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Welcome to January's Newsletter!

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

News and Highlights

A Day for Those Recently Confirmed.

On Saturday 7 March 2026, we will be holding a day for those who have been confirmed since January 2024. This will be a day to reflect, pray, learn, and share with others who have been confirmed (or re-affirmed faith) in the last couple of years. Physical invitations are now ready to be sent to congregations for distribution to individuals. Please let the DMMC Team know, ASAP, how many you need.

Church Photographs. We would love to have a fresh image of your church for our prayers on social media. Please send us a lovely shot of your church/es (without people), and if there is blue sky in the background, even better! Cathy is collating and updating; please email her via [email protected].

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18–25 January). Resources for the 2026 theme "One Body, One Spirit" are now available on the CTBI website. These have been prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their brothers and sisters of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches.

Lent 2026. There will be no Diocesan Lent course produced for 2026. Early in the year, there will be suggestions to enable the diocese to still journey through Lent together, should congregations wish to join in. Previous Lent courses are available on the diocesan website, along with signposts to other resources. These can all be accessed here.

Lord's Prayer in Finnish. We have now updated our Porvoo Communion webpage to include the Lord's Prayer in Finnish, along with a recording of how it sounds (this is a YouTube video, which means you can slow it down to learn the sounds a little easier).

Find it here, and share with your congregation/s!

Something Fresh for 2026?

You might not want to think about New Year's resolutions...and yet you might want to try something a little different in the year ahead. Here are a few gentle suggestions to help you find what is appropriate for you.

Preaching Helps. Here are some online resources Fee's discovered in the last year or so. Something might help you, too.

▶ Zeteo – a North-American-based search engine that enables you to find resources from a reputable range of websites (including, for example, Working Preacher, the Centre for Excellence in Preaching, Sacredise, etc).

▶ Gospel Conversations – a weekly video recording a conversation on the forthcoming reading/s from our linked Diocese of Dunedin.

▶ Heart Edge Reflections – weekly thoughts on the forthcoming Sunday's reading/s. There are also, sometimes, Bible Study-type resources or other prompts for the Lectionary readings – the website is worth an explore!

For the Little Grey Cells. Did you know that anyone can attend the seminars at New College, Edinburgh? They occur regularly through the two semesters, usually in Martin Hall, and cover a range of subject areas, including Biblical Studies, History of Christianity, Theology and Ethics, and World Christianity. Have a wee look at the seminar page on the Divinity website, and see if anything might interest you in the coming months.

Words for Your Soul and Ministry. The Theme for the 2026 Daily Meditations from The Center for Action and Contemplation (founded by Fr Richard Rohr) is "Good News for a Fractured World". This might just be what you need at the moment. You can sign up for daily mediations via email or, if that seems a little overwhelming, opt for the weekly summary each Saturday.

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: A long-list of candidates has been decided and individuals invited to interview during the week beginning 12 January 2026. Please continue to pray for all those involved in the work of the Preparatory Committee and those who have been nominated.

Key Dates
▶ Saturday 7 February 2026 – Electoral Synod meets with 3–5 candidates.

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

If you are a member of the Electoral Synod,

please keep your diary completely free

on 7 and 14 February 2026!

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!

Trustee Training 2026

Turn-out for training in 2025 was really encouraging and we would love to keep up the momentum! Please do highlight both the quality and usefulness of this training and invite trustees to 'save the date', and location/booking details will be available later in January.

Information, Guidance, and Sample Forms. As congregations begin new financial and calendar years, here is a reminder of links to information you might find helpful.

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.

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. Location in Edinburgh is still tbc, but you can now register via this link.

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.

▶ 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.

Interested? Email [email protected]

Save the Dates!

The Provincial Director of Ordinands and the Director of Contextual Studies are organising two days of events in April 2026. Friday 17 April is for those in recognised ministry, whilst Saturday 18 April is for the wider church membership. We hope to share more details with you soon, and ask that you deconflict planning as well as possible in the meantime. Thank you!

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

▶ 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

▶ Thu 12 Mar: Preaching with the Lectionary

▶ Mon 16 Mar: Preaching and Poetry

▶ Mon 23 Mar: How to use Humour in Preaching

Beyond the Walls offers webinars to support pioneer leaders and fresh expressions of church. Upcoming webinars, held 1–2pm, are:

▶ Tue 13 Jan: Mission, Theology and Ministry on the Margins, with Revd Jon Swales.

▶ Tue 10 Feb: with Revd Canon Kerry Dixon, a Church Army Evangelist and Rector of St Luke’s, Dundee.
▶ Tue 10 Mar: Thinking missionally within a neighbourhood ecology, with Revd Dr Al Barrett.

More information, registration links, and recordings of past webinars can be found on their website.

The Arthur Rank Centre offers practical, context-specific training for those involved in rural ministry and mission. In 2026, the following courses are running:

▶ Rural Mission and Ministry, a two-day course in England: 19–20 May and 22–23 September, £350.
▶ Rural and Wild Course, is new for 2026, explores church outside the walls: 6–8 February, £350.

More information and booking via their website.

CMD Grants.

These are available for clergy who wish to undertake learning outwith the CMD offered by the diocese (it could be listed on our website, or you could find it yourself). The usual distribution of costs is 1/3 grant, 1/3 vestry, 1/3 individual. More details are on our website and the next deadline for applications is 25 February.

Children & Young People

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 held 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. Did you know that Play Church is hosted by congregations throughout the year? It is currently at St Ninian's, Comely Bank, with hosts scheduled until autumn 2026. If you want to host 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!

Adventures in Faith

We would love you to share Adventures in Faith with your congregations and encourage them to sign up to receive this monthly e-newsletter from the Mission and Ministry Team. Please consider including a notice like the following (which you can copy and paste) in your own newsletters, pew sheets, congregational emails, etc.

The monthly Adventures in Faith Newsletter from Edinburgh Diocese shares lots of ideas for your ongoing Christian life. Each month, there are news items, courses, events, and ideas for you to explore. You can read past mailings, and sign up to receive future ones, via the diocesan website (tinyurl.com/EdinburghAIF).

Awareness Days

We list Awareness Days that may be relevant for congregations to consider on our website here. Most entries have links to external websites that provide information and resources for the particular cause or event.

Deadline Extended!

Pilgrimage to Rome October 2026

You still have time to join St Matthew's, Roslin, for their pilgrimage to Rome, 13–19 October 2026. Register before 30 January to get the quoted price.

2026 Franciscan Peace Pilgrimage. This series of pilgrimages across England is being planned for July–October 2026. Each individual pilgrimage – rooted in history, culture, and spiritual tradition – offers its own sacred rhythm, inviting you to slow down, breathe deeply, and rediscover what truly matters. At this stage, the organisers are asking people to complete the intention form. This does not commit you or them to a specific date or route, but indicates an opening of yourself to the possibility of pilgrimage, and aids in planning. Read more on the Spirit of Francis website.