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MAY 2020
MAY 2016
PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH
KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH MEMBERS AND FRIENDS DURING CLOSED DOORS
If you can, please continue collecting……… Plastic milk bottle tops: blue or green with a 2 or 4 on them, Plastic tops and lids with other colours and sizes Flower bags Stamps: used postage stamps should be cut out (leaving a 1 cm margin) These will be gratefully received once we are up and running again. Thank you
INFORMATION re PILRIG St PAUL’S MAGAZINE We welcome articles and thank you letters from members and friends. Articles are published in both the printed magazine and on-line, unless otherwise arranged with the editor, (eg where personal information is concerned, including the names in the prayer corner, it would normally be omitted from the on-line version). All contributors must provide their name, please, which is normally attached to the article. We reserve the right to edit articles. Changes other than spelling or grammar will, where possible, be discussed with the contributor. The views expressed are those of individual contributors and not necessarily those of Pilrig St. Paul’s Church or the Church of Scotland.
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PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH While we are unable to use our buildings, there will be a short act of worship each Sunday at 10am on Facebook, and repeated later on our website. We will be using our Facebook Page to provide some items for personal reflection as well as our normal news updates. We have also launched a WordPress site at https://onecfl.wordpress.com/ where you will find prayers, reflections and other items provided by the Ministers from the four Leith churches. Below you will also find a list of radio, TV, Internet Audio and Visual clips, as well as some live streaming worship services that you can listen and watch from the comfort of your own home. Thought for the Day: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00szxv6 BBC Radio Four Sunday Worship: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnds Livestream Church Service: https://greenbankchurch.org There will be a recorded service every Sunday via the Church of Scotland website as well as transcripts which can be printed and delivered to those who are not able to access online resources. Songs of Praise: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006ttc5 Recommended Podcast: https://robbell.com/portfolio/robcast/ BBC Scotland have been showing ‘Reflections at the Quay” each Sunday. The times of the broadcasts vary. In addition if you wish to follow the readings that we use in church each Sunday you can access them at https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu// We will continue to keep you updated via the following links: Church website: http://www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pilrigstpauls/ You can also subscribe to receive the church magazine at LINK and weekly intimations at LINK. 3
CHURCH ACTIVITIES and INFORMATION Please watch our website and facebook page for updates. For information regarding Girl Guiding and Scouts: www.girlguiding.org.uk hello@scouts.scot
Pilrig St Paul’s Foodbank is, unfortunately, not able to staff our facility as many of our volunteers are considered vulnerable and are self isolating or shielding. If you would like to help the Foodbank in another Leith Church, please contact JMay@churchofscotland.org The minister would like to hear from anyone who would be willing to record themselves on a smartphone or tablet doing one of the scripture passages for Sunday worship, which would then be inserted into the service and broadcast online. Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Lent Appeal. Please hand the money over by electronic means if you can – or put it aside to give to the church when services resume in the building. Please consider making your offering to the church by standing order, by using the PayPal button on the web site, or scan this QR code on your phone.
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From the Manse….. When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ~ John 20:19 Dear All, It was a strange experience to celebrate Easter without the joy of gathering together to sing hymns; without the floral arrangements that brighten the church and set a festive mood; and without the fellowship and company of fellow Christians. With churches sitting empty and sanctuaries devoid of Easter colour, we were forced to celebrate in our homes and ponder the meaning of resurrection without all the usual church traditions and celebrations to aid us. But we are reminded in John’s gospel that the disciples experienced that first Easter without any of the joyous celebrations, church rituals, and traditions that we have today. They too were in a lockdown situation and found themselves confined to home – with only Thomas allowed to venture out on their behalf. They too were fearful of the world outside their door and the dangers that it could bring them. And they too wondered just how to celebrate the news that Christ had risen. It wasn’t until some-time afterwards that their lives began to return to normal (or rather a new normality) that they came to realise the power of the resurrection in their lives. Perhaps it will be the same for us? Much that we have done as a society, as a church, and as individuals has had to change over the past two months – and whilst some things will return to normal, we hope that we will 5
learn and grow from this experience and perhaps change some of our priorities and behaviours. The Coronavirus outbreak has already forced many of us to stop thinking about ourselves as being Sunday morning Christians – and inspired us to think about how we worship and serve God at different times and places during the week. Shalom Mark
PASTORAL CARE ARRANGEMENTS Whilst we remain under the current restrictions all pastoral support will be offered by phone, mail, and email. We have set up “Telephone Trees” so that we can continue to keep in touch with members on a regular basis. Most of you should have received a call from one of the team of volunteers listed below. They will keep in touch with you to see how you are keeping; update you on any church news; and will also be happy to share a prayer with you if you wish. If you have not received a call it may be that we do not have your phone number. Please contact the Minister, Catriona Blackwood, or Aileen Fraser if you wish to add your phone number to our records. Telephone Contact Team: Catriona Blackwood, Maria Croall, Christine Edington, Eric Fisher, Aileen Fraser, David Fraser, Mark Wexelstein, Michelle Muhammed, Linda Gill.
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WAYS TO HELP PILRIG St PAUL’S Regular Offerings If you want to continue making your offering while the church is unable to meet, then you could consider making your payment by standing order. You are in control of the amount paid, the frequency it is paid and the date it is paid. You can amend or stop the amount at any time and the church cannot claim any money from your bank account. If you have any questions about making your offering via the bank, or questions about the finances of the congregation please contact Mark Wexelstein. treasurer@pilrigstpaul’s.org.uk Easyfundraising Over 4,000 shops and sites will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself! The church will receive a donation (plus Gift Aid) for every confirmed purchase. We don't see what you've bought, just the donation amount returned. These donations really mount up and make a BIG difference to us, so we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up and support us. It’s completely FREE and only takes a moment. You can find our easyfundraising page at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/psp2/?utm_campaig n=raise-more&utm_medium=email&utm_content=fm-e1 Amazon Smile say “On your first visit to smile.amazon.co.uk you need to select a charitable organisation to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.co.uk will result in a donation. AmazonSmile will occasionally contact you about donation amounts disbursed to your chosen charity or about the programme. You can change the organisation you are supporting at any time.” 7
Dear friends, Covid-19 has put a sudden stop to many things. The Steering Group of One Church for Leith has been unable to meet. We were going to call a meeting of all the four Sessions to renew and refresh our commitment to work even closer together as the Church of Scotland in Leith. We have been anticipating new legislation from the General Assembly, but of course that too is delayed. It will now be May 2021 at the earliest before we have a clear idea of what is possible within the new legislation. But be assured that the project is very much alive. Edinburgh Presbytery’s Deployment of Resources Committee and the Church of Scotland General Trustees are all well aware of our ambition, and are united in doing what they can to support us towards achieving a creative and sustainable outcome for an exciting future. The Steering Group will continue to keep in touch by various means in these strange days, and when things return to something more like normal we will call a joint meeting of the four Kirk Sessions. The situation will be re-assessed, and we will move forward together. Meantime, let’s all take courage from this little verse by poet Ian Hamilton Finlay which is engraved on the Water of Leith walkway at poetry Corner, near Coburg Street.
So with the darkest days behind Our ship of hope will steer And when in doubt just keep in mind Our motto PERSEVERE
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THE MAGAZINE and LIFE AND WORK Life and Work is available for subscribers. The magazines are in my house and I can keep them meantime. If you want to pick up your copy, please phone me to arrange this. You can read part of the May edition on the Life and Work website, at no extra charge. I will be preparing a magazine for June. Please may I have information and articles for it by 24th May? These should be emailed to: magazine@pilrigstpauls.org.uk or phone me on 0131 554 6183 Please also get in touch if you know of someone who would like a magazine posted to them. I look forward to hearing from you, particularly with short greetings to fellow members. Catriona Blackwood 9
Prayer Corner Please remember in your prayers members and friends of the congregation who are ill or infirm at this time. A full list is available in the printed version of the magazine. Please let the minister or me know of someone to include in this section. Catriona Blackwood
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CONTACT DETAILS PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH 1b Pilrig Street Edinburgh EH6 5AH www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk
Church Office 0131 553 1876
HALL LETS - NO BOOKINGS ARE BEING TAKEN MEANTIME When we are able to re-open our halls we will publicise this on our website, intimations and the magazine.
Scottish Charity no. SCO07277
www.leithchurchesforum.org.uk
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And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed. 12
by Kitty O'Meara