Rector’s Letter – August 2025
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 July 2025
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Rector’s letter for August 2025
Personal Notes
I got back from Taizé on 7th July, after a great week there from 29th June to 6th July. It was rather hot, reaching 38 degrees Celsius most afternoons. The fourteen young people whom I accompanied seemed to really enjoy the experience and most are talking about returning at some point. I hope they didn’t leave it as long as I did – 17 years! I had spent three days in Paris on the way out, enjoying the Palace and gardens of Versailles, the Musee D’Orsay, and a lovely walk up the canal from the Bastille into the ‘real’ Paris, away from the main tourist sites.
I met the group in Paris and we got the train south to Chalons-sur-Soane and then enjoyed a country bus ride through Bergundy villages, some of whose names adorn some lovely wine bottles. The bus was a €2 flat fare.
My time in Taizé was to be mainly a retreat week for me; a time to recharge the batteries, read some books from my ‘to be read’ pile, enjoy the three services a day, the silence and time with God, and also meet interesting people from other parts of the world. I didn’t complete as much reading as I thought I would, it was too hot in the afternoons, so I was forced to have a wee siesta most days.
I brought back two posters so we can make two new Taizé crosses, one for each church. That will save me lugging a heavy Taizé cross back and forth between the churches. There will be more about my Taizé trip in the next issue of In Touch, and I will be doing a talk about Taizé on Friday 3rd October at St James the Less, in the hall.
A reminder that the process to elect a new Bishop of Edinburgh formally starts the day after Bishop John retires at the end of August. The three meetings of the Electoral Synod are provisionally set for:
- 27th September 2025 (preliminary meeting with the Preparatory Committee)
- 7th February 2026 (meeting with the candidates)
- 14th February 2026 (meeting to elect a Bishop)
There is a prayer for the process of searching for a new Bishop, that we are asked to use in our own personal prayer life and in our services:
Living God, you walk with us in all seasons of life calling us to follow you with joy, hope and love as we share in your work of renewing the world; give us humility and discernment to hear your voice, that those discerning their calling and all involved in our bishop search may be encouraged in your ways and open to your creative Spirit. Amen.
News and new things happening
Scripture Union Summer Club in Penicuik – 29th July to 4th August
The annual summer club for children starts on 29th July. Please pray for the children attending and also the volunteers running the week.
Open Gardens Scheme – Silverburn on Saturday 2nd August, 2-5 pm
Gardens in Silverburn will be open, and for a £7 entrance fee you can enjoy these gardens. 60% of the money raised will go to Mary’s Meals, a charity supported by St James the Less this year. For more information go to scotlandsgardens.org/silverburn-village-2/
Bishop John’s Retirement Gift
There will be a presentation to Bishop John at the end of the diocesan service of Choral Evensong at St Mary’s Cathedral on 24 August 2025. The deadline for donations is Friday the 1st of August 2025. If you would like to contribute to a gift please contact Hannah Harcus (hharcus@dioceseofedinburgh.org) or make a BACS transfer, marked ‘BSHP25’ to the diocese’s bank account; details are as follows: Account Name: EDINBURGH DIOCESAN SYNOD
Sort Code: 00215170, Account Number: 60-01-73
Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study
We shall restart our Bible Study in September. Our Daily Prayer readings recently have been from 1 and 2 Samuel. It seemed appropriate to do a Bible study based on these books, plus 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. We shan’t be reading the texts in detail each Tuesday afternoon, but instead we shall discuss their authorship, the context in which they were written, the major themes and characters that appear, and what wisdom we can apply to our current times from these writings from 2,500 years or so ago. This will run from 2nd September to 14th October. You may wish to read these books of the Hebrew Scriptures in advance of our discussions, but you don’t have to.
Monday Study Group – 1st – 29th September at 10 am St James’ Church Hall
We shall come together to listen to a number of interviews about faith and the Bible, and discuss them, starting on 1st September. We shall meet for four weeks, 1st, 8th, 15th, and 29th September at 10:00, for a maximum of two hours. We shall not meet on 22nd September. The format will be to gather over tea and coffee and listen to a podcast, stopping at various points through each one to discuss issues people want to raise.
1st September: Interview with the late Walter Brueggemann on Resurrecting the Bible for the Mainline Church
8th September: Interview with the late Rachel Held Evans on Unravelling and Reravelling the Bible
15th September: Discussion with Pete Enns and Jared Byas on Teaching the Bible to children.
29th September: Interview with Diana Butler Bass on Reading the Bible as an Experience and Relationship.
St James the Less Fellowship Lunch – July and August
The lunches will be bring and share lunches in July and August.
‘Wee Sing’ at St James – 3.30 pm on 31st August
I will be holding a ‘Wee Sing’, where I will introduce some songs from the Iona Community, and we can rehearse them, then take a break for refreshments, before reconvening at 5pm for a service where we will sing the songs and share in prayer and scripture. I have held two of these at St Mungo’s in the past and one at St James’. If you wish to play an instrument or help lead the singing, please get in touch with me.
Planting Daffodils Fundraiser
To make better use of some of the Rectory garden, and to have a very close supply of daffodils for the Springtime Daffodil Tea at St James, I am asking for people to donate money to St James to cover the cost of buying a lot of daffodil bulbs this autumn and also for volunteers to help with planting them in the autumn. Please donate by bank transfer with ‘daffodils’ in the reference section, or else hand cash to John McCulloch.
Night Church – Preparatory workshops 16th August and 27th September
On 17th June I sent out an email to all on my circulation lists, to see who would be interested in being involved in helping to create (gather ideas, resources, etc.) the content and also help facilitate a Night Church. In the informal workshops we can explore ideas, explore any resources you bring along, and start creating the services – 6 services to run in October through to March. It would be nice to involve people who haven’t been involved before, who have ideas, but may never have thought of doing this. Why not step out of your comfort zone and see what the Holy Spirit may encourage you to do. Please let me know if you wish to be involved, and whether you could make one or either of the above dates. Putting your name forward now doesn’t mean you are committed. I already have a small group interested and signed up, why not join us?
We Make the Road By Walking – a Year Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation and Activation
This is the title of a book by Brian McLaren. It is split into four seasonal quarters, each with 13 chapters. In the introduction Brian states: “The title suggests that faith was never intended to be a destination, a status, a holding tank or a warehouse. Instead it was to be a road, a path, a way out of old and destructive patterns into new and creative ones. As a road or way, it is always being extended into the future… To be a living tradition, a living way, it must forever open itself forward and forever remain unfinished.”
If this introduction intrigues you and you want to embark on a journey in faith, this may be a book for you. Each chapter has a couple of Bible readings to read and reflect on, and then the chapter offers a response to those passages. You are invited to respond to Brian’s interpretation and application, not necessarily agreeing with his. At the end of each chapter there are some questions to engage with, to reflect upon, and possibly use as a starting point for deeper reflections and journalling.
If this approach interests you, you may want to do this on your own or perhaps share this and meet with a few others to do one of the seasonal sections – you don’t need to do all four sections one after the other. If you wish to meet up with others from our congregation let me know – I shall put you in contact with one another. Or you may wish to invite some friends or neighbours to create a non-denominational group to explore the Bible and Brain McLaren’s approach. Used copies of the book can be bought from about £5 from www.bookfinder.com The easiest way to search for the book is to use the ISBN number: 978-1-444-70370-2.
In Other News…
I managed to read ‘Chosen? Reading the Bible amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ by Walter Brueggemann whilst I was away at Taizé. It was only 60 pages long, so it was a fairly short read. I found it gave clarity to the issues and has a study guide at the back of the book with interesting discussion topics. I also took his book, ‘Journey to the Common Good’ but only got to page 30 of that. I dipped into ‘Travelling Light: Your Journey to Wholeness’, by Daniel J. O’Leary. For each day there is a reflection and then a ‘Praxis’. I read one for each day I was in Taizé. I am trying to keep this daily reading going now I am back home.
If any people wish to borrow ‘Chosen?’, or want to be part of group discussing the content of the Study Guide, please let me know.
It is now six weeks since Misty broke her rear right leg. She has recovered well, and I am very thankful that my daughter, Heather, took care of her when I went to Paris and Taizé. Misty is allowed four five minute walks a day until next week when they can be extended to ten minute walks. She is a bit frustrated (an understatement) not to being allowed to walk further just now.
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 8th June.
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 4th June. 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 12th June.
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. We use a simplified form of the Liturgy for Reserved Sacrament and sing a few well-known hymns. Your prayers are welcome for this increased activity in and for members of our local communities.
Bible Study for all
We hold our weekly Bible study at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon, online, for up to an hour and a half. We have a break for July and August. We shall be commencing our reading and study of 1 & 2 Samuel on 2nd September.
We come together with the common aim of exploring the texts, understanding their context, and just as importantly, exploring how it speaks to us and how it informs us today. We enjoy exploring our different understandings and learning from each other. Please do join us, we are always happy to include more people.
Monday Study Night
We shall continue to take a break in September, whilst the morning sessions are running, but will return in October.
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 2025 are:
29th Sept: ‘A Rabbi’s Bible’ by Jonathan Magonet (published by SCM, ISBN 978-0-334-02506-1)
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.
I circulated the Daily Intercessions booklet we use by email on 26th February. If you would like a paper copy, please let me know.
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 2nd November 2025. 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.
Diocesan and Provincial Activities
I continue as the interim Pastor for Peebles and Innerleithen during their vacancy. Please pray for both congregations as they discern their futures and the profile of the person they wish to be called to lead them.
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