Your copy of the Bulletin will have reached your letterbox by now. Not on the mailing list? Sign up by getting in touch with Sarah, our church administrator.
But you can read it online too! Or download it here. The magazine was a bumper issue this time so we’ve split it in two for easy down-loading.
(A shorter version of this article will be in our late summer edition of the Bulletin)
Our Café Church service on 29 June was jam packed with lots of music, memory making, faith and companionship. Many of our congregation and friends attended to mark our musician, John Patterson’s, final Sunday with us (for a while). John insists he won’t be gone forever and he has found, in us, a church family he wants to continue to be part of. John has made the difficult decision to step back from his role as church musician to allow him the chance to have more of a work/life balance. Working five days a week in his full-time job and two days a week with Craigsbank and East Craigs Parish Church has given him very little time to spend with his family, friends and hyperactive collie dog – Tess.
Our café service celebrated John in different ways. We had a beautiful duet sung by Emma and Jenny. They chose “For Good” from the musical Wicked and left many of us with slightly damp eyes. We all joined in with Abba’s “Thank You For the Music” which John wasn’t expecting but seemed too fitting to leave out. John chose the song “Friends” for the two of us to duet on and I didn’t cry – at least not then…. We finished with a Fischy Music song, “Doo, Doo, Doo” sung by the singers and Finn, Rose and Holly from the Junior Music Makers with everyone else joining in. There was so much love and laughter in the room, it was a joy to be part of. It was wonderful to have many of our musicians joining us too. Scott was on the drums, Al played the fiddle and Kyle was on the guitar. With me on bass and guitar and John on the keyboard we created a great celebration band.
John’s musical skills will be very much missed but, more importantly, his kind manner with, compassionate care and gentle direction of the Adult Singers will be very difficult to replace. John approached every singers’ practice with good humour and a calm demeanour. He challenged the singers to push the boundaries of their comfort zones, often without them realising he was doing it. How many of us could have imagined singing into recording apps on phones and emailing or WhatsApping files to John so he could blend all the individual tracks to create the worship songs we used during Covid? He simply explained how to do it and trusted that everyone, regardless of their previous levels of IT skills, would be able to do what he asked of us and his confidence in us encouraged us to rise to the challenge. Later, once we could meet in person again, the singers learned and performed music by Rutter and Bach as well as pieces in much more modern styles that many of us wouldn’t have considered possible without his guidance and patience. It often took many weeks (months!!) of practice, breaking every section down and learning them thoroughly before putting it all back together before we were confident enough to sing for our congregation on a Sunday but, with John’s confidence in our abilities, we succeeded. John fully embraced the new material he was given in the God Welcomes All supplement to CH4 and always chose hymns that were appropriate for the seasons and festivals of the church as well as being beautiful both in words and melody. We all joined in laughing over “Alan’s Challenge of the Week” when we would be presented on the Thursday evening with an unknown or lesser-known hymn to lead the congregation with on the following Sunday morning. Alan was never told about us referring to his “challenge” as we were worried he’d up the ante even further!
Junior Music Makers and Winter Wednesdays will now have a break as John was the glue that held these events together. Hopefully they won’t be gone forever but, for now, we are hitting pause. John was such a driving force for Winter Wednesdays and his planning and preparation meant that the musicians and singers were able to turn up on the evening to rehearse for the hour before our audience arrived and then just perform. He instilled the mellow vibe of the evening and everyone, performers and audience alike, benefitted. John’s choice of music for each concert was spot-on every time. We had regular attendees and occasional drop-ins who commented on how much they appreciated the repertoire that was presented and the atmosphere that was created with the candle-light and simple, quiet music. It was a joy to be part of.
Junior Music Makers was the exact opposite of the quiet, contemplative Winter Wednesdays. It was a riot of sound and colour! The different children we had the privilege to work with over the last five years were all wonderful. They ranged from the shy and nervous to the confident and bold. Some came to us knowing they were joining in with people they knew, some came knowing no-one initially, they all left having made new friends. I hope their parents did too. JMM was a pipe-dream idea of mine that John helped make a reality. I will always be grateful to him for supporting my whim and standing with me to make it a success, there is no way I could have achieved what we did achieve without him.
John and I became fast friends during the pandemic. We hadn’t met until early 2020 and really got to know each other over WhatsApp, email and Zoom! Thankfully we shared a sense of humour, a love of music and a desire to get as many other people to share our love of music as we were able. John was easy to work with. He didn’t make demands and he was happy to try different ways to engage both adults and kids. Our working relationship was always easy, never strained and I’m convinced that was the key to our success particularly with our Junior Music Makers.
So, for now, we say au revoir to John. He will be much missed as our church musician but I am very pleased to be able to assure everyone that he says he won’t be gone from our congregation for ever. Once he’s had a break, travelled, caught up with friends and family and gone on quite a few very long walks with Tess, he’ll be back worshipping with us on Sunday mornings. I’m sure he’ll get a very warm welcome when he does.
Ros Morrison
Book online at edfringe.com or from Alison McKay – 07708473271 or email alisonmckay@hotmail.co.uk
We are excited to announce that over the summer weeks, we are offering a fun, in-person Alpha Course for those between the ages of 18 and 35 (or thereabouts) with a view to giving them space to meet each other and to explore areas of faith and living-life in today’s world. The group will meet at East Craigs on a Sunday Evening and will start the session sharing a light, informal meal.
It all kicks off at 6pm on Sunday 6 July.
Do mention this to anyone you know in the 18 – 35 years age bracket or come along yourself.
Contact administrator@craigsbankchurch.org.uk for more information.
Are you new to the growing West Craigs area on the very edge of Edinburgh? Why not come and join us on 9 July, 10-12 noon at Meadowfield Park (next to Maybury Primary). We have crafts, games and bubble making for the youngest members of the community. Adults – tea and coffee available along with a wee biscuit. (We’ll be here every Wednesday over the summer holidays!)
Come join the fun, meet neighbours and say hello.
Sandy Turnbull has reminded us all that it is the time of year when we should start booking up for our favourite event at Edinburgh Fringe Festival – the superb annual concert from the Rolling Hills Chorus.
A weary busker steps away from the street and into a church seeking peace and quiet, but finding so much more. Inside, he stumbles upon a vibrant group of singers who turn his world upside down. They delight, misbehave, connect, and inspire. With passion, harmony, and a dash of chaos, they refresh his spirit and change his direction in the most unexpected way.
A heart-warming story from a top Scottish barbershop chorus, of how a busker’s dream came true. Mind-blowing harmonies, unexpected twists, and a cappella like you’ve never heard before!
The Chorus was formed in Galashiels in 1992, its name deriving from the rolling hills seen around the Scottish Borders. In 1995 it moved to Edinburgh, where, thy then, most of its members lived. The chorus director is Rosaling Johnson, a rising star in the UK barbershop world. With over 40 members united by a love of singing a cappella (four-part harmony), its mission is to sing well, entertain and have fun. They chorus supports good causes and have an established charity partnership with Prostate Scotland.
The Chorus is a member of The British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) and competed at their National Convention in Harrogate in May last year becoming one of the top ten barbershop choruses in the UK.
Find out more at www.rollinghills.org.uk
As we head towards Union with Corstorphine Old Parish, we are looking at the structure of the teams of volunteers who make us who we are. Our Church only works if folk come forward to help. The best gift you can give is you.
Over the decades we have been incredibly fortunate with the time and skill-sharing that the people of Craigsbank and East Craigs have brought – from baking or gardening to building maintenance and communications. But now we are starting afresh and looking again to see who might be out there with just a little time to spare.
So… the teams we are currently building are listed below. Please don’t feel that you need to know what you are doing in all the areas mentioned. It may even be that you have no particular experience but feel that this is an area that you’ve always wanted to explore. What have you got to lose? Volunteer for an hour or so a week or more – you will be welcomed with open arms and (we hope!) enjoy what you do.
Some of the teams are now meeting – volunteers from Craigsbank and East Craigs. It is wonderful to see it all coming together.
Contact the church office for more information.
Keep Reading…
Continue reading “Join a Team – Share your enthusiasm and / or expertise and have some fun in the process”‘Compassion and integrity are two leadership qualities the world is in dire need of right now. With Pope Francis today having left this life for the next, we have lost an inspirational leader who embodied both. May his legacy inspire us to follow in his footsteps as much as he followed in those of Jesus. Rest in peace having done well, good and faithful servant of our Lord.’
Rev Alan Childs, 21 April 2025
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!
