Summer 2021 Rector Curate of of St Columba's & St Columba's & St Peter's St Peter's Rev'd Christine Barclay Rev Peter Woodifield Contact Number Contact Number 07964 175914 07747 023108 www.stpeterslinlithgow.co.uk www.stcolumbasbathgate.org.uk Dear Friends, I write this letter as we approach mid-summer and the end of the school year. Since our last edition of Life Together we have journeyed through Lent, Easter and Pentecost and now find ourselves in that lovely period of ‘Ordinary Time’, not that anything is ever ordinary with God or in church life! These are the words that I wrote at the beginning of my letter in Summer 2019 and at first glance they still fit as the school and Church years roll on in spite of pandemics and other life changing events. But of course, nothing has been quite the same for the past two early summers and we mourn not being able to celebrate the different annual traditions of Bathgate and Linlithgow at this time of year, hopefully next year there will be fantastic celebrations to make up for the two lost years. Well done to the Deacon’s Court for organising a virtual Marches for this year, keeping the tradition going. And as life begins to open up again, we are now able to make plans for holidays, trips and visits, enjoying long awaited catchups, and maybe a hug or two, from family and friends. Living where we do, we are so fortunate to have so many opportunities for days out, walks, leisure activities and lots of green space, not to mention the coffee shops and ice cream parlours. No need to travel far this summer. Who would ever have thought we would be so excited to sing in church, behind our masks, but that was what we are able to do now that we are in Level 1 and what a joy it is, even though most of us are a bit rusty! I do hope that we won’t take these small yet so important aspects of our lives for granted ever again. Sadly, it will soon be time to say farewell to our curate Peter. He is leaving us on Sunday 25th July to return to his ‘sending’ churches of St James and St Mungo’s down the other end of the Edinburgh bypass to complete the final 15 months of his curacy and then remain as a priest in those churches. On one level it seems no time since Peter arrived with us back in the autumn of 2019 and his ministry with us has been very much overshadowed by the pandemic. This brought many challenges but also lots of opportunities and Peter has enjoyed a very rich time with our two churches, we have learned so much from him and I know that he has learned so much from us too. Among his many gifts are those for preaching and teaching, gifts that he will be taking back to his home congregations. We don’t know how or when but we are planning to have a little farewell party for Peter when restrictions allow. Whatever you are doing this summer I wish you fun and happiness hopefully some good weather in which to enjoy it. With love and prayers Christine Special Collections During Lockdown The coronavirus pandemic has raised many challenges, including not being able to make special collections in church. Instead, we asked donors to pay directly to the church bank accounts and St Peter’s set up a Just Giving account, which it shares with St Columba’s, to permit card payments to be made on-line. Below summarises the amounts collected and disbursed, including Gift Aid of 25%, during the pandemic. Amounts raised at St Peter’s, including some from St Columba’s via Just Giving: Harvest Thanksgiving: £240 was donated to the Falkirk Food Bank Sunday School Christmas Appeal: £280.00 donated to CHAS. Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2021: £732.36 donated to the Anglican Community Fund (Friends of ACF). Sea Sunday 2021: £233.75 donated to Mission to Seafarers, Scotland Amounts raised at St Columba’s, excluding what was donated through Just Giving, and including Gift Aid of 25%, during the pandemic: Harvest Thanksgiving: £153.50 donated to West Lothian Food- bank Sunday Club Christmas Appeal: £87.50 donated to Aberlour Children’s Charity Bishops Lent Appeal 2021: £278.75 donated to the Anglican Community Fund (Friends of ACF). Sea Sunday 2021: £125 donated to Mission to Seafarers, Scotland Summer Prayer The warmth of the sun's embrace, the gentle breeze swept in by incoming tide, the rhythm of seasons, of new birth, death and recreation. All these speak so clearly of your love, your power and your beauty. All are expressions of your creativity, and more importantly of yourself. As an artist might share his personality within each brushstroke, so within the myriad colours of a butterfly's wing you share the exuberance of your love That we can glimpse you within creation is a beautiful thought, but also tells us that you desire to be seen, to be found and known. Open our eyes, Lord, as we walk through this world, feel the wind and sunshine, see the majesty of creation unfolding before our eyes. Help us to see you. Amen From our Service Register Thursday 27th May 2021 Funeral of Margaret Winifred Shaw in West Lothian Crematorium. Sunday 6th June 2021 Internment of Ashes of Evelyn Clarke in St Columba’s memorial garden. The new Crab Apple Tree in St Columba’s Garden was planted in memory of Rev Peter and Betty Kirk and blessed on Sunday morning after worship. St Peter’s family’s picnic in Rosemount Garden on a lovely sunny and warm Saturday lunchtime. It was wonderful to catch up with some of our children and parents face to face. How the young people have grown during lockdown! And after our picnic we enjoyed a game of rounders. A soon to be repeated occasion I hope…. St Columba’s Sunday Club picnic in the Church Garden on a lovely sunny and warm Sunday afternoon. Again it was so good to catch up with people after so long. And funnily enough the young people here too have shot up during lockdown! After our picnic we enjoyed a surprise delivery of ice lollies and then games on the grass. Another gathering to be arranged later this summer, there was even talk of a BBQ. Life Together Autumn 2021 Article Deadline Date 12th September 2021 New Treasurer for St Columba's From next month Danielle Dewhurst will be taking over from Ron Buchanan as St Columba's treasurer. Ron and Sandra are moving down to Wales to be nearer to their daughter Kate and while we wish them well we will miss them both very much. Both Ron and Sandra, and Sandra's late mum Everlyn, embedded themselves in so many aspects of the life and worship of St Columba's, supporting events, singing in the choir, Sandra's wonderful baking as well as Ron keeping the finances in very good order so all is ready to hand on to Danielle. Thank you Danielle. A Hug It,s wonderous what a hug can do A hug can cheer you when your blue A hug can say “I love you so” Oh “how I hate to see you go” A hug is “welcome back again” And “great to see you where,ve you been” A hug can soothe a small childs pain And bring a rainbow after rain A hug---- There,s just no doubt about it We scarcely could survive without it A hug delights and warms and charms It must be why God gave us arms Hugs are super for Fathers and Mothers Sweet for Sisters, ,great for Brothers And chances are some family Aunts Love them more than potted plants So stretch those arms without delay And give someone A HUG TODAY Doreen Starritt Bruce Jamieson Lockdown History Talks Lockdown History Lessons – Bringing The Church and Community Together on Zoom The talents of our own Bruce Jamieson, history expert and raconteur were utilised recently during lockdown to educate and entertain the local community to the great delight of young and old. Following a brief mention in the St Peter’s What’s App group that he had delivered an online lesson to his niece’s primary class in America, the opportunity was seized to recruit him for our own church children. To educate them in the history of our town and bring to life events from the past. What followed was a series of fantastic fact filled lessons delivered professionally online for free with wonderful pictures and photographs. The success of these lessons grew week to week as more children and adults joined the sessions hosted by Bruce. Children from the Sunday School and wider community who may have had no church connection whatsoever were included. These lessons did more that educate us all in history, they brought together a group of individuals young and old (or slightly older) to share fun times online and revel in the gory details of some of Bruce’s tales. Who knew that Mary Queen of Scots head didn’t come off straight away! Topics covered were History of Scotland, WW2, The Romans, Mary Queen of Scots, Victorian Linlithgow and the final one in this series, The Titanic. This could have been the first introduction that some of these children have had to fun history lessons which came alive and prompted them to ask questions and laugh.