St Andrews Parish Church Magazine - May 2021

The Magazine of St. Andrew’s Parish Church Dundee

Issue 681 It is great to be able to welcome people back to worship in the sanctuary.

Due to covid-19 restriction, numbers are currently limited to 50 people, including the minister, organist and volunteers on duty.

You therefore need to book a place at each service of worship.

To book a place at worship, contact:

Ron Chimiak on 01382 669527 1

Sunday Service Information Interim Session Clerk Mrs Evelyn Scanlan Email: sessionclerksta@aol.com Deputy Session Clerk Mr Ron Chimiak

We are led in worship each Sunday by our minister Rev Anita Kerr at 11:15 am.

Due to government restrictions we are currently limited to a capacity of 50 people therefore booking is essential

*

Finance Co-ordinator Mrs Sheila Valentine

Services at Medowside St Pauls begin at 10:00 am

Gift Aid Promoters Mrs Fay Scott

(In the event of a month with 5 Sundays in it, a joint service will

Mrs Alison Collins

take place at 11am in alternate churches )

Freewill Offering Mrs Fay Scott

Please see the back cover for updated information regarding joint services

Fabric Co-ordinator Mr Roddy Taylor Church Officer Mr Ron Chimiak Presbytery Elder Mr Tim Xenophontos-Hellen

Roll Keeper Mrs Evelyn Scanlan

Teas/Coffees Girls’ Brigade Scottish Dancing

All cancelled until further notice

Guild Bowling Club

Gardening Group

Director of Music Ms Ruth Irons

Something else happening?

If you have anything you’d like intimated in the pre-service slides, please email Garry Collins by a Friday at the latest:

Hall Letting Convenor Mr Roddy MacKinnon

alisongarry1@btinternet.com

Safeguarding Co-ordinator Mrs Pam Chimiak Reader Co-ordinator Mrs Merelyn Baxter Sunday Seekers

Sunday School/Club Co-ordinators

Contributions for the next edition are welcome anytime during the coming weeks, but at the very latest by:

Mrs Fay Scott

Friday 4th June

Mrs Alison Collins

email to thechurchmagazine@outlook.com

Mrs Sharon Miller

The June/July edition of the Wyvern will be available for collection by distributors on Sunday 13th June

2nd June

Cong Ref No - 291743 2

Scottish Charity No - SC011775

2 John 1:3 “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the father’s Son will be with us in truth and love.

“Ne’er cast a cloot ‘til May is oot” Despite the fact that we are blessed by beautiful May blossom as we walk up the path to church, the unexpected flurries of snow and the temperature plummeting below zero in April, have made sure we shall all be hanging on to our ‘cloots’ for a bit longer!

On my bookshelf sits a copy of a little book entitled, ‘The Minister’s Cat’, an alphabet game with players trying to outdo each other in thinking of extravagant terms for the cat. In this little book the game is played using Scots words from The Concise Scots Dictionary illustrated with local artist Barbara Robertson’s lovely funny drawings. It was a gift many years ago when I had my beloved cat Max. It is a veritable treasure trove of Scots dialect from clarty to foosty!

I am an Ulster-Scot, a descendent of the Scots who migrated from the Lowlands of Scotland, almost 400 years ago. They established communities across the nine counties, (as opposed to the post partition six), in what was known as the Plantation of Ulster. The term Ulster-Scots originated in 1640 in the aftermath of the National Covenant of 1638, when the Presbyterian community in Ulster was recognised by the government as generally supportive of the Covenant.

Stewart’s Christian name, was his grandmother’s surname and my maidenname was Whyte. As children we would have been sent for the ‘messages’, spoken of teemin rain, or just a wee skiff, wet the tea, and been foundered or feart more than once. We may even on occasion have been told to ‘Wheest!

Since our return to Scotland, I have acquired a number of new words such as: a stramash or a stooshie, nippie sweetie, neuk and trauchle, to name but a few!

A shared language is a wonderful asset in any relationship, in our day to day living and in our faith life. The Bible has many sayings and proverbs and I suspect that many Scots sayings derived from them. Proverbs 21:33 “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from trouble”, translated to Scots may well be the equivalent of “Haud y’er wheesht”!

When ‘this is all over’, and we are no longer speaking through masks, social distancing or allowed only a limited number of people, I look forward to recapturing the art of conversation, to a shared language, faith and future together.

1 John 1: 12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

Blessings, Anita 3

Now that we are finally allowed to use our church for worship again there has been a lot of work done behind the scenes to comply with all the restrictions that have been imposed on us. Due to these restrictions we have had to remove all the pew cushions from downstairs and store them upstairs in the balcony area of the church. In the process of moving them it was apparent that many of the cushions are in a poor state and that they also do not meet current standards with regards to fire safety.

Without these cushions however, we know that the pews themselves are uncomfortable. If you would like, then you are welcome to bring a cushion of your own on Sunday mornings, so long as you take it home with you again after the service. This way the church complies with the Covid rules but you will be able to enjoy the worship in more comfort.

With regards to the old cushions, if we get the Kirk Session's permission, we plan to dispose of them in the near future. However if your pew cushion is part of your family's history and connection with the church, and you would like to keep it then please get in touch with Ron to arrange to uplift it (01383 669527). Ron would also appreciate some help with the job of removing the cushions as there is a lot of stair climbing involved! Please contact him if you are willing to help and we will arrange a suitable Saturday in May to carry out the work.

Once the old cushions are removed we can then investigate what is available with regards to new cushions that comply with modern regulations and we can look forward to sitting comfortably again.

Evelyn and Ron

We are delighted to welcome Rev Caroline Taylor in her role as Christian Aid Co-Ordinator in our Churches. Christian Aid may be regarded as part of our Presbyterian DNA and it is wonderful to see how much encouragement Caroline has already received through donations and sponsorship for the kilt-walk. May God bless Caroline and those she gathers around her to continue the work of Christian Aid in our churches.

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Roddy Taylor

2011 – A joint Challenge between the St Andrew’s Family Project and the Church to raise funds by walking, running or cycling from St Andrews in Fife via the coastal path to St Andrew’s Dundee was reported. The proceeds of the Challenge were split equally between the Project and Church.

2001 – Jacqui Wood wrote, “A Church Development Plan was being developed with members of the Care Group identifying the importance of visiting in the life of the Church. She continued with an appeal for those willing to visit or to provide transport to services as “Together, we really can make a difference”.

1991 – Mr Petrie’s 2p’s help to sponsor Samantha. The first letter arrived from Samantha’s mother in Haiti where the official language is French. She wrote, “Everything is well and Samantha is in pre-school in a class of 25. The whole family thank you for accepting her as a foster child”. Ewan Petrie is writing to her in French.

1981 – The Boys’ Brigade held their 90th Display where the inspecting officer was Captain J. Craig of the 44th Dundee BB Company. He commented on the high morale in the Company among officers and boys. He commended the way of life taught through the ranks of the Brigade and Christ’s Kingdom amongst youth.

1971 – “Did you know that Dundee had links with St Ninian, the first Christian missionary to Scots? So wrote Alistair Logan who was sharing these discoveries with the Sunday Schools. Other saints explored with St Ninian of Galloway, were St Andrew, St Patrick, St Columba and St Mungo.

1961 – Elder Stewart McDonald worshipped in St Andrew’s Church, Calcutta whilst on a business trip to India and East Pakistan. Less grand than the Queen Victoria Memorial with cane chairs in place of pews. However, in true Scots style the service ended with a welcome cup of tea and chat in the committee rooms when news from home is freely swapped.

1951 – The closing service of the Sunday School took place at 6:30pm on 3rd June. Mrs Campbell graciously presented the prizes. Tickets on sale on Thursday 31st May for the annual picnic to Monikie on the 2nd June were available at a cost of 3/- for adults and 2/for Juveniles. (15p and 10p today)

1941 – Mr Smellie wrote of the conflict in Greece where British and Imperial forces were being withdrawn in a country where high ideals of freedom were brought to birth. You may have met on the streets of Athens, a greater number of men, whose names have found immortality or fame, than the whole world has seen in many a century of her story.

1931- The annual Business Meeting of the Woman’s Guild was held in the East hall on Tuesday 7th April. The President, Mrs R F V Scott, was among the office bearers elected for the next session. Two rambles were arranged to Balmerino, transport being by booked train. Appeals for clothes parcels were made for berry-pickers at Blairgowrie.

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The congregation would be saddened to hear of Silvie's death, aged 96, on Easter Sunday. Throughout her long life, Silvie was extremely proud of her and her family's connection with St Andrew's Parish Church - a connection which went back several generations. Her maternal grandfather, James McIntosh, was the Beadle. She was baptised by Rev. Harcourt Davidson and, in recent years, Silvie was one of the few babies christened by this well-known minister, who were still alive.

Silvie Fraser spent her schooldays at Morgan Academy, of which she was intensely proud and she retained that pride throughout her life. Until the Morgan Ladies' Lunches were interrupted by Covid restrictions, Silvie was a regular and greatly admired attender. She joined the D.15 Company Girls' Guildry in her much-loved Church, another connection she kept up throughout her lifetime.

She saw war service in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. After the war, she married, in 1950, Innes Taylor who hailed from Inverurie. The birth of her two sons, Roddy and Keith, followed. In these years, Silvie took music, drama and elocution lessons and qualified as a Fellow of Trinity College London. This led in time to her becoming an internationally acclaimed adjudicator at festivals at home and abroad. Even into her eighties, she enjoyed travelling to different places overseas to adjudicate.

Silvie's contributions to life in her church were wide ranging. She was a leading light in the Church Dramatic Society and was a very conscientious member of the Congregational Board for twenty-five years. She enjoyed the discussions which took place there and never hesitated in giving of her opinions on the Board. She served as a member of the Vacancy Committee that led to the Rev. Ian Petrie becoming minister of St. Andrew's. Her knowledge of the history and affairs of the church was wide-ranging and many will continue to cherish the book she produced, showing the various stained glass windows and giving the history of each one and its donors.

Silvie was a talented author and will be best remembered for her monthly articles, called "March of Time" in "The Wyvern". Each month she selected snippets from previous Wyverns and Supplements and kept us all informed of what went on at various times. However, Silvie also wrote for "The Scots Magazine" on a variety subjects and was successful in winning a competition to write a serial for the "People's Friend". Thousands enjoyed "The Flax Spinner", which appeared in the magazine for a number of weeks.

Recently, Silvie became frailer. Weakness overshadowed her life and she sometimes found this difficult. However, she remained fiercely independent and was determined that she would not leave her beloved house. There she passed away on 4th April 2021, having celebrated her 96th Birthday in February.

We remember Silvie with affection and admiration, we give thanks for her long life of activity and service and to her devoted sons, Roddy and Keith, as well as the wider family, we offer our deepest condolences.

Merelyn Baxter.

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Sunday 25th April: the sun was shining as seven people (and Jyp, the manse dog) from our churches gathered in the carpark. Anita recorded the moment on her camera and waved us off along the Cowgate. We walked along Riverside, over the footbridge and up Seabraes, through the University of Dundee campus, across Hawkhill through the territory of the old jute mills, made the steep climb up Gardner’s Lane to the green space of Dudhope Park, onwards to the Hilltown, down Dens Brae with the river sparkling below us and into Princes Street, and there just along the road was the church. A circular walk measuring 4.18 miles (thanks, Ruth, for the technology!) taking in our parishes. One of the highlights occurred as we walked along Constitution Street and saw the other group coming in our direction, so we stopped to compare notes. The verdict? Jyp’s group had the easier time with regard to the uphill bits and, next year, let’s hope we can all do it together!

The amount raised will be given in the next Wyvern. If we factor in the 50% add-on from the Hunter Foundation, it’s likely to be in the region of £1,000. THANK YOU to everyone who took Caroline Taylor part and everyone who sponsored us.

Christian Aid Co-Ordinator

Warm congratulations to Margaret Ingram, an elder in Meadowside St Paul’s, who has been awarded a Maundy Gift in recognition of her outstanding service to the church.

The awards are normally handed over by the Queen on Maundy Thursday but, because of the pandemic, recipients received them in the post this year.

Margaret received two small leather purses containing some coins. In one purse was £5.50 made up of a specially minted £5 coin commemorating the Queen’s 95th birthday and a 50p coin marking the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day. The second purse contained Maundy coins to the value of 95p corresponding to the Queen’s age.

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Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian Church.

Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (Sunday 23rd May 2021).

The name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth". Pentecost can also be referred to as ‘Whitsun’, but does not necessarily coincide with the Whitsun Bank Holiday in the UK. Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world.

The Holy Spirit is the third part of the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that is the way Christians understand God. The first Pentecost Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. It sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit. People passing by at first thought that they must be drunk, but the apostle Peter told the crowd that the apostles were full of the Holy Spirit.

Celebrating Pentecost Pentecost is a happy festival. Ministers in church often wear robes with red in the design as a symbol of the flames in which the Holy Spirit came to earth.

Hymns sung at Pentecost take the Holy Spirit as their theme, and include: • • • •

• •

Come down O Love Divine Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire Breathe on me breath of God O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us There's a spirit in the air Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me

Pentecost Symbols The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove.

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Across 1— Tomb 5—Day

6—Crucify

April Cross Word Answers

7—Week 8—Stone

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Down 2—Body 3—Morning

4—Risen

Since the beginning of 2020, every newspaper and news bulletin has carried the latest update on the spread of the coronavirus and the impact it has had on the lives of so many people. Covid 19 has changed the world and, although life in our country is slowly returning to some kind of normality, for countries like India the daily death toll is staggeringly high.

Over the years there have been many health scares across the world including swine flu, bird flu, Asian flu and Hong Kong flu. These all led to the deaths of many, many people but nothing like the numbers that have succumbed to the coronavirus. Without the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses and other medical staff, the death toll would surely have been even higher.

Another group of people who have worked round the clock are the scientists producing the vaccines which will hopefully give protection to those who are immunised and help prevent further spread of the disease. These scientists, like many others over the years, have been guided by the example of the experiments of an English doctor, Edward Jenner.

He was born on 17 May 1749. At that time there was a dreadful sickness that killed almost everyone who caught it. The illness was called smallpox and Edward was unfortunate enough to catch it when he was a young boy.

However, he was one of the lucky ones and recovered. When he grew up his ambition was to become a doctor and try to find a cure for smallpox.

After he qualified as a doctor, he began to spend a great deal of time studying smallpox. He noticed that dairymaids, who often caught cowpox from their cows, did not get the smallpox disease. Edward then began to do experiments with volunteers, inoculating them with the thick yellowish fluid, or pus, which came from cowpox sores.

In 1796, he carried out his now famous experiment on eight-year-old James Phipps. Jenner inserted pus taken from a cowpox pustule and inserted it into an incision on the boy's arm. He subsequently proved that having been inoculated with cowpox Phipps was immune to smallpox. He submitted a paper to the Royal Society in 1797 describing his experiment but was told that his ideas were too revolutionary and that he needed more proof. Undaunted, Jenner experimented on several other children, including his own 11-month-old son. In 1798, the results were finally published, and Jenner coined the word vaccine from the Latin 'vacca' for cow.

Continued...

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Of course, it took time for people to realise what good work he had been doing. Some people even thought that if they were injected with cowpox pus they would grow ears, tails and legs just like a cow! Gradually, people began to appreciate his achievements and were grateful to him for his determination and courage in carrying out his experiments, which resulted in the saving of many lives and the near-disappearance of a once-dreaded disease.

Jenner spent much of his time researching and advising on developments in his vaccine. He also carried out research in a number of other areas of medicine

One of Grace Logan’s favourite hymns is not found in CH4 or Songs of God’s People. In fact, some would say it is not really a hymn but a blessing.

It is ‘Shalom to you now.’ This was introduced to St Andrew’s by the late Rev John Hawdon our Locum Minister when we were in vacancy after Rev Ian Petrie’s retiral. Shalom became a great favourite and was regularly sung after the benediction.

Shalom to you now, shalom, my friends.

May God’s full mercies bless you, my friends.

In all your living and through your loving, Christ be your shalom, Christ be your shalom.

Shalom is a Hebrew word which has many

meanings including peace, harmony, wholeness,

(471) Shalom To You Now [wfs] - YouTube

completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility.

It can also be used to mean both hello and goodbye.

God is a good worker, but he loves to be helped.

Spanish proverb 11

For many gardeners, slugs are the bane of their lives. They eat away at their plants and leave their slimy trail wherever they go.

However, perhaps after reading Margaret Waddingham’s poem, anyone whose plants have been affected by slugs might feel differently.

The Arrival of the Slugs

Were there slugs crawling round in the Garden of Eden?

Have they really been here since the dawn of our time?

If there were, then I’m sure that young Eve would have noticed those slippery, silvery trails of slime And she’d have said, “Oi! What’s this mess on my carpet of grasses and flowers and leaves so sublime?”

She’d have got out her dustpan and swept them up smartly and thrown them away with the rest of the grime.

Were there slugs on the earth when old Noah got his orders?

Did they file on in twos for a cruise on the ark?

If there were, Mrs Noah, I’m sure would have noticed that things were more slippery than they’d been at the start.

And she’d have said, “Oi! Now look what you’re doing, leaving that nasty mess over my floor.”

She’d have got out her polish and cleaned up behind them – that’s after she’d shown them, politely, the door.

Were there really some slugs when God sat back in heaven, when He smiled and He said, “Whew I’ve finished my world!”

I’m sure He’d have noticed those mucousy mutants, and realised at once a mistake had occurred.

But maybe, much awed by His own great creation, He only noticed their silvery flares, And since He was tired and over-excited said “This is my rest day – I’ll leave them down there.”

Shared with you by Marilyn Graham 12

This month, I have opted to tell you about two projects which we as a Guild have been supporting throughput the year. One project here in Scotland and the other in Africa.

CrossReach - Join up the Dots Project Through their work nationally in Scotland across all age ranges and segments of society, CrossReach comes across problems of loneliness and isolation and their effects on people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

CrossReach know that you too encounter these problems through your work in your own communities and that you want to alleviate them as much as they do.

With this project, together CrossReach will share their experience of lived stories of isolation and loneliness. Together, they will expose these problems and together, they will provide solutions for them CrossReach is the social care arm of the Church of Scotland. For the last 150 years, they have been providing loving Christian care to those who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances right across Scotland. With over 70 services, CrossReach provide support when and where it is needed, from birth to end of life, for people of all faiths and none. They rely on the generosity of individual supporters and philanthropically minded organisations to run many of their services.

Malawi Fruits – Growing the Future Malawi Fruits aim is to lift hundreds of small-scale farmers out of poverty, and they can see opportunities to bring great help through irrigation and crop processing.

Malawi Fruits have a strong affinity with the Guild because of their shared commitment to practical Christian care. The project, Growing the Future, is a new approach to supporting young farmers and bringing Good News.

Malawi Fruits look forward to working in partnership with the Guild and together they will: • Work with Church Youth Groups to train and support the young people to grow cash crops using modern methods.

•

Provide solar-powered ‘Futurepumps’ to enable the young people to grow crops using irrigation.

•

Provide access to a tractor and plough as part of the “Green Revolution” for these young farmers.

Connect young people with processing facilities and good markets to ensure that they are not exploited in any way.

Throughout all this, Malawi Fruits will work with the Youth Groups to help young people recognise this help as a blessing from God and as a connection with the Global Church through the Guild and Malawi Fruits.

Fay Scott 13

Funerals

Our prayers are with the family and loved ones of those whom we have lost. We entrust them to the love and care of our Lord Jesus Christ.

8th April—Douglas Johnston 15th April—Silvie Taylor

Things are so very different these days from even some years ago. Sitting in the church these past Sundays with a total of between thirty and forty people, all social distancing and wearing masks with no singing, it is all so very different from some years ago.

Can I take you back to the 8th of May 2005 when, for me, there was one very special church service and that was called the 1000 Service. Sixteen years ago this month. The Rev Ian Petrie was behind my idea to fill the church with 1000 people, made up of church members and their families, their friends, trades people, hall lets people, members of the church bowling club and their opponents. Anyone who would help to fill the church.

Sadly we did not make the 1000 people, but we had approximately 750 to 800 all eager to take part in a service that we would hopefully remember for quite a few years.

A special hymn sheet was designed and printed with the words of the hymns and with pictures of the church from years past.

We had people to welcome the congregation whenever they came in, people on seating and Elders on the terrace to give smiles and make everyone welcome.

It was arranged that an outside caterer would provide teas and coffees in the halls and in a seated area just outside the hall door and the church west door. Because it was Christian Aid month it was decided that the open plate would be donated to Christian Aid. If you did not have the pleasure of attending that service, with the church nearly full, then perhaps it is hard for you to imagine how strong and how loud and joyous the singing was.

In the sixteen years that have passed since that service I cannot recall the Church being so full again and the singing being so strong and so uplifting.

Let us hope that with Covid behind us that we may again enjoy the singing in the church.

J. D. Pirie.

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Below is the current list for May/June 2021 Flower Donors and Flower Committee (for when normal services resume).

Flower Donors 2nd 9th

Flower Committee May 2021 Mr. P. Davidson 2nd Mrs. L. Evans Mrs. S. Miller Mrs. W. Petrie 9th Miss M. Graham

16th Mr. A. Wood

16th

23rd Flower Fund

23rd Mrs. A. Sanderson

Mrs. M McKenzie

30th Miss. R. McLaren 30th Mrs. A. MacKinnon June 2021 6th Mrs. A. Johnston 6th Mrs E. Strachan Mrs. A. Forbes 13th 13th Mrs. L. Evans Mr. W. Stewart 20th Mrs. B. Young 20th Miss M. Graham 27th Mr. P. Scanlan 27th Mrs. M. McKenzie

As this new month of May begins, here are our wishes for you May this month bring you satisfaction, peace and joy May all the desired of your heart be granted May this be the beginning of new things in your life May your worries disappear May your pain lessen

May God bless you, your friends, your family and our church 15

Bowling

If you have any pastoral needs or if you know of anybody at home, or in hospital who requires a visit please contact our Minister

Bill Grant Boys Brigade FMA John James BEM

Rev Anita Kerr

Christian Aid Co-Ordinator Care Group

Email: Anita.Kerr@churchofscotland.org.uk Telephone: 01382 456659

Liz Davidson

Or

Caroline Taylor

Church Office

Flower Committee

St Andrew’s Parish Church 2 King Street, Dundee, DD1 2JB Tel: 01382 224860 Email: standrewsdundee@outlook.com

Avril Sanderson Muriel McKenzie Fundraisers Fay Scott Girls’ Brigade Sheila Valentine Guild

During this time we continue to encourage you to follow our online pages to keep up-to-date with the events. We post frequently to Facebook and Twitter, and online services are available on YouTube.

Fay Scott Life and Work Ron Coull Messy Church

Lindsay McCallum Outdoor Activities Group Roddy MacKinnon

St Andrews Parish Church Dundee, News and Events Group

Stewardship Team Ruth Irons Traidcraft

St Andrews Parish Church Page

Sally Romilly Website

Meadowside St Paul’s l/w St Andrew’s

Claire Andrews Wyvern Distribution Co-ordinator

Meadowside St Paul’s l/w St Andrew’s

Alison Collins Wyvern Editors

www.standrewsparishchurch.co.uk

Aimee Brown

Sheila Valentine

You may be aware that in the event of a Sunday with 5 weeks in it, a joint service would be held at 11am on the 5th Sunday of the month. The location of such services will alternate between the two churches.

After much consideration, the decision has been made to stick with the normal Sunday service arrangements on Sunday 30th May, as a result of the restricted numbers permitted to attend worship. We hope to be able to hold a joint service for the 5th Sunday in August, but we will confirm arrangements for this nearer the time.

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