By Lewis Reay (From Seeds April – May 2025)

It is 15 years since Metropolitan Community Church, Edinburgh, joined with AUC, so it is time to celebrate!

I came into MCC in Bath in 1995. There I found a safe and welcoming place to heal from the trauma I had experienced at the hands of evangelical Christians.

A few years later, I transitioned, and it was the affirming relationship with God that I found in MCC that made this a possibility.

MCC Edinburgh was founded at the first Pride Scotland event, also in 1995. Maxwell and I were at that first Pride event and helped staff an MCC Outreach Ministries stall to meet people and see what the possibilities were for establishing a new MCC. When we left London, in 2002, we moved to Edinburgh to be part of the MCC here. We were both active in ministry in different aspects of church life and heavily involved in supporting other trans men and working on transgender issues in the wider denomination of MCC.

In the summer of 2009, members of MCC Edinburgh and members of AUC went to a church growth retreat at Northern Lights Metropolitan Community Church in Newcastle. It was there that we realised that we had more in common than we realised. It was from this weekend that discussions began about working together, eventually closing MCC Edinburgh, and our members who wanted to transferring their membership to AUC

“It is a profound and intimate moment of connection with God and with one another”

It seemed like we could do much more together than apart. This has proven to be true over the last 15 years.

God was at the heart of this process, and becoming part of AUC was an answer to the challenges we had been facing. We were welcomed with an openness which was truly wonderful.

And that is where Our Tribe started. By April 2010, we were ready to launch a Saturday night gathering for LGBT folk, allies, friends and family. An open space to meet with one another and to experience all that God’s inclusive love can mean.

Communion is an important aspect of demonstrating this affirming and welcoming reality. It is a profound and intimate moment of connection with God and with one another. We share communion at our online meetings as we did at the in-person gatherings before Covid.

For many, communion is something that queer people have been excluded from when they come out. We hope to heal the trauma of exclusion and demonstrate the inclusive love of Jesus in this meal.

Over the years, we have seen greater acceptance of LGBT+ people of faith in the wider LGBT+ community. Having a faith is not treated with the suspicion it once was. However, there is still considerable trauma for people in LGBTQ+ communities about faith, and conversion practices are real and damaging.

We have seen many people come and go, find the acceptance they need, deepen their relationship with God and move on to many places across the world and in other faith communities.

I continue to feel passionate about our ministry to the LGBTQ+ community. A safe, affirming and welcoming space is needed even more in these challenging social and political times.

By Rev Fiona Bennett (From Seeds April – May 2025)

Lent is a time in the Church year when we are invited to strip back and re-discover what is truly important.

Many years ago, as part of a course learning about Ignatian Spirituality, I undertook an exercise to write my own eulogy. The exercise was to identify what was truly important and valuable to me, by considering how I would like to be remembered. Having considered what was truly important or valuable, I was then invited to consider how much of my time and energy in the present I invested in these important and valuable aspects of my life.

It was quite a challenging, and very Lenten, exercise.

Throughout my ministry I have written and delivered many eulogies and have often pondered on what it is that makes a life ‘well lived’? Each life is very different but I think there is a general admiration for people who have adapted to whatever life has brought them, and thrived in doing so; a deep appreciation for people who care for, encourage, and support others; and a sense of inspiration from people who fearlessly savour life and grasp the opportunities it brings, whether ordinary or unusual.

I wonder for people in our world today, who have lost homes, jobs, basic security and even their legal identities, what they perceive to be truly important and valuable. If Jesus was right that the poor are blessed, then there is wisdom to be learnt from all who are stripped down today, about what is truly important and valuable in God’s eyes.

“I undertook to write my own eulogy”

Listening to, and being shaped by, voices from stripped down experiences is another significant exercise for Lent, as we seek through the season to realign our present living to invest in that which is truly valuable and important as disciples of Jesus in the world today.

Our Tribe – AUC is holding a special event for LGBT History Month 2025 on Saturday 22 February at Augustine United Church. Doors open at 1:00 pm.

Plan for the day:

• 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Panel of speakers on LGBT Activism
• 3:00 pm – 4.30 pm: Drag Queen Bingo
• 4.30 pm – 5:00 pm: Singer/Songwriter – Mike Mckenzie
• 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: T Dance/Disco

Please feel free to join us for all or part of the day.

Refreshments and snacks will be provided. This is an alcohol free event.

Changing space is available. The building is wheelchair accessible. Please ring the bell to the right of the main front door.

This is a free event and ALL are welcome.

If you would like any more information please email ourtribe@augustine.org.uk or drop us a message through their Facebook page.

We look forward to seeing you!

By Eilidh Carmichael (From Seeds February – March 2025)

Eilidh Carmichael shares some positive news about an Amnesty International case that AUC members have campaigned on in the past.

Church members and friends have written Write for Rights letters on behalf of Marielle Franco’s family, and Eilidh Macpherson, Campaigns Manager (Individuals and Communities at Risk) for Amnesty International UK, has written to say:

In 2018 we campaigned, as part of Write for Rights, for Marielle Franco’s family. Marielle was a Brazilian activist who was fatally shot in a hit and run in 2018. For six years, the police investigation into Marielle’s death was shrouded in secrecy. It was reported that the bullets that killed Marielle were from a batch bought by the federal police and, what’s more, President Bolsonaro himself had been pictured with one of the murder suspects. You and thousands of others took action, and finally there has been a breakthrough in her case. In October 2024, six years after her death, Marielle’s killers were sentenced to 59 and 78 years in prison.

Thank you for taking action, and showing that when we come together, we can get justice.

From Seeds February – March 2025

On behalf of the Finance & Property Team, Fiona Somerville highlights the plus-points of Gift Aid.

In these economically difficult times, we understand that people may find it challenging to increase their charitable giving as much as they would like, but could you help Augustine boost its income using Gift Aid?

When you Gift Aid a charity donation, the government adds another 25p for every pound you give. We calculate that, for 2024, Augustine will be able to reclaim over £11,500 from the government in Gift Aid.

This is very welcome, although to meet the financial challenges we also face, we would love to increase this figure. Anyone can Gift Aid donations provided you pay enough income tax during the year to cover the amount the charity (or charities) you donate to reclaim from the government in Gift Aid. This means that for every £100 pounds you pay annually in income tax you can make Gift Aided donations of up to £400 to charity, and the charity (or charities) will receive an additional £100 from the government.

If you haven’t already done so, feel you meet the above criterion, and would like to help Augustine boost its income in this simple way, please consider completing a Gift Aid declaration form, which can be downloaded from the website. Or you can talk to our treasurer (Ewen Harley) or Gift Aid coordinator (Fiona Somerville).

Link to Gift Aid declaration form: https://www.augustine.org.uk/gift-aid-declaration.

From Seeds February – March 2025

Pictured is the beautiful communion tablecloth dedicated in worship on 5 January. The cloth is the result of the skill, patience and dedication of Fiona Somerville, who says she ‘crazy quilted’ the cotton scraps donated by others in the congregation.

The cloth celebrates so many stories in the donated fabric that makes up the patchwork surrounding the central dandelion images.

As Fiona Bennett reflected at the dedication, AUC’s dandelion logo says much about our discipleship: its roots can be used to make medicine, and keep us strong and healthy; we support one another as the stalk supports the yellow flowerhead, in glorious radiance as we bring our worship; the leaves can bring nourishment; and the dandelion clock is a mass of seeds that carry on the wind just as we are seeds of hope and love in our discipleship of transformation.

We are rooted in God’s love; we support each other; we offer nourishment; we worship God; and we seek to be a part of God’s transformation in the world.

Our thanks to Fiona Somerville and all who have contributed to this special gift.

By Nick Dearden (From Seeds February – March 2025)

Together with Christian Aid, Global Justice Now is a key partner of the URC’s global justice programme, Commitment for Life. Here, Director of Global Justice Now Nick Dearden looks back on some significant moments in 2024. We can make a change, he says.

Last year, 2024, the fragility of our world was laid bare. The genocide in Gaza, spreading conflict in the Middle East, and the war in Ukraine devastated tens of thousands of lives.

At the same time, the fast-accelerating climate crisis – driven by the power of the fossil fuel industry – continues to wreak havoc. Extreme weather events are destroying food systems, depleting water supplies, and devastating the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities.

The concentration of wealth and power has been decades in the making; a direct result of the rules which govern our global economy. The inequality and injustice that have flowed is now so great that it is tearing at the social fabric in dozens of countries. International law, applied unfairly at the best of times, now has been rendered completely meaningless. So, the inequality, the conflicts and the climate breakdown we are witnessing aren’t inevitable. They aren’t accidental.

And that means that we can reverse the tide.

For example…

THE UK’S EXIT FROM THE CLIMATE-WRECKING ENERGY CHARTER TREATY

This time last year, the UK announced its exit from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), joining a wave of European nations abandoning this harmful agreement. This victory against corporate power puts the ECT – often used by fossil fuel companies to block climate action – on the brink of collapse.

This victory capped off three years of dedicated campaigning. Since 2021, we’ve been raising awareness about the ECT’s dangerous Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which allows corporations to sue governments over climate policies. While the fight against ISDS continues, the defeat of the ECT marks a crucial step in dismantling corporate control and protecting both people and the planet.

“a crucial step in dismantling corporate control and protecting both people and the planet”

MOBILISING SUPPORT FOR A FOSSIL FUEL TREATY

The climate crisis is driven by fossil fuels, yet they remain the elephant in the room at international climate summits – a sign of how powerful fossil fuel interests are.

Last year, 17 local councils across the UK, including Manchester, Glasgow, Reading, and Stroud, passed motions backing the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty. Stirling University’s student union became the first in the UK to endorse the treaty, and we’ve secured growing cross-party support in Westminster, Holyrood, and the Welsh Senedd.

“a global movement to phase out coal, oil, and gas production … we’ve built real momentum”

We’ve also got growing support from the trade union movement, with Unison passing a resolution in support at the union’s annual conference.

These victories are part of a global movement to phase out coal, oil, and gas production and ensure a just transition to renewable energy. www.augustine.org.uk Through grassroots activism, local campaigning, and strategic alliances, we’ve built real momentum.

In 2025, we’ll build this campaign, pushing for more councils and more political support, including working with the union movement to ensure a just transition – the only way to undermine the power of fossil fuel corporations.

CHALLENGING THE UK’S ROLE IN THE GAZA GENOCIDE

Historically, Global Justice Now has not campaigned on Palestine. No organisation can take on every injustice, and we have trusted others to dedicate the attention this issue requires.

But last year, we could not remain silent. The horrifying violence unleashed on civilians in Gaza demands action. So, in 2024, we took action to confront the UK government’s complicity in the crisis in Gaza. Israel’s actions in Gaza, and its decades-long occupation, is made possible through political, military and economic support from countries like the UK. We’ve increased the heat on arms sales, making some progress with a partial ban. But this isn’t enough.

During 2025, we will work for a total arms embargo as well as challenging the UK’s trade ties with Israel, mobilising to block a new trade agreement and pushing for the suspension of the existing deal. We also plan to shine a spotlight on corporate complicity, particularly in the tech industry, exposing how major companies profit from violence, and building momentum for divestment campaigns.

It’s hard to look at the state of the world today without feeling a mix of fear, anger, and, at times, despair. But through it all, we must find hope in the incredible work being done by activists worldwide – and remind ourselves that change is possible.

By Rev Fiona Bennett (From Seeds February – March 2025)

Earlier in January, I was up very early one morning, out in my garden. Everything around was encrusted in white frost.

I was cold, very tired and resigned to a tired day, when I happened to look up. A deep indigo sky was studded with sparkling stars. It was stunningly beautiful. Lines came to my mind from a re-working of Psalm 23: ‘You lift my head; my vision clears. The blessing cup overflows.’

I would not have seen that glorious sight but for the clear cold sky and my early start.

It was a reminder to me that in the midst of ‘all that troubles, threatens and diminishes’ it is important to allow God to lift our heads, clear our vision, and to be reminded that God is always with us, abundance is always around us and that God’s bigger story of love and hope is always going on in the world.

God’s story is far broader and richer than that which is consuming my thinking or feelings on a cold, grumpy morning!

It was due to the cold and the early hour I felt put out by that I could see the stars.

It is often in the tougher situations in life that we remember what is truly important and learn to savour the beauty and wonder always around us in any given moment.

The blessing cup overflows (even when we are tired!).

‘In the midst of all that troubles,
That threatens and diminishes,
You set abundance before me.
You lift my head; my vision clears.
The blessing cup overflows’

Part of Psalm 23 (Psalms Redux: Poems and prayers by Carla Grosch-Miller

🌟 Discover Edinburgh’s Hidden Gems at Doors Open Days 2024! 🌟

Join us at AUC on September 28th and 29th for a fun weekend of exploration and history.  This year’s theme, “Heritage of Routes, Networks and Connections”  gives us the opportunity to reflect on our connections with the needs and concerns of the networks and communities with which we have worked since our congregation was founded in 1802. The presence of charity partners and building hirers over the weekend will bring those relationships right up to date.

We will also have information about our engagement with the legacies of slavery; and will present our justice-themed Urban Pilgrimages project, which is exploring our connection to women, the environment, the LGBTQ+ communities, and wellbeing in the city around us.

📅 Event Details:

• Saturday, September 28th: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Sunday, September 29th: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

✨ Highlights:

• Stalls from various charity partners and building hirers (Saturday Only)
• Guided tours of the church for which you will be able to see parts of the church that are not normally accessible to the general public (Saturday Only)
• Fascinating heritage pop-up displays
• Light refreshments

Over the course of the next few weekends in the run-up to Doors Open,  we will be providing a spotlight on the various charity partners and building hirers taking part in the event on our Facebook page. You can find a list of them below:

• Comunn Tir nam Beann/Argyll Association
• Global Justice Now
• Christian Aid
• Costume Society
• Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
• The Royal Scottish Society of Arts
• Mad Jam
• Health in Mind
• NHS Retirement Fellowship
• The Friendship Centre
• Old Edinburgh Club
• Scottish Genealogy Society
• The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland – Forth & Borders Group

For more information, keep an eye our website and Facebook page for updates or contact us directly either by sending us a Facebook message with the words DOORS OPEN at the beginning of it or sending an email to heritage.visitors@augustine.org.uk.

See you there! 📸🏛️

PS: If you would like to see what else is happening during Doors Open Days in Edinburgh,  go to https://www.doorsopendays.org.uk/find-a-building?activeTab=0&keywords=&area=1346&openWeekends=

Looking for Fringe ideas? Don’t know where to start? How about with some members and friends of AUC?

Jo Clifford: Searching for the Sacred
Tuesdays/Thursdays, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22 Aug, 2.15pm, St Mary’s Cathedral, Palmerston Place. (£10) (reflective walk, story-telling)

https://www.cathedral.net/event-details-registration/searching-for-the-sacred-2024-08-06-14-15

Jean Franzblau: My Mother Doesn’t Know I’m Kinky
2-10, 12-14 Aug, 10:15pm, theSpace @ Niddry St (Venue 9 – Lower Theatre) (comedy, true-life, 18+)

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/my-mother-doesn-t-know-i-m-kinky

Carol Joyner: Binocchio, the Bisexual Liar
2-10 Aug, 7pm, Paradise Green at Augustine (Venue 152) (stand-up, 16+)

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/binocchio-the-bisexual-liar

Laurence Wareing: Around the World in 80 Days
12-17 Aug, 6.15pm, The Royal Scots Club (Venue 241) (family-friendly theatre)

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/around-the-world-in-80-days

Anne Robinson: Vox Stars Presents Star Inspirations
12-17 Aug, 8:05pm, the Space @ Niddry Street (Venue 9) (Music – Vocal, Pop)

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/vox-stars-presents-star-inspirations

Tomás Barry: Getting to Iona
 2-11 Aug, 2.30pm, St. Columba’s-by-the-Castle church, 14 Johnson Terrace

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/edinburgh/st-columbas-by-the-castle-church/getting-to-iona/e-plqlej

Paradise Green

In addition to these, we are delighted to have Paradise Green back with us, transforming our city centre church into 5 (yes, 5!) venues. Click the names of the various spaces below to see what the look like during the Fringe, courtesy of Paradise Green.

You can explore the shows on offer using these links:

Paradise In Augustine’s – George IV Bridge
Spaces: The Sanctuary, The Studio, The Snug
https://tickets.edfringe.com/venues/paradise-in-augustines

Paradise In The Vault – Merchant Street*
Spaces: The Vault, The Annexe
https://tickets.edfringe.com/venues/paradise-in-the-vault

*To access Paradise in the Vault from the main entrance of AUC: cross over George IV Bridge, walk past Greyfriars Bobby and down Candlemaker Row and go under George IV Bridge (Merchant Street). This will take you to the Pend where you can access Paradise in the Vault spaces.