
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