We recently received a letter from our friends in Ekwaliweni - telling us how they worshipped on Christmas Day. Please take a moment to read the Ekwaliweni Letter and pray that our friendship develops over the coming year.

This year promises to be a classic for excellent cinema, and Longniddry Film Club will be there to bring you new releases as they appear on DVD. Our screening for this month will be on 29th February at 7.30pm in the church. All people over 16 are welcome to attend our screenings, which are free of charge. They take place in the church at 7.30pm, and are followed by refreshments.

If you would like to become a member of Longniddry Church or if you think you might like to find out more about Church membership, now is the time to do something about it. Pick up the phone and call Robin Hill on 853195, and he will tell you about our enquirers’ process, leading to new members joining in church at our 9.45am service on Easter Day, Sunday 8th April. If you are interested, just have a chat with Robin. He’ll be delighted to hear from you!

Fairtrade Fortnight this year will take place from 27th February to 11th March. The theme for this Fairtrade Fortnight is TAKE A STEP IN 2012 UK Fairtrade sales last year topped £1bn but there is still a long way to go. Each step taken takes us closer to a better deal from global trade for farmers and workers in the poorer countries. During Fairtrade Fortnight Fairtrade will feature at a service in Church. The village and church Fairtrade committees will have stalls at various day-to-day events in the Community Centre and Longniddry Primary School. 0ur main village event this year will be a Fairtrade games and party night in the church on Tuesday 28th February at 7pm. All welcome. This will be a chance to learn about some of the difficulties of world trade systems for the poorer countries of the world. There will also be the opportunity to taste some Fairtrade products.

A repeat of last year’s very popular Pub Quiz will be held in the community centre on Friday 9th March, 7pm for 7.30pm. A light finger buffet and empty wine glasses will be provided – bring your own favourite bottle. Teams should be up to a maximum of six people. Tickets available from Ann Reeks (852606) at £5 each. All proceeds will go to Christian Aid.

The season of Lent is nearly here once more, and with it the frantic dropping of pennies into jam jars for Longniddry Parish Church’s “Jar of Grace” appeal. This happens every year in the run-up to Easter, and offers us all the opportunity to make a very little go a long, long way. With enough people popping those coins into jars, before we know it many hundreds of Pounds are raised to help a good cause right here in Scotland. It’s a team effort, and it’s great fun too. More details will follow next month, but for now, look out a nice big jam jar, and get collecting those coins from Ash Wednesday (22nd February) onwards.

Thanks to all who generously donated to the cost of providing meals at the Bethany Night Shelter this winter. A total of £345 was gifted this year- our highest total to date. This amount will exceed our costs for the two meals and the surplus will be donated to Bethany. The homeless are always very appreciative of the food and the little treats your donations provide. Early arrivals at the shelter take particular delight in making cheese or meat sandwiches before the main meal is ready. Thanks again.

Last month saw the fourth celebration of “Souper Sunday” in Longniddry. This is an annual event across the Church of Scotland in which our congregations gather for worship based around the theme of HIV and the churches’ response to the global pandemic. Souper Sunday’s other great claim to fame is to be found in its name. After our act of worship, we all went through to our halls and enjoyed a lunch of home-made soup and bread. It was just fabulous, and the lunch raised £385 for the work of The Church of Scotland HIV Programme. Well done to Gordon Smillie, Blythe Peart and their wonderful teams! It really was a tremendous day.