The magazine for the linked congregations and community of the West Kirk of Calder and Polbeth Harwood
Rev David A Albon BA MCS 01506 870460 The Manse, 27 Learmonth Crescent West Calder EH55 8AF theminister@west-kirk-polbeth-harwood.co.uk Session Clerk Stewart MacRae 01506 872486 West Kirk 23 Westmuir Road West Calder EH55 8EX sessionclerk@westkirkofcalder.co.uk Session Clerk Marian Kinsman 01506 871125 Polbeth Harwood 12 Langside Crescent Polbeth EH55 8UW sessionclerk@polbethharwood.co.uk Treasurer William Calder 01506 871281 25 Harburn Road West Calder EH55 8AJ treasurer@westkirkofcalder.co.uk Treasurer Tom Griffin 01506 438038 60 Easter Bankton Murieston Livingston EH54 9BE treasurer@polbethharwood.co.uk News Editor Colin Dempster 01506 414565 140 Staunton Rise Dedridge West Livingston EH54 6PA thelinkeditor@west-kirk-polbeth-harwood.co.uk www.west-kirk-polbeth-harwood.co.uk
A Word From Our Minister The Manse 27 Learmonth Crescent West Calder EH55 8AF Saturday, 22 April 2006 Dear Friends, I hope you had a good Easter? We certainly did, with plenty to get involved in at both churches. I have many special memories of Lent and Easter this year, but a few are: having the sign of the cross made on the palm of my hand in fragrant oil, sharing the meal and communion at Polbeth and then helping each other keep our candles lit in the breezy garden afterwards. Placing the pebbles we had held during the Good Friday service at the foot of the cross while singing We will lay our burdens down, and the visit of Cyril the Squirrel and his friend Mole to our all-age service at the West Kirk on Easter Sunday. The 7 am Ecumenical Easter morning service in the Auld Kirk Yard was very special, with over forty people from the various churches in our villages gathering on a sunny, if chilly, morning to celebrate our risen Lord Jesus and share his peace with each other. There was singing (rather chilly on the guitarist s fingers!) and the opportunity to renew our Baptismal promises. It was very good to work with Father Kevin Dow and Reverend Colin McCaulay in preparing the Easter leaflet and the Ecumenical service. Now I want to draw your attention to Christian Aid Week, which is 14th 20th May. Prior to the actual week, on Saturday 29th April, quite a number of us, from both churches, will be participating in the annual Forth Bridge Cross and are being sponsored to do this. There will be Christian Aid Services in our churches on Sunday 14th May and you will have the opportunity to contribute financially to Christian Aid at these services. I also want to draw your attention to the Christian Aid Book Sale, held annually for the last 32 years at St Andrew s and St George s Church, George Street, Edinburgh. Over the years, 1.3 million has been raised! We always find books we want to buy and return home heavily laden, but happy. Please see the article by Alison McNaught for additional information and dates and times of the book sale. Also, a date for your diaries: there will be an Ecumenical Celebration of Pentecost at Our Lady & St Bridget s Church on Sunday 4th June at 7 pm. Finally, it is good to have Katie, Tim and Andrew back after their trip to California during the Easter holidays. We have a couple of weeks together and then I m off on holiday, walking coast to coast across Scotland. I m looking forward to the rest! Rev David A Albon Minister of the Parish Churches of the West Kirk of Calder and Polbeth Harwood P.S. The photo is of the Daffodil Cross in Polbeth Harwood Church on Easter Sunday morning. 3
West Kirk The Church Family (Parish Record) Funerals 3rd April Mary Molly Williamson, Peacock Nursing Home, Livingston Polbeth Harwood Funerals 11th April Shona Blair, Burnside Terrace, Polbeth 18th April Helen Nelly Boyd, Northfield Cottages, West Calder Worship in the Linked Congregations Sunday Morning Worship will take place in the West Kirk at 9.30 am and in Polbeth Harwood at 11.15 am unless stated otherwise. 14th May Christian Aid Services in both churches 21st May Rev John K S McMahon, Chaplain: St John s Hospital 28th May United Service at West Kirk 9.30 am Church Without Walls Annual Youth Link Picnic North Berwick 10.45 am (note there is no service at Polbeth Harwood today) 1st June Thursday Evening United Communion Service West Kirk 7 pm 4th June Sacrament of Communion West Kirk 9.30 am Polbeth Harwood 11.15 am Ecumenical Celebration of Pentecost Our Lady & St Bridget s RC Church 7 pm 4
West Kirk Guild Report The Guild met on 20th March for our AGM. After Alison Baxter (Guild Project Coordinator) had given us an update on the Guild projects, our funds were distributed and new committee members appointed. Evelyn Paterson agreed to take over from Liz Dyer as Convener and Juanita Allan agreed to the position of Vice-Convener. A big thank-you to all the ladies who enable our large and successful Guild to carry on. Special thanks go to Liz Dyer for all her hard work throughout her term of office. A Bring & Buy Sale was held to start off our funds for the next session. The April Candy Bar raised the wonderful sum of 701 and our thanks go to everyone who helped. On 3rd April, 30 members and friends enjoyed an evening at the theatre to see the musical Mamma Mia. The show was bright and lively and the familiar Abba songs had us tapping our toes! The bus for the summer outing on 20th May will leave the church at 9.30 am calling at the carpet shop, post office and Polbeth. It would be appreciated if the balance of 13 could be paid before the trip. See you all next session after what we hope will be a nice warm summer. Jill Murray (Joint Secretary) West Kirk Fundraising Group Report The amazing total of 860 was raised from the sponsored Knit-In and we thank everyone who helped to achieve this. It is a great boast to the funds required to redecorate the church. A group of ladies met in the hall one evening and stitched the strips together making beautiful, multicoloured blankets. This completed a most successful fundraising project. The group s thanks go to the Guild and friends for raising the splendid sum of 701 at the April Candy Bar. The May Candy Bar will be staffed by the choir and friends followed by the final one on 3rd June before the summer break. We look forward to seeing you there when the Fundraising Group will be serving a delicious buffet lunch. There will be the usual stalls and as always all contributions will be gratefully accepted. Jill Murray (Convener) Children Say The Funniest Things Part 1 A four-year-old boy was asked to give thanks before dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mum, Dad, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the cool whip. Then he paused, and everyone waited and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked... "If I thank God for the broccoli, won't He know that I'm lying?" http://tinyurl.com/lazxp 5
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to all children of any age to join us on this great family fun day out. Bring along your friends too. The bus costs 5 per seat; bring your own picnic, bucket and spade. The bus leaves West Calder after the joint service in the West Kirk at around 10.45 am on Sunday 28th May. Our return trip will be leaving North Berwick at approximately 4.30 pm. The Annual Youth Link Picnic will take place on Sunday 28th May. We have decided that since last year we had such a good time at North Berwick we would go back again this year. In order to secure your seat complete one of the leaflets which are available in both churches, or you can call Lorna Graham on 01506 872953. Lorna Graham Church Communication Do you have an email address? Would you like to be contacted with news about what's happening in your church? A new initiative is being launched to further enhance communications with the congregations of the West Kirk and Polbeth Harwood. We like to think that we already communicate well with churchgoers, through announcements at church services, intimations in order of services, information on the linked website and also, of course, magazine. There is always room for improvement however. It is estimated that about half of the linked congregations have email addresses. Communicating by email about church developments could be helpful in a number of situations. For example we could email you to remind you of upcoming events or important changes such as changes to service times. Information about when the minister is on holiday and who should be contacted in his absence is another example. As already suggested the churches already use a range of methods to communicate, and no doubt there will be an element of duplication. It was recognised however that not everybody makes it along to church every week and magazine is only published once a month. What if a service or other event was cancelled at the last minute for some unexpected reason, wouldn't you welcome being notified? As this is a new initiative it is not clear at this stage how frequently you would be contacted by email. You can be assured however that if at any time you wish to be removed from the emailing list you only have to notify us. To have your email addresses added to the list simply send an email to: thelinkeditor@west-kirk-polbeth-harwood.co.uk. Please include the words email list in the subject line and state in your email that you wish your email address to be added to the list. It would also be helpful if you could advise if you attend Polbeth Harwood or the West Kirk. Angus Baxter 6
Christian Aid Week 2006 This year Christian Aid Week has the theme of You add. We multiply. Unfortunately I will not be with you on Sunday 14th May when the West Kirk congregation will be marking the end of the week with a special service to raise awareness and to add to the total raised by the Forth Bridge walkers on 29th April. The service is being planned, and will be conducted, by the Worship Committee and will use some of the excellent resources provided by Christian Aid. It will feature inspiring stories from the work of Christian Aid partners in Ethiopia, Bolivia and Nicaragua, and news of the trade justice campaign from Bangladesh. The resources use Christian Aid s bold new logo and look, which will receive its public launch during Christian Aid Week 2006. You may have noticed the changes on the posters in the vestibule and church hall. On Sunday 7th May the easily recognisable Christian Aid envelopes will be distributed with the Orders of Service so that you can insert your donation and return it during the special service the following week. If you are a UK taxpayer please remember to Gift Aid your donation using the proforma on the envelope so that your donation is increased by almost a third. If you would like additional envelopes for family or friends please ask the duty elders or you will find them in the vestibule. Let s see if we can exceed the excellent total raised at Christmas! Mums Take Action We suffer from drought and landslides as well as emergencies from everyday poverty. So says Maritza Sevilla, a young mother who, through Christian Aid partner Community Movement of Matagalpa (MCM), has taken on a vital role in her community in Nicaragua. Maritza lives in Nuevo Amanecer, an hour s drive from Matagalpa. Her community is in a mountainous region, with a river winding through it. The single hillside road wends its way through a harsh landscape. Deforestation and drought have devastated what was once lush, dense forest. When the river breaks its banks, as it often does, the community here at Nuevo Amanecer can find themselves stranded for weeks, as happened during Hurricane Mitch in 1998. In response to this vulnerability MCM, with help from the local people, built a community centre where people could meet and learn how to protect themselves better from the vagaries of unpredictable weather. In the absence of emergency services it s vital that local communities take action themselves. And so the community elected Maritza, along with Lilian Mercado and Lucila Castro to the Emergency Committee, who have been responsible for devising and implementing the community contingency plan. The women drew up maps of Nuevo Amanecer illustrating the danger zones. These carefully hand-painted maps, with evacuation routes clearly marked, hang in the busy community centre. we feel safe says Lilian, whose house was almost washed away in last year s flood. Before we weren t prepared but now we re ready for rains. Christian Aid has been supporting MCM, a grassroots organisation working with rural and urban poor people to improve living conditions in 150 communities, since 1992. A partnership of more than a decade has meant that Christian Aid has been able to give crucial support at 7
some very difficult times. For example, in 1998 Hurricane Mitch hit the country, killing 3000 people, making even more homeless, and devastating the economy. Like Maritza, Lilian and Lucila most Nicaraguans were unprepared for it. Then a drought in 2002 dealt a further cruel blow, hallting much of the progress made in the years after the hurricane. MCM works hard to make sure communities have the best chance of protecting themselves and rebuilding after floods, landslides, droughts and hurricanes. It is unlikely that those of us in the UK and Ireland will experience the extreme devastation caused by droughts, floods, landslides and hurricanes that many Nicaraguans face. But through Christian Aid Week we can support MCM and stand in solidarity with those whose lives are characterised by upheaval and struggle, contingency plans and evacuations. Did you know that Spanish explorer Gil Gonzalez de Avila first settled in Nicaragua in 1522, naming it after a local Indian chief, Nicarao. October is the wettest month in the year in Nicaragua. Do you like eggs for breakfast? In Nicaragua you might have them with tortillas (a kind of flat bread) and refried beans. Nicaragua, the largest country in Central America, is the same size as England. It has 12.1 million acres of farmland, more than any other Central American country. This means lots of beef, one of the country s main exports. Nicaragua also exports coffee, shrimps and lobster, cotton, tobacco, sugar, bananas and gold. In Nicaragua 5,600 people aged 15-49 are known to be living with HIV/AIDS. It is thought many more people are living with HIV but have not been tested so these figures are incomplete. More that 1.7 million people are living with HIV in Latin America. Nicaragua became independent in 1838. In 1893, General Jose Santos Zelaya established a dictatorship that lasted until 1909 when US troops helped to depose him. US-backed Contra rebels fought a ten-year rebellion against the Sandinistas in the 1980s. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere after Haiti. Almost half of the population lacks access to safe water and the illiteracy rate is high. In January 2004, the World Bank cancelled 80 per cent of Nicaragua s debt to the institution. The president at the time, Enrique Bolaños, said it was the best news the country had had in 25 years. Jubilee 2000 campaigners celebrated, along with Nicaraguans, as their hard work paid off. 2006 Book Sale The annual book sale in support of Christian Aid at St Andrew s and St George s Church, George Street, Edinburgh will take place during May. Opening times are as follows: Saturday 13th May (10 am 4 pm) Monday 15th to Friday 19th May (10 am 3.30pm), Thursday late opening until 8 pm Prayers for a hungry world each day at 1 pm Although entitled a book sale there will also be sheet music, antiques, paintings, records, CDs, DVDs, stamps, toys and other printed ephemera. If you would like to donate any of these items they can be taken to the church on or after Monday 1st May. Full details can be found on the posters in the vestibule. 8 Alison McNaught
Registered Charity Number: 1078312 On behalf of the Communication Workers Union, Patricia and Gordon Erskine thank members of Polbeth Harwood; the West Kirk; and friends of members who gave so generously to the Humanitarian Aid Appeal. On Easter Saturday the union came and collected the many assorted items: beds, bicycles, cots, buggies, prams, and a total of over 70 boxes of super items. Patricia and Gordon also add their thanks to the Manager of the B&Q Superstore who gave the free use of a flat bed trolley to move the boxes from the garage to the road for loading onto the truck. The pictures below show the loading in progress: A BIG THANK-YOU! To read a copy of the report of the 2005 convoy contact Patricia Erskine on 01506 872611 or access the website www.cwuha.org. 9
Rota Information West Kirk Tea Rota Contact Olive Gibson 01506 871291 Note: Tea Makers, please bring milk. 21st May Kate Jessiman Olive Gibson 28th May Irene Grindlay Margaret Rennie 4th June Isobel McChesney Olive Gibson 11th June Alison Baxter Alison McNaught West Kirk Flower List If you would like to give flowers one week, please add your name to the list in the church vestibule. Many thanks to all those who have given flowers, and to those who have put their names on the rota to do so in future weeks. Given Arranged Delivered 21st May Christine Nicholl Evelyn Paterson Kathy Black 28th May Morag Fraser Katie Albon Moira McRae 4th June Betty Short Margo & Margaret Douglas Margaret Ann Smith 11th June Margaret Brock Rosanna Rabaeijs Ivy Johnstone 18th June Rhoda Lawton Evelyn Paterson Irene Grindlay West Kirk Duty Rota Door Duty Car Run 21st May Hazel Tod Juanita Allan George Stott Beryl Henderson 28th May May Arnott Angus Baxter Jim Allan Alan Jessiman 4th June Liz Dyer Alex Easton Richard Bryce Stewart Munro Juanita Allan Jim Allan Angus Baxter Serving Victor Ferguson Alison McNaught Christine Nicholl Communion 11th June Victor Ferguson Lorna Graham Jean Ferguson George Stott 10
Rota Information Polbeth Harwood Cleaning Rota 21st May Church Fayre 28th May Church Fayre 4th June Marian Kinsman Joan Philips 11th June Linda Eardley Hazel Speirs Polbeth Harwood Café Rota 24th May Frank Mabbutt Betty Upton Janet Walker 31st May Jimmy Greer Maisie Baird Janet Russell 7th June Effie Halliday Grace Peace 14th June Gordon Erskine Chrissie McCormack Esther Hamilton Polbeth Harwood Stewart Court Taxi Rota Polbeth Harwood Duty Rota 21st May 28th May 4th June 11th June Charlie Sturrock David Prentice Kenneth Mackay Door Duty 21st May Ena Prentice David Prentice Wilma Dickson Bob Dickson 28th May Etta Walker Eleanor Davidson Effie Halliday George Halliday 4th June Anne Weston-Lewis Gordon Erskine Jimmy Greer Charlie Sturrock 11th June Reeta Griffin Frank Mabbutt Alice Mackay Kenneth Mackay 11
Children Say The Funniest Things Part 2 The teacher asked her Sunday School class to draw pictures of their favourite Bible stories. She was puzzled by Kyle s picture, which showed four people in an aeroplane, so she asked which story it was meant to represent. The flight to Egypt, was his reply. Pointing at each figure, the teacher said, That must be Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. But who s the fourth person? Oh, that s Pontius the Pilot. Contributions for the next edition Contributions for the next edition of Magazine should be submitted by the first Sunday after the 15th of the month. For the next issue, this will be Sunday 21st May. Contributions can be sent via email, or handed in person to either Rev David Albon or Colin Dempster. Paws for thought Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. Theodore Roosevelt 12