Featuring an item about the re designed and improved Children’s Corner at St Brides – Heather Steele has transformed it into a welcoming and cosy area for young people and their families.
 Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway: September 2025  Bishop Nick’s MessageDear friends,Last week I had the privilege of visiting Refuweegee, this year’s Bishop’s Lent Appeal cause, to present founder Selina Hales with a giant cheque for £10,000 raised across the diocese.I was immensely impressed by what I saw. Refuweegee is a place of welcome, openness, kindness and generosity. There is real innovation here—and something prophetic—in the way they act out a simple but radical truth: we’re all fae somewhere.What makes it all the more special is that Refuweegee are our neighbours on George Square—just around the corner from the diocesan office. Fun fact, the first public space they had once they outgrew Selina’s living room was the very same building at 49 Cochrane Street where our diocesan centre is now!Thank you to every congregation and individual who contributed to the appeal. Your generosity will make a real difference in the lives of those who now seek to belong here in Glasgow and Galloway.+Nick The Village  The Village is a brand new group for young adults (20s & 30s) who want to belong to an intentional, spiritual community. The Village is a fully inclusive, LGBT-affirming space for people of all faiths and none, in partnership with the United Diocese of Glasgow & Galloway.WHEN? Every Thursday night starting 2 October, from 7-9pm WHERE? Diocesan Centre, United Diocese of Glasgow & Galloway, 49 Cochrane Street, Glasgow G1 1HL WHAT? Join us to make new friends, chat about contemporary culture and issues, create local opportunities for social action and share a short time of quiet reflection. Free selection of wine, drinks and nibbles provided! All are welcome. We’d love to see you!Get in touch or follow our socials for more information:Instagram: @thevillageGGEmail Stephen & Alys: thevillage@glasgow.anglican.orgMeet Beki: Chaplaincy, Community, ConnectionHello! My name is Beki, I am an Episcopal priest and a prison chaplain within this wonderful diocese. I had the pleasure of meeting a whole load of you at Synod this year, which was so good, and I wanted to say “hello” to everyone whom I haven’t yet met! I’ve been working within the prison system for a couple of years and absolutely love it. Like many ministry roles, no two days are the same and you never quite know what you’ll be dealing with each morning. It is such a joy to work alongside so many different disciplines and in multi-faith, inter-denominational teams to provide pastoral, spiritual and religious care for those who are in custody. But the thing is, a custodial sentence doesn’t just impact the individual who finds themselves in prison, it impacts their friends, their families and their communities on the outside too. It’s why I’m really passionate about linking in with the mission and ministry of the whole diocese, because I think that our work can have great moments of slotting together to care for all those living within Glasgow and Galloway. If you can’t already tell, prison ministry is something that I’m pretty passionate about and I’m always happy to chat or talk about it. If you or your congregation might be interested in hearing more about prison chaplaincy, how you can support those who work within prisons, and how you might think about supporting the communities you live amongst then I would love to chat. Please contact the diocesan office (office@glasgow.anglican.org) to get in touch with me, and clergy can get in touch in the usual way via email. When I’m not in the midst of ministry, then you can find me on the sofa reading a good sci-fi/fantasy book, or perhaps cooking (and eating) something tasty. I love to get out for walks with friends, watch films, do something crafty and learn new skills. Oh and we very much live vicariously through friends and families’ pets, so if you have a pet and you have some photos then I always want to see! I’ve already enjoyed being a part of the diocese and I’m looking forward to getting to know more of you and working together to serve our communities. Beki 😊 St Matthew’s Centre 25th Anniversary  On Saturday 20 September, St Matthew’s, Possilpark celebrated the 25th Anniversary of St Matthew’s Centre bringing the local community together.St Matthew’s congregation began as an experimental mission in 1893 to address the needs of the rapidly increasing population in north Glasgow, drawn from other areas of Scotland and Ireland as the locality became, almost literally, a “furnace for the empire”; its foundries producing steel and locomotives for the world and supporting the local shipbuilding industry. The present church was built in the 1930s.By 1999, St Matthew’s was refurbished and opened, supported by the national Urban Grant and the Scottish Episcopal Church Million for Mission grant—in the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the then-Primus, Bishop Richard Holloway.St Matthew’s Centre emerged from local initiatives such as Oasis Youth Club and Drama Kings and Queens—engaging many young people in creative activities, alongside addiction recovery work initiated by members of St Matthew’s congregation using The Place (the original rectory). St Matthew’s Centre was registered as a Charity in September 2000 and the recovery work morphed into Addaction Scotland, which relocated in 2007 after the withdrawal of funds for redevelopment by Glasgow City Council.The Diocese appointed a community priest in 2007 in the face of possible closure of all current outreach work. Faith In Throughcare took over The Place and supported people returning from prison for 15 years. The Covid-19 pandemic had a serious knock-down effect on the congregation and the work of St Matthew’s but they were able to welcome Faith in Community Scotland and the GK Experience to The Place and into the new chapter of their service to the local community and beyond.Today, with new Centre Manager Ashley (pictured above during the festivities next to St Matthew’s Rector, the Rev David Wostenholm), St Matthew’s are blessed in being able to provide a safe, welcoming and encouraging place for the International Women’s Group, the Women’s Integration Network and the Chinese Recreation Association, alongside continuing recovery work, and creative and well-being groups (pictured with Bishop Nick at the top of this newsletter). This includes English language teaching for asylum seekers, provision for celebration and (very importantly) mourning, as well as encouragement towards all that builds up social cohesion at a time of polarization in societies throughout the world.Guild of Servers Festival Eucharist and AGM  The Scottish Guild of Servers gathered at Holy Trinity and St Barnabas’ Church in Paisley on Saturday 6 September 2025 for their Festival Eucharist and Annual General Meeting. Members of the Guild travelled from across Scotland for the service celebrated by the Warden of the Scottish Guild of Servers, the Rev Canon Gordon Fyfe. In his sermon, the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway, the Rt Rev Dr Nicholas Bundock, reminded the servers of the importance of their ministry in facilitating worship and prayer.The end of the Eucharist included a celebration of new and old ministries. Five new servers were made members of the Guild and received their Guild medals, a small cross that can be worn when serving at the altar. As their journey as servers begins, thanks was also given for the long and faithful service of Brother Roger Robinson who retired from regular serving and his role as Guardian of the Fraternity of St Columba (South-West Scotland). Roger, a member of St Ninian’s Church in Troon, received a long service certificate and cross as a token of thanks.The Scottish Guild of Servers was founded in 1929 at a meeting at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow. For nearly a century, the Guild has sought to encourage and develop the craft of serving at the altar in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Although this central aim of the Guild remains, much has changed since its foundation and some of these changes were reflected in discussions at the Annual General Meeting. A notable example was the vote in which the majority of members present determined it would be preferable to use the word ‘chapter’ rather than ‘fraternity’ when referring to groups of members in different areas of Scotland. This change is to be confirmed by the Guild Council but reflects the open and inclusive goals of the organisation today.You can find out more about the Scottish Guild of Servers on their website and Facebook page.Image: The Gospel reading during the Festival Eucharist.Matthew WyllieTwo Decades of Welcome: St John’s Cruise Ship Ministry  St John’s congregation was delighted to welcome Bishop Nick and Petko Marinov, sharing with them the church’s long-standing ministry of hospitality. For some 20 years, St John’s has been extending a warm welcome to visitors arriving on cruise ships docking in Greenock between April and October. What began under the care and coordination of the late June Campbell is now faithfully carried forward by Ian Milne. This year alone, the team has already greeted more than a thousand visitors—and counting!During the visit, the Bishop was given a special tour of the church’s fascinating archival displays, curated by archivist David O’Hara. These boxes showcase the rich history of both St John’s and the former mission church of St Stephen’s. Among the treasures on display were letters written over 200 years ago by founding member Roger Ayton. The collection continues to grow, with more display boxes planned in the year ahead.To round off the visit, the Rev Canon Willi Nesbitt took Bishop Nick on a tour of some of Greenock’s most scenic spots—a fitting way to celebrate the heritage, hospitality, and enduring ministry of St John’s.Image: A group selfie of Bishop Nick, Willi, Margaret, Ian, David, and Petko during the visit. All Saints, Challoch Greets New Visitors Thanks to DOD25 A warm welcome, the chance to chat, spiritual heritage, and great hospitality attracted over 40 new visitors to All Saints, Challoch at its ‘Doors Open Day’ celebration.  The 2025 Dumfries and Galloway ‘Doors Open Days’ initiative proved a major boon to All Saints Episcopal Church in Challoch when it opened its doors to the public on Saturday, 6 September. This historical, inclusive Anglican church on the A714 Girvan Road—serving the community in and around Newton Stewart—attracted over 40 new visitors who had never previously visited this fine example of a small country Victorian house of worship. Commenting on the success of the day, All Saints’ Priest-in-Charge, the Rev Dawn Matthew (seen welcoming a visitor in the photo on the left) said:“Many of the 40-plus new visitors lived locally. Most really liked the way we had married our rich architectural heritage with our spiritual heritage, fitting the ‘Doors Open Days’ theme of ‘Architectural heritage; windows to the past, doors to the future’, celebrating the rich diversity of buildings across Dumfries and Galloway.“Particularly popular was the variety of our ‘Harvest of Talents’ windows—showcasing the many varied abilities of our church family. Another big hit were the incredible floral displays and decorations throughout All Saints, in readiness for our Harvest Festival celebrations the following day. Indeed, we are going to leave the displays up for the for the whole of September as we continue to celebrate the Season of Creation .  One of the mainstays of All Saints is the strength of our welcome and our generous hospitality, and that was very evident this weekend—the tables were literally groaning with food (visitors enjoying good chat and refreshments in the photo on the right)! Visitors enjoyed the home baking and the ploughman’s lunches, especially the cheese supplied by locally-based Ewe to You. But, perhaps most important to our visitors were the warmth of the welcome they received, and the chance to chat.“Roll on ‘Doors Open Days’ 2026. Thank God for his many blessings!”The Challoch event was part of the larger ‘Doors Open Days’ initiative across Scotland, coordinated by the Scottish Civic Trust.Julian Demetriadi A Warm Welcome for Children and Families As more families and young people are attending St Bride’s, Glasgow for regular and seasonal services, we wanted our church space to reflect the welcome of our congregation. Thanks to a generous grant of £500 from Bishop Nick and the Diocese we have been able to transform our offering to children and teenagers to enrich the experience of familial worship .  The new bookcase, table and chairs in the dedicated children’s area enable us to store and display toys and books in a way that is more inviting and accessible to young children. Additional storage holds activity books, toys and games appropriate for age groups ranging from babies to teenagers, for them to stay and play or take to their seats. New and second-hand items have been carefully sourced to ensure good coverage of the different age groups, value for money and alignment with Christian values and stories, as well as their use within worship. For example, we have a lamb sensory toy for babies, wooden Noah’s Ark for preschoolers, Bible activity books for primary-school-aged children and bible story comic books for pre-teens and teens .  We are making the church more welcoming for families in other ways too, by providing nappies and wipes alongside our changing facilities, having child-appropriate snacks readily available and showcasing our young peoples’ work on the notice board.We are thrilled to have been able to make these changes ahead of the Glasgow Doors Open Days festival, where we welcomed members of the public (including families) for a range of tours, workshops, performances and services. If any church communities would like further details, our coordinator is very happy to discuss. Please message Fr Peter, our Priest in Charge, for details: clergy@stbridesglasgow.com.Once again, our heartfelt thanks to Bishop Nick and the Diocese for making this possible. Written by Heather Steele, on behalf of St Bride’s congregation Choral Summer School 2025 at Holy Trinity, Ayr  Our very first summer school took place on Thursday 31 July and Friday 1 August, and from the moment children and parents arrived there was a real buzz of excitement. The event, promoted through social media, the local newspaper, and the church newsletter, brought together more than 25 children from P1 to P7 for two days of singing, movement, crafts, and fun.The children explored our beautiful church, enjoyed lively breaks in the church hall, and created wonderful craft pieces that became the backdrop for our Friday afternoon showcase concert. Even three children who joined us on Friday morning quickly settled in, learning the songs and actions with enthusiasm and joining in the games and crafts.As part of our new ‘Voice for Life’ choral training scheme, the summer school exceeded all expectations. Families and friends warmly received the concert, and the most common question was “When’s the next one?”The success of the event is a credit to our Voice for Life coach, Findlay, our music teacher Wendy-Anne and the brilliant team of adult helpers who made it all possible. It was especially moving to see parents and children enjoying their very first experience of church life in such a positive way.Most importantly, the Choral Summer School has laid a joyful foundation for the future. With much enthusiasm from the children and their families, we look forward to building on this success with more opportunities for young people to sing, create, and grow together at Holy Trinity.Barbara MurphyA Musical Offering At the start of the summer, Bishop Nick kindly asked whether I would consider joining the Bishop’s Core Group. After a period of discernment, I thanked him and said, ‘thank you, no’. Whilst I knew that the invitation was something to be treasured, I was encouraged by my supervisor to say what I really felt called to offering. So here it is.I want to offer to walk alongside a Charge that wants support with how music is used in the liturgy and in community engagement, both of which are expressions of mission. I have both practitioner and consultant expertise and experience in these fields. You may wish, for example, to explore:How do we employ someone in a musical role that is pastoral and missional?What next since the life of our robed choir is coming to its natural conclusion? How might we develop partnership with other local communities to encourage spiritual nurture through music?How can we create live music together without specialist input? AND how do we train and resource those willing to lead musically from within the congregation?How might we extend our range of hymns?Experiencing new forms of music e.g. global chant, Iona songs, plainsong, Taizé.Hosting a singing workshop.How do we choose a new mass setting?How to sing evensong (as officiant and congregation)?Creating a ‘come and sing’ choir for festivals (together with community partners and ecumenical colleagues).For this work I have developed a toolbox that includes blending musical participation, Appreciative Inquiry, inviting everyone’s voice to be heard in the reflective space of the Samoan Circle, small group and individual ways to reflect, and ways to encourage collaborative learning across the generations. One positive feature is enabling people to try things out and develop the skills to use within their context.I have a background in music education and community music. I have sung in cathedral choirs and led choirs for those who have been told they cannot sing. Whilst in chaplaincy roles, alongside colleagues, I developed a way of spiritual nurture that blended two or more of the following elements, creativity, community, the natural world, and ritual. Since arriving in the diocese, I am accompanying St Ninian’s, Troon through complex musical regeneration and have contributed workshops for two charges. Should you wish to explore anything with me please be in touch.The Rev Keith Thomasson, Rector of St Ninian’s, Troon and Convener of the Provincial Mission Board (email: troonrector@myphone.coop, phone: 01292 313731 and 07529 221 404)Have You Seen This Reredos?  A student at the University of Cambridge, doing a PhD on the artist Phoebe Anna Traquair, contacted Roger Edwards (who has done a lot of archival work for the Diocese) regarding the reredos above. It was painted by the artist as a WWI memorial for St Peter’s Episcopal Church, St George’s Cross, Glasgow. Unfortunately, St Peter’s closed in 1963 and was subsequently demolished, though its street location still bears its name. Today, the reredos is considered lost.This piece is special, as there are only two extant paintings of Traquair’s in Glasgow—both in Episcopal churches and both decorating a reredos—at St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow and All Saints, Jordanhill. The missing reredos from St Peter’s is also the only known depiction of the Crucifixion by Phoebe Anna Traquair.While Roger pores over diocesan archives, we wondered if you, dear reader, might know what happened to the reredos? Some clues suggest it might have been moved to St George’s, Maryhill or St Gabriel’s, Govan (both now closed), while other ecclesiastical furnishings were dispersed to the Cathedral and perhaps as far as Holy Trinity, Motherwell.Do you know what happened to St Peter’s reredos? Do you have any stories, documents or photographs relating to it (or St Peter’s)? We would love to hear from you! If you are able to help in any way, please email digital@glasgow.anglican.org. Future Events•Mycelium is a weekend retreat for art, spirit, and co-creation. It’s a space designed to bring artists and creatives together to dream of what we might be able to achieve if we combine and collaborate. FREE, 6pm on Friday 3 October to 4pm on Sunday 5 October, at St Oswald’s Episcopal Church, King’s Park, 260 Castlemilk Road, Glasgow G44 4LB. Find out more and register your interest: https://proost.community/mycelium/• Pause for Hope: an ecumenical service for all people affected by cancer, Sun 26 October at 4pm in Croftfoot United Free Church, 349 Carmunnock Road, Glasgow G44 5HH, with a reflection from the Rev Leslie Edge, chaplain to the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice. • The Net Zero Team will host a Diocesan Net Zero Roadshow event for the Diocese at Holy Trinity and St Barnabas, Paisley on Saturday 15th November 2025. The event will run between 10am and 3.30pm, with time for networking, sharing stories and hearing from external contributors. Contributions will include talks, information stands and workshops, tackling a range of subjects e.g. funding, climate justice and building improvements.The day will include a plant-based catered lunch and will end with worship, helping to keep our environmental concerns rooted within the context of our faith. Please see a draft timetable for the day below: 10:00 Registration and Tea & Coffee10.30 Session 1: Introduction and Meet our Contributors11.00 Session 2: Choice of workshops12:00 Session 3: Sharing Stories. 13:00 Lunch14:00 Session 4: Choice of workshops15:00 Closing worship Please fill in the RSVP form via the link to register: Glasgow and Galloway Net Zero Roadshow.•Our Sister Diocese of Edinburgh is now in an Episcopal Vacancy. During this time, the Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness is Acting Bishop of Edinburgh, and the Rt Rev Andrew Swift, Bishop of Brechin, will convene the Electoral Process.Information on nominations for the vacant see will be published in October in the Church Times and online, and the deadline will be 24 October. The full timetable for the electoral process has been published on the Diocese of Edinburgh’s website here.The Diocese has published the following prayer for use by any who wish to pray for all those involved in the process: Living God, you walk with us in all seasons of life calling us to follow you with joy, hope and love as we share in your work of renewing the world; give us humility and discernment to hear your voice, that those discerning their calling and all involved in our bishop search may be encouraged in your ways and open to your creative Spirit. Amen. Bishop Nick’s Diary HighlightsMon 15 Sep—Bishop’s Core Group.Tue 16 Sep—Mission Board Meeting at the Diocesan Centre (Bishop Nick is representing the College of Bishops on the board).Fri 19 Sep—Thanksgiving Eucharist for Holy Trinity, Ayr. Watch the recording here.Sat 20 Sep—Preach and preside at St Matthew’s, Possilpark and attend the 25th Anniversary Celebration of St Matthew’s Centre.Sun 21 Sep—Preach and preside at All Saints, Bearsden. Watch the recording here.Mon 22 Sep—Visit St John’s, Greenock and Refuweegee.Sat 27 Sep—Attend the Preliminary Meeting of the Electoral Synod of the Diocese of Edinburgh.Tue 30 Sep—Preach at the University of Glasgow’s Anglican Chaplaincy Opening Service.Thu 2–Fri 3 Oct—Strategic Away Days with members of the Bishop’s Core Group and Diocesan Council.Sun 5 Oct—St Oswald’s, King’s Park.Mon 6–Wed 8 Oct—Clergy Conference.Sun 12 Oct—Confirmation Service at Greyfriars, Kirkcudbright.Sun 12 Oct—Licensing of the Rev Jane Horton as Priest in Charge of St Cuthbert’s, Cambuslang (info below).Tue 14 Oct—Institution of the Rev Vittoria Hancock as Rector of St John’s, Moffat and All Saints, Lockerbie (info below).Sun 19 Oct—Preach and preside at St Ninian’s, Prestwick followed by Pet Blessing Service.Notices Ordinations•Please hold in your prayer the graduates of the Scottish Episcopal Institute who are to be ordained to the Diaconate across the Province and further afield during Michaelmas 2025: Robert Garnett, Enza Gibson, Anne Macdonald, and Stuart Thomson. Licensings & institutions•The Rev Jane Horton will be licensed as Priest in Charge of St Cuthbert’s, Cambuslang on Sunday, 12 October 2025 at 6pm in St Cuthbert’s, 3 Brownside Road, Cambuslang, Glasgow G72 8NL.•The Rev Vittoria Hancock will be instituted as Rector of St John’s, Moffat and All Saints, Lockerbie on Tuesday 14 October 2025 at 7pm in St John’s, Burnside, Moffat DG10 9DX.All are welcome, lay readers and clergy are invited to robe—white stole. For planning purposes, please RSVP to office@glasgow.anglican.org by 8 October 2025.Please hold Jane and Vittoria and the communities they are called to serve in your prayers. Appointments•Dr Susan Burr demitted office as Acting Diocesan Secretary earlier in September. Susie continues as Diocesan Treasurer, using a new email address: diocesantreasurer@glasgow.anglican.org. We are grateful for the generosity and dedication she has shown in carrying both responsibilities.•Petko Marinov has been appointed Acting Diocesan Secretary until Diocesan Synod 2026, while continuing in his role as Digital Engagement Officer. Petko will continue to use the digital@glasgow.anglican.org email address while monitoring and responding to queries coming to diocesansecretary@glasgow.anglican.org, also. Elections•The Rev Matthew Little was elected by his peers in the Diocesan House of Clergy to be a Canon of St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow. A service of installation will take place in due course. Read more here.Retirements & resignations•The Rev Canon Dr Nicholas Taylor retired as Rector of St Aidan’s, Clarkston. He was deaconed in 1996 and priested the following year, serving congregations across Zimbabwe, Eswatini, South Africa, England and Scotland during his 30 years in ordained ministry.Nicholas served as Convener of the Liturgy Committee and the Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church. He was a member of the Faith and Order Board of the Church, as well as a member of the academic staff of the Scottish Episcopal Institute (and its predecessor TISEC) and the founding Editorial Board of the Scottish Episcopal Institute Journal. Nicholas is a theologian, an honorary Fellow of New College, the School of Divinity in the University of Edinburgh. He has published widely in New Testament and Christian Origins, and also on issues relating scholarship to the life, ministry, and worship of the Church. His next book, Advent in Bethlehem, will be published in October 2025.We wish Nicholas the best in retirement and thank him for his dedicated work, witness and scholarship, ministering to God’s people across the Diocese and beyond.  Stained glass window in St Ninian’s, Troon, depicting Christ, St Mary, St Ninian, the four seasons and the twelve zodiac signs.Be part of our story!We would love to hear from you! If you have a story from your community or from your ministry in the Church or the wider world, please email it to together@glasgow.anglican.org. We would be happy to develop it further with you also.Our next edition is due in the week beginning 20 October 2025. We welcome submissions received by 17 October for inclusion. Your feedback is also appreciated!In closing…As we share these stories across the diocese, may we be encouraged in the work of welcome, hope and renewal that God has set before us. See you next month for another bumper issue of Together! Let’s close with a prayer…God of welcome and wonder,open our hearts as wide as your creation,that all who seek refuge may find a home,and all who are weary may find rest,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen. +Nick  Copyright © 2025 United Diocese of Glasgow and GallowayScottish Episcopal Church Scottish Charity Number SC013925 |