Two working groups have been set up to produce an Aberdeen City Centre Parish Grouping magazine and investigate ways of developing our homelessness outreach. Both groups comprise one representative from each of the three churches and me in my role as Community Outreach Worker. The magazine, to be called ‘Triskeles’, after the Grouping’s logo is scheduled to appear in the fortnight preceding Easter Sunday. One thousand copies will be distributed around the three parishes in the hope of raising our profile and alerting people that we are keen to play an active role in the local community. The homelessness working group has met with Bethany Christian Trust to explore ways in which we might be able to assist them in their valuable work. In this connection, I want to renew my appeal for volunteers to help staff Bethany’s charity shop at the Tillydrone Shopping Centre on Thursdays, perhaps from 10am to 2pm. If we can get enough volunteers, we will be able to work on a rota basis, boosting Bethany’s income and, more importantly, hearing the stories of people who use the shop. On another front, I have two dates I would ask you to pencil into your diaries as the Grouping seeks to play its part in community initiatives around the city centre. We will have a stall at the Aberdeen International Fun Day in Duthie Park on Sunday, 29th May from 12 noon to 5pm. This multi-cultural event is organised by Aberdeen Lions Club. Then there is ‘Celebrate Aberdeen’ on Saturday, 11th June when we will join with scores of other voluntary organisations, churches and charities in a parade down Union Street. We want as many members, family and friends as possible to take part in the event, which aims to unite Aberdeen’s voluntary sector in a bright and energetic celebration. If you have any ideas for community outreach, please, please contact me on 07890 932677 or ianmci@hotmail.co.uk.

Ian McIver

GREETINGS FROM ALL AT QUEEN STREET

May I begin by expressing our thanks to the Office Bearers and Congregation of St Marks for agreeing to host the recent Grouping Service, when it was the turn of Queen Street to do so.

As many of you will know we are in the midst of installing a lift which will make access to the Sanctuary and our Main Hall more readily available to the less able of our members and visitors.

Together with that we are refurbishing our kitchen facilities, our Congregational Hall upstairs is having a corridor built to enable meetings to be conducted undisturbed by folk necessarily passing through the room and having gas central heating installed to replace the old oil fired boiler which is incredibly costly to run (and looks like a cast off from the Titanic!)

Given all of that it would not have been realistic to properly welcome you all to a Grouping Service and to provide the customary hospitality after the Service.

We look forward to a series of five week Lenten studies beginning on Wednesday 16th March to which everyone is invited. These are “stand alone” sessions and so please feel free to attend as many as you wish.

As Easter approaches I’m sure many of you will recall the moving Passion Play at Oberammergau which closed in the final scene with Mary Magdalene standing alone on the stage with her arms held aloft and uttering the words “er ist erstanden” - He is Risen!

N J Haggart(Session Clerk)

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THE LATEST NEWS FROM ABERDEEN ST MARK’S

I think I can safely record that our new minister, Diane, has settled in nicely at St Mark’s and is already established as one of the “St Mark’s family”.

She and her husband David have also settled in at the Manse and have plans to start showing their new home off to members of the congregation.

Having been inducted in October Diane was given very little time to get down to the serious business of preparation for Christmas and the New Year but took everything in her stride and we had a very happy and meaningful Christmas Season.

When invited to contribute something to our website Diane not only wrote a very warm welcome to the site and to St Mark’s but also offered to provide a summary of her weekly sermons which can be read by those who are unable to be in church to hear her preach. According to the “hit” statistics this is proving to be a very popular feature.

As we approach the Easter Season Diane is once again in the thick of it. She has organised the series of Holy Week services for the City Centre Grouping. This year lay members of all three churches will lead worship with Queen Street on Monday, The Kirk of St Nicholas on Tuesday and St Mark’s on Wednesday. Diane herself will lead the Maundy Thursday Communion and Cheese and Bread Supper in the Hall, assisted by Community Outreach and Development Worker Ian McIver and the Good Friday Holy Communion Service.

Easter begins on Palm Sunday with an OAK afternoon Communion and tea for the Circle of Care and culminates on Easter Sunday with a 9.00am open-air service followed by breakfast in the hall at 9.30. There will be a family service at 11.00am including Easter Bonnet and Egg Painting competitions and when the children leave at 11.30 to roll their eggs we will celebrate Holy Communion.

Then it will be time for the Summer Coffee Shops!Alex McConochie

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NEWS FROM THE KIRK OF ST NICHOLAS UNITING Behind the scaffolding - work at the East end of the building is progressing well. The first phase of the Open Space Trust’s project is on schedule for completion around July – all the side windows at gallery level have been replaced and about half the roof has been re-leaded. With the current financial climate it remains a challenge to raise the necessary funds to enable the envisaged interior to become a reality. The architect has therefore come up with a revised design reflecting a more modest budget, whilst retaining many elements of the original vision. The Open Space Trust’s membership reflects the congregation’s commitment to the project – but we would most certainly extend a warm welcome to members from Queen Street and St Mark’s congregations who wished to support this exciting project. An AGM is scheduled for 2pm on 13th April at St Marks Church Hall. I’d encourage you to come along and find out more, and hopefully feel encouraged to become a member. On 20th February, the Worship Team led Sunday worship. The service was followed by a “Souper Sunday” lunch with contributions being made to the HIV programme of the Church of Scotland. A new development at Sunday worship is that District Elders are being encouraged to lead some of the prayers, and we also bring to mind the members in that particular district during the service. Last October members of the congregation were asked to complete a questionnaire about various aspects of the Kirk’s life and vision for the future. A report on the results of the Questionnaire will be presented at our next Church Meeting, and will be used as input to a 3 year plan. We have a long association with the Oil and Gas Industry Chaplaincy and we wish Rev. Martin Grashoff every success in the role following his induction as the new Chaplain. May God Bless you all – Bill Ross 

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