In the Presbytery of Moray A Church of Scotland Parish Dyke and Edinkillie Parish Profile An Unrestricted Call Dyke Church Edinkillie Church Together in faith and fellowship Together in Faith and Fellowship Page 1 Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 3 History of the charge and congregation ............................................................................ 3 Our Vision for the Future .................................................................................................. 3 The Congregation ............................................................................................................ 3 Mission and Outreach ...................................................................................................... 4 Dyke Church Access for the Future Project ..................................................................... 4 Community Profile............................................................................................................ 6 Worship Life ..................................................................................................................... 7 Pastoral Care ................................................................................................................... 7 Christian Education .......................................................................................................... 7 Ecumenical Context ......................................................................................................... 8 World Church ................................................................................................................... 8 Stewardship and Finance................................................................................................. 8 Staffing ............................................................................................................................ 9 Church, Manse and Halls ................................................................................................. 9 The Manse ..................................................................................................................... 10 Weblinks ......................................................................................................................... 11 Further Information ........................................................................................................ 11 Together in Faith and Fellowship Page 2 Introduction Dyke and Edinkillie Parish Church in the Presbytery of Moray is seeking a minister on an unrestricted call, due to the translation of the previous Minister in December 2013. The parish lies to the west and south of the ancient Royal Burgh of Forres in the county of Moray. There are two church buildings, one located in the village of Dyke, the other located 8 miles south of Forres at Edinkillie. History of the charge and congregation The congregations of Dyke and Edinkillie became a Union in January 2018, having been linked since 1979. Each has a long history with 18th century church buildings. The current Presbytery Plan for Moray allows the Union to call a Minister with unrestricted tenure. Our Vision for the Future Our parish is blessed with enthusiastic and committed people who are looking for someone to work with us as we build on our progress engaging with our communities. In recent years we have seen increasing numbers of young adults involved in the church family, we have developed shared activities with our community halls, we have involved members of the wider community in practical work, and we have built up connections with young families. We hope to call a minister who can encourage and support us moving forward, working together as a team. We would look for the ability to engage with children in church, and through links with Logie Primary School and Dyke Primary School and Nursery. We are aware of the potential to connect more actively with young people of secondary school age, and would hope for guidance to do that. Worship, teaching, preaching and pastoral care are important for building up the congregation to continue on this journey with God, and we hope to further develop opportunities to study and learn outside Sunday worship. The Congregation The roll of the church is 176 members and 21 adherents. Recent Sunday attendance is around 30-40 at Dyke and about 20 at Edinkillie, of whom the majority are 60 and over, but there are some young families regularly involved. There is a children’s area and crèche at Dyke. There is also Messy Church in the Edinkillie area; both churches meet approximately monthly during term time, with other young families. Within the last 5 years at least 10 people have begun participating regularly in congregational life. The Kirk Session is still evolving following the union and operates under the Unitary Constitution. This is an enthusiastic and effective group of people who are a great help to the Minister. It currently works with 3 main subcommittees, Finance, Property and Social committees, plus the Dyke Church Access Project groups. The latter are three groups which include members of the congregation and the wider community, who are working on aspects of the Dyke Church - Access for the Future Project (Fundraising, Property & Planning and Communications & Vision). Together in Faith and Fellowship Page 3 Mission and Outreach A soup-and-coffee morning is held once a month in the Dyke Village Hall. This is a joint venture between the Church and the Village Hall with members of the Church and the local community working together to provide homemade soups and home bakes. Similarly a Swap Shop is held monthly at Edinkillie Hall; the Church and Edinkillie Hall Committee working together for the benefit of the local community. A close relationship has existed between the Church and the two local primary schools for many years, with regular visits from the Minister. Children from Dyke Primary School use the Dyke Church regularly for assemblies. The children perform a nativity play in the Village Hall, and a carol service in the Church each Christmas. The links with Logie Primary School are also developing through Messy Church and the use of Edinkillie Church at Christmas. It is important to our congregation that links with both schools are maintained and enhanced. The Guild is very active and provides help in many ways, not least financially. At present there are 12 members who meet, every second Tuesday of the month in the Church Hall at Dyke. The congregation offers regular support to Christian Aid, Water Aid and the Earl Haig Fund. This includes holding a Hunger Lunch annually in aid of Christian Aid, and working with other local churches to provide soup and sweet lunches during Christian Aid Week. Other organisations we have supported in recent years include the Moray Food Bank, Moray Supports Refugees, and the Children’s Society. We are also committed to supporting Fair Trade goods and regularly invite a local representative of Traidcraft to sell goods at various Church events. The Church has erected a Contemplation Room in the Edinkillie Cemetery for people visiting the resting place of their loved ones. A singing group meets regularly under the leadership of our permanent organist A newsletter is produced and forthcoming events are well advertised in information sheets and on Facebook. Dyke Church Access for the Future Project The position of the church building at Dyke does not lend itself as “disability friendly” for access and internal facilities. This has been long debated within the Kirk Session, seeking the most cost-effective way of providing these facilities. The Kirk Session believed that there was an appetite in the local community to preserve Dyke Church for future generations. The first stage was to test this and in April 2016 a community engagement meeting was held in the local Village Hall, which was attended by about 60 people, half of whom were not church members. The overwhelming message from those in attendance was that Dyke Church is a focal point for the community, along with the School and Village Hall. The Church, Village School and Village Hall provide important religious, educational and social functions at the heart of Dyke Village and the surrounding communities. Together in Faith and Fellowship Page 4 Many people agreed that the Church also had an important cultural and historical role. With user-friendly access and improved modern facilities, our vision is to make the Dyke Church premises more welcoming, hospitable and flexible, so better able to serve the needs and improve the quality of life for a whole range of people in the community, and visitors, who might otherwise be excluded. We wish to provide a friendly and easily accessible space for small groups to meet, building on the range of activities held at present, and safeguard the use of the church building for future generations. The first phase of this project was to provide an external path. The second phase is summarised in the “Church Manse and Halls” section of this profile below. We have almost completed phase 1, having raised all the funds we need for this, completed the building work and are just awaiting installation of the lighting. We are now finalising the plans for phase 2. Our website is a valuable source of information which is updated regularly. Regular newsletters are also produced and forthcoming events are advertised in the local newspaper