Welcome to the online service of worship for the Second Sunday Before Advent
The YouTube playlist may be found here Or view below.....
MAYFIELD SALISBURY PARISH CHURCH
EDINBURGH
Sunday Services of Public Worship: 10.15am
Worship Online from 8.00am Every Sunday
Sunday 15 November 2020
Second Sunday
before Advent
Psalm 131
Song of Quiet Trust
1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.
AS A DIVERSE PEOPLE, THE CHURCH GATHERS TO WORSHIP ALMIGHTY GOD
Welcome The Revd Helen Alexander
Welcome to the members and friends of the congregation of Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church and others who may be joining us in our worship online for the 2nd Sunday before Advent.
Online and in church today we shall remember the work of CrossReach that provides care and support to people with varied needs across all age groups in the name of the Church of Scotland. The congregation of Mayfield Salisbury particularly supports the CrossReach Perinatal Services that include the provision of crèche facilities, counselling and therapy for families with young children, including online and telephone support during the current pandemic.
Further details of this work and how to support it can be found in the Intimations
I invite you now to join me in a short period of silence in preparation for worship
Silence
Scripture Sentences
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, for ever;
With my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
Jesus said: ‘Let the little children come to me ..….for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’
And he called a child whom he put among them and said: ‘Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’
Let us pray
Seeking blessing and good for ourselves as children of God whatever our age and stage in
life; calling to mind instances of happiness and grace that we remember over past days, as well as difficulties and conflicts we may have with those whose lives are bound up with ours by duty, love or circumstance, and seeking a spirit of gratitude, patience, hope for all our relationships.
And if what is uppermost in our minds now is our struggle with our own conflicted nature: desires and needs, hopes and fears that seem irreconcilable and cause us restlessness of mind and agony of heart, let us seek wisdom for such things; comfort and the grace of forgiveness and the peace that passes understanding.
If we are finding the pain of hardship and loss hard to bear: lost people, lost causes, lost love, and struggle to find meaning and hope in our present circumstances, let us pray that through the mist of longing we may greet each new day with gratitude and may know the joy of surprise as well as the comfort of familiarity.
Teach us, good Lord, to count our blessings, in times of trouble and of joy.
Inspire in us the art of kindness and fidelity of faith.
Teach us to pray more faithfully, more trustingly, more truly; for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Collect
Almighty God whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came to be the light of the world, free us from all that darkens and ensnares us, and bring us to eternal light and joy; through the power of him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Children’s Address Hillary Leslie
Good morning everyone! How are you doing today? It’s really nice to spend time with you, together even though we are apart.
Now that Halloween is over and the Christmas decorations have started popping up in all of the shops around the city, I’ve started thinking about what gifts I might want to buy for my loved ones this year for Christmas. Not only are we thinking about our families and friends, but we are also thinking about those in need. Maybe you and your family are thinking about buying something for our Gift Services this year and are wondering what special item someone might really love to receive and open up.
I have some Christmas presents here that I’m getting ready to send to my family in America. When the presents arrive, do you think they will open them on Christmas Day, or keep them wrapped up because the bow looks too pretty to undo? Of course they will open them on Christmas Day! I really hope that they will use the gifts and enjoy them, too! I would be really sad if they kept these gifts hidden away without unwrapping them and see what’s inside.
Not only do we give gifts to family, friends and charities at Christmas, but God also gives us many gifts! God gives us family, friends, happiness, and love. God also gives each of us special gifts and we are each unique in the gifts that we are given! You might be skilled at running, doing maths, listening, writing, creating art or making people laugh. You may have heard someone say you are ‘talented’ at doing one of these things.
In our Bible story today, we are reminded that God wants us to use these strengths, share them with others, and grow them bigger and stronger. God would be sad if we kept these gifts hidden away and didn’t use the talents we’ve been given!God has faith that you will use your talents to make the world better, make someone smile, or help someone who needs a friend. All of us, children and adults alike, are constantly growing and realising the gifts that God has given us. God is so happy when we use our talents, sharing them and letting them grow.
May we learn how to open ourselves up to the gifts that God has given us and learn to use them to make the world a better place!
Let us pray:
Dear God,
You are within us, between us, and all around us.
Thank You for giving us so many gifts.
Help us to see our talents,
And to share them with others.
Please be with those who are lonely or hurting today,
and help us to share your love with them, too.
Amen
HYMN 694 Brother, sister, let me serve you Servant Song
Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we've seen this journey through.
When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we've known together
of Christ's love and agony.
Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
Richard A. M. Gillard (b.1953)
Words: (c) 1977 Scripture in Song.
Played by Kate Pearson
Sung by Susan White
WE LISTEN FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN SCRIPTURE
Reading 1 Thessalonians 5: 1 – 11 NRSVA Catriona Spratt
5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5 for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6 So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7 for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
Reading St Matthew 25: 14 – 30 NRSVA Kay McIntosh DCS
The Parable of the Talents
14 ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” 21 His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” 23 His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” 26 But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Reflection Revd Helen Alexander
A week or two ago I spent a happy half hour watching a repeat of an episode in the quintessentially British 1970s TV comedy Dad’s Army. As many will know, this features the exploits of a Home Guard unit in the fictional town of Walmington- on- Sea on England’s south coast during the 2nd World War.
The episode I’m thinking of opens with Private Fraser’s gleefully counting his large collection of gold sovereigns that he keeps in a cash box at home. When word gets out about this, Fraser buries the box by night in the town’s graveyard. The rest of the Home Guard are onto this though, and dig it up. Captain Mainwaring instructs Fraser to open the box in front of the Home Guard. But the box contains only a brick. The sovereigns are safely hidden elsewhere, and Private Fraser has the last laugh.
It made me think that if Jesus of Nazareth had had access to the archives of the BBC he might have changed the ending of his Parable of the Talents, by rewarding the servant who had buried his money in the ground for the kind of wily perspicacity showed by Private Fraser. We are, after all, to be wise as serpents, as well as innocent as doves, as Jesus once said. (Matthew 10.16.)
We can legitimately let our imagination free associate a bit because we just don’t know how or why Jesus told the original story, which might more accurately be called the Parable of the Pounds since the word ‘talent’ refers to a unit of money of course rather than to a natural human gift or endowment. Jesus may have used the story to accuse Scribes and Pharisees of burying the Jewish Law under a plethora of traditions and regulations, after the manner of the unworthy slave who buried the money he’d been given. If so, then the others who used their money to increase their wealth would stand for those who, like Jesus, were willing to breathe fresh air into the stale atmosphere of otiose religiosity, even if by doing so they appeared to defy the conventions of accepted tradition and practice.
Many of us might warm to this and be content to leave it at that.
But this morning we have St Matthew’s version, and we should set it in the context for which he wrote in the last quarter of the 1st Century AD or just possibly the opening years of the 2nd. Matthew wrote his Gospel in troubled times, when early Christian converts were being challenged to renounce their new faith by Jews who remained loyal to the practise and tradition of established Judaism. What’s more, all of this was being played out against the background of fervent and widespread apocalyptic expectation of the end of time and the Final Judgement.
This is probably how we should view the “weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth” with which the parable ends. Matthew was particularly partial to this phrase. He used it five times throughout his Gospel, St Luke only once, and the other two evangelists not at all. Each of them had their own theological and linguistic preferences and style. We have our own 21st Century perspective which on the whole finds such literalistic pictures of the end of time disturbing and unhelpful.
However, both Matthew and Luke do set the parable within the context of the expectation of the return of Christ; his Second Coming, as it’s called. Whatever Jesus may have meant by the story, it seems that for the early church the man of property who went on a journey stood for the ascended Christ who had returned to God the Father, having entrusted to the church the treasure of faith and belief until his coming again on the Day of Judgement.
So was the multiplication of the wealth achieved by the first two servants in the story to be thought of in terms of the growth of the church, the number of converts? Was the multiplication – or not – of the wealth to be assessed in terms of the extent to which the treasures of faith and belief had been delighted in, freely offered and shared – or on the other hand exclusively and fearfully shut away?
In a version of the parable in The Gospel According to the Hebrews, that didn’t get into the Scriptural Canon, the slave who was given the most money apparently squandered the wealth on loose living. In the end he was the one who was punished, and the servant who buried the money got off simply with a reproof. To which early Christian assembly might this have been addressed, one wonders? It all points to a certain creative use of the story line. I don’t think we’re to suppose there’s only one meaning to be found in these complex parabolic tales. Their basic raison d’etre is to invite questions and to promote thought.
Perhaps one consideration for us from today’s story might be the importance of creativity in faith and practice, prompting us to ask how we might be creative custodians of the treasury of Christian faith and life, individually and in community, especially perhaps in a time of Coronavirus.
Take worship, for example. Necessarily lots of congregations have been experimenting with new ways of worship online, as we have in Mayfield Salisbury. And now that larger churches are able to open again, in Scotland at least, creative thought is going into how to use our buildings again, worshipfully and otherwise.
We talk longingly of an eventual “return to normal.” But what if we’re in the process of working out a “new normal” in terms of creative evolutionary change, for church as well as for society? This may seem challenging, but then from the beginning, the church has been challenged to assess and reassess its way of being in the world, and to allow itself to be caught up and carried by what we call the creative spirit of God.
I’m reminded of the title of the RS Thomas’ 1975 collection of poems Laboratories of the Spirit: an apposite phrase, not only for the title of a book of wonderful poems but also for our times perhaps. How can the church be as much a creative “laboratory of the spirit” as it is a treasured repository of ancient tradition and practice? How can we openly engage with spiritual laboratories of other established faiths or none in meeting the needs and challenges of our day? How do we fashion worship, meeting, greeting, being human, searching for soul, in ways that are open and relevant, and that help us and others to reach beyond the confines of settled understanding which may have unwittingly tumbled into un-thought prejudice and hidden doubt and fear?
I dare say these were the sorts of questions being addressed in St Matthew’s day as much as they may be in ours. The Parable of the Pounds didn’t produce packaged answers for people then, any more than it does for us. It encouraged them, as it can encourage us to use the human mind creatively and well to respond to the challenges of the times.
Surely the last thing we’re being asked to do is to close our minds, to dig a hole for them, and to bury our creativity.
RESPONSE TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN
Thanksgiving and Intercession Revd Helen Alexander
Almighty God who has set us in a world of beauty and of pain, of light and dark, of challenge and opportunity, hear our glad thanksgiving for all that is beautiful and good in our lives, our communities, and our world.
For the values of justice, equity and peace and for all who work for these things in small ways or large, we offer our gratitude and praise.
For all that brings people together in shared ventures for good; for open arms and open hearts; for wisdom and humour and the way in which a quiet word can turn away wrath and a smile can lift a heavy burden even a little, we give glad thanks, seeking to pledge ourselves to live more hospitably with tolerance and calm, and with hope for the coming of the kingdom of righteousness and peace.
We pray for people for whom peace and righteousness seem far away:
All who make war, and those caught up in wars not of their making or in conflicts that have spiralled out of all control; those who fight for justice for whom violence seems their only way forward as well as those who quietly and determinedly march in peace.
We pray for people who feel abandoned by authorities and leaders to whom they look for help and hope and care. We pray for the leaders of the world in these demanding days.
At the beginning of Prisoners’ Week we remember the inhabitants of jails in this country and across the world: those paying the price for premediated crimes and those committed in the heat of the moment; people serving sentences anywhere for crimes they didn’t commit, or those whose punishments far exceed the crimes they have committed. We pray for staff in prisons, for chaplains and visitors and all who seek to facilitate the process of enlightened change and rehabilitation.
Today we remember the work of CrossReach and all who seek to serve those who are vulnerable and in need in the name of the Church of Scotland. We pray especially for the work of CrossReach Perinatal Services: for fathers, mothers and little children who need support and kindness, skilful care and wise advice and in these times of coronavirus are necessarily restricted in the type of care that is available. We pray for those who administer and adapt these services, for volunteers and all who support this work in the name of him who received little children with blessing and grace.
We pray for all who are affected by the coronavirus that is sweeping the world. We pray for those who are ill and all who fear that they will become so. We pray for those who risk their lives to care for people who need services and care. We pray for people who are filled with anxiety for the future and those who cannot bear their present circumstances. We pray for students and young people, thinking of those who are away from home and worried that they may be prevented from returning home for holidays.
We pray for those we love: for friends and members of our families; for people without whom we don’t know how we’d carry on; for those who laugh with us and cry with us; those who infuriate us and those whose quiet companionship continues to nourish and encourage us in these days of uncertainty and change.
And we pray in thanksgiving for those who have gone before us; those countless souls of generations past; those whose memory we treasure; those whose influence in days gone by has made us the people we are today; those whom we remember now in silence…
God of the living and the dead inspire us by their example, encourage us in that wide communion with all who have gone before us, and bring us with them at the last to the glory of your kingdom; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
HYMN 112 God, whose almighty word
God, whose almighty word
chaos and darkness heard,
and took their flight;
hear us, we humbly pray,
and, where the gospel-day
sheds not its glorious ray,
let there be light.
Saviour, who came to bring,
on your redeeming wing,
healing and sight,
health to the sick in mind,
sight to the inly blind,
now to all humankind
let there be light.
Spirit of truth and love,
life-giving, holy dove,
speed forth your flight;
move o'er the waters' face,
bearing the lamp of grace,
and in earth's darkest place
let there be light.
Blessed and holy Three,
glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might,
boundless as ocean's tide
rolling in fullest pride,
through the world far and wide
let there be light.
John Marriott (1780 - 1825)
Thomas Raffles (1788 - 1863)
BENEDICTION Revd Helen Alexander
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the Son of peace to you
And the blessing of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all.
HYMN 825 Amen
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen.
INTIMATIONS
CROSSREACH PERINATAL SERVICES – November giving As has been the case for so many organisations and individuals over the past months, it has been a difficult time for CrossReach Perinatal Services (Mayfield Salisbury’s local charity). Face to face services (including counselling, therapy and creches) closed in the first week of lockdown, and staff and some volunteers are now working remotely by offering short support calls and online counselling to the families that use the services. One of the most local of the services, based in Palmerston Place, reports that in these challenging times, some families are coping remarkably well but others are struggling, particularly those that have had babies just before and during this period of covid-19 restrictions.
Instead of our usual bucket collection to support the work of CrossReach Perinatal Services, we are asking you to help by giving direct to CrossReach in one of the following ways:
-
Online giving Visit the crossreach.org.uk page and click the purple “Donate” button at the top right of the page. This takes you to a Just Giving page which is for general CrossReach donations but there is a box in which you can “Add a message of support” and please would you type in there that the donation is for Perinatal Services (or PNS) which will ensure funds are routed to PNS. Please note that Just Giving automatically adds a platform fee but this can be changed to zero if preferred (with no reduction in the amount that is then routed to PNS). There is also the opportunity to gift aid your donation.
-
Postal giving CrossReach would be happy to receive any cheques by post which should be payable to “CrossReach” and sent to Supporter Development, CrossReach, Charis House, 47 Milton Road East, Edinburgh, EH15 2SR. If you could send cheques with a covering letter to let CrossReach know that the donation is for perinatal services, and if you wish to gift aid then please note that in your letter. In order to gift aid, CrossReach needs a note of your name and address.
The CrossReach Committee is grateful for the support shown to CrossReach Perinatal Services to date and would urge the congregation to continue to show their support at this time. If you have any questions, please contact Ailsa Garland (Committee co-ordinator) on 07793 197858 or at
NEXT SUNDAY The preacher at next week’s services online and in church will be the Revd Dr George Whyte. The readings are Psalm 95: 1 – 7a (in church) and Ezekiel 34: 11- 16, 20-24; St Matthew 25: 31 – 46 (both services.)
This year NEWINGTON CHURCHES TOGETHER are arranging Zoom Bible studies for Advent, meeting weekly on four evenings up to Christmas. Proposed materials, including some on hymns and carols - ‘Come and Worship’, ‘Songs of Advent’ and ‘Singing the Story’, can be found at: www.faithandworship.com/shop.htm#advent The plan is to have several small groups meeting on either Monday or Tuesday evenings and each group will decide which one of the booklets they prefer. If you would like to take part please contact Ann Thanisch of Craigmillar Park Church, who is organising the groups (
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that this congregation of Mayfield Salisbury has elected the Revd Dr Alexander Forsyth to be our new minister and a Call to the said Dr Forsyth has been prepared. It states that we are assured of his qualities as our future Minister and that we warmly invite him to accept this Call, promising that we shall devote ourselves with him to worship, witness, mission and service in this parish, and also to the furtherance of these in the world, to the glory of God and for the advancement of His Kingdom.
Given that the Call cannot be signed in the traditional way under the current Covid-19 conditions, the name of any person on the Electoral Register of the congregation may be added as a signatory to the Call in one of the following ways: the person may send an email to
In addition a paper of Concurrence will be available for any person who is connected with the congregation but whose name is not on the Electoral Register of the congregation. Children are also welcome to add their names to this paper. Any person who wishes his or her name to be added to the paper of Concurrence should make contact in one of the ways just described. Neil Gardner, Interim Moderator
PASTORAL CARE Do you now feel that you would like to have your own pastoral visitor? Or would you like someone to phone you over the winter months? Please get in touch with me and I will organise an appropriate match for you with one of our pastoral care team. Kay McIntosh. Email:
YOUTH NEWS
Youth Group: Sunday 15 November we will meet on Zoom for a Faith and Gratitude discussion night! P6 - S1 from 6.30pm – 7.30pm and S2 - S6 from 7.30pm - 8.30pm. For Zoom log-in information, please contact Hillary.
Sunday School updates: The 12-16+ group will be holding in-person meetings fortnightly in the Bill McDonald Hall at 10:15am. For information about the meetings and how to book a spot for your young person, please contact Hillary or visit our 'Youth Resources' page on the church website: www.mayfieldsalisbury.org/youth
-
The 9 - 11 group will continue to meet on Zoom at 11.00am for the time being but please check back for updates!
-
Our 0 - 3 and 4 - 6 leaders have created a new blog for our younger Sunday School groups. A login is required, so please contact Jessamy Kelly to access this private blog for Mayfield Salisbury Sunday school:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Youth Fundraiser: Our Youth Group is joining forces to fundraise for Social Bite over the months of November and December. Due to the current covid restrictions, we are unable to attend or host a sleep out this year, and instead will be setting our own individual or family challenges and goals. For more information please go to our Justgiving team page: Mayfield Salisbury Youth Team Page
GIFT SERVICES 2020 During ALL of NOVEMBER, you may bring your donation to the Sunday morning service when a decorated box will be available in the West Vestibule (ie as you enter by the one-way system). In addition, a member of the team will be available on Wednesday mornings throughout November in the Newington Room between 10.00am – 11.00am to receive your contribution.
One of the recipients of our donations is: Edinburgh Women's Aid - Change in working practices because of the pandemic mean that the Women's Aid office is not staffed throughout the day and physical items cannot be accepted this year. However, the Refuges are open and their contact person writes: there has been an increase in instances of domestic abuse and a surge in demand for our services.
We can assist in two ways:
Make a personal donation through their dedicated Justgiving page which is here: www.justgiving.com/campaign/EWAChristmasAppeal2020
or
Buy a Gift Voucher for either Sainsbury's or Morrison's supermarkets. These can be handed in to our collection on either a Sunday or Wednesday and I will forward any accumulation to their registered office.
Warm thanks for all the items and cash donations made so far. Anne Graham 667 6331
MIDWEEK PEACE AND PRAYERS ***NEW***
10.00am – 11.00am every Wednesday in the Sanctuary, commencing 18 November.
-
Have you been considering visiting the sanctuary for Five Minutes’ Peace on a Wednesday evening but are deterred by the dark and the cold?
-
Are you missing Tuesday Morning Prayers?
If so, then we have good news! Mayfield Salisbury are launching a new midweek daytime initiative which will combine these two activities! During the winter months, members of the congregation will have the opportunity to spend a time of silent prayer/meditation in the sanctuary during daylight hours and also participate in worship and fellowship in communal prayers led by our Pastoral Assistant Kay McIntosh.
-
10:00 - 10:30am Prayers led by Kay McIntosh
-
10:30 - 11:00am Sanctuary open for silent meditation and private prayer
If you wish to, please feel free to bring along your own bible and pew cushion.
Come along for either or both from this Wednesday (18th).
THANK YOU FOR OUR PRESENCE AT THE SERVICESThe church will be open at 10.00 on Sunday mornings for those who have booked to come to the service.
Please note that there may be member(s) of the congregation who are exempt on health grounds from wearing a mask. If this applies to you, it would be helpful if you wear a lanyard or badge. If you would like to bring a cushion to place in your pew, please feel free to do so but do take it home with you.
At the close of the service, please remain in your place until stewards invite you to leave at the end of the closing voluntary, and maintain social distancing as you leave the church premises. If you wish to speak to Helen Alexander or Kay McIntosh, you are asked to indicate this as you pass them. They will join you on the pavement once everyone else has left.
Booking system:
Phone: On Wednesdays, from 11.00am to 1.00pm, you may reserve a space by phoning the Church Office (0131 667 1522).
Internet: We would encourage anyone with internet access to use the Eventbrite booking system, which will be open from 4pm on Wednesdays. The system can be accessed from our website via this link: www.mayfieldsalisbury.org/attend
ONLINE OFFERING / DONATION The Church is very grateful to all those who give by standing order enabling us to maintain a large portion of our income through these difficult times. We now offer the ability to contribute to our work electronically through the ‘give.net’ facility which appears on the home page of the Church’s website. This provides the possibility of adding Gift Aid to donations. There is also a direct link to the new system which is: www.give.net/20311853 With best wishes, Hugh Somerville, Free Will Offerings Treasurer
E-MAIL INFORMATION LISTS
Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church maintains several email lists to help distribute information throughout the congregation. Stay up-to-date on news, programs, and events at Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church with our email listsThe lists are as follows:
0930 Service list Information pertaining to the Sunday 0930am All-Age Worship and related events.
Youth Newsletter Hillary Leslie, our Youth Worker, sends out a Youth Newsletter to parents of P6 - S6 youth. This keeps the parents and their kids in the loop about important youthrelated events and activities
Congregational list
General information relevant to the entire congregation. This includes general news, notices of lectures & special events and, importantly, details on the forthcoming ministerial vacancy.
Grapevine list The parish magazine, Grapevine, which is sent out seven times per year in PDF format.
If you sre interested in receiving any of these emails, please email me direct at the address supplied. If, after reflection, you change your mind I can remove your address from the list quickly - just let me know. Your information is secure and will not be shared with any third party. All emails are sent out privately to you only in a bcc’d (address not visible to others) email. William Mearns Church Manager 0780 801 1234
CORNERSTONE BOOKSHOP
Recommended Daily Meditations: Fr Richard Rohr at www.cac.org Also, see www.pray-as-you-go.org
Books for the Journey
Riders on the Storm: The Climate Crisis and the Survival of Being by Alastair McIntosh, Birlinn Ltd 2020
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald, Jonathan Cape 2020
***
Forthcoming Deadlines
Order of service for next week: Thursday at 6.00pm.
Next Grapevine: Friday 27 November at 6.00pm.
Please send submissions to the Church Manager, William Mearns.
Phone: 0780 801 1234 or email:
***
Copyright Notices
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.
All rights reserved worldwide.
Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church holds a CCLI Streaming License: #88916
Images – Some courtesy of Pixabay
***
Social Media
www.facebook.com/MayfieldSalisbury
www.youtube.com/user/MayfieldSalisbChurch
www.flickr.com/photos/98063709@N06/
Scottish Charity Number SC000785