Aberdeen City Centre Parish Grouping - Magazine Supplement Archive
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Here you can read the previous supplements to our Church Magazines submitted on behalf of each Grouping Church from Easter 2009 through to Winter 2010. From Spring 2011 the new format Suplement is available in Archive2 .
Owing to technical difficulties there were no Winter 2009, Spring 2010 or Summer 2011 supplements.
Winter 2010
News from the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting by Bill Ross
I send Greetings from the members of the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting.
As we approach Advent and Christmas we experience the feelings of eager anticipation, and look forward to celebrating the birth of our Saviour , the Lord Jesus Christ. Recently some of us were delighted to attend the Induction service for the Reverend Diane Hobson. I am sure the members of the Grouping look forward to working with Diane and St Marks’s congregation to do God’s work in the city centre. Linked in with this, the 3 Kirk Sessions will receive a presentation from Ian McIver at a Joint Kirk Session meeting in November. Ian will outline some of the ideas and proposals that he has written about in his report to the Grouping. This document has been developed out of the research and networking that Ian has undertaken since his appointment as Community Development and Outreach worker in December 2009.
Those of you who shop at the St Nicholas Centre may have spotted the scaffolding around the east end of the kirk. This was cause for celebration at the start of September and the “building project” at the Kirk under the direction of the Open Space Trust is now visibly under-way. The building contractor for Phase 1 of the project will carry out work to ensure that the building is wind and water tight, and this involves installing a new “lead” roof. We are hopeful that these positive developments will also result in a fresh impetus for the fund-raising required for Phase 2, which will create the new spaces within the shell of the former East Church.
Members at the Kirk St Nicholas Uniting were recently treated to a series of enlightening talks on the Scottish Reformation led by Rev James Stewart (who recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination) and the Rev Dr Henry Sefton.
May God’s Blessings be with you all
Bill Ross
Greetings from Norman Haggart and your friends at Queen Street Church!
It seems no time at all since we were winding up for a new session of activities last year at this time! As we start the session we have had our usual re-dedication services for Girls' Brigade, Lamp Associates (former Girls' Guildry) and the Guild.
We hosted a Charity Christmas Card Coffee Morning on the 16th October which was as always well attended. Our Harvest Thanksgiving Service on 24th October produced a wealth of produce which was donated to the Cyrennians in accordance with our Grouping ethos to support the homeless. A very appreciative letter of thanks was received from them.
Sunday 31st October saw our usual Communion Service and Celebration of the 450th Anniversary of the Scottish Reformation. Readings that Sunday were taken from the Geneva Bible and Communion conducted in accordance with the Knox Liturgy.
We look forward to Remembrance and hosting the annual Road Peace Service to commemorate those who have died in road accidents, a coffee morning to raise funds for Scottish Spina Bifida on the 20th November, our joint Grouping Service at St Nicholas Uniting on the 28th November, our Sunday Club Nativity on 12th Dec, our Service of 9 Lessons and Carols on 19th Dec and our Watchnight Service on 24th Dec. Phew!
Every Blessing to all of you for the new Session and Christmas.
Norman Haggart
(Session Clerk - Queen St)
Back to: Top Kirk Queen Street
News from St Mark's by Alex McConochie
Now we are back to normal!
After a sixteenth month vacancy St Mark’s is now returning to normal with a new minister in place and a new era opening up for us. After serving God for 118 years and with eight ministers in our memories we have found a ninth moderator and our first lady minister. Diane Hobson BA(Hons) BD(Hons) was ‘preached in’ on 31 October.
A native of Liverpool, Diane attended Middlesex Polytechnic and graduated BA in Social Science, before attending Exeter University where she took a teaching qualification. She also attended Northern College and studied Special Education. She taught Geography as well as Special Needs classes before attending Aberdeen University where she graduated BD in 1997. She trained for the ministry in Aberdeen, Portlethen, Stonehaven, Durris, Drumoak and Cove.
Her first charge was in rural Perthshire and she spent time as a Prison Chaplain in Tayside as well as a locum in Dundee. Before being called to St Mark's she spent five years as minister of St Columba's in Glenrothes.
In the short time she has been here Diane has attended her first Grouping meeting, will be involved in planning the Grouping Service on 28 November and will moderate the Joint Kirk Sessions’ meeting the day before. Her husband, David, is already a regular face at St Mark’s and like the rest of us enjoys our coffee morning bacon and egg rolls!
Speaking of which our Christmas Coffee shops are on 4,11 and 18 December from 10.00 - 1.00 and we hope to see as many of you as possible at one or more of them for something to keep out the winter chill.
All three churches will have their own activities on at this time of year but if you fancy a change of venue our Christmas Eve Carol Service starts at 10.45, followed by our Watchnight Service at 11.30 and ending just after midnight with tea etc and Christmas Pies served in the hall at the very start of Christmas Day.
Alex McConochie
Autumn 2010
News from the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting
Greetings from the members of the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting. We hope that you have enjoyed a good summer break and will be “re-charged” and able to contribute to the life and work of the church in Aberdeen city centre.
Again the church has been busy over the summer months with being open to visitors from far and wide or indeed people from just around the corner! The Kirk will again be open on “Doors Open Day” on 11th of September. You and your friends will be most welcome to come and have a good look at the needlework panels and other historical artifacts that perhaps you don’t have an opportunity to see during a Grouping Service. (As an aside, you’ll be relieved to learn that Stephen has NOT introduced the vuvuzela as a regular part of Sunday Worship.)
An update on the “building project” at the Kirk is that we now have “Permission to Start” from one of the funding bodies, and we are awaiting a similar decision from a second. This would then enable us to formally appoint the main contractor for Phase 1 of the project which deals mainly with ensuring that the building is wind and water tight, and involves a new “lead” roof. We are hopeful that during the Autumn there will be scaffolding and fencing erected around the east end of the church and some visible signs of work commencing.
Because of the building project, the former Walker Room has not been available for Coffee Mornings and such gatherings for some while. However I am delighted to report that we are now having regular Coffee afternoons on Tuesdays from 2:00 to 3:30 in the Drum and Collison Aisles at the Kirk– All are welcome !
For about 12 months or so, I have been privileged to serve on St Mark’s Vacancy Committee for St Mark's church in their search for a new minister. By the time you read this Diane Hobson will have preached as Sole Nominee on Sunday 22 August. I therefore hope that I’ll be able to join you at the Induction Service in due course and I wish St Mark’s congregation, and their new minister well for the future.
May God extend his Blessings to you all.
Bill Ross
GREETINGS FROM ALL AT QUEEN STREET
Now that Summer (?) is almost over we will all be looking back at out holidays and looking forward to another new Session of activities in our Churches.
The work on eradicating dry rot in out sanctuary is now complete apart from some minor joiner work and painter work and we are planning now to install a lift and refurbish our kitchen facilities. All very disruptive but hopefully worth it in the end.
Our Summer coffee shops have had to be suspended because of these works which has been disappointing.
Similarly our Sunday Club picnic was cancelled due to a lack of youngsters and the very real risk that we could not have moved into the hall if the weather had been bad.
All very negative but more than cancelled out by the incredibly happy time had by us and members of St Mark’s and other churches when we went to Oberammergau to see the Passion Play. We holidayed in Matsee in Austria for 6 days before travelling to Germany and Oberammergau to see the play.
The Austrian mountain scenery was spectacular - even in the rain which was plenteous - and the play itself was a magnificent and moving spectacle. If you have never been put it in your 2020 diary and make a point of going!
I have just heard of the success of the St Mark’s vote to appoint a new minister and I wish our friends well during the final hurdles to complete that process.
As we watch the horrors in Pakistan let’s not moan too much about our weather but instead pray for these poor folk and look forward in Faith to another successful year of spreading God’s word in our City.
N J Haggart
(Session Clerk - Queen Street)
THE LATEST NEWS FROM ABERDEEN ST MARK’S
And for once the news is completely happy!
The editor’s contribution date for this quarter’s supplement was 22 August which just happened to clash with the date our chosen Sole Nominee was due to conduct worship in St Mark’s. So I decided for once that since the editor is a very good friend she wouldn’t mind if I ignored her date just so that I could bring to the Grouping churches the good news we in St Mark’s have been waiting for since June 2009, when John Watson retired.
After more than a year of ups and downs (mainly downs) we have now chosen a new minister and the Congregational Call will be issued to Rev Diane Hobson, of St Columba’s, Glenrothes. During the year we interviewed four candidates and heard three of them. We had expressions of interest from abroad and applicants who opted to withdraw but we knew deep down that there was a minister for St Mark’s out there and our prayers and patience were rewarded when we interviewed Diane and heard her preach.
Diane has wide experience both in education and in the ministry. She taught geography, has served a four church linkage, acted as a locum minister in preparation for a union, worked as a member of a prison chaplaincy team and most recently served as minister in a large church in the centre of Glenrothes.
Diane also has local experience involving Cove, St Mary’s and Greyfriars/John Knox in Aberdeen, Durris and Drumoak, South and Kineff Churches in Stonehaven and Portlethen.
She is married to David, a pharmacist and they have a daughter who lives in Bristol. At the time of writing I am unable to give details of the induction arrangements but these will be available as soon as possible on the St Mark’s website and through the usual channels.
The Nominating Committee is now disbanded and we thank Bill Ross from the Kirk and Lillias Martin from Queen Street for their contributions.
Alex McConochie
Summer 2010
News from the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting by Bill Ross
The members of the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting were pleased to join with the other congregations at the service to induct Ian McIver back in February. At a recent meeting of the Development Group Ian shared with us a wide and varied list of the contact meetings (with Church and Community) he has had since his appointment. We look forward to working with him on his new ministry.
We thank St Marks for their help in hosting the Grouping’s Holy Week Services which were organized by Stephen Taylor. The series had an ecumenical dimension with the lady preachers coming from a variety of Christian denominations. Over the past months, I personally have the privilege of serving on the Vacancy Committee for St Mark's in their search for a new minister. It has been an interesting journey and an opportunity for me to get to know those on the committee a bit better. Hopefully with the guidance of the Holy Spirit the process will result in a “more than satisfactory” conclusion and allow the congregation to commence a new phase in their faith journey.
Speaking of new phases, I am often asked about the “building project” at the Kirk. The ownership of the East end of the building was transferred to the Open Space Trust in the later half of 2009, but of course many members of the Trust are members of the Kirk’s congregation. However the membership of the Open Space Trust is open to people in the Grouping congregations (if you have an AB post-code). The fund-raising is progressing , although any additional contributions would be gratefully received. We are hopeful that before the end of Summer (has Winter ended yet ?) there will be scaffolding erected around the east end of the church and some of the work on the walls and roof will commence. The tendering process is currently underway.
On Easter Sunday we had a very good service and we had one of our young people join the church, and another lady transfer her membership to us. With Summer approaching we take the opportunity to open our doors to both native Aberdonians and visitors from further afield. Our wardens are on duty from 12 noon to 4pm from Monday to Friday (for 2 hour periods). Again we would appeal to members of the other churches to join this rewarding activity – you don’t need to be well versed in the history of the kirk (we have plenty of “crib sheets” and booklets) but just the ability to give a friendly welcome and show people around. These extended opening hours start on 4th May and continue until “Doors Open” day in September. We’d love to have you join us ! If you can help in this regard (even if you can’t do a regular day, our could only manage an hour) – please contact Margaret Dundas on 01224-643494.
May God extend his Blessings to you all. Bill Ross
News from St Mark's by Alex McConochie
The news we would really like to bring you is that “we have found a minister”. Regrettably at the time of writing that remains a hope but the Nominating Committee, which includes representatives from both Queen Street and the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting is working hard to achieve that goal. This of course is probably “old news”, so what else has been or is about to happen.
Ian McIver graciously agreed to take our morning worship on Sunday 18 April when both the Interim Moderator and Locum were unavailable. Although one of our own members had originally agreed to take the service Nominating Committee business intervened and we are grateful to Ian for stepping in.
Our Kirk Session held its special meeting to discuss “Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry” on 6 April and although the results of the “secret ballot” remain secret the meeting was a model of courtesy and respect with a variety of views expressed throughout the evening.
June sees our Drama Group providing two separate events. The adult members will perform two one act Scots comedies by Agnes Adam with a farmhouse tea at the interval on the 4th & 5th and our younger members in “Stage Door” will present a musical show on the 25th and 26th. The adults will present a very topical and funny play, entitled “The Robing of the Minister” and an equally funny play “The New Hall”. At the time of writing the young people are still at the planning and rehearsal stage but more information will be available soon on our website.
As we move into the Summer recess for our organisations we hope that by the time the new session comes around we will be sharing Good News!
Greetings once again from Norman Haggart and your friends at Queen Street Church!
Since I last contributed an article for the Church Magazine numerous events have been held in our Church.
"Souper" Sunday service was conducted by the Office Bearers and was followed by a very enjoyable soup and sandwich lunch in the hall.
We have hosted homeless people under the auspices of the Bethany Trust on three occasions which turned out to be a very satisfying experience for all involved and was certainly very much appreciated by those who enjoyed the comfort of a warm hall in which to spend the night and a good meal, at a time when the outside temperatures were at their lowest of the Winter. We will certainly be doing this again.
The St Valentines Social night was greatly enjoyed by all who attended and thanks must go to all who helped organise and serve on the night.
Lent Studies have been held here in the Chapel and these too have been enjoyed by all who came along. It was nice to see people from the Grouping and the Mehodist Church attending.
Just before the end of the year we shared Worship at Queen Street with the Methodist Church members from Crown Terrace and dedicated a plaque to mark the 100th anniversary of Methodism in Aberdeen. The first Methodist Church occupied a site very close to where Queen Street Church now stands and the plaque has been erected on the gable wall of our Church marking this historical event.
We have welcomed Ian McIver as the Grouping Outreach Worker and hope that he is settling in to the office accommodation set up here for him.
Autumn 2009
News from the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting by Bill Ross
When you read this we will have already worshipped together at the Grouping Service on Sunday 6th September at which the preacher was Tormod Woxen, one of the Norwegian Offshore Chaplians. Tormod and some of his colleagues were going to visit the Offshore Europe exhibition while in Aberdeen and I certainly hope they enjoyed their visit to the city.
On the afternoon of Saturday 5th September I had the pleasure of showing Tormod around the city and the surrounding countryside. We visited Old Aberdeen and Fittie during the time, and I was surprised to see the new harbour entrance tower when we arrived at the quayside. I remarked to Tormod, that it was only through showing a stranger around that you find out more about your home town (as I had also not seen the new multi-storey car-park at the airport until that afternoon).
In some ways our faith journey, and our understanding of the gospel is like that- in that it takes sharing fellowship with others to see new things or get a new perspective - even though the words from scripture may be very familiar! I hope that some day in the not too distant future I’ll be able to show Tormod or another visitor to Aberdeen the changes in the east end of the building at St Nicholas!
We are awaiting news from both the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the Big Lottery Fund regarding applications that are fundamental to the successful funding of our project. We are also hoping that soon the conveyancing of east building itself from the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland to the Open Space Trust will be completed.
Other news from the Kirk is that there was a successful workshop on the “God is still speaking” initiative at Robert Gordon’s college on 17th July, which has led to a proposal to get involved in the “Research and Development” phase of the initiative. This will be discussed further at our next Church Meeting. We also had a very enjoyable fellowship buffet meal after worship on Sunday 16th August.
Finally we hope that elders from St Marks and Queen Street Church will join our elders for an Elders Training event at Queen Street Church Hall on Saturday 3rd October.
Greetings once again from Norman Haggart and your friends at Queen Street Church!
Well, that’s “Summer” over for another year and I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable break and feels refreshed for another session of activities.
Many of our folk have had another busy summer running our Coffee Shops and Lunches every Friday and Saturday from the beginning of July through to mid September. Things will have come to an end on Doors Open day.
I was pleased to be able to represent Queen Street at John Watson’s final service in St Marks on Sunday 28th June and to wish him well.
A very successful joint Kirk Session Meeting was held in Queen Street on Saturday 4th July and I am sure we are all very grateful to Jim Merrilees for his excellent presentation on Team ministry and for the huge amount of time he has spent on behalf of all of us on this subject.
We at Queen Street were approached by the Methodist Church for permission to erect a plaque on our building to commemorate the fact that on the site of our present church building the Methodist Society in Aberdeen worshipped on the authority of John Wesley from 1764 to 1818. We were pleased to agree to their request in this their 250th year in Aberdeen.
God Bless you all at the beginning of another Session.
News from St Mark's by Alex McConochie
I am sure many of you will be interested to know the progress that has been in relation to the vacancy at St Mark’s since John retired at the end of June. Regrettably there is not very much that I can report. One reason for this is that the work of the Nominating Committee requires to be treated confidentially and secondly there is simply not a lot to say!
What I can say is that we advertised the vacancy in Life and Work both in July and August but without success or enquiry. Our Parish Profile is available from the church website and it has been downloaded quite regularly so people are looking at us and we can only hope these enquiries will bear fruit.
We are fortunate that our Interim Moderator, Mark Rodgers, is with us on a regular basis and that our Locum, Michael Phillippo, as well as taking services every other Sunday is doing considerable Pastoral Visiting both of the housebound and those in hospital. Michael has also attended a number of our social events and is seen regularly at OAK and the Coffee Shops.
By the time you read this our Summer Coffee Shops will be over for the year but they have been very successful from a fellowship point of view, in relation to visitors, as well as financially. Although the “season” is over there will be other coffee shops before the year end. At the end of August our Drama Group performed two comedy plays written by Garry Watson and these hilarious “world premieres” were very well received. Plans are now underway for our festive season Panto with auditions/casting/rehearsals due very soon and certainly well in hand by the time this supplement goes to print.
Once again, despite last year’s being “the last one” we will be running the George Street Charity Shop from 21st to 27th September and I hope by the time you read this you will have volunteered to do a sales stint at some time during the week.
Although we are currently “vacant”, St Mark’s remains in very good heart with lots of the usual hard work going on and we invite our Grouping Partners to join us in the many events that go on during the year.
Summer 2009
Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting
First of all, the Minister, Kirk Session and members of the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting would like to convey our Good Wishes to the Reverend John Watson as he prepares to start on a new period in his life following his retirement at the end of June.
As you will know the Kirk was the venue for the Memorial Service for those who lost their lives in the helicopter tragedy on 1st April 2009. Stephen and Gillian, together with several members of the congregation, also worked with the Rev Andrew Jolly and others to allow, the citizens of Aberdeen and those involved in the North Sea Oil and Gas industries, the opportunity to sign a book of condolence in the Drum and Collison aisles (home to the St John’s chapel). It was very moving to see all the floral tributes and lighted candles, and we offer prayers and trust that God will comfort those affected by this tragic loss of life.
On a happier note, the Church Meeting (part of our constitution – from the United Reformed Church tradition) recently elected eight new Elders. These new elders will be Ordained and Inducted during a Sunday Service in the not too distant future. We look forward to their contributions at future Kirk Session meetings and we hope that their service to the church will be a rewarding experience and will enrich their Christian faith.
Another piece of news that is worth sharing is that we have eight Elders (2 from a Church of Scotland background, and 6 from the United Reformed Church/Congregational Union of Scotland tradition) who having served at least 30 years as Elders/Deacons will be presented with Long Service Certificates. The congregation also sent representatives to the Spring URC Synod Meeting at the Tullliallan Police College at the end of March. The meeting also included a Youth Forum which presented some challenges to the church, and led to a resolution “Churches will consider the implications for children and young people of all decisions made, by including them in appropriate ways in the decision making process”
Queen Street Church
We hope you all enjoyed your visits to Queen Street during Holy Week and in particular the Seder Meal on Maundy Thursday. We were pleased to have John Watson keep us informed on proceedings at the meal and Stephen Taylor to conduct Communion for us.
We are all beginning to wind down at the end of another busy session and a series of organisation open nights and displays looms and began with our Girls’ Brigade on Friday 15th May. Christian Aid week is about to commence and we at Queen Street held our annual Christian Aid Lunch after the morning service on Sunday10th May. We will be hosting another QuizAid in our main hall on Saturday 16th May and hopefully members of the Grouping will participate with funds going to Christian Aid.
In my last message I commented on our own Kathleen Innes’ impending visit to Kenya which is now successfully over. She has returned with what seems like hundreds of photographs and we are looking forward to hearing all the details of her visit soon. The Grouping representatives continue to meet and plan on how we might make a difference in the City Centre and our first major venture helping in the distribution of the Big Issue has proved to be very successful. Grateful thanks are due to the many volunteers from all three churches who are working hard on this venture.
On behalf of the Kirk Session and Congregation of Queen Street I take this opportunity to wish John Watson a long and happy retirement and thank him for his efforts as Chairman of our Grouping and for his many years of ministry in the City Centre.
Easter is over for another year but the promise of new life is a continuing one and we should never forget that.
St Mark's
By now probably all of you will know about John Watson's plans to retire at the end of June. It has been confirmed that there will be a Grouping service in St Mark's on 7 June at which John will preach and say 'goodbye' to his friends from Queen Street and The Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting. His final services will be on Sunday 28 June when he will celebrate communion at morning worship and at our 2.00pm 'Circle of Care' service.
Although we are not yet officially 'vacant' preparations for that event are now well in hand. On Sunday 26 April our Interim Moderator, Rev Mark Rodgers, Chaplain at Woodend Hospital conducted morning worship and afterwards oversaw the election of an 11 strong Nominating Committee. In addition there will be two representatives from the Grouping both of whom were in Church with us.
On Monday 11 May the Kirk Session will consider the first draft of our Parish Profile and on Thursday 28 May the Nominating Committee will meet with the Presbytery Advisory Committee. Thereafter we will proceed to advertise the vacancy although with publication deadlines being what they are John will have retired before the advertisement appears in public. The charge will be 'preached vacant' on Sunday 5 July and we will be on the way to choosing a successor, how long that will take we can but speculate.
Like Queen Street, St Mark's already knows what a long vacancy means. Before John was called we were without a minister for three years but were fortunate in having both 'our own' Andy Christie as Interim Moderator and the late Sam Ballantyne as locum. We will pray for a short vacancy and a successful call. Please pray with us and for us and for the continued success of our City Centre Grouping.
Easter 2009
Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting
Firstly, I would like to say that once again we found that the joint service in January at St Mark's was an enjoyable and uplifting experience. We also enjoyed having Rev John Watson to preach to us as part of the recent pulpit exchange and wish him well when he retires in the middle of the year.
I also want to update you on what is happening at the East End of the Kirk and will “borrow” words written by Dr Arthur Winfield our Project Leader. As you are aware there was a lot of activity during 2007 and a lot of attention was paid by local media during the Archaeological Dig. But what has been happening since then ?
The project is now being developed by the Open Space Trust (membership of which is open to anyone with an AB Postcode) and the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland are progressing the transfer of that part of the church (to the east of the Drum and Collison Aisles) to the Open Space Trust. If you want to find out more about the aims of the Trust or about becoming a member please contact Arthur at (e-mail) arthurjwinfield@yahoo.com .
Some of uses for the internal spaces have changed following scrutiny of the business plan, and instead of a concert/performance space, the accommodation will provide space for a “Health Village" concept. We will still have Life-style kitchens, a Foyer run restaurant and meeting spaces, and have improved access (including wheel-chair ramp) from the Correction Wynd side. You may have seen in the Press that the Third World Centre are seeking new premises while the build is taking place and we hope that they are successful and continue to promote Fair Trade with overseas suppliers ensuring they get a fair price for their produce (extremely important during this Global Recession).
The actual build work will be tackled in 2 phases and handled as separate contracts. We are hopeful that some of the build work can commence in the 3rd quarter of 2009. The architects are finalising the detailed drawings in order to obtain Historic Scotland approval for all the external works, including the use of lead on the roof.
Bill Ross (Elder and member of the Open Space Trust)
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Queen Street Church
Greetings from all your friends at Queen Street Church!
We find ourselves at the beginning of another new year with all its challenges and opportunities especially as some of our members and those around us will be suffering in the present economic downturn.
We were delighted to join all of you at St Mark's on Sunday 11th January for a joint service of worship and look forward to joining with you all again in June just before John Watson retires as your minister.
That in itself will provide uncertainty for the good folk of St Mark's but on behalf of the Office Bearers and Congregation of Queen Street I wish John every Blessing in his well earned retirement.
Some time ago the Rev Daniel Rugut associated himself with Queen Street Church while studying here at the University of Aberdeen from Kenya. We continue to keep in touch with him and his family on a regular basis and support him financially in what is at times a very difficult ministry in Kenya. One of our Elders, Kathleen Innes, will be travelling to Kenya at the beginning of April to visit Daniel and his family and we are looking forward to hearing first hand reports of how they are getting on.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at Queen Street during Holy Week when the Services will be held in Queen Street from Monday to Friday at 7.00 p.m. and will this year include a Seder Meal on Maundy Thursday. More details on this will come shortly from John Watson.
2009 will bring new challenges and opportunities and I hope we can pull together as a Group to spread the Word of God in the City Centre.
N J Haggart (Session Clerk)
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St Mark's
A lot has happened since the last edition of this Grouping Supplement to our various Church Magazines. Whilst it is no longer news to the folks in St Mark's there may well be members in the other churches who have not heard that Rev John M Watson is to retire this year.
John came to St Mark's in June 1989 following a protracted vacancy (not unfamiliar to some of you) and has lead the congregation for almost twenty years. In fact since the opening of the South Church building in 1892 he has become the second longest serving minister in the past 117 years. He will retire on 30 June 2009 and mark his retirement by preaching at two Communion Services on Sunday 28th.
The Grouping Development Group has suggested to John that our next joint service should be held in St Mark's on Sunday 7th June as a Family Service to give members of the Grouping Churches an opportunity to say "goodbye" and John has confirmed this arrangement.
We now begin the process of looking for a new minister which begins with the formation of an eleven person "Nominating" Committee from within the congregation to which will be added a representative from each of the other Grouping Churches. As usual this process cannot be rushed and we await the formal "Preaching Vacant" of the charge which is likely to take place on Sunday 5 July.
During the vacancy, which we pray will be very much shorter than our last one, church life will go on as normal with an interim moderator, locum and pulpit supply, some of which will be "home grown" and we will continue to play a full part in the life of the Grouping.
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