25
New Forms of Church p8 t o g e t h e r n e s s  Festival Preview p12 t o g e t h e r n e s s  

Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 1/24

i s s u e 3 – s u m m e r 2 0 1 1

New Forms of Church p8

t o g e t h e r n e s s

FestivalPreview p12

t o g e t h e r n e s s

Page 2: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 2/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

c

o

n

t

e

n

t

s

C o n t e n t s

45678

12

Together News

Christian Aid Sale

Ian Gilmour

City Centre Plans

New Forms of Church

Festivals Preview

The Less Travelled road

Togetherness:

magazine of Edinburgh CityCentreChurchesTogetherCopyright © 2011

Edinburgh CityCentre ChurchesTogether Authors.

Edinburgh CityCentre ChurchesTogether is a

Registered Charity.Charity NumberSCO40773

St Andrew's and StGeorge's WestChurch

13 George StreetEdinburghEH2 2PA0131 225 3847editor/coordinatorJoe Evans

togetheredinburgh.org.uktwitter@eccctogether

Roll Away the Stone

What Together means toRussell McLarty

12 Festival of Spirituality andPeace

The Festival at St Cuthbert'sand St Andrew's and StGeorge's West

Spotlight on the Fringe andBook Festival

182022

17

16

[email protected] [email protected]

Page 3: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 3/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

3

The Revd Ian Gilmour

joined the Together Trustees

at the Trustees’ meeting on 5

May by virtue of taking up the

position of minister at St

Andrew’s & St George’s West.

One member from each of the

two sister Together churches

had attended meetings of the

appointments committee and

many members from eachchurch attended his induction

on 28 April. The

congregation, which included

members from Ian’s former

parish of South Leith, filled

the church and transferred to

a cordial buffet andentertainment in the George

Hotel.

The annual Together joint

service was held on 5 June

and St John’s was packed

with well over 300 attending.The service celebrated the

40th anniversary of the

Cornerstone Café, which had

been set up to provide young

people with coffee, snacks

and a warm place to meet

during the hours 10pm 2am.

This was long before the

current 24/7 culture! Over

100 of the original volunteers

Together Newsattended the service at which

the address was given by the

Revd Norman Shanks.

It has always been one of

Together’s aims that a

Workplace Chaplain should

be appointed. After a series of

delays, an appointment has

been made and the Revd Tony

Bryer will take up the positionin the autumn. The post will be

run in conjunction with the

support of Workplace

Chaplaincy Scotland.

On 9 April about 40 peoplegave up their Saturday to

attend a conference on New

Forms of Church. The

programme built on the

experience gained the previous

year under the banner of

Creative Space and exploredthe new forms that the Church

might take in current society.

The day’s success was ensured

by inviting Revd Norman Smith

to state his vision of how things

might be, and to facilitate

discussion. An account follows

on pages 8 11.

Kenneth MacKenzie – Chair

Page 4: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 4/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

4

The Wider World

Following the article

in the last issue of

Togetherness, the

Earth Be Glad

website is now up

and running. Monitor

your energy usage

and find out much

more atearthbeglad.org.uk

The EdinburghInterfaith Association

hold a community

meal on the 1st

Monday of the

month. Held at St

John's, this is a great

opportunity to meet,

greet and eat with

those of many faiths.

eifa.org.uk

EIFA Community

Meal

Earth Be Glad!

Ecological

Christianity

A great resource for

anyone interested in

caring for the planetas a Christian.

christian

ecology.org.uk

A proportional response

Following celebratory scenes, TheSeptember Eleventh Families for

Peaceful Tomorrows released a

response to Osama Bin Laden's killing.

"Our thoughts turn not only to our

family members who were killed on

September 11th, but to all of theinnocent people around the world who

have died, and continue to die, as a

result of the events of September 11th,

2001…

"One person may have played a central

role in the September 11th attacks, but

all of us have a role to play in returningour world to a place of peace, hope and

new possibilities. We hope that process

will begin today."

This group came together not to see

their loved ones avenged, but because

they didn't want the cycle of violencethat led to their deaths to continue.

peacefultomorrows.org

Page 5: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 5/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

5

Christian Aid SaleBack for another year, this year's Christian AidSale at St Andrew's and St George's West wasagain a huge success.

As the St Andrew's and St George's annual

Christian Aid Sale draws ever closer to its 40th

year, it still shows no sign of slowing down. This

year Scotland's Makar, Liz Lochhead was patron.

Over 100,000 books were sold along with allmanner of artwork, ephemera, records, cds, dvds,

antiques, collectibles and toys, raising a total of

around £117,000. Of particular interest were an

original copy (1628) of Harvey's treatise on the

circulation of the blood and an original Alasdair

Gray print.view the video at tinyurl.com/stagwsale

Page 6: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 6/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

6

Welcoming Ian Gilmour

Together co ordinator, Joe Evans,put some questions to St Andrew'sand St George's West's new minister,and here are his answers.

Where was your previous

ministry?

I served at South Leith Parish

Church. 15 years working with

such hard working, energetic

people was a privilege.

Tell me about your first

Sunday at STAGW s.

“Push and Shove Sunday” was

an eye opener. Transforming

the church for the enormous

Christian Aid Sale makes thatSunday like no other. I saw

how members supported each

other and how they stretch to

contribute to the church's

wider work.

Which experiences may behelpful in your new parish?

Two things stand out. I was

involved in setting up Ocean

Terminal's ecumenical

chaplaincy. This connects with

St Andrew’s & St George’s

West's work with retail and

business and Together's

workplace chaplaincy.

The other was twelve years'

involvement with Leith Festival,

including being convener. Our

Together congregations are well

situated for Edinburgh’s

Festivals; we can create events,

provide venues and offerinformed critiques.

So what's making you excited

for the future?

I hope to develop with the

congregation a vision of a

church that looks after its ownfamily while moving outward.

There are so many networks of

people in the city centre, we

can't serve everyone. I'm

delighted the Together churches

are already doing so much for

the most vulnerable. I'm reallylooking forward to exploring the

possibilities for Christian

presence, prayers and prophetic

action as part of a highly skilled

Together team. It is in areas of

socialising, creativity and

business that so many engage in

this city, the church must

discover ways of enriching their

lives. It won't be dull!

Page 7: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 7/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

7

Ideas for the city centre

Robert Philp reports.

The most recent meeting of

the City Centre Partnership

was about the delivery of a

world class ‘public realm’ for

Princes Street and the

Gardens, a subject of some

relevance to our churches.

Gehl Architects have workedin cities across the world to

improve the environment for

their citizens, revolutionising

e.g. Times Square in New

York, where accident rates

have fallen by 63%, and

Copenhagen, among manyothers. They have made

proposals to Edinburgh

Council for Princes Street. Is

it to be a world class street or

a giant bus station?

They start with thepresumption that city centres

are for people. Edinburgh is

at present the 5th most

congested city in Europe.

Since 1998, Princes Street

has seen almost a 50%

decline in pedestrian traffic.

The domination of the bus

causes fumes, noise and

vibrations, blocking the view

and the sun (when it’s there)

and making it hard to cross.

There are 400 bus movements

an hour. All this is seriously

worrying both for tourists and

Edinburgh citizens. Currently

the world famous street simply

fails to be a space for meetingand interacting. Gehl wants us

to re think city centre traffic,

encourage activities for

passers by, provide

walking areas and

activity zones, remove

railings andsuperfluous traffic

clutter and

generally open

up this iconic

space for

people. The

debate isongoing.

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

7

Page 8: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 8/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

8

New Forms of Church forthe New Town

On the 9th April around 30

people from the three

congregations met in St

Andrew’s & St George’s to

learn about the movement

called “New Forms of Church”

and to consider theimplications and possibilities

for our churches of its ideas

and principles.

Revd Norman Smith, Mission

Convener of Presbytery and

former Convener of EmergingMinistries Task Group within

the Church of Scotland, led the

proceedings and has reported

on the day.

Why do we need New

Forms of Church? What isthe problem?

The problem is that

congregations throughout the

country have no contact at all

with whole sections of their

parishes.

This was the finding of the

survey undertaken by the

Church of Scotland in 2011

and the situation is mirrored

south of the border. This calls

for a new type of mission.

The old type of mission:

“Come!”

Our present congregations workvery hard at inviting people to

come and join them. They keep

their buildings open, put on

services, provide hospitality and

night shelter, give talks, hold

concerts, arrange walks,

provide counselling and otherservices to vulnerable groups.

We expect people to become

like us, to take on our

language, our mannerisms and

our traditions. We also expect

our church practice to endure.So the majority of the

population are left untouched.

The new type of mission:

"Go!"

This is not in fact new at all.

After all, that is what Jesus

said. He sent out the 72, he

sent the disciples and ultimately

he sends us. Unfortunately for

David Hill provides a summary of Norman

Smith's report on the New Forms day conference.

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

8

|

|

N

e

w

F

o

r

m

s

Page 9: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 9/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

9

many years it has often

become all too easy to turnhis command to go into a

command to come.

We spent a session

considering where we might

go, that is, with which

‘interest’ group Christianscould become involved.

Suggestions included

Residents, Immigrants, Young

Clubbers, Workers, Ladies who

Lunch, Students, High Culture,

and Arts Festivals.

But how?

This is not easy for us.

Obviously not, or we would

have been doing it. But it

becomes easier if we

understand that the best

people to reach out to a

particular group are those who

are already part of it. You

don’t send a skateboarder to

reach an opera goer; you find

an opera goer who has a desireto share the gospel!

So the first task is to examine

ourselves and understand what

interest groups we are already

part of. Business and the arts

will feature at or near the topof an analysis of our

congregations’ interests. So we

are already on the right lines in

appointing a Workplace

Chaplain, and in considering

the appointment of someone to

work especially with the ‘Artsand Culture’ sector – a

possibility currently being

explored by St Cuthbert’s.

What will church look like

for people in groups like

this?

Whilst all Christian churches

worship God, the form of that

worship will be different t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

9

|

|

N

e

w

F

o

r

m

s

The disparity between existing church andsecular culture is widening

Where once Westerners might have found theiridentity, their social togetherness and the ongoinglife of their society in the area of production,these are increasingly today found throughconsumption.We are what we buy. We relate toothers who consume the same way we do.

David Lyon, Memory & the Millennium‚

Page 10: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 10/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

0

depending on people’s frame

of reference. Use of language,

patterns of worship and issues

of concern will all arise from

people’s understanding of God

in their context. Any

congregation that initiatesoutreach to a different cultural

group should not expect their

mission to result as a clone of

themselves.

Nor should they expect a

direct return to their owncongregation, either in

additional people or additional

revenue. New Forms of

Church is essentially an act of

grace on the part of the

sending church.

Where to from here?

1. Continue exploring

Emerging/New forms of Church.

2. Keep on developing a vision

for mission to the City Centre.

3. Identify people within the

Together congregations whohave a passion for reaching

others and who can operate

within target cultures.

The Christian task is NOT to help peoplebridge into our church context.While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew inorder to win them; and even though I myself am

not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though Iwere when working with those who are, in order towin them. In the same way, when working withGentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the JewishLaw, in order to win Gentiles. This does not meanthat I don't obey God's law; I am really underChrist's law.

1 Corinthians 9:20 21

FIND OUT MORE

Fresh Expressions encourages new forms of church for afast changing world, working with Christians from various

denominations and traditions. The initiative has resulted inhundreds of new congregations being formed alongsidemore traditional churches.freshexpressions.org.uk

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

0

|

|

N

e

w

F

o

r

m

s

Page 11: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 11/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

1

4. Take steps to equip them

for the task of outreach and

commission them.

5. Carefully manage

expectations of existing

churches on what they are

looking for and what they

expect in return for their

investment.

6. Pray continually.

Conclusion

We believe no sector or

segment of society is beyond

the reach of God; that is not

to say they will be attracted

to our way of doing church.Our challenge is to find ways

of bringing them and the

gospel together. That is our

task, God will do the rest.

I would strongly encourage

you to pursue Emerging/New

Forms of Church for the City

Centre as you have many

unique opportunities not open

to any other place in Scotland.

Hundreds of thousands of

people come each year to your

area from all over the world

looking to connect with

Edinburgh.

I pray that as they come here

they will also be connectedboth to the Christian past of

the city and find their way of

embracing and expressing that

faith for themselves.

Yours is a high calling and on

behalf of the MissionResourcing Group of Edinburgh

Presbytery we wish you every

success and offer our services

to help you as we can.

Revd Norman Smith,

Conference Convenor

GET INVOLVED

Are you interested in finding a new way for our

churches to interact with people in the city centre?

Are you interested in taking forward the ideas

presented in this report?

If so, Together would like to invite you to get

involved further with this exciting area and to tryand make something new.

contact Joe Evans 07751529717 or

[email protected] t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

1

|

|

N

e

w

F

o

r

m

s

Page 12: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 12/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

2

F a i t h , H o p e a n d R e a l i t y :

T h e F e s t i v a l o f S p i r i t u a l i t y

a n d P e a c e

To start our 6 page Festival Preview, DonaldReid, Director of FoSP gives us a brief run downof what's happening at this year's Festival

Saturday 6 – Monday 29 AugustIn September this year, it will

be the 10th anniversary of

9/11. Therefore, a major

strand in the Festival

'conversation' programme

will be to reflect on the legacy

of the events of that day and

the violence which followed it.

We will be particularly pleased

to welcome Imam Feisal Abdul

Rauf from New York City who

was at the centre of the

controversy last September

about the so called 'Ground

Zero mosque'. He will help us

understand the trauma and

paranoia which has gripped the

US and whether 10 years on,

Page 13: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 13/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

3

of the recent ‘truth telling’ onthat atrocity.

2011 is also the 30th

anniversary of the identification

of HIV, so we will look at how

faith communities influence the

incidence of AIDS, especially inAfrica and Bishop Christopher

Senjonyo from Uganda will

describe the plight of gay

people there.

Thinking of other perspectives

on reality, what does science

have to tell us about the

efficacy of prayer or the health

benefits of faith? What ethical

|

|

F

e

s

t

i

v

a

l

s

P

r

e

v

i

e

w

with a different administration

those ghosts can be

exorcised.

Yasmin Alibhai Brown ,

commentator and broadcaster,

will start this series of topics,

with an event on Monday 8

August, asking if the world –

and Britain – is a safer place

with the killing of Osama Bin

Laden and with democratic

movements across the MiddleEast. Several speakers with

close links to Egypt and Syria

will help us understand the

meaning of events there and

in other Arab countries. We

will also look at HOW the

revolutions happened, withOsama Saeed from Al Jazeera

and Ruaridh Arrow , director of

the film about Gene Sharp's

'From Dictatorship to

Democracy' (often cited as the

revolutionary text behind the

uprisings).

James Fergusson (author of

’Taliban’ ) and Ming Campbell

will explore the potential to

talk to the Taliban and we will

hear from Steve McLaughlin

about being an ordinary

Squaddie in such conflicts.

Don Mullan, a civilian victim of

Bloody Sunday tells the story

Page 14: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 14/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

4

issues are presented by the

latest scientific technology?

With philosopher JulianBaggini , we will ask: ‘Do we

have a soul’?

We will also look for Ethics in

the financial system and what

we can learn from Islamic

finance – but also the faithbased case for and against

general taxation and

reflections on how businesses

have striven to act

responsibly in the recession.

But the festival is not just

talk. This year we will have a

significantly increased

performance programme

playing host to some of

Edinburgh and the world’s

finest performers. We areexcited to welcome back Tokara

Taiko drummers from Japan

and Coreen Scott from closer to

home. Other highlights include

a Sitar concert, Persian bands

and an explosive Science

cabaret. There will also be awide range of classical music

for you to escape from the

hustle of the festival. Or relax

at a performance of The

Screwtape Letters, St John’s

Gospel or The Gospel of

Matthew by candlelight.

If you are looking for

something more ‘hands on’ get

|

|

F

e

s

t

i

v

a

l

s

P

r

e

v

i

e

w

Page 15: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 15/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

5

involved with our workshops

which will introduce you to

Punjab cooking, martial artsor have you rolling around on

the floor during Laughter

Yoga. If you are really daring

you could even try

firewalking.

We even have a range of children and family events

featuring storytelling and an

animation workshop (sign up

now, places limited! ). It

would be good to have a short

animated film made during

the festival by children and

available to be shown at the

opening or closing event.

There will also be thought

provoking art exhibits,

including Postcards from Japan

following this year'sdevastation.

With twice as many events this

year there really is something

to suit everyone, so come and

feed the body and the mind at

one of this summer’s mostdiverse festivals.

Though most events are at St

John’s, many will be at venues

all over the city including the

Together Churches. Look out

for a brochure and pass them

on to friends,– word of mouth

works best!

festivalofspirituality.org.uk

|

|

F

e

s

t

i

v

a

l

s

P

r

e

v

i

e

w

Page 16: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 16/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

6

Festival Events

A wide variety of events are due to take place throughout the

Festival with over 30 performances starting with the Jazz

Festival Service on Sunday 31st July at 6 pm and ending with a

Lunchtime Organ Recital on Saturday 3rd September at 1.30pm.

The Programme will include a series of six Organ Recitals on six

consecutive evenings at 6 pm at which six renowned organists

will play each of the six Vierne Organ Symphonies! A number of

events will form part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

For further information please pick up a leaflet from the church

or visit st cuthberts.net .

The church will stage 78 performances with the Undercrofthosting the Amnesty International festival exhibition. Many of

our regulars return: Edinburgh Music Theatre Company, Triplicity

and the church choir as well as Lawrence Dunn, Big Band Swing

and Aberdeen a Cappella to name but a few. Newcomers include

Andrew Carvell and friends, and Catherine Backhouse.

The Scottish Chamber Forum will be exploring new groundwhen they ‘shine a light’ on the Scottish chamber music scene,

combining showcase performances with information about the

range of music available across the country. Programmes can be

found in the church or at standrewsandstgeorges.org.uk.

This year this important venue plays host to Remarkable Arts,

who have a varied programme including Audience – Ontroerend

Goed, and Almer Mater. Visit remarkable arts ltd.com

|

|

F

e

s

t

i

v

a

l

s

P

r

e

v

i

e

w

At St Cuthbert's

At St Andrew's and St George's WestGeorge Street

Shandwick Place

Page 17: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 17/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

7

St Augustine's houses 'The

Presentment’, where a

modern day, ecclesiastical

trial tears a family apart. (6th

29th Aug, 7.10pm &

9.05pm)

Hear liturgical music from

across the centuries, sung by

one of Edinburgh's finest

church choirs at St Michael's

and All Saints. (Sun & Wed in

Aug 5.30pm)

St Mary's Metropolitan

Cathedral will be housing daily

prayertimes with silence and

Gregorian Chant.

Palmerston Place Church is

putting on a series of evening

concerts (9 11 and 16 18 Aug,

5.30pm) and C.S. Lewis'Screwtape Letters (22nd 27th

Aug, 2.15 & 7.15pm)

edfringe.co.uk

Together's spotlight on

St Peter's Seminary inCardross, widely regarded as

one of the most significant

modern buildings in Europe,

is in a state of disrepair.

Angus Farquhar, and Edward

and Gordon Murray discuss

plans for its future. (13th

Aug, 7.00pm)

Simon Sebag Montefiore

discusses his book "A History of

Jerusalem is a History of the

World." (18th Aug. 6.30pm)

"The Book That Went to War"

For the 400th anniversary of its

publication, Melvyn Bragg

charts the remarkable history

of the King James Bible. (27

Aug,11.30 pm )

In "The Future of Faith" Joan

Bakewell discusses whether

we’re in an age of doubt with

writer and former bishop

Richard Holloway, political

historian Gregory Claeys and

scientist Richard Wiseman.(23

Aug, 7.00pm).

edbookfest.co.uk

|

|

F

e

s

t

i

v

a

l

s

P

r

e

v

i

e

w

Together's spotlight on

Page 18: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 18/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

8

Things to See and DoThe less travelled road

Two recent abortive attempts

to visit Dr Neil’s Garden in

Duddingston Village resulted

in two unexpected half hours

spent in the garden of

Duddingston Kirk manse,

following the contemplative trail

which has been created there.

Brief information boards tell a

little of the history of the place

In search of local spiritual sights, FrancesCooper stumbled upon an interesting idea…

Page 19: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 19/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

1

9

and the people and offer the

reader a theme for reflection

in various parts of the

garden.

It is a place of peace and

quiet, allowing time and

space for contemplation. It

gives an opportunity to drink

in the beauty of the setting

and watch the bird life while

still being aware of the bustle

of the city on the other sideof the garden wall. It is a

unique place, in a special part

of the city.

Those half hours in

Duddingston gave pause for

thought. Could we offerpeople a chance to follow a

trail through our joint

parishes, with points of

interest on the way about the

characters and places that

have made the church life in

the centre of this great citysuch a vital piece of the

mosaic that is Edinburgh?

The home territory of the

churches in Together is in a

unique place, in a special part

of the city. Our buildings and

surroundings tell a great story

about the past and present in

this vibrant city, amidst its

endless bustle.

It might not be the obvious

item on the tourist ‘must do’

list but, as the Robert Frost

poem depicted on one of the

sculptures in the Duddingston

Kirk garden says,

"Two roads diverged in awood, and I—I took the one lesstravelled by,And that has made all

the difference."

A less travelled road (or visitor

activity) might be exactly what

we can provide, giving those

who seek it an opportunity to

find out something about the

spiritual richness of Edinburghcity centre and what it could

mean to them. Just a thought

from the garden in one part of

the city to stir the thoughts of

those of us around the garden

in the city centre.

If you know of a local site or attraction which couldfeature in this magazine in future, please email

[email protected].

Page 20: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 20/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

2

0

‘Roll Away the Stone’ which

took place on Sunday 22 May

in Princes Street Gardens and

St Cuthbert’s was a wonderful

day of celebration for the

Church of Scotland.

I am privileged to have been a

part of the planning team for

the event, and delighted that

St Cuthbert’s had the

opportunity to play such a key

role in what has been a most

successful, joyful and vibrantday.

As well as hosting a wonderful

variety of events within the

church buildings, we also

provided a welcome and a place

to ‘withdraw’ for the Lord High

Commissioner, provided the

keyboard for the praise band at

the closing worship event, and

– through the wonders of

modern technology – it was theSt Cuthbert’s organ that led the

hymns at that closing event at

the Ross Bandstand.

In our church buildings the

variety of activities was

extraordinary, from food toworship, prayer to jazz, choirs

to drumming, and bells to

organ recitals.

Out in the gardens a variety of

Roll Away

David Denniston writes

The Stone

Page 21: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 21/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

2

1

displays and opportunities to

find out more about the work

of the church provided the

thousands who attended with

interesting information and

interaction.

This came alongside a wide

variety of musical offerings

(from rock bands to African

choirs) and various

interviews, comedy sketches

and presentations not tomention the 5 a side football

competition (which

interestingly was won by

youngsters from my previous

congregation in Perth!)

cameos from the Easter Play,

the buskers, the puppets andso much more.

As I write this it is rather too

early to be accurate in

assessing the numbers

attending, but the estimates

are that around 5000 people

attended the event, and

something in excess of 2500

came through the doors of St

Cuthbert’s.

The church itself was very busy

with the various choirs and

recitals, and the Lindisfarne

Room was packed to

overflowing for both Messy

Church and the Jazz group.

It was a marvellous day that

should have made us all proud

to be part of the diverse,

outward looking and vibrant

Church of Scotland and glad

also that we in St Cuthbert’swere able to be so involved.

St Cuthbert’s was thanked by

the General Assembly on the

day following the event, and I

in turn would like to thank the

very many St Cuthbert’smembers who stewarded,

guided, welcomed, staffed the

shop, directed people, made

coffee and tea and so much

more besides.

Now the planning begins for

next year!

Page 22: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 22/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

2

2

What Does

Together MeanTo You?

What Does

Together MeanTo You?

Russell McLarty was Chair of Together from itsbeginning to Summer 2010. Here he gives histhoughts on what Together is and can become.

Together allows us to show

people in the city centre that

different congregations areunited in the faith they share

in Jesus. The use of the

Together logo on all our

service sheets, magazines,

publicity and noticeboards is a

good start. I believe that we

need to demonstrate ourtogetherness in many

different ways and to promote

and support each other if we

are going to have credibility to

other people as the church in

the city centre.

Celebrating our difference

Together allows our own

church folk to better

appreciate how each

congregation is different in its

tradition, its vision and what itcan offer. I believe that we are

greatly enriched when we take

time to learn about our

neighbours and to share in

their lives.

We ought to delight in the wayour sisters and brothers are

different. Better than that, we

need to share our appreciation

more openly and talk to others

about these wonderful

differences.

New shared initiatives

Together can allow us to better

develop initiatives for the city

Page 23: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 23/24

t

o

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

p

2

3

Kenneth MacKenzie CB (chair)

David Hill (secretary)

Paul Sweetnam (treasurer)

Rev Ian Gilmour

Frances Currie

Gordon Reid (vice chair)

centre where we might

struggle to do this in our own

congregations. Where people

from the different

congregations and outwith can

look to shared interests we

might see exciting new areas

of mission.

A top priority

Together must be among our

top three priorities if it is to

grow to reach its potential.

I have been impressed where

the twelve Trustee members

of Together have met

regularly through the past two

and a half years and where

the ministry teams have madethe monthly meeting one of

their highest priorities. This

has shown tremendous belief

in the value of Together.

One plea to church members

would be to match thiscommitment and even to

better it!

Frances Cooper

Revd David Denniston

Professor Ian Percy CBE

Margaret Romanis

Very Revd Dr John Armes

Robert Philp

The Together Trustees are:

A chance to thrive

Russell will soon be taking up

a new post as Coordinator for

a new Project called ‘A Chance

to Thrive’.

This Project will give an

opportunity for eight

congregations from the

poorest parishes in Scotland to

work to develop exciting ideas

in partnership with their local

community. Church buildingsmay be redeveloped to provide

a wonderful resource for that

work.

‘A Chance to Thrive’ is looking

to recruit up to 40 volunteers

(from accountants to artists toarchitects) to support local

congregations over the next 3

years. If you would like to

know more about the support

role, please contact Russell at

01875 614496.

Page 24: Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

8/6/2019 Togetherness Summer Issue 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/togetherness-summer-issue-2011 24/24

g

e

t

h

e

r

n

e

s

s

b

a

c

k

p

a

g

e

The Christian faith is about exploration rather thanabout explanation; above all it’s about transformation

– the promise of new life, new possibilities, changing

lives, changing the world.Norman Shanks (from his sermon on 5th June at theTogether Joint Service – read the whole text

1: St John’s Scottish Episcopal

Church

Princes StreetEdinburgh EH2 4BJ

0131 229 7565

www.stjohns edinburgh.org.uk

2: St Andrew’s & St George’s West

Church

George StreetEdinburgh EH2 2PA

0131 225 3847

www.standrewsandstgeorges.org.uk

3: St Andrew’s & St George’s West

Church

Shandwick PlaceEdinburgh EH2 2RT

0131 225 7001

www.stgeorgeswest.com

4: St Cuthbert’s Parish Church

Lothian Road

Edinburgh EH1 2EP0131 229 1142

www.st cuthberts.net

1 2

3 4

The next issue of Togetherness will be released on

27th November. If you would like to contribute, please

contact Joe Evans on 07951529717 [email protected]

The deadline for submissions is Sunday 30th October.