ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS 2017
AT PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH 1
Cover picture: Advent candles at Pilrig St Paul’s 2
PILRIG St PAUL’S DECEMBER 2017 Christmas Tree Festival in the Church 30 November to 2 December. Sunday 3rd December morning Worship 11am among the Christmas Trees of the Festival Sunday 10th December morning Worship Wednesday 13th December Leith Churches Together Ecumenical Service Ebenezer United Free Church 1pm December 12th Guild Christmas lunch contact Jeanette Sime Sunday 17 December - 11 am - Lessons and Carols Community Cinema 1pm the film Elf. See page 7
Sunday 24 December - 3 pm - This will be a special All Age celebration*
Monday 25 December - 10 am - Christmas Day Service Sunday 31st December morning Worship 11am *We look forward to seeing you at our Christmas Services and hope that you will enjoy them. Please note the change of times this year. Services in January 2018 See page 5 PROVIDING FLOWERS IN DECEMBER 2017 3rd Maria Croall 17th Norman Leithead 31st Margaret Cameron
10th Margaret and David Fraser 24th Millie and Joe Bald
Flowers for January will be listed in the order of service. Please speak to Aileen Fraser if you would like to provide flowers for the Church.
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CHURCH ACTIVITIES
SUNDAY - 11am WORSHIP in the Sanctuary, followed by tea or coffee, and a chat, in the Session Room. 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’. ACTIVITIES Alternate Tuesdays - The Guild 2.00pm Every Tuesday and Thursday 10.30-12.30 come to the open doorway for coffee, a chat, and quiet time in the sanctuary Wednesdays - Lunch club 11.30 Beavers, Cubs and Scouts 5 3/4 - 14 years The 5th Leith Scouts Edinburgh North East (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 THERE ARE MANY OTHER ACTIVITIES HELD ON OUR PREMISES, PLEASE SEE THE NOTICE BOARD IN PILRIG STREET (MIDDLE ENTRANCE) TO RENT OUR PREMISES, PLEASE CONTACT psp.halluse@gmail.com
OUR WHEELCHAIR ENTRANCES ARE IN PILRIG STREET
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From the manse….. Up and down the country parents, teachers, and Sunday School leaders will be searching their cupboards looking for tea towels to make head scarfs for shepherds and cardboard to make crowns for wise men, as they prepare to celebrate again the story of the Nativity. The gospels of Matthew and Luke emphasize their nativity stories in different ways. Luke’s gospel focuses upon the shepherds journeying to the manger to worship the new born baby, while Matthew’s gospel has the wise men visiting the toddler, Jesus. By bringing both these traditions together in nativity plays we are reminded that the Christ Child came for everyone - no matter their status in society. But have you ever stopped to consider how different the shepherds and wise men are in their approach and response to Jesus’ birth? The shepherds’ response came from a gut reaction. They didn’t start out that night intending to worship a new born king, but heavenly messengers brought them news that would change their usual routine and ultimately their lives. They didn’t debate the pro’s and con’s. They didn’t ponder philosophically on the merits of the angels’ message. They simply had a gut feeling that this was right and they followed their instinct. Many of us can identify occasions in our life when we have responded like the shepherds, following our gut instincts and in doing so we have been blessed by God’s presence in our adventures. The wise men, on the other hand, carefully charted and planned their journey, taking time to work out with great precision each step they would take in response to the birth of a new king. Theirs too was a response of faith - but one based on thought rather than gut reaction. Their story reminds us that there are times in the life of faith that that require us to contemplate and reflect before taking action.
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The reflective space is a gift to be treasured as we wrestle with the questions and challenges of our faith. The journeys of heart and mind are both equally valid in the life of faith. Indeed, the Church needs both kinds of travellers – those who are governed by their feelings and those who are governed by their thoughts. So, are you a shepherd or a wise man? Are you a ‘feeler’ or a ‘thinker’ when it comes to matters of your faith? Perhaps there is a bit of both in most of us. Regardless of their approach – both the shepherds and the wise men responded with joy when they met the Christ Child. This Advent, take time to journey with the shepherds and the wise men to the manger and rejoice in the good news that Christ the Lord, was born for you. Shalom. Mark & Joanne
The Magazine Thank you for all the contributions received this month, and for meeting the deadline. Please may I have articles for the February magazine by Thursday January 18th. (This is a little earlier than usual, but the magazine will still be published on the last Sunday of the month, 28th January 2018.) Life and Work I am now taking orders and payment for Life and Work for 2018. It is published every month and costs £27.50 for the year, or £13.75 if two share. There is now also a digital edition which can be purchased by visiting www.lifeandwork.org Thank you, Catriona Blackwood
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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, and to volunteer to help on a Wednesday, please contact Roy Eprile. THE DONATIONS BASKET IS IN THE VESTIBULE. We would like: tinned fruit (400gms) Steamed Puddings and tinned rice pudding UHT milk (1 litre) Sugar (1kg) Tinned Meat Breakfast Cereals We’ve got plenty of: Pasta (500g and 1kg packets Soup all varieties Beans January 2018 Sunday 7th January 11am Sunday Worship Tuesday 9th January 2pm Guild Rev. Mark and Joanne Foster Sunday 14th January 11am Sunday Worship Sunday 21st January 11am Sunday Worship Tuesday 23rd Guild 2pm Tom Kelly Sunday 28th 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. 7
Murdo and Joy Macleod thank you for the lovely flowers we received on Sunday, 29th October and also for Margaret and David Fraser's visit to deliver them. It is good to know that we are in your thoughts. Thank you for the flowers and kind thoughts. F. Simpson I wish to thank you very much for the lovely flowers I received. They were very much appreciated. I also thank Margaret Fraser for delivering them to me. Isa Osborne Thank you very much for the lovely flowers I received last Sunday. They helped to make my house a home!! It is lovely being back in Edinburgh. Elizabeth Hogg (Hilda Winton’s sister) 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.
Pastoral Care Team We find ourselves at the end of another busy year and as ever reflect on where the year has gone. We are focusing now on the plans for 2018 and if you would like to join us on the Pastoral Care Team please let me know. Also, if you think there is anything we could be doing under the banner of Pastoral Care that we are not already involved with please let us know. We are always happy to send cards, make visits and phone calls to members or arrange for delivery of the flowers from our Sunday service. Please let us know if you are aware of someone who would appreciate and benefit from any of these contacts from us.
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Welcome Pack The pack has been prepared by Catriona to help anyone new to our congregation find out more about how things happen and who to speak with to find out more. The ideal opportunity to think about giving a Welcome Pack would be if you are part of the door duty team on Sundays or if you notice someone new sitting near you in the pew. It can be provided to anyone worshipping with us. Knitting Bee Our Twiddlemuffs were blessed at a Sunday service in November and have now been handed over to the groups we identified: Victoria Manor Care Home who visited us at our recent meeting, Eric Fisher who collected the parcel for the Singing Group for people living with dementia, and they are also going to those with acquired brain injury. These groups will gift the Twiddlemuffs on our behalf. We are now working on our plans for 2018 – Octopremmies, small blankets for premature babies and taking part in the Cross Reach Craftathon. We look forward to welcoming Christine Edington to our January meeting when we will hear more about how the Craftathon will work. Leith Community Cinema Update Our AGM went well on the 12 th November where our Business Plan for 2018 was approved in principle and we have now created sub groups to aid the delivery of the Business Plan. More details will be set out in next month’s magazine. Please consider helping out at our screenings. Those who are regulars with us enjoy the opportunity to meet with other members of the team and engage with our audience. Even if you don’t want to see the film you could offer to help out at the café and crafting for children before hand. Or perhaps you could offer 9
to help with the set up and clear away as we are always looking for some extra hands to do that. This is a perfect opportunity for us to engage with the wider local community and make connections through this outreach engagement. Our final Community Screenings is taking place on Sunday 17 th December at 1pm when we are screening the film Elf. Tickets can be booked via eventbrite on the links below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/elf-tickets-39948862122 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, Safegaurding Co-ordinator and Magazine Editor 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 10
Prayer Corner
The Wexelstein family Norrie Frazer Emily Dickson and family Sybil Muir David and Lynn Cameron and family Frances Chambers The Davis family Murdo and Joy MacLeod Martha and Willie Cruickshanks Mrs Hunter and family Catriona Blackwood and family Evelyn and Euan Robertson Frazer and Craig Garvey and families Doreen and Arthur Johnston Siobhan
Jim and Jean Tait Joyce Loughlan June Welsh Isabel Pert Margaret Gunn Anne Dunn Isabel Fyfe Arthur Baxter Matthew Green Margaret Thomson Elspeth Dixon Helen Greig Rev Kristina Ross Gary, Margaret and David Fraser
Please let Roy Eprile know if you would like someone included in the prayer corner
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PILRIG ST PAULâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHURCH 1b Pilrig Street Edinburgh EH6 5AH www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk Church Office 0131 553 1876 MAGAZINE psp.churchmagazine@gmail.com MINISTER Rev Mark Foster (0131 332 5736) MFoster@churchofscotland.org.uk SESSION CLERK John Innes - (07802 917910) pilrig@btinternet.com THE CONGREGATIONAL BOARD Church address and phone number CLERK Aileen Fraser (0131 553 1876) ASSISTANT CLERK Maria Croall (07747 071545) pspcongragationalboard@gmail.com TREASURER and CHRISTIAN GIVINGS CONVENER Mark Wexelstein (0131 665 6881) mark.wexelstein@gmail.com ROLL KEEPER, GUILD CONVENOR Mrs Jeanette Sime - (0131 552 9652) PASTORAL CONVENOR, CINEMA LEADER Mrs Linda Gill Linda Gill <lindagill365@sky.com> linda@leithcommunitycinema.com SAFEGUARDING CO-ORDINATOR, MAGAZINE EDITOR Mrs Catriona Blackwood - (0131 554 6183) cewblackwood@tesco.net PROPERTY CONVENER Eric Fisher (0131 552 8982) eric.fisher@hotmail.co.uk HALL LETS psp.halluse@gmail.com ORGANIST and CHOIRMASTER Colin Gray (07901 556 217) PRAYER CORNER, FOODBANK CONTACT Roy Eprile MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTION Mrs Margaret Cameron (0131 554 2139) LUNCH CLUB Alex Allan (0131 554 3174) Scottish Charity no. SCO07277 www.leithchurchesforum.org.
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