So, here we are! As I write this we approach the 4th Sunday in Lent. You will recall that last year we were unable to open for any type of worship during Lent and Holy Week, due to the first lockdown. This year, however, we will open our doors for those who wish to enter, and we will endeavour to make up for lost time. I for one am extremely happy that we will be able to observe Holy Week and celebrate Easter in a manner that most of us are accustomed to. Yes, there will be limits to numbers, yes, we will need to observe social distancing, no, we will still not be able to sing hymns, yes, we will be able to receive Holy Communion in one kind only, no, we will still not be able to gather for fellowship after the service. After a full year of restrictions of one kind or another, none of this will come as a surprise to any of you – it certainly does not me. But we are an Easter people and we will celebrate it in any way we can. The provisions made for places of worship to open on Palm Sunday, thereby heralding Holy week, are most welcome, however, we must not forget that so much in our world has changed due to the pandemic that Covid 19 brought us. Most, if not all of us, will know of or be related to someone who contracted the virus. Sadly, some of us will also know or be related to someone who has died as a result. I speak personally, having experienced tragedy in my own extended family. The pain and loss is unbearable enough, but being unable to be by a loved one’s side during the illness when they are in hospital is even more devastating. There will be time when we gather together to remember all whom we have lost, and when we do we shouldn’t be ashamed to cry or share our grief.
I am deeply grateful to those who have, so far, donated to our Easter Eggs appeal. This generosity will ensure that some children, and adults, will not miss out on something that many of us have, over the course of our lifetimes, taken for granted.
The business of the Church doesn’t stop because the doors are closed. Many of you, no doubt, will have accessed the myriad of online services available throughout the country, if not the world. At St Mary’s we have broadcast a regular Sunday Eucharist where either Bishop Anne or I have presided and preached. I have also tried to provide a live Face Book broadcast of evening prayers throughout Lent, using various resources from my own collection.
St Mary’s still functions as the Pro-Cathedral of our Diocese and it is important that this message is extended as widely as possible. I have no information to share regarding the immediate future of St Andrew’s, however, it has been an absolute pleasure to share worship with our brothers and sisters from that congregation.
The use of the Zoom function has also been an eye opener for everyone. So far, during the past 12 months, we have had both General and Diocesan Synods using this facility. We have also carried out all of our Vestry business and other associated matters using Zoom. I recently took part in a Clergy Training event over the course of two days on Zoom, and of course, there has been our regular Sunday Brunch Zoom which has been a constant throughout the various levels of restriction. Suffice to say, most of us are pretty well-versed in ‘Zoom etiquette’.
Since our last Magazine, our new website has been launched, which grows a little every day. We are so pleased with this refreshing new and informative medium and I am deeply thankful to Mr Stuart Smith of Alt Ten Interactive who designed it for us, Mr David Rose our Webmaster, and to the other members of the communication team, Dr Nicola Mills and Mr John Cooke, who oversee the content and quality control. Incidentally, you may actually be reading this from the website, and if you are, I would be delighted to hear your comments. Of all of the available functionality on the website, the donation button is and has been most welcome. By using this, anyone who wishes to make a donation to the upkeep of St Mary’s, or for any other specific reason, you will find it very easy to navigate. I hope that you will be able to find time to have a look around the site and to feedback to us where you think we can make improvements or additional links to other information.
Personally speaking, my wife Sam and I have become Grandparents to our second granddaughter, Harriet Jayne, and we have another on the way in July, when my oldest Son and his wife will give us a third grandchild. This is an absolute blessing and although the restrictions will dictate when we can see them, rest assured, we will make up for lost time when we do.
I have recently been successful in interview to become a member of the Scottish Children’s Panel, and will, after training, be able to sit on panels, which I hope will not only act as a possible intervention to future criminality for children and young persons, but also to contribute to the local community in a way which I feel is both worthwhile and Kingdom building.
So, I hope that Easter brings to you all that is good in our world and lives. For those of you have isolated over the past 12 months, I look forward to seeing you again soon when you feel confident enough to join us. Learning to adapt and improvise has been a very steep learning curve for us all. Speaking directly to a mobile phone as I am being videoed has been challenging to say the least; I certainly don’t expect any Bafta awards or Oscars to be heading my way. I sincerely wish and pray that each and every one of you keep safe and well until we can gather as before and share our love and care for each other, whilst praising Him, our King of Kings.
Blessings Always
Reverend Canon Terry Taggart (Rector)
Spring 2021
Report from the General Synod – 5th December 2020
General Synod was postponed this year from its usual June two and a half day session in Edinburgh to a one-day Zoom meeting on 5th. December. The technology, already tested at the General Assembly, allowed all the participants (around 130 of us) to raise questions, make comments, and vote, just as we would at St. Paul’s & St. George’s, where this time only the General Synod Office staff and a few others were gathered. Mostly the technology worked, though there were inevitably a few glitches.
The meeting began not with coffee and chat but with a refresher on the new way of doing things. Then we had the Synod Eucharist with the Primus officiating and his charge to Synod, which concentrated chiefly on fighting bullying within the church, something highlighted by a clergy welfare survey last year.
The usual elections followed, allowing us plenty of practice with the voting buttons. Then Standing Committee presented the annual report and accounts and the unfamiliar news that quota this year, the amount of money that each diocese pays to the province, was to be reduced significantly to allow some leeway to churches struggling in the current circumstances. This was following by group discussions on what we had found particularly valuable during lockdown, and how the church could be resourced to enhance or improve that for the future.
There was a generous lunch break to allow us time away from the screen, and this was followed by a review of the process of reforming Canon 4, concerning the election of bishops. The committee working on this would like input from everyone who has an involvement in these elections or who has had in the past. The afternoon session also looked at the revised Safeguarding Policy for the church, and at conditions for the clergy – stipend, time off, and again bullying.
Standing Committee returned to report on ethical investment, an ongoing revision of where the church’s money is used, and this was linked to the next topic of debate, Church in Society’s motion concerning climate change and the church’s reaction to it. It was felt that the church should be leading, not simply following, in this matter. Again this topic had echoes in the Provincial Youth presentation that followed, which covered reactions to lockdown, climate change and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Evening prayer closed the meeting, which like so many other things this year had notes of the familiar and layers of the strange. So little chance to socialise with our friends across the Province, or to greet visitors from other denominations and faiths; so strange to see everyone in gilets and thick jumpers when we usually meet in June; so odd to have synod business in the middle of one’s own home. But on the plus side, as someone remarked, at least we didn’t have to queue for the ladies’ loo!
Nicola Mills
Lay Representive
Report from Diocesan Synod, February 2021
Last year Diocesan Synod was one of the last big events before lockdown, and this year we were online, using the same platforms as General Synod. As with General Synod business was confined to the essentials. The Bishop’s charge reviewed how the pandemic had affected us and our worship across the diocese, and talked of the maintenance of our physical bodies and the body of Christ, trusting in God for maintenance now and for readiness to act and face a post-pandemic world with all its questions. This theme continued in break-out groups where we shared what we wanted to bring with us from our experience in the last year, what we missed most, and what we most wanted to leave behind. After the usual elections (though with a noted lack of lay volunteers for a number of positions) we broke for lunch.
After the break, we voted to extinguish the charge of St. Mary’s Cove Bay, at the request of their vestry. This is always a sad duty on the rare occasions when it happens, but the vestry felt that their Episcopal story in that place had come to a natural end. In this case there is the consolation of knowing that the building will continue to be used as a church by the other congregation that has shared it for a number of years.
Discussion on the revision of Canon 4 followed, in break-out groups. This is the canon that deals with the election of bishops, and a large number of people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current shape of the Canon, particularly as regards the very restricted timetable, issues of confidentiality for candidates, and the insistence that there should be a short list of 3-5 candidates for an election to take place. Because the revision of the canon is particularly complicated, a review group at provincial level has put together two preliminary choices of general paths to take when rewriting the canon, and it was these choices that were being discussed: should we continue with the electoral synod style of election where a large number of representatives across the diocese are involved, or should we choose an electoral college where a smaller number of trained people make the choice. Synod voted to retain the first option, and this response will be returned to the review group.
To facilitate the meeting, any questions were submitted by email and responses were returned to all synod members a few days later.
Nicola Mills
Lay Representive
“Walls” by Margaret McKinnon
I thank you for the invitation to write for the new Quarterly Magazine. Instantly I had a topic in mind because my Granddaughter and I have been working on a storyline with a topical theme.
Walls have a dual purpose. Some might argue they are built for the benefit of an individual, or the good and wellbeing of many. The height of the wall depends on the situation and how much one wishes to seal themselves in or keep others out. I believe, many of us have recently had to familiarise ourselves with the restrictions of ‘walls’ these last few months and I hope and pray those walls have not been too destructive.
I would like to add another wall for consideration and that comes from the Book of Joshua Chapter 2 where Rehab uses the window in her wall to allow the two spies Joshua sent to Jericho to escape. We now develop our wall into something lifesaving: “So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.” (Joshua 2:15)
Most people will also associate Jericho with marching and the carrying of the Ark of the Covenant around the walls, in silence for the first six days until the seventh day when they were allowed to shout and make loud noises until the city wall fell. Rest assured Rehab and her family were safe and taken care of – and it was decreed that the Jericho city wall was to never be built again and it never was.
My Granddaughter and I based our story loosely around Frozen II (which actually wasn’t a wall but a dam). Within our storyline of walls and dams our palace became so neglected and run down we held such sadness because they had no water or visitors. We made boulders but they weren’t strong enough to break down the walls. We got a stoneman to help but he couldn’t break down the wall so we put on our thinking caps and created steps to climb up and over the wall. Wonderfully this worked and the palace was freed and new life grew again.
Yes, all who wanted to gain access to the palace had to climb up and down the stairs, but surely this is a price worth paying to have freedom! We think it is. Remember if you can’t get round your wall there will surely be a way over it, or indeed perhaps there is a window in your wall and you haven’t yet been able to open it.
Blessings
Margaret McKinnon
Spaced with smiles and laughter
A warm hello to everyone, including those from St Andrew’s who have no idea who is sending them a smile but I hope will still welcome it. My family and I live close to church and in July 2020 we deployed to socially distance our pews.
Not easy to see in the pictures below but the pews are indeed carefully placed at 2m increments! All those beautiful tapestry kneelers have also been carefully concealed from any itinerant germs.
A large number of pews were evicted to the hall with gurgles, grunts and careful calculations. So please come and visit the church, when you feel ready, and know the pews are all 2 metres apart and that groups can sit at each end of a pew with 2 metres between them. The aim is to make the beneficial distancing easier to attain and wow does it making cleaning easier too. But my apologies that the physical support offered by a pew in front of you has been removed (NOTE the front pew on the left still has support from the front rest). Yep, cleaning has also upped a level and initially an intriguing level of brown (years of polish) was lifted from the pews, with the regular application of Dettol spray, to my relief with no apparent detriment to the wood. Stopping oneself from ruminating that surely this rubbing should be to add polish is a recurring entertainment. Another amusing one for cleaning is the gauntlets for toilet ablutions, yes, a difficult one, but if you can avoid using the toilet in church this really assists with keeping us all safe. Please know that the Vestry has carefully considered the Covid guidance, aimed to implement it and received approval of the resultant plan.
We are each the key to our wellbeing. Most importantly know that behind those masks there are smiles for you. Plus laughter that our hands-free sanitisers are not up to the job and we must risk contact with a common surface to obtain the safe elixir. Those ‘Welcome’ signs dotting our church floor remind us to please keep 2m apart. Remember as you leave church that those in the back pews should depart first – frustratingly there is not actually 2 metres from the edge of the pews to the centre of the aisle (Yes, I did indeed measure it! Yes otherwise the guidance requires that you leave from the front by the side exit – ours not to reason why…).
Having rearranged the pews I could not get my kids and husband out of the church as they outdid each other with taxing Bible readings from our beloved eagle. We added a lot of laughter to the church that day but the prevailing feeling is always one of honed love and prayer. I believe that a web extends to encompass us all, and whether or not you attend to admire that careful 2m planning, know that you are a part of St Mary’s and loved.
A socially distanced hug and yet another smile,
Frederica Stephens
