Tearfund - Statement of Faith

I've just got round to the Autumn teartimes.

The final item is a report on the adoption of a new Statement of Faith by tearfund. You can read the text of this statement here.

Matthew Frost, the Chief Executive of tearfund, has written:
The Statement demonstrates that Tearfund participates in God's plan to bring about, through Jesus Christ, a transformed creation free from evil and suffering, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. (in teartimes Autumn 2009, page 30)

The Church is at the heart of tearfund's Statement of Faith and it expressed a deep reliance upon God in all its terms.

I've got two simple comments here:
1. Most statements of faith limit themselves to discussing faith as a noun and describing aspects of the faith to be believed. This tearfund Statement goes further in recognising faith to be a verb, something to be done, this especially in the third point where the bullet points begin: 'to live', 'to make known', 'to demonstrate' and 'to serve' - doing words all. What difference would it make if we thought and spoke about our faith in terms of what we are called to do in obedience to God and in response to his grace and love for us?

2. Reading this tearfund Statement of Faith I am once again at a loss to know how the Church of Scotland could ever choose not to be in partnership with such a Christian relief organisation? We cannot do all the relief and development work that needs to be done ourselves, nor can Christian Aid - why then have we not partnered with others, like tearfund, to more fully show our commitment to the poorest and most needy in our world?