{"id":29093,"date":"2025-04-07T07:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T12:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/?p=29093"},"modified":"2025-03-28T15:00:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T20:00:54","slug":"who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church &#8220;for&#8221; Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>At Pittsburgh Seminary, we seek to participate in God\u2019s ongoing mission in the world by seeing and getting to know people as our neighbors. Challenged by Jesus\u2019 parable of the Good Samaritan and inspired by Mr. Fred Rogers \u201962, who sang, \u201cI have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you!\u201d, I am writing this blog to introduce you to some of my neighbors\u2014students in our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/doctor-of-ministry\">Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) Program<\/a>, for which I am honored to serve as the director.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I would like to introduce you to my neighbor MaryAnn Rennie, who was ordained in the Church of Scotland in 1998 and has been the minister of the Abbey Church of Dunfermline (Dunfermline Abbey) since 2012. She is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, and she completed her studies at the University of Edinburgh, including: batchelor of divinity (honours) in 1994, masters of theology (in ministry) in 1995, and postgraduate certificate in pastoral care and counselling in 1996. In 2024, she graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with her doctor of ministry degree (Reformed cohort). Her final project was, \u201cDiscovering Abbey-Style Mission: Exploring the Potential of Cathedral Style Mission within a Scottish Reformed Context.\u201d She is married and has two adult children.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2013The Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>A Place of Welcome<\/h2>\n<p>Those approaching Dunfermline Abbey would be forgiven for thinking that our nearest neighbours are the gravestones that surround the building on almost every side. However, the graveyard is very much like the promise of the resurrection because it provides a place to encounter life. It is the place where the congregation of the Abbey Church of Dunfermline often meet the diverse groups of people who are our neighbours.<\/p>\n<p>Like other Church of Scotland congregations, the Abbey Church of Dunfermline is a parish church, and so much of church life is shaped by living Christian faith within the community. A stained-glass window in the side chapel uses Matthew 25: 25-40 and acts as a focus for mission as we hope to offer a place of refuge and a place of hope. In serving our local community, our church groups reflect friendship and support, with focused groups for those who are bereaved or who live with dementia.<\/p>\n<p>The building and congregation are a reassuring presence to local neighbours, who particularly value the Christian seasons. Advent, Christmas, and Easter are busy, vibrant celebrations of local people gathering together in Christ\u2019s name.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-29125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-850x1133.jpg 850w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-inside-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>Our local neighbours also include civic, ecumenical, and faith communities. One Dunfermline Abbey elder says about our worshiping life, \u201c. . . there [are] two levels that we . . . do. These big special services because of the building we\u2019re in, but that kind of regular worship [that] just happens in the same way that it happens for anyone . . . anywhere else.\u201d The building inspires a congregation to be hospitable and offers a place to welcome civic services and activities, including children and charities invited to celebrate their role in the local community, art exhibitions that reflect the church life or engaging with faith, community concerts, interfaith celebrations of the National Health Service, ecumenical markings of shared faith in the St. Margaret agreement, and the King and Queen on their first royal engagement following the accession.<\/p>\n<h2>A Place of History<\/h2>\n<p>Understanding the history of our building and our community reveals the diversity of our neighbours, who are local and global, ecumenical, civic, and interfaith.<\/p>\n<p>A Christian community existed in Dunfermline prior to St. Margaret of Scotland\u2019s marriage to King Malcolm Canmore in 1070, but it is she who is credited with the establishment of a church in Dunfermline. Her son, David I, raised the church to an Abbey in 1128. Robert the Bruce was a regular visitor to Dunfermline Abbey. In 1320, he funded the completion and upgrading of the monastery and guesthouses, and he was buried there in 1329.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-29123 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside-850x567.jpg 850w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>During the Scottish Reformation of 1560, Dunfermline Abbey was ransacked, with the east end of the choir area abandoned, and eventually destroyed when the central tower collapsed in high winds in the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century. The Protestant congregation continued to use the nave for worship until 1821, when the \u2018new\u2019 church was built on the site of the former choir to accommodate a growing congregation. During the clearing of the ground for the new build, the bones of Robert the Bruce were rediscovered. This led to redesign of the church to accommodate the grave, which sits below the pulpit, and a magnificent tower which has become synonymous with Dunfermline. While the Scottish king is celebrated within the church, what is left of St. Margaret\u2019s Shrine is outside the church, behind the vestry. Local historians question whether it was left outside so as not to upset Presbyterian sensitivities or to allow access for the Roman Catholic community who were visiting the site.<\/p>\n<h2>A Place for the Community<\/h2>\n<p>The history of the site highlights two other groups of neighbours. More than 40,000 visitors are welcomed by our partners on the site. Prior to the COVID pandemic, the congregation employed summer custodians, and volunteers ran a gift shop within the church, which was open from April to October. In 2022, there was an opportunity to work more closely with Historic Environment Scotland. The congregation continues to offer a summer custodian, and the building is now open almost every day throughout the year. It has been an opportunity to value the expertise and skills of others, while offering support with volunteers who like to share the history and faith of the church community.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-29124 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-congregation-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-congregation-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-congregation-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-congregation-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-congregation-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-congregation-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-congregation-850x638.jpg 850w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Abbey elders are firmly grounded in their mission to our local neighbours, with one saying, \u201cwe\u2019re just an ordinary parish church . . . no different from any other church in the town.\u201d\u00a0 They also recognise that \u201cpeople see the church, the Abbey as a focal point for . . . things that happen.\u201d The focal point draws the gaze (or even glance) of the devout and the unknown seeker, offering a place to encounter the grace of God and freedom to allow God\u2019s Spirit to inspire faith and mission.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-29121\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Rennie-MaryAnn-Rhoda-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Rennie-MaryAnn-Rhoda-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Rennie-MaryAnn-Rhoda-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Rennie-MaryAnn-Rhoda.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\" \/>The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie &#8217;24 has been the minister of the Abbey Church of Dunfermline (Dunfermline Abbey) since 2012. Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, she completed studies at the University of Edinburgh, including: batchelor of divinity (honours), masters of theology (in ministry), and a postgraduate certificate in pastoral care and counselling. She also holds a doctor of ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (Reformed focus). She is ordained in the Church of Scotland.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Read Next<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28664\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28664\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/miller-pilgrimage\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28664 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Glendalough_monastery-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Glendalough_monastery-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Glendalough_monastery.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28664\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Connecting With Heritage Through Pilgrimage &#8211; Rev. Miller&#8217;s Pilgrimage to Ireland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28854\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28854\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/nineteenth-century-preachers\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-28854\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-850x1133.jpg 850w, https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Donna-Giver-Johnston-Communion-Circle-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28854\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Heroines of History\u2014Frances Willard and Florence Spearing Randolph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Pittsburgh Seminary, we seek to participate in God\u2019s ongoing mission in the world by seeing and getting to know people as our neighbors. Challenged by Jesus\u2019 parable of the Good Samaritan and inspired by Mr. Fred Rogers \u201962, who sang, \u201cI have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you!\u201d, I am writing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":29123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[661],"tags":[778,776,774,777,779,775,561],"series":[],"class_list":["post-29093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-who-is-my-neighbor","tag-abbey-church","tag-church-and-community","tag-church-of-scotland","tag-community-service","tag-dunfermline-abbey","tag-local-history","tag-mission"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church &quot;for&quot; Community - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A community gathering place since 1070, the Abbey Church still serves as a community focal point and place of encounter.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church &quot;for&quot; Community - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A community gathering place since 1070, the Abbey Church still serves as a community focal point and place of encounter.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pittsburgh Theological Seminary\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-07T12:30:21+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ptsblog\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ptsblog\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ptsblog\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e695c34c8e88351c00ef7369001ac5f\"},\"headline\":\"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church &#8220;for&#8221; Community\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-07T12:30:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/\"},\"wordCount\":1124,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Abbey Church\",\"church and community\",\"Church of Scotland\",\"community service\",\"Dunfermline Abbey\",\"local history\",\"mission\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Who Is My Neighbor?\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/\",\"name\":\"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church \\\"for\\\" Community - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-07T12:30:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e695c34c8e88351c00ef7369001ac5f\"},\"description\":\"A community gathering place since 1070, the Abbey Church still serves as a community focal point and place of encounter.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1365},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church &#8220;for&#8221; Community\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pittsburgh Theological Seminary\",\"description\":\"Grounded in Faith, Formed in Community\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e695c34c8e88351c00ef7369001ac5f\",\"name\":\"ptsblog\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b6530fb1e9ddce422ee48a03a2e5cf3eddac1d5b99f93e9b527390d4e28ad6fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b6530fb1e9ddce422ee48a03a2e5cf3eddac1d5b99f93e9b527390d4e28ad6fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ptsblog\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/author\/ptsblog\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church \"for\" Community - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary","description":"A community gathering place since 1070, the Abbey Church still serves as a community focal point and place of encounter.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church \"for\" Community - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary","og_description":"A community gathering place since 1070, the Abbey Church still serves as a community focal point and place of encounter.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/","og_site_name":"Pittsburgh Theological Seminary","article_published_time":"2025-04-07T12:30:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1365,"url":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"ptsblog","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ptsblog","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/"},"author":{"name":"ptsblog","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e695c34c8e88351c00ef7369001ac5f"},"headline":"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church &#8220;for&#8221; Community","datePublished":"2025-04-07T12:30:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/"},"wordCount":1124,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg","keywords":["Abbey Church","church and community","Church of Scotland","community service","Dunfermline Abbey","local history","mission"],"articleSection":["Who Is My Neighbor?"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/","name":"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church \"for\" Community - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-07T12:30:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e695c34c8e88351c00ef7369001ac5f"},"description":"A community gathering place since 1070, the Abbey Church still serves as a community focal point and place of encounter.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg","width":2048,"height":1365},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/who-is-my-neighbor-maryann-rennie\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Who Is My Neighbor? \u2013 The Rev. Dr. MaryAnn Rennie on Place, History, and Church &#8220;for&#8221; Community"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/","name":"Pittsburgh Theological Seminary","description":"Grounded in Faith, Formed in Community","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9e695c34c8e88351c00ef7369001ac5f","name":"ptsblog","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b6530fb1e9ddce422ee48a03a2e5cf3eddac1d5b99f93e9b527390d4e28ad6fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b6530fb1e9ddce422ee48a03a2e5cf3eddac1d5b99f93e9b527390d4e28ad6fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ptsblog"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/author\/ptsblog\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Abbey-Church-outside.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4MvlM-7zf","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29093"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29157,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29093\/revisions\/29157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29093"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=29093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}