PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH JULY 2021
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Please consider making a donation by visiting our website www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk and donate using the PayPal button. You can also use the QR code below by scanning it on your mobile phone.
We have also set up a JustGiving page and the url is https://www.justgiving.com/edinburghpilrigstpaulsparishchurch We do have to pay a handling fee for any donations received through PayPal or JustGiving so don’t receive the full amount donated. If you shop online you can support the church when you shop on Amazon. If you are using their webpage can you go to https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ and you can select Edinburgh: Pilrig St Paul’s Parish Church of Scotland as the charity. For certain purchases we will receive up to 1.5% as a donation. You can now change the settings on their app and select the same charity name. Thank you for your continued support. Mark Wexelstein Email treasurer@pilrigstpauls.org.uk
Phone 0131 665 6881
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 JULY 2021
Services take place in the Sanctuary, and are also live streamed on Facebook, to watch live or later. WE LOOK FORWARD TO MORE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS JOINING US WHEN THEY FEEL ABLE. US Please pre-book, by midday on the Friday before the service. To use our booking system for attending worship, please text 07738 620369 or email bookings@pilrigstpauls.org.uk (preferred). You can also phone and leave a message. We will contact you if we are able to accommodate your booking. The number of seats in the church is now increased as we can use the gallery if needed; please let us know if you can manage the stairs. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate people turning up at the door on a Sunday without a confirmed booking.
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From our minister “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20 Dear All, With COVID restrictions beginning to further ease, many people are excited to return to their pre-pandemic lifestyles as quickly as possible. After months of encouragement to stay away from one another things are now changing quickly and in many settings people are able to reunite in groups and to participate in different social activities again. However, for some the thought of going back to these activities after more than 18 months of isolation can be intimidating. Pre-pandemic there was often a fear of missing out when it came to social events, but since then many people have started to develop a fear of going out. Change is rarely a simple thing and we will all have to make the transitions required in our own ways and at our own speed. Some of you have already returned to worship in the church building (albeit a different form of worship from before), while some of you may have become comfortable with joining church virtually from your living room and the thought of returning to church in-person makes you nervous. For those who are still pondering the matter, I would reassure you that the church is one of the safest settings to be in (outwith your own home). It is an integral part of our faith to worship together with others and scripture makes it clear that gathering with believers in person is important. It is a way to encourage one another and in doing so to glorify God. In the verse above, Jesus makes it clear that gathering with other believers is a powerful thing in which he 4
himself is present. As restrictions ease we will also be able to include more fellowship and social activities as part of our faith community. As we recently remembered in our worship (20 June) it is also a great privilege to live in a country where we can freely and openly celebrate our faith together without fear of persecution or prosecution. The charity Open Doors UK produces and publishes the World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. More details of the list, the countries, and how you can help can be found at opendoorsuk.org The World Watch List is a stark reminder of the challenges facing many Christians around the world today. Let us never take our freedom to worship together for granted nor let it go to waste through apathy. We are ready and waiting to welcome you back to church whenever you are able to join us. Blessings Mark
PASTORAL CARE AND MAGAZINE Hello Everyone, We have continued to send flowers, cards and to phone members of the Church and are pleased to see those who are able to come to Church, while thinking of those who feel unable to attend until we can sing, have pew cushions and fewer restrictions in seating. If you are concerned about parking during the tram works, there are temporary parking spaces, at the moment in front of the coop at Pilrig. These are available for an hour at a time, which fits in well with our shorter services. We haven’t got a magic carpet to whisk 5
you down Leith Walk, unfortunately, but buses are still going up from the Foot of the Walk to Elm Row. As the magazine takes a break in August, this is the time to thank those who do so much to make it possible - to John Innes for printing it, to the minister for his letters, articles and advice, to my husband for proof reading it, to all contributors, to everyone who has helped with stamps for posting it out, and to those distributers who have been sending magazines on, while unable to visit. We hope to start delivery again in the autumn, depending on regulations. The magazine will be back in September, so please send articles by August 20th, thank you. Catriona Blackwood Pastoral Committee Member and Magazine Editor 554 6183 magazine@pilrigstpauls.org.uk
Christianity and Climate Change, One Church for Leith Bible Study Group Monday Evenings by Zoom 7.30 to 8.30 pm. We started a new study on Monday 14th June from the charity Tearfund. It is a series of nine short films, each lasting less than ten minutes, followed by discussion. We hope to discover more about what we can do as congregations to contribute to protecting the environment. New members are very welcome. The zoom link is available from John Innes at mail@pilrigstpauls.org.uk 6
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.
THIS IS A REDUCED VERSION OF THE MAGAZINE FOR GENERAL PUBLICATION. MEMBERS AND ADHERENTS WHO WOULD LIKE A FULL PRAYER, PASTORAL and BEREAVEMENT OR THANK YOU LIST, OR A FINANCIAL UPDATE ARE ASKED TO CONTACT: magazine@pilrigstpauls.org.uk
One Church for Leith Update from the
Steering
Group
Summer
2021
Chairing the group Following the decision of the independent chair of the group that it was time for him to stand down, there was a proposal to have co-chairs, two lay people from within the four congregations. Unfortunately it proved difficult to get nominations for this as a number of people approached did not feel, for various good reasons, they were in a position to take this on. The ministers have stepped up and agreed that they will chair on a rolling basis at least for the immediate future. 7
2021 General Assembly decisions The most recent meeting of the group was in early June following the General Assembly at the end of May. We were delighted to have Marjory McPherson, the Presbytery Clerk, join us to review the major changes for the whole Church of Scotland agreed at the Assembly and how they will impact on Edinburgh Presbytery and, in particular, the church in Leith. Marjory reminded us that in 2018 there was talk of a reduction of 20% in numbers of ministers, but now the agreed national figures represent a reduction of 38% of the combined number of ministers and Ministry Development Staff. The total number believed to be financially sustainable, and to form a sound basis for the priority for Mission, is to be 600 (plus up to 60 vacancies) by the end of 2025. Presbytery Plans to achieve this have to be agreed and approved by the end of 2022. The current Edinburgh Presbytery Plan has 78 ordained minister posts and this is to reduce to 48 total ministry appointments. People are still wrestling with what it all means and how implementation of the plans will be managed. The new Mission Plan Act which spells out the decisions has a number of new ways to aid in the adjustment. The main method remains by unions of congregations. New regulations allow formally for Parish Grouping and Team Ministry arrangements. The good news for us is that the new Presbytery Plan does not have to be finalised before changes can start. It was agreed at the meeting that we in Leith, having been working together for many years and enjoying good relationships, are in a good position to make early progress. Be in no doubt, there is still a lot to sort out and there will be many challenges along the way, but now the path is becoming clearer to let us become the One Church for Leith to which we are committed.
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Mission Initiatives A special meeting took place in May to take forward consideration of the three priority mission initiatives identified at the recent joint Sessions’ meeting: Community Hub, Mobile Phone App, Café Style Church. One person from each church formed 3 subgroups which met by Zoom before coming together to report on their initial thoughts. All the subgroups agreed to meet separately again during June/July before the next Steering Group meeting. Already some exciting ideas are coming forward and the groups are considering ambitious plans as well as possible small steps forward. Ministry team proposals The ministers presented a paper at the June meeting with proposals for them to cooperate and work together in two specific areas of ministry: Pastoral Care and Worship. This paper, which was much welcomed by the group, is attached. The ministers are now looking at fleshing out the details. The Group sends best wishes to all for a good summer. Rob Mackenzie, One Church for Leith Steering Group Interim Chair At a meeting of the four Church of Scotland (CofS) Minister within Leith, it was agreed that we need to take a lead in bringing together aspects of ministry. Considering the recent decisions at the General Assembly and as we prepare to come together as the ‘One Church for Leith’ the ministers looked at two areas of Ministry where the current Ministers could cooperate and work as one. 1. Pastoral Care It is proposed that from the 1st of October 2021 we centralise the coordination of funeral, hospital visiting and pastoral visits. This would be achieved by setting up a central telephone number for Funeral 9
Directors, members of the Leith congregations to use to contact the Ministry Team. It is proposed to use the church office within South Leith Parish Church Halls as the contact hub. South Leith’s church halls have a presence six days a week and a church secretary, who will administer the passing on of any request. The Ministers will work on an on-call rota. Two ministers will be on call each week. If a call comes in for a parish minister to conduct a funeral those Ministers on call will decide who caries it out. If the request if for a specific minister it will be facilitated, but there may be a delay until the minister is back on call, which may be a week or so. The same would apply to any hospital or pastoral visit.
2. Worship It is proposed that the clergy plan a worship/preaching circuit, that would see them leading worship in each of the four congregations on a rotational basis. In the first instance this would involve the current three ministers from South Leith, Leith St. Andrew’s and Pilrig St. Paul’s, and the Locum from North Leith. A worship Team would be formed and trained up to lead worship as part of this worship circuit in place of the Locum (or Ministers). The details of how the above operates will be discussed and worked out by the Ministers and communicated to the Steering Group and the congregations in September. Permissions will then need to be sought before final commencement. Looking ahead this system not only lends itself to a Team Ministry approach, but also provides the basis to experiment with alternative styles, times and places for worship services as we go forward.
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CHURCH ACTIVITIES AND GENERAL INFORMATION Radio, TV, Internet Audio and Visual clips and some live streaming worship services that you can listen to 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 Songs of Praise: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006ttc5 Recommended Podcast: https://robbell.com/portfolio/robcast/ 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. Church website: http://www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pilrigstpauls/ If you wish to follow the readings that we use in church each Sunday you can access them at https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu// For information regarding Girl Guiding and Scouts: www.girlguiding.org.uk hello@scouts.scot
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 NEW BOOKINGS ARE BEING TAKEN MEANTIME We are keeping up with those who have regular hall bookings and organizing their safe return, when possible.
Scottish Charity no. SCO07277 www.leithchurchesforum.org.uk
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