Worship at St. John's Church Forres

Christmas Fair 20th October 2018 St Leonard’s Church Hall A big thank you to all who helped Photographs by Michael 2 From the Rectory Greetings! Colours of autumn have been well on dis- play and are already giving way for the grey frames of trees. Leaves on the trees and those flying around on roads and in our gar- dens remain visible manifestations of the season we are in. Besides those colours of nature, shades of orange and black are around decorating the windows of some places marking Halloween. Also, the red colour of poppy flowers is now beginning to appear on coats. Different objects marking the significance of different occasions and sentiments, but all contributing to our visual senses and complementing the colours of autumn. In the worship life of the church, we will soon be ending this liturgical year with the celebration of Christ the King and will enter into Advent – a time of reflection on waiting and preparation. Amidst the vi- brancy of colours and preparations for Christmas, the less vibrant colour of purple and the meaning of the season it signifies in the liturgical calendar around this time of the year can easily be overlooked. Just as there was much waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ child, we are reminded during the season of Advent the need for patient waiting on the revelations of God and preparations that are reflect- ed in our everyday living for the coming of the Kingdom of God. I invite you to use the opportunities provided in our church to reflect upon these themes together as a church community. The month of November also brings into focus two occasions of remembering those who have gone before us. On All Souls Day, we reflect on and give thanks for the lives of loved ones. The Eucharist to be held in our church on the evening on 2nd No- vember will provide opportunities for remembering and celebrating our loved ones who are no longer with us in the context of celebrating the life-giving gifts of God’s grace, hope and peace. Marking the centenary of the end of the First World War, this year’s Remembrance Day observances echo much thought and reflections not only on the sacrifices of individuals who served in various battles but also on various aspects of life that 3 shaped the course of major wars such as the WW1. Considerable light has been shed on the theological positions held and curated by the church during the First World War period and how such views shaped both the rationale of the war and the sense of nationalism in the minds of people. This draws our attention to the ways in which we seek to understand and interpret Christian theology in the present context. Les- sons from history and the constant and still, small voice of God encourage us to hold inclusive visions of global peace and justice. Looking back at the last two months, we’ve had a few significant events. On 21st Oc- tober we had our Annual Congregational Meeting. It was good to pause and to take stock of where we are and to consider our direction of travel. The multifaceted growth of the activities of the church is very encouraging. As we continue to grow in already established areas, there are also potential new avenues, which we will prayerfully consider and act upon as we continue to engage with God’s plan for min- istry in and through St John’s. As I mentioned as part of my report at the meeting, we are all together called to be engaged in a process of continuing discernment. I thank all who have contributed to the life of St John’s in various ways and look for- ward to your continued participation, leadership and contributions. In September Meghan Philp, a member of our Youth Fellowship, was among the representatives of the Provincial Youth Committee (PYC), who took part in a ‘Celebrating Young People’ event at the Scottish Parliament. The PYC representatives took their seats in the Chamber and got an opportunity to speak with Deputy First Minister John Swinney. Well done, Meghan! It is indeed great to see our youngsters participate in and contribute to wider engagements of the Scottish Episcopal Church and significant ones such as this. We had a good celebration of Harvest Festival. The Flower Festival over the weekend was a great initiative, which was well received. Please see inside this issue for reflections on the festival. We also had a good concert by the Kinloss Military Wives Choir, which was greatly appreciated by those who attended. The weekend concluded with Choral Evensong on Sunday evening. As many of you are aware, I had a trip to Tallin, Estonia in October. I was represent- ing the Scottish Episcopal Church at this year’s Porvoo Consultation. This consultation is part of the activities of the Porvoo Communion, which is an international ecu- menical union of northern European Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran churches. The theme of the consultation was ‘Minorities and Majorities: A Challenge to Church and Society’. Several topics were discussed as part of the consultation, including, the minority-majority dynamics in the context of the recent immigration into Europe and integration of the newcomers into communities in their host countries and the role of churches in such contexts and the relevance of the church in public space, given 4 that the church is a minority entity in all the countries represented at the consultation. As I continue to reflect on the topic of the consultation, it appears that the minority- majority dynamics play a vital part in shaping the life of the church and its outlook at all levels. At the local level, it would be important to be aware of these dynamics and the implications of power, which either group could hold. We are called to take every effort to remain the salt of the earth and the light of the world in the spirit of fellowship and discipleship wherever we find ourselves in the fluid minority-majority con- tinuum. We will in no time find ourselves amidst Christmas! Much preparation is underway for the various services of the season. But before we get there, let us pay attention to the waiting and preparation of the season of Advent, awaiting the coming of Em- manuel, God with us! In Christ, Hamilton. Flower Sponsorship It has been suggested (and subject to discussion in Vestry) that people might like to have a loved one or special event remembered by providing flowers for a particular week; a suggested donation might be £20. A signup list could be made available in the back of church for the scheme; if you are a UK Tax payer, you could Gift Aid your donation in a yellow gift aid envelope (marked flower donation). You can remain anonymous with your donation if you so wish and you will also be able to write a short note about your dedication for the maga- zine, this is an example:- Flower Dedication 12th October ~ Trinity 17 Robert and Margaret Menzies Our Wedding Anniversary Schemes like this are used by a number of churches, and helps to increase the churches income with only a small administrative overhead. Hopefully with vestry approval this scheme could be up and running for the Christmas flowers. Comments to the Editor please, of course this scheme would not operate in Advent or Lent. 5 Property Report At St John’s Annual Congregational Meeting, Derek Bedford stood down as Property Convenor. He has handed over this responsibility to Pat Ellison and Peter Airey. Thank you Derek for all your hard work on the Church, Rectory, Hall and Grounds. The following is his final report to the ACM. As usual my Report covers all three buildings, the Church, Rectory and Hall, and it relates to the year since the last ACM on 24th September 2017. The work on the Rectory and Church was completed well before the arrival of our new Priest in Charge, the Rev Dr Hamilton Inbadas and his family in late December 2017. Again our grateful thanks to Grant and Jennie Swain for all the work they undertook in the Rectory. The last works last Autumn included the external painting of the Church and Rectory, by George Smith, the cost of which was covered by a Grant of some £20,000 obtained by Pat Ellison. These were the last outstanding items included in the 2014 Quinquennial Report. There have been no further major works, but several minor ones I would classify as mainte- nance. These included:- Wall Cleaning by Shearpride, costing £892. Radiator Shelving to help keep the walls clean and improve heat circulation, by Ian Mackenzie costing £1,376. Changing Spotlight bulbs to LED for longer life and to save power, for £362. by Attie Mackay Slates and roof repairs S&J Roofing Services cost £94. Update to external Notice Board by Jeremy Taylor for £70. Redecorating Parish Room arranged by Pat Ellison and Judith Hampson costing just over £500. Leaking Radiator in the Lady Chapel which Scottish Gas quoted £728 to replace, was cleaned and resealed by Dave Mackintosh for no charge. One worrying problem that occurred as recently as this last summer, and fortunately while Hamilton and family were away on holiday, was a blockage in the Rectory Sewer causing an overflow by the Parish Room entrance. We were not able to clear it by rodding. So we called in B&S Pipeline Solutions who cleared the problem, and gave us the information to produce a map of the system, which has now been done.

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