A heavenly host

TWO separate Church of Scotland congregations were involved in spreading Christmas joy last year by the sharing of hundreds of knitted angels in their local communities.

In Auchterarder, near Perth, an ecumenical effort saw over 700 of the angels left around the town centre, and distributed through local businesses.

Marjorie Paton, who initiated the project, said: “In May the ladies from the four churches in Auchterarder met together having made a display of over 6,000 poppies last year, and decided this year to make angels to give out with love to folks in Auchterarder at Christmas. We thought we might get 300 but in the end we had over 700.”

The churches involved were Auchterarder Parish Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Church, St Andrew’s United Free Church of Scotland and St Kessog’s Scottish Episcopal Church. Ladies from the local Inner Wheel group also helped.

Marjorie added: “On Saturday morning (December 14) we hung them all over Auchterarder – outside shops, round the town Christmas tree, in the town planters, anywhere we could find. Some of the cafes, shops and library also agreed to have baskets of them to hand out. By teatime they had all flown away, with their message of love which had been placed round their necks (Joy, Peace, Goodwill to Men etc), as a gesture of love to all people. Some shops also took photos of them outside their shop to send to their head office.

“By Sunday, there were less than 10 angels left hanging. The question that has been asked is ‘What are you doing next year?’.

Meanwhile in Fife, the ladies of Glenrothes: St Margaret’s Church knitted over 200 angels. Each included a small gold gift card giving the message of the angels to the shepherds from Luke’s Gospel.

The angels were given to people who were sick, in care homes and hospitals, or bereaved, and many found their way to the top of Christmas trees!

This article appears in the February 2020 Issue of Life and Work

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