No 460 November 2017
News & views from Craigmillar Park Church, Edinburgh A worshipping and caring community, following Jesus Christ
www.craigmillarpark.org
Letter from Our Locum Minister
I am writing this Memorial have chosen having just returned their Nominating from a short break to Committee, in a sense Copenhagen - my first you are going into visit to Denmark. ‘unfamiliar There was so much I surroundings’. Having wanted to see and do the new experience of but soon realised that representatives from one short visit would two churches serving not be long enough together on one and have managed to Committee and persuade myself that working towards one another visit is common goal. Trusting needed! that soon those who It can take a little are initially strangers while to become will soon become The Little Mermaid Statue in friends. familiar with new Copenhagen in the winter surroundings and I am It is important that we pleased to say we took only a few keep the Nominating Committee in wrong turnings as we explored! By our prayers and ask that they will be the time we were leaving, we knew ‘bound together in love’. exactly how to negotiate the bus As a church, we continue to carry and metro system, so if I ever do out the tasks God has set for us to visit again I'll know my way around do, enabled by the Holy Spirit. a bit more. With every blessing in Jesus, Now that Craigmillar Park and Reid Betty
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Vacancy business
A Nominating Committee has now The Parish Profile is close to being been appointed and is preparing to finalised and will be sent to both Kirk advertise the vacancy for a new Sessions in November for approval. minister for Craigmillar Park linked It will be available on the website in with Reid Memorial. The six due course if you would like to see it. Craigmillar Park people on the We need to decide which of the two Nominating Committee are: John manses will be used for the incoming Humphrey, Alison Leslie, Christopher minister. A small joint group has McLeod, Sheena Stenhouse, Pauline been set up to look at this and make Weibye and Julia Yarker. There are a recommendation to the two Kirk seven people from Reid Memorial. Sessions and Boards. At the At the time of writing, a Clerk and moment, it looks to the group as if Chairman had still to be appointed. the manse of Craigmillar Park would While the committee will keep the be the better option but we also congregation informed of progress in need to agree some financial very general terms, it is absolutely arrangements between the two essential that they work congregations. We will let you know confidentially and members of the when this has been done. committee will not be free to share any details at all of applicants until a Ironically, now that the Nominating Sole Nominee is appointed. This is Committee has started work things to protect the anonymity of potential may seem to go a little quiet for the or actual applicants who may well rest of the congregation. Please not wish their existing congregations don’t worry about this – it doesn’t to know of their interest in a new mean that nothing is happening! I vacancy. Please respect this and do know that the Nominating not ask members of the Nominating Committee would appreciate your Committee for any details which they prayers as they embark on their will simply be unable to give. demanding and important business. Pauline Weibye
Christmas Fair Craigmillar Park Church Saturday 2 December, 10am-4pm
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Lunch Club
The Lunch Club continues to be very popular with our Craigmillar Park members and friends. There is always a lot of talking and laughing. We would welcome new members and helpers. Flora Paton
Parish visitations – thanks!
This exercise, visiting, being visited or completing which formed questionnaires. Particular thanks to part of the Local Linsay Given Black for compiling the Church Review questionnaire and to Isobel Smith action plan, was for collating the information carried out in gathered. Results will now be some streets reported back to the Kirk Session within the parish and more details will be outlined in in September. Many thanks to all next month’s magazine. who took part in some way - by Ann Thanisch
Congregational Register
Disjunctions Mrs Margaret Edwards, 8 West Savile Court, West Savile Terrace, to Reid Memorial Church. Dr Daniel McQueen, 44 Orchardhead Road EH16 6HP. Deaths Mrs Ruby McKenzie died on 17 September, recently of St Margaret’s Care Home, Edinburgh. Professor David Manners died on 17 October at St Margaret’s Care Home, Edinburgh. Mr Ian Kellerd died on Monday 23 October 2017 at Cairdean House Nursing Home, Edinburgh. Mrs Helen Park, 46 Rankin Avenue, date of death unknown. Correction Mrs Dorothy Simpson's address is 31/36 Braidburn Court, Liberton Road, Edinburgh EH16 6AH. 3
Christmas Fair
A short piece in September’s Prism as a choice of catering. We also gave early notice of our Christmas have a rather impressive selection of Fair on Saturday 2 December 2017, prizes for a couple of competitions. from 10am—4pm. Plans are now Please do come along and bring firming up nicely and it your family and friends. We looks as if it is going to be will be preparing flyers a splendid day – and and invite you to take perfect for Christmas some and pop them shopping! through your We will have 10 external neighbours’ postboxes; crafters offering their posters will also be goods for sale, including available if you have jewellery, cards and somewhere to display stationery, felted objects, them. The proceeds will origami, jams and chutneys, be shared between the Christmas ornaments, glass, Bethany Care Shelter and the soaps and leather goods. Our own Guild’s current projects so it would craft group will also have a table be good to make a sizeable sum to with their usual splendid range of be handed over. goods. There will be an opportunity If you have items to donate for sale for children to make their own please speak to Julia Yarker (the beaded jewellery. We will even be cake stall), Alison Leslie (books), offering gift-wrapping on the day so Margaret Paton (good quality bric-a- all your gift needs can be met, and brac), or phone Pauline on 668 we will be able to take credit and 3545. debit card payments. There will be a book stall, a bric-a-brac stall and See you there! the all-important cake stall as well Pauline Weibye
Guild Soup Lunch
Sunday 26 November after morning service
Donations towards the Guild projects
No need for tickets just come and join us...
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To everyone at Craigmillar Park Church,
On behalf of all the staff, Board of Directors and most importantly the children who come to Richmond’s Hope I would like to thank you for supporting our Mile of Memories event. The day was a great success and we raised over £22,000. As you know that amount will go a very long way in supporting bereaved children. Once again thank you so very much for your kindness and support.
Yours sincerely,
Rowan Argent Administrative Assistant Richmonds Hope
The Edinburgh Telephone Choir
I thought I would ask Ruth to put an A little background information: The intimation in the next issue of Prism choir was formed in 1947 by Mollie about the choir’s annual Christmas Scott, a supervisor in the then Rose Carol Service on Wednesday 13 Street Telephone Exchange. It December at 7.30pm in started as a ladies coir but Morningside Parish Church, gentlemen were invited to join in the Cluny Gardens. This event is open 1950s, enabling the group to to all and includes lots of carol undertake a wider range of music. singing. No ticket is required and Our annual concerts have become a there is no charge for admission. At ’must’ for our many supporters and the end of the service there will be friends. With our Musical Director, an opportunity, should you wish, to Jerry Gregson, we are delighted to give in a freewill offering, the be preparing for our 2018 annual proceeds of which will go to the concerts on 9, 10 and 11 May 2018 funds of the Disabled Men’s Club in the Church Hill Theatre. linked to Morningside Parish Church. This helps with the cost of outings Christine Sloan for the men over the year.
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Bethany Care Shelter
Many readers will be aware of the Our hall can take up to 60 people amazing work done by Bethany in each night and although there may providing winter be a bit of disruption to overnight our normal activities, we accommodation in believe it’s worth it in church halls for people order to ensure the who would otherwise be safety of so many sleeping on the streets. vulnerable people. We The Care Shelter are liaising with provides people who are individual hall users. rough sleeping with a We’re not sure yet what place to go for the night where they resources we will have to provide can not only find safe shelter but ourselves. As a minimum, it is likely also a hot meal and a warm that we will need warm socks, mainly for men, and toothpaste/ toothbrushes. Donations of these would be warmly welcomed although it might be best to wait until after November and the Blythswood effort. We have also decided that half of the proceeds from our Christmas Fair will be given to Bethany to support the Care Shelter. welcome. Started in Edinburgh in 1996 with a two-week pilot over Christmas, the Shelter has grown over the years to span six and a half months over the winter, from October until April. The service is run by a small team of staff (managed by our very own Ruth Longmuir) and relies on around 1,000 volunteers from churches across the Lothians. The Kirk The Kirk Session hopes that the Session has decided that Craigmillar congregation will welcome this Park should join this worthwhile initiative; comments and feedback project; we will therefore be hosting would be welcomed. the Shelter for four nights from 26 Pauline Weibye February to 1 March 2018 inclusive. Session Clerk
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Bible Study Groups
Advent
Advent for Everyone: A Journey with the Apostles by Tom Wright. Would you like to take part in a group working through this book over the four weeks of Advent? Last year eight of us very much enjoyed looking at the companion volume Advent for Everyone: A Journey Through Matthew by Tom Wright in the session room on Monday mornings in the four weeks of Advent. If you would like to join this year’s group, could you please let me know as soon as possible all options of time (morning, afternoon or evening) and days of the week that would suit you? We would meet in the four weeks from Monday 27 November. The book is available at a cost of £7-£9 from the Cornerstone bookshop or online; please buy your own copy.
Lent
Lent may seem a long time away, but the material for the Newington Churches Together study groups needs to be selected before Christmas. If you have any suggestions - specific study materials, or just a general idea of what is of most interest to you, could you let me know by the end of November please? Further details including invitations to join groups will be circulated in the New Year.
Ann Thanisch Tel 0131 477 2430
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Church Family News
We have received the following note of thanks from John Urquhart, our former minister: Many thanks for the kind gifts and cards from the people at CPC. It was good to see so many of them at my induction. Please excuse the lateness of this card. It has been a busy time for us all. I hope that things go well for all of you in the future. John
A message from Margaret Edwards: Thank you for the flowers delivered to me last Sunday. This was not a bunch of flowers but a lovely bouquet. I have the perfume of the lilies in every room. It is sad to leave my connection with CPC after almost 55 years but age, weather & health made the decision for me to transfer to the Reid. Thank you again, Margaret
Nativity Exhibition
We will be There will be a warm welcome, displaying refreshments and an opportunity to a enjoy a few minutes of peace and collection reflection in what is inevitably a of nativity busy weekend. Children are, of scenes in course, very welcome and there will the church be some activities for them. Offers over the of help on the days of the exhibition Christmas would be gratefully received. period and, as has become Any donations received over the traditional, we will be opening up the time of exhibition will be given to exhibition to the public on 16 and 17 CrossReach, the social care arm of December, from 2pm to 4pm each the Church of Scotland. The day. There are always new scenes proceeds of other special collections being added to the collection so do over the Christmas period will also pop along if you have not been for go to CrossReach. some time; perhaps you could invite a friend or neighbour to join you? Pauline Weibye
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Crossword
by Roger Paton
Answers on page 15
Across Down 6 Where the famous skink soup 1 Passing the buck, I escape to this comes from (6) N.E. town! (6) 7 Yon be a town on the Dee (6) 2 Do these berries take a long time to 8 Sounds like this island is the grow? (4) limit! (4) 3 Some of Scotland's most popular 9 There's a big water attraction visitors (7) here! (4,4) 4 Exhausted atomic power station 10 Boer men found around this here (8) mountain centre (3,4) 5 They appoint our world heritage 12 Sands and port east of centres (6) Edinburgh (5) 7 March part of the way into a 14 Find Doc Anna on this western castle (4) isle (5) 11 There's a bird sanctuary in a basin 16 Espy Bay at the mouth of this here! (8) river (4,3) 13 Pins led into larger shaft (7) 19 Trod in or around this highland 15 Essential gear for touring in area (8) Scotland? (6) 20 It's a small kingdom within 17 Alf or Dave hiding in this N.E. Scotland! (4) town (6) 21 As a ray of sunshine breaks, an 18 Suddenly take away sled in N.E. island is revealed (6) town! (4) 22 People cruise in them around 20 Loch famous for oysters etc on Scotland (6) Cowal Peninsula (4) 9
Book Reviews by Jean Walker
William Barclay, The Gospel of John: Volumes 1 and 2 (The Daily Study Bible)
“I thought it was time I tried to read relevance to life and work today,” the Bible,” said a friend, “so I say the publishers. In other words started on 1 Kings but he helps us to understand couldn’t make much of it!” without long words. Each I suggested something section starts with the from the New Testament Bible passage in his own might be better so we translation and then his looked at some study commentary which is helps and she chose interesting and often William Barclay on John’s offers a new insight. Gospel. A few weeks later I was dipping into the she was back for the next book while writing and volume because she was found an explanation enjoying what she was about why John starts his reading. It’s never too late Gospel with creation which to start even if, like my led to the most friend, you are in your eighties! understandable explanation of William Barclay was a well-known Gnosticism I have come across. In Scottish theologian and writer, who fact I found myself reading on was also known on television and as several pages and will read some a radio broadcaster. “With more later! unsurpassed clarity and profound The Daily Study Bible series covers insight he distils the essence of the whole New Testament and is still contemporary scholarship for the in print although in new revised ordinary man or woman. His form. language and method are never academic, but always full of Well worth reading!
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David Kossoff, The Book of Witnesses
Perhaps you remember hearing interested in ‘Kruz’ a beggar who David Kossoff speaking on Radio 4 in was nearby when the Pharisees Thought for the Day? His brought before Jesus a woman contribution was gentle and amusing accused of adultery. He tells his but worth hearing. This is one of observations, and regrets - not that several books he wrote. Apparently he has no legs but that he can’t he was better known as an actor on read, so did not know what Jesus TV. This is a Jewish actor whose wrote in reading of his own version of a Bible the dust! story on radio was such a success ‘Ezra’ tells that he was persuaded to write his of three version of Old Testament stories. gorgeous Bible Stories was a best-seller and caskets to so eventually he was encouraged to be tackle the New Testament - although repaired, this is not how Jews themselves and of a would describe it of course! willing boy The stories are memories of people and who were there but we have not payment heard of them! In other words, the without stories are from the imagination of a money, master story teller. He describes ‘Yuri’ tells each person so we too can ‘see’ of baptism them, and then describes their and of a beautiful dove and of loving memories as if he is a reporter. words from God - and so on. The There are 40 witnesses, all fictional, author was a gifted story teller who but describing the true Gospel brings these characters, the stories, from Jesus’ birth till witnesses of the title, to life. resurrection. I was particularly
It will soon be the season of Advent and we are looking to see new publications for study groups. We will tell you the outcome next month. If you can’t wait till then, there are helpful study books in the library, including Tom Wright’s, Advent for Everyone: A Journey Through Matthew that we used last year.
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Cosmic Collisions
My local walk takes me past the November, for instance, we’ll see Blackford Hill Observatory two or Orion somersaulting across the three times a week. It has loomed southern sky and look north to see above our twin parish of Reid the Plough and the North Star. On Memorial since the 13th Venus and 1896. Nowadays, of Jupiter will be so in course, it is part of line with each other Edinburgh that they will appear University’s Institute as one very bright of Astronomy where star. We might see over a hundred meteor showers from scientists are Taurus on the 4th and studying the Leo on the 17th. Universe through But what is this telescopes sited on sense of wonder we get from looking high mountains in Hawaii, Chile and up at the stars? It’s surely part of Australia, or on space stations our spiritual life. It’s been with us hurtling round the Earth. from the start and prompted our sun Recently they have helped in the -worshiping ancestors to erect those first ever recording of gravitational amazing cathedrals of standing waves and light waves coming from stones at Callanish and Stonehenge. the same cosmic collision 130 light But it’s also led to cosmic collisions years away. This will, apparently, between science and religion. Think allow us to test the theory of of Galileo and the Inquisition in the Einstein’s ‘constant’ and may help us 17th century or Darwin and the towards solving the mystery of ‘dark Creationists in the 19th or the New matter’, the 96 per cent of the Atheists and the Fundamentalist Universe we have so far not churches of today. accounted for. Edinburgh's part in But such collisions are not the project was to build the necessary. No matter what we telescope capable of measuring tiny discover about the facts of the emissions from 84 million stars. Not Universe, they don’t nail down the much wonder the Observatory is ‘truth’. Science is one way of now building a new Higgs Centre for coming to terms with the facts, Innovation on the south side of the religion is another. Science is about campus. ‘how’, religion is about ‘why’. I’ve sometimes attended the Dr Robin Green, the Church of Observatory’s Monday and Friday Scotland’s official astronomer (if I evening sessions for the public and can call him that) attended a come away in awe, just looking up conference in the summer called into the night sky. This month of ‘Cosmic Collisons’ at the artist
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Charles Jencks’ Crawick Multiverse main observation – that we all live in garden in Dumfrieshire. He spent the same Universe and we must the weekend listening to lectures on come to terms with the fact that black holes, gravitational waves and there is no other. dark matter and came back with one John Knox
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Dates for Your Diary November Sun 5 Nov, 10.30am – Morning Worship followed by Holy Communion Mon 6-Fri 17 Nov – Blythswood shoebox sorting in the church hall www.craigmillarpark.org/shoebox-appeal-2017 Tue 7 Nov, 7pm – Presbytery meets Wed 8 Nov, 2.30pm – Service at St Margaret’s Care Home Wed 8 Nov, 7pm – The Kirk Session meets Sun 12 Nov, 10.30am – Morning Worship; Remembrance Sunday Sat 18 Nov – Christmas Fair at Reid Memorial Sun 19 Nov, 10.30am – Morning Worship Tue 21 Nov, 2.15pm – The Guild – Guild Project: Street Pastors Sun 26 Nov, 10.30am – Morning Worship followed by a soup lunch in aid of Guild projects
December Sat 2 Dec, 10am-4pm – Christmas Fair in the church hall (see page 4) Sun 3 Dec, 10.30am – Holy Communion Sun 10 Dec, 10.30am – Morning Worship Wed 13 Dec, 7.30pm – Christmas Carol Service by Edinburgh Telephone Choir Morningside Parish Church (see page 5) Sat 16 and Sun 17 Dec, 2-4pm – Nativity exhibition in the church (see page 8)
Coming up at Stewart House Men’s Club in November…
3rd—A Balanced Diet for the Elderly, Dr Gregorio Torchia (in church hall) 10th and 17th—Activities days (in Bowling Club, not church hall) 24th—The Southside of Edinburgh, Eric Melvin (in church hall)
Fridays at 10.15am. Coffee £1.50. Visitors welcome.
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Reader Sound Church Officer
Nov 2017 5th Pauline Weibye John Kelly Ian Breadon 12th Norman Weibye John Humphrey Julia Yarker 19th Christopher McLeod Norman Weibye Roger Paton 26th Roger Paton Christopher McLeod Norman Weibye Dec 2017
3rd Colin Aitken John Kelly Ian Breadon 10th Gordon Braidwood John Humphrey Norman Weibye
Duties
5th & 12th Nov – Convener: Isobel Smith (667 6336) Ian Breadon, Renate Breadon, Brenda Humphrey, John Humphrey, Betty Laing, Harry Laing 19th & 26th Nov – Convener: Sheena Stenhouse (667 4520) John Kelly, Ruth Longmuir, Julie Read, Katy Ruggeri, Ann Thanisch, Christine Thomson 3rd December is Communion 10th & 17th Dec - Convener: Gordon Braidwood (667 1773) Miriam Weibye, Norman Weibye, Pauline Weibye, Julia Yarker, Colin Aitken, Ian Breadon
Crossword Answers
Fyne [20] Udny, [18] Alford, [17]
Anorak, [15] Spindle, [13] Montrose, [11] Arch, [7] UNESCO, [5]
Dounreay, [4] Anglers, [3] Sloe, [2] Buckie, [1] Down: Clues
Liners [22] Raasay, [21]
More, [12] Seton, [14] Canna, [16] Spey Bay, [19] Torridon, [20] Fife, Fife, [20] Torridon, [19] Bay, Spey [16] Canna, [14] Seton, [12] More,
[6] Cullen, [7] Aboyne, [8] Skye, [9] Loch Ness, [10] Ben Ben [10] Ness, Loch [9] Skye, [8] Aboyne, [7] Cullen, [6] Across: Clues
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Who’s Who at Craigmillar Park Church
0131 441 5858 Locum Minister Rev Betty Smith [email protected]
0131 668 3545 Session Clerk Pauline Weibye [email protected]
Treasurer & 0131 667 1475 Depute Session Christopher McLeod [email protected] Clerk
0131 664 2877 Roll Keeper Roger Paton [email protected]
Chairman 0131 663 2428 Congregational John Kelly [email protected] Board
0131 664 7114 Organist John Cranston [email protected]
07754 952 297 Prism Editor Ruth Longmuir [email protected]
0131 668 3545 Hall Letting Norman Weibye [email protected]
www.craigmillar Church Website [email protected] park.org
The deadline for items for the next edition of Prism is Sunday 19 November. Please send items to Ruth — [email protected] or 07754 952 297.
CPC is a registered Scottish charity, Scottish Charity No: SC 017061
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