Banff and King Edward Parish Churches Sunday church services begin at 9.30am in King Edward and 11am in Banff Evening Service in Banff at 6.30pm All welcome at any service or event. DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Tues Mar 4th 7.30 pm Banff Guild Group King Edward Community Special Tues Mar 4th 2.15 pm Service in Doo’cot View Thurs Mar 6th 12-1.30pm Monthly Lunch in Banff Fri Mar 7th 1.15 pm King Edward School Assembly led by Minister Fri Mar 7th 7pm World Day of Prayer in King Edward Hall Fri Mar 7th World Day of Prayer ;St Andrews Episcopal Church Sun Mar 9th 6.30 pm Evening Service led by Rev David Locke Tues Mar11th 3 pm Service in Airlie Gardens Sun Mar 16th 6.30 pm Evening presentation from Dr M Macdonald (P11) Wed Mar 19th 7.30 pm Banff Session Meeting Sat Mar 22nd 10-noon Buttery Morning in King Edward Hall (P10) Sat Mar 22nd 10-3pm Table Top Sale in Banff Parish Church Hall (P21) Sun Mar 23rd Deadline for April Bridge (Joint Easter edition) Sun Mar 23rd Banff Stated Annual Meeting after morning service Mon Mar 24th 7.30pm King Edward Session Meeting Tues Mar 25th 2.30 pm Service in Banff Care Home Tues Mar 25th 7-8pm Meet the Minister in Banff Church Hall (P22) Fri Mar 28th 5pm Messy Church in Banff Church Hall (P21) Sun Mar 30th 9.30am Communion in King Edward Parish Church Sun Mar 30th 11.15am Communion in Banff Parish Church Sun Mar 30th 6.30 pm Banff Evening Service - Rev D Ross former prison Chaplain Tues Apr 1st 7.30pm Banff Guild Group Wed Apr 2nd 7.30pm Banff Congregational Board Meeting 24 Wed Apr 2nd 11 am King Edward Easter Assembly in Church No 174 Banff & King Edward February 2014 Parish Churches BANFF PARISH CHURCH OF - Charity No SC015501 Minister: Rev David I W Locke MA M.Sc., BD Tel: 01261 812107

D ear Friends in Banff and King Edward email:[email protected] My thoughts this month turn to the importance of talking Pastoral Assistant: Vera Lumsden Tel 07890865931 and listening and sharing together; the difficulties and the Session Clerk Mr Andy Taylor 812092 opportunities. Discipleship Co-ordinator Mrs Moira Gess 815147 For example, its good to share together our thoughts, experiences, joys and difficulties of faith and religion. We Outreach/Worship Co-ordinator Mrs Moira Gess 815147 completed recently our Christianity Explored course run Fellowship Co-ordinator Mrs Rosie Blanchard 861029 over 9 Sunday evenings. The sub title of the course was Service Co-ordinator Mrs Isabel Cook 815934 “One life. What’s it all about?” Which was a way of helping Communion Elder Mr Charlie Smith 815782 us question what is our own life about-what really matters Safeguarding Co-ordinator Mr Charlie Smith 815782 in life, and what do we need to do find a fuller life? The answer of course is to open up more to the One whose life, Roll Keeper Mrs Alice Hay 815902 death and resurrection transformed the world and can again transform our lives, Sunday Club Contact Mrs Karen Cumming 812790 whatever trials we may face. The video drew the parallel between an advert Church Officer/Property Convener Mr Gordon Mustard 861545 Ernest Shackleton put out before launching his explorations to the Antarctic. It Hall Keeper Mr Tom McLennan 815737 basically said do you want to go on a hazardous venture with constant hardship, Magazine Editor Mrs Janet Simpson 843221 difficulty and danger but the chance of amazing success? And hundreds Organist Mr Stephen Pratt 833113 apparently applied. How much more the invitation from Jesus which says: are Church Secretary Mrs Janet Simpson 843221 you looking for a meaningful life that makes a difference, life lived to your limits, with risk, difficulty, danger and yes death, but with the promise of finding the Life and Work Convener Mrs Moira Ingram 812393 best possible life, and sharing it with others? The course finished by inviting us to Flower Convener Mrs Pat McLennan 815737 follow Him, away from what drags us down and on to find a more meaningful Congregational Board Clerk Mrs Margaret Henderson 01888 551682 better life by putting Him and His guidance before life-weakening priorities. We Treasurer/Gift Aid Convener Mr Trevor Leuty 821282 finished by singing the old hymn sung often today to different words[!] Down in FWO Treasurer Mrs Moira Gess 815147 the valley with my Saviour I would go, Where the storms are sweeping and the dark waters flow; With His hand to lead me I will never, never fear, Danger cannot Guild Group Mrs E Rennie/Mrs L Kaczmarek 812919/ 815118 fright me if my Lord is near. Follow! follow! I would follow Jesus! Anywhere, Congregational Board Chairman Mr Ian Berstan 812579 everywhere, I would follow on! I would follow Jesus! Everywhere He leads me I Church Office [email protected] 818211 would follow on. KING EDWARD CHURCH - Charity No SC015077 As a way of sharing together some basic thoughts about life and Christianity our course proved helpful: people seem to enjoy the mixture of watching video, Session Clerk Mrs Margaret Brown 821316 singing and sharing together thoughts. We shared for example about what Roll Keeper Mrs Nancy Simpson 01888 568602 people are looking for in life; and the answers varied widely at first from obvious Treasurers Mr Albert Hay & Mrs Sandra French pleasures but then deeper things emerged as more important, like a good night’s Fabric Convener Mr Eric Wilson 832951 sleep, help to stick to the straight and narrow, a good life for loved ones and that Church Officer Mrs Carole Darnell 821235 they might know the love and life Jesus offers The importance of talking together and listening together is maybe a pointer Organist Mrs Eleanor Wilson 818240 for us all in many different situations For example, a group from Banff Parish Flower Convener Mrs Isobel Smith 821348 church met recently with council officials to see if we could informally Guild President Mrs Eleanor Wilson 818240 resolve the issues about our Church banners that had made newspaper Hall Committee President Mrs Jayne Pirie 821680 headlines and were due to go before the March meeting of the Sunday School Contact Mrs Caren Bowyer ———— 2

Aberdeenshire Council Infrastructures Committee. We talked and listened to ideas, and we may have come up with a compromise solution that church and We remember with sadness, those whose funerals council may be happy with. We have a bit further to go before that is agreed were conducted on behalf of Banff Parish Church. but talking outside the formal council, face to face may have helped. Mrs Marjory Raymond, Colleonard Road, Banff Talking and sharing thoughts about modern science: you will see an advert in th Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I this Bridge about the evening talk on March 16 led by the Policy officer of the will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they Church of Scotland Science, Religion and Technology project. This is a chance to comfort me. think through some ethical questions about the impact of science and technology on modern society, and think what contribution our faith has to make about for Ministry of Flowers example, energy changes, artificially modified, crops/animals/humans; end of life issues: what contribution Christianity has to offer. For me, science does not by We are grateful to the following who will donate flowers to beautify itself deny God or faith - it can help explain how God works in detail, and many Banff Church during March: scientists are Christians- but we need a dialogue so that the implications of new 2nd March Reid Family technology can be questioned and thought through. Do come along and bring 9th March Mrs Linda Kaczmarek your questions! 16th March Mr & Mrs T McLennan Listening helps I spoke recently at the Tuesday talks in Banff castle, about my 23rd March Mrs Isabel Cook voluntary work as a Street Pastor in Glasgow’s city centre on weekend nights. A 30th March Mrs Mary Alley key part of our role as we went about was to listen to people; as many people of The wrong names were given in the February Bridge for flowers all sorts, young and old, business men and women, prostitutes, drug addicts and donated during January . Sincere thanks to the following who dealers, rough sleepers, clubbers, all wanted someone to listen to them, and donated the flowers in January: Mr & Mrs G Youngson, Mrs Lorraine how sometimes fights, dangerous situations, problems or sheer loneliness could Robertson, Mrs M Connon and Mrs Margaret Hunt. be avoided by listening caringly. The city streets at weekends are strangely full of Flower Convener : Mrs Pat McLennan (Tel: 815737) people hurting in different ways who sometimes gather together as ways of ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ seeking companionship of any sort through their hurts. MEET THE MINISTER At the bowls at King Edward, my team recently had, I think, one of the heaviest Tuesday March 25th from 7-8pm ever defeats: 32-1! And the next week got beaten nearly as badly, again my opponents included Edith Hay. I was pretty despondent until talking with This is a time for anyone in our churches and communities to have an Margaret Gordon recently cheered me up. She said dinna worry about getting informal confidential chat with the minister. An opportunity to find out more beaten by Edith: ’abody gets beaten by Edith, for she is really good! And about the church or to chat about weddings, baptisms or anything. Banff subsequently listening to Edith’s guidance has given me a few pointers about Parish Church Kirk Lounge - please enter through he hall door on High Street. how I can improve, and maybe only get beaten by 20 points! As another ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ example of talking and listening, the Kirk Session of both King Edward and Banff, BLYTHSWOOD - If you are unable to take goods to the Blythswood want to meet together soon to help us talk and listen to each other to containers in Banff or Macduff, please contact Ron Smith 815440 or understand better our common challenges, learn from each other and find out Archie Findlay 812793 how we can further support each other and our communities. 22

How good it is to gather and listen and talk, and especially to find people who Friday, 28th March really listen. We all need someone to talk to and listen to; and that is what we have in God and Jesus through the power of prayer. In church, we spent two Banff Parish Church Hall Sundays thinking about prayer recently, concluding with guidance from the Lord’s prayer. One lesson was that while it’s good to talk, it’s also good to listen; 5 pm it’s good to be able to speak anywhere to our heavenly Father who is always willing to listen, but as we talk in prayer let’s also listen as the boy Samuel was Who is Messy Church for? originally taught to say :speak lord for your servant is listening! Gathering in church is a chance to talk and listen to God, but also a chance to talk and listen Messy church is fun church for EVERYONE in our communities. to each other. Don’t always rush away - do linger at church , perhaps over coffee Single, widowed, childless, divorced, mums, dads, children & grandparents! when it is available, and talk and listen, it’s also why I have ‘meet the minister’ nights, and why Vera and I try to get around and meet people at church events; if What happens at Messy Church? you want an extra listening ear - do let us know. That is also what our church Craft and fun activities for all ages elders are for; if you would like them to visit you, do ask. Singing, stories and video clips Talking is good, though not always - a week or so ago, I seemed to bump into so Time to chat and get to know one another as we share a meal many people who knew I had missed the tiniest putt at golf recently, to lose a It would be great if you could join us match. Sometimes perhaps Silence is Golden! And sometimes I admit talking and listening is not easy; to the person we find difficult, or the situation that is (children should be accompanied by an adult) uncomfortable; as some do not want to listen, and only want to talk, or misunderstand what is said. So sometimes we have to wait till the right situation STAMPS INDOOR TABLE TOP SALE occurs. But we can always talk to God and listen to him, and pray for the right Our used stamps are situation to arise to help us talk and listen to the person or situation we find Saturday 22nd March now given to Cancer difficult. In church we have introduced as an experiment, prayer and welcome 10am - 3pm. Research. This is such cards to help us share some of our needs; if you are wanting help or support or a worthwhile cause. prayer please give details on the cards and I and Vera [or others as appropriate ] Come along and grab a bargain. There is a box at the back of the will respond, and include the request in our prayers. Cost to book a table is £10. Tables still available if you would like to church for your stamps. Leave a At the Banff Castle talk, someone asked me if Muslims or Hindus could become sell half centimetre of envelope around Street Pastors: I said no because it’s a Christian organisation, and could not at the stamp when you cut them out. some of your unwanted items that moment explain fully, as I wanted to be sensitive to people of other Foreign coins can also raise money To book a table or for further infor- religions. But the truth is we find a unity and spiritual power, direction and much for Christian Aid. There is a mation call more which uniquely comes from Jesus; and its prayer through Him that starts collection box for coins at the back maintains , and finishes our evenings. Prayer through Jesus Christ works in ways Sheila on 815440 or Mary on 812716. of the church. beyond our imagination and …...that is part of why I encouraged us all these past weeks to keep talking and listening and responding to prayer 4

Looking ahead…... Listening and action. In King Edward, we rejoice with Bob and Judith Smit and others who won their [first?] battle with the council over a proposed windmill  The evening Service in Banff Parish Church Hall on overlooking Bob and Judith Smit’s home grounds. There may however be further talking and listening to be done before that particular dialogue is Sunday, 30th March at 6.30 pm will be led by Rev David finished! King Edward and Banff churches recently raised money for struggling Ross, recently retired Chaplain at Prison. Scots in London, through a request by the Moderator of the General Assembly.  Once again we will have Holy week Lunches for At King Edward school, we continue to pray for the meetings to select a new Christian Aid. From Mon 14th- Fri 18th April in Banff head teacher and hopefully the existing arrangements for church and school partnership will continue. Vera and I continue to go into King Edward Primary Parish Church Hall. The lunches will be followed by a school fortnightly- visiting and chatting with the children once a month in short service of worship in the church at 1.30 pm their classes, and holding a combined assembly once a month, to which parents are now welcome. We enjoy it greatly for there is a lovely atmosphere  Maundy Thursday Communion in Banff Parish Church in the school, and the children are great. at 7pm on Thursday, 17th April. Last week I took two friends from Glasgow to meet the children and explain  Early Easter morning service on Sunday, 20th April. how the church helps deprived people around the country, by talking, listening and supporting. Irene Gillies, Session Clerk at  Joint service in King Edward Parish Church on Sunday, Colston Milton church, showed the children pictures 20th April. Breakfast in King Edward Hall before the from her trip to India, on behalf of the Church of Scotland service. to learn how women can gain confidence to overcome disadvantage and start up small self-help projects. Times and details of these service and events will be in the Irene’s visit with 12 other women from difficult areas weekly bulletins and in the next Bridge magazine. of Scotland has resulted in a national project supported by the Guild called Passage from India, and Irene goes around the country speaking to Guilds, about how FELLOWSHIP LUNCH they help disadvantaged women start up self-help Our next monthly Fellowship Lunch will be on Thursday, schemes with training and small business loans. This fitted in well with P4-7’s current exploration of India. 6th March from noon - 1.30 pm. in the Main Hall. Another friend, Alex Bauer, spoke to the children We look forward to welcoming newcomers as well as briefly about another Church project to help the most deprived children in Scotland through a combination our regulars. Lunch - £4.00 of residential, outward bound, youth club, leadership training, arts and crafts The Minister will be available for anyone to talk to about anything at the etc. in a project called the GK Experience, drawing on a rural centre in Glen Lunch. If you would like to talk privately please speak to the him or any church official. Kin near Dunoon. We heard interesting thoughts from our children in King Edward about the difference between cities and King Edward. Lets all keep trying to talk and listen to God and others , and respond to what we hear with No fellowship Lunch in April - back as usual on 1st of May supportive action.

20 Yours faithfully, David.

King Edward Sub-Group We remember with sadness, those whose funerals were

conducted on behalf of King Edward Parish Church. The sub-group last met on 16th January in the hall on 16th January. I was heartened that Mr Lawson Gauld on 9th January 2014. sixteen interested people attended, albeit, It was with great sadness we said good-bye to one of our church four of them were invited guests from . members - Lawson Gauld. Lawson was Session Clerk at King Edward Our friends ‘fae Byth’ came along to see how we Church, a post he held for over 38 years and was presented with a are trying to get our community clicking again, Long Service Certificate. He came to King Edward in 1961 as Headmaster which is something they are also trying to do. Their local hall is going of the school and was there until he retired in 1987. to get a new lease of life soon and we wish them the best of luck with the task ahead of them. This shows me that what we are trying to do, Lawson was a well liked and respected man in the church and in the is only what other communities are also trying. community; as many people have said. ‘A true gentleman’ Our On the church front, we spoke of the need to extend the heating in thoughts and prayers go out to Heather, Sandra and families at this time. the church after our family services on the first Sunday of each month, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of this was taken to the session meeting and duly passed. We also death, I will fear no evil: for thou are with me; thy rod discussed distribution of the ‘Bridge’ to non church members as I was and thy staff they comfort me. recently asked , “Do we have to be a church member to get the ‘Bridge’”? - absolutely not, the Bridge seems to be a way of letting A broken wrist? Who would have thought that King Edward know what is going on, this edition will be available in the Point to having such a small part of the body not church, the hall and the school. Two positive points and early signs Ponder functioning could slow down progress, or mean that things are moving forward in King Edward. that many important tasks don’t get done? From the hall point of view, bowling numbers are showing an We are all parts of the Body of Christ here in King increase, although the badminton seems a bit of a ‘chauve’ to get off Edward and Banff. No matter how small or insignificant the ground. Anyone interested will be backed by the coffers left from we may feel, we are all needed to play our God-given part if His the previous club and its leader. work here is to be done efficiently and on time. Indoor football for boys and girls starts after Easter there has been a Lord, as members of Your Body, thank you that we’re all important and lot of interest in this venture. A grant has been applied for and hopes needed to play our part for the work of Your church here to be done. are high of its outcome—well done! Vera.

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We met on Tuesday, 11th February in the New Byth Hall with a Bowling in King Edward Hall representative from ‘Neatflicks’ with a view to having a monthly ‘cinema night’ in King Edward Hall, more on this exciting project in a Come along and join us on a Thursday future edition of the Bridge. evening (except for the first Thursday At the school: Mrs Isabel Masson, head teacher, has retired after a 17 of every month) from 7 - 9pm. year stint of educating the young of King Edward and surrounding Newcomers, of any ability, are very area—Well done! No successor in the post just yet. welcome - come along and beat the All in all, the wheels of the engine are turning slowly, if you do Minister who is, in his own words, nothing..nothing will get done! If you feel you can contribute in any ‘rubbish’! way come along and speak with us or come to the next sub-group meeting. Contact : Eric Wilson on 01261 832951

CONGRATULATIONS JUDITH Judith Smit-Haffmans is a Dutch Qualified Solicitor with an overall master in Company, EU and International law and a master in Public Notary law. Judith recently passed the requalification exams with the Law Society of Scotland. This enables her to practise law in Scotland. She hopes to continue to work in the field of Finance, Commercial, EU and International law. Senior Choir Judith has every reason to be pleased with her achievement as only four out of ten candidates, who applied for the exams a We meet in the hall every Tuesday from 6.30pm year ago, have passed. More over she will be the first out of If you enjoy music why not come along. we the five generations of Solicitors to practise in Scotland. would be delighted to have you with us. Judith thanks all her friends and everyone who supported her in this achievement, especially her husband Bob for his patience with her exam stress!!

18 Need advice about travelling to and from your medical appointment? MEET OUR NEW KING EDWARD OFFICE BEARERS The Transport to Healthcare Information Centre (THInC) can help. They

provide practical transport advice for people who have difficulty getting to and from medical appointment in Grampian. The service provides a dedicated telephone service offering guidance on accessing suitable transport options when there are no means of personal transport. The centre can provide details of bus or train times, contact telephone numbers and other services such as dial-a-bus or voluntary car schemes.

The centre is the first of its kind in the UK and is a joint initiative between City Council, and Moray Council, NHS Grampian, The Scottish Ambulance Service and Nestrans. Call THInC on 01343 567839, Mon-Fri between 9am-4pm. (local call rate)

New Elders Eveline Finnie and Linda Milne and Treasurer Albert Hay. King Edward Guild Linda Milne At our meeting on 9th January our treasurer , Nancy I was born in Aberdeen, and early years were spent at . I gave a financial report. it was decided to allocate the have fond memories of cleaning the kirk with my Granny and Granda funds as follows: Church - £1,500, World Mission - £150, and felt honoured when allowed to dust the pulpit. My grandfather was Bible Society - £50 and Guild Projects £250 ( Heart/art beadle of the Maryculter Parish Church for over 50 years. My aunt has £100, Passage through India £75 and Out of Africa £75) . continued the job since my grandfather died. At the meeting we also had a demonstration on card making by two My family moved to Gamrie and I attended Bracoden primary School members, Linda and Margaret. then Banff Academy. On leaving school I worked for a local bank in Banff. At our February meeting we welcomed Andy Simpson, who gave a In 1975 I married Gordon, a local farmer, we have three grown up very interesting talk and showed slides on Mukonchi School, Zambia. children, Stuart, Fiona and Bruce and four young grandsons. Dates for your diary: Once our children had grown up a bit I returned to work part-time for our local council as a cashier. I now spend my time helping Gordon, my Friday 7th March - World Day of Prayer in the hall. This year’s service husband with farm paper work and having fun with my grandsons. comes from Egypt. Thursday 3rd April - AGM and business meeting. My hobbies are walking, knitting and researching my family tree. I am a volunteer at Academy helping pupils research their family Thursday 24th April - Presbyterial AGM at Church at trees. 7.30 pm. The speaker for the evening will be a representative from ‘Passage Through India”. I enjoy attending church and am looking forward to my duties as an elder. Saturday 3rd May - Coffee Morning in the hall from 10 am—Noon.

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Eveline Finnie F We continue to live up to our name and have fun - since Christmas I attended school in Kintore—progressed onto college for nursery training. U the children have been looking at the life of John the Baptist, and I married and had four children, my husband was in the RAF and we his friendship with Jesus, which they have really enjoyed. travelled to England and Germany. I started the first nursery in Kintore, I was invited back for the 30th N We have also learnt about what life would have been like for anniversary in 2004. I continued my training in Nursing, working in Jesus as a child and young man - what his house may have D various hospitals until 1989. S been like, how he lived and how he would have helped his After my husband died I remarried and opened a B & B in Aberdeen, which A C father in his workshop. Which led to chatting about how the was a great experience meeting people of all nationalities. I retired from Y Funday children help out their parents at home. the B & B in 2000 and moved to the Banff/Macduff area where my H At the moment we are learning the husband and I both enjoy the community activities. Lord’s Prayer and have managed to Albert Hay O squeeze in a few episodes of Veggie I was born in , and raised in Ythan Wells on a small farm. I attended Ythan Wells Junior Secondary school, leaving at the age of 15 to work with -tales, done a lot of colouring and O my father at home, while doing an agricultural course at Craibstone drawing, and eaten quite a few College. L cakes! After three years, and still only being paid £3 per week, I decided it was We meet every Sunday at 9.30 am. time for a change and tried several other jobs, including driving a bakery Come along and have some fun! van and a mobile grocery van. I moved to Tait’s paper mills to operate a papermaking machine which I did for five years. I was offered a job as

salesman with Hutcheon of Turriff Ltd, which I did, on commission only W.R.I. basis, for four years before the company was swallowed up by the RHM Group and a few years later was bought by Dalgety Agriculture and sold on The WRI meet in the hall at 7.30pm on the following dates: to North Eastern Farmers Ltd. The retail part of the business was bought over by Harbro Ltd. I have managed the branch for around fifteen years. Wednesday, 12th March Floral Art Demonstration I moved from to King Edward forty five years ago. I was asked to Wednesday, 16th April Business Meeting join King Edward and Gamrie Community Council a number of years ago Wednesday, 21st May Corn Dolly Demonstration and was eventually persuaded to take the chair for the current year. I was asked to take the Treasurers post in the church, when I was told it If you are interested in any of the above events please would take roughly one hour per week!!! come along and join us—you will be made most welcome. I have a son and daughter and one grandchild. As well as spending time with them I enjoy indoor bowling, motoring and have just started woodturning classes in Huntly.

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months has become, as they say now, a 24/7 job, with little time for relaxation. At one time, weekend duties were shared, each man taking it in turn to “keep toon”. We are now living in a changed society. the houses in the countryside may still be occupied, but many of those oc- cupying them have little or no connection with agriculture. For many Saturday 22nd March young men, who at one time would have worked on the farms in the district, they are now involved in the oil industry, some locally, some in 10 am - Noon Aberdeen, some offshore and even abroad. Many of their womenfolk King Edward Hall have jobs as well as bringing up a family which can be very demanding when their husbands are away. For them having time to be part off King Edward church and community is extremely difficult. Come along and support your Community Hall Computers and the internet are full of information on any subject under the sun. We now have TV’s with hundreds of channels, providing entertainment of your choice in the comfort of your own home at the COMMUNION touch of a button. With online shopping, online banking, e-mails and The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper Facebook, search for a book or newspaper you wish to read, the choice will be celebrated in is huge, “You shop, We drop” as one supermarket slogan says. We are King Edward and Banff Parish Churches rapidly approaching an age when there will be little reason to go into town. on Sunday, 30th March. The advances made in seventy years from the remnants of the steam

King Edward : 9.30 am age to modern-day technology and space travel are truly mind-boggling, and electronic advancements is seemingly unlimited. Banff: 11.15 am As the pace of life continues to accelerate ithas become a huge challenge for us to try and maintain that community spirit, that concern for our we want everyone to feel welcome neighbours’ welfare and support for one another. All those things have been an integral part of life in a country parish for generations of folks before us, and something we must not lose. Our Minister, Rev David summer time begins on Sunday March 30th - Locke has brought much enthusiasm and foresight to the community, remember to put your clocks forward! encouraging it to continue, and certainly deserves support from every- one in the parish. 10

Harvest then was a labour-intensive time. everyone worked as a team, scything roads round each field of What has Christianity to say to grain, cutting with the binder, Science and Technology? stooking the sheaves, leading and stack-building in the An evening to explore our moral questions about where cornyard. A mid-afternoon -fly technology is taking us, led by cup was provided by the farmer’s wife, but only at harvest time. Dr Murdo Macdonald, B.Sc Ph.D This was a time to chat, have Policy officer with Church of Scotland’s Society, Religion & discussion about local and topi- Technology Project which explores and communicates cal events, often starting with “Hiv ye heard aboot…”, the story often balanced comment on religious, moral and ethical issues ending in gales of laughter. That camaraderie has now been lost, as two arising from scientific and technological advance. men with a combine, tractor and trailer can harvest all the grain in a fraction of the time, with little communication between them. The Dr Macdonald, a molecular biologist who worked as “steam-mill” was another example of men working as a team. Most head of a leprosy research laboratory in Nepal, will farms had a threshing mill of their own in the steading to supply grain speak about Christian perspectives on some of these and straw for the livestock in the winter, but in the Spring the remaining issues, ranging from genetically modified food/crops/ stacks had to be threshed where they stood in the cornyard, this animals, human nature and spirit in a world of stem cells involved a mobile mill coming to the farm, sometimes for several days at and artificial intelligence, wind farms and climate a time. Neighbours would come to make up a team of ten to twelve change, end of life issues and wider issues between men, some with pitchforks, some to bag up the grain, some to build the religion and science. He aims to speak at a level for the bunches of straw into a stack—no round balers, forklifts or half tonne average person and will be happy to answer questions bags then! Lunch was served in the farm kitchen when much fun and and cover topics of most local interest. banter went on. But that is all now lost, yet another casualty in the name of progress and efficiency. That now applies to all the tasks on a Banff Parish Church Hall farm, as modern machinery with hydraulics and in-built computers of Sunday 16th March various kinds, even hands-free satellite navigation, making field-work 6.30 pm accurate to within a few centimetres. All welcome to come and join us We have become so efficient that many farmers now work on their own with no employees. For many, tending to livestock during the winter 14

Seventy Years of Change by John Smith They were the lucky ones, so many of their comrades, just like our own, having paid the ultimate price of war with their lives. Since moving to Scatterty with my family in 1943 at ten months old, so many things have changed in the area. My earliest recollections are of several men working on the farm along with my father, of Clydesdale horses, of byres full of cattle all tied by the neck, dimly lit during the winter months by paraffin lanterns. The Tilly lamp, with its mantle that glowed brightly and lit up the kitchen but fizzed all the time and needed pumping up every now and then. I can still picture Mr Anderson from Mill of Eden Croft passing by on his way to Turriff with his sole mode of transport, a pony and gig. The postie, Alec McIntosh regularly delivering our mail on his bike at 11 am each morning, a good two hours before we receive it now, in 2014! I remember Mr Patterson and his ferryboat taking folk across the river Deveron at Auchinbadie, a link between the A fly-cup during hairst 1947 at Scatterty, with two of the German parishes of King Edward and Alvah, and costing only three pence a prisoners of war on the right of the picture. crossing. He operated the ferry for more than thirty years until it was washed away in a spate in 1958. It travelled downstream under the Going to school meant a two -and-a-half mile walk morning and after- Bridge of Alvah and Banff Bridge and into Banff Bay. The tiny vessel was noon - no school bus then! As several families lived on most farms, washed up on the rocks near Macduff Boatbuilding Yard where it had groups of children converged on the roads along the way, sometimes been built and launched many decades earlier. looking for birds nests in the hedgerow, if there was time. I remember Mrs Simpson hand milking the two dairy cows morning and In 1955 the school had four permanent teachers, four visiting teachers night before electricity came to the farm, and the milking machine was and a roll of 112 pupils with more than half of them attending Sunday purchased. It was a time of ration books, blackouts and gas-masks as School. from the earthen school playground, pitted with ‘Kypies’ for the country was still at war. My parents would sometimes count the playing ‘bools’, we could watch the steam train pull out from King planes flying off from aerodrome on bombing missions and Edward station, a daily occurrence until 1951, when the Beeching axe count them again on their return - often with several missing. I can fell, though goods trains continued for another year or two. Cattle remember German and Italian prisoners of war working on the farm at bought at markets in the south, such as Perth and Stirling would arrive busy times, hay time and harvest. They were all good, hardworking lads , at the station in wagons and were herded along the roads to their new just like our own, never wanting to get involved in any war. homes, drinking all the puddles dry on the way.

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