Dear Friends
Pentecost & Christian Aid week…coming together
Your car is Japanese
Your beer is German
Your wine is South African
Your coffee is from Sumatra
Your tea is Chinese
Your watch is Swiss
Your mobile phone is dependent on minerals from DR Congo
Your vodka is Russian
Your clothes are from Indonesia
And you complain that your neighbour comes from “a foreign country”!
My Brother, pull yourself together!
Feel free to add to this wee ditty…
and remember to include that our saviour was a Jew who lived in Palestine.
The day of Pentecost was the marking of a new age. The age of the Spirit. When the disciples were so filled with the spirit of Jesus that they started speaking languages from all over the place. The good news and the love of Jesus could not be confined to one people and one place.
As often happens this year Pentecost Sunday falls in the middle of Christian Aid week. It gives us the chance to recognise that as we give to help injustice around the world so we too are part of a much bigger movement than just our little church. We are part of an international liberation movement that sets people free!
Can we celebrate this as well as remembering our responsibilities as wealthy first world Christians?
I wonder if we can we celebrate those we have in our midst as Christians who now settled in Scotland but who came here from other countries?
You may wish to
-invite people to say what the word ‘welcome’ is in the language of the non-scots you have present with you
(Or local dialects if you don’t have any non-English folks i.e. greeting in Doric etc)
-invite people together to say the Lord’s Prayer in their first language. (Could this be a regular practice? It was when I was in a parish)
-invite such folks to say something about the growth of the church in their country of origin
-Fly kites with folks on the green, in the church yard or in the park (See Acts 1.11!) as it’s a day of gifts, colour, life and languages…
If you have a group of folks originally from another country in your congregation or who use your building I would love to hear from you. Please do get in touch.
You may be interested to read this > https://www.cswc.div.ed.ac.uk/projects/global-christians/
Blindwells Update
We have in our presbytery the largest new housing development in South East Scotland > Blindwells. Just off the A1 in East Lothian there are plans for up to 6000 new houses.
The churches in Cockenzie & Port Seton, Longniddry & Gladsmuir are taking the lead in supporting the new community and in sharing the good news.
Frances Cunningham, Worship Leader at Longniddry reports on one of their monthly events…
In March our happy band of volunteers returned to the Community Cabin at Blindwells for our usual monthly visits to meet with the residents and welcome them to their new homes and the local community.
We have a theme each month, for example
-Harvest when we had garden produce and jam on offer.
-For March we looked towards Palm Sunday with tea, coffee, juice and hot cross buns for folks to enjoy.
The children happily coloured in pictures of crosses and were delighted to take them home. We enjoyed chat about Easter and of course, Easter eggs and how they were going to spend the holidays.
We have exciting plans for the coming months including a plant sale in May with any proceeds going to Christian Aid. We look forward to getting to know our neighbours in Blindwells and hopefully watch their gardens bloom!
Forward planning:
Our local community centre are sourcing leaflets for us on various topics, healthcare, childcare, benefits, various support agencies, services etc. We will take them with us each month and advertise in our monthly leaflets that we have them. Hopefully folks will come and engage with us and we can offer support if appropriate.
We plan to source outgrown babies and childrens clothes. As part of our “green” aim, we will offer them on a help yourselves/swap basis.
In the Presbytery Prayer Calendar
Please pray for these Churches privately and if you could, on Sunday in your congregations.
This week we are praying for Duns & District Parishes
We give thanks for the ministry of Rev. Andrew Robertson who is leaving Duns and moving back homeward to the charge at Rural Cowal. May he know God’s leading & blessing in this new chapter of his calling.
Week beginning Sunday May 19th the Parish of Earlston
We remember in prayer this week the leadership and all involved in the life of this community.
Please pray for the various working groups set up in the congregation, & in particular the Mission and Community Outreach group, working on plans for the summer and autumn.
I hope and pray that you have a truly international and generous celebration of Pentecost!
Love & Prayers
Peter
Presbytery News
From Alistair Cook > Mission week in Hawick
Revive Scotland Mission 19-25 May 2024
An exciting week of events is planned for Hawick and district from 19th to 25th May, run by Revive Scotland in partnership with the local churches.
Revive Scotland was begun by Robert McArthur, minister of River Church in Banff, following a vision he was given of revival beginning in the north of Scotland and moving to the south. He and his team, along with churches in each local area, undertook missions in seven locations in the north of the country in 2022 and six locations in central Scotland in 2023. Over 750 people responded to the Good News through these events. This year, missions are organised in five locations in south Scotland, and just over the border in England. The first of these is Hawick!
The team – those who come from elsewhere and those from the churches here – will in the early part of the week be trained in sharing their faith and engage in outreach on the streets. That will lead to an event for children, young people and families on Thursday 23rd from 4-6pm and two main events for everyone from 6-7.30pm on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th. These events will take place outdoors at Brunton Park (Hawick Legion football ground) in Burnfoot, Hawick, TD9 8ES. You can find out more at revivescotland.org
Why not come along the events and bring folk with you?
World Church
From Innerleithen, Traquair & Walkerburn
Thondwe Girls Project 25th May 2024
To mark International Menstrual Hygiene Day and to support and find out more about Thondwe Girls Project in Malawi you are all invited to join us in Tea for Thondwe on 25th May 2024 between 2-4pm at Innerleithen Church of Scotland. Tea/coffee and home baking. Craft, home produce and cake stall. Entry by donation at the door.
Also, there is a Guided Walk around the Glen Estate, including a tour of the gardens, planned for the same morning – tickets £10. Starting 9.30am from Innerleithen Church of Scotland (shared car transfer to The Glen) and finishing back at Church for the ‘Tea for Thondwe’ at 2pm). If you are interested contact Lois Hindley email: thondwegirls@gmail.com
All proceeds for both these events for Thondwe Girls Project which tackles period poverty and helps to keep girls in education.
Further Training
Take time to reflect on your ministry and refresh your mind & soul in part time study.
Doctor of Ministry (New College, Edinburgh & Pittsburgh)
https://divinity.ed.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-study/programmes/doctor-ministry
The current cohort are finishing. Congratulations to Victoria Linford & Graeme Glover and…
The next cohort start in June 2025. Places are limited. Hear Graeme share his experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufXf-QSsXYs
MTh at Trinity College Glasgow
https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/ministrytheologypractice/
Starts September 2024
From St.Mary’s Haddington
Dear Fellow Music Lovers
Our summer series of free afternoon concerts begins this coming Sunday, 12th May. Over the summer we are hosting 17 concerts - all free, lasting between 40 minutes to an hour with tea, coffee & biscuits provided afterwards. There are a variety of performers and styles of music. We do hope you might come along to one of the concerts and any help you can give to helping us publicise the concert series would be much appreciated. The concerts are free but if people feel they would like to make a donation to St Mary’s that would be great. This year any money raised is going to the ongoing project to clean and restore the clear glass windows at the East end of the church.
Rev. Peter J. Wood
Mission Officer for Lothian & Borders Presbytery