issue 4 winter 201 1togethernesstogetherness

InsideChristmasfrom theoutside p10

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Contents

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The Wider WorldMESPTony BryerChristmas TreesNew Forms of Church

Ecumenical Friends

Togetherness:magazine ofEdinburgh CityCentreChurchesTogetherCopyright © 2011Edinburgh CityCentre ChurchesTogether Authors.Edinburgh CityCentre ChurchesTogether is aRegistered Charity.Charity NumberSC040773St Andrew's and StGeorge's WestChurch13 George StreetEdinburghEH2 2PA0131 225 3847editor/coordinatorJoe Evans

togetheredinburgh.org.uktwitter@eccctogether

Pilgrimage Routes

What Together means toJames McNeill

17182022office@togetheredinburgh.org.ukjoe@togetheredinburgh.org.uk

Together OnlineChristmas from theoutsideNativity Play

Get busy living

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As we look forward toChristmas, it is an excitingtime for our three churches.Our mission to the businessesand shops of the city centremoves into top gear as TonyBryer takes over as ourWorkplace Chaplain, and inthis issue he explains how hesees his role developing(page 4). Tony has workedwith our churches before and,after a spell in England, weare thrilled to be welcominghim back. He has wasted notime at all in making contactwith other WorkplaceChaplains around Scotlandand with many city centrebusinesses. Tony will behelping particularly withworship at St Andrew’s and StGeorge’s West, but intends totake part regularly in servicesin all of our churches.TOGETHER has been heavilyinvolved in the new ventureof a city Nativity Play, to bestaged in Festival Square withthe use of the large screenoutside the Sheraton. This isan immensely excitingproject. Read all about it onpage 16, and – be there!

Together NewsOn 8 October we held anothersession on New Forms ofChurch. Many ideas surfaced,and over coming months weshall be exploring in particularan engagement with the artisticcommunity.At this time of year, as weenjoy the festivities butremember that Jesus’ familywas turned away from the inn,it is a good time to thinkespecially of the outsiders inour city community. In thisissue we have the perspectivesof several of those who are notin ‘the mainstream’, and forwhom celebrations like oursmay not be easy (age 10) Asyou read, give them a thought,and empathise.We are also trying to encouragemore involvement in theplethora of excellent interestgroups already meeting withinour congregations. Throughoutthis issue we have highlightedsome of them. They are opento all. Many church groups willalso be taking the opportunityto be involved in this year'sEdinburgh Christmas TreeFestival (page 7).

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The Wider World

With the Occupymovement sparkingoff protests fromWall Street and StPaul's to StAndrews Square,where is God in allof this? Is God intoclass warfare?God really doeslove us all, rich andpoor.

God and Class Warfare

youtube bibleAs part of the 400thanniversary of the King JamesBible, the King James BibleTrust wants you to help put it allon video, chapter by chapter.tinyurl.com/youtubebible

The God of theBible has a specialconcern for thepoor and thecorrosive effect ofwealth. If that isnot clear in theBible, nothing is!An insightful articletaking this furthertinyurl.com/god­class

Positive MoneyThis group isproviding a realcommon sensesolution for reducingour collective debt,and making a fairerbanking system forall. Their idea issimple, only lendmoney that actuallyexists.positivemoney.org.uk/

Rowan Williams inZimbabweThe Archbishop of Canterburymet with Robert Mugabe,handing him a dossier ofalleged abuses againstAnglicans in the country.tinyurl.com/rowanw

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From 1st to 11th March 2012the Edinburgh InternationalFestival of Middle EasternSpirituality and Peace willbring together people from awide range of spiritual andcultural backgrounds.MESP provides an opportunityto take part in a variety ofspiritual, educational artisticand cultural eventscelebrating peace andencouraging mutualunderstanding.There will also be pre­eventsin the weeks before, includinga Middle Eastern Film Festival(9th to 20th February), andexhibitions and displays.

For more information on theseevent visit www.mesp.org.ukor Contact: Neill Walker,mesp2012@hotmail.co.uk 0131331 4469.

To an open house in theeveningHome shall men come,To an older place than Eden,And a taller town than Rome.To the end of the way of the

wandering star,To the things that cannot be,and that are,To the place where God washomelessAnd all men are at home.

G.K. Chesterton: The House of Christmas

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Introducing…Tony Bryer, CityCentre WorkplaceChaplain.At last I have arrived! I writethis in the midst of twoinduction weeks organised byWork Place ChaplaincyScotland (WPCS), which is thenew agency working on behalfof all the Scottish churches inthe provision of chaplaincy topeople in their working lives.This new post has beenestablished by the TOGETHERchurches in partnership withWPCS. This type of chaplaincywork is growing across manyparts of Scotland; I have beenvisiting colleagues inAberdeen, Dundee andGlasgow seeing the widevariety of organisations withwhich they are involved.It’s a great privilege to beback in Edinburgh (Between1996 and 2004 I worked at StAndrew's and St George's asMinister of Outreach) andinvolved with this ministrythat I believe is an essentialpart of the churches’ missionin the city centre. Building on

work that each of the churcheshas done in the past, and that iscontinuing to this day, I want toget to know the issues thatbusinesses and their employeesare now facing, and to offerpastoral support in the name ofthe churches. The hope is thatthere may be a team ofvolunteer chaplains involved inthis ministry, drawn from withinand beyond our congregations.Thank you for your support andenthusiasm at my Service ofIntroduction and also a reallyBIG thank you for such agenerous welcome gift of theTutu book and vouchers. It is awonderful welcome! I lookforward to sharing in worshipwith all three churches, andgetting to know you all. It willbe important to reflect with thecongregations on the experienceof the Workplace Chaplaincy,thinking and praying with youabout how the churches canrespond to the challenges that itwill raise.

Contact tony on tbryer.wpcscotland@gmail.com

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christmastreefestival@standrewsandstgeorges.org.ukor standrewsandstgeorgeswest.org.ukfor more info

Step out of the hustleAlison Campbell on the second EdinburghChristmas Tree FestivalTwo church buildings filledwith light and beauty – smallchildren running aroundexcitedly – Christmasshoppers coming in with eyesalight – admiring comments –people grateful for a chance toremember at Christmas –what more could we wantfrom an event?What is the Festival for? Toreach out to people in CityCentre, to make a space forreflection on the Christmasmessage, to give a flavour ofthe Church and community,and to support local charities.There will be a programme ofdifferent kinds of musicincluding an opening event

and a concert for localbusinesses on 16th December.There is a huge amount moreto do – sponsorship,encouraging new businesses totake part, publicising theFestival, staffing the buildings,inviting local nurseries andorganisations to come.Pleasecome and help. It was amost heart­warming andgenuinely spiritualexperience last year, andbrought people into thechurch who would neverotherwise have come.Last year it was one ofthe Big Issue's WeeklyTen Top Things to Doin Scotland!

Shandwick Place Building,10th to 24th Dec,Mon to Sat 10am – 4pm (midday on 23rd)George St Building 10th to 30th Dec,Mon to Sat 11am – 6pm (before 25th)11am – 3pm (27th to 30th)open Sundays until 5pm

& into the forest

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Finding New Forms of ChurchJoe Evans on this continuing labyrinthine effort.Saturday 8th October saw thesecond major conversation onwhat is likely to become amajor area of interest forTogether.By exploring ideas of NewForms of Church, we areactively trying to find ways toconnect and reconnect withthose for whom traditionalchurch just does not cut it.How this turns into a realexpression of faith is yet to beseen. We're still a while away!However what is starting toemerge from this discussion,from informal conversationsand from the event earlier inthe year is that there are moreareas that we could, can andshould be working in.The report from the event inApril has been adopted by theTogether Trustees as a workingpaper which throws up severalkey ideas for how to move thediscussion forward. We need tostart thinking in terms of Goand not Come. New Forms of

Church is not a way to getmore bums on seats but tointroduce more people intothe Kingdom. We also need tobe aware that the resultantchurch may take time, effortand resources, and could endup looking uncomfortable andunfamiliar.In these discussions a few keyideas began to emerge, andwe hope they will continue todevelop.We can and should find linksinto the artistic and culturalcommunities, and someinvestigative work is beingdone by Suzie Stark(Probationer at St Cuthbert's).Ideas have been mootedranging from setting up atravelling tent/labyrinth orpop­up shop, to a form ofchurch for the Fringe, orsetting up of some sort ofcoffee shop or pub church. Atthe moment these are justideas, we now need to look atthe practical implications ofour ideas.

For a full copy of the report, or to get involved in theconversation further email joe@togetheredinburgh.org.uk

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Together OnlineTOGETHER's online profile isgrowing.Togetheredinburgh.org.ukis now up and running.Check up on what we're doingin our projects, stay up todate with events and more.

We are also on twitter. Catch upwith us attwitter.com/eccctogetherTwitter is a great, cheap, easyway to keep up with andcontact organisations andpeople you're interested inaround the world.

ACE IT computer training project encourages new and nonconfident users, specifically in the 50+ age group, to learnbasic computer skills, internet access and email. 2nd Floor,115 George St, Edinburgh, EH2 4JN. 0131 477 3883

Find out more about IT

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Christmasfrom theoutsideWhat does Chistmas mean to those outside ofthe Church? Over the next 6 pages, we haveasked a variety of people for their experiences.For some it's participating in whatever way theycan, and for some it's an alienating experience.In the middle of the joy of this season, we thinkof some of those in our society who seeChristmas a bit differently.

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Gopa Nayak was born in Indiaand now teaches on an MSccourse in Moray House. Sheis not a Christian so we askedher what her experience ofChristmas had been. This iswhat she said:I grew up the remote town ofBhubaneswar in Orissa.Christmas there meant nomore than a week’s holidayfrom school.

When I moved toCalcutta, however,

Christmas affectedme in a big way.

There was so much Christmasfestivity there with Cathleen’s,the famous bakery in MintoRoad, displaying gingerbreadmen and the streets decoratedwith lights. On Christmas Evepeople wore festive clothes andafter attending midnightservices roamed around ParkStreet enjoying the cool winterbreeze.A few years later I spentChristmas in Kerala at theinvitation of a friend. Iaccompanied the whole familyto midnight mass. Afterwards,we spent the whole night andChristmas Day receiving andvisiting friends.I have spent most of mymarried life in Hong Kong.Here Christmas meant meetingup with family and friends atpicnics and barbecues, sharingjokes and discussing problemswith children’s homework anduncooperative maids.It also meant deliciousChristmas cakes and othergoodies, local and imported.

The non­ChristianPeople of other faiths and cultures may not tune in to allthe rich symbolism of the Nativity, but they can enjoy thesecular trappings.

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What’s it like being out on thestreet selling The Big Issue?Not a whole load of fun, saysMartin Kinloch, often to beseen selling outside St John’son a Sunday.Some people (not generallychurchgoers!) treat you as aninferior sub­species, shout andswear and tell you to “get a******* job”. Unless youresort to being ‘in your face’with people, you can stand forhours with few takers. Otherhazards include cut throatcompetition for pitches.

I have spent recentChristmases in Oxford wheremost meeting places closedown for two weeks. In factduring my first year wemature students were advisedto leave Oxford and spendChristmas with family andfriends.Mine were too far away, butgradually I made new friends

For many outsiders, though, the fun andrevelry of Christmas time simply throw intosharper relief their sense of alienation:

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The Big Issue SellerMartin should know as he’sbeen doing it for some time:“Vendors pay £1 for each copy,which then sells for £2, but ifby Sunday (the last day of ourweek) we haven’t sold all theones we bought, that money isdown the drain.” It is a delicatecalculation.Recently Martin became asupervisor, distributing copiesto vendors when the office wasclosed. “On my second day outI had £120 of their money inmy bag, then discovered it hadgone.”

and spent the cold nights atfriends’ homes, most happilywhen lots of people tried tosqueeze all kinds of merrimentinto small rooms.This year I will spendChristmas in Edinburgh. I amlooking forward once again tothe street decorations, thefestive fare and, mostimportant, fun with friends.

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Christina Bowen attends StAndrew’s and St George’sWest and also works atCunningham House, a short­stay, supported hostel forhomeless people (18­65)located in the heart ofEdinburgh.She writes: ‘One of the joys ofChristmas is celebrating loveand belonging with family andfriends.However, at CunninghamHouse, a Crossreach hostel forhomeless people, someservice users say they dreadChristmas because they feellike outsiders: they belongnowhere and they matter to

The Schizophrenic

nobody.At Christmas atCunningham House we offerthe Carol Service, Christmasdinner, and gifts from thechurches, in an atmosphere ofsobriety, welcome and care.Some service users don’tparticipate, some enjoy it, andsome say it is the bestChristmas they’ve ever had.

Adam, a young man withschizophrenia, said he justgoes somewhere far from hisfamily in December. Hismemories were of Christmasfamily parties turned violentwith too much alcohol, of giftsbroken and efforts rejected.

An accident or theft? “I don’tknow. Instead of supervisingany longer, or selling, I had tospend a month desperatelytrying to pay back £120.I would love to get a properjob (my dream job isgardening), not having ahome and fits of depressionsince I left home after mymother’s death and stepfatherproblems have made it hard.

Things seem to be starting tolook up for me now, as ha’vebeen given a flat in Moredun,and I hope I can keep it andsee more of my small sonLewis.”Give Martin and his fellow BigIssue sellers a sympatheticthought as they keep their vigilon our pavements. Their lot isnever an easy one, especiallyat Christmas

The Hostel

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There’s this young woman.She’s gawky, a high­cheekboned blonde. The lastfew years have been toughemotionally.She grew up in the wide openspaces of the Canadianprairies but left there to seekfame and fortune, writing andperforming songs in the citiesof North America.Fell pregnant to a fecklessfool who abandoned her. Had

a baby girl and kept it secretfrom the folks back home. Gaveher baby up for adoption.Now, in the wake of anotherbroken relationship, she findsherself alone in Los Angeles atChristmas. An alien land.In the darkness, a song beginsto come. She sits at the pianoand follows its lure. It beginswith a variation on “JingleBells”, melancholy, sad. Andthen the words:

Charles lost his home andprofessional career because ofalcohol addiction. Recentlysober, he got angry at imageseverywhere equating alcoholwith happiness. Charles saidhe expected no Christmasinvitations.

Kevin, recovering from drugaddiction, wanted to give hisson a Playstation, so that hewould be able, at last, to havehis friends over. Kevin could notafford it. He would probably juststay away because he couldn’tbear his son’s disappointment.

The Alcoholic The Drug Addict

One of the secular trappings of Christmas which is sovisible within our own city centre is the frenzy of shoppingand, inevitably, the Christmas music played endlessly inshops. Colin MacDonald, a writer who is a member of StAndrew's and St George's West, offers us this insight intothe story behind a seemingly simple song which hints at thedeeper meaning of Christmas.

The River

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People who feel like outsiders at Christmas are not all homeless.They are beside us in the bus and the pew, or they may not goout much at all: people distressed by family difficulties, by lossof loved ones, by addiction, pain, rejection and low income.As Jesus showed special concern to outsiders, we too can bemore aware of people who feel like strangers at Christmas: wecan phone someone up, invite someone in, listen to what isn’tsaid, offer some support. Our circle of belonging to family,friends and church is there not to keep others out – but to inviteothers in.

“It’s coming on ChristmasThey’re cutting down treesThey’re putting up reindeerAnd singing songs of joy andpeace.Oh I wish I had a riverI could skate away on…”She cannot help herself. Thewords tumble uncontrollablyfrom her. She feels utterlydefenceless.Later she will say “I felt like acellophane wrapper on a packof cigarettes. I felt I had nosecrets from the world and Icouldn’t pretend in my life tobe strong.”She is Joni Mitchell. The songis “River”. It’s from the album“Blue” (1971).

It has been covered more than200 times. It’s in a fistful offilms and tv shows. If you eversing along with it, it iscathartic. Mitchell will tell abiographer:“How many people gothrough Christmas happy?I ‘ve never heard anybodysing that song that itdidn’t sound like it wasabout themselves.”“River” transforms suffering,loneliness and sorrow intosomething of beauty and truththat flies beyond words, beyondmusic, beyond this earth.It could be a Christmas story.

Christina sums it up

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The EdinburghNativity

The Edinburgh Nativity willportray the birth of Jesus inBethlehem 2,000 years agowith a contemporary twist(you have to come and seethis for yourself!) It is directedby Suzanne Lofthus of CuttingEdge Productions (who hasdirected several similar plays).Passion and Nativity Plays area growing phenomenon inScotland. In Glasgow, Dundee,Perth or Fife, thousands ofpeople are attending theseplays each year.In April 2011 a number ofchurch leaders including those

from TOGETHER sat down withWork Place Chaplaincy Scotlandand two Christian business groups,Oasis and Business Matters, to plana nativity play for Edinburgh.We are delighted that TheEdinburgh Nativity has beensupported by The City of EdinburghCouncil who are making availableFestival Square and BBC BigScreens who have given permissionto use their screen. Similarly, weare grateful to trusts, churches andorganisations for sponsoring thisevent and to various companiesand individuals for technical andadministrative support. A very bigTHANK YOU!

Festival SquareLothian RoadThursday 1st December between6pm and 7pm.All members of the public arewelcome. (If it is wet, the play willbe held in St Cuthbert’s Church,Lothian Road, where twoconsecutive performances will begiven).To attend you need to apply forFREE e­Tickets, by going towww.redshedtickets.com

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On your doorstepAnn Hepburn of The Ecumenical FriendsFor many years beforeTOGETHER was inaugurated, agroup of women and men,enthusiastic ecumenists, metregularly for lunch withspeakers on a wide variety oftopics. We still do, onThursdays from September toMarch each year. We are nowknown as Ecumenical Friends,Edinburgh and we meet in StCuthbert’s Hall or St John’s.TOGETHER recognises us asan expression of and responseto the great ecumenical visionof Ephesians:“God’s plan is to bring allcreation together… with Christas head.”Ecumenical Friends aremembers of variousdenominations – Church ofScotland, Roman Catholic,Scottish Episcopal Church andBaptist, so we “offer to theworld a visibly united witness”in accordance withTOGETHER’s covenant.During the past year we havebeen greatly saddened by the

closure of Scottish ChurchesHouse in Dunblane. It will bemore important than ever forlocal groups at grass rootslevel, to play a part instrengthening ecumenicalrelations, and join in addressingthe major issues facing Churchand Society today.Ecumenism is about the wholeinhabited earth, not just aboutchurches cosying up to eachother. Our annual programmereflects this, as speakers dealwith issues that include GlobalWarming, Calvin’s Theology,Fair Trade, Mission and Empire,Inter­Faith Dialogue and theMiddle East as well asestablished and new Charitiesand Edinburgh communityconcerns.Special anniversaries are notedsuch as the tercentenary ofDavid Hume’s birth, and thepublication of the King JamesBible. And we are always led inMeditations during Advent andLent.Do come and join us!

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Things to See and DoPilgrims on a journey

I had the good fortune tospend ten days in Leon inNorth­Western Spain in May.Three things compelledattention: the huge medievalcathedral brilliant with stainedglass, a museum dedicated toSenõr Sierra­Pambley whodevoted his fortune toproviding school buildingswith teachers and equipmentfor the poor, much to theannoyance of the church andthe local aristocracy, and,

perhaps most remarkable, thePilgrim Way. The Way wasmarked by scallop shells set inthe road and worn by the manypilgrims on their way toSantiago Compostela some 200miles further west.In the middle ages 300,000people a year from all overEurope made the pilgrimage.The idea is having something ofa revival in these overtlysecular times, and recently four

from TOGETHER sat down withWork Place Chaplaincy Scotlandand two Christian business groups,Oasis and Business Matters, to plana nativity play for Edinburgh.We are delighted that TheEdinburgh Nativity has beensupported by The City of EdinburghCouncil who are making availableFestival Square and BBC BigScreens who have given permissionto use their screen. Similarly, weare grateful to trusts, churches andorganisations for sponsoring thisevent and to various companiesand individuals for technical andadministrative support. A very bigTHANK YOU!

David Hill discusses current plans for ScottishPilgrims

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members of St Andrew’s andSt George’s West spent twoweeks of their holiday walkingalong the route.It is the hope of PilgrimageRoutes of Scotland, a groupsponsored by the ecumenicalScottish Churches RuralGroup, that two pilgrimageroutes will be established inScotland. One will be fromIona through central Scotlandto St Andrews, and the

second from Whithorn toLindisfarne, joining theSouthern Upland Way. All fourplaces and the saintsassociated with them,Columba, Andrew, Ninian andCuthbert, are special toScotland’s history, “thin” placeswhere the veil between heavenand earth seems almosttransparent. Perhaps it will notbe long before we see pilgrimgroups formed from TOGETHERchurches. to

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Get busy joining…Scottish CountryDancingAn enthusiasticgroup of dancersmeets on Sundayevenings at 7.15pmin the St John'sChurch hall.Come along for fun,frolics and pas debas. Further detailsfrom Sheelagh Brandon 339 4406.

Soul SpaceOnce a month StCuthbert's istransformed into a'sacred space' in theheart of the city.A space to explore,reflect, and pray; aspace to find peace,stillness andrefreshment.1st Wed of themonth (not Jan)1pm­1.305.30­8.30pm

KNITTING AND SEW ONThe TOGETHER Christian Aid sewingand knitting group is more than afundraising initiative. It's a great wayof getting to know others from ourcongregations and a great excuse fora chat over a cuppa or bowl of soup!We meet on the third Wednesday ofthe month anytime between 10 and4. On Saturday 22nd October weheld Winter Warmers at which wesold our craft handiwork and homebaking, raising £1500 for ChristianAid.If you would like to be part of our funcome along to my house onWednesday 16th November. Parkingis available. If you don't know how tofind me, ring 225 2774.Maggie Morley

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The Undercroft AmnestyGroupThe St Andrew's and StGeorge's West Amnesty Groupmeets monthly to write lettersin support of political prisonerson the last Tuesday of eachmonth at 12.30pm in theUndercroft in George Street forhalf an hour. All are welcome.

Look out for the TOGETHERChristmas leaflet for news oneverything else that's happening inour buildings throughout Advent.It will be available in each of ourbuildings and throughout the citycentre. Pick up and share copies toshare the good news of what wehave on for Christmas.

Join the annual StCuthbert'sCommunity CarolService on Tuesday20 December at12.45pm.Coffee/tea, mincepies andshortbread will beserved afterwards.

Come along to StJohn's AnnualChristingle Serviceon 24th December at4.30pm.This event is ahighpoint of the yearand always a greatway to get into theChristmas Spirit.

Together at ChristmasSing carols withorchestra,brass and choirwhile enjoying theChristmas Trees atSt Andrew’s andGeorge’s WestChurch, GeorgeStreet BuildingFriday 16December at 6pm

The Monday GroupMeets in St Cuthbert's ChurchLindisfarne Room at 2.00 pm,second and fourth Monday ofeach month until April. Thereis normally an outside speaker(on various topics) followedby tea and a short act ofworship. All very welcome.if you would like your group featured in the next issue of togetheness, pleaseemail coordinator@togetheredinburgh.org.uk

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What DoesTogether MeanTo You?What DoesTogether MeanTo You?James McNeill is a member of St Andrew's and StGeorge's West. Currently taking a sabbatical, he isan Advocate and QC in practice in Scotland and sitsas one of the Appeal Judges in the Courts of Jerseyand of Guernsey.

To me, TOGETHER is a chanceto share in the continuingendeavour of service to ourcity centre community.TOGETHER is different fromthe Congregations whichprovide its basic financialsupport. When thosecongregations and theirSessions or Vestry meet, theyhave to deal with myriadancillary issues – spiritual andtemporal. TOGETHER standsseparate, with its owntrustees: their primary duty isto forward the purposes ofTOGETHER. Therefore it canpursue dreams and visionsdirectly.How TOGETHER pursues itswork will develop over theyears and according to the

issues it is promoting. To mymind there can be little doubtthat, in the centre ofEdinburgh, there is a wealth oftalent, energy and – eventoday – funding to be drawn onin developing strategies for ahealthier city centrecommunity.The people with thoseresources come to work, or toworship, from other parts of thecity and further afield: but toeach the city centre is likely tobe an important part of theirlives and to many the health ofthe city centre and those whoinhabit or frequent it is likely tobe a concern.TOGETHER has the opportunityto be a focus for those like­minded to employ their talents,

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Kenneth MacKenzie CB (chair)David Hill (secretary)Paul Sweetnam (treasurer)Rev Ian GilmourFrances CurrieBill Morrison

energies and resourcesworking alongside each other,making greater changes thanmight otherwise be possible.As our lives become moreelectronically orientated it ispossible for our work andleisure activities to besomewhat more solitary thanin the past; but, I have theimpression that as apprenticesin the workshop of life welearn more effectively, happilyand thoroughly by physicallyworking alongside otherpeople.In late July, Katie and I were(by chance) at a stimulatinglecture held by the CambridgeInter­faith Programme(interfaith.cam.ac.uk) whichpromotes engagementbetween Jews, Christians andMuslims. Among othermatters, a young Imam fromBedford remarked that in theQ’ran God indicated that he

Frances CooperRevd David DennistonJeanette BartonMargaret RomanisVery Revd Dr John ArmesRobert Philp

The TOGETHER Trustees are:

had created different tribes sothat each could learn from theothers.Here, in Edinburgh, is a chancefor those of us with similar aimsto work together (moreeffectively, happily andthoroughly) for the health of thecity centre.As my own professional lifereaches the stage where moreof a balance between workcommitments and otherinterests can be achieved, I amlooking forward to some of thatbalancing exercise being thepossibility of being part of thework which TOGETHER wants totake forward.I am neither a visionary norsomeone blessed with much inthe way of initiative, but likemany others I hope that I dohave the energy and diligenceto see a task through. I alsohope that it will be fun.

togethernessbackpage

1 St John’s Scottish EpiscopalChurchPrinces StreetEdinburgh EH2 4BJ0131 229 7565stjohns­edinburgh.org.uk

2 St Cuthbert’s Parish ChurchLothian RoadEdinburgh EH1 2EP0131 229 1142st­cuthberts.net

3 St Andrew’s & St George’s WestChurch

3a George StreetEdinburgh EH2 2PA0131 225 3847

3b Shandwick PlaceEdinburgh EH2 2RT0131 225 7001

standrewsandstgeorgeswest.org.uk

1 3a

3b 2

The next issue of Togetherness will be released on11th March. If you would like to contribute, pleasecontact Joe Evans on 07951529717 orJoe@togetheredinburgh.org.ukThe deadline for submissions is Sunday 5th February.

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"Can you imagine what I would do if I coulddo all I can?"Sun Tzu"We must all hang together or mostassuredly we shall hang separately."Benjamin Franklin