A big loss for TouchDown has been the moving on of Paul Beautyman from Gilmerton New Church to the astonishingly beautiful pastures (and hills!) of Dunoon and Argyll (jealous, moi????).  Paul is one of the main reasons I do what I do, and as mentor, colleague and friend has been part of the ministry since its inception.  It still feels weird that I cant drop in on him at his office at Liberton High School and chew the fat, drink coffee and occasionally play golf with apples….it’s great fun!

Despite the best efforts of the presbytery and interim minister, the regular Friday night X-sports sessions finally came to and end in late 2009.  However, a stripped down, back to basics summer version went ahead in July with assistance from some old friends and the help of new ones as well.  Although numbers were well down on the previous couple of years, there was much to celebrate and remember including a hysterically wet ‘It’s a Knockout’ event and a great closing BBQ at Liberton Kirk halls with the X-arts folks. This was followed by various performances.  A huge thanks to Graham and Alan Duffin for pulling together the sports event at such short notice and for Eric and the Enever’s for their efforts with the arts strand.  And the event would not have finished so strongly without the Young Life guys who came down for the final day…..as the photos show it brought the correct level of hysteria to the closing proceedings

Hopefully this wont be the closing chapter. I am hoping to bring together a team in the future to look to working with all the local churches to try and re launch a new sports programme in the future. This will depend on the Edinburgh Presbytery and how they decide to proceed with Gilmerton New Church, but I hope this will not be the final time I write about events in a place so close to my heart.