Kilrenny Church Chronicle for Sunday 19th April
Saturday 25 April 2020
Contact: Corinne:
email: corinne@peddies.com
or telephone (01333) 311408
What part of "STAY AT HOME" did you not understand?
KILRENNY CHURCH CHRONICLE
ISSUE 5.
Kilrenny Church website
https://e-voice.org.uk/kilrenny/
EMERGENCY HELP:
East Neuk Covid19 Emergency help numbers:
0800 999 6543 - 07818 414178.
Worship and personal reflection:
''our homes are in a Real and Important way the places of worship''
Rev: Nigel Robb Presbytery Clerk.
Scripture Reading:
1Peter 1: 3-9
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birthinto a living hopethrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealedin the last time.
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little whileyou may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Praise to God for a Living Hope.
The epistle of I Peter was written to a group of Christians living in Asia Minor under the rule of the Roman Empire. They were going through a hard time and being persecuted for their faith. They were under increasing pressure, suffering material and physical loss, from both the Roman government and Society because of their faith in Christ. Peter could sense that these believers were beginning to waver in their faith and that their hope was beginning to ebb out.
We today are anxious as the world is changing before us in ways that we did not anticipate and do not clearly understand and, for the most part, are out of our control. We are living and suffering through a period of unprecedented uncertainty, many may feel hopeless. We may question who we can trust, and on whom we can build our hope.
Peter tells the early Christian's that the basis of all hope is that God has done something to insure their salvation. Salvation is characterized as a "living hope" (v 3) for which God is to be praised, as it is a product of God's abundant mercy and assured by the resurrection of Christ.
For the readers of 1 Peter, past and present, for Christian believers going through difficult times and circumstances, Peter reassures that God has provided for our survival - that the end of suffering and salvation was accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Living Hope (Salvation) is possible because of the mercy of God.
Seeing the resurrected Christ changed Peter’s life , he willingly suffered humiliation and death for Jesus’ sake and, when ordered to stop preaching about
'Jesus crucified, risen and coming again' he courageously refused to stop.
The resurrection activates Living Hope. Perhaps at no other time in our lives have we needed a hope that is alive than we do today. A hope that encourages us, allows us to seek the light and to hold onto what we know to be true when everything seems questionable.
Hope is kept alive by nurturing it; it is sustained by looking beyond tomorrow to a promised future, remembering that we have an inheritance awaiting us. Faith in Jesus Christ makes this all possible.
Peter knew “of a certainty” that Jesus was who He said he was, that He died for the sins of the world and was resurrected by the power of God. He returned to the Father to prepare a place for all who truly believe and who have committed themselves to, and have a personal relationship with Christ.
Be reassured that Jesus knows our future, holds the future and holds our hand. Let us walk with him in faith.
Some words from the song by Ira F. Stanphill, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” expresses the simultaneous feelings of anxiety and hope we may have felt and likely are feeling right now.
I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live for day to day;
I don’t borrow from the sunshine, For its skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o’er the future, For I know what Jesus said;
And today I’ll walk beside Him, For He knows what lies ahead.
Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow, And I know who holds my hand.
Watch/ listen to 'I Know Who Holds Tomorrow' - By Alison Krauss at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GKNbmYOAow&list=RD4GKNbmYOAow&start_radio=1#t=121
(Stamphill was an American Pastor, singer and Gospel songwriter in the mid 20th century).
Praise: CH4 424 Blest be the everlasting God:
Words and music played at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8zfB5fHx_s
Let us Pray: (Allan)
"Are you like me and experiencing the frustration of the present “lockdown” rules? I found this Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr helped to calm things down and to make me realise how blessed I am that I and those I love are well and relatively unscathed by this awful virus"
The Serenity Prayer.
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
For ever and ever in the next.
Amen
A REFLECTION
Rev. Ian Hamilton
“THE BROKENNESS OF LIFE”
Throughout my ministry the more and more overwhelmed and concerned I have become about the incredible amount of troubles and human suffering people have to endure.
In truth, no one who lives and loves very deeply goes on free of suffering for very long, because sooner or later trouble knocks at every door, and many, who have previously walked along the high hills have very quickly had to make a steep descent to negotiate the deep waters.
Indeed the brokenness and suffering we often witness in our families, among our friends and associates, in our church family, in our neighbourhood and community, and throughout the world in our time – and not least in these challenging and fearful days – the level of brokenness is often critical.
Of course in all situations of brokenness the question arises, WHO cares? Does anyone really care?
In the various experiences of brokenness we all encounter, families care, most of the time, friends care, some of the time (especially at the height of the particular emergency), but is there someone who cares ALL of the time? And if that someone is God, what can God do for a person, for a family, for a nation, for a WORLD……..for those who are broken right at the centre of his or her being?
Chapters 4 and 5 of the first letter of Peter are concerned greatly with suffering, and what to do when suffering comes. Peter anticipates a time of intense suffering and persecution ahead for his readers and offers some words of advice and encouragement as to how to deal with it….and not least he closes his letter with a promise.
“THE GOD OF ALL GRACE…..AFTER YOU HAVE SUFFERED FOR A LITTLE WHILE…..SHALL HIMSELF MAKE YOU PERFECT.” (1Peter 5,10)
The Greek word translated “make perfect” is found in another connection in the New Testament, it’s the word used in the story about the Sons of Zebedee mending their nets. The verb “mend” and “make perfect” are both translated by this same Greek word. One version of the Bible translates (in Peter’s first letter) “make perfect” as “restore” - The God of all grace shall restore you…..mend you. In other words, the God who cares all of the time is concerned with our brokenness, he waits to help and to heal….to make perfect, to restore and to mend!
However we too have a part to play in the mending process. I think the most important thing God’s people can do as they experience the brokenness of life is to build up, and to keep in constant repair, their Easter Faith.
As we have just been reminded in those post-Easter days, Jesus Christ died, but he rose again! And this is where God’s help and healing comes in. If we can just believe this fact, and if we can hold fast to it – despite all the brokenness surrounding us – and God’s world – in these perplexing days, then a fundamental dimension – for us – is added to the prevailing situation.
Oh it won’t remove the storm, it won’t take away our human anxiety and sorrow, remember Jesus wept at the graveside of Lazarus his friend.
What the breakwater does remember is break up the violence of the floodwater and so protect the coastline. Similarly, exercised with patience and with courage, this is what faith
does. It protects us from all the brokenness that is all around us, and helps bring our ship, weather-beaten no doubt, into calmer, more navigable waters AFTER the storm, where useful service still, you may be certain, remains.
Brokenness, suffering, pain, grief….they are all woven into the fabric of life, but they are not beyond mending. The God who cares all of the time is concerned with our brokenness, and in the Easter message and promise he assures us of this, again and again!
BE ASSURED, HE WAITS TO HEAL, TO HELP, TO MAKE PERFECT, TO RESTORE AND TO MEND. Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Margaret and I hope that you are all keeping safe and well and we want to assure you all that we are thinking about you at this challenging and perplexing time. Good wishes, blessings, and peace. Ian.
Let us Pray: (Allan)
I also found this version of The Lord's Prayer. It made me think about the words I was saying rather than repeating them with a little less attention than I should be giving them.
Higher Power
Who is always with me
Blessed be Your name.
Come into my life,
Let me know Your will
And help me to live it out each day.
Give me today that which I need
And help me to show forgiveness to others
Just as You show forgiveness to me.
Please protect me from temptation
And restore me when I fall.
For everything I have comes from You
And all good things are Yours.
As it has always been, and will always be,
For ever and ever
Amen.
Watch & listen to Andrea Bocelli singing The Lord's Prayer at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEplqV0scyo
Or Mario Lanza** at :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a3ZzPDvWDE
Worship also available:
Sunday Worship on Radio 4 at 08:10
Songs of Praise on BBC1 Sunday 1.15 pm.
Church of Scotland - Worship
www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship
The Moderator of the General Assembly has said Easter Sunday still represents the defeat of death and hope reborn. You can watch his Easter Sunday message on the Church website, and find a list of congregations providing a streamed service for each Sunday.
Rev Dr Amos Chewachong:
Newport Parish Church - listen to recordings of Sunday worship online - at
http://www.notchurch.co.uk or join
Newport Church live online service of worship Sundays at 10:45 for 11 am.
If you wish to join the Zoom Sunday Service please email the church (newportcos@btinternet.com) to be put on the direct mailing list.
A Postcard from Kingskettle Rev Michael Allardice
One thing Liz and I have discovered having moved to a village just two years ago is just how much more you know about your neighbours than we ever did living in Glenrothes.
Going out on our walk each day, we have been meeting many people who we hadn’t seen before from around the village (always practicing our Social Distancing!) As with so many places around the country, the children of the village have been putting hand drawn rainbows in the windows, and many others have been putting teddy bears in windows as well. These simple gestures make a huge difference to all of us, young and old alike, and remind us of the story of Noah and the flood from Genesis.
In what appears to be a very secular society, it’s good to see that one of God’s ancient promises is still recognised as a sign of hope for the world at this time.
I’m currently on my “Easter Holiday” from the University as we’ve been encouraged to continue to take our annual leave as planned. So, in my head I’m thinking I’m sitting in an Italian Café at the lakeside in Garda or Bardolino sipping an espresso or americano. The reality is I’m drinking my coffee in my living room or if the weather improves: the back garden!
Hope can sometimes seem in short supply, but the rainbow symbol reminds all of us, believers and non-believers alike, that God is with us today, tomorrow and always. As we move from Easter Sunday and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we live with the promise of the Cross and new life. Just like the first Christians, we are moving into new territory without a map, but with Jesus as our guide and comforter in these troubled times.
Someday soon, things will change for the better, and it may be a few years away but that coffee at the Lake’s edge in Garda will be tasted with even greater satisfaction because we’ve come through the storm and the rainbow promises better times ahead.
Every blessing to you all
Michael & Liz Allardice
Patience
A reflection by Gordon Guthrie
I was thinking about the impatience there is for the Government to end lockdown and get back to normal.
As the Country and the World see the virus spread and the toll of infections and fatalities increase, we live with these lock downs, travel restrictions, business closures and Health Services stretched to the limit.
What is wanted, and needed, are signs that the virus is being contained, that the measures put in place are working and in time we will all get back to the lives we had before.
The question is ’when’ and ‘what’ are the plans to come out of lockdown without risking a second wave of infections. At every Government briefing there is a theme of questions that are asked about the timing for lockdown reduction, the delivery of more PPE, ventilators, increased testing that show impatience; and probably rightly so.
Fiona told me ‘Patience is a Virtue, possess it if you can, seldom in a woman, but never in a man’ and my sister Rosalind told me that ‘Patience is the hardest muscle in the body to exercise.’ Wise words.
So maybe now is a time to show a little Patience. That is not just for our leaders who we rely on to take us out of this situation, but also with our family, friends, neighbours and everyone else we live within our community, and also on social media. There are a lot of wonderful caring people in our community who are doing so much to help others get through this and in time we will. We just have to be Patient. (Gordon).
The World Day of Prayer
Jessie Lyon
I switch on the radio. The choir of Portsmouth Grammar School, with vitality and, dare I say, an atmosphere of fun, are singing one of my favourite anthems. It is sheer joy. I pray that the same joy of PGS will soon return to all choirs worldwide
Later I hear French music which includes delightful singing by a choir of French children. I pray for France and its troubled neighbours.
In the evening I hear a recording of the National Youth Orchestra of 150 players play Beethoven's music at a Prom concert in Albert Hall. They play with a panache and adventure which some purists might declare a fault. It was a tremendous performance, but once or twice it brought laughter as they hurtled on, led by their 'head drummer' who hammered on as though at a demolition site! I pray that young musicians the world over, will soon be back to rehearsals and fun.
I clapped in our weekly concert of cheers, pan lids, car horns etc, to thank those who face danger in their efforts to help the sick. Once inside our homes, we quietly pray for the bereaved and the sad.
At bed-time I take my last-look-of-the-day out to sea. Not far away is the bright light of a fishing boat. At this point I think of the fishing, the oil rigs the Royal Navy etc.,
'O hear us when we cry to Thee, for those in peril on the sea'
Jessie Lyon.
CH4: 260. Etenal Father, strong to save.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDjwUzUnNpU
What does the Cross really mean to you?
In issue 3 of the newsletter, this question was asked. Here is the story of Frank Silecchia in his own words and the World Trade Centre (ground zero) Cross.
A symbol of hope... [a] symbol of faith... [a] symbol of healing
I'm an excavation labourer and a member of union local 731. Pick-and-shovel work is my trade. I live in New Jersey, but I'm a New York City native, Brooklyn-born and -bred.
After the Towers collapsed, my city was hurting. When I heard they needed guys like me for search-and-rescue work at Ground Zero, I couldn't get there fast enough.
I'd seen the news coverage, but that didn't prepare me for the reality. Down there it was like hell on earth. Fires burned out of control. Destroyed vehicles littered the streets. Everything was blanketed with dust; the air was filled with a choking stench.
I soaked a bandanna with water before wrapping it around my head to cover my nose and mouth. I went to work wondering if I'd be able to get through this.
Six fire fighters and I entered World Trade Centre building six, which had been flattened by Tower One. We took a smoke-filled stairway down into the garage levels, searching for survivors.
There were no cries for help, no signs of life. We spray-painted orange Xs to indicate where we'd searched and to help us find our way back.
After 12 hours of searching, we'd recovered three bodies. By then I was exhausted, but I couldn't quit. "Think I'll take a look over there," I told the firemen, motioning toward the remains of the lobby atrium.
Picking my way through the massive piles of debris, I peered into what had become a sort of grotto. Illuminated by the pale light of dawn were shapes...crosses. What? How did these get here? The largest was about 20 feet high. It must have weighed a couple of tons.
In that little grotto I felt a strange sense of peace and stillness. I could almost hear God saying, The terrible thing done at this site was meant for evil. But I will turn it to good. Have faith. I am here.
I fell to my knees in front of the largest cross. Tears came, and I couldn't stop them. I cried like a baby.
Finally I was able to pull myself together. I grabbed my gear and left the strange grotto to go back to search-and-rescue work. But first I spray-painted "God's House" on the atrium ruins.
Digging day after day at Ground Zero was the hardest work I'd ever done. Often I was so drained I felt I couldn't go on. That's when I'd go to God's House. Standing there in front of that 20-foot-high steel-beam cross, I always felt my strength and spirit renewed.
Word spread. The cross had the same healing effect on others too. Firemen, police, volunteers, grieving survivors, visiting dignitaries and clergy. They would walk into God's House, see the cross and fall to their knees crying, like I had. Some people sang, some prayed. Everyone left changed.
There are some who say that the cross I found is nothing more than steel. That it was just plain physics that broke the steel beam into the shape of a cross when it plunged through the roof of building six. But I believe differently.
So does my friend Father Brian Jordan. He was a chaplain at Ground Zero and is a priest at St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown. When the time came for what was left of building six to be removed, God's House faced demolition. Father Jordan talked to officials and persuaded them to save the cross.
After it was removed from the site, ironworkers fixed the cross to a concrete base, then hoisted it up and mounted it atop a 40-foot foundation that had been a pedestrian walkway outside the World Trade Centre. It stood high enough that the rescue workers who were down in the pit could see it whenever they lifted their heads.
Ground Zero was not obviously a place of hope. But it was there that I learned we can always have faith. In fact, we must have faith if we are to go on.
New life will rise from the ashes. I know that because the cross was a sign, a promise from God that he is with us even in the face of terrible evil and untold suffering. Especially then.
Church News
Just before the church and hall were subject to lock down we were approached to make the hall and lounge available to King Creosote conducting a rehearsal. The day after rehearsal he and his band undertook a national tour which included performances commencing with the Concert Hall Glasgow followed by Inverness, Perth, London and Manchester. As you can see from the picture the logistics of taking all the equipment was extensive requiring a large lorry and a touring bus for the group. The music was performed live and synchronised with a film running in the background. Apart from what is shown in the hall the control equipment took up a substantial area in the lounge.
The tour was very successful musically and despite restrictions being placed on seating numbers because of coronaviris was well attended. Again the versatility of the hall and lounge was much appreciated by Kenny and the group as well as the roadies. We received a substantial donation for the let.
Our only other activity or non activity as it happens was the attempted repair of our kitchen water boiler following it steaming up when in use. A month later we have now received a list of parts required although the servicing company is only undertaking limited contract work. Looking to the future and In view of the heavy use at such times as the May Teas and the East Neuk Festival, approval has been given to purchase a new boiler as well as having our existing boiler repaired to operate as a back up.
We look forward to the current restrictions being lifted and the facilities being fully used for the benefit of the congregation and community.”
Archie Gray (Hall Keeper)
LIFE AND WORK
Life and Work is committed to helping keep our Christian community connected and so we have made the May 2020 issue available on our website. This can be accessed by visiting https://www.lifeandwork.org/resources/free-download-may-2020.
News of members.
The McKay household
Belated happy Easter to you all. We are blessed to have such a supportive family and can isolate no problem. Also have a short drive and safe walk most days. It is a big challenge to prepare a news letter every week but with church doors closed it preserves a feeling of continuity and sharing. Thanks to all who contribute and support you. Well my claim to fame could be the number of smiles my artistic attempt at creating a rainbow has achieved and still counting, ha ha! and we all pray for the day this unreal time is behind us. Your aye Andy and Anita.
(Anita has a lovely Rainbow and a Thanks to NHS posters in her window which brings a smile to my face when I look up at their window). Corinne.
Answers to Allan's - New Testament quiz.
1) Paul 2) The River Jordan. 3) Turned water into wine. 4) Jesus dipped his bread in the food and gave it to Judas. 5) Golgotha. 6) The Island of Malta. 7) Five loaves and two fish. 8) Judas kissed Jesus. 9) Greek. 10) Dismas 11) 27 Books. 12) Peter and Andrew. 13) Peter. 14) Joseph of Arimathea. 15) A priest. 16) Christ's. 17) Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 18) A message from the Angel Gabriel. 19) Caiaphas. 20) Luke.
Allan's quiz
Just when you thought Easter was past for another year, here’s a short quiz on different aspects of Easter.
1. Which American actress played the lead role in the 1948 film “Easter Parade.”?
2. Easter Island belongs to which South American country?
3. Which British company first introduced the Easter Egg?
4. As Jesus died on the cross, how long did the darkness last?
5. What is the name of the fruit cake layered with marzipan traditionally eaten at Easter?
6. What is the name of the hill where the crucifixion took place?
7. Which Russian company is renowned for its jewel decorated eggs?
8. On which day should we eat Hot Cross Buns?
9. What did the Romans make Simon of Cyrene do for Jesus?
10. The Saturday before Palm Sunday is named after who in the Bible?
News of those wearing a Dog collar!
Susan and Alfie.
Hello my name is Alfie and I am a black lab who will be 11 years old in June. My mum is Susan and we live together in Pittenweem. At the moment I am seeing a lot of the village when we go for a walk every lunchtime. Mum makes me walk up West Wynd every time. She says it's good for my elbows and her knees! Wednesday was my day to go to Doggie Day Care and I'm missing my doggie pals. Mum is giving a treat to cheer me up. Now I get two bones from Penmans a week instead of just my Saturday bone yum yum! Mum now uses Zoom twice a week, on a Thursday for her slimming class. I don't join in with that but I do say hello to the rest of the family on a Sunday including Harry the dog. They live in Cellardyke, London and Barcelona. Stay safe everyone and see you in brighter times.
Alfie and Susan xx
Dog diary and the trials of Ann
Ivan Pavlov was a noted Russian physiologist who used dogs in his research, the results of which form the basis of behavioural psychology today. In other words, transferred to dog training, the behaviour you want to instil into your dog is rewarded by a treat. They then associate that good things happen when they behave in a certain way. So for me, to stop Doddie nipping, biting and chewing my clothes I say, "Leave" and when he does he gets rewarded with a cheesey treat. Doddie has now reversed the psychology on me. He now nips me and then sits back expectantly for his favourite chew before I can say "Leave" - who is training who? Ann
Cathy and Toby
This is Toby our Border Collie who was born at West Pitcorthie Farm to Helga & John Irvine along with 1 brother and 3 sisters. He is 7 months old now and sometimes visits his Mum Jess and sister Book at the farm. Toby gets on very well with his big brother Ollie who is 6 years old. Toby has and still does lead us a merry dance with his mischief and unbelievable chewing skills. He has chewed carpets, walls, chairs, table legs, wallets etc.etc. He even ate the jigsaw puzzle I was halfway through on the dining room table. He had scoffed 33 pieces before I could stop him! If he is quiet he is up to something naughty. But he is adorable with a lovely nature and he has livened up our lives and our older dog. The Murray family are lucky to be all well at this time also Mum (Mary Morris) is well too. Like myself she is missing going to Kilrenny Church on Sundays. Stay safe everyone. Cathie
Fiona and Bella
Bella has been spending a lot of time in the garden but also on the laptop updating her Facebook pages! Fiona
Sheena and Hamish.
Now a massive 8 inches from the floor to his shoulders, he seems to be growing at an incredible rate or maybe I'm getting smaller!
His hair has also been growing and especially on the top of his head and now has a fashionable sandy blonde middle parting.
His favourite toy seems to be a used 2ltr plastic milk bottle. Like most youngsters, he seems to prefer the packaging to the toy.
The other day, he appeared running at pace with one of my heavy walking boots between his teeth. Tightening his grip when I tried to retrieve the boot, I had to tip him upside down before he would let this newly discovered foe free.
It's almost like at certain times of the day he turns in to a teenage delinquent and becomes extremely mischievous.
Frisky after his tea mostly. A sudden boost of energy and runs towards me to attack the bottom of my trousers. So far, he hasn’t managed to shred them, but he likes to have a go.
To get rid of this excess energy I walk him round the garden several times to tire him out. So far this seems to have worked.
His diet has been ramped up from one teaspoonful of food six times per day to a massive 2 teaspoonfuls six times per day.
He continues to keep me amused and is great company during these times of lock-down. Sheena.
Naught Choirboy....continues
One disadvantage of being a choirboy was missing Sunday School, which took place during the service. I wasn't too upset about that because the Sunday School teacher and I were not on the same wavelength. I had even been called "over-inquisitive", and, consequently "disruptive" so I was happy to sit in the choir, which I loved, whilst my age group trotted out during the last verse of the pre-sermon hymn.
By the mid 1950s, my category by age moved "up" from Sunday School to Youth Fellowship, which took place in the evening. Whereas Sunday School was for listening and learning, we were told, Youth Fellowship was for discussing and debating.
My problem arose from the fact that the Sunday School teacher was also the Leader of the Youth Fellowship, which meant I was on a collision course from day One.
My mother always told me that if I had nothing good to say about any subject, say nothing, so I shall say nothing about the Leader's intellect. I sat quietly at Fellowship for several weeks, and the Leader even questioned my silence.
"You're very quiet; what's wrong with you; lost your tongue; things must be perfect!
NO. Came the week we were discussing Jonah's reluctance to go, as instructed, to Nineveh. The Leader advised that we "should not believe this story". It was "Impossible for a whale to swallow a man. Yes, its mouth was large enough but its throat too narrow, and no man could survive. It's just a story, don't believe it!!"
That was enough to set me off.
"What's this whale you're talking about? My Bible didn't mention a 'Whale'. My Bible spoke of a 'giant fish.' Moreover, many sailors have arrived home with tales of 'giant fish' that could jump over their ship, destroying masts and rigging. And why all the talk about a whale? A whale isn't even a fish! it's a mammal! Be in no doubt. There are giant fish.
Look also at Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. No sign of a whale, but there is a giant fish.
You should not be telling young folk to disbelieve a Book in the bible. That is tantamount to blasphemy!"
'Oh, said the Leader, Blasphemy is it? And how are we going to find out the truth of what really happened to Jonah?"
"Well I confidently replied, "when I go to Heaven, I'll ask Jonah myself"
"And what if Jonah went to Hell?" asked the Leader.
"In that case You can ask him" was my retort.
"Right, that's it, "the leader looked annoyed now. "I'm blasphemous, and I'm going to Hell am I. I'm actually going straight to meet the Youth Fellowship Supervisor, who has promised to look in tonight".
Supervisor? I didn't know there was such an animal, then I heard the two sets of footsteps returning, and the door opened!
Oh No! It was the Minister's Wife....... glowering at me with those burning laser eyes.
"Good evening" I said, as I hurried out and away home.
I never ever returned to Youth Fellowship.
Well apart from the Christmas Party ......
Members Stories.
Greetings again from Christine and Joe Hughes to all our friends in Kilrenny Church. Here is a continuation of our year so far.
After my Mum died last year we set up a Family Whats App page so we could keep in touch. I decided to set a challenge while being in lockdown to create something which would always remind us of the Coronavirus. It was amazing what was produced.- knitted jumpers, a song written to be sung to the tune of ‘ I will survive’, a new dessert, an Easter Wreath for a front door, play dough cupcakes, a fixed garage door (make do and mend.) I suggested we had everything completed for 27th March which would have been Mums 93rd birthday. After a visit to the cemetery, I wrote a message to the family as if Mum had written it and this went down well. As she used to say, ‘It was just for fun!’
During lockdown, it has been impossible to get a hair appointment and many of us have had to tackle the job ourselves. I was fortunate in being my hairdresser’s last customer before we had to go into isolation, but Joe wasn’t so well organised. He certainly wasn’t keen when I offered to cut his hair-‘ you’re not a hairdresser and you won’t know what to do!’- but I reminded him that I was the one who had to look at him! After a few nervous snips, I was told to carry on. In the end, he seemed fairly satisfied with the result, all thanks to a pair of Ikea scissors and a wee black comb!
Last week I decided to write out a list of jobs for Joe to work through. His initial response was that he doesn’t do lists! However, I found him next day power hosing the slabs and decking, then he cleaned the outside of the conservatory and oiled the chiminea. I caught him ticking off the jobs on the list! I have been gradually getting the garden in order and we are enjoying daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and cherry blossom so far. We realise how lucky we are to live where we do at this time.
Looking at the calendar which is redundant these days, I note what has been cancelled in April. We should be in Spain just now and were to come home so Joe could compete in the Loch Ness Etape, then return to Spain to sing in more concerts. Since being in lockdown we have had to adjust to a slower pace of living – and we both like it!
Yesterday, being Easter Sunday and the end of Lent, meant that we could start eating chocolate again. That was six and a half weeks ago or 46 days to be precise since Ash Wednesday.- a long time to be deprived of chocolate!
We hope you all had a Happy Easter and stay safe and well in lockdown. Look after each other.
With love from Christine X
OLD CELLARDYKE
Or
Nether Kilrenny / SKINFASTHAVEN
Instalment 2 (Malcolm MacDonald)
Streets, houses and industries
STREETS – A map of the late 1830’s shows Cellardyke from the harbour to the boundary line at Caddies Burn to be only one long street called Main Street. After the census in 1871 it was divided into three individual streets named after prominent local councillors – James Street after Provost James Fowler, John Street after Provost John Martin and George Street after Provost George Sharp. East and West Forth streets were built around 1860 -70 and the rubble left over was used to fill over the burn that ran down at Caddies burn. The rest of Cellardyke from the Forth streets upwards was built from the early 1900’s. The first school in Cellardyke was at the top of Urquhart Wynd and catered for very young children probably for those in their first three years at school. Older children had to make the long journey to Kilrenny School over muddy field tracks. A new Primary school in School Road was built in 1878 to cater for all primary school children until they were old enough to go to Waid Academy.
HOUSES - The fisherman’s houses were really only little other than smoke filled cottages, the walls rough and un-plastered, the low roof across which the rafters would be visible, not the smooth or ready built type’s you get today [just thick branches of trees and not always straight] and laid across the top of the walls. You would have stumbled over the earthen floor, perhaps more damp and broken than the footpath on the street outside, a chair or two, a sea chest under the little window, the green glass in the window which the sun would struggle to get through. In a corner of the cottage a close bed would be built into the wall, a big wooden press holding a range of brown dishes and some pots and pans. No running water, in 1708 those Dykers living between the Tollbooth Wynd (where the Town hall is now) and the East of the town ( the harbour ) were granted permission to dig a well in the Urquhart Wynd as they were in much want of water, the only drawback being that they had to pay for it themselves. No toilet facilities either, the toilet would be a bucket or pail that was emptied every night under the cover of darkness usually at the seashore and you had to watch out for yourself as it was pitch dark [no street lights] so you could get someone’s pail emptied over you. On a lintil in John Street the date 1709 is inscribed and the initials of the people whose house it belonged to. No gas and no electric. The Anstruther Gas Light Company did not come into existence till 1841 and electric much later. If you have seen the photo of the old street at St Kilda, that would possibly relate to the houses in Cellardyke. A lot of the original houses have either been demolished to make way for more modern houses or had upper stories added and outside stairs built, you can still see the outside stairs on some houses, two in James Street, two in John Street, two in George Street and two in Shore Street.
INDUSTRIES – I do not know about earlier but in the 1930’s businesses in Cellardyke were, 3 farms, 2 dairies, 4 cooperages with fish processing, 3 oilskin factories, 1 knitwear factory, 1 marine engineering works, 1 joinery and undertaker, 1 plumber, 2 builders, 5 grocer shops, 7 bakeries, 2 butchers, 5 small confectioners, 1 shoemaker, 3 dressmakers, 2 tailors, 1 hairdresser, 1 haberdashery, 2 fish and chip shops, 1 bank, 1 ice cream shop, 1 post office and 1 pub and also boat building, blacksmiths and rope and net works. There were also 2 greengrocers who operated in the streets from horse drawn carts and also many of the baker’s toured the streets. With all these industries and shops in Cellardyke it was said that someone living in Cellardyke could be born get married have children work, shop, die and get buried in Kilrenny and never get their feet wet crossing the great divide “Caddies burn” except maybe to visit a relative that married an Anster person.
Malcolm MacDonald (a dyker frae Dove street)
(Malcolm's story will conclude next week).
Do you have a story to tell?
- It could be an amusing incident from the past or present.
- Do you have a recipe you could let us have, something a bit different for us to try during our period of isolation?
- What is happening in your street? How are you keeping in touch with family, friends and neighbours?
and
- Do you have a favourite hymn or a scripture reading that you could tell us about?
I would love to hear from you and share your news in the next edition
If you have internet access please try the You - tube links. You can find hymns and all types of music by a simple internet search.
I find most of the links by simply typing in the search box the hymn / song title and looking for You- tube in the list that comes up! I must say I am learning a lot, I have never used You- tube before! but some of the recordings - with visuals - are really lovely, in particular this week I recommend the Lord's Prayer sung by either (or both) Andrea Bocelli and Mario Lanza.
Personally my favourite is Mario Lanaz. My father had a 75 vinal recording of Mario Lanza singing the Lord's prayer and I was so happy to find it on you-tube. It brings back wonderful memories of my father from my childhood and it has remained, to this day, the version of the sung Lords Prayer that I have in my mind.
Best wishes to you all,
Corinne.
The Kirk Session wish you a very safe, healthy and happy week ahead.
Doxology CH4 806
To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
the God whom we adore,
be glory, as it was, and is,
and shall be evermore.
Amen.