Coronavirus Update September 2021

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Dear Friends and Visitors to our corner of the web,

Our residential centres are up and running!

It’s been quite the journey as we’ve navigated the last year and a half! Together with the rest of the world, YWAM Scotland has experienced the ups and downs of living through a pandemic. We’ve experienced loss and heartache, learned to explore the world of online learning and teaching, and had a chance for reflection and re-aligning. Through it all, we were so aware of God’s goodness to us, and of his incredible love for our beloved Scotland and for the world beyond. 

As YWAM Scotland, we’ve been involved in a variety of responses to the events of the world. In some areas, we were able to be part of community response strategies that continue to build and grow today. We continued to support our local churches in a variety of ways, including online support and prayer ministries. We also moved some of our teaching online, connecting even more broadly with international students. Although we longed to see each other in person, we were grateful for technology that allowed us even more regular connection online, and several prayer initiatives were birthed that included groups that might not have been possible otherwise. We had some hard goodbyes, and also were surprised by some of the gifts this season brought us. 

Now, as lockdowns and restrictions continue to lift, we are so grateful to be holding more and more schools and trainings in person again. We are looking forward to meeting together as a big YWAM Scotland family soon, as well. Through this, we continue to hold space for the new ways of doing things that God has expanded our capacity for during a tough season. We will continue to keep within government guidance, and are so happy to be able to welcome people from international locations to join us as staff or trainees. 

We’ll continue to work hard to keep our trainees and visitors safe.

If you have current or immediate plans to visit our bases or join in a training course or meeting, please contact the bases directly with any questions or to get the latest updates on training and hospitality.

The Seamill Centre on Facebook Email the team at Seamill: seamill@ywamscotland.org

Stanely House – part of YWAM Paisley on Facebook Email the team in Paisley: paisley@ywamscotland.org

For general enquiries or to reach the other teams please email: info@ywamscotland.org

Thank you so much to those who have been part of praying for us as a mission during this time. We pray that you are also finding restoration and healing as we walk into a new season, and that you find yourself aware of God’s incredible love for you.

In Christ,

The YWAM Scotland Leadership Team

a word from our Scottish leadership team

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A letter to our YWAM Scotland Family and Friends:

Amidst the anxiety and upheaval of these days, we greet you with love and hope. We’re grateful for you and the creative ways we see the worldwide body of Christ reaching out in prayer, worship and action to rise to meet the challenges of this pandemic. As ever, we feel God’s comfort and peace as we draw near to Him.

Like you, we’ve been closely watching the crisis develop and following the advice of our governments. In the UK, and in some of the nations where our trainees and staff come from, we have now reached a new stage of the management of the Coronavirus. It’s with heavy hearts that we must now close our bases to all meetings, gatherings, events and training from now through May and can no longer welcome any visitors. All our communications will move online or over the phone.

Unfortunately, this does have an impact on courses currently underway and planned for the immediate future. We are doing our utmost to ensure safe returns home and to look after any staff or trainees remaining in our communities until they are able to travel or social restrictions are lifted. For future courses, we will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions based on the best information available and with the Lord’s help. See below how you can stay in touch about specific courses.

The University of the Nations, which provides the framework for all our courses, is working hard to ensure that trainees will get credit for any work they have done so far and may apply it toward completing coursework in the future. You can read more about that here: We will also give special consideration to trainees who would like to come back and join us for their DTS at a later time.

We join with you in asking God’s deliverance from the virus, for safety for our loved ones, and for His provision for the most vulnerable in our nations who will bear the brunt of this pandemic. We ask that you would join us in praying for our staff members around the world – for their peace and safety, for creativity in blessing their communities when contact is limited, and for His multiplication after this crisis is over to see a return of all that is lost now through outreaches being cancelled, trainings interrupted and recruiting being halted.

If you have current or immediate plans to visit our bases or join in a training course or meeting, please contact the bases directly to get the latest updates on when training and hospitality will resume. We will also post any updates to our websites and via social media.

The Seamill Centre on Facebook Email the team at Seamill: seamill@ywamscotland.org

Stanely House – part of YWAM Paisley on Facebook Email the team in Paisley: paisley@ywamscotland.org

For general enquiries or to reach the other teams please email: info@ywamscotland.org

Our staff will continue their work remotely as much as possible. Please be in touch if you have questions, concerns or would just like to say hello!

To close, we offer this beautiful Celtic blessing that we often pray over our visitors and each other:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you,
wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing
once again into our doors.

Taken from Morning Prayer from Northumbria Community’s Celtic Daily Prayer published by Collins.

We look forward to being with you again soon.

In Christ,
The YWAM Scotland Leadership Team