St John's Ministry Team

St John’s Ministry Team
The Revd Markus Dünzkofer Rector 225 5001
markus.duenzkofer@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk
The Revd Donald Reid Associate Rector 466 2461
donald.reid@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk
The Revd Professor Kenneth Boyd Associate Minister 225 6485
The Revd Clephane Hume Associate Minister 667 2996
The Revd Professor Freda Alexander Associate Minister 557 4474
The Revd Sarah Kilbey MBE Associate Minister 447 2378
Amanda Wright Lay Reader & Sacristan 317 1252
Andrew Wright Children, Youth & Families 317 1252
The Very Revd Jim Mein Diocesan Interim Pastor 01506 834317
In this Issue
3 From the Interim Pastor
4 The Liturgical Season
5 Looking Forward to Lent
6 Tales in the Crypt
7 Lord I want to be there with you
8 The Cross
9 My Favourite Psalm
10 Good Mourning
14 Ignation Prayer
15 Notes from a Wild Garden
16 Snowdrops
HEARTBEAT
18 Tribute to Desmond Hodges
19 Tribute to John Burdett
22 Tribute to Professor John Strong
24 From the Executive Manager
25 Congregational News
26 Anne Mitchell celebrates 90
28 The Choir celebrate their Chaplain with a Psalm
30 In celebration of George Brodlie’s 100 th birthday
31 The Advent Quiet Day
32 The Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Forthcoming Events
33 Creative Together
34 Ecumenical Lent Groups
35 Walking Group
OUTREACH
35 Growth Group AIDS meeting
36 The Rock Trust Sleep Out
38 Homelessness
39 The Christmas & New Yeart Murals
40 A Good Friday Procession of Witness?
41 News from the One World Shop
42 Cornerstone Bookshops Book for Lent
44 St Aidan and St Thomas within the Wardrobe
45 Readings and Rotas
Cover: Cross, St John’s Chapel, by David Grossart (see p8)
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From the Interim Rector –
Dear Friends, This letter is really just to say how much I have enjoyed working
with you over the past 10 months. The welcome from Donald and the Ministry
Team, from the Vestry and its committees that I attended and, most important,
from all of you on Sundays, has been warm and generous.
It has not all been an easy time. Great changes are afoot and I think most of us
find change stressful. Remember the beautiful Compline collect: that “we who
are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world may repose upon
thy eternal changelessness”. But the Church is not God and it does change.
You are facing major transitions today in at least four main areas: the ministry
team, the building itself, the cultural make up of the congregation, and the way
the Church is perceived by the society in which we are called to minister. Each
one of these will involve, to a greater or lesser degree, the pain of losing the
strength of the familiar, the discomfort of the uncertainty between the past and
the future, and the hard work of accepting, adapting to, and celebrating the new.
Nevertheless, I leave you feeling confident that St John’s, for so long such a
major leader in our Diocese, will continue to be a shining light in the centre of
our city. Your open, generous theology, your music, the Festival of Spirituality
and Peace, your strong lay leadership, the future clergy, the developing building,
your associated groups - all make you open to a future full of opportunities.
None of us knows the future for our Churches or for our society: both face
enormous challenges which at times can seem overwhelming. The strong hope
I have is based on a creation that has continued to evolve through massive
changes; a humanity which continues to grow through all who have challenged
it; and a God, whom we describe primarily as love, who lives in and through us
all. Thank you and God bless you,
Jim Mein
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the silent hours of
this night, so that we, who are wearied by the changes and chances of
this fleeting world, may repose upon thy eternal changelessness; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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The Liturgical Season - Lent
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If true,
then I am already double my set word limit.for this
article! I took this photograph a few months back, but
the writing itself is still there. The words ‘God loves
ALL of us’ written in chalk on the Princes Street wall
of St. Johns. I do not know who wrote it, or why they
wrote it. I find myself unable to decide whether it is a
celebration of God’s inclusive love, like our murals, or
a challenge against those who would reserve the love
of God for a select few. Even though part of me
enjoys not knowing the exact answer, another part of
me would love to know what the person actually meant. What do you think was
intended?
Lent is a period in the Church’s calendar, like Advent, in between two climatic
events: Christmas and Easter. Like a transitional development in a musical
piece, Advent is a time of gradual building before the crescendo of Holy Week.
For this reason, Lent is understood as a time of reflective waiting. In Lent people
traditionally mirror Jesus’ time of fasting in the wilderness by attempting to give
up items of luxury or vice in their lives. The intention is that through this selfdenial
the attention will be focused on the things in life which matter most,
namely God. It is hoped that this increased attention will make clearer the signs
of God’s workings and directions in life. While such signs are typically seen in
Scripture and popular culture as great theophanies (burning bushes or voices
from the clouds) they are more often than not in the form of still small voices: a
fresh insight onto an old
problem, a niggling desire to
seek out something new, or
the directional advice of a
friend. And while these signs
do often come in such
ordinary guises, they still
demand our fullest attention.
As with the chalked writing,
these signs may not always
immediately offer up their
fullest or intended meanings.
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It is only by reflecting upon such signs, in prayer and attention, that we can
come to more fully understand them, though this is in no way guaranteed.
May this Lent be for you a period in which you seek out the signs of God
working in your life, and when you find them, may you continue to reflect upon
them, struggle with them and pray over them until they offer up their fullest
meanings to you.
Ross Jesmont
Looking Forward to Lent
Lent begins on Wednesday 13 February and ends on Easter Day, 31 March.
Donald writes: If you are minded to use Lent this year as a time for to grow in
faith, here are some suggestions:
1) Sign up for a discussion house group. These are arranged ecumenically
and information is available elsewhere in this magazine and in the church
porch. You could perhaps also form your own book discussion group…?
2) Choose an appropriate book to read – Cornerstone Bookshop will have
suggestions, or you could borrow from our extensive library, which is open
on request from the church office.
3) Decide on a Lenten discipline for yourself and use the worship on Ash
Wednesday (13 February) to commit yourself, with others, to your path. This
might include simplifying your life in some way (fasting) and/or supporting
some good cause (such as the Diocesan Lent Appeal or something of your
choice)
4) There will be weekly soup and cheese lunches at St John’s on Wednesdays
at 1.00pm. Use this as a time to eat simply and share a table with others.
5) Be more intentional about using the Eucharists to reflect on the behavior
your regret and seek healing; to intercede for others; and to give thanks for
what is good in your life.
6) Think about attending other services as well as the Sunday morning
Eucharist - for example, weekday worship (Wednesdays at 11.00am or
weekdays at 1.00pm) or Evensong on Sundays at 6.00pm.
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7) In particular, join the Holy Week journey from Palm Sunday to Easter Day.
During that week there will be services every day. The ‘high days’ are
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil on Saturday of Holy
Week.
8) Bishop Gordon Mursell, who so ably led our Advent Quiet Day, will be
leading the Good Friday meditations which takes place between 12 noon
and 3pm.
Tales from the Crypt
In my previous three articles I have referred to the first half of the mnemonic
SPIRIT used by Dr Rebecca Nye in her understanding of what is useful to
spiritual development in children. We have explored the importance of Space,
both physical and emotional; the importance of Process over end result; and the
vital part that the Imagination plays. The final 3 letters all relate very closely to
one another – they are Relationship, Intimacy and Trust. It may be helpful to
cast your minds back to your own Sunday School days (if indeed you had them)
and consider what you learned at the classes you attended. What gems of
wisdom do you remember? Can you name the basic theological principles that
were imparted? Perhaps you can list the books of the Bible in order? No? If you
can, I’d be rather surprised! Now think back to those days and remember the
people who were there with you – the teachers, helpers and other children.
Chances are that these relationships made much more of an impression than
any specific thing that you ‘learned’. In our work with young people at St John ‘s
the building of positive relationships with one another – adults and children alike
– is of central importance, but at the very core of course is the child’s own
relationship with God. We do, of course, use biblical, theological and liturgical
content in our work but the reason we do so is to try and help the child to grow in
their own relationship with God, a relationship that we pray will become an
intimate one and one in which trust plays a natural and integral part. We do our
best to model this in our own relationships, thereby living out our own
commitment to respond to Jesus’ commandment to love one another.
I hope that these reflections have given you a flavour of the nature of the way
we work with children here. We have a delightful, and growing, group of children
in our midst and it is my and the rest of the Children & Families team’s delight to
share their journey with them.
Andrew Wright
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Lord I want to be there with you…
The Rt Rev. David Thomson DPhil, FSA, FRHistS,
FRSA has been Bishop of Huntingdon (Suffragan
within the Diocese of Ely) since 2008. He was born
in 1952 and in 1974 married Jean Elliot Douglas-
Jones. They have two sons and two daughters. He
writes Bishop’s Blog which you can find at
bpdt.wordpress.com and is published in a number
of books. This poem is from his book Lent with
Luke published by Authentic Lifestyle (2004).
ISBN 9781850785972
Lord I want to be there to be with you and for you
but I want to hide as well
Your intensity draws me and frightens me.
Your challenge calls me and daunts me.
I look on your face and see life in all its fullness;
Holiness and horror too.
You look on my face and see….
The self I sought to hide.
Help me to be more truly the me
That you mean me to be:
In the kingdom of your Father
Here I am Lord,
Send me!
I will go Lord where you …
Where?
Oh.
I hadn’t thought that…
I hadn’t really thought.
It’s a good job
You’re praying for me ,
Good Lord
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The Cross
Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have
pain, but your pain will turn to joy (John 16 v. 20-21)
The Cross
Out of the depths, a cross,
transcendent blue of loss,
a splintered crown of lapis
lazuli, the debris of the sea.
From the six day joy of paradise, a perfect new born boy, suddenly taken. Needles
pushed quickly into wrists and feet ; arms splinted, spread out like a cross . Alone
and blindfolded, placed on a gauze, crying in a drum of lights. Tiny, fragile
fingernails, ringed with blood, holding on to your own precious thumbs . Six
hours later, the blood exchange abandoned ; morphine given at last. Intubation,
kidney failure and seizures still to come. But, like the miracle of your perfect
birth, you came back to us, alive, for a few precious weeks. Then that dark, lonely
night, when we held your tiny body, wrapped in a blue and white striped blanket,
like a prayer shawl. Lord, Jesus have mercy.
We are told of debts cancelled ;
of sin and guilt and sacrifice.
But the mystery remains ;
the cross ; the Way
of brokenness and loss ;
a prayer beyond prayer
when there are no words ;
the death of our selves
in this defended world,
the door to love’s cry “ I AM “
* * *
By boat, we cross a turquoise sea to an island in the sun, where the song of the
darting swallows stretches free across the surf. There, we pin a prayer on a
driftwood cross and walk together on the shore. And, as our tears fall, we return
home ; new life already growing, secretly inside us, the breath of Iona’s sand.
9
David Grossart

My Favourite Psalm
Growing up, I did not attend the sort of church
that sang psalms, either to Anglican chant or to
anything else. Mission Praise and guitar bands
were more the order of the day. For me, our
church was like a second home, and I loved it. So
it was a shock when my parents decided they had
heard one worship song too many and began
attending the cathedral-like church in the centre
of town, which was full of bells and incense and
had a robed, exclusively male choir. For a short
period I was persuaded to give it a try, and so I
went along to the women's choir, who sang a couple of services each month.
There I was confronted with my first Psalter: pages full of words divided by dots,
vertical lines and asterisks! The whole thing left me feeling totally uprooted. I
reacted with the kind of contempt that only a 16-year-old girl can manage, and
left.
A couple of years later, whilst I was in my first term at university, my grandfather
died. At the funeral the vicar spoke of his life and his faith, and I sat astounded
as I listened to this portrait of a man who, it seemed, I had barely known. There
were so many aspects of his life of which I had been totally unaware. The eulogy
had at its heart Psalm 84 which, I was informed, had been his favourite passage
from the Bible. I was immediately struck by the text and the comfort that it
provided.
Throughout the intervening years I have rediscovered this psalm in several
different ways, most notably in Brahms's German Requiem (How Lovely are Thy
Dwellings) and latterly, at St John's, through singing it to the wonderful chant by
Parry. I like the fact that it is such an accessible text and seems to have the
capacity to speak to everyone, regardless of their personal beliefs. Perhaps the
very fact that Brahms chose this text to be part of his Requiem illustrates this
perfectly – his attitude to religion was ambivalent at best and the German
Requiem was never intended for use in a liturgical setting. The work as a whole
avoids the notion of salvation or immortality through Christ and instead employs
Biblical texts to share a universal theme of human compassion and hope
through death, survival and mourning.
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Of course, I did eventually return to the kind of churchgoing that I had rejected
as a teenager, and these days it's funny to remember that there was a time
when I was bewildered by the markings in the Psalter. I always look forward to
singing Psalm 84 again, and being reminded of all the ways it has spoken to the
various versions of myself that have encountered it over the past 15 years.
Good Mourning
11
Rebecca Rollinson
You cannot stop the birds of sorrow from
landing on your shoulder, but you can stop
them nesting in your hair. Chinese Proverb
In modern Western society death is not
readily talked about. It is something largely
removed from day to day life, but with the
growth of the hospice movement, people
began to confront the issues. Paradoxically,
this may also be one of the consequences of
AIDS, natural disasters, terrorism and war.
This article is written in response to Angus
Mitchell’s article in the October/November issue of the Cornerstone, How to Die
in 9 Easy Lessons. How can we deal with the inevitable sequel to a death, the
grief of those left behind? Needless to say, I don’t have a neat answer, but I
hope these musings on grief, and how we can help ourselves and others, might
be useful. Loss is an important topic, and one which also encroaches on all
aspects of life through loss of health, employment, a broken relationship, an
opportunity which did not materialise. The subjective experiences are very
similar to those of bereavement.
Of course no two people will grieve in the same way, but there are some
common reactions which it is helpful to understand.
Grieving
The actual process of bereavement may begin before someone dies – in
anticipation of what is to come. Watching the person slowly fade away. Sudden
and unexpected death is obviously traumatic, but the reality of loss after days or
weeks of hospital or care home visiting nevertheless also comes as a shock.

Initially people may keep going automatically – there is so much to do – and it is
only later that the numbness wears off and there is time to feel the pain of the
loss. They may respond by weeping, feeling guilty, being angry - with the person
who has died and those round about, or as CS Lewis asked ‘….where is God? ‘.
It can be difficult to concentrate, make decisions, and there is loneliness, the
sense of being ‘a half instead of a whole’, which may drive people into being
busy, avoiding being at home on their own. They are vulnerable to infections,
and perplexed by their change in status. And because we feel inadequate to
help, we may exacerbate this. As one lady, herself a grief counsellor, put it thus,
‘I’d heard of people crossing the street to avoid you when someone has died,
but it actually happened to me.’ Dealing with practicalities may concern the
person one day (after my parents died, a friend taught me how to use their flymo
to counteract the thriving lawn!) whereas at other times the sheer emotional
impact of the loss may be overwhelming.
With time, people come to terms with what has happened, develop new patterns
of living and face the future with hope. Sometimes, it has to be said, they take
on a whole new lease of life…………And as reactions to loss vary according to
the individual situation, so does the timescale during which the intensity of
feelings may be experienced. It may reasonably be expected that sad and
painful feelings will diminish with time, but it would be wrong to assume that they
will completely disappear.
Loss may also be experienced in the following contexts:
Episodic: Feelings experienced from time to time, particularly in relation to
lack of achievement of normal milestones, for example, by the parents of the
young man who would have been graduating with his peer group this year.
Future: The parents of this young man will never be grandparents.
Anniversaries: It was on this date, five years ago, that X was diagnosed / Y
died / Z had his birthday.
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Feelings of loss will also fluctuate, and apparently small losses may add to the
cumulative experience. Breaking a mug given by a deceased person may trigger
a grief reaction which far outweighs that which might have been expected, due
to the personal significance of the object. Isolated events may trigger feelings at
any time, possibly producing unexpected ‘flash back’ reactions which
demonstrate the fickle and enduring nature of the experience.
Theories of loss have been documented by authors working in different
contexts, and are continually evolving. Briefly, these theories describe common
features and pathways towards the resolution of grief:
Denial – disbelief and numbness
Anger – usually directed towards God, or the person for going away
Guilt - if only……….
Depression – the pain of reality and realisation of the permanence of the
situation
Acceptance – gradual accommodation to the situation.
The cumulative effect of multiple losses should be recognized. Talking of his
wife’s final admission after years of treatment for cancer, M said, ‘The dog died
two days before she went back into the hospice.’ This left him completely alone.
So what do we do?
Remember, grief is a normal reaction to loss. The pain, whether individual
or shared, cannot be avoided and needs to find expression within a supportive
relationship. Some may feel a lack of support from others (real or perceived), so
what the person seeks, above all, is someone who has time to listen.
Conversely, people do not always want 'heavy' talk, and contact with the
ongoing world is important. Worries about upsetting someone or saying the
wrong thing are natural, but tears need to be shed and it is preferable for this to
happen in a homely environment rather than the supermarket. Hugs are not for
everyone, but non tactile people can usually make their feelings obvious!
Social pressures and expectations may also contribute to feelings of loss.
However, grieving is a lonely experience and the world can be very critical of
those who have not recovered after a period of time. People must be allowed to
grieve at their own pace, according to the nature of their loss and their changed
role.
Restructuring of life might include the acquisition of practical skills and building
social networks. People need support and encouragement in undertaking new
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oles or in doing things alone, e.g. different hobbies, going on holiday, but giving
helpful advice should be resisted unless requested.
Consider the impact of your caring. It is only the stony-hearted who remain
unmoved by the pain of others, but remember that whilst unwanted help can be
irritating, people suffer more, from lack of attention. Never be tempted to
compare your own experience of grief with the person and say, ‘I know how you
feel.’ You do not! Although your experiences may help you to understand, the
person’s sense of loss is unique.
In summary, be there for the person and stay there. People may choose not to
accept help – it is one’s right to refuse offers of assistance. Do not take an initial
refusal of an offer (e.g. to come for a meal, a lift somewhere) as an indicator of
total rejection. The person may welcome an invitation at a later date.
And when it happens to you?
Be gentle with yourself. Allow the tears to flow. Feelings may well up when you
return to church. That is OK! Grief is a powerful emotional experience but it is
possible to get through it in time. Don’t hesitate to accept support from others.
You would do the same for them, wouldn’t you?
Sources of help
There will be occasions when someone needs ‘outside’ confidential help. This is
not an admission of failure - there are specialist organisations out there for the
purpose. The best known is Cruse Bereavement Care. There are also groups
such as WAY (Widowed and Young), SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by
Suicide), SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society), Compassionate
Friends (death of a child) and the Miscarriage Association.
In conclusion –
My dog collar hides a scar. The surgeon did an impressively neat job and the
line is not nearly as visible as it used to be, so that a lot of people do not notice
it. However, I know that it is there and I shall always be aware of it. Sometimes it
twinges.
Clephane Hume
A quote from The Oatmeal Ark by Rory Maclean: ‘A man remembered never
dies’.
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The Ignatian Examen
A review of Sleeping with Bread: Holding What
Gives You Life
by Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, Matthew
Linn, SJ
I love this little book – described by its authors as
the simplest they have ever written! It’s a simple
and accessible approach to the Ignatian ‘Examen’ or
’The Examination of Consciousness’. St Ignatius
advised his early companions (later the Jesuits) to
practice this exercise each evening, even if they had
no time for other prayer - as they focussed on life and energy, they would see
how and where God was leading them through their own experience.
The Linns offer just two questions:
For what moment today am I most grateful?
For what moment today am I least grateful?”
This then is our own prayer. It is essential to start on the first question; in my
experience there is never a day, however black, when there isn’t one moment
that I am really grateful for. Then, as we sleep with the moment that we are least
grateful in our hearts, something often happens: the person who was bugging
us the night before appears different in the morning, and we can move to mend
the relationship. And if we are seeking guidance about a big decision, a change
of job, how to deal with depression, a lifestyle change, just attending to these
two questions for a month or so, we shall often realise where we find life and
energy, where God is leading us. This comes from our own lived experience.
I’ve loaned this book to many people and given it to a few. All have thought it a
children’s book; it is accessible to children, but it is primarily for adults. The
pictures, however, use the experience of children in the wartime concentration
camps – needing comfort from physical bread.
I use the Examen in giving spiritual direction, in pastoral care, in quite ordinary
relationships – asking questions about feelings and looking for places where
there is energy. This morning, I spoke with someone who had just had her first
15

home visit from her 22-year old son who has been in different institutions for
seven years; I asked her how she felt and she said ‘I wanted to cry.’
This is my favourite picture. It speaks of offering, to others, what gives me life.
I explained this to my nine-year-old grandson, and then I realised that I should
share my own silent prayer time with Ron. I use the Examen regularly but writing
this has made me more determined to use it every day……
Freda Alexander
Copies of ‘Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life’ by Dennis Linn,
Sheila Fabricant Linn, Matthew Linn, SJ are available from the Cornerstone
Bookshop. Visit them on our terrace or call 0131 229 3776.
Notes from a Wild Garden
Twelve months ago I reported that we had
installed ten solar panels. I also jokily
commented that, at December’s rate of
sunshine, it would take 112 years to pay for
them. This December, incidentally, had even
less sunshine than last. However, with a full
year of readings I can now provide an update
that has a bit more data. The sunniest month
was May, followed by August. June and July
lagged behind. They really were grey and
wet: statistics prove it.
During the twelve months the panels
generated 1655 units of electricity. This has
saved a great deal of carbon dioxide. It has
also been a good investment, because we get paid for each unit generated. We
also save money, because that was 1655 units of power that we did not have to
buy. Calculating exactly how long it will take to pay for the original costs is
impossible to work out, because we are also saving energy in other ways (more
double glazing) but it will be a lot less than 15 years, and more than 10. In other
words, it is proving a very good investment indeed, assuming the panels keep
working. If you have a south-facing roof, and can get planning permission, it is
certainly worth looking into.
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Yesterday I was alarmed by the lack of wild-garden news to report (hacking
back more dead stuff) so I sat down to record birds for half an hour. First a robin
appeared – we don’t always have one in residence – and it started dodging a
female blackbird that fancied the same bird-seed. The only tits in evidence were
blue tits, which surprised me as coal tits have been frequent visitors for the last
two months. Occasionally, as a special treat, long-tailed tits pass through, but
not yesterday.
Sparrows are in decline nationally, but they seem to do OK in our garden. They
like the thickets of ivy for roosting and chattering, and eat almost enough seed to
wipe out the profits from the solar panels. Four or five were around yesterday. I
also saw two dunnocks – special favourites of mine; so neat in their deportment.
The feast of expensive Nyjer seed (available in neighbouring gardens too) keeps
the goldfinches around, and there were three queuing up yesterday. But the star
visitor, which also likes Nyjer seed, was a siskin, bright yellow and black. The
moral of this is, I think, that if you take time to look, instead of glancing casually,
you are more likely to see interesting things. Meanwhile several lugubrious
wood-pigeons were eating my cabbages…….
George Harris
Snowdrops
Ah hush tread softly through the rime
For there will be a Blackbird singing or a Thrush
Like coloured beads the Elmbuds flush
All the trees dream of leaves and flowers and light
And see the northern bank is much more white
Than frosty grass for now is snowdrop time. Mary Webb.
Galanthus is from the Greek: ‘gala’ meaning white and ‘anthus’ meaning flower.
Snowdrops are not native to Britain. Galanthus nivalis was the first of species of
snowdrop to arrive in this country, probably introduced by the Romans. ‘ Nivalis’
alludes to its whiteness. In the Middle ages the beautiful white flowers were
associated with purity, and people would plant them at places of pilgrimage in
honour of the Virgin Mary. Our Lady of Walsingham in north Norfolk is an
example. Much later in the 1660s Galanthus plicatus arrived and in the 1850s
soldiers coming home from the Crimean War brought more. Galanthus elwesii
was found in Turkey in the 1880's and lots of bulbs arrived then.
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Monks grew snowdrops to decorate their churches on the occasion of the Feast
of Candlemas on 2 February. The Feast celebrates the Presentation of baby
Jesus in the Temple forty days after his birth as required by Jewish Law, and of
course Purification of the Virgin Mary. Lots of snowdrops were found growing
close to monasteries, and it is said they were planted as path markers so that
during the night the monks could find their way in the dark to the latrines in the
woods! (One wonders what they did when the snowdrops were not flowering!)
The Victorians still held them as a symbol purity and lots of them were planted in
church graveyards. At the beginning of the First World War they were
associated with sadness and loss and used on funeral cards. Today their
popularity is booming and rare cultivars demand huge sums of money and there
are Galanthophiles who don't mind the price and pay £15 or more for one bulb!
Healing qualities: if rubbed on the forehead would ease headaches. Today oil is
extracted and used by the pharmaceutical industry to make the drug Riminyl for
the treatment of Alzheimer’s.
We have a reasonable selection of snowdrops in St John’s gardens, including
Galanthus nivalis, Galanthus nivalis Flore Pleno which is double flowered,
Galanthus Samuel Arnott. which is one of the best, Galanthus James
Backhouse, Galanthus Atinsii of Finnis and Galanthus elwesii which is easily
identified by its much broader leaves. Enjoy!
Fred Mobeck
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HEARTBEAT
St John’s community
at the heart of the city,
at the heart of the nation.
Tribute to Desmond Hodges, OBE
Edinburgh’s New Town would not be the
beautiful place it is today were it not for
Desmond Hodges. He became the first full
time Director of the Edinburgh New Town
Conservation Committee, and was
instrumental in the restoration of Edinburgh’s
Jewel. He, and the Committee, realised that
most of the New Town’s properties would go
to ruin if not restored, so a system of grants
for such restoration was instituted. He had a
remarkable ability to persuade even the most
recalcitrant of owners that a restored building was just what he or she wanted.
Perhaps Desmond’s greatest legacy was the publication in 1978 of a book
Georgian Houses- a Maintenance Manual for the New Town of Edinburgh
including illustrations. The book contains instructions on substructure, i.e.
geology and topography and foundations; walls and openings; roofs; internal
details; and external details and remains an authority on New Town properties.
He retired in 1998, but all one has to do is to take a walk in the New Town today,
and the evidence of his outstanding ability is all around. We owe him a huge
debt of gratitude, whether we live in the New Town or not.
Desmond grew up in Dublin, and his love of Georgian architecture was nurtured
there. He was the son of a Church of Ireland clergyman who eventually became
a bishop in Ireland. The faith he grew up with as a child never left him. St John’s
became his spiritual home and he gave a huge amount to it as an important
member of the Fabric Committee and as a Guardian. In fact, he set up the
Guardians and thought they all needed to learn something about how to guide
people around the church. Where to learn this? Canterbury Cathedral, of course.
19

Somehow, that seems to sum up Desmond: someone with flair, imagination, a
sense of humour and a concern that things be done correctly.
His funeral at St John’s was full of people who had known him in various ways,
and the common theme running through Alan MacLean’s address and Bishop
John’s comments was Desmond’s sense of goodness, his integrity and his love
of his family. He is survived by his wife Margaret and two daughters.
Grace Durham
[Editor’s Note: Twenty five years ago St John’s received generous funding from
Historic Scotland for major restoration of the stone work of the building and has
Desmond’s reputation in conservation to thank for that. Margaret has written up
the story of Desmond’s time with the New Town Conservation Committee –
copies are available on request.]
Tribute to the Revd John Fergusson Burdett
‘We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro… by every wind of doctrine….
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way…’
Ephesians 4.14-15
John Burdett was a grown-up Christian. Whether these words from Ephesians,
read at his ordination, shaped the priest John became or whether they
expressed what he had already become by 1979 (and perhaps there was a bit of
both) they certainly describe the man I knew. John used the full rigour of his
intellect and his engineer’s logic, to explore faith, dissect the Bible and to
debunk overly sentimental or superstitious versions of belief. That he did so
with a wry humour, a clear passion for his subject and a desire to build up as
much as to knock down which was of the essence of the man. He required clear
evidence if he was to accept the more extraordinary and dubious assertions of
faith. He had very particular views about liturgy, how it was to be performed and
delivered, and generations of clergy and intercessors will have heard the truth
spoken in love by John about their performance. And it was spoken in love;
that’s why we were able to bear the laser beams of John’s critique.
John was one of that special breed of priests (from whom St John’s has derived
much benefit over the years) who do not receive a stipend to support them in
their ministry.
20

Apart from those years in Cyprus (1987-90), John was never paid for his
ministry. Particular gifts are required of priests in this situation. They need
forbearance, the ability to minister for long, long periods in the same
congregation, seeing Rectors come and Rectors go, whilst always remaining in
an assistant capacity. The great benefit for the church congregation is that it
broadens and deepens the range of ministry on offer – and it broadens and
deepens our sense of what it means to be a priest.
For the right person the gift of ministry in this setting brings out the best in their
character. And for John this ‘best’ was his willingness to give himself
wholeheartedly to the task of ministering well, to building up the body of Christ in
love. This was true of him, whether in leading worship, preaching, engaging in
back chat with the choir, offering up his uncompromising views on literature in a
book group, or leading a Forum to provide a theological alternative to the fabric
and finance themes of Vestry. All this was energized, yet softened, by his
marriage to Margaret whom John always counted as the best influence on him,
and whose presence we felt in John even in these later years since she died.
There was a warmth, a humanity about John. If you want to get a measure of
the man read his book, appropriately named, A Full Life. You can hear his wellmodulated
voice speaking every phrase – you can get a feel for his common
21

sense and logic; you will discover a preacher with a pathological antipathy
towards mincing his words, and with the ability to use apt, colourful illustrations.
Clare and I spent some time with John a few weeks before he died. He was
clearly weakened by illness, struggling to stand and short of breath. But it was
the same old John – theological opinions aplenty! I told him I had just been to a
conference where the speaker had suggested that the Scottish version of the
Lord’s Prayer – ‘forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors’ – is much better
than the ‘forgive us our trespasses’ version: debt destroys lives, corrupts,
manipulates, enslaves - Jesus would have understood this. Quick as a flash
John replied ‘That’s what I think too,’ adding his view that the Lord’s prayer was
wholly inappropriate prayer to use in worship - Jesus didn’t give it to his
disciples to be repeated ad nauseam, parrot-fashion, every single time they
worshipped, he said. He went onto express exasperation at the nonsense we
sometimes read in the Bible like ‘Take no thought for the morrow’? ‘Ridiculous!’
he said. ‘How could any mother look after her children on that basis? I think
Jesus got it wrong there’. I replied that Jesus might have been getting at how
we set our priorities - get your aim right in life and other things have a habit of
falling into place. Like the ploughman – he sets his eyes on a landmark in the
distance so that the furrow he ploughs will be straight; whereas, if he looked
down at the ground he’d go round in circles. So, live with your eyes set on the
Kingdom and the furrow you plough will rarely go astray. ‘Hmm,’ replied John, ‘I
hadn’t thought of it that way; I’ll have to reflect on that.’ Before we left John said
he liked almost everything that I did with the main communion service at St
John’s, except in the intercessions because I didn’t mention thanksgiving. ‘I
should have thought in a Eucharist thanksgiving is the whole point.’ ‘Hmm,’ I
said, ‘I hadn’t thought of it that way; I’ll have to reflect on that.’
When I visited John next it was in hospital not long before he died. I was careful
to begin our prayer together with lots of thanksgivings! When we got to the
Lord’s Prayer I felt obliged to ask ‘Would you object terribly if we said the Lord’s
Prayer?’ ‘Not at all,’ said John, smiling sweetly, ‘I only object to its use in public
worship.’ We said it together – ‘trespasses’ version!
But John was right, there is so much to be thankful for. Thank you, John; thank
you, God. And, dear God, we need to warn you that your servant John Burdett
will be thoroughly bored by ‘eternal rest’; that St Peter at the gates had better
speak clearly, and St Paul had better be ready to explain his more ambiguous
phrases; and that you can be sure that if there is such a thing as worship in the
heavenly places, there’s one person who won’t be joining in the Lord’s Prayer.
22

But we can also assure you, God, that this person spoke the truth to us in love;
that he is growing towards the full measure of the stature of Christ; and that,
though he always lived with thought for the morrow (in the best sense), he lived
also with his eyes on the Kingdom, which means that the furrow he ploughed in
this life was a straight one.
+John Armes
Tribute to Professor John Anderson Strong, CBE
John grew up near Kells, one of six
siblings, three of whom became doctors. A
happy childhood in a farming community
kindled in him a love of all things
agricultural. At an early age, an accident
and subsequent suturing directed him
towards a medical career, where
generations of patients with endocrine
problems will be grateful that his initial
interest surgery was redirected.
He had many interests which he pursed
into his 90s – fishing, classical music,
food, a good wine cellar and gardening –
raspberries being ‘the best we’ve ever had’ –and love of books and golf at
Muirfield - a hole in one at age 82 - ‘I waited 60 years for that’. This was a man
who pushed himself to the limits, using his God-given gifts, working very long
hours and studying late into the night. A sensitive person, who overcame the
shyness of youth, but retained a touch of vulnerability. He lived an active life,
full of joie de vivre, with an enduring sense of humour, even within the limits of
the past few years.
He married to Moira in 1939, and cared devotedly for her in her long illness and,
under direction, took on the challenge of household management, tackling
things like marmalade making, somewhat scientifically, with method, result and
subsequent alterations all noted. In retirement they enjoyed many holidays in
Wester Ross, at Garden Cottage, Eilean Darach, a place that became very
special to them both.
23

In the lonely years after Moira’s death, John became ‘a friend of everybody’ and
took delight iin the Botanics and the RSA and continued to enjoy entertaining
visitors. When he experienced illness himself, and moved to Chamberlain Road,
he created a pleasant ‘home from home’. A life-long Anglican, John ensured
that Anthony, Elizabeth and Jane attended church regularly. He attended
another church in the Diocese but eventually joined St John’s, where Elizabeth
had been a member for many years.
Clephane Hume
Kenneth Boyd writes:
John Strong was a distinguished member of a remarkable generation of
physicians whose skills were forged in the crucible of the Second World War
and who in peacetime contributed significantly to the scientific basis of modern
medicine. Shortly after graduating in medicine from Trinity College Dublin, he
joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and served for much of the war in Assam
and Burma, where he created field hospitals, commanded a casualty clearing
station, was mentioned in dispatches and awarded an MBE, and retired with the
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Aware that medicine is both an art and a science, he
was offered a significant opportunity to contribute to the latter when he was
recruited in 1949 to the post-war reconstruction programme of the medical
faculty of Edinburgh University. As University senior lecturer and honorary
consulting physician at the Western General Hospital, John Strong not only
acquired an academic reputation in endocrine and metabolic disorders, as a
pioneer in the study of chromosomal abnormalities, and in the field of nuclear
medicine, but also built up dedicated teams of colleagues in these fields,
achievements recognised by the award in 1966 of a personal chair in Medicine
and on his retirement in 1980 of an emeritus professorship. As a medical
academic he published numerous seminal papers and contributed to major
textbooks, at the same time playing his part in medical administration with a
wide range of organisations from the Medical Research Council to Lothian
Health Board. Most significantly he was elected as President of the Royal
College of Physicians of Edinburgh, serving in its tercentenary year and
becoming the driving force behind the creation of the College’s Queen Mother
Conference Centre.
The importance of John Strong’s contribution to medical science was recognised
by the award nationally of a CBE and worldwide of many honorary fellowships,
not least from his alma mater, Trinity College Dublin.
24

A truly distinguished member of a remarkable generation, John Strong’s life and
work remind us of the words of Sirach: Give the physician his place, for the Lord
created him; do not let him leave you, for you need him. There may come a
time when recovery lies in the hands of physicians, for they too pray to the Lord
that he grant them success in diagnosis and in healing for the sake of preserving
life.
From the Executive Manager
As you may recall from the Congregational
Meetings of 2011, the plan is that no physical
construction will take place at St John's prior
to September 2014 (primarily due to when
we receive the balance of pledged
donations). However, various events have
meant we are now seriously considering
bringing forward two parts of the project.
Church Heating Changes: It was our hope
that the church’s existing heating system
could be maintained until the Development
(when it is planned to replace the entire
system). However, as you may know, the boiler has become much more erratic
recently and has resulted in the church being extremely cold on occasion.
The problem is to do with the ignition and engineers have been unable to
identify the cause of the fault. Therefore, we will almost certainly have to bring
forward the replacement of our heating system. Vestry will be discussing
different options for replacing the system this month. If Vestry decides to bring
forward the planned replacement of the heating then work will take place in April
/ May at the earliest.
Therefore, until then, we have to ensure that the church remains as warm as
possible for the remainder of winter. We have been advised by mechanical
engineers that bringing additional temporary heaters into the sanctuary would be
impractical and extremely expensive (although we have put some extra heaters
in the hall). Therefore, what we will do is continue to work with our existing
system. A member of staff / volunteer will check the boiler every 30mins or so
and will press the button to re-start the boiler when required. In addition, on
25

Sundays we will make more use of the heater above the main door to reduce
the amount of cold air coming into the church. By these methods, we should
maintain heat in the church over the remainder of winter.
Hall Roof Works / Extension to Planning Permission: We should know by the
end of January whether our application to the Council for a three-year extension
to our planning permission (which expires in July) has been successful. If the
application is unsuccessful then, in order for planning permission not to expire,
we need to make a “substantive” start to the project prior to July. A “substantive”
start needs to be part of the project that affects the external appearance of the
building (i.e. replacing the heating system will not constitute a “substantive”
start). The most likely thing we will do is start work on the hall roof in May / June.
However, if our application is successful, then we do not have the same
pressure to carry out work to the external part of the building at this point in time
and are unlikely to carry out any external works prior to July.
I will keep you informed on both these matters and as ever please feel free to
contact me if you have any questions.
Graeme Glover
Congregational News
Congratulations to Bruce Ritson on being awarded an OBE in the New Year
Honours List for services to alcohol research.
And congratulations also to Isobel Ann Poole who was awarded an OBE for
services to justice in Scotland and to the community on Edinburgh.
Congratulations to Dr Caroline Cradock and Dr Stephen Todd on their
engagement: they are planning a summer wedding.
Congratulations to Monika Janowska and Sean Wood who were married at St
John’s on 5 January.
Congratulations to Donald Reid on his appointment as Chaplain to St
Columba’s Hospice. Good news for Donald. He says: ‘I look forward to this
new chapter very much, but I am just sorry it won't give me more time to work
with Markus and to get to know him. There's never a right time to leave but
26

there is a right time to go to something: when the door opens! Likewise, after
nine years, leaving at John's will be difficult ……’
Eleanor Harris featured in a fine article about her work on the history of St
John’s. You can find this online:
http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/magazine/209805-from-debt-and-imprisonment-tounrequited-love-its-the-history-of-st-johns/
Our commiserations go to the families and friends of Desmond Hodges, John
Burdett and Professor John Strong. Tributes to Desmond and to both Johns
are elsewhere in this magazine. Commiserations also to the family and friends
of Douglas Mure whose funeral was at St Ninian’s Church on Friday 18
January.
Easter Cornerstone
As usual, copies of the Easter edition of Cornerstone will be delivered to all
members of St John’s by their pastoral visitors. In order to ensure that you
receive your copy in good time for Easter itself the magazine will be published
on Sunday 17 March. If you’re a pastoral visitor then please do make a note of
this date and set time aside now so that you’re ready to make your deliveries.
The deadline for contributions is Sunday 3 March.
Anne Mitchell celebrates
Robin Boyd proposed a toast on the occasion of Ann’s 90 birthday
Ann was born and grew up in Oxford; and oddly enough went to the same
school as two of my cousins, who remember her as a distinguished and
meticulous prefect! She took a mathematics degree and also swam for the
University. And then came the War. Then came Angus, her ideal partner, and
marriage, and Edinburgh – and St John’s - and a family of four children and six
grandchildren.
Ann trained as a marriage counsellor, and served as Secretary of the Edinburgh
Marriage Guidance Council for several years. This led to an Edinburgh M Phil in
Social Policy – the first research in the UK to use a cross section of families to
look at the effects of divorce on children. Then started a distinguished writing
27

career: Children in the Middle became a textbook in many countries as did
Coping with Separation and Divorce.
At St John’s she began a series of monthly interviews with interesting people in
the congregation which were published in the magazine. The full collection is
available in the Church Office - a valuable piece of archival history. Local
history became her next field of research, and she wrote The People of Calton
Hill, about the part of Edinburgh where she lived for over 50 years, and then No
More Corncraiks about the Moray Estate, all around the St John’s rectory.
But the War years, and cracking of codes were a very significant part of her life
story. As a Maths graduate she was just the kind of person needed for Bletchley
Park and from September 1943 she worked as a cryptographer on one of the
most famous German systems, known as the Enigma machine. The story of
that piece of code-breaking, so long kept in total secrecy, has now become well
known. And by far the best explanation of that machine I have ever read is that
given by Ann herself, which many of you have heard.
I worked at Bletchley too, but in a much less glamorous role. Ann was down in
the engine room, as it were: working in the cramped conditions of the huts at
28

Station X or BP as we called it - that romantic world of Alan Turing and his
friends where I would have liked to be. But His Majesty’s Secret Service went
about its way in mysterious fashion, and I found myself pigging it in a posh 8th
floor apartment in a block of flats in Park Lane, between Grosvenor House and
the Dorchester. But it was Ann and her bit of the enterprise who managed to
shorten the war! And of course none of us could say a word about it even to our
nearest and dearest for decades - not even to Angus! But at last under Gordon
Brown’s regime we finally managed to secure our GCCS badges (Government
Code and Cypher School) with the enigmatic words ‘We also Served’.
And finally another kind of code-breaking. You’ve probably seen the film The
Leaving of Liverpool and in Australia I’ve been very conscious of the people,
now fairly elderly, who were shipped to Australia soon after the War, and lost all
touch with their families. Ann, with her knowledge of adoptions and her skill at
breaking through barriers of non-information, worked with Barnardo’s and other
agencies to re-unite long-broken families, with some very heart-warming results.
That’s the kind of person she is; super-intelligent, hospitable, caring, effective,
and courageous.
[Editor’s Note. Ann, being Ann, was embarrassed by this event and the more so
by my insistence that Robin’s speech appeared in the Cornerstone. But then, it
was Ann who injected the much-loved Profile of Members into the Cornerstone,
and this is a step towards having something similar, aimed at recording some
the experiences and reflections of our older members.]
The Choir Celebrates its chaplain – with a psalm
1 Peter Brand is a collector:
so for his birthday we present the Museum of Peter Brand.
2 Over here is the Paleantology gallery:
Peter is an expert in non-marine bivalves of the Carboniferous or in other
words, fossilized cockles.
3 If you want to know about the litho-stratigraphical classification of Upper
Devonian and Lower Carboniferous rocks in the Lothians:
he is the man to ask.
4 For many years Peter was Diocesan Warden of Readers:
and he still curates a fine collection of readers in St John's.
29

5 When they see the clipboard approaching:
the specimens know it’s their turn to come out on display.
6 Here are cabinets brimming with choir practices:
by our calculation Peter must have collected around a thousand Thursday
nights since Neville appointed him Choir Chaplain.
7 There’s music by Palestrina, Tallis, Howells, Finzi, Mudge, Dinnie and
Doughty:
but in Peter's version all of it is on one note.
8 There are also mem'rable occasions:
like when we kept him out till 2 am, and when he wasn't there the
following week we thought Sheelagh was never going to let him back.
9 The most impressive gallery is stamps:
for Peter is three-times-president of the Scottish Philatelist Society.
10 The society began as the Briefmarken-Sammler-Vereinzu Edin-burgh und
Leith:
on the fourth of November eighteen ninety three.
11 Peter’s collection was described recently by Lanarkshire Philatelist
Society:
as a truly wonderful display.
12 The highlights included a letter sent in eighteen oh six (!):
from a French prisoner of war in Biggar.
13 We are not making this up:
you can find it all on-line.
14 In the final gallery of Peter's museum you can relax:
after all this intellectual activity.
15 Here the curator-in-chief is Sheelagh:
and Peter is relegated to hard working assistant.
16 Here you will find dozens of cozy, sleeping, new-born babies:
and thousands and thousands of lovely cups of coffee.
17 Who is able to count:
the rocks, stamps, readers, choir practices, foster babies and coffee,
18 Which Peter has collected, recorded, cherished, and given a-way:
from his marvellous magical museum?
19 Now he has collected eighty years:
(rit) it's high time we gave him back a song:
30

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, dear Peter. Happy birthday to you!
George Brodlie –
A short biography in celebration of 100 years
31
Eleanor Harris
George Brodlie was born in Forfar on the 31 st of January, 1913. His sister, Ella,
was born in 1919. The family business was that of the Forfar Rope Works,
George Brodlie & Sons whose founder was the present George Brodlie’s
grandfather and the ‘sons’ were his father, William Samson Brodlie and his
uncle, Jimmy.
George was educated at Forfar Academy where he was the dux of the school.
He was also a choirboy at St John’s Episcopal Church in Forfar. His early
hobbies were walking, cycling and supporting Forfar Athletic. In 1935 George
left Edinburgh University having obtained a degree in English Literature. He
became a journalist, initially working for a few months (unpaid) on the
Linlithgowshire Gazette which was followed by a short spell of paid employment
as a reporter on the Kincardineshire Observer in Laurencekirk. He then joined
the Aberdeen Press and Journal as a general reporter in 1936. His wartime
service with 45 Squadron RAF was spent in Egypt, Libya and then India.
After the war he spent a year or two helping his father in the family business, but
this was not a great success. Before the war George had met the love of his
life, Anna Grassie, and they communicated throughout the war by letter. They
married in 1945 and their son, Kenneth was born in 1947. Kenneth married
Trish in 1973 and two grandsons, Malcolm and Alastair, were born in 1977 and
1979 respectively. His wife Anna died in 1997. Malcolm, his grandson, married
Ashleigh in 2006 and great-grandson, Thomas, was born in 2009. His sister,
Ella, died in 2010.
George and Anna became members of St John’s shortly after their move to
Edinburgh in 1952 when George became a sub-editor and reporter on The
Scotsman newspaper, later transferring to the business desk as a writer and
financial editor until officially retiring in 1978. He continued writing freelance for
over 20 years after retirement and contributed a weekly Market Review, often in

the form of a dialogue between The Stockbroker and The Man at the Bar, in
Throgmorton Street, London.
George has had a lifelong interest in all affairs Scottish, and has been a member
of the Scottish National Party since before the war. He has written a published
book on Scotland as well as several short stories for The Scots Magazine. He
has long been a prominent member of the Edinburgh Rotary Club and is now an
honorary member.
Winifred Wyse
The Advent Quiet Day
On Saturday 2 December twenty five of us
from St John’s attended a quiet day in St.
Catherine’s Convent, Lauriston Gardens.
It was organised by Sarah Kilbey and led
by the retired Bishop of Stafford, Gordon
Mursell. Bishop Mursell had impressed
Sarah and Donald Reid at a clergy retreat
and he certainly impressed us very much
indeed. He has a light and humorous
touch, which had us laughing at times but
he was also serious.
He started with a half-hour talk on John
the Baptist, we then had an hour and a
half quiet time, spent in the chapel, the
garden or the conference room. At 12.30
he spoke about the Virgin Mary and then
we had lunch. The nuns provided soup
(and tea and coffee) and we brought sandwiches and fruit. After another quiet
period we re-convened for communion. This was led by Donald Reid and
included another talk from the bishop. We finished the day at about 3.30 and
felt that it had been both interesting and helpful in getting us in the right frame of
mind for Advent and what Christmas really is. We were very grateful to Sarah
and Bishop Gordon and many of us expressed the wish that we could have
another Quiet Day on those lines.
Jeremy Jameson
32

The Glasgow Commonwealth Games
A report from St John’s Social Committee of talk in November given by Gordon
Arthur, Director of Communications for Glasgow 2014
In the afterglow of the London 2012 Olympics,
Gordon Arthur’s illustrated talk raised our
enthusiasm for Glasgow 2014 to a new level. The
audience came with a wide range of interests, from
those who remembered when the games were
held in Edinburgh (1970 and 1986), including a
former Commonwealth Games child mascot, to
those with a general interest in business and event
organisation in Scotland.
We were held captivated by the level of detail needed for organising every
aspect of the games (just look into the explanation of the logo design, for
example). We were also impressed with how ambitious but also highly realistic
the games are. Crucially, Glasgow will not be left with a redundant athletics
centre, as Hampden Park is being used as a temporary venue. Every
opportunity for social inclusion is being taken: apprenticeships are being offered
to young people in areas such as construction and HR, and many people will
experience the camaraderie of the Games through volunteering. Check out
www.glasgow2014.com for further information, including registration for
information on how to volunteer and book tickets. See you in Glasgow!
Forthcoming Events
33
Marion Watson
Institution of Markus Dünzkofer as Rector of St John’s
This takes place on Monday 11 February at 7.30pm followed by a reception in
the hall. Please let the office know if you plan to attend for catering purposes.
Diocesan Borders Pilgrimage
This will be led by Bishop John on Saturday 11 May 2013. It will be the fourth
Diocesan Borders Pilgrimage and the first led by Bishop John. Details of the
route(s) will follow.

Shrove Tuesday Social Night
Members of our choir will be donning secular garb to provide entertainment for a
social evening on Tuesday 12 February at 7.30pm in the church hall. Sweet
pancakes and a glass of wine or fruit juice are included in the ticket price of just
£5 (£2.50 for uner 18s). Tickets are available from members of the social
committee.
Oklahoma with the Social Committee
The Social Committee are organising an outing to see The Southern Light
Opera Company perform ‘Oklahoma!’ at the King’s Theatre on Saturday 16
March (matinee performance). Tickets £17 or £15 registered disabled. If you
would like to go please speak to Fiona McLuckie during coffee on Sundays or
telephone 315-4718 – closing date Sunday 3rd February.
Creative Together
We are very pleased to have a few new members this year and delighted to be
able to donate well over £1900 over the year (and more has come in since I
went to the bank!) to Christian Aid. Our numbers are still small and we are
always very grateful for the extra support given so willingly to us by members
and friends of the TOGETHER congregations on event days. This is an
excellent way of getting to know people we may not come across at other times.
Our range of craft work is expanding as new members join us. Much of this is
created in our own homes as it is not suited to doing elsewhere. However,
those who knit still do so at our monthly meetings. We value these meetings for
the fellowship we have found together and the exchange of ideas. Our meetings
are on the third Wednesday of the month, anytime between 10.00am and
1.00pm. If you would like to meet new people, or even spend more time with
friends you already know, come and join us. Give me a call for directions of how
to find us.
Maggie Morley 225 2774
34

Ecumenical Lent Groups
This is our Story: Journeys of Faith
Congregations in West Central Edinburgh
and City Centre Churches invite you to join
with them as they meet together in small
groups for Bible study, discussion & prayer
over five weeks of Lent. This is our Story:
Journeys of Faith, the course chosen for Lent
2013, has been developed by Churches
Together in Britain & Ireland (CTBI) in
conjunction with BBC Radio. In addition to
the material for group study sessions, there
will also be linked programmes on Radio 4 and local radio for those who would
like to listen.
The course has been written by Revd Nicholas Sagovsky, an Anglican priest,
who is Whitelands Professorial Fellow at Roehampton University. Until last
year, he was Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey. Nick has said, ‘I wrote
this course because I have learnt so much from the members of a little Bible
Study Group I started for people who have sought asylum. They have made -
and are making - fantastic journeys of faith. I believe our churches are full of
people with great stories to tell, and that studying Scripture together can help
each one of us see our life as a journey of faith. We can learn so much as we
hear about other people's journeys of faith - the good bits and the hard bits - and
we can see more clearly how we follow in the footsteps of those who have gone
before us - right back to Jesus and to the Israelites who endured such hardships
in the wilderness to come to their promised land.'
Groups begin 18 February and the closing date for applications is Monday
4 February, but there may still be a few places available. Please contact
Helen Hood via email: lentgroups@gmail.com or tel: (0131) 447 6469 for
information. Leaflets will be available at St John’s.
You can also download the application form from our own website – follow
the link in the Lent Section (under the Worship tab)
35

Walking Group
7 February 2013
Water of Leith walk
(Ann Malcolm Smith: 667 2482).
The walks in February and March are listed
below. Further information will be put up on the
noticeboards in the church porch and hall.
Alternatively contact the walk leader. For general
information please contact Veronica Harris at
walking@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk or 0131 228
1016.
The programme of walks for 2013-2014 is
expected to be available sometime in February.
16 February 2013
The Bore Stane from Nine Mile Burn. This walk will take us up onto the main
Pentland Ridge and past the North Esk Reservoir. We return to Nine Mile Burn
by the Monks Road (Veronica Harris: 228 1016).
7 March 2013
A circular walk from Tyninghame Links car park that includes St Baldred’s
Cradle. (Marjory Currie: 337 3833).
16 March 2013
Lauder circular walk. 10 mile walk into the Lammermuir Hills, partly on the
Southern Upland Way on clear hill tracks and woodland paths Some moderate
gradients in places (Georgina Rosair: 07584 035 279).
Growth Group meeting on AIDS
Marion Chatterley joined the Growth Group in Donald’s flat for a meal (fantastic
butternut squash soup and chocolate bread and butter pudding thanks to
Raymond!). Marion is a priest in the Episcopal church and for the last 12 years
has been Chaplain with Waverley Care, which provides care and support to
people living with HIV or Hepatitis C and raises awareness of these conditions
36

and their prevention. Marion’s post is a
post part-funded by the Scottish Episcopal
Church.
The story of HIV in Scotland is one where
the public health message has amazingly
proved effective with the drug injecting
community but largely ignored by the
general population. Much has changed
since HIV dominated the headlines in the
1980s and early 90s. People can now live
well with HIV in Scotland and have a near
normal life expectancy, especially if
diagnosed early. However, a lack of knowledge and information amongst the
general public means HIV stigma is still a huge issue and isolation is the norm
for ordinary men and women who have ignored the warnings about unprotected
sex.
Marion spoke inspiringly and movingly of her role, ‘being the church’ to the
people she works with: affirming, healing, forgiving, blessing, proclaiming God’s
love. Indeed, it seemed to us, that her work in this edgy ministry was an
example of the ministry of Jesus and the church at its best, something we as a
congregation should aspire to support and live up to.
[Editor’s Note: See the autumn 2011 edition of Inspires, the magazine for the
Scottish Episcopal Church, for an article by Marion on her work with Waverley
Care. See also the latest Adventures in Faith for details of a lecture she is
giving in Dunbar in May.]
The Rock Trust Sleepout
It had been a good week of fundraising, after a fairly barren first few weeks of
the campaign, and whilst buoyed by the support, the burden of responsibility
seemed heavy. I expect I wasn't alone in enduring some mental agony
beforehand, wondering if I could carry it through again. But I was lucky enough
to meet up with some sterling people from JCI Edinburgh and Blake Stevenson
Consulting which helped enormously and weather conditions were kinder this
year - a balmy 8 degrees though with 30kmh gusts which were just sufficient to
send the steel barriers of our enclosure crashing over in the night. Yet in some
ways the challenge was harder this year.
37

It was a 12 hour shift this time (7.00pm-7.00am) which made me realise that
homelessness, or more specifically rooflessness, is not just about finding shelter
between 11.00pm–7.00am, but is also about maintaining your health, well-being,
demeanour and mental agility during the other 16 hours of the day, when it is
often dark, when you have nowhere to go, and you are among strangers. So we
were faced with the task of trying to keep warm on a dark blustery evening for
several hours before it was appropriate to lie down on the cold pavement. There
were about 40-50 sleepers, and despite the relatively mild conditions, most
found it impossible to stay completely warm. When you are cold, as everyone
knows, it is hard to sleep.
So did we sleep? I think most of us at least acknowledged sleep by about
4.00am, although the rain began at around 3.30am and was surprisingly noisy
when peppered with gusts of wind. And despite the disquiet of knowing you are
not entirely safe and secure, sleep does at least transport you from your troubles
for a few hours.
We were awoken at 6.00m, in tune with the early city street noises, (and where it
is futile to try to sleep on) knowing that we would be able to seek comfort in our
own heated homes, our own beds later. But as we discarded the cardboard
sleeping bags, and dusted ourselves down in the morning dark, there was still
time to acknowledge those who would have to spend the coming 16 hours
fighting insecurity, anguish and fear on the city streets.
The event was particularly well organised this year, with St Andrews Ambulance,
G4S, Biggart Baillie, Taylor Wimpey and The Rock Trust, among others,
38

donating staff time to steward and marshall. The venue at Festival Square
(opposite the Usher Hall) seemed good, spacious and secure, helped with black
and yellow security tape and luminous vested stewards. Lothian Road was
quieter than I remember George Street to be two years ago, certainly less
trouble, but this meant fewer coins tossed into the bucket collections.
Sincere thanks to those of you have donated: a total of £1,014.24 was raised.
Contributions go direct to the various Rock Trust avenues of Emergency
Accommodation, Supported Accommodation, the Underground Cafe & Drop-in
centre and Through-Care which provide skills support for independent living.
Homelessness
39
Ken Macrae
As in past years, St John’s has been involved with other Together Churches in
different kinds of outreach this winter. Our catering team led by Isobel Watson
provided two delicious suppers at the Care Shelter in December and again in
January, supported by a strong team of severs and welcomers, at St Cuthbert’s
and Bristo Baptist Church. Numbers coming were, sadly, still no lower than in
recent years. Thanks to the generosity of members of the congregation, a range
of warm winter clothes, hats, gloves, sweaters and coats was on offer and
eagerly snapped up b y a cold clientele on an especially chilly night.
Our New Year Lunch was again held at the Salvation Army Centre in Niddry
Street, on 11 January. This year we worked with both the Salvation Army and
Streetwork to provide a festive meal at two sittings. It was gratifying to have so
many willing volunteers for this, and the services of a valiant group of musicians
enlisted by Sue Sellar to provide a strong musical background (Scottish
traditional).
As usual, St John’s members have been generous in their support of these
events, and at the time of writing well over £600 has been contributed, with Gift
Aid to follow. Any surplus beyond the needs of these meals will go to
organisations working to relieve the plight of homeless people on the streets of
our city. A very warm thank you to all.
Robert Philp

The Christmas Mural
Unusually the Christmas mural had the air of pantomime about it, complete with
risqué double entendre … if you can spot it. A Jesus-like Prince Charming is
kneeling, trying to see if a shoe branded ‘Equality’ will fit a woman (Cinderella?).
Watching this, three ugly sisters in ecclesiastical garb girn (‘No woman
bishops!’, ‘No gay people!’ and ‘No balls for you!’) as the audience shout
warning: ‘They’re BEHIND YOU’. On Epiphany Sunday two visitors from
Trinidad and Tobago came to St John’s came because they liked the mural.
The January Mural
For 'Blue Monday', the January 2013 mural illustrates the truth that for someone
with a mental health problem, how those around them deal with it makes a
difference. Conceived in collaboration with the See me campaign
(www.seemescotland.org)
40

A Good Friday Procession of Witness?
Twenty or more years ago, when we lived in South West London, we floated the
idea of having a silent procession through the local streets on Good Friday. The
idea caught on and has become an important annual ecumenical event in
Barnes. Talking with Robin Boyd recently, he told me of a similar event with
which he was involved in Melbourne. Theirs is called the ‘Melbourne Way of the
Cross’ and became a big project with 14 beautiful bronze stations of the cross
commissioned from a young Melbourne artist, Anna Meszaros, permanently
displayed outside 13 Melbourne Churches. On Good Friday the procession
pauses at each station for prayer, readings, reflection and song. The first walk
was held in 2000 and now attracts upwards of 3,000 people for all or part of it.
Regular walks are also held on Fridays throughout the year.
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful example of Christian unity and witness if we could
establish something similar in Edinburgh, through Together? Start small and
pray that it catches on and flourishes. Just to imagine the look on shoppers
faces as a large silent crowd of ordinary people process along George and
41

Princes streets behind a life size cross should be encouragement enough to
make it happen! Tell our Together Trustees that you’re up for it and give them
the incentive to put it in hand.
Wren Hoskyns-Abrahall
News from the Terrace
One World Shop
One World Shop in Glasgow
After a busy festive season but with a drop in sales from last Christmas, we start
this year with sad news. Due to the current economic climate we have
unfortunately taken the decision to close our Glasgow premises from April 2013
(or as soon as we can find a new tenant). The rent and operating costs
currently exceed our income and we are no longer able to operate from our
Great Western Road location. To some extent, our Edinburgh shop has been
able to financially support the Glasgow shop over the past few years, but with
the Edinburgh shop sales falling and the continued tram works adding to the
lack of footfall, we are no longer in the position to do this. We are committed to
remain a leading presence in the promotion of Fair Trade in Glasgow and are
currently exploring new ideas and opportunities as to how best to do this. We
hope to re-locate this year and to find new ways, new outlets and new premises
in order to continue our work. Our education work with schools, colleges,
universities and community organisations will continue without interruption.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2013 (25 Feb - 10 March)
The theme for this year is 'Go Further for Fairtrade'. The Fairtrade Foundation is
asking the nation to go the extra mile for Fairtrade in 2013. Here in Edinburgh
we will be welcoming a dried fruit farmer from South Africa who supplies the
Traidcraft products we sell in our shop. Everyone is welcome to hear him speak
at our:
Fair Trade Celebration
This will take place at 10.30am on Saturday 9 March at Out of the Blue in
Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh. Come and enjoy free brunch, stalls, music,
speeches and presentation of the Lord Provost Fair Trade Awards. More details
in the shop.
Rachel Farey
42

Cornerstone Bookshop Book Reviews for Lent
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2013
‘Abiding’
by Ben Quash 9781441151117 £9.99
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book is
usually an interesting choice, and this year’s is
no exception. In it Quash explores the concept of
Abiding in the context of Jesus’ words, ‘Abide in
me as I abide in you … as the Father has loved
me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.’ This
book shows the sense of full personal
commitment, of solidarity, that abiding conveys.
Quash writes of God’s commitment to us and
ours to our communities, an ‘abiding’ that calls us
to openness, relinquishment and change. He
uses fiction, film and art as well as figures from
Christian tradition to investigate the implications
of such an ‘abiding’ for us, our relationships and
our communities.
‘Journeying with Jesus’
Edited by Lucy Russell 9781408182079 £9.99
This Lent book is a collection of personal
reflections on the Stations of the Cross and
Resurrection from a variety of people, whose
personal experiences inspire their thoughts.
Some contributors are Margaret Mizen, whose
son was murdered in an unprovoked attack, and
who identifies with Mary at the foot of the cross,
physicist Russell Stannard reflecting on space in
the empty tomb and Kelly Connor, who ran over
and killed someone and who writes about the
need to be forgiven. Other contributors include
Archbishop John Sentamu, Peter Hitchins, Fr
Timothy Radcliffe and Ruth Burrows.
43

‘When You Pray:
Daily Bible Readings for Lent and Easter on the Lord’s Prayer.’
by Joanna Callicutt 9780857460899 £7.99
The BRF (Bible Reading Fellowship) Lent Book is
usually a popular choice and Joanna Callicutt’s
‘When You Pray’ looks like it will be just as well
received. In it Callicutt shows how growing as a
Christian is rooted in the prayer that Jesus gave us.
In praying the Lord’s Prayer we express our
relationship with God, absorb gospel values and are
encouraged to live them out in our lives. The book
also has links to free online resources to support
the book for Lent Study Groups and for personal
reflection.
‘Friends, Foes and Families’
by Judith Diamond 9780281064564 £7.99
The Lenten meditations on Bible characters and
relationships in this book explore common themes
of wilderness, death and resurrection. Through this
threefold pattern, Diamond shows us how reflecting
on the Bible’s stories of both good and bad
relationships we can come to view our own more
clearly and think about what they mean to us. In
exploring the portraits of Bible characters she paints
we can come to fresh ways of understanding and
valuing those around us.
Don’t forget that as well as these and other religious titles Cornerstone can order
any book that is in print for you. They also provide a mail order service. Call
them on 0131 229 3776 to place your order!
44

St Aidan and St Thomas within the Wardrobe
A Message from Canon Wishwash
Once again I accept with gratitude the privilege of helping readers clarify their
thoughts on difficult theological issues. In a few days time we shall celebrate
Ash Wednesday, and the arrival of the season of abstinence. But I must remind
you that, if abstinence is to have any meaning, there must be things to abstain
from. So it would be best to enjoy what is left of Epiphany with gross indulgence
of all the pleasures of the flesh, so that Lent may be that much more of a Lenten
contrast.
Stop press
Our fearless team of investigative journalists, by applying for a Freedom of
Information Order, have forced the Episcopalian Ombudsperson, OFFBISH, to
publish in full the rules for Bishops in the Church of England.
Bishops may have Cable TV but must only watch BBC4.
Bishops may go to the Folies Bergères so long as they shut their eyes during
the naughty bits.
Bishops may attend life drawing classes provided the models are dimly lit.
Bishops may attend Certificate 18 films, provided they are accompanied by a
responsible adult.
Bishops may have horns on their bicycles but must not toot them.
Bishops may go to public houses but must avoid ever buying a round of drinks.
Bishops may own tandem bicycles, but should always ride on the front seat.
Bishops may attend fancy dress parties but must never actually wear dresses or
silly hats.
News from the Altogether
At the last meeting it was decided to purchase one of the redundant Police
Boxes that have been offered for sale. This will enable us to claim that one of
our premises is always ‘standing room only’.
A Helpful Offer
As you know at St Aidan’s and St Thomas Without the Wardrobe we recently
installed a new Rector. The order of service for the occasion was devised with a
good deal of time and trouble, so we freely offer it here for use by other
congregations.
1. The Bishop arrives and is kept waiting outside in the rain to symbolise the
democratic independence of Episcopal congregations.
45

2. The Candidate arrives and discovers (his only chance) what it is like to be
a stranger at the church by having to try all five doors before discovering
that the one he tried first has been opened while he was round the other
side.
3. The Candidate then proceeds to the Gallery.
4. The Bishop is finally allowed in and processes down the aisle to ‘The
Dead March’ from ‘Saul’.
5. The Candidate suddenly whooshes down from the Gallery to the
Sanctuary on a zip-wire.
6. Following the laying off of bets [surely that should be ‘laying on of hands’:
Ed] the candidate is presented with symbolic gifts as follows:
- From the Eco-Warriors: a set of thermal combinations
- From the Sound Engineer: a radio-mike that switches itself on at
embarrassing moments
- From the Choir: some ear plugs.
- From the Lothian and Borders Police: A booklet of instructions on
how to set the alarms, printed in impenetrable jargon with one key
instruction omitted.
- From the Surveyor: a report on the extent of the dry rot, wet rot,
rust, moth, corruption etc
- From the Treasurer: an IOU.
- From the Bishop: tips on how to get out of the job of being Rector.
7. During the above a new member of the music team, Fragrant Ambrosian
Melody, will warble dreamily on the nose-flute.
Readings & Rotas
Coffee Rota
February 3 S Brand S Kilbey E Law
10 H Tait J Rennie L Darke
17 E Yeo C McNaughton J Macleod
24 A Usher W Wyse S Brand
March 3 A Usher C Legge P Walliker
10 M Warrack S Brand E Carruthers
17 A Horsfall S Goode V Lobban
24 S Brand S Jameson J Rennie
31 H Tait S Kilbey J Macleod
Volunteers are always welcome – please contact Sheelagh Brand on 0131 339 440
46

Readings
3 February
Feast of The
Presentation
10 February
Quinqugesima
17 February
Lent 1
24 February
Lent 2
3 March
Lent 3
10 March
Mothering
Sunday
17 March
Passion
Sunday
24 March
Palm Sunday
31 March
Easter Day
9.30am Matins 10.30am Eucharist 6.00pm Evensong
Hosea 8
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Exodus 33:17-23
1 John 3:1-3
Micah 6:1-8
Luke 5:27-39
Genesis 17:1-7 & 15-16
Romans 11:!3-24
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
John 17:1 & 11-19
Exodus 2:1-10
Luke 2:33-35
Isaiah 35
Romans 7:21 – 8:4
Zechariah 9:9-12
1 Corinthians 2:1-12
Ezekiel 47:1-12
John 2:13-22
Shaded squares denote ‘no service’
Malachi 3, 1-5;
Hebrews 2, 14- end
St Luke 2,22-40
Isaiah 6: 1-8
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:2
Luke 9:28-36
Isaiah 55:1-9
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9
1 Samuel 1:20-28
Colossians 3:12-17
John 19:25-27
Isaiah 43:16-21
Philippians 3:4-14
John 12:1-8
Isaiah 50:4-9
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23 and 56
Acts 10:34-43
1 Coirinthians 15:19-26
Luke 24: 1-12
47
Haggai 2: 1-9
St John 2: 18-22
Exodus 3:1-6
John 12:27-36
Jonah 3
Luke 18:9-14
Jeremiah 22:1-9 & 13-17
Luke 14:27-33
Genesis 28:10-19
John 1:35-51
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
John 19:25-27
Eve of St Patrick
Isaiah 42:1-17
Luke 10:1-20
Isaiah 5:1-7
Luke 20:9-19
Isaiah 43:1-21
John 20:19-23
Copy Date for next Magazine: Sunday 3rd March
Please send copy as a word attachment to an email