The Link. Spring The Parishes of Ardoch and Blackford

Transcription

1 The Link Spring 2013 The Parishes of Ardoch and Blackford

2 Office Bearers in the Parishes of Ardoch and Blackford Minister: The Rev. Dr. Stuart D. B. Picken 3 Millhill Crescent, Greenloaning, FK15 0LH Tel: ARDOCH Session Clerk: Mrs. Pearl Meldrum, Tel: BLACKFORD Session Clerk: Mr William McLaren Tel: Depute Session Clerk: Mr Bob Aitken Tel: Treasurer: Mr Roy Spiers Tel: Church Officer: Mrs. Nancy Dawson Tel: Organist: Mrs Fiona Lowson Choirmaster: Mr. Bob Rae Sunday School Leader Mrs Ann Gordon Tel: Safeguarding (for protection of vulnerable groups) Mrs. Joyce Wighton Tel: Depute Session Clerk: Mrs Fiona Lowson Tel: Treasurer: Mrs Jeannette Barr Tel: Church Officer: Mrs Jacqui Crawfurd Tel: Tel: Tel: Sunday School Superintendent Mrs Shona Stewart Tel: Safeguarding (for protection of vulnerable groups) Mrs Jeannette Barr Tel: Intimations and articles for inclusion in the Summer edition of The Link by 30 June 2013 to pearl@pearlmeldrumtraining.co.uk 2

3 EASTER THOUGHTS 2013 I have often considered Christmas to be crassly commercialized, but Easter I now think is even worse. At least at Christmas, we can say that Christ is retained in the name, that hymns are sung such as Still the night, and that gifts are exchanged that reflect the gifts of the Magi from the east who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Jesus. At Easter, no such overtly clear religious elements remain. The Easter egg was intended to symbolize the rolling away of the stone from Jesus tomb, but cream filled eggs are on sale all year round. They are simply chocolate eggs. Where did the rabbits come from, chocolate or otherwise, and the flowers? These are really pagan symbols of spring that have been added to the commercial mixture. Small wonder nothing clear emerges. Leaving aside the commercial questions, however, let s ask why has Easter been downgraded in its religious standing? Two thoughts come to my mind. One is that the use in recent time of the deplorable term faith communities is a secular government attempt to abrogate religious distinctions altogether under the banner All are equal. This, as a Christian, I cannot accept. While all religions should be treated equally before the law, that does not make them all equal in the sense that in does not matter which you follow. They are not all the same. Equality of respect and equality of truth are not the same. Political correctness is sadly misapplied here. The second thought I have is that the death of Jesus of Nazareth brings our advanced world uncomfortably close to the reality of unjust human suffering and sacrifice. If a society cannot confront the real world, it has no need of Resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus gives us hope with which we can confront the real world as it is. In Blackford, we celebrated the Sacrament of Baptism on Easter Day. I have never felt comfortable with the practice of Easter Communion, which seems like taking a step back to Good Friday instead of a step forward. As St Paul wrote to the Romans (6:3-4): Do you know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death..so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. That is God s Word for us at this time. May I wish you a reflective, peaceful, and joyous Easter of hope? Your friend and Minister, Stuart D B Picken 3

4 Ardoch Sunshine Club The Sunshine Club has continued to meet after school on the last Tuesday of the month. We have been following an SU programme covering eight "must know" stories from the Bible, playing games, crafting, baking bread and, above all, having fun! The Summer Sunshine Club will meet on Mon. 22 nd, Tues. 23rd and Wed. 24 th July. Open to all children in primary school. Fun, games, crafts, drama and much, much more guaranteed! More details to follow. Ardoch Hot Chocolate Club There are now about twenty youngsters attending once a fortnight on a Friday night. As a result we are alternating between the Village Hall and the Church Hall. We are indebted to the ADT for providing the funding for the Village Hall. We can now enjoy badminton, volleyball etc. Help! We are looking for anyone who could provide coaching or be prepared to provide activities in the Village Hall. Equipment too would be appreciated perhaps you have a redundant net, racquets etc. that we could use! The Youth Team have also been awarded a grant from Perth Presbytery. This will help to purchase resources and Wii equipment for use in the Church Hall and for additional sports equipment. As always we would welcome anyone who can give up a Friday evening once in a while to support HCC activities and join in the fun! Next term s dates: 19 th April, 3 rd, 17 th, 31 st May and 14 th June. Updates on the Hot Chocolate Club FB page. Ann , Liz , Irene Ardoch Outreach Team Community lunches are now finished until November. We had a very successful season both by numbers and income. Our "clientele" are very generous in their donations. Thanks go to the soup makers Nettie, Pat, Norma, Anne, Marrion, Pearl, Liz, Barbara, Irene and Mike. Lunches would not be the same without the scrumptious baking which is provided by our resident baker, Lilian. The money donated goes back into the community which makes it all worthwhile. Contact is Joy on Pastoral care is still continuing and if anyone would like a visit please contact Charles on

5 Ardoch Church Choir Anyone wishing to join or to enquire what it entails please come along on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm. A big very thank you to all of you; the Guild, the Church Choir, friends from the church and from the village. A special thanks for the after care service on my leaving hospital; a service second to none - Beautiful Lentil Soup disguised as a box of Crème Caramel from Nelsons of Culross, packs of cigarettes dropped through my letter box in case I couldn t get to the shop. Countless cards and phone calls all helped make my rehab much more bearable. You have fully restored my faith in human nature and I thank you all very much. Bob Rae, Ardoch and Blackford Choir Master The following are genuine quotes taken from other Church Magazines (With apologies to Ardoch & Blackford Choirs) Next Thursday there will be try outs for the Choir; they need all the help they can get. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our Choir practising. This evening at 7 pm there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church; bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. Christian Aid Week - Braco and Greenloaning There will be a house-to-house envelope collection between 12th and 18th May, Please give generously and gift aid your donation if you can. Help with the collection is always much appreciated - if you can help please contact me on Pat Aitken (Christian Aid Week Organiser). Christian Aid Week - Blackford The week this year runs from May 12th to May 18th. Please let me know beforehand if you cannot help out this year. I try to keep the districts a reasonable size and would therefore be grateful for any new helpers. The commitment is for ONCE a year and you will gain the satisfaction of knowing that you have done something practical to help people who really know what the poverty trap is!! Thank you. Jeannette Barr. 5

6 Edith s Home 2013 The Edith s Home Charity in eastern Uganda continues to improve the lives of orphans in the Teso region with practical and spiritual support. The students at the Vocational School are given the opportunity to learn and develop a skill: dressmaking, building, joinery, agriculture and business management. I visited them in October 2012 and found them all so enthusiastic and grateful for the opportunity to develop a skill and have hope for the future. The sponsorship scheme funds orphans both through primary and secondary school. Secondary School students usually board at their school as distances are great and fees need to be paid. For a small amount each month UK supporters give youngsters the chance of an education, raising self-esteem and confidence. The students come together for a retreat in school holidays where they make friends and receive spiritual and psychological support. The sponsors, in return, receive letters and school reports. I met up with Christopher, our sponsored orphan, in October. He is now in further education studying Business Management, hoping to complete his course in December. He has grown into a confident and mature young man and is optimistic about his job prospects. His letters to us are much appreciated and I know he s kept every letter and photograph we ve sent! If you d like to know more about sponsorship and the rewards it brings, please get in touch or visit the website: Child headed families: a child headed family is one in which both parents have died and the children have not found alternative guardians within their extended family or communities. The eldest child becomes head of the household and the 6

7 main provider for their siblings. Prior to the HIV pandemic this would be unheard of but the sheer number of orphans has overwhelmed communities. EH is now supporting about 40 of these families. Edith s Home greatly appreciates the practical and prayerful support given by our churches and communities to their ongoing work. Irene Robertson Meeting a Child Headed Family Blackford 2012 Accounts. A full set of the examined accounts for 2012 are on the notice board in the fellowship area at the front of the church. If you would like a set to take home please do not hesitate to ask me for one. Our income last year was 31,129 which includes all offerings, donations, interest, gift aid reclaimed and all our fund raising events. Our expenditure was 30,715 which includes heating, electricity, ministry and mission payments (to pay ministers' salaries etc.),building repairs, insurance etc. My main concern would be that the above income figure INCLUDES 5, from all our fundraising events during the year and without these we would be unable to sustain our expenses. I would ask all members therefore to think seriously about the offering that you make to your church. We are all in different circumstances and some could not consider increasing their giving, however inflation never goes away and with a tank of oil now costing we have to be realistic about how much it takes to simply keep the church running. This year we will possibly have more expense than usual on the building as there is a damp patch on the wall near the pulpit which is currently being investigated. It may be from the roof or a problem within the wall itself. Whichever it is I would imagine it is going to be a fairly big repair. Lastly, I would like to thank you all for your support in 2012 and if anyone would like a set of envelopes (whether you pay tax or not) for your weekly offering, just let me know. Jeannette Barr. Treasurer. 7

8 Blackford Holiday Club The February In-service Day Holiday Club was a final Hoorah for the On your Marks images and themes so we took the chance to look at a final couple of stories from Mark s Gospel (for the time being at least). Curiously Jesus stretched out his hand to heal a leper then told another man to stretch out your hand and his hand was cured; this set us off thinking about how Jesus does things and also about hands themselves. All the children had a literal hand in painting the banner in the church quoting the verse from Isaiah that they always leave to at the conclusion of the summer end-of-term service The trees of the field shall clap their hands. We also found time to make pancakes, boil up Hot Chocolate and play a lot of football outside on a mild, February day (do you. remember them?). So now we turn our minds to a summer holiday club tucked into the first week of the holidays, wedged between team work and holiday commitments, yet such a crucial week for us as a church in our community. More details to follow and to enjoy on Sunday 7 th July. School Assemblies Blackford pupils, teachers, parents and a few grandparents are finding their way to church for a monthly, Friday afternoon assembly as we work our way through the school values. We next meet on 19 th April, 17 th May, 7 th June and the end of term service likely to be Thursday 27 th June. Likely themes are reliance, helpfulness and partnerships with the apostle Peter, Naaman s servant girl and a few other Bible characters likely to appear along with the parents now that the offer of tea and coffee at the start of the assembly has been established. 8

9 Bible Study We ve worked our way through Prayers of the Old and New Testaments this session with a couple of more studies Jonah and Habakkuk - to finish off the series after Easter. After that possibly a couple of videos to digest or a look at the Holiday Club passages; as long as we have tea, scones and a log fire we can look into God s word in many different ways. Easter banner outside Blackford Church Blackford Fundraising Despite the awful weather, the Burn s Supper on 22 nd January went ahead and our grateful thanks must go to McNaughton s Garage who provided two 4 x 4 vehicles with drivers, Graham McNaughton and David MacDonald, while Willie McLaren and Tom Coffield used their own cars. 9

10 The cook was collected in the afternoon along with the beastie and tatties. Friends were collected in the evening from Auchterarder and around Blackford village and then transported back home afterwards. Our chairman for the evening was Willie McLaren; how he remembers his vast array of jokes we do not know. The haggis was piped and carried in by mother and son, Jean and David Robertson. David MacDonald addressed the haggis and the Immortal Memory was ably recited by John McKenzie from Auchterarder. Susan Stevens performed Tam O Shanter, word perfectly; we are never disappointed by her performance. Murdo McLeod gave the Toast to the Bonnie Lassies to which the reply was given by former Blackford lass, Audrey Michie. Songs were sung by Shona, Sheila, Eilleen and Sandy; always a delight to listen to. The Blackford pipers and drummers also performed and it is great to have so many young people involved. This was a very successful evening, raising 542 and a big thank you must go to all who braved the weather, helped and provided raffle prizes. Rainbow Whist 20 March Despite the weather again, eighty people attended this annual event and a very enjoyable evening was had playing whist and chatting with friends. Following refreshments, a fantastic raffle was held and a total of 653 was raised for church funds. Many thanks to all the players and to all who donated food, prizes and to all who helped in anyway. Coffee Mornings These have already started on Tuesday, 5 th March in the Bowling Club. We will be very pleased to welcome you on the first Tuesday morning of each month. We are delighted to have two new helpers, Sue Veitch and Eilleen Coffield. Sunshine Bags These will be distributed around the village from the first week in April. Future Diary Date Strawberry Tea at David and Sheila MacDonald s home, Sheiltigh, Stirling Street, Blackford on Sunday, 28 July from 2pm till 4.30pm Lexa McCallum, Ways and Means Convenor. 10

11 2013 Ardoch Blackford 05 May GUILD Mrs J Moore 12 May Margaret Ferguson Fiona Lowson 19 May Blackford U Service vacant 26 May Pearl Meldrum Annette Ford 02 June Margaret Ferguson Cathie McLaren 09 June vacant Rita Marshall 16 June Nancy Dawson Eva Bradley 23 June vacant Greta Hallyburton 30 June vacant vacant 07 July vacant Jacqui Crawfurd 14 July Moira Hay July Nan McColl July Heather McDonald Many thanks to all who help both on Sundays and at the various displays. The Church flowers are always much appreciated by both members and friends in the Parish. As you can see from the chart above there are a few unfilled spaces on the Flower Rota, so if you would like to add your name for a particular Sunday, then contact Ardoch - Nancy Dawson, or Jenny Kemp, Blackford - Julie Shankland on

12 Reading List 2013 Ardoch Blackford 05 May Ann Spiers Sheila Macdonald 12 May Pearl Meldrum David Macdonald 19 May Blackford Jacqui Crawfurd 26 May Irene Robertson Fiona Lowson 02 June Dorothy Johnston Jeannette Barr 09 June Peter Scott Shona Stewart 16 June Muriel Smith Julie Shankland 23 June Alec Anderson Eva Bradley 30 June Mike Boxer Willie McLaren 07 July Sue Crorie John Graham 14 July Phyllis McLeod July Christine Souter July Bob Aitken For Ardoch; contact Pearl Meldrum on or For Blackford; please contact Jacqui Crawfurd (tel or in order to find out what lessons you are required to read towards the end of the week when you are reading. If you are unable to keep your lesson reading commitment, please try to find somebody else on the list to take your place. If you are unable to find anybody please let me know on John Graham 12

13 Thinking about a holiday? This is the time of year when many of us look forward to a change of scene, a short break away from the routine, somewhere to stay which takes us to a different corner of Scotland...but not too far from home! Why not consider somewhere only an hour and a half away from Perth, a cosy cottage with all facilities? Situated within the Cairngorm National Park in a unique position on the banks of the River Dee with views to the neighbouring Balmoral Estate and snow topped Lochnagar your holiday cottage will provide the perfect place to relax, explore and to enjoy our amazing countryside. For many years the 200 year old Manse Courtyard belonging to Crathie Kirk lay derelict. In 2002 as a result of five years of fundraising by local volunteers these fine old granite buildings were transformed into four expertly designed selfcatering cottages which qualify with Four Stars from the Scottish Tourist Board. Surrounded by an extensive, fenced play area and with the protection of a security gate this facility is also ideal for families with children. 13

14 In addition the cottages offer a unique range of facilities so that disabled people, so often excluded from such holidays, can also enjoy the most relaxing of holidays in wonderful surroundings. The range of additional equipment is extensive and includes hoists and wheel in showers and is provided at no extra charge. Crathie Opportunity Holidays is available all year round and short breaks can be arranged. Many guests return year after year and record their appreciation for what has been achieved. To find out more you can explore the website; crathieholidays.org.uk or phone to request a brochure or speak to the Manager. Crathie Opportunity Holidays is a registered Charity(SCO 27590) A few more howlers from other Church Magazines that have to make you smile Sunday morning sermon: 'Jesus Walks on the Water'. Sunday evening sermon: 'Searching for Jesus.' Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered. The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility. 14

15 SERVICES FORWARD PLANNER (May September 2013) May 05 Communion Ardoch am Blackford am May 19 United Service Blackford 10.00am Summer Services all at 10 am July 14 July 21 July 28 Aug 04 Aug 11 Aug 18 Aug 25 Sept 01 Ardoch Ardoch Ardoch Ardoch Blackford Blackford Blackford Blackford Normal Service Times resume on Sunday 08 September Ardoch am Blackford am Blackford Summer Club 1 5 July 2013 Ardoch Sunshine Club Mon. 22 July Wed. 24 July 15

16 Easter Morning Service, 31 st March 2013 Blackford Old Church on the Hill Photograph courtesy of Tom Coffield Approximately 20 hardy souls braved the cold (-4C ) to celebrate Easter at the old church on the hill in Blackford. Check out the websites for more information on Ardoch and Blackford Parishes and for forth coming events Ardoch Parish Church of Scotland Charity registered in Scotland Charity No.SC Blackford Parish Church of Scotland Charity registered in Scotland Charity No.SC