Rector Nicki McNelly was leaving home one morning when her eye was caught by fingers of frost appearing like cracks in her porch window, lit up by the morning sun rising in a stunning blue sky, with the white bell tower of her church in the background.
![St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh [vertical image]](/Images/st-cuthberts-edinburgh-scotland-portrait_tcm96-50793.jpg "St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh [vertical image]")
The contrast struck her, and she took a photograph with her phone.
Later, she sent it in to our Parish Pixels competition, with the sentence, ‘Like the ice appears to break the window, we are a beautiful church in a broken world doing our best to live as Jesus commanded.’
‘I often take pictures when I’m out walking the dogs,’ said Nicki. ‘I like to capture the simplicity and beauty of creation. Something about that image struck a chord with me. I’ve visited the Himalayas five times, and it’s the extreme difference between the enormity of Mount Everest down to this little bit of ice on my window, each linked in their beauty.
‘That got me thinking – God created this amazing world for us, and it’s getting worse and worse as humans take on their own will, rather than live as Jesus commanded. If all we did was love each other it would be perfect? Again, it’s that contrast.’
Nicki and her administrator at St Cuthbert’s in Colinton, Edinburgh, selected the photograph from five which they had taken between them.
‘I have to say I was astonished to win,’ said Nicki. ‘I was at the airport, about to fly to Portugal, and she phoned and said “I’m sorry to disturb you when you’re going on holiday, but I need to tell you this… we’ve won!”
‘We’re lucky to be in a wealthy parish, and our lovely church doesn't need any maintenance work, so we’ll use the money to support the community.’
