Letters / ‘New Life Church do not speak for me’
On Monday (5 December) our council’s planning department will consider whether to give planning consent to an asset transfer request from New Life Church to acquire the science block at the old Anderson High School.
New Life Church gives support to people in need, and does some good work, but it does not mean that we should not question that support.
Religious organisations providing support to vulnerable people are in a position of great influence. When our council treats a request from a religious group like any other society, organisation or charity, it does not take into account the extreme power, budgets and influence that a religious group may have.
From its own accounts, New Life Church has significant assets. They are proposing to obtain the old science block of Anderson High School for a minimal sum.
New Life Church is a member of the Assemblies of God, to whom they gave funds of almost £2,000 last financial year, who believe that homosexual behaviour and sex outside marriage are sinful.
They identify ‘homosexuals along with immoral heterosexuals as those who cannot inherit the kingdom of God.’
A stated charitable purpose of the New Life Church is the advancement of the Christian religion (as they understand it) for the public benefit. Their asset transfer request proposes using some of the old science block as consulting rooms for counselling.
Members/Believers of the New Life Church are committed to counselling people in ‘transforming’ what they believe to be sinful behaviours. Our councillors have also allowed the pastor of the New Life Church a voting position on our council.
Full information can be found here.
New Life Church do not speak for me, or, I suspect, the majority of Shetland’s community. Therefore, this church community group will never be a group of which I, or many members of Shetland’s community, can be a full member, and it is not open to us, (although we could go along to the proposed café)!
In assessing the viability of the asset transfer request from New Life Church, our council must also consider their safeguarding responsibilities to vulnerable young people who have been in care, have learning difficulties, or difficulties with their mental health.
One of the conditions of asset transfer is that membership of the group applying to it is open to all members of our community.
Our council surely cannot believe that New Life Church’s representation of themselves as a community group; a group not working in the partnerships they previously stated; a group which will exclude full membership of their church to a large part of the community because of their stated beliefs; a church group whose beliefs encourage gender and sex discrimination; is offering an acceptable model of care and support in our community.
Chris Horrix
Lerwick
