Rector’s Letter -May 2026
St James the Less Penicuik and St Mungo West Linton
Scottish Episcopal Churches
The Rectory
23 Broomhill Road
Penicuik
EH26 9EE
01968 678254
07950 607574
Rector.pandwl@gmail.com
28th April 2026
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Rector’s letter for May 2026
Personal Notes
We are now halfway through the Easter season – fifty days of unremitting joy following the resurrection of our Lord. During the Easter season the first readings on a Sunday morning are from the Acts of the Apostles rather than from the Old Testament. As I am sure I have said before, the small snippets of the life of the apostles that we hear in the seven Sundays of Easter don’t really do justice to the whole story contained in Luke’s second volume. I heartily recommend reading through Acts, maybe in three or four chunks of a couple of hours. I am pretty sure, just like a crime novel I have just finished, you will get hooked and at some point you will not want to put it down. It isn’t often I can suggest that you will have such a reaction to reading the Bible. The Acts of the Apostles is also where we learn about Barnabas, one of my favourite New Testament characters. I will leave you to read Acts to see what you make of him, and why he is called ‘son of encouragement’.
Our Monday morning faith development discussions in this Easter season are focusing on five of the miracles of Jesus. We are reading the text, exploring its context in the wider progression of the ministry of Jesus and the development of the disciples, and seeking to better understand what these passages tell us about the kingdom of God and the compassion and love of Jesus. We have explored the miracles of turning water into wine, of stilling the storm, and feeding five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. The final two we shall be discussing on 4th and 11th May relate to Jesus walking on water and Jesus healing the Roman Centurion’s servant. These stories lend themselves to using the Lectio Divina style of reflecting on the gospel – reading it through a number of times and imaginatively placing ourselves in the story to better understand it.
In late August we shall look at five examples of the teaching of Jesus. Doing this type of deeper dive into the text; praying with it, understanding its context and how it fits into Jesus ministry can be illuminating and help us learn more about Jesus and how he demonstrates aspects of God’s kingdom he invites us to participate in.
As I sit in my Rectory drafting this letter, the buds on the European Lime tree opposite are forming and soon will burst open with a glow of bright green leaves, followed not long after by the sound of bees attracted by the nectar in the abundant blossom. It is a reminder of the rebirth of trees and much of God’s creation every year as the light returns.
Bishop-elect Dagmar Winter will be installed as Bishop of Edinburgh on the 30th of May at St Mary’s Cathedral. Please pray for Bishop Dagmar as she prepares to leave the Diocese of Ely and join us in Edinburgh. A limited number of tickets have been allocated to each charge and I am aiming to distribute these in the coming week.
The re-advertisement for a Priest-in-Charge of St Peter’s Peebles and St Andrew’s Innerleithen has resulted in a deed of presentation being made to the Primus (our Acting Bishop) and to Bishop-elect Dagmar for a formal offer to be made to a priest that was interviewed two weeks ago. Please pray for the individual concerned and the congregations of St Andrew’s and St Peter’s.
News and new things happening
Faith Development Book discussion – ‘Communion with God’
We were originally due to discuss this book on 30th March but we have postponed this to Monday 4th May at 7.30 pm online. Please join us if you have read ‘Communion with God’ by N D Walsh, or even if you haven’t read it but are intrigued by the subject matter.
The next book we shall discuss is Sara Maitland’s ‘A Big Enough God’, on 29th June.
St James the Less Fellowship Lunch – 3rd May
At the first Sunday lunch on 3rd May, we will be asking for donations towards the Broomhill Day Care Centre, which started life as an activity within our church hall, many years ago.
St James the Less Fellowship Lunch
We ideally need three volunteers each month to make soup for about ten people each. The soup is to be vegetarian and gluten-free. Please contact me or Marion Mather if you wish to help out for any of the future lunches during the year.
St Mungo’s, Service of Prayers for Healing – Sunday 3rd May at 5pm
This is a new service at St Mungo’s that will take place on the first Sunday of each month. The LORD declares in Exodus 15:26 that he is Yahweh-Rapha, the LORD who heals. We see the truth of this throughout the bible as people are healed spiritually, emotionally and physically. And, of course, we continue to pray for healing today. In order that we may experience the healing touch of the Lord together in a corporate act of worship and prayers, we are offering this new service of Prayers for Healing. This will be a quiet, reverent act of worship with opportunity to join in prayer for others in need of healing or to pray for ourselves and/or be prayed for by others.
Christian Aid Book Sale at the Newtown Church, George St – 9th (10:00 to 16:00) & 11th – 15th (12:00 to 18:00) May
The annual book sale at what was St Andrew’s and St George’s Church, George Street, Edinburgh takes place between 9th and 15th May. I am prepared to take a car-load full of books in on the afternoon of 7th May. You can drop books off on my front porch up to Wed 6th May. I may try and clear some from my bookshelves…. Deep breaths…
Ascension Day services- Thursday 14th May
This year we shall be holding the Ascension Day service at St Mungo’s at 12.30 pm, and at 7.30 pm at St James the Less. Please do join us to celebrate the Ascension at one of these services.
Farewell to Ian and Bridgette Fuge – Sunday 31st May
There will be an opportunity to say a formal farewell to Ian and Bridgitte Fuge at our service on 31st May. There will be a bring and share lunch that day, after the service. Ian Bridgette have been members of St James for about 42 years. They will be attending church a few more times after the end of May, but this seems an ideal time to mark their time with us and all they have contributed to the life of St James.
In Other News…
I took a few days off after Easter, and spent some lovely time with both my daughters, as Lorna was visiting from the States. I managed to persuade them both to join me on camino in mid-May next year, for four days walking from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre and Muxia, on the Atlantic coast. I think the prospect of a lovely weekend relaxing in Santiago after I arrive and eating some great food might well have clinched it.
If anyone fancies joining me for a few days walking along the route of el Camino Frances, between St Jean Pied de Port and Santiago, do let me know. Within an accuracy of a day or so I can tell you where I will be on the route and meet up to walk together, or do some sightseeing in Burgos or Leon. One of my friends is joining me for the first section, which depending on the weather may be ‘over the top’ of the mountain to Roncesvalles or through the lower altitude and less picturesque route through the valley. On average I plan to walk just under 15 miles a day, but some days are longer than others! I plan to travel by train from Edinburgh to St Jean, via London, Paris and Bayonne, and start walking on 15th April 2027.
Nick Bowry
Regular Activities
Ministry in Care and Nursing Homes
Cowan Court, Penicuik: We have been part of a rota with the other Penicuik churches, visiting Cowan Court on a Sunday afternoon for the last year. We visit Cowan Court about once every 5 or 6 weeks. Our next visit is on 24th May.
Aaron House, Penicuik: We are part of a rota with the other Penicuik churches, visiting Aaron House on a Wednesday afternoon at 2pm. As with Cowan Court we will visit once every 5 or 6 weeks. Our next visit is on 6th May. If you able to join the team offering this ministry, please let me know.
Whim Hall, Lamancha: We visit Whim Hall Care Centre on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Our next visit is on 14th May.
If you are interested in supporting this rewarding ministry by being part of the visiting teams then please let me know. Normally three of us attend each time, so we can support and guide people through the service and have a chat afterwards with whoever attends. Your prayers are welcome for this activity in and for members of our local communities.
Faith Development ‘Faith Books’
When we have a fifth Monday in the month, we hold a discussion at 7.30 pm about a book as a way of introducing people to different authors which may pique an interest to read more of their work (or not!). In looking for new or used books, I have often used www.bookfinder.com I am sure there are other search sites that will help people find the books on our reading list. The books we shall be discussing in 2026 are:
29th June: ‘A Big Enough God: Artful Theology’ by Sara Maitland (published by Mowbray ISBN 0-264-67331-X)
31st August: ‘The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World’s Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to be Christian’ by Brian McLaren (published by Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 978-1-473-62677-5)
30th November: ‘Places of Enchantment: Meeting God in Landscapes’ by Graham B Usher (published by SPCK ISBN 978-0-281-06792-3)
Morning and Evening Prayer
We meet online Monday to Friday at 9.00 am and at 5.30 pm. It is a good way to start and end our day, coming together for worship, with daily readings including the psalms; a good rhythm for worship in the Anglican tradition of saying the Daily Offices. Please do consider joining us.
If you wish to access the Daily Office liturgy with the daily scripture readings, go to the Provincial Website, www.scotland.anglican.org and place your cursor on the ‘Spirituality’ heading. A submenu appears and you can select the appropriate Daily Office from the right-hand side of the page.
Mid-week evening services on Zoom
On the first Wednesday of each month, at 7.30 pm, we hold a service of Prayers for Healing online. If you wish someone or a situation to be prayed for, send an email to me or Marion Mather.
At 9pm every Wednesday evening we hold the service of Compline. Please do join us for this short service of calm and settling prayers before sleep.
Continuing our Mission: Leading Your Church into Growth Prayer
Each weekday morning, we pray for growth in our church. If you are not able to join us online for Morning Prayer at 9 am, can I encourage you to pray this once a day. The prayer is given below.
God of Mission, who alone brings growth to your Church,
send your Holy Spirit to give:
vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, and power to our witness.
Help our church to grow:
in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, and in service to our local
community, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In Touch Magazine for St James the Less and St Mungo’s
In Touch is circulated to all on email and is issued in paper format to those who do not have email. The cost of a paper copy is £2 for an A4 version, and about £1.50 for an A5 version. We print a very limited number of paper copies to keep out costs down, and to reduce our consumption of paper. If you receive an email version but would also like a paper copy, please let Sue Owen know and we invite you to make a suitable donation (preferably by bank transfer rather than in cash) to cover the cost. The deadline for content to be submitted for the next issue is 3rd May 2026. I would like to encourage you to submit something for inclusion in the magazine; a poem, a review of a book or a film, an article on a subject of interest. If you wish to submit an article, please send them to intouch@stjamesthelesspenicuik.org
Financial giving to St James the Less or to St Mungo’s
If you are able, can I ask you to prayerfully consider setting up a recurring monthly payment to the church via on-line banking, to contribute financially on a regular basis. Details of the bank accounts are given below for each of the churches.
St James the Less:
Monthly donation by bank transfer (include your name in the reference line when setting this up – only the Treasurer knows the name of the donor). Bank details are: St James Episcopal Church Penicuik, acct no 17117264, sort code 80-22-60. If you wish to make a donation by cheque, please make out the cheque to ‘St James Episcopal Church Penicuik’.
St Mungo:
Monthly donation by bank transfer (include your name in the reference line when setting this up – only the Treasurer knows the name of the donor). Bank details are: St Mungo’s Vestry, acct no 00817851, sort code 80-09-39.
Ecumenical Relations and Community Involvement Work
The Penicuik Ministers continue to meet every month in the Storehouse for a chat. Once a month the Penicuik Churches Together (PCT) has a joint Sunday evening service. The schedule detailing where the services are each month is on the PCT website. http://penicuikchurchestogether.org.uk/ I continue to meet with Revd Dr Tony Foley to discuss joint services and matters of mutual interest, in West Linton. Tony has decided to demit office from the West Tweeddale Churches at the end of May this year.
Diocesan and Provincial Activities
I continue as the interim Pastor for Peebles and Innerleithen during their vacancy. The Diocesan Personnel Committee next meets on Monday 25th May. I complete my term as a trustee of the Iona Community at the AGM on 29th June.
The Ministry Team
We continue to meet to plan for the coming months; planning services and faith development activities as well as exploring other aspects of what is offered to the congregations and to our local communities.
Zoom Links for Services
We have a regular pattern of services. Details of these are set out below. You can access them using the Zoom links.
Morning Prayer at 9 am, and Evening Prayer at 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday. (Zoom only)
https://zoom.us/j/6289561588?pwd=aGtNeE1ZM3l1Tkluckp3bVJtZkRHQT09
Meeting ID: 628 956 1588 Password: 040775
St Mungo, Holy Communion at 10.30 am on Sunday.
https://zoom.us/j/93417190423?pwd=K1ZoS0xKUWpRVENGTzFYL3NvakFHQT09
Meeting ID: 934 1719 0423 Passcode: 062021
St James the Less, Holy Communion at 10.30 am on Sunday.
https://zoom.us/j/92002197798?pwd=REp5NHQwVEdSd3A4a09lN1lHOUdnUT09
Meeting ID: 920 0219 7798 Passcode: 040775
1st Wednesday Evening Service at 7.30 pm (not July or August) (Zoom only)
https://zoom.us/j/96303841875?pwd=YmZiYkdNNzZJeWI5cmtZL2RLUWc1Zz09
Meeting ID: 963 0384 1875 Password: 040775
Wednesday Evening Compline at 9 pm (all year) (Zoom only)
https://zoom.us/j/95345457224?pwd=TDNoT20vR2dYMVQ5STdsS0lzR0dMQT09
Meeting ID: 953 4545 7224 Password: 040775
Zoom Links for Activities
‘Monday Evening Studies’ at 7.30 pm (Zoom only)
https://zoom.us/j/97670406222?pwd=WWUzL0dLNHdWdFJ0YVNnLzdvY2w2Zz09
Meeting ID: 976 7040 6222 Passcode: 202101
Use this link for Monday Evening Studies and the ‘Faith Book’ discussions.
Weekly Bible Study: Tuesdays at 2pm (Zoom only)
https://zoom.us/j/92510962481?pwd=L1hsaCtiWTh0ZFFib3N0WlluaVlaUT09
Meeting ID: 925 1096 2481 Passcode: 040775