New Website - www.stmarksportobello.org

Please visit our new website at http://www.stmarksportobello.org/

Important Notice

Please note that there will not be a Family Service this Sunday. The children will be rehearsing for the Nativity Play so if you want a part please be there!

This blog may be about to expire so keep an eye out for notices on the Diary page of our new church website - http://stmarksportobello.org

Diary dates for week beginning 11 November

Sunday 11 Nov Remembrance Sunday services taken by Bishop Alan Smithson

Mon 12 Nov 7.30pm Cursillo meeting at St Margaret''s Easter Road

Tue 13 Nov 7.30pm Vestry meeting

Wed 14 Nov 7pm Film Night - Life is Beautiful

Thu 15 Nov 7-7.30pm Exploring Christianity - The Authority of Scripture

Fri 16 Nov set up for Advent Fayre

Sat 17 Nov 10-12.30 Advent Fayre

Diary dates for week beginning 5 November

Ruth will be at the Clergy Conference from 5-7 November.

Thu 8 Nov 7-7.30pm Exploring Christianity - The Holy Spirit

Sun 11 Nov - Remembrance Sunday

Love's Not for Sale

NATIONAL TOUR Love's Not for Sale (14 Nov 07 19:30 - 20 Nov 07)
Location: Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Edinburgh

A CHASTE Nationwide Tour LOVE'S NOT FOR SALE

Featuring

JONATHAN AITKEN
Former Cabinet Minister and bestselling author of 'John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace'

'Fresh, insightful and inspiring, Aitken brings Newton to life for a new generation of admirers' - Alistair McGrath

HELEN J HICKS singer song-writer - with songs from her new album.

'Hicks - a Joni Mitchell on the cusp between folk and jazz' - Sunday Times 2007

CARRIE PEMBERTON
Founding CEO of CHASTE
CHASTE is a UK based ecumenical charity working in the areas of sex trafficking

'Carrie - a passionate and inspiring advocate for zero tolerance of trafficking for sexual exploitation'


TICKETS - £3.50
Available from your local Wesley Owen shop

or online from www.chaste.org.uk
or www.helenjhicks.com

Please phone for group bookings 10 for £30
0845 456 9335

Birmingham 14th November
Birmingham Cathedral (St Philips)

Cambridge 15th November
Great St Mary's

Leeds 16th November
St George's Leeds

Edinburgh 20th November
St George's West

Commencing at all venues at 7.30pm

Web: CHASTE Contact: Mr Richard Wallis, Not for Sale Co-ordinator (richard@chaste.org.uk, 0845 456 9335)

Online Tickets: may be purchased on the CHASTE website go to “Shop” on the bottom bar and select the event you wish to attend.

Diary dates for week beginning 28 October 2007

Sunday 28 Oct 7.30pm Bookmark

Tuesdau 30 Oct 7pm Craft Group

Thursday 1 Nov 7.30pm Exploring Christianity - Contextual Bible Study with Anne Tomlinson

Saturday 3 Nov 10.30am 3S Cafe

Sunday 4 Nov Feast of All Saints and All Souls
7pm The Alternative Service - Remembering

Items needed for Advent Fayre - books, CDs, DVDs, tombola and raffle prizes, baking, antiques and treasures, gifts, crafts and cards

AGM - there are vacancies for 2 vestry members, and People's Warden. Nominations to be in by Sunday 11 November.

Bookmark's next book

Our next book will be Stardust by Neil Gaiman and we shall meet on Monday 3 December at 7.30pm.

Diary dates for week beginning 14 October 2007

Tue 16 Nov 7.30pm Vestry meeting

Thu 18 Nov 10am Eucharist

Sat 20 Nov 10am - 12noon Kid's Mission

Sun 21 Nov 10.30am Harvest Festival and Family Service
Bring along some Fair Trade goods
6.30pm Healing Service

Action for Burma

Saturday has been made a global day of action for Burma with protests in 67 cities around the world. There will be a Candle-lit vigil in solidarity at the Aung San Suu Kyi tree (beneath the floral clock) THIS SATURDAY 6 OCTOBER. 3pm.
Please WEAR RED.

There will also be a sponsored run on the Meadows in the morning see www.runforburma.org .

Edinburgh Citizens in Solidarity with Burma

PRESS PHOTO CALL

Saturday 6 October, 3pm, West Princes Street Gardens.

Edinburgh citizens are to take part in the Global Day of Action for a Free Burma this Saturday (6 October), alongside protests taking place in 67 cities around the world.

In the morning, a sponsored 5k run will take place on the Meadows, and in the afternoon there will be an eye-catching but solemn candlelit vigil in West Princes Street Gardens. It will take place underneath a tree planted there for democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi when she was awarded the Freedom of the City by Edinburgh Council in 2005.

Those attending the vigil will wear red in solidarity with the thousands of monks and others who remain under arrest and at risk of torture in Burma.

Ko Aung, a Burmese student leader from the 1988 demonstrations said, 'This day of action is to show that this crisis has not gone away. Our friends, families and spiritual leaders are in jail cells today at risk of torture. The UN Security Council must act now to end the crackdown and must keep focused on this crisis until we know the people of Burma are safe. The international community must not desert them now.'

Juliette Daigre, a Burma Campaigner based in Edinburgh, said, 'The public meeting organized on Thursday to plan Edinburgh's response to the situation was packed to the rafters. We want the people of Burma to know that Edinburgh stands with them, and to show the Burmese government that we are watching their every move. We also hope the protests will force the UK Government to do more to demand an end to the military crackdown and get the UN Security Council to act.'

Choral Evensong

Tonight our newly formed choir will be singing Choral Evensong at St Mark's at 7pm. If you hanker after 1929 Prayer Book language then this is the one for you. (And I shall not be cantoring (?) you will be relieved to know!)

Event cancelled

Please note that the International Cafe to be held on Saturday 6 October will not take place. Instead we will have our usual 3S Cafe from 10.30am to 1pm.

Open Week at St Mark's

After Doors Open Day St Mark's will be open for the week from 1-6 October from 10am to 2pm.

On display will be old Records and Registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths. In the evenings there will be many events for you to take part in. Please bring along a friend.

Monday 1 Oct 7pm Film Night - Brother Sun Sister Moon (the story of St Francis of Assisi)

Tuesday 2 Oct 7pm Choral Evensong - St Mark's choir (Organist Andrew Morley)

Wednesday 3 Oct 7.30pm Quiz Night - teams of 3 or 4.

Thursday 4 Oct 7.30pm Talent Night

Friday 5 Oct 8pm Candlelit Compline

Saturday 6 Oct 4-7pm International Cafe (tickets £10)

Diary dates for week beginning 24 September 2007

Monday 24 Sept 7.30pm Bookmark is cancelled due to lack of interest. We will hold the discussion on this book until next meeting on Sun 28 Oct. We will also be reading 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell.

Ruth will be at a residential meeting of the Mission and Ministry Board meeting from 25-26 Sept.

Tue 25 Sept 7pm Craft Group. Please bring a note of items you have made for the Advent Fair.

Wed 26 Sept Magazine deadline for articles.
7.30pm Area Council mtg at St Peter's Lutton Place

Thu 27 Sept Ruth will be on a training course all day.

Sat 29 Sept 10am-4pm Doors Open Day. St Mark's will be open for visitors.

Sun 30 Sept 7.30pm Portobello Council of Churches at St Philip's

New Flickr photo album

You can now find photos of St Mark's on my Flickr page. Check it out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13592381@N04/

Music Festival at St Mark's

Reminder that St Mark's Music Festival is on Saturday from 2-5pm.
Come along and tap a foot, clap a hand, win something on the Tombola, buy some Fair Trade goods of second-hand books.
All welcome
Admission Free

Diary dates for week beginning 9 September 2007

Sunday 9 Sept
8.30am Eucharist - Bishop Alan Smithson
10.30am Sung Eucharist - Bishop Alan Smithson

Monday 10 Sept 7.30pm Joint Cursillo meeting at South Queensferry

Ruth will be at a residential Board Meeting from 10-11 September

Wednesday 12 Sept 12,30pm Chernobyl children's lunch
7pm Induction of Rev Dr Caroline Lockerbie at St Christopher's Parish Church

Thursday 13 Sept 10am Eucharist followed by coffee

Saturday 15 Sept 10am Church cleaning

Music Festival at St Mark's

Saturday 22 September 2-5pm

Stalls, refreshments, artwork, tombola

Music from:
Members of Auld Spice
The Wullie Broon Quartet
Ronaldo Caruso (jazz pianist)
Wendy Weatherby
Lawrence Dunn
Sally Simpson
Rebecca Mitchell
Members of Leith Community Concert Band
The Spurtle (Portobello High School's Ceilidh Band)
Cappricio Quartet

Free Entry

Next book for Bookmark

The next book we will be reading is:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
by Mark Haddon

This is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he find's a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.

Meeting on Monday 24 September at 7.30pm

Diary dates for week beginning 26 August 2007

Monday 27 Aug 7.30pm Bookmark - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Tuesday 28 Aug 7pm Craft Group
7pm Meeting of Social Committee and friends

Wednesday 29 August 7.30pm Institution of Rev'd Susan McDonald at Christ Church Morningside

Thursday 30 August 10am Eucharist followed by coffee and a chat

Saturday 1 September 10.30am 3S Cafe

Diary dates for week beginning 5 August 2007

Mon 6 August 4-10pm Philomusica will be using the church

Thu 9 August 10am Eucharist - +Alan Smithson
7.30pm Cursillo Stations of the Cross at St Michael & All Saints

Fri 10 August 6.30-10pm Philomusica will be using the church

Sun 12 August 8.30am and 10.30am services - +Alan Smithson
2-5pm Philomusica will be using the church

Mon 13 August 7-10pm Philomusica will be using the church

Wed 15 August 7-10pm Philomusica will be using the church

Thu 16 August 10am Eucharist +Alan Smithson

Sat 18 August 10am Church cleaning
7.30pm Cursillo Welcome Home party at Penicuik

Sun 19 August 8.30am and 10.30am services - the Rev'd Bob Gould