NEWS

Join us at one of our services over the next few weeks. Our morning services always begin at 10.30am and all are welcome. Do join us when you can.

Please note that, as services throughout Holy Week have taken place at Craigsbank and East Craigs, the service on Easter Sunday takes place at Corstorphine Old Parish Church. We wish you all a Happy Easter.

• 20 April 10.30am Old Parish, Easter Sunday Service
• 27 April 10.30am East Craigs

• Corstorphine Craigsbank Church – 19 Craigs Bank, Corstorphine, Edinburgh EH12 8HD, 10.30am, on the first and third Sunday of the month. Directions
• East Craigs Church Centre – 8 Bughtlin Market, East Craigs, Edinburgh EH12 8XP, 10.30am, on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. Directions
• Cafe Church – 19 Craigs Bank, Corstorphine, Edinburgh EH12 8HD, 10.30am, on a fifth Sunday of any month. Directions
• Corstorphine Old Parish for Easter Sunday, 2a Corstorphine High Street, Edinburgh EH12 7ST
• You can also watch a shortened version of our service online every Sunday on YouTube.

Easter Blessings to all this Easter Morning.

Members and friends of Corstorphine churches walked from St Ninians to Craigsbank on Good Friday before a vibrant, thoughtful, all nations service in the sanctuary there. We left with a sense of peace.

In the form of the Ubuntu African Choir, alumni of the African children’s choir brought colour and music and rhythm to Craigsbank on Saturday evening to the delight of all of those who attended. They then enriched the Sunday morning service at East Craigs with two haunting pieces, beautifully sung. Listen to a snippit from Sunday morning here.

The choir has been performing with different groups of children, all over the world, over a period of 40 years. Craigsbank was lucky enough to host a concert 20 years ago and we were delighted when they returned last weekend. The African Children’s choir, under its parent organisation Music for Life, has raised money to educate and support 59,000 children in this time – children from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa. The children are selected and educated from primary stages right through university – transforming their lives and through them, supporting communities for the future. The Ubuntu choir, made up of some of those children who have previously been in the children’s choir as youngsters, performs to raise awareness of this good work. To find out more, visit their website by clicking here.

Follow us on Facebook to watch a short video from the Craigsbank performance: https://www.facebook.com/CraigsbankChurch

And here are a few pics from the last time the choir visited as the African Children’s Choir, back in 2005!

Come to one or come to all. Easter week is a very special time in the life of the church. Please note the variety of church venues throughout the week.

An 8-week journey into the heart of God’s desire for peace.

In a world marked by division, anxiety, and restlessness, the ancient longing for peace still echoes deeply in our souls. But what kind of peace are we really seeking? And how might the wisdom of faith, Scripture, and Christian tradition guide us on that journey?

Join us for Quest for Peace – an 8-week post-Easter course that invites us to explore the rich vision of shalom, drawing inspiration from the insights of St. Augustine and our shared Christian story. Together, we’ll reflect on peace with God, within ourselves, with others, and in all creation.

Led by Rev. Shinji Kayama, each weekly session (90 minutes, in person) will blend conversation, reflection, learning, and some prayer. We’ll ask big questions, share deeply, and encourage one another as fellow pilgrims seeking the peace of the heavenly city – and learning to live it now.

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by the world or simply curious about how to live more deeply rooted in God’s peace, come along. Let’s embark on this quest together.

The course starts on Sunday evening, 4 May, at 5.30pm and runs for 8 consecutive weeks. You do not have to attend all the sessions, but obviously the more the better.

All are welcome, but spaces are limited so please register with Sarah at administrator@craigsbankchurch.org.uk. If you have any questions, please contact Shinji at skayama25@gmail.com

If you are on our mailing list, next week our Spring / Easter Bulletin will drop through your letter box. But if you can’t wait, you can read here or download at the link below. You will also find copies at Craigsbank Church and East Craigs Church Centre. Take one for a neighbour or a friend.

Want to join the mailing list? Speak to Sarah in the church office, email her here, or speak to Jan at the services.

If you are new to the area you might find some local information useful. The PDF below contains details of local transport, schools, medical centres and of course your friendly local churches!

Read or Download here.

Thank you to the Bohemians for their simply outstanding jukebox musical production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, showing at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh this weekend. What a joy. A riot of colour and dance and song and laughter and tears. Fear, acceptance, change – all played out with a lightness of touch and true professionalism on stage. One young man had a stand out performance today. Well done Finn.

And thank you too Bohemians, for bringing all of this and more to Craigsbank Church halls and sanctuary in recent weeks for rehearsals. You lit up our buildings and our community.

‘We belong, we belong together’

View the rehearsals on facebook

‘Its concave bell tower [is] like a sail on the community’s sea of 1920s bungalows’

The Pocket Guide to Edinburgh’s Best Buildings by Robin ward is now published and available in bookshops and online. And you’ll find Craigsbank sitting proudly on page 179!

Read more bout it in The Scotsman – click here and here.

Every year, Cutting Edge Theatre put on an Easter Play in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, just below New College. it is passionate, moving and each year sees a slightly different take. It is free to watch and all should be encouraged to see it. Below are some photographs from last year.

Welcoming back the alumni of the African Children’s Choir – this time as the Ubuntu Choir

12 April into your diary, 7.00pm, Craigsbank Church

The Internationally celebrated choir Ubuntu, alumni of the African Children’s Choir, are visiting us in April 2025 and will perform at Corstorphine Craigsbank Church. Thirteen bright young talented singers are performing in what will be a joyful and uplifting concert.

Tickets are by donation (suggested £10) with entrance for under 16s FREE.

Please note that we are hosting the concert, but we also need and want to host the 13 choir and five staff in our homes for one night on Saturday 12 April. The choir members will be aged 18 or older, so hosts won’t need to be PVG accredited. If you are able to host two or more members please contact Mike Brough.

Pop 12 April into your diary. 7.00pm, Craigsbank Church. This is an event not to be missed.

Read more about the Ubuntu Dream Tour on their website.

Tickets are by donation (suggested £10) with entrance for under 16s FREE.

Tickets available now from Sarah in the office or email administrator@craigsbankchurch.org.uk and at Sunday services.