Journeys in Faith

At Christ Church we are committed to life-long learning for all ages and all learning styles, and for providing opportunities for questioning and deepening our faith. For some this is a matter of open enquiry, for others ‘faith seeking understanding’. Throughout the year a number of formal and informal opportunities are offered.   These are the events we have planned from September 2009 until Holy Week, organized by what kind of event it is.  To find out what’s on for any particular date, and to check for last minute information, look in the calendar.

Ash Wednesday 17th February

8.00am & 11.00am Holy Communion with the Imposition of Ashes

6.00pm Evening Prayer

6.30pm Julian Meeting

7.30pm Sung Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes

Sundays in Lent sermon series at the 10am Sung Eucharist  “Jesus and Power”

Wednesday mornings : The Wednesday Morning Reflection Group, which meets weekly at 10.15am  in the Church Centre,  will become a Lent Group for from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week.     The group will be using the book Lent for Everyone: Luke by Tom Wright

Wednesday evenings : Indian Christian Approach to Spirituality following the life journey of four Indian “Apostles”

7.30pm – 8.30pm in the Church Centre

24th February  Introduction to the series

3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th March – the Indian “Apostles”. Each of these will be a “stand alone” session.  Please feel free to attend all or any of them

Fridays @ Four

Come to the Centre 4pm-5.15pm on the March Fridays in Lent for a time of reflection on the gospel for the upcoming Sunday.   There will also be facilities for children if those who have care of children at this time would like to come along.   All welcome.

Films on Fridays

Come to no 6 Morningside Road at 6.30pm on the March Fridays in Lent to view and discuss films with a theme of suffering in different contexts.     All age 18 or over welcome.

Talk on “The Temple in Jerusalem” Palm Sunday (28th March)

Professor Mary Smallwood will give a talk on “The Temple in Jerusalem” at 11.30am in the Church Centre.  Mary is a Professor Emerita of Queen’s University, Belfast and a member of Christ Church

First Sunday Conversations – next meeting 7th March

First Sunday of Month, 11.30-12.15 p.m.
Sunday Conversation

Rebecca Aechtner leads a conversation on Christianity and Humanism.

As a congregation Christ Church is rich in its membership, with people drawn from many different walks of life and experience. We meet on the first Sunday of each month from 11.30 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. in the Church Centre over coffee to talk over some topic of interest, in an extended and open conversation led by a member or friend of the congregation.

7th March 2010:  Beer and the Bard: Fortunatus, an early Christian hymnwriter

7th February 2010: “Are WE the church overseas?” – Howard Moody

1st November 2009: The Place of the Youth in the life of our church – Anderson and others

Third Sunday Workshops – next meeting 21st February

11.30am – 12.30pm in the Church Centre

Meetings to deepen our understanding and practice in different areas of the church’s life and ministries.

21st March, 2010                    Volunteering overseas

21st February, 2010              Readers

17th January, 2o10               Readers

15th November, 2009           Sides Team Leaders, Wardens and Head Welcomers

11th October, 2009                Area Visitors: please note this is a second Sunday and the meeting will be from 11.30am to 1.30pm to include lunch.

Fifth Sunday Lecture Series – next lecture 30th May

Fifth Sunday of Month 5-6 p.m.

Whenever there is a fifth Sunday in a month, we have Choral Evensong at 6:30 p.m., prefaced by a lecture in the Church Centre at 5 p.m. that is followed by questions from the floor and tea.  Those who wish can then stay on for the service, although there is a break so that others can leave. The next few sessions are …

29th November : Theology from the Broken Middle: Anderson Jeremiah

31st   January 2010: Climate Change and the Communion of Saints: Prof. Michael Northcott

30th May 2010 : Apocryphal Gospels – Fact or Fiction? Dr Paul Foster

Faith in Dialogue – next session t.b.a.

Sundays at Sung Eucharist 11.30-12.15 a.m.

As part of our engagement with wider society, four times a year we invite speakers to address a contemporary issue in the course of the 10 a.m. Sung Eucharist.  Afterwards we move on to the Church Centre for about 45 minutes, for an open discussion over coffee.

To date we have engaged Faith in Dialogue with

  • Asylum Seekers and Refugees
  • The Palestinian/Israeli conflict
  • The Edinburgh Festivals
  • The Politics of the Food Chain
  • Medical Ethics
  • Psychology
  • Homelessness
  • Creation & Ecology
  • The writings of Richard Dawkins
  • Spirituality & the Arts
  • Faith & Science

24th January 2010:  Homelessness - Discussion with Andy Murray of the Bethany Christian Trust, also preacher at 10am Sung Eucharist.   Coffee/tea will be served in the centre from 11.15am

13th December, 2009: Christian Muslim relations – Professor Hugh Goddard, Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, University of Edinburgh