© St Peter’s Episcopal Church, Kirkcaldy 2023

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Advent dinner Advent is a time of preparation, of expectancy and hope. It is a time for believing the promise of God, the promise of eternal life through the coming of His son, Jesus. On Saturday evening, 27 November, the start of Advent was celebrated in a communal meal where readings and prayers were said before each course and an Advent candle was lit. The pictures show some of those who took part, including the children who each received from Gareth an Advent candle of their own.

Goodbye to Rona van Niekerk A dinner was held at the Kingswood hotel on Friday 19 November to say goodbye to Rona and to thank her for all she has done for St Peter's during her stay here. She is shortly to return home to South Africa. Apart from making many friends in the congregation, she played a large part in establishing St Peter's prayer group and a leading role in the 'Casting the Net' program. Latterly she was also the Vestry secretary. The pictures below show Vestry members and others who were able to attend.

Sunday 24 October Three events took place at the 10.30am service. Firstly, Gareth wore the white cope given to St Peter's by the family of Nancy Low and dedicated four weeks ago at Harvest Thanksgiving. Secondly, the baptism took place of Ewan, son of Rob and Clare Maguire. Thirdly, Elizabeth Brooks was presented with a plant and certificate in thanks for her services to St Peter's. She occupied several positions and for many years was the lay representative. She continues to organise the readers' rota. After the service, Ewan's baptism was celebrated with sparkling wine and Christening cake provided by his family.

Looking towards Spring On Saturday morning, 16 October, a happy band of amateur gardeners met in the Peace Garden of St Peter's. Under the direction of Jane Legge, they planted the spring bulbs which had been donated three weeks before at the Harvest Thanksgiving service. At lunchtime, Jane provided a welcome meal of soup and sandwiches to reward them for their hard work. We look forward to seeing the results of their efforts.

Doors Open Day Sunday 12 September saw St Peter's, along with other public buildings in Fife, take part in an "Open Doors" initiative. More than thirty visitors from all over Fife (and even two from Edinburgh) mingled with members of the congregation to view an exhibition of vestments and memorabilia associated with the church over the years. Church members were on hand to answer questions concerning St Peter's, its ornaments and vestments and Phil Kear gave a much appreciated recital on the organ. He even played a visitor's favourite hymn. The visitors also appreciated the tea, coffee and delicious cakes and scones served in the hall.

Survey of Favourite Hymns Thanks to everyone who took part in this survey. The responses of viewers were analysed and points given according to whether the hymn was their first, second, third or fourth choice. According to the survey the top ten favourite hymns of these viewers are the following: 1. Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son 2. Guide me, O thou great Redeemer* 3. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder* 4. For the beauty of the earth 5. Will your anchor hold in the storms of life 6. Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord 7. Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart* 8. All things bright and beautiful 9. Morning has broken 10. The tenth place was shared by four hymns: Praise my soul the king of Heaven The day thou gavest, Lord is ended * Father, hear the prayer we offer Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee Of course, this was a small survey, limited mostly to members of St Peter's. It is interesting to compare it with one carried out by the BBC's Hymns of Praise in October 2005, which showed the following top ten hymns: 1. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder* 2. Dear Lord and Father of mankind 3. The day thou gavest Lord is ended* 4. Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart* 5. Love divine all loves excelling 6. Be still for the presence of the Lord 7. Make me a channel of your peace 8. Guide me O Thou great redeemer* 9. In Christ alone my hope is founded 10.Lord the light of your love is shining Note the agreement between the lists, where the hymns are starred. Thanks again to everyone who contributed. This is the first time viewers have been invited to interact with the website. Its success shows how viewers may express their views on other issues in the future.

A Karen visitor to St Peter’s We were delighted to welcome on Sunday, 20 July, a visitor from the Thai/Burma border who spoke to us about his work on behalf of the Anglican Province of Myanmar among young people. We were able to present him with a sum of money to be used to support Karen youngsters who are living in hostel accommodation without their own families. He also received a personal gift of a cross and bookmark of Celtic design as a memento of his visit.

Funeral of Isabel Johnston A large number of mourners attended the service at St Peter's on 1 June to celebrate the life of Isabella Clarke Johnston, 16 April 1926 - 25 May 2010. This reflected the large number of contacts Isabel had with the community, from her work as a district nurse, her voluntary work for the Hospice at Victoria Hospital and Maggie's centre, her services to the Carmelite nuns in Dysart, her attendance at churches of denominations other than St Peter's, to her membership of several walking groups. Isabel was always one of the first to bring cakes and words of comfort to the recently bereaved. Her enthusiasm for life and Christian service was an example to us all.

Easter Day Christ raised from the dead, proclaims the dawn of hope. He lives in us that we may walk in light. The Easter service on Sunday, April 4, was a joyous occasion. After the harsh winter and the sombre weeks of Lent, a crowded St Peter's welcomed the ceremonies of this special day, the colours and sunshine, Jane Legge's flower arrangements and music enhanced by Rob Maguire and the choir. The themes of the sermon were mission and prayer. At this point in the history of the Christian church we are called to mission, but we should not be disappointed at a seeming lack of success - it is not success but effort that is required of us - effort and prayer. In fact, St Peter's has shown encouraging signs of growth over the past year.

Recent deaths The deaths of two members of St Peter's have occurred this winter, those of Isobel Briggs on 16 January, and Nancy Low on her 75th birthday, 24 February. Isabelle Briggs came to Kirkcaldy to be near her family in 1994. She attended the 9.15 service faithfully for several years until failing health kept her housebound. She had spent her early life in Kingsbarns, became a petty officer in the WRNS during the 2nd world war, serving on HMS Angelo, where she met her husband Ken. They had two children and lived in various locations in England until his death in 1994. She was awarded the veterans medal in 2006 and presented with it at a ceremony here in Kirkcaldy by the then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Her funeral service was held at Kirkcaldy crematorium. Like her husband Jim, whom she survived by just over 5 months, Nancy Low was a long-standing member of St Peter's. Her sudden death came as a great shock to the congregation. Her funeral service was held in St Peter's at 12.30pm on Wednesday, 3 March. Visit of Bishop On Sunday, 21 February, bishop David visited St Peter's. During the service he confirmed Cliff Mwando, Jnr, whose family, originally from Zimbabwe, has recently joined the congregation. He also blessed and dedicated a new altar cloth and other decorative altar linen, presented by Mrs Nancy Low to commemorate the death of her husband Jim. A "hunger" lunch following the service raised £270 towards the Haiti earthquake disaster. January 2010 In spite of the severest winter in 30 years, with roads blocked with snow and pavements treacherous with ice, services at St Peter's over Christmas and throughout January were well attended. On Sunday, 31 January, a large number of the congregation attended the All-age and Christingle service which raised £300 towards the Aberlour Trust.