Moray Coast Convention draws the crowds with message of hope
Christians from near and far made their way to take part in an eagerly-anticipated Moray faith convention.
Friday, August 2-9 saw hundreds flock to the annual Moray Coast Convention (MCC), formerly known as Keswick in Buckie, for a week of workshops, talks and prayer hosted by Buckie Baptist Church.
Two guest speakers received a typically warm Buckie welcome.
Making his MCC debut was Joe Barnard, the lead pastor at Holyrood Evangelical Church in Edinburgh for the past three years. His theme for the convention was based around Colossians Chapter 3 and the blueprint for discipleship.
His fellow speaker, on the other hand, is no stranger to Buckie having clocked up four previous visits to the event in the shape of David Earnshaw, who is the pastor at Inskip Baptist Church in Preston. He spent the week shining the spotlight on Chapter 53 and the subject of the suffering of the penitent.
There was a new hand on the tiller for this year’s MCC, with Rev Graham Swanson of Elgin Baptist Church taking over from previous chairman Bill Mowat.
He said: “There really was a buzz about the place, it’s been so encouraging, we were packed out every night.
“There’s been a real sense of unity between Christians here, which is so important. We were all delighted to welcome Joe and David here as our guest speakers and we also had 15 mission societies come and visit us in the church hall. They all had a 10 minute slot to tell us what they were doing. It was really amazing to see what the church is doing across the globe and the influence of Christianity in bringing hope to parts of the world where there is hopelessness.
“For me, one of the best things about the convention was was people from different churches from all over the place meeting. Most of the people who came were probably from within a radius of 20 miles or so of Buckie but we had people coming from the Black Isle, Inverness, Peterhead and Aberdeen, among other places. There was a good mix of people.
“It’s been a very positive convention but there’s no room for complacency, we’ll be seeking to build on it for next year. I think the convention is very helpful for Christians from smaller churches and gives them the chance to meet others in a spirit of unity. We’re really meeting a need here.”
While this was Pastor Barnard’s first time in Buckie as an MCC guest speaker, the New Orleans native is no stranger to the town, having paid a visit while he was minister to a church in the Highlands.
Looking back on the convention, he said he had been left enthused by the experience.
He continued: “I’ve been to other conventions in other places but this one seems fully alive; they’re doing great things here and it’s so encouraging.
“I love the churches in the more rural parts of Scotland. Some of the finest and most sincere Christians I’ve met have been in these smaller places. The people are just gems, it’s a privilege to minster to them.”
Looking at his main theme for the convention, Pastor Barnard said: “It’s challenging to live in the 21st century and to be a Christian in the 21st century.
“How do we walk with integrity and faith in a world which has become untethered?
“People seemed to be enthused by the convention.”
Accompanying Pastor Barnard on his visit to Buckie were wife Anna and children Eilidh and David.
In addition to workshops, MCC 2024 featured a prayer evening on the Saturday evening led by Jimmy Gunn, while the following evening there was a chance for an audience to informally interview Pastors Barnard and Earnshaw while giving a taster for the week ahead.
