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’Well equipped to fulfil its mission statement’
AN Edinburgh church reopened for services at the end of last year following the completion of a £1.1m, two year renovation.
Blackhall St Columba’s, which welcomed back members of the congregation into the space for the fi rst time since 2018, will now be fully equipped for 21st century worship.
The ambitious upgrade of the building, which was fi rst built in 1900, includes the removal of pews to create a more fl exible space and an entirely refurbished sanctuary.
Despite the scale of the project, the changes were funded entirely by the congregation, with just under half of the cost coming from the sale of a church property and the rest from donations and fundraising.
The Rev Fergus Cook, who was ordained and inducted as the parish minister in March 2020, just before lockdown began, said: “The Church of Scotland is looking for church buildings to be well equipped spaces in the right places. Blackhall St Columba’s Parish Church is well located and I fi rmly believe that due to foresight and the generosity of the congregation in managing this refurbishment of its sanctuary it is now well equipped to fulfi l its mission statement: to glorify God, to proclaim Christ, to serve others.” He also paid tribute to the hard work of those involved, including the Building For the Future Group, Alan Thomson of Lee Boy Architects and the project manager, Fay Stirling.
Ms Stirling said: “There were a few important principles which we wanted to adhere to.
Firstly, we had to be good stewards of the money which had been so generously given and spend it wisely. We also wanted to maintain the character of the building.” Despite Coronavirus throwing their plans into “disarray” and inevitably delaying work, Ms Stirling describes the fi nal results as “transformational”.
Glass doors provide a welcoming, well-lit entrance, with new underfl oor heating added to ensure the building is effi ciently heated.
A sophisticated audio-visual system now allows for varied lighting, screens and livestreaming, with elegant and effi cient LED lighting added to the nave.
More space has been created for meetings and the church offi ce and vestry has been upgraded.
The original Blackhall Church was planted in the growing suburb of Edinburgh in 1900.
The original iron church was too small and was quickly replaced by the existing building, fi rst opened in 1904 and extended in 1935.
The architect, Mr P McGregor Chalmers, had connections with Iona Abbey Church and modelled aspects of the design on the Iona church. A piece of stone from Iona Abbey Church was placed at the foot of the South Aisle, and another piece showing a Celtic Cross in the wall outside the session room (now the church offi ce).
In the early 1930s the church purchased a historic organ – reputed to be the fi rst organ ever used in the Church of Scotland – from Greyfriars Church. This organ served the church until 2006, when the congregation raised £200,000 for a new, bespoke pipe organ.
The church is also home to the Cross of Monte Cassino, made by soldiers during the Second World War and brought to St Columba’s by the Rev R J Watson Matthewson.
REPORT REVEALS SCALE OF NIGERIA VIOLENCE
Figures from the Armed Confl ict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a Washington based non-profi t organisation, show that in north-east Nigeria, the extreme Islamist militant group Boko Haram has killed more people than Islamic State killed in Iraq and Syria combined.
This number of 27,000 dead at the hands of Boko Haram over the past ten years is in the latest – and most detailed and comprehensive – report tracking the violence occurring across Nigeria. Figures cover both violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and that carried out by mainly- Muslim Fulani militant herders on mainly- Christian farmers, and at times vice-versa.
There have been almost 47,000 deaths from ‘all’ actors, including Fulani militants, ‘bandits’ and ‘criminals’ from 2015 up to January 31 2020, it says, with a total of over 86,000 deaths over the past ten years.
In addition to Boko Haram, “Fulani militias in central Nigeria are also committing crimes against humanity and genocidal massacres against Christians,” Greg Stanton of Genocide Watch says in the report: “What is mistakenly portrayed as a confl ict between herders and farmers is actually a genocidal war between ethnic groups that previously co-existed, ignited by Islamic extremists with modern weapons.” The 311-page report, ‘Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter: Genocide in Nigeria and its implications for the International Community’, is a collaboration between networks in Nigeria and amongst its diasporas in the UK and the US, coordinated by the International Committee On Nigeria, and the International Organisation for Peace-building and Social Justice.
(World Watch Monitor)
PRAYERS FOR ETHIOPIA
In a pastoral letter to “sisters and brothers in Ethiopia,” eight faith-based organisations expressed Christian love and care, as well as a commitment to accompany churches and people of Ethiopia as they face the challenges confronting their country.
“We join you in grieving for the deaths, injuries, displacement and divisions resulting from the tragic confl ict in the northern part of the country,” the letter read. “We are deeply concerned about the hardship and loss infl icted on the civilian population, especially the most vulnerable including women, children and the physically challenged.” The letter also commiserated with those who have lost loved ones, and conveyed solidarity and a commitment to support and accompany the churches of Ethiopia as they seek to fulfi l their prophetic ministry for justice, peace and human dignity.
The letter concluded with prayers for all the people of Ethiopia. “As disciples of Christ and as partners in Christ’s mission, we are bound together by love and compassion, especially for such moments as these, to share each other’s pain, and to lift each other up,” the letter concludes. “We pray with you for an end to the confl ict, the safe return of those who have been displaced, and for an inclusive reconciliation process that will lead to sustainable peace for all in Ethiopia.” The letter, signed by the World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches, All Africa Conference of Churches, Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa, ACT Alliance, Anglican Communion, and World Methodist Council, was issued on December 9.
Days earlier, church leaders and relief agencies welcomed an agreement between Ethiopia and the UN that allowing humanitarian agencies ‘unimpeded, secure and sustained’ access to the northern region of Tigray.
The agreement on December 2 came amid increasing calls for a humanitarian corridor, as thousands of people had been cut off by the fi ghting between the federal government forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
(WCC) CANADIAN CHURCH GOES GREEN
The United Church of Canada has committed to reducing its greenhouse gases 80 percent by 2050 and local congregations across the country are already responding, aided by more than $3m in available grant money from the denomination.
St Paul’s United Church, in Magog, Quebec, for example, needed to replace an older, gas-powered furnace. Staying with steam heat looked too costly, but what to do with the ancient, cast iron radiators? They found a local company to convert the radiators to standalone electric units. Converting to electric is projected to reduce the church’s carbon emissions by 15%, reusing the radiators kept them out of the landfi ll, and employing a local company helped strengthen the region’s green economy.
“This is literally a case of the church putting its money where its mouth is,” said Mardi Tindal, former United Church moderator and spokesperson for the greening program, known as Faithful Footprints. “We have long advocated for climate justice and greenhouse gas reduction. Integrity demands that we get our own house in order.” (WCC)
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This article appears in the February 2021 Issue of Life and Work
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