Today's BUGB e-news sweep reports the Papal visit to Scotland, identifying this as BUS 'territory' before noting that the Gen. Sec. of BUGB will be there in an official capacity.
Now I'm glad that Baptists are there... just that BUGB has to do it in BUS land makes me sigh. Why, oh why, won't BUS join in ecumenism officially? And why, oh why, can't the Fellowship of British Baptists be represented by the BUS Gen Sec. rather than BUGB? So now we re-enforce the assumed 'norm' of BUGB for the whole UK and the ecumenical-stupidity of the BUS. Sigh and double sigh.
To be fair, I don't know for certain that BUS aren't represented - but why would BUGB be if they were?
I love both Unions greatly, being part of each simultaneously, a more entertaining quirk of my church's identity, and each is being very good to me at the moment, I just wish this kind of niggly stuff didn't exist.
Comments
Sighing with you!
Sighing - and still not understanding why it is that we have two separate unions at all. Surely, until Scotland declares full independence it makes sense for there to be a single union?
Oh, and while I'm on the subject, why is BMS separate from BUGB? Isn't Mission at the heart of being church? And is there really a clear distinction between 'home' and 'foreign' mission these days. How much money would be saved by uniting the two organisations?
Sigh, double-sigh
Don't ask me Tim - I remember [way back in the last millennium] when BMS and BUGB left their two HQs in London allegedly to 'work together' at Didcot. But they seem to have maintained separateness ever since.
I must not be cynical.
Sigh, sigh and triple-sigh!
The BMS thing is not that simple! BMS works with BUGB, BUS and BUW, the BUGB-BMS "in bed" thing offends the other two unions because it looks like the BUGB-is-norm when actually there are proportionally far more BUS BMS missionaries (not many people know that!) The Fellowship of British Baptists is the nearest thing to a single baptist entity for the UK.
Perhaps BUGB ought to be renamed 'The Baptist Union of England with North and South Wales (but not the middle) along with parts of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen' but that's way too long for anyone. And of course everyone overlooks Northern Ireland....
One church....? Sigh again!!!