St Giles’ Cathedral: The High Kirk of Edinburgh St Giles’ News April 2019 St Giles’ Cathedral is a registered Scottish charity SC003565 Helen bids us farewell—but states ‘I’ll be watching you!’ I thank the Minister for his characteristically generous invitation to occupy this place in the cur- rent edition of the St Giles’ News. Nearly forty years ago in 1980 I came to St Giles’ as Probationer Assistant Minister, continuing for a further two years following Ordination in June 1981. These years were some of the most significant in my life. They introduced me to an approach to ministry and particularly to the art of liturgy that became fundamental and for which I am forever grateful to the then Minister, Gille- asbuig Macmillan. During this period the first fruits of the St Giles’ Renewal Appeal became apparent with the opening of the Lower Aisle, and most significantly, the positioning of the Holy Table in the Crossing and the introduction of the pattern of Sunday worship which has continued to the present. What a stroke of luck for a young minister to be part of the life of St Giles’ at that time! Visiting periodically until I fully returned in 2009, I was always interested in new developments, including notably the installation of the magnificent Rieger organ, the introduction of vibrantly textured banners and cloths, new lighting and stained glass, painted crown and stars beneath the old bell hole, and the emergence after centuries of grime of the true soft colours of the interior stonework. Now when visitors from across the world come to what many regard as the Mother Church of Presbyterianism, they no longer find a dowdy matron presiding over Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Instead, I like to think that a colourful, inviting presence welcomes people of differing denominational and religious affiliation as they step inside, offering a hope- ful, expansive sense of the sacred to all. It has been my great good fortune and pleasure to be back in St Giles’ as Assistant Minister for the last 10 years. During this period Gilleasbuig Macmillan retired after forty years of ministry, and in due course Calum MacLeod, the present Minister was inducted. Throughout I’ve enjoyed varied opportunities, and renewed connections with people I first met in the 1980s as well as forging new ones with more recent members of the congregation and many others associated with St Giles.’ As I prepare to leave, I offer my sincere thanks for the immense privilege of being part of the ministry and worship of this great church, as well as very good wishes to all for the future. St Giles’ will always have a central place in my heart. In a way, and from a discreet distance, in the words of a 1980’s song, ‘I’ll be watching you!’ FAITH IN POETRY GROUP The next meeting will be on Wednesday 29th May in St Giles’ Lower Aisle from 7.30 – 9pm when we will reflect on a poem in Mark Oakley’s an- thology The Splash of Words: Believing in Poetry. All will be welcome. Page 1 Happy Easter! Content Saturday, 27 April—St Giles’ - 5.30pm ‘Journeys in the Spirit’—Reflections on poetry & Page 1 Message from Helen Alexander prayer. Helen Alexander in conversation with Irina Page 2 Editorial & Forward Dates. Janet Morley. See Easter Supplement Page 2. Saturday, 11 May Page 3 Tribute to Helen Alexander Christian Aid—Three Bridges Challenge. See Page 4 Dedication of a new Communion Table Page 18 Pages 5 & 6 Long serving Elders Sunday, 12 May to Saturday, 18 May Christian Aid Week. See Page 18. Pages 7 & 8 News from the Session Saturday, 18 May to Friday, 24 May—Assembly Pages 9 & 10 Introducing our new Moderator Hall General Assembly of the Church of Scot- land Page 11 Catering in the Night Shelter Sunday, 19 May—St Giles’—10.00am Page 12 Homeless Sunday—The Kevock Choir & General Assembly Service. Preacher—The Report from the Foodbank Moderator Pages 13 &14 Pontius Pilate Sunday, 19 May—Afternoon—West Princes Street Gardens—General Assembly Fringe Pages 15 & 16 Refugee Welcoming Project - event Heart & Soul—Fun for all the family with My Daughter is my Sister live music, stalls, and exhibitions. Pages 17 & 18 The Holy Blood Aisle Wednesday, 29 May–Lower Aisle—7.30 to 9.00pm Faith in Poetry Group. See Page 1. Page 18 Christian Aid A full list of Concerts and music in St Giles’ that is Page 19 Consecration Crosses constantly being updated is available from the Cathe- Page 20 Contact Details dral’s website. www.stgilescathedral.org.uk A little bit of Editorial One day, I will get the hang of how to produce a professional newsletter. Those that under- stand such matters keep suggesting that an electronic newsletter should not exceed 16 pages and that is what I always intend to produce—but somehow those good intentions never seem to work, and, once again I end up with an edition that is 20 pages long. My fundamental fault is that I hugely appreciate all the contributions that I now almost routine- ly receive and I simply don’t like to say ‘no’ or carry them forward to the next edition. So, whatever the ideal length should be , I am personally incredibly grateful to the many who contribute articles which in some cases involve considerable research and effort. It is al- ways very risky to highlight an individual for particular thanks but the constant flow of highly professional photographs, provided at almost a moment’s notice, by Peter Backhouse con- tribute very considerably to the quality and appearance of this newsletter. Indeed the newsletter is ’peppered’ with them and I sincerely thank Peter for his kindness and support. And finally, I was very grateful to Prof Helen Bond, Head of the Divinity School at New College for authoring the article (pages 13 & 14) on Pontius Pilate—thank you Helen. Happy Easter Page 2 Happy Easter! Family Matters The Reverend Helen Alexander A Tribute to mark her retiral as Assistant Minister—May 2019 It was with considerable delight that The Rev Nancy Norman, one of our monthly ministers, so willingly agreed to write this tribute to mark Helen’s retiral next month. Nancy’s own involvement with St Giles’ dates back to 1977 when she was appointed as the Minister’s Assistant for Congregational Co-ordination and Pro- gramme before leaving six years later to attend New College. After being ordained, Nancy’s career saw her moving to the Borders where, amongst other duties, she was appointed as minister of the independent charge of Lyne & Manor. Since her retirement in 2012, Nancy has undertaken many Locum opportunities. ‘Do you know Helen Alexander?’ My questioner, a tall, middle aged man, with a kindly face and a thoughtful, rather reserved, manner, had seated himself at my café table, and the talk had turned to St Giles’. From his initial question, he went on to explain that an infrequent visit to St Giles’ had coincided with a Morning Service conducted by Helen. Her sermon was brilliant, he said, and my imagination was not so much captivated as liberated. I wrote to her, he said, asking -- something I’ve never felt it necessary to ask of any minister -- forHelen a copy Alexander of her sermon. My questioner could have been any one of us. If life seems to be often a matter of coincidence of time and place, then we here are blessed, are we not, in the ministries of- fered in St Giles’ over these past forty and more years; blessed to be in the company of those into whose hands, for a time, the care of this great church and responsibility for its worship have been handed; blessed in and through the weaving of words and music and art, stone and shadow and light that make St Giles’ a place of nourishment, mystery and beauty -- from which we go and to which we are drawn to return again and again. With relative ease we exchange views and news of this and that, but when it comes to putting into words things deeply felt, that is another matter entirely -- in this case the gathering up of so many different thoughts and expressions of gratitude to Helen, from whom friendship, leadership and inspiration have been given in no small measure. Helen’s ministry began in St Giles’ in 1980, as a Probationer in training under Gilleasbuig Macmillan. Her gifts were recognised early on and she was ordained a year later -- the first woman to be ordained in St Giles’. Following ministries in Orkney, in the University of Edinburgh chaplaincy and in Australia, Helen returned to St Giles’ by invitation in 2009, as Assistant Minister to Gilleasbuig before his retirement in 2013. With Finlay Macdonald, Helen served through the period of the vacancy, and has continued alongside Calum MacLeod, earning trust and admiration for the dignity and warmth with which she conducts her min- isterial responsibilities. Her long association with St Giles’ gives good cause to mark her retirement; but it is really Helen herself whom we love and the qualities and gifts she has exercised in her ministry that are the reasons for our gratitude to her. Not least these: her linguistic sensitivity, born of a deep faith and a finely disciplined mind; her prayers, and her preaching, the freshness of her thinking, a stimulus to our imaginations; her love of poetry, drawing from our deepest selves what we did not know that we knew, what we had been searching for and did not expect to find; her brilliance at bringing the things of faith to bear upon our own time and culture; a watchful eye -- to ensure that what happens happens well; and simply ‘being there’ for others, for quiet authority coupled with humility.