Hello everyone,
What do cushions, watch straps, rugs, skirting boards, kitchen chairs, tablecloths, jumpers, trousers, flowers, the lawn and any food item you can think of have in common? They can all be chewed by Labrador puppies. Sadly the list previously mentioned is just a small subset of everything chewed. We had hoped the older one would help tame the worst of puppyhood in the younger one. It’s worked in reverse. The older one is being egged on by the puppy to do things he had long grown out of. As we pulled something else out of the puppies mouth last week we were actually wondering how the breed was still here because Labrador Retrievers are not the wisest of dogs. In our house the most common shouts just now are…. No, Give me that, Open your mouth and Oh for goodness sake what now! Yet we love them and they love us. We cannot stay mad at them. Anyone who has owned a dog or any pet knows this. You can rage, you can miss what’s been chewed but once you allow them into your heart that’s it. We love them often in spite of themselves.
Ever wonder if that is the way of things with God? He loves us in spite of ourselves? We know we are not perfect yet he loves us. We know our hearts often turn away from God, yet he loves us. We certainly know the church has done some very un-Christian things over the years. Yet he still loves us. If after everything humanity had done in the last 2000 years God has not turned away from us, he is not likely to do so now. He loved us yesterday, he loves us today and he will love us tomorrow. What a great God we have!
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” John 3:16 (The Message)
May God make his love real to you in lots of different ways this week.
Norman
IMPORTANT
A few people have asked about changing the designation of a building from B to A. Shortly after we became Lothian and Borders we approved a process for doing this which you can find here. Process-for-Presbytery-approval-in-moving-a-building-from-B-to-A-Final.docx If you want one of your buildings to be classed as A (To be retained beyond 5 years) then it should come to the June Presbytery. This means you have 2 months to put together your case for Presbytery to consider. If you have any questions about this, get in touch with Norman.
Decision under powers over the last two weeks are below:
| 25/02/2025 | Presbytery Clerk | Appoint Mrs Susan Patterson to act as Interim Moderator in Coldstream l/w Eccles and Leitholm from 1st March and discharge Rev Adam Hood from this duty on that date. |
| 05/03/2025 | Presbytery Council | Appooint Rev Douglas Hamilton as Presbyteries education rep on East Lothian Regional Council Education Committee |
| 05/03/2025 | Presbytery Council | Appoint Karen Aitchison (Berwick St Andrews) to be Presbyteries education rep on Borders Regional Council Education Committee |
| 06/03/2025 | Presbytery Clerk | Permission granted to hold a wedding in the currently disused Eccles church building, subject to necessary insurances being in place. |
| 10/03/2025 | Presbytery Clerk | Appoint Rev Neil Dougal as Interim Moderator in Fogo from 1st April 2025 till 31st October 2025. |
Attached are two files. The last Agenda of the February Presbytery Council meeting and an advert from the Science Religion and Technology project of the Church of Scotland. Dr Murdo Macdonald who heads up SRT gives a bit more detail below:
Dear Rev Smith
Greetings once again from Edinburgh; I trust you are well, and not too busy.
As you know, prayer is key for all that we do.
You may be aware that, for a number of years, the Society, Religion and Technology (SRT) project has had a special week of prayer in June for their work.
This year we have been involved in launching a nationwide initiative, which will bring together a number of organisations which work in the intersection between science and faith. The aim is to have resources available to encourage people to pray for the work that each of the different organisations does in this sphere. This is scheduled to coincide with British Science week, which takes place 7th- 16th March 2025. The trailer for the week of prayer is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir1C9D1btBo
A short (3-5 min) video introducing each of the different organisations and some issues to pray for will be made public at 6am each day during the week, from 8th- 16th March.
A flier for the event is attached, which contains links and QR codes for how to access the videos, and also to the opportunity for people to gather online for prayer on the evening of Monday 10th March.
I would be grateful if you were able to make members of presbytery aware of this through your communication channels.
Thanks for your help in this; please let me know if you have any questions
Yours sincerely
Murdo
Dr Murdo Macdonald | Policy Officer |Society, Religion and Technology (SRT) | Faith Action Programme Staff | The Church of Scotland
121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN | Switchboard Tel: 0131 380 3547 | Mob: 07833 160311 | Email: mmacdonald@churchofscotland.org.uk
www.srtp.org.uk | www.churchofscotland.org.uk | Follow SRT on Twitter: @SRTScotland
From our Presbytery Prayer diary, please remember and pray for.
Week beginning March 9th Ayton & District
We remember in prayer this week the leadership and all involved in the life of this community.
Pray for the Guild and their projects; the worship team as they prepare for Lent and Easter, and for the children and helpers who will attend ‘Easter Art’.
Week beginning March 16th Belhaven & Spott
We remember in prayer this week the leadership and all involved in the life of this community.
Pray for people to encounter God in both our established and emerging worship patterns and for our Nominating Committee as it seeks to discern God's will in appointing a new minister.
FAPLT (Faith Action Leadership Program Team) have spent a lot of time discerning a Vivid Vision for the future of the Church of Scotland. See more details below:
Colleagues,
The future of the Church of Scotland lies in God’s hands. We believe this to be true, and so we look to the time ahead with faith.
We also believe we each have a significant part to play in the future of the Church of Scotland and so we give ourselves to listen, learn, plan and act.
The Faith Action Programme Leadership Team (FAPLT) spent time discussing and praying, sharpening and clarifying, to create a picture of what this future might and could look like. It is a picture from their perspective. What does it look like from where you are?
Their Vivid Vision is captured in this film. It is a picture of what might be as we follow the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit in witnessing to Christ in our nation and beyond. It comes as part of a set of resources to help your congregation or Presbytery imagine and prepare for this future. Set time aside to journey together through these materials and create a compelling vision for your congregation and community. [faithaction@churchofscotland.org.uk%20]Let us know what you see, so we continue together to shape this vision and the future.
Faith Action
Christian Aid are advertising an event of interest to us:
Hope you’ve had a great start to the week! Just to share details of an upcoming Christian Aid event that may be of interest in Lothian and Borders Presbytery.
Meet Christian Aid partners from the Middle East, 19th March
We are privileged to have three Christian Aid partners from Israel, Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territory visiting Scotland on 19th March. All welcome to join us from 2pm -3:30pm in Augustine United Church, Edinburgh or online, to hear more about the current situation and how Christian Aid and our partners are responding.
To read the speaker’s profiles or sign up to join online, there’s further information at the following link Meet Christian Aid partners from the Middle East
Thanks again!
All the best
Calum
Calum Martin
Church Engagement & Fundraising Officer
Christian Aid Scotland
Please note, my office week is Monday to Thursday
You’ve heard about it – now it’s time to find out what it is!
Leading up to GA 2024 and, having received approval there, FAPLT’s People & Training Team has been developing an Apprenticeship Route; a new way for people to explore what God’s calling might look like for them.
The good news is that the final part of that process is to pilot this new programme and the even better news is that the pilot will start this autumn. To that end, the advertising of the Apprenticeship Route will begin shortly at which point we will engage with and assess the suitability of those who might want to join it and in so doing become our first apprentices!
It’s with that in mind that we’d love you to have a clear picture of what it’s about it. What exactly is the Apprenticeship Route? Why is the Church doing this and who is it for?
To answer these questions and to share the vision underpinning the new route, the P&T Team is hosting a webinar to which you are warmly invited. To be clear, this webinar is not for potential apprentices but for those across the church who we hope will be able to assist us in promoting the Apprenticeship Route, and who knows, helping us to recruit apprentices. So that as many as possible are able to attend, we’ll be offering it three times – details below.
First and foremost, we’d love you to sense a little of what’s inspiring us about the new route and secondly, we’re keen for you to be sufficiently informed to help you to share positively.
Inspiration and information; what’s not to like!
The webinar will be hosted on Zoom and you can join one of the sessions using the links below which are specific to each date and time:
Monday 17th March, 7-8pm –
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88697250288?pwd=lBGk2jsJbc0eqTCYmDVfmvck8LaCgX.1
WEBINAR 1, passcode: 317192
Thursday 20th March, 10-11am –
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87134948495?pwd=CgRaxhNI1xqa4UpNqvufHJNKfjoERI.1
WEBINAR 2, passcode 510781
Thursday 20th March, 3-4pm –
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86132603745?pwd=o7yYcx0KSPUzQEXbGDTWkAB4Nvb0cC.1
WEBINAR 3, passcode 458047
We’d be delighted to see you at one of the sessions and in the meantime wish you every blessing in your daily tasks as you continue to serve the One who called you.
Martin Fair
On behalf of the People & Training Team
That’s it for this week. As always may you know God’s blessing in all you do. May your church not exist but thrive and may you see your witness have a real positive impact in your communities.
These emails are meant for everyone. Please share far and wide. If you have a good idea to share send it in. If you want added to the mailing list, just ask. Please continue to pray for all the work all our people do to build the Kingdom of God. Finally here is a picture to show that all will ultimately be well!
God Bless
Norman
