The Magazine of St. Andrew’s

Issue 678

Due to current Government guidelines and restrictions, we are unable to open the church for Sunday worship. Please see information on Page 6 for full information on our online worship. Also included on page 6 is information regarding communication moving forward as we are currently unable to distribute a Wyvern. Please contact us to let us know your preferred option.

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Sunday Service Times Session Clerk Mrs Helen Holden Due to current government restrictions,

Deputy Session Clerk our Church Building is closed. Please Mr Ron Chimiak see page 6 for information on online Finance Co-ordinator services Mrs Sheila Valentine Moving forward, when restrictions allow us to open, Gift Aid Promoters Mrs Fay Scott Sunday services at St. Andrew’s throughout 2021 will Mrs Alison Collins take place at 11.15am. Freewill Offering

Mrs Fay Scott (In the event of a month with 5 Sundays in it, a joint service will take place at 11am in alternate churches ) Fabric Co-ordinator

Mr Roddy Taylor

Church Officer

Mr Ron Chimiak Teas/Coffees Presbytery Elder Girls’ Brigade Mr Tim Xenophontos-Hellen All cancelled Scottish Dancing Roll Keeper Guild until further notice Mrs Evelyn Scanlan Bowling Club

Director of Music Gardening Group

Ms Ruth Irons Something else happening? Hall Letting Convenor If you have anything you’d like intimated in the Mr Roddy MacKinnon pre-service slides, please email Garry Collins

Safeguarding Co-ordinator by a Friday at the latest: Mrs Pam Chimiak [email protected]

Christian Aid Co-ordinator

Reader Co-ordinator Mrs Merelyn Baxter

Sunday Seekers Mrs Sharon Miller

Sunday School/Club Co-ordinators Contributions for the next edition are welcome Mrs Fay Scott anytime during the coming weeks, Mrs Alison Collins but at the very latest by:

Friday 5th March email to [email protected] Currently, the Wyvern will only be available online, however, should the church re-open, the March edition will be available for collection 14/03/2021 TBC Cong Ref No - 291743 2 Scottish Charity No - SC011775

Lent is a tree without blossom, without leaf, barer than blackthorn in its winter sleep all unadorned. Unlike Christmas which decrees the setting-up, the dressing-up of trees Lent is a taking down, a stripping bare, A starkness after all has been withdrawn of surplus, and superfluous leaving no hiding-place, only an emptiness between black branches, a most precious space before the leaf, before the time of flowers; Lest we should see only the leaf, the flower, Lest we should miss the stars. Jean M Watt

Continued….. 3 February sees us travel from the season of Epiphany to the season of Lent and the lead up to Easter. Six weeks of pilgrimage intended to prepare us, in soul and body to greet the risen Christ on Easter Sunday morning with the joyful acclamation: “Hallelujah! He is Risen”. Needless, to say, this seems a long way off, even longer now we are in Lockdown again. Traditionally, Lent has been a time to give things up, Pancake Tuesday being our last day of indulgence. In recent years, the trend has been to take up something for Lent, we have been encouraged use our time constructively, in giving, praying for specific places or projects. This is all wonderful and if it refocuses minds on charity that is all good. However, I am not sure it is in the true spirit of Lent, which is intended to be a time of quiet, rest, simplicity, of starkness after all has been withdrawn of surplus, and superfluous leaving no hiding place, only an emptiness… In a strange way Lockdown helps some of us to have this empty space, with everything closed, nowhere to go and nothing to do! Others especially those working in the healthcare sector or home-schooling may long for just such a precious space. Praying that we will not have to endure yet another lockdown, this will be a Lenten journey like no other. Perhaps we should embrace this God given opportunity to rest, to re-calibrate, re-read favourite passages, poems and stories… grasp the opportunity to see the stars, while the busy world is hushed. A Lenten thought: We who are blessed with rest pray for those who are not. Pray that at some point each day those who are busy, bothered, exhausted, deeply troubled, or dependent may find a moment to step outside, the kitchen -come-classroom, the ward, the workplace, to find their precious space. May our prayers comfort, support, uphold and help in some small way…

Lest they should miss the stars.

Shining as Stars -Therefore, my dear friends…..continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose…so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God…shine like the stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.. Philippians chapter 2, verses 12-15 NIV (1984 edition) Rev. Anita Kerr 4

Shared for your reading by Rev Anita Kerr—Published by ‘Life and Work’

In all our uncertainty

We come to you, Lord, for you are constant. In the midst of uncertainty your love is sure. In the darkness of disappointment, you never fail. In heartbreak and anguish your loving arms enfold us. We see your constancy and love not only in our lives But in the world around us. As year succeeds to year, As day follows night, As the seasons change, From the new life of spring, To summer’s rosy glow, Then autumn’s harvest hew To winter’s sleepy rest. Lord, we long for the world to awaken Not only from winter’s rest But also from the shutdown we have endured For so many months. As we wait expectantly for the brighter days of spring, And for the world to live again So we turn to you. Continue to walk with us through these dark days, Assure us of your light which No darkness can ever overcome And of your love By which we are constantly surrounded. Amen.

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On 04/01/2021, the First regrettably announced that our church building will have to shut for the month of January. Updates have confirmed that our church will also have to remain closed throughout the month of February. Please see below our worship plans for duration of our church building being closed. During this period, we shall provide online worship, one service available for both churches at 11:00 on a Sunday morning. This will be followed by an opportunity for a coffee and fellowship over a Zoom Call for those of you who can join us online using Zoom facilities.

Details of our online worship services may be found via St Andrew's page or directly via our linked charge website - https://www.facebook.com/dundeestandrewsparishchurch https.//www.mspstaonlineworship.org

If you wish to join us for coffee after our online worship on Sunday mornings, please email [email protected] and you will be sent the link. Zoom Coffee will start at 12:45 Moving forward, it will be our intention to open our building for worship as soon as restrictions allow. This will follow the same system as before -20 spaces in Tier 4 and 50 spaces in Tier 3 (subject to guidelines being the same as before the lockdown we entered 04/01/2021) with spaces having to be booked by contacting Ron: 01382 669527. We will continue to keep you up to date as soon as we hear of any changes. Due to restrictions, distributing Wyverns is not possible in our usual manner. We would like to ensure we communicate with as many people as possible in a method that suits them and request you get in touch with us to help us do this efficiently. Please contact Aimee/Alison by email to [email protected], alerting us of your preferred option from the following And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix • You have no online access and would like to receive your thoughts on what is updates through the post true, and honourable, and • You have access to our church website and/or right, and pure, and lovely, facebook page and can receive updates using these platforms and admirable. Think about • You would like us to email you any updates directly things that are excellent and to yourself (please provide an email address to send worthy of praise. this to). Philippians 4:8 Please note, when restrictions allow, we will go back to producing and distributing a monthly Wyvern as normal. 6

Raised Bed Garden As we leave January behind and look forward towards the month of February my thoughts are starting to think about planning our raised beds in the Church garden. I thought that maybe the ladies of our Guild might be interested in helping me plan the Guild raised bed by letting me know what their favourite flowers are, and what makes them special to them. It would be good if the flower bed could tell its own story. Please feel free to give me (Fay Scott) a call and we can share Ideas.

PROJECTS - 2018 -2021 (Raised by Scottish Guilds)

Continuing the three-year, themed cycle of work which has seen its members reach record levels of giving, the focus of the Guild's work is to journey together with our communities, nation, and world, both in sharing our faith and resources, and in doing everything in our power to bring about positive change.

Cross Reach: £57,826.84 Sailors’ Society: £41,236.80 Boys’ Brigade: £65,373.14 World Mission: £37,499.38 Malawi Fruits: £43,161.87 Free to Live Trust: £50,918.51

Total money raised: £296,016.54

I’m sure you will all agree with me in saying—that this really is a fantastic total

Fay Scott 7

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 NIV “So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it be- fore God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” - Romans 12:1 The Message

‘Thank you for seeing!’ Last week I took a walk by the Tay. By the time I left, the bright sunny day had transformed into grey mizzle but I pressed on. The path by the water was busy with families, couples, friends with dogs and the occa- sional solo trekker like me. I noticed the young woman ahead of me because she turned in 360ᵒ, her gaze directionless, her face full of sadness. I walked quite a distance before I had the courage to respond to what I felt God was saying to me, to ask her if she was alright. When I did, she was so surprised a stranger was concerned, she immediately asked me the same question back. “I’m sorry,” I said. “You just seemed sad.” “I am.” She replied simply and gestured to a slim patch of bright cloud in the distance. “There are brighter skies ahead.” We talked a little more and parted. As I changed direction off the path, she caught up with me and said- ‘thank you for seeing’. Lockdown is dreary with grey mizzle. The best seems to have passed. We may be struggling to know what to do in this lockdown. What purpose can we find? I am comforted by Eugene Peterson’s translation of Romans 12. ‘Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work…’ Your making dinner, zooming friends or taking a quiet walk by the Tay… ‘And place it before God as an offering.’ We may be ‘locked down’ but our God certainly is not. Let us offer to God our monotonous lockdown. Let us be encouraged that He continues to be sovereign over this time. Let us embrace what God has for us, in the little and large, as the best that we can do for Him. Love from

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It was with much sadness that we learned of the death of Stuart Henderson in January.

Stuart was a dedicated elder at St Andrew’s for over thirty years. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Stuart was a member of our Finance Committee for many years – generously offering the benefit of his experience and advice to successive Treasurers. On many an occasion, a quiet suggestion from Stuart to the Treasurer would prove to be Invaluable advice and was always offered in confidence and with a little smile. Stuart also served as auditor of our Annual Accounts for many years, dedicating countless hours at home to carefully reviewing our church’s finances from cover to cover, a task he performed with his customary care and attention.

In addition to his work with our church’s finances, Stuart was also a dedicated elder to his district and took a keen interest in what was going on at church each week. Outside of the church, Stuart enjoyed being out on the rivers and lochs with the West End Angling Club or pursuing his interest in clay pigeon shooting.

Sadly, we have lost in Stuart another great “St Andrew’s man” – who cared deeply for his Kirk. His warm sense of humour, his generous advice and his dedication to every duty he undertook will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Audrey and the family.

Lindsay McCallum

It was with great sadness I learned of Jean’s death on 11 January 2021. Latterly it seemed she had a long hard journey for someone who was so full of giving with every part of her life – always taking things in her stride and facing everything she had to face. She was baptised in our church in 1926 coming through various organisation during her life and was ordained an Elder in April 1991. Jean was respected at all levels serving the church she loved in many rolls, from Clerk to the Board, a lifelong commitment within the Women’s Guild. She, like most of us at that time, became a fundraiser during the 1980’s when the church was struggling - helping with fundraising – which consisted of: helping out at jumble sales and Christmas Fayres – alongside her involvement with Guild coffee mornings. She loved people and this was evident in the way she engaged with others around the church at all levels, always willing to be involved or take on something which would help others. – and as most of you who visited or phoned Jean found out – it was sometimes difficult to “get away”. Our condolences are with Sheila, Boyd and Pat and their families at this huge loss in their life. Helen Holden

Session Clerk 9

Roddy Taylor

2011 – The Children’s Page story referred to 2011 as the Year of Light. “The Bell Rock Lighthouse off Arbroath started life as a floating bell erected on the instruction of the Abbot of Aberbrothock to prevent ships sailing onto the rocks. We should try to be like those in Jesus story. “Your light must shine before people so that they will see good things and praise your Father in Heaven”. 2001 – The ecumenical service at St Margaret’s was conducted by Mgr. McInally and our own Mr Petrie. In place of the conventional sermon, Sister Mary Aloysius, a Sister of Mercy gave a disturbing talk on the plight of the children and vulnerable groups she works with in Romania. 1991 – The Woman’s Guild started the new session with a hair dressing demonstration by Mr Bruce Sutherland and his assistants. In celebrating its 800th anniversary, Mr J D Boyd traced Dundee’s existence as a town from small village with sheltered harbour to the city we now know. 1981 – A team of Senior Girls’ Brigade members braved the elements to take part in the Regional “Tea for Four” competition held in Menziehill Community Centre where they took third prize. A company fund raising meeting took place on 26th January and it was decided to set up a ‘Friends of the Brigade Association’. 1971 –Dead Centre – or Living Focus. Rev Alistair Logan, our assistant minister referred to the ‘Courier’ headline on Tuesday 19th January which described the Wellgate Redevelopment plan and “St Andrews’ Church and its precinct be the focal point”. For perhaps, the first time since it was built, the church will be seen in its full glory from all sides. He concludes by writing “Perhaps, once again represent the Church at the centre of things. 1961 – Elder Stewart McDonald, described his business trip to ‘East Pakistan’ to conduct business in jute. In Narayangangj, the jute is brought for sorting into 400 lbs bales like those delivered to Dundee docks. His day started early and work was indeed long and hard. The cost of living was high and food was difficult to find although fish was plentiful. 1951 – On the subject of Communicants classes, Mr Campbell proposed running a separate class for the large number of ex-servicemen whom he discovered were married to members or whose parents were church members. He had offered this in his last charge in Aberdeen and 200 ex-servicemen had joined by this experiment. 1931 – Rev R F V Scott on hearing of a man described as ‘dainty’ wrote the old Scots word ‘dainty’ meant something deeper than a tidy outward appearance. It meant tactful, to put oneself in another’s place and being able to say the right thing. He continued that we all have that choice and like the man who sold all his goods for the one best thing, ‘Salvation’. * 1941 – There is no Life and Work church supplement for February 1941

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Towards the end of January, two stories appeared on the Facebook page of Dundonian History for All within days of each other. Our church featured in both stories.

The first was about Mary Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein. At the age of 14, Mary was sent from London to Dundee by her father to recover from illness. Her father was friends with William Baxter who lived with his family at ‘The Cottage’ in South Baffin Street, just off Broughty Ferry Road. Mary lived in Dundee for almost 2 years and she was quoted as saying that it was there that ‘airy flights of my imagination were born and fostered’. At that time, Dundee was a whaling port. It might have been the sight and smells of the carcases of seals, walruses and whales lying on the quayside after being dragged off boats and cut up for their blubber and ivory which gave her inspiration for her novel which she wrote shortly after her time in Dundee.

But what was Mary’s connection with St Andrew’s? Her father and William Baxter were friends because they were both , or followers of the teachings of John Glas. During her time in Dundee, Mary worshipped with the Baxter family in the Kirk which is now part of our hall complex.

The second connection with St Andrew’s which featured on Facebook was the story about James Ivory who was a great, if not the greatest, Scottish clockmaker.

Born in in 1729, he moved to London where he completed his apprenticeship as a clock and watchmaker. In 1762 he returned to and settled in Dundee where he stayed until his death in 1793. Because he made the parts for his watches and clocks by hand himself, his output was not extensive. His only known apprentice was his son, Thomas, who also became a renowned clockmaker.

In 1774, James Ivory was entrusted with the making of the clock for the steeple in our church. This clock is still in use today and can be seen from whatever direction you approach St Andrew’s. There is also a James Ivory clock in the McManus Gallery. Not to be outdone, Thomas Ivory made a clock in a totally different style for Parish Church.

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During my time as your Interim Moderator I started a blog as a way of giving additional information to anyone interested in becoming our minister: describing activities in both congregations, but also in the city (such as the opening of the V&A) in case our would-be minister did not know Dundee at all (!!). During the lockdown, with a distinct lack of events to report on, my posts became more devotional, and to some extent that’s still the case, though I’ve mentioned our new Zoom coffee time which takes place after the online service on a Sunday. Obviously the main purpose of this blog no longer exists but Anita is happy for me to continue and I plan to get into the habit of posting something every Thursday. For those who don’t have online access, the following is a sample.

I’s the postie! Your doorbell rings, or you hear knocking at your door. What an unusual occurrence these days! You think back to former times, when a friend might drop in unexpectedly for a cuppa, or your grandchildren stormed in after a hard day at school, or someone in the family came home from work (as opposed to coming down the stairs from the bedroom where their computer is). These days, you might still have regular visitors in the form of a district nurse or home carer. If you’ve been unlucky, you might be waiting for the arrival of an emergency plumber or electrician, or a doctor. But the doorbell, and that once familiar sound of a knock on the door – they are almost consigned to history! With one important exception – the postie! The woman or man in red, driving a van in a matching colour, or carrying a big bag stuffed full of envelopes. Okay, they might have brought a bill, but just imagine instead that they’ve brought a card or a letter, or something you ordered that you’d forgotten about, or for that matter something you’ve been waiting for expectantly. The postie! Loved by generations of children as Postman Pat. Now a sung hero. A key worker. These days not only risking the bite of an angry dog but also the curse of coronavirus. And all so that we might enjoy the feeling of being on the receiving end of other people’s thoughts. If you see your postie, tell him or her about You can access Caroline's Blog this “post” on Caroline’s blog. It might via make their day brighter. In the early days of the Church, the apostle https://www.mspdundee.co.uk/ Paul relied on posties. Not the official sort, blog but fellow Christians whom he trusted to take his epistles to their intended recipients. He wrote to the Philippians from prison, so a personal delivery service was out of the question. Here is how he concludes his letter: “Greetings to each one of God’s people who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters here with me send you their greetings. All God’s people here send greetings, especially those who belong to the Emperor’s palace. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Caroline Taylor 12

What makes a hymn someone’s favourite? Do the words have a special significance? Do they love the tune? Are memories of people or events evoked when the hymn is sung? ‘Make Me a Channel of Your Peace’ is one of Muriel McKenzie’s favourite hymns because it was a favourite of her late dad, Matt McClory. Over the years it became a ‘family hymn’ being sung at the wedding of both Muriel’s daughters. ‘Make me a Channel of Your Peace’ is known as the Prayer of St Francis but these words never appeared in any of his writings. The prayer first appeared in a religious magazine in France in 1912 with the title ‘A Beautiful Prayer to Say During the Mass’. It was published anonymously, and its author remains a mystery. In 1920, a French Franciscan monk produced a ‘Prayer for Peace’ card. Printed on one side was ‘Make Me a Channel of Your Peace’ with an image of St Francis on the reverse. Over the years the prayer circulated widely, especially during the Second World War, and the mistaken connection, between the words and the image of St Francis on the reverse of the original card, was perpetuated.

At this time, the words of the second verse are most apt.

Make me a channel of your peace Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope Where there is darkness, only light And where there's sadness, ever joy.

Click the link below to enjoy a school choir performance of our Hymn of the Month: Make me a Channel of Your Peace

(352) Dragon school Oxford : Make me a channel of your peace - YouTube

13 Funerals Our prayers are with the family

th and loved ones of those whom we 26 Jan Mr Stuart Henderson have lost. We entrust them to the 3rd Feb Mrs Jean Leslie love and care of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You will see on page 13 that we have started our latest feature in the Wyvern — Hymn of the Month. If you would like to send in your favourite Hymn then we would love to hear from you. Suggestions can be sent to [email protected]. If you could also include a reason for your choice and any other information that would be nice for other people to read. We will always be keen to hear from anybody who may have anything they would like to share or from anyone who has ideas of what we could include so again, feel free to contact us.

A Thank you message to our outgoing editor….. This month, we bring to you the news that Gayle has stepped down from her duties within the Wyvern team. Gayle has worked hard with Tim, Sheila, Alison and I to ensure the Wyvern is in safe hands moving forward.

We would like to share our message of thanks to Gayle, for all of her hard work over the last 4 and a bit years, not forgetting the 5 years Gayle had previously edited the Wyvern between 2006—2011. Gayle’s dedication and commitment to ensuring our church magazine was always an enjoyable and informative read is very much appreciated. We wish her and her family well in their new ventures.

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Below is the current list for February/ March 2021 Flower Donors and Flower Committee (should services resume).

Flower Donors Flower Committee

February 2021

7th Mrs. E. Strachan 7th Mrs. L. Evans

14th Mrs. A. Petrie 14th Miss M. Graham

21st Mr. R. MacDougall 21st Mrs. M. McKenzie

Mrs. M. Baxter 28th 28th Mrs. A. Sanderson Mrs. A. Barrowman

March 2021 th th 7 Mrs. I. Dryden 7 Mrs. A. MacKinnon

th Mrs. A. Lowe th 14 14 Mrs. E. Strachan Mrs. E. Davidson

st Mrs. M. Hunter st 21 21 Mrs. L. Evans Mr. I. McDougall

th Mrs. D. Steven th 28 28 Miss. M. Graham Mrs. A. Barrowman

Did you know that you could help us fundraise without spending an extra penny. There is an online platform that allows you to donate a per- centage of the cost of your items that you pur- chase online to the church. Sign up to Easy Fundraising to find a list of over 1000 retailers who will donate for free: www.easyfundraising.org.uk So far, the church has raised over £500 since signing up as a Charity on Easy Fundraising. We have 25 supporters—we can only imagine how much this would grow with more people signing up.

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Bowling Bill Grant If you have any pastoral needs or if you

Boys Brigade FMA know of anybody at home, or in hospital who John James BEM requires a visit please contact our Minister

Café Church Rev Anita Kerr

Email: [email protected] Care Group Liz Davidson Telephone: 01382 456659 Or Crèche Rota Church Office Flower Committee St Andrew’s Parish Church Avril Sanderson 2 King Street, Dundee, DD1 2JB Muriel McKenzie Tel: 01382 224860 Fundraisers Email: [email protected] Fay Scott

Girls’ Brigade Sheila Valentine

Guild Fay Scott During this time we continue to

Life and Work encourage you to follow our online Ron Coull pages to keep up-to-date with the

Messy Church events. We post frequently to Lindsay McCallum Facebook and Twitter, and online Outdoor Activities Group services are available on YouTube. Roddy MacKinnon

Stewardship Team St Andrews Parish Church Dundee, Fay Scott News and Events Group

Traidcraft Sally Romilly St Andrews Parish Church Page Website Claire Andrews

Wyvern Distribution Co-ordinator Meadowside St Paul’s l/w St Andrew’s Alison Collins

Wyvern Editors Aimee Brown Meadowside St Paul’s l/w St Andrew’s Tim Xenophontos-Hellen Sheila Valentine www.standrewsparishchurch.co.uk

Join our opportunity to share fellowship together over ‘Zoom’ after our Sunday services which will be streamed to our website every Sunday at 11am for the period our church building is closed. To receive the link to join the Zoom Chat, please email [email protected]

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