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.
We can always count on the beautiful Scottish weather. However. we can always duck inside should their be a wee drizzle.
So, come rain or shine, Craigsbank and Corstorphine Old will have their annual summer BBQ on Sunday 7 Sept. Please let Sarah know if you will join us so we can have plenty of food.
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.
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!)
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.
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.
Yes! We are working our way through the Union process with our Neighbours, The Old Parish.
At our Stated Annual Meeting on 17 April 2025 at East Craigs, our session clerk, Elaine Thompson, presented the following, very informative, update on the Union of Corstorphine Craigsbank and Corstorphine Old Parishes. click here for the transcript. Or read the expanded version below:
Where are we?
Since our last up-date on the Union between Craigsbank and Corstorphine Old Parish on this site, much has been going on behind the scenes. We are now able to give an update on progress, stumbling blocks, and moving forward together. You can still read our 2024 Vision Statement by clicking here. If you read both articles together, you will see just how much work is going into making this happen.
Over the last few months, there have been regular meetings with both church ministers, Alan and Moira, our session clerks and steering groups who are all working together on our behalf.Why are we merging?
You will remember the reasons behind the Church of Scotland’s decision to merge parishes and reduce the number of buildings it is responsible for – declining Church of Scotland membership, less people worshipping particularly on a Sunday morning, reduced offerings and not enough ministers to serve the current parishes. It is a long and difficult (and at times painful) process to get this right but at both churches, we are determined to work together to do just that.
We – Corstorphine Craigsbank (including East Craigs) – were guided by presbytery to work towards union with Corstorphine Old Parish. The united parish would retain two full time ministers – one to be the parish minister to the newly merged congregation and the other a pioneer minister to the ever-expanding new developments to the west of Maybury Road. Who is looking after our interests in the negotations?
In January 2024 the joint steering group of Craigsbank and the Old Parish was set up. We have strong representation. Craigsbank members are Alan Childs, Alan Kennedy, Mike Brough, John Baker, Susan Ross, Paul Spencer and Elaine Thompson. They have been meeting with representatives of the Old Parish every month to work out the best way of bringing our two churches together.
