15 September 2025

For over  a year now, I have been working as the Facilitator in the North Fife Cluster. During 2025, we have organised a series of rotational services amongst three of the charges which are set to unite together in due course. They have taken place in four different church buildings.

In addition, we have organised a service for the whole cluster. This includes a new charge which has been  the successful union of two congregations and has since called a minister. The theme of the service is ‘A Festival of Psalms’. The inspiration came from the 375^th anniversary of the Scottish Psalter (1650).

Eight people from the four charges have been working together to organise the service. It includes metrical psalm singing as well as the singing of psalms in a contemporary style. A choir is being formed from the various charges and one of their anthems is the setting of Psalm 23 to the Vicar of Dibley!

There is going to be a dramatization of one of the psalms. The children are going to sing a psalm. Floral arrangements are being made from each charge celebrating a particular psalm and a banner is being produced to include the whole worshipping community.

To this end, a member from Tayport Church attended morning service at Balmerino where I was preaching. He came armed with pencils, paper and scissors. He wanted as many people as possible to draw round their hand, cut it out and hand it in for use in the corporate banner. This happened over coffee in the hall.

There was much enthusiasm. It seemed to me that everyone participated in this erstwhile Sunday School activity with good heart. The hands are going to appear in the banner somehow, somewhere and we will be united in a corporate endeavour celebrating our  determination to serve our world with hope and joy!