29 March 2020
Until further notice we will be sending out the weekly Sunday service sheet, prepared in the usual way, by email or post.
COVID 19
Sadly, we have been informed by the College of Bishops that we can no longer have churches open. You will find their full letter on the SEC website. They end their letter by saying, ” The College of Bishops continues to hold the Province in prayer and we ask you to keep us in yours. We also ask that the practice of lighting candles at 7 pm on Sunday evening be continued through the current pandemic.” Please join us in this act of unity and prayer.
Philip had kindly offered to record music for our website and Facebook page for you to sing along to the hymns. With the latest instructions about not leaving the home I feel this is not sensible. You can find the musicc for most hymns on You Tube by just searching for the hymn name.
If you want to follow a live service on line the SEC broadcasts each Sunday at 11.00am. The liturgy is slightly different to ours but you can download it from the website if you like.
If you would like to join me for morning prayer at 9.00am each morning I will endeavour to set up a Zoom call. So, if you could drop me an email, I will make sure you receive an invitation and a copy of the liturgy we will use. You can find the liturgy on www.scotland.anglican.org/spirituality/prayer/daily-offices/ if you cannot join me but would like to pray yourself.
I hope you are all safe and well.
Every Blessing,
Nicki.
The Sign.
There will be no April edition of The Sign magazine.
Scottish Regional Winners – St Cuthbert’s Colinton !
You may remember that last year we entered the Parish Pixels – Put Your Church in the Frame photography competition run by Ecclesiastical. St Cuthbert’s have won the Regional (Scotland) stage and will receive a prize of £1500. Our entry will now be put through to the next stage of the competition , and the winner will be decided by a public vote as well as a judging panel. Our church is one of nine churches in the UK competing for the overall title of national winner and for a prize of £5000. Voting will be open from 17 February .
Please support our entry – voting is now open for the UK final. see www. ecclesiastical.com/latest-news/parishpixels or complete a Freepost postcard which you will find at the back of the church.
Support.
In this time of uncertainty the church is still functioning the best it can with telephone ministry, emailing and posting orders of service and other communications, along with offering Morning Prayer using Zoom and the SEC offering on line services.
There will still be expenses to cover and we have obviously lost a lot of our income with the building being closed. If you usually give using freewill envelopes or money in the plate and feel able to do so, you could change your giving to standing order. Please get in touch with me for further information. Alternatively, you could simply send a cheque to the church office. We are very grateful for all the support we are receiving. Many thanks, Nicki.
The Open Forum. There will be no meeting in April. Details of the next meeting will be advised in the pew notes in due course.
Weekly Prayer: My loving Lord, it is so hard to love the world sometimes and to love it the way Jesus did seems impossible. Help me to be inspired by his love and guided by his example. Most of all I want to accept that i can’t do it alone, and that trying is an arrogance of self-centredness. I need you, dear God, to give me support in this journey. Show me how to unlock my heart so that I am less selfish. Let me be less fearful of the pain and darkness that will be transformed into Easter joy. Amen
Bishop Of Edinburgh Lent Appeal. The home charity chosen for the 2020 lnt Appeal is The Open Door and the overseas charity is Project Embabazi.
The Open Door aims to reduce isolation and loneliness by providing care, love, friendship, inclusion and a sense of community.Done through support services and social clubs for older people, the community cafe for everyone, volunteer placements for people of varying ages and abilities, and their ever changing social groups that include art, poetry, music and books.
Project Embabazi is a small charity that works in S W Uganda. Funding enables development in several rural communities and makes a life-changing difference to the local people. It is founded on grass- roots, sustainable development for the local people and communities.