Parish News Round-up

Thursday July 25 2019

Our regular round-up of news received from churches

Please send items of parish news to magazine@lifeandwork.org or Life and Work, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN. All submissions will also be considered for the magazine, but we are unable to print everything we receive.
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The Rev Rory MacLeod of Strath and Sleat Church on the Isle of Skye and youth leader Archie MacCalman visited Jordan to establish a twinning between their church and St Paul’s Church in Amman, an Arabic-speaking congregation belonging to the Anglican diocese of Jerusalem.

The initiative came from a desire by Strath and Sleat to help churches working with refugees, including displaced Christians from Syria and Iraq.

Rory said: “In Jordan we were amazed by the response across the spectrum of Jordanian churches. From independent Evangelicals to Eastern Orthodox and Chaldean Catholics, media savvy clerics are mobilising their flocks to care for their desperate fellow believers. We met a diminutive Catholic priest who serves four congregations in different parts of Amman and gathers a hundred children for Sunday School on borrowed premises every week.

"A Protestant pastor showed us around a school he had established for traumatised and disabled children, a network of workshops for wood-turning, soap making, mosaic art and many other trades and a health clinic with barbershop, beautician and dental surgery.

"During Ramadan, the same church distributed thousands of gift boxes to their Muslim neighbours on their way home from work to break their fast. Each box contained fruit and snacks and was adorned with verses from the Bible and a message from King Abdullah II, exhorting good relations between Muslims and Christians.

“Archie and I were bowled over by the welcome and hospitality we received all over this extraordinary country.”

The next step in the twinning arrangement is for office-bearers from St Paul’s to visit Skye; and there will be opportunities for volunteers to work in the various refugee support initiatives Rory and Archie visited.

Twelve elders of Bishopbriggs Parish Church have been given long service certificates for service totally 517 years. Pictured from left to right: Jim Scott, Session Clerk, the Rev Ian Taylor, Minister, Robert Ditty (50 years), Jim Stormont (62), Mervyn Porter (49),
Bill Findlay (50), Ronnie Williamson (40), George McMillan (40), Anne Harvey (34), Charles Dorward (34), Willie McSheehy (34) and Dr Sonia Blakesley, Assistant Minister.

Michael Cooke (44), Andrew Fleming (42) and John Millar (34) were unable to attend the service.

The Guild of Portpatrick Parish Church, near Stranraer, has again produced a calendar of local scenes, with proceeds going to Guild funds. Calendars are available for £5 plus £1.30 postage from Fiona Maxwell on 01776 704045 or maxwellf@supanet.com 

Post Tags: parish news round-up

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