Welcome
This Newsletter features some of the activities Bishop Anne has been taking part in across the City, Shire and Islands that make up the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney.
Bishop’s Visit to Orkney
There have been many beautiful days this past March, including those when the Bishop made a visit to Orkney. From sunrise to sunset the sun shone, and every vista on Orkney was truly beautiful. The Bishop’s visit was facilitated by Revd Brenda Dowie, an Orcadian living on the Mainland. Brenda took time to introduce Bishop Anne to the Orkney that she has known and loved since her birth.
The main purpose for the visit was to mark the formation of a new Joint Charge between the churches of St Mary, Stromness and St Olaf, Kirkwall. There was a service held on Sunday 16 March at which Brenda was commissioned as priest-in-charge of the Joint Charge, and the new constitution signed. The service and the lunch that followed were held in the Rectory, the churches’ warm space in Kirkwall through the winter months. St Olaf’s will open its church building again for Easter Day.
A number of those attending the churches in Orkney have sewn squares for the quilt shown above. The foundation material is used and washed hospital scrubs, cut into squares. The quilt/banner has been displayed in Stromness. There are similar quilt projects related to Gaza being made and displayed in Shetland and Aberdeen.
A large banner showing support for the people of Palestine is being sewn by peace groups throughout Scotland. Orkney peace campaigners are taking part in this extraordinary project by embroidering sections. The Stitch Solidarity Project is an initiative originally started by Aberdeen Health Care Workers for Peace.
St Clement’s Lady Chapel
On Sunday 23 March the Bishop blessed and rededicated the Lady Chapel at St Clement’s, Mastrick. For a number of years the Lady Chapel space was used for the storage of the Diocesan Archive. The Archive has now moved on, and the space has been refitted for its original use.
The mural, which was a collaborative effort by students at Gray’s Art School, has been restored, and a new altar purchased. The church intends this space to be used especially for prayer and remembrance.
Lunch for the Bishop’s Lent Appeal – Days for Girls
On Monday 24 March the Bishop held a lunch at St James, Aberdeen in support of her Lent Appeal – Days for Girls. The appeal had been launched at Synod on 1 March, and the lunch was an opportunity for others to hear about the work of the charity that supports girls and women experiencing period poverty.
Julia House assisted the Bishop, describing the bags that are produced by the charity that contain items to support girls when they menstruate. £340 was raised at the lunch.
Affirmation of Baptism (Confirmation) Service at St John’s Aberdeen
The Bishop has presided at a number of services of confirmation this year. The latest one took place at St John’s, Aberdeen on Saturday 29 March, a joint service with St James.
The Bishop preached from the story of the men carrying their paralysed friend to Jesus for healing, giving thanks for all those who had encouraged those being confirmed on their journey of faith. She reminded those present of their own responsibility to pray for and encourage friends to meet with Jesus.
Visit to Shetland
At the beginning of April the Bishop, accompanied by Revd Canon Jenny Holden (Adviser for Christian Life), visited Shetland. Together they met with a good number of the ministry team. This team has been growing steadily through the last few years as those who are priests or lay readers elsewhere retire and move to Shetland. The photo below shows a very happy breakfast event in Lerwick.
Following the retirement of Revd Canon Neil Brice, the Charges in Shetland are in vacancy. The Bishop is working with a number of Charges in vacancy at the moment, using material and a process for recruitment introduced successfully by the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway. The Bishop met with the vestry of St Magnus to reflect with them on what God is doing in and through their church at present. What might this church be called to do and be, and what kind of ordained leadership do they need? To explore these questions the vestry members were encouraged to imagine and draw what they discerned as important.
St Magnus is a church well connected with the wider communities and groups in Lerwick and beyond. To consider how church members might connect more deeply with these, Jenny Holden gave them a rucksack for individual members to take with them on their travels across the islands. The rucksack contained representations of things that are essential to the Christian Life (Bible, food, light, etc) and tied to it were labels representing gifts offered by church members. The rucksack will be photographed on its travels, so that come Pentecost there will be a story to tell.
On the Sunday morning the Bishop presided and preached at the Eucharist assisted by Jenny and Revd Helen Randall, who was ordained deacon last September. This was the first time three women – all consecrated or ordained in Aberdeen and Orkney Diocese, served together in a service as bishop, priest and deacon.
Travelling north, the Bishop met with the vestry of St Colman’s, Burravoe on Yell, the most northerly church in the diocese. The population on Yell is small, as is church attendance. Worship is enabled by good ecumenical relationships, and a sharing of worship which respects diverse traditions. This meeting took place on another sunny day, but was concerned in part with the effects of poor weather on the fabric of church buildings. The Bishop will return to St Colman’s in July to celebrate with them the 125th anniversary of the church.
Bishop Anne and Jenny had a quiet day on Fetlar, staying two nights with Graham and Ruth Booth at their home and retreat house, The Glebe. While there they visited the Fetlar community garden, which consists of a number of polycrubs. A donation was made to the cost of these from a previous Bishop’s Lent Appeal. While there the Bishop heard of the value of this provision of a place to garden for those concerned with improving their mental wellbeing. The growing season was just beginning, with signs of new life in the polycrubs
Church Warm Spaces
A good number of our churches offer warm spaces and food as part of their welcome and hospitality. Some are so good at this that they have won awards (Beulah Café, St Andrew’s, Banff and Friendship Café, St Andrew’s, Alford). This past month the Bishop visited Alford, for their last lunch of the season, and the St Clement’s, Aberdeen, Friendship Club. The picture below shows Bishop Anne with a member of this club, Cathy, who was celebrating her 90th birthday. Her friends at the club had organised her birthday cake to be pipped in by pipers attached to the Gordon Highlanders Museum.
Every Saturday, St James, Holborn Street, offers Soup and Chat. This was first started nearly three years ago by Revd Dr Ruth Green, when she was Rector, together with Thelma Milne. It continues to be a warm and welcoming space for regular visitors and new friends. The team of volunteers has grown to include members of a number of churches in the Aberdeen City. The team for Saturday 12 April is shown below. The Bishop serves as part of the team when she is in Aberdeen.
Palm Sunday at St Peter’s Peterhead
The Bishop began Lent by taking the service for Ash Wednesday at St Peter’s, Peterhead, and was there again on Palm Sunday. The service included the call to follow Jesus through Holy Week, accompanied with the Blessing of Palms. The Revd Canon Dr Jenny Holden accompanied the Bishop, and distributed sets of cards to all who attended to be used day by day in Holy Week.
As we turn from ‘Hosanna’ into this Holy Week, we pray for all those who will seek to follow Christ as he makes his way to the cross, and then to resurrection.