Issue No 94 Christmas 2017

The Grapevine

The Newsletter of St Magnus Cathedral Congregation Scottish Charity SC005322

ADVENT and CHRISTMAS

DATE SERVICE

Sun 3rd Dec 11.15 am ADVENT SUNDAY

Sun 10th Dec 11.15 am THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT Lighting of The Grimstad Christmas Tree

Sun 17th Dec

09.30 am 11.15 am 6.30 pm

Communion Service in the St Rognvald Chapel. THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS The Cathedral Choir

Tues 19th Dec 7.30 pm KGS Carol Service

Wed 20th Dec 10.00 am Papdale Primary School Christmas Service

Sun 24th Dec 11.15 am 11.00 pm 11.30 pm

Christmas Eve – ALL-AGE WORSHIP SERVICE Community Carol Singing JOINT WATCHNIGHT SERVICE

Sun 31st Dec 11.15 am THE FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS

Services are held in St Magnus Cathedral every Sunday at 11.15 am.

Please join us for mulled wine and mince pies after the All-Age Service

on Sunday 24th December.

This year the offerings from the joint Watchnight Service will go to

the St Magnus Way and Christian Aid.

2

God is not Santa Claus.

He sees you when

you’re sleeping.

He knows when you’re

awake.

He knows if you’ve

been bad or good,

So be good for goodness sake.

The older I get and the longer I walk this road of

faith, the more I realize how little I understand about

God. The easy answers of my youth no longer

suffice, and I now need to find better ones.

Like many Christians, I was unknowingly raised on

the idea of God-as-Santa-Claus.

God watched me at all times, keeping careful track

of my goodness or badness, deciding my reward or

rejection. Stay on His good side and He’d

bring tidings of great joy, but be placed on the

wrong list and I’d be left with tears and sulphur

when He came back.

Prayer became a daily, glorified Christmas List; an

ever-growing petition for the stuff I wanted from the

Big Man, and my job was to be good enough to

merit those things and to understand that

my performance was the key to it all. Good kids

got good things.

Like Santa, God was conditionally benevolent. He

was prepared to be unfathomably generous with

blessings — but I had to earn it. Yes, God had

Grace to lavish on us, but we had to do enough to

get Him to open His bag.

I no longer have peace with that God.

I no longer believe that God is an invisible, yet ever-

present monitor, continually separating the Naughty

or Nice and doling out favour or damnation

accordingly; that my days are nothing more than a

perpetual act of trying to deserve gifts of answered

prayers and avoiding the penalty of being found not

nice enough.

I think the idea of Santa that was always so

disturbing was that there could be some clearly

defined line between Good and Bad girls and boys;

that this world was a stark binary split of those who

earned reward and those who merited cruelty. You

couldn’t be found in both lists. That was where the

cracks in that Christmas story began to show for me

as a young boy. I knew that two distinct lists of the

In and the Out didn’t match my experience of

people. I knew it didn’t mesh with my

understanding of myself.

I couldn’t imagine life as a pass-fail experience, with

people’s worth being determined by the sum total of

our every act.

And this is where my adult spiritual journey has

meandered away from the kids’ stuff that I

once accepted without thinking. I am seeking a

better story; one that allows for the nuance and the

grey that I find as I live in it. I’m looking for a

religion that is as messy as the world around me.

Some will say that God should receive the same fate

as Santa Claus, that a Divine Creator should

be relegated to childhood myths that we outgrow

once we learn to face the difficult paradoxes of this

life. But I’m hopeful that there is a way to

understand faith and God as an adult; one that

doesn’t require perfection or grade performance, and

that doesn’t reduce humanity to the Good and the

Bad. I’ve seen what that idea does in the world, and

how very dangerous it is.

I’m searching for a spirituality that doesn’t revolve

around a bearded man with a big book, who’s

watching my every move and needs me to get it right

or be very disappointed when he returns. I’m

praying for a God I don’t need to outgrow.

That’s what’s on my Christmas List this year!

Wishing you a peaceful Christmas,

Fraser

3

We have been asked to introduce ourselves as we are the newest

Elders at the Cathedral, so here goes.

We came to Orkney first for a few days’ holiday in 2002 and fell

under its spell; after a second visit, in 2004, we decided we would

move here when I [Denise] retired in 2009. This was met by a

variety of responses from family and friends; those who knew

where Orkney was thought we were mad, those who didn’t spent

ages with a map scouring the Western Isles for Orkney. They were,

however, all agreed on one thing – it would never happen. We lived

in Old Harlow, Essex, before moving to Orkney, and both worked

in the main library in Harlow, with Simon driving the mobile library van. I had been there for over 30

years and Simon for 25 years, so we were pretty set in our ways.

However, fate took a hand, and a friend saw an advert for a mobile library driver in Orkney. Simon

applied, and he moved here to start work in March 2006. I stayed behind to sell our house and moved in

June the same year. We stayed in Kirkwall before buying our house in Deerness, and went to services at the

Cathedral right from the start. All our family and most of our friends have been to Orkney several times.

No one thinks we are mad now. We are truly settled and very happy.

We were surprised and honoured to be asked to become Elders and were ordained in August this year.

As you may be aware, there is a crisis in Myanmar

(the old Burma), where 600,000 Rohingya people

are fleeing for their safety into India and

Bangladesh. This is an ethnic group which is known

as the “world’s most persecuted minority”.

The Rohingians are in a stateless vacuum as they are

not recognised as citizens of that country. They live

in the coastal area of Rakhine, in small villages, and

have very little in the way of services or

opportunities. Over the last few months their homes,

shops and entire villages have been burned to the

ground. The refugees fleeing the violence have

crossed the border from Burma injured and ill, and

in need of urgent medical attention. There are camps

in Bangladesh which do not have sufficient

resources to treat the injured or feed the many that

haven't eaten for a long time, and so they need our

help.

In the Cathedral, we had raised some funds earlier

this year for refugees by having a retiring collection.

But now the challenge is to do more: could we do

something different? Could we raise the profile of

this group as well as raising some desperately

needed cash?

On the 20th of October, we were issued a challenge

by a member of the congregation, who donated

some seed funding of £100 in £10 lots. These £10

‘investment parcels’ were offered to members of the

congregation for them to employ their time and

talents to transform the £10 parcels into goods to

sell, and so generate additional funds. The proceeds

will be given to the emergency appeal.

Members of the congregation are already creating

all manner of things: baking, making and creating,

and selling them to friends and family, and

hopefully there are even more ideas that have not yet

come to light!

Whatever the final amount raised, the profile of this

desperate people has been highlighted and we have

been able to keep the Rohingya people in our

thoughts.

4

Looking back ...............

Long-serving members of St. Magnus Cathedral choir receive their Long Service Certificates.

Can anyone remember in which issue and date of The Grapevine this photograph featured, and name the

singers? First correct answer to the editor will receive a Christmas pudding!

.......... and looking forward

The new St Magnus Cathedral Choir CD, Magnus 900, will be released in the very near future. There

are 23 pieces on the CD, including:

Ave Verum Corpus Mozart Pater Noster Stravinsky Be Still for the Presence of the Lord arr Evans For You the Pride arr Roberton O Magnus of My Love Iain Campbell In Remembrance Andy Cant Trisagion Palestrina / Russian Orthodox Chant The Chorister’s Prayer Michael Bell

........... and wise words.

When a man whose marriage was in trouble sought his advice, the Abba said, ‘You must learn to listen to

your wife’.

The man took this advice to heart, and returned after a month to say that he had learned to listen to every

word his wife was saying.

Said the Abba with a smile, ‘Now go home and listen to every word she isn’t saying!’

Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom

Psalm 26:3 Jeremiah 31:22 John 13:23

5

The Guild, which is open to all, was delighted to welcome many members and friends to their recent

meeting, when the Reverend David McNeish gave a most interesting presentation on the creation of the St

Magnus Way, the new 55-mile pilgrim walk from Evie to Kirkwall.

This project was certainly no simple task but the coming together of

many like-minded people, with David taking the lead. After many trials

and tribulations, the first stretch of the walk was opened back in April.

There are five sections to the walk, with each part reflecting an aspect of

the martyrdom of Magnus. For Evie to Birsay it is loss, then Birsay to

Dounby, growth. The third section, from Dounby to Finstown, is

change, and Finstown to Orphir is forgiveness. The final stretch, from

Orphir to Kirkwall and the Cathedral, is hospitality.

For those of us who are less able but have access to technology, there is

going to be the possibility of a virtual walk, thanks to Google.

In the meantime, the route will hopefully continue to be improved, and from next April there will be a St

Magnus Way leaflet and guide book available, as well as fundraising gifts.

There is no doubt that this whole venture has been a great success, so much so that David hinted at several

other pilgrimage routes being created within these islands, although he was quick to say that he would not

be getting involved!

If you would like to know more, please log on to www.stmagnusway.com

The 2018 Spring Guild programme is as follows:

Tuesday 9th January ‘Can We Help?’ - Kirkwall Citizens Advice Bureau, Barbara Leask

Saturday 10th Feb. ‘Come for a cuppa’ - coffee morning

Tuesday 13th Feb. ‘Visit to Clan’

Friday 2nd March ‘World Day of Prayer’

Tuesday 13th March AGM + ‘The work of The Children’s Panel’ - Rosie Wallace.

April lunch Details to follow

These are the words I hear every day when I'm out

visiting.

Of course you don't have to be sick, bereaved or

elderly to be lonely, although loneliness is most

prevalent in these groups of people.

Perhaps we fail to recognise loneliness - it is not

always obvious! There are those who, even though

they are surrounded by people, don't feel

understood, loved or cared for. Loneliness is a

feeling! Loneliness is smiling cheerfully, but

feeling alone no matter how many people are

around you. It is a feeling of being separated,

disconnected, unplugged, left out and isolated.

Loneliness is an emotional pain, a yearning to be

accepted by someone.

As the Bible story of Adam and Eve illustrates,

God intends for us to share our lives with other

people. By God's design, we have an innate need

to be loved and to belong. It's when that need for

affection and fellowship goes unfulfilled that we

become restless, unhappy and lonely.

If you are struggling with loneliness, you're not

alone. The Christmas season is, for many, the

hardest time of the year. We look through

windows and see twinkling Christmas trees; we

imagine happy family celebrations and feel left out

in the cold. Then the TV bombards us with an

often unrealistic picture of festive cheer which can

depress us further.

This Christmas, please give time: time to a

neighbour, a friend or a relative. Pick up the

phone, send an email, and make peace where there

has been a family rift. Time really is the best

present.

May God's love and peace surround you this

Christmas and always.

June Freeth

6

Candle One

What are we waiting for? Switch on the lights! Twinkling, glitzy lights leading to shops, Internet delights. Seductive and brash, special offers are waiting ... for credit card or cash.

Candle Two

What are they waiting for? Give them some light! Tiny pinpricks of light, leading to peace, an end to their plight. In darkness, despair, these folk are waiting for someone to care.

Candle Three

What are we hoping for? Blaze out the lights! Bigger, flashier lights outdoing our neighbours, blinding our nights. Tech gadgets, over-priced toys, children are hoping for these short-lived joys.

Candle Four

What are they hoping for? Flash out a light! Welcome, guiding light leading to safety, a bed for the night. Shelter, warmth, food on the table, that’s what they’re hoping. Yes, even a stable.

Candle for Christmas Day

Waiting and hoping? Is this what it’s for? Enter the Christ-light! Frail, new-born light, glowing in Bethlehem, understated but bright. If our love feeds the flame, this world’s waiting and hoping will not be in vain.

Blessings for Christmas and 2018

7

Gravy

Butter

Finely diced onions

Stock

Bisto + cornflour

Gently fry onions in melted butter till starting to go soft.

Add prepared stock of your choice + pepper (no salt at this point).

Bring to boil and thicken to desired consistency with half-and-half Bisto gravy powder and cornflour, slaked with

a little water.

Bring back to boil and cook out gently for a few mins, adjusting seasoning if necessary.

This method of thickening doesn’t produce such a glutinous end product.

And for Christmas tea ... Mincemeat Ravioli (apologies to Delia)

Roll out half the pastry of your choice into an oblong and brush with egg.

Space out small amounts of mincemeat on the oblong (e.g. 5×6), and roll out the rest of the pastry and cover.

Press down and mark with a pastry wheel.

Egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and put a couple of snips in each section to allow steam to escape. Bake at 200° for

approx 15 mins.

TIP. For easy flaky pastry, grate frozen butter into flour and proceed as normal.

Stuffing

5oz butter

5oz marg

6oz oatmeal

6oz porage oats

12oz diced onions

1 ½ Knorr chicken stock cubes

Melt butter and marg and lightly fry diced onions for 5 mins.

Add oatmeal and porage oats and mix well. Add crushed stock cubes and mix well.

Add pepper to taste. NO additional salt required when using stock cubes.

Cook in double boiler for at least 60 mins, or at 175-185⁰ in ovenproof dish for 60-90 mins.

These quantities can be easily adjusted to increase or decrease amount required.

8

Isobel was born on 24th May, 1933, second daughter to

James & Violet Couper. Her older sister is Violet

Grieve.

Isobel went to school in Kirkwall. When she was not

helping at home, she was a keen Girl Guide. After

leaving school, she joined a local bank. While single,

Isobel loved to travel. Her first visits to aunties in

London involved driving from Kirkwall to London with

her parents, a trip that took three days. Later, she had

regular trips to London with friends to visit her

relations, and also enjoyed bus trips to both Italy and

Norway. Isobel regularly took part in the annual KAOS

production; Gilbert & Sullivan musicals were her

favourite.

Her single days ended when she met Alastair Scholes.

Alastair had arrived from Dumfries to work at Foubister

& Bain, Chartered Accountants, and he later set up his

own practice, A J B Scholes, CA. Isobel and Alastair

had three children - Inga, Karen & Leonard.

Isobel spent her days supporting both her family and the

business. She continued her love of travel, and was

delighted to visit India, Hong Kong and New York,

along with most European cities. Portugal was a

favourite destination for Isobel and Alastair.

Hobbies were few, but she was an active member of

Kirkwall & St Ola Community Council, Kirkwall & St

Ola WI, St Magnus Cathedral Guild and the Choir. She

lived for her family and spent her later years

childminding for her grandchildren, Morgan, Marcus &

Katelin. Along with her sister Violet, she then cared for

their mum, who lived to the fantastic age of 102.

Sadly, Isobel passed away on 1st September, 2017, after

a brief battle with cancer. She is missed every day.

Our next Long Table Communion will be on the 4th of February.

Our aim is to recreate the sense of community at communion – a sense that everyone sitting around the table will

hopefully feel. We hope to welcome you to this special communion.

9

Following a suggestion made by a visitor to the Cathedral, votive candleholders were provided by the

congregation so that people could take a moment, light a candle, reflect, say a prayer or just remember loved ones.

The candles are looked after on busy days by volunteers from the congregation, but otherwise the support of the

custodians has been invaluable. The generosity of those taking the opportunity to light a candle has generated

funds of about £8,500 in each of the last two years. Reflecting on this, the Kirk Session felt that these funds

should benefit more than the congregation. For 2017, therefore, it was decided that these donations would be

collected for local, national and international charities. This extends significantly the initiative taken in 2016 to

donate funds raised at soup lunches and the County Show to other charities, and for the offering on Remembrance

Sunday to benefit the Royal British Legion. It is hoped to continue this approach for as long as we can continue to

balance our congregational income and expenditure.

After careful consideration the recipients of St Magnus Outreach donations for 2017 are:

Street Pastors, both local and nationally. Locally, Street Pastors help people avoid getting into trouble,

becoming a nuisance or hurting themselves or others. Nationally, there are teams of Response Pastors, Rail

Pastors (on platforms and on trains), and School Pastors.

Weekly pop-up congregational cafe in the St Magnus Centre. Members of the congregation and their friends

are invited to the Centre to enjoy a cuppa and conversation.

Befriending in Orkney. Befriending is aimed at combating loneliness among the elderly and developing social

skills in disadvantaged young people.

Dementia Friendly Community for Orkney. Dementia Friendly Orkney aims to promote a dementia- friendly

culture within the community of Orkney, and to assist people with dementia, and those who care for them, to enjoy

life and feel valued.

If you know anyone with dementia, you may be interested to know that National Trading Standards will provide them with a free call blocker if they are currently receiving scam or nuisance phone calls. They should apply at www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/callblocker St Magnus Way. The St Magnus Way pilgrimage route was completed this year. Future publicity may include

ideas such as St Magnus Way postcards and a guide book.

Fuel vouchers at The Orkney Foodbank. Donating money for fuel vouchers means that deserving people will

not have to choose between cooking, heating or eating.

Fischy Music. Fischy Music is a charity that supports emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing in children

through song. The group visited Orkney in September.

Borderline. Borderline was founded in 1990 by The Church of Scotland London Advisory Service (COSLAS) to

support homeless and insecurely housed Scots in London, and to tackle, where possible, the causes of

homelessness.

Oxfam. Projects include: share in a farmyard, goats, feed a family, seeds, and honey bees.

Farm Africa. Farm Africa is an international organisation helping farmers to increase their harvests, build their

incomes and sustain natural resources.

Water Aid. Water Aid works with local partners in 37 countries to transform millions of lives every year by

improving access to safe water, toilets and hygiene.

Disasters Emergency Committee. This agency provides support and aid to tackle the disasters which afflict the

world every year, from drought and famine to floods, storms and earthquakes.

The Grenfell Tower Block disaster. A donation was sent at the time to support anyone affected by the disaster.

10

WEDDING 14th October Eilidh Russell and Fraser Christie FUNERALS 2nd October Mike Berston, 29a Victoria Street, Kirkwall. 4th November Diana Preston, Kingsdale Lodge, Grimbister. 11th November Laurie Hale, Rosewood, Holm Road, Kirkwall. 23rd November Marjorie Campbell, 89 Meadowbank, Kirkwall.

Our November Thursday morning pop-up cafes in the St Magnus Centre (10am - 12noon) have been well frequented, with people saying such nice things as, ‘A great idea. It's always nice to meet new people, and in the cafe with the best view’. So we have decided to carry on the cafe over December and January at least, but, in order to do so, we would need

a few more people to be involved in the very simple preparation and serving. It really is just a case of making the

tea and coffee and chatting with people ... a lovely way to share a morning in fellowship.

Would you be willing to take a turn? If so, please contact either Barbara on 874955, Shona on 872893, Elspeth on

874061 or Helen on 861260. We hope there are enough volunteers so that you would only be ‘on duty’ once a

month, from approximately 9.45am - 12 noon on a Thursday morning. You will, of course, be warmly welcomed

and supported as you learn the ropes!