 Save the date! Our next Messy Church takes place on Sunday, 8 September, 4-6pm in Humbie Village Hall.
This time, we'll have visitors from Fostering Compassion, an East Lothian charity that supports children in care and helps rescue animals. We'll also have local pets - possibly a dog or two, a kitten, a budgie, and perhaps even ferrets and a pony - and a vet visiting. Please contact us if you'd like more information. The afternoon will have a slightly different format, but children of all ages will be able to join in with the activities, and we'll have a song and prayer, and supper together, as usual. All children are very welcome, and must be accompanied by an adult. Cabin crew please take your seats for take off! We have had a very exciting few days at Holiday Club flying to three wonderfully exotic countries – Jamaica, Italy and South Korea. Every morning we have boarded our plane (mercifully not affected by strikes and power cuts) to take us to our new destination, singing songs along the way to keep our rather dozy pilot awake. We have learnt a little bit about each country as we visit it and Anikó has been helping us engage with the themes of love, hope and peace within these countries. With the help of Jenny’s brilliance we have made some beautiful crafts including love clouds, hope/love/peace bracelets, hanging baskets, a fantastic flame filled burning bush, and doves of peace. Margo’s magnificent meals have kept us all going as we listened to Cressida tell us stories about Moses in relation to our themes. We also have managed to get outside to play and dance around the church despite the tempestuous weather! We landed safely back in Scotland after three packed filled days – and are much looking forward to new adventures next year! After an invitation by Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees (SFAR), the Kirk Sessions of our linked parishes would like to support a pilot project for New Scots Holidays. In participating in this project, we hope to host some of the Syrian refugees who have been settled in Scotland, for a short break, and to provide a space for rest and recreation. After a talk by David Bradwell of SFAR in our services on 14 July, we are currently shaping the team from the congregation and local community who would like to participate in the hosting. If you would be interested in getting involved, come along to an info evening on Tuesday, 6 August, at 7pm in the Humbie Hub, where there'll be an opportunity to explore the situation of refugees in Scotland and to discuss how we can get involved, and also a space for discussion and questions (and a chance to taste some lovely Syrian treats!). If you'd like to come along, please RSVP to rknight@churchofscotland.org.uk. 
At our Messy Church in Gifford Village Hall yesterday, we explored the story of the Good Samaritan. We decorated boxes in which we put notes with acts of kindness, to remind us of the kind things we can do every day, we also learned to sew felt pouches with little emergency help items - tissues, plasters, torches, snacks, we decorated biscuits shaped like people who all had different colours but tasted just the same - to remind us that even if we look different, inside we're all the same, and we had a look at a map of the world to think about the areas who need an extra hand of help and support. We also had a table where we could test how brave we were, by putting our hands into boxes without knowing what was inside - and which gave us lots of shrieks - because sometimes, in order to help someone, we need to be brave. While the bigger kids did all these activities, the smaller ones had fun in the baby and toddler corner. We then listened to the story of the Good Samaritan, learned a new song, and then shared lasagne and fruit. Here are some photos of the afternoon. If you would like to sign up for our Summer Holiday Club, which will run from 6 to 8 August, you can download a booking form with more information here.
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