News
From Mayfield Salisbury Church Website
November 2008
Don't miss the Evening Concert at Mayfield Salisbury on 15 November Featuring the Vienna Horns of Scotland with members of the Wiener Waldhorn Verein Click for Concert details'
October
Scott together with representatives from the Business Committee, Technical Task Group and the Fund Raising Committee, had a very successful meeting on Friday 2 October with representatives from the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland and of the Committee on Art and Architecture. The visitors enthusiastically endorsed the renovation plans. So it's now 'full steam ahead'.
September 2008
At the June Kirk Session meeting elders agreed to the setting up of a Fund Raising Group and, subject to Presbytery approval gave the green light to the Renovation Project. From now until our renovations are complete we hope to give you regular updates on both the technical side of the Renovation and Renewal project and on the Fund Raising side.
Charities Supported by Our Fundraising
For more information click charities supported here.
July 2008
Mayfield Salisbury has a vacancy for a new pastoral assistant - check out Church Vacancies
May 2008
Session Matters
Feedback from Kirk Session
Kirk Session met on 7th May. We got off to a lively start with a splendid report from Angus on the Youth and Children’s Ministry – its growth, activities and plans for all age groups. He highlighted the good work being done by the Ministry Team, Damien and the young musicians at the 9.30 service. He also told us that, as well as pastoral work he is undertaking in our name at St Margaret’s School, he had been playing rounders on the staff team! Is there no end to his talents?
The next item also brought us good news. Six members have agreed to become elders with a particular focus on pastoral care. They are Kirstine Baxter, Alvin Jackson, Jane Main, Jan Melvin, Sheila Porrer and Jo Scott. This is manna from heaven! There will be a service of ordination fairly soon, so we hope you’ll all be there to offer them support. Given that we have been short of seven district elders for a long time, we are delighted with this result. However, we still need a few more elders.
The next item was noted with sadness: the disbanding of the Guild. Our Guild has a long and distinguished record of service and achievement and has provided a wonderful meeting place for so many over the years. But times have changed, and women’s lives in particular have altered, so it seems that the organisations that served us so well in the past are not necessarily the organisations that will take us into the future. However there will be a large gap for many and any future organisation will have a lot to live up to.
The Business Committee reported on two meetings since the previous Session meeting. Several fabric concerns have been completed or are underway (work on the steeple, providing a handrail to the Lower Hall, undertaking an asbestos survey, replacing the external noticeboard; or are planned for the summer (external paintwork of Church House and the Upper Hall).
The Technical Task Group, set up to drive forward the major renovation projects on our property, also reported through the Business Committee. It was decided that major intrusive work to the Sanctuary should start in September with an agreed finish date in good time for Christmas. To achieve this we have a considerable technical challenge (eg getting a suitable project manager started on the costing and tendering work) and also a communication challenge – liaising and consulting not just with our congregation and the Chinese congregation but with other groups wishing to use the church and halls. One good outcome of our investigations to date has been that we should be able to save on scaffolding costs: it looks as if modern access platforms will be a feasible solution for the work on the ceiling and upper areas of the Sanctuary.
The plan is to start non-intrusive work (some re-wiring, checking under floor pipe-work, outside repair work) over the summer in preparation for a start in September. This initial work will include checking stonework around several stained-glass windows (upper south side) which are deforming and /or need re-pointing and undertaking essential work on the Lower Hall (leaking roof of porch and resultant damage). The best time for the interior refurbishment of the Lower Hall looks like next summer.
We plan to offer the congregation a chance to discuss these plans before getting underway: Wednesday 25th June looks like a possible date (to be confirmed). Your views do matter.
The work on the Manse and the Church Manager’s flat are in hand, and the Causewayside flat is about to be put on the market once redecoration of the bathroom and general cleaning have been completed.
Other matters discussed were: • our church website is to undergo a bit of re-vamping, so if you have ideas please let Jim Ross (our webmaster) know. You may indeed have responded to a questionnaire about website development before you read this. • a special service during the summer for those who find it difficult to come to the 10am summer services, especially the more elderly among us. This could, for instance, be a shorter service in the afternoon. If you have ideas for this, Anne Sturrock will be interested to hear from you.
We formally thanked Tom Lee for all his hard work for Mayfield Salisbury over the years as Clerk to the Congregational Board and as Deputy Session Clerk convening the Business Committee. His dedicated and meticulous work will be much missed.
So progress has been made – honest! The main outstanding requirements flagged up by the Business Committee were the need for a new convener, for one or two further members and for a fund-raising group to be set up to work alongside the Technical Task Group. If you feel you have skills you could offer to such a group don’t hide them under the old bushel!
Christine De Luca 667 9090 deluca.c@gmail.com
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