New Page 1

Dear Friends

Whilst on holiday I started reading the author Stevie Smith, most famous for a poem called Not waving but drowning. Writing about her upbringing in the north London suburb of Palmer’s Green, she recalls her school headmistress’ favourite, if somewhat melodramatic poem which went something like this:

Tomorrow she told her conscience

Tomorrow I mean to be good

Tomorrow I’ll do as I ought

Tomorrow I’ll think as I should

Tomorrow I’ll conquer the passions

That keep me from heaven away

But ever her conscience whispered

One word and one only, Today.

Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow

And thus through the years it went on

Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow

Till youth like a shadow was gone

Till age and her passions had written

The message of fate on her brow

And forth from the shadows came Death

With the terrible syllable, Now.

Isn’t that wonderful? I doubt very much if they would get away with teaching poetry like that at school now!

Procrastination is the thief of time – as the saying goes. How many things do we put off and put off until some sort of crisis goes and we begin to wonder why we hadn’t dealt with the issue earlier when it might have been resolved more easily? I suspect there will be a large number of people with too much in the ‘in-trays’ of their lives, trying to resolve problems of whatever nature becomes more and more difficult.

It is one of the ironies of modern life that whereas everything now seems to happen more quickly and time never seems to be enough, yet still there are areas where we leave things untouched and unresolved; fearful that tackling issues would mean having to face up to things about ourselves, our lifestyles, our attitudes, our reality.

A Christian faith helps us to face up to things, however painful, and then gives us hope. It is one of the powerful truths of faith that no matter how dark the clouds are overhead, and how blocked our path may appear, God is still there with us, in it all. And we draw comfort from that as well as encouragement.

I know of many in our congregation and parish in such difficult times: faith unsteady, future uncertain. Whilst faith does not always offer a quick fix, nonetheless it gives us strength to endure, adapt, and overcome. And that, in those difficult times, is something worth believing in and working with steadily and positively.

Yours in Christ

Revd Dr Derek Browning

Back to Line 1

Mission Partners Update

Jane recently wrote to the Outreach Group with a summary of projects both she and Mike are involved in, highlighting the specific areas of need.

1. AIDS Project in Sangklaburi Jane is very involved in this project from the point of view of giving advice and emotional support to the staff and in fundraising, seeking new donors and writing reports in English. This project, which is very dear to Jane’s heart and supports 43 patients. She is encouraged by the success of the project although saddened by the situation of these incredibly vulnerable people. At the time of writing Jane had just heard of the death of a young mother who leaves three children alone, the eldest being 11 years old. She knows an 18 year old woman, previously orphaned by AIDS, who had to work as a prostitute in order to survive and is now HIV positive herself. There is so much work to do in this area of health and social support.

2. Prison Ministry Once a week Jane goes to the maximum security prison to work with people in the prison hospital. Most of these patients have AIDS. She can offer little except love, acceptance and friendship, work which is very draining but also satisfying. There are no financial needs for this work but Jane would really appreciate prayer.

3.Child Protection Project Mike is concentrating on this full time now and is supported by two staff members, Yuki and Jaeng. A new family from Scotland is going to Thailand for a year of language study before also working on Child Protection issues.

The goals of the project are twofold:

a) To set up a child protection office for the Church of Christ in Thailand and to introduce the concept to the 2000 churches, church schools and hospitals to the point where policies are implemented and abused children cared for.

b) To target institutions in border areas which care for migrant children. These children are particularly at risk.

On top of this, the team is organizing child protection workshops for various organisations as well as visiting schools and hospitals in Bangkok and on the Burmese border.

Support For Our Mission Partners

Our mission partners, Mike and Jane Fucella, who carry out valuable work in Thailand, are dependent on individuals and churches working in partnership with them. Our congregation of Morningside Parish Church regularly supports the Fucella family through the weekly loose change offering and a share of the proceeds from Sunday morning coffees, as well as contributions from organisations and fund raising events. However, to meet our promised target of £3000 a year we need to give the ‘Fucella Fund’ a boost.

You can help in 2 ways:

Firstly, come along to the fundraising Beetle Drive at 7pm on Saturday 4th October in the Upper Hall, Cluny Centre, for a fun filled evening, suitable for young and old alike! Even if you have not played the game since childhood don’t worry, full instructions will be given. Tickets are priced £5 (adults) £2.50 (children).

Secondly, as in previous years, small yellow envelopes will appear in the pews throughout October, which can be used for contributions in support of Mike, Jane, Rachel and Aylie. The envelopes will be collected along with the weekly offering.

Thank you all for your support.

Back to Line 1

The Guild

By the time you read this the new Guild session will have started. We meet on Tuesday afternoons (twice a month) in the Small Hall at the Braid Centre at 2.15 pm and anyone is welcome to come along – you will be made most welcome.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 14^th October and the speaker will be the Revd.William Armitage who will be speaking on our theme for the coming year – He Restores my Soul.

The Annual Guild meeting was held in Dundee on 6^th September and two of our members attended. It was most interesting and a brief report on it follows:

The Guild – Journeying together 2008

The Caird Hall in Dundee was the venue for a meeting of over 2000 members who converged for a day of fellowship and the launch of the movement’s new theme – He Restores my Soul under the strategy: Let’s Live: body, mind and soul.

Chaired by National Convener, Esme Duncan from Caithness, the day was a moving testimony to the work of the Guild. There was a reflection from the Moderator, the Rt Revd David Lunan, who spoke of people who had been influential in his life and theneed to nurture the spiritual side of one’s life as well as the intellectual side. He was followed by keynote speaker, Irene Howat, a noted author, who spoke of her Christian journey and how her disability has led to her career as a writer. She also highlighted those who had been examples in her life through a reflection on the 23^rd Psalm.

The full and varied programme included news and reports on aspects of the Guild’s work – most moving of which was the report by the General secretary, Alison Twaddle, on the Guild’s impact and contribution towards raising awareness of the issue of human trafficking.

I do hope you will manage to join us at some of our meetings.

Margaret Gossip

Back to Line 1

The Open Door Newsletter

Greetings to all. It is nice for me as the new Manager at the Open Door to take this opportunity to tell you about some new projects that are underway here at the Open Door.

I’m sure you all know the Open Door and have popped into the Coffee Shop at some time; after all we have been here for over a quarter of a century! Sounds a long time when you say it like that… and indeed it is a very long time; an achievement we could not have made without the army of volunteers that have passed through these doors keeping the cogs turning and providing an invaluable service to the Community.

Volunteers are our most valuable asset and much sought after so if you or someone you know have a few hours to spare, get in touch. You can work as many or as few hours as you like, any of you valuable time is gratefully received. (Contact details below)

We are also in need of new computer equipment and have decided to raise funds by collecting old mobile phones; for every one Fonebank can resell they will give us a voucher to the sum of £5 to spend in PC World or Dixon’s! So come on, have a rake round in those cupboards and drawers and drop off your old phones at The Open Door. There may even be a coffee in it. Now you can’t say fairer than that!

Stitching Group: Our Stitching Group runs every Wednesday afternoon between 1.30 – 3.30pm. This is a very relaxed group where ladies gather to socialise have a cup of tea and sew, knit or crochet. Again, never to miss an opportunity for fund raising the Stitching Group is busy making things to sell at the now yearly Heritage Fair in aid of The Open Door.

This is an opportunity for me to say thank you very much for your hard work and gifts!

The Friday Art Group 10.30 – 12.30 is amazing! Some of these ladies have never painted before and now produce some beautiful works. Why don’t you see for yourself as some are hanging on the walls here at The Open Door? There are also others that hang on the walls of the many people who buy the paintings. This year the group have decided to enter into the spirit of the Morningside Festival and will hold an exhibition at the Open Door on Saturday 4^th October so come along. You may just be purchasing a masterpiece of the future!

Poetry Group We have recently set up a group, which meets on the first Friday of every month. The next meeting is on 3^rd October and consists of reading, writing and discussions on poetry. Now here’s the challenge for October - a poem about the humble wellie. Yes, you read right - the good old Wellington boot. Think you’re up to it? Then come along and enjoy this very friendly relaxed group on the 3^rd Oct at the Open Door between 6 - 8pm.

If you would like to join any of these groups or our happy band of volunteers just pop in or contact us on: 0131 447 9757

E-mail: theopendoor@morningside.org.uk

Kind Regards

Sandra Dixon

Back to Line 1

Scottish Love In Action Concert

Scottish Love in Action (SLA) now provides funds to feed, clothe, house, educate and provide medical care for over 500 children in South East India: 450 children in our Home-cum-School in Tuni and 57 children in our home in Hyderabad.

We are always looking for new ways to raise money and are holding the following events. We would very much appreciate your support. Please contact the SLA office on 0131 558 7395 or enquiries@sla-india.org for more details.

Guild Work Party

The new session of the Work Party starts on Monday 6^th October with a meeting at 10.45am in the Cluny Centre.

We look forward to seeing all our members and, if possible, some new friends who would be willing to help with knitting for all our worthwhile projects.

We are always looking for new ideas and charities to support, so do come along for coffee and find out what our group is doing.

Mary Finlay

Back to Line 1

The Edinburgh Bar Association Benevolent Trust

The Edinburgh Bar Association is open to all solicitors practising within Edinburgh Sheriff Court and has been in existence for many decades.

The Association's Benevolent Trust is a charitable organisation based in Edinburgh Sheriff Court. A trolley service offering teas, coffees, juice and pre-packed snacks was originally offered by the WRVS to potential jurors, witnesses and accused persons and, when that service ceased, it was taken over and run by volunteers on behalf of the Edinburgh Bar Association Benevolent Trust.

Any profit made from this service is passed to the Trust which has, over the years, donated very significant sums to a variety of very good causes.

For example, in the financial year 2007/08 the Trust made charitable donations in the order of £10,400 to local charities or local branches of national charities.

In order to maintain this service the Edinburgh Bar Association Benevolent Trust are looking for new volunteers. If there were more volunteers, the service could be offered on more mornings or even afternoons.

If you might be interested, or if you know of anyone who might be interested, the present volunteers - and the Trust - would be tremendously grateful if you would be in touch or bring this to their attention. A few hours a week is all it takes to make a real difference and you will be providing much-needed support and services to the public attending Edinburgh Sheriff Court as well as supporting local charities.

The present volunteers would really like others to join them in this service, which is also very interesting and enjoyable.

If you would like to find out more about how you can help the Edinburgh Bar Association Benevolent Trust as a volunteer, would you please contact me at 80 Greenbank Crescent (telephone 0131 447 2593) or alternatively telephone Mary Devine on 0131 662 4962.

Helen Allan.

Back to Line 1

Prayer form Pray Now

Jesus,
children ran towards you and you welcomed them with open arms
reprimanding those who wished to keep them under control.

We have lived as children, and have grown up leaving behind something of the
trust, enthusiasm, vulnerability, curiosity, imagination,
openness, acceptance,
the playfulness of childhood.

We too often reprimand children,
'They don't behave.' 'They're too noisy.'
And yet we want children to be present -
'They are the church of tomorrow!'

Jesus you call children to be part of the church
not because they are church of tomorrow
but
because the Holy Spirit speaks through them today
because they remind us of the essence of our humanity
because they invite us to become again the child we once knew
because we need to be like them - trusting, enthusiastic,
curious, imaginative, open, accepting and playful
to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Back to Line 1

Please scroll down to your desired topic:

Tapes Of Church Services

I continue to prepare tapes each month for delivery with the Church magazine. If you can no longer attend Church, or know of anyone else who is housebound, and would like a tape, please let me know. I have a tape recording machine which can be borrowed if needed.

Helen Buist (445 2528)

Soup And Apple Crumble Lunch

This will be held in the Cluny Centre after the morning service on 2^nd November. Tickets will be available in church on October 19^th and 26^th.

Spectacles

The total collected during the six months to June 2008 was 125. This is slightly up on the previous year of 114. Please keep them coming in. Thank you to all who were able to contribute.

Willie Cooper

November Magazine

Material for the November magazine should be with the editor, Mrs Isobel Paterson, 2 Cluny Terrace, Edinburgh, EH10 4SW. Email: issiepaterson
@hotmail.com or the Church Office: office@morningside
parishchurch.org.uk by Wednesday 15^th October.

Sermon Series

In October and November in morning worship we will be looking at the Life of King David.

Back to Line 1