St Michael's Parish Church - October Newsletter


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OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Welcome to your October newsletter from St Michael’s Parish Church! Autumn mingles warm colours with cooler days to remind us that nothing stands still. As Liam said at the recent contemporary service, to experience seasons of faith is normal. While there isn’t always a quick fix, this time of change also brings new ways for our faithful God to build his church, and new opportunities for us to get involved. Here are just a few of them!

Be part of it!

There’s a lot going on at St Michael’s – as a newsletter reader you know that already – and we’d love YOU to be part of it!

Are you skilled on social media, or at home with A/V technology? Could you give visitors a warm welcome on Sunday mornings or as an Open Church volunteer? Could you learn a new skill or use one you already have, all while getting to know folk in St Michael’s and supporting our work and witness?

Whatever you have to offer or would like to learn about, our Session Clerk John Reid would love to hear from you and to link you up with a team that has a you-shaped hole. Click below to find out more!

I'd love to be part of it

Jolly Times at Jolly Babies

Toddlers and Jolly Babies are on the look-out for some volunteers who would be able to help occasionally. They have a great team but everyone needs a holiday now and then, so if you could lend a hand please get in touch with Fiona McCracken here.

Tasks include setting up and putting away toys and equipment; welcoming the families; making tea and coffee; simple crafts, and chat! Full training is available and you only need to do what you can, when you can. There's a job for everyone, and as you can see they are a friendly bunch who will be delighted to have your help.

Support Your Local Foodbank

“The foodbank was there when we needed it, it was an absolute lifeline.” Sadly, all too many families in West Lothian find themselves in just this position. Can you lend a hand by donating financially or in kind? Foodbank volunteers will be very happy to receive your gifts at Cross House on 8 October (Harvest Sunday) from 11am-1pm.

Their current ‘shopping list’ includes tinned spaghetti hoops, macaroni or rice pudding; UHT milk; rice (500g or 1kg); stock cubes; and standard size packets of biscuits. The Foodbank also publish an ‘Items Required This Week’ list on their website, which you can access here.

Outdoor Harvest Worship

Also on Sunday 8th October, our next Outdoor Church takes place, meeting at The Cross at 2pm. An opportunity to worship God in the wonderful outdoors with some readings and activities. All ages welcome (plus well behaved dogs). Contact Alison Miller here if you’d like more information. And please come suitably dressed for the weather!

Future dates for your diary: 12^thNovember at 4pm (to involve some star-gazing) and 10^th December at 2pm again.

Uncovering the Spire

St Michael’s famous Crown of Thorns spire is now heavily wrapped in scaffolding, so that the contractors can unwrap the old cladding and start repairing 60 years of weather damage. What they’ve uncovered is that we’re just in time to save the spire: the damage is more severe than we had hoped.

The good news is that it can all be put right; however, the work won't now be completed by the end of October as originally planned. Our expert project team are working closely with the contractor to assess the implications and to manage the process from here. More news next month!

Aspiring Orienteers

Sunday 10th September saw over 20 families taking part in our Aspire Orienteering event on The Peel. The sun shone and everyone had lots of fun finding their way round the 2km course, with some more competitively-minded than others!

Newcomers to the sport will be welcome to try orienteering again in the future with local club Forth Valley Orienteers, who were instrumental in planning and setting out the course. Thanks too to JMK Printers who printed fliers for the event for free, allowing us to donate the full £150 raised to the Aspire Linlithgow campaign.

Libya Floods Appeal

On 10^th September, catastrophic flooding hit the north-east of Libya. In the city of Derna, whole neighbourhoods were washed out to sea as the collapse of 2 dams magnified the effects of Storm Daniel. The United Nations reports that more than 11,000 people – not far off the entire population of Linlithgow – died. A further 10,000 remain unaccounted for.

Christian Aid are working with an established local partner to distribute emergency aid and support reconstruction work. You can find more information and make a donation on the Christian Aid website here.

Young Church

Hands up for helping children and young people have fun while learning about Jesus! We had a lovely Holiday Club in August, with 55 children and a team of more than 25 volunteers. Now Messy Church has re-started, with the welcome addition of baked potatoes at last week’s outing. Families from Linlithgow and beyond are always welcome at this joint St Michael’s / St John’s activity on Saturday afternoons in Cross House, from 3-5pm. Dates for the rest of this term are 28^th October and 9^thDecember (a Christmas special!).

Positive Pathways

Positive Pathways offers group support for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. By sharing and listening to others it is often possible to lessen the sense of isolation people often feel, and to help towards finding a new normality and a way forward.

The service is free and confidential and is facilitated by trained bereavement listeners. You will be warmly welcomed. The group meet fortnightly on a Thursday evening 6.30 pm to 8 pm in the Adam Room, Cross House. Contact Sheila Rae here, or on 07719 966273, for further information.

Love in a Shoebox

Blythswood Care are organising their 30^th ‘shoebox collection’ for families in need in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. With our help, they hope to exceed last year’s amazing total of 75,000 boxes, each filled with small, practical items. You can find full details of what to do on the Blythswood website. And check out these heart-warming videos for grown-ups and for children.

Please bring completed boxes to the church on Sunday 29^th October, or contact Chris Collen here for collection of large numbers of boxes. Chris would also love to hear from anyone able to help collect shoeboxes from around Edinburgh and Lothians from 25^th October to mid-November.

Ukraine: A Personal Exploration

Anyone who recalls our 2016 production of Jenny Robertson’s Easter musical ‘The Seed Must Die’ will know that she has a great gift with words. This, her latest book, additionally reveals her warm heart and passionate concern for the peoples of Eastern Europe. These reflections on travels in western Ukraine are enlivened by the way Jenny and her husband Stuart seem able to connect with people from all walks of life.

This is a short and poignant book that will deepen your understanding of Ukrainian life and culture. Support your local bookshop by buying for £10 in Far From the Madding Crowd - they've ordered it in specially for us! - or you can purchase online from Handsel Press here (£10 plus postage).

Youthful Music

The latest Occasionally@St Michael’s concerts feature 4 young pianists giving their public debut recitals. All four are heading towards music college or conservatoires, so this is our chance to hear them before they become famous! The programmes will include Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, and for further interest one of the musicians on 8^thOctober will also perform on guitar. Admission is free with all donations going to upkeep of the church organ.

Service of Memory and Thanksgiving

This service, coming up on Saturday 4^thNovember at 10am in the church, is a special time to remember and give thanks for loved ones who have died. There will be reflective music and a gentle act of remembrance included in the service. All those grieving a loss of any kind will be welcome.

Refreshments will be served after the service and there will be an opportunity for conversation with each other and with members of the Bereavement Support Team.

Join us for Worship

Our worship services are every Sunday at 10am. As Covid-19 remains highly transmissible, if you feel unwell please consider taking a lateral flow test before attending for worship. We look forward to worshipping with you, safely and joyfully, Sunday by Sunday.

Services at Springfield School are at 09:45am and you are invited to enter the school hall by the main door.

Our next contemporary evening service will take place at 6:30pm on Sunday 29th October, in the Kirk Hall. Come early for a cuppa and a chat!

If you are not able to attend in person, our main church services are live-streamed:

Website: https://www.stmichaelsparish.org.uk

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stmichaelsparishlinlithgow/

They are available shortly after the end of the service for 1 week on the Kirk website under ‘Faith’/’Worship Replay’ or http://www.stmichaelsparish.org.uk/replay

and later on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/StMichaelsLinlithgow

NB: Please note that services that are uploaded to YouTube and elsewhere on the web also remain available for 1 week after each service.

CDs of the Sunday service are also available to those without internet. Please check in with neighbours and friends to see if they would like a copy and contact the office:

info@stmichaels-parish.org.uk

ST. MICHAELS PARISH CHURCH OFFICE

CROSS HOUSE, LINLITHGOW, EH49 7AL
United Kingdom

St Michael's Parish Church of Scotland, Linlithgow is a Scottish Charity
Reg No SC016185

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