dmmc-news

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Welcome to November's Newsletter!

Information on courses, awareness dates, etc, are available via our Adventures in Faith pages:

Congratulations!

On 6 October, The Rev Dr Ross Jesmont was collated as Priest-in-Charge of St. Salvador's, Stenhouse. You can watch this presentation on the St Salvador's page on Facebook. We wish Ross every blessing in his ministry in Stenhouse!

News and Highlights

Standing Committee Meeting in lieu of Synod

As you know, there was no Diocesan Synod this year. Instead, on Thursday 20 November at 6pm, the Standing Committee will meet online with two representatives from each Area Council to transact the formal business. Area Council Convenors/Secretaries, are reminded to contact DioAdmin with the names and contact details of your two representatives.

Subsidised Christmas Booklets to Give Away

Remember you can order these wee Christmas Family Time books to distribute this Christmas via the Diocese for the reduced and subsidised cost of £1 per book. Have look at what the inside is like here, or view a copy at the Clergy Conference. Order via this form and we will be in touch once they are available!

Some books available, free of charge

In preparation for the office move, we are sorting through our various resources and deciding what to take and what to give away. There are a number of books that are free to the first responder, and photos will be brought to Clergy Conference in the first instance. Thereafter, please come browse in the Office, or keep an eye on The Communicant for what is still available. Thank you!

Resources for Remembrance from CTBI.

Once again, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland have created service materials for Remembrance Sunday. These can be found here, alongside a free e-copy of the military chaplain-recommended book Beyond Our Tears.

Hymn and Service books available.

St James' Leith has been having a clear out and they have some hymn books and service books that may be of use to another congregation.

If you’re interested in them, please contact St James’ Leith on [email protected]

30 Nov 25 Deadline for Collect Feedback.

The Revised Collects for Experimental Use have been authorised for experimental use since 2015, and are due to come before General Synod for First Reading in 2026. The deadline for feedback is fast approaching - please send your feedback to [email protected] by Sun 30 Nov 25.

The Committee are seeking "specific, constructive changes to particular collects that you would suggest". More information in this video.

SEC Expertise Audit. The Doctrine and Church and Society Committees of the Province are asking members to complete this 'expertise audit' as a way of scoping members who could advise them. At this stage, they are seeking information and an indication of willingness to respond to requests for assistance on an ad hoc basis. Please share this link with your congregation(s).

Retreat for Clergy. If you're in full-time ministry and need some time and space to rest and recharge, Whitchester

Christian Centre are holding a Ministers'/ Clergy Retreat from 10–14 November that might appeal to you. The centre is offering any two nights or more at a discounted full-board rate of £85pppn.

Find out more on the Whitchester site.

Awareness Days in November

We list Awareness Days that may be relevant for congregations to consider on our website here. Each entry has a link to external websites that provide information and resources for that particular cause or event.

Bishop Search

Living God,

you walk with us in all seasons of life
calling us to follow you with joy, hope and love
as we share in your work of renewing the world;
give us humility and discernment to hear your voice,
that those discerning their calling
and all involved in our bishop search
may be encouraged in your ways
and open to your creative Spirit. Amen.

Update: The deadline for nominations has now passed. It has been confirmed that nominations have been received. The next step is for the Preparatory Committee to review these nominations and decide to whom to send questionnaires. These are due to be returned in December.

Key Dates

▶ Week beginning 12 January 2026 – Interviews of short-listed candidates.

▶ Saturday 7 February 2026 – Electoral Synod meeting with 3–5 candidates.

▶ Saturday 14 February 2026 – Electoral Synod meeting to undertake election.

There is a dedicated page on the website for this process, both for your information and for sharing with potential candidates: edinburgh.anglican.org/bishop-search

Acting Bishop.

Bishop Mark will not be spending much time in Edinburgh Diocese, and much of the work that was done by Bishop Armes will be covered by Dean Frances. If you wish to contact the Bishop, please do so via Hannah Harcus, who will coordinate all the various needs with Dean Frances and Bishop Mark's PA. Thank you.

For Vestry members!

Ordained and lay vestry members alike are encouraged to attend the next Trustee Training session on Saturday 15 November at the Trinity Centre, Haddington.

Hot breakfast rolls are provided from 9am until the training proper starts at 9:30am! We conclude by 1pm.

Register for the training here.

Sunday Afternoon Teas have been taking place this autumn for key members of vestry: treasurers, vestry secretaries, wardens, and lay and alt reps. The final one for 2025 is on 9 November at St Ninian's, Comely Bank. Start: 3:30pm. Finish around 5pm. Register here.

Learning & Development Opportunities

For detailed listings across a range of providers, check out the Courses page. This is updated very regularly and is a one-stop-shop for you to browse any time.

Thursday Learning Lunches take place online (using Zoom), starting at 12:30pm and finishing between 1:30pm and 2pm...depending on how much you talk!! Join the Zoom Meeting with this link.

27 Nov – Children and Church with Claire Benton-Evans.

Next CMD Day: Tuesday 3 March 2026

We will be joined in the new year by the Revd Keith Thomasson, Rector of St Ninian's in Troon, and Chair of the Provincial Mission Board. He will be foreshadowing his course with the SEI on Leadership and Collaboration. Please mark your diaries, and more details about location will follow.

Trinity College, Glasgow has an exciting series of short courses on offer in the new year. They are either onsite with an online option, or fully online.

▶Liturgy & Prayer in Christian Worship
Wednesdays, 14 January to 25 March, 4–6pm, £207.
▶Creative Writing as Spiritual Reflection
Mondays, 19 January to 16 March, 7–9pm, £207.
▶Leading in Church Change – a Masters Level Course
Mondays from 26 January, 7–9pm, £799/£499.
▶Intro to Ministry & Mission in Digital Culture
Wednesdays, 28 January to 25 March, 7–9pm, £207.
More information and booking via the Trinity College website

The Scottish Episcopal Institute offers courses that SEC clergy and readers can audit for free, or study for credit at minimal cost.

▶ Ecclesiology and Conflict, with the Rev Dr W. John Carswell. Tuesdays, 2–4pm, 6 Jan–10 Mar 2026.

▶ Theology of the Eucharist, with the Revd Prof Bryan Spinks. Wednesdays, 7–9pm, 7 Jan–18 Mar.

▶ Intermediate Biblical Hebrew, with Dr Amber Shadle. Thursdays, 7–8pm, 19 Feb–17 May.

▶ Reflective Practice: Leadership and Collaboration, with the Revd Keith Thomasson. Tuesdays 2–4pm, 24 Mar–9 Jun.

▶ Intermediate Biblical Greek, with Dr Patrick Murray. Thursdays, 7–8pm, 14 May–16 Jul.

The SEI also offer one of the cheapest MA degrees in the UK, accredited by Durham University. Interested in any of these? Email: [email protected].

The College of Preachers offer a series of seminars and talks via Zoom. The regular Zoom seminars take place from 10:30am–1pm, and cost £12–£15.

▶ Sat 15 Nov: Preaching the Christmas Story

▶ Mon 17 Nov: Preaching the Women of the Gospels

▶ Mon 12 Jan: Preaching at Weddings

▶ Mon 26 Jan: Preaching in Lent
▶ Sat 7 Feb: Preaching Easter to Pentecost
▶ Thu 12 Feb: Preaching with Power: How to Prepare and Deliver Effective Sermons

Sarum College is offering the following short courses online this autumn:

▶Writing Julian of Norwich in the 21st Century:
Tuesday 4 November, 1–4pm, online, £40.
▶Exploring Theology Autumn 2025 course: Exploring the Bible: Ten Tuesdays from 4 November, 7–9pm, online, £95–£190.
▶Flourishing in Ministry: Walking With Elijah Towards Wholeness: Three Thursdays from 6 November, 7:30–9pm, online, £20 per session (or £50 total for all three sessions).
▶Theology Catch Up: What, How and Why We Believe: Thursday 20 November, 12–2pm, online, £25.
▶Franciscan Approaches to the Nativity:
Wednesday 10 December, 10am–1pm, online, £40.
▶Journalling Workshop 2: Connecting with your Soul: Friday 12 December, 10am–1pm, online, from £35 (early bird).

Find out more and book here.

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) offers online training. This autumn they’re offering:

▶Building Personal Resilience and Self Confidence
Thursday 13 November, 10am–1pm, £135.
▶Social Media Fundamentals
Thursday 20 November, 10am–1pm, £135.
▶Time Management in the Workplace
Wednesday 26 November, 10am–4pm, £200.
▶Comms and Marketing Made Easy
Wednesday 26 November, 10am–1pm, £135.

Find out more, and book, on the SCVO website.

BRF's Spiritual Care Series is an eight-week comprehensive course for churches who want to provide good quality spiritual care to older people in their local community. The course equips participants to understand the ageing process, supporting people to reconnect with their past and cope with the losses that ageing brings. It also covers the importance of good listening skills, communication and boundaries in the provision of this care. Cost: £180.

Find out more and book here.

The London Centre for Spiritual Direction offers a number of learning events online. In the next few months their offerings include:

▶Encounter Course Open Evening: Explore Your Path to Becoming a Spiritual Director
Tuesday 4 November, 6–7:30pm, free.
▶Companions on the Journey: Friendship in Spiritual Direction
Friday 7 November, 10am–3pm, £50 for non-members.
▶Holding Space Together: An Introduction to Circles of Trust
Friday 9 January, 10am–3pm, £50 for non-members.
▶Refresher Course for Spiritual Directors
Tuesdays monthly from 13 January, 6–9pm (first session 6–9:30pm), £350 for non-members.
▶Listening for the Way: Companioning the Discernment and Embodiment of a Rule of Life
Friday 6 February, 10–3pm, £50 for non-members.

Find out more and book.

Youth & Children

Youth and Children’s Ministry Training Days 2026

In 2026, all involved in youth and children's ministry are invited to a series of training days at Ps & Gs Church. These events will be hold on a Saturday morning, 9am–1pm, and free to attend. Add these dates to your diary now and look out for registration links in future newsletters.

▶ 21 March

▶ 23 May

▶ 26 September

▶ 28 November

Wondering how to cater for younger members?

Thinking about all-age worship?

Is your current Roots subscription due for renewal?

The Diocese is a subscription ‘hub’ for ROOTS on the Web, enabling congregations to sign-up for access to Lectionary-based digital resources (including the 20-year back catalogue) for the subsidised cost of £20 for the year. Interested congregations should register via this form. One-month free trial here.

Play Church. You may have seen the reel about Play Church on our social media feeds. Did you know that it is hosted by congregations throughout the year? It has just landed at St Ninian's, Comely Bank. We have hosts booked up until autumn 2026, but if you want to host the Play Church at some point in the future, get in touch with Fee and she can talk you through what is involved and/or slot you in as a future host!

Advent and Christmas

Pre-Advent and Advent Retreats

Celebrating Celtic Advent through Song and Meditation

The Celtic Advent period of forty days leading up to Christmas begins on the evening of 15 November and this day is an opportunity to celebrate through song and meditation.

It will be held at The Bield at Blackruthven on 15 November, 10am–4pm. Cost: £65.

All voices who love to sing are welcome, regardless of vocal ability. Find out more on The Bield's website.

Pre-Advent Retreat from Church Times: O Come Emmanuel: Exploring the Advent prayers & songs of expectation Saturday 22 November 10am-1pm, online. Join with the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, the author of Listening to the Music of the Soul (the Archbishop of York’s 2025 Advent book) and others for an online retreat in preparation for Advent. Cost: £15/10.

Homecoming: An Advent Quiet Day will be held at St Mary's Cathedral on 22 November from 10am to 3:30pm. Led by Revd Dani Muñoz, it will explore this notion of spiritual homecoming by reflecting on key moments surrounding the Christmas story in conversation with scripture, art, music and poetry. Find out more and book.

Whitchester Christian Centre, near Hawick, will be running an Advent Retreat from 28–30 November.

This will be a weekend to pause and embrace the mystery and anticipation of Advent. The cost is £210, includes creative input and materials. Hurry – spaces are limited!

Further information on the Whitchester website.

Star of Wonder, Quiet Day, 29 November

St Columba's by the Castle, Edinburgh, 10am to 3:30pm

The coming of Christ in the world was heralded by a star, a pin-prick of light in a dark sky, so easy to miss. Sometimes, to catch the good news, we need to stop, stand still, look up and wonder. As Advent begins,

this Quiet Day is an opportunity to pause amid the busyness of life and notice the small signs which invite us in to new possibilities. It’s a chance to revisit familiar stories, perhaps noticing new things, and spend time with those who wondered at the Wonders of God, large

and small, which were revealed to them.

Cost: £35 or £25 concession (or pay what you can). Get all the details on the Heart in Pilgrimage website.

Holy Trinity, Haddington's Lantern Group are

holding a morning of pre-Advent reflection along the theme of 'Gifts Past, and Gifts to Come'. You can either attend in person (on 29 November) or online (the following Saturday, 6 December). For more information, email Janet McKinnell:
[email protected].

Advent and Christmas Resources

We have updated our 'Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Candlemas' page on the diocesan website. This gives a range of ideas and links to resources to cover the whole seasonal period. Some are old-favourites whilst others are new ideas. Please do have a browse!

There is also an 'Advent and Christmas Resources: New for 2025' document, which list a great number of books, bible studies, and resources, which are new for 2025. Here are images of just some of them.....

Christian Aid are offering a range of Advent and Christmas resources this year, from All-Age ideas to Carol Sheets. Explore them here.

Small Wonder from the LICC. This is a 25-day devotional journey is more than your usual book offering. Via the LICC website, you can access daily emails, five videos, graphics, and sermon plans, so you can share it with your congregation or in small groups, or simply follow it on your own. Find out more.

Creighton Online Ministries offers various ways

to pray in the Ignatian tradition. One is a journey towards and through Advent, in the style of a 'Retreat in Daily Life'. Find out more here.

Adventures in Faith and Events

Now in its fifth year, the School of Divinity at Edinburgh University is delighted to host this year’s event, running from 7 to 8 November at New College. There will be an array of speakers and writers from the UK and beyond to explore the fascinating relationship between literature and all aspects of belief. Find out more.

Join The Guild of Health and St Raphael (GoHealth) for their 2025 AGM and Festival of Healing online on Saturday 8 November, 10am–3:30pm. Whether or not you are familiar with their work, this is a chance to experience what GoHealth is all about.

Find out more and register for free on their website.

Reading aloud matters in churches. But beyond church life, public and communal reading has largely faded from view. READ WRITE HEAR, on 9 November at St Michael and All Saints, Tollcross, is a live, hands-on event that explores how reading has been shared, spoken, and shaped by voice, setting, and gesture across time. Free and open to all. Find out more.

Wednesday 12 November 2025 7.30–9pm @ Augustine United Church

Join Revd Brandan Robertson for an evening of discussion, audience Q&A, and book signing for his most recent book, Queer & Christian. This compelling work offers interpretation of key biblical texts, as well as an inspiring testament to the resilience and faith of queer Christians. Find out more.

Virtual Water Cooler

This section is for you to reach out to colleagues with some of the things you might chat about over coffee at a CMD day or lunch at Conference. If there is something you want to share, get in touch with the DMMC Team and we will bring it here!

Today, this is 'blank', because no-one other than Gav B (who wants to connect over Dallas Willard) has asked to have anything included. So, go on, reach out and share a passion with your colleagues and friends 🤩