| Local news from our church events, and items of
interest to our congregation. 
Sunday morning
Services on demand
 St. Mungo's website enables you
to listen or
download a
recent service to either re-listen to all or part of a service that you
were at,
or to hear one from a service that you missed. Either way we hope you enjoy the experience.
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|  Messy
Church Returns - Sunday 6 March
The 'Messy Church' team re-started Messy Church in the church hall on the afternoon
of Sunday 6 March.
The team welcomed families
past and present who joined in.
Messy
Church is a way of being church for families and others. It is
Christ-centred, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and
celebration.
World Day of Prayer - 4 March
The
world Day of Prayer service in Penicuik was held on Friday 4
March in St. James the Less Church.
This years theme is “I Know the Plans I Have for You”, based on Jeremiah 29:1-14
This years service has been created by the women of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (EWNI).
Presbytery approve church Union 24 Febraury 2022
 At Presbytery, on Thursday 24th, the union of our churches was approved. The date for the union was set for Thursday 7 April when there will be a special service for the inauguration of the new Trinity Community Church.
Both churches had voted unanimously for
union, with the new name :-
'Penicuik
Trinity Community Church' (Church
of Scotland).
Congregational Meetings 13 Febraury 2022 all vote for Union
St
Mungo's congregation and the congregation of Penicuik South &
Howgate are moving towards uniting as a single joint congregation of
the Church of Scotland.
The way in which this will work is laid out in a Basis of Union
(see below) which was voted on after the morning service on Sunday 13th
February in St Mungo's church (for St Mungo's members and adherents)
and in the South Church (for their members and adherents).
Both churches voted unanimously for union, with the new name :-
'Penicuik Trinity Community Church' (Church
of Scotland). This result will now go forward to Presbytery and will
assist them in deciding to officially declare the union of our two
churches, together with a date for the Union, anticipated to be around
Easter.
If you have any questions, please send them to the Session Clerk (Neil Cape), phone 674276 or email stmungosessionclerk@gmail.com.
News from 2021
Christmas week services at St. Mungo'sNativity Service - Sunday 19th
| This
year we did manage a ‘play’ in person, as well as the
YouTube version, but with only two characters, so that we could
maintain social distancing in church.
There was a shepherd, but that
was as close as we got to a conventional nativity play. | | Christmas Eve Services | All Age Gathering - Friday 24th
The
All Age Gathering Family service at 6.30pm attracted a number of
people and families from across Penicuik. Led by Rev Peter Wood we
heard the the story of the birth of Jesus through an interactive range
of contemporary and traditional stories. Christmas carols, bible readings and prayers
made an enjoyable preparation for the big birthday.
| Watchnight Service - Friday 24th
Our
annual Watchnight service started at 11.30pm. Many passing people
dropped in to celebrate the lead up to midnight, the lighting of the
final advent candle, the Christ candle, just after the midnight hour,
heralding the birth of Jesus. Led by Rev John Urquhart with readings,
prayers and carols we had witnessed the arrival of Christmas Day.
| | Christmas Day Service - Saturday 25th | 
|
The Christmas Day family service attracted families and others to come and celebrate the birth of the new born king, Jesus.
Joan
Cape led the short service which retold the age old story, with Christmas carols and stories to start our day of celebration.
|
Providing for those in need Christmas 2021
 Food Facts Friends Foodbank provides Christmas meals on
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
Each
year Food Facts Friends opens its doors to anyone unable to put a
Christmas meal on their table. This year was no exception. With the
help of Bishop's Move, who once again provided their largest removal
truck, and a smaller on too, plus FFF own team in their pickup van,
headed out across the county to collect food for the parcels.
Over
130 tickets had been handed out to needy families, with strict Covid
procedures implemented to hand food parcels over that followed the
Scottish Government Covid restrictions in force this Christmas.
For
those unable to travel to the Community Hub, the volunteers took food
parcels and toys to Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith and beyond to ensure as many
people as possible were not left hungry for Christmas Day.
Full Story and pictures
Afghan Hunger Appeal
with members
of Penicuik South & Howgate, Penicuik North Kirk, and St. Mungo's taking parts. St. Mungo's with Penicuik South Church together ran a collection for the starving in Afghanistan. Collections
at the Christmas services allowed people to donate to Christian Aid,
who are helping with this disaster relief programme.
A total of £145 was raised
The
situation in Afghanistan is catastrophic. Almost 9 million people are
on the brink of famine as drought, conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic
have caused a surge in hunger. Children are dying today, and a million
more under the age of five are at risk of dying over the next three
months. Full Story
Joint Churches Carol Singing in the Precinct - 18 December
Around
a dozen members from across the churches in Penicuik braved the
severe frosty morning weather, to gather at the precinct on
Saturday morning.
The passing shoppers were entertained with a
wide selection of Christmas carols, with musical accompaniment from
Sheila Anderson and her 'Music box'.
A great time was had by all who sang, and stopped to listen. |  |
Informal Congregational Meeting - 12 December 2021
 A
Question and answer session – informal congregational meeting was
held after morning service on 12th December 2021 in St Mungo’s
church. The purpose was to take and answer questions arising from the proposed Union of Penicuik South and Howgate church with
Penicuik St. Mungo's. Full Details
Around 15 different family
groups came in during the afternoon, with children aged from 2 to 11.
Despite the unpleasant weather a lot of people had come to support the
event and they were indeed glad of somewhere warm and
dry to spend some extra time.
Great
turnout for the Hope4Penicuik Christmas Carol Event, this year held in
St. Mungo's Church. With the Silver Band providing the music and the
Penicuik Puppets helping
Church of Scotland Advent Calendar 2021
 ‘Light
in the Darkness' (#LightInTheDarkness) is the theme of this year's
Advent calendar, which runs from 1 December until Christmas Eve (Friday
24 December).
This year's theme is inspired by John 1:5 ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'
Each day during Advent, a new window will be available to open with a themed prayer, video, or story.
Remembrance Sunday - 14 November
 St.
Mungo's hosted the Penicuik Remembrance service, which this year saw a
return to a church service with the Royal British Legion being joined
by local organisations and dignitaries. We welcomed Rachel Oliphant,
deputy Lord Lieutenant for Midlothian, representing Her Majesty the
Queen.
The
parade arrived from Kirkhill to the church in silence, no pipe band
leading them this year. The organisation representatives filed into the
church, taking us up to around 120 including our normal congregation.
Christmas Coffee Morning - 13 November
 Originally planned as our annual Christmas Fayre. However covid and its raft of restrictions got in the way.
Not
to be beaten our social committee put on their thinking caps and came
up with the Coffee Morning, incorporating some of the favourites of the
Fayres.
Penicuik Playground Singing : 13 - 17 September
Fischy
Music had an absolute blast at their Penicuik Playground Workshops this
week singing with pupils from Cuiken Primary, Cornbank Primary and
Sacred Heart Primary.
As Scottish schools return, everyone welcomed the return of singing in school!
We
all believe in the power of song to nurture children’s
wellbeing and as we recover from the pandemic. The fischy
team invited our schools to join the Fischy Music Online
community.
Pupils were treated to a selection from the 125
Fischy Music songs and teaching resources. It just feels so good to be
singing together again!🎤🤩
A big thank you to Penicuik Churches Together for funding these sessions
Church Hall reopens for activities
From September our church hall will re-open for activities including:
Monday
Bible
Study
Group -
Will restart later in September, date to be confirmed
Wednesday Housegroup / Bible
Study - Church Hall at 10.15a.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, when we hope to welcome new faces as well as old.
Prom Praise Livestream - Saturday 17 July
For
2021 Prom Praise will be streamng online. The All Souls Orchestra and
Special Guests will be coming together at All Souls Church, London, UK
on Saturday 17 July 2021 from 6.00pm to 8.00pm to livestream an evening of the thrilling and diverse music that Prom Praise audiences have come to love year after year.
Michael
Andrews and the All Souls orchestra will be joined by Matt Redman and
Rend Collective virtually from the USA. In person will be
Tearfund’s Krish Kandiah, along with worship leader, Noel
Robinson, soprano Joanne McGahon and music artist, encourager,
songwriter Geraldine Latty.
St. Mungo's Gift Day - Saturday 22 May.
St. Mungo's held their twice-yearly Gift Days as normal this year.
Here are ways in which you can still donate your Gift:
1. Please post a cheque
(payable to ‘Penicuik St Mungo's Parish Church’) to Gordon
MacDonald, 3 Bavelaw Crescent, PENICUIK EH26 9AX. Please put
“Gift Day: May 2021” on the back of the cheque and include
your name and address inside. If you are a taxpayer, Gift Aid can be
claimed on behalf of St Mungo’s if you add “Please Gift Aid
it”.
2.
If you have access to online banking, you can pay your donation
directly to the church account, putting your surname and Gift Day in
the reference box. Here are the details you will need:
St Mungos (no apostrophe for online banking)
Bank of Scotland; sort code: 80-22-60; account number: 17528366
The practical wisdom of Scripture says:
‘Don’t withhold good from someone who deserves it, when it
is in your power to do so.’ (Proverbs 3:27)
Supporting The Leprosy Mission
St.
Mungo's supports the Leprosy Mission and a collection will be held
after the service on Sunday 25 April. You can however donate now on
this link
Watch the story of Friday to see how the mission helps fight this curable disease
|
| Easter Services at St. Mungo's 2021 | Easter Sunday Service - 4
April In church & Online
Welcome
to St. Mungo's this Easter Sunday to in church or online
Easter
Sunday 4 April at 11.00am. Part of the From the
Heart of
Penicuik to the Heart of Easter series. Today's theme The Heart of the
Matter: 'Jesus,
our Risen Saviour'
An
abridged copy of the service was supported by our dial in audio
service, no internet connection required on
01968 700121 or listen
here
| Good Friday Service - 2 April
online at 7.30pm 'Broken hearted'
Welcome
to St. Mungo's on Good Friday 2 April for our evening Easter Week
service, part of the From the Heart of Penicuik to the Heart of
Easter series, see
programme detail in article below. The evening follows the theme
'Broken hearted'
An
abridged copy of the service was
supported by our dial in audio service, no internet connection required
on
01968 700121 or listen here
| St. Mungo's Palm Sunday Service in
church and online - 28 March
The
start of Holy Week is celebrated with Christ's triumphant entry to
Jerusalem. Our theme this Sunday: Look, your King is coming Our
service included celebration of
Holy Communion.
 The Rev John Urquhart led our worship supported by
members of the congregation.
An
abridged copy of the service will be
supported by our dial in audio service, no internet connection required
on
01968 700121.
or listen here
| Holy Tuesday Service 30 March
online at 7.30pm 'Heart felt'
Welcome to St. Mungo's
on Holy Tuesday 30 March for our evening Easter Week service, part of
the From the Heart
of Penicuik to the Heart of Easter series, see programme detail in article below. The evening follows the theme 'Heart felt'
An
abridged copy of the service will be
supported by our dial in audio service, no internet connection required
on
01968 700121 or
listen here
|
From the Heart of Penicuik to the Heart of
Easter
The
Penicuik Churches together (PCT) group have designed a programme that
while acknowledging thedifficult times we are living through, offers
those in our community a way of celebrating Easter.
https://www.penicuikchurchestogether.org.uk/Easter2021.html
A
series of videos, between 1 and 5 minutes, were made available
each day
from early in the morning of the day in question, on the PCT YouTube
channel
Now all
available to watch anytime.
Services during Holy Week across the churches in
Penicuik were presented as shown below:
St. Mungo's reopened for Sunday Worship. - 28 March
 The
Scottish Government has allowed us to reopen our church buildings for
worship for up to 50 people. The visitors returned following our
last in church service at the beginning of January. The rules and
regulations were as they were
before Christmas (i.e. wearing masks and keeping 2m distance, no
singing).
If you would like to come, please let Neil Cape stmungosessionclerk@gmail.comknow by the preceding Saturday, so that he can get the 'Trace and Test' information
ready for Sunday morning.
World
Day of Prayer - Friday 5 March
 St. Mungo's hosted
this year's World Day of Prayer service, online due to the ongoing
covid restrictions.
 The
2021 World Day of Prayer is prepared by Christian women of the Republic
of Vanuatu, a small country in the South Pacific Ocean.
The
service included stories, readings, prayers and praise,
presented by members of the churches across Penicuik.
Messy
Church - Burns' Night - Monday 25 January 2021
 The
current lockdown restrictions mean we are unable to deliver
Messy
Church activity packs to your door. However your Messy Church team have
created a short activity sheet, centred around Burns' Night. This uses
materials which they think should be able to be found around the
house....and if not, they are all the sorts of things which can be
easily adapted!
From Bonnie
Bagpipes, to a Haggis, and make your own kilt. All the ingredients for
a fun evening, or anytime.
Whatever
it may feel like, we are not forgotten about, least of all by God. May
he bless you, and bring you comfort and strength in these gloomy days.
News from 2020
Help your church every time you shop at
Amazon
 If
you regularly shop on Amazon, did you know Amazon will donate
0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to your church?
All this at no cost to you.
Millions of products on the site are eligible for AmazonSmile
donations, and Amazon promises that using the service won't result in
higher prices.
To get started simply signon to at https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/SC005838
(SC005838
is St. Mungo's church registered charity number)
AmazonSmile
is a simple and automatic way for you to support your
church every time you shop at Amazon, at no cost to you.
Remembrance
Sunday Service
- 8 November
St.Mungo's
church lit up red to mark Remembrance - until 11
November 2020.
St.
Mungo's hosted the Penicuik Remembrance service, which this
year
was quite different, due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
For
safety reasons, and the restriction on 50 maximum in the chuch we
invited local
organisations to send representatives only. We could
not have the
Silver Band and all the standards presented at the beginning. We did
have our regular congregation members, the bugler Anna Florence outside
the sanctuary to play last post and Reveille, and the piper to play the
lament, before the 2 minute silence
The church
will continue to be lit red until Wednesday 11 November
Messy Church - Remembrance
 Remembrance Day
(or Poppy Day) can be challenging to think about;
thankfulness is perhaps easier to understand.
Being
thankful feels especially significant this year; we can be thankful to
God and to those who help us, protect us and keep us safe. On Poppy
Day, we can especially remember those who helped us, and still help us,
in times of war and conflict.
We think you'll have most of what you
need in the house, or will be able to improvise. If you get stuck, let
Joan Cape 674276 know know and she will try to drop something
suitable in to you. Likewise, let her know if you have difficulties
printing the stuff, or even reading the attachment - we can get copies
to you. Messy Remembrance activity sheet
Kirk
In Penicuik (KIP) - Sunday October 25th
 Kirk
In Penicuik is an expression of the shared life of the three Church of
Scotland congregations in Penicuik. St. Mungo's, North & South
& Howgate. A space for wider conversation, mutual support and
resourcing for the Christian journey!
The
initial activity for
the group was held on the afternoon of Sunday October 25th.
This was the
first of a series of monthly reflective prayer
services held
in the St. Mungo's church hall which lasted 30-40 minutes.
Full Details
World
Polio Day - 24 October
St.Mungo's church
is lit up Purple to celebrate Rotary 2020 World Polio Day.
 Rotary’s
2020 World Polio Day Online Global Update program on 24 October hails
this year’s historic achievement in polio eradication: Africa
being declared free of the wild poliovirus. Rotary Foundation Trustee
Geeta Manek, says that World Polio Day is an opportunity for
Rotary members to be motivated to “continue this
fight.”
She adds, “Rotarians around the world are working tirelessly
to
support the global effort to end polio.” Find out more
at www.endpolio.org/
Harvest Service Donations
 Many
thanks to all who donated to the Christian Aid Harvest Autumn Appeal,
on 11 October and again on 18 October,
which raised over £500 including Gift Aid, plus all those who
donated
online.
Thank you all.
Janis
Hogg
Christian Aid coordinator.
Amazing
collection for Blythswood Shoe box appeal. - 17
October
Christine
Jackson welcomed visitors to the church on Saturday 17 October bringing
their knitted hats, gloves, scarves and knee blankets. Many had knitted
the items themselves, others had bought them to donate.
The
donated knitting filled no less than seven large sacks, which will be
taken to Blythswood Care for their 2020 Shoebox Appeal. Due to Covid-19
restrictions we were not able to display the knitting in the church on
Sunday morning, as has been the practice in past years. You can see
Christine thanking everyone for their contributions, and
telling
us all about the Blythswood appeal in our church service video, and the
Blythswood video that went with Christine's talk.
If
you watched the Graham lead the Pentland Piano Festival, see article
below, then you will enjoy a concert of him playing, with items from a
number of his family and friends.
Graham is
joined
with family and friends for this concert which forms part of the
Penicuik Community Arts Association Penfest 2020 online
celebrations.
Joining Graham are daughters Sophie
and Anna, with
friends Dallas, Ara and Steve performing a range of music and song for
this concert.
Sit back and enjoy the wide variety of
musical entertainment. Click on link below.
Pentland
Piano Festival Concert - 1 October
 Due
to the Coronavirus restrictions and guidance the 2020 Pentland Piano
Festival took place on Thursday 1 October on line this year.
Led
by Graham McDonald, who often plays the organ for us in the church, the
festival featured a wide range of pianists playing for viewers
to the recorded festival.
Once
again the Festival featured
pianists and musicians of all ages and abilities. You can watch the
concert
and enjoy the music from musicians in and around our community. The Festival was also supported by Penicuik
Community Arts Association
Click
on this link to watch the Festival.video https://youtu.be/SMeBtTZb8wc
.
Symphonic
Praise 2020 - Saturday 12 September
One
of our largest worship events of the year was held on Saturday 12
September.
Symphonic
Praise was an evening of worship, with some great hymns from the past
and new hymns for today. The recorded event is now available on our YouTube channel
 
Holiday
Club 2020 Wonderzone - July / August
 Welcome to
Wonderzone catchup. Now completed you can still cach up and view the
complete 5 week Penicuik Holiday Club series.
Exploring the
wonders of the universe,
and thinking about our place in it. We may be small, but we are a very
special part of God’s creation.
Joint
Church of Scotland Service - 1 March
Christian Unity &
New Housing
St.
Mungo's congregation hosted a joint Church of Scotland service on
Sunday 1st March, welcoming members from Penicuik North Kirk,
South & Howgate Church, and Glencorse Church to the morning
service.
Leading our service was Rev Peter Wood, Pioneer & New Housing
Co-ordinator for Lothian Presbytery, and locum minister at Penicuik
South and Howgate Church. Leading our praise for the service were the
praise band from Penicuik North Kirk, Rev Graham Astles on drums,
singers Fiona and Alison, Eunice and Ricky on
guitars, and Malcolm on
piano, together with St. Mungo's resident organist
Eileen Marchant.
Messy
Church - Sunday 23 February
  The
February Messy church took the theme
'Standing on the Rock' as our theme, where the wise man built on solid
rock, and the foolish man on the sand. We will find out what that means
to us.
Read about , and see pictures of the activities th
echildren were involved in and the celebration time in the church.
Beeslack School Jazz Band at St.
Mungo's - Saturday 1 February
Saturday
night in St. Mungo's church hall and the place was jumping to the sound
of music. The Beeslack high school jazz band entertained the audience
with music from musicals, films, big bands and more. Graham McDonald on
piano, introduced and led the band over two sets, a total of 24 tunes.
Raising funds for the Beeslack music department, and the Malawi 2020
project that many of the students are also involved in.
 Messy Church - Sunday 26 January
The
theme for the January Messy church was based on
Jesus's parable
of the sheep and the goats. A range of activities and crafts taught us
the meaning of the parable, which was completed at our celebration time
in the church. A meal finished off our afternoon. Full Story and pictures
Burns Supper - Friday 24 January
A
great crowd from across the Penicuik churches and beyond joined the
Burns celebration on Friday 24th at St. Mungo's church hall.
The
kitchen team had worked tirelessly to provide a traditional meal of
Haggis Neeps and Tatties, followed by trifle, tea, coffee, biscuits and
cheese. A full programme of entertainment, with poems and songs from
Burns wide repertoire had the audience singing, laughing, and foot
tapping. Full
story with listen again and pictures
News from 2019
Christmas at St. Mungo's - 2019
 All in one places, The full list of
events held in St. Mungo's over the Christmas of 2019.
Links
to all the stories and pictures of the advent and welcome of the birth
of Jesus over 2000 years ago.
 Christian
Aid Christmas appeal
Thank
you to everyone who donated to the Christian Aid Christmas Appeal. The
original amount sent away was £235 then on Christmas Eve a
further £151.70 was given.
So
the total sent to this appeal to help mothers living in dreadful
poverty and struggling in degrading work to feed their families was £386.70.
Thanks to everyone once again for a most generous response. www.christianaid.org.uk/  Christmas
Hampers
A Huge thank you to everyone for helping to make 5
Christmas hampers, for families in Penicuik.
Thanks
for food, the home made Christmas cakes and home made Christmas
puddings, gifts for the children & adults and money to buy
fresh
food (i.e. cheese, paté, fruit etc.) and gifts.
There
was enough money to buy everyone a present which was lovely.Many thanks
to you all. Elaine Jacobs
Christmas
Eve Services - 24 December
The
Family service at 4.00pm took us on the journey to Bethlehem and the
birth of Jesus through a series of carols, video and readings. We lit
the fourth Advent candle after watching an alternative version of 'four
candles'
 The watchnight
evening service at 11.30pm
attracted the adults and young members of our
congregation
and others from across Penicuik churches and beyond. Through carols,
readings, and video we heard the story of Christmas, leading to the
lighting of the fifth, Christ candle as the clock passed
midnight
into Christmas Day.
Food Facts Friends Foodbank provides
Christmas meals on Christmas Eve - 24 December
Over
300 baskets of Christmas food arrived at St Mungo’s church
hall
on Christmas Eve, covering the complete floor, ready to feed over 70
families, several hundred adults and their children, from across
Midlothian.
This is the fourth year Food Facts
Friends have
offered Christmas Eve food in addition to its normal Monday opening at
Penicuik and Dalkeith, and Friday in Penicuik.
Advent heads north on Fourth
Sunday - 22 Dec
 We
headed north to celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent, to the North
Kirk for a joint service,
with members of St. Mungo’s, South Church, and St.
James the Less,
joining the the resident North Kirk members for the service led by Rev
Graham Astles.
Peter
Wood presented the sermon
titled ‘Down to such a World as
this’. The theme
was Jesus
being born into a world that was full of sin and a
‘mess’,
not too dissimilar to our own world at this time Full Story
Carols
in the Precinct - 21 December
Carols
in the precinct brought the Penicuik churches together members out on a
dry if somewhat chilly morning on Saturday 21st December. Some 40
people gathered round to sing a selection of favourite Christmas carols
for the shoppers in Penicuik’s precinct.
Food
Facts Friends Christmas Meal - 19 Dec
The
Food Facts Friends foodbank and drop in centre Christmas meal attracted
some 50 visitors to St. Mungo's Church Hall. Town
Crier 'Mose' welcomed
everyone. The Rev John Urquhart told us the true meaning of
Christmas,
and Kevin Rae provided some party entertainment. A visit from Santa
with gifts for the children made for a great afternoon.
CHRISTMAS
2019: Nativity Play - 15 December
This
year the congregation experienced a 'POP-UP' Nativity. Introduced by
the story teller Agnes Ovenstone, we travelled with Mary and Joseph
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, encountering shepherds,
wise men
and angels, and the birth of baby Jesus through a series of
scenes
and actions to tell the story. Full
story and pictures
Christmas
Journey - Saturday 7 December
The
‘Christmas Journey’,
displaying Joseph and Mary's travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem and the
birth of baby Jesus, was presented through a series of scenes inside
St.
Mungo's church on Saturday 7 December. THe church welcomed many
families with children who also visitied the switching on of
the
Penicuik Christmas lights.
CHRISTMAS 2019: Carols with Hope 4
Penicuik - 6 December
The
annual Hope4Penicuik Christmas Carol Concert in the town Hall attracted
friends and families from across Penicuik and beyond. Penicuik
Silver Band, Andrew Dunsire and Graham McDonald provided the
musical accompaniment. Joan Cape led the event with readings and
stories of Christmas, all supported by our very own Penicuik Puppets.
Girlguiding Christmas - 3 December
St.
Mungo's church welcomed the Girlguiding Guides, Brownies, Rainbows,
Rangers and Trefoil for their annual Christmas celebration. With mums,
dads, grandparents and friends looking down from the galley, we watched
the story of Christmas presented in a different way this year, with
help from ministers from the Penicuik Churches Together.
Christmas
Fayre - Saturday 23 November
A
windswept Saturday morning did not stop a steady stream of visitors to
this years Christmas Fayre. Featuring stalls with gifts and toys for
friends and family, books, home baking, jewellery, and of course the
raffle, bottle stall, and tombola. With refeshments on hand
with
a selection of cakes and scones, with tea and coffee, gave plenty to
talk about with friends and new acquaitances. Full story
Remembrance Sunday - 10 November
St.
Mungo’s welcomed over 200 people from the British Legion, our
armed forces, air cadets, Scouts Association, Girl Guiding,
Boys
Brigade, Penicuik Athletic, and civil dignitaries, in addition to our
normal Sunday morning congregation. Sir Robert Clerk Bt, OBE, Lord
Lieutenant of Midlothian was representing Her Majesty the Queen. The
British Army was represented by Lt Luke Allwood of the Royal
Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland. This
year marked the 100th anniversary of the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended the Great War in
1919.
The
Rev John Urquhart led our worship,
with music provided by Penicuik Silver Band.
Messy Church Sunday - 3 November
 The theme for Sunday 30th Messy Church was
'Armour of God'
But what does it mean to wear the armour of
God?
In
the days of the Roman Empire, soldiers wore a protective suit called
armour when they went to war. They wore helmets to protect their head,
a breastplate to protect the front of their bodies, and they carried
swords to fight with in battle. As Christians, we are given a spiritual
armour. You cannot see it, as it is invisible, but it works the same
way as the armour that the Roman soldiers wore. Full Story
Autumn Recital of Classical Song and
songs of Scotland
Saturday 2 November
 Over
100 people braved the
autumn chill on
Saturday 2nd November for an evening of classical and scottish songs,
presented
by 20 year old tenor, Marcus Swietlicki.
With Michael
Barrett providing the piano accompaniment the audience enjoyed
a
great evening of music and song. Full Story with links
to the songs and musicHats, Gloves,Scarves &
Blankets - 27 October
St.
Mungo's congregation once again rallied to the call for warm clothing
for those in Eastern Europe that have little to keep them warm when
winter strikes hard. Sharpening their knitting needles we could almost
hear the clicking around Penicuik as woolly hats, gloves, scarves and
blankets were produced in abundance.
Co-ordinator
Christine
Jackson reported over 550 items on display at the service on Sunday 27
October. An amazing blaze of colours you could not help but see as we
entered the church. The display will be sent Blythswood Care,
where
your knitting is added to their Shoebox gifts going this year
to poor
and underprivileged children and adults in far off places. Full Story and Pictures
Macmillan Coffee Morning - 5 October
A
great crowd turned out for the ' Big Brew' coffee morning, organised by
volunteers from the Food Facts Friends foodbank and drop in centres.The
event was raising funds for MacMillan Cancer Support. Tables
boasting all sorts of gifts and interesting items, to tempt visitors,
plus lots of home baking and of course tea and coffee on tap.
A Total of £1075.31p was collected
for the Macmillan charity.
Full Story Messy
Church - 29
September 2019
Messy Church on the afternoon of
September 29th found us thinking about harvest in a special
way.
  As
we looked at the parable of the sower (Luke 8), we thought about our
Messy Church leaders telling the folks who come along about God and
what it means to know him. They might hear the same things
from
other people; perhaps they read them in the Bible as well. These things
are like seeds which get planted in our minds. The seeds are
stories about Jesus and as we learn more the seed grows and gets bigger
until eventually we know enough about God to be able to tell others
about Him.
Twinning
church visits St. Mungo's - 22 September 2019
 For
the morning service on Sunday 22 September we were joined by Dr Miku
Foning and the Rev Nirwan Subba from the Eastern Himalaya Diocese of
the Church of North India. St. Mungo's is 'twinned' with the church in
Saontalpur. John introduced our visitors and asked Miku to tell us
about the Diocese during the informal time.
Miku
opened by
offering the greetings of both himself and Rev Nirwan Subba from the
diocese of the Eastern Himalayas, Church of North India. We were taken
back some 130 years to explain how they are here today. Full Story
Messy
Church Sports Day & BBQ - 1 September
We
started the new season of Messy Church with Messy Sports, with
games for all the family in the church hall and
garden. The
families and children enjoyed a range of 'sports' activities and
challenges, followed by a great BBQ. Full
story
Sunday
Service - 11 August: Holiday Club
The congregation of St. Mungo's was swelled with
the visitors from all the participating churches
to celebrate the end of a week of the
Holiday Club, many with children   who had taken part in the past weeks
club. The service celebrated God's kingdom, through the activities ,
song, prayer, and stories from the Holiday Club.
The
celebration service was led by Rev John Urquhart of St. Mungo's and Rev
Graham Astles of the North Church, assisted by members of the Holiday
Club team, wearing red tee shirts. Our Waste Watcher 'Rubbish Team',
Sheila Anderson and Sandra Stewart, dressed appropriately in yellow
hi-viz jackets opened the service
This
month we held the event in the church hall. Passing dark clouds and
showers however did not stop our time trying out a variety of crafts
with the theme 'Toilet Twinning'. Jesus
taught us how to share our
good fortune with those who have none. and how basic is a toilet?
Indeed
but how essential it is to a healthy life. Full Story
St. Mungo's Summer Fair -
22 June
St.
Mungo's Summer Fair on Saturday 22nd June attracted people from across
Penicuik to be tempted by a wide range of crafts and gifts. From home
baking and the bottle stall to bric-a-brac, tombola, books and music.
The raffles displayed a wide range of prizes with some special prizes
that would make a great gift. The strawberry tea was the icing
on
the cake, an opportunity to chat with old friends and make new
acquaintances.
Sponsored Walk - 8 June
The
walkers and friends for the annual fundraising
Sponsored Walk on Saturday 8 June gathered
at the front of St.Mungo's church. This years walk centred
round
Penicuik Estate so no transport required for this one. The walk of
around 5 miles took in some of the sights and views around the
estate, which included a stop for refreshments at the Penicuik House
Café.
 Messy
Church - 26 May
This months theme was ‘Try
Praying’. We
all need to be
challenged to
pray more, to try out
different ways of
praying and to explore ways of praying that have
been
helpful for other Christians
over
the centuries.
Through Crafts, stories,
songs and actions we explored what prayer means and how it
can help us all. Full Story
Quiz Night - 24 May
Six
teams from the churches across Penicuik took part in the in the
annual inter churches Quiz Night on Friday 24 May. The challenge was to
win the top prize of the 'Smart Alec', teddy bear. A fun evening with a
wide range of
questions, including films & tv, music, history, geography,
sport,
general
knowledge and the Bible. Full
story
Try
Praying - 5 May
 John
introduced the theme of TryPraying at the morning service during the
informal time. The booklet is not designed for practicing Christians,
but for those who don't think of themselves as religious. John
broke it down to three
propositions. Use it, the booklet. Lose it, by giving
to someone, that
you know, or don't know. News it, tell John of your experiences of
answers to prayer, which can be passed on and shared with others
Full story, hymns,
readings, video, sermon, prayers.
Twinning
Evening Service - 5 May
 The evening
service on Sunday 5 May was to welcome Dr Miku Foning and Reverend
Nirwan Subba from the Eastern Himalaya Diocese of the Church of North
India, on their trip to Scotland. St. Mungo's has recently
twinned with
the church at Saontalpur and has struck up exchanges of correspondence
by email. Prior to the service a buffet meal was laid on for our
visitors and members from the churches across Penicuik and beyond.
This
was to be the first time we had met. We were joined by members of the
other Penicuik Churches, to hear, and take part in this service.
Messy
Church -
Sunday 28 April
 The
theme for this month's Messy Church was '
Easter - what happened next?'
With
crafts, activities and the celebration time in the church,
we found
out the answer. The afternoon attracted a wide range of families with
young children, keen to learn about Jesus and God . Full Story Sunrise
Service - Greet the new dawn - 5.30am
 Some
17 souls, including families with children, from the churches in
Penicuik, gathered before the dawn at
St. Kentigerns church behind St. Mungo’s at 5.30am. The Rev John
Urquhart opened our
resurrection service, followed by a walk to Broomhill to continue the
service, greeting the sunrise at 5.53am celebrating the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. A welcome breakfast at St.James the Less
followed. Full Story
Resurrection Service - 11.00am
 We
continued our Easter resurrection celebration with the family service
at 11.00am, with Rev John Urquhart once again leading our worship.
John
opened the service with a call from Luke 24, which we repeated three
times: 'Alleluia! Christ is risen, which we all replied 'He is risen
indeed. Alleluia!'. The opening hymn 410 reflected this new dawn 'Jesus
Christ is risen today'.
Resurrection Praise Service -
7.00pm
 We
concluded our Easter Sunday celebrations with an evening praise service
led by Joan Cape and a team of Penicuik musicians from a variety of
churches: Andrew Dunsire, Fraser Hudson and Phoebe Middleton on guitars
and vocals, were joined by Graham McDonald on piano, with daughter
Sophie on Saxophone/vocals and son Sam on drums. Neil Cape played bass
guitar while Joan sang. Listen to all the songs
Full story, praise
songs, reading, drama, prayers.
Good Friday - 19 April
 The
Good Friday service at St. Mungo’s commemorated the execution
of Jesus
by crucifixion. Good Friday is a day of mourning in the Christian
church, when we remember Jesus'
suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith.
Through
readings from the gospel and the Address we hear the story of the
crucifixion, and the role of the players unfold.
Full service, hymns,
readings, address, prayers.
Maundy Thursday - 18 April
 Maundy
Thursday is the Thursday before Easter Day when we remember
when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and
drinking wine, which is now known as the Last Supper.
St.
Mungo's hosted the Penicuik Churches Together (PCT) service, with
members from South Church, North Kirk, Sacred Heart and Destiny Church
joining Rev John Urquhart to lead the Maundy service.
The service
included the washing of feet and holy communion
Full service, hymns,
readings, address, prayers.
Palm
Sunday - 14 April
 Palm
Sunday is the first day of
Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' arrival
in Jerusalem  riding on a donkey. John introduced the story with
a quiz
at the informal time. Here we were asked to identify 'Who is this?' The
final picture represented Jesus entering Jerusalem as a 'King' on a
donkey. John refers to the reading from Luke, The sermon relates
Pilates choice to the people between Jesus Barabbas and Jesus
of
Nazareth.
  Guild -
Visit to the Holy Land - 1 April
The
Rev Andrew Don joined the Guild on Monday 1st April to present his
story
of a trip to the holy land.
Andrew related a This fascinating
illustrated tale
of the trip of a lifetime. Fullstory
Messy Church -
Sunday 31 March
 Our
theme for this month's Messy Church was ' Who is Jesus'. Our crafts and
activities helped us learn about who Jesus was and how he saw himself
when here on earth. The celebration time in the church was led by Joan
Cape, who presented examples of the teaching of Jesus the man. Songs
and actions helped in our understanding. A family meal completed the
afternoon. Full Story.
 Pentland
Piano Festival - 30 March
Over
60 participants took to the stage in the South Church Penicuik on
Saturday 30 March for the day sessions for pianists
of all
ages. Some teamed up with fellow pianists for the duet section. Over
twenty of the players returned in the evening to entertain us with a
concert covering a variety of musical themes, classical to film and
musicals, as well as jazz. Attracted pianists
from Penicuik, Midlothian, across
the UK and Europe.
Guild -
Community Choir - Monday 4 March
The Penicuik Community
Choir entertained a great audience with a range of favourite songs from
shows and films. Liz McKeon led the choir singers which
included
solo pieces as well as the full choir. With something for everyone, and
singalongs invited for
those evergreen songs that we all recall as soon as we hear the opening
bars. Full story
and pictures.
 Messy Church - Sunday 24
February
Our
theme for this month's Messy Church was "I'm not doing
that!" We found
out just what Bible passage this related to.Through various
crafts,
stories and song we found out the answer. Full Story
Girl Guiding Thinking Day
- 19 March Travelling
through time
Thinking
Day theme for 2019 was 'Travelling through Time' With the
arrival
of the Tardis we met girls emerge as members of the Guides movement
from its early beginnings to the present day. Time travelling
with story, song and actions.
 Guild - Equal
futures - Monday 18 March
 Sarah
Murphy told the Guild meeting on Monday 18th about her work
with
the Equal Futures charity, which involved us in some practical work as
well.
 Twinning
Reaching out across the world
Your
Kirk Session agreed that we take up an offer from Lothian Presbytery to
twin St. Mungo’s church Penicuik with a group of churches in
Saontalpur
in the East Himalaya Diocese of the Church in North India.
The
Rev Hugh Trevor, who has visited this area several times, will tell us
more when he
visits us at St. Mungo's for the Sunday
service 3rd March. Full
Details
Guild
- An
evening with Mary Millan - 4 February
 Mary
Millan was the guest speaker at the Guild meeting in St. Mungo's on
Monday 4 February, where she spoke of her connection and involvement
with the African country of Rwanda.
Mention
Rwanda and Genocide, Tutsi and Huti spring to mind. Mary would touch on
this but opened her talk by positioning Rwanda as slightly larger than
the size of Wales. Where Wales has a population of 3.1 million people,
Rwanda has over 12.2 million. Situated just south of the equator the
country is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic
Republic of Congo. The country is
called 'the land of 1000 hills', Full
Story
 Messy Church -
Sunday 27 January
Our
theme for this month's Messy Church was "Refugees" -
based
on the
time when Jesus and his family were refugees. We found out when that
was, with the Gospel of Matthew helping to find the answer. Clues were
discovered through crafts, story and song. A time for families
with young children learn about life, through stories from the
Burns
Supper - Friday 25 January 2019
St.
Mungo's Burns Supper started with Jack Mullins piping in the guests,
Gordon MacDonald wlecoming the hearty audience and our minister Rev
John Urquhart reciting Burns Selkirk Grace. Mark Wells then
brought in the haggis, led in by piper Jack Mullins, with
Godon
Macdonald adressing and toasting the haggis before we all tucked in. An
amazing range of poetry, stories and song followed, presented by a
talented group of members from across the Penicuik churches. Full Story with listen again
News
from 2018
 Christmas Fair Quiz - answers
The
Christmas Fair on 24 November included a quiz. There were only two
correct in all of the ones returned so the prize was split between
them. Click answers
to see how you got on.
Christmas Eve, fourth advent
- 24 December
We
prepared for the arrival of the new born King, Jesus Christ on Monday
24th December with two events.
The birth of the new King -
11.30pm
The
Watchnight service continued our journey to the birth of Jesus using
story, scripture, video and praise. On the turn of midnight we lit the
final fifth Christ Child candle in the centre of our advent ring,
heralding the arrival of the saviour, this Christmas day. Full
Story with carols, talk and video
Fourth Advent Family Service -
4.00pm
The
family service at 4.00pm on Christmas Eve attracted families with
children to hear and take part in the real story of Christmas and the
arrival of the baby Jesus. Led by Joan Cape we followed the journey to
the stable in Bethlehem through story, scripture, and song,
with Andrew Dunsire and Phoebe Middleton leading the
praise. Full Story
Foodbank Christmas Lunch -
21 December
Food
Facts Friends Christmas lunch on Friday 21st welcomed over 60 visitors
to St. Mungo’s church hall. Town Crier
‘Mose’ opened the event and our
traditional Christmas meal was introduced by the Rev John Urquhart
saying the grace. The
Salvation Army band played Christmas carols throughout our meal which
was followed by a thank you from charity patron Michelle
Ballantyne
MSP. A
visit by Santa Claus, handing out gifts to all the children and adults
was followed by a free raffle where four lucky winners collected large
Christmas hampers. Full Story
Third Advent Sunday Nativity
Play - 16 December
Our
nativity story had the full cast of Mary & Joseph, Angels,
Wisemen,
Shepherds, King and Prophet, to perform the story of the birth of
Jesus.
Full
Story with listen again feature
Second Advent Sunday - 9
December
  We
continued our journey through advent on Sunday 9th
December, The second advent candle, signifying peace, was lit
by
Ruby Sprott from the congregation.
During
the informal time
John explained what peace means in the bible. Using a short
video
we looked at some Hebrew and Greek words. The word
“peace” is translated from the Hebrew word shalom
meaning peace in human relationships, but also
“completeness
or
soundness.”
 Hope
4 Peniucik Carol Concert - 8 December
The
much loved annual carol concert in the town hall on Saturday 8
December saw the Penicuik Silver Band, the Puppets and much
more, bring us the
real meaning of Christmas through story, theatre and song. Full
story
 The
Christmas Journey - 7 December
St.
Mungo's hosted the Christmas Journey, from Joseph and Mary travelling
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, to the birth of baby Jesus in a series of
scenes with activities around the sanctuary in the church. Families
with young children visited the journey as part of their trip to see
the Penicuik Christmas lights switch on.
 Girlguiding
Christmas - 5 December
On
Wednesday 5th of December St. Mungo's played host to Penicuik and
Midlothian Girlguiding, Rangers, Brownies,
Trefoil and Rainbows girls, parents and
friends, for their annual Christmas Service. Full Story, Pictures
and listen to the service
First Advent Sunday - 2
December
  Sunday
2nd December marked the first advent Sunday and our minister John
Urquhart invited Charlie from the congregation to light the first
candle, the Candle of Hope on our advent circle. We can have hope
because God is faithful and will keep the promises made to us. Our hope
comes from God.
Our theme was
judgment, which we all face at
the end of our lives. Christ died to take away the sins of many people
and come to save everyone who is eagerly waiting for him.
Messy Church - 25
November
With the advent of Christmas
approaching the theme ‘God loved the world so
much’ was
brought to life with crafts, fun and song. The celebration time in the
church had the children playing out the nativity and hearing stories of
Jesus, with songs and prayer. A great family meal completed our
afternoon. Full Story
Marcus
Swietlicki Recital - 24 November
Marcus
Swietlicki treated us to a wonderful
evening of classical music and music
from the shows. Accompanied by Michael Barnett on piano the audience of
over 70 people sat in awe at the performance. Full story with links
to hear the music.
This
years Christmas Fair was full of amazing items to see and buy.Toys for
the kids, stocking fillers and more. The raffle this year had an
amazing top prize. With a full range of refreshments the visitors wre
in for a real treat. Full
story and pictures
 Guild: L'Arche Housing - 19 November
Lady
Clerk presented the work of L'Arche Housing as part of the Guild
meeting on Monday 19th. Along with colleagues from the movement we
heard of the fascinating history of the venture, formed by French
Canadian Jean Vanier. With facilities across the world we listened to
the team from Edinburgh tell us of the work the organisation does
locally. Full Story
Remembrance: Armistice Centenary - 11
November
Pipers
lead the Legion and organisations to St. Mungo's
This
Armistice Centenary service was particularly poignant falling on
the11th day of the 11th month, exactly 100 years from the signing
of the Armistice, bringing to an end over 4 years of WW1 hostilities.
The
Rev John Urquhart led the service, with Penicuik Silver Band leading
the music for the praise.
Guild
90th Anniversary1928 : 2018 - 27 October
 St.
Mungo's Guild celebrated its 90th anniversay on Saturday 27 October. We
heard about the history of the Guild from its early days though tothe
present time.
With talks, and songs from the times, plus a
sing song for us all to join in made for a great afternoon.
 Messy Church - 28
October
Theme for the October Messy Church was
‘Light of the World’.
Your word
is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
St
Mungo's Hall resounded to the fun, activities, fellowship,
praise
and hot dinner to finish for families with children of primary school
age. Full Story
Hats
Gloves and Scarves - 21 October 2018
St.
Mungo's congregation once again rallied to the call for warm clothing
for those in Eastern Europe that have little to keep them warm when
winter strikes hard. Sharpening their knitting needles we could almost
hear the clicking around Penicuik as woolly hats, gloves, scarves and
blankets were produced in abundance.
Co-ordinator
Christine Jackson reported over 500 items on display at the
service on Sunday 21 October. An amazing blaze of
colours you
could not help but see as we entered the church.
Full Story and
pictures
Moderator visits foodbank at St.
Mungo's - 5 October
Food
Facts and Friends welcomed the Rt Rev Susan Brown to Penicuik St.
Mungo's church hall on Friday 5 October, to see for herself the good
work the foodbank and drop in centre provides those in need
across
Midlothian. Rev Susan Brown was returning to her home town of
Penicuik, Midlothian for the visit to Food, Facts and Friends
Foodbank,
which is hosted in St Mungo's Parish Church Hall. Full Story
 Messy Church - 29 September
This
month Messy Church had a good look at the bible, answering some
questions about what it is and why we should read it. Our big bible
timeline helped us better understand how some of the well
known stories fit together. Using
a range of activities and crafts we went on to learn all about the
Bible . Celebration time in the church was followed
by a
meal together
 Recital
- Sophie McDonald - 14 September
The
talented young singer and clarinetist, Sophie McDonald filled Penicuik
South Church with song and clarinet music for her recital on Friday 14
September 2018.
The audience were in for a musical
treat indeed as
Sophie entertained us with two acts opening with songs modern, jazz and
classical. Following a short break and we were being treated
to some of
the most beautiful clarinet music written. Sophie
was joined by her father Graham
McDonald accompanying her on piano.
 Messy Church Sports
Day - 26 August
Inclement
weather called for a change of plan for Messy Church on Sunday 26
August. Relocating to the church hall, the children enjoyed a range of
'sporting' activities, without getting wet. Sheila Anderson
led
the story time, which was followed by a BBQ. Full Story
Holiday
Club 'Teambuilders' - 12 August
St.
Mungo’s welcomed families and friends from the North and
South churches
to a service that celebrated the completion of another successful
holiday club week.
Presented by the team
who led the holiday
club, held in the North Church, we were given an insight and flavour of
the content and activities that took place with the children throughout
the week. Full
Story with
links to talks and videos during the service
 Garden
Party - 28 July
The
Food Facts Friends garden party welcomed a good number of families and
individuals, despite the heatwave on Friday giving way to grey clouds
and rain. Organiser Mark Wells switched to plan B set inside St.
Mungo’s church hall.
Town Crier Mose opened the
party,
followed by Mark Wells telling us how it works, who supports the
foodbank, and the work of the always welcomed volunteers, many who
turned out to help serve refreshments throughout the afternoon.
Full
Story
 Farewell
to Lynsay Downs - 8 July
Sunday
8 July is
Rev Lynsay Downs’ last Sunday as Rector at St James the Less.
Let’s
thank God for all He has done through her while she has been in
Penicuik, and ask Him to bless her new ministry at St
Ternan’s,
Banchory. The congregation of St. Mungo's wish her well as she
takes up her new charge on 1st August.
The Great
Giveaway - 24 June
  Messy
Church theme on Sunday 24th was 'the great giveaway'. Based on Mark 10,
the crafts focused on what we can do for others rather than for
ourselves. A sketch played out in the church
at celebration time reinforced the message. A great BBQ under the
blazing sunshine in the garden added to the fun of the afternoon. Full Story
Summer Fair
- 16 June
A
great crowd visited St. Mungo's church hall on Saturday 16 to be
tempted by the wide range of items on display. Home baking, bottle
stall, knitting, books, jigsaws, tombola, birthday and special occasion
cards, plus of course the raffle. A special 'guess the teddy bears
name?' saw a few heads being scratched! Refreshments always at hand.
Sponsored
Walk - Saturday 9 June
The
sun shone on the 11 walkers, and Rosie the dog, as they set off from
St. Mungo's to walk the Tweed valley from Cardronna to Innerleithen.
Along the river and over the hills, with a call for ice creams at
Caldwells in Innerleithen made it a great day out, with some walkers
turning out in their shorts. Full
story and pictures
 Messy Church - Sunday 27
May
The
sun shone down on Messy Church looking at one of the
great
festivals in the Christian year, Pentecost. What's it all about and
what it has to do with each of us? Craft
and activities, some in the garden uder the sun,
making windmills, helicopters, rockets, a collage and more. With our celebration, and family meal. Full Story
 Quiz Night - Friday 25
May
The
'Smart Alec' teddy bear trophy of the annual Penicuik Churches
Working Together Quiz Night returned to St. Mungo's following a
challenging evening of questions designed to test and tease the
contestants knowledge. Four teams pitted their wits to answer, or not
in certain cases, the sometimes fiendish questions put to them by
question master Gordon Macdonald and Agnes Ovenstone. Full Story
 Messy Church - 29 April
'Two
Charcoal Fires' was the the theme for the April Messy Church on Sunday
29th. The reference to the two fires appears only twice in the
Bible, Lots
of crafts and activities that told the story, with time in the garden
for some
of the activities,
Celebration
Time in the church was led by Rev Andrew Don and Sheila Anderson
recalling the story of Peter and doubting Thomas. Full Story
 Messy Church - 25 March
Messy
Church this month looked at
how Easter offers a ‘second chance’ to come to God
–
it’s never too late. With crafts, activities and celebration
time
in the church, finishing with a meal for the whole family. Full Story
 Foodbank
Fundraiser Concert - 23 March
Over
60 people gathered in Penicuik Town Hall at 7.30pm on Friday 23 March
to see and hear over two hours of entertaining music, song and dance
from a fantastic line up of talented musicians, singers, and dancers.
The
concert featured
Megan Adams, Sophie Penman, Dancepointe Academy, and the Beeslack Jazz
Band provided
an entertaining evening, while helping to raise funds for the Foodbank.
Full Story
Messy
Church - God's Big Family. 25 February
Messy Church, on Sunday 25 February took the theme
'What is Family'. The
'Messy team' had put together a range of crafts and activities to bring
out the 'All God's family' theme. Lots of crafts, activities, and time
of celebration. All about our own families, other people's families and
how we are all part of God's Big Family. Full Story
St.
Mungo's welcomes new elders - 11 February
The Rev
John Urquhart later ordained and welcomed four new elders. Agnes
Haggart, Elaine Jacobs, and admitted them along with Joan and Neil Cape
as elders in St. Mungo's. Hear
the full ordination and the vows taken by the elders and congregation,
Messy Church - 28 January. 4.00 to 6.00pm
 This months theme was "Stairway to heaven",
and we were looking at the story of Jacob, Genesis 28, 10-19.
Interesting
crafts, ladders, angels climb ladders, and cakes. Plus Celebration time
in the church.
Full
Story and listen to the celebration time
Burns
Night at St. Mungo's - 26 January
Rabbie
Burns
meets Bannock Burn at the St. Mungo's Burns Supper on Friday 26
January. Celebration of the 'Bard' included the traditional meal of
haggis and neeps, followed by a wide range of entertainment including a
trip back to 1314 to the battle of Bannockburn to meet Robert the Bruce
and his soldiers. Read the Full
Story
 Souper Sunday at St. Mungo's - 7 January 2018
St.
Mungo's supported Souper Sunday, where our elders led the act
of worship, highlighting the many issues surrounding HIV, both
at home and overseas. The service was followed by a
simple lunch of soup and bread. Full
Story
News
from 2017
 Christmas Eve at St. Mungo's - 24 December
Christmas Eve Sunday
started with our morning service at 11am. John
took the theme 'courage of Mary' for his sermon, drawing on the work of
Timothy Keller and his book 'Encounters with Jesus'. We were asked to
think about Mary and her courage to think about what she had heard.
Full Story and listen again
service
All-Age Christmas Eve - 24 December
Christmas
Eve afternoon saw the Messy Church team put on the Christmas
Story for all ages. Joan Cape led the service with help from
Sheila Anderson, Margaret Webster, Rae Hunter an Olivia, to tell us the
story of the journey to
Bethlehem by Mary and Joseph and the birth of the baby Jesus.
The story contains links to hear what happened during the live
service at each stage. Full
Story
Feeding those in need at Christmas
Food
Facts Friends provides food to those in need throughout the
year,
through its foodbank, which operates out of St. Mungo's church hall
every Monday and Friday.
For Christmas they pulled
out all the
stops to ensure more than 180 hungry souls enjoyed a Christmas
lunch, or received enough to make one themselves, or have it
made
for them. Full
Story
Nativity
Play - Sunday 17 December
At the morning service we watched and listened to
the nativity story of the birth of Jesus, in a manger
in Bethlehem, as presented by the Sunday School and supporters. What
better way to continue the real message of Christmas. Full
Story
 Festive Songs - Saturday 16 December
Penicuik
Rotary presented the amazing young singer Marcus Swietlicki, who
performed a range of festive songs from classical opera's, film and
shows, ending with Christmas Carols like you have never heard them
before.
Accompanied
by Michael Barnett, and Marcus's brother Rory on
piano, the
audience were amazed by this talented young tenor singer. Full Story
 Hope4Penicuik
Carol Event - 15 December
 The
Town Hall was filled with families and friends to experience the age
old story of the birth of Jesus told through song, story and some
video. Joan Cape led the story, with the help of readers from
all
the churches in Penicuik, and of course the puppets. The Silver Band
provided musical accompaniment, along with Graham McDonald leading some
of the Christmas carols on the piano. Full
Story
 Pentland House Carol Event - 14 December
The
snow was falling, and lying on the ground, as the Salvation Army band
rang out tunes of well known carols on Thursday 14 December 2017. A
small crowd gathered to swell the singing and welcome in the Christmas
message. Full Story
Penicuik
Churches Christmas Services
Join
your church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Full range of services,
where we gather together to worship the new born king. Full Service List
Messy Church
- 26 November 
St
Mungo's Hall Christmas theme was ‘What’s really important
about Christmas’
Telling
the
Christmas story through the eyes of Joseph, and his homeless family,
thinking about what it means to be obedient to God when life turns
upside down.
 Christmas Fair -
Saturday 25 November
Jack
Frost had left his calling card, freezing cold with the ground
snowy
white, as St Mungo's opened the doors for their annual Christmas Fair.
The warmth inside was welcomed by all the visitors, able to unwrap
their thick coats and scarves.
A
great selection of cakes, pancakes, cream scones, and the
first mince pies of the season, thanks to
Christine Jackson, all hand baked, were served with endless
coffee or
tea. The refreshment tables were full of laughter and chat as many
tall stories were told and gossip exchanged. Full
Story
Remembrance Service - 12 November
The
church was filled with members of the Royal British Legion, Army and
Air cadets, Girlguiding, Scouts, Boys Brigade, and
local
dignataries, who had marched in parade down Kirkhill. They were
joined our regular worshippers. The Lord
Leiutenant of Midlothian, Sir Robert Clerk, represented her
Majesty the Queen. The
Rev John Urquhart led our service of Remembrance, opening his sermon
showing a copy of a pocket sized Gospel of St. John, given to
every soldier in the First World War, and what it meant to many. Full
Story
 Hats Gloves and Scarves - 5 November
Sunday
5 November saw the church filled with woolly hats, gloves, scarves,
knee blankets and children's cardigans, all destined for the Blythswood
Care Shoebox appeal.
Christine
Jackson, the St. Mungo's coordinator, who organises all this knitting
activity, and donations for those who don't knit, summed up the display
in one word, Wow!
Over 500 items donated and displayed. Full
Story
Messy Church
- 29 October
The
Messy Church on Sunday 29 October
took as the theme, the parable of the foolish and
wise
virgins, which for our afternoon became the wise and foolish
bridesmaids. Our
crafts, activities and time of celebration in the church made us think
about how ready we are to respond to Jesus when
He calls, Full Story
Harvest
Thanksgiving - 8 October
The
tables were laden with produce of all kinds, for the harvest
thanksgiving on Sunday 8 October. We thanked God for the bountiful
crops which provide food for His people here on earth. The Rev John
Urquhart preached the service. All the food was given to both food
Facts Friends foodbank which operates out of St. Mungo's church hall,
and Penicuik North Church Foodstore. Listen again to the service
Silent Auction
- 22 September
The
number of donations was amazing so the auction started with a
bang. We had everything from crystal to beautiful blankets
with
all you could think of in between. We even had a bread maker.
It was a really
successful night and we had a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who helped
in any way. Full
Story
 Messy Church Sports - 27 August
 The
weather stayed fair for our sporting time in the park. Lots of games
for the children to enjoy, from swingball, leaky bucket, throwing the
welly, and skiing. Celebration time led by Sheila Anderson, had us all
guessing as we learned more about Jesus and God. A BBQ of nice things
to eat and drink finished our afternoon.
A great day in the
park to
open the new season of Messy Church.
An
Evening of Music with Sophie McDonald Saturday 26 August
 An
amazing performance from Sophie McDonald in front of a great audience
at the South Church Penicuik. Her repertoire started with a selection
of classical songs, and songs from the musicals. A short break then
straight into a full selection of music for clarinet. Over 90 minutes
on stage, a real test of endurance for Sophie. Assisted by
father
Graham
on piano, the pair delighted the audience. Full Story with songs
and clarinet
 Rev John Urquhart Induction - 10 August
The
Rev John Urquhart was officially inducted into his new charge
at
St. Mungo’s on Thursday August 10th at 7.00pm. Th Rev Neil
Dougall led
the service with members of the Presbytery joinedb by a congregation
with members of for all the Penicuik churches, and Craigmillar Park.
Full story
Holiday Club -
Epic Explorers
Epic
Explorers takes children aged 4-11 through Mark’s Gospel to
discover
who Jesus is, why he came and what it means to follow him. The
adventure took us to the island, scampering round the dens,
searching
the cave to discover the most exciting news you'll ever hear!
Full Story
 Rev Hugh
Davidson final service - 30 July
Sunday 30 July was
the final service led by Rev Hugh Davidson, stepping down after almost
4 years as our Locum minister.
Deputy
Session Clerk Margaret Webster led the celebration which followed
Hugh's service, paying tribute to Hugh 's dedication
to our congregation. Over 40 people from
the congregation joined the celebration, and presentation of
gifts in
the church hall. Full
Story
Rev John
Urquhart Induction - 10 August
The
Rev John Urquhart will be officially inducted into his new charge at
St. Mungo’s on Thursday August 10th at 7.00pm in the church,
where he will be welcomed into our church and community by other
ministers and dignitaries in the town. This will be followed by a
social gathering in the hall. Members from all the churches across
Penicuik and beyond will be invited.
John will then
be ‘preached in’ to our church at the Sunday 13
August service.
All members of the community, local,
far and wide, are welcome to attend this joyful event.
MP
presents work of Foodbank in House of Commons
She
told
members of the house of her visit to the celebration anniversary on 9
June, only one day after she was elected, her visit to the
foodbank
in St. Mungo's church hall, and the work they do in Penicuik helping
those with little or nothing.
Rev John Urquhart Call sustained - 29
June
It is now official - the Rev John
Urquhart will be our new minister,
following Presbytery
sustaining the Call at their meeting on
Thursday 29 June,
ending 5 years of vacancy for our church.
Messy Church - Sunday
25 June
This months theme explored the parable of the Prodigal Son, who learned
what it
is to be lonely and also what it is to be loved and forgiven.
A
supporting range of crafts and activities, some as part of the
celebration time in church, made this a great way to celebrate God. We
finished off the afternoon with a barbecue in the church hall garden.
Full Story
Summer Fair - Saturday 17 June
The
brilliant sunshine brought out the visitors to join the Summer Fair at
St. Mungo's church hall on Saturday 17 June. The tables were full of
home baking, with a great selection of cakes and home made jams and
marmalade. The bottle and tombola tables joined hands and a single dip
for tickets resulted in many prizes for those taking a 'flutter'. A new
selection of books, CD's, and DVD's attracted interest
too, but
the main attraction was the strawberry tea included in the ticket
price. Full Story
Sponsored
Walk - Saturday 10 June
A
wet start to the day met the team of walkers as they gathered
outside St. Mungo's church. The weather got better
as we
reached Dalkeith Country Park to meet up with fellow walking friends
from Roslin. Soon it was dry and the sun eventually made an appearance
as we made our 6 mile walk over some areas of the park not visited
before.
Food
Facts Friends First Anniversary - Friday 9 June
Food
Fact Friends celebrated their first anniversary on Friday 9 June in
Penicuik Town Hall. Project founder Mark Wells told us how he,
together with a number of friends, started the foodbank and drop in
centre, dedicating his energy to the relief of poverty and suffering in
our community. A range of speakers, including Danielle Rowley our
new Midlothian
MP, and Steve Wright from Edinburgh City Mission, together with
volunteer David Hogg from St. Mungo's, spoke in support of the project
which operates out of St. Mungo's Church Hall every Monday and
Friday. Full
story and pictures
Messy
Church - Sunday 28 May
This
months theme ‘A still small voice’, was
all about how God
speaks to us,
often quietly. A wide range of interesting crafts and activities to
prompt young minds to think about how god speaks to us. The time
of celebration in the church featured stories, activities and
song. all finished off with a hot meal for all the family. Full Story
 Quiz
Night - Monday 22 May
Five
teams pitted their wits and scratched their heads over the range of
brain teasers at the annual inter Penicuik churches quiz night on
Monday 22nd May. Categories included History, British Isles geography,
Acronyms, general knowledge, and of course the Bible. With a break half
way for refreshments the evening was a great laugh and enjoyed by all.
Full Story
Sign the Call for New
Minister - 13 & 14 May
 Members
of St. Mungo's who were unable to attend the successful service and
vote for the Rev John Urquhart to be our next minister may add
their name to the Call by signing on either Saturday 13th or Sunday
14th between 11.00am and 12 noon in the church. Alternatively you may
sign a mandate, available from the Session Clerk 672863. A Paper of
Concurrence is also available for anyone connected with the
congregation, but not on the electoral register of St. Mungo's, to
sign. Children are also welcome to add their names to this paper.
New Minister voted a success
- Sunday 30 April
 The
Rev John Urquhart received a vote of 101 for and only 1 against being
our next minister at St. Mungo's. The vote was taken after
John preached the service on Sunday 30th April as sole nominee
to
fill our minister vacancy. His
inspiring sermon was followed by his vision of the future for St.
Mungo's, taking our congregation on an exciting journey.
A
new chapter in the life of St. Mungo's church is about to
commence. Full Story
The Unforgiving Servant - 30 April
This months theme:
Forgiveness – “The Unforgiving Servant”
We
took the parable of the king who wanted to settle
accounts with his servants. A man
who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to
him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered
that he
and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to
repay
the debt. At this the servant fell on his knees before
him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged,
‘and I
will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master
took pity
on him, canceled the debt and let him go. Full Story
Tom
Mullins and friends entertain - 23 April
Amazing
evening at St. Mungo's listening to Tom Mullins and friends sing a wide
range of popular music from shows and films. Joining Tom were Cate,
Megan, Conal, Meg and Ben. Over 70 people joined the audience
to experience the wealth of talent of this young ensemble who
have
only recently got together as a group. They are sure to go far.
Donations from members of the audience raised £350
for
church funds. Full story.
Easter
Week Services at St. Mungo's
 Easter Sunday 16 April
The
Easter Sunday morning service, led by Rev Hugh
Davidson, started with
the reasons for our Easter celebration, life over death, good
over
evil, love over hate, hope over despair, rejoicing in the resurrection
of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Christ is risen, risen indeed.
Alleluia!
Easter Sunday 16 April - Greet the Dawn
 Easter
Sunday started early for the Penicuik Churches. Some 20 members of the
churches in Penicuik met at 5.30am beside St. Kentigern church ruin,
behind St. Mungo's church, wrapped up well against the 4 degree
temperature.
The Rev Ruth Halley called us to worship this day of
resurrection, before the group proceeded in silent prayer to
Broomhill,
to greet the sunrise. We reached the top of the hill just as
the sun
was beginning to rise. Full
Story
Good Friday 14 April
 The
Good Friday service tooked at St. Luke's account of our Lord's
crucifixion. Through sermon reflection and song we reflected on that
death.
God commends His love to us, that while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us.
Hugh's
sermon took the Rev Sydney Chambers, the fictional vicar of
Granchester in Cambridgeshire, an ameteur sleuth, penned by author
James Runcie
What
of the mysteries of God? Can they ever be solved? Why did Jesus die the
death that He did? This is the mystery that confronts us every Good
Friday. Hugh explored the variety of solutions put forward
over
time, before drawing his conclusion.
 Easter Monday 10 April
Following
Palm Sunday, we continued the Easter Week on Monday 10th with the Rev
Ian Cathcart leading the congregation at St. Mungo's. With members from
all the other churches in Penicuik joining our own members Ian explored
'What type of Christian am I?' in his sermon. Ian used the
extremes of Judas and Mary, both Christians, but at opposite ends of
the spectrum, to show how we can journey toward the adoration that Mary
reflected.
 Celebration
of Gifts Praise Service - 9 April
The
Palm Sunday service took the theme 'Celebration of Gifts'.
Led
by Joan
Cape with music provided by Graham McDonald on piano, Caroline Toms on
Guitar and vocals, and Neil Cape on bass guitar. The service covered the use of our gifts from God
and how we can use them.
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St.
Mungo's hosted a Christian Aid 'Big Brekkie' before
the morning service on Sunday 28 April, to help raise
vital funds for people around the world.
Easter Sunday :
Resurrection - 21
April.
