PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH SEPTEMBER 2012
SUNDAY SERVICES AT 11AM Holy Communion is celebrated on the last Sunday of January, April, June and October at the 11am Service, and informally as announced. To contact the minister, please ring 554 1842. The “OPEN DOORWAY” is open each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am - 1.00pm. Pop in or arrange to meet a friend there over a cup of coffee. Enter by the main door. Our wheelchair entrances are in Pilrig Street. ORGANISATIONS WITHIN THE CHURCH BUILDINGS: Sundays - Sunday Club, 10:45 am for ages P1-S4 all welcome (Mark Wexelstein 665 6881) Mondays - Rainbows 5.45pm (Christine Buchanan 554 2941) Brownies 6.45pm (Christine Buchanan) Tuesdays The Guild 2.00pm (Irene Wexelstein 476 1385) Details of the New Session in the October Magazine *Pilrig Choristers 4-5.30pm Session Room *Pilrig Chorus starts 25th September at 7.30pm. Wednesdays - Lunch club 12 noon (Marjory McArthur 553 2323) *Vocal Vibes and Singchronicity youth choirs 4-5.30pm Halls (*All music enquiries Martin Ritchie 07984 466 855) In Pilrig Park School: Thursdays Rainbows (Ann Urquhart 554 8387) 6.15-7.15 Brownies (Ann Urquhart ) 6.15-7.30 Guides (Karen Wood 554 5493) 7.30 - 9.00 In Broughton Primary School: Tuesdays The 5th Leith Scouts (Pilrig Edinburgh North East) Beavers 53/4 to 8 years (6.00 to 7.00 p.m.) Cubs 8 to 10 1/2 years (6.30 to 8.00 p.m.) Scouts 10 1/2 to 14 years (7.30 to 9.00 )
SEPTEMBER IN PLIRIG St PAUL’S OUR ORGANISATIONS START UP AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER. PLEASE SEE THE OPPOSITE PAGE THE LEADERS ARE WAITING FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Flower Diary 2nd September
Flower Fund
9th September
Flower Fund
16th September
Lily Gilhooley
23rd September
Fiona & Mark Wexelstein
30th September
Flower Fund
Thanks to everyone who puts flowers in the church week by week and also to those who regularly give me money for the Flower Fund. Marlyn
1
PILRIG St PAUL’S CHURCH
SEPTEMBER 2012
Dear Fellow-members, A lot has been happening over the summer in Pilrig St Paul’s and as we now look forward to the new autumn/winter session it is good to look back at all the activities we have shared in and visiting groups we have had coming along, giving us a lift as we catch their enthusiasm and appreciate their commitment and artistic skills. In June we had the much acclaimed Shallowford Youth Choir from Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta Georgia USA visiting with us and also with North Leith and Broughton St Mary’s Churches as well! All arranged through the tireless efforts of Martin Ritchie, a concert ‘crawl’ around the three congregations was presented on Friday 15th June. The concerts were so good! Singing and acting the message of the Gospels, and all presented in a most dramatic and meaningful way! A great experience for all who were there! Accommodation was provided for all the large choir and their chaperones and leaders! A mammoth operation coordinated by Martin and made possible by the kind offers of hospitality made by some of our own members and also folks from other congregations and within the community. Much appreciated help was also given by Pilmeny Youth Centre in lending camp beds used in the Church Hall and also by numerous other people who offered sleeping bags etc to help accommodate some of the older boys in the choir. Thanks also go to the folks who helped provide a meal in the Church Hall for the visitors on the Friday following their visit to Stirling Castle!
It was a great experience for all who got involved! I would recommend that you grab the opportunity, if something similar comes along again! In addition, once again, Pilrig St Paul’s was a Festival Fringe venue – only for one week this time. But it was really great to have young folk from American High Schools here again, putting on some entertaining shows and enjoying being in Scotland! Two of the schools agreed to put on Benefit performances of their shows to help raise funds for the Church. These shows were also billed as Tributes to Stuart Sime who loved the stage so much. Lots of people came along and we raised about £460! The Olympics was the event of the summer and our Summer Services echoed this theme in several ways encouraging us all to strive towards God’s goals for us! The Leith Churches also ran a successful Children’s Holiday Club in South Leith Church Halls. Over 50 children attended each day during the week in July and great fun was had following the theme “On your Marks” following an Olympics theme and looking at Mark’s Gospel. Starting in September major work will be going on in the Sanctuary and worship may well need to be in the Large Hall upstairs for a number of weeks. The work includes essential safety work upgrading electrical wiring but also includes exciting upgrading of the lighting to show our building off to best advantage! It will be great to see the bright and newly decorated Sanctuary hopefully before the end of October. May God bless us all in the months ahead! John M.Tait
Thanks Eileen Fraser wrote to say thank you from herself and her husband Donald and her brother Ian, for the nice flowers they received ‘on their recent sad loss of Mum’ Mrs Mary Currie would like to thank the church for the beautiful flowers she received. It was a lovely surprise. Joy and Murdo MacLeod wish to thank everyone for their good wishes; get well cards; calls and visits, and the beautiful flowers delivered by Margaret Fraser, during Joy’s recent stay in hospital. Joy is now recuperating at home and we look forward to her returning to full health soon. Knowing that we are in your thoughts at this time is helpful and supportive. May all of God’s blessings be with you. Murdo Jeanette and family would like to express grateful thanks for all the sympathy cards, letters, telephone calls, flowers and the wonderful support received from everyone at Pilrig St Paul’s since Stuart’s passing on 11th June. This is much appreciated. Lisa and Abbi would also like to thank everyone who sponsored them in the race for life in which they took part on 17th June in Stuart’s memory. Between them they raised over £600. Margaret Scott thanks John Tait and John Brown for their visits while she was in hospital. She also sends thanks for the cards and telephone calls she received. The Magazine It’s great to have all the contributions coming in for the new season. Please may I have articles for the October magazine by 21st September? Thank you. Catriona Blackwood 4
Open Doorway The Open Doorway has been closed during the period when the Pilrig Parlour has been operating. Normally we would re-open again soon, however there will be major work being carried out in the Sanctuary beginning in September and it will not be possible to open the Open Doorway on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a number of weeks. We will hopefully open again for business early in November.
PRAYER CORNER Jean Stark Isabel Hannay Matthew Green Mary and Jimmy Rennie Jeanette Sime Peter Sinclair Murdo and Joy MacLeod Linda Connolly Jack McArthur Morag Davidson Lilian Kane
Barbara Graham Cathie Galbraith Frances Chambers Bernhard Scroggie Walter Taylor June Welsh Charlie and Joyce Forman Phil Howe Helena Adie Norman Lawrence
Please contact Roy Eprile with any names you would like included in this section. Please also remember Roy himself, and Irene, in your prayers. Editor 5
Stuart William Sime M.A. DLitt 22 August 1950 – 11 June 2012. Stuart was born in Leith and lived with his parents Willie and Nellie in the same house in Dalmeny Street for more than 40 years. He was educated at Leith Academy and went on to study for a degree at Geneva Theological College, later to become the Greenwich School of Theology, now part of North-West University, South Africa. His work as Secretary for the College resulted in him being awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters, an honour of which he was enormously proud. Stuart married his long-time friend Jeanette in 1995, they were extremely happy together and Stuart always appreciated the patience and devotion shown by Jeanette. Stuart worked in the Scotch whisky industry all his working life, retiring early from his position as Facilities Manager at Diageo in 2000. The people at Pilrig St. Paul’s Church will remember Stuart as an Elder, Clerk to the Congregational Board, Sunday School Superintendent, Pantomime Producer and BB Captain. Stuart devoted most of his life to the church at Pilrig, and writing a book on the history of ‘The Kirk at Pilrig’. A larger than life figure, his voice would often be heard booming out round a corner before you ever saw him. He especially loved keeping the church buildings in good condition and spent countless hours organising refurbishments and repairs. His finest moment was the remodelling of the entrance to the church to form the ‘Open Doorway’ which opened in 2004. Much of Stuart’s life was devoted to building relationships with young people, first in the Sunday School, then with the Pantomime Group and finally with the Boys’ Brigade, his philosophy
was always to ensure that close contact was maintained with the young people and their families. He also spent many hours speaking to school classes encouraging young people to join Sunday School or BBs. Always a traditionalist, Stuart loved maintaining the ceremonial aspects of the Church. He was an expert on Academic Dress and delighted in telling wearers that they were doing it wrong! Stuart also played the piano and church organ and was a fine public speaker. Stuart’s whole life was defined by ill health, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes before he was one year old, living for 60 years with this condition, which he regarded as ‘simply an inconvenience’, resulting in kidney failure and he spent a period on dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant in 1996. This event transformed his life and he was always eternally grateful to that unknown donor. Stuart was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2011 and underwent treatment for a year, but sadly, this was not effective and he passed away, aged 61, at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh on 11 June 2012. Stuart will be greatly missed by his family and many friends at Pilrig St. Paul’s Church and beyond. His was a life well lived and the world is a poorer place for his passing. John Innes Session Clerk
7
MUSIC MATTERS THANK YOU FROM MARTIN RITCHIE Thank you very much to everyone who was so kind in wishing me well by sending cards and gifts and by coming along to support me in my final service as organist and choirmaster at Pilrig St Paul’s at the end of June. It was lovely to have so many people there from the congregation, and from the various musical schemes that I have been involved in since 2008. Some would say that four and a half years is not a very long time to be organist – certainly, not in the wider scheme of things – but I hope that in a relatively short time we have done a lot to use music as a tool of outreach to both children and adults, enabling Pilrig St Paul’s to make new connections in the diverse and constantly changing community of Leith. In his kind words at the close of my final service, John Tait referred to the fact that this work of outreach had not been without its complications, challenges and the need to change tack when we had run into a dead end. Whilst at the time some of these challenges seemed insurmountable, mutual support and encouragement allowed us to step back, review and then go forward again, either with a fresh vision or with a few tweaks to the existing model. Sometimes you just have to try things out and see what happens – taking a few calculated risks along the way, and trusting that God will be with us in both the ups and the downs. I hope that this experience will be an encouragement to everyone at Pilrig St Paul’s as you seek to articulate God’s call for this congregation in the search for a new Minister. I’m happy to say that I’ll still be a member at Pilrig St Paul’s throughout my training period. I’ll be helping out with the choristers, chorus and youth choirs on a transitional basis during the week, but won’t be around on Sunday mornings. Although I already have a Bachelor of Divinity degree, my training for Ministry of Word and Sacrament will involve a two year period of postgraduate study in Divinity at New College, University of Edinburgh, alongside parish placements in yet to be decided locations and a programme of training with other candidates for ministry. I’ll be busy! I’d be really grateful if you were kind enough to remember me in your prayers along with everyone training for the challenging task of Ministry in the Church of Scotland. I’ll certainly be thinking of you all fondly and with gratitude for being the congregation and parish where my call to ministry was rekindled. All best wishes Martin 8
VOCAL VIBES AND SINGCHRONICITY Our youth choirs begin again on Wednesday 22nd August, 45.30pm in the halls. Vocal Vibes is for primary 3-5 ages and Singchronicity is for primary 6 upwards. Kate Rigg and Iain Matheson will continue to work with the groups, and a third freelance musician will be recruited whilst the Director of Music outreach position remains vacant. Martin Ritchie will continue to assist in aspects of the management and coordination of the groups in the short term. Please encourage musical youngsters to come along and try us out – the older kids are working on Bugsy Malone this year. CHORISTERS Our talented and dedicated group of junior choristers begin rehearsal again on 21st August. Martin will continue to work with them on Tuesdays from 4-5.30pm in the short term until an organist and choirmaster appointment is made. If you know of any talented young singers aged 8 years and over who might be interested, please feel free to contact Martin on 07984 466 855. PILRIG CHORUS The Chorus is scheduled to meet again on Tuesday 25th September at 7.45pm in the Session Room. We are open to new members – contact Martin Ritchie (07984 466 855) if you or anyone you know is interested in joining us. It’s a friendly group of mixed ability singers, so you don’t have to be an amazing reader of music to join. We are working towards a Christmas concert on Sunday 2nd December at 4pm in Pilrig St Paul’s.
9
SHALLOWFORD THANKS We thought we’d bitten off more than we could chew with the hosting of the 60 strong Shallowford Presbyterian Youth Choir from Atlanta, Georgia, USA during June. However, thanks to volunteer hosts from across Leith and our congregations in the Forum, we eventually managed to get everyone accommodated. Eight lads, two chaperones and myself bunked down in the church halls for two nights. The lads really enjoyed the adventure of doing their own thing at the church hall for a change, and I found the vestry quite a comfortable bedroom thanks to Mark Wexelstein’s double air bed! Huge thanks also to Marjory MacMahon and the folks from Pilrig St Paul’s who cooked for the choir meal on the Friday evening. That was a great feat to produce a hot meal for so many and everyone was very grateful for the tasty and filling fare! The highlight of the visit was the choir concert crawl starting in the intimacy of Pilrig St Paul’s, moving on to the spacious classical elegance of Broughton St Mary’s and ending up in the glorious resonance of North Leith Parish Church. Each venue enabled a different aspect of their repertoire to be shown off. We were delighted by mini musical dramas at Pilrig St Paul’s, which entertained the youngest members of the audience as well as the more mature, were stunned by powerful choreography in Broughton St Mary’s and deeply moved by choral anthems of lyrical beauty at North Leith. Throughout the visit and the performances, the faith commitment of the staff and singers shone through in a way that was a tonic and inspiration to all who experienced it. As one member of Pilrig St Paul’s said: “ it was like a blessing on Leith.” Thanks to everyone who made it happen. Martin Ritchie
THANKS ALSO TO........ Maureen Riach, who nominated our youth music projects for a grant from her employer’s charity grant scheme. We received a cheque for £250 from Wiley Blackwell publishers. The late Fiona Pirie, a member of Pilrig Chorus, left a sum of money in her will for distribution amongst musical groups with which she was connected. Pilrig Chorus was one of these groups and £250 was gratefully received. We have used this to purchase a set of carol books for the Chorus.
SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING AND BLESSING 3/6/12
Baby Samuel Grenfell son of Robin and Katie Grenfell.
FUNERALS 30/5/12
Miss Jean Harrison 82/2 Dickson Street
(Parish)
7/6/12
Mrs Belle Croall 43/6 Balfour Street
(Parish)
13/6/12
Mrs Annie Kent c/o 11/4 Powderhall Riggs (Mother of Gina Fracciola)
15/6/12
Mr Alex Newton Sunbury Gracefield Court Musselburgh (Relative of Marlyn & John Tait)
21/6/12
Dr Stuart Sime
26/6/12
Mrs Marion Stafford
40 Dalmeny Street
28/6/12
Mrs Nettie McTernan
58 Pilrig Street
25/7/12
Mr Robert Robb
Victoria Manor NH Albert Street
1/8/12
Mrs Elizabeth McBride 106 Clermiston Drive (Mother of Mrs Eileen Fraser)
4/8/12
Mrs Pretoria Somerville 3/3 Ballantyne Road (Taken for Rev Alex McAspurren North Leith Church.)
16/8/12
Mr James Alexander 36 Howden Hall Drive (District 4) (Taken by Rev Iain Dunn)
1 South Trinity Road
11
(District 9) (District 2) (Parish) (Parish)
MINISTER Rev John Tait B.Sc. B.D. - 78 Pilrig Street (554 1842) j.m.tait@blueyonder.co.uk SESSION CLERK John Innes - 33 Monktonhall Place, Musselburgh (665 9125) pilrig@btinternet.com CLERK TO CONGREGATIONAL BOARD Vacant TREASURER Mark Wexelstein (665 6881) mark.wexelstein@googlemail.com ROLL KEEPER Mrs Jeanette E. Sime - 1 South Trinity Road (552 9652) SAFEGUARDING CO-ORDINATOR Mrs Catriona E.W. Blackwood - 4 Cambridge Gardens (554 6183) bill.blackwood@tesco.net PROPERTY CONVENER Vacant HALL LET GROUP psp.halluse@gmail.com ORGANIST and CHOIRMASTER Vacant SUNDAY CLUB LEADER Mark Wexelstein (665 6881) mark.wexelstein@googlemail.com CHRISTIAN GIVINGS CONVENERS Mrs Ella Gilfillan - 8 Paisley Terrace (661 2281) Mrs Irene Wexelstein - 15 Upper Hermitage (476 1385) MAGAZINE Editor - Mrs Catriona E.W. Blackwood - 4 Cambridge Gardens (554 6183) bill.blackwood@tesco.net Distribution Mrs Margaret Cameron - 35 Lorne Street (554 2139)
Scottish Charity no. SCO07277 www.pilrigstpauls.org.uk www.leithchurchesforum.org.uk