Minister's Update

I've recently been reading the Book of Proverbs. It's a part of the Bible that I think I have neglected. In one way it seems an alien type of literature to us. Letters we are familiar with. We know what history is. We understand songs and poems. But wisdom literature (as it is called) seems a bit strange to our modern western eyes.

But if we neglect the Book of Proverbs for this reason, we are missing something really valuable. And if we want to appreciate it, we must learn how to read it.

It is not like other literature, where a particular theme or topic or event may be followed for a few paragraphs or pages, or indeed a whole book. There are only one or two places in Proverbs where a particular theme is followed for more than two or three verses - a section on the sluggard, or wisdom, or the noble wife. Mostly it consists of aphorisms - short pithy sayings that stick in the memory. Indeed that was their main purpose in the days before printing. People could memorise the Word of God. Some of these have entered into the English language:

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise! (6:6)

and

Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall (16:18).

Some Proverbs concern our relationship with God:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight (3:5,6).

and

My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in (3:11,12).

and

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death (14:12).

Most concern our relationship with our fellow men - family, friends, neighbours, enemies, wise men, fools:

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger (15:1).

He who covers over an offence promotes love,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends (17:9).

A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (18:24).

There are wise word for our own personal health and well-being:

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones (17:22).

Concern for animal welfare is also seen as part of the believer's lifestyle:

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel (12:10).

There is instruction in the bringing up of children:

Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it (22:6).

One of my favourites is a bit in the section on the noble wife (!):

… she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate (31:22,23).

Why not read the Book of Proverbs regularly? I am sure you will find very practical help for living.

Alex MacDonald

Assistant Minister's Update

In recent weeks, I have had the great joy and encouragement to speak with several people in the congregation who have come to know and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We as a congregation should give thanks for the blessing of God and pray that those who have come to faith would continue to grow in faith. Evangelism and discipleship are ongoing priorities. Pray that efforts such as Christianity Applied would both challenge non-Christians and encourage Christians in their faith. The opportunities within the congregation and in our local vicinity are vast. The congregation's ability to make an impact in this city is astounding. The challenges are there and discouragements are ever-present but those of us who know Jesus should make it our priority to make him known. We also must strive to always know him better and to more clearly reflect his light in our lives.

I have been very heartened over the past several months by the many visitors who have come occasionally or regularly to our services. Friends of the congregation from many different backgrounds and many countries have come along to join us in worship. Each on of us must try our best to make visitors welcome. Visitor cards, offers of hospitality, or simply a warm greeting can go a long way toward establishing a real link with those who come along on a Sunday morning and evening.

With regard to my work in the congregation and within the community I would be grateful for your continued prayers that doors of opportunity would be opened. Many people whom I have met recently through the University or through Bethany have a genuine interest in finding out the answers to life's big questions. Pray that God would open hearts and that more and more people would come to know Jesus and in knowing him have life eternal.

Bob Akroyd

News

Bereavement
We were very saddened to learn of the death of Mrs Margaret MacFiggans, Moira Mackay's mother. Please remember Moira, her dad Alan and her sisters Allison and Fiona in your prayers.

Recovering at Home
Thank you for your continued prayers for Iain MacDonald, Point. On Tuesday 16th April, he received his third treatment and his attitude and outlook remain very bright. Please pray for Iain, his wife Alice and their children Andrew and Joanne. Iain asked me to express his sincere gratitude for the ongoing prayers of the Lord's people.

Home From Hospital
By the time of publication, Bob Cowie (Dalgety Bay) should be home from Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline. Bob and his wife Marilyn are members of the Kirkcaldy Free Church and Bob attends the Saturday course at the college. Despite receiving a very negative prognosis from his doctors, Bob continues to remain bright and strong in his faith. Please pray for Bob, Marilyn and their sons Ross and Neil at this difficult time. Bob is grateful for our prayers and certainly has felt uplifted in recent weeks.

Summer Student Placement
From May 26th to July 6th, Gordon Matheson, a first year student at the Free Church College will be on placement with us at Buccleuch. Please make every effort to make Gordon feel welcome in Buccleuch and pray that this experience would be a blessing to him and to our own congregation.

General Assembly
The annual Free Church General Assembly runs from Monday 19th - Friday 23rd May. It begins on Monday at 6 pm with a service conducted by the retiring Moderator - this year our own Rev William M Mackay - and the election of the new Moderator (the Moderator Designate is Rev Ronald G Mackay, Free North, Inverness).

The Assembly is open to the public, and the evenings are usually of greatest interest. Tuesday night is Youth night, Wednesday is Evangelism and Outreach, and Thursday is International Missions. Please make an effort to come along and find out more about the wider Church in Scotland and abroad. Evening sessions usually begin at 6 pm or 6.30 pm.

WFM Project
Thanks are expressed to all those who helped with and contributed towards the fund raising meal before the Prayer Meeting on Wed 3rd April. A total of £379 was raised for the work of Feri and Bogi Kozma amongst Jews in Budapest.

News from Friends

The following is a report on the work of the Arch School of English, who use the hall on weekdays for English classes.

Arch School is thriving! We've had record numbers this year, with up to 45 students on the books. We need elastic walls! The kitchen, vestry, upstairs and hall are transformed daily into six or seven classrooms, with levels from beginner to proficiency.

Students come from all over. Korea, China, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine are currently represented, and we've recently had visitors from Italy, Switzerland, France and Germany, too. Ages this year have ranged from 12 to 60, though most of our students are between 25 and 35.

There's a great atmosphere, and we can often have a good laugh during lessons. The students are sociable and good-humoured and (mostly!) very hardworking. Some have really interesting tales to tell. We, the teachers, debated recently whether we should class Arch School as a business. We reckoned we should, though our main aim is certainly not financial profit. Why, then, do we stay? We enjoy the company of students and colleagues alike, the buzz of an increasingly going concern, the satisfaction of watching students make progress and - you've guessed it - the warm hospitality of Buccleuch Free Kirk!

Thank you!

Noticeboard

Joint Service at Leith - 11th May
On Sunday 11th May at 6.30pm, the three Edinburgh Congregations will meet together at Leith Free Church, Casselbank Street for a joint Evening Service. Please note that on this date, there will be no evening service at Buccleuch.

Listen Up Ladies!
On Friday, May 23rd, the ladies of Buccleuch will enjoy some food and fellowship along with a talk on 'Mercy Ministries' given by Kelly Richter. It will begin at 7:30pm and will be held in the hall in Buccleuch.
Don't be afraid to bring a friend with you as all ladies are invited!

Holiday Club
It is hoped that this summer's Children's Holiday Club will run on the week beginning 4th of August. There will be a meeting soon for the discussion of ideas. Please make a note of the holiday club dates and think about how you can be involved. (see Mairi Forsyth for more info)

Leaders Needed!
The Campaigners need a new chief (the Laings are moving to Aberdeen) and at least two helpers. Could you help out on Tuesday nights during school term, 6.30 - 7.45? This is a valuable work and we need to maintain the momentum that has begun. Please speak to Judy, Hazel or Rob if you are able to help.

BG's Youth Club
After a meeting of all concerned, BG's is taking a break until after the Summer Holidays. In the meantime, more leaders are required and more training is required for all of the leaders. This is a valuable work and a challenging work. The opportunity of reaching the young people of the community is there - Let us pray that God will equip us to reach out with the Gospel in a meaningful way to these young people and their families.

Christianity Applied
The Christianity Applied Course continues on Thursday evenings until 29th May. They start with a meal at 6.30 pm and after a short talk and discussion finish at 8.30 pm. Everyone is encouraged to come - committed and uncommitted. They are very informal evenings and a great learning opportunity - people found the original Christianity Explored course very helpful, and you are most welcome to come along!

Fringe Fellowship / 25 +
A number of people in the congregation have expressed a wish that the Fringe Fellowship be revived (perhaps under a different name). A meal was held in the church on the 13th of April and was a great success. Many thanks to Judy Laing and Kirsty Fraser for organising this.

The next get together will be on Saturday the 31st of May at the Macdonalds', 113 St Alban's Road at 6pm. This will take the form of a pot luck meal. Do come along and share your inspiring ideas on what we could do and when we could meet.

Home Bible Study
The next home Bible study will be on Wednesday, May 14th. The subject of the study will be Psalms 1 and 2. On Sunday 11th May after the morning service there will be a short training session for the leaders of the Bible studies.

Late Night
We restart our late night bible study on Thursday April 24th by looking at the Gospel of John. To prepare read Chapter 1 verses 1 to 14. We meet in the hall at 9.30pm for food and 10pm for the study. The study is co-led by Bob Akroyd and Bob Gould the Anglican Chaplain to the university. Everyone is warmly invited to attend.

Cobham Induction
On May 10th at 12.30 pm Rev. David Miller will be inducted into the Church Extension charge of Cobham. Please pray for David, Meg, Andrew, Ben and John as they settle into a new place and pray that God would bless them and encourage the congregation of Cobham. For more information about the induction, please see Bob or consult the Free Church Website.

Guest Service
The last in our series of guest services will be on Sunday May 18th at 6.30pm when Bob will preach on Jesus' claim, "I am the true vine" (John 15:1). Take this opportunity to invite your friends to church to hear the Good News about Jesus Christ and pray that God would use this occasion to challenge and convert those who attend.

Session Meeting
The Kirk Session meets on Wednesday 7th May at 9pm in the church hall.

Wonderfully Made: The Work of the Sea

The sea has an enormous impact on the coastal scenery that we see around our country and around the continents. The incessant pounding of the waves, breaking up rocks, wearing back cliffs by undermining the rocks at sea-level and grinding down rock fragments changes the landscape over time. What is eroded is then carried backwards and forwards by the ebb and flow of the tides, and may then be picked up by coastal currents and carried to deeper waters or dropped somewhere close to the coast, forming shoals and beaches, or long embankments of sand and shingle.

In the open ocean, the difference in level between high and low tide is only a few feet. In shallow seas and where the tide is concentrated in an area where the coastline converges such as a large estuary, the tidal range between high and low water may be as much as 20 - 30 feet. This means that harbours that are to be available whatever the state of the tide must be able to cope with this variation in depth and need to have high walls.

The tide is the rise and fall of the sea which occurs every 12 hours, 26 minutes. As the earth rotates, two bulges of water pass around it on opposite sides of the earth. One bulge is produced by the attraction of the moon nearest to it, the other by the fact that, on the far side, the earth is attracted by the moon more than the water there, bringing about a build-up of water. Because there is forward movement of the moon, high and low tides occur not twice in 24 hours, but twice in roughly 25 hours. The sun also exercises its influence on the tides, but much less so than the moon. However, when the earth, the moon and the sun fall along the same straight line, the tide-raising forces of the sun and moon help each other causing spring tides, very high and very low tides. When the sun and moon are weakest in relation to one another, the tides are less high and are known as neap tides.

On the coastline, the action of waves is like that of giant water-hammers. The pressure exerted by Atlantic waves averages over 600 pounds per square foot during the summer, and over 2000 pounds during the winter, but during a severe storm it many exceed 6000 pounds. Cliffs, sea-walls, breakwaters and lighthouses can be subjected to shocks of great intensity. In rock crevices air is compressed by the force of the waves. As the water recedes, the air is released with explosive force.

Along the sea-coast of Angus where there are sandstone cliffs, caves are often formed and, from the landward end of these, air shafts have been opened up by the force of the waves compressing the air so that, on a stormy day, spray may be seen rising into the air some distance from the edge of the cliff.

At Duncansby Head in Caithness, stacks and cliffs of Old Red Sandstone can be seen. Not so far away can be seen the Old Man of Hoy in the Orkneys, a stack 450 feet high. Off the Isle of Wight can be seen the Needles, stacks cut in chalk. The most serious loss of land in Britain is suffered along the Yorkshire coast south of Flamborough Head. The waves have the easy task of demolishing glacial deposits of sand, gravel and boulder clay. Since Roman times this 35-mile stretch of coast has been worn back about 3 miles and many villlages and landmarks have been swept away. During the last hundred years, the average rate of recession has been 5 or 6 feet per year.

Off the south coast of the state of Victoria in Australia there used to be a double-arched feature known as London Bridge. Just over 10 years ago, a couple were standing on the outer arch when the inner arch linking them to the land collapsed and left them stranded as well as shocked. They had to be rescued by helicopter.

Even the features that seem to be most permanent in our landscape may be subject to change, often in very small ways. The sea can play a very important part in shaping the coastline of a country.

W. M. Mackay