Hello everyone,
On Tuesday 27th, 7pm, at the Mound I was called to a very important meeting. It was a chance to meet all the Stewards and support staff who were at the GA. There were around 40 people, all unpaid volunteers, who were everything from stewards, to drivers, to admin assistant to tech and so on. These were the people who were first at the GA and last home. Many of them you never saw but without all of them the General Assembly would not run. They were the unsung heroes and heroines who just got on with the job. In all my years attending the GA I had no idea so many people gave freely of their time to make it happen. This evening was a way of marking their service and saying thank you to them.
We live in a society where increasingly people seek status yet these people did not; they offered service. Similarly our society counts ‘likes’ and ‘views’ though most people go through drawing as little attention to themselves as possible.
One of the great things about Christian faith is that everyone is loved by God. He draws no distinction between high and low, rich or poor, royalty or pauper. We are all loved. As you go through life this week, keep an eye out for the people in the background and take time to notice them. Pray for them, say hello, notice them.
William Barclay once wrote about a group of soldiers in WWII who had lost a friend in battle and wanted to give their fallen comrade a decent burial. So they found a church with a graveyard behind it, surrounded by a white fence. They found the parish priest and asked if their friend could be buried there in the church graveyard. ‘Was he a catholic’ asked the priest? ‘No he was not’ answered the soldiers. ‘I’m sorry then’ said the priest. ‘Our graveyard is reserved for members of the church. But you can bury your friend outside the fence. I will see that the grave site is cared for.’ The soldiers proceeded to bury their friend as instructed.
When the war ended, before the soldiers returned home, they decided to visit their friend and pay their respects. They searched and searched for the grave but couldn’t find it so went and asked the priest where it was. ‘Sir, we cannot find our friends grave,’ said the soldiers to the priest. Who answered, ‘after you buried your fallen friend, it just didn’t seem right to me that he should be buried there, outside the fence.’
‘So you moved the grave?’ asked the soldiers. ‘No’, said the priest, ‘I moved the fence.’
God moved the fence for us all, the seen and the unseen, all of us.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
A few decisions taken under powers this week.
| 27/05/2025 | Presbytery Clerk | Give permission for the 3 Musselburgh congregations to have combined worship on 29th June, 31st August, 21st September, 30th November and 28th December. |
| 28/05/2025 | Presbytery Council | Approve Rev Aniko Bradwell Schuetz to undertake a sabattical in Autumn 2025. |
| 28/05/2025 | Presbytery Council | Concur with the decision of Galashiels Parish KS to dispose of ST Johns building in accordance with the approved Presbytery Mission Plan. |
| 30/05/2025 | Presbytery Council | Presbytery Council acting as VPC give permission to call to Newbattle: St Nicholas Buccleuch (Church of Scotland) on condition of an approved Vacancy Schedule from Stewardship and Finance. |
Another one from Property.
| 27/05/2025 | Prestongrange | Approval of reimbursement of funds from CFF to cover burglar alarm costs |
From the Presbytery Prayer Calendar
June 8th Coldstream and District Parishes linked with Eccles & Leitholm
We remember in prayer this week the leadership and all involved in the life of this community
Please pray for the Hope Explored course being run on the evenings of 10, 17 and 24 June in Coldstream, that it will be helpful especially to people who have recently started coming to church and also that it will lead into a longer study course in the autumn.
Dear Presbytery Clerks - please share with your colleagues
Church in a Changing Landscape – A webinar from Church of Scotland Learning
Thursday 19th June – 1.00-1.45pm
We’re excited to tell you about our next live stream event on the Church of Scotland Learning platform! We’ve launched a number of new modules over the last few months, all of which share a common thread of responding to change. Change continues to be present in our church and these times of change can be unsettling for everyone – church leaders and congregations alike. In that light, we are hosting a webinar exploring the subject of change and introducing you to the variety of modules which have recently launched.
Together we’ll explore: How do we respond to the changing landscape of church where we are? How do we journey together through these challenging seasons? How might we thrive and find hope and new growth in changing times?
We’ll introduce you to four modules, new to the platform – Navigating Your Way Through Change, Being an Intergenerational Church, Future Focus and Ways of Working Together. These four modules demonstrate different aspects of the nature of change and how we can respond in the church.
You will have the opportunity to hear from Eleanor McMahon, People and Training Manager, who will introduce this relevant topic to us, as well as a panel of module contributors. We hope this will be a stimulating and encouraging time together, we’d love to see you there.
If you haven’t signed up to Church of Scotland Learning, you can do so here: Register for Church of Scotland Learning
RSVP to the webinar here: Show & Tell | Church of Scotland Learning
You can also join the event on the day without registering via this public link: Church in a Changing Landscape Public Link
Kind regards
Faith Action
Also attached are the last Presbytery Council agenda, an advert from Dunblane Cathedral and a request from Newbattle St Nicholas Buccleuch for a Locum.
That is all for this update. Remember to uphold each other in prayer.
As always feel free to share etc and send us anything you want put round or are looking for. We are here to help and support each other.
God Bless
Norman
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