Minister's Letter

No 436 March 2015 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, Here are some things to think about following up in March: A Holiday Week for Older People is the working title of something we’re planning to do as a church after Easter. Research published by the think tank Demos in 20121 claimed that older people in the UK feel lonely more frequently than their counterparts in Germany, Sunday morning worship. Sweden and the Netherlands, We are looking for volunteers who though it would be wrong to claim could help with baking, serving that is true for every older person. coffee, acting as drivers, laying out To reach out and get to know more the hall, and helping with the of the older members of our local different activities. Please contact community, we hope to run a week Molly Longmuir on 0131 667 2137 if of activities for the over 55s, from you feel you could help on one or Monday 13 April until Friday 17 more of the days. April. Each morning would begin at Prayer is something Christians 10am and end at 12.15pm. can struggle to do, even if they Attendance could be for one or more have at various times experienced or even all of the days. We hope this the value and benefit of praying. A could lead to future links with recent book by Timothy Keller weekly church activities: the Craft provides a helpful and thoughtful Group, the Guild, the Lunch Club, guide to praying, which both the Retired Men’s Group, and 1 Ageing Across Europe: Report prepared by 1 DEMOS for WRVS. Demos, 2012. assesses and balances some come and pray together. These will different approaches to prayer. The be advertised in the Sunday morning reviewer in February’s Life and Work service sheets. called it ‘learned but accessible, 2. Look out for the TryPraying thought-provoking and inspiring’. I advertising on buses again in the have found what I have read so far next few weeks. stimulating and useful, and I think others may too. Prayer: 3. Look out (and pray) for Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with opportunities to give a TryPraying God was published in 2014 by booklet to a friend or acquaintance Hodder & Stoughton and is available whom you think might benefit from in electronic and print editions. reading it and praying. Please ask me if you would like a copy or more. Keep a look out over the next few weeks. May God bless your praying and serving. 1. Look out for fresh opportunities to John Prayer (I) George Herbert Prayer the church’s banquet, angel’s age, God’s breath in man returning to his birth, The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage, The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner’s tow’r, Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear, The six-days world transposing in an hour, A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear; Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss, Exalted manna, gladness of the best, Heaven in ordinary, man well drest, The milky way, the bird of Paradise, Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul’s blood, The land of spices; something understood. Church Accounts Copies of the full 2014 Church Accounts are available at the back of the Church or from the Treasurer, Christopher McLeod. A summary sheet is included with this issue of Prism which details the actual expenditure for 2014 and the budget figures for 2015. On the reverse side are details of the other Church funds. The accounts will be reviewed at the Stated Annual Meeting to be held after the service on Sunday 15 March. 2 World Day of Prayer Service Friday 6 March at 2.30pm in the Canongate Kirk Theme: Jesus said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?” (John 13: 1-17) Written by the Christian women of the Bahamas Blythswood Care News Please note two very different subjects on behalf of Blythswood Care: Firstly, Blythswood Care has organised a Vision Trip for supporters from 4-12 May, visiting projects in Hungary and Romania. This is a great opportunity to see the half marathon, marathon and first hand the situations into which Hairy Haggis Relay are on Sunday our donations and shoeboxes are 31. For information about running sent. The cost is £650 from London, with a charity place from Blythswood including travel, accommodation and Care, please see the website page at food. It will be necessary to make http://www.blythswood.org/ your own way to and from the run_for_romania London airports concerned, but In addition the organisers are travel with other participants can be looking for volunteer marshals and organised. Please let me know, by will give a donation to Blythswood the beginning of March, if you would Care for any supporters who register like to be part of this, or can and get involved that way; recommend a fellow supporter. marshalling is less strenuous than Secondly, Blythswood Care is running and, depending on the role looking for people to take part in the allocated, may take up a relatively Edinburgh Marathon Festival on 30 short time on the day. Please and 31 May, depending on the contact me if you would like to know event. Junior races, 5K and 10K, more. Norman Weibye take place on Saturday 30, whereas [email protected] 3 The Protestant Church in Egypt Did you know there was a Protestant Church in Egypt? I didn’t, until I met Dr Freddy El-Baiady at a recent conference organised by the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe. Freddy is a medical doctor and an elder in the Protestant Church in Egypt; his tiny congregation have, under his leadership set up a hospital which is staffed by volunteers of all faiths and which treats people of all faiths, regardless of their income – and, in a country which has no national health service and where planting, and trains a large number you can only get medical treatment if of people at their Theological College you can afford it, that is a huge and in Cairo, set up by a Scotsman 151 humbling example of mission in years ago. Church planting in action. If you have internet access, particular is central to the vision of look at the website of the hospital: the Synod as it seeks to reach those http://smcegypt.org/home.htm who have no access to a worshipping The Protestant Church in Egypt is community at present. under the direction of the Synod of Egypt is a very poor country with the Nile, one of the Church of almost 50% of people living in Scotland’s partner churches. The poverty, and so the social arm of the number of Christians in Egypt is Synod (CEOSS) is incredibly always open to debate, but current important for many people. This is an estimates suggest that there are incredible organisation which focuses between 8 and 12 million Christians on the rights of the poor and in Egypt, out of a population of marginalised in society to healthcare around 85 million. The vast majority and education, gives microloans to of those are Coptic and Orthodox, but encourage new businesses, and around 1 million are Protestant. The works in conflict resolution at the work of the Synod is focused on highest levels. reaching out to them, many of whom The recent tragic murder of Egyptian live in very difficult situations, being Christians in Libya points up the a minority in a Muslim majority difficulties faced by our brothers and country, and where extremism is sisters in this part of the world. never far away. They need our support and they need The Synod is an incredibly vibrant our prayers. organisation, with many different Pauline Weibye areas of work. The Synod supports Material supplied by the World its pastors and their congregations, Mission Council of the Church of encourages and facilitates Church Scotland. 4 A PRAYER FOR THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH All-Loving God, Whose Son was a refugee in Egypt, we thank you for the faithful witness of the Egyptian Church down the centuries and for its vibrant vision even today, as it seeks to embrace the lost, stand beside the beleaguered and welcome the refugee. As your people in Egypt, and indeed the wider Middle East, face challenges daily, keep them strong and faithful. Amen Congregational Register Changes of Address Mrs Fiona McLaughlin (MacDougall), now at 36 Somnerfield Crescent, Haddington EH41 3RP Mrs Mary Walker, now at Lyle Court, 25/48 Barnton Grove, Edinburgh EH4 6EZ Deaths Mr William Hogg on 4 February 2015 Church Family News Flora and Roger are delighted to announce the safe arrival of Jack Fraser, son of Tony and Lynn Paton and brother of Kerris. Wilma and Sandy Hogg would like to thank John, our minister, for his care and attention during Bill’s illness and also for his comforting service. We would also like to thank the congregation for their concern and support during this time, and for attending the service on Thursday 12 February. The sum of £330 was collected at the door and has been passed on to Age Scotland. 5 Rediscovering the Real World Perhaps it’s a sign of old age, but I’m becoming increasingly alarmed at our retreat into a virtual world of mobile phones, computers, television, e-mails and so-called “social media”. I suppose they said the same in the 15th century when books were first printed, when we no longer had to remember things, or rely on word-of-mouth accounts, but in the last twenty years we have gone “virtual” at a crazy rate.

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