St Margaret's and Mustard Seed

BEGINNINGS

Mustard Seed began in June 2017 with a community of around 30 people, many of whom had been involved with the development of a community meal - called Soul Food - held every week at St Paul’s and St George’s Church (Ps and Gs), Edinburgh.

Soul Food had shown the power of hospitality and kindness in seeking to come alongside those experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, loneliness and other forms of marginalisation.

We wanted to make these ideals central to our way of ‘doing church’. So our founding members - led by our Pioneer Priest and his wife - set off from Ps and Gs and started a new community down the road in Leith.

Providing a Soul Food community meal on Thursday evenings was an important early initiative of Mustard Seed in the spring of 2018. We were soon providing a wholesome, dignified meal for over sixty guests each week.

COMMUNITY FOCUS

We realised there were a lot of people in our community who were dealing with poverty and debt, so we registered as a CAP church (Christians against Poverty) and started to offer sessions on life skills and job clubs. These allowed people to come together and learn basic skills about budgeting, eating well and building good relationships. For those who were seeking emplyment we offered guidance on how best to prepare for, apply and start work.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted our community life and activities. Sunday services, prayer meetings and children’s ministry went online . Soul Food meals switched to take-away, which again was challenging, but which forged deeper links with others in the area committed to support those in food poverty.

While it was tough to function as a community during this period, through a number of initiatives we emerged from it with commitment to continue pioneering response to the needs we saw around us.

The Gardening Group began during lockdown as an activity to provide connection and support for those in our community and the wider neighbourhood. Our Friday Breakfast began as a means to meet the needs for food and conversation of people who were feeling isolated.

Soon, our CAP ministry had developed to establish a full CAP Debt Centre. This provides practical assistance to clear people's debts. We took over responsibility from St Margaret’s for the running of a Babies and Toddlers Group, and we partnered with Edinburgh City Mission in establishing a Conversation Cafe.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

2023 saw an extended period of prayer and reflection on the life of Mustard Seed after six years of operation. The breadth of activities established was welcomed but was recognised as a stretch for a small community. After a track-record during which congregational giving and securing of grants had covered projected expenditure, financial pressures had deepened. We came together for a series of community consultations to reflect on our identity, what our successes had been and where things needed to change.

These consultations affirmed our sense of seeking to be a welcoming, innovative, practical and value-based community where people can find and grow in faith. We have recognised that if we are to sustain this commitment, we need to nurture each other's faith, develop clearer models of leadership and decision-making, and build our financial sustainability.

We are delighted that Diana Hall accepted the call to be our Priest in Charge working across Mustard Seed and St Margaret's.

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