Christmas' Cheer the Undervalued Farmer
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ISSUE 56 - WINTER 2019 FREE Stramash!e Orwell and Portmoak Quarterly Parish Magazine Scottish Charity Number: SC015523 CHRISTMAS’ CHEER Time for thanks THE UNDERVALUED FARMER Wake-up call to society 17th Century Scottish Castle Castle Wedding for 110 and Family Home Marquee Wedding for over 200 Grade A Listed with a 9th century [email protected] ruined medieval church, maze and a www.tullibolecastle.com 150 yard ‘moat’ situated in its parkland Tel: 01577 840236 OPENING TIMES MON 9-5 WED 9-5 THUR 9-5 FRI 9-5 SAT 9-4 101 HIGH ST. LATE NIGHT ON REQUEST KINROSS KY13 8AQ SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY 01577 862095 FIND US ON | 39 High Street, Kinross KY13 8AA 1 Dear Friends, way, the plight of our farming community and the need for us all Our farmers are heavily to be aware of it and to stand in on my mind. At our Harvest solidarity with our struggling farmers. Thanksgiving services, of course, we give thanks for them and the indispensable work they do. In our local farmer who came to speak beautiful rural parish that work is in to me at the close of a recent evidence around us all the time. In service. In a calm and measured church we pray for them regularly. way, but with deep feeling, he told me of the pain within the farming their life than any other occupational I am, however, deeply troubled community; the sense that their group. Chris shared heartrending by the situation our farmers are work is misunderstood and greatly accounts of four recent suicides currently facing - and have been undervalued; the inability of most of farmers in his own area. This is for quite some time. Two recent people in a consumer culture to surely a loud wake up call to our conversations, and a lecture I appreciate the connection between whole society. attended in St Andrews, have the round the clock work of farming brought home to me in a sharpened and the food on supermarket shelves The lecture to which I referred was and on our tables; the loneliness of given last night (as I write) at St the work today, when in the past Andrews by Prof. Norman Wirzba it was a team effort; the keenly felt of Duke University. Entitled ‘The CONTENTS disrespect directed their way from Spirituality of Eating’, it served to people who look down on their underline much of what I have just 1 THE NEGLECTED GIFT mud-caked working clothes or reported hearing and set it in a wider Time for transformation demonstrate anger at the inevitable context. Its main thrust was the need earth left on the road by tractors to move from viewing our food as 2 SCIENCE & RELIGION a ‘commodity’ to seeing it as a ‘gift’, A Christian’s vision another. And, along with such issues, with a consequent new appreciation the drastically reduced returns for and love of the land and those who 4 TWIN YOUR TOILET their labour leave many with a sense work it. Do watch the talk online A ‘Messy’ marvel of futility and purposelessness. It was (google ‘James Gregory Lectures’) – it a conversation that moved me deeply. will transform your attitude to the 5 LOVE TO LAUGH? land, farmers and food. Only joking! Subsequently, I had a chat with Rev Chris Blackshaw who serves More immediately and practically, we 8 A GREAT TRADITION as Pioneer Minister to Farming need in every way possible to let our Spiritual poetry’s alive Communities, based at the Livestock farmers know that we value them Auction Mart in Ayr. One of the best and stand in solidarity with them. We 11 BRICKS, BAKES & memories of my year as Moderator need to require our politicians and BARGAINS was a visit to this auction mart, government to do far more to help Fashioning the future spending time listening to farmers, them and to alleviate their suffering. and then being able to announce In the church we need to develop 12 OPEN FOR the creation of this pioneer ministry more effective pastoral networks of OPPORTUNITY post, intended to provide pastoral support. An (ecumenical) agricultural Abuzz with activity support to farmers and their families. chaplaincy at the busy Stirling Market Chris has been doing sterling work is long overdue. 13 MAIR OF MUCKLE A popular preacher We would all do well to start viewing by farmers, and for some the the food we eat as a gift rather than 14 FOOD FOR A FESTIVAL unbearable levels of stress. Farmers a commodity. Such a thankful spirit Adopting a lifestyle feel dreadfully undervalued and may yet bring the transformation, at every level, that is so much required. 15 LANDSCAPE & statistic that one farmer a week in LIVESTOCK the UK commits suicide. Farmers Yours sincerely, Feeding nature and nation are three times more likely to take Angus Morrison Very Rev Dr Angus Morrison EDITORIAL ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruary MacLeod on 01577 863992 Kim Reid on 01577 862686 Sarah Deighan CONTACTSor email [email protected] or email [email protected] email [email protected] 2 Grasping the Nettle with the Pope’s Astronomer Contrary to fact, but a myth privileged highway that has no place still unthinkingly believed for religious perspectives. by some, is the notion that science and faith are The evidence suggests that the irreconcilably at loggerheads. majority of people reject that highly It is too often forgotten that the exclusive view and recognize that there is so much more to explore. enterprise was given its impetus Science can describe in great detail largely by the Christian vision of the the chemical constituents of Aunt Consolmagno is also a brilliant universe as an ordered reality which Mary’s birthday cake. It has nothing communicator. His deep belief that is open to study by a human mind to say about the love that led to its science and religion need to work that has been shaped in the ‘image alongside one another as friends, not of God’. Many of the cutting-edge avenues to truth outwith the sphere foes, resonates strongly with the aims scientists in today’s world (although of GTN. His visit was part of GTN’s our New Atheist friends like Richard numbers are eager to explore them. journey and we were honoured to Dawkins would not wish you to know They grasp intuitively the truth have him with us. that!) are men and women of faith of Jonathan (Lord) Sacks’ words: who delight to think God’s thoughts “Science takes things apart to We were pleased that Brother after him, in their exploration of this see how they work; religion Consolmagno’s visit attracted a amazing world. puts them together again to see large amount of media interest, what they mean.” appearing in many newspapers and Grasping the Nettle (‘GTN’) with interviews on radio and TV. is a Scottish based national and To help us in promoting our aims, Besides various much appreciated interdenominational initiative, whose GTN this autumn invited Dr Guy school visits, his four intensive days main aim is to promote informed Consolmagno, whom Pope Francis in Scotland involved well-attended and friendly dialogue on the subject appointed as Director of the Vatican lectures at the University of Glasgow, of science and God. That’s a Observatory in 2015, to address the Glasgow Philosophical Society, relationship some would urge us to a series of gatherings in Scotland, the Scottish Institute of Physics and consign to the dustbin of discredited as well as to speak in a number the Dundee Science Centre. The ideas, claiming that science alone of schools. An internationally visit culminated in a day conference offers a reliable route to truth – a recognized astronomer, Dr at Heriot Watt University where he was joined by Dr Denis Alexander of the Faraday Institute in Cambridge and Dr Russel Moffat as main speakers. The feedback from all of these occasions has been highly positive. Many were enthralled by what they heard. The notion that science and faith are ‘enemies’ appeared increasingly eccentric. Look out for a number of these talks on the GTN website. At GTN we are indebted to Dr Consolmagno for sharing his time, knowledge and communication skills with us. He has left a foundation on which we hope to build further. ANGUS MORRISON Chair, Grasping the Nettle 3 Orwell & Portmoak Parish Church of Scotland 29 South Street, Milnathort, KY13 9XA asis Monday to Friday, 10am until 12noon 01577 861200 LADIES GROUP [email protected] www.orwellportmoakchurch.org.uk The Group usually meets on www.facebook.com/OrwellAndPortmoakChurch the last Friday of each month at 10.15am in Portmoak The Very Rev Dr Angus Morrison Church New Room, when there is an interesting talk or craft demonstration. Portmoak -10am; Orwell -11.30am After we meet on December 13th to ‘Celebrate Christmas’ meeting of the new year will be on Friday, 31st January, when we shall gather for ‘Coffee, Cake and Chat’. If you are new to the district, why not come along. You will be made very welcome! AVRIL ROGERS The Guild’s New We can help! Please come in and ask. The Guild’s Secretary offers a taste of what is to come next year 18th Seema’s Project Copying and printing are A Guild project available at competitive rates By the time you read this notice, supporting street - colour or black and white. the Guild will have completed children in India its programme of meetings until Christmas, with the Christmas lunch MARCH still to come. 3rd Kate White Meetings as from January are to be as The Japanese Garden follows: 17th AGM and Charity Meal JANUARY (7pm start) 7th David Lawrie All meetings will start at 2pm, except Farming in Rwanda on March 17th, which will be at 7pm.