Ecclesia seeks to shine spotlight on Buckie's everyday heroes
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FOUR local ministers have pooled their talents to help tell the stories of those who selflessly serve local communities.
Rev Wes Brandon (Buckie South and West linked with Enzie Parish Church), Rev Chris Jackson (Buckie, Portessie, Findochty and Cullen Methodist Churches), Rev Jaco Boonzaaier (Findochty linked with Portknockie Church of Scotland) and Rev Douglas Stevenson (Cullen and Deskford Parish Church, Interim Moderator Buckie North Church linked with Rathven) have been going out into the heart of the community to talk to a wide range of people who are unsung heroes in local communities.
Interviewees to date have included Buckie RNLI lifeboat coxswain Davie Grant, Millbank Primary School depute headteacher Helen Thorley and Buckie Tesco community and service manager Gillian Bower.
The strictures of lockdown earlier on the year, which saw many local churches embrace social media as a means of keeping in touch with their congregations, were to provide the inspiration for the project which has become known as Ecclesia.
Rev Brandon said: "It all came out of lockdown when the four of us were in regular online contact; we were very impressed by what each other was doing in terms of using social media and were sharing the same goal of reaching out to the wider community.
"It led to Jaco and I talking about looking at the greater parish, about local ministers coming together. I felt it was a direction the church needed to go, to reach pout from the church buildings and into the community.
"Ecclesia is all about taking the church out of our buildings and back into the heart of the community which is where churches should be.
"Jaco and I put this to Douglas and Chris. Douglas was very excited about it and Chris, who I've worked very well with, was delighted to come on board too, making it an ecumenical project.
"We want to put the spotlight on those people who serve the community day in, day out but whose contributions often go unrecognised."
The quartet have got Ecclesia up and running in short order, with Rev Boonzaaier's recording equipment also proving a vital addition to the team.
Rev Brandon unveiled ambitious plans for future interviews spanning a range of jobs and organisations, with a view to also expanding Ecclesia's reach beyond Buckie into the likes of Fochabers and Keith.
He added that the team were always delighted to hear suggestions as to who could be added to their list of potential interviewees.
Ecclesia has helped the four ministers focus on the good which has arisen out of lockdown, Rev Jackson said.
"There was a realisation that there was a lot of incredible work going on in the community but so much of it was going unnoticed," he continued.
"During lockdown we began to see some amazing acts of kindness, people were being community-driven in their actions.
"As we've partially come out of lockdown over the past few months, with the frustrations that has brought, these acts of kindness seem to have gone under the radar, the focus is more on what's coming out of the government
"We need to highlight all those good news stories out there, which is what Ecclesia's about. Let's not lose what we gained during the lockdown."
It has also prompted reflection as to the wider role of the church, regardless of denomination.
Rev Jackson added: "Churches over the years have become more insular and we've always had to find the will to be more outward looking.
"Through lockdown we understand that there are other media which can be used to reach out.
"At the end of the day, as Christians it should all be about 'Love thy neighbour', that should be at the heart of it."
For Rev Boonzaaier, his experience so far of Ecclesia has been a "humbling" one.
"The crucial thing for me about Ecclesia is that's it's going back to basics, it's about being available for people, it's about participation and involvement.
"These days we all tend to live in our silos and it's something churches have done, too.
"Ecclesia is an opportunity to reach back into the community and shine a light on how the people in those communities are coming together to support each other.
"It's been humbling and fantastic to hear people tell their stories of what they on a daily basis to serve their community, how they get up and work hard for us each and every day."
A with his colleagues, Ecclesia has been something of a first for Rev Boonzaaier, although in his native South Africa he gained significant experience in community reach out work through a youth development project which offered a safe place for homeless children and a church offering a specific welcome for the homeless and jobless.
Returning to the subject of Ecclesia, he commented: "It's been great working together like this.
"Quite often you find that while there is communication between denominations there isn't necessarily much deep co-operation. There are so many opportunities, like Ecclesia, for us to work together as Christians not as denominations.
"We can also use these opportunities to build relationships with other faiths."
Interviews are posted onto the Ecclesia Facebook page at 6pm on a Sunday.
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