Isle of Lewis Christians urge Tesco to keep Sunday special

Church leaders on the Isle of Lewis are urging Tesco to abandon plans to open on Sundays.

Ministers from the Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) have called on the supermarket chain to respect the island’s long-standing Sabbath observance, as it consults staff about opening seven days a week.

Currently, Tesco’s Stornoway store is its only UK branch to remain closed on Sundays. Co-op, the island’s only other large supermarket, also shuts on a Sunday.

‘Mistake’

Revd Kenneth Stewart of the Reformed Presbyterian Church said: “My view is, please don’t open. It’s quite simple. This is a place which has historically observed the Lord’s Day. It’s something that’s woven very deeply into the fabric of the place and the heritage of the people.

“It’s a feature of life here that even those who are not committed Christians or churchgoers still value the distinctive nature of the Lord’s Day.”

Revd Greg McDonald, a Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) minister, told BBC Radio Scotland: “Only by trusting in Jesus as our Saviour will people be forgiven. Anything that makes it harder for the shelf stacker, or van driver, or anyone else to come to church to hear that message, I take as a mistake.”

Although shops in Scotland do not have Sunday trading restrictions, employers must grant a shop worker’s request to opt-out of Sunday working.

Family

Earlier this year, a top union representative said that restricting Sunday trading hours for online businesses and deliveries would benefit families.

John Barstow, an Executive Council Member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), said that society would benefit from a break in trading, rather than dispensing with Sunday trading hours for high street shops in England and Wales so they can compete with online stores.

The Sunday Trading Act prevents large stores in England and Wales from opening for more than six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm on Sundays.