Skelmorlie & Wemyss Bay

Parish Church

The Parish Record

Autumn 2014

www.skelmorliewemyssbaychurch.org

2 | P a g e

A Message from the Minister

This summer has been quite amazing, firstly a visit to Fuengirola and

the Church of Scotland congregation there and then attending the

Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa’s General Assembly

in Polokwane, South Africa. Both trips very different and yet giving a

great deal to reflect on. We took some of the grandchildren to

Fuengirola with us and they had a great time down at the beach just

about every day. The congregation in Fuengirola has a ministry to

the homeless, giving them a cooked meal twice a week. It takes a

great deal of hard work and commitment from them to reach out

with the love of Christ to these unfortunate men and women who

find themselves on the streets of the holiday capital of Spain. I took

my grandson Declan (12) along to see some of the folks they reach

out to and we met Russell who came originally from London. Russell

was quite happy to share his story with Declan who I think had his

eyes opened. Russell had come over to Spain about 15 years ago

with his father during the boom times in construction. He thought

that these times would last forever, however the downturn in the

economy and then sadly his father died which left Russell with very

little desire to return to the UK. Coupled with the fact that his

passport had been stolen and with no identification, no opportunity

to work and with no work no money to get a new passport a

common catch 22 in Spain. Sapphire and the team have a passion

for folks like Russell, passion not in the modern sense of the word

where we can have a passion for wealth, beauty, fast cars or success

~ in fact we are constantly told to have a 'passion' for our work, our

recreation and all our pursuits, which seems to mean to feel

emotionally connected to whatever it is we are doing. The Latin

word, "passionem" which means 'to endure' was tagged onto the

3 | P a g e

word 'pie' (which means suffering) and later imbued with the sense

of the greek word 'pathos' to create the meaning of 'passion', as the

endurance of great suffering as that of Jesus. It is that knowledge of

what Jesus endured for us, his passion which gives the congregation

at Fuengirola the will to reach out with Christ’s love to folks like

Russell. If we can hold that thought for a moment. I was asked to

represent the Church of Scotland at the UPCSA’s General Assembly

and take the greetings of our Moderator to the assembly also as

convener of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley Zimbabwe

Committee to be able to see Zimbabwe in the wider church context

as we will be hosting six visitors from Zimbabwe in October. Some of

our visitors will be at church with us on the 19th October where we

will be hear some of their story first hand. In Polokwane I was able

to meet their new Moderator Rt Rev Mukondi Ramulondi.

The new Moderator brings to the office some very deep spiritual

and life insights. He is a very humble and caring man and it would be

a great blessing if he could be invited to speak to our next General

4 | P a g e

Assembly in May. The one thing that is so striking about our

different cultures even though we are all Presbyterians is the

passion that they have for Jesus. The Assembly service that Sunday

brought together about 600 people from all over the Presbytery of

Limpopo and there was a great deal of joy expressed during the

three hours it lasted. Yes three hours of singing, dancing and prayers

which were said in many different African languages reflecting the

different cultures. If I can now recap from where we left that

thought on the word passion. The Africans know what suffering is

after enduring Apartheid, they understand the suffering that Jesus

endured for us and the passion they show is in appreciation that

Jesus has set us free. As a people they have a tremendous capacity

for forgiveness, those who have been forgiven much forgive much.

Where is our own understanding of the passion Jesus endured for us

that we might be free from the desires of our own selfishness. Will

we come to church with the passion of Jesus?

I hope you have all enjoyed this summer, your family, our

community and as we move towards autumn may the Lord richly

bless you all. Your minister, Archie.

5 | P a g e

Obituary: ELIZABETH CRAWFORD YOUNG

21 January 1917 – 26 June 2014 Elizabeth Young was born in the village of Broadsea on the edge of Fraserburgh. With her father often away at sea and as the eldest of five girls, Elizabeth was simply her mother’s right hand. It was in childhood, then, that her leadership skills were first developed and, throughout her life, Elizabeth nurtured and guided others.

An early influence on her own life was a certain Miss Gladwell, who ran The People’s Mission and, here, Elizabeth had the opportunity to hear a number of excellent speakers from different Missionfields, fuelling a desire in her to be a Missionary in China. With this in mind, she embarked on Nursing training at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 1937, later graduating in Midwifery from Dundee. After a period as Midwifery Sister at the Southern General Hospital, Elizabeth went on to St Colmb’s Church of Scotland Missionary College in Edinburgh. By this time, China was closed to Missionaries and it was to the Dow Memorial Hospital, Gujirat, in the Punjab of India that she was called, to take up the post of training Christian Nurses.

Elizabeth sailed out on 15th March 1946, on a troop ship bound to bring soldiers home from India and the Far East. She served in Gujirat for four and a half years, experiencing history in the making, as the upheavals of Partition came, and the hospital found itself in the brand new country of Pakistan - not a time or place for faint-hearts. On one occasion, when she was left in charge of the Hospital, Pathan Tribesmen came and demanded that she send out all the Hindu patients. She did a lot of praying in the moments that followed, and ordered the door to be barred - not necessarily in that order! Careerwise, the exodus of the British Raj brought opportunities for intrepid newcomers, and Elizabeth was soon called to serve on the Examining Board, which she did until her marriage to the Reverend Willie Young, in October 1950.

On marrying, Elizabeth gave up Nursing to help Willie with his District Ministry, and to bring up their children, Ella, John and Janet. Once they were at Boarding School, however, the Council recruited Elizabeth herself to work in the villages. The Church of Scotland supported her interest in Adult Literacy and she found this work rewarding. When her husband was seconded to the American Seminary in Gujranwala to teach Church

6 | P a g e

History, Elizabeth was asked to help with the less educated wives who were stationed at the villages.

Whenever her own family came home from school, they accompanied her round the villages, but she and Willie had a second family of four step-daughters and a step-son, who had been orphaned in the troubled days of Partition. Elizabeth’s soft heart led to many an adventure, including her helping four young boys to escape from Pakistan to England. Taking them firmly under her wing, she cashed in her own air ticket and bought five bus tickets – and accompanied them overland through the Khyber Pass, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey – and from there, by the orient Express to Paris – and home.

In 1970, Willie had become the first Bishop of Sialkot Diocese, in the newly formed Church of Pakistan, and seven years later, he and Elizabeth ‘came home’. Willie took the charge of Resolis Church on the Black Isle where they served for another seven years, before retiring to Carmunnock, in 1995. Sadly, Willie’s sudden death at the end of that year put paid to their retirement plans, and five years later Elizabeth moved to Strathclyde House, here in Skelmorlie, where she made many friends and was extremely happy.

Both as a member of that little community, and of Skelmorlie & Wemyss Bay Parish Church, Elizabeth continued to contribute more than she ever took – befriending others and encouraging them to join in, whatever their age, however their health. Inspired by her faith to the end, she continued to inspire others to love the God she loved, through her liveliness, enthusiasm and wisdom. A loving mother, grandmother and friend - strong, practical, kind and still aptly named at 97, Elizabeth Young was the best of pilgrims, and will be long remembered for a life that was well and truly lived.

Rev Liz Geddes 22 August 2014

7 | P a g e

Session Snippets!

The kitchen is to be extensively upgraded and re-equipped in order to comply with fairly stringent food hygiene regulations with particular regard to the preparation and serving of foodstuffs. The Executive Committee has been instructed to take such action as is necessary.

The designation of the position of Assistant Session Clerk is to be reconsidered. In the meantime, Mrs Ella Wright will act as Clerk to the Executive Committee.

Mr Iain Jackson has been appointed to the vacant post of Safeguarding Co-ordinator

Mr Roddy McAskill has been appointed Editor of The Parish Record and will head a small editorial team.

The annual Harvest Thanksgiving Service in both Skelmorlie and Wemyss Bay and Inverkip will be on Sunday 28th September.

Arising from the debate at the 2014 General Assembly, the Kirk Session is to have the opportunity to consider and comment upon the position regarding the proposed ordination of ministers who are in same-sex partnerships.

A “Future Focus” conference is to be held in September/October this year. The purpose will be to re-appraise our outlook and direction and to set priorities.

The Minister has expressed a wish to introduce regular services of healing and wellbeing.

The Committee/Administrative structure of our church has been

reviewed and amended ( see separate section)

8 | P a g e

Committee/Administrative Structure

Education Convener: The Minister. Membership: Sunday Club Leader, and up to four members. Worship

Convener: Siona Leitch.

Membership: Minister, Organist, Choir Rep. and up to four members

Pastoral Care Convener: Jacquie Beaumont. Membership: Nancy Jackson, Moira Davidson, Brian Spence, Morag Mackintosh, Gwen McKenzie and up to three members.

Finance and Stewardship with Social and Fundraising Sub-Committee Convener: Congregational Treasurer Sub-Committee Convener: Muriel O’May Membership: The Convener, Sub-Committee Convener, Gift Aid Convener, Property Maintenance Fund Convener and up to four members. Social and Fundraising Sub-Committee: Muriel O’May, Iain Jackson, Marie Dunlop, Ann Doull, Jacquie Beaumont, and Helen Brydon. Property Convener: W Wright Membership: Gavin Dunn , Alex Leitch, Bruce McKechnie, Marion MacLean. Adviser: Colin McLachlan. Outreach with Communications Sub-Committee Convener: TBA Sub-Committee Convener: Roddy McAskill Membership: Outreach- Convener and Vice Convener with Iain Maclean Jacquie Beaumont, and Margaret Spence and up to four members. Communications: Vice –Convener with Gladys Black, Jean McAnna.

Executive Committee

Minister, Session Clerk, Mrs E Wright (Minute Secretary), Treasurer together with the Convener(s) of each Committee/Sub -Committee

9 | P a g e

William Watson : Skelmorlie’s Rhett Butler

(Part 3 continued from the Summer Parish Record)

Just after 8pm on a shadowy September evening the Rob Roy slipped her

anchor and silently sailed past a gunship making for the open sea.

Suddenly a cockerel in her hold let out a shriek which proved to be the

poor bird’s last. Luckily no one aboard the cruiser heard anything and she

made to the ocean undetected. Eight days into the voyage a fierce gale

blew up of which Watson wrote many years later: “The gale had now

become terrific, and the wind being directly against the current of the gulf

stream rose very fast and to a great height...It was grand and awful.” The

crew struggled with the sails and the rigging during the long night until

around nine in the morning when the winds died down and the Rob Roy

found herself about thirty miles from the Mexican coast. Some hours later,

as she waited outside the channel for a pilot, the gale blew up again. Two

other vessels anchored nearby were lost to the elements but she

eventually made it into Tampico where she discharged half of her cargo

and sailed for Cuba. After she discharged the remaining cotton in Havana

she took on tons of bar iron, tent cloth and the usual quantity of luxury

items along with bales of army blankets which it was rumoured also held

kegs of gunpowder but according to Watson the powder was not stated

on the Bill of Lading and he “... made no inquiries and did not examine.”

Outrunning gales and gunships the Rob Roy made it into

Galveston but problems arose in obtaining another cargo of cotton. With

the Houston press again under repair a queue of steamers had formed and

Watson knew it would be a couple of months before he could obtain a

load of compressed bales. During that time he figured his ship could

possibly be requisitioned by the government or worse still captured by

Federal troops. Faced with these possibilities he decided to load with

uncompressed bales and headed for Tampico. About fifty yards from the

mouth of the river there was a flash of light, a loud bang and the sound of

a cannon ball whizzing across the bow of the Rob Roy, followed very

quickly by a second. Having no option Watson ordered the ship to slow

down and a boarding party from the gunboat approached in a rowing

10 | P a g e

boat. As the small craft drew near Watson noticed that both the Rob Roy

had drifted further away from the cruiser who had dropped her anchor.

He threw a line to the boat as ordered but made sure it fell short a few

times until he figured the Rob Roy had drifted far enough away to be out

of range of the warship’s guns. When the line was eventually caught the

master of the rowing boat began to pull in toward the schooner but with

just a few yards to go Watson grabbed an axe, severed the rope, ordered

full sail, ran for the open sea and vanished into the darkness of the night.

Back in Havana Watson and his investors got into an argument over the

division of teh profits and unable to resolve it amicably the Rob Roy was

put up for sale. At the auction Watson was outbid by an agent secretly

working on behalf of one of his former investors but he had the last laugh.

Two weeks after she was sold the Rob Roy ran the blockade into Florida

under a new but before she reached port she was forced aground by the

US Navy and set on fire on the beach.

Meanwhile the unemployed Watson was asked if he would

captain a steamer called Phoenix to run the blockade into Galveston. He

was offered $150 a month and a $1,000 bonus for a successful trip.

Although he accepted the job and the terms, he later wrote he found: “the

steady going along under steam dull and monotonous.” To add to

Watson’s boredom the steamer made it into Galveston without incident

and the same owners asked him to take command of a vessel called

Jeanette The steamer Jeanette, was a former Glasgow to Rothesay ferry

built and launched on the Clyde as the Eagle in 1852. She was later

renovated and sold as a blockade runner and completed three successful

runs into Charleston from Nassau before being captured by the USS

Octorara and sold off as “prize.” Her new owners renamed her Jeanette

and sent her back to run the blockade and at that moment she lay in

Galveston bay with a full load of cotton.

On the first favourable wind and dark night Watson set sail for

Tampico but when daylight came the Jeanette was spotted by a cruiser

who fired a number of shots one of which struck one of her funnels just

above the boiler. Fearful that another shot may hit the boiler and cause an

explosion, Watson ordered the bales of cotton to be moved around the

11 | P a g e

funnels to protect them. This seemed a good idea at the time until shortly

afterwards the mate pointed out that the weight distribution was causing

the ship to buckle amidships and they were quickly moved back but by this

time the former Rothesay ferry had put enough water between herself

and the cruiser and was on her way to Tampico for what was to be

Watson’s last voyage as the Captain of a blockade runner. Soon afterwards

he contracted smallpox and was quarantined in a hotel in Mexico. Three

weeks later he had almost fully recovered but was still not allowed

outside. Bored and anxious for information he spotted a fellow seaman

passing below his hotel balcony and asked him what news he had.

“Lincoln’s been assassinated!” the sailor called back. From the same

source he learned that five days earlier Lee had surrendered bringing the

war to an end and with it Watson’s career as a blockade runner.

Watson had left Scotland almost twenty years before seeking

adventure and had found it on the battlefields of the Southern states and

on the high seas around the Gulf of Mexico. He’d survived two Yankee

bullets; attacks by Northern warships, the destruction of his wood and

coal businesses, an to sell his ship from under him, an assault a knife

carrying, disgruntled employee; yellow fever and smallpox; and the

dubious business practices of some of his investors. In the end he claimed

he had profited little from his blockade running ventures but when he

returned to Scotland in his middle forties he had sufficient Capital to build

a large house in Glasgow’s Argyle Street, near St Enoch Square, and start a

ship building business in Greenock. In April 1871 he married Helen

Milligan, the daughter of a Glasgow baker and built her a large mansion in

Skelmorlie on the Ayrshire Coast. In all he built three villas in his home

village two of which, Pea Ridge and Oakhill, he named after civil war

battles. By 1878 he had taken over the Ladyburn Boiler works in Greenock

and on 11th August 1882 the Greenock Advertiser reported that Watson

had launched the “Talisman,” a 160 ton iron screw steamer to be sold

William McLachlan, a Glasgow fish merchant. Watson had learned a great

deal about business practices from his time in America and when the

construction of a railway line damaged his Ladyburn property he sued and

was awarded £22,937 for prejudice to his business, the equivalent of over

12 | P a g e

£1.5m in today’s money. In retirement he settled in his home village of

Skelmorlie where he remained a trustee of the Parish Church. He wrote

two books in the late 1880s at his Pea Ridge villa the first about his life in

the Confederate Army and the second about his adventures as a blockade

runner. He died in 1906 just before his eightieth birthday.

William Watson was one of many Scottish seamen who profited

from blockade running during the American Civil War. In essence they

were privateers and profiteers who risked their lives for a share in the

large profits made from getting cotton into the mills of Europe and

armaments into the Confederacy. Captain David Leslie from Dundee for

example, moved his family from Glasgow to Dunoon after the war where

he invested his profits in property, building five villas whose names

reflected his time as a blockade runner: Wilmington, Nassau, Bermuda,

Dixie and Diego. Leslie was elected as the local police commissioner for

Dunoon in 1868 and died a wealthy man in 1905.

President Abraham Lincoln’s administration branded men like

Watson and Leslie as pirates and threatened to execute them but the

British Government mostly adopted a laissez-fairre attitude, an approach

that caused a number of diplomatic crises that raised questions as to

Britain’s neutrality and almost brought her into the war. After the war

ended years of diplomatic wrangling and claim followed by counter-claim

began. Finally an International Tribunal held that the British Government

had failed to exercise “due diligence” over its subjects and by turning a

blind eye to this trade in ships and armaments had prolonged the war by

two years. With hindsight it was a small economic price to pay. In one

nine month period alone Clyde shipbuilders launched 36 new vessels and

many others were built and launched by shipbuilders in Liverpool, London

and the cotton mills of Glasgow and other parts of the country were saved

from closure.

To Watson blockade running was no breach of any law. To him it

was ”... merely defiance of a barrier placed and maintained by no other

right than by the force of arms; and those who attempted to brave it did

so at their own risk, subject by the laws of war to be fired upon, their

vessel sunk or captured, themselves drowned, killed, or wounded in the

13 | P a g e

course of the capture…I was simply an act of war, subject to the laws of

war, and to me…it was much more congenial than the extortions and

deceitful wheedling and trickeries of the legitimate trade.”

I imagine anyone who reproached Watson for his blockade

running activities would probably have been dismissed with the words of

his fictional counterpart Captain Rhett Butler: “Frankly my dear, I don't

give a damn.”

14 | P a g e

Scripture Readers Over the past few weeks we have lost a number of our excellent Scripture

readers. It is therefore great to be able to announce that all of the

vacancies created have been filled. Welcome to Erika Diffenthal, Janice

Barbour, David Johnston, Gladys Black, Iain Maclean and Graham

Harron. We are so very thankful for your willingness to participate in this

important part of our Sunday Worship.

Outlined below are the dates for the remainder of this year for reader’s

diaries. Please make your way to the lectern during the final verse of the

Hymn before the lesson. If at any time you are unable to be present,

please change dates with another reader.

August November 17th Alan Grant 2nd Frances Nicol

24th Janice Barbour 9th Gladys Black

31st Bill Wright 16th John Scott

23rd Graham Harron

30th Morag Macintosh

September 7th Lesley Gurton December

14th Jacquie Beaumont 7th Bill Wright

21st Tom Owens 14th AlanGrant

28th Caroline Scott 21st Lesley Gurton

28th Tom Owens

October 5th Roddy McAskill 12th Eddie Yde 19th John Nugent 26th Bruce Barrie

15 | P a g e

Retiral Offerings

Below is a list of the funds sent this year in respect of retiral offerings. The

congregation continue to support these very worthwhile causes which are

so appreciated by these organisations. It would be appreciated if you

would complete a gift aid envelope if you are a tax payer. The envelopes

can be found at the end of the pews or at the back of the church.

Charity Name 2014

CHAS £402.56

Inverclyde Family Centre £217.33

Inverclyde Food Bank £164.00

Yorkhill Childrens Hospital £163.40

Christian Aid £742.65

Erskine Hospital £205.24

Bible Society £63.00

Crossreach £106.25

Total £2124.13

Rita Carmichael Congregational Treasurer

Clubs and Associations

Prayer Group

The Prayer Group comprises of men and women who have agreed to pray

every day for those named on our Prayer Letter, which is up-dated every

week. A request for prayer can be made by using the cards on the pews

and placed in the basket. Urgent requests for prayer will be received by

Margaret Spence. Details are then e-mailed to all the Group.

16 | P a g e

If you would like to know more about the Group or would like to join with

us in praying for others speak to Margaret Spence.

We also have an afternoon meeting every second month sharing together

in prayer and of course the ever welcome cup of tea.

Church Guild

The opening meeting of the Guild will be held on Tuesday 7th

October at 7:30 pm in Inverkip Church Hall. The

Speaker will be Mr Ian Cowe speaking on the

subject of "My Inverclyde, My Inverkip, My Wemyss

Bay"

Notification of subsequent meetings will be placed in

The Order of Service.

Country Club (NC)

The opening Meeting of the Club for the 2014/5 Session will be held on

Wednesday 1st October at 2:30 in The Chartroom , Kip Marina when the

Speaker will be Mr John Gallacher on the Subject of "Sir Thomas Lipton "

Founded 30 years ago for all residents of the area aged 50 years and over

the Club has currently around 60 Members and meets fortnightly on

Wednesday afternoons in The Chartroom.

Speakers have been arranged covering a varied range of subjects and the

Meetings are rounded off with a welcome "cuppa"

The Annual Subscription is £10 with Visitors paying £1 per meeting.

If you have some time to spare please come and join us

Further details can be obtained from Ann Haig, Secretary , on 522316.

Attic Players

We’re the local amateur drama club, and often rehearse in the Hall. We

perform all sorts of plays, usually two shows a year, and are always on the

lookout for folk of all ages to join in - whether to act, direct, make scenery,

paint, operate sound or light, work with wardrobe, makeup, make tea –

whatever you like doing, you can fit in just fine and have a lot of fun. We

17 | P a g e

are known as an exceptionally friendly group, (prima-donnas need not

apply!) – so please contact Karen Willey (529546) or Hazel Gray (529591) –

or Bill Wright. Our next show is in Skelmorlie Community Centre in

November – come to the auditions (details in the Largs & Millport paper or

from any of us) and/or come and enjoy the show! See us

on atticplayers.co.uk and wemyssbay.net

Clyde Coast Strathspey & Reel Society (“Fiddlers”).

We are a group of assorted musicians of assorted instruments (and

abilities!) who practice in the Hall most Saturdays from September to May

at 10:00. We play mainly but not exclusively, Scottish traditional music.

We play concerts and ceilidh dances for churches and Guilds, SWRI groups,

schools, and many other groups, often to help them raise funds - and

occasionally a bigger event such as a rally or a wedding. We’re a very

friendly bunch and always delighted to welcome any sort of player who’d

like to join us. If you know of someone who would like us to play, or might

like to join, local contacts are Bill Wright (520095) or Margaret

Cunningham (520878). We’re also on wemyssbay.net

News and Events

Symphonic Praise, Glasgow Cathedral,

What a wonderful evening for those of us who travelled to Glasgow on the 21st June for “Symphonic Praise” in the magnificent setting of Glasgow Cathedral which was packed to capacity.

This was an evening of praise through the words and music of some of the greatest hymn writers of the last 100 years. The praise was led by a sparkling orchestra under Musical Director, Colin Peckham supported by a wonderful massed choir and excellent soloists in Rebecca Hardie and Fiona Thomson.

The evening commenced with Sir Robert Grant’s celebrated hymn O worship the King to the tune “Hanover” The singing was truly inspirational

18 | P a g e

and set the tone for the programme which included Rock of Ages, the 23rd Psalm (Crimmond). Marriot’s Thou who’s almighty Word (Moscow) and Stand up, Stand up for Jesus. Those with a background in The Boys’ Brigade were thrilled at the full orchestral setting of Will your anchor hold. The evening concluded with that great hymn of praise Seddon’s “Go forth and tell” to the tune Woodlands.

A fantastic night in awesome surroundings and, as the evening concluded earlier than we expected, our lovely coach driver treated us to a tour of the Commonwealth Games village and event venues – an unexpected but delightful surprise!

A Date for your Diary – A Story of Freedom and….

In aid of “Inverclyde Food Bank” Wednesday 3rd September @ 7.30pm in the Church Hall “Quilts and the Underground Railroad” - a story of freedom and the secrets of quilts. Admission is through the giving of non-perishable food to a minimum value of £3 please. Please note that this is not an evening about sewing!! Everyone is welcome. Ladies Night – A date in September or October to be arranged – a chance to start some early Christmas shopping. **** December 6th 10:00 -12:00 Christmas Fayre in the church hall ****

Teddies for Zimbabwe

I am so amazed by the response I have had from knitters and also people who have given me donations for the postage, it has just been fantastic. Naturally knitting has slowed up over the summer but I am hoping that the knitting needles will soon be clicking away, producing teddies that are so appreciated by the children who receive them when in hospital.

My cousin who was distributing them has now left Zimbabwe but thankfully she has found a lady from the Quilters Guild who is willing to receive the Teddies for distribution to Comfort Mission. I have already dispatched three bags of teddies to her and have a further sixty teddies ready to go.

19 | P a g e

Thank you all so much for your continued support and I look forward to receiving a deluge of teddies.

Rita Carmichael.

Country Dancing

The new session begins on Wednesday 24th September at 7.30pm in the church hall. If you fancy some exercise, lots of laughs, companionship and tea and biscuits too, please come along. You do not require to bring a partner as we change partners for each dance. We are basically a fun class, but our teacher, Helen Howie, does manage to prepare us for the country dance ' Ball ' in Greenock town hall in March. Helen is also in touch with other local clubs and we receive invitations to their dances and celebrations. All this is optional. Anyone wishing to come along and ' have a look ' and a cuppa would be warmly welcomed. Please call me on 520316 if you have any questions in advance of the class. … KEEP DANCING

.Janet Hope.

A new Baby

Congratulations to Stewart and Linn Macdougall who have become Dad and Mum to Molly Macdougall who was born on 8th August.. her Dad’s birthday.

What a special present!

20 | P a g e

Quilting Class

Every Wednesday at 10.00 in the Church Hall. Beginners welcome. If you are interested in joining a lively group of ladies to learn quilting. Please give Rita Carmichael a call as places are limited.

Smartie Challenge

The Smartie Challenge has been running well since we began this very

worthwhile challenge of helping to supply drinkable water to the people in

Kibera. It doesn’t seem a very big ask – to have clean drinking water. We

think nothing of turning on our tap and drinking the water, but for the

people who live in Kibera, one of the biggest slum areas in Africa, it’s a

totally different reality. They have to walk varying distances to buy their

water in a 20 litre jerry can and when they get it it’s not only dirty to look

at but dangerous to drink. Water Guard purifies the water making it fit to

drink and costs a mere 20p a bottle. One/Two bottles will provide safe

drinking water for a small family for one month. With our last

contribution of £100 this month, we have now sent a total of £1170 to

Vision Ministries for the sole purpose of providing Water Guard for the

people of Kibera – that’s 5,850 bottles of Water Guard. Well done to one

and all but please don’t think it finishes here – this is an ongoing problem

for the people of Kibera and an ongoing commitment we have taken on.

There are empty Smartie tubes in the box in the hall or if you feel like

buying a tube of Smarties and then filling the empty tube with 20p’s that

would be great. Let’s look to the day when clean drinking water is

available to everyone and we can’t think of spending that 20p in our

purses or pockets because we know how much it means to someone in

Kibera. Thank you for your support.

Skelmorlie, Wemyss Bay and Inverkip Men’s Fellowship (SWIM)

Our new session begins on Thursday 2nd October 2014 with our Minister,

Rev. Archie Spiers, speaking on Africa - A Continent of Contradictions. This

meeting will be open to all who wish to attend, ladies included, as we

expect interest to be widespread.

21 | P a g e

This year’s programme looks both interesting and varied, from The Life of

Scottish Missionary, Dr Cochrane, to Anti-Terrorism, including speakers

such as our own Rev. Liz Geddes and WPC Laura Stewart from Inverkip. It

is hoped that more men will take advantage of the informal nature of our

fellowship to join us on Thursday evenings on a fortnightly basis to share

this relaxing and enjoyable time together.

For all our diaries - Friday, 12th December. Please note that we plan a

Christmas Concert in the Church Hall with the Choirs of our Churches at

Inverkip and Skelmorlie plus the musical trio, The Soggy Bunnet Boys, from

Inverkip as our guests. As before, we shall donate the proceeds to

Ardgowan Hospice. Last year’s event was thoroughly enjoyed by all who

attended and we would welcome a full house.

Ken Thomson - President (521375)

For further info contact Hugh Steele (529696) Douglas Vallance ( 521732.)

Property

Kitchen

To enable the wonderful Friday Soups to continue we are upgrading the cooker to a “range” type with more hob and oven space, and Margaret and Rita will purchase a full set of equipment and utensils. We will add some cabinets to compensate for some loss of storage around the cooker. A fridge/freezer will be sited just outside the kitchen door, and we hope to add a commercial dishwasher a little later.

Manse

A ground drainage/subsidence problem has come to light, dating back to the original build, and a new drain is being installed.

Church Toilets

To deal with long-term dampness in the flower room/disabled toilet, some of the plaster will be stripped and replaced using a special lining material.

22 | P a g e

The contractor will use the same material to create inner walls in the Ladies and Gents toilets as a barrier to damp coming through from the Cliff side.

Worship

A screen will be installed in the sanctuary for use in worship, as is done in many, perhaps most, churches nowadays. It will be carefully positioned so as not to detract from the beauty of the sanctuary. It will show hymn words and other material to enhance our worship – no more need to hold up a heavy hymn-book! Other screens will be added for the side aisle and the minister and choir. Once the screen is up and running, we will need to build up a a team of volunteers to operate it, making sure the right words appear at the right time. This will be interesting and not difficult for anyone - young or old or in-between! - who can use a PC or would like to learn; we will of course give some training. Interested? or, do you know anyone who would be interested? Even, or especially, someone who doesn’t come to church at the moment? If you would like to find out what’s involved, please let me (Bill Wright) or any elder know.

Gardens

We now have a team of people looking after the gardens, keeping paths clear and so on, which is very very much appreciated; I’m sure they would warmly welcome anyone else who would like to do a little gardening and outside work. These are some highlights from quite a busy period. We always appreciate offers of help, so if any of the above sounds like something you could help with, in any way, please get in touch!

23 | P a g e

Door Duty

Door Duty and Offertory rota for September to December 2014

Please be at the door no later than 11.00 am

September November 7th G MacKenzie, M Maclean 2nd A Haig, G Black

14th J McAnna, A Doull 9th J Nugent, M Macintosh

21st E Bichard, H Steel 16th T Craig, A Beattie

28th G Dunn, A Leitch 23rd C Scott, E Yde

30th F Nicol, I Jarvie

October 5th J Barbour, C Sangster December

12th T Ovens, J Beaumont 7th I Lightbody, Ann Grant

19th E Wright, A Craig 14th G Dunn, A Leitch

26th M O’May, N Jackson 21st J McAnna, A Doull

28th E Bichard, H Steel

Please bring a partner. If you are not available for duty on the date specified, please make an alternative arrangement with someone else on

the rota. Do not assume that someone will stand in for you!

24 | P a g e

Church Flowers

We are indebted to all who donate flowers for the beautification of the Sanctuary throughout the year. If you wish to donate flowers on any of the free dates, please contact Ann Grant Tel: 520987.

September November 7th Mrs Spence 2nd 14th Communion 9th Remembrance Sunday

21st Mrs E McKintosh 16th Miss Kerr

28th Mrs Stewart 23rd Mrs Swaffer

30th Mrs MacLean

October 5th Mrs Lightbody December

12th Mrs Scott 7th Mrs Brydon

19th Mrs Mcadam 14th Communion

26th Mrs Barbour 21st

28th

25 | P a g e

Fun Corner

26 | P a g e

A Very Wise King A long time ago, there lived a very, very

wise King. He was so wise he knew the

ways of most everything. He knew of

animals, birds, fish, and trees. And he

taught people from all over the world

about these.

Now one breezy day, a tiny bee lost her

way, and flew right into the King’s beautiful palace. The little bee

begged the King, “Please, let me live, and I will serve you some

other day.”

The King was amused to think a tiny bee could one day serve such a

mighty king. He released the bee and said, “Go, be on your way, for I need

nothing more from you today.”

Many days later, the people of the kingdom filled the palace yard. A queen

was coming to visit from a faraway land. She heard many people claim this

king was very wise. She had to know for sure that they were not all just

lies. Finally, she arrived and came up to the King’s lofty throne. She

offered her friendship and wonderful gifts, but finally the queen made her

real purpose known.

“I hear you are wise,” she said. “You are wiser than the rest. Would you be

willing to put your wisdom to a test?”

The King agreed, and she did her best, with riddles, tricks, and difficult

tests. In fact, she became quite a bothersome pest.

One day she gave the King a large gemstone, and through the very middle

was a tiny twisty hole. “See if you can put a thread through this gem,” she

challenged the King with a devious grin. But the King asked a silkworm to

climb through the hole, which is not a big problem for a tiny silkworm, you

27 | P a g e

know. And as it did, a thin thread of silk followed the silkworm all the way

through.

Another time, the queen tested his skills by filling a room with fifty boys

and fifty girls. They were all dressed alike so the King could not tell, if one

was a boy or another a girl. “See if you can pick out the boys from the

girls. Then I will know you are the wisest in the world.”

But the King knew exactly how he could tell. He had his servants bring

bowls of water for each child. Then he told the children not to make this a

race, but he would like all of them to wash off their face. The boys

splashed and splashed at the very word go, but the girls daintily dipped

their fingers into the bowl. By this the King could very easily tell, who was

a boy and who was a girl.

Now the queen was quite angered at the King’s show of wisdom, and all

the more determined to find a way to trick him. “We must have a test,”

she challenged her advisors, “To prove this king’s a fool, not to prove he is

wiser!”

So they came up with a plan that would surely not fail. It indeed was a test

to make the others look pale. They ordered the queen’s craftsmen to

make ninety-nine flowers, fake through and through, but looking so real.

When finished, even the queen could not tell they were fake. She was sure

the King would make the very same mistake. And then from the King’s

garden, she took just one real flower, and cleverly hid it among all the

others.

“Tomorrow will be a wonderful day," the queen said, “because we will

make the wise King look foolish instead. Yes, during the party that is held

in his honor, we will test the King then, to find his ‘real’ flower.”

The next day, the people gathered from over the land to attend the party

and worship their king. Then right after the meal the queen stood and

spoke. She grabbed the attention of all of the good folk.

28 | P a g e

“Listen everyone, I have something to say. Just one more test to give the

King today. My craftsmen created many beautiful flowers. They all look so

real to test the king’s powers. Ninety-nine are fake, but one is real

somewhere. Can the King find that one, if only he dare?”

The King, not wanting to be fooled by this queen, accepted the challenge

she handed to him. He sniffed at the flowers, but they all smelled so

sweet, and all of the flowers were as soft as could be. The flowers were all

so beautiful to see, now which one could the real flower be? The King

hesitated, and the people did wonder, “Could our king not be so wise and

so great? Surely he could tell a real flower from fake.”

The King became a bit perplexed and did not know what to do next.

Suddenly, he heard a faint buzzing sound, something was there buzzing

around. It was the tiny little bee he saved many days before. “I am here at

your service, here I am sir. I am here to repay the kindness you gave, on

that one breezy day.”

The tiny bee quickly flew over the flowers and in no time at all found the

one searching for, the one with the honey, so sweet and so pure. The King

stooped down and plucked the flower. “Here is the one, no need to look

further.” He handed it to the queen to see. And the craftsmen confirmed,

it was the real one indeed. Finally, the queen had to give in and admitted

this king was truly the wisest there ever had been.

And yes he truly was, for this was King Solomon, the son of David. When

Solomon prayed for wisdom instead of riches, God said, "I will do what

you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there

will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I

will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so

that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings." (1 Kings 3:12 -

13)

29 | P a g e

Advertisements

If you use any of these advertisements to purchase goods or service please make sure you tell the

advertiser you saw them listed in THE PARISH RECORD

30 | P a g e

McCaskie’s @ The Seaview

Now serving Sunday lunches Opening hours

From 12pm – 4pm Mon – Thurs 8am – 4pm

(roast of the day available) Fri & Sat 8am – 6pm

Sun 9am – 4pm

MCCASKIEBUTCHER.COM TEL:521733 WWW.MCCASKIES.CO.UK

To advertise in this publication please e-mail adverts@skelmorliewemyssbaychurch.org

31 | P a g e

32 | P a g e

A final thought….