Great oaks from little acorns grow 

 

This venerable quotation, an early variant of which is found in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde of 1374, is often used when we hope for great things to come from small beginnings.

 

Thus it is with the Donside Christian Partnership.

 

This somewhat informal association of the Cathedral Church of St Machar, Woodside Parish Church, St Joseph’s R.C.Church, St George’s - Tillydrone, St Ninian’s Episcopal Church and St Mary’s Parish Church, has not been without a few birth pangs.

 

No sooner had the embryo organisation began spluttering into life than the Church of Scotland charges found themselves, one-by-one, occupied with the more immediate task of searching for new ministers. The Donside Christian Partnership had to take a back seat; indeed, for a time one could have been forgiven for thinking that here was yet another Church initiative which was going nowhere.

 

When nominating committees finished traipsing around the country in search of that most elusive species, the perfect parish minister, the Donside Christian Partnership was given the kiss of life.

 

Slowly, but surely, what had been simply a hope in the hearts of a tiny number of people from each congregation began to take root and grow. Now the Donside Christian Partnership is a reality which means much to a good number of people in its constituent congregations. The good folk of St Ninian’s may still not have fully signed up, but we, their neighbours and brothers and sisters in Christ, are confident  they will come aboard.

 

Over the last few months, Partnership events have shown increasing numbers of people from each congregation coming outwith their own walls to participate.

 

A dinner-dance,held in the Northern Hotel and master-minded by Father Patrick Rice,  parish priest at St Joseph’s, may not seem the sort of event which would appeal to members of the Cathedral congregation. However, led by their kilted minister, those St Machar’s folks who did attend joined in the event with gusto.

 

Something quite different from the Northern Hotel evening was a Songs of Peace evening at St Mary’s. Here, lay members of each participating congregation led the praise and prayers. The service was followed by a time of fellowship in the church hall, where old friendships were rekindled and new friendships forged  as those present enjoyed St Mary’s legendary hospitality.

 

There was again hospitality in good measure when St Joseph’s R.C, Church hosted a service to mark the Week of Prayer of Christian Unity. Here again, this was a service conducted largely by lay members from the Partnership churches.

 

The ecumenical dimension of the Partnership was demonstrated by the fact that when the Cathedral Kirk Session was looking for a venue for an ‘away day’ conference, it was decided to seek the facilities at St Joseph’s. The genial Father Patrick had no hesitation in granting use of the facilities.

 

The Partnership’s growth was most amply emphasised on Palm Sunday when a motley all-age group, carrying crosses and palm branches, walked from Woodside Parish Church to St Mary’s Parish Church with prayer stops at St Joseph’s, St George’s-Tillydrone and  St Machar’s. Hospitality in the form of  tea, coffee hot-cross buns and cakes were offered - and gratefully accepted - at Woodside and St Mary’s.

 

The walk brought the Church out into the community with crosses and palm branches being handed out to onlookers along the route. Here was very visible proof that, whilst we, from a group of neighbouring churches, may ‘do our own thing’, we readily acknowledge our oneness in Christ.

 

The call to the people of St Machar’s is simple: Let us continue to ‘do our own thing’. But let us also play our part in making the Donside Christian Partnership a vibrant and visible force for good in this corner of God’s vineyard.

 

The little acorn has now become a very healthy sapling. Join the Partnership’s next event, an afternoon Pentecost Picnic at Woodside on Sunday, May 27, and help the sapling on its way to becoming a mighty oak.

 

Dick Williamson