January 2015 marks the 200th year since the foundations of the current building of Liberton Kirk were laid, and we are planning to have a whole year of celebrations to mark this. A small group has been meeting to discuss this for over eighteen months, and a wide range of events and activities has been planned.
One of our projects has been to produce a book about the people who have contributed to the character of the church family and wider community over the years. Richard Purden, a local author and journalist, has been commissioned to undertake this task, and for the last twelve months he has been enthusiastically immersing himself in our community and its history.
As I write this, the full text is being finalised before it goes to the type-setter. The book will be entitled “Liberton Kirk – a good place to be”, and will be made up of the collected memories and writings of a number of well-known local characters, with specific chapters focussing on the contributions of our most recent ministers.
As I have been reading Richard’s proofs, these are the chapters which, personally, I found myself most drawn to. In the church there has always been the danger that we put our leaders on pedestals, but, like the characters in the Bible, we have all been shown to have our flaws and failings. The amazing thing is that God is still willing to use us, and, reading Richard’s rich prose about the lives of Campbell Fernbach and John Cameron I have been surprised and impressed by all that they achieved.
The book, however, is not just about the ministers of Liberton. It is also about the everyday life of a community which lived through times of great change and world conflict. In addition to some memorable events, we will be able to read about the contribution of a number of well-known characters, about the long tradition of good youth work, and about how our relationships with other churches have developed and are developing still.
Richard’s writing is reflective as much as it is factual, and his book will give us much insight into the character of our church family, and our strengths for the future. Our hope is to have the first copies ready for sale in December of this year – just in time for Christmas.
Much love
John