‘Preparations and openings’
Good morning,
There is a week to go! Students are already arriving in St Andrews to resume their studies, or begin them. Some are returning 3, or 9 or even 18 months or so since they were last in the town. In the Chaplaincy we’re putting the finishing touches to our plans for Orientation Week and the Martinmas Semester. For Freshers’ Week, we have a walking tour of places of worship, a Freshers Faith Fayre, an online meet and greet, and a stall at the all-university Freshers Fayre over two days.
And we’re preparing for the first chapel services since May, beginning next Sunday 5 September at St Salvator’s Chapel. We’ll have full details of all these events in our first newsletter of the academic year in a few days time, but for now our plans are that those attending in person will no longer be required to reserve a place. All who come will be accommodated up to the chapel’s capacity. People can sit together, without physical distancing. The collection of contact details for Test and Protect will take place on the day. However, you are welcome to register your contact details for Test and Protect purposes via the University Events page from about a week before the service – which will save time. Face coverings must be worn by members of the congregation during the service, unless you are exempt.
We will also livestream the Sunday morning services, and will be checking next week that the tech has survived the summer vacation. Details at https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/community/worship/
We’ll have the chapel choir singing from the first service, on 5 September. And the congregation can sing. Linda, Sam, Tracy and I spent an afternoon this week putting the hymn-books and Bibles back into the chapel, ready for our return.
Tomorrow is the last Sunday for a while then with no service at St Salvator’s Chapel. But if you would like to catch a service online, I’ll be leading worship at Glenrothes St Margaret’s Church of Scotland at 10 am tomorrow (Sunday 29 August). I’ll be reflecting on the Olympics and faith, and describing the work of another University Chaplain, Leena Huovinen, who is also the Chaplain to the Finnish Olympic team.
Here is the link to the service at St Margaret’s: Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87172043700?pwd=QXd5c0E3YVV6S3Yrb0lCWHQ0d3JrZz09
Meeting ID: 871 7204 3700
Passcode: 090012
Telephone: 0131 460 1196
Feel free to contact Sam or me with any queries, or if you’d like to arrange for a chat as the semester begins. And if you are journeying to St Andrews over coming days, safe travels, and hope to see you soon.
Yours,
Donald.
Revd Dr Donald MacEwan
Chaplain