About Penicuik North Kirk
PENICUIK NORTH KIRK
Penicuik North Kirk is a local parish church in the Presbytery of Lothian, and one of 3 Church of Scotland congregations serving the town of Penicuik. The congregation, which was founded in 1782, is made up of around 400 members. We are a local congregation of the Church of Scotland. We are open and inclusive and welcome people of all ages to worship. At the local level of Penicuik North the court is a Kirk Session. Kirk sessions oversee the local congregation and its parish, and consist of elders presided over by a minister. Meetings of the Kirk Session and its Committees are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. The Kirk Session meets 6 times a year and the Committees meet 2 times a year. The Stated Annual Meeting of the congregation is held after worship on the last Sunday in March. YOUNG KIRK Over the past six months Young Kirk have been reading God’s Word related to caring for our planet, the environment and everything living within it as part of working towards the Eco-Congregation Award. We have created bird feeders and ladybird homes for the Church garden, planted up new tubs with brightly coloured flowers for the front of the Church building and cleared and planted the area at the front of the North Hall with summer bedding plants. Within the Church buildings we have encouraged everyone to save electricity and water by placing stickers at light switches and taps reminding everyone to turn them off if they are not need. Godly Play has also been an important part of Young Kirk as Leaders have attended training which enables us to include Godly Play as part of our morning worship on Sundays. We have also included the stories of Creation and Noah’s Ark as part of our Eco-Congregation Award looking at the importance of the environment through God’s Word. In June we had our annual celebration of Young Kirk during morning worship where the children shared with the congregation our work towards the Award and our visit to Deep Sea World in June. Each child received an Eco Award certificate for all their hard work looking after God’s creation and a gift of a book to read during the summer holidays. It was a wonderful celebration of the Young Kirk! OPEN DOOR CAFE The Open Door café, operated by volunteers, offers real coffee, tea, home baking and friendship. It is open from 10am to 12 noon Monday - Friday and from 2pm to 4pm Monday and Friday throughout the year offering a welcoming venue for friendship and companionship. QUIET ROOM Our Quiet Space is open alongside the Open Door Café and on Sundays. It provides space for quiet prayer and resources such as bibles, artwork and books of prayers and reflective readings which are themed to the seasons of the Christian year. |
The Kirk Buildings
OPEN DOOR CAFE
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FOODSTORE AT PNK/ NO KID GOES HUNGRY
Penicuik North Kirk, supported by other Penicuik area churches, has been active in the community of Penicuik, Roslin, Auchindinny, Howgate and associated areas in the support of our ‘families in need’ since 2013. Supported by other local churches in the Penicuik area, Penicuik North Kirk takes the lead in providing food and other necessary items for children and their families following a referral from the Children and Families Unit of Midlothian Social Work Department who are working with partners to alleviate child poverty in the county.
We have successfully provided lunches for 67 of our very vulnerable children who would normally receive a free school lunch during the summer holidays. We continue to serve our community with food for families in crisis and we appreciate your help towards this.
God is good indeed. We have cupboards which are very full from all the generous donations at Harvest from other churches and also from three local schools. However, we are preparing for the 12 emergency Christmas hampers which go out on 19th December, as well as our ongoing parcels for families in crisis. Hence we are asking for small monetary donations to purchase the perishable goods which we include with the parcels. However, we still have a few things which we need. Christmas puddings, shortbread,selection boxes, shaving products, cleaning products, detergents and light bulbs.Small moneratry donations to purchase perishables would also be apprecited.
Thank you to everyone for your continued generosity..
Further details contact Jan Naylor at lowriesedge@sky.com
WHAT’S COOKING PROJECT
What’s Cooking, for the parents or carers of the children we help with food parcels, started in January 2017. This is an exciting project which we hope will help as many families as possible to prepare simple meals. We have run four courses of eight weeks over the past two years in the Spring and Autumn. We have had two participants on each course.
The cooking project is not only about learning new cooking skills but also about gaining confidence in themselves. This has been evident over each course.
MIDAID
About 6 years ago we were asked the question. ‘What can we do to help the refugees?’
Some willing helpers met with Midlothian Council and the Business Gateway to sketch out a Midlothian response to the crisis. There were two main aims – one to collect clothing, shoes and other goods for onward transmission to the refugee camps in the Bekka Valley in the Lebanon and secondly to assist refugees coming to stay in Midlothian.
MidAid was formed as a loose amalgamation of local churches, the Council and the Business Gateway.
The Council undertook to run a weekly collection of the collected goods from the church collection points to Edinburgh Direct Aid in Granton, where the goods were packed with other donations, loaded onto articulated lorries and taken to the Middle East. We gathered and tested electric sewing machines to allow folks to make their own clothing.
The second aspect of MidAid was to assist the Council to settle the refugees arriving in Scotland when families would be arriving with all they had in a few plastic bags. MidAid covered the 6 weeks between the folks arriving and council State benefits, providing clothing, food, household goods to make people feel welcome.
The first part of this effort, the collection of clothing etc, has now been closed following a decision of the lead group.
The second theme – of assisting new arrivals – is still viable and we await the contact from the Council when the next families arrive.
The thanks of the refugees cannot be measured in simple words.
Thank you all for your contributions and efforts over the past 6 years.
Donations are still most welcome to MidAid at Penicuik North Kirk.
WORLD CHURCH
As a congregation we continue to support Christian Aid throughout the year. We contribute to world church by supporting the stamp appeal to help the provision of funding for day care centres for educational, emotional, and physical support for children and young people with disabilities. This is run by the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia (Ukraine). In January we shared in Souper Sunday a worship service led by a group of elders to highlight, and raise money for the Church of Scotland HIV programme.
The congregation is also given the opportunity to support Blythwood Care shoebox appeal for people in Eastern Europe. We have filled and delivered 45 shoeboxes this year.
PENICUIK CHURCHES SHOPPING SERVICE
The shopping service exists to assist those people in the community who are unable to do their shopping or are unable to carry heavy items from the shops.
About twelve friends from all churches in Penicuik help with this service. We are at present visiting six of our neighbours in the community to help them with their shopping.
The service aims to provide the help which would normally be available from a family member or a neighbour. We normally will telephone in the early part of the week and when required, pick up a list of shopping requirements and arrange to collect this and deliver as required. Our helpers work on a rota basis, some weekly, some intermittent and some monthly.
Our helpers have established a close relationship with their clients and we leave the help and service they provide to the discretion of each helper.
Penicuik North Kirk, supported by other Penicuik area churches, has been active in the community of Penicuik, Roslin, Auchindinny, Howgate and associated areas in the support of our ‘families in need’ since 2013. Supported by other local churches in the Penicuik area, Penicuik North Kirk takes the lead in providing food and other necessary items for children and their families following a referral from the Children and Families Unit of Midlothian Social Work Department who are working with partners to alleviate child poverty in the county.
We have successfully provided lunches for 67 of our very vulnerable children who would normally receive a free school lunch during the summer holidays. We continue to serve our community with food for families in crisis and we appreciate your help towards this.
God is good indeed. We have cupboards which are very full from all the generous donations at Harvest from other churches and also from three local schools. However, we are preparing for the 12 emergency Christmas hampers which go out on 19th December, as well as our ongoing parcels for families in crisis. Hence we are asking for small monetary donations to purchase the perishable goods which we include with the parcels. However, we still have a few things which we need. Christmas puddings, shortbread,selection boxes, shaving products, cleaning products, detergents and light bulbs.Small moneratry donations to purchase perishables would also be apprecited.
Thank you to everyone for your continued generosity..
Further details contact Jan Naylor at lowriesedge@sky.com
WHAT’S COOKING PROJECT
What’s Cooking, for the parents or carers of the children we help with food parcels, started in January 2017. This is an exciting project which we hope will help as many families as possible to prepare simple meals. We have run four courses of eight weeks over the past two years in the Spring and Autumn. We have had two participants on each course.
The cooking project is not only about learning new cooking skills but also about gaining confidence in themselves. This has been evident over each course.
MIDAID
About 6 years ago we were asked the question. ‘What can we do to help the refugees?’
Some willing helpers met with Midlothian Council and the Business Gateway to sketch out a Midlothian response to the crisis. There were two main aims – one to collect clothing, shoes and other goods for onward transmission to the refugee camps in the Bekka Valley in the Lebanon and secondly to assist refugees coming to stay in Midlothian.
MidAid was formed as a loose amalgamation of local churches, the Council and the Business Gateway.
The Council undertook to run a weekly collection of the collected goods from the church collection points to Edinburgh Direct Aid in Granton, where the goods were packed with other donations, loaded onto articulated lorries and taken to the Middle East. We gathered and tested electric sewing machines to allow folks to make their own clothing.
The second aspect of MidAid was to assist the Council to settle the refugees arriving in Scotland when families would be arriving with all they had in a few plastic bags. MidAid covered the 6 weeks between the folks arriving and council State benefits, providing clothing, food, household goods to make people feel welcome.
The first part of this effort, the collection of clothing etc, has now been closed following a decision of the lead group.
The second theme – of assisting new arrivals – is still viable and we await the contact from the Council when the next families arrive.
The thanks of the refugees cannot be measured in simple words.
Thank you all for your contributions and efforts over the past 6 years.
Donations are still most welcome to MidAid at Penicuik North Kirk.
WORLD CHURCH
As a congregation we continue to support Christian Aid throughout the year. We contribute to world church by supporting the stamp appeal to help the provision of funding for day care centres for educational, emotional, and physical support for children and young people with disabilities. This is run by the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia (Ukraine). In January we shared in Souper Sunday a worship service led by a group of elders to highlight, and raise money for the Church of Scotland HIV programme.
The congregation is also given the opportunity to support Blythwood Care shoebox appeal for people in Eastern Europe. We have filled and delivered 45 shoeboxes this year.
PENICUIK CHURCHES SHOPPING SERVICE
The shopping service exists to assist those people in the community who are unable to do their shopping or are unable to carry heavy items from the shops.
About twelve friends from all churches in Penicuik help with this service. We are at present visiting six of our neighbours in the community to help them with their shopping.
The service aims to provide the help which would normally be available from a family member or a neighbour. We normally will telephone in the early part of the week and when required, pick up a list of shopping requirements and arrange to collect this and deliver as required. Our helpers work on a rota basis, some weekly, some intermittent and some monthly.
Our helpers have established a close relationship with their clients and we leave the help and service they provide to the discretion of each helper.