Rector’s Letter – September 2024
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
31st August 2024
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Rector’s letter for September 2024
Personal Notes
I am writing this on a beautiful late summer day, as the sun warms us and the sounds of the harvest in the field above the Rectory were heard as I walked Misty this morning. Yesterday, Misty and I took our daily lunchtime walk through the woods and down by the River North Esk. It was warm and as well as some birds singing, there were tracks in the mud to show some deer had probably been present a few hours earlier. I looked at the Pentland Hills, transformed by large areas of purple heather covering some of the hillsides. It was a time to marvel at the wonders of God’s creation, and to see God in all things, and to acknowledge that God is more than all that we can see and sense. The theological term for this in Panentheism. It recognises that the universe is part of the reality of God.
The season of Creation is observed by many denominations, including the Scottish Episcopal Church. It commences on the 1st of September and runs through to St Francis’ Day on 4th October. This year, all five Sundays of Creationtide are in September. On these Sundays the preachers will use the normal lectionary readings and will hopefully find links to addressing issues related to God’s creation, and no doubt will refer to the climate crisis impacting most areas of the world. On Sunday 29th September we shall celebrate Harvest Sunday.
One way we can contribute to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is to improve the thermal efficiency of our homes. There is some interesting information on the Green Home Festival website, including about retrofitting houses and various grants and funding schemes. https://greenhomefestival.co.uk/event/
I spent the first two weeks of August in Germany, on holiday. The first week I stayed in Erfurt, the capital city of Thuringia. Erfurt is in the news this week as state elections take place on 1st September and a significant number of voters in Thuringia are likely to vote for the far-right wing party AfD, and some major political rallies have taken place in Erfurt. Erfurt itself did not appear to be a place suffering economic decline or feeling ‘left behind’, in fact far from it, but news reports do indicate many people in parts of the former East Germany do perceive that they are worse off than people further west. Erfurt isn’t that far from the site of the Buchenwald concentration camp, a reminder of the horrors of the Nazi regime. Buchenwald was used from 1937 to imprison undesirables; the mentally ill, gay people, physically disabled people, political prisoners, Romani, freemasons, and after the war started Poles, Slavs, Jews and prisoners of war. 56,000 people died in the camp from malnutrition, hard physical labour and executions. 280,000 prisoners were held there over 8 years, so a prisoner had about a one in four chance of dying there. It does seem that today popularist right-wing parties are creating a narrative used before, of blaming others for an actual or perceived difference in standard of living. The riots in England and Northern Ireland at the end of July were also stirred up by false narratives using an ‘us and them’ where the ‘them’ were immigrants. As Christians we are called to find ways to shine a light on this harmful and untruthful rhetoric.
It was very timely and apt that in Erfurt I was part of a group of about 80 people, mostly members and associates of the Iona Community who came together to learn more about migration, and the impact of borders and the exploitation of vulnerable migrants. The sessions were informative, sobering, and at times uncomfortable, as we heard stories of migrants’ lives and how they had been mistreated and exploited, and how many die making the journey across the Mediterranean Sea from north Africa. There were, thankfully, also stories of hope and of new beginnings.
The second week of my holiday was mainly spent in Leipzig, a lovely city with a great tram system to help get around, and a lot of culture, based mainly on JS Bach. JS Bach worked at the Thomaskirche, and the kirche does three choral concerts a week. I managed to attend two of them, and at only 3 euros each, it was excellent value. There is a nice JS Bach Archiv (museum) opposite the Thomaskirche. The next annual JS Bach Festival in Leipzig takes place from 12 -22 June 2025. The church of St Nicholas, Nikolaikirche, was another church well worth a visit. It was where the premier of JS Bach’s St John’s Passion took place on Good Friday in 1724. The church had a wonderful feeling of peace and prayer and it came as no surprise to know it was where weekly Monday prayer meetings for peace took place for many years including when Leipzig was part of East Germany. In 1989 people gathered at 5pm each Monday as a spontaneous act to protest peacefully against the government. A major peaceful candle-lit protest in October 1989 where it is estimated over 70,000 people came together despite threats of violence against protesters by the State, helped bring about the peaceful revolution in East Germany and led to reunification with the west.
My summer travels were all by train and ferry. An interrail card was a handy way of travelling in the Netherlands and Germany, and I would recommend it as a great way to get to see a country and meet people. On the train from Erfurt to Leipzig I met a man from Lithuania who had lived in Germany for over twenty years. We got talking and he said he was looking for a way to explore his Christian faith where he felt he could express it through action. What a great way to talk about the Iona Community and its values and commitment to justice and peace and care of creation. As I left the train 40 minutes later, I passed him on to other friends staying on the train as far as Hamburg, to continue the conversation, with the added benefit that they were fluent German speakers. I understand they put my fellow-traveller in touch with an Iona Community member who lives near him. George McLeod, the founder of the Iona Community said there is no such thing as coincidence. Sitting on that seat on that train opened up the possibility for a conversation. Being willing to say hello to a fellow traveller led to this wonderful unfolding of events.
News and new things happening
Update from Peter Woodifield
Peter says, ‘I heard last week that my third – and I hope my last – hip operation this year will be on Friday September 20. If all goes well I hope to be back in harness at the end of October/early November.’ This is good news and I am sure we all wish Peter well and will offer our prayers for his operation and recovery.
St Mungo’s service on 25th August, with added choir and BBQ!
It has become a bit of a tradition to hold a BBQ at St Mungo’s at the end of the summer holidays, and this year it was held on 25th August. The local community choir, Crescendo, joined us in worship and sung two songs in the service; an Ave Maria and the hymn, ‘It is Well’. Appropriately, earlier that morning BBC Radio 4 did a piece about the origins of the hymn ‘It is Well’.
The choir and congregation all spoke positively about the service and the quality of the singing made it a very special time. Despite the breezy weather the BBQ was a great success, with many thanks to David King for braving the weather and cooking lovely burgers. Many thanks to all who provided the food, including some fabulous baking.
St James’ Fellowship Lunch on 1st September
The Fellowship lunch on the 1st September will be a return to our soup lunch. We shall invite people to donate to ‘Woman’s Aid’, and organisation that supports women and their families who have been subjected to physical or mental abuse by their partners.
Penicuik Churches Together – Tuesday Youth Bible Group (TYBG) – 3rd September
This group starts on 3rd September. Please pray for the leaders and the young people who attend. TYBG is for the 12-17 age group. If you are interested in attending, please let me know. If you would like to financially support TYBG (the cost of materials for leaders and attendees) or would be happy to occasionally provide some food for the group, please also let me know. The Trinity Community Church Sunday evening prayer meeting on 1st September (7.15 to 8.15 in the large hall) will focus on prayer for the youth in our area. You are invited to attend that service.
Vestry meetings
The St Mungo’s Vestry met on 19th August and is next due to meet on 11th November. The St James the Less Vestry met on 27th August and is next due to meet on 24th September.
St James the Less participating in Midlothian Open Doors – 14th September
St James the Less is taking part in this scheme this year. We are looking for volunteers willing to act as stewards/guides during the day, and for others to provide some lovely cakes etc., and for others to help serves refreshments. Please let me know if you are able to help on the day.
St Francis’ Day and Pet Blessing Services
St Francis’s Day is on the 4th of October, and so this year I have decided to reintroduce the pet blessing services that never really got going because of the COVID lockdown. I am planning a service on Saturday 5th at noon at St Mungo’s, and on Sunday 6th at 2.30pm at St James the Less. Spread the word, and bring your pet, or borrow someone else’s (and bring their owner too)!
October – Preaching Theme on Prayer
On the Sundays in October our sermons in both churches will be considering different forms of prayer. On Saturday 2nd November we shall hold a quiet day in both churches for people to come and spend time in prayer, with a short service during the day. More details to follow closer to the time, but for now, please put 2nd November in your diary.
Faith Development Groups – Autumn 2024 programme
After discussion with the Vestries and several members of the congregations, we shall be offering several four-to-six-week discussion groups, aiming to meet in homes rather than online. The timings would be to suit those who wish to join in. the discussions will complement the preaching theme of prayer that we shall follow in October.
One of the discussion groups will use the York Course called, ‘Who Are We Praying To?’. It is designed as a four-week course, but as with previous York Course material, it may well be that the group decides to take a few more weeks discussing it and exploring its content more thoroughly. If you are interested in joining a discussion group for this course, please let me know.
The clergy and Lay Reader team is exploring other resources to be used in groups, including some excellent books on prayer:
- ‘7 ways to Pray’ by Amy Boucher Pye
- ‘How to Pray, a simple guide for normal people’, by Pete Greig
- ‘Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools’, by Tyler Staton
- ‘Learning to Pray, a Guide for Everyone’, by James Martin SJ
Do you have a favourite book that has helped you in your discipline of prayer that you would recommend we look at? If so, please let me know.
Crescendo Choir Concert at St Mungo’s – 23rd November
The local community choir in West Linton and District enjoyed singing for us in the service on 25th August. They have asked if they can come back in November and do a concert one evening. We have settled on this taking place on Saturday 23rd November. Do put this in your diary and invite your friends and neighbours.
The Crescendo Choir are looking for more people to join, and you will be warmly welcomed no matter whether you are a soprano, alto, tenor, baritone or bass. As you might expect, baritones and basses would be given an extra special warm welcome. Crescendo meets in St Mungo’s at 7 pm each Thursday.
In Other News…
This last week I have looked after a dog owned by one of my neighbours. Penny is a Jack Russell terrier, and certainly has some terrier instincts, ready to bark at anything that moves. Misty was happy to have another dog in the house but seemed to be wondering what the fuss was all about whenever Penny started barking. Penny got a lot better as the week went on, and she was a delight to have around. However, I think Misty is quite glad to get back to a quieter life now Penny has returned home.
I didn’t do as much reading over the summer as I usually do, probably because I was travelling with others and the week in Erfurt was full-on. I am currently reading ‘Jospeh Knight’, by James Robertson, a story about an African slave brought from the plantations of Jamaica to Scotland to act as a servant to his owner. It shines a light on the practices of slave owners and the whole commercial enterprises propped up by the slave trade, and where some of the wealth in Scotland came from. It is well worth reading.
In preparation for our time in Erfurt I read ‘Borders and Belonging: The Book of Ruth: A story of Our Times’ by Padraig O’Tuama and Glenn Jordan. It was an interesting read, and as always, I enjoyed Padraig’s style of writing. A few years ago, some of us read ‘In the Shelter; Finding a Home In the World’ by Padraig o Tuama, as part of the Faith Development Books programme.
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 1st September.
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 25th September.
Whim Hall, Lamancha: We visit Whim Hall Care Centre on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Our next visit is on 12th September.
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 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.
From the beginning of October, we shall be reading the Book of the prophet Hosiah. We shall use the ‘Immerse Bible Study’ approach of reflecting on four questions:
- What stood out for you this week?
- Was there anything confusing or troubling?
- Did anything make you feel differently about God?
- How might this change the way we live?
You can listen to the Bible readings on line if you wish, rather than reading them by accessing them at ImmerseBible.com/Prophets
Monday Study Night
During September we shall be discussing some of the topics that were discussed at the ‘God Conversations’ in Windsor. We shall explore:
- 2nd Sept: Free speech
- 9th Sept: Should We have Charities?
- 16th Sept: Artificial Intelligence
- 23rd Sept: Assisted Dying
In October we shall focus on prayer, using one of the books we are reviewing, or maybe a book you recommend we use.
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 are:
30th Sept: ‘Grounded: Finding God in the World, a Spiritual Revolution’, by Diana Butler Bass (published by Harper One, ISBN 978-0-06-232856-4)
31st March: ‘The First Paul: reclaiming the radical visionary behind the Church’s conservative icon.’ By Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan (published by SPCK, ISBN 978-0- 281-06158-7).
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 3rd November 2024. 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.
Diocesan and Provincial Activities
I attended the Diocesan Personnel Committee meeting in August. Our next meeting is in late September. I have been asked by bishop John to be the Interim Rector of Peebles and Innerleithen, once their Rector leaves in mid-September. I accepted his invitation. This will involve me in helping them reach a place where they can create a congregational profile and define the criteria for appointing a priest at some point in the future. It will not involve me in taking services in Peebles or Innerleithen. I meet the other Episcopalian priests in Midlothian once a month for a time of conversation and prayer, which helps us share ideas and support each other in our ministry.
The Ministry Team
We continue to meet monthly 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)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/6289561588?pwd=aGtNeE1ZM3l1Tkluckp3bVJtZkRHQT09
Meeting ID: 628 956 1588 Password: 040775
St Mungo, Holy Communion at 10.30 am on Sunday.
Join Zoom Meeting
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.
Join Zoom Meeting
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)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96303841875?pwd=YmZiYkdNNzZJeWI5cmtZL2RLUWc1Zz09
Meeting ID: 963 0384 1875 Password: 040775
Wednesday Evening Compline at 9 pm (all year) (Zoom only)
Join Zoom Meeting
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