Date: November 29th 2008

From the Provost

Dear

You'll find below a newsletter with some general news about what is coming up at St Mary's over the coming month.

Inevitably, its a rather busy one!

Best regards

KELVIN

December News

Advent Carol Service

The Advent Carol Service takes place on Advent Sunday 30 November 2008 at 6.30 pm. The full choir (adults and trebles) will be singing at this service.

St Andrews Day Lunchtime Service (1 Dec 2008)

There will be a Eucharist to mark St Andrew's Day on Monday 1 December at 1230. This is transferred from 30 November this year. (St Andrew's Day can never fall on a Sunday in the Calendar of the Scottish Episcopal Church as both Christ and King and Advent 1 have to be kept on Sundays.

Vestry Meeting

The first meeting of the new Vestry will be on Monday 8 December 2008 at 7.45 pm for 8 pm in the Synod Hall.

Congregational Consultation

A consultation document was launched at the Annual General Meeting. This is concerned with four areas which the Misison 21 group has identified as needing development. The document can be found online at

http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/consultation

Please read the document and make your response by 6 January 2009.

Suggestion Box

There is a suggestion box facility on the cathedral website and a physical suggestion box located in the Synod Hall. All suggestions are brought to the attention of the Provost. Recent suggestions have included the suggestion that these feedback mechanisms be advertised in the newsletter (implimented here and now!) and also that the music list be restored to the website. (A provisional music list is now put online when it is available).

The online suggestion box can be found at:

http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/contact/suggestion-box/

Christmas Services

The Christmas Carol Service takes place on Sunday 21 December 2008 at 4.30 pm.
Midnight Mass begins at 11.15 pm on 24 December 2008.
The Christmas Day service will be at 1030 am on 25 December 2008. It will be a Sung Eucharist with full choir.
First Sunday of Christmas - services at 0830 and 1030
The days following Christmas Day are special commemorations (called the Comites Christi - the Companions of Christ) and these will be kept in full at St Mary's this year.

There will be Eucharists at 0930 on the following days:

26 December 2008 - St Stephen's Day (An ideal start to the day for anyone planning on a walk up a hill or a stomp through the park to clear away the cobwebs on Boxing Day)
27 December 2008 - St John the Evangelist
29 December 2008 - Holy Innocents (Sometimes people who have particular sad memories at Christmastide find it appropriate to come to this service. It is also a service when we pray for those who are the victims of sudden violence or terrorism).

Note that there will be no Evensong on 28 December.

New Ordinand

St Mary's has a new ordinand in the congregation. Kevin Francis has been selected for training to become a priest. Kevin's training is being done through a diocesan programme and the Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church (TISEC) and will last approximately 2 years.

World AIDS Day Service

The World AIDS Day Service takes place in St Mary's on Monday 1 December 2008 at 7 pm. This service has been put together by David Cowan of the Terrrance Higgins Trust. All Welcome.

Beaded brooches of the AIDS Ribbon are available after the 1030 am service on 20 November as a reminder to pray for those who suffer, directly and indirectly, from this disease. They are made in South Africa by AIDS projects and are a simple but effective way to express solidarity with those who live daily with HIV and those friends and family who support them.

World AIDS Day CD of African Songs

Waverley Care have produced a CD of songs to mark World AIDS Day. 15 volunteers, service users and staff from Waverley Care’s African Health projects came together to sing these joyful songs from their childhoods in Africa. None of them were ‘professional’ singers, and they discovered songs in common and taught each other new songs too. The songs on this CD were recorded live at Solas in Edinburgh. All proceeds from this community project will be shared between HIV projects in Scotland and Malawi. CDs can be purchased at St Mary's on a Sunday.

An Advent Exercise?

John Riches writes: This advent, to remind us of the value and gift of water, how about this? Put 2 jamjars by your sink, one with small coins and one empty. Every time you use water put a coin in the second jar. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, bring the coins to church. We'll send them to Wells for India.

 

Office Closure

The office will be unstaffed (or rudimentarily staffed) on the following Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 & 17 December.

Knitting Group

“There will be a Knitting Group....” ....which duly met for the first time on the evening of Monday, 10th November 08. We will be continuing – from December 08 through to March 09 – on the second Monday of each month from 7.30 to 9.30 pm, currently in the Meeting Room, which is next to the Synod Hall door. The purpose of the group is to provide a social network for knitters in the congregation, members bringing their own knitting project along. The atmosphere is very informal. Expertise on the first night ranged from a very experienced knitter who could probably knit anything in any colour and style, standing on her head without a pattern, to another member whose last piece of knitting was left on a No 33 bus in Aberdeen in 1969. Do come along – interest and enthusiasm are the only requirements! Tea and coffee will be provided and new members are welcome. There is a St Mary's Group on

www.ravelry.com

: an online social network for knitters. Other websites of interest include:

www.knitty.com

, and

www.knittinghelp.com

Contact person: Anne Halliburton – tel: 0141 946 5426 email:

contact.anne.w@googlemail.com

 

Book Group

The next meetings will be on Thursday 4 December to discuss Between the Woods and the Water by Patrick Leigh Fermor. The books for January & February 2009 will be: Trespass by Valerie Martin (8 January) and The Lighted Rooms by Richard Mason (5 February). Meetings take place at 6 pm in the Meeting Room, which is next to the Synod Hall door. Tea and coffee available from 5.45. New members welcome.

LGBT Group

The next meeting of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans group is on 15th December at 8 pm in the Synod Hall. The LGBT group keep in touch between meetings using an online social network at http://www.lgbtstmary.ning.com. More details from the Provost.

Bible Study & Compline

The next contextual Bible study will take place in the Meeting Room on Tuesday 9th December at 6.00 pm. Tea and coffee available from 5.30. No previous knowledge or expertise required. Sung Compline will follow at 7.30 pm.

Diocesan News

The latest news from the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway can be read here.

Broadcasting

St Mary's are the featured choir in Sunday Half Hour on Radio 2 on 30th November at 8.30 pm.

The Rev Shone Lillie has provided two services for BBC Radio Scotland for 23 November and 30 November. These are the New Every Morning early slots on Sunday Mornings. For those less inclined to listen at 0630 am, they can be heard on the listen again feature on the BBC iPlayer.

External Notices

Yorkhill Hospital Remembrance Service

- This service of Togetherness & Hope will be held in the cathedral on Sunday 7th December at 2.30 pm.

Holy City 09

- Holy City is the Glasgow city-centre monthly ecumenical workshop & worship event, enabled by the Wild Goose Resource Group of the Iona Community, in collaboration with a motley crew of Glaswegian citizens. Events are held in Renfield St Stephen’s, Bath Street, from 7 to 10 pm. This season’s events come under the title of The demands & dilemmas of discipleship today. Each event looks at one aspect of the vocation of discipleship. For dates see

http://web.mac.com/gmaule/iWeb/HOLY%20CITY/Home.html

Carol Singing at Gartnavel

- This year once again we are asked to join the groups at Gartnavel General Hospital. The date is Tuesday December 16th. We will meet in the main hall of the hospital at 7p.m. Everyone is welcome. We are very fortunate to have had a volunteer instrumentalist, who will be a great support. Margaret is very grateful for this offer of help. For more information contact Margaret Kitson 357 4437

 

Concerts

- Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Quatuor pour la fin du Temps’, will be performed performed by Sian Holding (violin), Alex South (clarinet), Sarah Harrington (cello) and Oliver Rundell (piano) on Wednesday 10th December at 8:45pm in Glasgow University Chapel (Admission free); John Butt (organ) is playing ‘La Nativité du Seigneur’ at 7:30, and a wee refreshment will be served between the two concerts; also on Sunday 14th December at 3:30pm in St Margaret’s, Newlands (on Kilmarnock Road). Tickets £5/£3, Under 16s free.