Letter from the editor
Welcome to the September edition of the magazine.After the very busy
week of the summer mission, including the Messy Church on the
second Saturday and finishing with the Prayer Walk on the Sunday, it
was good to get away for a break.
We had never been to Harrogate or anywhere in the surrounding area
before so it was a great experience for us to visit this lovely Victorian
town and to see some of the little Yorkshire villages totally unspoiled
by time.
One of the National Trust sites that we visited was Fountains Abbey.
The history of the abbey began in 1132 when a small group of
disaffected monks from St Mary’s Abbey in York came there in search
of a simpler and more devout life.
The first monks were nicknamed the ‘white monks’ because of the
undyed sheep’s wool habits they wore. The monks learned skills as
shepherds, tanners, masons and brewers to help build the abbey’s
wealth. By the mid-1200s it had become one of the largest and most
powerful religious houses in the country. At that time Fountains Abbey
was one of the leading producers and exporters of wool which provided
the main source of the abbey’s wealth.
For centuries people have been drawn to this inspiring place. The ruins
help to tell the story of 400 years of monastic life, years of riches,ruin
and revival, until it was brought to a close by the dissolution of the
monasteries in the time of Henry viii.
It still is an imposing building and the parks around it are much used by
families, running, walking and having picnics.
Minister’s letter
Dear Friends,
By the time you’re reading this, we’ll be in autumn with the usual
winds and rain, although that sounds a bit like the summer this year
with some exceptions. I’ll have been here just over 3 months and I’ve
spend a lot of that time looking and listening.
It was a real blessing to see and be part of the Summer Mission from
the Fun Day, Polar Explorers, Youth evenings, Messy Church and
finishing for us with the Joint Service at Livingstone Church. The
messages of the week were -you’re never too
young
ordinary
near or far
bad
But let’s not get caught thinking that these messages are only for the
children: each one of needs to remember that God’s mercy and grace is
for us all. The only thing that stops us from growing through and with
God’s grace and mercy is our own response to God’s gift for us.
The children were told that they were never too young or old and that’s
true: Jesus told His disciples to let the children go to Him and not
hinder them, “for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
(Matthew 19:13-14) God can work in us and only gives us what He
wants us to do, helping us on the way. The children were told that they
were never too ordinary and the thing is it is God who makes us special
and different. They were told that they were never too far or near and
that’s true; God can reach us wherever we are and however we are in
our relationship with Him. The children were told that they were never
too bad and again, it is God’s grace and mercy that gives us
forgiveness. God loves the world so much that He gave His only Son,
Jesus Christ, so that those who believe would not perish but have
eternal life; Christ Jesus went to the Cross, died, was buried, rose again,
defeating death and gifting us forgiveness.
These aren’t nice wee stories to tell the children but the reality of God’s
goodness and providence to us, His created children. As we explore
these things, we develop our relationship with God through Christ and
in the power of the Holy Spirit. Developing our relationship with God is
discipleship, and we’re never too young or old!
Over the summer and through to the end of October, we’re exploring
the Songs of Ascent, Psalms 120-134, as a path of discipleship as a
congregation and hopefully as individuals. I’m focusing on Eugene
Peterson’s discussions of these Psalms in his book, “A Long Obedience
in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”.
We will hopefully also be part of Path of
Renewal which I’ve spoken about before.
Path of Renewal will help us, as church
families, walk together and explore how we
consider discipleship and mission as individual congregations, jointly as
a linked charge and with our brothers and sisters in Christ at the High
Kirk. But there will more about that later…
Each one of us has a part to play in our journey with God from praying
to leading worship because we’re never too bad, ordinary, near or far or
young or old.
Every blessing,
Dave
Preaching Plan for September to November
Joy: Laughing and
singing to the Lord 03-Sep Psalm 126
Sacrament of
Holy
Communion
Work: If God
doesn't build the
house
10-Sep Psalm 127
Happiness: Enjoy
the Blessing 17-Sep Psalm 128
Perseverance:
Keeping on
keeping on
24-Sep Psalm 129 Harvest
Thanksgiving
Hope: Praying &
Waiting 01-Oct Psalm 130
Humility: Keeping
your feet on the
ground
8-Oct Psalm 131
Obedience:
Promising God 15-Oct Psalm 132
Community: Like
costly anointing oil
flowing down head
and beard
29-Oct Psalm 133 Joint service
Blessing:
Lift your
praising
hands
05-Nov Psalm 134
Christ as
Priest 12-Nov
Hebrews
4:14-5:10
Joint:
Remembrance
Christ as
Prophet 19-Nov
Revelation
19:1-10
Christ as
King 26-Nov
Matthew
25:14-30
Letter of thanks
Dear Friends,
Charlotte and I would like to express our thanks to the members of both
congregations for the friendship and the wonderful gifts that we were
given at the ordination of your new minister.
It certainly does not seem like six years ago that I was asked to act as
your Interim Moderator and I am certain that neither you nor I expected
the appointment to last for such a length of time. It is stated that time
flies when you are enjoying yourself and I can assure you that I did
enjoy my time with you. Over the years, Charlotte and I developed a
deep affection for both congregations and we will always value the
friendships that were formed.
There comes a time when we have to go our separate ways. You have
set out on a new and exciting stage in your journey of faith and I
withdraw into another stage of retirement unless Presbytery has some
other ideas.
We both wish you well as you go forward in faith with Dave leading
you to new pastures and we will look forward to hearing of your
continued progress.
With every blessing
Ken Welch
The Guild
The Guild will hold its opening meeting on Tuesday 12th September at
1.30pm in the Church Hall.
This is the third and last session of "Be Bold, Be Strong" with the theme
"Go in Love" following "Go in Peace" and "Go in Joy", and the
discussion topic "Loving when it's difficult to love".
A varied syllabus has been arranged including speakers from the two
national Guild projects; two concerts; speakers on a variety of subjects;
presbyterial council meetings; our usual entertaining South Beach
residents; Macmillan coffee afternoon; Dundee national meeting DVD;
Burns celebration; Bring and Buy Sale; and the opportunity for the
members to enjoy each other's company and chat over the inevitable
cup of tea.
As always we look forward to other members of the congregation
joining our numbers every Tuesday from September to Easter. We have
quite a few members who belong to other churches in the district and
seem to enjoy the fellowship in the Guild.
Dorothy Penno
Shoebox Appeal 2017
'Transforming lives through Christian care for body and soul'
Will you fill a box for Blythswood’s 2017 Shoe Box Appeal? A bar
of soap, a pair of socks, a packet of sweets – these are practical gifts
that bring joy, comfort and dignity to people in need. These items are
not just practical but personal, too. Your box shows that someone
cares.
Leaflets for this year's appeal are available from the table in the
vestibule. Boxes will be collected at this year's Harvest Service on
Sunday 24th September.
In past years we have had a tremendous response to the Shoe Box
Appeal and we seek your continued support for this very worthwhile
cause.
Dorothy Hershaw
Prayer Thoughts
I wonder, if like me, you can find it difficult to tell others you are
praying for them. After all many would be grateful to know that they
are being prayed for. What might be the cause, shyness,
embarrassment, some slight wavering in faith? When thinking about
this I found the following verses in Paul’s letter to the Romans in
chapter 1 at verse 9;
‘God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and
your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by telling
others the Good News about his son.’
This is a great example to me. Paul shows no reticence at all. In fact,
you can feel Paul’s sincerity and enthusiasm for prayer coming through.
Paul clearly prays on the spur of the moment as the Spirit leads him. As
he says ‘day and night’, not some especially set aside time. His
conversations with God are deeply woven into the fabric of his life and
it is with joy that he informs those that he is praying for.
The preceding verse tells us that Paul’s prayers for the Roman
Christians are not just requests, no, verse 8 tells us that he also offers
prayers of thanksgiving;
‘How I thank God through Jesus Christ for each one of you’.
These verses give me a great model to follow. Pray with thanksgiving,
pray at any time, and don’t hesitate to tell others they are prayed for!
Themes
Approach: Try to give some space in the daily business of your life to
come to God in prayer. Allow God to be the focus as you speak to
Him.
Confession: Bring before God the times that word deed and thought
have made you uncomfortable and ask God’s forgiveness where this has
left His work undone.
Thanksgiving:
Ministry – give thanks for Dave Sutherland and his ministry
with us.
New Ministry – give thanks for those who have supported Dave
and Maureen as they settle into their new home and take up the
challenges of change.
Mission – give thanks for the work of those involved in the
summer mission and for those who came to take part.
IT in worship – give thanks for the new opportunities to give
different approaches in services.
Intercession
Mission – pray that those who came to the summer mission that
they will have been open to God’s promptings in their lives.
Schools – pray for pupils and teachers in this new session that
good teaching and learning can take place.
David Hebenton – continue to pray for David as he adjusts to
the changes that this year has brought.
The World – Pray for those countries and communities affected
by war and famine, grant them a safe and healthy environment
to live in.
Changes – pray for those who have suffered loss and those with
cause to celebrate.
Andrew Tomlinson
Summer Mission 2017
We are delighted to report that the Summer Mission was a great
success. We had wonderful groups of children averaging 45 – 50 each
day at Polar Explorers and 29 young people at the youth nights. Both
groups participated in very full programmes of fun events and activities.
As in previous years we used and adapted material produced by
Scripture Union. This year we used the material entitled Polar
Explorers. This theme allowed us to transform the High Kirk Hall into a
Polar landscape complete with igloo, polar bears, huskies and icicles
and even snow ball fights.
Through stories from the New Testament Polar Explorers explores how
The Holy Spirit changed people to change the world. These early
Christians weren’t too hopeless or too ordinary, they were never too
anything to serve God. The Easter story forms the backdrop of this
programme, giving the children ample opportunity to engage with the
gospel while exploring the lives of some remarkable people and
encouraging them to be part of God’s big expedition.
Our hope every year in holding the Mission is that we help create
lasting positive memories of Christian Community, to build
relationships and help children and their families become part of a
church community.
The planning group met regularly to develop the programmes of songs,
stories, games and activities all based around having fun. Each day
followed a similar pattern and every day finished with the highlight of
the day……..lunch. We were very lucky to have a number of adult
’volunteer’ helpers who were ably supported by a group of young
leaders. These young leaders have been with us now for many years
and started as children at the Mission. It has been great to see them
develop their own skills over the years and they are now a very valuable
part of the team and the future. The Mission Team from the three
churches work extremely well together. We share the workload and
enjoy fellowship, friendship and faith together.
An additional activity this year was Messy Church on Saturday 29th
July. This was very well attended by families. They enjoyed craft and
games together followed by a short service in the church led by Dave
and his puppet friend. We hope to hold regular Messy Church events
throughout the year.
We would like to thank all members of the congregation who supported
this year’s Summer Mission and contributed to the success
Dorothy Hershaw
Several people were asked for their slant on the Summer Mission 2017.
The following submissions were sent to me.
1. From one of the leaders
It was a pleasure and a privilege to work on this year’s summer mission.
It takes a lot of planning which usually starts in January / February. All
the hard work was worth it however, and everything, well almost
everything!! went to plan. The threat of heavy showers all afternoon on
the day of the fun day caused us to move the fun day indoors and of
course the weather forecasters were wrong. However everything else
went as expected.
.
If I was asked what my abiding memory of the summer mission was it
would be the fun and happiness that was evident throughout the week.
Everyone, young and not so young, seemed to be working really well
together and working in harmony. The children who came couldn’t fail
to feel the love and warmth of a Christian Community.
In amongst all the fun and laughter, games and food of course we had a
serious message to put across to the children. This is done through
sharing stories from the bible and through the crafts, quizzes and songs.
Hopefully by making the learning fun and creating a relaxed
atmosphere the children will have taken away the message of each
day’s story and will remember it.
The seeds have been sown. Who knows who will reap the harvest in
years to come. That we leave in God’s hands.
Roll on July 2018
Margaret Craik
2. What Emily and Ieuan thought.
We both really enjoyed this year summer mission - Polar Explorers was
a great theme. I (Emily) particularly enjoyed the crafts - making the
lantern was my favourite. We both enjoyed the stories and games and
learning about the different people in the bible. The snowball fight was
amazing. It was great to meet up with friends we have made over the
previous years that we don't see usually until Summer Mission time. I
(Ieuan this time) really enjoyed spending time with those friends at the
Youth Nights; and also the Question and Answer night - really enjoyed
hearing the ministers views on things. The Polar Explorers song was
great too and we enjoyed doing the actions. Messy church was amazing
too and loved the Great Big God song and Speedy Shoes. Thank you to
everyone who made summer mission possible.
Ieuan & Emily Harris.
3. What Catherine (who was a kitchen lady) thought.
Messy Church was a new experience for all of us. The main question
was, "How many are we catering for?" And of course the answer was
"No idea!" Catering for children demands a formula of, "Estimate what
you think they will eat and double it!" based on personal experience.
We were in the fortunate position of having people with lots of
experience to guide us. We were supplied with a mountain of loaves,
butter, cold ham, cheese, salad and various fruits and of course the
ubiquitous crisps! A healthy diet for one and all! But life can be pretty
boring if there are no treats, so lovely cakes were also supplied.
The food was devoured with gusto and greatly appreciated! Every
one, children and adults, enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to
the next Messy Church!
Catherine Burns
4. Point of view of a grandmother
When we got the flier in through the door about this year’s summer
mission, we were very pleased to see Messy Church on the programme,
since the age group for the mission was too old for Ellis, our 4 year old
grandson, but Messy Church was right up his street. He couldn’t wait to
get there, saying he had “never been to this Messy Church before.” He
wasn’t disappointed. Right from the start he got down to colouring in
Joseph’s coat, as did all the boys and girls around us. The range of
crafts on offer was impressive but he spent so long on the dominoes and
egg timer games that he only had time to make a rainbow fridge magnet
before going into the church for the worship there. The singing of the
songs was really enthusiastic and he joined in all the actions. It was
great to see so many young people engaged in praise. His only
“problem” was Sam the puppet, because Sam is our collie dog and all
the way through the talk, he was keen to know why the puppet and our
dog had the same name. When we came back through to the hall for
our meal, he tucked in with relish, as did we, to all the sandwiches,
crisps, yoghurts and cakes on offer. All in all, a great experience for us
and one which we hope to repeat on 30 September.
Marion Howie
Youth Nights
Another mission week has taken place, with similar events to previous
years. However we took a new approach when it came to the youth
nights. This included “Question Time” – where a panel took questions
from those attending on the night. The panel was comprised of Dave,
Sandy, Scott and me with Margaret as the chair person.
One of the questions was “People say that the Church should become
more modern. What do you think about this?” Each of us answered this
and agreed that the Church must modernise, but the question which
arose from this was how should the Church modernise?
The use of more modern hymns could be a start. Personally, I love
hymns new and old. Hymns are probably the most recognisable feature
of a church service. The most important reason we sing to worship God
is we are instructed to at multiple times in the Bible. Another reason for
hymns is that they are more memorable than, perhaps, a half hour
sermon given on a Sunday morning. However for many this is not the
case. Lots of other young people I speak to about Church say that
hymns that were written centuries ago put them off because they are so
old – and they have a point. The most important part of a hymn is the
meaning, not the tune. Bearing this in mind I think we should start
using more modern tunes for our hymns, but keeping the meaning while
also writing new, contemporary hymns.
Psalm 23 is an example of a hymn put to a new tune fairly recently by
Stuart Townend. A modern hymn, that is one of my favourites, is called
“10000 Reasons” – which was written in 2011 by the American
musician Matt Redman and made it into the top 150 of the UK charts at
the time. I am not suggesting that we should completely move away
from traditional hymns, but that we should use more modern hymns
than we do at the moment. My favourite hymn is actually an older one –
“It Is Well With My Soul” by Horatio Spafford. This is a beautiful song
and my homework for you is to find out the reason why it was written,
and the hymn gains a whole new meaning. It is because of hymns like
these that make me hope that as time goes on, despite the need to make
more use of contemporary hymns, we will still make use of traditional
ones.
John Wilson
Fabric Report
We have been taking a short rest over the summer months. Reading
back over this past year’s magazines it seems to me that the Fabric
Committee have done a power of work. We have repaired and replaced
some of the church windows and concreted the holes at the front of the
church. We have done a bit of painting here and there where needed.
We recently installed hand dryers in all the toilets(in accordance with
Health and Safety rules.) We have also installed the electric supplies for
the new projector system in the church. There have been a few teething
problems with the system but we now know what the problem is. In the
meantime we have a temporary solution and it shouldn’t be too long
before it is completely fixed.
Of course there’s always the normal work of getting the boilers
maintained, the meters read and lights replaced etc.
Soon preparations for the pantomime will be starting, (Oh yes they will)
and it will be all hands to the pumps again. Many thanks for everyone’s
help.
Fabric Committee
A trip to Liverpool
We recently spent a busy and enjoyable weekend in Liverpool,
attending the British TeamGym Finals, in which our elder
granddaughter and her four teammates from Irvine Bay Gymnastics
Club were competing. Hundreds of children, girls and boys from all
over Britain were taking part, and the venue was buzzing with
excitement. The exuberance, vitality and determination of the
participants were thrilling - what a wealth of talent on display!
If you were a teenager in the 1960s, “Liverpool” meant Music - the
Mersey Beat, the Cavern Club, the Beatles, Billy Fury, Cilla Black,
Gerry and the Pacemakers …….. Liverpool is proud of its musical
heritage, and is keen to promote itself as a city of culture. The derelict
Docklands area has been redeveloped, and where once there was
desolation, you now find music and sporting venues, shops, and
restaurants, cinemas and theatres, galleries and museums. But the
emphasis is on music, past and present. You can experience live music
everywhere. The city stages a unique Piano Busking Festival: 6 pianos
are placed round the area, and you can book a free slot to ‘tickle the
ivories’ for the entertainment of passers-by. (We resisted the
temptation). Round every corner you hear buskers - some good,
some..well..not so good! - honing their skills, to earn a little money, or
perhaps in the hope of being discovered.
Art, too, plays a big part in the cultural life of the city. The musical
theme continues as you come across statues of the 60s greats, not on
plinths for you to look up to, but on street level, for you to engage with :
The Beatles, striding across the road from the Liver Building towards
the Mersey; Cilla singing outside the Cavern Club; John Lennon,
leaning on a wall just across the road: Eleanor Rigby, sitting alone on a
bench, waiting for some company. And there are other Liverpool
worthies : the comedian Ken Dodd and politician Bessie Braddock,
greeting one another at Lime Street Station; and John and Cecil Moores,
the founders of the Littlewoods empire chatting to one another as they
walk down the street.
As you venture away from the Docklands and Liverpool One, you come
to Hope Street. At one end of this aptly named street, standing
imposingly on a rocky mound, is the Anglican Liverpool Cathedral,
vast, solid and immoveable. At the other end, in stark contrast, and also
standing on a rise, is the Roman Catholic Liverpool Metropolitan
Cathedral of Christ the King. Built in the round, it has a lantern-shaped
tower with stained glass windows in bright reds, blues and yellows,
which catch the sun and let the cathedral shine like a beacon of light
across the city.
Halfway along Hope Street you come to a memorial celebrating the
lives and achievements of the Anglican Bishop David Sheppard and the
Catholic Archbishop Derek Worlock, two ‘great men of God’, who
worked closely together as a uniting force, guiding the city through the
dark years of recession, political unrest and social conflict of the 1970s
and 1980s, particularly through the trauma of the vicious Toxteth riots,
the shame of the Heysel Stadium disaster and the tragedy of
Hillsborough. The bronze sculpture, called ‘Better Together’, consists
of two doors, 4.5 metres high, which stand open in welcome, and allow
you to see both cathedrals. A likeness of David Sheppard is on the front
of one door. Derek Warlock is on the other. The reverse sides of the
doors are decorated with newspaper headlines from their time as the
city’s religious leaders. At the unveiling ceremony, the prayer was,
“May its doorway beckon every traveller to continue their life’s journey
renewed in hope, and strengthened in resolve…”
A little further up the street, you come across a pile of travel bags and
suitcases, including two guitar cases. This pile of coloured concrete
luggage has labels, bearing the names of famous people associated with
the area - some Scousers, some not - among them, Charles Dickens,
Arthur Askey, Roger McGough, Paul McCartney and Sir Malcom
Sargent. You cannot help but be reminded that life is a journey, and if
you travel ‘with hope in your heart, you’ll never walk alone.’
Anne Cochrane
I have never yet managed a trip to Liverpool but on reading Anne’s
article I have decided to make one, hopefully in the near future.(ed.)
A date for your diaries
The Learning Group in Ardeer has organised a concert in Ardeer Parish
Church for the first event of the year. It will take place at 7pm on
Wednesday 11th
October when the Ayr Community Gospel Choir will
come and entertain us with a wide range of songs. The choir sings a
mixture of religious and secular songs and will also have some songs
for us to sing. The concert will last approx. 1 hour. Please spread the
word about the concert as we would like as many people as possible to
come along and enjoy the night. It should be a great night and a good
opportunity for us all to get together. There will of course be tea / coffee
and refreshments and a time of fellowship after the concert. Tickets will
be available nearer the time but please put the date in your diary now.
Margaret Craik
Finance Report
Here is an overview of our Fund balances at the end of the half year
with the 2016 balances for comparison.
Fund 2017 2016
General Fund 3009 482
Fabric Fund 7257 6319
Designated Funds 3806 4233
Restricted Funds 1641 1181
Flower Fund 2019 1868
Total assets 157206 137051
Offerings
Plate 856 553
Gift Aid 12943 12731
Free Will Envelopes 4429 4321
Totals 18228 17605
An overall increase of 3.5%
Expenses 25568 27782
A decrease of 8%
The main boosts to our income were the tax reclaim of £7969 and
dividends totalling £1761 and a gift from Livingstone Players of £1000.
Main expenses were Ministry and Mission £4554 per month, final
payment for Rev. Hebenton £1296, gas bill £1871 and our contribution
to the Summer Mission £400. Livingstone Players donated £2500 to
Christian Aid. A separate account to cover manse expenses has been set
up to which each congregation contributes £200 per month.
I am grateful to the congregation for their continued giving as shown by
the increase in collections. As always I am aware of just how precarious
our finances are and again ask you to consider your givings.
As you know John Beck has moved to Kilwinning Old to support Isobel
in her work there. I would just like to say thank you to John for his help
each Sunday in the Counting Team and wish him the very best at
Kilwinning.
Finlay Kerr (Treasurer)
A few thoughts
1. Prayer is not a spare wheel that you pull out when in trouble but
it is a steering wheel that directs the right path throughout.
2. When God solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities;
when God doesn’t solve your problems, He has faith in your
abilities.
3. Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away
today’s peace.
J.A.M.Club
The JAM Club trip was to the New Lanark World Heritage Centre
where we had a fantastic day. The weather was kind and was sunny
most of the day. Our first port of call was The Annie McLeod
Experience which was enjoyed by all. Lunch was on the roof top terrace
in the sun after we had seen a replica of a loom.
After lunch we visited the school room followed by the corner shop and
the worker’s cottage through the years. There was a break for ice cream
before we visited Mr Owen's house, where we tried on some clothes
from that period.
We even saw a wedding and we girls thought the bride was just
beautiful. To finish off there was a trip to the shop to spend money and
some time at the play park before returning home. A good time was had
by all.
It is nearly time for a new session of the JAM Club with new topics,
crafts, songs and dramas. Hopefully as a result of the Summer Mission
there will be new members for the JAM club. My volunteers, who help
each week, and I pray this new session will be the best one yet.
Luisa Chisholm
Organisations
The new session will begin in the near future.
The Guides have their first meeting on Wednesday August 23rd from
7pm to 9pm.
The Rainbows have their opening meeting on Thursday 7th
September
from 6pm to 7pm.
The Brownies will also begin on Thursday 7th September from 6pm to
7.30pm.
The J.A.M. Club will commence on Sunday 3rd
September.
The Guild begins its new session on Tuesday 12th September at
1.30pm.
The Badminton club will recommence on Tuesday 5th September at
7.30pm.
The Explorer Scouts will begin on Thursday 31st August from 7.30pm
to 9pm.
The Livingstone players will commence their rehearsals for the
Christmas pantomime with the junior cast on Sunday 27th August at
1.30pm and adult cast on Monday 28th
August at 7.30pm.
Church Diary
Regular worship Each Sunday at 11.30am
Midweek Service Wednesdays at 10.30am in church hall.
(Date to be announced later.)
Communion Sunday Sunday 3rd
September
Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday 24 th September
Please see weekly notices in church or refer to church website for
ongoing events.
Stevenston Livingstone Parish Church is a registered Scottish Charity
No. SC000452