ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS AT PILRIG St PAUL’S 2014
CHURCH ACTIVITIES Sunday - Children’s activities from 10.50am, creche for younger children and activities based on the Church calendar for those of school age. Tuesdays - The Guild 2.00pm (Irene Wexelstein 476 1385) Beavers, Cubs and Scouts 5 3/4 - 14 years The 5th Leith Scouts Edinburgh North East Broughton Primary gym hall contact Evelyn Torrance 552 1657 Wednesdays - Lunch club 12 noon (Marjory McArthur 553 2323) For Rainbows, Brownies and Guides please send all enquiries to www.girlguiding.org.uk . We have two groups associated with Pilrig St Paul’s PLEASE ALSO SEE THE LIST OF ALL REGULAR EVENTS IN OUR PREMISES, INCLUDING THOSE RUN BY OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS. THIS CAN BE FOUND ON THE NOTICE BOARD AT THE SESSION ROOM OUTSIDE DOOR.
PILRIG St PAUL’S WELCOMES YOU TO ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS 2014 OCTOBER 2014 ALL ARE VERY WELCOME AT ANY OF OUR SERVICES WHAT’S ON Sunday, 7th December 11:00am Sunday Worship Tuesday 9th December 2:00pm The Guild Readings & Carols
2015 Sunday, 4th January, 11:00am Epiphany joint Communion in North Leith Church 11am NO SERVICE in Pilrig St Paul’s this day
Sunday, 14th December 11:00am Gift Service
Sunday, 11th January 11:00am Sunday Worship
Tuesday 16th December The Guild Christmas Party
Tuesday, 13th January 2pm The Guild Rev Mark Foster and Rev Joanne Foster Visit to The Holy Land Communion
Sunday, 21st December 11:00am Sunday Worship Wednesday, 24th December All age Service 6.30pm Watchnight Service 11.30pm Thursday, 25th December 10 am Christmas Day Worship Sunday, 28th December 11:00am Sunday Worship
Sunday, 18th January 11:00am Sunday Worship Sunday, 25th January, 2015 11:00am Communion Service Tuesday, 27th January 2:00pm The Guild Scottish Afternoon Please also see page 4 for further information 1
From the Manse December 2014 "[Jesus said,] 'The queen of the South will rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!'" – St. Luke 11: 31-32 Well, that's not very Christmassy, Jesus. What about peace and goodwill to all? Where are the heavenly choirs of angels, the stable animals, and the guiding star? This isn’t the message that we were expecting for Advent. This was Jesus’ reply to those who were asking him for signs: Signs of who he was, signs of his authority, signs of his relationship with God. I hate to try to speak for Jesus, but I think if he were here today, he'd say something along the lines of, "It’s been over 2,000 years since my birth and you’re still asking for signs. By all means, continue to share the stories of angels and shepherds, continue to sing carols and have nativity plays, but the real signs of what my life and ministry were all about lie elsewhere.” In this season of Advent everybody always talks about how busy they get in the build up to Christmas. Now, you'd think with all those Christians going full steam ahead for a month, the world would take a giant step forward at the end of every year, that the planet would lurch a little closer to the Kingdom of Heaven each December. But sadly that’s not the case. That it doesn't seem to work this way *might* suggest that we're not being busy with exactly the right things. It is good that we celebrate Christmas and remember Jesus’ birth – but as I’m certain Jesus would remind us – it would be far better if we can remember what his life and ministry showed us to do. 2
The word Ure is an old fashioned, even archaic, word that rarely appears in today’s dictionaries other than as a suffix to other words. “Ure” means to take action, to put into service, to do some work. And if we are prepared to do some work, or “ure”, during this season of Advent then some amazing things will happen. Those with a mathematical brain may have already figured out the sum for themselves (Advent + Ure = Adventure). If we are prepared to do some work for the Kingdom of Heaven this Advent then we will help to transform our world into a better place, with some adventure thrown in too! So how about this for an idea: take some time right now, at the beginning of Advent, before you start colour coordinating your wrapping paper with your gifts or planning your Christmas dinner menu, and instead add a holy something to your to-do list. You might decide to volunteer your time at an event for others or make a sizable donation to a good charity. You might visit your ailing aunt or run an errand for an elderly neighbour. If you think about it, there are probably a lot of little things you could easily do to help someone else this season. It won't save the world, but it will be a good start. In order to rediscover the adventure of Christmas we need to do some work and ask ourselves some questions about what Christmas means in our lives: “What does God coming into our world mean for me?” “What does it tell me about God and God’s relationship with the world?” “What does it say about me and my relationship with the world?” If we truly want to see beyond the glitter and glitz of the Christmas Story – then we need to look past the signs of angels and wise men, and capture once more the miracle of God born as one of us. I hope that you all have a very happy Christmas this year, but - more importantly - that you experience the true power of the Christmas message and its affect on your life. Mark 3
WHAT’S ON, continued from page 1 On Tuesdays and Thursdays visit the “OPEN DOORWAY” for tea, coffee and a chat or for a short time of quietness in the sanctuary. We will be closed on the 25th and 30th December and 1st January, reopening on 6th January. Gift Service Our gift Service will be held on 14th December. Please bring your gifts to the service on the 14th. We will be giving to the elderly and housebound of our own congregation and the “Family Service Unit Scotland” for distribution to children, including teenagers, in the North area of Edinburgh. We hope for as good a selection, (or even better), than we had last year. Gifts will be wrapped and arrangements made for distribution on Monday 15th December from 6.30. Please let Eric Fisher know if you can help, or just come along. Sunday 25th January 11:00 Holy Communion This is the Lord’s Table. ANYONE who loves God and responds to Christ’s invitation to join together in this feast is welcome to join us in the celebration. The Magazine I have been delighted with the number of articles put forward this year. Thank you to all who contribute. Thanks to Ian Bethune who collects articles for me if I am not in Church. May I have articles for February by January 28th, please? Catriona Blackwood 4
From the Clerk’s desk I’m delighted to welcome four additions to the Kirk Session, Alex Fleming is already an ordained elder so has been brought on to the Session by resolution, then we have three ladies who were ordained to the Eldership on Sunday 23 November: Aileen Fraser, Maria Croall and Linda Gill. All of these people have shown themselves to be willing workers for the church and the leadership, commitment and Christian values they already display will greatly strengthen the Kirk Session. I’d like to congratulate them and welcome them all and look forward to their contributions over the coming years. I recently attended the Session Clerk’s conference at the Police Training College at Tulliallan, this was a fantastic (if exhausting) weekend of lectures, seminars, worship and fellowship with Session Clerks and Elders from all over Scotland and beyond. I hope to put much of the learning into action here at Pilrig St. Paul’s and would hope that elders old and new might want to avail themselves of the new ‘Learn’ publications which are a major new strand of education for Elders throughout the church. John Innes
FROM EBENEEZER CHURCH BADMINTON CLUB Hello, My name is Lorna Thompson and I am a member of Ebenezer UF Church. We have a small badminton club and we are keen to have new members. Here is some information about the club: The badminton club meets on most Monday evenings 7.30-9.30pm September-April in Ebenezer Church, Bangor Road, Edinburgh, EH6 5JX. We are looking for new members (adults) who either already play or who would like to learn to play. We are a friendly group so hope you will join us. For more information contact Lorna Thompson on 0131 467 6684 or email: lorna_t@blueyonder.co.uk You can just come along, but it is usually best to check first in case we are having a night off. Lorna PASTORAL CARE TEAM DECEMBER 2014 It has been, once again, a busy, productive and rewarding year for our team. We recently held a team meeting to review our progress for the year and to set plans for 2015. We are pleased to have delivered against most of our objectives for the year. We contacted members without an elder to check if any pastoral care is required and provide contact for any future events. Contact was made with members living in Care Homes to offer transport to worship or other events in the Church. 6
Improving bereavement support in the team. Earlier this year Jennifer Stark and I attended a Bereavement Workshop together which we found it very worthwhile and have shared our learnings with the team. We held two workshops and our conference event in October to support our members and the wider community in Leith on how to access support and services for the Over 65s. We hosted a joint meeting with representatives from the other Leith Forum Churches Pastoral Care Teams. We had a good exchange of information and it certainly provided us with some good ideas for new approaches that are likely to feature in our 2015 Plan for the team. The areas which we will bring forward into 2015 will be to pilot a phone-in catch up call for housebound members who are interested in keeping in touch. There are still plans to set up a Book Group via audio working with Sandra Wright from Leith Library. Also, we are keen to arrange for further training for the team to keep us developing and improving in all that we do. It looks like 2015 will be another busy year for us! If you are interested in Pastoral Care and would like to join our team we would be delighted to welcome you. Please just let one of us know you would like to come on board and we will take it from there. (Pastoral Care Team Members List see page 15) We were delighted to welcome Melanie Kilburn to our most recent joint Leith Forum meeting. She was able to share with us the project she looks after for the Bethany Christian Trust – Passing the Baton for Older People.* She reported how well they had done at our recent conference in recruiting new people to get involved in their befriending project. It will now be for us to discuss and agree if we would like to take this programme on for our Church or potentially for the Leith Forum Churches overall. We will keep you posted. In the meantime, if you know about someone who might benefit from contact from our team or a more formal befriending service please let us know and we can set things up from there.
We have also recently helped out by visiting a member of our congregation while her family were away on holiday. It was easy to arrange and provided comfort for everyone knowing that visits would be made and I know everyone who did visit thoroughly enjoyed it too. If you or your family would like us to help in this way please get in touch – plenty of notice would be appreciated to give us time to get a team together. A reminder also about our Helping Hands Cards which are available in the church and each month in the magazine. We can arrange for a card to be posted, a phone calls, visit from one of the team or the minister or flowers from the service to be delivered. Each month you have been hearing from one of our team and thanks go to Jeanette Sime for her article in the last issue of the magazine. This month I am delighted that Fiona Rankin has given an insight into how she values being an active member of our pastoral care team. I have the honour of being an Elder in the Church and a member of the Guild. I am on the list for the Open doorway, work in the Parlour and have helped with the Panto Group. So when I was approached to become part of the Pastoral Care Team I was delighted to accept. Since I retired 6 years ago I have attended Adult Education classes. I like meeting people and walking is healthy exercise. These classes have included the history of the villages of Edinburgh, the Graveyards, the Walls, “Behind the Scenes” and the Religious history of Scotland. At present I am walking the Water of Leith. Part 1 was Slateford to Balerno and now it’s Slateford to Leith. During most of these walks I have visited many of the beautiful churches in our city, where I pick up their Parish magazines and any other interesting information. Just to find out what they are doing in their parishes and and see if anything they are trying would be helpful to our church. 8
A coffee stop is a must on most of these walks and the group would rather support a church cafĂŠ than a commercial chain. Again I pay attention to what they have on their menus. Over the past 24 years I have had the support of members to help cope with my chronic pain and my parents ill-health, especially my Mum who had Alzheimers, so now I have the time and opportunity, via the P.C.T. to support and help others in the congregation and Parish. Fiona Rankin Perceptiveness of people and the issues that they bear Attention to the trappings and the wrappings present there, Sincerity in listening and reflecting what we hear Tenderness of presence to those hurting and in fear. Openness in hearing what is different from our view Reverence for the treasure of a life which seems askew, Affection for the beauty beneath the surface of the skin Love to dare and time to share for the soul alive within. Compassion in the presence of a badly mangled life Acceptance of the anger, the depression born of strife, Respect for all humanity and the baggage it must bear Enable us to share the journey as we offer Pastoral Care. Anonymous We are passionate about the work we do and are pleased to be supporting the work of the Church in our Parish. Linda Gill Pastoral Care Team Leader 669-7409 or helpinghands@pilrigstpauls.org.uk * The next befriender training for Passing the Baton and Passing the Baton for Older People is scheduled for January 17th from 9.45 to 4pm. For more information, please speak to Linda Gill 9
THANK YOU Thanks for the flowers I received when diagnosed with diabetes. They helped me through the first couple of weeks knowing people were thinking of me. Mark Wexelstein. GREETINGS FORM MALLORCA. Millie and Joe (Bald) would like to wish all their friends at Pilrig St Paul’s a very Happy Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. Thank you very much for the lovely flowers. appreciated them. Mary Currie
I very much
What a pleasant surprise. Thank you very much for such a beautiful bunch of roses. Sybil (Muir) Thanks for the flowers I received when I was ill and missed my trip away with school. Katie Wexelstein. Thank you very much for the flowers. Thanks also to Irene for delivering them. Hope you all have a nice Christmas . Joyce and Charlie Forman Just to say “Thank you” for the Church flowers brought to me recently. Chris Whelan Thank you very much for the lovely flowers I received from the Church recently – they were very much appreciated. Eileen Gilhooley I would like to thank everyone who has helped this year with opening the halls, seeing to the heating when it misbehaves and carrying out any repairs where possible. If I ask for help, there is never any hesitation, and I really do appreciate it. Maria. I would like to thank our Minister Mark, Mark Wexelstein, John Innes and Linda Gill for submitting articles for The Forum Focus. If anyone would like to do an article at any time then please speak to myself. The latest edition will be handed out on Sunday 30th November. Ian Bethune 10
PILRIG CHURCH BOWLING CLUB 2014 Just an update on the club: In the Leith Churches League we won the rink trophy and the ladies pairs. We were runners up in the league and the Jubilee pairs. The club did very well this year. Our own club champion was Alex Allan and the pairs winners were Eleanor Hamilton and Brian Murray. We have 23 members but could do with more for next season. If anyone is interested please see Ron Eunson
SHIPS VISITORS REPORT
The cruise season has now ended and I would like to thank all the ladies who supplied me with hats for the ships crews during the past year. It is always a great time on board when gifts are handed out. This year we had thirty days when the “big� ships brought thousands of visitors to Leith. The schedule so far for 2015 has already more than 50 listed. Thanks also to all the church members who gave so generously to the Christmas gifts for seafarers. Five hundred and fifty bags over printed with the Leith Churches Together logo (as above) were filled with your gifts, and will go out to sailors all over Scotland who will be many miles away from their families and loved ones. Once again many thanks, Eric (Fisher) 11
PRAYER CORNER Margaret Cameron and family Ina Grierson Jim Fergie Isabel Hannay Matthew Green Agnes MacAuley Evelyn Turner Lorna Burke Murdo and Joy MacLeod Mary Currie Jack McArthur Ann Taylor
Margaret Gunn Marion Murray Jim and Jean Tait Helen Grieg Frances Chambers Harriett Sceales Isabel Fyfe June Welsh Charlie and Joyce Forman Isabel Pert Helena Aide
THE DONATIONS BASKET IS IN THE VESTIBULE.
URGENTLY REQUIRED FOODS UHT MILK, TINS OF MEAT AND FISH, RICE, JAM, CUSTARD AND TINS OF FRUIT AND VEG. THANK YOU! Please contact Roy Eprile with reference to the items on this page.
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Pastoral Care Team Members Mark Foster - Minister Catriona Blackwood – Elder and magazine editor Christine Edington Ella Gilfillan Linda Gill – Elder and Pastoral Care Team Leader Cathy Purdie Fiona Rankin – Elder Jeanette Sime – Elder and Roll Keeper Jennifer Stark - Leader Leith Churches Outreach Project
Do you know someone who would appreciate being remembered in our prayers each Sunday, a visit, a phone call, a card in the post or perhaps some flowers from us? Please provide the details below and put this card into the box in the Open Doorway or contact: Linda Gill on 669-7409 or helpinghands@pilrigstpauls.org.uk Postal address: Linda Gill, Pastoral Care Team Leader, Pilrig St Paul’s Church, 1B Pilrig Street, Edinburgh EH6 5AH Member's Details Name .................................................................................................................... Address ............................................................................................................... Phone number................................................................................................. over 13
Please choose from the following, which you think would be most appropriate. You can tick more than one option Remembered in our prayers each week ……. Visit to their home ……. Flowers from the Service ……. Phone call........ Card posted to their home……. Would you like to help with this? Yes / No (If you select yes please also provide your contact details) ................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................. Pilrig St. Paul's Church SC007277 14
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Scottish Charity no. SCO07277 www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk www.leithchurchesforum.org.uk also on facebook OUR WHEELCHAIR ENTRANCES ARE IN PILRIG STREET
Cover photo Antje Armstrong Crib scene made by Antje and the late Andrew Armstrong
MINISTER Rev Mark Foster minister.psp@gmail.com (332 5736) SESSION CLERK John Innes - 33 Monktonhall Place, Musselburgh (07563 248722) pilrig@btinternet.com THE CONGREGATIONAL BOARD CLERK Aileen Fraser (07936 716 765) ASSISTANT CLERK Maria Croall (07747 071 545) CORRESPONDENCE to: pspcongragationalboard@gmail.com The Clerk to the Congregational Board Pilrig St Paul’s Church, 1B Pilrig Street, Edinburgh EH6 5AH TREASURER Mark Wexelstein (665 6881) mark.wexelstein@googlemail.com ROLL KEEPER Mrs Jeanette E. Sime - 1 South Trinity Road (552 9652) PASTORAL CONVENER Mrs Linda Gill (669 7409) PASTORAL LINK ELDER and SAFEGUARDING CO-ORDINATOR Mrs Catriona E.W. Blackwood - 4 Cambridge Gardens (554 6183) cewblackwood@tesco.net PROPERTY CONVENER Eric Fisher (552 8982) 104 Crewe Crescent HALL LET GROUP psp.halluse@gmail.com ORGANIST and CHOIRMASTER Colin Grey (07901 556 217) SUNDAY CLUB LEADER Mark Wexelstein (665 6881) mark.wexelstein@googlemail.com CHRISTIAN GIVINGS CONVENERS Mrs Ella Gilfillan - 8 Paisley Terrace (661 2281) Mrs Irene Wexelstein - 15 Upper Hermitage (476 1385) MAGAZINE Editor - Mrs Catriona E.W. Blackwood - see above Distribution - Mrs Margaret Cameron - 35 Lorne Street (554 2139)