I M Sure That Some People Will Be Critical and Cynical, Thinking That This Is Just The

Dear Friends,

Challenge to the Church is a Church of Scotland national stewardship programme for 2012. A couple of years ago, the General Assembly decided to set up this stewardship programme and instructed every congregation of the Church to take part. Inside this edition of Church News you will find a leaflet, introduced by a letter from the Moderator of the General Assembly, the Rt Rev David Arnott, and containing all the reasons for giving in its inside pages. I hope you will read this leaflet; there is a great deal there that should make us think about our giving. Elsewhere in this edition you will read about the Kirk Session’s plans for September, when we will play our part in this national event.

I’m sure that some people will be critical and cynical, thinking that “this is just the Church asking for more money”. Maybe that’s the way in which some of you will think when you read the leaflet, or this letter. I want, however, to put this into context in two ways, one of which is national and the other, local.

First of all, the Church of Scotland sees itself having a responsibility for the whole of the nation. Scotland is divided up into a network of parishes, geographical areas of the country for which a congregation and minister are responsible. Our parish area comprises Juniper Green, Baberton Mains and the Hailes area along Lanark Road. Every congregation in the city has a similar piece of Edinburgh for which it is responsible; and so it goes on across the whole country. In 2010, the Church reaffirmed its commitment to every part of Scotland, geographically and socially.

This is an expensive commitment. In order to make it work, the Church has over 1200 parishes from Unst to Stranraer, from Ardnamurchan to Buchan. These parishes are served by Ministers, Deacons and parish staff of other kinds. In addition, every congregation has at least one building in its parish and these buildings need maintained. It becomes complicated when we take into account that many communities and congregations are not able to sustain the costs of these ministries on their own. Some 50% of our income each year goes to support my ministry locally and similar work being done by people like me, elsewhere.

The challenge to the Church is to sustain that commitment to every part of Scotland. The gospel is for everyone in the nation and, reflecting that, we are called to be a Church for the whole of Scotland.

Then, the challenge and commitment to give money is part of a wider and deeper commitment that Christians make to a local Church. Giving is about money, but it is also about giving our time and talents to further the interests of God’s kingdom. Our events in September will reflect giving in all its forms.

We are in the business of building a community. The Church in its earliest days had none of the structures which the Church of Scotland has today, but it had two key features: the Church was a community of people committed to Jesus; the Church was a community of people committed to one another. It seems to me important that we rediscover something of these two key elements of Church and shape our future around them.

We are a community of people committed to Jesus. Most of us have stood at the front of a Church somewhere and declared that we believe Jesus Christ to be our Saviour and Lord. For some, that profession is stronger today than it was on the day we made it. The challenge facing your local church is to find the best ways of nurturing that faith and that commitment in the hearts and minds of everyone so that we are a people committed to Jesus in stronger and deeper ways.

We are also a community of people committed to one another. The early church demonstrated that by worshipping together, praying together, eating together, and sharing their wealth with one another. Each of these was a sign of their commitment to one another, under the umbrella of Church. We still worship together, pray together, eat together at times – these are still signs of our commitment to one another under the umbrella of Church.

The challenge we face, as a local Church, is to make our commitment to Jesus, and to one another, stronger and deeper. This is the challenge with which the National Stewardship programme presents all of us.

Yours sincerely,

TREASURER’S REPORT

Annual Report

The Annual Report and Accounts document has been completed for 2011 and copies are now available for you to collect in the church vestibule. As usual, a presentation of the Accounts will be given at the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, 14th March (I hope to see you there) but I take this opportunity to provide some insight into our financial situation.

Very fortuitously, we are showing a surplus this year of £11,903, quite a bit more than last year (£5,681). However, this surplus has not been achieved through higher offerings than last year (they were up by only 1.5%) or lower expenditure, but from legacies (£6,000) and an increase in hall rental (£5,000) from a local nursery that used our premises while their own location was being refurbished. However, both these amounts are one-off income and a surplus is not a time to sit back and say we don’t have to give so much this year. Quite the opposite as we require to do so much more and to have something extra in the bank makes it just that bit easier to plan ahead. We are in an old building and the cost of bringing it up to date is going to be expensive. We are also fortunate to have been prudent over the years with the money we received from the sale proceeds of St Margaret’s Church and Halls as some of this money, which is looked after on our behalf by the C of S General Trustees, was used to pay for the repairs to the church bell tower. This maintenance cost £6,404.

Another important area in the Accounts is the amount of funds we donate to other charities. Most significantly, we continued to donate £3,000 to the Scripture Union es

Team and £878 to the Cambodia Hope Organisation. Our collections for third parties were also significant in that we collected and disbursed just over £5,000. Finally, although our Offerings were only slightly better compared with last year, we could not manage financially without the amount we reclaim from the Inland Revenue for the income tax you have paid on your offerings. The amount this year was £16,000, slightly down from last year because from 6th April the refund fell from 28p to 25p in the £. However, this remains a significant part of our total income so, if you are a tax payer and do not give by Gift Aid, please contact me and, by filling in only your name and address on a simple form, you can make it happen.

Budget for 2012

As our income increases year by year so too does the allocation we have to pay the Church of Scotland for Ministries and Mission. This year it has increased by £7,664. This is more than normal because we did receive a small discount last year and I will be trying to get one this year as well. However, that may not be possible and so we will require an increase in our Givings by at least 3% in 2012 to compensate. I appreciate that is a lot to ask at a time when all our other expenditure is on the increase, but how much does your faith mean to you? We have taken steps to increase the hourly rate for our hall rental and we have agreed to a cut back in fabric expenditure, but I am expecting the cost of heating and lighting to increase significantly this year. The income from the rent of the church house goes into the Fund held on our behalf by the General Trustees, so at least it is getting topped up each year by £7,800, plus investment income of around £2,500, and any out of the ordinary fabric maintenance undertakings will be paid from this Fund. However, it is going to be a difficult year and we must all do our best to make sure that the income given to the church is greater than the expenditure and I will be updating you on this as the year progresses.

Fundraising

Our fundraising has not been one of our strong points over the last few years. We had only one in 2011 – the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ which raised £730. In 2012 we must try harder and if anyone has ideas that we can use to raise some funds on our own, please get in touch with me and we will see what we can do.

Bank Standing Order

If you want to make your offerings by bank standing order, or make a change to your existing standing order, please ask me for the relevant form. About 60% of our Offerings are now given in this way.

Last Word

Please give generously: 2 Corinthians Ch 9 v 6: ‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.’

R Douglas Buchanan

Treasurer

SESSION NOTES

Over the last year the Session has lost some of its valued members; John Christy; Helen Emslie; Andrew Inglis; Allan Laing; Joyce MacKay; Irene Thomson. The reasons for leaving vary – some have retired after many years of service and think it time to step back; two have left as they were unhappy about General Assembly decisions; one has left to attend another church. Whatever the reasons the Session heard these resignations with sadness and regret. However, their many and varied contributions to Session and Church life were acknowledged with warm thanks and good wishes for the future.

These resignations mean that our Session is now smaller than before. However, there is a growing trend across the wider church for smaller Sessions or for Sessions with executive groups taking devolved decisions on behalf of the bigger body. That allows Session to meet less often but for what might be called discussion on strategic issues rather than tactical or operational matters. The Session should be the Spiritual power house of any Church and how it operates reflects its understanding of its responsibilities.

Our own Session has recently shifted the balance of its discussions slightly more towards ‘bigger picture’ issues and rather less on day to day issues. We are very fortunate that we have so many people involved in Church life through our Team structures so congregational involvement, empowered involvement, in Church affairs is much higher than it once was. That means that the Session does not have to micro-manage every aspect of Church life.

So that members have a further opportunity to learn how Church affairs are managed the Session is planning that the May Session meeting be devoted mainly to Team reports. That will be an opportunity for every interested member to hear what is being done by our Session Teams and to acknowledge and endorse much hard work often carried out unseen. More on that special event nearer the time!

Charles R Godon

Session Clerk

MEN’S FELLOWSHIP

The second Men’s Fellowship meeting for 2011/12 met on Sunday 27 November 2011. The speaker, after the breakfast, was Michael Grieve and his short talk was titled “My Musical Journey”. The talk was about music and the variety of music he has enjoyed. The music had played a significant part in his life and had contributed to the growth in his personal faith through singing and fellowship in choirs including church choirs.

The third meeting of the 2001/12 programme was a Men’s Dinner held in the Baberton Golf Club on 23 February 2012 and our Minister James Dewar gave the after-dinner talk titled “The Local Church is the Hope of the World”. Mr Dewar explained the title came from Senior Pastor Bill Hybels of the Willowcreek Community Church in Chicago. He said the Kirk in Scotland has currently 3 challenging issues, namely, Same–sex relationships and ministry debate, £6.8million hole in Kirk budget, and Leadership problems with 50% of ministers retiring in next 10 years, and 50 ministers under the age of 50. The way forward for JGPC is not with the General Assembly or Edinburgh Presbytery it is with the LOCAL Church. A Church committed to JESUS, and to one another, and recognizing that there is no other force than the GOSPEL. See a fuller text on the Church Website in the “Minister’s Blog” dated 24 February and click on the Willowcreek web site link.

The Nurture Team has planned two further Breakfast Meetings before the Summer Break. Two members of JGPC have agreed to lead discussion at the Meetings. On Sunday 22 April Bill Gordon will be the speaker and on Sunday 10 June the speaker will be Edward Campbell.

The Fellowship had some 26 men at the Dinner meeting. Anyone wishing more details about the Fellowship Meetings please speak to Ian Aitken or Michael Merriman.

Also, any suggestions on format or speakers would be greatly appreciated by the members of the Nurture Team.

Nurture Team

“..if we walk in the light…we have fellowship with one another...”

1 John 1 v 7

NATIONAL STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

I have kept this separate from my ‘Treasurer’s Report’ as it deserves to be treated as a special theme and not as part of an annual summary or report.

You will be aware from various sources that all churches in Scotland are to engage in a National Stewardship Campaign this year. Your Kirk Session has agreed that our campaign will be called ‘Giving is Gracious’ and will include the following:

1)Along with this Church News you will receive a copy of a leaflet written by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. Entitled ‘Challenge to the Church’, it explains why we give and how we should give. Please read it and understand why our time, talents and money should be given to serve our Lord who gave so much to save us. The challenge is to make a difference.

2)The month of September will be a special month to review what we have done to date and to meet together to give more of our time and money in service to the church.

3)On Saturday 22nd September we will host an afternoon tea for those in our congregation and community who are elderly, infirm, who may be living alone and don’t get out much, or who would like to meet with others they perhaps have not seen for some time. It is hoped that some entertainment may also be made available. If you would like to help organise this event please contact me as soon as possible.

4)On Saturday 29th September we will hold a Gift Day. In the morning please come along to the church hall with a monetary gift and/or with examples of your talents. These could be paintings, baking, knitting, flower arranging, artwork, writing, music, etc. These will be exhibited and, if you wish, sold as a donation to the church. This morning requires a small team to set it up as a unique event in the context of ‘Giving is Gracious’ and if you would like to be part of the team, please let me know.

5)On the evening of 29th September, we intend to hold an evening meal followed by some entertainment. Once again, our thoughts on this are very sketchy at the moment, so if you would like to help organise a social evening of food and entertainment, contact me as soon as

possible and a small organising team will be set up.

Most of all please put these dates in your diaries and be prepared to join in. And I would really appreciate your help to organise these important events - so don’t hold back – please get in touch as soon as possible.

It’s some time now since we all worked together to do something different for our church. Let this Campaign be your opportunity to join with others to make a difference. The subject of Giving is never easy to get wholehearted support, but this year we will overcome our indifference and make it a time to share the Good News and, above all, be gracious in our giving.

Acts Ch17 v 28 “For in Him we live and move and have our being….”

R Douglas Buchanan

Treasurer

Congregational Mission
Statement
“Building Christ’s Church in the
Community”

CHURCH LIBRARY

MUSIC LIBRARY is available every week in the Church Sanctuary after the Morning Service. There is a wide selection of CDs for all ages including children.

Two new CD’s from Fischy Music called Down to Earth and I wonder…WHY? have been added to the Library. The Church has CD Roms held by the Church for Mission to Children and Young People.

Nurture Team

“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord...” Ephesians 5 v 19

GIRLGUIDING JUNIPER GREEN

Since the last newsletter Girlguiding Juniper Green has enjoyed Christmas activities and parties – Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Guiders have taken part in parties and activities which have been great fun. At the moment we are making sure our census returns are up-to-date to ensure that all units pay the correct amount of money to pay for insurances, training, websites, resources etc. It is no mean task to get this all done, but the Guiders have worked their magic.

The Guiders have enjoyed a Chinese meal get-together in the manse – much fun and laughter. It’s good to be able to have a relaxing evening after all the time Guiders give as volunteers for their girls and I take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the leaders – both warranted and unit helpers – without them the units would not run.