THE MAGAZINE OF BOTHWELL PARISH CHURCH SCOTLAND S OLDEST COLLEGIATE CHURCH Registered Scottish Charity No: SC0 9819

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1 THE MAGAZINE OF BOTHWELL PARISH CHURCH SCOTLAND S OLDEST COLLEGIATE CHURCH Registered Scottish Charity No: SC Minister: The Revd. J. M. Gibson, TD. The Manse of Bothwell, 4 Manse Avenue, Bothwell, G71 8PQ Tel: jamesmgibson@msn.com Church Office Tel: (Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 9am-2pm) bothwellparishoffice@btconnect.com Church Website: Church Centre: Chapterhouse Café: FROM THE MINISTER Into the Future THE BEGINNING of a new year tends to be a time for resolutions and predictions. I ve long since given up on resolutions finding that, before long, all good intention has been somehow lost in the ether of everyday demands and activity. With regard predictions, well, maybe you have peered into a crystal ball, read the tea leaves or consulted your star indicator and know what s going to happen. Me? My prediction for 2014, which I make with total confidence, is that confidence in predictions is impossible. If you don t believe me, here are a few I have come across Heavier than air machines are impossible, said Lord Kelvin when President of the Royal Society in There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home, said Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment in It doesn t matter what he does, he will never amount to anything, said the school report of Albert Einstein in Everything that can be invented has been invented, wrote an unnamed official at the United States Patent Office in Two things we can say, however will be a momentous year both for our country and for our church. The 18 th September is the day the Scottish Government has designated as Referendum Day. For the first time in over three hundred years the people of Scotland will be asked to vote on whether Scotland should still within the United Kingdom or become an independent country. It is possibly the most momentous decision our countrymen and women will ever be asked to make. The consequences of our decision will have repercussions for every single aspect of our future living: defence, health, education, social welfare, commercial prosperity everything. Once made, there will be no turning back. Referendum - An Uninspired and Uninspiring Campaign Thus far, detailed information about the issues central to the Referendum has been hard to find. The campaign of both protagonists has been as uninspired as it has been uninspiring. Huge matters of national interest remain to be explained and a myriad questions properly answered. Hopefully, before long the shadow-boxing of the political combatants will give way to mature, intellectual argument and explanation. Only then will the people of Scotland be equipped to be able to vote with their head rather than the fickle emotions of the heart. Such is the importance that this be quickly and adequately addressed politicians, alone, should not be left to take the initiative. It is surely the responsibility of each individual, eligible to cast a vote, to ensure they have knowledge sufficient to allow them to do so with integrity. I would therefore hope that within such a community as ours, the Church would have a part to play. Plans are already being discussed to organise an event to be held within the church, later this IN THIS EDITION February & March 2014 From the Minister P1& P2. Church Register P2. Statement of Purpose P2. Ceilidh & Christmas Hamper P2. Sunday Clubs P3. A Christmas Thank You P3. Allovus P4. Syria Crisis Appeal P4. TV Licensing P4. Meditation P5. The Guild P5. Flowers Thank You P5. Bubblegum n Fluff P6. A new way to receive your magazine P7. A Short History of Bothwell P7. Rota Page P8. year, which will enable members of our congregation and community to listen to representatives of both the Yes and No campaigns make their arguments and for questions to be answered. Further information will be publicised nearer the time. Church - Quire Repair & Restoration Project It is now over a year since our Appeal was launched for the urgent repair and restoration of the church Quire. To date, through public and private donation, 1.2million has been secured. Of which, members of the local community have, thus far, contributed approximately 150,000. This represents a tremendous response from the congregation, and others, of which we should be rightly proud. However, there is enormous pressure for us to identify further benefactors and secure the balance of our funding. Continued on page 2. 1

2 FROM THE MINISTER Continued from Page 1. Urgent works on the eight hundred year old foundations had to be commenced last November. Various bore-holes have been excavated around the building and within. Samples of earth have been officially analysed and a great deal of engineering investigation undertaken. Inevitably, unexpected work has been necessary. This has meant that the whole project is running approximately six months behind schedule. Our professional advisers, however, are confident that the information we will now possess will be beneficial to the better planning of the project in the long run. It is expected that completed and costed project Tenders will be returned to us early March. Then we will know more accurately how we stand financially. We will also then be able to make further applications for essential funding that can only be made once such information is at hand. No major work will be undertaken to the roof of the Quire unless and until necessary funding is secured. Confidence in predictions is impossible. However, whatever the outcome of our national Referendum and of our Quire project, 2014 is certainly going to be a momentous year. Let us hope and pray for a good outcome for both country and church. Jim Gibson Minister of Bothwell Interim Moderator at Gilmour & Whitehill Church Hamilton. Statement of Purpose Bothwell Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland and is part of the worldwide family of people belonging to the Christian Faith, worshipping God through Jesus Christ. In response to the love of God for all, we seek to serve our community through worship, friendship, care and education; and to promote Christian values of concern for others, forgiveness, healing and justice. Funerals: November December January Confident of Life Everlasting The Minister invites the prayers of the congregation for the family and friends of the following who recently received Christian funeral: Colin McMurdo, 7 Kirklands Crescent, Bothwell Mrs Cathy Louden, Highgate Nursing Home, Uddingston Mrs Ina Miller, 18 Waverley Court, Bothwell Mrs Chrissie Oattes, 53 Baillie Drive, Bothwell Mrs Mary Fleming, Summerlee Nursing Home, Coatbridge John Turley, 24 Newfield Crescent, Hamilton Mrs Doris Alexander, 2 Old Mill Road, Bothwell Strictly Ceilidh / Christmas Hamper With sympathies for the folks who tried too late and couldn t get tickets, the Ceilidh held on November was hugely enjoyed by all. Thanks to the music of Jim Carson s Band who very generously gave their services free of charge the evening, literally, went with a swing. Once supper of fish & chips had been devoured, an entertaining Strictly competition was held with the eventual winners John and Hazel Gilmour dancing a truly memorable version of the tango! Local traders were, once again, generous in donating prizes. This enabled a luxury Christmas Hamper filled with goodies to be sold over the few remaining weeks leading up to Christmas. Congratulations to Eleanor Barr who had the winning ticket. A net total of 2885 was raised, which will be Gift Aided for Quire Restoration funds. For details on the current activities being held within the Church Centre please see the noticeboard or look up: 2

3 RED SEA & NOAH S ARK SUNDAY CLUBS Our Christmas party was a great success with entertainment provided by Future Stars, followed by food and a visit from our special visitor bringing great presents for everyone. Thanks to everyone who supported us by bringing gifts for the homeless. They were delivered to the City Mission in plenty of time for Christmas, to be enjoyed by those who are not as fortunate as we are. This year we started very early to prepare for our Nativity Play. We had lots of fun learning new songs and finally performing in the hall after morning service for parents and friends. A special thanks to Romi and Iain, members of ACTS, who were excellent narrators. Unfortunately David was unwell and couldn t take part on the day. We had intended having a special collection for our young friends in the Place of Restoration in South Africa, but unfortunately the collecting box was not displayed in the hall in a prominent place. However, the proceeds of the tea and coffee were donated instead and a cheque for 50 was sent to Monica MacDonald. Thanks to everyone who helped. Finally the Christmas celebrations came to an end with our Christingle service, to which we all look forward every year. It s an exciting time, especially for the younger children, carrying their lit Christingles, but what a relief to get to the end of the service with no burnt fingers! A Christmas Thank you The Kirk Session has agreed to give our Collection taken on Christmas Eve to help the work of the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation. A rather long and clumsy name for a general hospital. But not just any hospital. The BASR was founded in 1960 by Leonard Cheshire. Entirely dependent on voluntary donations from England, it began life as a home for orphaned children and as a basis where simple medical help could be obtained. Over the years, with the extension of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, the one-time home has developed into the principal general hospital for the Bethlehem region treating all manner of ailments, disabilities and war injuries. What has not changed is that it remains a non-government organisation entirely dependent on voluntary financial donations. Situated in a valley close to Bethlehem, below an illegal Israeli settlement, the hospital exists in the shadow of an Israeli army outpost. Travelling to and from the hospital can, at times, be difficult depending upon the political mood existing in Israel. Electricity and water supplies can be turned off at any time. Yet, this hospital benefits all people regardless of their gender, age, religion, social class or nationality. Indeed, greeting visitors and patients alike in the driveway of the hospital is a stone statue with their governing ethic inscribed: Every Patient is First and Foremost a Human Being. The hospital was one of the most memorable and impressive visits made on our congregational pilgrimage to the Holy Land last Easter. Though financially stretched, we received generous hospitality. Now, a cheque for 600 can be sent from our church to aid their endeavours. What better time to do this than at Christmas! Now its back to normal and planning for new activities. Anne Sharp 3

4 Syria Crisis Appeal Six million Syrian people have fled their homes. They desperately need food, shelter and medical care. More than two years of war have had a devastating impact on many Syrian families and have left more than six million people in need of aid. In many parts of the country the health system has effectively collapsed, water supplies have been cut and food is in short supply. In addition, two million people have now fled to the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. Refugees are arriving at camps which are already stretched to capacity, and many families are living in crude shelters they have built themselves, with host families in overcrowded conditions or in partially finished buildings. Please help if you can. HOW TO PAY A L L O V U S A great time was had by all at the Christmas Luncheon on 5th December. Our thanks to Craig from the Chapterhouse Café for a delicious meal, and also to Peter McLean for providing the festive entertainment. Allovus session commences again on 6th February and the committee look forward to welcoming members both existing and new. ONLINE using a credit or debit card (www. TELEPHONE BY POST. Send your cheques, postal orders and CAF vouchers, made payable to DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal, to: DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal PO Box 999 London EC3A 3AA You can pay into any BANK or BUILDING SOCIETY, except Nationwide or Britannia. Ask to pay into the 'DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal' account. You can pay your money into any POST OFFICE ask to pay into the 'DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal'. ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR A FREE TV LICENCE? TV Licensing is working with Bothwell Parish Church to remind older TV Licence holders they will be entitled to a free TV Licence on their 75th birthday. Anyone aged 75 or over is eligible for a free TV Licence for their main address. Eligible people can register online at or by calling The free licence will cover all the equipment in the property, meaning family or carers living in the same home could also benefit. Anyone aged 74 or over can begin planning for the concession immediately by applying for a short-term licence which will last between one and 11 months. Applying for a free licence is simple and, once you have one, TV Licensing will send a new licence once every three years, cutting down on excess paperwork. The free licence is not granted automatically so anybody who becomes eligible needs to make sure they remember to apply by getting in touch with TV Licensing directly. Customers with a free TV Licence are reminded to contact TV Licensing if there is a change to their name, address or telephone details. PLEASE SAVE STAMPS 4

5 MEDITATION Beyond A Great Illusion LENT BEGINS on Ash Wednesday, March 5 th. It s very easy to get wrongheaded about that special time before Easter called Lent. It s so easy to see it as something it is not and trying to use it to do something that can t be done. Put simply, we usually think of ourselves, on every level, as being separated from God; as apart from our Creator. Because of this, we tend to regard worship as that which closes this infinite gap between ourselves and God. There is a perspective and a level of reality at which this is true. The shortcomings of our human nature does separate us from God and, so, this leads us to hope that one of the consequences of worship during Lent is that somehow we will get (feel) closer to the God we worship. You may think that s well and good but, there is a trap in it. That s because our sense of a vast gap between us and God is not the greatest truth. The greatest truth, taught by Jesus, is that this distance between ourselves and God has been eternally closed. Right here and now, we are closer to God than we are to our own heartbeat, our next breath. God is not some presence out there waiting for us to discover him. His Spirit is right here, deep within us all, gently urging us to discover him and in discovering him, to discover our true selves. The great mystical traditions of Christianity tell us that our sense of separation from God is a pernicious illusion. Lent and Easter are, perhaps, best approached not as times of frantic seeking for Someone, Something out there, but as a quiet, discipline waiting for God s Spirit nearer to me than I am myself as the German mystic Meister Eckhart promises. FLOWERS - THANK YOU The glory of the Resurrection is the affirmation that God is found in ordinary humanity even the smile of a stranger. JMG. On behalf of the ladies of the Flower Committee, I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the flower rota throughout 2013 thereby ensuring that flowers have been placed in our Church every Sunday. Thank you also to those who have agreed to join the rota for this year. This is very much appreciated, as it enhances the beauty of such a lovely building. It also lets the people who receive the flowers after the service know that they are being thought of by all in our congregation. Specifically with regard to the Christmas decorations, I would like to say a very big thank you to John McAulay for helping to erect the trees both inside and outside the Church; and to my team of Ellen Buttery, Maureen Watt, Rona Crate, Elizabeth French, Ken Hamilton, John Crichton, John Hart, David Ormiston, David Hepburn, Alan Wilson and Russell Parsons who worked extremely hard in the busy days of early December to ensure that the Church was ready to be enjoyed by all over the Christmas period. Thanks also to the above team, with the addition of Anne McQueen, and Harry and Joan Marsh, who took the decorations down and stored them away until next Christmas. Jean Hamilton THE GUILD The ladies of the Guild enjoyed High Tea at the Bentley Hotel, Motherwell before attending the pantomime in Motherwell. The outing was enjoyed by all and our thanks to Grace Moore for organising it. Our first meeting of 2014 was on Monday 6th January and was a film of the trip to the Holy Land in Dates for 2014: 29th January Burns Night 3rd February Stewart Logan 17 February Revd. Stanley Cook 3 March Easter Parade 17 March Daffodil Tea We would be pleased to see new members, you will be made most welcome. Please help us support the Restoration Appeal. We are collecting old, broken, unwanted gold and silver jewellery. Please pass any donations of this nature to a member of the Guild committee or to the church office. Thank you. The Aim of the Guild is to invite and encourage men and women to commit their lives to Jesus Christ and enable them to express their faith in worship, prayer and action. APRIL / MAY 2014 ISSUE OF THE LANTERN Please submit all news, events, articles, rotas & photos for the next edition by Tuesday 4th MARCH. You can the office: bothwellparishoffice@btconnect.com 5

6 Bubblegum n Fluff During Advent, with the help of Jen Robertson from Scripture Union, the Minister led a group of volunteers from the congregation in presenting a programme of activities based on our understanding of Christmas to Primary 6 pupils. The event was held within the church Centre. So many myths have become attached to our Christmas preparations and celebrations like bits of unwanted bubblegum that much of the meaning and joy of the celebration is smothered by anxiety and falseness. Through games, story-telling with puppets and craft activities this bubblegum n fluff was stripped away and the children guided to rediscover for themselves something of the real meaning behind the festivity. The children so enjoyed the experience that letters of thanks have been received from each one. For boys and girls in Primary 7, the Easter Code will be held in March. JG. 6

7 A Short History of Bothwell Continuing the instalments of the notes prepared by the late Rev. S. J. Hamilton, B.A., on the history of the parish. Part 2 of 2 A few years later a strange and almost inexplicable transformation took place in the form of the church s government. In 1572, the General Assembly agreed with reluctance, however, and apparently under compulsion of the nobles to the reintroduction of an episcopal form of government and the retention of the names of archbishop and bishop. Ministers were straightaway appointed to these offices; but those who were so appointed received the contemptuous appellation of Tulchan bishops, for though they enjoyed the episcopal titles they had but a very small part of the revenues. Tulchan it may be said, was a calf s skin with stuffed with straw, used to induce a cow to give her milk freely. The appropriateness of the term is seen when we remember that these titular bishops allowed the revenues of their charges to be almost entirely absorbed by the nobles who acted as lay patrons. It is surprising that the church which had banished bishops from its policy for 12 years should give even a conditional sanction to the reintroduction of the machinery of the papacy. Obviously things were still in a chaotic state. This episcopal fabric lasted, however, only eight years, for in 1580 the whole Assembly of the Kirk, in one voice, found and declared the pretended office of a bishop to be unlawful, and ordained all such persons as brooked and said office to demit the same. Another important landmark in the history of the church at this time was the adoption by the General Assembly, in April, 1581, of the Second Book of Discipline, a document which remains the foundation stone of our ecclesiastical constitution, and according to which there are four ordinary offices in the Church of God the minister, the doctor, the elder, the deacon; and four sorts of Assemblies of a particular congregation (Kirk Session), of a province (Synod), of a whole nation (General Assembly), of all Christian nations (Ecumenical Council). Singularly enough the Presbytery, now reckoned the fundamental court of a Presbyterian Church is not marked out as a court separate and distinct from the Kirk Session. The establishment of this court was, however, not long delayed. In October of the same year a committee was appointed to draw up a platform of presbyteries and constitutions for them; and in the next Assembly it was resolved that a beginning should be had of presbyteries instantly in the places after named, to be exemplars to the rest that my be established afterwards, namely Edinburgh, Dundee, St.Andrews, Perth, Stirling, Glashow, Ayr, Irvine, Haddington, Linlithgow, Dunbar, Chirnside, Dunfermline. The thing was done, and Scotland now for the first time saw the full machinery of its presbyterial policy in motion. Three years later, however, a reversion to episcopacy was forced on the church by James VI, who was bent on destroying a form of church government which he imagined to be inconsistent with his kingly prerogatives. The General Assembly rested upon too popular a basis, he thought; it was too independent of his absolute will. Accordingly on 22nd May 1584, he passed a series of acts the Black Acts which were entirely subversive of the rights hitherto enjoyed by the church. The kind claimed the power to interdict Assemblies and Presbyteries from meeting without his permission, and the right to set up bishops in their place. The ministers maintained he had no such jurisdiction. The struggle ended only in 1592, when parliament, on 29th May, abrogated the acts of 1584 and ratified the liberty of the church. This important act is frequently spoken of as the Magna Charta of the Church, because it re-established the national church upon a Presbyterian basis and legalised the most vital parts of the Second Book of Discipline. For nearly twenty years episcopacy and Presbyterianism had been jumbled together; but they were found to be irreconcilable. 7 CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Those interested in exploring the possibility of membership of the Church should be make contact with the Minister who will be happy to speak with them. Discussions held are entirely open-ended with no prior commitment being involved. The emphasis is upon informality and sharing our thoughts. An open invitation is, therefore, extended to all who may be interested. The Minister may be contacted on a Sunday at church or during the week via the Office or at the Manse. A New Way to Receive Your Magazine? Did you know that the magazine can be found on our Church website? category/magazine By reading your magazine on-line via laptops, Kindles, tablets and i-phones, and not receiving a paper copy, you would be helping the Church to continue to develop as an eco-congregation and you would also be helping us to save money in printing costs. If you decide this is an option for you, please send an to the office bothwellparishoffice@btconnect.com detailing your name and address, to allow us to make adjustments to the number of copies printed. John Crichton Session Clerk

8 Sunday Welcome / Duty Rota Office bearers should please arrive at Church for duty by 10am. Anyone unable to fulfil their duty should please arrange cover. Please note that only two of the office bearers will be required to assist with counting the collection after the service. FEBRUARY MARCH 2 H Marsh, J Marsh, G Moore, J Crichton 9 C McQueen, G Ormiston, R Parsons, J Provan 16 Dr Ritch, B Sharp, E Somerville, E Terrace 23 Dr Thomson, A Watt, G Whitton, A Wilson APRIL 6 D Hepburn, L Horn, M Hutchison, M Jack 13 D Lee, H Marsh, J Marsh, G Moore 20 Easter Communion Arrangements 27 C McQueen, G Ormiston, R Parsons, J Provan 2 E Barr, E Buttery, J Carson, N Carson 9 S Cook, D Craig, J Crichton, S Crichton 16 J Cumming, J Dalziel, E Dempsey, V Gibson 23 B Gillespie, J Gilmour, T Goodsir, S Greenshields 30 K Hamilton, J Hart, I Henderson, J Henry MAY 4 Dr Ritch, B Sharp, E Somerville, E Terrace 11 Communion Arrangements 18 Dr Thomson, A Watt, G Whitton, A Wilson 25 E Barr, E Buttery, J Carson, N Carson Sunday Coffee Rota As usual, volunteers are asked to please swap any inconvenient dates with each other. New volunteers are most welcome to join the list and should please contact Marilyn Jack tel FEBRUARY 2 Mrs A Thomson 9 Mrs E Buttery 16 Mrs H Gilmour 23 Mrs E Dempsey MARCH 2 Mrs C Cahill 9 Mrs J Craig 16 Frew and Hepburn Families 23 Mrs S Crichton 30 Bryson Family APRIL 6 Mrs J Hamilton 13 Parsons and Wilson Families 20 Mrs N Carson 27 Mrs A Thomson MAY 4 Ormiston Family 11 Mrs E Buttery 18 Mrs H Gilmour 25 Mrs E Dempsey Chancel Church Flowers War Memorial FEBRUARY 2nd Mrs Eleanor Terrace Mrs Eileen Smith 9th Mrs Mary Williamson Mr Bill Ryrie 16th Mrs Nan Carson Mrs Valerie Pringle 23rd Mr & Mrs Ian Wilson Mrs Betty Fairley MARCH 2nd Mrs Betty Sinclair Mrs Esther Mackie 9th Mrs Jean Moyes Mrs Carol Anne Cahill 16th Miss Muriel Gordon Mrs Dorothy-Anne Ardrey 23rd Mr Tom Hogg Mrs Alison Freeland 30th Mrs Sara Crichton Mrs Charlotte Livingstone APRIL 6th Mrs Lynda Horn Mrs Isobel Parsons 13th Mrs Louise McLean Mrs Mary McWhinney 20th (Easter) Mrs Jan Lee Mrs Mary Brown 27th Mrs Sheila McDermid Mrs Elizabeth Brownlie MAY 4th Mrs Patricia Mosley Mrs Ann Walker 11th (Communion) Mrs Nancy Robertson Mrs Jessie McPherson 18th Mrs Sheena Cook Mrs Myra McMurdo 25th Mrs Joyce Geesin Mrs Meg Greenshields Sunday Crèche FEBRUARY 2nd Eleanor Barr Eleanor Terrace 9th Elizabeth French Shirley Frew 16th Nan Carson Hazel Gilmour 23rd Jean Moyes Jaynie Craig MARCH 2nd Janette Provan Pat Maxwell 9th Julie Wilson Gillian Ormiston 16th Suzanne Smith Elaine Easton 23rd Aileen Hepburn Eleanor Barr 30th Eleanor Terrace Elizabeth French APRIL 6th Shirley Frew Nan Carson 13th Hazel Gilmour Jean Moyes 20th Janie Craig Janette Provan 27th Pat Maxwell Julie Wilson MAY 4th Gillian Ormiston Suzanne Smith 11th Elaine Easton Aileen Hepburn 18th Eleanor Barr Eleanor Terrace 25th Elizabeth French Shirley Frew 8