REMEMBERING THEM
PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH NOVEMBER 2013
WELCOME TO PILRIG St PAUL’S NOVEMBER 2013 OUR REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IS ON SUNDAY 10th NOVEMBER at 10.50am ALL OTHER SUNDAY SERVICES ARE AT 11 AM Guild COFFEE MORNING Saturday 23rd November 10am – 12noon ALL WELCOME The “OPEN DOORWAY” is open each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am - 1.00pm. Enter by the main door. PILRIG St PAUL’S ORGANISATIONS (please contact leaders for time and place) Sundays - Sunday Club, 10:45 am for ages P1-S4 (Mark Wexelstein 665 6881) Mondays - Rainbows and Brownies (Christine Buchanan 554 2941) Tuesdays - The Guild 2.00pm (Irene Wexelstein 476 1385) Wednesdays - Lunch club 12 noon (Marjory McArthur 553 2323) All youth choirs Contact Colin Gray 07901 556 217 Thursdays - Rainbows and Brownies (Ann Urquhart 554 8387) Guides (Karen Wood 554 5493) Tuesdays The 5th Leith Scouts (Pilrig Edinburgh North East) Beavers, Cubs and Scouts 5 3/4 14 years PASTORAL CONVENER Mrs Linda Gill (669 7409) helpinghands@pilrigstpauls.org.uk
OUR WHEELCHAIR ENTRANCES ARE IN PILRIG STREET Please help to keep up the stocks for our foodbank by bringing something as often as you can and putting it in the box in the open doorway. The list of suitable items is on page 14. THANK YOU! 1
“How good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity” – Psalm 133:1 An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundle," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father. ~ Aesop I’m sure that many, if not all of you, will have recognised this short story as one of Aesop’s fables, but what has it to do with Pilrig St. Paul’s? As I prepare to join you as your new Minister I am fully aware that the head and leader of this church is not me; it is Jesus Christ. And it is in Christ that we find both our strength and our example for ministry; a ministry not of individuals but of a whole community worshipping and working together. Or to put that in other words we are all ministers here at Pilrig St. Paul’s Parish Church. Like the bundle of sticks in Aesop’s fable, when we work together in unity we are far stronger than we are as individuals. We can also achieve much more by working together. All of us have been blessed with different skills and talents, which when used together can help us achieve far more than we ever hoped or dreamed. Over the coming months I look forward to meeting you and finding out what skills and gifts you bring to the community of faith at Pilrig St. Paul’s as we seek to minister to one another and to the people of our parish and beyond. 2
Whether you are an active member of the congregation or, for whatever reasons, have not been in a while, I look forward to making your acquaintance and working with you in the many challenges and opportunities that lie before us as we seek to explore new ways of expressing our faith together. Warmest regards Mark News from the Manse Hello, My name is Rannoch (the Minister’s dog) and I will be dropping in from time to time to bring you snippets of news from the manse. This is just a short note to say a huge thank you to all those who oversaw all the work at the manse and especially to Nancy and Alex Fleming for all their time and hard work in getting the manse garden ready for my arrival. The Magazine,
Rannoch
Thanks for the varied and interesting articles for the magazine this month. Articles for December (already!) should be with me by 17th November, please. I am now taking orders for LIFE and WORK for 2014. The cost for the year is ÂŁ19.44, due mid January. Thank you, Catriona Blackwood 3
An update on..............PILRIG CHURCH BOWLING CLUB The club had a very good year. In the Churches’ League we won the Stirling trophy and the Ladies’ pairs. We were runners up in the rink trophy and the Jubilee pairs. Our own club champion was Alex Allan and the pairs winners were Margaret Davidson and Ron Eunson. We have 21 members but could do with more for next season. INTERESTED? Please see Ron Eunson. PASTORAL CARE – HELPING HANDS Our team continues to be energized in their undertaking of looking after the Pastoral Care for our congregation. We are pleased to welcome Jennifer Stark into the team and are sure that she will bring new ideas and insight to our group. Whilst we are sorry to see Sara leaving we will be welcoming Mark Foster into our team and look forward to his spiritual leadership with our activity. Pastoral Care Team Mark Foster Catriona Blackwood Christine Edington Ella Gilfillan Linda Gill Cathy Purdie Fiona Rankin Jeanette Sime Jennifer Stark 4
A new aspect of our activity is with those members of our congregation who are not linked to an elder. Our concern is for these members to feel supported and to have access to any help required. The team members are making calls to these members during October and November to identify any support required. Work also continues with the pastoral visits and I would like to thank those who have made these visits, as they are a vital aspect of our congregation’s life. It is worth mentioning that the visits are made both by members of the Pastoral Care team and also by members of the congregation who have volunteered to undertake visits. I am pleased to update that all requested visits have been made and our visitors are now being pro-active in identifying people who would appreciate contact from us. By now, you will have seen the sample Pastoral Cards designed by Fiona Rankin and Cathy Purdie. They are in production and will be used now where appropriate. We are also looking at having packs available for sale to members and visitors to the Church. The car pool has been set up now and so we are now able to provide transport for members wishing to worship with us on a Sunday. Please contact Ella Gilfillan or myself if you would like to arrange transport. The Pastoral Care team has listened to feedback from those who cover our doors each Sunday and our Open Doorway during the week. To provide as much support as possible to those who visit our church either to worship with us on a Sunday, attend our Open Doorway or in the future make use of the Food Bank we have purchased a small supply of the four Gospels and a help booklet called Daily Strength which has short supportive passages from the Bible to help people in difficult and challenging times. These 5
are available to be given out where appropriate to members or visitors to our church. Someone sees and someone cares, Someone listens, someone shares Someone knows the pain you feel And sends His love to soothe and heal. Someone sees the path you tred Someone smoothes the way ahead Someone always understands And holds you gently in His hands No matter what you say or do Someone’s watching over you. As ever, if you would like to help by delivering flowers, posting a card or visiting one of our members please speak to any one of our team. I look forward to updating you again next month. Linda Gill Pastoral Care Team 669-7409 or helpinghands@pilrigstpauls.org.uk
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Sadly, two of our long serving Elders have died in recent months. Mary Rennie in August, and Peter Sinclair in September. MARY RENNIE Mary was proud to be a Leither. Born in Dickson Street, she and her 5 brothers and sisters were brought up in a bustling, lively household. She attended Leith Academy Primary and Secondary schools before going on to work as a book keeper with Todd’s Holdings. Family was central to Mary’s life. Her parents’ house was the hub for the wider family to gather round and there were always great comings and goings of cousins and uncles and aunts from both Gifford and Kirkcombe. Like many young people of her day Mary was to meet her future husband at the Plaza in Morningside. She always told the story of how Jimmy pestered her for a date until she gave in but however it happened, the pair were married 57 years ago and made their home in Dalmeny Street, just a street away from Mary’s parents in Iona Street. After the births of Lorna and Martin, Mary continued to work as a book keeper and then in ‘Choosa cheese’ in Colinton. Life still centred around her Mum’s house in Iona Street as her Mum was the one who helped Mary out by doing the washing and making huge pots of soup. As well as family, the Church played a central role in Mary’s life. Baptised and married in St Paul’s in Lorne Street, she brought up her own children there and played an active part in church life all her days. From her days in the Guides and as a Sunday School Teacher, she went on to be a faithful member of the Guild and was always to be found at the very heart of things when it came to supporting church events. She even took on the role of Fabric Convenor for a time, although even she admitted that it was Jimmy quietly doing a lot of the practical work in the background that enabled her to do the job. 7
Mary loved children and played a very active role in the childhoods of her 4 grandchildren – Emma, Martin, Victoria and Adam. She was so proud of all of them, taking an interest in their lives as they grew up and showing their photos to all her visitors. Living with Lorna and Donald for the past 11 years meant that she was able to still be at the heart of her family, something for which she was very grateful. Mary was fiercely independent, determined, strong-minded and outspoken. For the past number of years Mary was less able to get about physically but her mind was still sharp and she enjoyed a good quality of life. She loved to be taken out for a drive where she and Lorna would stop for a sea view and a coffee. Mary loved to be busy and liked everything in the house to be perfect. She was an avid reader and her hands were never still as she crocheted yet another rug for charities or for the family. Mary was a good friend. She and Irene (Wexelstein) started Primary 1 together 74 years ago and remained close friends, working alongside each other at church functions and supporting each other when life was difficult. Mary liked to be smartly turned out and her hair was her pride and joy. Visits to the hairdresser were changed only under the most extreme of circumstances. Mary was fiery and feisty, she was a real live wire, but above all she was a woman of deep faith who gave freely of her talents to the work of the church and to the family who blessed her life so richly. It was her family and her church friends who made these past few months more bearable as her health suddenly declined. Mary loved much during her life time and was loved in return by her family and by friends alike. And so for the life of Mary Rennie, thanks be to God. Amen. This Eulogy was delivered at Mary’s funeral by the Rev Sara Embleton 8
PETER SINCLAIR ‘Peter left a letter addressed to 'the Minister conducting my funeral service'. That was just Peter to a tee - ensuring everything was sorted and things got done without a fuss. According to Peter's letter, he was born in Stronsay, Orkney on the 19th of October 1915. On leaving school at 14 years old he went to work on the farm for the next 8 years. However in 1938, the young Peter took a holiday, a short break, a wee bit time away, to visit Orcadian friends who had moved to Leith. Peter's holiday lasted 75 years! He managed to get a job and he decided to stay. However, he wasn't settled for long because the outbreak of war meant that Peter soon left Leith to join the Royal Navy in March 1940. Whilst enlisted, he did a course as a stoker and he went on to engine room duties on various ships and in various locations around the world for the next 6 years until his release in 1946. And it wasn’t long after his return to Leith that Peter met fellow Orcadian, and the love of his life, Margaret. They were married in Lochend Church in November 1948. They were married just short of 50 years when Margaret sadly passed away in 1998. Peter joined the Edinburgh City Transport Tramways back in 1949 and was a tram driver until he transferred across to the buses in 1956. He says in his letter that 'I served 31 years and had to retire at 64 owing to a heart attack'. It was this heart attack that marked Peter's long retirement and slow decline into poor health and blindness. He stepped back from active elder duties then, having been ordained as an elder at Pilrig and Dalmeny Street in December 1963. Peter would have been 50 years in eldership this December. Quite an amazing service to the church.
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After his mum passed away, Peter was family to Davie and vice versa and the two men were very close. It was touching that Davie had to be persuaded to arrange a care home for his dad, even when he had his own carers coming in to look after him during his cancer treatment, and it was only a week between Peter moving into Victoria Manor and David passing. Peter was happy and well cared for at Victoria Manor Care Home until his need for hospital care at the end. In his early retirement Peter continued to enjoy his allotment in Pilrig and, despite being a quiet man, who kept himself to himself, he was keen to know what was going on at church and in the community. After Margaret passed away and Peter's eyesight started to fail, Davie gave up work to be his dad's full time carer. He was such a lovely man, so kind and welcoming to all who visited him, no matter how ill he was himself. Taking time to properly thank whose who popped in, even in his last days, when speaking really was difficult. Always a gent, always an Orcadian, but very much a Leither, a man of faith and a quiet caring soul til the very end. Peter will be sadly missed by all who knew him. This Eulogy was delivered at Peter’s funeral service by Maggie Hunt.
The flower diary for 2014 is in the Open Doorway. Please check the dates you have requested flowers on previously and tick if you still want this date. If the date you would like is already taken, please choose another one or ask the person if you can share this date. 10
Guild meetings take place at 2pm NOV 12th Mr. Deary 1936 project NOV 26th Street Pastors Also - COFFEE MORNING Saturday 23rd November 10am – 12noon ALL WELCOME
THANK YOU Thank you to all who helped to raise the sum of £230 for the Macmillan Fund at the coffee morning held recently after the Service. Jeanette Sime I want to say ‘THANK YOU” so much for the beautiful autumn flowers given to me by Jeanette on Harvest Sunday. They are indeed very much appreciated. Antje Armstrong. Thank you very much for the most beautiful flowers from the church. Thank you to Margaret and David (Fraser) for giving them to me. It was a lovely surprise and brightened my day. Thank you, Irene Eprile. Many thanks for the lovely flowers we received after the death of our very dear friend Lilian Kane. They were much appreciated as was the thoughtfulness of Margaret and David Fraser. Margaret and Ronnie Cameron Thank you so much for the lovely flowers we received on the occasion of the birth of our grandson Daniel. Ella and Ronnie Gilfillan. 11
THANK YOU. As I write this, on Sunday afternoon 20th October, my mind is still full of the many conversations I had this morning after my last service at Pilrig St. Paul’s. Thank you for the kind words that many of you said about my time as your Locum minister and for your good wishes for the future. Thank you too for the beautiful flowers and for the wonderful lunch after the service. It was truly humbling to receive your comments and to know that so many people had gone to so much trouble to make my last service with you such a memorable event. Thank you, one and all. You have been a warm, hospitable, encouraging congregation to work with. May you go on to do great things in Christ’s name in your parish and in the Leith area. With very warmest good wishes, Sara.
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PRAYER CORNER Ina Grierson Jean Stark Isabel Hannay Matthew Green Jimmy Rennie Jeanette Sime Lorna Burke Murdo and Joy MacLeod Linda Connolly Jack McArthur Morag Davidson James Kane Helen Grieg Diane Davies
Margaret Scott Barbara Graham Cathie Galbraith Frances Chambers Marion Thomson Maurice Wexelstein June Welsh Charlie and Joyce Forman Phil Howe Helena Aide Isabel Pert Agnes MacAuley Marion Murray Jimmy Fergie
Please contact Roy Eprile with any names you would like included in this section. Helping Hands form side 1
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Helping Hands form side 2
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PLEASE USE THIS LIST AS A GUIDE WHEN BRINGING THINGS FOR THE FOODBANK – OUR EXCITING AND WORTHWHILE NEW PROJECT CONTACT ROY EPRILE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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FUNERALS James Broom, Victoria Manor NH 24th May 2013. Parish. Mrs. Jane Spence, Castlegreen NH 28th May 2013. Member. Walter Paterson, 23/27 Jamieson Place 18th June 2013. Parish. Miss. Elizabeth Sinclair, 38 Redbraes Place 30th July 2013. Parish. Miss. Maureen Riach, 11/1 Murano Place 30th July 2013. Parish. Mrs. Doris Reid, Guthrie House 10th August. Member. Mrs. Ann Robinson, 82/6 Lorne Street 23rd August. Parish. Mrs. Mary Rennie, 278 Milton Road East 28th August. Member John Mather, Albert Place 28th August. Parish. Peter Sinclair, Victoria Manor NH September 2013. Member
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MINISTER Rev Mark Foster (phone number to be announced when available) minister.psp@gmail.com SESSION CLERK John Innes - 33 Monktonhall Place, Musselburgh (07563 248722) pilrig@btinternet.com THE CONGREGATIONAL BOARD CLERK Aileen Fraser (07936 716 765) aileen.fraser@btinternet.com ASSISTANT CLERK Maria Croall (07747 071 545) croallm@hotmail.com CORRESPONDENCE to: The Clerk to the Congregational Board Pilrig St Paul’s Church, 1B Pilrig Street, Edinburgh EH6 5AH TREASURER Mark Wexelstein (665 6881) mark.wexelstein@gmail.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) bill.blackwood@tesco.net PROPERTY CONVENER Eric Fisher (552 8982) 104 Crewe Crescent HALL LET GROUP psp.halluse@gmail.com ORGANIST and CHOIRMASTER Colin Gray (07901 556217) colingray@hotmail.com SUNDAY CLUB LEADER Mark Wexelstein (665 6881) mark.wexelstein@gmail.com CHRISTIAN GIVINGS CONVENERS Mrs Ella Gilfillan - 8 Paisley Terrace (661 2281) Mrs Irene Wexelstein - 15 Upper Hermitage (476 1 385) MAGAZINE Editor - Mrs Catriona E.W. Blackwood - see above Distribution - Mrs Margaret Cameron - 35 Lorne Street (554 2139) Scottish Charity no. SCO07277 www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk www.leithchurchesforum.org.uk