Prebytery Update April 8
Hello everyone,
One of the great things about being a Christian is we belong to a vast family most of whom we do not know but when two Christians meet together there is always a moment of joy. Two people who share a foundation for life and eternity! Recently Alan and Jan Naylor from Penicuik North were on holiday in Rome and decided to drop in on Tara Curlewis our missionary partner. Alan gives an account of the day below and there is a picture of Jan (left) and Tara (right).
A day in the life of two elders!
Jan and I have been elders in Penicuik North Kirk for over 70 years between us. We started a Mediterranean cruise in early March in Barcelona where we had visited our granddaughter who is studying there. On through the Med including Ephesus (go if you get the chance as St Paul and others did!) and we ended up in Rome. There we met two clerics.
Firstly Rev Tara Curlewis, the CoS minister in Rome, but also the representative of the ecumenical movement in Rome. Typical of the Kirk - one minister and two jobs. Tara showed us around after a “McDonalds”coffee and a wide ranging discussion.
My question is how can we help our missionary partner?
She is looking to utilise in terms of Worship Leading, the excellent facility developed by the Presbytery but was particularly excited about Interim Moderator training.
She has an active congregation with many ‘one Sunday’ visitors but is facing the same problem as most of us - an ageing flock. She asked for our prayers for her church for her congregation and for her work. She was a courteous hostess showing us much of her new home city which was busy and hot!
Later we met up with Rev Rob Warren, now the Episcopal rector in Rome who had spent many happy years in St James the Less in Penicuik, where he met his wife Caireen. An enjoyable interlude which included a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar which is performed annually in Rome, the week before Holy Week.
Jan and I have been blessed to visit CofS congregations in Hong Kong, Lausanne, Colombo and now Rome. In their various circumstances they all asked for our prayers as they faced their futures. Let’s do it!
Alan and Jan have come back from their holiday with great memories and a rekindled impetus to support people like Tara.
Church of Scotland Learning
Across our denomination there is a renewed emphasis on equipping people to respond to all the challenges faith presents in todays world. We all know how hard it is and we all know we need to support each other.
Staff in the Faith Action Program Leadership Team have drawn from people across the denomination who have experience worth sharing and have put together a website dedicated to equipping people. You can find it here: Springing into Growth and Renewal with Church of Scotland Learning | Church of Scotland Learning (circle.so)
There are modules on everything from Discipleship to Eldership to Leadership, they range from the intensely practical to the more theologically reflective but all are designed to help you in your faith. More modules are added every month. This is a superb resource we should all be making better use of.
Fundraising Workshop
Looking for free Money? Who isn’t!
The Priority Areas (PA) team, along with Seeds for Growth, have arranged fundraising training with our partners Faith in Community Scotland (FiCS).
This is ideal for congregations looking to access grant funding for their project ideas. The training will cover all the basics from project conception and approaching potential funders through to reporting on how funding has been spent. There will be input from The Church of Scotland’s Seeds for Growth staff.
When: Wednesday 24th April
Time: 9am for coffee and pastries to 4pm
Where: Milton Room, Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4JP.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
We have a limited number of spaces, which will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Please sign-up now to avoid disappointment. We recommend that interested congregations send two or three people as a project team to get the most from the day.
Sign-up now, use the form here: https://forms.office.com/e/686V6E7Tyx
Remember to pray for each other, that is one of the principle ways we as Christians support each other. This week’s prayer diary is for Dirleton linked with North Berwick Abbey
April 14th Dirleton linked with North Berwick Abbey
We remember in prayer this week the leadership and all involved in the life of this community.
In addition give thanks for the six new elders recently ordained in Abbey and bless all who will visit our two churches in the coming months.
Please pray for Peter this week as he walks St Cuthberts way accompanied by local folks from across the Borders. Pray especially for decent walking weather.
Lastly a few in-house updates for you.
Presbytery Accounts are still being prepared. Bringing all the funds of the 4 Presbyteries together was complicated, so is reporting it in a clear way in an annual report. Next year will be, we hope, much easier. When we get them we will call the meeting.
The current Presbytery website is being taken down and replaced with a bespoke one. It is being worked on as we speak and should be live in the next couple of months. We had property forms on the old site, if you want them, just email myself or Roger Dodd.
The Yearbook has now been released and as expected there are quite a few changes needed. We will release an updated version with these changes before the June Presbytery.
We are looking for elders who want to be part of Presbytery, we can appoint up to 30 balancing elders and there are lots of spaces. We want people who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of folks in the Lothians and Borders. Do you have skills and passion to help others? Get in touch with myself. [Your KS have to agree for you to be one]
Be thou a bright flame before me,
be thou a guiding star above me,
be thou a smooth path below me,
be thou a kindly shepherd behind me,
today, tonight and forever.
—Attributed to St. Columba (521-597 AD)
God Bless
Norman Smith