Peter's Pause for Thought for this week for pupils at Ferryhill Primary School and anyone else looking for a wee craft challenge and to make some joyful (not always in tune) noise!

You can find instructions to create your own origami tulips here, and if you want to print out sheets with coloured paper for making your tulips you can find a Word document here. You can then change the colours to whatever you want!

We are really looking forward to a celebratory worship service for Pentecost on Sunday 31 May 2020 at 11 a.m. We will be joined by the Moderator of the new Presbytery of Aberdeen and Shetland, Rev Hutton Steele, with the new presbytery beginning the following day, 1 June. We will also have a video message from the new Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland as part of that service. We invite you to watch the service using this link.

Pentecost Joint Online Evening Worship

Also on the 31st we will host a joint evening Pentecost service with South Holburn and Ruthrieston West on Zoom at 7 p.m. As part of the service we will be using a "Pentecost Flame" which you can download and print out yourself (note there is a coloured page and a grey page if you want to do your own colouring in!). This file is available here.

If you would like to participate then the login details are as follows:-

You can also dial in and listen to the service by calling 0131 460 1196, and using the meeting ID and password above.

If you would prefer just to watch via YouTube you can do so at our channel.

Each year we support the work of Christian Aid around the world as they engage with communities in need. This year is rather different, of course, as we are not able to pass out donation envelopes to you. But we do encourage you to visit the Christian Aid website and make a donation to them directly via this webpage - https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/key-appeals/christian-aid-week

Remember that we do this as part of our mission of care to the neighbours near to us as we are doing at the moment during this pandemic, as well as our neighbours in other parts of the world. 

During this challenging period, Life and Work is printing as normal, however many subscribers will have their deliveries delayed, especially if they normally receive it through their church. With this in mind, they have made the May 2020 issue available on their website. This can be accessed by clicking the cover image on the right.

This complimentary copy includes features on how the Church is responding to the coronavirus crisis both locally and nationally, an interview with the Moderator-Designate, the Rev Dr Martin Fair, and reflections on the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

For those missing our time of fellowship following Sunday worship, we invite you to join us for a cup of tea (you'll have to supply your own!) and a chat online. We have set up a weekly Zoom meeting which you can access on a PC, tablet or mobile phone using this link and login:-

https://zoom.us/j/92966076568?pwd=S09TRGljVHpvTUVFZmVVeE5JVkpZZz09

Meeting ID: 929 6607 6568, and password: 005056

Alternatively you can call 0131 460 1196 to dial in to the conversation (you will need a note of the meeting ID and password above).

Our Zoom fellowship will begin at 1 p.m. for about an hour.

You are welcome to join us online for morning worship (or catch up later).

See you online!

Every Wednesday from 15 April, there will be a chance for you to donate food for local charity Instant Neighbour at the church. Non perishable food items and toiletries can be dropped off between 1 and 2 p.m. and between 7 and 8 p.m. Items will be distributed to vulnerable and housebound people at this difficult time. Distancing instructions will be adhered to at all times. Thank you.

As many of you will have already seen, churches across the Presbytery have been instructed to no longer have public gathering for worship. This is sensible, the right thing to do, and accords with government advice with regards to Covid-19.

It does not mean that the church itself is doing nothing. Remember that the church is not a building, it is people of faith who make up the church. And we are still active.

Worship will still be happening on Sunday morning and you will be able to access it through our YouTube channel as usual - www.youtube.com/ferryhillparishchurch - or go to our Webcast page. We are also working on how to use technology to our advantage through group video conferencing for other ways to meet virtually, discuss and worship.

Our Pastoral Care Teams are on the case, adapting to the new circumstances, but please expect contact over the next few months by phone, postcard or email rather than in person.

Remember that we have a weekly newsletter which you can sign up to by clicking on the link on the right of the homepage.

Ferryhill Church aspires to be an Eco-Congregation. This means we encourage and enable our Church to care for Creation in every part of church life and to link environmental issues and Christian Faith in worship and education. We try to take environmental and ethical action in church buildings and grounds and in finance and purchasing. We aim to work with the community for a greener world through our personal lifestyles, community projects and global links.

As Climate Change requires urgent action on many fronts, we now seek someone who can advise, inspire and encourage us to do more than we do already. The leader of this group is standing down after 10 years to make way for some enthusiastic young activists. Could that be you? You do not need to be a church member!

There are many other Eco-Congregations in Aberdeen and Scotland that share ideas, support and advice. Resource material with suggested projects and programmes is available on the website, www.ecocongregationscotland.org. Please do consider if this is something you could be involved with, and if you would like to find out more, please get in touch with the minister, Rev Peter Johnston (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or the church administrator, Julie Thompson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Ferryhill Parish Church recognises the importance of protecting privacy and personal information, and has updated Privacy and Data Retention Policies which state how we use, disclose and protect such information according to law. These Policies are available by clicking this link, and any questions on the matter can be addressed to the Session Clerk by email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.