Scottish Episcopal Church

07/09/2026

After an Episcopal presence of over 200 years in the Fife town, St Peter's Episcopal Church, Kirkcaldy has celebrated its 50th anniversary at its current home in Townsend Place.

The Rt Rev Ian Paton, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane led a special service in the ‘Lang Toun’ on Sunday 6 September 2026 to celebrate the anniversary of the re-building of the Church, with the congregation and ministry team joined by visitors from the diocese, ecumenical guests and town representatives filling all the pews.

During the service Bishop Ian celebrated the Eucharist and dedicated a new stained glass window in memory of loved ones to mark the anniversary, designed by Keith and Heather Mitchell of Different Glass. The Bishop also paid tribute to the congregation who have sustained St Peter’s - or to give the church its full name, St Peter with St Mary & St Leonard Kinghorn - in what was his last service in Kirkcaldy before he retires on All Saints’ Day this year.

“Some here will remember the consecration of this church but today we are all part of the continuing story of St Peter’s,” said Bishop Ian.

“For 50 years this has not just been the home of a congregation but the very house of God. Today is not just about celebrating a building but renewing a calling. By celebrating this building we are saying that the future is held in God.

“There is joy and hope and love in the unknown future. God is still with us and Christ is leading us. May this be true in this church and in Kirkcaldy for another 50 years to come.”

There was a very special moment for two members of the congregation who have been with St Peter’s throughout its 50 years in Townsend Place, as Janie and George Legge were rewarded for their long service and dedication to the church when they received the St William of Perth award from Bishop Ian.

“We were here when the foundation stone was laid, and we were here for the first ever service, and it is joy to be here celebrating this anniversary,” said an emotional Janie after the surprise presentation.

St Peter’s was first established in the ‘Lang Toun’ in 1811 but quickly outgrew its first home, and by 1843 it moved to a new site nearby. The fashionable Gothic-style design erected in Townsend Place was an impressive structure but unfortunately it had been built above a disused coal mine which eventually was in serious danger of collapse from subsidence. The church was demolished in the 1970s and a smaller – and lighter - church was built to the rear of the site in 1976, with the cleared area then becoming the church car park.

“I remember as a young teenager in Perth I raised funds for this church to be built, never of course knowing that on this 50th anniversary I would be a priest here,” said the Rev Christine Fraser, Rector of St Peter’s, who leads the ministry team which includes the Rev Bob Barrett, assistant priest, and the Rev Dr Karen McClain Kiefer, curate.

There was a presentation from St Peter’s to Bishop Ian to mark his retirement, with the gift of eight olive saplings to help farmers in Gaza, acknowledging the Bishop’s care for the environment. “We felt that renewing olive trees is a fitting way to remember you,” said Christine.

A bouquet of flowers was presented to the Rev Canon Dr Carrie Applegath, wife of Bishop Ian, for her support during his episcopacy.

Guests enjoyed a reception – with cake – after the service, and there was a display of photographs and archive items from the 1970s through to the present day.

(Photos courtesy of Shirley Mann and General Synod Office. Archive photo courtesy of University of St Andrews.)

07/09/2026

Congratulations to the Rev Anne MacDonald, who was ordained Priest in Ullapool at the end of August. The service (which took place in the MacPhail Centre at Ullapool High School due to the number of attendees) was led by the Primus, the Most Rev Mark Strange. The Revd Canon Peter Moger, Sub-Dean of Christ Church, Oxford and former Priest in Charge of St Peter, Stornoway and St Moluag, Eoropaidh, was the preacher.

Please pray for Rev Anne as she embarks on this new phase of ministry in the Diocese of Moray, Ross & Caithness.

04/09/2026

The Net Zero team is glad to share news of the upcoming Scotland’s Places of Worship Fund, administered by Historic Environment Scotland and replacing the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This pilot fund will allow listed churches to reclaim VAT on eligible works.

The previous scheme closed in March and is being replaced by a pilot programme which will operate in much the same way as before - opening on 1 October 2026, with funding not guaranteed past March 2027. The total budget of the fund is £1m and it is expected demand will be very high and thus funds will be exhausted within a matter of months.

It has been made clear that this fund is a grant-aid scheme which repays to churches the equivalent value of a VAT payment that has been made by the church to HMRC, and is not a direct reclamation from HMRC of that sum.

The fund will operate on a first-come-first-served basis, with your spot in the queue being secured based on successful submission of a complete application with all requested documents provided. Eligible properties are any listed place of worship (only the place of worship itself, and not church halls or rectories), which operates at least six services a year, with eligible works either being ongoing or having been completed since the closure of the previous fund in March 2026.

All internal and external repair works, works to fixed items of furniture, sanitary fixtures (toilets) where part of the place of worship, and installation of security systems are eligible, in addition to any associated professional fees. To be clear, insulation, electrical fixing, plumbing and works to pursue net zero targets are eligible for funding under this scheme.

Non-eligible works include work to graveyards, damp-proofing, free-standing fixtures and fittings, AV systems and accountancy/legal-fees.

When the fund opens on 1 October 2026, forms, guidance document and an official list of eligible works will be published and made available by HES. However, churches are strongly encouraged to prepare relevant information in advance as it is expected that demand will be very high for this fund.

The following information should be prepared: listing reference, OSCR number, bank account details, copy invoices and a named contact willing to engage with Historic Environment Scotland should there be any questions. The content of the form will be shared when the SEC’s Net Zero Team has it.

It is the aim of Historic Environment Scotland to process and pay out on claims within six weeks of receiving complete applications. Please get in touch with either a member of the Net Zero Team or the Historic Environment Scotland Grants team ([email protected]) if you have any questions. Efforts are being made to organise a relevant webinar, details of which will be shared should this go ahead.

03/09/2026

Jane Haining, remembered in the Calendar of the Scottish Episcopal Church as Missionary and Martyr, has been added to a memorial wall at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Haining, who was the matron of the Church of Scotland's mission school in Budapest refused repeated requests to leave Hungary during the Second World War, choosing instead to remain with the Jewish and Christian girls in her care. On one of the occasions she was asked to return to the Scotland, she responded: “If children need me in the days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in the days of darkness?”

She was arrested by the N***s in 1944 and transported to Auschwitz where she died later that year. The memorial to which her name has been added remembers prisoners for whom no registration photograph survives. Haining remains the only Scot recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for her efforts to protect Jewish people during the Holocaust.

She was added to the SEC's Calendar in 2021 following a vote of the General Synod.

You can read more about this new memorial at the Church of Scotland website here: https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/kirk-school-matron-who-died-in-the-holocaust-recognised-at-auschwitz

You can read more about her addition to the SEC Calendar here: https://www.scotland.anglican.org/jane-haining-added-to-sec-liturgical-calendar/

02/09/2026

Lay Readers from across the Scottish Episcopal Church gathered at Glenalmond College in Perthshire for a conference on the theme "From Stranger to Friend," helping us think how we can move those who come through our doors from feeling ‘outsiders’ writes Alan Baker, Warden of Lay Readers in the Diocese of Edinburgh.

Our guest speaker, the Revd Dr Canon Sandra Millar from the Diocese of Gloucester in the Church of England, guided us through this with useful insights and good humour. We also enjoyed fellowship and worship in the environment of Glenalmond College.

Dr Millar encouraged us to make the most of all our points of contact and the activities taking place in our buildings, making sure that we have up-to-date notices, web pages and social-media saying what we offer. We should not write off those who (now) come to church once a year to special services like Christmas and Easter

Research has shown that people want church to be traditional, friendly, relaxed, and significant. We are creating a space for people to be able to be what God created them to be. People may feel judged and anxious, with low expectations. Even if they don’t want to have a conversation, offer a smile at least, be positive and encourage them to return. Some may prefer to be ‘on the edge’ for a time, but research says 9/10 would like to hear from us again – keeping in ongoing contact is important.

There was useful advice on how to reduce anxiety, engage and involve new people, with sensitivity to differences between individuals. We considered the balance in worship between accessibility and wonder. A workshop focused on putting ourselves in the shoes of those who come to our services or activities; another on communion using reserved sacrament.

01/09/2026

Congratulations to the Rev Kirsty Massey, who will be instituted as the Rector of St James the Less, Bishopbriggs later this year.

The Rt Rev Dr Nicholas Bundock, Bishop of the United Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway, is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev Kirsty Massey as Rector of St James the Less, Bishopbriggs. Details of her institution will be announced in due time.

Kirsty says, “I am very much looking forward to joining the congregation at St James the Less, as we work out together how God is calling us to share his love with the community of Bishopbriggs. Paul and I will be very sad to leave all the wonderful people in Anston, Firbeck, Letwell and Woodsetts, whilst for me it will mean coming home, for him living north of the border will be a whole new experience. It was good to meet several members of the Vestry in July, and we look forward to getting to know the whole church family soon.”

Bishop Nick says, “I am delighted that the Rev Kirsty Massey has accepted the call to become the next Rector of St James the Less, Bishopbriggs. Kirsty comes to us from the Diocese of Sheffield, where she is currently Priest in Charge and Oversight Minister. Before ordination, she spent many years in primary education, and brings considerable experience of teaching, pastoral care and encouraging others to discover and use their gifts. Kirsty has worshipped and ministered across a broad range of church traditions and brings a collaborative approach to leadership, together with a real commitment to community engagement, schools and ecumenical partnership. I am looking forward to welcoming Kirsty and her husband Paul to the Diocese, and to seeing this new chapter begin at St James the Less.”

Please pray for Kirsty and Paul, and the communities of Anston, Firbeck, Letwell, Woodsetts, and Bishopbriggs.

27/08/2026

The Rt Rev Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney, has announced that she will retire early next year.

Bishop Anne, who was consecrated in 2018, will reach the Church’s retirement age of 70 in February 2027, and she has now given the required six-month notice ahead of demitting office.

Her last day as Bishop of the Diocese will be 20 February 2027, when she will chair the Diocesan Synod in Aberdeen. Her final service will be that afternoon at St Mary’s Carden Place, where she will lay down her crozier.

Bishop Anne shared the news of her retirement in a pastoral letter to the diocese this morning [27 August].

She wrote: “People of God, from the day of my election in November 2017, and particularly following my consecration in March 2018, you have come to be very dear to me. Through times that have been both joyful and sometimes very challenging, it has been a privilege to serve as your bishop. I am much changed by this experience, and very grateful to God for all the grace and encouragement I have received.”

Looking to the final months of her episcopacy, she added: “I will look forward to worshipping with as many of you as possible and continuing to give attention to the many projects that are in progress.

“As I remain here, I will continue praying ‘that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” (Col 1:9-10)

Bishop Anne was ordained a deacon in 1987 and a priest in 1994. After over 20 years of ministry in the Church of England, she became a priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church when she was appointed Rector of Holy Trinity Haddington in 2011.

27/08/2026

In the lead up to the 2026 Season of Creation, which runs from 1 September to 4 October (beginning on the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ending on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi) EcoCongregation Scotland have produced a wide range of resources to support churches and individuals in their commitment to spiritual reflection on creation care during the season.

These resources are designed for study, action, and prayer, and are freely available for devotional use at the EcoCongregation Scotland website here: https://ecocongregationscotland.org/resources/season-of-creation-2026/

Resources include texts, videos, hymns, and guides for group discussions that focus on themes related to climate change, conservation, and ecological justice. There is also a suite of reflections written and presented by ecoChaplain, the Rev David Coleman, based on lectionary readings.

EcoCongregation Scotland is a Christian environmental charity tackling climate change and conservation, focussing heavily on local participation. There are over 500 eco-congregations in Scotland. For details of how to get involved, please click here: https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/get-involved/

25/08/2026

Arrangements have been put in place to cover the episcopal vacancy in the Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane following the retirement of Bishop Ian Paton later this year.

It was announced at General Synod in June that Bishop Ian will demit office and retire from full-time ministry on All Saints’ Day, 1 November 2026.

The process of electing a new bishop will begin when the mandate is issued – normally within 21 days of the Bishop’s retirement – and during the vacancy the following appointments have been agreed by the College of Bishops:

Acting Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane: The Rt Rev Dr Nick Bundock, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway

Convener of Preparatory Committee: The Rt Rev Andrew Swift, Bishop of Brechin

Member of Preparatory Committee: The Rt Rev Dr Nick Bundock, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway

The appointments will also assist in the on-going training of all bishops for the various roles which have to be fulfilled in the event of episcopal vacancy.

Bishop Ian informed the Diocese of the appointment of Bishop Nick as Acting Bishop earlier today, saying: “I am delighted to let you know that the Acting Bishop from 2 November will be the Right Rev Nick Bundock, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway, who has become such a valued and caring colleague since his arrival in Glasgow in 2025.”

21/08/2026

'Sunday Worship' on BBC Radio 4 will be led this weekend by Fr Philip Blackridge, Rector of Holy Trinity in Melrose.

This week’s broadcast is titled ‘From The Festival City of Edinburgh’.

As the city fills with performers, Pip looks at adopting different personas and hiding behind masks.

With music by members of Edinburgh Festival Chorus directed by James Grossmith.

Organist: Imogen Morgan; Pianist: Stuart Hope.
Anthems: Sure On This Shining Night (Morten Lauridsen)
The Road Home (Stephen Paulus)
Hymns: All People That On Earth Do Dwell (Old 100th)
Jesus Calls Us Here To Meet Him (Lewis Folk Melody)
I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say (The Rowan Tree)
Sing for God's Glory (Lobe den Herren)

The 40-minute broadcast starts at 8.10am on Sunday (23 August). It can be found online here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0030m6z