16

Copy date for March issue is Sunday 16th

February if using church pigeon hole or Wednesday 19

th if emailing.

Please send to our new editor Carla MacAllister at st.paulslifemagazine@gmail.com

Date Flower Deliveries

Crèche Rota Traidcraft Ro-ta

Vestibule Rota

9 Feb M McLean R Cameron

Richell Berry

L Cowie C McKinnon

Team 6 Joyce Clark

16 Feb J Ford C Tanner

McKinnon McCreadie

R Raeburn H Reid

Team 7 Jean MacIntyre

23 Feb J Clark S Stenhouse

Wallis Stark

B Watson M Conway

Team 8 Lachlan McNeill

2 Mar P Barlow S Robertson

M Ure J Mill

Team 9 Angus MacLean

C H U R C H R E G I S T E R NEW MEMBERS Joined by Certificate Mrs Margaret McEvoy, 30 Endrick Gardens, Milngavie 64 CHANGE OF ADDRESS Mrs Edna Campbell, 38 Homebrae House, now 3a Buchanan Lodge, Grampian Way DEATHS Jesus said: ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’ 9.1.14 Mrs Robina Gemmell, 23 Campsie Drive, Milngavie 9

Life at ST. PAUL’S

Milngavie February 2014

Dear Friends, After one of those stop-start journeys in early morning traffic with every light against me, I found myself thanking God that I had found a convenient parking place. Nothing wrong with that. I believe it’s an important part of our walk with God that we acknowledge Him as the source of every positive thing that falls to us. Some of you may remember the prayer of Michel Quoist that I read to the children in Church recently which thanks God for such things as ‘the water that woke me up, the soap that smells good, the toothpaste that refreshes.’ It was a real eye-opener for me when I first heard that prayer. It had never occurred to me that God could be thanked for such things. And why not? The Apostle James writes: ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights . . .’ The problem I have is that we could make the mistake of casting our God merely as the God of small things, that He exists to bestow small favours upon His people to make our lives less stressful, to touch us with just enough strength to cope with the challenges of life. Have we lost the vision of a God who changes things, who turns things around, who can bring life out of decay and death? An important part of the spiritual life of Ancient Israel was to bring to minds the mighty deeds of their God and to live in expectation of great things yet to be. Psalm 77 says: Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. (Verses 10-12)

2

There were times in the life of Israel when their God was in danger of becoming like the tribal gods of the peoples that surrounded them. Cue the prophets, who continually reminded them that their God was not merely the God of Israel but also the God of the nations. He was not the God of small things. That vision of God continued amongst the first Christians who cherished stories of Jesus who not only healed the sick but at times defied the laws of nature to bring quiet to a storm, to walk upon water, and in the end to rise from the dead. This same Jesus promised His disciples: ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.’ However we respond to this, we must never give up on the power of God to change things, to turn things around, to bring new life out of death and decay. As the children’s hymn says: ‘Our God is a great, big God.’

Worship in St. Paul’s 9

th February 2014 11.00am Morning Worship Presbytery Exchange with

Rev. Andrew Lees, Baldernock Parish Church 7.00pm Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper 16

th February 2014 11.00am Morning Worship

7.00pm Evening Worship 23

rd February 2014 11.00am Bible Sunday

7.00pm Evening Worship 2

nd March 2014 11.00am Morning Worship

7.00pm Evening Worship

15

Church Visitors and W.F.O. Envelopes - Advance Notice

The new W.F.O. envelopes for the coming year will be available at the back of the Church on Sunday 2nd March 2014 and the W.F.O treasurer would be grateful if the Church Visitors, as in previous years, would deliver them along with Life.

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by it’s ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Albert Einstein

14

The Harvest thanksgiving offering last September was generously supported by St Paul’s for the Vine Trust ship - Jubilee Hope. This is just to update you on the progress of the project. The refitting of the ship has now been completed in Greenock Harbour and it is now equipped to provide medical and dental care. During January and February it is being sailed 8,000 miles down the West coast of Africa and up the East coast to Mombasa. The South African Navy has generously offered to protect the ship from piracy on this long voyage. In Mombasa , the overall height of the ship has to be reduced by removing all upper deck structures, and by means of a 96 wheel 300 ton trailer it will be transported over the last 520 miles through Kenya to Lake Victoria where it will be reassembled. For people living on Lake Victoria there is no access to medical or dental care so the ship hopes to provide this to over a million people over the next 20 years. Please pray that this epic journey will go smoothly and that many will be blessed by this project in Tanzania. Further updates and details can be found at www.vinetrust.org under Tanzania Jubilee appeal.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2014 A warm welcome awaits you at Allander Evangelical Church, Milngavie on Friday 7

th March 2014 at 10.30am.

This year the service has been prepared by the Christian Women of Egypt, and the speaker at our local service will be Mrs C Steed. Refresh-ments will be served after the service.

Vine Trust Jubilee Hope Ship

St. Paul’s Church Society AGM

New members will be made most welcome.

8 March 2014 10am following the Lent Service

Tea and coffee etc.

3

Book Club

In Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and journalist David Oliver Relin, recount the journey that led Mortenson from a failed 1993 attempt to climb K2, to successfully establishing schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. By replacing guns with pencils, rhetoric with reading, he combined his unique back-ground with his knowledge of the area to promote peace with books and bring education to remote communities in central Asia. Three Cups of Tea is an unforgettable adventure and an inspiring true story of how one man really did change the world – one school at a time.

This is the description of the book we have just been reading but all is not what it seems. In 2011 there was a programme on CBS, which revealed the facts behind this book. Not all of the details were in fact true and Mortenson was indicted for false accounting among other things culminating in a million dollar lawsuit in America. He subsequently had to resign from the Board of the company he had set up to manage the schools. Sadly his co-author, David Oliver Relin, committed suicide in 2012. Despite the truth behind the book being revealed, we all found the book to be an easy, pleasant read although we did feel that Mortenson was disorganised and impetuous. Although it can be extremely difficult to change the cultural ethos overnight, a school was completed at Korphe in 1996 and since then 78 more schools have been built. Our next book is Light between Oceans by M L Stedman and we are meeting on 25 February 2014. JOYCE CLARK

The kindest hearts expect no reward and deserve it all the more.

4

Advance notice for your

new 2014 diary The Annual General Meet-ing of the congregation will be held on Wednesday 12

th March. This

is an important meeting for all members and we hope as many as possible will be able to attend. The Commission 2014 The 2014 Christian Men's Conference will be held on Saturday 15th March at Newton Mearns Baptist Church from 10.30 to 4.30. The main speaker is Jeremy McQuoid, teaching pastor at Deeside Christian Fellowship. Tickets £15 but only £12 if booked by 15/2/14. More information in-fo@thecommission.org.uk.

MAF Big picture event - 7th

June 2014 MAF are planning a fantastic event during the Commonwealth games this summer. They are setting up a huge zip wire in the grounds of Hamilton College. There will be a great opportunity for you to become a World Record hold-er! It’s open to all ages to register to take part. On Saturday 7

th June , 1,000 people

will zip wire across Hamilton Race-course on to the College playing field. Each person will carry a picture illustrating an aspect of MAF’s work in Commonwealth countries. All the pictures will then be combined to form a giant picture and this will be displayed in the Scottish Parliament building from 9

th June.

More information is available at www.mafbigpicture.org where you will be able register to take part in this exciting event.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY KIMO COFFEE MORNING Please note that there will be a Coffee Morning in aid of the Kimo Home on SATURDAY MARCH 29th. There will be more information next month, but please keep the date free and

try to attend.

St. Paul’s Holiday Fellowship If anyone is interested in organising holidays for the con-gregation, their rela-tives and their friends, Anne Ritchie would be happy to discuss this with them and help them to get started. It is a very rewarding experience. Her phone number is 956 5027.

13

Brigade Blethers

Brigade is back and as usual we started off with lots of music, laughs, glitter and wonderful costumes. Yes! We were at the pantomime in the King's and it was great. We had front row seats in the upper circle and the only complaint from the girls was that they didn't throw sweeties up to us as they have in the past. (Must be the cut backs.) Our next ploy is the Jumble Sale on Saturday 8 February and we are looking forward to seeing lots of you there. The bargains have started to come in already together with offers of home baking and tablet which is one of our "top selling lines." The money raised at the Jumble goes towards the prizes and awards presented at our Display at the beginning of May. We are usually able to use some of it to subsidise the cost of our Company weekend to Auchengillan. Because our own numbers are down this year a group of Juniors from East Kilbride are joining forces with us and we are looking forward to mak-ing lots of new friends. We have only been back one night and already I am talking about events in March but the-se are real highlights in our Brigade year so please pray for a successful Jumble and a nice sunny weekend in March. Anne Goodlet

Mrs. H Kelly, Mrs P Knaggs, Mrs J Pirie Please put donations in Flower Rota pigeon hole at the back of the church or send to Mrs. Wilma Douglas, 34 Braeside Ave., Milngavie G62 6LJ. Tel. 956 2630. Cheques should be made payable to St. Paul's Flowers

Flower Donations—February

12

We would like to thank the congregation for joining us for fellowship

after the morning service.

We are delighted to let you know we were able to give £1300 to

“Chanan Trust Glasgow”.

This would not be possible without the help of all our tea makers and

we would like to thank them for their help during 2013.

We are most grateful to Bob at Milngavie Mini Market who donates the

milk and biscuits for our coffee every week and also a special thanks to

our helper for the continued delivery of these to St Pauls on Sunday. We hope you all continue to enjoy this time of fellowship and we look

forward to seeing you in 2014.

Many thanks once again to everyone.

Margaret and Margaret

Sunday Coffee

Thank you

Scottish Bible Society - Bible Sunday Bible Sunday will be held in St Paul’s on 23

rd February.

Projects being supported this year include;- Ecuador Trauma healing for refugees in Ecuador where the local Bible Society is working with refugees fleeing from violence in Colombia who are living in fear of exploitation and deportation. The Philippines The Philippine Bible Society is supplying Bibles to be put into boxes of essential aid which are being distributed to victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Nicaragua The Bible Society of Nicaragua is helping children with cancer and their parents by providing Bibles, leaflets and emotional support, and also helping with travel and accommodation costs as many patients live long distances from the only hospital which can provide treatment and parents struggle to meet the costs. Scotland The Penny Gospel is a special edition of St. Luke’s Gospel with inspiring stories of sporting men and women who believe that their faith is worth More than Gold. 250,000 copies are being printed for distribution across Scotland in this year of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Bible Societies in many countries face difficult conditions –in some offices have been attacked and in others staff struggle to meet the demand for Bibles

5

Life and Work February 2014 ‘A Big Family’ Heart for Art, an innovative CrossReach project which is helping people with

dementia express themselves through art. A Helping Hand The new Church of Scotland Youth Guide to Ethi-cal Living. Open My Ears, That I May Hear A personal plea for worship leaders to consider people with hearing disabilities. A Great Journey The Church’s Head of Stewardship says attitude can make the difference in stewardship campaigns. Scotland’s People on the Record A taste of the old parish records, now available online. Hands Across the World

Previewing Heart and Soul 2014. Being There for People The Moderator asks ‘what is the purpose of the Church of Scotland?’ Acts and Actions The Rev Dr Martin Fair urges us to follow the example of the early Christians. Saying Goodbye Ruth Burgess discusses how to make funerals meaningful to non-churchgoers. Plus all the usual columnists, letters, news, reviews, registers and crosswords – all for just £2. Online visit www.lifeandwork.org for up-to-date news and exclusive features.

You know that you've matured

when you’d rather be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.

6

Japan Jottings

Dear Friends As we go into 2014 OMF Japan has adopted this as a focused Year of Prayer for the people and land of Japan. We have 12 general themes which we are taking one a month and really long for spiritual breakthrough in this land. OMF has also has a focus on the Tohoku area which stretches from the north of the main Honshu island down to Sendai on the east coast. You will remember that this coastal area was the one devastated by the tsunami in 2011. OMF is looking to have 30 workers in this wide area by the end of next year, some doing rural church planting and others more city-based. The city of Sendai has over 1 million people and one characteristic of the city is the large number of universities and colleges. There are around 80,000 students but few churches and very little in the way of outreach to these students. Although we have had one couple involved in student work in Sendai for some years, we hope to channel more energy and people into that work over coming years. Students are a group in Japan who have time. The pressures of school are not there and they are not yet sucked into the busyness and pressures of the work environment. We have one couple going there in April to begin linking up with churches there and to research possibilities. We have another young family and perhaps others too hoping to join this ministry from next year. OMF also has two couples leading churches in Sendai. Do pray for the work in Sendai that the church would be built up and that many students would be reached with the gospel. Many thanks for all your support for us.

With our love

David, Lorna, Daniel, Matthew, Calum and Alistair

11

6th

. Jan: We opened our new session with a visit from Michelle Candlish, who touched on aspects of her life which resulted in her becoming a Christian, with a strong ethos of caring & sharing. She then introduced Happy Hour, which involved Zumba dancing and an invitation to all who wished to participate. Her infectious enthusiasm ensured a great response and it was just the cure after an indulgent Christmas of chocolate and rich foods. 13

th. Jan: Summerlee Museum – Lu McNair gave us a very interesting talk

on the history of Lanarkshire Industrial Life and the background of how it developed due to the opening of the Monkland Canal. Entry to the museum is free and it has a wealth of attractions which highlight its contribution to engineering. It also incorporates an interactive display, a children’s ‘discovery zone’ and a cafe. Very family orientated and a worthwhile visit 20

th. Jan: Ecumenical Service in Baldernock Church - Rev. Andrew Lees

welcomed all visitors from the Association of Churches and conducted the service for a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Hospitality was provided after the service with the opportunity for further fellowship. Diary Dates Feb 3

rd. Water Aid – Mrs. A Fettes

10th. Bible Study – Rev. Fergus Buchanan

17th. Canon @ Birmingham Cathedral-Rev. Janet Chapman

24th. Milngavie in Bloom – Heather Lindsay

Mar 3rd

. Visit from St. Lukes – African Safari with God. Margaret Stirling

The Guild

THANK YOU! I was very touched by the amazing kindness and support of so many members of the congregation during my recent illness. It has meant a great deal to me in my recovery and I should like to thank you all very much indeed. Eleanor Easton

10

Christians suffering persecution worldwide

North Korea has retained its title as the worst country for the persecution of Christians in Open Doors' annual list of the worst countries for Christian persecution globally. It is the 12th year in a row that North Korea has been ranked as the single most anti-Christian country in the world. With between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians in the county's concentration camps, labour camps, prisons, or prison camps, it could be regarded as something of a miracle that there are still an estimated 400,000 believers in the North Korean underground church. Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are the next four countries in line.

In some of the countries of our partner churches there is persecution of Chris-tians - please keep them in your prayers. A Prayer for Peace

Lord of heaven and earth,of all nations and peoples,all faiths and no faith, reveal yourself to those who are suffering,

reveal yourself to all who are refugees, reveal yourself to those who are powerful, reveal yourself, to all who are powerless,

reveal yourself to ordinary people in their everyday lives, that this world

might reflect your love and your glory.

MEN'S ASSOCIATION After two very enjoyable and informative talks in January when we were giv-en a full account of the life of David Livingstone by Dr. Jon Cossor and a thought provoking look at " Credit Crunch + 4 " in a presentation by Alf Young, our thoughts turn to our programme of speakers for February. On Tuesday, 11th. February, Robert Hamilton returns to give a talk on Dwight D. Eisenhower. Robert is a Senior History Lecturer at Glasgow University who has a special interest in American History. He previously talked to us on John F. Kennedy and we look forward to hearing Robert again. Two weeks later, on 25th. February, we have a presentation by Bert Mitchell entitled " Sport ". Both evenings should be very enjoyable and we look forward to members, friends and members of the congregation coming along to enjoy the fellow-ship and the presentations given by the speakers.

7

Coffee and Mince Pies Thank you to everyone who supported the Coffee and Mince pies event on 22nd December and a special thanks to the Praise Band whose playing contributed to the festive atmosphere. The following letter of thanks has been received from Carers Link:-

Dear Miss Ireland I am absolutely delighted to be writing to you now to express our sincere thanks to the members of the St. Paul’s congrega-tion for the extremely generous sum of £486.55 raised at your annual Cof-fee and Mince Pie event. As I'm sure you can imagine,, working in such a difficult economic climate and particularly with the number of local Carers increasing all the time, fundraising is never far from our minds. We are very touched that you thought of us at this time. Thank you once again for your support, your generosity is very much appreciated and will help ensure that we will be able to continue to

support local Carers and further develop our services. Please pass on our grateful thanks to your members. Yours sincerely

Margaret Coats Resource Co-ordinator (Finance & Fundraising)

St Paul’s SunKids The SunKids will meet on Saturday the 1

st March 2014

from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. This is for all children from P1 and is a fun filled afternoon of crafts, games, stories and songs. We even have football and our own in house Football Manager (he’s called Fergus!). So kids from the church or even kids with no church connection are invited. If you have any questions about this call the church office 0141 956 4405 or Ross Deuchar.

8

A focus on South Sudan

South Sudan is the world's newest country, gaining independance from Sudan in July 2011. It enjoyed relative stability until the end of December, when political disputes turned to ethnic violence. Despite current negotiations, thousands of people have been killed and many thousands are displaced and fleeing the country. The Churches, the people and the country need our prayers and support in the hope that stability can be restored. More information on the current situation and the response of the Churches is available from Ecclesia and Christian Aid.

This year, the Methodist Church Sri Lanka (MC-SL) is celebrating its bicentenary. To commemorate the jubilee, a new church building is being constructed in Buttala. But recently, building work was forcibly stopped by protesters.

Here is a statement from MC-SL president Rev. Dr. Albert W. Jebanesan: “In December 2013, a group of people totalling more than 200, along with their religious leaders, gathered in front of the Methodist Church in Buttala, which was being constructed as a bicentenary monument. The group forcibly stopped the construction. The Constitution and laws of our country ensure freedom of worship for every person so it is therefore it is not permissible for any organization or movement to use whatever power and/or influence they wield to stop this work, which was commenced after all the necessary approvals was obtained. We request your prayers as the Divisional Secretary and the Police in the area support us in trying to re-commence the interrupted construction work." Please pray for our sisters and brothers in Sri Lanka as they are trying to build peaceful and friendly relationships with their Buddhist neighbours.

9

‘Stones Cry Out' - Scottish Film Premiere - 13 February ‘The Stones Cry Out is a film, directed by Yasmine Perni, that tells the story of Palestinian Christians. The Scottish Premiere is on Thursday 13 Feb, 6.45pm at St. Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, George St, Edinburgh, followed by a discussion with the director and others. Palestinian Christians can trace their

Christian heritage back to the land of Jesus and his disciples 2,000 years

ago. Although constantly under threat, the diminishing Christian community

continues to live out its faith in the land which many call holy. A flyer and

more information are available on the website.

Cycle Nepal, 8-17 November 2014 EMMS International is an

organisation which works in

partnership with communities in the

poorest parts of the world to

transform their lives, improving life

chances through effective and

sustainable health & education and

by sharing the Christian faith in

words and actions. EMMS

International announces their

newest challenge event ‘Cycle

Nepal’. 60% of mothers in Nepal don’t have the help they need during

childbirth. Cycle Nepal will help to support mother and baby health projects in

Surkhet, Nepal, undertaken in partnership with the International Nepal

Fellowship. More information is available on the EMMS International website.