This weekend we were celebrating the anniversary of our Salvation Army in Bellshill, so it has got me thinking about the past and the future.
When we celebrate anniversaries we always find ourselves looking back to remember the past, those who have gone before us, their sacrifice and commitment, and to give thanks for the past.
And so as we have marked another year of the Salvation Army in Bellshill, we remember that our past has been shaped by prayer, sacrifice, faithfulness, and the quiet obedience of those who came before us.
- We remember the officers who planted seeds.
- We remember the soldiers who prayed through the hard seasons.
- We remember the bandsmen and songsters who lifted the gospel in music.
- We remember the families who built community, the young people who found faith, the neighbours who found hope.
Our story didn’t begin with us. We are part of a much bigger, much older, much richer tapestry of God’s work in this place.
But anniversaries don’t just call us to look back — they call us to look forward, they must, or we stagnate and then ultimately disappear.
The God who was faithful is the past is still faithful today.
The God who stirred hearts in the past is still stirring hearts today.
The God who used ordinary people to do extraordinary things is still calling us to step out in faith.
We honour our roots best when we keep growing.
We respect our history most when we continue the mission.
We celebrate the past rightly when we allow it to propel us into God’s future.
The local area of Bellshill still needs the gospel, as does every locality here in Scotland and across the world.
Families still need hope.
Young people still need purpose.
The lonely still need community.
The broken still need healing.
And God still chooses to work through His people, through us, just as He did through those who came before.
So tonight, I give thanks for every chapter written so far, let’s also open our hearts to the chapters still to come in our own lives, wherever we worship.
Let’s always remember our roots, but refuse to stand still.
Let’s be a people who carry forward the same passion, the same compassion, the same Spirit‑filled courage that shaped the beginnings of the church in our area.
The past is our foundation.
The future is our calling.
And God is already ahead of us, preparing the way.
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”
Psalm 78:4 (NIV)
This verse reminds us that our story is meant to be shared, passed on, lived out, and carried forward.
Here is ‘In Quiet Pastures’ (Ray Steadman‑Allen)
It carries that unmistakable RSA depth — reflective, rooted, and rich in heritage — yet it also has a sense of journey, of being led onward by the Shepherd. It honours where we’ve come from while gently lifting our eyes to where God is leading next.
The Distinct Dot 