Church of Scotland

Diaconate Newsletter

SUMMER 2018

President’s Letter

Dear Friends,

This year, several relatives in my family will be

celebrating BIG birthdays. I

was 65 in May and the

folks in Skene Church

took great delight in

marking it with surprises

of cake, flowers and cards.

My Mother will celebrate her

90th

birthday in August and there

will be an ‘at home’ event, which she is already

planning. Mickey Mouse will also get an invite as

he too is celebrating 90 years of laughter and

Mum remembers enjoying his antics.

The NHS celebrates 70 years this year. In 1958,

as a mother of 3 young children, my mother was

taken seriously ill and was in hospital for 3

months. It was thought she had encephalitis and

as she was being carried out to the ambulance, my

grandfather (her father) feared that she would

never come home alive. Such were his memories

of pre-NHS care.

My sisters and I were looked after by our

grandparents, 2 young aunts and a teenage uncle

who stayed on the farm down the road from where

we lived. Dad was there too, as he and Papa

worked together on the farm. In later years, I

realised how fortunate we were to have close

family so near at hand. Otherwise we would have

had to have gone into care.

Each time at Council there is the Role of Honour

when we remember those Deacons who have died,

some better known than others. But all have made

a contribution to the life and work of the church

and were faithful witnesses of Christ our Saviour.

This year at Council some of the ‘usual suspects’

were missing either due to illness or family

commitments. Through our prayers and cards,

they were remembered.

May we all continue to know and value the love

and support from our families, our Congregations

and also our fellow Deacons.

Below are the words of a beautiful blessing used recently at Church. There is great imagery in them and

encouragement to employ our whole being in thankfulness to God for his amazing grace.

THE LORICA BREASTPLATE PRAYER

by St Fursey, an Irish Celtic Saint & Missionary in England & France

The arms of God be around my shoulders

The touch of the Holy Spirit upon my head,

The sign of Christ’s cross upon my forehead,

The sound of the Holy Spirit in my ears,

The fragrance of the Holy Spirit in my nostrils,

The vision of heaven’s company in my eyes,

The conversation of heaven’s company on my lips,

The work of God’s church in my hands,

The service of God and the neighbour in my feet,

A home for God in my heart,

And to God, the Father of all, my entire being.

May we all find peace and refreshment on our summer journeys, and take time to smell the roses, Marion

DEVOTIONAL PAGE - QUESTIONS & THOUGHTS

Rev Neil Glover alluded to this poem during Ministries Council report

at General Assembly. It is by:

Irma Wyman of the Episcopalian Church in Minnesota.

How will we know when we have enough deacons?

When the needs of the marginalised and vulnerable are met.

When to gather the gifts of the church

and take them to the world -

and to gather the needs of the world

and bring them to the Church

Has become a habit.

When Deacons, going back and forth,

have worn down the boundary lines

that we set to keep church and world separated.

When Deacons, leading the baptised in and out,

have beaten a path between the altar and the gutter

so that everyone will see the link between

the Blood in our chalices and the blood in our streets.

When all people respond to the challenge to live,

not in the love of power but in the power of love.

Some Thoughts on Pilgrimage from Gordon Pennykid

[Notes from Kaire meeting?]

Restlessness – Accept as a good thing?

Is being settled ever a good place to be in ministry?

Travel Light - What unnecessary burdens do we carry?

Attentive - What can we see; but also, what do we miss?

Community - Who is traveling with us; but also who is not?

Liminality(!) – Need to take note of the ‘in-between places’;

live the Journey, not just dash for the Destination.

Courage – Carrying on when we don't feel brave.

Transformation - Only possible if

the first steps are taken - We need to start the journey!

THE DIACONATE AT “HEART & SOUL”, EDINBURGH MAY 2018

(Don’t they scrub up well? )

Jean, Elizabeth,

Rt Rev Susan

Brown, Moderator,

Pamela, Mark

Jean & Angela

And enjoying JUNE COUNCIL…

Ann & Ronnie Barbara, Dot Marion B, Jean Drew & Jacqueline

ZOOM INTO ZAMBIA

Pat Munro’s FaithShare Visit 16th March – 19th May 2018

The purpose of my visit was to

a) Work alongside Deaconess Mable

[not a mis-spelling!] Sichali: Synod

Community Development & Social Justice

Secretary and Hellen Gondwe Muma,

Programs Officer at United Church of Zambia

[UCZ]

b) Visit Deacons and Diaconal workers to see what they are involved in.

Projects visited and supported:

1) Journeying together -a project in Kamyana region of Lusaka, to support teenage mothers. This has been chosen as

a Church of Scotland Guild project, and will be supported by them for the next three years.

2) School in Chiba village, Kasama, Northern Province.

I arrived in Lusaka on March 16th and was taken to

my accommodation in St Paul’s Church. Because

Mable was at a conference in Malawi that first week, I

was looked after by Deaconesses Grace and Charity.

They took me to visit some women’s self-help

groups, many of which have been established by the

church and in particular, by Deaconesses and a few

male Diaconal workers. Each of the women bring a

small amount of money which is deposited in their

account and against which they can then raise a small

loan to start their own business, such as keeping

chickens/ quails, selling eggs, selling their sewing or

knitting . These projects give the women a sense of

self-esteem, increase their household incomes and

eventually help them to be self-sufficient

I visited the single

mothers and their

babies/children who are

part of the pilot program

for the Guild. None of the

group, mostly aged 16 to

22, had finished school.

Few of them had any

family support or the ability to earn money. Each girl

on the project will receive basic education, Sex

Education and Nutrition advice, as well as training in

vocational skills such as gardening, tailoring, or

hairdressing so that they can earn money to support

themselves and their child. They will also be

encouraged to attend Girls Brigade and church. The

area where they live in Lusaka is very deprived with

no running water or proper toilet facilities. Although it

is envisaged that they will be taught in groups,

individual mentoring is being planned. When the first

money comes through from the Guild, the project will

start properly with 25 girls meeting at least weekly for

6 months and then another 25 girls... Hopefully the

project will be self-sustaining in the long-term.

Grace and Charity took me to visit ‘Home of

Happiness’ for children with a range of disabilities.

Matero Consistory George Compound was started by a

few people who realised that a number of children with

disabilities were being left alone all day, often with no

food, while parents worked. They teach and feed

about 120 children. 42 boys and 51 girls stay in two

small rooms in very poor conditions and a further 30

go home each night. Mable had been able to get a

grant to supply food and other essentials and is

working with the group to try and get them more help

from both government and church.

I visited a small school started by the local church in

a village in Kasama in Northern Province, meeting

with church leaders, one teacher and some of the

children. By courtesy of friends at Riverside Church,

Perth, I was able to give each child a jotter and a pencil

with eraser on the end (- very important for the

children!) and leave the remainder with teachers. Lots

of happy smiles . Mable was helping them get desks and benches as well

as money to pay teachers who had not been paid for

months!

While there, Mable, Hellen and two deaconesses from

the Northern Province conducted a course on being a

missional congregation. Around 250 took part, many

of them lay leaders, there being only 1 minister & 38

worship centres.

I also went with Mable and Hellen to Kafue to see the

Physio work being undertaken by Deaconess

Elizabeth and a small team. They were trained by

Drs/Physios from the Netherlands a few years ago.

They hold weekly sessions for those aged 2 to fairly

elderly people who need Physio because of strokes or

other disability.

A Church team are building a shower/toilet block for

them as and when they can afford materials. Later on,

Mable was able to get money from a fund to enable

them to complete it!

‘Pat’s Peanut Project’

Grace and Charity have formed a Presbytery-wide

Women’s self-help group to produce peanut butter.

They have a

machine to

put roasted

peanuts in to

make the

butter

(financed by

C of S), but they need a roasting machine and a jar

sealing machine too. I am raising funds for these and

am so grateful to all who contributed at June Council

and since. I have over £800 so far which is more

than half money required! Brilliant, - I’m hoping

to have full amount by the end of August when

Mable is visiting.

This is only a ‘taste’ of my 2 months’ visit, but I hope it gives you an idea of what it was like.

There is poverty but there is also hope. Most Zambians seem to work hard for a better standard of living for

themselves and others! Likewise the deaconesses that I met… They take little time off and many of them supplement

their income in different ways. (Keeping chickens and quails for market and for eggs seems the most popular).

As much as anything please, please pray for the young mums from Kamyana, the school in Kasama, the Physio

project in Kafue and the children with disabilities in the school in Lusaka, as well as all the ministers, deaconesses and

diaconal workers in the churches and communities.

More Contributors to Council

Andrew Kennedy told us about his Scripture Union Gap Year

and had an ice-breaker involving sookin’ up a raspberry worm

He recommends the Gap Year as a great time of faith-building, especially helping at camps in Ukraine.

Connor McFadzean is a MSYP (Member

of the Scottish Youth Parliament!), our

CofS rep. Excellent experience well told…

Karen Wallace

challenged us in a Bible Study with

questions from COSY [CofS Youth]

Glasgow. 1 Tim 4: 12

Crystal Cryer shared some of the exciting possibilities of creating

Prayer Spaces in School. www.prayerspacesinschools.com

PICTURE PAGE Having a cuppa; saying our ‘Thank you-s’ and

worshipping ‘our great big God’ !

Paul Cathcart’s REPORT on behalf of the VISION GROUP

As you are aware the Vision group was set up to look at how to raise the profile of

Diaconate. The group were Marion B, Elizabeth, Gordon, Pamela, Angela, Jean,

Pauline, me. We engaged in a series of face to face meetings, (our thanks to 121 staff and

Neil Glover for facilitating these). Many, many messages were sent and many draft

documents were circulated!

One of the objectives was, in a sense, to strip back

everything and look at all aspects of being a

deacon. This meant that we ended up with the

most comprehensive review in many years. Some

time ago, a review of training took place and

resulted in a new system being implemented. But

there was a feeling that Tomorrow’s Calling did

not include us. We needed to raise the profile of

deacons/ the diaconate.

The result of this is the booklet we now have with

the very helpful description of Deacons as

Ministers of Word and Service. We discovered

early on in the process that this is not a new term,

but one we think may have been coined by

Yvonne Teague in the past.

The vision, presented to Ministries Council (MC)

in December 2017 by Pamela and Catherine

Wallace, was warmly received. At the time we

were a bit sceptical, but subsequent comments

revealed a real joy that this work had been done. It

was ready to go into the ‘blue book’ and be

presented to General Assembly (GA)!

Every commissioner was given a copy of the

booklet via their ‘pigeon holes’.

We were Number 5 in the deliverance and there

were warm words from the convener in the

report. But because we didn’t want it to go

through ‘on the nod’, Gordon produced a question

for debate, asking essentially for equality in the

way in which ministries are valued. E.g. Some

deacons in non-diaconal-specific posts are not

being recognised as deacons, or on the salary scale

of deacons.

One commissioner obviously thought that the

present model was serving us well and said in a

thinly veiled way that we needed to focus on

Ministers of Word & Sacrament and we would be

okay!

It is still early days after GA but at least the

Diaconate is on the agenda. Deacons were heard

and were given a place of prominence in the

report and there is a move towards giving deacons

more place in the Church.

We are in a much better position now than we

were a few months ago but we need to keep the

momentum going. It is not fair to leave it to MC

and expect things just to happen. We need to take

our rightful place in the life of the church. It is up

to us to ensure that deacons are promoted when

publicity goes out.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Please Think, Ask Questions, Pray, Discuss

Vision Group has completed its task. But there is still work to be done.

It was agreed that the Group would continue to meet but involve more and different people to produce

specific ideas/ proposals for going forward, by November if possible. In the meantime, in no particular

order, here are some issues we can all think about individually or in Local Groups

Need a standing/ follow-on group to take things forward? - ask the questions that need to be

asked and propose answers. (Group could be called something like the heart of Charteris!?)

Should there be a post dedicated to helping push through the new vision? What would that

look like?

Someone needs to drive publicity from the centre.

Hub ministry will be an opportunity - we need to be involved in the discussions about that.

Should MDS role of parish assistant be phased out?

Examine how Associate Ministers are deployed. Should this be the role of deacon?

Strategic planning required with deacons involved in presbytery planning stage

Need to be involved in the training of deacons – supervision, assessors, task groups

Should Diaconate have a permanent commission to GA?

Is it time for a deacon to be moderator?

The Story of the Youngest Elephant (A parable for The Year of Young People 2018, from Jean Porter)

The herd was not a large one

but they had been together for

as long as anyone could

remember. Everyone had their

place, from the oldest bull

elephant to the youngest calf.

That is, the youngest was

expected to know his place, to

be silent and to show respect

to his elders.

But the youngest elephant

wanted more. He wanted to sit

with the elders and be part of

their conversation. The elders

sat together and talked of

important things till late in the

night. They made the decisions

for the herd. No-one

challenged their decisions of

the elders, until……..

A new danger had come to the

jungle. The elephants had

faced many dangers before but

not like this. Hunters they

knew, poachers they

understood, photographers

they tolerated. Never before

had the winter rains refused to

fall. The ground, dried and

cracked, would not yield

moisture of any kind.

The elders believed this meant

death would follow. So, they

called the herd together and

gave them the bad news.

Everyone had to leave. They

would travel as far as was

necessary to find water.

The youngest elephant did not

want to leave. “Surely, there

had to be another way to save

the herd”, he thought. He

wandered off, climbing higher

into the rocks which

overlooked the dry river bed.

As he climbed, he heard a

strange, gurgling sound. It was

coming from below some

rocks. Carefully, he lifted one

of the rocks with his trunk and

there lay a tiny stream.

“I wonder…..” he said to

himself.

He ran down the hillside,

trumpeting all the way.

“Hold on, young elephant”,

said the oldest bull elephant, as

the youngest elephant came

tumbling down the hillside.

The youngest elephant quickly

explained about the stream and

his plan. The oldest elephant

listened then gave instructions

to all the other elephants. They

quickly lifted the rocks to

reveal a much larger stream,

then, carefully laying them

down, formed banks to guide

the stream down the hillside to

the thirsty ground below.

The water tumbled its way

down until it reached the river

bed. Faster and faster it ran

until the river began to flow. In

a matter of a few hours, the

river was full of life and

energy once more.

When the rest of the herd

realised who had saved them,

they asked the elders to accept

the youngest elephant as an

elder too and from then on, to

listen to the words even of the

youngest among them.

So that is how the youngest

elephant came to sit with the

elders.

THE END

LOCAL ASSOCIATION REPORTS

[From Eds: Only 2 reports were received at Council, but we know the other groups will have enjoyed

meeting and doing things together. Feel free to pass on your news at any time and we will put it in the next

Newsletter]

Greenock and Paisley group are glad of our fellowship. We meet regularly for lunch and share our news

and concerns. We support each other through times of sadness and gladness. We remember the Diaconate

in our discussions. At present we think especially of Duncan as he awaits surgery. We hope that John will

join us soon. Morag Erskine, Katie Grey, Mary Johnston, Joyce Nicol, Duncan Ross, Isobel McCully,

Ronald McKinnon.

Glasgow & West of Scotland Local Association [Summarised]

We met on 2 different dates in August and came

up with lots of great ideas for meetings and fund-

raising for DRAE, some of which will have to be

carried forward to next session. Many of our

group appreciated attending the Deacons’ Retreat

at Langside Church in September, led by OLM

Rev Ruth Forsythe, Spiritual Formation Advisor

to Glasgow Presbytery. We also had an

introduction to Capaciter/ embodied prayer led by

Shirley Billes.

In November, a few visited the new church in

Castlemilk and enjoyed hearing from Paul about

what is happening there, including the Castlemilk

Carpenters’ Workshop.

As usual, Christmas lunch in December was a

very happy occasion.

The meeting planned for February at Maryhill

Church to hear about World Conference,

Chicago from Jim and Karen Hamilton and Ann

Wren has been re-scheduled for Monday 20th

August at 12 noon. Anyone from other groups

will be most welcome to attend. We will also

make plans for future meetings then.

It has been good to welcome Ann Wren, who has

retired to Scotland and also Laura Digan, who is

at the start of her studies/ training for the

Diaconate. We were sorry to hear of Duncan

MacQuien’s death in February and give thanks for

his life of service.

------------------------------------------------------------------

OTHER NEWS, NOTICES AND ITEMS FOR PRAYER

From Elspeth McPheat

I am raising funds for CrossReach Children

and Families Services. I will be abseiling

from the Forth Bridge on the 1st July 2018. The money raised can be used to provide

counselling services for mothers with post-

natal depression, and support children

affected by substance misuse or having a

parent in prison.

Ed. – Slightly more challenging than sookin’ up a

raspberry worm! Hope it went well…We expect to

have photographic evidence in our next issue. In

the meantime, I’m sure Elspeth will happily

receive any contributions to this good cause.

PLEASE - Let your light shine…

Dear Deacons,

I know many of us suffer from the stereotypical

Scottish reserve and try to hide our lights under a

bushel, but this is the time to, as the title says,

“Let your light shine”.

As part of the DRAE Assembly at Musselburgh

next year, we are planning an exhibition area on

the Friday. The idea being you can share with the

other delegates information on a particular project

you are involved in. We want as many of our own

Deacons to have the opportunity to show their

work. If you are interested in having a space

please get in touch with me by October 29th

or

email me abrydson@churchofscotland.org.uk

WGRG’s 9th

URBAN ADVENT RETREAT

led by Pádraig Ó Tuama

on Friday 30th

Nov (eve) & Saturday 1st

December (all day)

at the Iona Community’s Glasgow base, 21 Carlton

Court G5 9JP.

Details to follow at www.wildgoose.scot/weewonderbox

but definitely worth saving the dates!

A Day of Mindfulness in

Edinburgh Botanic Gardens

Friday July 13th

2018

Led by Sr Isabel Smyth SND

Meet in the café at the visitor centre at 11am

and should finish around 3pm.

Bring a packed lunch or eat in the café,

on your own or with others

Come together towards the end of the day

For further details and to register, contact Helen Hughes 0141 333 9459,

email: helhug35@gmail.com

Rev Dr Rhona Dunphy is Pastoral Support Manager in the Ministries Council

responsible for planning and implementing MC’s pastoral support strategy at local,

regional and national levels. As Chaplain at June Council, she was very aware of the

value of deacons and the diaconate and wanted everyone to know that she is available for

us, active and retired as much as for ministers of Word & Sacrament. She urged anyone

in need to contact her and would welcome anyone just dropping in for a chat.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS DETAILS

Rhoda Drummond - St.Raphael’s Nursing Home, 6 Oswald Rd. Edinburgh EH9 2HG

Wef 30 September, Dot Getliffe’s new address will be: 136 Ardness Place, Lochardil, Inverness IV2 4QY

REMINDERS for PRAYER Please contact Marion, Jim or Lynne if there is news that you would like to pass onto the Diaconate

about colleagues, special birthdays, special celebrations, illness etc.

Rhoda and Dot – Lord, moving home is a stressful business. Help Rhoda settle in quickly and with

minimum confusion. And may Dot be enabled to plan a good exit from her post at Aberdeen: Mannofield

and enjoy time with her husband in their new home near Inverness in September.

Duncan Ross, Jean Morrison & others ‘under the weather’ - Heavenly Physician, Holy Comforter, be

with our friends. Grant them and their families & friends deep peace. You are a ‘great big God’ and we

know you hold them in your hand.

‘Our’ Angus Mathieson is seconded to Mission & Discipleship Council until June 2019. He asks for prayer

as he takes on ‘Resourcing, Connecting & Inspiring’. Father, grant him patience, discernment, lasting fruit

Zambian Deaconesses and projects - young mums from Kamyana, the school in Kasama, the Physio project in

Kafue and the children with disabilities in ‘Home of Happiness’ in Lusaka.

Our sisters in PCI, and fellow deacons in Methodist/ Episcopalian/ Anglican and RC churches - we had no

ecumenical reps at June Council and missed them. Pray that many will be able to take up the invitation to DRAE 2019

DRAE 2019 is racing towards us. Father, inspire us to connect with others in resourcing this great

occasion! Bless & encourage the Pray & Plan Team. Inspire & grant success to all fund-raisers. Enable all

who want to come with the ways and means to do so.

Gordon Pennykid & DRAE Executive and their prayer, planning and preparation for ‘such a time as this’ next July

AND FINALLY…

Any news, stories, book reviews,

snippets for Autumn/ ADVENT

photographs that you would like to share, please send to Angela

abrydson@churchofscotland.org.uk and margaretking889@gmail.com

by Sunday 28th October 2018

Thank you !