Everyone will be welcome at the next meeting of the St Andrews West Area Council, which will be held in St Peter’s, Kirkcaldy on Tuesday 21 February at 7.30pm. The guest speaker is Carol Morton (a member of St Peter’s) and her talk will cover Palestinian Christians Cry for Hope, Sabeel-Kairos UK, the hoped-for movement within SEC dioceses, her 9½ years in Jerusalem and the work there, as well as her current service with the Hadeel Palestinian Fair Trade shop in Edinburgh.

“The Angels of Christmas” is a series of Advent Bible Studies on Zoom led by Rev Eddie Sykes on Thursdays in December. Each Zoom meeting starts at 10:00am – note that this is slightly earlier than previous studies – and will finish shortly after 11:00am. If you haven’t received the meeting details direct, please email Eddie at minister@rosythmethodist.org.uk for an access code.

This study is based on the book ‘The Angels of Christmas – Hearing God’s Voice in Advent’ by Susan Robb, published by Abingdon Press only two months ago (ISBN: 978-1791024253). The topics for the sessions are:

1 December – Standing in the Presence of God
Gabriel and Zechariah – Luke 1:5–25

8 December – Let it Be
Gabriel and Mary – Luke 1:26-38

15 December – Acting on the Unbelievable
The Angel of the Lord and Joseph – Matthew 1:18–25

22 December – Hark the Herald Angels Sing
The Angels and the Shepherds – Luke 2:1–14

Announcement on the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

Fourteen church leaders who make up the Scottish Church Leaders’ Forum have issued a statement on the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

The signatories, who include Bishop Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland), said:

“We join with the Nation in offering our thanks to God for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and for her faithful service as Sovereign throughout these last 70 years.

“We give thanks for her evident Christian faith and recall that in her first Christmas broadcast as Queen in 1952 she asked us to pray for her ‘that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises that I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’

“In her faithful service of God and of the Nation she has surely fulfilled the promises that she made.

“We join with people of good faith everywhere in offering our prayers for His Majesty King Charles III and the Royal Family at this time.”

This announcement was carried on our home page during the period of national mourning.