Craigie and Moncreiffe

Transcription

1 Craigie and Moncreiffe The Church of Scotland Nov 2018 Jan 2019 IINTERIM MODERATOR: Rev. Scott Burton Telephone , AUXILIARY MINISTER: Rev. Robert Wilkie 24 Huntingtower Road, Perth PH1 2JS Telephone SESSION CLERK: Cecilia Higgins 27 Woodside Crescent, Perth PH2 0EW Telephone Charity No. SC001330

2 FROM THE VESTRY 100 years ago, on 11th November 1918, the end of World War 1 was declared. After four years of the bloodiest, ugliest, most brutal fighting amongst nations, peace was to descend once again. The world changed so significantly during those years of battle, and during the years that have followed since. So many things were invented in transportation and communication to assist the war effort, so many towns and cities needed to be completely rebuilt after their destruction and so many young and old hearts, souls and minds were transformed; their outlook on politics, society, religion and life were never to be the same again. And in the relatively short time of one single century (and the 2nd World War) many of us are still struggling to come to terms with the new world we now live in. The unprecedented advances in technology, medicine and other sciences that we have all witnessed would have been simply unimaginable and incomprehensible to many in the 1918 world. Today the declining Church is an obvious part of that struggle to keep up. Faith has been so sorely tested (by wars and other reasons) that, whereas the people of 1918 people went to worship quite naturally, 100 years on the people of 2018 don t so much. Interestingly, though, despite the very reasonable questions of faith emanating from history, and despite the rapidity of the changes in one century that are so demanding to keep up with, something does very much stay the same: Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). That is an ancient truth that still rings true on our vastly transformed planet. The same, indeed, goes for the preceding scripture verse. My command is this: love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12). As we rightfully remember the fallen this coming month, let us also not forget the Christ who taught about love, forgave his enemies and ultimately laid down his life for us all.

3 FROM THE VESTRY (continued) Whilst the institutional Church may well be in unquestionable decline I, for one, still believe strongly in this core message of Jesus. Loving each other, hard as it may be at times, can change the world even more radically than the bullets and bombs of war. I try to remember that daily, and I encourage you to try to do the same. If we don t learn to love, don t we dishonour the very cause for which the fallen fell? 100 years on, remember. Love one another. Shalom. God bless us all. Rev. Scott Burton BD Dip Min Dates for your Diary 06 November: Craigieknowes Service meet there at 10.45am for a short service of worship with the residents. 06 November: Guild Meeting at Craigie. 2pm. Gillian Skene will provide a jewellery demonstration. 11 November: Service of Remembrance Craigie at 10.45am. No service at Moncreiffe. Collection for Poppy Scotland. 13 November: Presbytery Meeting at Riverside Church, Perth. More dates on next page

4 More Dates for your Diary 17 November: Guild Coffee Morning with Christmas and Bottle Stalls at Craigie. 20 November: Craigieknowes Service meet there at 10.45am for a short service of worship with the residents. 20 November: Guild Meeting at Craigie. 2pm. Neil Butler from Stewart Tower Bakery. 20 November: Kirk Session Meeting Craigie Session House 7.30pm. 24 November: "Singing Advent" with John Bell. A whole day event organised by Kinross Churches Together. 25 November: Messy Church at Moncreiffe. 1.00am to 1.00pm. 01 December: Advent Lantern Parade, from St Ninian's Cathedral to St John's Kirk. 5pm. 02 December: Teas and coffees after both services. Please join us for a time of fellowship. 04 December: Guild Christmas Concert with Michael Ellacott at Craigie. 2pm. 5-8 December: Christmas Tree Festival at the North Church. 06 December: Carol singing in Craigie Church from pm to coincide with the switching on of Christmas Lights at Craigie Cross. Mulled wine and mince pies. 13 & 20 December: Open Church Advent reflections at the North Church. 8pm. 21 December: PACT Annual Carol Service in St John's RC Church, Melville Street. 7pm. 23 December: Church Service att Moncreiffe at 9.30am. No service in Craigie Church. 24 December: Family Service at Moncreiffe at 6.30pm mince pies and refreshments afterwards. 24 December: Watchnight Service at Craigie at 11.15pm mince pies and refreshments afterwards. 25 December: Christmas Day Service ST MATTHEW S CHURCH time TBC. No services at Craigie or Moncreiffe January: Teas and coffees after both services please join us for a time of fellowship. 08 January: Guild Meeting. Craigie 2pm. Perth Shawl Ministry with Mary Wright and Team. PACT Meetings: Tuesday 6 November, Monday 14 January. Thursday 7 March, Tuesday 28 May AGM.

5 REMEMBRANCE SERVICE Craigie & Moncreiffe Service of Remembrance will be held in CRAIGIE CHURCH on Sunday 11 November at 10.45am. There will be a retiring collection in aid of Poppy Scotland. No 9.30am service at Moncreiffe. A Thought for Remembrance Day Where do all the women who have watched so carefully over the lives of their beloved ones get the heroism to send them to face the cannon? Kathe Kollwitz In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. John McCrae 1915.

6 ALWAYS WITH US St Matthew s Church is hosting a series of lunchtime talks and an evening event to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War. The evening event on Tuesday 13th November at 7.00pm will include music, poetry and song with Lesley Mackie, Terry Wale, Michael Ellacott and pupils of Perth Academy (tickets 5). The lunchtime events take place each weekday from Tuesday 6th until Tuesday 13th at 1.00pm. Soup and a roll will be served (tickets 4). These events are a wonderful commemoration of a dreadful time of human history and should be given our support. If you would like more information or tickets please contact Hugh Mackenzie, Tel. no Chronicle Deadline All material for the next Chronicle should be with Andrew Davidson NO LATER than Sunday 13th January 2019 Please place in Andrew s pigeon hole in Craigie Session House, or to: a.r.davidson.91@cantab.net

7 Finance Report This year the response to our annual Gift Day appeal has resulted in 117 envelopes being returned so far and donations totalling 5,615. Gift Aid is still to be added to this amount. This is a tremendous response from those who have supported the Church this way and will go a long way to ensure that we can balance our books come the end of the year. Grateful thanks to everyone who has contributed to this amount. Gordon Loudon. Treasurer BINGO EVENING A fund raising Bingo Evening is to be held on Wednesday, 21st November 2018 in Moncreiffe Church Hall. The evening commences at 7pm with bingo followed by a stovies supper. Entry is 2.50 (including stovies) with bingo books extra. Donations of raffle prizes would be most welcome. Please come along to support this fund raising event. Liz Cameron: Project Convenor

8 Mrs Rena Harrison represented Craigie and Moncreiffe in the flower arranging competition at Perth Alive 2018 in August. She won the competition with this stunning arrangement. Congratulations from us all. KIRK SESSION The next meeting of the Kirk Session will take place in Craigie Session House on Tuesday 20th November at 7.30 pm. Please advise any apologies to the Session Clerk prior to the meeting. Items for the Agenda should be with the Clerk by Wednesday 7th November and all Conveners Reports should be submitted by 6.00pm on Monday 12th November. These meetings are open meetings and all are welcome.

9 The Revive Youth Project: Revive celebrates youth achievements The Revive Youth Project, part of our youth ministry, has been active in the church and the south Perth community for over 5 years and has made a massive impact since its inception in Over the years Revive has provided a safe space for young people to be themselves outside school and the family home. These safe spaces have been weekly youth groups in our church buildings, youth and community events in south Perth and excursions to such places as Alton Towers, Flip Out and other churches around Perthshire. Thanks to the Revive Youth Project, young people have been able to step out of their comfort zones, build trusting relationships and explore the Christian faith. All of this has resulted in an increased number of young people getting involved in what s on offer and us starting to see young, active, responsible citizens thrive in south Perth. One way we have highlighted the achievements of our young people is through our unique partnership with Perth & District YMCA and their participation in the YMCA Scotland national awards. In 2017, our very own Jamie Melville was nominated and went on to win the prestigious award for Leader of the Year for the whole of Scotland. Jamie has been volunteering within our youth groups for a number of years and has proved to be a critical element of what makes Revive the accepting, loving project it has grown to be. This year, Courtney Simpson, from the Revive Youth Project, was nominated and also went on to win the award for most Inspirational Young Person of the Year out of the whole of Scotland. Yet another amazing achievement for a young girl with a huge amount of potential.

10 Jamie Melville is presented with the prestigious award for Leader of the Year 2017 Courtney Simpson, with the award for most Inspirational Young Person of the Year 2018

11 Revive (continued) Courtney started with us as a young person taking part in all we had to offer. From there she secured a position on the youth committee, helping to shape the project to always meet the needs of those involved and in the community. In 2017, Courtney took the brave step to share her mental health story as part of the YMCA s #IAMWHOLE campaign helping to address the stigma and negative language used when discussing mental health. You can find her video at It has supported hundreds already and is being used by professionals working within Perth and Kinross Council, local charities and even in parts of the NHS. Courtney continues to engage with the YMCA in Perth and with us, all while working part time and studying at Perth College. Revive will continue to celebrate and highlight the achievements of young people throughout the years and we look forward to what the future holds for our church, community and young people within it. For more information about the Revive Youth Project, please feel free to contact our youth workers. Mr Matthew Dellaquaglia Revivecm@yahoo.com Miss Serena Rendall Serena@ymcaperth.com

12 CHRISTINGLE SERVICE We will be holding a Christingle Service in Craigie Church in December. Please look out for further details of this on the notice boards, in the news sheet and on Facebook and Twitter. We hope that many of the children, from the organisations that meet in our halls, will play an active part in this service. You are warmly invited to join us for what will be a sharing, caring and joyful service. Please come along and share in this time with us and in doing so give these youngsters the support they deserve. Blythswood Care has again organised a Shoebox Appeal and the Kirk Session agreed to support this very worthwhile cause. Filled shoeboxes and donations were brought to church on Sunday 4th November, when they were dedicated.

13 THE GUILD Things are back to normal at the Guild. We resumed on Tuesday 25th September with an interesting talk about our project Crossreach Join the Dots, which was about social isolation and loneliness. At the following meeting we welcomed Andy Paterson, who took us back in time with some old TV programmes and advertisements, and that was good fun. Next was Rev. Dr Marjory McLean on 23rd October. The following meeting, on 6th November, has been changed from the Fashion Show which has, unfortunately, had to be postponed again. We hope it will now take place in March. Instead, Gillian Skene has very kindly offered to move forward and give us a jewellery demonstration, so please come along and see how she knits some of her jewellery and maybe get some early Christmas presents. Two important dates to remember. The Guild Coffee Morning will be held in Craigie Church Hall on Saturday 17th November between 10am and noon. Tickets are 2.50 for adults and 1.50 for children. There will be home baking, books and a bottle stall etc. Donations can be handed in during Coffee Club on Thursday morning from to 11.30am and on the evening of the 16th at Craigie Church Hall around 7pm. Please note, if you are handing in home baking can you please make sure that it is wrapped, and clearly labelled if it has been previously frozen or contains allergens such as nuts. On Tuesday 4th December at 2pm the Guild are pleased to have Michael Ellacott to entertain us. This year we are inviting members of the congregation and family and friends to come along and enjoy this event with us. The tickets are 5 and are available now at the doors at Craigie Church or from Mary Grimmond at Moncreiffe.

14 Guild: continued. This is a fundraising event and the proceeds will be going to our projects: Crossreach and The Boys Brigade. There will be refreshments after the show. We look forward to having your support at each of the above events. In January 2019 we are having talks by Perth Shawl Ministry on 8th January and Messy Church on 22nd January. Both groups do a wonderful job within our community and beyond. The Boys Brigade (our other Project) is giving a talk on 5th February and Fire Scotland are coming to tell us more about fire and home safety on 19th February. Please feel free to come along to any of our meetings. You will be made most welcome and we will be very grateful for your support. Margaret Lang: Secretary Perth Street Pastors invite you to a Quiz night to be held in The Venue (upstairs), 38 St John Street, Perth, on Thursday 15th November at 7 pm for a 7.30 pm start. This is to help them raise funds for their work with the night-time economy. The cost is 20 per team or 5 per person if you do not have a team. Please let Gordon Loudon know if you are coming on or ggloudos@aol.com.

15 Marissa Macgregor, winner of the Young Achiever's Quaich for 2018, with Rev. Scott Burton (Interim Moderator) and Cecilia Higgins (Session Clerk). Thank you to everyone at Craigie and Moncreiffe who suggested that Marissa be the recipient of this inspirational award; many thanks for the bouquet of flowers presented to us; and many thanks for your support and good wishes on that day. Iona Macgregor Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (N.I.V)

16 CHRISTMAS SERVICES 14 December: Christingle Service at Craigie T.B.C. 21 December: PACT Annual Carol Service in St John's RC Church, Melville Street 7pm. 23 December: Church Service in Moncreiffe Church at 9.30am. No service in Craigie Church. 24 December: Family Service at Moncreiffe 6.30pm. Mince pies and refreshments afterwards. 24 December: Watchnight Service at Craigie 11.15pm. Mince pies and refreshments afterwards. 25 December: Christmas Day Service ST MATTHEW S CHURCH time TBC. No services at Craigie or Moncreiffe. Data Protection Kirk Session has approved an updated Data Protection Policy and Privacy Statement to comply with the new legislation (the EU s General Data Protection Regulations and the new Data Protection Act 2018) that came into force in May These documents are now available on the church website and on notice boards at Craigie and Moncreiffe churches.

17 CRAIGIE CROSS SWITCH ON OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Craigie Church will be open on the evening of Thursday 6 December from 6 to 6.45pm for carol singing to coincide with the switching on of the Christmas Lights at Craigie Cross. Mince pies and mulled wine will be served at the front of the church during this time. All are welcome. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and woshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 CHRONICLE The Chronicle is now a quarterly magazine. Routine announcements, such as regular meetings of organisations, will be intimated through the monthly news-sheet. You can pick up a copy in church and you can also keep informed through the website. The Communications Group is pleased to receive items for the next issue at any point, and the earlier the better. Please submit any pictures or news items as the event happens so it is not forgotten. Thank you.

18 Soup and Rolls at Moncreiffe Church Hall Tuesdays 11:30am 1:00pm. Come along and join us for a hot bowl of soup, oatcakes & cheese, rolls, biscuits and tea or coffee. All are very welcome. The Team The last soup & rolls of 2018 will be on Tuesday 11th December. It will resume on 8th January ARTS & CRAFT GROUP Thursdays 2pm-4pm The Arts & Crafts group breaks up for Christmas on Thursday 6th December and starts again on 10th January. MODERATOR DESIGNATE The Moderator Designate of the General Assembly is Colin Sinclair, Minister of Palmerston Place Church, Edinburgh. For more details please go to the news section of the Church of Scotland website.

19 Ever Thought of Volunteering with PKAVS? Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service known locally as PKAVS is a local charity with a big heart and a long history of helping individuals and families from different backgrounds across Perth and Kinross. We provide a wide range of services from shopmobility to support for young carers. We have a charity shop in South Street, a Carers Telephone Support Service, a Minority Communities Hub, Day Centres for older people (including one in Blairgowrie), the Walled Garden, fundraising activities, Respitality (which seeks support for carers from local businesses) and more; a range of diverse services supporting a wide range of needs. Volunteers are involved in all of these services including as volunteer drivers and are vitally important to all our work. Without volunteers, PKAVS would struggle to provide the help to children, young people, vulnerable adults and their families that really makes a difference. But, to continue to help, we simply need more volunteers to join us! As a volunteer you ll meet new people, gain new skills and make a difference to someone s life. You ll also have a lot of fun! You must be 16 or over and there s no upper age limit to getting involved. We provide induction and training and will reimburse your expenses. Even if you only have a little bit of time to give, perhaps 2-3 hours weekly, we d be delighted to hear from you. There s no limit to how much time you can give it s up to you! To find out more please contact David Anderson,Volunteers Support Officer on Perth or david.anderson@pkavs.org.uk

20 The Harvest Table. The table and church beautifully decorated for Harvest Thanksgiving on 22nd September Gifts were distributed to Churches Action for the Homeless PRAYER for today Lord Jesus, Light of the World, guide our paths and warm our hearts in the coldest of days and the darkest of nights. As we commemorate the dead and celebrate your birth, as one year ends and a new one begins, may we know that your love never dies and is always new and that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen.

21 On behalf of the ladies on the Flower Rota I wish to thank all who give so generously towards the floral displays in the Church Chancel every Sunday. The flowers are taken to those who have special celebrations, who are needing a thought when in ill health or after a bereavement. My thanks go to all who deliver the flowers each week and to the ladies who spare their time in arranging the flowers in the Chancel every week. Anne Shankland PACT NEWS ST LEONARD'S IN THE FIELDS CHURCH is starting a singing group for people with dementia and their carers, on the second Tuesday of each month, from 2 to 4pm. Open to all interested contact Mary Wright for more information (mary_wright27@btinternet.com). TAIZE/IONA SERVICES HAVE RESUMED AT ST NINIAN'S CATHEDRAL 5pm on the first Sunday of each month (excl. December). ANDREW SYMON OUTLINED A POTENTIAL INITIATIVE FOR BEFRIENDING PRISONERS just prior to their release and being a support for them when they come out (with clear boundaries). There could be a tie-in with other agencies such as Starter Packs and Foodbank. Andrew is going to do some more research with existing agencies in Perth area and report back to the PACT November meeting. If you or anyone in your church has a heart for this, he would be delighted to hear from you, as we need to form a small steering group to begin to take this forward. Please contact Andrew on a.g.symon@dundee.ac.uk. GORDON CAMPBELL REPORTED ON A MEETING HE HAD ATTENDED in Dundee with the local Jewish community. We are considering the possibility of holding something similar locally to hear of their current concerns.

22 As you should know, our church has a website. If you haven t visited it yet, please do, and let us know what you think. You can me at a.r.davidson.91@cantab.net Would you like to see something on the website that isn t there? Is there anything that it would be worth changing? We update the website periodically, but we need input from you. If you are involved in running any church group, please read its Information on the What We Do page and tell us what needs to be taken out, added or replaced. We can t correct what we don t know about. If your group has an event coming up, let us know and we can publicise it. If you have pictures of a recent celebration, send them to us and we can share them, if you also send permission from anybody identified in the pictures. It is particularly important to keep our website current and accurate during this time of vacancy. That is the first place a prospective minister will look to find out more about the church. We look forward to working with you to keep our online presence fresh and engaging. Andrew R. Davidson Craigie and Moncreiffe is online Please visit and share your news with us at or keep in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter. We d love to hear from you.

23 CRAIGIE MONCREIFFE DONORS ARRANGERS DONORS 4th Nov Mrs C Munro Mrs A Shankland Mr T Stuart 11th Nov REMEMBRANCE Mrs R Harrington Mrs J Christie 18th Nov Mrs D Rankin Mrs D Rankin Mrs L Black 25th Nov Flower Fund Mrs M Dow Messy Church 2nd Dec First Advent Sunday Miss E Cameron Mrs C Urquhart 9th Dec Second Advent Mrs D Lister Mrs K Campbell Sunday 16th Dec Third Advent Mrs A Shankland Mr J Gibb Sunday 23rd Dec Fourth Advent Mrs D Rankin Mrs A Moffat Sunday 30th Dec CHRISTMAS Mrs M Dow Messy Church 6th Jan NEW YEAR Miss E Cameron Mrs L Black 13th Jan Mrs R Harrington Mrs R Harrington Mrs K Campbell 20th Jan Flower Fund Mrs D Lister Mrs M Grimmond 27th Jan Mrs J Adam Mrs A Shankland Messy Church 3rd Feb Church Guild Mrs A Shankland xxx

24 In Memoriam Those who hope in the Lord will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles Isaiah 40:31 Elder s District Mrs M Forsyth Ochil Nursing Home 21 Mr G Laing 10 Rosslyn Ave 29 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3: 16 KEEPING IN TOUCH Would you like your change of address published in the Chronicle? Please let your Elder know if you would like information included in future issues. He or she will ask you to complete a consent slip to ensure we comply with Data Protection legislation. Or you can provide consent for publication by to your Elder or to Colleen Joslin (Roll Keeper) at colleen.maclean@btinternet.com.