No 448 June 2016 Minister: Rev John Urquhart News & views from Craigmillar Park Church, Edinburgh www.craigmillarpark.org Minister’s Letter Dear friends Two events in June are already holding the attention of the nation: Celebrating the Queen’s birthday and her Christian faith Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday will be celebrated officially with a service of thanksgiving at 11am in St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 10 June, broadcast from 9.30am on BBC1, with highlights at 7pm on BBC2. This is followed by the traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony the next day, and a huge street party for 10,000 people in the Mall on the Sunday. Here in Craigmillar Park Church, we plan to have our own celebration: mystified as I imagine you to be by The Queen’s Birthday Tea on the last enticement.) Tickets (priced Saturday 11 June, from 3pm to £5 for adults) are available from Ann 5pm. This special afternoon tea with Thanisch or Julia Yarker. bubbly will include: a prize for the We also hope to have copies of a best hat; a quiz; a collection of royal special book, published to celebrate memorabilia and an opportunity to the Queen’s 90th birthday. The have your photograph taken with a Servant Queen - and the King She royal. (Don’t ask me: I’m as 1 Serves1 is fully illustrated and uses Parliamentary Office is supporting the Queen’s own words to draw out Think, Pray, Vote, a resource the central role of her trust in Jesus produced in partnership with the Christ, offering an inspiring, many- Joint Public Issues Team (the sided view of a life lived for others. Baptists, the Methodists and the Along with thousands of churches URC together with the Church of across the country, we will be Scotland). Of particular interest is making available copies of this the list of further resources authentic tribute. (including Christian resources) which The co-author of the book, Mark provides a very full treatment of the Greene, writes: ‘The Queen has matters in question. You can find served us all her adult life, with this at: amazing consistency of character, www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/issues/ concern for others and a clear eu-referendum dependence on Christ. The more I’ve 2. The Church of Scotland in read what she’s written and talked partnership with the Church of to people who know her, the clearer England is hosting the Reimagining that is.’ Europe blog: www.reimaginingeurope.co.uk. The Deciding on the EU Referendum only editorial requirements are that, Also this month, the UK referendum whatever the topic under discussion, on EU membership will take place on ‘contributors must be able to write Thursday 23 June. articulately and The question asked persuasively from a will be: Should the Christian ethical United Kingdom perspective and to remain a member of keep in mind that the European Union the blog exists to or leave the help others to think European Union? If through the you would like presenting issues further information ahead of any to help you make referendum.’ up your mind on A prayer for each this issue, then occasion has also there are two been published. resources among Please use them, if others, which give Christian you will, to supplement your own perspectives on the EU: prayers. 1. The Scottish Churches John 1 The Servant Queen - and the King She Serves. HOPE, Bible Society and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, 2016. 2 Two Prayers Heavenly Father, As we celebrate the ninetieth birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, receive our heartfelt thanks for all that you have given her in these ninety years and all that she has given to her people. Continue, we pray, your loving purposes in her, and as you gather us together in celebration, unite us also in love and service to one another. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Source: www.churchofscotland.org.uk Loving God, In the referendum that lies before us, in the challenge of seeking an answer, in our differences of opinion, in our need to understand, may you guide us in our decisions, make us gracious in our disagreement, and may we join you to work for the building of your kingdom rather than our own. Amen. Source: www.jointpublicissues.org.uk Christian Aid Week The Christian Aid lunch on Sunday 15 May raised £321. This was added to the total from the door to door collection (£2,622) to make a grand total of £2,943. Thanks to everyone who helped with this great effort whether cooking, collecting, counting, supporting or giving. 3 Crossword with a musical theme by Roger Paton Answers on page 20 Across Down 1 Catch a chap finding a dance (3-3) 1 Joe, famous UK singer (6) 4 Modern singer found in trapper's 2 Lily but not a flower (5) hut (6) 3 Hey, pups get excited (5,2) 9 Copy Sal in a song (7) 5 Larry, famous harmonica player (5) 10 French father and daughter 6 1 or 2 Across sing this (3,4) politicians (2,3) 7 One needed for 13 Across (6) 11 Athlete found in Enniskillen? (5) 8 Bill Haley started it all! (4,3,4) 12 Rake oak for party singing (7) 14 You must stand for these (7) 13 This study should ring a bell! (11) 15 Lull by a gentle song (7) 18/22 Woodstock or T in the 16 Ole! Rob does a Spanish Park? (7,5) dance (6) 20 Instruments found in lonely 17 Altars alter about the stars (6) residence (5) 19 Eight musicians (5) 22 See 18 21 Some pop-singers need 23 Pop singers' gear (7) this! (2-3) 24 Where you will find 18 & 22 Across (2-4) 25 Musical instrument sounds like a token (6) 4 A Summer of Discontent How do individuals all living together world who doesn’t want, like the on a crowded island manage to get gannets, to have a home, food, a on with each other? If you take a job, a happy family upbringing, good boat trip out to the Bass Rock you’ll health and time for a little see how 150,000 gannets all seem recreation? The only dispute is how to be living in noisy, individualist to get there. chaos. Each has its own nest, and no I think we’ve all become too upset doubt its own opinions, but together over our differences. Unionists think they form one of the they are being most coordinated dragged into another and beautiful sights independence in the natural world. referendum. Each bird is at once Nationalists think the same and they are being different. denied another vote. But we humans find Right-wingers think it harder to live with the government is our differences. We too big. Left-wingers are about to differ, for instance, over think it’s too small. In the religious our membership of the European world, we Christians think we are Union. I’m in favour of remaining being besieged by the new Atheists. and, naturally, I think those who The Atheists think they are want to leave are nuts. “How could discriminated against by a Christian they put our peace and prosperity at state. Muslims think they are under risk like that?” I ask myself, as my attack by “Western” democracy. anger comes to the boil. But I guess Jews think they are under attack by those who want to leave think I am Anti-Semites. nuts. They give off steam as they We are becoming over-sensitive, in ask: “How could he give our my view. We need to calm down. sovereignty away and threaten our Our differences are small, to be island way of life?” Referendums treasured rather than complained are often divisive, as we in Scotland about. If we’re not careful, we’ll be happen to know. frightened to express any opinion at We differ over so many things… all, for fear of offending someone. I politics, religion, football, art, habits, think we all need to grow thicker taste etc. Some differences are feathers, let our differences run off deeper than others and sometimes our backs, like seawater off a the chasm is unbridgeable. Then we gannet. Let’s agree to differ or are in a state of war or even war resolve our disputes by an honest itself. But mostly our differences are vote. Let’s avoid a summer of minor when compared with our discontent. similarities. Is there anyone in the John Knox 5 Every year, we receive a letter from the Stewardship and Finance Department of the Church of Scotland, explaining how our ministries and mission contribution is used. You may find it of interest. Pauline Dear brothers and sisters in Christ I write to thank you most sincerely for supporting the worship, mission and service of the Church through the money you give in your offerings. It is important that you should know what happens to this money and this letter intends to explain how Craigmillar Park’s Ministries and Mission Contribution will be used to enable the work of the Church in 2016. Edinburgh: Craigmillar Park Total contribution to Ministries and Mission for 2016: £47,742 Ministries (85.3%) £40,724 of your total contribution will go towards the costs of providing over 1,000 ministers and other parish workers in communities throughout Scotland and in the Presbytery of England. This contribution also assists with the costs of recruitment and training. The 2016 cost of a parish minister at the top of the stipend scale is £41,507 (stipend plus employer’s national insurance and pension contributions).