Staff News

 I want to take a moment to let you know that Andrew Quinn is going to be stepping down from his staff role as Operations Co-Ordinator at Easter.

Over the last six years Andrew Quinn has served St Mungo’s Church with his great skill and care as our Operations Co-ordinator.  Andrew’s attention to detail, technical knowledge, and ability to train up our volunteer teams has been a huge blessing to us as a church family both in Balerno and Livingston.  We have also been blessed by Andrew’s ministry gift of teaching and many of us have also benefitted from his Life Language coaching.

During the lockdown Andrew helped us to transition to online services and then continued leading multiple teams to make these service better and better each week, with the carol service being a particular highlight. During this time, he also led the worship team and his relational leadership helped to keep the team connected, included and encouraged through this time.  

As a church we are indebted to all Andrew has done and continues to do but he believes that the time is right for him to step down from his paid role and step back into being part of the congregation and, after a significant and well deserved rest, a volunteer on the teams he has cared for so well. 

We are so grateful for all Andrew has done, and are excited to see all God has for Andrew in the future.

Andrew, thank you.  

The senior team and myself have been looking strategically at what we need as an organisation as we transition into the next season and would appreciate your prayers as we think all of that through. As always, we’ll keep you as up to date as we can. 

Update on Balerno High School and Covid-19

I want to take a little bit of time to give you an update on a couple of things – the first is venues and the second is, of course, covid!

Balerno High School

As you know we were hoping to have been back in at Balerno High School for our services from last week and we let you know that unfortunately a last-minute Edinburgh Council decision meant that this was no longer possible.

I’ve had a few meetings with the school now and we now have a clearer picture of the overall situation at the school. The headteacher, the business manager and myself submitted a scenario to the council to try and explain why our let there was extraordinary and therefore required further consideration and am pleased to say that we have heard back that the council have changed their position and said that the let can go ahead.

There are, however, some other challenges which we need some time to work through – the main one being that there are still some significant ongoing building works happening at the school. These works include replacing the roof, refurbishing and recarpeting the majority of the classrooms, including all the science labs and HFT rooms off the concourse, and most significantly for us - a complete re-wire of the school.

In 2008 we worked with the school and the council to install some electrical equipment, including all the lights, the projectors, screens etc. and unfortunately reconnecting power to these circuits has not been included in the rewire plans. The school and myself are working with the site manager to see why this is the case and to try and resolve this.

During the Easter holidays the plan is that the main circuit boards will be ripped out of the concourse and replaced, along with the refurb of the HFT classrooms off the concourse. This means that were we to have access back in before the school break at Easter, we would have to vacate again for 3 weeks.

Therefore, as a senior team, we have taken the decision that we will remain here at Heriot-Watt until after the Easter school holidays, with the potential first date back at the school being Sunday 1st May.

Whilst this may be an unsettled period time, I was reminded this week of a picture which someone shared with me several months ago – it was of St Mungos Church being lifted up in the hand of the Father ready to be placed down again. Whilst it may feel that we are ‘homeless’ still at present there is great comfort and trust in knowing that we are in the hand of the Father, we are able to meet each week, we have got great relationships with both BHS and HWU and most importantly God remains significant in our services.

We will keep you informed as things move along and do be praying for us as a senior team as we continue to make the best decisions we can with the information we have available.

Covid-19

The second thing I wanted to give you an update on is covid, but more specifically what we are anticipating in terms of changes after 21st March, the date when the regulations are due to change here in Scotland.

Right throughout the pandemic we have aimed to give you the information that you need to make decisions that help manage your personal levels of risk. We also know that we are living in a distinctly polarised society when it comes to all things covid, and our own church family is not immune from that polarisation of opinion.

As we move from legal restrictions to guidance then need for grace, compassion, and love to one another becomes more important than it has been at any other stage of the pandemic. The church has an opportunity here to be a beacon in society in how it approaches difference of opinion.

We know from conversations that the views on wearing face coverings tend to be at extreme opposites; those who can’t wait for the day they can be removed and those who see them as an important part of life as we move forward.

They are the marmite of covid restrictions. 

Our plan, dependent upon guidance from the SEC, is to move towards a gradual removal of face coverings in our services. The rationale being that we want people to continue to feel safe and included in our physical services. The removal of face coverings in other areas of society, such as shops, cafes, etc. is likely to create heightened levels of anxiety for a number of people and we want to be sensitive towards that.

With this in mind, we are planning that on Sunday 27th March and Sunday 3rd April we will ask people to wear a face covering when moving about and when singing, but during the notices and times when we are seated then people are free, if they wish, to remove them.

From Sunday 10th April, provided that the Scottish Government and the Scottish Episcopal Church are allowing churches to make their own decisions on managing risk, face coverings will no longer be required in our services. However, if you wish to continue wearing a face covering then you are more than welcome to do so.

We will be continuing to make available the socially distanced seating for the foreseeable future and so people will be more than welcome to continue using this area as a way of managing their personal levels of risk.

If you wish to chat through any of the above, then please do get in touch and I’m happy to chat with you about it.

Important Update: Balerno High School

UPDATE: 12th MARCH

As you know we were hoping to have been back in at Balerno High School for our services from last week and we let you know that unfortunately a last-minute Edinburgh Council decision meant that this was no longer possible.

I’ve had a few meetings with the school now and we now have a clearer picture of the overall situation at the school. The headteacher, the business manager and myself submitted a scenario to the council to try and explain why our let there was extraordinary and therefore required further consideration and am pleased to say that we have heard back that the council have changed their position and said that the let can go ahead.

There are, however, some other challenges which we need some time to work through – the main one being that there are still some significant ongoing building works happening at the school. These works include replacing the roof, refurbishing and recarpeting the majority of the classrooms, including all the science labs and HFT rooms off the concourse, and most significantly for us - a complete re-wire of the school.

In 2008 we worked with the school and the council to install some electrical equipment, including all the lights, the projectors, screens etc. and unfortunately reconnecting power to these circuits has not been included in the rewire plans. The school and myself are working with the site manager to see why this is the case and to try and resolve this.

During the Easter holidays the plan is that the main circuit boards will be ripped out of the concourse and replaced, along with the refurb of the HFT classrooms off the concourse. This means that were we to have access back in before the school break at Easter, we would have to vacate again for 3 weeks.

Therefore, as a senior team, we have taken the decision that we will remain here at Heriot-Watt until after the Easter school holidays, with the potential first date back at the school being Sunday 1st May.

Whilst this may be an unsettled period time, I was reminded this week of a picture which someone shared with me several months ago – it was of St Mungos Church being lifted up in the hand of the Father ready to be placed down again. Whilst it may feel that we are ‘homeless’ still at present there is great comfort and trust in knowing that we are in the hand of the Father, we are able to meet each week, we have got great relationships with both BHS and HWU and most importantly God remains significant in our services.

We will keep you informed as things move along and do be praying for us as a senior team as we continue to make the best decisions we can with the information we have available.

UPDATE: 22nd FEBRUARY

I had a meeting this morning with Balerno High School’s Head Teacher, Business Manager, and, the site manager, to discuss our return to using the school on Sunday mornings and evenings and I am sorry to inform you that Edinburgh City Council have once again moved the goalposts, making our return this Sunday no longer possible. 

The business manager was at a meeting last night and the council are stipulating that all users of the building, including any external lets, must adhere to the ‘establishment’ risk assessment. This means that we are required to follow the covid guidelines for schools, rather than the more accommodating covid guidelines for places of worship. The school guidance states that until Monday 28th February no large gatherings are permitted on premises and from Monday 28th the maximum size of grouping allowed is 50 and that all adults must maintain a 2m physical distance at all times. We are seeking clarification of this and hope for an update next week.

At the moment, therefore, it makes more sense to continue to meet at Heriot-Watt University where we can meet in larger numbers and with more flexibility around physical distancing.

 Whilst this is incredibly disappointing, I am pleased to say that Heriot-Watt is still available and so the Balerno congregation will continue to meet on Sunday mornings at Heriot-Watt University.  Our 0-18 groups will also continue to meet alongside our adult service, in the same rooms that we’ve been using each week.

This Sunday, 27th February, we will also be holding our evening service at Heriot-Watt University where we are planning to have a time of prayer for this situation and also to have our first time of personal prayer ministry. 

It is easy to feel discouraged at the news that we still are unable to return to Balerno, but this is a time to once again thank God for His provision of Heriot-Watt and the fact that we are still able to meet together weekly. Accessing Balerno High School is a situation entirely out of our control and so we choose to be thankful for God’s continued faithfulness and goodness to us. 

If you have not yet joined us at Heriot-Watt and are waiting until we are back in Balerno, can I encourage you to consider coming out to Heriot-Watt and seeing what it is like. If there are any practical reasons that are preventing you from attending in person then please let me know and I’m happy to see whether there is anything we can do to help. 

Finance Update

Timing Change Consultation Decision

Change of Morning Service Times Proposal Decision

The Proposal:  To change the start times of both morning services so that the Livingston service would start at 10am and the Balerno service at 11am.

How was feedback gathered? 

After the church were made aware of the proposal in a morning service and by email, they were then invited to give their feedback through:

• An online survey where over 200 people responded.

• Three Zoom consultation meetings with over 250 attendees.

• Email (many people also sent emails to the senior team throughout the consultation process).

Observations from the Consultation:

Four things that were really encouraging that came through the feedback were:

1. 87% of people who responded to the survey were either happy to adapt to the changing of times or had some reservations but were willing to try it.

2. People were very grateful for being asked.

3. Through written responses and discussion groups, it was evident that the congregation care deeply for the staff and were willing to try something different if it helped staff.

4. The majority of concerns expressed by the congregation related to their desire for our services to be a place and environment where we can be completely open to the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, and also to limit unnecessary pressure or stress for the service leaders and preachers.

The Outcome of the Consultation

We have decided not to change the start times of the morning services and will remain with both the Balerno and Livingston services starting at 10:30am.

How did we come to this decision?

The Senior Team appreciated greatly the level of feedback that the church family gave, and the manner in which they did this.  We want to thank the congregation for being so supportive and gracious during all that is going on.  This feedback and the senior teams continued communication with staff, with each other, as well as continuing to seek the Lord has led us to make this decision.  Below are the main concerns that came from the feedback and the reflections from Ollie and senior team.

Concerns that became apparent for the Livingston Service

The proposed change of timings could:

• Put pressure on the service leader to stick to the timings which may in turn reduce the opportunities to build faith and community by sharing testimony or good news stories at the beginning of the service.

• Prohibit worship being extended if the Spirit is moving and restricting the work of the Holy Spirit.

• Restrict the speaker from leading the ministry response if they felt there was an opportunity for ministry.

• Not allow the speaker to speak with the congregation afterwards.

Concerns that became apparent for the Balerno Service

The proposed change of timings could:

• Affect the levels of opportunity for fellowship.   People may feel with the service moving to 11am that they have extra time in the morning and just not attend the coffee / fellowship time at 10:30am. 

• Youth and children may not want to come to have coffee beforehand and parents might find another battle to try and win. 

• The later finish might be difficult for pre-school children who might be getting hungry from 12 o’clock onwards.

Other Concerns

Other concerns that came out of the consultation that we felt important were:

• The change of times would not help foster links between Livingston and Balerno youth with timings.

• With the suggested change of timings, the 8:45 service may start to feel rushed and not in touch with the leadership.

Reflections from the Senior Team

As a Word and Spirit Church we felt the most important question for us as a church that kept on coming through the feedback, our thoughts and prayers was:  Did the new timings allow the space needed for the Holy Spirit to move in our morning services? 

Ollie felt during the consultation process the Holy Spirit ask him “in changing the morning service times are we allowing Me (God) to be significant?”  For example, if the Holy Spirit starts to move in the Livingston service during the worship or after the talk do the proposed timings allow us to change things so God can move? 

It became clear as we read through the feedback and prayed that the answer to this question was no.  In light of this we feel it would not be right to change the timings of the services. 

The consultation has been a very helpful process as it has allowed us as a church family to think through what we want from our church services.  Through this process we have been encouraged by your love for St Mungo’s, your desire for God to continue to move in our services and your care and support of the staff team and the whole church family.

The Way forward

During the consultation Ollie continued to think through the issues regarding the speaking team.  So that we can make this work with the present speaking system, Ollie is going to speak twice a month in each location, which will take the pressure off other members of the speaking team and will make it possible to sustain running two simultaneous services. 

The consultation has also provided some space to think through some of the other issues. One of these was whether it is possible to have our mission partners come to speak if we moved to the previous model of having the same talk on consecutive weeks.  Having had time to think through this we see it is possible with planning that we could do this, whether by asking one mission partner to speak in Balerno one week and another one in Livingston the second.  Or to use it as an opportunity for Balerno and Livingston to come together in a joint service.

What next?

In January we are planning and hoping (subject to building availability) that we will be able to run consecutive morning services in both Livingston and Balerno at 10:30am on a Sunday morning.  This means that whoever speaks in the morning service in Balerno will then speak again in Livingston the following week.   

As we move forward, we recognise as a senior leadership that Balerno and Livingston are two very different communities and how we reach them will be different.  We will continue to make God significant in our services so we can abide and be transformed in His presence.

Ollie Clegg

8/11/21