Welcome to November's Newsletter! |
| | | Information on courses, awareness dates, events, etc, are available via our Adventures in Faith pages:
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| | | | | On 1 October, Revd Simon Schofield was collated as Priest-in-Charge of St Fillan's, Buckstone. On 4 October, Revd Andy Croft was licensed as Rector of Ps & Gs, Edinburgh. Congratulations to Simon and Andy! |
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Two Coat Sunday offers warmth this winter |
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On Sunday 25 October, St Columba's by the Castle in Edinburgh held a Two Coat Sunday service (pictured in an AI-enhanced image, above). Members of the congregation brought new school coats to donate to local children through Kids Love Clothes, a charity based in Ratho which provides clothes for children and families across the Lothians. Find out more on the St Columba's website. |
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Looking forward to Advent and Christmas |
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Our Advent to Candlemas resources page has now been updated for 2026. It's packed with links and ideas to help you navigate Advent, Christmas and beyond, including books, devotionals, activity ideas, nativity scripts and lots more, so do have a look as Advent approaches. We will continue to add updates as we discover new resources. Please email [email protected] if you have come across a great resource that you'd like us to share! |
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The BBC One Christmas Day Service this year will be broadcast live from St Mary's Cathedral! The Cathedral would love to welcome as many people as possible to this very special service. You can reserve a place here. The Cathedral has announced the rest of its Christmas services and events too. See the full list. |
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Once again, we will be publishing on our website a list of Christmas services in the diocese. It would help us if your online information (website and/or Facebook) is posted in good time. Or you could email your service listings to Cathy at [email protected]. Thank you! |
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Help with your Mission Planning |
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Mission Plans are a tool to discern the next phase of congregation life. They identify priorities and gaps in your ministry and mission. They shouldn't be scary! To help you with mission planning in your own charge, we've created a Mission Planning page on the diocesan website with resources to help you. |
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| | Planning for Mission: A Summary for Vestries and Congregations is a short document that takes you through some of the basics of mission planning. It contains a table you can use to start planning for mission. The document is available in Word as well as PDF so that you can copy and paste and edit it as you wish. |
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| | Mission Plans: Where Do We Start? is a much more detailed guide that takes you through some different models of mission planning, along with things to consider and questions to ask. Again, you'll be able to amend the Word version in whichever way is most useful to you. Find the Mission Planning page here. |
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Mandatory Safeguarding Training |
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Bishop Dagmar has written to all clergy (with licence, commission, warrant or PTO) and licensed lay readers to tell them that all clergy and lay readers wishing to minister in the Diocese of Edinburgh must participate in Safeguarding Training alongside having a clear PVG. We are offering the following training dates, supported by our Provincial Head of Safeguarding, Christine Riddoch, and her Deputy, Balázs Czinege: IN-PERSON SESSIONS: General Synod Office, Ground Floor West, 40 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8JB Tuesday 17 November, 10am–12pm Tuesday 17 November, 1pm–3pm Thursday 19 November, 10am–12pm
Tuesday 17 November, 1pm–3pm St Peter's, Galashiels Tuesday 19 January 2027, 11am–3pm ONLINE SESSIONS: Dates to be confirmed in the New Year. Please contact Hannah Harcus on [email protected] to register for your preferred session. Please note that in-person training will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have attended safeguarding training between January 2025 and now, you do not require training until 2028. |
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Diocesan Lent Course 2027 |
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| | Grants: Next Deadline is 25 November. The DMMC Grants Committee meets in the first weeks of March, June, September, and December each year. If you wish to apply for a grant, your application should be with the DMMC Team by the 25th of the previous month. Click on the links below to find out more: ▶ Youth & Children's Grant ▶ St Hilda's Grant ▶ CMD Grant |
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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity |
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| | The theme of the 2027 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, from 18–25 January, is 'Do Not Be Afraid'. The week will invite us to explore what it means to be followers of the Good Shepherd, members of a 'little flock' called to live, pray and work together. Its prayers and reflections have been prepared by representatives of the churches in Ireland. There are lots of resources on the CTBI website, including 'Go and Do' actions provided by Christian Aid, and a downloadable pamphlet with reflections for every day of the week and an ecumenical order of service. Visit the resources page. |
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| | | 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. |
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Upcoming College of Preachers courses: Preaching the Incarnation from Advent to Epiphany | Wednesday 4 November, 2–4.30pm, £15.
Getting to Grips with Mark’s Gospel | Saturday 21 November, 10am–12pm, free.
Resting in the Word | Thursday 10 December, 12–1pm, £5.
Preaching when the World is in the Room | Monday 11 January, 7–8.30pm, online, £15.
Preaching in a Polarised Society | Saturday 23 January, 10am–12pm, online, £15.
Possible Preaching Pitfalls in the Passion (and how to avoid them) | Wednesday 27 January, 7.30–9.30pm, online, £15.
Preaching and Communicating the Gospel Alongside Secular & "Spiritual but not Religious" People | Wednesday 3 February, 2–4pm, online, £15. Find out more on the College of Preachers website. |
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There are a number of Place for Hope online courses in November that may be of interest: Understanding Conflict | 4 November, 10am–12pm, online, £45.
Understanding Conflict in Churches | 5 November, 10am–12pm, online, £45.
Knowing Yourself in Conflict | 11 November, 10am–12pm, online, £45.
Holding Difficult Conversations | 13 November, 3pm–5pm, online, £45.
The Decisive Space: Building the Confidence to Decide Well Together | 17 November, 10am–12pm, online, £45.
When Conflict Escalates | 18 November, 10am–12pm, online, £45.
Building a Healthy Church Culture | 19 November, 3pm–5pm, online, £45.
Information about upcoming courses on the Place for Hope website
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St Martin-in-the-Fields Autumn Lecture Series Continues |
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GoHealth Festival of Healing 2026 |
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GoHealth Festival of Healing 2026 takes place on Saturday 21 November online, and is free of charge. It will invite us to pause, breathe and explore what helps us become more fully alive, drawing on ancient wisdom, new practices and the growing understanding of health, wellbeing and human flourishing. There will be worship, teaching, conversation, a special keynote lecture by Steve Coles, the outgoing Chair of the GoHealth Board, and practical workshops. You’ll need to be a GoHealth member, or on the GoHealth mailing list (which is free), in order to book this conference. Find out more. |
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Heart in Pilgrimage Advent Retreats |
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| | A Father's Heart: Online Retreat Day for Advent, Saturday 28 November, £30 (£20 concession) Joseph is a silent saint. He leaves barely a word in Scripture. Yet he plays an essential role in the coming of Christ into the world, nurturing the miraculous child, providing a safe place for him to grow. Joseph’s journey is about trust and love and accepting the invitation which is issued to all of us: will we receive the Son of God into our lives, and let him grow? The day will draw on a mixture of reflective approaches and creative material including art, poetry, Scripture, music and writing. It will include guided reflections and individual quiet time. If you enjoy using art or craft materials you might like to have some available. Get more information here. |
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| | Craftsman, Refugee, Father – Through Advent with Joseph. Reflection Series for Advent 2026. From 29 November, £25 with online material/£30 with printed booklet. Joseph didn’t get an angelic visitation. But, as his carefully laid plans fell apart in front of his eyes, he found himself invited on a greater adventure: to make a home for the Christ-child in a dangerous world. To walk with Joseph is to understand what it means to be faithful when nothing makes sense, to love when the going gets difficult, and to welcome God’s gift – invitations which echo down to us today. Get more information here. |
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| | Welcoming the Christ Child: A Retreat Day for Advent, Saturday 5 December at St Columba's by the Castle (run by Heart in Pilgrimage), £35 (£25 concession), includes lunch and refreshments. This retreat day will offer a chance to spend time with Mary and with Joseph, the two people who were the first to experience the radical, surprising gift of the Incarnation. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what they have to show us about love and trust and saying yes to the adventure of God. The day will draw on a mix of reflective material including art, poetry and music and will include guided reflections and individual reflection time. Get more information here. |
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| | | Children and Young People |
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Messy Church Regional Teams Launch |
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| | Messy Church are launching a new network of Regional Teams nationwide! Designed to work ecumenically, these teams will offer 'a time to connect locally, to share ideas, pray together, learn grom one another and feel supported by people who understand the joys and challenges of Messy Church.' There are two major meetings happening to launch these regional groups, on Tuesday 3 November in the evening and Thursday 5 November in the afternoon. If you run a Messy Church in your charge then these groups are for you! Do sign up here if you are available. |
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beHeld: Training and Prayer Breakfasts |
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The next beHeld training day is on 28 November. Each is on a Saturday morning, 9am–1pm, with light refreshments, worship, and the chance to hear from experts on key subjects. We asked one of the attendees at the 26 September session what they thought of it: |
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"I found the training very helpful. It was very friendly and welcoming. I liked very much that we started off with prayer and hymns. It was so helpful and interesting to listen to the speakers and I very much appreciated their openness, knowledge and experience. It was also great to meet and speak with other people working with children and young people and to hear about their thoughts, experiences and ideas. I also appreciated the questions and answers at the end of the session. "While I come from an education background and have worked a lot with children and young people, I am new to working with children and young people in a church setting. So it was so helpful to hear about the groups and experiences and ways of working in different churches and thinking together about the ongoing process of developing the ways we work." |
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beHeld costs £15 per session, which is excellent value for the course, but the diocese will cover the cost of one ticket per charge. Just email us at [email protected] with your name and charge, and we'll book you in for 28 November. |
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| | beHeld: Youth & Children’s Ministry Prayer Breakfasts Ps & Gs also hold monthly ecumenical prayer breakfasts for all those who work in paid youth and children's ministry. There's tea, coffee, pastries, prayer, and lots of sharing of ideas and resources. All sessions run from 10–11.30am, and the next date is 11 November. If you'd like more information, contact Rachel Cooney: [email protected]. |
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| | | | | | | | | 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). |
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| | 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. |
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| | | 2–5 Nov - Clergy Conference. 28 Nov - BeHeld Training event at Ps & Gs |
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| | | Keep up-to-date with Diocesan News & Events |
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