Sanctuary First

Calling Clarity Find more episodes on Sanctuary First Troon minister in training Graeme Stewart shares about his faith journey, calling into & training for ministry & mission. Graeme, Lynsey & Neil together discuss lessons learnt in helping congregations move from stuck cultures of ‘the way it’s aye been done’ towards a more outward looking, disciple making, mission minded people of God. Plenty of raw honesty included! Be inspired & encouraged! Find all past episodes of the podcast on the Sanctuary First website, via our App and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Join us as we discover, faith hope and stories of grief in the Church of Scotland. Come! Emmaus, Emerge from the gloom. Come Holy Spirit Come!

What on earth is God doing in Scotland? Find more episodes on Sanctuary First Rev Alan McWilliam of Cairn Movement & Scottish Church Planting Network shares his journey into planting a Church of Scotland in Glasgow, leading The Cairn Movement & recently going on a Scotland wide listening tour to learn what God is up to in these post Covid days. Yes, there is lament & decline, but Alan sees Scotland pregnant with opportunity to join Jesus in His Co-Mission. What if, the leadership of our churches in the relatively near future is actually to be found in people presently not ‘in our church’ YET? Be inspired & encouraged! Find all past episodes of the podcast on the Sanctuary First website, via our App and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Join us as we discover, faith hope and stories of grief in the Church of Scotland. Come! Emmaus, Emerge from the gloom. Come Holy Spirit Come!

Elliot & Jack are at Refuel Festival Join us for a Nine part podcast series as we explore in real time the Sanctuary first connect material for the theme ‘Express Yourself’. Never done a connect group or bible study before? Perhaps your interested in starting one but havn’t yet, or maybe your looking for more to explore from this weeks theme. Each week Albert and guests will unpack the weeks theme and branch off into a wide ranging conversation on the bible passages.

Iona - Inverness in the footsteps of St Columba. Find more episodes on Sanctuary First Carrying 4 large heavy stones & a Bible, a team from new church plant St Columba’s, Inverness, rowed, bike-hiked, cycled & walked in the trail of our great Celtic missionary Colmcille. Hear why in this episode of Emerging Emmaus as Neil cycles alongside Rev Scott McRoberts to find out. A Good News story of a young church who’ve just bought a ‘field of dreams’ in which to build a centre for their church & community. Be inspired & encouraged! Find all past episodes of the podcast on the Sanctuary First website, via our App and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Join us as we discover, faith hope and stories of grief in the Church of Scotland. Come! Emmaus, Emerge from the gloom. Come Holy Spirit Come!

Join us for a Nine part podcast series as we explore in real time the Sanctuary first connect material for the theme ‘Express Yourself’. Never done a connect group or bible study before? Perhaps your interested in starting one but havn’t yet, or maybe your looking for more to explore from this weeks theme. Each week Albert and guests will unpack the weeks theme and branch off into a wide ranging conversation on the bible passages. Gameface! — Team Sports. From World Cup Stadiums to local five-aside pitches, sports show us peaks of human striving and endurance. But the greatest moments aren’t just about winning — they are about respect, sacrifice, and teamwork. Individual glory is hollow and team sports remind us that we are intended to find our identity in community, bringing out the best in each other and honouring one another. Scripture Focus: Ephesians 4: 25-32 Core Discussion Question: Paul tells us we are “members of one another.” How does a “team sports” mentality change how we treat people we disagree with or view as opponents in daily life? Why does striving with and against others shape our identity? Book: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek (Shifting from beating others to building long-term community) Films: Chariots of Fire or The Boys in the Boat (Classic stories of human striving, sacrifice, and honouring a higher purpose)

Join us for a Nine part podcast series as we explore in real time the Sanctuary first connect material for the theme ‘Express Yourself’. Never done a connect group or bible study before? Perhaps your interested in starting one but havn’t yet, or maybe your looking for more to explore from this weeks theme. Each week Albert and guests will unpack the weeks theme and branch off into a wide ranging conversation on the bible passages.

Restless Sanctuary Ep. 014: Orchard walk! Self-Expression + trees Join James and Albert for a walk in Albert’s garden as they talk about self-expression, getting to know one another and God, and how perhaps there’s no such thing as a tree! (Also Albert’s Panama Hat). As this was recorded on the fly in the garden you will hear some sirens, wind, birdsong and even an ice cream van going past. Listen every fortnight to our new podcast about faith, restlessness and the search for meaning! James Cathcart and Albert Bogle from Sanctuary First share what it’s like to be restless Christians, wrestling with the Bible and spirituality as they try and live it out today. Right now our world is very restless — politically, economically, culturally, technologically and environmentally. We are living through an age of disruption and upheaval. Many of us are longing for a sense of sanctuary, for belonging, and direction to help us face new and unprecedented challenges. At the root of Christianity James and Albert uncover a restlessness in God’s heart that mirrors our own. A deep longing and restless love that searches out for each one of us. We glimpse God in the faces of one another in need and in God we glimpse our own human yearning for wholeness and love. James and Albert reckon Jesus offers sanctuary and respite for our restless souls, but that it is often a restless sanctuary, a temporary makeshift shelter in a world that we are called in turn to go out and love. The ship in their logo, designed by Jack Steel, is itself a restless sanctuary on the open water — not a shelter from the storm but a shelter through the storm. Join them every fortnight for fascinating discussions about being restless Christians in a restless world! The series is a collaboration between James Cathcart and Albert Bogle and features the track ‘Symphony of Lies’ by The Bogle Band. References: James’s reference to Stanley Hauerwas and how other people help shape out identity and character comes from his The Peaceable Kingdom, A Primer In Christian Ethics. “We acquire character through the expectation of others. The “otherness” of another’s character not only invites me to an always imperfect imitation, but challenges me to recognize the way my vision is restricted by my own self-preoccupation. Thus the kind of community in which we encounter another does not merely make some difference for our capacity for agency, it makes all the difference. From this perspective we are not the creators of our character; rather, our character is a gift from others which we learn to claim as our own by recognizing it as a gift. Our freedom is literally in the hands of others.” For more information into how trees communicate with one another through ‘The Wood Wide Web’ check out this BBC Crowd Science video. Find the podcast here on Sanctuary First, in our Sanctuary First App, and on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and most other podcasting platforms!

Join us for an audio visual art installation that will lead you through a ten stage spiritual labyrinth focusing on a theme of waiting. This labyrinth is designed to be used on its own or in partnership with the Journey Of Waiting Labyrinth in person Art Installation. Take time to listen to each stage of the labyrinth for a calming and spiritual journey of prayer and reflection. This Labyrinth invites you to explore what it means to wait upon the Lord in all the encounters we have in life and what this involves. It is an interactive journey with ten stations to consider and will take you around 30 minutes. This Labyrinth was brought to you by Sanctuary First and Sanctus Media, it is read by Lily Cathcart and devised by Maggie Lane. Every journey we make in life begins somewhere. We can make choices about the route we take which might include different stopping off points, but all of it ultimately leads us to our destination. We like to get to where we want to be as quickly as possible. We like immediate results, immediate rewards; this Labyrinth journey however has been designed to encourage you to pause, to slow down and prayerfully reflect on what it means to wait for God as the Psalmist so often did on his journey. Psalm 27:14 ‘Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Or waiting for a promise to be realised like the disciples who waited in the upper room at Pentecost because Jesus told them ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised,’ the gift of the Holy Spirit. They would need power in a hostile world if they were going to fulfil their God given purpose of being His witnesses throughout the world. So they chose to wait, expectant and trusting, and they received what was promised and immediately went out to share what they had received. Are you ready to make this journey of waiting, receiving and sharing?

Join us for a Nine part podcast series as we explore in real time the Sanctuary first connect material for the theme ‘Express Yourself’. Never done a connect group or bible study before? Perhaps your interested in starting one but havn’t yet, or maybe your looking for more to explore from this weeks theme. Each week Albert and guests will unpack the weeks theme and branch off into a wide ranging conversation on the bible passages. “You are what you eat.” We’ve all heard it, but what are we actually hungering for? In a world full of temporary satisfactions, what is the ultimate pursuit that actually fulfils our souls? We hunger for more than physical sustenance; we hunger for connection and ultimate meaning. Scripture Focus: John 6:25-35 Core Discussion Question: Jesus calls Himself the “Bread of Life.” What are the temporary “foods” (success, approval, material things) we often pursue to define our identity, and how and why do they leave us hungry? Books: Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis and The Prodigal God Timothy Keller Film: Chocolat (Exploring how food, community, and breaking bread together can transform a rigid culture)

Restless Sanctuary Episode 13: ‘Got a light?’ How colours help us to think differently about theology What does it mean to let our light shine? What do we do when Jesus surprises us at the bus stop? What is a tetrachromat? How does colour help us think about theology differently? What has the through-line been for our Sanctuary First themes from Advent last year to this summer? Check out our latest episode to find out! Listen every fortnight to our new podcast about faith, restlessness and the search for meaning! James Cathcart and Albert Bogle from Sanctuary First share what it’s like to be restless Christians, wrestling with the Bible and spirituality as they try and live it out today. Right now our world is very restless — politically, economically, culturally, technologically and environmentally. We are living through an age of disruption and upheaval. Many of us are longing for a sense of sanctuary, for belonging, and direction to help us face new and unprecedented challenges. At the root of Christianity James and Albert uncover a restlessness in God’s heart that mirrors our own. A deep longing and restless love that searches out for each one of us. We glimpse God in the faces of one another in need and in God we glimpse our own human yearning for wholeness and love. James and Albert reckon Jesus offers sanctuary and respite for our restless souls, but that it is often a restless sanctuary, a temporary makeshift shelter in a world that we are called in turn to go out and love. The ship in their logo, designed by Jack Steel, is itself a restless sanctuary on the open water — not a shelter from the storm but a shelter through the storm. Join them every fortnight for fascinating discussions about being restless Christians in a restless world! The series is a collaboration between James Cathcart and Albert Bogle and features the track ‘Symphony of Lies’ by The Bogle Band. References: The Bible verses James reads are Matthew 5: 14-16. The song Albert mentions writing with Iain Jamieson is ‘Room at the Table’ by The Bogle Band. The hymn Albert refers to is: ‘Loved with everlasting love’ (I Am His, and He Is Mine), by Wade Robinson. The BBC article they discuss is: The women with superhuman vision by David Robson on BBC Future. Find the podcast here on Sanctuary First, in our Sanctuary First App, and on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and most other podcasting platforms!