This week our Sunday the service will be in the building at Mayfield and Easthouses . There will be a baptism for the first time in over 2 years so it has been necessary to put some special arrangements in place to make this happen, particularly during these Covid times. As a one off, we will return to the booking system for this service because the baptismal family will take up a large number of the allocated seats. There will be 20 seats for the congregation in the building and they will be allocated on a first come, first served basis by phoning the church office (0131 663 3245) from today (Monday) to book. Gayle has also made special arrangements that the service will be live streamed. This is slightly different from zoom in that you will be able to see, via a camera man filming, not only Gayle at the front of the church but also the baptism and the congregation at different points in the service. There will be a video link on the website on the Sunday morning for you to click and join.
If you can join the live stream, please consider those who do not use the internet and may need the physical seats in the church. Next week there will be a full programme published of all the services and activities going on in the church during December. We will have a higher number of services in the building for advent and Christmas so that more people can get to church, as well as a number of events and activities out in the community.
This weekend is a very significant one as we mark Remembrance Sunday in our communities with outdoor services both at the war memorial at Easthouses and in the park at Newtongrange from 10.45am leading up to the silence at 11am. There will then be a service in the church at Mayfield and Easthouses at 11.30am (you can also join on zoom by accessing the link under “November Worship Programme” on the website. At these services we will give thanks for the sacrifice of the fallen who gave their lives to make the world a better place for subsequent generations.
In this year of 2021, this weekend is also significant because the COP 26 conference in Glasgow on Climate Justice concludes. In 2019, Newbattle Parish signed up to a green pledge and became an Eco-Congregation. As you may have noticed, the land and hall site at the back of the church at Newtongrange is now up for sale but as we progress plans for the redevelopment of the church at Newtongrange, we are doing with an intentional green agenda. Solar panels, non carbon heating and charging points for electric cars are all included in our designs because we want to act like a church that believes God created the world and that we are stewards of that creation. Although the church building at Newtongrange is closed for the redevelopment work, the church is a people who are active in caring for the earth and all it’s inhabitants. As you pass by the church you will now see our Climate Justice banner. Every time you see it, think about things you are already doing that you could do more of, or things you are not yet doing that you could start to do, to take better care of our planet now and for the sake of our young people and future generations.
We join in with COP 26 as a community of faith with so many other communities of faith this fortnight trying to be a church that acts as though we believe that God made the earth in all it’s wonder.
The Moderator, Lord Wallace, has written to encourage every congregation in the Church of Scotland to do all that we can do to ensure that this gathering succeeds in addressing the huge challenges that we are facing as a planet. And we’re going to play our part as Newbattle Parish.
A call to prayer and worship
We want to encourage people to pray; to focus on the climate in our worship and preaching around COP26, and to join the many opportunities for in-person and online worship that have been planned, across Glasgow and elsewhere, We are also arranging a local event where people can come together to pray for justice for the poorest and for our planet. Last week, as we are already a registered Eco Congregation, I registered us for the church’s COP 26 campaign and pledged that we will have a special prayer service on Tuesday the 9th November at 10am, in person at Mayfield and Easthouses church during the COP.
At this prayer meeting, we will pray for our leaders involved in momentous decisions; for those whose lives are most blighted by climate injustice; and for the earth which is part of God’s beautiful creation. We will also remember in our prayers all those working on behalf of our Church in relation to COP26, including the chaplaincy provision offered through Glasgow Cathedral, which will be open to any who would value an opportunity to reflect in a safe and sacred space. This Chaplaincy is involved in arranging a special COP26 ecumenical service to be held this Sunday on the 7th November at Glasgow Cathedral, which will be live-streamed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHRqp507aYI
A call to witness on the streets
The Moderator wanted to encourage as many people from congregations to take part in the global day of action and mass mobilisation which will take place on the 6th November next Saturday in Glasgow and around the world.
Pray for the rally which will gather in Kelvingrove Park from 11.30am and will parade through the city streets, arriving in Glasgow Green at 3pm. Faith and belief communities will be a specific part of this rally and many congregations will be there but of course, as the pandemic rules out travelling and gathering in large numbers for members of congregations, and those unable to travel for other reasons, we are invited to do something visible outside our own churches as a public sign of solidarity and support for climate justice and care for creation. Our church will be at The Pool in Newtongrange that day where we will have our climate justice banner displayed. This banner will then move to outside Mayfield and Easthouses church for the special service on the 9th.
Hear the voices of those people most deeply impacted
The third request from the Moderator is to ensure that the wisdom and experience of our sisters and brothers in the countries most affected by global warming and in societies least able to cope with measures to mitigate the impact, is uppermost in our thoughts and actions. Because with climate change, it is the poorest who are often excluded from decisions which hurt them most. There is a real fear that this will be even more the case in Glasgow where many people will be unable to travel to the UK because of COVID restrictions.
As a church we have a specific commitment to the poorest and most marginalised and we want to ensure that their voices are heard. In partnership with Christian Aid, SCIAF, Tearfund and the Church of Scotland, Glasgow Churches Together COP26 Group have produced some short videos to help the voices of the poorest to be heard to ensure that the reality and plight of those most deeply impacted by climate injustice is heard over these coming weeks. Because we stand, with Christ, in solidarity with them, we commit to really listen and we will watch some short videos from these countries at our special service.
We recognise that there are many demands on people’s time and energy, but we hope that you will agree that the future of God’s sacred earth, and the decisions which will be taken over coming weeks, are amongst the most urgent.
Let us together pray and strive to be a church that acts as if we believe that God made the earth in all its wonder.
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