2, Bellwood Road

Tel: 01968 675751Milton Bridge

Midlothian EH26 0QJ

15/08/2013

The Council of The Iona Community

The Iona Community

4th Floor Savoy House,

140 Sauchiehall Street,

Glasgow G2 3DH

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Wind of Change

In Jesus Name I write.

This letter of Witness comes to you in friendship. Therefore the text contains no judgemental or personal element. It addresses the issues relating to the forthcoming independent nation state of Scotland and The Iona Community’s Calling therein. I therefore request the opportunity to address The Council in session for fifteen minutes as outlined below. I was an Associate member of the Community some time ago. My personal particulars are listed in the appendix.

This request is inspired by The Holy Spirit concerning Whom it raises three issues. Firstly, please read the twoWorks of Muse entitled “Iona” and “The Snowgoose”. These are published in the Poetry Album of The Wind of Change website ( they address the past / present; and the future.

Secondly, in an interview in Coracle shortly after her appointment as Community Leader Kathy Galloway made the following statement. “We all have a spirituality, an inner life, but the nature of that spirituality is shaped by what our hope is, our ultimate concern if you like — and the spirituality will orient in that direction." I note that the word Spirituality is spelled with a small “s”. The Holy Spirit searches, moulds and leads us; not the other way round! Kathy was given sound advice in this regard. Please see “Current Issue” No.1 on the Wind of Change website entitled “Government or Governance within the Heart of The Iona Community?”

Lastly I refer to the sculpture in the Abbey cloistersnamed by the Community as “The Descent of TheHoly Spirit” The Abbey shop run by Historic Scotland holds a reference only tourist compendium which contains a one page article entitled “A Bit of Hastings in The Hebrides”. This refers to the sculpture mentioned above. This article together with a Spiritual exposition thereof is published at the very end of Current Issue No.1 on The Wind of Change website as three separate pages which can be printed off. An alphabetic key links the documents. They are accessed through a hypertext menu at this location entitled “An Exposition of The Sculpture ---- “

These three issues may seem trivial or meaningless to the intellect. They are not discerned as such by powers and principalities. The spirituality (small “s”) therein is extant. What then of our present times as we approach the 2014 referendum upon independence?

Please see the references in the Appendix overleaf.

God Bless us All,

Ian McLean

Appendix

References within :The Wind of Change website at

  • The Common Unity of One
  • The Bride
  • A Manifesto
  • “Latest Updates” of 06/07/13. especially No3 – Letter to Canon Kenyon Wright. 08/05/13; and 24/03/11 especially document No1- “Scotland’s Spiritual Destiny”
  • Current Issue No.1 in its own right; at the end of which there is a hypertext menu from which the documents mentioned herein relating to the sculpture “The Descent of The Holy Spirit” may be accessed.
  • Current Issues 2 to 12 inclusive.

Personal Particulars.

Sixty six years young, forty two years married with three grandchildren. Church of Scotland Elder for eight years until about twelve years ago.

The Elders in Session decided not to use Jesus Name during parish outreach at Christmas as “there may be Muslim families in the parish and we do not want to cause offence.” I could not believe my ears! This was in south Edinburgh those years ago. Such is apostasy. I had charge of outreach as distinct from being in charge of outreach. My position shortly thereafter became untenable. That day the Eldership denied Jesus. Since that time My Lord has led me in the desert in wondrous ways. “You acknowledge Me, and I will acknowledge you”. You deny Me, and ------. My wife is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, our two sons are nominally Catholic.

My background is in personnel. See “The Heart of Community” on the website. (Address below)

I stood as a candidate for The Referendum Party for Edinburgh South in the 1997 Westminster Parliamentary elections. A formative experience indeed. This “party” had a candidate in every constituency in Britain except where the sitting member had an appropriate track record. It would have disbanded upon an Act being passed guaranteeing a referendum on Europe.

Bsc. Hons in Agriculture 1975 and MBA 1980. My Lord’s Blessing awaited me in the future. These studies however served His purpose.

Page 1 of 1