St Ninian’s Cathedral Warm Spaces
“Warm Spaces” has restarted on Monday mornings, with useful links made with YMCA Tayside. We are also planning to restart our Community Lunches on a more regular basis, with the help of Sri Lankan members and their culinary skills!
The Children’s ministry team at St Ninian’s is looking at how to develop their services to make them a more inter-generational church.
Advent Studies at St Ninian’s
Provost, Rev Dr Stephen Holmes is organising Advent Study Devotions in December to which all are welcome. Thursday evenings in person, at 5.30pm, starting on 28th November; online on Monday evenings at 7pm from Monday 25th November.
Activism against Gender-based violence
To mark the beginning of the 16 days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, Christian Aid Scotland are hosting a service in St Matthew’s Church on Monday 25th November at 1.30pm preceded by a light lunch, and followed by, for those who can stay, a chance to look at a new Gender resource. For catering purposes, please email edinburgh@christian-aid.org if you wish to attend.
Coffee Mornings at the Methodist Church
Methodist Church reminded us that they host a coffee morning every Saturday, with a lunch (soup. bacon rolls, etc) on the first Saturday of each month.
Carol Singing at Dobbies
Folk are warmly invited to join the carol-singing at Dobbies on Saturday 14th December, raising money for Christian Aid – there are four sessions, 11am-11.30am, 12-12.30pm , 1.30pm- 2,pm and 2.30pm-3pm.
Street Pastor News
Street Pastors, or rather the School Pastors: building on the success of ‘drop-in and hot chocolate’ sessions for pupils at Bertha Park on Tuesdays, a similar initiative is being started on Thursday lunchtimes at North Muirton Hall, for pupils of Perth Grammar.
Lantern Parade
The Lantern Parade scheduled for this Sunday has been cancelled by the Council because of adverse weather warnings; it may or may not be rescheduled for later in December.
Carol Service
The PACT Carol service will go ahead on Friday 20th December at 7pm in Perth Congregational Church.
Our guest speaker is Rev Dr Stephen Holmes, the (relatively) newly installed Provost at St Ninian’s Cathedral.
The suggested charities to benefit from the offering are Aid to the Church in Need (www.acnuk.org), War Child (www.warchild.org.uk), and the Inspiration Orchestra (https://the inspirationorchestra.com)
Posters for the carol service have already been distributed.
Advent study group
Jenny Dawson is willing to host an ecumenical Advent study for anyone interested – please contact her at jenniferdawson22@yahoo.co.uk
World Day of Prayer
The World Day of Prayer, held each year on the first Friday in March – PACT are looking for a church to offer to host next year’s service – please get in touch if your church can offer this accommodation.
PACT – next meetings
Proposed dates for our next meetings: Wednesday 22nd January at 7pm in Our Lady of Lourdes church hall, Struan Road, and Monday 10th March at 7pm at St Ninian’s Cathedral.
2025 Nicaea Study Day, Saturday 10 May 2025, at St Ninian’s Cathedral
Every Sunday the ‘Nicene Creed’, an ecumenical statement of faith we share with all other orthodox Christians in many churches which sums up the Christian faith. 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea where this creed was first put together, though the form we use is the final version as completed at the Council of Constantinople in 381.
There are not many things in weekly use by over a billion people which are 1700 years old so this is something to celebrate. St Ninian’s Cathedral will be joining with the Scottish Episcopal Institute to host a study day on the Council of Nicaea on Saturday 10th May. The main speaker will be Professor Lewis Ayres of Durham University and the Angelicum, Rome. He is the author of the important book Nicaea and its Legacy which changed our way of understanding the teaching of Nicaea on the Trinity and its importance for our life of faith and contemplation.