By Rev Fiona Bennett - Augustine United Church

Seeds
encourage | inspire | challenge | No. 46 |MARCH 2015
Augustine United Church,
George IV Bridge, Edinburgh
EH1 1EL
0131 220 1677
www.augustine.org.uk
Scottish Charity no. SC000385
Church Secretary: Kathleen Ziffo
[email protected]
or via the church office
Minister: Rev Fiona Bennett
[email protected]
07552 162 717
Assoc. Minister: Rev Maxwell Reay
[email protected]
07957 543 359
Church Administrator:
Rachel Fitzgerald
[email protected]
0131 220 1677
Seeds Editor: Tamsin Kilgour
[email protected]
Website Editor: Anna Jones
[email protected]
In this edition
3.
C4L CLMT Update
5.
Dandelion Greens
6.
ABC Update
7.
Our Tribe
8-9. In Memoriam
10. Getting to Know You
12. URC Scotland Synod
13. TLC - The Local Church
14. LUV Malawi
15. Seedlings
16. Calendar
Lent By Rev Fiona Bennett
O
ver the past couple of
months a significant
number of precious people
within our congregation
have died. Their deaths,
as well as the eulogies at
their funerals, have been
a sharp reminder to me
of the precious gift and
calling of life. To hear the
brief summaries of so many
rich lives is a blessing and
encouragement but also
raises the question: How
have I used my life? And
how is God calling me
to use my life today and
tomorrow?
Lent is a good time to be
facing these questions. It is a
season of six weeks leading
up to Easter which invites
us to take stock. During
Lent we are invited to put
some time aside, perhaps
each day, perhaps each
week, and make space to
consider: I am alive here
and now with the gifts and
opportunities, burdens and
restrictions, dreams and
fears which I have, in this
world of which I am part.
How is God calling me to
serve and to love, to enjoy
and to use this precious gift
of life? Lent is a season to
make time to think about it.
Lent does not promise
instant answers or the
delivery of a simple10-point
strategy, but invites us to
draw insights. As people
who strive to follow in
the Way of Jesus, how is
he calling us to love and
serve in our world today?
The questions and space
of Lent are useful for us as
individuals and also for us as
a church both locally and
nationally.
Perhaps our Lenten
reflections will lead us to
consider that we need to
just keep on doing what we
are doing? Perhaps there
are some things which we
need to change – take up
or give up in the short- or
longer-term?
Over the next few
months our Synod
>2
Seeds │
Getting involved
Within AUC there are 7 Ministry
Teams which are responsible for
different areas of Church Life. If you
would like to know more or get
involved with one of these please
e-mail the contact person
Children & Young People
Kirsty Murray
[email protected]
Membership
Alex Peden
[email protected]
Our Tribe (LGBT Ministry)
Rev Maxwell Reay
[email protected]
Commitment For Life
(Social Justice Ministry)
Kathleen Ziffo
< 1 will be considering if there are ways we can work
differently as local churches to help each other be more
effective in our Ministry and Mission; the URC UK-wide has sent
out a booklet called ‘What is the Spirit saying to the Churches?’
to raise similar questions. Both at Synod and as a UK-wide
Church we are being asked to consider the very Lenten
question: How is God asking us to use the opportunity and the
gift of life we have to love and serve (offer Ministry and Mission)
in the world in which we find ourselves?
At an organisational level, these questions raise the possibility of
facing big changes. As we address these questions in our
personal life too, we may be facing the possibility of big
changes. But change, as much as some of us may dislike it, is
often the necessary process to bring about new and healthier
life; like the seed dying in the earth to become the wheat of
hope.
Inspired by the many precious lives amongst us which have
passed on, may we not fear the future but, shaped by our
Lenten reflections, may we step into it in the confidence faith
offers us – that the God of Love and Hope is already there
waiting for us with more adventure to be lived and enjoyed.
[email protected]
Pastoral & Mental Health
Doris Caldwell
[email protected]
Worship & Christian
Education
Rev Fiona Bennett
[email protected]
Centre, Property & Finance
Tom Murray
[email protected]
If you would like to get involved
volunteering within AUC or the local
community:
AUC Volunteering
Anne and Nicola Robinson
[email protected]
Local Community
Volunteering
Della Morris
[email protected]
2 MARCH 2015
Rising to Rebecca’s Challenge
S
ome people at Augustine will know Bob & Rita Dalgleish of
Granton United Church, and Rev Helen Mee their minister
(who has led both Sunday services and Our Tribe here at AUC).
Bob & Rita’s granddaughter, Rebecca, has terminal cancer
and was recently given 6 months to live. Becky has decided
that, as well as having a bucket list of things she’d like to do
over the next few months, she also wants to raise money for
CHAS (Children’s Hospice Association Scotland); she has been
receiving support from them at Rachel House in Kinross.
Granton United Church is ‘Rising to Rebecca’s Challenge’ and
supporting her fundraising efforts; they would love other
congregations/individuals to get involved. Various events are
being planned, including a coffee morning/cake stall on
Saturday 21st March (10am-noon) at Granton United Church to
which all are welcome (Tickets £1.50/£1).
You can find out more about Becky, and her
fundraising efforts on her blog,
www.beccadalgleish.wordpress.com, or her
JustGiving page, www.justgiving.com/
Rebecca-Dalgleish/.
www.augustine.org.uk
│ Seeds
C4L CLMT Update—Why it’s
‘Time to Close the Gap’
In February, our Church Discussion Meeting considered one particular aspect of poverty – the
widening gap between rich and poor, and the evident effect of this on the populations of the
prosperous western/northern countries. Below Kathleen Ziffo outlines some of the issues
discussed.
I
n our recent Church Discussion Meeting we
explored information from Church Action on
Poverty and the Equality Trust about how the
widening gap between the richest and the
poorest in western societies is the major factor
affecting things such as attainment in
education, good health, longer and happier
lives, less crime, a better society, and so on –
right across whole populations of our countries.
These gaps can be really substantial – the
difference being 3 or 4 times, but sometimes
even up to10 times, in the likes of the USA or UK.
(See ‘The Spirit Level’ by economists/
academics Prof Richard Wilkinson and Kate
Pickett. The ‘Spirit Level’ findings and
correlations have been disputed by one or two
economists/academics but are widely
respected and trusted by most organisations).
Within UK society, it is well-recognised that those
receiving/earning the most are better off not
just financially but also in terms of education,
achievement, health and life expectancy than
those receiving/earning the least. This is true
across the range of wealthy countries included
in the ‘Spirit Level’ as well as for the spread of
the population within each country. However,
people in the in-between categories (“the 60%
in the middle, between the extremes”) are also
affected by how big the gap between rich and
poor is. Their attainment, physical and mental
health & longevity etc. are all affected by how
wide that gap is too: the greater the gap the
www.augustine.org.uk
worse the outcomes, the smaller the gap the
better the outcomes. For example, the USA and
the UK are amongst the wealthiest countries
(measured by e.g. Gross Domestic Product),
but are also amongst those countries where the
gap is widest. As a result we have greater
health problems, poorer educational and
professional achievement, worse crime rates
and lower life expectancy etc. throughout our
society.
Those countries with the narrowest gap
between the richest 20% and the poorest 20%
are found to have less problems in society – the
Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden,
Finland and Denmark) and Japan. Why is this?
There are two ways in which the gap between
the richest people and poorest people can be
narrowed, shown by the different methods
these countries use in achieving similar results:
In Scandinavia there are large differences in
salaries between the richest and poorest, but
there is a determined and accepted policy of
taxing hardest those who have gained most.
Thus, in Scandinavia it’s a matter of
redistribution of money by taxation.
In Japan there is much less difference in
salaries between those in the higher echelons
and those in the lower ones to start with. Fiona
shared an example, heard in a radio
broadcast, of a Japanese employer taking a
cut in his salary at the same time as he had to
cut the salary of his employees. He dropped his
salary from around £100,000 to around £90,000.
When he was challenged that a comparable
salary in the USA/most of Europe would
have been many multiples higher
>4 MARCH 2015 3
Seeds │
<3 anyway, he wondered why it would need
to be so – he felt that he had sufficient.
This is a different ethos! Interestingly to me
(with a son and family living in Japan, as many
of you know) Japan is the one of the western/
northern countries mentioned in the ‘Spirit
Level’ surveys which is non-Christian. Yet
Scripture is clear that the Kingdom of God is
not a place where some people have more
than others.
One of the official figures which is often to the
fore in the media is the amount of money,
from our taxes, spent on benefits in the UK –
nearly all on those in genuine need. There are
a small proportion who claim fraudulently, with
benefit fraud amounting to £1.5 billion.
However, we also considered the amount of
money being lost to the Exchequer via tax
evasion by some rich individuals and many
companies/corporations – equally fraudulent,
but on an altogether different category of
scale. That amount is a staggering £70 billion!
The cost of benefit fraud is a mere fraction of
the money we are missing out on, from those
fraudulently evading paying their taxes.
Thank You from Anne
T
hank you so much for frequent gifts of
flowers and lots of loving concern given to
Murdoch and me over the last twelve months.
We were very new to your fellowship but we
felt very much ‘at home’. Now Murdoch has
died I am very grateful that I am part of that
community and I look forward to getting to
know you better.
Thank you too for stewarding at the
Thanksgiving Service at Greyfriars Kirk and for
the hospitality at Augustine United after the
service when our friends and family from far
and near experienced such a warm welcome.
Thank you to Rachel who organised so much
for us, including the hire of the crockery, and
to everybody who kept those cups and
saucers moving!
Peace!
Anne MacKenzie
In discussion we wondered what small actions
we could take as individuals and in AUC to
help close the gap and make things more
equal. Hopefully in the next edition of Seeds
we will suggest some specific questions we
might ask of candidates in the forthcoming
General Election.
Kathleen Ziffo
Pastoral Care
I
f you have prayer requests or would like to
contact a minister, please contact:
Rev Fiona Bennett ([email protected])
Rev Maxwell Reay
([email protected])
Requests can also be made via the Prayer
Requests box in the porch (kept locked,
accessed by the ministers) or via the Church
Office.
(Full contact details on the cover of Seeds)
4 MARCH 2015
Thank You…
T
o everyone who contributed to our cake
stall on 1st February—helping out on the
stall, cooking & of course, buying. £113 was
raised for Scottish Churches Housing Action—
an increase on previous years.
Nancy Dyer
www.augustine.org.uk
│ Seeds
Dandelion Greens
(Things to chew on from the Membership Ministry Team)
T
his month’s Dandelion Greens is a bit different. Here we have provided you with a picture of a
banner that hangs in Augustine. The lines and boxes select images and provide space to label
them.
Do you know when this banner was made? Do you know where it was made and why? Well, even
if you don’t know those things you may know quite a few of the symbols and images on the
banner. Take some time and figure out what you think the selected images represent.
In a few months we will print the intended meaning from some of those that participated in
making the banner. (If you helped make the banner please let me know!)
As always feel free to find me and tell me about volunteer opportunities and memories of Church
that are close to your heart.
Elizabeth Bay
www.augustine.org.uk
MARCH 2015 5
Seeds │
ABC Update
Sunday 1st March – Gift Day &
Concert
combined to provide memories of a very
happy time.
his year’s Gift Day for the Augustine Building
Challenge will take place on Sunday 1st
March. Can I remind everyone that the
Church will be open from 9.30am, so that gifts
can be brought to the Church Office where
our Minister and Treasurer will be waiting to
greet you and thank you for your gift. As an
added inducement to ‘early birds’ there will
be bacon or cheese rolls and tea/coffee
available from 9.30am up to the time of the
service. We would be delighted to hear from
you on the day, especially if you can Gift Aid
your donation. Of course, if you will not be
there on Sunday but would like to contribute,
Tom Murray (our Treasurer) will very happy to
receive donations on the following Sundays or
by post if you prefer. This is the one big chance
of the year to make a difference to the
growing total. Let’s make it a record day of
gifts!
ast month I outlined some of the plans
which are being made to research the
past history of Augustine and of the
surrounding neighbourhood. This research
would, it is hoped, be made available to a
wider public through audio- visual
presentation and through open days. When
the material has been put together, we will be
seeking volunteers who will be willing to
become familiar with the main elements and
be trained to impart information to visitors. This
should prove to be enjoyable and rewarding,
for the guides as well as the visitors. We are
going to hear more about all this before too
long.
T
Unfortunately last month’s planned concert
had to be postponed due to illness, but has
now been rearranged; the concert by the Trio
Écossaise is also now scheduled for Gift Day,
at 2.30pm. Please come along and bring
friends and family. It promises to be a really
enjoyable occasion and another chance to
contribute to the Augustine Building
Challenge. There will be an announcement of
the result of both events in church in the next
edition of Seeds.
A Thank You
O
ne result that was announced by Della
Morris in last month’s Seeds is that the
Burns Lunch produced a surplus of nearly £90,
which has been donated to the ABC funds. I
would like to thank everyone who worked so
hard to make it such an enjoyable occasion.
Both culinary and entertainment skills
6 MARCH 2015
Our Architectural, Cultural and
Theological Heritage
L
In the meantime do please
bring in those pots full of
small change – they are
making a big difference to
the total raised!
Ian Rathjen
Our Tribe in March:
‘Psalms of Transformation’
T
he Psalms are a collection of poems, songs
and prayers which express people's
experience and lift it to God.
Our Tribe on March 28th will be a workshop,
led by Rev Fiona Bennett, to enable us to
create short Psalms which express our
experiences and lift them up to God.
www.augustine.org.uk
│ Seeds
T
o reflect on this incredible weekend I asked
Charlie about what it was like to
participate.
T
o usher in LGBTI History Month, Augustine
hosted Cecilia, or rather Rev Elder Cecilia
Eggleston, and three fabulous events,
covering LGBTI topics in the Bible, a lived
history reflection on Metropolitan Community
Church (MCC), and a Sunday Service
celebration. Our Tribe was delighted to make
a positive religious splash to start off the
month!
‘What the Bible Really Says’ was a workshop
led by Rev Elder Cecilia Eggleston, the senior
pastor at Northern Lights MCC in Newcastle.
Cecilia has served MCC since 1989 at a local
and denominational level. She is a skilled
educator and is passionate about
encouraging others in their faith journeys. Her
focus on scripture and meaning was concrete
and easy to engage with.
MCC was founded in
1968 by Rev Elder Troy
Perry and was the first
church worldwide
with an open and
affirming ministry
based within the LGBTI
community. There is a film about his life, ‘Call
me Troy’, which we showed at Our Tribe in
June 2014, but is also available on YouTube if
you’d like to learn more about him.
The Our Tribe meeting for the month was
called’ History, History, History’ and was a look
at the history of the LGBTI Christian
denomination MCC through the lived
experiences of Cecilia, Maxwell, and Paul
(Harvey, see p.10).
The Augustine Sunday service was a LGBTI
History Month Worship Celebration Service
where Cecilia preached.
Some of the 25 people who came to the ‘What the
Bible Really Says’ workshop
What was your favourite event?
Of the three events her favourite was the
workshop: “as it taught me that those who
preach verses at you don’t always know the
basis of what they are saying. The basis of
many verses used to condemn homosexuality,
are actually misconstrued. This eased some of
my misgivings of God’s view on homosexuality.
The workshop was really helpful to learn more
about God’s word and people reading more
into a few verses taken from sections that they
would themselves shy away from”. “The Our
Tribe evening event was also insightful and
interesting with the opportunity to hear others’
stories of where they’d come from and how
they’ve struggled being LGBT in society. It was
nice to hear that you are not alone.”
What has changed for you from participating?
“I have become more comfortable in my
relationship with God as I have fewer
misgivings about His views on homosexuality
and I feel more accepted by Him. I also feel
happier that I have more people who relate
to me.”
Anything else you want people to know?
“Our Tribe is an excellent group to go to
because you get to feel like you are
accepted somewhere without any
judgement.”
Elizabeth Bay (with thanks to Charlie)
www.augustine.org.uk
MARCH 2015 7
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Rev Murdoch MacKenzie
23.3.1938-3.2.2015
M
y friend Murdoch
MacKenzie, who has
died in Edinburgh from
leukaemia aged 76, was a
global person, at home in
many different cultures.
Throughout his career as an
ordained minister, he worked
alongside those who knew poverty and
oppression first-hand. Both in church and
society here and overseas, he championed
global justice, nuclear disarmament, and for an
understanding of the Christian faith which took
seriously the modern world in its plurality and
uncertainty.
Born in Glasgow in 1938, he and the family
moved to Birkenhead ten years later when his
father, Iain MacKenzie, took up the post of
Marine Superintendent of the Anchor Line.
Following National Service with the RAF,
Murdoch studied Geography at Oxford and
Divinity at Edinburgh. In 1964 he married Dr
Anne Capey in Prenton, Birkenhead, joined the
Iona Community in 1965, and in 1966 started his
missionary service with the Church of Scotland
in Madras, where the following year he was
ordained by Bishop Lesslie Newbigin in the
united Church of South India. With his fluent
Tamil and boundless energy, Murdoch worked
alongside the very poor and marginalised. He
and Indian colleagues established a range of
innovative projects, and through his preaching
enabled his congregation at St Andrew’s Kirk to
commit to outreach work, both in the city and
in rural areas. Murdoch’s farewell service in 1978
was a joint service with my own induction there.
Returning to the UK, Murdoch’s ministries were
in Glenrothes, and then with the United
Reformed Church in Runcorn. There he valued
working ecumenically and facing the
challenges of a new town in which people
8 MARCH 2015
often felt rootless. In 1988, he was called to
Carrs Lane Church in multi-cultural Birmingham.
This was the time of the break-up of Yugoslavia
and important links were made with those of
other faiths, especially with the worshippers at
the Central Mosque. Within the church he
encouraged those who were exploring issues of
belief to share their questions and doubts.
Because of his ‘new town’ and wide
ecumenical experience in India and the UK, in
1996 he was appointed Ecumenical Moderator
in Milton Keynes, where he had pastoral care of
the clergy of all denominations. His creative
leadership brought new dimensions to the
partnership between Anglican, Baptist,
Methodist, Roman Catholic, URC and
Independent churches as well as to interfaith
relationships, and to networks with civic and
political leaders. Given the conflicts of our time,
he recognised that such bridge-building was
essential for a healthy community.
In 2003 he and Anne retired to Connel in Argyll,
where Murdoch became even more involved
with the work of the Iona Community, with
ministry in local churches and in helping the
town of Oban achieve Fairtrade status.
Eighteen months ago he and Anne moved to
Edinburgh to be nearer their family. Soon he
faced terminal illness, but right to the end he
was global in his outlook and concerned for
those on the margins. In his death the British
churches have lost both a wise and a visionary
leader and a humble, loving man of God.
Murdoch is survived by Anne, daughters Ruth
and Catriona, son Iain, two grandchildren and
his brother Kenneth.
Rev Dr Peter Millar
(With thanks to Peter for adapting this obituary
especially for us for Seeds)
www.augustine.org.uk
│ Seeds
Joe Barclay
1923—1.2.2015
J
oe Barclay was born in Edinburgh in 1923
between the wars. He attended Tynecastle
School where he was greatly influenced by a
teacher who hailed from the Outer Hebrides.
He was then apprenticed as a welder, and
remained with that company all his working
life, becoming first foreman and then
manager. As well as being a keen reader, Joe
was encouraged by his father in cycling,
camping, bird nesting, outdoor swimming and
nourished a great love of the outdoors.
folk to e.g. the ‘manse gatherings’ (held in the
1980s).
As a young man of 18 he was exempted from
military service due to being in a reserved
occupation; but Joe waived his exemption
and volunteered for aircraft duties for the
duration of the war. After the war, he returned
to his job at the New Welding Company.
Around that time, in 1947, he met and married
Margaret, an Edinburgh girl, and his first son,
Roderick, was born the following year.
However Joe, at 25, was to experience a
double tragedy that same year when his
young wife died and then his mother died at
47 years of age.
These days we hear a lot about rights and
entitlements, not so much about duties and
responsibilities. Joe took his duties and
responsibilities seriously, but carried them out
with a light heart. Joe was an Augustine Elder
for over 45 years, served as our Christian Aid
representative, and put his maintenance skills
to use at both the church and old manse.
A few years later he met and married Cath
who was a clerkess in the New Welding
Company. They set up home in Gracemount
where they raised Elizabeth, Alison and David
and where they made lifelong friends with
their neighbours. After promotion at his work,
they moved to Southhouse Loan where he
was a settled, contented man, a pleasure to
meet and appreciating the life he worked so
hard to enjoy. But Joe had more heartbreak in
his life when, just when he retired, Cath died at
60 of Motor Neurone Disease. Joe had his
family to support him, and filled in as a
babysitter when not keeping up his swimming
or busy driving a minibus for local pensioners.
He also used the minibus to transport church
www.augustine.org.uk
At the tender age of 70, Joe married Ina, a
friend and neighbour from Gracemount, Ina
then becoming a fellow member of Augustine
United Church. They enjoyed many holidays
and an active life until fairly recently when
Ina's health declined. He looked after Ina as
much as he could, but Ina died last October in
hospital by which time Joe was seriously ill too.
Briefly, Joe was a fine example of a believer
who put his faith into practice and lived by a
moral code. He was loved and respected – a
man of his word.
May Macnamara
(With thanks to Jim Butchert, Joe’s son-in-law)
Adam MacKay
A
dam MacKay, much beloved husband
of Hetty MacKay, passed away in the first
week of February. Hetty is a long-time
member of AUC – since its Augustine/
Augustine Bristo days. Please remember Hetty
and the rest of her family in your prayers as
they grieve their loss.
MARCH 2015 9
Seeds │
Getting To Know You
In this month’s ‘Getting to Know You’ we meet John Miller, our resident piper and who
stoically stands outside on a Sunday in all weathers to welcome people into church. We also
meet Paul Harvey, member of Our Tribe and known to many at AUC from his contributions to
Sunday services.
H
i everyone! I’m… John
Miller, and I’ve been a
member here for over three
years now. Actually, I’ve
been coming here for more
like thirty years – since Joan
and I first began to come up
to Edinburgh for the Festival.
I was born and raised in Ulster. Campbell
College, Belfast, was followed by three years
at Cambridge. Three more years teaching at a
prep school for boys led on to training for the
Presbyterian ministry. The search for better
training led me to Princeton Seminary in the
USA, where I met and married Joan.
My ministry opened in Belfast, where I was
ordained, serving as assistant to a senior
minister before moving to the rural
congregation of Clogher, County Tyrone.
There a son and a daughter were born to us;
but that happiness was balanced against the
violence then gathering in the Province, so we
H
ello… Paul Harvey here!
I'm the guy who had
you all singing the old Martini
advert at last year's ‘Spiritual
Banquet’! I'm a regular
attendee and an occasional
presenter at Our Tribe; and
had the pleasure of taking
part in the Christian writing weekend at
Windermere, last November. I'm a long-time
friend of several AUC members, including
Maxwell Reay – with whom I also formed part of
Living Springs MCC (Metropolitan Community
Church) in Bath, when it was founded in 1989.
10 MARCH 2015
moved to London. Ministries there in
Presbyterian congregations led seamlessly into
the URC. My final ministry took place in
Reading. And here I am.
I spend a good deal of time… each week with
the Trinity Occasional Pipers Society. (I’d
learned to play the pipes at Campbell
College). The TOPS is a group who don’t go in
for competitions, but just play for fun. Mostly
elderly gents (with one very welcome lady) we
turn out for local parades, carnivals and the
like, and give an annual charity concert in
North Leith. Other than that, I read a lot, and
enjoy a walk on the Meadows. We also take
occasional runs to the sea, or to historic sites/
gardens.
Favourite food? Curry comes high on the list,
but I enjoy most things.
Oh, & the theatre. For me still “the play’s the
thing”. When the curtain goes up I’m in
another world.
I spend most of my time… being
unconventional! The society in which we live is
far from ideal. As a survivor of historic sexual
abuse and one who has experienced constant
mental health issues since his early
adolescence, it seems I am also responsible for
managing my own care – which I receive from
several excellent agencies across Central
Scotland. As I live alone, without a personal
carer, I also have to look after myself as best I
can – which isn't always as well as I'd like.
My favourite place is… I have always had great
difficulty identifying favourite things in life,
>11 for so few of them are directly
www.augustine.org.uk
│ Seeds
comparable. I do however enjoy a good
view, peace, quiet and nature – so hills are
good place even if, as I grow ever older and
heavier, access to them becomes increasingly
problematic!
Congratulations Dr
Robinson!
<10 My favourite hymns… Likewise, worship songs –
although I do believe that if true worship
involves offering my whole being as a living
sacrifice to God, then it can never be about me
alone. To that end, I feel encouraged by songs
such as Stuart Townsend's ‘How deep the
Father's love for us’, which at the end of its first
verse includes the words, “As wounds which mar
the Chosen One, bring many sons to glory”. For,
that's why we're folks – all of us, every last one.
It's about us individually, but not collectively!

C
ongratulations to Nicola Robinson who
has been awarded her PhD by the
University of York. If you want to know anything
about ‘Resisting Development: Land and
Labour in Israeli, Palestinian and Sri Lankan
Literature’ we’ve an expert in our midst!
(Now aren’t Israel/Palestine our Commitment
for Life partner countries…? - Ed. )
Helplines:
Trauma Counselling Line Scotland:
08088 02 04 06 (www.survivorscotland.org.uk)
LGBT Support: 0300 123 2523
Samaritans: 08457 909090
Childline: 0800 1111
Silver Line: 0800 4 70 80 90
Rape Crisis: 8088 010 302
Breathing Space: 0800 838587
Edinburgh Crisis Centre: 0808 8010414
Reminder
T
he BBC ‘Songs of Praise’ interview featuring
Jo Clifford is due to be shown in the Sunday
15th March programme.
Please note that the deadline for material for the next issue is Friday 27th March.
You can send your material to Tamsin Kilgour by hand, at [email protected] or via the
church office.
DISCLAIMER: Although we check all information in the newsletter, as ever with these things we can
give no warranties as to accuracy or relevance and encourage active checking before you make
any decisions. The views expressed in our newsletter are those of the individual contributor, they are
not necessarily those of AUC or the editor.
www.augustine.org.uk
MARCH 2015 11
Seeds │
‘Moving Forward and Deployment’—
Synod Meeting Discussion
O
ver the past few years throughout the
Synod we have been asking ourselves
how we understand God is calling us to move
forward as an organisation of local Churches
to grow our Ministry and Mission (Love and
Service).
We, the URC, are facing the situation where
although we have many Ministers (both
Ministers of Word & Sacrament and Church
Related Community Workers) within the URC
or asking to transfer to the URC, we have a
shortage of money to pay for them and so our
numbers of deployed staff are reducing. At
the same time while the membership in our 48
local congregations throughout the Synod of
Scotland is small, we are punching well above
our weight in our work reaching out into our
local communities – Mission. So what do we
do about resourcing our Ministry?
Through listening to the experiences and ideas
shared through the Pastoral Link Groups,
Synod Pastoral Committee are presenting to
us a proposal based around the idea of
Clusters.
The proposal is that all local churches would
be part of Clusters of local churches who work
together to share resources and encourage
each other to creatively grow their Ministry &
Mission. (These could be made up of
ecumenical partners of URC churches, and
churches could decide which clusters work for
them to be part of). This model is already
partially working in the West and South Links
where there have been Link days to train
worship leaders and pastoral visitors. The
Cluster model looks to go a step further and
asks the Cluster to look together at the Ministry
and Mission needs of all it partners and then
ask what resources it has to share and support
each other already existing within the Cluster
12 MARCH 2015
and what form of deployment could the
Cluster most usefully use.
This is proposing and inviting us to consider
dramatic change in how we function as local
churches and not just to think about ourselves
but the wider Cluster.
Copies of the paper for discussion at Synod
Meeting in March (called ‘Moving Forward &
Deployment’) will be made available at AUC
(and on the website) and discussed at our
Church Meeting on 8th March 2015; as will
copies of a wider discussion booklet prepared
by the URC UK-wide entitled ‘What is the Spirit
saying to the Churches?’ which will be
discussed later in the year at Church Meeting
on June 7th 2015.
Please take time to read these papers, pray
about them, and bring your thoughts and
insights to share at the Church Meetings.
Rev Fiona Bennett
‘URC Synod of Scotland Meeting 2013’ by Elizabeth
Gray-King (URC minister and visual theologian)
www.augustine.org.uk
│ Seeds
Hymn for the Three Churches
Reproduced below is the ‘Hymn for the Three Churches’ ,written by Rev Richard Frazer of
Greyfriars Kirk and used at our TLC joint service on 8th February
L
ord, your loving hand is seen in all that you have made so well;
O’er the hills the eagle soars with grace that words can never tell.
Deep within our soul we sense you like our pulse, so very near;
The hands that we hold in life shall chase away our fear.
Yet this world is full of scars and many painful tears are shed,
So we ask your Spirit now to show the paths that we should tread.
L
ead us now to cherish what we have instead of wanting more.
Fire us with that love that Jesus had, who always blessed the poor.
Bend our wills to plough the soil and serve all life by Holy Law.
As we seek to explain the world, fill all our minds with awe.
And help us hear anew the prophet’s wise and timely word.
Living justly, loving mercy and humbly seeking God.
When did you last check
out our websites?
A
ll three TLC church websites are regularly
updated, however St C’s has recently
totally revamped its website and logo.
Image for Reflection—Lent
‘Finding the Focus’ by Jan
Richardson
It is notable that all three homepages now
highlight that we are inclusive, LGBT-affirming
congregations.
www.augustine.org.uk
www.greyfriarslkirk.com
www.stcolumbasbythecastle.org.uk
www.augustine.org.uk
MARCH 2015 13
Seeds │
The Story of LUV (Leprosy at Utale Village)
W
illiam Young, an
American Baptist minister
(now URC) who joined us while studying at New
College, had met Nigel Harper, a local
businessman, through a mutual interest in jazz.
Nigel has a strong interest in leprosy in Africa
and had visited Utale, home to the last leprosy
village in Malawi. William thought it would be
good to invite Father Francis Kachere, Utale’s
parish priest, to Scotland. After delays with visas,
Fr Kachere arrived in early spring 2009, in time
to attend the Synod meeting where he spoke
to the young people about the situation in
Utale. The young people encouraged members
of Synod to contribute towards the provision of
a maize mill, which would provide income to
help stock the village
shop. Church
representatives took the
idea back to their
congregations and even
more money was raised.
A public meeting was
organised in Augustine and resulted in an
invitation for Fr Kachere to go to a Glasgow
warehouse where there was a stock of
redundant equipment. A container of beds,
medical supplies, technical ware and much
more was sent to Utale and helped to fill up the
empty shelves in the dispensary.
During his stay Fr Francis also visited Holyrood,
where he met Jack McConnell and the Scottish
Churches’ Parliamentary Officer; Nigel took him
to London to meet with the Leprosy Mission;
and he also spent a weekend in the Borders.
A small charity was set up to continue the work
begun during that visit – LUV. Nigel is a driving
force ensuring correct procedure. Rose Mary
Harley, who does a great deal of work for
Malawi, was a founder member and is tireless in
organising events. Fiona Bennett and myself
completed the original committee. Joanna
Smith, of Selkirk URC, has now replaced Fiona.
14 MARCH 2015
The maize mill is now proving a source of
income, and is a social help as people from
beyond the community come to have their
harvest ground. Livestock has been supplied.
The villagers have gone by coach on an outing
to Lake Malawi and visits to/by relatives have
happened, for some after a gap of decades.
There are plans for solar power installation and
moves to provide prosthetic apparatus. It was a
source of pride that the village had a visit from
the then President of Malawi, Mrs Joyce Banda,
who acknowledged the progress that has been
made. Last summer a group of volunteers from
the Borders Exploration Group visited Utale for a
week and built not just toilets but friendships.
There is always more work that can be done;
always another need to be met to make others'
lives better; but LUV has given hope along with
practicalities and is always looking to
overcome fresh challenges. Recent
devastating rainfalls have washed away crops
and killed livestock. We hope to be able to
replace the goats and hens which make such a
difference to the diet and health of the villagers
as soon as possible.
When you see the
wooden plaque, made
for Augustine by the folk
of Utale, remember that
we have already done
something to brighten
their lives.
If you want to know more, do please ask me.
Doris Caldwell
www.augustine.org.uk
│ Seeds
March: The Garden of Gethsemane
We are moving on to our new theme this
month – ‘The Garden of Gethsemane’.
We will:
Share Peter’s story and create mosaics
to help us remember that our lives can
fall apart and be built again;
Create a video to sequence the story of
Holy Week;
Plant a container garden and think
about gardens as symbols of the refuge
of prayer; and
Share an All-Age service on Palm
Sunday at the end of the month.
It’s also Lent.
What about creating a Lenten prayer
space at home? It can be as simple or as
busy as you like.
“The one thing that has been constant in our
Lenten practices is creating a collection of
symbolic items in a central place in the
home.”
Last month in Junior Church we learned
about the Story of Lazarus.
Do you remember looking at parts of
pictures and trying to guess what the
whole picture was of? It became easier
as more of the picture was seen. Often,
like in a labyrinth, you need to follow the
path and trust, even if you can’t see
where it’s leading.
Here’s a small picture of
part of Augustine and its
recently-arrived owl.
Can you find where it is
in the ‘whole picture’?
Lenten space—Image (with permission) from
www.watkinseveryflavorbean.blogspot.co.uk
Happy Birthday to…
Leo who will be 6 on 11th March &
Rachel who will be 13 on 20th March
Junior Church welcomes families in all their diversity, specifically inclusive of members of
LGBT families. We have varied activities each week, from storytelling, to crafts, games
and video making. We have a crèche for little ones and baby changing facilities are
available. We use materials to appeal to children’s different learning styles from
Cornerstones. (www.cstones.com) and also use Godly Play (www.godlyplay.org.uk).
www.augustine.org.uk
MARCH 2015 15
Seeds │
Calendar
16
AUC Worship Services at 11am on Sundays at AUC, George IV Bridge. (All events at AUC, unless otherwise stated. Later updates on website/notice sheet)