The Scottish Episcopal Church. The Parish Magazine of St John the Evangelist Forres Charity Number SC The Eagle

Transcription

1 The Scottish Episcopal Church The Parish Magazine of St John the Evangelist Forres Charity Number SC Trinity 13 to Trinity 24 The Eagle August 2016 View of St John s Church courtesy of Grant Swain This edition of the Eagle is available in full colour on St John s Website

2 St JOHNS NOTICES Our Priest in Charge during the interregnum is the Very Rev. Alison Simpson. Her contact details are given on the back page. Please use the Clergy and Rectory Contact details for all matters except urgent personal matters. Alison is Dean and Rector of St. Columba s Church, Nairn. READERS ROTA the readers rota has moved from the back page to the centre pages, with this edition. This is allow the rota to be expanded to indicate who will be President at our Sunday 8am and 10am Eucharist. FUND RAISING COMMITTEE - Monday 29 th August 2.00 pm in the Parish Room 2 NOTICES NEW ADDRESS please note that the St John s address has changed to:- clergystjohnsforres@gmail.com BIBLE STUDY GROUP will resume on Thursday 1 st September at 10.30am in church. New members are always welcome. ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING will be held on Sunday 2 nd October immediately after the 10am Eucharist when it is expected that the Bishop will officiate. Please see pages 12 & 13 for more details of this meeting and of the vacant posts. VESTRY MEETING Monday 3 rd October in the Parish Room 7.00 pm. This will be the first meeting of the newly formed Vestry, on the day after the ACM. It is quite important that all new members be ready to attend so that various formalities can be completed. BOOK CLUB the next meeting will be held on Tuesday 6 th September at 7pm at 4 Leslie Place, Forres. The book to be discussed will be Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

3 END OF SUMMER TIME British Summer Time will end at 2am on Sunday 30 th October, please remember to put your clocks back one hour. THE NEXT EDITION OF EAGLE will be in church from Sunday 30 th October. KINLOSS MILITARY WIVES CHOIR Saturday 19 th November. at St John s. COFFEE MORNING Saturday 26 th November in St Leonard s Church Hall. INTERREGNUM UPDATE The Vestry continue to discuss plans for the Interregnum. There is a range of tasks to be performed to keep the church running. Thankfully a number of volunteers have come forward:- Publication of the Eagle Grass mowing Pew Sheets (and flower rota) Readings rota Set-up, server and cleaning rotas Music, choir, choice of hymns Heating and lighting Coffee rota Sunday school rota Sidesperson and Intercessions rota Church opening and closing Maintenance of the Website Monitor clergy s Michael Ellison John Horrocks Kirsteen Mitcalfe Pat Ellison Barbara Westie Kirsteen Mitcalfe, John Horrocks, Glenda Thompson Derek Bedford Wiz Latham Dee Whymant Tina Coffey Sally Ross Mowat, Dorothy Gough Michael Ellison Tina Coffey EAGLE & WEBSITE Contact your new editor and webmaster is Michael Ellison, who can be contacted as follows:- St. Crispin s, 9 South Street, Forres IV36 1DE michael56101@gmail.com Telephone Michael is planning to produce Eagle on a two monthly basis, with Eagle arriving in church for the last Sunday in February, April, June, August, October and December. Please submit articles for publication in Eagle by the second Sunday of each of these months. Many Thanks Michael 3

4 The Revd Canon Cliff Piper. I was fortunate to be on the Vestry in 2003, and met Canon Cliff when he came for interview in April I can be specific about the date as I remember he told us it was his fiftieth birthday, and since he was accompanied by Sue, I also met her for the first time too. As you are aware we appointed Cliff, and he was Dean Piper photograph from blogspot.com via Wikipedia later inducted as our Rector. I think I can claim that was the beginning of a lasting friendship as Priest, golfing partner, and fellow Rotarian. Cliff and Sue moved north from Tintagel Cornwall with her family and Cliff, educated at Aberdeen University, pursued a career in the public service, initially with the Northern Lighthouse Board, and later in Social Work up to the early 1990s. He was ordained in 1993, after studying at the Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church. He was appointed Assistant Curate of St Ninian s Invergordon, and later Priest in Charge of St Andrew s Tain, being made a Canon of St Andrew s Cathedral in He was inducted to St John s in the summer of 2003, and served as Dean of the Diocese, while remaining our Rector, from 2009 to At the end of his term as Dean he was appointed an Honorary Canon of Inverness Cathedral. Canon Cliff therefore has a wealth of worldly experience acquired over the years both before and after his Ordination. This has been of great benefit both to us at St Johns, and in the Diocese. His dedicated ministry here has been memorable in administering the sacraments, leading our worship, both teaching us his flock, and inspiring us as Christians. He has also initiated major works in terms of renovating and redecorating the church, and refurbishing the artworks, so that it is now one of the most beautiful in the Diocese. Canon Cliff has certainly left his mark on St 4

5 Johns, after thirteen years service. In addition to his parish duties Canon Cliff has been Chaplain to the Air Training Corps and Boys Brigade in Forres, and has ministered to local schools at their Assemblies. He has also interacted with the motorcycling fraternity on his Honda Goldwing. Canon Cliff enjoys a practice farewell at Barbara & Ron Fleming's Sue has been a constant support to Cliff during their time at St Johns, reading lessons and leading intercessions, as well as helping with administration. She has held responsibility for the Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults for a number of years. They say all good things must come to an end, and Cliff has decided to retire on the 31 st July 2016, and will leave the Rectory in early August. It goes without saying we shall miss him, as is evidenced by your very generous response towards his leaving present. We shall present him with the sundial he and Sue requested, inscribed Many sunny days Cliff and Sue from St Johns Church. This and other items will be presented to them at the Pot Luck Supper in the Hall, on Saturday the 6th August at 7pm. Meantime we wish Cliff and Sue a long, happy and healthy retirement at the new home in Tain. Derek Bedford 5

6 The Interregnum. Bishop Mark and I have been in touch over the arrangements for priestly cover for St Johns, once Canon Cliff has left. The Dean, the Very Revd Alison Simpson from Nairn will have oversight, but the Bishop will keep closely in touch, and will personally celebrate at the 8am and 10am Sunday services on 21 st August, 2 nd October and 6 th November. Other 10am services will be taken by our own Rev Patrick Thompson and Canon Robin Forrest, with visiting Clergy Rev Martin Roff, and Rev Laurence Gunner are also on the rota. Deacon Anthony will, when possible, take the Thursday services, and give the sick communions, as well as covering some 8am Sunday services, using the Reserved Sacrament. We are however determined to maintain the full range of services, particularly the 8am communion on Sunday mornings, when Patrick and Robin cannot be expected to take both 8am and 10am. To this end the Bishop is keen that the Chalice administering team, who are able to do so, will officiate. Those who have volunteered will receive training from Deacon Anthony, and will administer from the Reserved Sacrament, using a special form of authorised service. We shall therefore face up to any challenges we may encounter, with Faith and Charity, while we Hope the Vestry may achieve early success in making a new appointment of a Priest. What is just as important is that we stay together as a community as the Congregation of St Johns. Please give us your continued support. Derek Bedford Report on the Diocesan Lay Representatives Meeting Saturday 21st May St James s Church and Hall, Dingwall. 1. After a celebration of the Eucharist the Lay Reps of the Diocese began their meeting with a presentation by Jude Monson, founder of the Charity HIGHLANDS SUPPORT REFUGEES. Jude has built a substantial organisation to collect clothing and household necessities, which they are sending to Refugee Camps overseas. We have to remember many of these unfortunate people have had to flee their homes in the Middle East, particularly Syria, with virtually none of their possessions. THSR aims to promote awareness of the refugee crisis in Europe, bring people together to provide practical support refugees and support refugees rehoused in the Highlands. By the end of September, they have sent approx. 35 tons of aid to refugees across Europe, including 6 tons 6

7 of food to Calais and Dunkerque. They also hope to send (and may have sent) a container of aid to Lebanon. This has been done by an organisation in 18 Highland towns and villages, more than 600 volunteer shifts at their Dingwall depot and volunteers at refugee camps across Europe. THSR have also provided support for refugees resettled in the Highlands, basic packs including food, clothing, household good, cleaning packs, toys etc. They also give support to communities where refugees are being rehoused and provide a source of factual information for those communities with queries and concerns. More information on THSR can be found on A similar organisation MORAY SUPPORTS REFUGEES is working in conjunction with them. They are located at 2 Chanonry Road North, ELGIN. They can be accessed on with items required and times to drop off etc. 2. Robin Lingard Chair of the Diocese Ministry and Mission Board introduced his paper A New Partnership in Mission and invited the Lay Reps to share some of their congregations activities in this field to date. There were some surprises, and some with which we are familiar. One Church in Caithness takes a Market Stall to sell good second hand clothes, raise cash and spread the word. Others included: Pet Services, Services for special needs young mothers and toddlers, wheelchair patients. Transport to Church for elderly. Food Banks. Hospital visiting. Home visiting instead of inviting into Church. For St John s, I quoted Community Activities, Choirs and AA, Christian Aid, Concerts, Coffee Mornings, Open Church, Book Club, Youth Organisations Guides, Brownies, and Boys Brigade, and Bible Study Groups. 3. There followed the election of 2 Lay Reps to the Diocese Admin Board, and a discussion of the role of Lay Reps. The meeting finished with the Grace at 12:45pm. Derek Bedford July

8 Vestry Seconds There has been a flurry of activity since my last Vestry Seconds with two extraordinary meetings to discuss the interregnum over and above the normal two scheduled meetings. The Bishop chaired the first meeting at which arrangements for the interregnum were discussed. He began by explaining that the Vestry is tasked, as trustees of the charge, to consider the financial and spiritual implications for our charge remembering that it includes Burghead, Alves, and the hills up at Dallas to Rafford, Auldearn and the county boundary. Any decisions we take must be in the best interests of the whole charge. Our first priority is to ensure that the basic requirements of ministry are covered - three services per week plus any offices (e.g. weddings). Our interim Priest in Charge will be the Dean, The Very Rev Alison Simpson. Canon Robin Forrest, the Bishop himself and the Reverends Patrick Thompson, Martin Roff Laurence Gunner will cover the 10 o clock services up until the end of November. Deacon Anthony Matchwick hopes to cover the Thursday service. Secondly, it was important that volunteers be found to carry out the various everyday tasks that had been undertaken by the Rector. Thirdly, we needed to start preparing a Parish Profile to send to prospective candidates so that we would be ready to advertise the post as soon as work on the Rectory approaches completion. The Bishop cautioned against over-optimism for an early end to the interregnum - there are very few priests around, vacancies already exist and some have done so for years. The second extraordinary meeting was called primarily to discuss the first draft of a Parish Profile and to record actions taken in response to the first meeting. Those newly volunteering, or continuing to volunteer, to fulfil various roles are listed on page 3 of Eagle, In the other two meetings the Vestry considered such things as overall security, storage and availability of keys, access arrangements for hall and church users, work required on the Rectory and so on. The broadband contract for the Rectory is to be cancelled, although the telephone line will be retained, with a suitable answer-machine message detailing alternative numbers to ring during the interregnum. The website has been successfully transferred to a new webmaster Michael Ellison, but with the same hosting service. 8

9 Work has been completed on clearing the gutters, replacing the Tower downpipe and replacing a broken downpipe on the hall at a cost of about 2,000. Quotes are being sought for the rewiring of the Rectory. A broken window in the hall has been replaced. As soon as the Rectory becomes vacant, the Velux roof lights will be replaced (this work has been on hold for some time). Fortunately, the mains water leak under the church-side entrance to the Rectory was beyond our boundary and has been repaired at no cost to us by the Water Board. Unfortunately, it appears that the mains supply within our boundary runs in lead pipes, these will have to be replaced. The reported dripping tap in the hall appears to have cured itself, but will be monitored in case a plumber is required. The Vestry sought advice regarding the frequent failure of the spotlights in church. Unfortunately, there is no suitable alternative, as the lights need to be capable of being focussed. The Bishop has approved the appointments of Gareth Whymant and Sally Ross -Mowat as our Protection of Vulnerable Groups Officers and both have attended a training course. Hazel, our excellent organist, is expecting a baby and has resigned. The Vestry discussed various ways of finding a replacement. Word of mouth enquiries have failed and an advertisement has been placed in a local paper. Gareth Whymant has bravely attacked the jungle behind the hall and cleared the undergrowth. The company running the clothing bin outside the church appears to be defunct - the bin will be removed. The Fund Raising Committee reported that the Quiz had been well attended and that the Altyre Garden Opening had realised 458 for the church. An internal Fire Risk Assessment of the Church and Hall has been carried out - the Rectory will be assessed later. Generally all seemed well, although there are some issues with cluttered storage in the Hall, which will need to be addressed. There is some doubt that the fire sensor system in the Rectory can be properly maintained, as replacement parts are not available. The system will be refurbished as part of the overall rewiring. There is a possibility that some kneelers have been damaged by being left against the heating pipes in church. It is not thought that there was a fire risk, but one of the scorched kneelers will be tested for flammability and in the meantime everyone is asked to ensure that kneelers are not left touching the heaters. The Vestry approved the purchase of a new alb for Deacon Anthony at a cost of 109. Grant Swain 9

10 DATE 8AM Eucharist 10AM Eucharist 14 August Trinity 12 * Rev Patrick Thompson SUNDAY EUCHARIS 21 August Trinity 13 Bishop Mark Bishop Mark 28 August Trinity 14 * Canon Robin Forrest 4 September Trinity 15 * Rev Martin Roff 11 September Trinity 16 * Canon Robin Forrest 18 September Trinity 17 Rev Laurence Gunner Rev Laurence Gunner 25 September Trinity 18 * Rev Patrick Thompson 2 October Trinity 19 ACM afterwards Bishop Mark Bishop Mark 9 October Harvest * Rev Patrick Thompson 16 October Trinity 21 * Rev Patrick Thompson 23 October Trinity 22 * Canon Robin Forrest 30 October All Saints * Rev Martin Roff 6 November 3rd before advent Bishop Mark Bishop Mark Priest in Charge:- The Very Rev. Alison Simpson The Rectory, Victoria Road, Forres, IV36 3BN Clergy clergystjohnsforres@gmail.com Phone: * The gaps for the Sunday 8am Eucharist will be filled by Deacon Anthony and by our team of Eucharistic Lay Ministers, 10 (our Chalice Team) after training

11 T & READERS ROTA READER OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT GOSPEL Michael Thompson Jeremiah Hebrews Luke John Guthrie Isaiah Hebrews Luke Seymour Monro Ecclesiasticus Hebrews ,15,16 Luke 14. 1,7-14 Alison Manson Deuteronomy Philemon 1-21 Luke Emma Moffatt Exodus Timothy Luke Pat Ellison Amos Timothy Luke Kirsteen Mitcalfe Amos 6. 1a,4-7 1 Timothy Luke Gareth Whymant Habakkuk & Timothy Luke Anne Docherty Derek Bedford Deuteronomy Philippians John Genesis Timothy Luke Gill Horrocks Ecclesiasticus Timothy ,16-18 Luke Wiz Latham Daniel ,15-18 Ephesians Luke Sheila Biggs Job a 2 Thessalonians ,13-17 Luke St John s website: Diocesan website: Provincial website:

12 Annual Congregational Meeting. This year s ACM will be held on Sunday 2 nd October immediately after the 10 am Eucharist when it is expected that the Bishop will officiate. The agenda will be published nearer the time, but the meeting will follow the usual format with the presentation of reports, submission of the accounts for 2015/16 and the election of officers. With regard to the latter, there will be three Vestry vacancies this year as John Guthrie, Sally Ross Mowat and Gareth Whymant will have completed their term. Usually only two members retire each year, but this year is an exception due to the need to appoint members a few years ago when there were insufficient nominations to fill the posts. To bring this back into line, it is proposed that one of the three to be elected this year will only serve 2 years (the others to serve the normal 3 years). This will result in the normal 2 retirements per year from next year onwards. The Lay Representative and Alternate Lay Representative are elected every year. Both Derek Bedford (Lay Representative) and Grant Swain (Alternate) are eligible for re-election and are prepared to continue to serve. Balloting will only take place if there are more than three nominees for the Vestry, or nominees (other than the present incumbents) for either or both of the Lay Representative posts. Nomination forms will be available in Church during September. They must be signed by a proposer and a seconder and then annotated by the nominee indicating willingness to serve before being returned to the Secretary (Tina Coffey). The closing date for nominations will be Sunday 25th September. This is to allow sufficient time for ballot papers to be produced (if required). Nominees should note that, if elected, they will become Charity Trustees in accordance with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and will be required to make a Charity Trustee Declaration and an Inland Revenue Fit and Proper Persons Declaration. For reference, copies of these declara- 12

13 tions will be available with the nomination forms. The first meeting of the newly formed Vestry will be on Monday 3 rd October (the day after the ACM). It is quite important that all new members be ready to attend so that various formalities can be completed. Golden Wedding Celebrations. Congratulations to John and Myra Guthrie on their Golden Wedding Anniversary, which they celebrated with a special blessing in our church on Sunday 24 th July. As Canon Cliff said in the service: - Marriage is God s gift to us, to help man and woman find companionship, help and comfort. It is a means of grace, in which husband and wife, living faithfully together, may find the fulfilment of human love in tenderness and respect. In Christian marriage God makes his servants one. Their life together is a witness to his love in this troubled world, a love by which unity overcomes division, forgiveness heals injury, and joy triumphs over sorrow. We all wish John and Myra many more happy and blessed years together, may each be to the other a strength in need, a companion in joy and a comfort in sorrow. 13

14 Money Matters. Every Vestry Meeting considers the state of our finances. Cutting through all the complexity of accounting, a simple comparison of our bank statements for the end of Jun 2015 and the end of June 2016 shows that in 2015 we had in the bank and in June 2016 we had It might appear that we gained 1065 but during the year we withdrew 5827 from our investments and taking that into account we actually spent 4762 more than we took in. Our accounts for 2015/16 have been closed and the books are with our auditors who will prepare formal accounts for presentation to the ACM on 2nd October. For a variety of reasons that I will try and explain at the ACM, I have every expectation that these proper accounts will reveal that matters are even worse than my oversimplification. A budget forecast based on last year s figures shows a predicted shortfall of over 7000 in 2016/17, without counting the cost of work on the Rectory. However, during the interregnum we will save on priest s stipend, National Insurance and pension contributions - which will go a long way towards paying for the work and reducing the deficit. Once the post is filled and we find ourselves paying stipend, pension and National Insurance again then we will be looking again at a significant annual deficit. Grant Swain Pipe meets organ On Sunday 24 th July 2016, the church echoed to the glorious mix of sounds from Pipe meets Organ, as part of their tour of North East Scotland. In spite of the very wet weather, the audience were enthralled by the musical skills of Christian Lontzek and Sebastian Schmoock, who form the talented musical group Pipemeetsorgan. Sebastian Schmoock started playing the organ at the age of nine and was playing in church services a year later. His interest in the organ led him to study church music at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen. Since 2012 he has worked as a church musician in pastoral area Cologne Mauenheim, Niehl and Weidenpesch. His love for organ and bagpipes creates new harmonies which show that both instruments are suitable not only as a solo instrument, but also create amazing impressions in their interaction. Be- 14

15 sides his work as a church musician, he is involved in contakt Association for Christian popular music and has worked as a pianist in Soundelation. Christian Lontzek had his first music lessons at the age of 10 years. In addition to the piano a few years later the organ lessons. His interest in the drone was awakened by a concert at Laim O'Flynn. The enthusiasm for this music culminated in the purchase of his first bagpipes in December Since then, he has played in various bands. He is always looking to expand the possibilities of his instrument. In 2007 he met Sebastian and quickly realized that they like to balance each other on the edge of the possible. So Pipe meets originated organ. Christian works in the parish of Halberstadt, as a community educator. Christian played on a variety of pipes and, including German and Scottish Bagpipes, whilst Sebastian played on our church organ. At some times the transition of sound from one to the other was so smooth and transparent, you had to really watch who was actually playing to work out if the music was coming from the pipes or the organ. Not only did Christian and Sebastian thoroughly entertain the audience with their playing, they both also demonstrated their vocal skills during the concert of pieces from far wide, from Iran though Europe to Scotland. They hope to return to Moray next year and once again fill our church with their musical skills. For more information about the duo, please visit their website Once again many many thanks to Christian and Sebastian for a thoroughly entertaining musical evening. Also thanks to all those who laid on the interval drinks and nibbles. Michael, who also took the photographs 15

16 Pokémon spotted at our church. There have been recently reports of large parties of members of the public outside our church and in the nearby Grant Park, often in the late evening. Some thought they may have been judges of Britain in Bloom making twilight inspections of the fabulous floral displays in the gardens. Other may have thought perhaps that a new Saturday evening service may have been started, to cater for those who can not make the 8am or 10am services on a Sunday. But before leaving Canon Cliff advised the congregation that all is ok. These groups are not would be congregation members or burglars, rather they are players of the Pokémon Go game, which has a triangulated Pokémon hotspot centred on the entrance to the church. For those readers baffled by what this new craze is, the following glossary of terms was found recently on the Mail online. Pokémon: Virtual creatures of different shapes and sizes that inhabit the land, sea and sky. The name is short for Pocket Monsters. They first appeared in the 1990s on Game Boy video games, and later emerged onscreen in an animated TV show. Pokémon Go: A smartphone game released in Britain earlier this month which has already smashed records for popularity and numbers of downloads. The enhanced reality game uses phone technology to allow players to collect virtual Pokémon characters in real-life locations. Pokémon Gym: For those who take the game more seriously, this is where people go to battle their Pokémon. The virtual gyms are based in real-life locations typically landmarks and monuments such as Edinburgh Castle where gamers meet and send their Pokémon into combat. Pokéstop: A landmark where players can collect valuable items such as potions a medicine that treats wounded Pokémon. Pokéball: The most important item found at the Pokéstop a red and white ball thrown at a Pokémon by the swipe of a thumb to capture it. 16

17 Pikachu: The most famous Pokémon a yellow creature that has become an icon of Japanese culture. Others include Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur There are reports of Pokémon being found at various Scottish Landmarks including a thriving colony of the summit of Ben Nevis! At this stage no pictures have been found of the Pokémon(s) outside our church, perhaps it/they might even bring some new people into our services. Meanwhile above is an artist s impression of a Pokémon enjoying a sunny stroll in Grant Park. It might be related to the Kalong Bat as illustrated in the Penny Magazine for August 9 th An Austrian Glass Stamp Several readers may be aware of Michael s interests in philately and deltiology. Apart from Malaysia and Singapore, Michael collections include Railways, Lighthouses and The Panama Canal. There is also an interest in unusual stamps and this recent issue (10th June 2016) from Austria of the Pieta makes a new world s first, being printed on glass rather than paper/foil etc. To date no stamp valid for posting has ever been made out of glass anywhere in the world. The glass stamp shows one of the famous Sandlbilder : a reverse glass painted Pietà from the Upper Austrian municipality 17

18 of Sandl. In reverse glass painting the design is painted on the back of the glass, enabling the front to be cleaned easily, which was a big advantage in the smoke -filled farmhouse parlours of yesteryear. There is a long tradition of reverse glass painting in Sandl. This is because there were many glass works in the nearby Bohemian forests, from which sheets of glass could be acquired easily and cheaply. Glass painting provided peasant families with a welcome additional source of income, during the winter the whole family worked together to produce the mostly religious designs step by step, each member of the family having his or her own particular task e.g. painting in the outlines or filling in the coloured areas. The traditional design of the Pietà (also known as a Vesperbild in German) dates back to the 14th century. It shows the Virgin Mary weeping over the dead body of her crucified son, Jesus. She is usually depicted alone, cradling the body of her son in her arms. The subject of the Mother of Sorrows probably came to Sandl via the devotional images which were supposed to remind believers of Christ s suffering. The reverse glass painting used in this glass stamp comes from the last quarter of the 19 th century. The painters are unknown as was usual, the work was a collaborative effort. Particularly noteworthy aspects are the bold colours and the expressive brush strokes, which strongly emphasise Mary s pain and Jesus suffering. 18 The seven swords in Mary s heart symbolise the seven sorrows of the Mater Dolorosa, the Mother of Sorrows, Mary, whilst the tendrils of flowers below the cross represent the hope which Jesus sacrifice brings to all people. The Viennese porcelain manufacturer Augarten is responsible for the time-consuming production of the glass stamp. Every glass blank will be handcrafted, with all production following ecological principles.

19 The design will be applied to the back of the glass by hand using non-fading pigments and a special silkscreen printing process. The colours will then be heat -treated, thereby ensuring that the design is firmly bonded to the glass and giving the glass a particularly high tensile strength. The high quality, mostly handcrafted production, the unusual material and the traditional, hand-painted design all make this stamp very special. Folk art and innovative production techniques will thus be combined to produce a very special miniature work of art. It raises an interesting question, if the stamp is printed on the back of the glass, how does the Austrian Post stop would be customers who have used the stamp for postage. Though at a cost of 6.30 ( 5.48) it might not be used very often to pay for postage. Austrian Post Office press release and What does it mean to be a Scottish Episcopalian People sometimes speak of discovering the Scottish Episcopal Church as if they have happened upon a treasure. That may be because as a church it is small in size if not in ambition. And it may be because what makes us special isn t immediately in your face. It is subtle and nuanced, and all the more special for that. The Scottish Episcopal Church is a deeply Scottish Church whose history is interwoven with the whole story of Christianity in Scotland back to the Celtic Saints like Ninian and Columba and through the Scottish Reformation and all the turbulence which followed. The Scottish Episcopal Church is passionate about its membership of the Anglican Communion and has a global vision of its place in the world church. In character, the SEC is diverse. The church celebrates diversity and values dialogue alongside dogma. Much of the worship of the church is sacramental in character its patterns of worship are full of drama and colour which links together the experiential with the intellectual. The Scottish Episcopal Church likes to think of itself as a thinking church and values a high standard of preaching. Alongside that thoughtfulness goes a deep commitment to spirituality and prayer. In its governance, the Scottish Episcopal Church is collegial and democratic ra- 19

20 ther than centralised and directive. It delights in its non-established status. It is deeply committed to civic society and public discourse but wants nothing to do with establishment. It is more a community of disciples than an institution with membership. The SEC today pursues its calling to mission and ministry in the very secular and increasingly diverse context of Scotland and the rest of the world. The seven bishops see themselves as leaders of mission and the church attempts to draw into its life people who are beginning to travel a journey of spirituality. From Cliff and Sue s new contact details are:- 17 Craig Crescent, Tain, Ross Shire, IV19 1JW Telephone cliffpiper@hotmail.co.uk sue-piper@hotmail.co.uk Our Priest in Charge s contact details are:- The Very Rev. Alison Simpson The Rectory, Victoria Road, Forres, IV36 3BN Telephone clergystjohnsforres@gmail.com for personal matters only please use: The New Rectory, 3 Queen Street, Nairn IV12 4AA Telephone Mobile revalison433@btinternet.com 20