Currie Kirk

The last service we had in the Kirk was back in March of this year—seems like an eternity. The Kirk Session were due to meet this past Monday to discuss the Checklists and Risk Assessments that have now been completed to allow us hopefully to conduct worship in the Gibson Craig Halls and Prayer meetings in the Church. This meeting has temporarily been postponed until Easter arrives back from the United States. Subject to Session approval of our documents and subsequent approval by Edinburgh Presbytery, a date will be agreed to open the Buildings for Worship and Prayer. Your patience and understanding would be appreciated. The document, set out below, gives the guidelines we have to comply with prior to opening our buildings, which I encourage you to read. They are not exhaustive and will be updated as the situation dictates. Gordon Clephane 449 2313

Currie Kirk Re Opening of our buildings for worship

Please do take your time to read this carefully before you come to any of our buildings. If you have any symptoms of Covid-19 (A high Temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss of taste/smell) please do not come. Stay at home and contact NHS 111.

To comply with Scottish Government guidelines, we must follow the procedures below. If you do not feel able to follow these procedures, we would ask that you do not attend until the restrictions ease. Whilst it will be different, we are very pleased to be able to meet together for worship.

To attend a service at the Gibson Craig Hall you must:

Ensure you are fit and well, displaying no symptoms of Coronavirus.

1. Book a place at one of the services. The service will last approximately 30 minutes. It is essential you book a place at the service as we need to ensure numbers are within the capacity of the building. Under the current social distancing guidelines, we are restricted to 28 people.

2. To book a place at the service either email—currie_kirk@btconnect.com or call Nina in the Kirk office and leave a message with your name and number on 0131 451 5141. This must be done by 5 pm on the Friday before the service. Visitors are very welcome to come to our services. All we would ask is that you book a place as well. Keeping a note of those attending a service is a requirement to aid the Track and Trace system if necessary.

3. You will receive confirmation of your place by Saturday afternoon. When you come to the service please ensure that you have your own face mask. This must always be worn when you are in a church building. *Unless you are exempt from wearing a mask.

4. When you arrive at the Gibson Craig Hall please queue up in your household group (this is the group of people you will be seated with) keeping 2m distance from those outside the group. Duty elders will be on hand to assist you. The doors of the Gibson Craig Hall will open 30 minutes before the service starts.

5. You will be brought in individually to sanitise your hands and be checked into the Hall. Please be patient as this will take some time.

6. Once in the building, unless there is an emergency, please remain in your seat throughout the service. Unfortunately, we cannot permit folk to wander around chatting etc. We also cannot offer any refreshments, barring water if needed. If you do need the bathroom please let one of the duty elders know as we need to control numbers in our toilets.

7. During the service please follow instructions from the duty elders and person leading worship. We are not at this time allowed to engage in communal singing.

8. After the service is over, we will ask you to leave person or family group one at a time. Please wait in your seats and follow the instructions. Regrettably, we cannot allow you to hang around and chat within the building.

This will seem strange to us all, but it is necessary. We do it to protect each other and our community. If you have any questions or concerns please do get in touch using the contact details above.

Kind regards

Gordon Clephane

Session Clerk

Dear Members and Friends,

Further to directives issued by the UK and Scottish Governments, the Kirk and the Gibson Craig Halls are now closed for the foreseeable future.

The Kirk Office, manned by Nina, will remain in operation during office hours from Tuesday to Friday 9.30 am until 1.30 pm. (Tel: 0131 451 5141; email: currie_kirk@btconnect.com). However, the office door will be locked. During this period of social distancing, we are working with community partners to coordinate a response to the epidemic by joining with Balerno Church, the Currie & Balerno facebook page (jcb for the community) as well as the Council to make sure there is enough support to people for whom self-isolation may mean that they are indeed very isolated. Together we hope to make sure that there is always somewhere or someone to call, whether to chat about concerns, or to get essential supplies.

How can we help you?

We have a growing list of kind volunteers. Many people have offered to help deliver groceries or prescriptions, so if you need anything get in touch with the church office. If you need food, pet food or essential supplies, please call—even if it is toilet paper!

If you have a neighbour who does not have family nearby, who may need deliveries or groceries—please call them or give us a nod and we will be happy to call them.

If you are laid off or going through difficult financial times and have a concern about or paying a bill, you can also phone the Kirk Office or the minister as there is a confidential Benevolent Fund.

Who can help?

If you are not in a vulnerable or at-risk category and do not live with someone who is vulnerable or at risk—you can help. We need you to keep social distancing rules in place. We would prefer if you have a registered PVG check and/or are known to the Kirk.

How can you help?

Phone the Kirk Office to give Nina your name and phone number and she can put you down as a volunteer. You may be asked to collect groceries or prescriptions for those who are elderly, or self-isolating.

Lastly, if you are in a position to donate money to the Currie Benevolent Fund which is an independent fund to help people and families in distressing circumstances—please send a cheque to the Currie Benevolent Fund,
c/o Kirk Office. Any moneys are given out at the discretion of the minister. Please contact The Manse (0131 449 4719) or email: Esmart@churchofscotland.org.uk.

All donations you might give for people at this time of wage loss and uncertainty are greatly appreciated. Many families are struggling and in need presently. Please support them.

God Bless you—please protect yourself and others.

Easter and Gordon

Currie Kirk may be a lovely building in a beautiful location, but more importantly Currie Kirk is a lively church family. Here people of all ages gather together to explore life and faith and find real community. A warm and friendly welcome awaits you wherever you are on the journey of life and faith.

The Kirk has had a place in the Currie community for many centuries, but today the Christian faith is celebrated, shared and lived out in a relevant and meaningful way through worship, friendship, care and action.

Rest assured, we don't have all the answers, but enjoy asking and living with the questions! We are committed to seeking God's guidance in our lives and in our world, and being inspired by the words and actions of Christ. His simple message was "follow me" and that's what we try to do!

We hope you find all the information you might need on this website, but if not, please don't hesitate to contact us. Alternatively, come and join us and experience what Currie Kirk is all about for yourself.

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