6 mins
Edinburgh church celebrates landmark milestone
PARISH NEWS
Statue of Greyfriars Bobby
GREYFRIARS Kirk in Edinburgh, which celebrates its 400th anniversary this year, attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world because of its association with Greyfriars Bobby, the terrier who famously guarded his master’s grave for 14 years.
Harry Potter fans also visit to find the gravestone of Thomas Riddell, which may have inspired the name of a character in the series when J K Rowling was writing in the nearby Elephant House café.
It is also famous for its association with the Covenanters, church radicals of the 17th century. The celebrations will feature both its history and the vibrant community that the Kirk represents today. Festival organiser Gillian Couper said: “It is 400 years since the Kirk first opened its doors in 1620, making it one of Scotland’s oldest institutions, and it continues to thrive and grow to this day.
“Events will celebrate the life and times of Greyfriars past and present. They will explore the rich history and stories associated with it, through which it became a beacon of the Enlightenment and leading centre for the arts. “We look forward to welcoming visitors, local and from all over the world, to enjoy these events and help celebrate this fantastic anniversary.”
Inspired by renowned figures from the Enlightenment who are buried in the Kirkyard, or who were ministers of Greyfriars, a Festival of Science, Wisdom and Faith (June 5-7) will feature a line-up including forensic anthropologist Dame Sue Black and writer Richard Holloway. A series of talks and panels will encourage the public to reflect on the tension that has often existed between science, wisdom and faith and whether this has changed in the modern era. A new book by local historian Roy Pinkerton has been launched to coincide with the 400 years exploring the history of the 17 churches which have united to form the present-day Greyfriars congregation.
In September there will be a spectacular flower festival which will see the building filled with colourful displays paying tribute to the rich history of the 17 churches. Musical highlights include a joint performance from the Dunedin Consort and Scottish Ensemble, who will perform Sir James Macmillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross on March 27.
Edinburgh Royal Choral Union plan a special commission for choir, soloist and organ from composer Thomas LaVoy (November 7). This will develop the theme of religious freedom in honour of the Kirk’s anniversary and the landing of the Mayflower in America 400 years ago.
The Kirk’s history spans five centuries and the free lunchtime concert series, Greyfriars at 12, will explore music from each of them, plus other celebratory themes.
There will also be chances to get involved, with a ‘Come & Sing’ Brahms’ Requiem, conducted by Angus Tully (April 25), and further events planned.
The Rev Dr Richard Frazer, who has been the minister of Greyfriars Kirk since 2003, said: “Christmas 2020 marks not only 400 years of our building but 400 years of our congregation, an uninterrupted history that has been sustained from the dawn of the modern era and an astonishing record of faith in action.”
Besides its active congregations, worshipping in Gaelic and English, the Kirk contributes to a flourishing local community in central Edinburgh through creating communities of support, social enterprise and wellbeing at the Grassmarket Community Project and the Greyfriars Charteris Centre.
CHURCHES REJECT ISRAEL PEACE PLAN
The World Communion of Reformed Churches issued a strong rejection of the Middle East Peace Proposal made by the US Government in late January, saying that the proposal was ‘neither just nor realistic’ and calling for ‘a plan that will take into account all peoples living within the Israeli/Palestinian area as well as displaced refugees’.
The WCRC statement, published on February 5, says: “The proposal, entitled “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of Palestinian and Israeli People,” would allow Israel to annex all its West Bank settlements as well as the Jordan Valley. This reverses both United Nations resolutions and rulings by the International Court of Justice that state these settlements are illegal.
“Access to the remaining, scattered pieces of Palestinian territory would be controlled both on the ground and in the air by Israeli forces, leaving little value in the idea of Palestinian statehood. Further, the requirements to this so-called statehood place arduous burdens on the Palestinians and would continue to deny them fundamental political, economic and human rights. Moreover, the proposal would disallow the right of return of Palestinian refugees of the 1948 war as per United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194.
“The plan nullifies Palestinian claims to Jerusalem and will allow for Israeli control over the city and its surrounding areas denying access and control to the many Muslims and Christians who have been living there for centuries.
“It is therefore evident that the proposal ignores both Palestinian rights as well as international law and consensus on peace in the Holy Land.”
The Church of Scotland, a member of the WCRC, also rejected the plan. The Convener of the Church’s Faith Impact Forum, the Very Rev Dr Susan Brown, said: “Any resolution to this terrible situation needs to seriously consider the aspirations and rights of the Palestinian people to equality, justice, self-determination and freedom; enshrined within the parameters of international law. The ‘Peace to Prosperity’ plan flagrantly disregards the basic rights of the Palestinian people by unilaterally endorsing the demands and conditions of one side.
“In depriving one side of its most basic aspirations for equality and statehood, it risks making an already fragile situation worse.
“As a Church we continue to pray for peace in the Middle East, but what is proposed here is not a pathway to peace, but an endorsement of injustice, an injustice that binds and does little to serve either Israelis or Palestinians.” (WCRC/Church of Scotland)
LOCUSTS PLEA
Church leaders in eastern Africa are calling for increased action against desert locusts which have terrorised the region since January this year.
Like scenes from the Book of Exodus, huge swarms of the insects have descended on the region, destroying farmlands and animal pastures. The outbreak is affecting seven East African countries, where such a scale of infestation was last seen seven decades ago. At stake is food security for millions of people.
“They are threatening livelihoods. They are clearing vegetation. The people’s food security is in danger. We are calling on the government and those concerned agencies to increase their effort to curb the problem,” said Kenya’s Anglican Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit. “We can see from the way it’s developing, it’s going to be difficult…to fight it alone. I urge the international community within Africa and outside to join hands so that we can repulse the locusts.”
The locusts were first seen in Kenya in December after they made landfall in Wajir County, northeast of Somalia. Another swarm also entered the country from Ethiopia. The hoppers have since spread in 17 Kenyan counties.
“They are spraying them, but the eggs the insects laid continue to hatch,” said Jacob Nzoka, a Caritas official in the Catholic diocese of Kitui, a locust hit area. On February 17, the locusts spread to South Sudan – the world’s youngest nation – where millions are facing hunger, partly due to climate change and prolonged conflict.
“Even before we can resolve our political issues of peace and the formation of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity, South Sudan is now experiencing the invasion of locusts,” said Fr James Oyet Latansio, a Roman Catholic priest who is general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches. “People are now crying and calling for God’s intervention.”
According to scientists, although the insects are called desert locusts, they thrive after heavy rainfall which results in more vegetation in deserts and arid areas. Since last year, eastern Africa has experienced heavy rainfall linked to a phenomenon called Indian Ocean Dipole, in which the surface temperature of the ocean increases.
(WCC)
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This article appears in the April 2020 Issue of Life and Work
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