1

2

Special Services at Fairmilehead Parish Church

Sunday 27 November

10.30am Advent Sunday Service with Communion

Sunday 11 December

10.30am Young Church Gift Service & Christmas Play

7.00pm Community Lessons and Carols Service

We hope that you will join us in church for an evening of

readings and carol singing

Christmas Eve

7.00pm Family Watchnight Service

11.15pm Watchnight Service

Christmas Day

10.30am Family Service

The services on 1 & 8 January 2017 will take place at 10.30am

All are Welcome!

1a Frogston Road West| 0131 445 2374| www.fhpc.org.uk|Charity No SC015967

3

Minister

Rev John Munro BD

Tel: 0131 446 9363

Mobile: 07946 051536

e-mail: revjohnmunro@hotmail.com

Fairmilehead Parish Church

1a Frogston Road West

Edinburgh

EH10 7AA

Tel: 0131 445 2374

e-mail: office@fhpc.org.uk

website: www.fhpc.org.uk

Find us on facebook and like our page!

Charity Registration No. SC 015967

Welcome to Crossroads, the magazine of Fairmilehead Parish Church

Cover Photo: Graham Warman

4 What Christians think about Christmas

6 Protecting our Planet

8 Jamie Woods—our new Youth and Families Worker

10 The Shape of Things to Come—adapting to change in the church

12 A remarkable Fairmilehead resident—Baroness Florence Horsbrugh

13 An update on Young Church’s charity appeals

15 Church Calendar

Advertisement Disclaimer

The Kirk Session do not accept any responsibility for the content or accuracy

of the advertisements in this edition of Crossroads.

4

What Christians think about Christmas Rev John Munro

‘Christmas’, as the name suggests, is a

religious festival celebrating the person

of Christ, a word that means ‘the anointed one’ in the

Greek of the New Testament, and a title that was applied

to the person of Jesus of Nazareth. At an early stage in the

life of the Christian Church it was thought appropriate to

have a special day and then a season in which Christians

could reflect on the coming of Christ into the world.

In the Bible, which tells the story of Jesus from cradle to

grave - or, more accurately, cradle to empty tomb - the

birth of Jesus is to be found in only two of the four gospels

– Matthew and Luke. It is from and around these sources

that the Church has built the Christmas celebration.

Conflating the two gospel accounts of the events

surrounding the birth of Jesus gives us some well-known

stories about a Roman census that brought Mary and Joseph

to Bethlehem, shepherds ‘abiding’ in the fields close to

Bethlehem, the appearance of an angel with the news of

Christ’s birth, an army of angels singing ‘Glory to God’, a

baby lying in a manger (there was no room at the inn), not

to mention a virgin birth and the naming of Jesus. Such

things are still today taken largely for granted and thought

about uncritically by the majority of those who call

themselves Christians. In fact, many will have it no other

way as any minister who has tried to introduce something

‘modern’ to the Christmas services far less cast doubt on

the historical veracity of the texts themselves will tell you.

These are they of whom it has been said ‘religion is a world

apart, a kind of ghetto into which they escape from the

harsh reality of everyday living.’ No blame attaches to this

for change of any kind is often perceived as a threat while

any attempt to explain the sacred texts for the modern

world is treated with suspicion and, it is thought, may cause

some to lose their faith.

The trouble is that for over 150 years now, theologians and

ministers – ministers are trained theologians as well as

‘servants of the rest’ – have concluded that the stories that

surround the birth of Christ must be regarded as a form of

poetry rather than a literal description of events. The word

that theologians apply to this understanding is ‘myth’ which

- contrary to popular opinion - does not mean something

that is ‘untrue’ but something that contains a much deeper

meaning and truth than that which is found on the surface.

So, leaving the stories of the birth of Christ apart, we talk

about the ‘creation myths’ found in the Bible and in

particular the story that suggests that the world was

created in six days. Take that story literally and we have to

quite literally ‘suspend belief’ for we know that –

scientifically speaking - the world and all that it contains

evolved over millions of years.

How, we might ask, has this knowledge been kept from

people in the pews for so long? Partly it is to do with the

obscure and technical language that some theologians use.

Often it is those who communicate the stories contained in

the Bible – whether lecturers, teachers, or preachers – who

are at fault. More often than not it is the hearers themselves

who fail to hear and whose ears are shut to anything that

challenges rather than brings comfort to fragile lives.

That said, when it comes to the Christmas stories in

particular which have been cherished in a traditional form

for so long, aided and abetted in some cases by the language

of Shakespeare found in the older Authorised Version of

Fairmilehead Parish Church

5

the Bible, then, of course, we must be careful not to throw

the baby out with the bathwater. But while there is always

that danger I believe that there is much more to be gained

than lost.

I realise that anyone who has been in whatever way cut off

from the honest work of theologians over the last 150

years may well be shocked to discover that all in the Bible

and in the stories of Christ’s birth are not as they seem at

first sight. But it has been the experience of generations of

students over the years that far from such knowledge

weakening their at times fragile faith it has given it greater

strength and added vigour. As someone has said, it is

analogous to the shock experienced by a new-born baby

expelled from her mother’s protective womb, where, if she

were to stay would surely in the end die, but freed from

the womb is born into a much more wonderful and exciting

life.

Here in Fairmilehead Parish Church in the run up

to Christmas 2016 we shall be using the Season of

Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas, to look

at these texts in some greater depth at an informal

study group over breakfast at 9.30am starting on

Sunday 27 November. There is an accompanying

hand-out which is available from the Church Office.

Hello from New

Jersey! I cannot believe

that It has been six

weeks since Bill, Ewan,

Maisie and I were with

you in Edinburgh. The

last month and a half

has been a bit of a blur,

but we have received

an extremely warm

welcome here, and

have had a lot of

support from our

families.

Our flight to America

went as smoothly as could be expected with two children

and a dog in tow. The crew put us in a corner of the

airplane by ourselves which worked really well—and

benefited the other passengers as much as it did us.

During the flight, about once an hour Ewan would wave

his arms in the air and shout “We’re going to

America!”—a ritual that culminated with the other

passengers cheering and clapping along with him when we

landed in Newark. Once we arrived at our new home,

we found the manse ready for us to move in. The

church’s deacons had even filled our refrigerator and

cooked dinner for our first few nights. I was reminded of

all the many ways the wonderful folks at Fairmilehead

embraced me when I arrived in Edinburgh.

As we slowly unpack, each box I open brings back

memories of my seven years in Scotland with you. I was

overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and kindness of your

farewell at the Harvest service, and continue to enjoy

reading through all of the notes you wrote to me. Thank

you for those, for your extremely generous gift, and for

the beautiful handmade stole which will remind me of you

each time I lead worship.

My family and I continue to remember you in our prayers

and send you these along with our best wishes for the

future. Hayley

PO Box 522, New Vernon, NJ, 07976,USA

Letter from America

From our former Associate Minister, Hayley O’Connor

6

Robert Louis Stevenson, once an inhabitant of this parish,

described looking out from his home in the Pacific Islands:

The morning was all blue; the sea blue, the horizon

clouds a blue like a fine pale porcelain...I would stroll

out and see the rocks and the woods, and huge ancient

trees…and feel the place at least belonged to the age

of fables. Fables may soon be the only way to encounter

the wonders which Stevenson experienced in the South

Pacific. Small islands are threatened with inundation by

rising sea levels and various lands face being swallowed up

by sand as desertification advances.

Last year, in Malawi, I stayed in the home of the Rev

Maurice Munthali, a minister in the Church of Central

African Presbyterian. As we sat talking in the evening, the

lights went out. Maurice brought torches and candles, and

as we sat in the dim light we got onto the subject of the

earth and its resources; he told us: “In Malawi, the

firstborn child has a special status in the family. And if we

think of the earth as the firstborn of creation, created

before the human beings, we should respect the earth and

hold it in a special status.”

Maurice catches a concern we are finding in all our church

links around the world: ensuring the sustainable future

of the earth, and the responsibility of the human

race to deal sensitively and gently with it. So many

partners of the Church of Scotland are in the front line of

environmental changes.

Our partners experiences

In the Caribbean, it is easy to celebrate the sovereignty of

God with sun-swept beaches and lush vegetation. The Rev

Adrian Sieunarine of the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad

and Tobago (PCTT), says that the human stewardship of

creation has only recently begun to occupy the attention of

communities and churches there. Today, he says, the

Caribbean seems to be "sinking” as ocean levels rise and

coastal areas are gradually consumed. The weather

sometimes seems frightful and fiercely hot, rather than

friendly.

Churches in Trinidad have started to draw attention to

climate change and to call congregations and governments

to be accountable to God and each other because

everyone has a responsibility for environmental progress.

The seventy-two Presbyterian primary schools and five high

schools in Trinidad and Tobago engage in a variety of

projects to clean seaside areas and rescue sea-turtles (the

largest of which come to nest in Trinidad). Schools have

included environmental issues in the curriculum, teaching

the students about the interconnectedness of creation and

reminding them that when we care for the whole creation

the "trees of the field shall clap their hands".

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana (EPG) was

awarded a UN Environmental award recognising its work

in support of practical and awareness raising activities. Tree

planting is central to the EPG’s environmental work:

between 2012 and 2014, 34,000 trees were planted in 15

communities in Northern Ghana where the Sahara desert

is growing southwards. Ghana also has a rising sea level in

the south, threatening coastal villages.

The Age of Fables: Protecting the Planet Rev Ian Alexander

Trinidad

7

Time for Creation

September 1st was proclaimed as a day of prayer for the

environment by the late Orthodox Church Ecumenical

Patriarch Dimitrios I of Constantinople in 1989, and today

his successor, Patriarch Bartholomew I, is perhaps the

most outspoken church leader on climate change. The

Orthodox Church year starts that day with a

commemoration of how God created the world.

On October 4th, many churches commemorate Francis of

Assisi, well known for his love of the created order and of

being at home with and in creation. The weeks in between

have been declared as Time for Creation by the World

Council of Churches to remind us of the sacredness of the

created order and to help us, through prayer and action,

to raise up awareness of the inherent godliness of the

whole creation.

Pope Francis has also played a role in helping to engage the

world on environmental and ecological issues with the

publication of Laudato Si, an encyclical which challenges the

culture of consumerism, and what the Pope sees as the

developed world's indifference to the destruction of the

planet in pursuit of short-term economic gains. Rowan

Williams urges Christians to regain a sense that our

relationship to the earth is about ‘communion not

consumption’.

The Church of Scotland as a whole has taken a strong line

in emphasising the duty Christian people have for caring

for the whole earth. The World Mission Council is playing

its part, encouraging church members to raise their voices

and advocate climate justice and a respectful attitude to all

God’s creation because of the experience of our partners

around the world, partners who are suffering because of

climate change, but who have not been responsible for

causing it.

Acting for the future

We in Scotland must be part of the solution. Fairmilehead

is already an eco-congregation. Eco-congregations Scotland

have a three pronged approach:

Spriritual living: Making the link between

environmental issues and Christian faith

Practical living: Taking practical action in the church

Global living: Influencing attitudes and taking action

in the local or global community on issues such as

climate change

In Orkney, one congregation has erected a wind turbine to

generate its energy. There is no shortage of wind here in

Fairmilehead: the church could consider erecting a wind

turbine to generate power for this church. Or we could

invest in solar panels – this is a building which will be here

for the long term and so there will be a long lifespan in

which to get a return. We can make sure we recycle as

much as possible. Fairtrade products have environmental

standards to meet, so buying Fairtrade products also

supports care for the environment.

There is an element of enlightened self-interest in tackling

the issues of climate change. Whether we think of the

planet in a South American (or Franciscan) way as ‘Mother

Earth’ or with an African emphasis as the ‘firstborn,’ or

simply recognise the presence of God in the whole created

order around us as Christ did, we need theologies and

spiritualities which recognise that “the earth is the Lord’s”

and not ours. Let us all seek out ways of living that

are better attuned to the rhythms of the natural

world and in harmony with the creation.

The Rev. Ian Alexander is Secretary of the World

Mission Council, that part of the Church of

Scotland which accompanies and sustains

relationships with churches around the world.

You can access further information on different issues and world regions here:

http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/serve/

world_mission/reports_and_resources

Planting trees in Ghana

8

Welcome to Jamie Woods—our new Youth and Families Worker

Firstly I would like to take this chance to say I

am absolutely delighted to be starting as the

Youth and Families Worker here at

Fairmilehead Parish Church. I’m looking

forward to getting to know you all over the

coming months. For those of you who don’t

already know me, I would like to take this

opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself.

Originally from the North East of Scotland, I grew up in

Banchory before moving to Elgin as a teenager. While in

Elgin I became involved with several bands and orchestras

which led to my passion for music and music technology. I

moved to Edinburgh in 2009 to study Sound Production

and Popular Music at Edinburgh Napier University.

Since coming to live in Edinburgh, much of my time has

been spent working with the church where I have provided

technical support for services and events as well as helping

to lead worship as part of a worship band. One of my

personal highlights has been the opportunity to work as

part of the production team for the National Youth

Assembly of the Church of Scotland. I have particularly

enjoyed working with the young people in the church and

helping to create a space where they feel welcomed and

valued. This is what originally brought me to Fairmilehead

when, four years ago, I was asked if I would help out during

the annual Holiday Club. With slight trepidation I

accepted the opportunity and found myself immersed in a

lively, active and welcoming church and became inspired by

the enthusiastic and frankly brilliant children who call this

church home.

More recently, I have been working alongside the teenagers

in the Pathfinders Group and, together with Hayley and the

other Pathfinder leaders, we have been finding new ways of

engaging with these young people. It has been an absolute

privilege seeing the group change and develop over the

years and I am excited for what the future has in store for

the group. In the years I have been a part of Fairmilehead

Parish Church I have been amazed at the sense of

community that exists here in Fairmilehead.

Play & Praise Under 5’s and their carers are invited to come

together on the first Wednesday of every month

for music, craft, storytelling and prayer.

Everyone is welcome!

SAVE THE DATES!

7 December

11 January

(note later date in January)

1 February

1 March

In my new and challenging role as Youth and

Families Worker, I hope to continue to connect

with the young people and their families and to

offer a warm welcome to the many groups who

use our halls each week. As well as continuing

with the very successful Play and Praise sessions

and the Annual Holiday Club, I plan to explore

new and exciting ways to connect successfully

with the people around us.

Fairmilehead is a bustling and busy community

area, and I want to do my best to help the

church to continue to grow, develop and serve

at the heart of this community.

9

10

The Shape of Things to Come Rev John Munro

When Bob Dylan was awarded his deserved Nobel Prize for

English literature then people of my generation were

thinking, “Times they are a-changing.” The 1960’s were

indeed a time of rapid change and it has never really

stopped. Social change has affected nearly everyone and

everything, and that very much includes the Christian

Church here in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.

It was 50 years ago in the 1960s that people first noticed

that the Church of Scotland, “The Kirk by Law Established,”

having shown robust health in the decade following the

Second World War, had begun a period of decline. At first

it was thought that such a decline in the number of people

attending church on a Sunday could be reversed by

improving ‘church performance’ on a Sunday, by offering

more services at different times, and by modernising ‘plant

and machinery’, much of which did not meet the mark when

compared to the rising standards found elsewhere in

Scotland. At the same time a ‘Church Growth’ movement

had started in the USA where the loss of members,

although proportionately smaller than here in the UK, was

nevertheless causing some concern.

The Church of Scot land

responded to the decline by

launching ‘Operation Welcome’

which was an attempt to

encourage congregations to be

more user-friendly and mindful of

the fact that not everyone who

tip-toed into a church service was a long-standing member

and knew what ‘church’ was all about. At roughly the same

time, south of the border, the Church of England had

started something called “Fresh Expressions” in which

churches that seemed to be failing were encouraged to try

something different that might more easily appeal to the

new and busier lifestyles that had become a feature of the

1980’s and 90’s. Café churches, Messy churches, and the

Alpha course were developed in the hope of helping people

find the meaning of life.

All to no avail it would seem, although it is difficult to say

how much steeper the decline would have been if some of

these initiatives had not been tried. Now, towards the year

2020, here in Scotland, we are anticipating that the number

of ministers of Word and Sacrament, for long enough the

front line of ministry in Scotland, will number around 600 to

cover the whole of the country. This is a substantial

reduction in the course of 50 years and it has been matched

by a substantial reduction in the number of church

members.

But before we start running around like characters in Dad’s

Army shouting “Don’t panic! Don’t panic!” we need to take

stock of the situation calmly, refuse to go into denial mode -

for when all is said and done, ‘facts are facts’ - and look to a

future that will surely be changed but not necessarily for the

worst!

For a start, we can quite easily deal with the shortage of

ministers and – given the times in which we are living –

having too many churches, by learning to share more and

work together more for the greater good of the church in

Scotland. In any case, I have long been a believer in the

saying ‘what churches can do together they ought not to do

alone’. In practice cooperation between congregations can

be difficult but not impossible.

At the last General Assembly held in May, the Ministries

Council produced a document for discussion in which it is

suggested that congregations might better work together

with what they are calling ‘Hub Ministries’ being set up to

11

replace the hitherto one man / one woman band that had

served the people of Scotland well in the past but, alas, no

more. Two or three congregations working together in an

area could share a minister of Word and Sacrament while

at the same time employ a rather different form of

ministry to reach out to the people in Scotland’s cities

who seem to have become indifferent to the church’s

presence in their midst whether by accident or design.

Like much else in our country at the moment the future is

uncertain but there have been challenging times in the past

and the Church has weathered the storm. In the meantime

we need to manage decline and the best way of doing that

is for everyone who still has an interest in the Kirk to pull

together and work together.

For those of you who are reading this article and who are

members of the Church in Scotland can I ask you to

consider that such a change is necessary but also in the

long run desirable. This is not the time for people to be

digging their heels in, or to be obstructive or live in some

kind of fantasy world where this kind of thing is not going

to happen. It is happening and indeed ‘the times they are a-

changing’.

12

A Remarkable Woman

Muriel Armstrong

F lorence Gertrude Horsbrugh , Baroness

Horsbrugh, GBE, PC, born in 1889, was a

Scottish Unionist and Conservative Party politician. The

historian Kenneth Baxter has argued that "in her day

Florence Horsbrugh was arguably the best known

woman MP in the UK” and “the most successful female

Conservative parliamentarian until Margaret Thatcher".

She was educated at Lansdowne

H o u s e , E d i n b u r g h , S t

Hilda’s, Folkestone, and Mills

College, California.

During the First World War,

Horsbrugh pioneered a travelling

kitchen scheme in Chelsea, London,

which gained sufficient renown as to

warrant an invitation to bring the

kitchen to Buckingham Palace one

lunch hour to entertain Queen

Mary, who approved particularly of the sweets.

H o r s b r u g h w a s a M e m b e r o f

Parliament for Dundee from 1931 until her defeat in

1945. Her victory in 1931 was a surprising result and she

was the first woman to represent the city at

Westminster and the first Conservative to be elected as

MP for Dundee since the city gained its own

constituency in 1832. At the time of her election

Dundee had not yet elected a female councillor. She was

the first woman in Parliament to move the address in

reply to the King's Speech. She unsuccessfully

contested Midlothian and Peebles in 1950 but was

elected at Manchester Moss Side, sitting from 1950 until

her retirement in 1959. She was then elevated to

the House of Lords, as a life peer with the title Baroness

Horsbrugh, of Horsbrugh in the County of Peebles,

where she sat until her death in 1969.

She held ministerial office in the wartime coalition

governments as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry

of Health (1939–45), and Parliamentary Secretary to the

Ministry of Food (1945). She was only the second

woman to hold a ministerial post in a Conservative-led

government following Katherine,

D u c h e s s o f A t h o l l . A s

Parliamentary Secretary to the

Minister of Health (1939–45) she

was responsible for arranging the

evacuation of schoolchildren from

major cities during the war.

Following her return to the House

of Commons she was the first

woman to hold a Cabinet post in a

Conservative government, and only

the third woman to be appointed as a Cabinet minister

in Britain's history (1953-1954), having been

appointed Minister of Education in 1951. She also served

as a delegate to the Council of Europe and Western

European Union from 1955 until 1960.

As part of her lifelong championing of social welfare

issues, Horsbrugh took a marked interest in child

welfare and introduced, as a private member, the bill

which became the Adoption of Children (Regulation)

Act 1939. She also carried out a great deal of

preparatory work on what eventually became

the National Health Service.

In 1945 she was a British delegate to the San Francisco

Conference which established the United Nations.

Women in leading political roles are unremarkable in

today’s world but a distinguished female politician of

the 20th century is commemorated on a plaque on the

house where she lived in Fairmilehead.

The plaque at East Camus Place

13

She was appointed MBE in 1920, promoted to CBE in

1939, and to GBE in 1954. She was appointed a Privy

Counsellor in 1945.

She was awarded an LL.D by Edinburgh University and was

also an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons

of Edinburgh.

Horsbrugh surprised a sports reporter in Dundee who

found her attending Dundee FC and Dundee

United football matches during the 1935 election

campaign. However, although a fan of football her loyalty

remained with her home side, Hearts.

The Papers of Florence Horsbrugh, Baroness

Horsbrugh are held at the Churchill Archives Centre in

Cambridge and are accessible to the public.

Young Church Update

Helen Grant

What an amazing term the Young Church has had!

Everyone was very sad to see Hayley, Bill, Ewan, Maisie and

Dougal return to America, but we all hope that they are

settling in to their new lives. In the meantime, a new Youth

and Families Worker has been appointed and we are very

glad to have Jamie Woods in post and wish him well for his

work with us. Many people will already know Jamie

through his involvement in the Church and, in particular,

with Pathfinders and the Holiday Club but, for those who

have not met him yet, Jamie gives us his own introduction

(on page 8).

The Young Church Appeal this autumn was in aid of Mary’s

Meals – a wonderful charity which aims to help children in

deprived areas attend school, and to feed them a nutritious

meal each day. We were thrilled to be able to pass on

over seventy full backpacks and these will now be on their

way to children in Africa, Asia and other countries where

they are most needed.

In addition, the Young Church was pleased to be able to

organise a collection in aid of Borderline. This charity

supports homeless people in London and our collection

during coffee was forwarded to Borderline to help in their

work.

The next charity challenge for Young Church is the Gift

Service on 11 December in support of Women’s Aid.

Locally a number of services are provided by Women’s Aid

to women and children who are affected by domestic

abuse. These include a crisis telephone service, drop in

support service, safe refuges, outreach support and advice

services, as well as specialist assistance for children. We

would be very grateful if you could help by bringing gifts to

share at Christmas. These could be toys and games for

children or gifts suitable for teenagers such as books or i-

tune vouchers. For the women, items such as toiletries and

make-up are also particularly welcome. Small treats like

these can help make Christmas a little better for many

families so please help if you are able.

There's no need to wrap - Women's Aid will take care of

this - although donations of wrapping paper and gift tags are

always welcome.

To find out more please contact the Church Office or one

of our Young Church co-ordinators:-

Helen Grant: nhmagrant@blueyonder.co.uk

Sandra Walton: sandra_walton@hotmail.com

Backpacks ready to go on their way!

Thank you so much for your continued

support for Young Church.

14

15

Your Guide to Services and Events at Fairmilehead Parish Church

Sat 3 1000 Christian Aid Coffee Morning at

Morningside Parish Church Hall

Sun 4 0930 Advent Study Group

1030 All Together Now! & Young Church

1340 Pentland Walking Group—

Carlops/ Ama zondean

Tues 6 1900 Fairmilehead Community Council

1930 Business Committee

Wed 7 1000 Play & Praise

1430 Guild

Sun 11 0930 Advent Study Group

1030 Young Church Gift Service & Christmas Play

1900 Community Lessons and Carols Service

Wed 14 1945 The Forum

Sun 18 0930 Advent Study Group

1030 All Together Now! & Young Church

1340 Pentland Walking Group—Craiglockhart

Hills

Wed 21 1430 Guild

Sat 24 1900 Family Watchnight Service

2315 Watchnight Service

Sun 25 1030 Christmas Celebration

December 2016

January 2017

Sun 1 1030 All Together Now!

Wed 4 1430 Guild

Sun 8 1030 All Together Now!

1340 Pentland Walking Group—New Year Special

Walk, followed by tea in the hall

Wed 11 1945 The Forum

Sun 15 0945 Worship Now! & Young Church

1100 Morning Worship

Tues 17 1930 Business Committee

Wed 18 1430 Guild

Sun 22 0945 Worship Now! & Young Church

1100 Morning Worship

1340 Pentland Walking Group—Braid Hills

Wed 25 1945 The Forum

Sun 29 0945 Worship Now! Communion & Young Church

1100 Morning Worship & Communion

February 2017

Wed 1 1430 Guild

Sun 5 0945 Worship Now! & Young Church

1100 Morning Worship

1340 Pentland Walking Group—Dalkeith Country

Park

Tues 7 1900 Fairmilehead Community Council

Wed 8 1945 The Forum

Sun 12 0945 Worship Now! & Young Church

1100 Morning Worship

Wed 15 1430 Guild

Sat 18 1000 Pentland Walking Group AGM & Coffee

Morning

Sun 19 0945 Worship Now! & Young Church

1100 Morning Worship

1340 Pentland Walking Group—Pencaitland Railway

Walk

Wed 22 1945 The Forum

Sun 26 0945 Worship Now! Quarterly Communion &

Young Church

1100 Morning Worship & Quarterly Communion

Fairmilehead Parish Church Mission Statement

We are a vibrant church located at the crossroads of this modern, changing world. Comforted and

challenged by the Gospel of Christ, we strive to be a welcoming and serving community.

We connect, through the Spirit, by reaching out to our local and global neighbours in friendship and care

for others, by prudent management of our resources and by seeking both to teach and learn from those we

encounter on our journey.

We believe that God’s love and acceptance extends to every human being regardless of age, ethnic

heritage, gender identity, marital status, national origin, physical or mental ability, race, sexual orientation

or socioeconomic standing.

We encourage the full participation of all in the life of our congregation and community. You don’t need to

be a church member to join in our services or activities – ALL are welcome!

16

What's on at Fairmilehead Day Time Activity Contact

Sunday 0900 Praise Band Leigh Shiel (leighshiel@outlook.com)

0945 Worship Now! Church Office (445 2374)

0945 Creche Fiona Bonar (07954 543997) 0945 Sunbeams (Pre-School 3-5 years & P1) Maureen Carter (445 3110)

0945 Stepping Stones (P2, P3 & P4) Ross Annan (466 1655)

0945 Explorers (P5, P6 & P7) Jacquie Mather (664-0634)

1100 Pathfinders Jamie Woods (jamie.sd.woods@gmail.com)

1100 Morning Worship Church Office (445 2374)

1340 Pentland Walking Group (winter programme from September) Esther Middleton (445 2989)

Monday 0930-1600 South Morningside Nursery Paul Fleming (447 5446)

0945-1045 Sidey’s Pilates Diane Sidey (339 7548) 1000-1130 Fairmilehead Toddler Group fairmileheadtoddlergroup@hotmail.com

1000-1200 The Sensory Sessions Ltd Lorna Carr (hello@thesensorysessions.com)

1230-1300 Fit4Life Pamela Whitlie (07585 706036)

1300-1400 Lee Tai Chi Angela Fallon (07786 056778)

1600-2015 Angela Watson School of Dance Angela Watson (661 9590) 1800-1900 Beavers - Foxspring & Swanspring Colonies Liz Russell (447 6517)

1915-1945 Fit4Life Pamela Whitlie (07585 706036)

1930-2130 Badminton (September - April) Stuart Macdonald (445-7396)

1930-2100 Yoga Rosemary Leburn (664 6585)

1930-2100 Explorer Scouts Neil Mackenzie (225 1413)

Tuesday 0830-1600 South Morningside Nursery Paul Fleming (447 5446)

0915-0945 Fit4Life Pamela Whitlie (07585 706036)

1000-1045 Fit Mummy Bootcamp David Waine (info@edinburghbootcamp.co.uk)

1000-1130 Fairmilehead Toddler Group fairmileheadtoddlergroup@hotmail.com

1300-1400 Zumba Fitness Nicola McLanders (07757 714501)

1300-1600 Merlin Bridge Club Sheila Rose (445 1526) 1330-1530 Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland (alternate weeks) Oonagh Kerr (07834 350298)

1700-1830 The Drama Studio Julie McDonald (453 3284)

1900-2130 Karate Callum Dick (07906 942914)

1900-2100 Fairmilehead Community Council (1st Tue/month ex Jul & Aug) Norman Tinlin (445 5160)

1900-2100 Fairmilehead Scottish Country Dancing Club Alan Robertson (445-1103)

Wednesday 0830-1600 South Morningside Nursery Paul Fleming (447 5446)

0915-1345 Tumble Tots Jo Letelier-Lobos (01875 819966) 1000-1100 Music Boost Jill Robertson (07710 784174)

1000-1045 Play & Praise (first Wednesday of each month) Jamie Woods (jamie.sd.woods@gmail.com)

1000-1300 Pop Up Cafe Gill Lippok (445-2374)

1430-1600 Guild (alternate weeks during season) Winifred Thomson (445 1767) 1400-1600 The Singing Group (2nd & 4th Wednesdays) Anne Sommerville (447-5132)

1730-1930 Angela Watson School of Dance Angela Watson (661 9590) 1630-1900 Highland Dancing Linda Ann Gillan (07708 004191) 1915-2045 Yoga Rosemary Leburn (664 6585) 1900-2000 Weightwatchers Clare Coutts (07708 790124) 1900-2100 Sidey’s Pilates Diane Sidey (339 7548)

1945-2130 Forum (alternate weeks during season) Dorothy Ellen (445-4721) Thursday 0830-1600 South Morningside Nursery Paul Fleming (447 5446) 0915-0945 Fit4Life Pamela Whitlie (07585 706036)

1000-1130 Fairmilehead Toddler Group fairmileheadtoddlergroup@hotmail.com

1030-1730 Enjoy-a-Ball Warwick Dredge (0845 2262694)

1500-1600 Mini French Felicity Neyme (07800554328)

1530-1815 Angela Watson School of Dance Angela Watson (661 9590) 1815-1915 Rainbows Packs 198A & 198B www.girlguiding.org.uk (information & registration)

1830-2000 Cub Scouts – Castlelaw & Scaldlaw Packs www.fairmileheadscouts.org.uk

2000-2200 Edinburgh Dance School Felicity Drever (07703 483809)

1930-2030 Gordon Jardine Yoga Gordon Jardine (445-7549)

1930-2130 Guides -Senior Section fairmileheadseniorsection@gmail.com

2015-2115 Clubercise Lauren Mitchell (07910 059509)

Friday 0850-0950 Sidey’s Pilates Diane Sidey (339 7548) 0830-1600 South Morningside Nursery Paul Fleming (447 5446) 1000-1130 Jo Jingles Leigh Duke (leigh.jojingles@btinternet.com) 1000-1130 Jenni Jeffrey - Fabulous Fitness for the over 50s Jenni Jeffery (07876 197055)

1000-1130 Fairmilehead Toddler Group fairmileheadtoddlergroup@hotmail.com

1300-1600 3v2 Soccer Academy Roddy Maughan (07872 448788) 1730-1830 Rainbows Pack 198 www.girlguiding.org.uk (information & registration) 1730-1900 Brownies Packs 198A, B, C & D www.girlguiding.org.uk (information & registration) 1915-2100 Guides 198, 198A & 198B Companies www.girlguiding.org.uk (information & registration) 1915-2115 Scouts www.fairmileheadscouts.org.uk Saturday 0900-1045 Angela Watson School of Dance Angela Watson (661 9590)

0945-1045 Zumba Fitness Nicola McLanders (07757 714501)

0930-1230 Thistle Quilters (monthly) Carol Lenaghan (667-5194)

1100-1200 Tae Kwon-do Peter Harkess (445 1759)

1430-1730 Stagecoach Dance & Drama Tina Strong (0845 2657050)