This week we received the sad news that Prince Philip had died.  He will be missed by many but particularly by his wife, the Queen, and the rest of his family.  There are many families throughout the country who have suffered a bereavement over recent months and will have grieved in different ways.  It is never easy to lose a loved one and our sympathies go out to his friends and family.  His funeral, which will “celebrate and reflect” a life of service will take place on Saturday 17 April.

Many tributes have been paid to him over recent days.    A message from Very Rev Professor David Fergusson, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland and Dean of the Order of the Thistle, on the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh has also been issued which outlines some of the links Prince Philip had with Scotland.  It can be read here.  You can read the message issued by the Moderator and also hear the prayer he said and the comment he made on the Church of Scotland website here.

On Holy Saturday, our Guild members received a pleasant surprise when they had a box of cakes delivered to them from Victoria’s coffee shop in Stirling.  Christine, our Convenor, had organised this as we have been unable to meet in person this year.   As we eat our cakes we will think of one another and relive happy memories of our time in the Guild.

Normally at this time of year we would be looking forward to the Guild outing in May, but this will not be able to happen again this year. The Guild have tried to keep in touch through phone calls and the distribution of a newsletter every couple of months.  The Guild provides fellowship to our members as well as providing information on a wide variety of topics – both serious and not so serious.  The Guild is open to all and we hope to meet up with friends, old and new, in the autumn.

As we walk along the street or sit in a train or bus, we can see that people are not all the same.  Some are tall and some are small.  They may have black, blonde, red or even blue or pink hair.  They may have blue eyes or green eyes.   Their skin colour may be light or dark.  There may also be differences we cannot see.  Some people will have a heart condition or diabetes.  Some may have autism.  Despite the differences, we are all people who should be recognised and valued as individuals. Autism is a lifelong, developmental condition that affects the way a person communicates, interacts and processes information.   The way in which the condition shows itself will vary from individual to individual which means that each individual with autism experiences their own unique strengths, and challenges.  Many of us have found this year to be difficult as our routines have changed and we may have lost some of our support systems and this can be particularly true for some people with autism.

Too often, there can be a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of autism but Greta Thunberg, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hegerty from The Chase and Chris Packham are autistic.  Mozart, Einstein and Alan Turing were all thought to be autistic so we can see that autistic people can and do bring about change in people’s lives.  Autism is a neurological condition which results in people with the condition seeing and experiencing the world differently.    If we all try to learn more about autism and understand it then life could be better for all.

Many of us, in Alloa, will have visited the Makers Café which provides training opportunities for people with autism.   We may have bought plants for the garden from the Gartinny nursery at Coalsnaughton or we might have bought some of the artwork produced through Art Opportunities.  It is estimated that 1 in 100 people in Scotland are autistic.  You can find out more about autism and what support is available by visiting the Scottish Autism site here.  Scottish Autism, together with David, a talented young illustrator who has Asperger’s Syndrome, have created an interactive animated resource to demonstrate this. You can have a look at it at www.understandautism.org.  It has also been turned into a video which can be seen here.  Please take time to watch this.

Different Minds is a website created by The Scottish Government written in partnership with autistic people.  It gives examples of lived experience of autism and also looks at some myths surrounding autism.  It can be accessed here.

The last year has brought about change in the way in which many people think about food.  For some, it meant more time to cook from scratch or ways to reduce food waste to avoid frequent trips to the supermarket.  Some people decided to use part of their garden to grow fruit and vegetables or tried to get an allotment.  Unfortunately, there were also an increasing number facing financial difficulties who had to access food banks. Supermarkets in many areas contributed to community food distribution centres.  Local groups set up food delivery and meals delivery to those who were housebound or shielding.

Sustainable Food Places is a UK-wide system which encourages people to look at ways in which they can come together and promote good food for all.  You can read more about this system here.  This month, Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface is working with NHS Forth Valley and Clackmannanshire Council to start people engaging in conversation about improving the local food system so that everyone benefits.  They will be offering 5 online sessions under the heading of Good Food Conversations and you can find out more about them and how to join in here.

The February edition of the  St Mungo’s Guild newsletter is now available on the Newsletter tab.  The Winter menu for the Cafe is also available there.

The service links for 11 April are available on the What’s On page.

The prayer for the Duke of Edinburgh can be found on the What’s On page.

New report illustrates vast scale of online worship

Action of Churches Together in Scotland and the Scottish Church Leaders’ Forum (SCLF) sought to understand how congregations across the nation had responded to the first lockdown, when change was most sudden by commissioning a report on the topic.  The report was titled “Adapt and be Flexible: The Mission Continues” and can be read here.  The study found that 96% of congregational leaders continued with ministry and mission work despite the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic to effectively preach the Word of God and serve their communities in new ways.   You can read what the Church of Scotland has to say about the report and the main recommendations made here.

The winners of the Moderator’s photo competition are announced

During Lent the Moderator announced a photo competition – Hidden in Plain Sight – where people were asked to send in photos of crosses hidden in plain sight.  Many people entered the competition and it helped to bring home how often we see a cross in everyday life without really noticing it.  You can read Dr Fair’s reaction to the competition and see the winning entries here.  You can see all of the entries in the photo gallery which can either be accessed from the link above or by clicking here.  It is well worth taking time to look.

Edinburgh Presbytery clerk has addressed Tartan Day in New York

On Saturday 10 April Rev Marjory McPherson explained the significance of the colours of the Kirk’s official tartan in an online address to the Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York’s online Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan service.  You can read more about this – including what the colours in the tartan represent – here.

The Guild Newsletter – week beginning 5 April

For some months now the Guild, nationally, has been producing a newsletter which is emailed out to members during the period when Guilds have been unable to meet in person.  In this week’s newsletter among the usual variety of interesting items, you can read about what some guilds have been doing over recent months.  There is a link to the St Andrew Blackadder Church Guild video meeting which features an interview with Helen Eckford about her visit to the Journeying Together project in Zambia. This week’s hymn is Thine be the glory.  You can read the newsletter here.

Re-opening Churches

The Church nationally has a group who meet regularly to develop guidelines for Churches which will help them to to reopen all aspects of Church life safely when conditions permit. Let us hope and pray that we will continue to be able to meet in person in St Mungo’s for many years to come.

The Church is not currently open for the “in person”  Sunday service and the other work of the church is still continuing so there are still expenses to be covered.  The Church of Scotland has introduced an online donations system which allows those who wish to continue to support this work financially even when unable to attend in person. To find out more about this and the importance of your donations, please follow the link below.
https://churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/2020/support-your-local-church-with-our-new-online-donations-system

This is one of the lovely stained glass windows in St Mungo’s and depicts the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and is based on the one in Dunfermline Abbey.  The bottom part of the window shows Jesus receiving communion from an angel while his disciples sleep and those coming to arrest him are arriving.  However, if we look at the top of the window we can see the Greek letters for Alpha and Omega which reflects the phrase “I am the beginning and the end”.  We also have 4 figures.  One holds a crown of thorns, one a heart, one an anchor and the fourth one a cross.  These can be taken to depict aspects of Christ and the crucifixion and what Jesus means to people.  We hope you will be soon able to see this for yourself.

Although the Church is not currently open for the Sunday service, the other work of the church is still continuing.  This means that there are still expenses to be covered so please help if you can. You can either fill your envelope each week ready for when you are able to join us for the Church service again or if you would like to set up a Standing Order or give a donation please get in touch using the email address connect@alloastmungos.org and we will be happy to give you more information.

A new way in which you can support us is by shopping with Amazon Smile.  Amazon Smile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same experience as on amazon.co.uk. The difference is that when you shop by following the link below, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases to St Mungo’s. Only purchases made through smile.amazon.co.uk are eligible to generate donations. There is no cost either to you or the church.  When you first click here you may be asked to set up an Amazon Smile account and choose a charity.   Select St Mungo’s Parish Church Alloa and every time you purchase goods from Amazon, the church gets a donation paid directly into our bank account.

To find out about the ways in which you can support the Church – financially and otherwise – please click on the Support Us tab below.

Regrettably due to current Covid regulations our cafe is closed temporarily. This is a big miss in the local community as it was proving to be a very popular venue helping to reduce social isolation as well as providing food and refreshments prepared to high standards by Billy, our Executive Chef. Hopefully it won’t be too long before the doors are reopened and the service able to resume.