Minister's Update

We are passing through crucial times for the Free Church in general and for our own congregation in particular.

Not only is there a hugely important Court case hanging over us this year, but also we have to decide how we are going to manage change. For many these issues have got tangled up. They think that because the Court case will revolve around the Constitution of the Free Church, we cannot change anything. Of course that is nonsense. At one level we must continue as normal. We must sell redundant buildings and build new ones. We must link congregations where necessary and plant new ones. We must practise the New Testament teaching concerning the role of women in the Church. We must seek and obtain degree validation for the Free Church College. We must produce new versions of the Psalms in the vulgar tongue.
All these we have done to some extent. And all these involve change. Where there is life, there is change and movement. Where there is no life, there is immobility and inflexibility and stagnation.

Of course, most of those who left the Free Church in 2000 were against most of those things – including degree validation, Sing Psalms, modern translations of the Bible, church planting and Free Church Camps. This sometimes makes some of us look over our shoulders at them and worry if we are acting in an “unconstitutional” way! This is wholly unnecessary. None of these things is prohibited by our Constitution! In fact the very reverse. For instance, the Confession teaches us that the Scriptures should be translated into “the vulgar tongue”.

However, this still leaves us with the problem of how to manage change. Strange though it may seem, I can understand those who are wary of change. You see I am well over 50 now! For instance, at one level I would much prefer to sing Psalm 116 in the familiar Scottish Psalter version. It has resonances and associations for me that the new version can never have. The new version can never remind me of my father singing Psalm 116 to the tune Ericstane.

But the Church doesn’t exist for me. The Church exists to be the witness of Jesus Christ to a lost world. The student from China and the homeless from Edinburgh don’t have my associations with Psalm 116. What matters to them is if they can understand the words and if they can sing the tune.

At one level, I would much prefer to stick to conducting two traditional Sunday services – that involves much less thought and effort from me! But I know that if I am going to connect with the unchurched, the interested inquirer and the unbeliever, I must do guest services and Christianity Explored courses, and I must be ready to innovate and try new approaches to preaching the gospel (Jesus didn’t always use the same approach!). Sometimes these will fail, but he who never made a mistake, never made anything. Sometimes we are so afraid of making a mistake, we never change anything or try anything new. Let it be my epitaph: He was never afraid of making a mistake!

Not all change is good. But when the Church is being ineffective or declining, change is necessary. Let us seek to ensure that the changes are Biblical and effective. And let us not be afraid!

Alex MacDonald

Assistant Minister's Update

Tomorrow (February 16), I begin my induction as a part time prison Chaplain. I look forward to getting back into a routine at prison and would appreciate your continued prayers.

I have been very encouraged by our new course, Christianity Applied. We have had five out of the seven sessions and these times have been enjoyed by many. This is a follow-on course from Christianity Explored, but you don’t need to attend the first to benefit from the second. This course provides an open forum to ask questions and to find out more about what being a Christian is really all about. If you haven’t come along yet, there is still time. Please come along on Thursday February 19th and 26th at 6.30pm. For those who cannot attend, could I ask you to set aside some time between 6.30 and 8.30 on a Thursday evening to pray for this meeting – prayer support is absolutely essential!

On the subject of prayer, can I encourage everyone who is committed to the congregation of Buccleuch to make prayer a priority? In each newssheet and newsletter, there are plenty of activities and ministries within the congregation, but unless the Lord blesses these endeavours, our labour will be in vain. Prayer is both private and corporate. Our main meeting for prayer is on Wednesday nights at 7.30pm in the church hall. On the second Wednesday of the month, we meet in homes for Bible Study and prayer and every Saturday morning there is a prayer breakfast in the hall. Do you want to join with fellow believers in seeking God’s blessing for the congregation and our community? Are you making prayer a priority? See you on Wednesday night or Saturday morning!

Bob Akroyd

News

Baptism
The sacrament of Baptism is due to be dispensed on Sunday 22nd February at the morning service when Carys Lytle is to be baptised.

Farewell
There’s to be a farewell meeting for David and Olwen Ford who are going back to missionary service in Peru. The meeting is due to take place in St Vincent Street Free Church at 7.30 pm on Friday 20th February.

New Arrival
At 9:05 on Tuesday morning 10th February, Hannah Ferguson was born. She weighed in at just under 6 pounds. Elizabeth and Paul are both delighted and Elizabeth hopes to come home today (Thursday). We are assured that mother, baby and father are all doing well! We wish them every blessing and encouragement.

Recovering at Home
We remember in prayer and give thanks for the recovery of those recently in hospital. Alistair Ross is now at home following an operation in the Western General and Elizabeth MacKenzie continues to make progress following her recent operation. Mrs Urquhart is back home at the Elms.

Night Shelter
Thank you to everyone who volunteered at the Night Shelter. Your help is greatly appreciated in this valuable ongoing ministry to homeless people in Edinburgh.

New Psalm Book Launch

On Friday 19 March at 7.30 pm in St Columba’s Free Church, Edinburgh, the official launch of Sing Psalms in both the staff and solfa music editions will take place.

The meeting will be chaired by Rev Alex MacDonald, Moderator of the Presbytery of Edinburgh and Perth. The main speaker will be Professor John L Mackay of the Free Church College. Professor Donald Macdonald, Convener of the Psalmody Committee, and Mr Evan Macdonald, vitally involved in the project for many years, will speak respectively on the development of the Sing Psalms project, and on the musical aspects of this new version.

Dr Donald Mackay will lead a small group of singers who will present some of the less well-known tunes in the Sing Psalms collection. There will, of course, be an opportunity for congregational participation, focusing on better-known tunes.

An exhibition, featuring many different aspects of psalmody as well as this particular project, is being prepared. All the different items, produced by the Church over the years, in order to encourage the praise of God through psalm singing, will be on display along with the exhibition—psalters, manuals, cassettes and videos. Refreshments will be served at the close of the meeting in the church hall.

The books themselves have been available since the beginning of February. The sales of the words only edition were very encouraging, the combined 1650/Sing Psalms version being already into its second printing. Now that the music editions are available, the Committee are publicising Sing Psalms as widely as possible, and are encouraged by considerable interest from outside both the Free Church and Scotland.
Most of all, the Psalmody Committee's desire is that Sing Psalms will enable more and more people to “worship the Lord with gladness and come before him with joyful songs.”

John M MacPherson

Noticeboard

Deacons’ Court
The Court meets on Monday 16th February at 8 pm in the Tower Room.

Kirk Session
The Kirk Session will meet on Monday 23rd February at 7.30 pm in the Manse.

Guest Service
The next Guest Service (after tonight!) will be on Sunday 7th March at 6.30 pm. Bob will be preaching on Freedom from Evil (Luke 8:26 –39). Please use the invitation cards provided to invite friends along.

Prayer Breakfast
Every Saturday morning at 9am we meet in Buccleuch Church Hall for breakfast, fellowship and prayer. This has been a time of great blessing and encouragement and everyone is warmly invited to come along and join us in prayer.

Missionary meeting
Catriona Macdonald will speak about her work in Central Asia at the midweek meeting on Wednesday 3rd March at 7.30 pm.

The Doulos
Come along and find out more about the OM ship’s forthcoming visit to Edinburgh. A team from the ship, the Doulos, will be giving a presentation and telling why Leith will be THE place to be for three weeks in June. There will also be an opportunity to pray for the ship’s visit. The meeting will take place on Sunday 22nd February from 3:30 – 5:30 at the home of Adrian & Val Todd, 10 Pentland Cresc.

AGM
The Congregational AGM will be held on Wednesday 31 March at 7.30 pm. As well as the usual presentation of the financial report and discussion of this year’s budget, there will be reports on various aspects of congregational work. Please show your support for Buccleuch by attending and finding out more about our work and plans.

Supper Evening
There will be a supper evening on Friday 12th March in the church hall. Our special guests will be David and Martha MacPherson, John, Samuel and Joseph. The theme will be Peru, and we hope to hear about the work in Moyobamba, and also from Alex about the work in the Lima Evangelical Seminary (SEL).

Funds collected on the evening will be sent to support the work in Moyobamba and the SEL. Scotland's efforts at the 1978 World Cup will not be discussed, although if we can find a poster of Peru's then free kick specialist, Teófilo Cubillas, this will be put on display. If you are able to contribute food, please contact Catherine Thomson, Antonio Lopez, Anna Macdonald or Mary Macmillan.

If you would like to try making something with a Peruvian flavour, a selection of relatively simple to follow Peruvian recipes are available to choose from - again, just speak to Catherine or one of the team.

Please come at 7:00 pm, with a view to starting the meal at 7:30pm.

Precentor’s Training Day
There will be a Precentor’s Training Day with Evan MacDonald on Sat 6th March @ 10:30 am - 1:00 pm in Kirkcaldy Free Church.

Home Bible Study
The next home Bible study will be on Wednesday, March 10th. We will continue our study on the Holy Sprit looking at “The Fullness of the Holy Spirit.” Please look out for the studysheet listing the subject and venues nearer to the time.

Wonderfully Made

The series entitled ‘Wonderfully Made’ will be suspended for some months and a series on people who have contributed to witnessing for Christ, especially in Scotland, will commence.


PATRICK HAMILTON: 1503 - 1528
In St. Andrews, on North Street, at the entry to St. Salvator’s College and outside the University Chapel, the letters PH are marked out in the cobbles on the pavement. The letters are the initials of Patrick Hamilton.

Patrick Hamilton was the son of Sir Patrick Hamilton of Kincavel and Stanehouse and Catherine Stewart, born ‘in the diocese of Glasgow’. On his mother’s side he was a great grandson of King James II. James V, although just a baby, came to the throne after his father’s death at the battle of Flodden in 1513 and the country was ruled by the Queen Mother as regent and councillors, including a very powerful churchman, James Beaton who was Archbishop of Glasgow.

It was intended that Patrick would become a priest and, while still a young man, was made the Abbot of Fearn in Easter Ross. He would not have to perform religious duties - a priest would do these for him, but the income from the church and lands would be his, giving him financial support for his studies. The country at this time was Roman Catholic in its religious loyalty and had not experienced the spiritual awakening of the Reformation.

However, he went to Paris to study in the university there and graduated as Master of Arts in 1520 before going on to the University of Louvain where a college had been founded by the humanist scholar, Erasmus, for the study of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Almost certainly he came in contact at that time with the ideas of Luther and other reformers which had been stirring the academic world of the time.

He came to the University of St. Andrews in 1523 and was received into the Faculty of Arts in October 1524 as Abbot of Fearn, in the diocese of Ross. There seems to be no clear record of what he was doing during the next two years, but it seems that he was discovering for himself the power of revealed truth. Archbishop James Beaton, now archbishop of St. Andrews, suspected Hamilton of heresy and decreed that he should be summoned and accused. Hamilton fled to the continent early in 1527.

After a brief stay in Wittemberg where he may well have seen Martin Luther and Philip Melancthon, he went on to Marburg where a new Protestant university was opened on 30th May, 1527 and Patrick enrolled on that very day. While there he set out a series of statements outlining Biblical teaching with boldness and precision. John Knox was later so impressed with them that he included them in his History of the Reformation in Scotland.

In the autumn of 1527, he returned to Scotland and was married shortly afterward to a lady of noble rank. His preaching made many converts for he showed the errors that had crept into the Christian religion and denounced the corruption of the Roman Church. As one writer put it, “A great following he had both for his learning and courteous behaviour to all sorts of people”.

In February of the following year, he was invited to St. Andrews and discussed his views with leading churchmen, one of whom, Alexander Campbell, seems to have led him on by expressing sympathy with his views. From his room one evening he was taken to the Castle, kept there overnight, tried in the morning, condemned and burned to death early in the afternoon.

His winning character, his eagerness to find the truth, his courage and his early death at the age of twenty-four make him one of the most interesting figures in the religious history of Scotland during the Sixteenth Century. George Buchanan described him as ‘a young man of the greatest genius, and most singular erudition’. His martyrdom gave a distinct impulse to the doctrines for which he suffered. The letters PH in the cobbles of the North Street pavement mark the spot where he is thought to have died.