CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST MACHAR CONGREGATIONAL PROFILE Our minister, the Rev. Jane Barron, became ill in March 2013 and demitted the charge in October 2013. Sadly, it was an active ministry of only 16 months. This profile is our own self-assessment and is intended to inform ministers who may be interested in succeeding her. It is also publicly available that we may all come to know our own church better. St Machar s is a highly distinctive place: the image of the fortified twin towers which constitute the Cathedral s logo is one of the icons of north-east Scotland. Each day of the year people come to this beautiful and ancient corner of Aberdeen to experience the silent witness of 1400 years of the worship of God on this site. ----- In 2000 the Kirk Session of St Machar s formulated and in 2007 revised its mission statement. This statement, to which the congregation commits itself annually, expresses both the faith and the aspiration of the people in this place, and it acts as a measure of how we do. The Kirk Session endorsed this mission statement in 2014. OUR VISION IN ST MACHAR S We, the Kirk Session and people of St Machar s, reaffirm our trust in the sovereign love of God, revealed most fully in Jesus Christ whose love for the world is declared in the gospels and is continued in the ministry of the Church. We participate in this ministry through the celebration of word and sacrament, through lives of prayer and devotion, through education, nurture and pastoral care, through costly service to each other and the world, and more particularly in welcoming the stranger, the outcast and the sinner into the community of God s people, in healing mind, body and spirit, in sharing our resources of time, talents, and money, and in gathering new disciples. We celebrate our heritage as we use our historic building, music and the arts, as witnesses to the glory of God and the life, suffering and resurrection of our Lord. We seek to attain Christian unity in partnership with the churches in north-east Aberdeen, and through participation in the world church. As an eco-congregation we further good practice ourselves and seek to extend an understanding of our responsibilities to the created universe. In these commitments we seek to take part in Jesus ministry to the world and its peoples. Pentecost 2007 Worship. Worship is the central activity of the congregation. The liturgy in St Machar s follows the Christian year, and the lectionary. Morning services have tended to be formal, with two anthems; evening services have tended to be more reflective. Communion is celebrated on the last Sunday of every month in the mornings, on the first Sunday of each month in the evenings, and at the major festivals of the Christian church, Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. On some occasions, the normal evening
service is replaced by Music at Six with invited musicians in a service relating the music and the preaching. There are many other services: the Christingle service on Christmas Eve is attended by upwards of 150 - very often grandparents with their young grandchildren; the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in which the nativity story is told in words and music has for decades been one of the high points of worship in Aberdeen, when the Cathedral is filled to near capacity; there is a service on Ash Wednesday, on each day of Holy Week and twice on Good Friday; we observe All Saints, when those who have been bereaved in the past year are specifically invited to attend. St Machar s is also often used for memorial and other special services, including the annual service for police who have served in the north-east. The Kirk Session believes that the congregation of St Machar s wants the dignified liturgy, and strong tradition in music and choral singing, to be respected and retained. But that does not mean that things should stay the same: we expect a new minister will wish to develop and experiment and St Machar s looks forward to another era in its evolution. The Cathedral. Our mission says that we aim to gather new disciples. While worship is dignified, the atmosphere of the Cathedral is welcoming. Coffee and tea are served after morning and evening services: there is talk and laughter and an opportunity to include visitors and newcomers. It is not only Presbyterian Aberdonians who attend St Machar s; the congregation comes from all over the world and from many different churches, and the Kirk Session includes people who were brought up in the Anglican, Catholic, Congregationalist, Lutheran, and Methodist traditions. The modes of evangelism used by St Machar s are many and varied. The building is a great asset. It is thought that there has been a church on the site since around 600. The present building dates from the early fifteenth century and its famous heraldic ceiling from 1520. In the past the church was described as late medieval, but a recent history of Scottish architecture sees St Machar s as Scotland s earliest renaissance building, which drew its inspiration from Tuscany rather than France. The Cathedral is open 365 days a year for those who wish to think and pray: a surprising number of people recognise it as a place of sanctuary, leave a prayer on the prayer tree, light a votive candle or just sit and contemplate. There are also more than 20,000 tourists in the Cathedral each year: we make a point of offering a verbal welcome whenever we can; there are short leaflets in many languages; the illustrated guidebook describes St Machar s as a place of active worship, not as an ancient monument. On Doors Open Day we welcome many Aberdonians who have never before visited the Cathedral, or whose only visit was long ago; teas and coffees are available, visits to the bell-tower and charter room are particularly popular and music is normally provided by young members of the Cathedral. The local secondary school, St Machar Academy, usually holds a Christmas service in the Cathedral; the girls of St Margaret s School come on the feast-day of St Margaret in November; Aberdeen Grammar School uses the Cathedral for its Christmas service and concert; and Aberdeen University s carol service takes place here. School parties use the Cathedral and the churchyard as a teaching resource, and elders often play their part in guiding them. In addition, St Machar s is one of the most popular places in Aberdeen for weddings. We have restricted the number to around 40 a year because of the demands made upon the minister: ministers of the Cathedral have spent much effort in instructing couples in a 2
Christian view of marriage, and while too many still see St Machar s as just an impressive venue, others become members of the church. The bells too are a means of evangelism. St Machar s is one of just a few churches in Scotland to have a working set of eight bells hung for full-circle ringing. The bells summon and welcome worshippers. Several of the enthusiastic group of bell-ringers, who ring before morning service and on other special occasions including about half of the weddings, began as ringers and finished up active members of the Kirk. The historic building generates much work, but it is also this congregation s greatest asset and is a lasting witness to the faith and commitment of both the present congregation and of preceding generations. It offers great opportunities for evangelism, and the incoming minister will find it an immense inspiration. Music. The Cathedral s late organist and choirmaster, James Lobban, left the Cathedral a large legacy to support music and the organ. His generosity has allowed the Kirk Session to use music creatively as another means of evangelism. Music at Six predates the legacy, but was a sign of what the then minister of the Cathedral wanted to achieve. Since then the choir has been strengthened by the selection and appointment of choral scholars, two in each section - a step which has both literally and metaphorically rejuvenated the choir. This is important in that the formal liturgy and the quality of the music are two of the reasons why people come from all over the City of Aberdeen and from places further afield to worship in the Cathedral. Six years ago, a previous minister, working with the University Music Department, organised a festival to mark the centenary of the birth of Messiaen, the greatest twentieth-century composer of religious music. From this event, an annual Festival of Sacred Music was developed, organised by the Director of Music and subsidised by the Kirk Session with the aim of reaching out to people not previously seen in the Cathedral. While the Festival was extremely successful in terms of musical quality, audience numbers did not grow to meet expectations and, in 2013, a different format was established with focus on one or two performances, normally taking place over a limited time period in the autumn. In addition to its own music programme, the Cathedral is used as a venue by many other groups, including the Aberdeen Bach Choir and Con Anima. This provides a modest source of income but, more importantly, it maintains the Cathedral as a natural place to spend time and enjoy music. Education. In St Machar s, teaching has not been separated from worship: there has been a line of ministers in which the regular exposition of the Word has been informed by up-to-date scholarship and theology. Children are welcome in the Cathedral and encouraging their familiarity with church is one of our fundamental aims. There is a well- equipped crèche always available to parents which is staffed on most Sundays. The Sunday School is at present small but is well led by a small team of parent teachers. The children participate in the first part of morning service and then retire to their own room in the gatehouse. We encourage young adults to stay within the church by giving them appropriate responsibilities; some sing in the choir, others help with the sound system, etc. The Third Aberdeen Company of the BB now operates in Bridge of Don, but the Cathedral maintains its interest and connection. Generally, a confirmation class has been held each year and, significantly, this has been attended by older people coming to the church, some for the first time, as well as by young adults. In recent years, there have been developments in adult education with short courses on such subjects as the Apostles Creed, John Calvin, the Beatitudes, the Scottish Reformation, and the Lord s Prayer as well as discussion groups based on, for example, the Living the Questions 3
DVD series. The Kirk Session unquestionably wishes adult education to continue, and there is scope for intellectual expansion, but it has never been intended that all courses should be conducted by the minister of the Cathedral. Eco-congregation. A Christian view of the environment has been one of the consistent themes in worship, and eco-principles underlie all our activities. We are committed to developing our understanding of God s creation. We mark Environment Sunday each year by holding a plant exchange with proceeds donated to Christian Aid. We own part of a nature reserve and help to maintain it. The Kirk Session aims to reduce energy consumption as measured against a 2008 base. As a result of proper stewardship, and the application of eco-principles we have received two awards as an eco-congregation. Environment Sunday is often marked. Social Life and Care. As St Machar s is a gathered congregation with many members living outside the city, Cathedral life does not have a strong formal social component. There are clearly defined groups, such as the choir with 20 members, the bell-ringers with 20, and the BB with 45 boys and eight officers. Informal organisations such as the Women s Group and the St Machar Meet are intended to support people who might otherwise feel isolated. To help the minister, the Lichtoun Guild (a small group of elders and members of the congregation) visits the housebound and the very old. If requested, the minister will celebrate Communion in the homes of those who cannot get to church. Each second year, the Cathedral chooses to support two charities, one local or national and the other overseas, and actively fund raises for these causes. The Christmas offerings go to these causes; there is at least one retiring offering each year, opportunity in the Cathedral for visitors to donate and an annual fund-raising event. Last year it was a Burns Supper; this year it was a Come and Sing Messiah. Past charities have included the Royal Aberdeen Children s Hospital s Archie appeal, Water Aid, Erskine, and the Uganda Schools Trust. In 2013-14 the charities are Lifestraw water filters for Malawi and the provision of starter packs for formerly homeless people who have been given a tenancy. Initially these were intended for neighbouring parishes but now we are able to offer them to other churches serving areas of need. It is very pleasing that St Machar s has shown consistent support for overseas charities with which members of the congregation are closely involved, such as the Uganda Schools Trust. Of course year-by-year commitments to organisations such as Christian Aid are maintained, and we have continued with house-to-house collections in Christian Aid week, together with a plant exchange and informal bread and cheese lunch. 4 Twice a year, in Lent and at Harvest, we run special appeals for tinned foodstuffs which are distributed through St Vincent de Paul at St Mary s Roman Catholic Cathedral in the city centre and Instant Neighbour, a local charity that operates nearby. We are aware of real social need in the neighbouring parishes of St George s and St Mary s in particular and this, together with the development of the Donside Partnership (see below) has made it possible to make a contribution there. In addition, charities of which the minister is an ex officio trustee support the truly needy, and have in the past few years given 8000 for work in Tillydrone and Seaton to the Reading Bus (which seeks to combat illiteracy and to improve reading skills among socially deprived children). Donside Partnership and Ecumenical relations. In the last twelve years, considerable effort has been given to co-operating with neighbouring churches; the five Church of
Scotland charges, St George s, St Machar s, St Mary s, St Stephen s and Woodside Parish Church, together with St Joseph s RC Church, St Ninian s Episcopal Church, and the Mission. These are known collectively as the Donside Christian Partnership. Two independent churches have recently joined the group. It could not be said to be a wholly effective partnership, but it has reduced considerably the suspicion with which each once regarded the others, and the fellowship generated through joint activities such as the Palm Sunday or Pentecost walks round the area has benefited us all. The recent shared charitable activity in support of formerly homeless people has been a significant and positive development in that recipients of aid from our current local charity can now be distributed in those needy parishes. St Machar s has long been active in trying to generate better relationships with other churches. Since 1969 Aberdeen s three cathedrals (St Machar s, St Andrew s Episcopal Cathedral and St Mary s Roman Catholic Cathedral) have had a united service during the week of prayer for Christian unity. We are open to inter-faith activity. The ministry of Dr Alan Falconer (2004-2011), coming as he did from the World Council of Churches opened the hearts and minds of the congregation of St Machar s to the theological controversies and the diplomatic niceties of ecumenism, and impressed us all with the importance of each small step on the road to reconciliation. Jane Barron s experience of service in Jerusalem further informed us of the challenges of life in Israel-Palestine. Friends of the Cathedral. This is an autonomous body, chaired by the minister, which includes both members and individuals from across the UK and beyond who have an interest in or wish to maintain a connection with the Cathedral. In recent years the Friends have enhanced the Cathedral in many ways, including the restoration of the Sanctuary Cross and the purchase of a grand piano, and they regularly publish works on the history of the Cathedral. Facts and Figures. St Machar s has about 600 members, and 30 adherents. They come from a wide variety of Christian churches, and from many parts of the world, although the majority have a Church of Scotland background. Sunday morning services are attended by between 80 and 120 people; there are usually 15 to 20 in the evening and between 40 and 60 at Music at Six. There are usually many visitors at services, including students from overseas. These factors make St Machar s unusual; but it is typical in that about one third of the membership is active, one third occasional, and one third largely invisible. There are many weddings in St Machar s, but the minister is supported by a retired ministerial member of the congregation, and we expect this arrangement to continue. On the other hand, there are fewer funerals than in most parishes: that is because the congregation as a body is not ageing, to use the colloquial term, and the great majority of those resident in the parish are young. The comment is supported by the figures: in the years 2011-13, the average numbers were 8 baptisms, 33 weddings and 9 funerals. 5 The Kirk Session is a quoad omnia body with forty-one active elders. It has six standing committees, Congregational Life, Fabrics, Finance and Personnel, Hall, Music and Arts, and Outreach. In addition to the usual officials and the Safeguarding Officer, there is a Cathedral manager and a Cathedral archivist (St Machar s has permission to keep its records on the premises). The Kirk Session currently employs a Director of Music, up to eight music scholars, a part-time secretary, and three part-time beadles. The beadles are responsible in the first place to the Cathedral manager and the secretary is
responsible to the Session Clerk, an arrangement which relieves the minister of many day-to-day management tasks. The minister is line manager to the Director of Music. St Machar s is in Old Aberdeen, which in layout is a medieval village but was later a burgh in its own right, and which is still one of the most attractive areas of the City, although flanked on either side by areas suffering from considerable urban deprivation. The Cathedral is the oldest building in use in Aberdeen, and it is complemented at the other end of Old Aberdeen, only half a mile away, by the early sixteenth-century University Chapel with its distinctive crown. The most visible domestic dwellings in Old Aberdeen date from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, while the University s buildings are largely twentieth-century. The new University library which opened in 2011 is strikingly modern. Old Aberdeen is an urban area, but it is very green: there are large trees overhanging the streets, and there is a very large park with good walking, as well as the University s botanic garden. Parish. The parish is geographically small. It has a population of about 5000, 3000 of whom are students. Such a preponderance of short-term residents, and the fact that 12,000 people come in to work in Old Aberdeen, makes connecting with the parish difficult, but there is no doubt that the Kirk Session thinks that some reconnecting is required, particularly bringing in children from the parish as no child in the crèche and Sunday School is a resident. We seek actively to strengthen our relationship with parishioners. Cards are distributed at Christmas and Easter as well as information leaflets at the time of the Christian Aid door-to-door collection. The main campus of the University of Aberdeen is within the parish; institutional relations are cordial, with the Cathedral being used regularly by the University, but the pastoral role of the Cathedral as parish church when there are so many students within the parish needs thorough reconsideration. There are three schools in the parish: two primary schools, St Peter s and Sunnybank, and St Machar Academy. St Peter s is Roman Catholic; Sunnybank looks to St Stephen s Parish Church which is geographically much closer than the Cathedral; and the minister of St Machar s has always been invited to join the large, ecumenical chaplaincy team at St Machar Academy. Buildings. St Machar s buildings are in good condition. The Cathedral underwent a major programme of restoration in the 1980s (supported by a public appeal); in 2009 a new lighting system was installed, and in 2010 a new heating system. The next project will probably be replacing the utilitarian pews; in the near future we shall have to attend to the stained glass (particularly the west window), rebuilding the organ, and providing new cloakroom facilities. However, the Cathedral lacks ancillary accommodation, and has virtually no storage space, factors which generate considerable difficulty. The gatehouses were purchased from the City in the late 90s and reconstructed in 2000; they contain an office and three smallish meeting rooms used by the Sunday School, for Committee meetings and small social gatherings. The manse, built around 1900, is about 200 yards from the Cathedral. It is a handsome building with a large garden. It is an excellent house for a family: there are eight rooms, a large kitchen with two further rooms above, and a floored attic. On the other hand, it is relatively secluded, is expensive to heat, and, in spite of the Kirk Session s assistance towards the costs of maintenance, the garden may still seem a problem. A programme of refurbishment of the manse is currently being planned, particularly with a view to reducing heating costs. The Hall is some 600 yards from the Cathedral. It was totally refurbished in 2007, and is mainly used as a community facility. 6
7 Finances. St Machar s has a considerable financial reserve, although the greater part is committed to specific purposes (such as Fabrics and Music). However, it can be argued that its funds are incommensurate with the liabilities implicit in maintaining an ancient building. For a number of years, regular income and expenditure were not in balance, and the Kirk Session agreed that reserves could not continue to be used to generate a balanced budget. After a particularly successful stewardship campaign in 2012 which saw a rise in giving of about 20,000 in 2013, and after a detailed review of expenditure and a review of investment, the Cathedral s finances were in surplus by about 4,000 in 2013. The dramatic reversal of the 2011 deficit of over 40,000 within such a short time period reflects the commitment of the congregation; however, we are aware that there is no room for complacency and that we must keep situation under constant review. Conclusion. In 2003 the parish profile concluded with words that are still applicable and are worth repeating as they show a consistency of purpose, while allowing ample room for change and development: The congregation of St Machar s believes that respect for the building and the current liturgy in St Machar s is essential in an incoming minister, but that the past must not control the future. The Kirk Session and congregation are deeply committed to their mission, and to ensuring that the young are brought up within the church, and are at home within it. In its education programme it looks to the future, and considers change and development in worship and in the life of the congregation as part and parcel of ensuring the growth of this congregation and of the church world-wide. The confidence and commitment implied by this declaration are not complacent. The Kirk Session and congregation know that we have to monitor our financial situation, and recognise that new pews, rebuilding the organ, restoring the glass, and providing sufficient toilet accommodation will be hugely costly. Figures in the latest census give some indication of the interesting challenges facing this historic church. We serve a wide community but are situated within a geographically small parish which contains a transient population differing widely from the national average. No doubt a new minister will inspire and challenge us in various ways, but this an open-minded congregation which looks forward to tomorrow. St Machar s Cathedral is Scottish Charity No. SC008157