Our Mission, Faith & Beliefs

Mission Statement

A Statement will be provided here shortly.

A Parish Church

Devana Parish Church is part of the national Church of Scotland which acknowledges its distinctive call and duty to bring the ordinances of religion to the people of every parish of Scotland through a territorial ministry. The Parish of Devana covers a large part of the South of Aberdeen from Garthdee to the Harbout, including the city centre.

Services of worship are open to all. The Church of Scotland also applies an open table policy to services of Holy Communion in that they are open to those who are not communicant members of the congregation. It is also possible for children to participate fully in services of Holy Communion.    

The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian which means that its affairs are administered by a hierarchy of church courts the senior of which is the General Assembly. At Parish level, the Kirk Session, made up of the parish ministers and the elders, administers the affairs of the congregation and parish. Elders are elected and ordained for life. Parishes are grouped into a Presbytery whose membership consists of all the ministers and deacons together with an equal number of elders. The General Assembly also has parity between ministerial and diaconal members and elders.  

Beliefs

In the Church of Scotland there are a number of Statements of Faith or Creeds used from ancient forms like the Nicene Creed to more modern statements. We recognise that no such statement can fully contain all of what faith means to us as individuals or as a community, but we nonetheless recognise the importance of sharing together some of our core beliefs. 

Statement of Faith

This Statement of Faith was created by Rev Peter Johnston in 2022 following a trip with Christian Aid to visit informal settlements in South Africa.

We believe
that God is LOVE:
present in all of creation,
seeking communion and relationship
on the margins of society,
in the struggles of the poor,
being both vulnerable and uncontrollable,
active and limitless,
and opening opportunities for grace.

We believe
that God is LIFE:
bringing agency and dignity
in the messiness and bloodiness
of life on the edge,
revealing truth
and disrupting our delusions,
offering hope
wherever it is needed.

We believe
that God is INCARNATE:
journeying with us
in solidarity and faith
on the long, potholed road
towards justice and freedom.

We believe
that God is LOVE
and LIFE,
here and now.

A Statement of Christian Faith

The following Statement of Christian Faith was agreed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1992.

We believe in one God:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God is love.

We praise God the Father:
who created the universe and keeps it in being.
He has made us his sons and daughters
to share his joy,
living together in justice and peace,
caring for his world and for each other.

We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son:
born of Mary,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
he became one of us,
sharing our life and our death.
He made known God’s compassion and mercy,
giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin,
offering healing and wholeness for all.
By his death on the cross and by his resurrection,
he has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.

We trust God the Holy Spirit:
who unites us to Christ
and gives life to the Church;
who brings us to repentance
and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guides us in our understanding of the bible,
renews us in the sacraments,
and calls us to serve God in the world.

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
we have sure and certain hope
of resurrection through Christ,
and we look for his coming again
to judge the world.
Then all things will be made new;
and creation will rejoice in worshipping the Father,
through the Son,
in the power of the Spirit,
one God, blessed for ever. Amen.

The Apostles' Creed

This is an ancient fifth century statement of faith. One of our members, Prof. Peter M.D. Gray, has provided a commentary upon it which is available here.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.