making known god’s love in jesus christ...2014/09/06 · link september 2014 making known god’s...
TRANSCRIPT
LinkLinkLinkLink September 2014
Making known God’s Love in Jesus Christ
The sun shone,
many burgers
were cheerfully
cooked and eaten,
and a good time
was had by all at
the Big Day Out on
the links, where
local churches and
a large gathering
of members and
passersby met to
talk, play football,
bounce in the
bouncy castles and
ceilidh on.
Inside This Month
From the Manse
Page 3
Meals for Mums
Page 7
Iain Sutherland
Page 8
Football
Page 11
Photo Gallery
Page 12
When Iain Sutherland was preaching on Psalm 23
last month, I was reminded of this - I first read it
years ago but it is so relevant in today's busy
world!
Helen Miller
Psalm 23 for Busy People
Toki Miyashina
The Lord is my Pace Setter, I shall not rush,
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals,
He provides me with images of stillness,
Which restore my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency,
through calmness of mind; and his guidance is
peace.
Even though I have a great many things to
accomplish each day,
I will not fret, for his presence is here.
His timelessness, his all-importance will keep me
in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst
of my activity,
by anointing my head with his oils of tranquillity,
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit
of my hours,
For I shall walk in the pace of my Lord,
and dwell in his house for ever.
Sunday Services 11.00 am and 6.30 pm Barclay Viewforth Church—Church Office: 0131 229 6810
Minister Rev Sam Torrens 478 2376 [email protected] Pastoral Associate Mrs Jane Fucella 01899 229291 [email protected] Mission Facilitator Rev Iain Sutherland 07843089598 [email protected]
Church Administrator Elaine Hogan 229 6810 [email protected] Session Clerk John Ritchie 558 1381 [email protected] Clerk to Board Katharine Ellis 228 4136 [email protected] Assistant Clerk Christine Wight 447 5498 Treasurer Janet Darling 447 1578 [email protected] Roll Keeper Helen Miller 449 4470 [email protected] Organist Dennis Deas 447 9045 [email protected] Choir Master Andrew Robertson [email protected] Ministry Assistant Rev Shirley Fraser 347 1400 [email protected]
Magazine Editor Elaine Rumney 313 4956 [email protected] Web Master Mike Ellis 228 4136 [email protected] Church Officer Chris Hogan 229 6810
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REVIVAL – then and now
Sunday 28 September
8.00 pm, Barclay Viewforth Church
Join us as we celebrate 150 years of the Word
being preached out of the Barclay Church
(now Barclay Viewforth).
Worship at this special service will be led by
Origin Scotland, with guest preacher Paul
James Griffiths sharing the word.
Although this is an act of worship the evening,
for health and safety reasons, will be ticketed.
Please ask for tickets after Sunday services or
contact the Church Office to reserve some.
Help with stewarding required – if you are
able to help on this evening please sign up at
the Information Point.
- 3 -
From the
Manse
“Unless the
Lord watches
over the City”
Psalm 127v1b
There is enough
in Psalm 127
v1,2 to kick-start
our Christian
year!
Firstly, the line
quoted above takes us to the Edinburgh Presbytery
Plan, which has these very words as its motto. Once
proudly held as the motto of our City Chambers they
now rest on the pages of our Presbytery Plan, a plan
for mission. Accepting the merits of planning, there
is, in v1, the acknowledgement that planning alone
will not halt the decline of the church and all that
comes with it. This Presbytery Plan has replaced the
one before it, and that another, and that yet
another, and the decline continues. Everyone
acknowledges that planning alone does not extend
the Kingdom of God or arrest spiritual decline.
Maybe it needs planning and good old-fashioned
hard work? A good plan coupled to a Protestant
work ethic can surely achieve a lot! Yet in this Psalm
there is the acknowledgement that long hours of
toil, when the candle is burned at both ends, will
actually be done in vain if done without the Lord.
Unless the Lord helps us, our plans will be in vain.
Unless we trust the Lord, our own efforts will
exhaust us.
Unless the Lord revives us, our decline will continue.
Aware of this, the month of September carries four
challenges!
Firstly, in the morning services, leading up to Vision
Sunday on 5 October, we will be challenged by the
life of Jonah to be just a little more enthusiastic
about mission in our City. God still loves the City –
every City, from Nineveh to Edinburgh! Jonah was a
highly competent servant of God who simply lacked
the necessary enthusiasm for mission to that City!
On Vision Sunday we will, enthusiastically,
commission two new Missional Communities,
Connect Plus and The Net, along with two recent
additions to the Ministry Team, Jane Fucella and Iain
Sutherland.
Secondly, in the evening services, building up to the
Origin 150th
Anniversary Praise Event, entitled,
“Revival: then and now!” on 28 Sept at 8pm, we will
be looking at the theme of Revival through the lens
of the Psalms. I still remember a Christian leader
called Michael Backholer who, in 1989, stood on the
bank of the Forth at North Queensferry and looked
at the bridges over the Forth. Suddenly, in a moment
of prophetic awareness, he saw flames of fire
crossing the bridges from the north to the south. He
asked God what it was, and God replied that it was
the flames of revival. Take what you will from that
vision but one thing seems clear to me, and that is,
that unless the Lord revives us again our Church will
continue to decline!
Thirdly, speaking of Presbytery planning, our Office-
bearers will be visited by the Presbytery Local
Church Review Team on Monday 8 September. John
Ritchie and our Office-bearers have been drawing up
Action Plans in keeping with our Vision and the Plan
for Presbytery. Bearing in mind that we are in a state
of gentle but steady transition, the preparation for
this meeting has been hopefully useful but
regretfully labour intensive. A few hours of extra toil
have been needed!
Finally, a pastoral insight. Read Psalm 127v2 again
and notice the promise of “sleep”. He grants sleep
to those He loves! Or put another way, those who
know His love can sleep! Too many of us are losing
too much sleep by either toiling harder than is good
for us or by worrying about the present or the
future. Knowing the unfailing love of God means
being able to trust Him with our work and with the
areas of concern in our lives. Jesus in Mark 4, was
able to sleep in the midst of the storm. Of course, He
was tired, but I reckon He was also trusting in the
unfailing love of His Father to handle the concerns of
His life, there and then.
Sleep well, work willingly, and pray that God will
revive us again!
Regards
Sam
“In vain you rise early, and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.”
BARCLAY VIEWFORTH CHURCH
Our vision is to make known God’s love in Jesus
Working out that vision involves:
reaching out to others with the good news and
coming to know God’s love more deeply ourselves,
as we grow as disciples of Jesus.
We will do this through:
Missional Communities
a range of worshipping communities which exist
beyond the church walls
Ministries
where people gather around a particular calling
and ministry within the church.
We will develop leaders for MCs and Ministries
using Huddles - small groups where people learn
about discipleship. Huddles are about “learning”,
but we are looking for people to move on to
“doing” in the work of a particular MC or Ministry,
as they are led by God.
The role of the Kirk Session will be re-focussed:
Elders will have a servant oversight role, where
MCs and Ministries are reviewed and supported by
specific elders. We have set up a process involving
focus forms and reporting back to Session, and this
will provide guidance, support and help identify
resourcing needs.
Where members are in MCs or Ministries, it is
intended that the kind of spiritual and pastoral care
that elders visiting would have provided will be
offered by the leadership of those groups. This
means a new role for some elders - training as
servant overseers to support leaders in mission and
ministry, some elders will themselves be MC/
Ministry leaders and others will retain the
traditional district role.
John Ritchie, Session Clerk
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Basics Bank
The Basics Bank has
been maintained over
the summer. Referrals
continue to bring new
clients from all backgrounds and with a variety
of challenges in their lives.
At times during the holiday period, volunteers
have been particularly busy.
Thank you for your continued generous sup-
port. It is very much appreciated.
New volunteers are always very welcome. If
you are interested please speak to Sheila
Webster or Irene Hall.
KIRK SESSION NEWS
At the Kirk Session Conference before the summer, we
were hearing more about plans for Missional
Communities. There are two groups up and running:
1) Taste reaching out to students, and
2) TCP - Tollcross Community Pastors serving people
through good works (faith in action), friendship and
pastoral care and by praying for our community.
Two more will be launched later in the year:
3) The Net developing from the existing group of friends
and families, and
4) Connect Plus serving adults with learning disabilities,
through worshipping God together meaningfully and
building friendships around shared social times together.
We were also thinking about how Session can best oversee
and support Missional Communities and the various
Ministries that are part of our congregational life. There
are a lot of new ideas and plans, and here is a summary
of the discussion:
Congregational Roll
Baptism
13 July 2014 Annaliese Angela Wilson
Births
18 July Elizabeth (Beth) Agnes Craigie, a daughter for David
and Meg and little sister to Alice
4 August Juno Kate Forsyth, a daughter for Andy & Anna
and wee sister for Max
19 August Rory Thomas Herrero Paterson, a son for Andrew
and Maryanne and wee brother for Ben.
Deaths
9 August 2014 Mrs Helen McBurnie, Bonnington Nursing
Home
“I am the Resurrection and the Life”
The Net
The Net is a group of friends within the family at
Barclay Viewforth and you are welcome to join
us. The group has been running since 2000 and for
all its members (old and new) it’s a place that we
have found a warm welcome, a place to grow, a
space to share our faith and our doubts and to find
friendships that last.
There are about 30 to 40 adults and nearly 20 small
children in the group. We have a varied
programme of activities in response to what the
folk in the group need. That might mean a night
out or looking at ethical issues arising in our
workplaces or organising something child friendly
for families with children.
The various strands of the Net at the moment are:
• eating together (often)
• regular weekends away
• a fortnightly evening bible study
• a fortnightly child-friendly book group
• story telling session for children
We send out regular emails about what’s on so let
us know if you’d like more information.
Alison Edmondson and Andrew Paterson
- 5-
Introducing Connect Plus
Connect Rebranded
The Connect group was originally started around five
years ago by Sam with the help of Adrian Lough, its
purpose to allow a relaxed place for people new to our
church to feel welcome and find ways to be more
involved. It was intended to be something of a
therapeutic community, combining varied activities with
a short time of worship.
With the help of a core group of interested people
Connect has been running fortnightly since then.
However, recently it seemed that the group would like to
be more purposeful and intentional in its focus.
In the meantime, through attending a Huddle and being
encouraged to look at what God is saying to me and
what I might do about it, I became aware that for the last
eight years or so my involvement with adults with a
learning disability through work and music has given me
much joy. Realising that this group do not always find a
standard church service very easy to slot into and feel
welcome, I started to wonder what to do about this, and
after much prayerful consultation and consideration,
the idea of Connect Plus Missional Community emerged.
We plan to serve adults with learning disabilities through
worshipping God together meaningfully and building
friendships around shared social times. Meeting
fortnightly on Tuesday evenings, we will begin with a
time of calm activity, move into an accessible time of
prayer and worship, and finish with a simple meal
together. Occasionally we would like to host larger
events, for example, a ceilidh, where BV members could
come and meet everyone. In time we could perhaps
encourage this group to enter with confidence into the
life of the Barclay Viewforth congregation.
The core leadership team will meet together on
alternate Tuesdays to have Bible Study, to pray and to
plan the Connect Plus evenings. We anticipate that
others will join us regularly to help host the worship
evenings and other events, as the community grows. At
the same time, we envisage others joining the core
group as we become more established, and everyone
will be encouraged to grow spiritually with us in a loving
familial community.
We are excited about this new direction, and hope that
you are too! Core team members include Elaine
Rumney, Mairi Gordon, Marie Sneddon, Chris Hogan and
Jean Macauley.
We would very much value your prayers as we prepare
to launch the group in October. Please speak to one of
the team if you would like to find out more.
Elaine R
Connect
- 6 -
Tuesday 15th July.
Today was our group’s turn to work on the Maize Field
site for Mama Oliver. When we arrived it was clear that
there was very little work to be done on the site that
day. We moved the remaining bricks into the 3 rooms in
the house and then, after much pestering of Ben and
numerous phone calls, the decision was thankfully made
that we were going to transfer and work at Kimashuku
that afternoon.
We piled back into the cars, drove the short distance
and then ate lunch before we started work.
The septic tank pit, that we had started digging on a
previous visit, was being lined with the concrete
breezeblocks that we had also carried from the front of
the house to the back (on Thursday 10th July). When we
arrived the first 2 layers had been already laid - I
decided (in my head!) that as a challenge we would aim
to get the full pit lined by the time we left at the end of
the day. As soon as the foundies (tradesmen) saw us
coming around the edge of the house and over to the pit
to work there was a lot of conversation and laughing
with Ben. I asked him - "what are they saying? Why are
they laughing?" He said - when they had arrived that
morning, they had been told that their task for the day
was to line the pit with bricks, they had prayed that we
would come back to help as it was a big job for only 3 of
them to complete, and lo and behold - we arrived just
after lunchtime to help! I
thought Ben was joking so I
asked him again - just to
check he wasn't being silly
and he assured me - no, he
was serious, they had
prayed for us and we
arrived!! I could not believe
it and immediately went and
told our whole team the
story (and to be honest,
everyone else that I spoke to
that day got the story as well!!) The lining of the tank
was no small job and it took our team of 5, and Ben, and
the 3 foundies the whole afternoon to complete the
task. Concrete blocks needed to be carried, cement
mixed and blocks lifted into the pit. There is no way that
those 3 men on their own would have got that task
finished in one day, and with our help, (and God
redirecting our team!!) the job was done.
I hope these couple of photos give you an idea of the
scale of the task - only the first 2 layers had been done
when we arrived. By the time we left, the whole pit was
lined and the gaps had also been sealed and finished off
- a good solid afternoons work!!
Mary Bertram
See back page for a photo of the completed tank pit.
Buckets, Bricks and Bananas – Tanzania 2014
It’s amazing what you can achieve in 2 weeks in summer
when you have a tremendous team of volunteers who are
willing to go the extra mile to help other people. A team of
BVC members and a few friends spent 2 weeks in and
around the town of Moshi (at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro)
in Tanzania working with the Vine Trust and their partners
in July – you may have read of some of our exploits on our
blog on the BVC website.
Connecting people to change lives is the strap line of the
Vine Trust – this is really evident in the work and
partnerships going on in Tanzania. We are all ordinary
people with a heart to see lives transformed. Some of us
have been fortunate enough to have made return trips to
Tanzania and, in doing so, can see the ongoing changes to
the families and orphaned children who have benefitted
from new homes. They are healthier and happier and
there is a real sense of hope – you have to see it to believe
it. Lives are changed for the better. When you combine
this with the Barclay Viewforth mission statement of:
Making God’s love known in Jesus Christ, then we can
make a difference. The children’s home at Kimashuku has
the words of part of James 1:27 painted on the wall:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress…”
Mama Kabisha and Mama Oliver and their families will be
the beneficiaries of new homes built by our team (and to
be finished within the next few weeks) and paid for with
the money raised as a result of our various fundraising
events. Both women had lost their husbands to HIV/AIDS
and were left trying to bring up their children in difficult
situations. It was a real pleasure to see their faces as day
by day they saw their new homes rise from the ground,
knowing that they would have somewhere safe, secure
and dry to live in a few weeks time. They will also be
supported by people from the local church and
community.
Over the last 3 years Vine Trust volunteers in Tanzania
have helped to build 26 small homes and the 4th
large
children’s home will be completed soon. To some, this
may seem like a drop in the ocean but ‘every flood starts
with one raindrop’. The BVC family has played an amazing
part in this adventure, sending volunteers and fundraising.
We have seen first hand the difference that can be made
and, God-willing, we will continue to help to make a
difference in the years ahead.
Elaine Hogan
The following is an extract from a diary kept by Mary
Bertram, one of the team.
- 7-
This recipe comes from Alison Cumming, whose inspiration provided the Meals for Mums service, much appreciated by new mums and others in the church. Look out for more delicious offerings in the months to come. Fish Pie with Swede & Potato Topping Serves 4 Ingredients 500g floury potatoes, cut into chunks 1 medium swede (weighing about 600g/1lb 5oz),
cut into chunks 200g tub low-fat soft cheese with garlic and
herbs 150ml vegetable stock 4 tsp cornflour, blended with 2 tbsp cold water 650g skinless, boneless cod, cut into large
chunks 100g cooked peeled prawns 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
Method Cook the potatoes and swede in boiling water
until tender (about 20 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 170C. While the potatoes and swede cook, put the soft cheese and stock into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until blended and smooth. Now add the blended cornflour and cook until thick.
Stir the fish into the sauce with the prawns and parsley. Season with some pepper.
Tip the mixture into a 1.5 litre/2¾ pint baking dish. Drain the potatoes and swede, mash them well and season with black pepper. Spoon the mash over the fish to cover it completely. Bake for 25-30 minutes until piping hot, then transfer to a hot grill for a few minutes to brown the top. Serve with frozen peas or sweetcorn.
Meals for Mums
Food - for Body and Soul!
Dear All
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been inspired by
knowing that we as a BV congregation do ‘Meals for
Mums’, give generously to the ‘Basics Bank’ and also
support new/single cooks through the Pastoral Care
Team. None of this would happen at all if we were
not well spiritually led - so continued prayers please
for Sam and the wider team.
As we celebrate the BV 150th
Anniversary, can I ask
you all to give your continued support by:
• Signing up for the Tea/Coffee rota
• Donating as you can
• Sharing your favourite recipes by email to
[email protected]. In the
meantime, I’m looking forward to sharing new
recipes, experiences as a cooking volunteer
with the charity ‘Fresh Start’ and my own
cooking disasters! More anon…!
Lesley A
Flower Calendar
Flowers for September
were donated by Moira
Bain
Meet our New Mission Facilitator
Hello! My name is Iain Sutherland and I am delighted to
be joining the ministry team here in Barclay Viewforth.
As I start on the 1st September I’ve been asked to write a
little about myself so I decided to do this in a small Q&A
type of way.
Please feel free to follow up on any question with me
personal or ask me other questions as it is the best way
for us to get to know each other.
Where are you from?
I was born right here in Edinburgh in the late 60’s and
first went to school in Portobello. After a time living in
Caithness we moved back down to South Queensferry
where I finished my schooling before coming into
Edinburgh to study Agriculture at the University.
Who are your family?
I met Heather when I moved to her home city of
Aberdeen to study Divinity in the 1990’s. We were
married in 1994 and Rev Shirley Fraser shared in our
wedding service. Our daughter Grace was born in Wick
when we ministered in Lybster in Caithness just before
moving south to Portsoy (Fordyce parish) in 2000. John
our son was born in Aberdeen a couple of years later.
We also have Tess our Collie dog who has adapted to life
in Dunfermline well enjoying walks in the Glen since we
moved south to Gillespie church in 2009.
How did you come to faith?
Although I had pretty much always believed that there
was a power behind the universe, I met Jesus through
reading a school Gideon New Testament in my bedroom.
The trigger for this activity was an unusual (God
appointed I believe) combination of the General
Assembly, the Boy’s Brigade and an elder… but that’s too
long a story for here.
Jesus has continued to graciously lead me into green
pastures of growth and fresh waters of refreshing in my
walk following Him.
Daily I simply ask ‘What is He saying? And what am I
doing about that?’
What is your passion in life?
Honouring and obeying God out of love and thanksgiving
is my passion in life.
This is done primarily now in discipling. By following
Jesus’ life example of ministry discipling others
(culminating in His great commission), I seek to live a
Christ like life that is worthy of imitation by others and
hope to see many begin to follow King Jesus. He builds
His church as we fulfil the Great Commission with the
Holy Spirit’s help and so the Kingdom of God advances.
Do you have a life bible verse?
Our family life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD
with all your heart, and do not lean on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and
he will make straight your paths.
But my personal verse for this year is : Psalm 119 vs. 105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Sports, hobbies and interests?
Although now too old to play rugby I love to watch the
game and consider myself an Edinburgh Rugby fan and
also support Scotland. I do like to watch football as well
but lost real interest when Meadowbank Thistle up and
left along the M8.
I still love going to the gym, hill walking and enjoying
long distance walks..
What is your favourite Disney/Pixar
film?
That’s a tough choice between ‘The Incredibles’ and ‘Up’.
Beverage of choice?
Tea (with milk), but I do like a mocha now and then.
Pepsi Max is never far away either.
I hope that begins to introduce who I am, and I look
forward to serving you and getting to know you all as
well.
God Bless
Iain
- 8 -
- 9 -
Respectful Dialogue - September 3 2014
The Church of Scotland is to hold an innovative
referendum debate involving key figures from both sides
of the campaign in a follow up to its respectful dialogue
event at this year's General Assembly.
The dialogue in Glasgow will be streamed live online to
ten satellite events around the
country, who will each
incorporate it into their own
discussions. For further details
visit the Church of Scotland
website, www.churchofscotland.org.uk/
news_and_events/news/2014
Day of Dialogue
You are warmly invited to join in a Day of Dialogue
at the Grassmarket Community Centre which
concludes at Greyfriars Kirk with an opportunity
for reflection and a midnight vigil on Thursday 4th
September, two weeks prior to the Scottish
Referendum.
This is an all day event where you are invited to
come and go, and dip in and out of the programme,
which is being organised by Collaborate
Scotland. The full programme is found here :
http://collaborativescotland.org/day-of-dialogue/
Among those lined up to participate are Douglas
Alexander MP, shadow foreign secretary, Andrew
Wilson, former SNP MSP and journalist, William
Ury, world-leading conflict and mediation specialist
from the USA, David Melding AM, Deputy Presiding
Officer of the Welsh Assembly, Conor Murphy, MP
and former member of the Northern Ireland
Assembly, Dan MacDonald, Founder of N56, Peter
Lederer CBE, Chairman of Gleneagles Hotel, Jane
Wood, Chief Executive of SBC, Alastair McIntosh,
the ecologist and writer and Rev Richard Frazer,
Minister of Greyfriars Kirk.
John Sturrock QC, organiser of the event, said: “The
purpose of the event is not to set out arguments
for Yes or No. That is being done elsewhere. This is
a more reflective day. We will have keynote
conversations with some fascinating people, all of
whom are committed to politics and decision-
making in this country being done really well. Our
theme is collaboration. Whatever the outcome, this
day will give us opportunities to reflect on how the
referendum has been conducted and, more
importantly now as we look forward, how we can
work together afterwards. In addition to the
keynote conversations, we will have a series of
workshops for people to discuss and explore some
of the things that really matter to them.”
And, at the end of the Day of Dialogue, we intend
to invite people to commit to reconciliation and
respect after the referendum, with a formal signing
in Greyfriars Kirk, in the same place that the
National Covenant was signed in 1638.
A Midnight Vigil will conclude the day, as we
anticipate the transition from September 18 to
September 19, whatever the outcome.
Lezley Stewart, Associate Minister, Greyfriars Kirk
The debate was very ably
moderated by Hugh
Donald. The Better
Together/No Thanks position was taken by Ewan
Aitken, a Church of Scotland minister, former City of
Edinburgh councillor, until recently Secretary of the
Church & Society Council and now CEO of Edinburgh
Cyrenians.
Simon Barrow took up the side of the Yes voters. Simon
is Director of the Christian think-tank Ekklesia, and
formerly Secretary of the Churches’ Commission on
Mission, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
He is also English, but has made his home in Scotland for
the last few years.
It was good to see a reasonable audience for this
debate, where the two opponents agreed on almost
every issue, differing only in their idea of how best to
achieve their vision of “loving your neighbour”. Also, it
was refreshing to hear their positions based not only on
what would be best for Scotland, but also what is best
for our British Isles and even Europe.
There was plenty of time afterwards for informal
discussion over coffee, and personally I found it useful
to have a new perspective to help make up my mind.
ER
Referendum Debate at
Barclay Viewforth
- 10 -
Doors Open for the 150th
Anniversary of Barclay
Viewforth Church
Are you free for an hour or more on
Saturday 27th September? Come and
join our team to welcome people and/
or show them around our building on the annual Cockburn
Association 'Doors Open' day. We've had up to 450 visitors over the
course of the day on previous occasions, so this is a great
opportunity to celebrate our 150th anniversary with people in our
neighbourhood and beyond. Please add your name to the sign-up
sheet on the noticeboard at the back of the Pillar Hall or speak to
Mike Ellis or email [email protected]. If you have
any ideas on how we might 'commemorate' on the day, I would like
to hear from you too.
Mike Ellis
Afternoon Fellowship
Tuesday 2 September
2:00 pm meeting in the Pillar Hall
After the summer break the Afternoon
Fellowship will resume monthly
meetings. This group is open to all.
Meetings usually open and close with
prayer. Some meetings will have guest
speakers from a range of different
organisations and some ‘in-house’, and
on others there will be food or
activities. We always have tea, cake/
biscuits and chat. It’s a great way to get
to know people better.
Join us for the first meeting of the
session. EH
Once a (good) teacher, always so.
I usually learn at least one new thing each time I
visit Winnie so was happy to get an invite to go
whilst Janet, who usually calls in on her on a Sunday
afternoon, was away on holiday. I guess that good
teachers don’t lose the knack of passing on
knowledge in retirement, even though that was
more than 20 years ago in Winnie’s case.
Yesterday, amongst several other things, I found out
about the ‘Machair’ fertile plains in the North West
of Scotland. It was in amongst a collection of
Winnie’s sketches that we were leafing through.
She’d shown me these on a previous visit and I was
so taken with them that I had asked to see them
again. I’m no artist but to me, they capture the
mood of places she has visited so well through the
colours, shades and other detail. Like the reflections
in the water in her sketch of the old church at
Tarbert, by Loch Nevis, which Winnie let me take a
snapshot of and share, (though the photo doesn’t
do it justice, see picture on back page). Apparently
she had wanted to go to Art College but it wasn’t
her only talent and she was persuaded to take
Geography instead.
Not that I detected that she had any regrets about
that. She was just as willing to delve into her
collection of O/S maps to show me where the places
in her sketches were; my usual panic at the sight of
a map was disarmed by her enthusiasm! All this
despite the considerable effort involved due to her
disability in getting around the flat or even turning
pages and speaking.
I learnt a lot that afternoon and not just about
geography and art, thank you Winnie!
Mike Ellis
Church Choir News
Choir will resume practices on
Thursday 11th September at 7.30 pm
in the Pillar Hall.
I look forward to welcoming current choir members
and anyone else who would like to join us . The only
requirement is that you can sing a tune!
Initially we will be making sure we have an
awareness of any new hymns to be coming up in
services in the future as well as looking forward to
items we may add to worship as a choir, particularly
thinking about Remembrance Sunday and
Communion.
As I write this I have just had clarification of
practice dates for the rest of the year from the
office.
They are as follows:
Sept 11, 25 Oct 9, 23
Nov 6, 13 Dec 4, 11,18
Andrew Robertson
(Choir leader)
News from Barclay Viewforth United
The new ECFA season kicks off on September 6th
, a
fortnight away as I write, and the eight teams in the
league are in varied places as regards their pre-
season training. Some sides like St Mary’s
Metropolitan Cathedral and White Lightening have
been involved in ECFA secretary, Brian Latto’s
summer leagues while Bristo Memorial and Niddrie
Community Churches have been playing extensive
friendlies over summer Saturday’s. Barclay Viewforth
United has taken more of a break, only
recommencing training last week and having to date
played but two friendly fixtures, both against
Morningside United of the ESCFA league. How these
different approaches will play out over the 2014/15
season remains to be seen.
The ECFA team leaderships met on 21st
August at
Barclay Viewforth Church and shared and prayed
about a number of aspirations for the season ahead.
Chief among these was that the league will be
conducted in a manner worthy of its Christian ethos.
Two Autumnal events with missional and
fellowshipping potential are now in the offing with
Niddrie Community Church and Charlotte Chapel
planning to take the leads. It is also envisaged that
last season’s Easter Cup five a side tournament
between the league sides and several other guest
teams will be repeated in a similar format. There are
also plans to have an operating ECFA league website
in place for the start of the new season. Colin
Forrest, brother of Simon, has kindly designed and
built the league a website and the intention is for
Gerry McHugh’s fixtures, results and league tables to
be updated on this with additional information
concerning the league and participating church
teams. The address is edinburghchurchesfa.co.uk
Barclay Viewforth’s training and practice is currently
taking place on Wednesday evenings and this is
envisaged to continue at the
Meadows until the light
dwindles too much in
September/ early October.
After that a floodlit alternative
surface will be sought.
Participants from the Church are very welcome to
come along to these practices wherever one’s level
of football ability or ambition is currently at – indeed
the sessions are open to all and there is of course no
charge for playing on the Meadows. The same
welcome applies to match days which are on
Saturday mornings, typically with a 10am kick off.
Supporters are always a great boost to the squad
and lifts are able to be provided to and from the
public parks the team plays on. Of course if you
perform well enough at training and practice you
may find yourself in the side itself!
United’s opening league match is a demanding away
fixture to defending league champions, White
Lightening. Prior to that there’s a final pre – season
friendly against St Mary’s Metropolitan at South Gyle
on Saturday 30th
August. As ever if you have any
football related questions or suggestions please
don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you for ongoing
prayers regarding the directions of Barclay
Viewforth’s football set up and the ECFA league.
Andrew Stephenson
- 11-
After a service, many
folk are thirsty - for tea,
coffee and socialising
with friends old and
new. This is a great
chance to catch up with
people you maybe
haven’t seen for a while
and find out how they
are doing.
Behind the scenes
making this possible are
the gallant band who arrive early bearing milk and
biscuits, fill the urn, lay out mugs, milk and sugar.
They also leave the service during the last hymn to
make sure piping hot tea and coffee is ready for the
thirsty.
Difficult? No. Rewarding? Yes. Come and do it too.
Without folk like them, we would have to go away
without having had the chance to be sociable.
Do please sign up for the occasional morning or
evening service—you won’t regret it. Editor
Items for inclusion in the October Link Magazine should be submitted
to the Editor by Wednesday 17 September
Edinburgh Barclay Viewforth Church of Scotland Registered Scottish Charity No. SC014757 1 Wright’s Houses, Edinburgh EH10 4HR Tel: 0131 229 6810
Gordon and
Danielle
Blackadder,
who were
married in
Providence
Presbyterian
Church, Rhode
Island, USA,
on 28 May
2014.
Peter and
Hannah
Crockett
were
married in
Barclay
Viewforth
Church on 26
July.
Annaliese
and her
mum
Winnie’s
painting
of the
church at
Tarbert
Fun in
Tanzania