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JUNE 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 (See also page 4) 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. Our Facebook Page provides some items for personal reflection as well as our normal news updates. Church website: http://www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pilrigstpauls/
JUNE COMMUNION SERVICE We are currently planning to hold an online Communion Service at 10:30 am on Sunday 28 June. This will take place via Facebook live and Zoom. We ask that all participants have their own bread and wine (or suitable alternatives) ready for the start of the service. For those who are not on Facebook or Zoom – the service will be shared to the church website afterwards. In order to make things manageable for those involved we would ask all those who are on Facebook to join the service live via Facebook. Only those who are not on Facebook will be invited to join us via Zoom. If you wish to join via Zoom you must email the minister at: MFoster@churchofscotland.org.uk by Friday 19 June in order to receive the invitation link for the service. Places will be allocated to church members and regular worshippers only on a first come first served basis. You will be sent a confirmation email containing details of how this will be hosted on Zoom. We realise that some members have no access to the internet and are unable to join us for this service. Please hold us in your prayers this Sunday and be assured that we will be holding you in ours. If you have no internet access I hope that you have been watching the BBC’s “Reflections at the Quay” on Sunday mornings and/or listening to the weekly service on the radio. Blessings Mark 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 Radio, TV, Internet Audio and Visual clips and some live streaming worship services that you can listen and watch from 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// You can also subscribe to receive the church magazine and weekly intimations at www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk 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. 4
From the Manse O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. ~ Psalm 139: 1 - 6 Dear All, There is a short video clip that has been doing the rounds on social media and the internet recently. It shows someone’s hand placing letters on a peg board spelling out “Dear God, How do I ..” the letters are then swept away by the person and they start again: “Dear God, I’m just s …” and again, “Dear God, I …” and again “Dear God, I don’t …”. You realise that the person is trying to pray but just can’t find the right words and is becoming more and more frustrated by the process. Finally they put “Dear God” and then just dump all the remaining letters into a big jumbled mess on the board and finish with “Amen” at the bottom. Sometimes words fail us when it comes to prayer. We scramble to say the right, exact thing, but what comes out is just a jumbled mess. Praying for our world during the current pandemic can be difficult: Just where do we start? What do we say? How can we put into words all of our feelings and frustrations and concerns? It can be hard finding our focus when we are surrounded by so much uncertainty. Sometimes we forget what day of the week it is because our routines have changed so much. Even familiar tasks require extra concentration and drain our energy more than before. 5
In Psalm 139, the psalmist reminds us that God knows and understands us and our mess, even before we start to utter a single word. That God is before and behind us in everything that we are experiencing in our lives. The video ends with the jumble of letters vanishing from the board and the following message appears, ‘Dear Child. I know. I love you. – God.” As we continue to adjust to the changing circumstances of our lives and of the world around us, know that God is with you amidst all the jumble and uncertainty – even when you can’t find the words you want to use. Amen. Blessings Mark
THANK YOU We have received thanks from many members for prayers, flowers, cards, visits, phone calls, texts and support received following illness, celebrations, bereavements and accidents.
THE MAGAZINE Thank you for the contributions for this magazine. I will be preparing an extra magazine for July. Please may I have information and articles for it by 21st June? Please get in touch if you know of someone who would like to receive a magazine by post. Catriona Blackwood magazine@pilrigstpauls.org.uk or phone me on 0131 554 6183 6
PASTORAL CARE ARRANGEMENTS
At present 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 will have received a call from one of the team of volunteers listed below to keep in touch with you to see how you are, 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.
Hi to all members of the Guild. We hope you are all keeping well and safe. We were very sorry to have to end our session so abruptly, missing out on our Beetle Drive and AGM but both will be arranged as soon as we are back to “NORMAL”. We are really missing our get TOGETHER with all the gossip, as I am sure you all are. Take care GUILD COMMITTEE 7
COVID-19 Emergency Appeal The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone and frontline care services face unprecedented challenges. The impact of COVID-19 means CrossReach residents can no longer receive visits during this worrying time. Staff are also under immense pressure as they work in CrossReach’s residential and non-residential services. The organisation has also been hit hard by the suspension of normal fundraising activities due to Coronavirus. The CrossReach COVID-19 Emergency Appeal has so far raised more than £230,000 to help support the charity through the crisis. To support visit: www.crossreah.org.k/news/crossreach-coronaviruscovid-19-emergency-appeal
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Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 Looking after our mental health is a vital part of being well. Normally, we can each rely on our strengths and experiences to stay healthy. However, at a time where taking control of our lives is very difficult due to the necessary social isolation restrictions, taking care of our health and mental well-being can be exceptionally challenging. The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, ‘kindness matters’, highlights that being kind to ourselves and to others is necessary for our personal wellness and for the wellness of others. There are many opportunities to take part in meaningful activities which can help us maintain our health and mental wellbeing while supporting others. Virtual Grey Cakes and the PushUp Challenge are two such opportunities being run by CrossReach. The Scottish Government’s Clear Your Head campaign, provides tips and suggestions to help keep us well as we journey through the uncharted waters of COVID-19. For resources visit: www.clearyourhead.scot/
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From the Clerk’s desk In these times, when the church building is closed, we have to find other ways to keep in touch and to 'be the church'. The Congregational Board met online for the first time last week, and we've been using various conferencing systems for other meetings which can't take place in person. I suspect that some of this will become the norm in the future even when the lockdown is over. However, how does a church continue to spread the word of God when the buildings are closed? One way is to produce a video of elements of a traditional service, other churches broadcast their entire service online. Mark and Joanne have been collaborating to produce a short online worship for both congregations. This has meant they have had to develop a new set of skills, recording segments themselves, gathering audio and video contributions from others, editing it all together, juggling iPads and multiple PCs to stitch it all together into an increasingly professional production. I for one, have really appreciated the worship and have even made my own small contribution by filming a couple of readings. Believe me, this is not so easy, trying to make a video that looks and sounds natural on a phone or a laptop, trying to juggle autocue, webcam, microphones, lighting etc. The worship videos we've seen distill the essence of what is normally an hour of worship into 25 minutes or so, prayer, reflections, readings and increasingly, music. Sitting down with Lisa in our living room to watch it on a laptop on a Sunday morning has become our new normal and I hope everyone else who watches it as it’s first broadcast on Facebook or later in the week also appreciates the work that has gone into it and the powerful contribution it makes to the continuing life of the church. I also watched the installation of the new Moderator RT Revd Dr. Martin Fair via the Church of Scotland website and while it 10
was a little strange seeing it done in an almost empty Assembly Hall, being able to view it online adds another dimension to being the church online. Mark has touched on the possibility of recording and streaming our Sunday services once things return to normal, this will require some investment in cameras and video production equipment and we have been exploring whether we can access a grant to support some of that from the National Church but it means that people who are not able to get to the church building on a Sunday morning will still be able to see and hear the worship when convenient for them. I have been really surprised about how many people have signed up to our mailing list over the last month or two to receive our news and links to the services, nearly 50 people now get our news this way. The lockdown is really frustrating and can have such an adverse effect on people, it's great to see that the church can respond and help to send out our message of hope and fellowship in these most difficult times. I hope you're all keeping safe and that you're well, please let us know if you know of someone who is unwell or needs some help, we have a telephone tree established to phone round our members who we can't see in person so hopefully you've received one or more calls. We will keep on looking at using technologies like WebEx and Zoom to develop interactive ways of getting together for those people who have access to internet and video devices or even just joining by phone, so look out for more of that coming along. John Innes Session Clerk
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Coronavirus Update (24 May 2020) On 21 May the Scottish Government published its route map for taking us through and out of the current restrictions imposed due to Coronavirus (COVID-19). These plans include reference to Places of Worship, and the Covid Planning Group will be looking closely at the route map and guidance from the Church of Scotland (which we expect to receive soon) as we make plans for our own safe return to worship in our building. We will publish details and provide a projected timeline as soon as we are able to do so. It is important however to highlight a couple of important points:•
Worship will only commence when it is safe for us to do so and at no point will we ask anyone to do anything that they are uncomfortable with on health grounds.
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When we do return to our building there will be a number of restrictions that will mean that worship will not be the same as it was before lockdown. Indeed we may need to make some permanent changes to the way we use our building and to the conduct of our worship as we move ahead in the future.
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We know that many of you have been able to access the worship services that have been hosted online and we will seek ways to keep some form of online worship available as we transition back into our building.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers during this time. The Covid Planning Group (Rev Mark Foster, John Innes, Catriona Blackwood, Maria Croall, Aileen Fraser, and Mark Wexelstein) 12
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 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_campaign=r aise-more&utm_medium=email&utm_content=fm-e1 Amazon Smile says: “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.”
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 Catriona Blackwood know of someone to include in this section.
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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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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@pilrigstpauls.org.uk 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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