No 429 May 2014 Minister: Rev John Urquhart
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
No 429 May 2014 Minister: Rev John Urquhart News & views from Craigmillar Park Church, Edinburgh A worshipping and caring community, following Jesus Christ www.craigmillarpark.org MINISTER’S LETTER Dear friends, about the St Andrew’s and St George’s West Christian Aid book The May issue of the Church of sale. Scotland’s magazine Life and Work is now out. You May also sees the may think it strange to General Assembly begin an issue of our meet for a week from local church magazine Saturday 17 May. This by talking about the month and next national church month, Life and Work magazine. It’s good, summarises some of however, sometimes to the main reports to the take time to think Assembly. These about how we as a local reports cover many parish church connect with the work vital concerns for the church locally, of the Church of Scotland across the nationally and further afield. nation and also with the work of For instance, the Ministries other denominations in Scotland and Council is bringing proposals to around the world. address the ‘looming shortfall’ of In May, we will be engaged locally in ministers: some 500 parish door-to-door collecting for Christian ministers are expected to retire by Aid Week. (We are looking for new 2025 and fewer than 20 per year volunteers, so if you would like to (on average 13, since 2008) are help, please call Elizabeth McLeod on being accepted for training for full- 667 1475.) Life and Work has a time parish ministry. Even with snapshot of what some other parish agreed reductions in posts, they churches are doing for Christian Aid anticipate a shortfall of over 200 in and an article by Mary Davidson the early 2020s, with only 600 1 parish ministers. They call for prayer agencies across Scotland and to ask God to bring people to beyond to Princes Street Gardens respond and serve in this way and (some perhaps by the new trams) to ask us all to be open to new forms join together in celebrating this of ministry. They outline new ways year’s theme: Hands Across the of encouraging people to come World. You can find out more in Life forward and new models of training, and Work and from the website: which would allow candidates to www.heartandsoul2014.org.uk. work in one context during most of The world church is in the their formation. magazine too. One article In another article, the Principal of describes the ministry of a Scottish New College in Edinburgh, David chaplain, the Rev Sheena Orr, who Fergusson, looks at ways we can works with women in Kenyan help reduce the financial burden on many ministry students (and often their families): a consideration which may deter some people from training to be ministers. The magazine is not all about ordained ministers and their training. Martin Fair has an article on how ‘everything that is done for God is a ministry’. The report to the Assembly of the Social Care Council (CrossReach) is covered. There are articles on an appeal to support refugees from Syria, a trust for Palestinian students at St Andrews University, and a befriending scheme for homeless prisons. She is supported by Falkirk people in Dundee run by the Presbytery and the Presbyterian Salvation Army and Scottish Church of East Africa. Another piece Churches Housing Action. deals with the work of Christian Aid Life and Work also previews Heart partners in Colombia, establishing and Soul 2014, which is to take ‘humanitarian zones’, where no place on Assembly Sunday (18 May weapons and only civilians are from 1pm). The event brings people allowed, and where people can feel from churches and Christian safe and supported.. 2 There are also opinion pieces, part of our financial stewardship features, news items, letters to the focus this year. More details will editor, photographs from around follow later. Scotland, book reviews, and not Our giving not only supports the one, but two, crosswords. work of our local parish church, but You will be wondering by now, if I part of it sustains and enables a am on a drive to boost circulation variety of Christian service, locally figures for Life and Work. It’s not and nationally, in Scotland and just that. We hope soon to have at beyond. Craigmillar Park Church a season Thank you for taking a brief look at focusing on the wider work of some of that wider work. the Church of Scotland in Scotland and beyond. This will be John CHURCH FAMILY NEWS NEW Introducing our New Members First up in our new feature are Peter and Ann Thanisch who we are really pleased have joined our congregation. Many of us have already got to know Peter and Ann—if you don’t know them yet, seek them out and say hello! Peter Thanisch: “Until last year, I was a professor of computer science at a university in Finland. (There's no point in moaning to me about cold weather as I am used to -30 degrees.) I am now working part-time as an IT consultant for the World Health Organization in Geneva and I am still actively engaged in my research field of looking at how computing can be done with better energy efficiency. (At present, computing has a larger carbon footprint than the environmentalists' bête noire, aviation.)” Ann Thanisch: “I am told that as a new member of Craigmillar Park I should write a few words about myself for the magazine so here they are. I was brought up in Pitlochry, studied at London University, moved to Edinburgh in 1978, had two sons now in their early twenties, and until recently was a management accountant for surgical services in NHS Lothian. I am truly grateful for the warm welcome from the Craigmillar Park congregation and am very much looking forward to continuing worshipping here.” In the next edition; another new face introduces themselves! 3 CROSSWORD with a world geography theme by Roger Paton page 10 page Answers on Answers Across Down 1 Leone or Nevada? (6) 1 Re-cycled stuff on a farm (6) 4 Canadian city o.t.t. away out! (6) 2 Common sense will lead to German 9 Host Leo found in African kingdom city (5) (7) 3 Smallest county in England (7) 10 No age limit for visiting this Italian city? (5) 5 I turn round in this Italian city (5) 11 Austin I drove round N. African 6 Use a book of maps to find these country (7) mountains? (5) 12 Arab/USA aid I find in Middle-East 7 Maybe where Noah's ark came to (5,6) rest (6) 16 English town found in east-nor'- 8 Mandella was its most famous son east direction (7) (5,6) 19 London's river (singular) identifies English town (5) 13 Wren Pat went round this Belgian city (7) 21 English city famous for its ‘Rows’ (7) 14 Famous for Shahs and rugs ! (6) 22 English writer sounds like oil-city 15 Scottish Fort, third in line for the (6) throne (6) 23 Famous tribe from the Wild West 17 Nation famous for its cuckoo clocks of USA (6) (5) 18 Scandinavian language group (5) 20 Famous race in Mexico? (5) 4 LIFEBOATS SUNK! I am very disappointed to tell this 2009: Hilda Dacker, Kay Chrichton, congregation that the RNLI Lifeboat Molly Fulton, Alison Samuel, Rena Week has been abandoned by the Brizell and Margaret Carrie. Also organisers. Olive Milewska, at the age of 101: It is relevant to us because support an Orcadian by birth, she never lost for the RNLI lifeboat collection has those islands' love and enthusiasm been notable within our for the RNLI and was generous in congregation. This goes back to the every way supporting the work in days when Marjorie Smith was the Edinburgh. convenor of Lifeboat Week for the Their loss, especially that of Pauline, Newington district and continued has had a profound impact on the when she passed that responsibility lifeboat organisation, such that no to me. Members of CPC have made one else has been able to provide up one third or more of the the time and energy necessary to collectors in this area. keep it all going. In the past 4 years The mainstay of RNLI efforts in the the amount raised in the Edinburgh whole of Edinburgh was the collection has declined by almost Edinburgh Ladies' half, although not Lifeboat Guild in Newington, and which for almost the RNLI is raising 60 years funds by other organised Lifeboat events; I was told Week as well as that a lunch in street collections, Glasgow raised a permanent shop £400,000, which is in Raeburn Place certainly (which was RNLI's impressive. only full-time Perhaps corporate charity shop in the and political UK), bric-a-brac sponsorship is stalls, a Christmas shop and many better suited to modern times, when other events. The driving force of it becomes more and more difficult the (RNLI) Guild in turn was its Hon. to get people involved in voluntary Secretary Pauline Hodge who sadly and charitable work. died 4 years ago; in the words of Even so, we shall miss Lifeboat Lady Wylie, then President, Pauline Week; but let me thank for a final had “...given her life developing time all the past helpers from this Lifeboat Week into the large and church who have worked hard every successful operation that is today.” year for a very worthwhile cause. Other stalwarts of her team died within months of each other in Norman Weibye 5 DO WE HAVE RIGHTS OR DUTIES? The guiding season at the National Dalrymple looks at all this from a Trust’s house at Newhailes, on the totally different angle, and a more road to Musselburgh, begins this useful one.