Chaplaincy

Sunday 21st June: Evening Service

It was great to see and welcome back Mrs Rosemary Gillon, who spoke about the Classical World and faith. She showed how many Christian festivals and beliefs have their parallels and even roots in Greek and Roman culture.

Sunday 14th June: Evening Service

Miss Claire McShane spoke about one of her passions, Piers Plowman, a book which she studied at Oxford University and which she says had a profound effect on how she views life and faith. The book chronicles one man's search for genuine faith and concludes with the message that only in God's love can truth be really found. All else should be put aside. Although Miss McShane may well have been the only one in the Hall to have ever read Piers Plowman, she spoke with such infectious enthusiasm that several boys have already started reading a translation. We wish her all the best in her future role at Kilgraston next year.

Sunday 31st May: Whole School Evening Service

The Bishop of Edinburgh, the Right Revered Brian Smith came to celebrate Pentecost with us. It was also a pleasure to welcome the Reverend Stephen Parsons, Rector of St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church, our near neighbour. The Bishop spoke about those things which mark out genuine faith and said that each of these could only be the result of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. A voluntary communion followed, attended by about 40 staff, students and families.

Sunday 10th May: Evening Service

It is always a pleasure to welcome the Reverend Andy Keulemanns, the Chaplain at Loretto. He combines a lively style with real substance. His insight into what place faith plays in the life of a Chaplain was both amusing and moving. Giving examples of great men and great women who have been inspired by teachers or pastors, he said that his prayer was that he would be used to make a difference in even just one life.

Sunday 3rd May: Evening Service

In the next of the series of Chapel Services which explored the relationship between the speaker's subject and their faith, Mr Simon Thompson spoke on 'The History of Faith'. At the crux of his message was the paradox that the Christian faith, which is meant to bring peace, has been at the heart of some of the world's wars and atrocities. He encouraged us to go back to the words of Jesus and allow those words to shape our actions rather than to use our own version of Christianity to excuse the worst of our excesses.

Sunday 24th April: Evening Service

It was a pleasure to welcome back to the School David Smith (Merchistonian 1999-2005). David is in his final year of Law at Aberdeen University, but has also begun to carve out a career for himself in professional football (at the time of writing he has just had trials with Sheffield United and Ross County). David spoke about leadership and the kind of leaders he admired, concluding that ultimately, in his opinion, Jesus's leadership set the standard by which leadership should be measured. He spoke personally and impressively of how his faith informed every aspect of his study and sport.

Sunday 19th April: Whole School service led by senior boys

Taking the theme of 'Final thoughts', Captain of School Tommy Palacios put together a programme drawing on the last words of Christ and the Apostle Paul, and relating them to a very moving video entitled 'The Last Lecture' by an American professor, Randy Pausch. As we watched a 10-minute clip of this lecture, the question was posed "What are we going to do with all that we've been given?". Tommy concluded that he and his fellow students, and indeed, all of us, have been privileged to have been given so many opportunities and so we should seize them and make the most of every day so that we could say, along with the Apostle Paul, "I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race."

Sunday 8th - Friday 13th March: Lent Term Mission

With the title "Ground Breaking News" a team of 10 from 'Christians in Sport' led by Mr Ian Lancaster have been involved in numerous classes and evening meetings. The purpose of any such Mission is not to tell people what to think, but to make them think and to this end the week has been very successful. On Monday night, 60 boys attended a meal hosted by Mr Blair, the success of which can be measured by the fact that debates and discussions carried on long after the food had been eaten.

Sunday 22nd February: Evening Service

Owing to the late cancellation of Dr Rob Waller due to family illness, Mr Anderson bravely took on the task of speaking about 'The Psychology of Faith'. He explored how different personality types across different cultures and creeds embark upon what seems to be a universal search for significance and purpose.

Sunday 1st February: Whole School Service

In an inventive and lively service, boys from Chalmers Houses presented some thoughts based on the theme 'The Vision of Faith'. James M and his team produced an excellent video which started the service and boys provided presentations on John Newton (writer of Amazing Grace) Jackie Pullinger (a drugs worker in Hong Kong) and Henri Dunant (Founder of the Red Cross). Each of these people in their own way put their faith into action with astonishing results. Mr Blair concluded the service by encouraging us to develop a personal vision for faith, and to live it out in our personal lives and in our community.

Sunday 25th January: Evening Service

Dr Ian Mitchell spoke on 'The Physics of Faith' and used his knowledge of quantum mechanics to illustrate how everything in the universe appears inter-connected. This ties in very well with the verse in Colossians which states that "In Him all things hold together".

Sunday 18th January: Evening Service

This was the first of a series which asks people from different disciplines to explain how their faith informs their approach to their subject, and vice versa. Mr Richard Lucas spoke on 'The Mathematics of Faith' and gave us some truly mind-boggling statistics concerning the complexity of the universe concluding that, in his opinion, it simply couldn't have happened all by chance.

Sunday 11th January 2009: Start of Term Service

The Chaplain, Nick Blair, wished all present a Happy New Year. The speaker today was the Headmaster, who gave a sermon entitled 'Do something' .

This term, we have a 'Focus on Faith' week from 8-13 March. The themes in for the year are based on the impact that faith can have on various disciplines represented in the School, and will include talks on The Maths of Faith, The Physics of Faith, and The Psychology of Faith.

Wednesday 10th December: Nine Lessons and Carols

The final service of term was also relayed via video link to the Old Library as the Hall was full to capacity. The Lessons were read by representatives from all of the Houses, starting with the most junior, with the final reading from St John by the Headmaster. Each reading was interspersed with a mixture of Choir and Congregational Carols. At the end, the congregation retired outside for a Firework display to mark the end of the 175th Anniversary year.

Sunday 30 November: Music and Readings for Advent

This evening service took the form of a version of Choral Evensong; the choir sang the Magnificat and some advent carols. We lit the first candle of the advent crown. A short communion service took place afterwards.

Sunday 9 November: Service of Remembrance and Dedication

On this day, we recalled that the part of the reason for the School moving to Colinton in 1930 was to allow the construction of the Memorial Hall in which we were sitting, as a Memorial to the dead of the First World War. Names of Merchistonians killed in it are on the tablets by the main entrance, along with those killed in the Second World War. With the Hall so full, the Service was relayed via a video link to the Old Library for those who could not be accommodated inside it. The Chaplain, Mr Nick Blair gave a very powerful talk about the lives of the Rugby XV of 1912-13, of whom 9 were killed in action, and a further 3 injured in the 1st World War. He projected their photographs and biographies onto the screen as he spoke. The address was given by Mr Mike Ridley, a governor and former Headmaster of schools here and in Northern Ireland, who spoke about moments of his life when his view of the world had been affected by events. Wreaths were laid on behalf of past and present members of the School, including by veterans present at the service (photos below). Boys and St George's girls representing 28 different nationalities lit candles as a symbol of hope for world peace.

Sunday 12 October: Harvest Thanksgiving Service

The Hall was again packed as Mr Drew Livingstone, former Rector of St Columba's, Kilmacolm, delivered a lively and engaging sermon on the parable of the sower. Each of us need to develop deep roots if we are to grow into the kind of people who God wants us to be. Appropriately, we all gathered afterwards for a tree planting ceremony to commemorate the 175th Anniversary. Mention also must be made of a II Form presentation entitled 'Harvest is a word with a lot in it' exploring the various words contained within Harvest, such as 'starve' and 'share'.

Sunday 5 October: Evening Service

We welcomed back former chaplain Rev Allan Macpherson who gave an interesting and personal account of how his faith had helped and strengthened him throughout his long career. It was great to see him and Mary in such good form and health.

Sunday 14 September: Evening Service

There was a sombre and thoughtful mood in Chapel tonight as we said prayers for the member of our 1st XV who received a serious neck injury yesterday. In a moving ceremony, members from across the School community lit candles as a sign of prayer and asked that he and his family would receive comfort, peace, healing and courage. The speaker, Rev John Young from Liberton Kirk, spoke of Christ journeying with us through all circumstances. A voluntary communion afterwards was attended by more than 50 people.

Sunday 7 September 2008: Start of year Service

The Memorial Hall was packed to capacity which served to create a great atmosphere as we reunited the community. The Chaplain, Mr Nick Blair, took as his theme 'Pressing on to reach the goal' taken from Paul's letter to the Philippians. He used examples from recent, and not-so-recent Olympic Games to illustrate the point that one must never give up. As the Tanzanian marathon runner from the 1968 Olympics famously said when he finished injured and limping three hours after the rest: "My country did not send me here to start the marathon. My country sent me here to finish the marathon."