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. |
The Kirk Buildings
OPEN DOOR CAFE
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FOODSTORE AT PNK /NO KID GOES HUNGRY
Penicuik North Kirk in association with other churches in the area operate the Foodstore.There is no public distribution of food----it is is only distributed 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 are very grateful for the generous donations received at our Harvest Thansgiving Service and for the wonderful harvest of donations of both food and money which constantly arrives at the Foodstore from so many different donors including schools and neighbouring churches. Our cupboards are well stocked at present but the following are items we are short of this week. Led light bulbs, detergent, cleaning products, shaving materials, deodorant, sugar, instant coffeediluting juice, instant coffee and small monetary donations ro help towards buying perishables for our neighbours in need.
Thank you to everyone for their continued support of the Foodstore@PNK.
Items can be handed in to the cafe between 10- 12 Monday- Friday and 2-4 Monday and Friday.
Further details contact Jan Naylor at lowriesedge@sky.com
MIDAID
We are a collection centre for donation of goods to support refugees and we receive these whenever our doors are open. Our cafe is open weekday mornings from 10am - noon and Monday and Friday afternoons 2-4pm.. Donations of money can also be received. We carry out this work in association with Midlothian Council, Edinburgh Direct Aid and others.
The recent work through Midaid has shown what a supportive community we have. A family of mum (pregnant), dad and three children under eleven years old arrived in Midlothian after spending some time in a refugee camp in Turkey. Because of your generosity, Midaid was able to feed the family for six weeks until their benefits started. Additionally, the children were supplied with two sets of school uniforms, including pants, socks and shoes.
The Council Resettlement Officers have told us of the gratitude of the families for our support.
At the same time, PNK had a brief presentation at morning worship from Michel Frem, a visiting academic from the Lebanon, on the refugee situation in his country. The Lebanon is a country with the same population as Scotland (5million) and they have accepted 1,000000 refugees from the war.
Midaid continues to support these refugees with ongoing collections of clothing and shoes. None of these efforts would be possible without the support of our community.
Contributions of warm clothing for the fortcoming winter in the Middle East would be much appreciated.
WORLD CHURCH
As a congregation we continue to support Christian Aid throughout the year. We contribute to world church by supporting the Church of Scotland stamp appeal to support the Hungarian Reformed Church in the Ukraine. the The congregation is given the opportunity to support Blythwood Care shoebox appeal for people in Eastern Europe. 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.
A team of knitters from all of the churches in Penicuik have been knitting woolly hats, scarves blankets and baby clothes. The woollen goods this year have been distributed as follows:
Two large boxes of hats scarves and blankets have been sent to the Bethany Trust and distributed to homeless people on the streets of Edinburgh;
Several large boxes of small baby blankets, jumpers and hats have been delivered to the premature baby unit at the Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion. The blankets are used to drape over the incubators to shade the bright lights of the room and generally travel home with the new babies;
A number of hats scarves and blankets have been forwarded to the MidAid refugee appeal in Lebanon.
Also last year we delivered about twenty boxes of goods to The Raven Trust. The supplies sent are wide ranging and include clothing, medical supplies, toiletries, books and toys and in the main are directed to hospitals, colleges and orphan care establishments in Livingstonia, Maloe, Eckwendini and Embangweni.
Unfortunately, Raven Trust are no longer operating due to the high costs of transporting goods to Malawi and we are no longer able to provide this help to Malawi.
This year we are again collecting Christmas shoeboxes for Blythswood care to be distributed throughout Eastern Europe.
WHATS COOKING?
A new initiative, called 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. Foodstore@PNK would not operate without the constant support of the kirk and the wider community as well as the volunteers who attend regularly and give their time and effort to assist those in our community in need.
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.
LOTHIAN LISTENERS
Lothian Listeners operates as part of Listen Well Scotland (www.listenwellscotland.org.uk).
Listening Time for You (LT4U) is now in its 3rd year at Penicuik High School. LT4U offers pupils the time and space to explore issues in a safe and confidential setting with a trained listener. No advice is given; no judgement is passed; pupils have the opportunity to explore issues and decide for themselves how they wish to proceed. The feedback from both pupils and staff at the High School continues to be positive and LT4U was well used in 2017. We look forward to 2018.
Following our successful Share the Vision evening in October 2016, four more people have become Registered Listeners and one other has almost completed their training. This has allowed LT4U to be started in Lasswade High School in November 2017.
Three members of Penicuik North are active members of Lothian Listeners. Lothian Listeners continue to be grateful to Penicuik North for their support.
Penicuik North Kirk in association with other churches in the area operate the Foodstore.There is no public distribution of food----it is is only distributed 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 are very grateful for the generous donations received at our Harvest Thansgiving Service and for the wonderful harvest of donations of both food and money which constantly arrives at the Foodstore from so many different donors including schools and neighbouring churches. Our cupboards are well stocked at present but the following are items we are short of this week. Led light bulbs, detergent, cleaning products, shaving materials, deodorant, sugar, instant coffeediluting juice, instant coffee and small monetary donations ro help towards buying perishables for our neighbours in need.
Thank you to everyone for their continued support of the Foodstore@PNK.
Items can be handed in to the cafe between 10- 12 Monday- Friday and 2-4 Monday and Friday.
Further details contact Jan Naylor at lowriesedge@sky.com
MIDAID
We are a collection centre for donation of goods to support refugees and we receive these whenever our doors are open. Our cafe is open weekday mornings from 10am - noon and Monday and Friday afternoons 2-4pm.. Donations of money can also be received. We carry out this work in association with Midlothian Council, Edinburgh Direct Aid and others.
The recent work through Midaid has shown what a supportive community we have. A family of mum (pregnant), dad and three children under eleven years old arrived in Midlothian after spending some time in a refugee camp in Turkey. Because of your generosity, Midaid was able to feed the family for six weeks until their benefits started. Additionally, the children were supplied with two sets of school uniforms, including pants, socks and shoes.
The Council Resettlement Officers have told us of the gratitude of the families for our support.
At the same time, PNK had a brief presentation at morning worship from Michel Frem, a visiting academic from the Lebanon, on the refugee situation in his country. The Lebanon is a country with the same population as Scotland (5million) and they have accepted 1,000000 refugees from the war.
Midaid continues to support these refugees with ongoing collections of clothing and shoes. None of these efforts would be possible without the support of our community.
Contributions of warm clothing for the fortcoming winter in the Middle East would be much appreciated.
WORLD CHURCH
As a congregation we continue to support Christian Aid throughout the year. We contribute to world church by supporting the Church of Scotland stamp appeal to support the Hungarian Reformed Church in the Ukraine. the The congregation is given the opportunity to support Blythwood Care shoebox appeal for people in Eastern Europe. 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.
A team of knitters from all of the churches in Penicuik have been knitting woolly hats, scarves blankets and baby clothes. The woollen goods this year have been distributed as follows:
Two large boxes of hats scarves and blankets have been sent to the Bethany Trust and distributed to homeless people on the streets of Edinburgh;
Several large boxes of small baby blankets, jumpers and hats have been delivered to the premature baby unit at the Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion. The blankets are used to drape over the incubators to shade the bright lights of the room and generally travel home with the new babies;
A number of hats scarves and blankets have been forwarded to the MidAid refugee appeal in Lebanon.
Also last year we delivered about twenty boxes of goods to The Raven Trust. The supplies sent are wide ranging and include clothing, medical supplies, toiletries, books and toys and in the main are directed to hospitals, colleges and orphan care establishments in Livingstonia, Maloe, Eckwendini and Embangweni.
Unfortunately, Raven Trust are no longer operating due to the high costs of transporting goods to Malawi and we are no longer able to provide this help to Malawi.
This year we are again collecting Christmas shoeboxes for Blythswood care to be distributed throughout Eastern Europe.
WHATS COOKING?
A new initiative, called 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. Foodstore@PNK would not operate without the constant support of the kirk and the wider community as well as the volunteers who attend regularly and give their time and effort to assist those in our community in need.
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.
LOTHIAN LISTENERS
Lothian Listeners operates as part of Listen Well Scotland (www.listenwellscotland.org.uk).
Listening Time for You (LT4U) is now in its 3rd year at Penicuik High School. LT4U offers pupils the time and space to explore issues in a safe and confidential setting with a trained listener. No advice is given; no judgement is passed; pupils have the opportunity to explore issues and decide for themselves how they wish to proceed. The feedback from both pupils and staff at the High School continues to be positive and LT4U was well used in 2017. We look forward to 2018.
Following our successful Share the Vision evening in October 2016, four more people have become Registered Listeners and one other has almost completed their training. This has allowed LT4U to be started in Lasswade High School in November 2017.
Three members of Penicuik North are active members of Lothian Listeners. Lothian Listeners continue to be grateful to Penicuik North for their support.