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St John’s Ministry Team

The Revd Donald Reid Associate Rector 466 2461 donald.reid@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk Day off usually Thursday The Revd Professor Kenneth Boyd Associate Minister 225 6485 The Revd Clephane Hume Associate Minister 667 2996 The Revd Professor Freda Alexander Associate Minister 557 4474 The Revd Sarah Kilbey MBE Associate Minister 447 2378 Amanda Wright Lay Reader & Sacristan 317 1252 Andrew Wright Children, Youth & Families 317 1252 The Very Revd Jim Mein Diocesan Interim Pastor 01506 834317

In this Issue

3 From the Associate Rector 5 Current Liturgical season –Trinity - Ross Jesmont 6 Musical Notes on Festival Worship - Stephen Doughty 8 FoSP programme – Raymond Baudon 10 My Favourite Psalm – Cameron Abernethy 11 Malcolm Goldsmith lecture - Clephane Hume 12 Tales in the Crypt – Andrew Wright 13 Diocesan Synod – Anne Pankhurst 15 Notes from a Wild Garden – George Harris HEARTBEAT 16 Congregational News 17 Tribute to Ron Watts 19 The Growth Group Weekend – John Burdett 20 Sacristy Guild – Amanda Wright 20 From the Vestry Secretary 24 Envisioning meeting - Barbara Graham 24 Forthcoming events 26 Walking Group - Veronica Harris OUTREACH 28 News from the Terrace 32 Together 35 Faith & Ageing 35 St Aiden and St Thomas 37 Readings and rotas - Peter Brand

Cover image: Performers in this year’s Festival of Spirituality & Peace

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From the Associate Rector –

People are often puzzled by the length of congregational vacancies. In what other organisation would you expect there to be a 6-12 month interval between appointments? Well, the church is not like any other organisation in that the roles of leadership are shared and the style of leadership is to be facilitative and nurturing of others’ gifts. To appoint a successor immediately after someone leaves would imply “it all depends on that person”. If it does all depend

on that person, we have to unlearn such bad habits and re-learn what it means to be church. Even Jesus didn’t attempt to do it all on his own. Morevover, the nature of the church is to be a community and, inevitably, the person in the focal leadership role is not just a CEO working office hours. She or he (and family) are key members of our community, people who are explicitly charged with befriending others both within and beyond the congregation. Deep bonds are formed and, inevitably, when someone moves on – as someday they must – there is a sense of loss. It is therefore important to allow the community to work through those feelings of loss before a successor arrives. A vacancy is also an opportunity to take stock and revisit the ministry of the whole congregation. The ministry of the church belongs not to the ordained ministers but to the whole community of the baptised – who have assented to these promises (from the current liturgy for Baptism):

to continue in the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers

to proclaim the good news by word and deed, serving Christ in all people

to work for justice and peace, honouring God in all Creation The process of congregational reflection we go through in a vacancy helps us assess how healthy the ‘lay involvement’ is in the ministry of the church. And, given the gap created by the loss of a key person, it also is an opportunity for people to become more active, to help keep things going. This may be for an

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interim period but it is common for this also to be a fertile time when people rediscover their gifts and their commitment to the church. And so, I believe, it is proving at St John’s. For example, people affected by dementia are now gathering to support one another and more generally, many people are active in caring for one another in need and in the welcoming of new members. See also the article on p35. Our lay elders - including a few new faces - are helping more than ever with the tasks of taking communion to the housebound, leading worship, visiting. Andrew Wright, now working as Lay Chaplain for Children and Young People, is galvanising our ministry to that group. And even tasks which might stretch us in a vacancy, like the provision of faith development opportunities, are happening. On Sunday 7 October, after Evensong, we will be launching the Centre for Living Christianity (or CLiC for short). This will offer opportunities to discuss and reflect on topics related to living out our faith. This is an idea which has been in the pipeline since 2005 – and whose time has come. See www.livingchristianityscotland.org for more. And, as you know, the Vacancy Committee are overseeing the discernment process leading to the appointment of a new Rector – a process we are all involved in through discussion and prayer. So, vacancies invite people to rally and step up to the mark. Our thanks are due to all who are doing so. And we must not overlook the impressive range of other activity at St John’s. The Festival of Spirituality and Peace is about to begin thanks to the hard work of the FoSP team and their new board, including several St John’s members. The Green Ginger Group is ‘gingering us up’ for Creationtide in September. And all of you involved as pastoral visitors, guardians, and volunteers in Sunday school and in myriad other ways, make St John’s the vibrant community it is. All these things are aspects of the diakonia or the diaconal ministry of the church. Diakonia is about the members of the body of Christ sharing the tasks of

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mutual care, teaching, administration, enabling participation in worship and in engaging with the world at large. In the Ministry Team meeting last January we discussed the importance of recovering the understanding of our diakonia. We felt it was important that the diaconal ministry of the whole people of God was re-emphasised and that this should have visible expression in our signature gathering, the Sunday morning eucharist. Therefore, since the beginning of Lent, we have given more prominence to the role of the deacon in the liturgy. So the deacon (aided by a subdeacon) calls us to worship, to make our offerings, to prayers - and helps make sure the table is set and the feast is shared. The task of these deacons and subdeacons is not to do everything but to ensure everything is done and seen to be done. They are the liturgical ‘tip of an iceberg’ which, as I have outlined, involves so many others. To you all, thanks.

Donald Reid

Follow me! If you’re a tweeter then do follow @ChurchofStJohn @StJohnsChoir , @FoSPalert, @earthbeglad and our friends on the terrace @oneworldshop. Facebook fans will find St John’s page at facebook.com/churchofstjohn

The Trinity During a trip to Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire the theologian Lesslie Newbigin was amused to read the following section in his guide book: ‘Here in the Chapter House the monks gathered every Sunday to hear a sermon from the Abbot except on Trinity Sunday, owing to the difficulty of the subject.’ Throughout history, the doctrine of the Trinity has often been perceived as a metaphysical assault course reserved for students of theology as a means solely of testing mental stamina. The Trinity

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is a belief that even Abbots, full time church ‘professionals,’ would rather not attempt to explain to others. Ideas of God being one and yet simultaneously three leaves most, if not all, with a headache. The analogous images of three leafed clovers and ice-water-steam are often our only means of understanding the complexity of the Trinity. In brief there is no simple way of explaining the Trinity. For this reason the Trinity has often been held as an abstract doctrine with little if no impact on our daily lives and worship. Analogies, while useful, often convey a sense of the impersonal. The writer of the first epistle of John certainly does not envisage God as being impersonal when he proclaims that ‘God is Love’ (1 John 4:8). This proclamation captures a vision of God as, not just one who has the ability to be loving, but as one who is by their very nature love itself. Love is not an addition to God's character but is an integral part of God’s identity. God is love because God first loves in God’s self. This is the Trinity. In the eternal and mutual love which each person of the Trinity shares for the others, we come to comprehend the basis of God as love. It is this complete, binding, mutual love which some theologians have attempted to capture in the metaphor of a dance. Rather than a lifeless doctrinal statement, the vision of a dance, with its interweaving ecstatic movements, captures the energy and life of the divine love. This dance allows us to experience the Trinity as love, rather than solely to understand it academically. This vision of the Trinity as an eternal and inter-relational love leads to the revelation that creation itself is founded on love. It is this love that humanity, as part of creation, is called to participate in with our actions towards others and the created order. Humanity was, in a sense, created to partake in the divine dance. It is into this dance of life and love modelled in the Trinity that the Christian community is again called; for to be ‘In Christ’ is to ‘become participants of the divine nature’ (2 Pet 1.4). God invites you, will you dance?

Ross Jesmont

Festival Worship Festival Worship – a Feast of Choral Music from Past to Present! A most musical, rousing and yet spiritual start to Sunday… St John’s Festival Worship in the heart of the city. (EdinburghGuide.com)

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I write having just this moment finished choosing the music for this year’s ‘Festival Worship’, the feast of sacred music which will enhance the services in August, and am so excited I would like to share it with you! As you know, St John’s maintains the three principal choral services of the Scottish Episcopal tradition every week, Matins, Eucharist and Evensong and this August the music across these services covers some 400 years and includes among its treats a first performance and a whole day devoted to the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, the maestro di cappella of St. Mark’s, Venice who died 400 years ago this year and who raised the art of cori spezzati - literally ‘spaced choirs’ - to its zenith. St. John’s has

one of Edinburgh's leading church choirs and attending Choral Matins here is a treat said The Independent. Matins (9.30am), the morning ‘call to prayer’ features no less than three anniversaries including that of John Ireland, who died 50 years ago and whose canticles and most famous anthem, Greater Love opens our Festival Worship, and the organ music of Leon Boëllmann, whose anniversary has inspired the programming of Jean Huré’s subtle Te Deum and Fauré’s ever-popular Cantique de Jean Racine. The motor rhythms and pungent harmonies of Hutchings’ St. John’s, Edinburgh Service, specially dedicated to the Choir of St. John’s and Dove’s show-stopper See him that maketh the seven stars enliven the final Matins of the Festival. If you come to Eucharist (10.30am), these days the main service of the day, you will hear Rheinberger’s gloriously romantic Mass for double choir, Cantus Missae, written in defiance of the restrictive ideals of the Caecilian movement, Bob Chilcott’s Little Jazz Mass with its toe-tapping rhythm, drums and bass and a world premiere in John Hoyle’s Missa Brevis. Over the last few years the Choir has built a good relationship with this composer, which has been recognised in this lyrical, vibrant mass and his kind dedication to me. While the first Sunday of August is devoted to the Launch of the Festival of Spirituality & Peace, later in the month you can attend Evensong (6.00pm),

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which has a distinctive spiritual quality all of its own. While much of the music we will perform during August originates from around the world, for Evensong on 19 August it’s all firmly in-house with music by two members of the Choir, coupled with canticles by a former Professor at Edinburgh University. In addition three major English composers Finzi, Holst and Tippett all combine in our final Evensong of the Festival. Gabrieli 400

I finish with news of our ‘festival-within-a-festival’ and our celebration of the music of the Italian composer Giovanni Gabrieli. As I mentioned earlier he was maestro di cappella of St. Mark’s, Venice. An architectural feature of St. Mark’s is the choir lofts high on either side of the altar which led to a musical style known as cori spezzati. The sound from these choirs would project back and forth across the building, coming together at moments of greatest impact. Music for 4, 8 and 12 part forces is the order of the day here and the fame of this spectacular music spread across

Europe, with numerous musicians coming to Venice to hear it, absorb it and take it back to their countries. Sunday 12th August 2012 is the 400th anniversary to the day of the death of Gabrieli. I am delighted we will be joined by the early instruments of the Scottish Gabrieli Consort during the morning services - a collection of cornetts, sackbuts, early violins, curtals and more! Come to St. John’s and hear what all the fuss is about!

Stephen Doughty, Director of Music

Festival of Spirituality & Peace (FoSP) This year’s Festival of Spirituality and Peace encompasses more than 400 events over 21 venues with countless performers and we are welcoming back some familiar faces to our staff and volunteer teams as well as some new faces. Hopefully, by the time you are reading this you will have already picked up a copy of the Festival’s programme and picked out some of the events you are wanting to come and see. We are particularly delighted to have Soweto Entsha with us. They will be performing most evenings (and some matinees) right

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through until 27 August. Their show in the Fringe last year sold out and was described as ‘exhilarating’ by the Scotsman, and so you are encouraged to buy your tickets in advance. As you would expect, there is something for everyone and sitting alongside the huge range of performances is our conversation programme. It would be unfair to single out any one conversation event as they are all so fascinating. To give you an idea, the first three conversations deal with forgiveness, Scottish identity and evolving spirituality respectively. Please do take a moment to look at the range of conversations we will be hosting and I’m sure you will find something to inspire you.

The programme launched on midsummer’s eve although it did feel more like midwinter given the wind and the rain that night. But that didn’t dampen the spirits of the brave souls who came along to St John’s to enjoy taster performances including Scottish and French songs beautifully sung by Coreen Scott who was performing with Laverock; a very thought-provoking excerpt from "Leave to Remain" by Jo Clifford and Suzanne Dance; and toe-tapping music from The

Caleerie Buskers. With the weather so bad outside, we enjoyed some Latin tango heat from the Orquesta Atipica De Edimburgo and delicious food from Punjab'n De Rasoi. The theme of this year’s Festival is ‘Co-operation for Change’ and our volunteer programme seeks to put this theme into practice. As in previous years, we are drawing together volunteers from far and wide as well as some from much closer to home. We could not run the Festival without our dedicated team of volunteers and staff. It really is amazing how flexible they are to accommodate everything that is thrown at them, they really do embody the spirit of co-operation.

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Finally, but by no means least, the Festival could not continue if it wasn’t for you, our audience. We are extremely grateful for the venues St John’s provides as well as the support from the congregation, staff and clergy teams. I do hope you will take the time to come to this year’s Festival; with such a diverse programme I’m sure you will find something to enjoy. Tickets are available from www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk, the HUB or from the Festival box office. 50p from every ticket sold goes to our nominated charities. As before, this year's Festival includes a number of events that are free. Please see the printed programme, or our website, for all the details.

Raymond Baudon

My Favourite Psalm – Psalm 27

I vividly remember the first time I sat down in the chapel at St John’s, after preparing for leading my first Worship at One service, and noticed the words emblazoned on the communion rail at the front – ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation’. These words begin my favourite psalm, one which has been very dear to my heart since I was a boy. Having grown up in the Church of Scotland, memorising bible verses was a weekly expectation in Sunday school and us children were often set competitions to learn longer, more complicated sections of scripture. One week, when I was

about eight, my Sunday school teacher set us the challenge of picking a psalm and learning it by heart for the end of the term. It is from this childhood task that my love of this particular psalm originated. As an adult, I am always struck by the intensity of the Psalmist’s desire to seek God, dwell in the temple and shelter within the sacred tent. It can be all too easy for faith to remain a matter solely of the head and never move into the heart or the soul. The God described in Psalm 27 is a relational God, one who will never forsake me or abandon me. As is so often the case within the Psalms, the final verses of Psalm 27 express a renewed sense of hope and a desire to see God active within the land. It can be all too easy to miss those passing moments of

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hopefulness and joy in our daily lives, glimpses of a God who is truly all good. So, as the Psalmist reminds me to do, I take heart from these brief moments of goodness which reveal a God who has counted the hairs upon my head and I wait. I give thanks for all those many days spent desperately memorising this beautiful Psalm!

Cameron Abernethy

The Annual Malcolm Goldsmith Lecture This second lecture dedicated to Malcolm was delivered at New College by Professor Elizabeth Mackinlay, Director of the Centre for Ageing and Pastoral Studies, Canberra, and author of numerous books and papers relating to spirituality and the elderly. She had collaborated with Malcolm in a number of projects relating to dementia. There is a great deal of imaginative and creative work in the field and Professor Mackinlay was infectious about it. She described the central concept of ‘Personhood’ (in the words of poet Tom Kitwood) as ‘the standing or status bestowed

upon one human being by others in the context of relationship and social being. It implies recognition, respect and trust’. Applied to dementia, this means accepting the person as s/he is in the present, rather than trying to re-locate the individual as s/he used to be. The point being to journey alongside ‘in the now’ and to focus on what s/he can do, and not what s/he now can’t do – an important secret for anyone relating to a person with dementia. Prof Mackinlay defined ‘spirituality’ as ‘that which gives a person meaning and enables the person to live a spiritually fulfilled life’. Relationships with other people, and with God of course, are central here. Good contact can be achieved through music, arts and nature and the environment. For some people religion will be important; for others rituals relating to social groups will be more relevant e.g. annual reunions. Participating in reminiscence can be particularly rewarding – including looking at photographs, holiday souvenirs and artefacts and using taste and touch to trigger memories. The message was essentially positive and the stories Professor Mackinlay told from her work experiences

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were very impressive. Meaningful and rewarding relationships are possible once dementia has taken hold, given an informed personal approach that does not make inappropriate demands. Following the lecture, there was lively discussion of points raised by members of the audience and this continued afterwards as we enjoyed refreshments in the Rainy Hall. Note, the full lecture can be accessed via the FIOP website www.faithinolderpeople.org.uk

Clephane Hume Editor’s Note: Malcolm contributed a chapter on spirituality to a book called Fresh Air on my Face which was published earlier this year by Jane Gilliard and Mary Marshall on transforming the quality of life for people with dementia through contact with the natural world. The book is dedicated to Malcolm. He wrote his chapter from his hospice bed.

Tales in the Crypt Last time I wrote a little about how our work with children at St John’s is much more focused on spiritual nurture rather than intellectual understanding. I introduced Rebecca Nye’s concepts of Space, Process, Imagination, Relationship, Intimacy and Trust as being helpful in thinking about the way we tackle our work with children. This time, with Rebecca’s help, I will unpack the first of these a little. First of all let’s consider the importance of

providing children with the emotional space that they need in order to flourish. It is important that our ‘activities’ are not filled to the brim with activity but leave real space for thoughts, creativity, questions and the unexpected. Sometimes as leaders we can be too concerned with getting through our predetermined agenda. If that happens we can miss what spontaneously happens, miss the sacred qualities of the present moment, miss what the children find absorbing or, we might say, miss where the Spirit is leading. So space is an attitude of mind that respects what all have to offer: the children, and of course God, must not feel squeezed out!

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Secondly is the consideration of the physical space that we offer. A great deal of time and effort goes into making our main church space as appropriate and helpful as it can be to creating an environment fit for our worship – the same must also be true also of the space that we provide for the spiritual nurture of our children. This has been something of a focus for me recently and significant changes have been made to the room that we use on Sunday mornings. Providing an orderly and attractive space that respects its users has had a significant impact on the feel of our sessions – they have (generally) become much more orderly themselves. It has helped enormously in developing the emotional space that I mentioned earlier. So space is important and sets the scene, physically and emotionally, for what comes next. In the context of Cornerstone articles that will be a look at the importance of a focus on process, rather than end result.

Andrew Wright

PS – You may be interested to know that I have been in touch with Rebecca and we are discussing dates and practicalities for her to visit us in Edinburgh and share some of what she has learned about children’s spirituality and its significance for the wider church. Watch this space!

Diocesan Synod The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church took place in Edinburgh from 7 to 9 June. One of the major issues discussed in the last few years has been the proposed Anglican Covenant. The motion supporting this covenant, proposing that it should be accepted and enshrined in our Canon Law, was resoundingly defeated in a widely anticipated and welcomed vote. The Anglican Communion, however, is still very much present. The Primus made an eloquent plea that Synod should accept four other motions which enhance awareness of the worldwide presence and influence of our family of churches. There was

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warm support for the motion proposing that we affirm our desire to be part of the Anglican Communion as it seeks to maintain union while celebrating diversity. The key words here are shared mission, respect and mutual support through prayer. Links with the other provinces and dioceses include the Anglican Networks, whose purpose is to link Anglicans in action around the world. Some examples are the Family Network, Youth Network, Women’s Network, Ecological Network, Peace and Justice Network – all of these resonate with our own concerns and affirm our faith in action. Information about the networks can be found on www.anglicancommunion.org/networks and the Anglican Communion News Service provides regular updates to those who sign up for them. On more local matters, the Whole Church Mission and Ministry Policy has now moved on to ‘Next Steps’. Matters as diverse as recruitment and selection, patterns of ministry, ministerial development and lay ministries training, and ecumenical cooperation include the further development of training through TISEC. Meanwhile, discussion of how to review and develop the diaconate proceeds. Reports and presentations from various committees were as ever stimulating. The Overseas Committee continues to support the Millennium Development Goals, this year those focussed on Universal Primary Education and the promotion of Gender Equality. A presentation of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women emphasised its role in poverty and hunger eradication. Still dealing with gender differences, the Church in Society Committee focussed on Human Trafficking, particularly relevant in this Olympic year. Other matters included the latest Grosvenor Essay, and the work of the Doctrine Committee on issues of the day such as marriage. In a more administrative mode, ethical investment was brought to the attention of the Standing committee for renewed consideration, while much concern was voiced over the state of the Pension Fund. The most recent legislation on the protection of vulnerable groups and the responsibility of each church were brought to our attention. This report on the SEC General Synod is all too brief. Please look at the SEC website www.scotland.anglican.org for full details and, in the blogs, for other comments. Anne Pankhurst, Diocesan Representative

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Notes from a Wild Garden

The keeper of a wild garden always hopes that by creating the right habitat, and encouraging the right food plants, interesting wild creatures of all sorts, from ants to herons, may turn up. This doesn’t always happen. I have yet to see any pretty butterflies laying eggs on my nettles, though small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies both do hibernate in the many cracks and crannies that exist in our walls and sheds. So it was a special pleasure to see that my policy of not ruthlessly

extirpating every dandelion paid off one day in early June. A bullfinch – rarely if ever seen at bird tables – was going round pecking off dandelion buds. Then on June 28th – the very day I am writing this – a pair of bullfinches appeared again, this time pecking buds off the herb robert. This latter flower was originally brought from a stony car-park in Cumbria. Now it is one of the dominant weeds of the garden, and very pretty too. Unlike some wild plants it is very easy to pull up where unwanted, and where it looks its best – growing in cracks in the wall for example – it looks lovely. Our garden, by the way, is a perfect habitat for snails. This is not ideal if the plan is to grow tender vegetables, and it is irritating when some expensive new plant is eaten in the first week. However, I have learned to protect seedlings and such like with cloches made from plastic bottles with the bottom cut off. And putting up with whatever creatures nature chooses to provide is part of the philosophy of wild gardening. Herb robert is a purpley-pink flower. There are a few of those appearing in mid summer, replacing the yellows and blues of spring. This week the sweet briar has started to flower in profusion, and that is a pink wild rose. The pink lone orchid – heath spotted, I think – has reappeared in the long grass. Willow-herb appears everywhere it is allowed. These changes in colour, I gather, are closely related to the instincts of pollinating instincts, and it seems that many bumblebees, at least, are attracted by pink.

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I know we have a fair number of bumblebees in the garden, but I am very bad at identifying species. Fortunately this month there is a project underway to help me. I recommend it to you too . It is run by the Scottish Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Here is a quotation from their web-site: it’s easy; just take a photo of the bumblebee and note where you saw it, then use the interactive website tool to send us your record. Once you have submitted your image online our experts will get back to you confirming the identity. The web-address is: www.bumblebeeconservation.org I mentioned earlier in the year that the ducks seemed to have disposed of most of the tadpoles from our pond. We shall see. However, there are plenty of frogs using the water just now, to keep cool on sunny days. Sometimes they sit right in the middle of water-lily leaves in a classic “Jeremy Fisher” pose. Irresistible!

George Harris

HEARTBEATSt John’s community at the heart of the city, at the heart of the nation.

Congregational News Congratulations and welcome to Maria Robinson, daughter of Stuart and Leila, who was baptised on 20 May and also to Thomas Guilar, son of Jo and Ross, who was baptised on 8 July. Warm congratulations to Dawn Surgenor & Pablo Gomez who were married at St John’s on 16 June and also to Philippa Brown & James Clark who were married here on 2 June. Our love and prayers are with Freda Alexander and the rest of the family and friends of Ron Watts who died on 6 June. A Tribute to Ron is opposite. Our love and prayers are also with the family and friends of Elspeth Campbell Hamilton, whose funeral is on 27 July. Congratulations to Graeme Glover on the occasion of his wedding to Carly.

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Graeme writes: ‘Occasionally over the past few weeks, I have walked past the front of the church and thought back to standing there on a brilliantly sunny Saturday in May. I remember how I felt standing there, full of emotion, as Carly walked up the aisle; how I felt seeing a familiar place filled with a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of friends from near and far; how I felt as the choir sang; when the band sang the profound Sunshine on Leith and when the congregation sang our homemade hymn written to the tune Wild Mountain Thyme. St John's already meant a lot to me and it means even more now. We would both like to thank you for the unexpected but very much appreciated gifts; for the wisdom you have passed on and for the many kindnesses that you have shown us.

A Tribute to Ron Watts

Ron was born in 1939 in Sheffield and grew up in the South Yorkshire mining village of Kiverton. As an only child, rather than enjoying the pursuit of playing cricket, he preferred to be the umpire. Perhaps this is indicative of the adult Ron we knew? Despite failing his eleven plus, Ron went on to achieve academic success at Nottingham, then Cambridge Universities. It was there, in Cambridge, that he met his future wife, Freda.

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Having qualified as a Barrister, Ron began a long legal career with British Gas, becoming Assistant Director of Legal Services. He was also determined to make the world a better, fairer place and used his talents and time to do this. He became a local Labour councillor, chairman of the Southwark Planning Committee, Magistrate (40 years), school governor (30 years) and museum trustee (14 years). He even sought selection as a parliamentary candidate. There was most certainly more, but Ron did not brag. Ron believed that city centres should be vibrant, exciting and economically

active environments accessible to all. He was particularly proud of the recent improvements along London’s South Bank and his contribution. Ron would plough his own furrow and ignore protestations from party colleagues. Ron did exactly this during consideration of the Globe theatre plans and I’m sure we’re all glad he did so. On retirement Ron did not slacken. As well as continuing his London activities, Ron completed a degree in Theology and continued his preaching at St John’s where he was nicknamed “Sparky Watts“ by the choir. With all his outside pursuits, Ron also found time to relax. In particular he enjoyed fine dining, fine wine and opera. He attended Glyndebourne every season for 39 years, and with his health failing in his 40th season, his usual companions brought Glyndebourne to him in Edinburgh. The abiding memories we have of Ron revolve around food, wine and laughter. Our favourite photo shows a smiling Ron at our wedding proudly wearing a taut tartan waistcoat and holding a glass of Glühwein. The final years of Ron’s life were a losing battle against the ravages of Parkinson’s. When eating became difficult Ron’s weight fell off. Despite his failing health and inability to read, Ron’s mind remained sharp. Often I’d challenge him to name a particular MP or London landmark and he’d normally win.

Gillian and Iain Alexander

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Growth Group Whitchester Weekend

As a new member of the group I wondered what I’d let myself in for, but I needn’t have worried. There were a dozen of us, from widely differing backgrounds and with a wide range of ages. All the others were experienced members of the group, but they were very kind to me and made me very welcome. The theme of the weekend was an examination of how our approach to spirituality varies with age. Andrew Wright explained to us how he is introducing spirituality to the Sunday School, showing us how learning and discussion can be promoted and encouraged by the use of parables, which, of course, is what Jesus did. This led to a number of discussions about how our attitude to spirituality is modified by our experiences of life, with our early certainties being replaced by an admission of weakness and ignorance.

For me, two outstanding memories remain. Firstly, and most importantly, the Eucharist on Sunday morning. We were all involved, both in small groups preparing the construction of the service – confession, choice of hymns, intercessions etc – and in the service itself. We sat round the dining table and were able to

discuss what we were doing while we were doing it, without any sense of being rushed. We were sitting round three sides of the table, and when we came to the Peace we joined hands, leaving room at the open end for Jesus, our Brother, to close the circle. The other memory is of the hospitality we received. The house is in a most beautiful setting of the Borders countryside. We were made to feel very welcome. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. The food was delicious and the quantities so generous that I could understand why this group call themselves the Growth Group. May I come back, please?

John Burdett

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Invisible yet Ever Near One of my favourite fairy stories as a child was The Elves and the Shoemaker, particularly the idea of tiny people dressed in green repairing all my footwear during the hours of darkness; I’m particularly fond of shoes. Thankfully we have no elves at St John’s (they would be sure to get in the vergers’ way by sleeping in quiet corners during the day) but there are some people who regularly attend to the fabric items needed for the liturgy almost completely unnoticed. The Sacristy Guild is a small group of people who wash and press the small linens that are used during Communion

services, about once every two months. There are also individuals who design, make and maintain larger pieces of fabric, and attend to other items, such as the Paschal candlestick, as the need arises. Working together with the vergers this group of people keep everything available and in good order, their contribution of service so that we can all concentrate on our contribution to worshipping God together. And we also have the odd spot of socialising to look forward to! If you would like to know more, would like to join the guild, have some design ideas or needlework skills to share please contact me to have a chat. Alternatively, don’t be surprised if I ask you.

Amanda Wright.

0131 317 1252, 07725 950 296 or contact via the Church Office

From the Vestry Secretary

Vacancy Update As I write, we have just concluded the last of the five congregational meetings discussing the process for finding our next Rector. Around 100 members of the congregation have participated in the meetings with others contributing in writing. I know that I speak for the whole of the Vacancy Committee when I say that it has been a real privilege to meet with you and hear your thoughts on St John’s as it is now, how you hope it will be and the qualities we are looking for in

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our next Rector. Whilst I cannot hope to do full justice in this piece to the range and richness of people’s contributions, I can tell you about the major strands of discussion/opinion that have emerged. Community Nearly all who attended the meetings cited a sense of community as the quality they valued most about St John’s. This finds its expression in the wide range of spiritual and social activity that takes place both within St John's and in partnership with other churches and organisations. There was a clear will that we should work to maintain this sense of community but also a profound hope that we can develop it further in areas such as work with children and young adults and development of new ministries to older people. Faith Over the last few years, many of us have been part of conversations in different congregational settings that have articulated a desire for increased attention to faith development. This came through strongly in the congregational meetings as well, suggesting that whilst a number of faith development initiatives have recently been introduced, it remains an area for future expansion. Engagement St John’s as an organisation and its congregational members individually are involved in a wide range of outward looking projects including the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association, Together, our Mural Ministry, Waterstone’s coffee ministry to new members and the Growth Group. Another manifestation is the range of external organisations that use St John’s as a place to meet. It was evident from the meetings that we value this enormously and, again, wish at least to maintain but, hopefully, expand this as the facilities from our proposed new development come on stream. Worship Many people spoke of the high value they place on St John’s use of traditional forms of worship (eg Matins and Evensong), our liturgy in the Eucharist service and the importance of music and the choir to the effectiveness of these services. Whilst everyone wished to see this retained, some also felt that we should seek to develop space for further experimentation with both form and music.

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Qualities of the Rector Perhaps understandably, discussion of this topic produced a list of spiritual and temporal virtues so long and comprehensive that, as a few attendees at the meetings noted, were he available, the Archangel Gabriel might be a viable candidate! Chief amongst the qualities discussed were:

a people-person, able to lead but also delegate;

a strong communicator; across the board but particularly someone able to maintain St John’s tradition of intellectually stimulating and theologically challenging preaching;

a competent administrator who, as well as being able to provide a spiritual lead, can encompass the business side of St John’s operations;

someone with a sense of humour whose faith is grounded in the realities of everyday life.

Process The contributions summarised above have fed into the creation of the four documents which will be made available to all interested in applying for the role of Rector which are: a Church Profile, a description of the role of Rector, a Person Specification and a Mission Plan. Generally, we continue to run to the timetable previously advised which means we are currently finalising these documents in time for our advertising deadline of Thursday 26th July. We will be advertising in the Church Times and on our own, Diocesan and Provincial websites. The stages that follow are: August/September: closing date for applications (August), selecting and informing candidates for interview (August and early September). October: interviews (1st and 2nd of October), selection, recommendation to Vestry and the Bishop and announcement to the congregation.

There are a number of ways in which you can continue to be involved in the process. Firstly, although the process of drafting the recruitment documentation is nearly finished, if you have any further thoughts, please feel free to discuss them with any of the members

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of the Vacancy Committee. Secondly, please spread the word that we are looking for a new Rector as we want the strongest possible field of candidates from which to choose. If you know of someone you think might be suitable, please encourage them to apply by letting them know the date from which the vacancy will formally be advertised (26th July) and that details of the role will be available from the Church website. Thirdly, one of the elements in the assessment process for candidates, will be a presentation to a group of people drawn from the congregation. After each presentation, there will be the opportunity to ask questions of the candidate and at the end of each session, the group’s view of the candidates will be sought. This view will be fed into the Vacancy Committee’s decision-making process and we would like to give as many people as possible the opportunity to be part of this congregational group. It is likely that the assessment will take place on the two days of 1 and 2 October although that depends on the number of people we decide to short-list so, at this stage, we cannot be certain. We intend to run the presentations in the morning so would be looking for a commitment of about three hours (probably around 9.30 – 12.30) preferably for both days. If you can spare the time and would like to be part of this group, please contact me at vestry@eh6.myzen.co.uk. If the number of people interested were to exceed available space, then we will run a ballot to decide allocation of places. Finally, the members of the Vacancy Committee have been extremely buoyed by your kind comments, thoughts and prayers for which we are very grateful. As ever, if you have any comments or questions relating to the vacancy process or any other matter, please contact me at the email address above.

Alistair Dinnie

Envisioning Barbara Graham, attending one of these meetings, writes… Following coffee in the Hall after the 10.30am service on Sunday 17th June we had the first of a series of meetings to allow as many people as possible to join in and have their say in guiding the thoughts of the vacancy committee members

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as they proceed to elect a new rector of St John’s. Around 40 people gathered together and were asked to sit in groups of 6 around tables. Care was taken to ensure that each table had a member of the vacancy committee at it and all were asked to try to sit with those that they perhaps did not know that well. Following a brief period of silence and prayer, we were asked to discuss with the person next to us what brought us to St. John’s and what we were looking for in a new Rector, then to open the discussion to incorporate the questions on a printed sheet to the rest of the table and then to the whole room. The format worked well and the discussion could have gone on all day, but was satisfactory to all and was concluded by each table feeding back two points they felt most important; we were also all invited to feed back further points direct to the committee members. Although looking for a ‘shake-up’, there was a feeling that people wanted a ‘people person’ who recognised the need to spend time with individual people, as well as a Rector who could connect with the wider ecumenical role of St. John’s in the City; someone who would be a good speaker, include all ages, recognise all abilities and encourage, celebrate and develop the range of groups already in place; an academic with a good sense of humour: someone who could delegate whilst being a strong inspirational spiritual leader, and who would encourage and appreciate the role of music and art in St. John’s.

Forthcoming Events Festival Fireworks take place on Sunday 2 September at 9pm. The Social Committee invite members of the congregation to watch the Festival Fireworks from the Terrace at the back of the Church. Please bring your own refreshments! Entry this year will be ticketed for all (including children) – a donation of £1 is suggested for all adults and teenagers (50p for under 13s). Tickets available from

5 August onwards - if you would like to go, please see a member of the Social Committee during coffee on Sundays. Postal applications (after 5 August please) should be sent to Ian Stevenson at 42/3 Learmonth Avenue, EH4 1HT – please make cheques payable to St. John’s Social Committee. (Note: Please do not leave money or ticket requests at the Church Office as we will be unable to

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collect them. We are also sorry that ticket applications made before 5th August will not be accepted.) Annual Retreat

Our retreat this year is from 20-24 September at Bishop’s House on Iona. The retreat is being led by Ruth Scott; full details are on the enclosed leaflet and on our website. Please do submit your application as soon as possible as spaces on the retreat are now being offered outside of St John’s.

Charity Sunday : Camfed Calls In September, on Charity Sunday, you are going to be asked to give lots of money to a charity called Camfed. This charity was chosen by the Green Ginger Group. Many of you may be surprised that we did not choose a direct intervention in the environment. However, we calculate that educating women who would otherwise have little chance of schooling – which is what Camfed does – is going to do as much as possible to enable developing countries to respond to the challenges of the global environmental crisis in an effective way. It will have a powerful multiplier effect. At its simplest, population pressures are one of the main drivers of the environmental crisis, and educated women have fewer children. This has been clearly demonstrated by the experience of the state of Kerala in India. Camfed works in sub-Saharan Africa, where population growth is yet another ecological time-bomb. At a more subtle level, women are also the most important members of a household when it comes to spreading a life-style, and, as a recent Camfed Tweet said: ‘Women constitute a dynamic force for sustainable development.’

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The following extracts from the Camfed web-site summarise what they do, and why they need us to give generously. ‘We believe every child has the right to an education. Camfed uses a community-based, holistic approach to bring about change in Africa. The girls we support are selected by the community as being the most in need. We don’t just provide her with books or school fees. We help her throughout her development, from her primary school years until adulthood. Our package allows her to get into school, do well academically, and maximize the value of her education after graduation. Since 1993, we’ve improved the school environment for 1,451,600 children, provided scholarships for 47,810 girls to go to high school, trained 4,878 teacher mentors and helped 1,027 young women go to college. When you educate a girl in Africa, everything changes. She’ll be three times less likely to get HIV/AIDS, earn 25 percent more income and have a smaller, healthier family.’

George Harris

St John’s Walking Group

On 16 June, despite extremely inclement weather, a small party made it to the top of Ben Vorlich, thereby raising over £300 for the Rock Trust. Thanks are due to all involved, both walkers and those who sponsored us, and to Marjory Currie who suggested it, and who organised the sponsorship.

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The walks in August to October are listed below. Further information will be put up on the noticeboards in the church porch and hall. Alternatively contact the walk leader. For general information please contact Veronica Harris at walking@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk or 0131 228 1016. 2 August West Linton to Garvald. Starting at West Linton Golf Course we walk up an easy track past Slipperfield Farm into the moors for a picnic lunch. Since it is a “there and back” walk the length will depend on how we feel as we go. (Judith Watson 221 1269 Note change of leader). 18 August Tayport, Tentsmuir Forest and Kinshaldy Beach. A pleasant ramble through the forest to Fife's most beautiful beach. Level walk on tracks, across dunes and possibly barefoot on the extensive sands. 8 miles approx, or can be shortened to suit. (Richard Butterworth: 339 1068). 6 September Loanhead, Lasswade and Polton. A circuit on paths, across fields, through woodlands and alongside the River South Esk (Veronica Harris: 228 1016). 15 September Borders Abbeys Way: Selkirk to Melrose. A linear 10 mile walk on upland tracks, minor roads and a riverside path. Over Selkirk Hill, along a minor road, then a Drove Road to Cauldshiel Loch, on to the River Tweed by Abbotsford House and follow the banks of the Tweed to Melrose. Excellent views if it is fine (Josephine MacLeod: 332 0893). 4 October Peebles to Neidpath Castle. A circular walk along the Tweed (Ann Malcolm Smith: 667 2482 and Patricia Walliker: 445 1217). 20 October Tinto and Scaut Hill; Climb to the top of Tinto for views over the Lowther Hills and the Clyde valley, then back over Scaut Hill. Circular 6½ mile walk (Romy Langeland :667 4413).

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News from the Terrace

A History of The Cornerstone Bookshop Former Manager, Cleodie MacKinnon, reminisces… In late 1990 the SPCK, who had run a bookshop below St. Johns for over a decade, decided the venture was no longer viable and wished to end their lease. Neville Chamberlain, who was Rector of St John’s at the time, felt, as did others, that this could be a resource for all the churches in Scotland, and especially the Episcopal Church. There was need for a liberal, broadly ecumenical, inclusive bookshop specialising in liturgy, spirituality and pastoral and social issues. Other Christian bookshops in Scotland were more narrowly based; Neville’s vision was for something which would reach out beyond denominational boundaries and tackle challenging issues. With the support of the Vestry, Neville set up a group to carry out a feasibility study under the chairmanship of Kenneth Boyd, including people with relevant business experience. After doing market research and much calculation, the group concluded that if St. John’s wished to maximise the commercial return on the site, they would need to sell tartan teddy bears; however, if the church considered that this was part of its mission as a city-centre church, it should just be possible to break even and perhaps make a small profit. Crucial to this would be the support of the Vestry, a strong management group and a manager with appropriate experience. When the idea first arose, Neville had approached me and with typical persistence twisted my arm; I had worked in religious publishing and book marketing and been manager of school and community bookshops. Neville had approached both Edinburgh Diocese and the Province for financial backing and both came up with fairly substantial sums; however, this was not enough to set up the shop on an appropriate scale, so Neville appealed to the congregation. He asked for interest-free loans for two years of anything from £50 upwards. In ten days he had £20,000 and for the first year a guarantee against loss of £5,000. Very few were privy to the names of the contributors, but those who were knew that they were not in general wealthy people but teachers, retired people, and others of modest means; undoubtedly for some it was sacrificial giving.

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I abandoned my job; SPCK moved out, and Marion Goldsmith who was church administrator at the time, set to work to transform the rather dingy shop into a welcoming space. New lighting, a coat of white paint and some rearrangement of existing shelving worked wonders. Meantime, we had to arrange for stock. Marion negotiated with SPCK to take over what we felt was appropriate of the existing stock, and I then began to meet publishers’ representatives and tried to obtain the best possible discounts – a new experience for me, as I had hitherto dealt almost entirely with wholesalers, and the learning curve was not so much steep as precipitous. I had friendly and supportive advice from publishers’ reps, outstandingly Darton, Longman and Todd and SPCK publishers. The original plan had been for one full-time and two part-time members of staff; in the end we settled for one full-time and one part-time supported by volunteers. Neville and Marion recruited a superb band of volunteers, most from St John’s, but some from other churches and three brown-habited and cheerful Franciscans.

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It was a pretty frenetic scramble to get books on shelves, staff trained, record-keeping established (no computers at that stage), bank accounts opened, publicity organised; but somehow it was all accomplished, and in May 1991 the Cornerstone bookshop was opened by the Primus Bishop, George Henderson. That was the first of many hospitable gatherings in the shop for book launches and other celebrations, fuelled by white wine and ‘Cornerstone cocktail’ – elderflower and tonic. The rest is history? Like most histories, it had its ups and downs, in a time when religious bookshops were regularly going out of business, even those which were part of large groupings, such as the Church of Scotland bookshops, their successors Wesley Owen, Scripture Union, and even SPCK’s own bookshops. But it was a history of survival and eventual success. The first year was one of anxiety and long hours while we struggled with the complexities of cashing up, stock control, record keeping and accounting; however, at the end of the year we broke even, having budgeted for a loss. Thereafter we moved gradually but steadily into profit and began to be able to pay St. Johns a more realistic rent, pay back our loans and employ more staff. We travelled to synods and church events across Scotland, which were opportunities to raise awareness of our range and our strengths, as well as bringing in valuable money. Publicity and money also came from book launches; we found a surprising number of appropriate local authors, headed of course by Richard Holloway, who obligingly produced a book a year and packed the shop. Probably the real turning point came after a couple of years, when the Scottish Churches’ Open College invited us to become their library suppliers, and later to provide books for their training week-ends; these were labour intensive, but brought in substantial money and established us in the eyes of students across all the denominations. After five years we were making so much money we had to start thinking what to do with it; we were looking into the possibility of endowing a lecture when the Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow invited us to open a branch there. They provided a suitable space, we invested in stock and fittings and began to consider ourselves a chain. This shop ran successfully for several years, but found it impossible to survive an enforced move of premises. I retired in 1998, having served a biblical term of seven years; it was time to computerise, and I knew that needed a younger head. My successor was Nicky Macdonald, a Methodist, who had worked in the Iona Abbey bookshop and was

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very much in sympathy with the Cornerstone ethos. She brought many strengths to the task, most notably promoting the excellent Canadian Sunday School material, which Jim Mein had discovered, and which was later adopted by the Church of Scotland and proved to be the passport to being responsible for the book stall at the General Assembly, a long-held ambition. Nicky was also responsible for a much needed and successful refit of the interior of the bookshop. After six years, she was succeeded by David Smith, who had worked part-time in the shop while completing his PhD at New College. However, his real vocation was teaching Religious Education and he was succeeded by Margaret Leeming, who had worked in the shop seven years before as a much valued volunteer. Both she and her assistant, Amanda Bruce, studied at New College and bring different church perspectives. The bookshop has been steered from the outset by a management group of people with appropriate experience. The first chair was John Rogers, a late ordinand at Coates Hall, who had had a career in retail management. He was succeeded by Malcolm Goldsmith and then by Susie Stevenson. The Rector has always been an ex-officio member, with the bookshop manager in attendance. Relations with the other Terrace Users have always been very good and like them, we have felt we were part of St. John’s city centre outreach and window on the world. For the last few years the bookshop has been threatened, not only by the tramworks in Princes Street, which have affected so many businesses, but also by the increasing trend by book buyers to order from Amazon, which affects all bookshops, but especially small independent ones. Cornerstone has always been valued by customers for expert advice, customer care, and even pastoral concern, which have been found there. Unfortunately, there are also those who use the shop to browse and order more cheaply elsewhere. It would be a loss to the wider Scottish church if these trends and the threat of disruption during St. John’s proposed development resulted in the demise of what has become a fragile but important part of St. John’s city centre mission.

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Peace and Justice Centre

The Peace and Justice Centre benefits greatly from people with a concern for the issues with which we are preoccupied, but who may only be in Edinburgh for a limited period. While they are with us they bring a fresh perspective on these issues which opens up possible lines of work that we would not otherwise have contemplated. Our two current interns, Helen Harris and Heather Tait, are

collaborating on the production of a module on non-violence for use in secondary schools. Helen is at present undertaking an MA in international law at Edinburgh University, and Heather is a St Andrews graduate in international law and philosophy whose final year dissertation was on the impact of the Rwanda genocide on people there afterwards. In addition to our interns we have volunteers who also bring us fresh insights into current situations. Pita Catt is an Australian lawyer who is in Edinburgh for six months, and has a special interest in immigration and refugee issues. Obinna Ifediora is a lawyer who is undertaking research into the difficult issue of ‘humanitarian intervention’ and the related concern with the responsibility to protect. We are glad that such concerned people find in the Centre a congenial space to carry forward their projects, and help the rest of us to have a better understanding of the world in which we live.

Geoffrey Carnall

City Centre Churches Together

TOGETHER and the CREATIVE ARTS A key ingredient in our city’s identity is its commitment to the creative arts - a commitment that climaxes in August each year. For many years our churches

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have been part of this as we provide significant city centre venues not just during the Festival but throughout the year - for recitals, talks, concerts and exhibitions. Our Future Outreach Suzie Stark, attached as Probationary Minister to St. Cuthbert’s, has been looking at the whole issue of our engagement with the city Arts Community. She writes: The congregation at St Cuthbert’s has, for some time, been considering how we might serve the arts community within the parish. In conjunction with the Together partners I have been tasked with exploring what this might entail in terms of the various venues within the city centre. Edinburgh city centre is a hub for the arts thanks to the many galleries, theatres, cinemas and concert venues. We already have our established outreach ministry to those in the business community (Oasis) but it has been recognised that there is little contact with the separate and distinct arts community. It is hoped that our research might indicate what might be developed in terms of outreach, worship and ongoing support for those who work on our doorstep all year round and also for those who are passing through as part of a touring company. At present there is no specific chaplaincy to any of the theatres within the City Centre so I am working with Tony Bryer (Workplace Chaplain) to see how the churches might support those working in the entertainment industry. We have written to the venues within the city centre and are in the process of setting up meetings with relevant parties. It is our intention that the first phase of this research will be completed in July when we hope to have a better idea of what the Together churches might do with, and for, the arts community. Contact has also been made with various organisations in the UK and the USA which support Christians in the arts and entertainment business in order to find out what happens in other areas so that we might learn from what is established and successful. To date the response from the arts community has been encouraging and we look forward to reporting our progress at a future date. Domestics Since John Armes has now become the Bishop of Edinburgh, Donald Reid will be occupying his chair as Trustee of TOGETHER representing St. John’s. Joe Evans, who held the post of co-ordinator for the TOGETHER churches until earlier this year when he moved to Paris, has just become engaged to Mhairi Wilson. Congratulations to them both.

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Christian Aid Fair Trade Fashion Show (29 March) We’d had London, Paris, Milan and now it was Edinburgh’s turn! The show

featured clothes and accessories from ’Hibiscus Flower’, a boutique in Stockbridge which stocks ethically sourced fashion. The owner, Sarah Burns, was recently awarded the Lord Provost’s Award for Best Fair Trade Newcomer. The evening commenced with Fair Trade wine and canapés, served in the newly refurbished Lammermuir Hall of St Cuthbert’s. TOGETHER’S Workplace Chaplain, Rev Tony Bryer was an excellent MC and Sarah introduced the models, not just describing the clothes but also giving us the background behind their production. Our models all came from the three TOGETHER congregations and showed off the clothes to perfection. The evening raised £743 for Christian Aid as well as providing an opportunity for

the congregations to get to know one another. It also made us more aware of the benefits of buying Fair Trade goods. Many thanks to all who helped make this evening such a success. Joint Service, 3 June This was held at Shandwick Place on Trinity Sunday, and proved to be a lively affair, even incorporating a baptism. Ian Gilmour presided and a collection for Fresh Start raised a good sum. Donald Reid took on the (possibly unenviable) task of explaining the Trinity to us in a sermon, and appeared to relish the challenge. Our experience of God, he explained, is threefold, - God as transcendent, wholly other/ God in Christ as human being, brother, companion, friend, neighbour/ God within us, in our most interior places and moments as an inner voice or spirit. Since humankind’s experiences of God is of God as beyond, with us and within us, our doctrine of the Trinity expresses a truth which finds common ground with those of many faiths. It accepts the experience of God we share with non-Christian believers, and as such should not be divisive, but inclusive. The Rock Trust Comes of Age This year the Rock Trust celebrates its 21st birthday. This is great cause for delight, since the Trust was started by the Council of West End Churches, fore-runner of TOGETHER. Since its beginnings in CWEC in 1991, it has grown to

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become a formidable charity doing amazing work in the housing of young people and their integration into society. On 16th June the Trust celebrated its birthday by a mass ascent of Munros in Scotland. More of this in a later issue. Meanwhile, our warm congratulations to the Trust on its remarkable achievements over the last 21 years.

Faith and Ageing

In co-operation with Faith in Older People we are looking for 6-8 people interested in being part of an action/reflection group looking at issues associated with ageing, including those facing dementia. This requires a commitment to meet monthly for a 2-hour session over 15 months. If interested contact Amanda Wright (contact details on the inside cover or amanda.wright@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk)

St Aidan and St Thomas within the wardrobe A Message from Canon Wishwash I have been asked to explain the meaning of the term ‘Rector’, a word on everyone’s lips at the moment. One might suppose that it had some connection with rectitude, or rightness, as though Rectors might adopt Mussolini’s motto ‘Il Duce a sempre ragione’. I think we can dismiss as frivolous suggestions that the word was anciently spelled ‘Wrecktor’ and refers to a tendency to wreak havoc. It is true that holders of the office require sharp elbows, metaphorically speaking, which tempts one to favour a derivation from ‘rectangular’. On this occasion we cannot do better that refer to a dictionary, as follows: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin r ctor, director, from , r ctus past participle of regere, to rule; see reg- in Indo-European roots.

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The annotated Hymn Book

1 Ye servants (1) of the Lord, Each in his office(2) wait, Observant of his heavenly word(3), And watchful at his gate.(4)

2 Let all your lamps be bright, And trim the golden flame;(5) Gird up your loins(6), as in his sight(7), For awful is his name(8).

3 Watch, 'tis your Lord's command! And while we speak, he's near; Mark the first signal of his hand(9), And ready all appear.

4 O happy servant he(10) In such a posture found! (11) He shall his Lord with rapture see, And be with honour crowned.

5 Christ shall the banquet spread(12) With his own bounteous hand, And raise that favourite servant's head(13) Amidst th' angelic band(14).

Notes: 1. Those who have seen ‘Downton Abbey’ will be aware that there are several ranks of

servant, from the dignified and authoritative butler to the frivolous and downtrodden kitchen-maid.

2. When this hymn was composed in the mid-eighteenth century, the open-plan office had not been devised. However, the practice of providing an individual office for each junior was unusual even then.

3. Scholars have long disputed what this word might be. Elizabeth I’s favourite astrologer, John Dee, damaged his reputation for learning by seeking to discover, and interpret, the language of heaven; we have no intention of making the same mistake. Pittie Slop, of Colinton suggests the heavenly word might be ‘chocolate’ but this we doubt.

4. The physical impossibility of servants ‘each’ waiting in their offices and watching at the gate raises three possibilities. (a) Some sort of shift or rota system, as adopted by office workers who were also fire-watchers during the Blitz. (b) Closed circuit TV cameras. (c) Perhaps most likely in the eighteenth century would be a complex system of mirrors.

5. The modern worshipper, filled with energy-saving zeal, should imagine these to be LED bulbs not Halogen.

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6. That age-old question, boxers or y-fronts? 7. This line calls to mind the poem by Spike Milligan:

‘People who live in glass houses Should draw the blinds before removing their trousis.’ 8. Female readers may remember occasions where marriage was rendered impossible by

the awful family name of the beloved. See also Oscar Wilde: ‘It has always been a girlish dream of mine to love someone whose name was Ernest’ (The Importance of Being Earnest, Act II).

9. Musicians may think of the Lord here as a kind of conductor, indicating pp, ff, Stand! or Sit! When this hymn is sung at army church parades the singers may imagine those expressive gestures that mean ‘Start up’, ‘Double!’ or ‘Close on me!’

10. The use of the word ‘he’ does not here indicate that all the servants were masculine. It would be a very odd household, in 1755, where that was the case. ‘He’ was frequently used as a short-hand for ‘he or she’. Whether the same argument can be applied to the word ‘Lord’ we leave for others to dispute.

11. Clearly the question of whether the servants were male or female (see note 10 above) may affect the nature of the posture’ in which it is ‘happy’ to be discovered. Readers who wish to take up Yoga or Pilates in the hopes of attaining happiness are welcome to do so.

12. We have so far been unable to obtain a copy of the menu for the banquet. Nor yet the wine-list.

13. This line implies that only one servant shall be favoured. If that is the case, the matter of adopting the correct posture becomes more urgent. On the other hand the reward, of having one’s head raised aloft, sounds suspiciously like the final ritual after the execution of traitors on Tower Hill. Be careful what you wish for.

14. Readers who identify the ‘angelic band’ with ‘The Speckled Band (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by A Conan Doyle) have misinterpreted this line. The ‘band’ here is not a ribbon tied round the brow but a collection of musicians. The adjective ‘angelic’ seems to me to exclude an Orange fife-and-drum band. A pipe band is one possible interpretation, or one of those military brass bands lead by a drum-horse. My own vision of this line alternates between a jazz-band, given to unrestrained improvisation, and one of those bands that sit in white-painted gazebos in seaside parks, as children play around them, birds and butterflies flit unafraid, and pensioners snooze in deck-chairs.

Readings & Rota

Coffee Rota

2 September E Yeo; S Brand; W Wyse. 9 September M Warrack; E MacNaughton; C Legge. 16 September S Brand; C MacArthur; S Kilbey 23 September A Usher; P Walliker; E Carruthers. 30 September H Tait; V Lobban; J MacLeod.

Volunteers are always welcome – please contact Sheelagh Brand on 0131 339 4406

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Sunday Readings

9.30am Matins 10.30am Eucharist 6.00pm Evensong

5 August Pentecost 10

1 Kings 19:1-16 1 John 3:1-3

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 2 Peter 1: 16-19 Luke 9:28-36

Exodus 24:12-18 John 12:27-36

12 August Pentecost 11

Song of Solomon 8:5-7 2 Peter 3:8-13

2 Samuel 18:5-9,15,31-33 Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2 John 6:35,41-51

Job 39:1 – 40:4 Hebrews 12:1-17

19 August Pentecost 12

Jonah 1 2 Peter 3:14-18

1 Kings 2:10-12 & 3:3-14 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58

Exodus 2:23 – 3:10 Hebrews 13:1-15

26 August Pentecost 13

Jonah 2 Revelation 1

1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43 Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-59

Exodus 4:27 – 5:1 Hebrews 13:16-21

2 September Creationtide

Jonah 3:1-9 Revelation 3:14-22

Genesis 1:9-25 James 1:17-27 Matthew 14:22-32

Exodus 12:21-27 Matthew 4:23 – 5:20

9 September Creationtide

Jonah 3:10 – 4:11 Revelation 8:1-5

Genesis 6:11-24 James 2:1-10,14-17 Mark 7:24-37

Exodus 14:5-31 Matthew 6:1-18

16 Sept Creationtide

Isaiah 44:24 – 45:8 Revelation 12:1-12

Ezekiel 27:1-4,13-17, 24-26, 29-32 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38

Isaiah 52:7-12 John 15:12-17

23 Sept Creationtide

Isaiah 45:9-22 Revelation 14:1-5

Jonah 2 and 3:1-2,6-10 James 3:13 – 4:3 & 7-8 Mark 9:30-37

Exodus 19:10-25 Matthew 8:23-34

30 Sept Creationtide

Isaiah 48:12-22 Luke 11:37-54

Job 38:4-18 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50

Exodus 24 Matthew 9:1-8

Shaded squares denote ‘no service’

Copy date for the next Cornerstone is 16 September. Please send contribution in as a Word document,

not as an e-mail. Thank you.