NEWS

Memories of a good friend

We were greatly saddened to hear of the death of Rev Robert Kerr, at the age of 70, who served this congregation as Community Minister from 1980 – 1983 (and as student minister before that from 1978 – 1979). Robert and his wife Anne were great friends to the congregation, with many close friendships continuing long after they emigrated to Canada including Donald Clark and Doreen Henderson who visited them there. And of course, George & Liz Grubb.

Robert and Anne were married in 1975 and moved into East Craigs in the summer of 1980 to take up the newly created post of Community Minister. He had a good and fun-filled working relationship with Rev George Grubb and was heavily involved in the Young People’s group. The highlight of that involvement was a wild minibus trip to Mull where the group conducted a service in the local church, tamed the local minister’s garden and burned an unwanted organ.

He was also the first chaplain to the newly formed Boys’ Brigade Company at Craigsbank in 1980.

Robert moved with his young family from Edinburgh to Vancouver and then on to become the ordained minister of the church of St Columba in Parksville, a city on Vancouver Island, in 1989. He retired in April 2016. 

Robert and Anne last visited Craigsbank in May 2019 when they joined us for tea after the service and also went for a meal with the ‘not so young’ people’s group. You can just about make him out in this photograph, with the red jumper.

He is survived by his wife, Anne, and their two sons James and Philip.

The following appears on the website of the Knox Presbyterian Church:

The Reverend Robert Kerr died on August 3rd.
Robert served the congregation and community at St. Columba Presbyterian Church, Parksville from 1989 to 2016. He was known to many through his service in Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly work. His wisdom and humour will be greatly missed. As a man of deep faith, we have comfort knowing he is in God’s eternal keeping and presence. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Campbell River on August 31st at 11am. 
Please pray for comfort for Anne, and their children James and Philip.

We hope to relay this memorial service onto the big screen at East Craigs at 7pm on the same date. Further details to be announced at Sunday services beforehand and on our website.  Should you wish to follow this from the comfort of your own home, you can get a link by emailing tpchurch@telus.net with the subject “Funeral Zoom”

We are still experiencing problems with the Church office phone. While we work towards a permanent fix, you can reach the office on the following number:

Tel: 07902 256110

The following regular activities will be taking a break over the summer weeks:

Craigsbank Toddle Tots – Last meeting for this session, 26 June. Resumes Wednesday 21 August 10.30-12.00

Toastie Thursdays – Resume Thursday 22 August

Junior Music Makers and the Singers groups – Resume in August – exact date tbc

Our heartfelt thanks to the leaders of these groups. We wish you all a relaxing summer ahead!

Anyone walking in Fauldburn Park, East Craigs, will spot a handsome new bench.

Huge congratulations to our ECO Group and especially to Anne Currie for all her hard work securing this new bench for Fauldburn Park. Time to take a load of and watch the world go by.

Purchase of the bench was kindly supported by Edinburgh Airport Community Fund. The park ranger helped to choose the best spot.

Our Summer Community Picnic on the afternoon of Saturday 22 June was a great success. It was held in Fauldburn Park at East Craigs and we were blessed with a great turnout of families and perfect weather for our afternoon of fun and games.

Anne sends her thanks to all for covering every eventuality and for the extra support of Tim, Harry and the Good Samaritans who were ‘on call’ at the crucial time!! 

Fun kids activities included:

Football Challenge; Touch Rugby; Parachute Games; Treasure Hunt; Rounders and Races.

As we come to a crossroads in the life of Craigsbank and East Craigs, we look back on the lives of some of those who started with us in infancy.

On the baptismal roll records that line the wall behind the cross at Craigsbank, the first name is Michael William Wood. The second is Margaret Adams Campbell. We have, i suspect, lost sight of both of these individuals. The third, Ronald Macpherson Small, was baptised in the then new, stone hall-church in 1938.

Craigsbank offered him a grounding in the lessons of the bible and Christian guidance for life. His father was an elder at Craigsbank and his grandfather would go on to help lay the foundation stone for the sanctuary in later years. His older brother, Ian (or Kiwi to many) returned to Craigsbank and was an elder there until his death. Ronald became known as ‘Sam’. He was in the Scouts at our church thoughout his childhood and early adult days, and performed in many a play on the stage of the Craigsbank hall.

Following school (Heriots), Sam did his national service – a peacetime conscription – in the navy and truly travelled to lands so distant that few of us will see them. His service took him to the Republic of Fiji and New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Singapore and Kenya, Aden, and the Gulf of Aqaba, and through both the Panama and Suez canals on HMS Ulysses – a Type 15 Anti Submarine Frigate F17. And, on one occasion, into a fighter yet in the skies above.

It was a life he cherished but also one which took him to Christmas Island as part of Grapple Squadron for the Nuclear Tests (the largest bombs of the British hydrogen bomb programme). On April 28 1958, at the age of 20, he sat on a naval boat in his shorts – the summer uniform -with no protection. He was faced away from the explosion until instructed to turn towards it, 60 seconds after the blast.

At the time, it was simply an order carried out. They even played football on the island after the test.

It took 66 years for the government to acknowledge the sacrifice made by those serving in the area who became part of the experiments. At the beginning of this year (2024), they received a commemorative Nuclear Test medal. Through the post. Sam was one of the 1717 to receive the medal in recognition of his service at that time. It is estimated that around 40,000 British personnel witnessed the nuclear testing alongside military personnel, scientists and civil servants from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Kiribati.

The certificate accompanying the medal simply states:

This Nuclear Test Medal is presented to you in recognition of your significant contribution to Britain’s nuclear test programme.

Sam has gone on to enjoy a very full life, well lived. He and his wife Elinor adopted two wonderful boys, now young men with families of their own. The couple moved to Musselburgh and live there together still, surrounded by their grandchildren.

Sam returned from the navy to set up his own business in the building trade, providing employment to many over decades (and returning often to Craigsbank to re-lay carpets and resurface wooden flooring). He has been heavily involved in the Rotary Club and the golf club and always has others at the forefront of his mind. He is generous of spirit and time and love and has been a grand example to his friends and extended family over the years.

Edinburgh’s fundraisers are on day two of their major annual campaign to support vulnerable communities around the world.

Craigsbank and East Craigs held a coffee morning as part of Christian Aid Week 2024. The baking was outstanding and our thanks go to the organisers and all who attended. A full report on money raised will follow.

Money raised during Christian Aid Week will help the organisation’s partners empower vulnerable communities to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty.

This year’s appeal – from 12-18 May – is focussing on work in Burundi, one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in Africa. Heavily reliant on agriculture, it’s also one of the least prepared to combat the effects of climate change, including droughts, floods and landslides. The global cost of living crisis has intensified the challenges: more than 70 per cent of the population live in poverty and more than half of children are chronically malnourished.

Christian Aid has been working in Burundi since 1995 when it first offered humanitarian assistance to people surviving the civil conflict. Now, alongside local partners, the organisation helps establish Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). These community-led groups mean people can save and borrow money, making small businesses possible, offering reliable and diverse incomes so families can eat regularly, get medicine when they need it, and build safer homes.

Thirty-five-year-old Aline Nibogora is the chairperson of a VSLA which supports some 25 families in a remote village, in Makamba Province. Aline escaped an abusive marriage only to find herself on the streets begging for a place to stay.

Her life changed when she went to a three-day, Christian Aid-funded community workshop. With a small start-up loan, Aline began trading avocados and peanuts locally. She’s now a grocery wholesaler and living on her own plot of land where she’s building a home for her family. In the next five years she hopes to expand, so one day she can buy a mill. This will provide a source of income without the need to transport heavy goods over long distances.

Christian Aid Week offers seven days and so many ways to make a difference – to find out more, visit https://www.christianaid.org.uk/.

Remember, Christian Aid envelopes will be available at the door before and after the service on Sunday. but click here for a new and easier way to donate to Christian Aid

Every year we encourage you to donate to Christian Aid during the designated Christian Aid week. This year (2024) that week falls on 12-18 May. To make life a little easier, we now have a secure online portal for donations. Click here for a new and easier way to donate to Christian Aid

Today marks the start of Christian Aid Week and we encourage everyone to consider whether they can support the work of this remarkable organisation.

What your donation will do:

• £5 could buy a savings book for a member of a VSLA, setting them up to start their own small business and become finically independent.
• £30 would help a family buy two Jerrycans to collect water from the river to carry back to their farm. Jerrycans provide irrigation to crops, especially during the dry season, maintaining food production for the family.
• £50 would mean a vulnerable family can purchase a water storage tank. Water can then be stored for a few days rather than travelling to the communal water point, allowing instant access to water for washing, cleaning and cooking.
• £100 could help a woman set up her own small business with a starter kit; including money to purchase her first few items to sell. This means she could supply local grocery shops or restaurants with vegetables, set up a roadside shop, or buy maize to sell in bigger markets like Bujumbura.
• £100 could also help buy a family a bicycle meaning easier transport to school, quicker access to medical treatment in emergencies or support carrying produce from farm to market.

There are envelopes at the doors at church services but do remember that we have made it even easier this year. You can now give safely and securely online. Click here for a new and easier way to donate to Christian Aid

Today and tomorrow in Edinburgh, you can attend the Christian Aid Book Sale at Bruntsfield. The George Street sale is not happening this year (it will be back in October in New Town Church, (formerly St Andrew’s and St George’s) but the Christian Aid Book Sale at Holy Corner at Bruntsfield is definitely on. This sale has taken place every year for 30 years. They welcome support from across the city and beyond.

Sat 4 May, 10:30am – noon

Craigsbank Church Hall

Coffee mornings at Craigsbank are legendary. Our bakers are amongst the very best you will find.

Come along and find out for yourself.

Tickets available from Hospitality Team or Church Office (0131 334 6365).