Housecall

Articles taken from the December Edition of the St James’ Monthly Magazine

New Logo

Are you a budding artist or designer or are great at coming up with something creative? If so, then the Parish Grouping Development Team need your help. Almost 10 years ago a logo was designed to be used for the when the churches were undertaking a joint event or communication. That logo now looks a little dated and we are now looking for new suggestions for a logo for the Church of Scotland congregations in Portobello and Joppa working together.

We are looking for something that is more than just a logo – something that captures the image of Portobello and the sense of Partnership between the local Church of Scotland Congregations (St Philip’s, St James and Old Parish). Going forward as we work together, we wish to do so with a shared identity that doesn’t diminish us as individual congregations but shows that we share our efforts. If you would like to design a logo then we would love you to do so. It doesn’t have to be designed or drawn out to a high professional standard, it’s the idea and ethos behind it that we are looking for. The chosen logo will be brought up to a standard that will fit both electronic, magazine and poster style communication.

You can submit your entries electronically to either webmaster@stjamesparishchurch.co.uk or by handing it to one of the Ministers - Stewart Weaver (St Philip’s), Peter Webster (St James’), Andrew Patterson (Old Parish). The top entries will be copied and displayed at each Church and everyone will get their chance to express their thoughts. Based on this, the Parish Grouping Development Team will nominate a winner although, in line with our processes, prior to using the winning entry it will have to be confirmed by the individual Kirk Sessions. The deadline for entries is 30th January 2013 and a small prize will be awarded.

Alternative Christmas Card

This year, instead of giving cards to people you see regularly at St. James’, why not give– a donation to the Anniversary Appeal supporting the maternity wing of the Chogoria Hospital in Kenya. Your money would be used to make a difference in buying equipment and supplies. This is more effective than buying charity Christmas cards, where very little of the purchase price actually goes to the charity concerned. All you need to do:

1. Take the money you would have used to buy and send cards to people in St James’ and put it in an envelope

2. Put your name(s) on it – so we can send greetings from you to all at St James’ via the projector in church on Sunday 16th and Sunday 23rd. All the names will also be published in Housecall in January.

3. Put the envelope in the offering plate, or in the special box at the back of the church.

This way we can make Christmas a little less commercial and a bit more caring. Grant Hutchison and Paul Mitchell are co-ordinating this and once the money is collected, it will be passed on to the appeal.

Presbytery Meeting

In the second week of November Andrew Patterson, Peter Webster, Russel Moffat and Stewart Weaver met with George Whyte, the Clerk to Presbytery. It was a meeting suggested by the Parish Grouping Development Team as a means of ensuring that our efforts in the local churches are on the right track. It was also the means of finding out a bit more about the thoughts of Presbytery in this process. There were a few items worth relaying to the congregations.

Vacancy at the Old Parish: Andrew will be stepping down in May of 2013 and thus there will be a vacancy at the Old Parish. It is planned that there will be an interim moderator and a locum to help steer the Old Parish while we continue to work together as three congregations, with assistance from Russel Moffat at St. Martin’s. Peter may be able to continue at St. James’ beyond 2014 but clarification is still required.

Buildings and Information Gathering: As another, more detailed article in the magazine indicates, buildings have been and will be a source of some discussion. This was mentioned to the Presbytery Clerk and he encouraged us to set this precise discussion aside for the moment. Instead, we should engage in a thorough examination of relevant facts and some examples of these are found in the other article. So What?: We were also encouraged to convene a meeting of the congregations in the late winter or early spring. We should gather together the information we have collected and encourage the congregations to think about the ramifications of this information.

Where does it suggest we go? What resources do we want or need?

Why? What decisions, therefore, should be made? In essence, much of the detail will be left to us in Portobello. With hard work, open minds and gracious good will we can travel this road together as faithful companions.

Junior Church

St James’ Messy Church launched in September this year and has met monthly since then. Messy Church is not designed to be either a children’s activity morning/afternoon or a stepping stone to 'proper' church – it is a style of church which stands on its own. A Messy Church typically includes a welcome (board games, introduction of the theme), crafts - everything related to the theme of the day, short reflection/worship – based on the theme and finally, a simple meal.

The theme for the first two meetings was ‘Water’. In September we met Jesus while he spoke to the woman at the well. We looked at how water is important in life and made our own water filter. In October we saw Jesus fall asleep in a boat with the disciples and how he calmed the storm. Everyone made their own ‘storm in a bottle’ and after shaking it up, saw how it settled and calmed. Our November ‘Messy Church’ was a Halloween themed event and we read all about ‘the lady who was never scared’ and learned that the words ‘do not be afraid’ are mentioned in the bible 365 times. Our Christmas ‘Messy Church’ was a Christmas Craft morning on 2nd December while the joint service was at St James’.

We have been delighted to welcome several new families to Messy Church – most of whom spotted that we were doing ‘Messy Church’ by the new banner !We’d love to welcome more people to this exciting new venture. Messy Church is for children of all ages. The next ‘Messy Church’ event at St James’ is on Sunday 13th January at 10.30am – Noon and the subject is ‘Colours’

CoS in Portobello and Joppa

In March of 2012 the final draft of the Presbytery Plan was agreed This plan suggests that the 3 congregations become 1 congregation in 2014 with one ordained minister, one associate minister and time contributed to the area by the St. Martin’s minister. This plan was approved by the relevant committee in the national church and finally approved by Presbytery in May of 2012. The various Kirk Sessions have agreed that this is the way ahead and see that there is great scope for possibility, for excitement, for innovation and for energy in the midst of this process of change.

The Parish Grouping Development Team (PGDT) are responsible for building on the meetings of the Joint Kirk Session and the session that we held A Place for Hope (APfH) in September. This group serves the Kirk Sessions and has no actual voting power – all decisions must be referred back to the Kirk Sessions.

The current priorities for the PGDT came from the Joint Sessions. The Joint Sessions suggested that the PGDT should take forward the priorities of Unity/Oneness; Communication; Buildings; Staffing; and Vision. Steps are being taken to ensure that we undertake proper ‘fact finding’ to ensure that we have the correct information for the process of determining our mission and shaping the future of the Church of Scotland in our area.

We need information about our area such as its demographics and possible future developments. Facts are also needed to get a clear picture of where we are now: numbers on rolls; numbers attending; the state of the buildings; running costs of the buildings; hall usage; and the future costs of maintaining each building. We also need information on what type of worship people are looking for and at what times. The PDGT is trying to ensure that we communicate what is happening. Articles have appeared in the various church magazines and all articles are now being jointly produced and distributed.

Every effort is being made to keep congregations up to date. But, no matter what is communicated, the one question that keeps returning is “What about the buildings?” In truth, decisions on the buildings can only be made once we have the information outlined in the fact finding section to hand. Any conjecture or speculation about what will happen is currently just that--speculation.

We locally, and not Presbytery, are in control of our destiny here. As things stand, we could have the status quo and have three buildings in operation - but would we wish to do this if future maintenance costs were so high that all our resources and focus was spent preserving them? Would two buildings, geographically better covering the Parish than just one be ideal? Who knows at the moment? There are simply no answers to this at present. Everyone together - the PDGT, the Kirk Sessions and the Congregations will all get to influence the direction that we travel. There will be many different paths available to us and many reasons to travel down each. By working together, gathering facts and with prayer and guidance, we will find our way together.

Paul Mitchell

Articles taken from the November Edition of the St James’ Monthly Magazine

St James’ News

Words, Wisdom and Wit - This popular event was held on 3rd October and was a fun night and was well attended. With a variety of speakers and music everyone who came along was well entertained. The sum of £250 was raised for the new building of St Columbas Hospice. Thanks to Ella Lynch for her organisation and to all who assisted her.

As part of our centenary celebrations, 100 years of worship on our current site, this the Kirk Session has decided that we should have a project. This will focus on Chegoria Hospital where a new maternity wing has been opened. It is hoped that through our efforts we can help to ensure that this hospital has many things to enable it to function properly. If you have any fundraising ideas then don’t be shy in sharing them with either Peter or your Elder. You may want to organize something yourself in or outside of church. Every little will help. The Kirk Session voted at its last meeting that all proceeds from our fayre in November would be given to this appeal.

Thanks to all who came along to the Gardening and tidy-up morning on Saturday 27th October. A large number of jobs were undertaken and completed. Our halls are exceptionally busy and work like this helps keeps everything in great shape.

Messy Church

St James’ Messy Church launched in September this year and met again in October. The theme for the first two meetings was ‘Water’. In the first we met Jesus while he spoke to the woman at the well. We looked at how water is important in life and made our own water filter. In October we saw Jesus fall asleep in a boat with the disciples and how he calmed the storm. Everyone made their own ‘storm in a bottle’ and after shaking it up, saw how it settled and calmed.

We have been delighted to welcome several new families to Messy Church – most of whom spotted that we were doing ‘Messy Church’ by the new banner ! November’s Messy Church is on the 4th and will feature stories and spooky games with a theme of ‘do not be afraid’. Our Christmas Messy Church takes place on Sunday 2nd December and focus on Christmas Craft activities.

Messy Church is not designed to be either a childrens activity afternoon or a stepping stone to 'proper' church – it is a style of church which stands on its ownA Messy Church typically includes a welcome (board games, introduction of the theme), crafts - everything related to the theme of the day, short reflection/worship – based on the theme and finally, a simple meal.

Please let people know about this new venture and invite them along. Messy Church is for children of all ages.

Advent Study

The Advent Group will meet on the following dates, all at 7.30pm in the small hall - Wednesdays 21st and 28th November, 5th & 12th December.

The theme this year is best described as ‘Christmas in the eyes of other faiths’. The order of the Speakers have yet to be finalised, please keep an eye on the Order of Service and website for details but will feature represenatives of the Muslim, Buddist, Sikh and Jewish faiths.

If doesn’t matter if you can only make one night, you are welcome at one or all of the nights. Transport can be provided. For more information please contact James Foster or any member of the All Age Learning Group.

Alternative Christmas Card

Every year we spend what seems a fortune on Christmas cards. Sending cards to people we rarely see due to time or distance is a wonderful way to keep in touch. However many of the cards we send are to people we see regularly. Here at St James’ we are again running the opportunity to do something different. This year, instead of giving cards to each other at St. James’, why not give something more valuable – a donation to the Anniversary Appeal. We are supporting the new maternity facilities at the hospital in Chogoria and your money would be used to make a difference in buying equipment and supplies. This is more effective than buying charity Christmas cards, where very little of the purchase price actually goes to the charity concerned.

If you want to be part of this scheme, this is all you need to do:

1. Take the money you would have used to buy and send cards to people in St James’ and put it in an envelope

3. Put the envelope in the offering plate, or in the special box at the back of the church.

Articles taken from the October Edition of the St James’ Monthly Magazine

Mind Bending Mission

On Sunday 9 September the congregations of the Old Parish, St. James’, St. Martin’s and St. Philip’s gathered for a joint service. After some food in the main hall we were treated to a challenging and inspirational talk on mission by John Drane. He is a retired professor from Aberdeen University who has shaped current thinking on mission in England and in Scotland. What did he say? Lots! Here are some of the juicier thoughts.

Mission is a theological issue. It’s not about initiatives and programmes and bells and whistles. We should ask, ‘what is God doing here?’ God is already doing mission in the world. How can we join in this event?

Lifestyle Challenges. Today, patterns of leisure, work, community, learning and communication are hugely different. How do we respond? It is said that most people who don’t come to church make this choice not because of belief but because of lifestyle.

Past and Present. Years ago, people connected with the church through life events such as baptism, marriage, funerals and other collective celebrations. No more. Lifestyles now lead people away from the church. Think of all the activities on Sunday mornings.

Models of Church. There is the Attractional Church, in which the church simply said, ‘come join us’ and years ago people did. No longer. There is the ‘Engaged Church’, in which members went out, built relationships and said, ‘come join us’. Not many did or do.

We need to think about the ‘Missional Church’. We go out, we share Christ’s love, we stay and we wait to see what happens.

Re-Imaginings. What is church? Is it only minister, building and congregation? What is faith? Is it only believing, belonging and attending? What is discipleship? Is it primarily in the head? What kind of leadership? Managers, lecturers and visitors, or creators, empathisers, storytellers? What tools? Do we need a roadmap in such a challenging age, or simply a compass?

Challenges for Congregations. Be kind: caricatures often portray us as mean-spirited. Avoid at all costs! Be flexible: do we love our family enough to want a different form of church and faith community? Do we want ‘one size fits all’ or are willing to have a mixed economy of worship? Be open to God: God is in mission. What do we do to get alongside?

Re-weave. The church is like a favourite old jumper that has been worn through the years and showing its age. We can continue to let it unravel in a haphazard way. Or, we can consciously take the strands, unravel them deliberately and then weave it back together as a something reconstituted, old and new, and serving once again its proper function. Our choice.

Why does mission matter to the church?

Several people asked at the meeting with John Drane: what does this have to do with us? The British Social Attitudes Survey of 2011 reveals that Britain is becoming less religious, with the numbers who affiliate with a religion or attend religious services experiencing a long-term decline. And this trend seems set to continue; not only as older, more religious generations are replaced by younger, less religious ones, but also as the younger generations increasingly opt not to bring up their children in a religion—a factor shown to strongly link with religious affiliation and attendance in later life. Mission Matters and is a big challenge to us all.

Parish Grouping

In an effort to keep the congregations updated on the progress of the collective work of the churches, yet another update. Read and be informed!

Ministers - Andrew Patterson, the current minister at the Old Parish, has decided to demit in May of 2013. He feels that an earlier than planned departure will provide space for the churches to move forward with their joint work and it will give him the chance to focus on his great love of pilgrimage and writing. Presbytery’s thoughts on the upcoming vacancy of the Old Parish have yet to be ascertained. Peter’s change in circumstances means that he may be able to continue working past 2014 if he so chooses, thus providing some continuity in the years ahead.

John Drane and Mission - As described elsewhere in this magazine, the churches hosted John Drane in an effort to begin thinking more fully and thoroughly about mission. It is hoped too that it will begin to help us think about the exciting, innovative possibilities in working with our community.

A Place for Hope - Our Parish Grouping Development Team has met with representatives from a group called A Place for Hope. It was set up by the Church of Scotland but is independent of it. In previous years it has worked with churches, presbyteries and non-profit groups who are attempting to work their way constructively through differences and conflicts. No charges are levied. The organisation has also begun working with groups facing major changes before any serious conflict arises. After meeting with the ministers and the Parish Grouping Team, they were invited to a joint Kirk session meeting. The joint Kirk sessions met with representatives from A Place for Hope. Amongst the elders it was discovered there is generally an appetite for change and there is a recognition that conversations and dialogues should adhere to certain guidelines: Listen to understand; Respect the person; One voice at a time; Limit your talking time. Elders were also asked what they thought were priorities. The following were suggested: Unity and cohesion in the process; Communication; Buildings; Staffing; Vision.

It was also suggested that a four stage process be undertaken:

1. Getting to know each other; 2. Gathering information; 3. Options; 4. Agreed solutions.

The three churches seem to be somewhere between 1 and 2. It was finally agreed that the Parish Grouping Development Team, composed of the ministers of each church and three others from each church (at least one of whom is an elder), should take these items and process forward. In essence, they now will be spending some time gathering information.

What now? - As John Drane made crystal clear, in the modern age nobody knows precisely where we are going. We will move forward adventurously with mission as a priority. We will ascertain Presbytery’s thoughts on the Old Parish vacancy. The Parish Grouping Team will be gathering information and consulting with members of the congregations. Joint Kirk Sessions will continue but at this moment they are consultative rather than decision making. Individual Kirk Sessions will make the final decisions on the important matters.