From our Locum Minister, Rev Susan Galloway

SOLID GROUND
I saw the most beautiful, bright rainbow recently as I was out walking along by the coast. As always, when I see one, it gave me encouragement, hope, strength. It takes me to the story of Noah, in which God closes the door behind Noah, when he and his family and animals are all in the ark.

Not so long ago, God closed the door on the end of the year 2025 and opened the door of 2026 and that very first day marked the beginning of the new parish of Duddingston Richmond Craigmillar, which we all are part of.
It may seem difficult to think of closing the door, no longer referring to Duddingston Kirk and Richmond Craigmillar Church, but when God closes a door, He opens another one. That is so all through our lives.

We find ourselves at the beginning of the first year of this new parish of Duddingston Richmond Craigmillar in the midst of uncertainties of all kinds. Yet, we also find ourselves within the reality of God’s presence, which is a solidness on which we stand; an anchor we can hold on to.

It is so easy to forget that we live in His time. It is so easy to forget what it means that the Church is His Church. It is so easy to forget that what His Hand began, He will not let go.
God knows we would like to know more about the road that lies before us than we do know.

But what He wants to know is whether we have faith in Him or not; whether we have trust in Him or not; whether we are prepared to walk with Him or not. In His Wisdom, He prevents us from going our way with His plan, if we knew it. For it is really His plan with us, and not our plan with Him, that makes us move further into a future that is unknown to us, but prepared by Him.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

As we move forward as Duddingston Richmond Craigmillar Parish, we will have to work together, help each other, and make some changes, but we have an exciting future to look forward to. A future that will ultimately lead to calling a new full-time minister and seeing the congregation go from strength to strength in faith.

I very much look forward to being part of the journey as your locum minister, as we put our trust in God’s plan for us and we walk together through 2026, toward our shared future.

With every blessing:
Susan