PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS DECEMBER 2016 1
PILRIG St PAUL’S WELCOMES YOU DECEMBER 2016 There are many activities held on our premises, please see the notice board in Pilrig Street (middle entrance). If you would like to rent our premises, please contact psp.halluse@gmail.com The food bank is designed to help individuals and families in crisis through the provision of emergency food supplies. Local care professionals in the Leith area refer people, with a food voucher, to the Foodbank distribution point where they are given their food supplies. For further information, please contact Roy Eprile
THE DONATIONS BASKET IS IN THE VESTIBULE. DECEMBER 2016 THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR DONATIONS OF SUGAR, ALSO - TINNED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES, UHT MILK AND FRUIT JUICE. 2
CHURCH ACTIVITIES SUNDAY - 11am WORSHIP in the Sanctuary, followed by tea or coffee and a chat in the Session Room. Children’s activities from 10.50am: There is a creche for younger children, while those of school age join the congregation, including taking an active part in the all age 'Time to Talk' and then follow activities or projects. TUESDAY AND THURSDAY - 10.30-12.30 open doorway for coffee, a chat and quiet time in the sanctuary. CONTACTS Music and Choir - Colin Gray 07901 556 217 or at the Service Alternate 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 (Evelyn Torrance 552 1657) For Rainbows, Brownies and Guides please send all enquiries to www.girlguiding.org.uk . We have two groups associated with Pilrig St Paul’s
PROVIDING FLOWERS IN DECEMBER and JANUARY DECEMBER 4th Guild 11th Margaret and David Fraser 18th Norman Leithead 25th Millie and Joe Bald
JANUARY 2017 1st Margaret Cameron 15th Irene Wexelstein 22nd Flower Fund 29th Alex and Nancy Fleming
Please speak to Aileen Fraser if you would like to provide flowers for the Church. 3
DECEMBER AND JANUARY IN PILRIG St PAUL’S Sunday 4th December – 11am Sunday Worship, including the blessing of our shawls and scarves, see page 5. Wednesday 7th December Knitting Bee, 2pm, Open Doorway. Friday 9th December - 7.30pm Telephone Choir Sunday 11th December - 11am Christmas Gift Service, see page 4 Tuesday 13th December – Guild Christmas Lunch Thursday 15thDecember -10.30am Lorne Primary Service. Sunday 18th December – 11am Service of lessons and carols Monday 19th December - 11am Pilrig Park School Service. Saturday 24th December family Service 6.30pm Saturday 24th December Watchnight Service 11.30pm Sunday 25th December CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP 10am PLEASE NOTE THE TIME Sunday 1st January 2017 11am Sunday Worship Sunday 8th January Joint Epiphany Service, South Leith Church. There is no service in Pilrig St Paul’s today. Tuesday 10th 2pm January Guild Rev Joanne Foster Theme and Communion Sunday 15th January 11am Sunday Worship Sunday 22nd January 11am Sunday Worship Tuesday 24th Guild 2pm Scotch afternoon Sunday 29th January 11:00am Communion Service 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. OPEN DOORWAY EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY 10.30-12.30 come to the open doorway for coffee, a chat, and quiet time in the sanctuary. There is NO OPEN DOORWAY on Thursday 15th December 4
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! – 2 Corinthians 9: 15 Dear All, One sure sign that Christmas will shortly be upon us is the immanent release of the next film in the Star Wars saga – just in time for the seasonal Box Office bonanza. This epic space opera now spans almost 40 years. It tells the story of the timeless battle between good and evil on a cosmic scale. The creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, has taken us on a journey of human emotions and relationships through the lives of his characters. We have seen the self-sacrifice of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the risks for Finn in choosing good over evil. We have witnessed the heroism of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, the strength and compassion of Ray, the loyalty of Han Solo, and the inner torments of Kylo Ren. And we have watched the fall from grace of Anakin Skywalker and his final redemption as Darth Vader – not to mention the hurt, betrayal, anguish, and torment between generations of the same families. In truth, each of these characters is part for something bigger than themselves. No matter how grand their individual achievements may be, it’s all done in the name of preserving galactic freedom by tipping the balance of life in the favour of good. The seasons of Advent and Christmas draw us back to the same themes of human life and relationships. They invite us to pause at the stable door in awe; to find that great sense of mystery described by the German theologian Rudolf Otto as the 5
mysterium tremendum et fascinans. We too wrestle with the mysteries of life and the daily challenge to tip the balance of our lives in the favour of good rather than evil. The Christmas message reminds us that we too are part of something far bigger than ourselves, and that whatever our origins we all have an important role to play in the drama of life. The greatest challenge for us this Christmas is to reconnect with the divine spark within each of us that calls us to be better human beings. Or in other words, to become more Christ-like in our actions. May God richly bless you with the gifts of peace, joy, hope and love as your journey towards Christmas. Shalom Mark GREETINGS FROM 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. CHRISTMAS GIFT SERVICE This will take place on 11th December at 11am. This year we are asking members who are able to donate a gift to bring items for older children and teenagers, if possible, please. Our less able members have not been forgotten, but most of their gifts are already arranged. THE MAGAZINE Thank you for the articles and information this month. Without these contributions the magazine would be a poor thing! There is no magazine in January, but articles for February should be with me by January 22nd, please. Catriona Blackwood 6
PASTORAL COMMITTEE Pastoral Cards It has been lovely to hear from so many of you about how much you liked receiving your card and in particular that you liked the photos we used on it. If you have not received a card or know of someone who did not receive one please let one of the Pastoral Care Team know as we still have a supply of cards The Knitting Bee
We were delighted to be joined by the children from the Jamieson Place Knitting Group. Three of the residents from Jamieson Place are also members of our Knitting Bee. It was a great afternoon and the children found some ideas for what they would like to knit borrowing some of our patterns. We hope to welcome them back to catch up with us again early in 2017. We trust that you enjoyed seeing the fruits of our labour over the summer months at the Remembrance Service when the poppies the team knitted were used to create our Poppy Filed Scene. Many thanks go to Fiona Rankin and Evelyn Torrance for creating the amazing backdrop for us. The photo on the back cover shows the finished effect once all the poppies had been placed. We are now looking forward to the blessing of our shawls and scarves, due to take place at the service on Sunday 4th December, after which they will be delivered to members of our congregation and those in our local community. The next Knitting Bee catch up will take place on Wednesday 7th December at 2pm in the Open Doorway. We are always happy to welcome new people so do come along and join us. Once again, our thanks goes to everyone who has supported us with donations of wool and buttons during the year. Training and Development We are arranging a food hygiene follow up course in January. This is aimed at those who are
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involved in the preparation and serving of food and would be a good way for people to refresh on the recommended ways to deliver food and drink to people in the safest way. It will be a three hour session run in our halls. If you would like to join this please let me know. Leith Community Cinema Update Well done to Scott Gillies who is one of the cinema team. We were delighted that he recently attended and passed a first aid course. Christmas Screening – Double Bill On Friday 2nd December we are looking forward to our final screening of 2016 when we will be showing Miracle on 34th Street at 10.30am, along with fresh filter coffee and hot mince pies. This is followed by a second screening that day at 2.30pm when we will be showing the children’s film Arthur Christmas. The afternoon screening is sold out now, however there are still a few tickets for the morning film. Tickets can be booked via our website or completing the booking sheet in the Open Doorway. Full details on our website http://www.leithcommunitycinema.com All those who have helped us as stewards for the cinema during the year are invited to join us for a thank you lunch on the 2 nd December at 12.30pm. If you would like to help or be involved in any way with the Community Cinema and Café please let me know, as we are keen to create a team to work with us on the on-going development of the cinema. Funding Update We are delighted to have been granted the £1000 funding from Leith Decides. Thank you for your support. This funding will go towards the cost of running four screenings in our 2017 programme. We have also applied for funding from the Co-op to cover the remainder of the running costs for next year. We will hear the outcome of this in April 2017.
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Helping Hands Please remember to let us know if you would like a visit or phone call from us or would like to arrange this for a member of our congregation you feel would appreciate this type of support. All you need to do is complete a Helping Hands form and pop it into the box in the Open Doorway of the Church or speak/call any of our team. Pastoral Care Team Mark Foster - Minister Catriona Blackwood – Elder, Safeguarding Co-ordinator Christine Edington – CrossReach Co-ordinator Ella Gilfillan Linda Gill – Elder and Pastoral Care Team Leader Michelle Muhammad – Congregational Board Member Cathy Purdie – Contact for Special Needs Fiona Rankin – Elder Jeanette Sime – Elder and Roll Keeper Linda Gill Pastoral Care Team Leader 669-7409 or helpinghands@pilrigstpauls.org.uk Prayer Corner Mark Wexelstein Jim and Jean Tait Helen Greig Mary Currie Gary, Margaret and David Fraser Matthew Green Frances Chambers Jackie Allan Charlie and Joyce Forman Norrie Frazer The Davis family Isabel Fyfe Margaret Gunn Isabel Pert Murdo and Joy MacLeod Tom Gilzean Emily Dickson and family Christine McGonigal David and Lynn Cameron and family Hilda Winton Frazer and Craig Garvey and families Ann Dunn Irene Brown and family Sybil Muir Charlie Forman and family Please let Roy Eprile know if you would like someone included in the prayer corner.
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MINISTER Rev Mark Foster (332 5736) MFoster@churchofscotland.org.uk SESSION CLERK John Innes - 33 Monktonhall Place, Musselburgh (07802 917910) 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) 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 Gray (07901 556 217) SUNDAY CLUB LEADER Mark Wexelstein (665 6881) mark.wexelstein@googlemail.com CHRISTIAN GIVINGS CONVENER 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) www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk
Scottish Charity no. SC 007277
www.leithchurchesforum.org.uk OUR WHEELCHAIR ENTRANCES ARE IN PILRIG STREET
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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................................................................................................. 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 SC 007277
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POPPY COLLAGE ON REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY 2016 12