Revd Ian Gilmour - St Andrew's & St George's

St Andrew’s and St George’s West 

Diary and Newsletter 

July- August 2011 

1

What’s inside? 

Page 

Don’t covet your neighbour’s spiritual path 3-4 

Summer Diary at a glance 

5-7 

Holiday Cover – Listening and Sharing – Church and 

Society Day Conference - Congregational Register 

TOGETHER News togetherness – Revd Tony Bryer – 8-9 

FoSP – Jazz in the Church 

News from church groups Amnesty – Chapel Group – 10-12 

Undercroft – Church Flowers – Volunteer Speaker 

Kirk Session News 13 

Festival news 14 

Music News - The Choir goes south – Bach and Mozart 15-17 

on the Fringe – Music and Meditation 

News from our bellringers 18-19 

Cornerstone Service Revd Norman Shanks: Not lost, 20-23 

just finding our way – wordle – Alex’s Angle 

In the footsteps of Livingstone? 24-28 

Visual arts Precious Light – Prestonpans Tapestry – 29-30 

People‟s Bible – It could have been me 

15 minutes with...Sarah Forrester interviews Ian Gilmour 31 

A Chance to Thrive: Russell McLarty moves on 32 

Easter Play 2012: an appeal for support 33 

Truth 34 

Contacts 35-36 

Newsletter team 

Design and layout: Andrena and Alison B 

Mailing Rosemary W 

Email: inspire at standrewsandstgeorges dot org dot uk. Many 

thanks to all contributors. Photos, articles, events, prayers, 

poems are welcome by email or through the offices at 

Shandwick Place and George Street. Next copy deadline: 

Monday 22 August for publication Sunday 28 August. 

Save a tree - read the newsletter online on the home or diary 

page at www.standrewsandstgeorges.org.uk 

2

Don’t Covet Your Neighbour's 

Spiritual Path 

One of the stimulating aspects of 

working at St Andrew‟s and St 

George‟s West is that each member is 

different, all unique personalities, 

having had diverse experiences of life 

and of God. 

We are all shaped by our journeys and 

perhaps in the life of the wider church 

we need to recognise this more 

deeply. In his recent book, „Sacred Pathways‟, Gary Thomas 

suggests alternative pathways to God for different personalities. 

The book unpacks nine distinct spiritual temperaments -their 

traits, strengths, and pitfalls. In one or more of these, you will 

see yourself and the ways you most naturally express your 

relationship with Jesus Christ. Whatever temperament or blend 

of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it‟s not by 

accident. It‟s by the design of a Creator who knew what he was 

doing when he made you according to his own unique 

specifications. „Sacred Pathways‟ helps show you the route 

you were designed to travel. 

Activists: Loving God through confrontation 

Ascetics: Loving God in solitude and simplicity 

Caregivers: Loving God by loving others 

Contemplatives: Loving God through adoration 

Enthusiasts: Loving God with mystery and celebration 

Intellectuals: Loving God through the mind 

Naturalists: Loving God out of doors 

Sensates: Loving God with the senses 

Traditionalists: Loving God through ritual and symbol 

3

As we plan our future our worship services and our outreach we 

can consider how we can provide for these types both within 

and beyond our congregation? Is our personality type more 

important than our age for our spiritual journey? How can we 

offer glimpses of the richness of faith and love for those who 

see the world and respond to it in a dissimilar fashion to us? In 

„Sacred Pathways‟, Thomas strips away the frustration of a onesize-fits-all 

spirituality and guides you toward a path of worship 

that frees you to be you. If your devotional times have become 

dull, perhaps it is because you are trying to follow someone 

else‟s path. Better to discover the path God designed for you - 

a path marked by growth and fulfilment, based on your 

temperament. 

I have also been considering various bible passages as we plan 

our joint future. I am looking for a passage which summarises 

the elements that our members would like to experience in the 

journey of our new congregation. Three passages have come 

to the forefront of my mind: Acts Chapter 2, Romans Chapter 12 

and Micah 6.8 which is short enough to print here 

And what does the Lord require of us? 

To act justly 

to love mercy and 

to walk humbly with your God. 

I would be pleased to hear which one is most helpful for you 

and if any other passages encourage you as you consider the 

exciting pathway ahead for all the personalities which make up 

St Andrew‟s and St George‟s West. 

Smile through this summer season. 

Live, Love, Enjoy God, 

Blessings, Ian 

4

Summer 2011 Diary at a Glance 

Information correct at TGP. Please check the website diary 

www.standrewsandstgeorges.org.uk/diary.php and weekly 

notices for up to date information. 

Summer 2011 Diary 

July 2011 

Sun 3 

Thurs 7 

Sun 10 

9am, 9.45am, 11am services (George St) 

Revd Ian Gilmour 

10.30 am (George St) Chapel Group meets (p10) 


Revd Alastair McGregor 

Sun 17 


Revd Tom Gordon 

Sun 24 



Tue 26 

Sun 31 

12.30 pm (George St) Amnesty Group meets (p10) 



6-7pm (St Cuthbert’s) Jazz in the Church 

ecumenical service with Lillian Boutte (p9) 

5

August 2011 

Thurs 4 

Sun 7 

Sun 14 

Sat 20 

Sun 21 

Sun 28 

Tue 30 

Wed 31 

10.30 am (George St) Chapel Group meets (p10) 


Revd Elizabeth Curran 



Bold Moves Genesis 45:1-15 

7.30pm (George St) Choir Concert (p16) 



Be Transformed Romans 12: 1-8 



Full Life, Despite Disability Romans 12:9-21 

12.30pm (George St) Amnesty group meets (p10) 

11.30am - 1pm (George St) One Song - bringing 

harmony to our common home 

part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace 

September 2011 preview 

Sun 4 


Revd Ian Gilmour A Merchant Navy Theme Psalm 

104 Guest interviewee Professor Gordon Milne 

Congregational Gathering 1pm-3.30pm 

6

Listening and Sharing 

Ian Gilmour's feedback on the 

listening process of which the 

questionnaires and numerous 

conversations have been part 

will take place on the Sunday 

4th September after worship 

between 1.00pm and 3.30pm. 

All will be made most welcome 

as this process is designed to 

help us together set a course 

for the next phase of church 

life. Ian will be sharing what he 

has heard from our members 

and elders and will outline 

some options for the future of 

the congregation. 

Holiday Arrangements 

The minister is on holiday 

from the 8th of July to the 

8th of August. 

Pastoral cover will be 

provided mainly by Revd 

Alistair McGregor with 

support from the Revd Bill 

Clinkenbeard. 

Initial contact should be 

made with the George 

Street Church office on 

Tel 0131 225 3847, email 

info at standrewsandstgeorges 

dot org dot uk 

Church and Society Day Conference 

Saturday 17 September, Larbert 

Supporting the Next Generation: Education and Early 

Intervention 

Congregational Register Update 

IN: Revd Ian Y Gilmour and Mrs Donna Gilmour 

Removal by Certificate of Transference 

Mr John W Wightman, CVO CBE 

Miss Josee Mobbs 

7

News from TOGETHER 

Coming soon: 

Details of Festival services at 

the TOGETHER churches 

Just announced: 

the appointment of Revd Tony 

Bryer as Workplace Chaplain in 

Edinburgh City Centre, funded by 

TOGETHER. He will start work in 

early October. 

Just published: 

If you missed hearing Norman 

Shanks speak at the TOGETHER 

service on 5 th June or if you‟d just 

like to “listen again” you‟ll find 

edited highlights of his sermon in 

this Diary and Newsletter 

The Festival of Spirituality and 

Peace: Faith, Hope and Reality 

Pick up a programme 

Volunteer with FoSP 2011 

6th -29th August 

We will be accepting volunteer 

applications until 28th July 

www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk 

8

News from Church Groups 

Chapel Group (formerly the House Group) 

The Chapel Group will meet at 10.30am on Thursday 7th July 

and the topic is "An Introduction to the book of Revelation"- 

this follows from the last chapters of "The Prodigal God". We 

will meet again on 4 th August at 10.30am. 

Margaret McGregor 

Amnesty International - good news! 

We were delighted to hear that Eynulla Fatullayev has been 

pardoned and released from prison in Azerbaijan. Eynulla is a 

newspaper editor and was jailed on charges Amnesty 

believes were fabricated to silence his criticism of the 

authorities. We sent greetings cards to him in December and 

sent letters to the authorities on his behalf in March. 

Our Amnesty group meets on the last Tuesday of the 

month at 12.30pm in the Undercroft Café. Our next 

meeting is Tuesday 26 July. Please join us - all are 

welcome 

We hope you‟ve got your contacts list 

and find it useful. If you don‟t yet have 

one and would like a copy please ask 

at the George St office. We have made 

enough for all members and friends of 

StAStGW. 

10


Church flowers 

Some time ago an appeal was 

made in this Newsletter for 

more people who would be 

prepared to supply and/or 

arrange the Church Flowers. 

Unfortunately this produced no 

new people. The number who 

are on the list is now down to 

five and this puts a huge 

burden on the Flower 

Convener and those who are 

on the list. 

We all enjoy the floral displays 

on a Sunday morning so can 

we please once again appeal 

for people to join in the service 

to the Glory of God. 

If you can help, please contact 

Cath Reid via the Church 

Office. 

Can you help me, 

please? 

I am a volunteer speaker for 

the Macular Disease 

Society and am looking for 

engagements. 

Macular Disease (MD) is 

the commonest form of 

blindness in the UK. Too 

many people are still being 

'diagnosed and dumped' 

and told "Nothing can be 

done". The hospital/optician 

wash their hands of you. 

But the MD Society is there 

to support, advise, inform 

and does a great job in this 

and in raising funds for 

research. If you are a 

member of any society, 

association, group who is 

looking for a speaker, even 

at the last minute, please 

let me know via the church 

office. 

Jesus said he came to bring 

fullness of life. That is what I 

want for those with MD. 

11 

Nancie Swan


For as long as anyone can remember, the first Friday of every 

month at the Undercroft has had a unique character, one of 

indefinable benevolence. Margaret Horsey has been a faithful 

member of the team of Crofters for 31 years, but now that she is 

in her tenth decade she has decided to step back from the table 

where she radiated charm and friendliness for so long. Here is 

an opportunity to thank this great lady for exceptional service to 

the church and bless the gifts she has so freely given to both 

the Undercroft and to Christian Aid. 

Margaret represents in 

two ways the principle 

of outreach which is 

the visionary ideal of 

the Undercroft. It was 

in 1980, in what was 

to prove a stroke of 

genius, that the 

Misses Gardner, who 

were members of the 

congregation, invited 

Margaret, their New 

Town neighbour, to 

become a Crofter. 

Ever since then she 

has given a warm, 

hospitable welcome to 

visitors who were 

delighted with her 

sparkle, her lovely 

personality. 

Mary Davidson 

12

News from the Kirk Session 

The first Session meeting with our new minister, Ian Gilmour, 

moderating, took place on 31 May. Ian said he hoped we would 

have a successful, happy and joyful experience as a Session, 

and he set out clearly the way he hoped to work. Needless to 

say, he was welcomed most warmly. 

The Session received reports from the Centre Management - 

Staffing Group, the Fabric Group and the joint Fabric/Building 

Options group. This was followed by an update from the 

Shandwick Place Development Group which was working 

towards a business plan for Shandwick place. Reports were 

received from Finance & Stewardship, Wider Horizons and 

Communications Groups. 

The minister led the Session in prayer for the son of John 

Chalmers, Principal Clerk and former interim moderator in St 

Andrew‟s and St George‟s, who is a serving Marine and had 

been seriously wounded in Afghanistan. 

The minister proposed a Congregational Gathering on Sunday 

4 September, when he would give feedback on his “listening 

time” and seek the congregation‟s engagement in future plans. 

An information leaflet would be delivered to every home in the 

parish, and followed up by personal consultation with a 

proportion of people. Ian said it was crucial to have hard data 

in order to make good decisions. 

The meeting was warm and positive. We rejoice in Ian‟s 

exhilarating leadership, while recognising the renewed energy 

and commitment which will be demanded of all of us. 

Alison Campbell and Barbara Finlayson, Joint Clerks 

13

St Andrew’s and St George’s West (George Street) 

at Festival Time 

We have a very full programme in the George Street building 

this year, with 74 performances by 48 performers over the 3 

weeks from Monday 8 th to Sunday 28 th August. 

Many of our regulars are back: Edinburgh Music Theatre 

Company, the Bohemians and Edinburgh Grand Opera, organ 

recitals, piano recitals, Triplicity and the church choir as well as 

Lawrence Dunn, Edinburgh Studio Opera, Geoffrey Madell, Big 

Band Swing and Aberdeen a Cappella to name but a few. 

New comers include 3 student groups: our own Andrew Carvell 

and friends, Catherine Backhouse (daughter of the assistant 

organist at St Giles) with piano accompaniment, and Graham 

Dickson, a young flautist performing with some friends of his. 

There are 4 performances by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Andrea 

Baker, who starred in Porgy and Bess at last year‟s Festival, 

and performances by the Fejes Quartet, a young American 

composer/performer, Sid Samberg, and an Italian choir 

performing Mozart. And on Monday 22 August the Scottish 

Chamber Forum presents a full day event showcasing the 

Scottish Chamber Music scene. 

Our Exhibition in the Undercroft is from Amnesty International. 

We are fortunate to have James Dow again as the festival 

assistant, and we will be looking for volunteer helpers to staff 

the advance box office and undertake front of house duties. 

Brochures and advance tickets are available now. 

Mary Margaret Scott 

14

The Choir goes south 10-13 June 

Alison Campbell 

The “dreaming spires” were braced against wind, rain and cold 

when the Choir travelled to Oxford, but the experience was 

magical, and a new one to many of us. Singing a Palestrina 

mass as part of the morning service in the little church of St 

Frideswide was uplifting – one of these times when the music 

seems to sing itself and the choir takes on a spirit of its own. 

St Frideswide lived up to its traditional Anglican image by 

having a door carved by Alice Liddell (the original of Lewis 

Carroll‟s Alice), and by giving us sherry and fruit cake after the 

service. 

Some of us went to hear the Schola Cantorum of Oxford – an 

outstanding young ensemble, two of whose members are Thea 

Harris and Neil McCleery, of our own choir. 

This was a mindblowing concert of 20 th and 21 st century music, 

accompanied by a superb pianist, and introduced many of us to 

new works including songs by Jonathan Dove and Quentin 

Thomas, both of whom were in the audience. 

15

Sunday concluded with a Pentecost 

service including a Mozart mass 

performed by us with the choir of 

Corpus Christi College, in their tiny, 

beautiful chapel. 

We were conducted by Brigitte 

and by Thea (the Organ Scholar there, 

whose choir had excellent 

voices and technique) and that was a 

lovely experience for us all. 

We also contributed various “tongues” 

to the Pentecost reading, 

including Scots, German and Russian 

– a real cacophony of a dozen 

languages. Who says the British are no 

good at other languages! 

We hope we will be invited back to a 

city which is one of the wonders of 

Europe. 

Bach and Mozart at the Fringe 

Saturday 20 August at 7.30pm 

For their annual Fringe Concert this year our choir is 

preparing the Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

In addition to the Requiem this concert will also feature 

Mozart‟s exuberant Exsultate, jubilate, sung by Frances 

Cooper. The Cantilena Orchestra, led by Angus Ramsay, will 

be playing for the concert. Also on the programme is the 

Double Concerto for two violins, BWV 1043, by J.S. Bach. 

Tickets £10 (£8 concessions) available now. 

16

Music and Meditation Autumn 2011: call for 

volunteers 

Love art and music? Up for a challenge? Our popular series 

of Wednesday lunchtime Music and Meditation resumes again 

in autumn. These are short lunchtime services combining 

music, words and visual art. 

Students from Napier University supply the music. Words and 

visuals are put together by volunteers from St Andrew‟s and 

St George‟s West. The meditations are not lectures, more a 

creative exploration of a theme. 

So far we‟ve examined Scottish artists, poetry, flowers, 

mandalas… sometimes we even manage to tie the meditation 

into what‟s going on elsewhere in the church. Doing the first 

one is quite daunting but the more you do, the easier they 

become. We can even give you help on putting your slides 

together and using the computer and projector. 

Interested in volunteering? Speak to Brigitte Harris 

“Ambitious work in 

ambitious surroundings” 

Shandwick Place is host to 

Remarkable Arts during 

the Fringe 2-29 August 

Pick up a brochure now for 

full details. 

17

News from our Bellringers 

Simon Aves 

It is nearly five years since the bells of St Andrew & St George 

West were restored, and the sound of them ringing for 

weddings and after the 11 am Sunday service has become a 

familiar feature of church life. Ringing a bell is a skill that takes 

some time to master, and our band of ringers is mainly made up 

of people who volunteered to learn when the bells were rehung, 

or who re-learnt something they had not done for decades. 

One of the good things about ringing changes on bells is that 

however experienced you are there is always something new to 

move on to, more complicated or musical ways of changing the 

order in which they are rung. Another is that it is an activity 

which requires cooperation and teamwork. 

Ringing bells is not usually competitive but when ringers, for 

fun, want to test their ability against others, it is on how the 

ringing sounds outside that they judge themselves. Of course 

the actual pitch of the bells is fixed, so the ability of the ringers 

lies in the rhythm. 

Once a year the Scottish Association of Change Ringers 

arranges a „striking competition‟ and invites bands from across 

Scotland to compete for a trophy. This year‟s competition took 

place on 21 May in Glasgow. Until now we have either not felt 

experienced enough, or have been unable to get a band 

together because of the Christian Aid sale, so this was the first 

time we have entered. Five of our band of six were not ringing 

when our bells were restored, so with seven other teams from 

all over Scotland competing we were really only hoping not to 

fail. 

18

Competition rules gave us only a three minute practice on 

unfamiliar ropes (which went „nervously‟ to say the least), and 

then we were into a five minute test-piece of 120 changes. 

Once the judge was rescued from his hiding place the results 

were given. We didn‟t win – that honour went to Dunblane 

Cathedral – but we were pleasantly surprised to have been 

placed a credible second. 

If you would like to find out more about the art of change 

ringing, or learn to ring, visitors are always welcome at our 

Monday practices 7.15pm - 8.45pm. Contact Tower Captain 

Mike Clay or Sally Evans 

Our team at the SACR Striking Competition: Alex Hunsley, 

Sandra Mitchell, Simon Aves, Andrew Scobie, Mike Clay, 

Sally Evans 

19

Not lost, just finding our way 

Revd Norman Shanks 

I am very pleased, indeed honoured, to be speaking at this 

significant occasion in the lives of the West End churches – the 

annual joint service affirming your commitment „Together‟, and 

celebrating also the opening in May 1971 of the Corner Stone. 

40 years ago. 

Robert Philp has already given you more than a hint of what it 

was like – a rich, horizon-extending, even life-transforming 

experience for so many of us who were involved; the church 

reaching out in service and mission into the heart of the 

community‟s life, providing hospitality and welcome for an 

amazing diversity of customers, late at night at weekends, at 

first in the days before the pubs were open late; so there were 

concert-goers alongside homeless people - tourists, locals, 

church-goers and chancers all rubbing shoulders, looked after 

by a team of volunteers who signed up for once a fortnight – 

around 100 of us in all, also a very diverse crew in terms of age, 

background, faith allegiance, some but by no means all of us 

from the churches. Inevitably there were challenges, surprises, 

ups and downs. It was an exciting, mostly enjoyable thing to 

do, a good place to be; and life-long friendships, and 

partnerships, were formed there. 

For the last two weeks I have been on Iona staying at Iona 

Abbey. I know that many of you have been to Iona. And 

whether you have been there as a day-visitor, a holiday-maker 

or a guest at one of the Iona Community‟s centres, I think you 

will have had a sense of being on a journey. Of course we‟re all 

on a journey all of the time: Together is part of our journey; for 

many of us the Corner Stone was a milestone on our journey – 

or a staging-post, a cross-roads (a whole range of images 

springs to mind!); and from the perspective of faith, within the 

20



community of faith we may see this journey of ours as a 

process of growth or a search – seeking meaning, depth, a 

closer relationship with God and with one another, wanting to 

make sense of things, discover and experience something of 

the joy, peace, fullness of life that is God‟s promise and 

purpose for us all. So we are searchers or explorers, for 

exploration is what the Christian life is all about – an adventure, 

a leap of faith. 

A couple of months ago we saw a very good film called Meek’s 

Cut-off, about pioneers on the Oregon Trail in the 19 th century. 

For most of the time, despite having a guide with them, they 

didn‟t really know where they were; and one of the women at 

one point came out with the marvellous one-liner: „We‟re not 

lost; we‟re finding our way‟! 

Isn‟t this after all where most of us are? Finding our way. In the 

first chapter of Acts Jesus assures and encourages the 

disciples of God‟s continuing presence and support; then he 

disappears (we are told „he was lifted up and a cloud took him 

out of their sight‟), and as the disciples gaze upwards in 

bewilderment the voice of angels brings them back down to 

earth and focuses their attention on what lies ahead. Here too 

there is a strong sense of the dynamic between the divine and 

the human, of mystery and movement: upwards, onwards, 

outwards, forward; the awareness of „the-beyond-in-our-midst‟; 

the journey, the pilgrimage, the exploration goes on. 

The Christian faith is after all about exploration rather than 

about explanation; above all it‟s about transformation – the 

promise of new life, new possibilities, changing lives, changing 

21



the world. Christianity is not a watertight or comprehensive 

package of dogmas: it doesn‟t so much provide answers as 

enable you to live with, or simply live, the hard questions. 

It is good this morning in and through this service to be 

reminded of our calling to be „Together‟. Within our culture 

today there is a trend towards keeping to ourselves – 

suspicious of strangers, averse to anything that is risky, each of 

us self-sufficient and secure within our own territory. This is 

true within individual lives and it‟s unfortunately true also of life 

within the church, where too often congregations are hesitant 

about relating to or co-operating with one another, regarding 

them rather as competitors. But the message of the Gospel of 

course is that we are „better together‟, that we find and develop 

our true identity as we relate more closely to others, that we 

are all „bound together in the bundle of life‟. 

We are blessed to have tasted, touched and experienced the 

grace of God – even if the continuing course of our lives may 

not always reflect this. Soon we shall share once more the 

sacrament of bread and wine – visible signs of invisible grace. 

May we all too, each in our own small way, whatever our age, 

whatever our circumstances, be signs and channels of God‟s 

grace. May we give the lie to the charge that people in the 

church „spend too much time trying to prove the resurrection 

and not enough time being the resurrection‟. May we look 

forward to celebrating Pentecost once more next Sunday and 

pray that God‟s Spirit will continue to guide, support, disturb, 

challenge and energise us, individually and together, as our 

journey goes on. 

Amen Thanks be to God. 

Norman Shanks (abridged) 

22

What’s this? It‟s a “wordle” of the Corner Stone address. 

Important (i.e. more frequently used) words are bigger. 

Find out more and make your own at www.wordle.net. 

TOGETHER! Alex Harper 

The light-controlled West End pedestrian crossings were even 

busier than normal on the morning of Sunday 5 June as a large 

congregation assembled for a City Centre Churches 

TOGETHER joint service in celebration of the work of the St 

John‟s Corner Stone over the years. The happy choice of 

Norman Shanks as preacher produced, as we would have 

expected, a well-judged, thought-provoking sermon – and must 

have jogged a few memories! A well organized, moving act of 

Communion was served by representative clergy from all the 

churches, sending us out faith restored once more to take our 

places in the world of today. Appreciation and gratitude for all 

the thoughtful preparation and hard work are duly recorded. 

23

In the Footsteps of Livingstone? 

Jack Thompson writes from Malawi 

Yesterday was one of the most interesting days in my time in 

Malawi and yet, in a sense, it was foreign to the country. The 

previous day I had been picked up by a driver from Zomba 

Theological College and driven for two hours to the western 

bank of the Shire River. In the darkness a small boat waited to 

ferry me across to the other side. In a river usually teeming with 

hippopotami, elephants and crocodiles, I couldn‟t help 

wondering during the ten minute crossing what was around and 

underneath the boat. But, as it turned out, it appears only to 

have been water. 

We were heading for Mvuu Camp, a tourist lodge on the East 

Bank of the Shire, (pronounced SHEE-RAY) where I was to 

meet a BBC team making a documentary on David Livingstone. 

The following day I was to be interviewed as one small part of 

that programme. The last time I had met the producer, Richard 

Downdes, had been in the palm lounge of the Balmoral Hotel. 

Now we were in very different circumstances, and the palms 

were certainly not in pots! We were surrounded by hundreds of 

them in the African bush alongside the mighty Shire River, for 

much of its course several hundred metres wide. 

In a large open sided dining area (a cross between a marquee 

and a huge African hut) the BBC team was assembling for 

dinner. The team was larger than I had expected: two 

cameramen, a sound engineer, a producer, a director, a „fixer‟ 

(who looked after things like transport, permission to film in 

certain places, food etc.) and, of course, a presenter – the 

seemingly ubiquitous Neil Oliver. In this case, I discovered, the 

word „seemingly‟ was unnecessary, since the series he was 

making - „the Last Explorers‟ - involved trips to Antarctica, USA, 

Japan and Africa. The team were happy and friendly and, three 

24



quarters of the way through the shooting of the series, were 

clearly at ease in each other‟s company. They made me feel 

immediately welcome. 

By eight o‟clock next morning we were ready to embark in two 

smallish boats packed to the gunnels (the first time I have ever 

been able to use that phrase in its literal sense) with cameras 

large and small, tripods, boom microphones, walkie-talkie 

radios, cool boxes, waders, life jackets, etc. Neil Oliver, together 

with two game wardens, was in one boat; the camera crew, 

director, producer and myself were in the other, from which 

camera shots could be taken of Neil gazing longingly or in 

contemplation at the horizon, elephants, hippos, or whatever 

else appeared interesting. Often this entailed walkie-talkie 

messages between the boats, asking Neil‟s boat, for example, 

to go nearer the bank, or drop back behind us so that we could 

get a better angle. Several times we went on land, making sure 

that elephants or hippos were not too nearby. 

So far, our only interaction had been with the animals, but after 

a couple of hours, as we passed out of the northern end of the 

game reserve, we landed to film a giant hollow baobab tree in 

which Livingstone is reputed to have slept one night on his way 

north to „discover‟ Lake Malawi in 1859. Here, for the first time, 

we encountered crowds of local people fascinated by all the 

exotic equipment which the crew were carrying with them. In a 

sense, however, this fascination was no more than our own with 

the means of transport employed at this point in the river. We 

encountered a „ferry‟ which crossed regularly from one side of 

the river to the other. It was basically a rowing boat, piled high 

at the bows with around twenty bicycles, some hanging out over 

the front of the boat, and weighed down at the back with around 

25



a dozen bags of maize. Two crewmen rowed and punted the 

boat across the river. Passengers travelled separately in 

another boat and presumably, this was the most efficient way to 

carry both passengers and bicycles across the river, which, at 

this point was around three hundred metres wide. 

After around forty-five minutes of filming and re-filming Neil 

Oliver and one of the game wardens walking to the tree, 

climbing inside (together with a cameraman, of course) climbing 

out and walking away, we got into our own boats and crossed 

to a village on the west side of the river. Local people, of 

course, just jumped from the ferry into the shallow water and 

waded ashore, but it was thought that there was bilharzia in this 

part of the lake (and judging by the number of snail shells on 

the beach there probably was) so Health and Safety at the BBC 

had decreed that all those working on the programme had to 

use oxter-high waders to travel the very few yards between the 

boat and the shore. We only had three pairs, so the locals were 

completely bemused by the strange antics of the Azungu 

(Europeans) donning this very strange clothing, struggling 

ashore, only to take it off again, and hand it to someone else 

(still wearing a similar get-up) who carried it back to the boat for 

someone else to repeat the performance. 

Once I got ashore, I realised that this was probably the poorest 

village I had ever visited during my many years in Malawi, and 

that some of the children, at least, were possibly seeing 

Europeans for the first time. Given the equipment we had with 

us, including, of course, the waders, I imagined that their 

impressions would have been somewhat similar if there had 

been local inhabitants on the moon, when the first astronauts 

26



arrived in 1969: „who are these weird people, and what kind of 

silly clothing and equipment are they carrying with them?‟ 

The village had been chosen by the producer during a previous 

planning trip, because it is likely that David Livingstone passed 

this way in 1859 and because it still looked very much as it 

might have done then: apart, of course from the brightly 

coloured plastic buckets and the fake Manchester United and 

Chelsea shirts available in the tiny local store. And so, after 

around four hours of travelling came what was to be my big 

moment (and when the programme is edited and finally goes 

out it probably will be a moment!). Surrounded by hordes of 

curious and very noisy children Neil Oliver and I chatted about 

David Livingstone, his character and his achievements, his 

strengths and his weaknesses. 

Then for me it was back to the Game Park in one of the boats, 

and then straight on to Zomba by car, while the camera team 

carried on for a couple more hours in the sweltering heat. By 

the time my driver got me back to base I had been on the go for 

almost nine hours – most of it under the hot African sun. It had 

been a fantastically interesting experience, with the opportunity 

to photograph African wildlife at close quarters from the river 

and also to see as an „insider‟ how a modern television outdoor 

documentary is made. But it also raised questions for me about 

the relationship between Europe and Africa. Both in the 

planning and the execution the BBC team had been very 

sensitive to local people and their customs; they were treated 

with great courtesy and respect. But seeing African village life 

at its poorest, with children bare-footed, with many dressed in 

little better than rags and some clearly suffering from skin and 

other diseases, while we with our sophisticated equipment were 

27



apparently suffering from no worse than sunburn, made me 

wonder, as I stood where David Livingstone had probably stood 

a hundred and fifty years ago, whether the gap between 

Africans and Europeans might not be wider now than it was 

then. 

Of course there are parts of African society and aspects of 

African life which are extremely modern and sophisticated. In 

the last few weeks I have twice been in the presence of 

Malawian camera crews with equipment similar to that of the 

BBC, filming events which were going out live on local 

television. Modern African cities have high rise office blocks, 

traffic jams, business men and women with their iPhones and 

Blackberries: yet the majority of Malawians still live in rural 

villages, many without electricity or mains water; many also 

without a hospital within many miles. 

I would be the last to argue that we should be pushing for a 

„development‟ which aims at turning Africa into a new Europe. 

David Livingstone didn‟t want that either! Nor would I wish to 

ignore positive developments in Malawi. But when more than 

half the population of Malawi live on less than $1 a day, when 

under- five death rates are more than twenty times as high as in 

Britain, where the average life expectancy is currently under 

forty and where only a small proportion of the population have 

the opportunity to attend secondary school, it is legitimate to 

ask both Malawian and Scot „Where did we go wrong?‟ Or more 

importantly, „How can we begin to put it right?‟ The children of 

countless Malawian villages such as the one I visited yesterday 

on the banks of the Shire River may not know how to formulate 

such questions. But that doesn‟t mean that they don‟t deserve 

answers. TJT 03/06/2011 

28

Visual Arts 

Precious Light: David Mach 

30 July – 16 Oct 2011 

City Art Gallery, Edinburgh 

The exhibition explores the 

themes and legacy of the 

King James Bible in the year 

of its 400th anniversary. 

Precious Light is a 

contemporary imagining of 

the King James Bible in 

collage, sculpture and words. 

David Mach will move his 

working studio from London 

to Edinburgh for the duration 

of the exhibition. Visitors will 

be able to view the artist and 

his team as they create a 

decoupage depiction of the 

Last Supper. 

http://www.edinburghmuseu 

ms.org.uk/ 

Launched in Edinburgh on 

19 June, the birthday of 

King James VI/I, this 

digital – manuscript touring 

project encourages folk to 

write verses of the Bible in 

their own hand. It returns 

to Edinburgh 20-25 Aug. 

www.thepeoplesbible.org/ 

29

A visual arts response to the Cumbrian shootings of 2 June 2010. 

I am a bellringer at the three Edinburgh churches with bells hung 

for change ringing. I spent my childhood in West Cumbria and was 

deeply moved by the events of 2 June 2010 in all the places that 

used to be home. What happened in West Cumbria on 2 June 2010 

was a tragedy on so many levels. 

Those of us who are left behind have a responsibility to ensure that 

Mr Bird‟s little grandson inherits a better world than that of his 

grandfather. We can choose whether to fix man‟s inhumanity to 

man whereas we have no choice over natural disasters such as the 

recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Not to choose to adjust 

our approach to human life to enable the world‟s human population 

to really live, to love and to be loved is to completely miss the point 

of being alive at all. We 

must learn, and teach, 

how to love ourselves. 

Loving others and the 

planet will follow. 

The exhibition had its first 

showing in Edinburgh 

between 28 May and 5 

June 2011 and was 

extremely well received. 

Many of the comments 

and responses were deeply moving. The anonymous contributions 

to the participatory pieces will form the basis of future work. 

Meanwhile, there is still the opportunity to view the work and to 

contribute using the website: www.itcouldhavebeenme.co.uk 

Susan Brightman is a bellringer at StAStGW 

30

15 minutes with… 


Q. Full name? 

A. Ian Young Gilmour (Young 

is named after his aunt). If Ian 

was a girl he would have been 

called Elizabeth 

Q. Age? 

A. 54 

Q. Home town? 

A. Born in Glasgow but grew up 

in Lanarkshire 

Q. Main hobbies? 

A. Learning a new skill each 

year. For example motor biking, 

sailing a yacht and joining a 

choir. 

Q. Favourite type of music? 

A. Jazz mainly but lots of others 

as well. 

Q. Reason for becoming a 

minister? 

A. He felt called 

(for full details badger Ian). 

Q. Favourite movies? 

A. West Side Story, Butch 

Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 

Dr Strangelove 

Q. A book to hand down to 

future generations? 

A. The anti-war book 'Catch 22'‟ 

31 

Q. A book that reminds you of 

past generations? 

A. „The Guns of Navarone‟ 

because Ian‟s father worked 

for a book publishing 

company and this was their 

best-selling book 

Q. Favourite poem? 

A. 'Hearts and Flowers' by 

Roger McGough 

Q. Favourite Quote? 

A. „Be the change you want to 

see in the world‟ – Gandhi 

Q. If you were granted three 

wishes, what would they be? 

A.1. Good health for the wider 

family 

2. For leaders of all nations 

to display integrity 

3. For St Andrews and St 

Georges West to attract new 

people whilst loving and 

nurturing the ones we have 

I hope you found out a little 

more than you knew already 

about our new minister. I 

enjoyed finding these things 

out and look forward talking to 

Ian much more in the future. 

Sarah Forrester

‘A Chance to Thrive’ 

Russell McLarty 

moves to a new post 

Russell McLarty has 

moved from Interim 

Ministry to take up a post 

as Coordinator for a new 

Project called ‘A Chance to Thrive’. This Project will give an 

opportunity for 8 congregations from the poorest parishes in 

Scotland to work to develop exciting ideas in partnership with their 

local community. The hope is to be able to develop church 

buildings in a way that they can be a wonderful resource for that 

work. 

The Pilot Project is for a 3 year period and will draw on experience 

Russell gained in 21 years in a Priority Area Parish in Glasgow in 

major community initiatives along with his architectural back ground 

and knowledge of the church structures. The hope is that, with 

concerted support, it will be possible to put together excellent 

partnership proposals which can get government and private 

support even in these very difficult times. 

‘A Chance to Thrive’ is looking to recruit up to 40 volunteers (from 

accountants to artists to architects) to support local congregations 

over the next 3 years. The founding principle of all the work in 

Priority Area Parishes was established through the 2009-2011 

Poverty and Truth Commission – ‘Nothing about us without us is 

for us’. 

From this declaration it is clear that we 

recognise that local people are the real 

„experts‟ on poverty and that any professional 

or outside support must respect that expertise. 

That having been said, if you would like to 

know more about the support role please 

contact Russell. 

32

The Easter Play - 2012 

As you may know, the Princes Street Easter Play took a pause 

in 2011. The Easter Play costs approximately £30000 to stage 

and unfortunately we were not in a secure enough financial 

position to produce it in 2011. This is a large sum of 

money. Perhaps it is easier to understand how this amount is 

divided up .... 

Production Fees £10000 

Sound and Lighting £7000 

Production and Administration Costs £2000 

Insurance Premiums £1000 

Publicity Costs £4000 

Rentals (Council) £2000. 

Miscellaneous (van hire, security guards, first aid etc) £4000. 

Money comes from various sources - grants, donations from 

Churches, personal donations and other donations and gifts. 

The Play has been a significant Christian witness in Edinburgh 

since 2005, and to help ensure it can be performed next year 

we are asking all the Churches in and around the City to take a 

retiring offering on Sunday 25th September, or the nearest 

convenient date. If your Church would prefer some other 

method of making a contribution, that will of course be 

welcome. 

We would truly appreciate your help. We, the Trustees, aspire 

to make sure everyone in Edinburgh and beyond can be part of 

the Easter Play journey of faith. We hope to have a launch 

event in early September, and need some indication before 

then of likely financial support. 

Thank you in advance. 

Susan Kidston (on behalf of the Easter Play Trustees and 

Fundraising Group) www.easterplay.org/ Scottish Charity 

SC035933 Company Number: 390398 

33

Truth 

For some, Truth is a fortress, square and strong, 

In which, once entered, safety lies. 

Only like-minded people dwell there, 

none disturb 

The calm and certain sureties of 

belief. 

Outside, the world pursues its way, its 

noise and 

Clamour offering small attraction to 

those 

Whose knowledge keeps them safe 

beyond the Drawbridge of conviction. 

If any try to breach the Bastions of 

tradition, they are repelled with 

Boiling scorn. Truth is impregnable. 

For others, Truth is both journey and 

Discovery, a Way which leads and 

Urges without rest. 

No castle for retreat, but 

Camps, where fellow pilgrims join 

To take refreshment in each other‟s 

Company. Assorted in experience, they 

Enrich, enlighten, challenge and 

Go on to further exploration. 

Travelling light. Knowing that in this life 

All is provisional; seeking fulfilment, 

The end and explanation of the quest. 

From Watching for the Kingfisher by Ann Lewin 

Thanks to Phyllis Thomson for this poem 

34

St Andrew’s and St George’s West, Edinburgh 

Minister 

Rev Ian Y Gilmour 

0131 225 3847 (George St) 

0131 225 7001 (Shandwick Place) 

Joint Session 

Clerks 

Joint Treasurers 

Director of Music 

Alison Campbell 

Barbara Finlayson 

John Innes 

Allan Sim 

Brigitte Harris 

Key Staff at our Shandwick Place Building 0131 225 7001 

Centre manager 

Deputy e Manager 

Volunteer 

Coordinator 

Caretaking 

Cook 

Becky Duncan becky@stgeorgeswest.com 

Joe Doody mail@stgeorgeswest.com 

Becky Duncan 

volunteers@stgeorgeswest.com 

Alan Hynd 

Colin Sharp 

Key staff at our George Street Building 0131 225 3847 

Church Secretary 

Church Manager 

Church Officer 

Café Manager 

TOGETHER 

Co-ordinator 

Joyce Garland 

info@standrewsandstgeorges.org.uk 

Cathie Donaldson 

Eddie McRiner 

Wayne Williams 

Joe Evans 07951 529717 

joe@togetheredinburgh.org.uk 

St Andrew’s and St George's West Church of Scotland, 

Edinburgh is a registered charity. Charity number SC 008990. 

35


Shandwick Place Building 

58 Shandwick Place 

Edinburgh EH2 4RT 

Tel 0131 225 7001 

www.stgeorgeswest.com 

mail@stgeorgeswest.com 

Centre open Mon – Fri 9am - 5pm 

Olive Tree Café Mon - Fri 9am-3pm 

The Christian faith 

is after all about 

exploration rather 

than about explanation 

above all it’s about 

transformation 

the promise of new life 

new possibilities 

changing lives 

changing the world 


George Street Building 

13 George Street 

Edinburgh EH2 2PA 

Tel 0131 225 3847 

www.standrewsandstgeorges.org.uk 

info@standrewsandstgeorges.org.uk 

Church open 

Mon- Fri 

10am - 3pm 

Undercroft 

Café open 

Mon - Fri 

10am - 2.30pm 

Christianity is not a 

watertight or 

comprehensive 

package of dogmas 

it doesn’t so much 

provide answers 

as enable you to live 

with, or simply live, 

the hard questions. 

Norman Shanks 

36

Revd Ian Gilmour - St Andrew's & St George's

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