A few weeks ago, the Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, dedicated and blessed a new church in the most westerly village in mainland Britain.

The official opening of Ardnamurchan Church in Kilchoan was a momentous occasion for the congregation, ecumenical partners and the wider community.

It is a living, breathing example of the fact that God is not finished with Scotland despite what some people might say.

Too often we hear the words ‘the Church is dead and irrelevant today’ but I do not agree.

That said, I recognise that we must do more to give the nation and the people of God something to believe in.

The Church has become too used to not taking risks and for far too long we’ve let secular society prevent us from doing what God called the Church to do and to be.

We need to be bold, radical and innovative and never forget that Jesus told us to feed his sheep.

The last few years has been challenging as the Church undergoes the most significant structural changes in nearly 100 years.

Yet despite this, congregations continue to make a positive impact on the communities they serve.

From running warm hubs, food projects, debt support projects, substance misuse recovery services, walking groups to initiatives for asylum seekers, refugees and others displaced by war, they excel in welcoming and caring for the stranger which is what Jesus calls on Christians to do.

In South Ayrshire, Dundonald Parish Church operates Floyd’s Community Space, working in partnership with other agencies and community groups to support the most vulnerable people in the parish.

Wellesley Parish Church in Methil, Fife hosts The Hope Chest community project which supplies furniture, household items and clothing on a referral basis to those most in need.

CrossReach, the operating name of the Church's Social Care Council, is one of the largest social care providers in Scotland and delivers crucial support services in over 70 locations.

From early years to older age, the organisation serves thousands of people in vulnerable situations in both residential and community settings.

Specialisms include work with older people, including dementia support, and adults affected by mental health, homelessness, criminal justice, learning disability, and addictions.

CrossReach provides small houses for children in care, an education campus for children who struggle with mainstream schooling, early years and family outreach services and counselling services.

All of this work is built on the foundation of our worship leading to compassionate service across our communities.

In 2021, the General Assembly tasked the local church with creating five-year Presbytery Mission Plans to determine how finite resources are best used in the coming decades.

We know it has been a difficult, challenging and painful experience for many but this work is largely complete and now is the time to look forward with confidence in the gospel which inspires our work as a Church in Scotland.

The gospel message of Jesus Christ never changes but the way we share it must, if we are to cultivate a thriving alternative future.

We must imagine planting new church communities where they've always been needed, breaking out of our constrained systems to do so.

We cannot allow ourselves to be imprisoned by the past, when risks are not taken and uncharted territory left unexplored.

A new, fresh approach is needed, one that is focused on the new era of evangelism and discipleship – the new alongside the old.

Whilst affirming faithful ministries and service, we have opened a £25 million Seeds for Growth fund to be a catalyst for new forms of ministry and worshipping communities, reaching out to people who do not belong to an existing church.

There are already 460 new fresh expressions of church being led by congregations including Messy Church for young people, Café Church and Forest Church.

Around 70% of congregations provide online worship resources and many of our ministers are not based in church buildings and instead walk alongside people in the places where they live and work.

Rev Anne Stott and Rev Pamela Kennedy serve the residents of Bertha Park in Perth and the village of Cardrona near Peebles respectively.

Rev Allan Wright serves the veterinary community in the north-east of England and Rev Peter Gardner is the minister to the arts community in Glasgow.

This pioneering work sits alongside chaplaincy roles ministers hold in a wide variety of spheres including hospitals, prisons, schools, the Armed Forces and football clubs.

Our Church is the community of the hopeful and love and hope go hand in hand.

We’re called to free captives to slavery and captives to addiction, serve those that others neglect, comfort those who others won’t touch and advocate for those who can’t speak for themselves, to transform communities, correct social injustices and to spread the Good News.

Rev David Cameron is Convener of the Assembly Trustees of the Church of Scotland.