From our Minister Expect Answered Prayer.

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2 From our Minister... Communication is something we take seriously at St Andrews Lhanbryd and Urquhart. We have an up to the minute website, a Facebook page, we have prayer diaries and have a well- developed pastoral care structure. We also have this magazine I would like to thank Shirley for the years of service that she has given as editor and also extend my thanks to Elsbeth for taking up the baton to carry it forward. But there is another form of communication that the people of the church need and that is communication with God and that is the area we perhaps need the most practice. Prayer lies at the heart of Christian life and should be the fuel that drives the life of the church. Why is that? If we turn to scripture we find that Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray, Luke 5:16. So just how do we go about prayer: 1. Take Time to Pray. The great fruitfulness of our lives is rooted in meaningful, biblical prayer. Jesus is asking us just as He asked His disciples: Can t you give me an hour in prayer (Matthew 26:40-41)? It s worth it to spend time with Jesus. 2. Find a place to pray Jesus told us to go into a room to pray and shut the door (Matthew 6:6). It s important to pray as you go about your day, but it s also important to set aside specific times to pray without distractions like your phone, TV, or other people. Don t let yourself get sidetracked from alone- time with God. Covert prayer with God produces overt results. 3. Expect Answered Prayer. This is the confidence which we have before Him that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him, 1 John 5: In saying that, Jesus reassured us that when we pray according to God s will, He hears and answers us. If you don t know God s will, read the Word to find out the things that we already know are God s will like healing, blessing and favour. And remember: when you pray, first forgive (Mark 11:25). Pray this Prayer: God, I place You first in my life. You are so great and wonderful and worthy to be praised. Your will be done in my life and in the earth. I forgive anyone who has offended me. Help me to accomplish Your plans in my life. I trust You, God! In Jesus Name, amen! Blessings Rev. Andrew

3 Message from Editor Welcome to the magazine. This is my first magazine, so I hope you find it helpful and interesting. The magazine will be published in August, December and Easter each year. If you have news or an article, please send them to me (by if possible) ~ in November for the Christmas magazine, February for the Easter magazine or July for the autumn magazine. Thank you, Elsbeth Prayer Book The Prayer Book can be found on the Welcome Table at the back of the church and is there for anyone to give thanks or to make requests for prayer. A copy is circulated each week to those on the prayer list and is also used at the monthly prayer meeting. If you would like to be included in the circulation of the prayer list please contact Fiona MacKay THE CHOIR The Choir is a fun loving and committed group of all ages who meet on Thursday evenings in the Church hall at. We enjoy singing a variety of music, old and new, during the Church services whether be it an Introit or a Reflective piece. If you would like to come along and join us that would be just great. Please contact Evelyn McHattie

4 Dates for your diary Where? Lhanbryde Community Centre When? Sunday 6 th September Sunday 4 th October Sunday 1 st November Sunday 6 th December We meet from 4-6pm and enjoy Games, Bible stories, Crafts, Singing and end up with a tasty meal where there is always lots of chat and laughter. Come and join us for family fun! Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For further details contact Shirley Robertson Praise group starts back after hall from 7.30pm- 8.30pm. the summer break on Wednesday 2 nd September in the small All are welcome

5 The Abernethy group of four outdoor centres in Scotland. They are a Christian organisation, which in their own words means that our staff team are Christians and we hope that our guests see a positive difference in the care and contact that they receive. Over the past few years our teenagers in Tic Tacs have had the privilege of spending a weekend of fun activities at the centre in Nethybridge and we ve booked to take a group of 8 young people there again this year from th September. They are extremely grateful to the congregation for once again supporting their Coffee & Baking fundraising at the end of June. The final total raised was a generous 385. When we asked what the teenagers were most looking forward to about Abernethy here are some of the replies: I've really enjoyed getting to know people better and getting to try things I'd never done before. I'm really looking forward to going again this year and getting to spending time with everyone that's going. It s great spending time with friends and trying new challenges and games. I m really looking forward to having another go on the King Swing it s exhilarating!! This weekend at Abernethy is just part of the whole programme we have at SALU, encouraging all our young people, whatever their age, to learn what following Jesus is about. On Sundays mornings during July and August there are activities for the younger ones during the church services, and when schools return both Young Church and Tic Tacs will be meeting to continue to discover more about how we live out Christian faith wherever we are.

6 Bible Reading Rota th August Alastair Campbell 6 th September Kay Corsie 13 th September Chris Fett- Worsfold 20 th September Imogen Fett- Worsfold 27 th September Jane Foy 4 th October Susan Gilliland 11 th October Willie Jack 18 th October Meg Anderson 25 th October Andrew Kirkby 1 st November Angie Dunn 8 th November Ian McHattie 15 th November Ian MacKay 22 nd November Stuart MacKenzie 29 th November Valerie Moore 6 th December Christine Mutch 13 th December Yvonne Pearson 20 th December Alastair Rossetter 27 th December Jane Rossetter

7 CHURCH FLOWERS Flowers in church provide a fresh focus in the sanctuary each week, and are distributed after the service to people who may be ill, housebound, bereaved or celebrating a special birthday or anniversary. They are always very well received, being a tangible gesture of our love and concern for members of our congregation and community. The Session is very grateful to members of the congregation for financing flowers each week and is pleased to receive suggestions as to who should receive them. Thank you all for your continued support. If you would like to provide flowers, a Flower Calendar is available at the turn of the year on the notice board at the back of church on which you can write your name and telephone number in any week of your choice. There are usually vacant weeks throughout the year. You may arrange the flowers yourself or use our willing rota of flower arrangers who will be pleased to do this on your behalf. For further information, please contact me or speak to your district Elder. Marlene Hay Flower Co- ordinator

8 THE GUILD The Guild meets monthly from September to March in the church hall. The theme this year is Go in Peace. The programme is interesting and the company enjoyable so please come and join us. Just drop in for a meeting. You will be made very welcome. The Guild Project partnership scheme was established in 1997 and has raised over 3 million pounds. It has also expanded our knowledge of different issues of concern in the world. The last 6 projects supported over three years raised 750,000. Last year our Guild was able to send away 1,000, which we raised with a Soup and Sandwich Lunch and an Afternoon Tea. We are very grateful for the support of the congregation. The six new projects chosen under the strategy of Be Bold, Be Strong! will run from We can choose to support some or all of them. They are: - 1. Street Pastors, an initiative of the Ascension Trust. 2. Breaking the cycle of FGM (Feed the Minds). To empower women and girls in Kenya. 3. All Friends Together is about helping churches to welcome people with learning difficulties and to include them in all aspects of church life. 4. Caring for Mother Earth in Bolivia. To prevent deforestation and, with climate change, to support vulnerable communities. 5. Haiti Project (Mission International). To construct a multipurpose building in one of the poorest countries of the world. It will be used as a school, a church and a community centre. 6. Let s Stick Together (Care for the Family). Aimed at new mums and dads in Scotland to prevent family breakdowns. The work is motivated by Christian compassion with support available to all. I am sue you will agree that all are worthwhile causes. If you want to have more details there are posters on the Guild notice board in the church hall. I look forward to our first meeting in September. Yvonne Pearson Guild Convener

9 GUILD Convener Secretary Minute Secretary Treasurer Project Partner Yvonne Pearson Ruth Keir Jane Rossetter Christine Mutch Susan Gilliland Committee Members SESSION Meg Anderson Moira Anderson Evelyn McHattie Sheila Silvestri STRATEGY GUILD THEME Be Bold Be Strong Go in Peace DISCUSSION TOPIC Let s talk about... working through conflict MOTTO Whose I am and whom I serve Tuesday 15 th September Mary Slessor Marjorie Clark Tuesday 20 th October Tuesday 17 th November Tuesday 8 th December Tuesday 19 th January Tuesday 16 th February Peace of Mind Margaret Cowie Setting the Message Free Maggie Lunan Special Guild Week meeting for all Guilds to be held in Church Bits and Peaces! Night of fun Working Together David Millar and Tim Betts Discussion Topic Let s talk about working through conflict

10 The Thrift Shop The Thrift Shop, situated in St Andrews Road, Lhanbryde has been operating for over 30 years. It was the brainchild of Maggie Lunan, as a way of raising money for Christian Aid. Initially it operated from Bill Watson s workshop at Wakatani, St Andrews Road. Donations of clothes and small household items were requested from the congregation and we were in business. These premises were only temporary so when it was obvious that this shop was a great idea, the garage at the manse in time became home to the Thrift Shop. To begin with, it was rather like a Jumble Sale, with black bags being handed out for customers to collect the items they wanted to buy. Gradually it became more organised, with boxes labelled for different items of clothing. A lot of work went on in the background, and still goes on, making the shop what it is today. It is really an Aladdin s Cave and certainly worth a visit. The shop, in 2014, had another successful year with the total of 5,932 slightly down from the previous year. The usual rota of volunteer assistants work under the guidance of Helen Fordyce who along with her husband George are to be thanked for their essential work of collecting, sorting and preparing the goods for sale. Any donations to the shop should be in good and clean condition. The Thrift Shop is open Tuesday mornings am and Thursday afternoons pm. In addition to these times the Thrift Shop shows a presence at most of the Primary School events and other local events. Twice a year a bookstall is held outside the Keystore, Lhanbryde. When the Blythswood Shoebox Appeal is undertaken, the Thrift Shop is involved and in 2014 a total of 186 boxes were uplifted 22 from St Andrews- Lhanbryd & Urquhart Parish Church, 83 from Thrift Shop and 71 from Lhanbryde Primary School. The funds raised are administered by the Session and distributed between Christian Aid and Local Charities. T.O.F.M. ~ Together on Friday Mornings ~ is a get- together for girls! - - Sorry boys! We meet from 10 to am, in various places, for a variety of activities. Week one of each month is Chat when we meet mostly in each other s homes. Well- Being is week two, when we have all kinds of activities to stimulate or relax our minds, bodies and spirits. We meet in the Church Hall. Week three is Share when we get together at St. Margaret s Hall, Urquhart, to make banners, share experiences and welcome visitors from local organisations. Discuss is week four. This year we will be reading Desmond Tutu s book In God s Hands. It s a very informal get- together where we seem to learn so much from one another. We meet at June s home, Kirkhillhead, Walkers Crescent, Lhanbryde.

11 There are highlights throughout the year. The first one is our annual trip to Kincraig in late September. You have to come to experience the three days of amazing food, crazy fun and laughter, as well as enjoying peace and rest... and God s wonderful presence. Please pick up a programme from the back of the church and check out all the details. We begin on Friday, September 4 th. If you have never been to T.O.F.M. why not come and give it a try. Togetherness ~ in all aspects ~ is important (chatting, laughing, caring, sharing and transport if you need it). A warm welcome to you all! Finance In the six months to 30 June, total regular giving amounted to 24,103 which is an increase of 117 over last year. This figure is made up of Gift Aid donations of 19,595, Freewill Offering Envelopes 2,207 and Open Plate donations 2,301. Gift Aided donations is our main source of income and the tax claimed on donations up to 30 June amounted to 4,899. Total receipts up to June amounted to with payments of 38,074 resulting in a surplus of 1,210 to date. In June, we were also grateful to receive a legacy of 1,000 from the late Dennis Thomson. Christian Aid Community Partnership Earlier this year, we were asked if we would consider becoming involved in a community partnership project with Christian Aid. The community partnership scheme links churches, schools and other groups to a Christian Aid project, in this case to promote maternal and child health in Balaka, Malawi. Christian Aid aims to sign- up 10 churches each donating 5,000 over three years to March 2018 and the Scottish Government has also awarded match funding of 600,000. The Kirk Session recently agreed to become involved in the scheme and the funding will be made from 50% of the proceeds of the Thrift Shop. As these funds are already donated to Christian Aid, they will now be match funded by the Scottish Government at a ratio of 12:1. We are planning to formally present this project to Church Members in the near future and more details will be available when plans are finalised.

12 Gift Aid First of all, a big Thank You to everyone who is supporting our church with their donations. No matter how much you are able to give, every penny helps us! When taking over the role as Gift Aid Convener from Glenn at the beginning of last year, I had been vaguely aware that the Gift Aid scheme makes a huge difference to the donations given to the church but only after working with the actual figures, it really became clear to me how much money is actually involved. At present, we have 102 members of our congregation who are gift aiding their donations. They either donate by having set up a Standing Order with their bank, pay by cheque at regular intervals or by using the Blue Envelopes for cash donations when they attend the Sunday Service. The split between Blue Envelopes and the other methods is roughly half/half with more and more people opting for Standing Orders as it is convenient for them (once set up, they no longer have to worry about it). I know that some people feel uncomfortable not putting something in the collection plate when it is passed around (and I am among this group) but there are handy small cards available that say that you are giving by other means that can be used. Looking at the figures for the last tax year which ended on 6 th April 2015, the total amount given under the Gift Aid Scheme amounted to just over 38,000. With the current tax rate of 20% (i.e. 25p/ extra through reclaimed tax) this means that we were able to claim an additional sum of over 9,500 from the government. This makes a big difference to our church finances! To be able to gift aid your donations, you need to be a tax payer and pay at least of tax for each you donate to our church. Once you have enrolled in the scheme, there is nothing else for you to do, I will take care of everything and will hand you a tax slip at the end of the tax year stating the relevant amounts that you can then hand in with your tax assessment. Please speak to me if you have any questions or wish to use Gift Aid. Thank you. Simone

13 September st Tuesday Thrift Shop nd Wednesday Praise Group Church Hall am pm 3 rd Thursday Thrift Shop 4 th Friday TOFM th Saturday am 6 th Sunday Church Communion Service Messy am 7 th Monday Church 4.00 pm 8 th Tuesday Thrift Shop th Wednesday am 10 th Thursday Thrift Shop 11 th Friday TOFM th Saturday am 13 th Sunday Church Service Prayer Meeting 14 th Monday 15 th Tuesday Thrift Shop Guild Church Hall 16 th Wednesday am 7.00 pm am 17 th Thursday Thrift Shop 18 th Friday TOFM th Saturday am 20 th Sunday Church Service am 21 st Monday 22 nd Tuesday Thrift Shop Kirk Session 23 rd Wednesday am 24 th Thursday Thrift Shop 25 th Friday TOFM th Saturday am 27 th Sunday Church Service Evening Service, Urquhart 28 th Monday am 7.00 pm 29 th Tuesday Thrift Shop th Wednesday am

14 October st Thursday Thrift Shop 2 nd Friday TOFM am 3 rd Saturday 4 th Sunday Church Service Messy Church am 4 pm 5 th Monday 6 th Tuesday Thrift Shop am 7 th Wednesday Praise Group Church Hall pm 8 th Thursday Thrift Shop 9 th Friday TOFM 10 th Saturday 11 th Sunday Harvest Thanksgiving Service Prayer Meeting am 7.00 pm 12 th Monday 13 th Tuesday Thrift Shop am 14 th Wednesday 15 th Thursday Thrift Shop 16 th Friday TOFM am 17 th Saturday 18 th Sunday Church Service am 19 th Monday 20 th Tuesday Thrift Shop Guild Church Hall 21 st Wednesday 22 nd Thursday Thrift Shop 23 rd Friday TOFM 24 th Saturday 25 th Sunday Church Service Evening Service Urquhart am am 7.00 pm 26 th Monday 27 th Tuesday Thrift Shop am 28 th Wednesday 29 th Thursday Thrift Shop 30 th Friday 31 st Saturday

15 November st Sunday Church Service Messy Church am 4.00 pm 2 nd Monday 3 rd Tuesday Thrift Shop am 4 th Wednesday Praise Group Church Hall pm 5 th Thursday Thrift Shop 6 th Friday TOFM 7 th Saturday 8 th Sunday Remembrance Service Prayer Meeting am 7.00 pm 9 th Monday 10 th Tuesday Thrift Shop am 11 th Wednesday 12 th Thursday Thrift Shop 13 th Friday TOFM 14 th Saturday 15 th Sunday Church Service am 16 th Monday 17 th Tuesday Thrift Shop Guild Church Hall 18 th Wednesday 19 th Thursday Thrift Shop am 20 th Friday TOFM am 21 st Saturday 22 nd Sunday Church Service am 23 rd Monday 24 th Tuesday Thrift Shop Kirk Session 25 th Wednesday 26 th Thursday Thrift Shop am 27 th Friday TOFM am 28 th Saturday 29 th Sunday Church Service Evening Service Urquhart 30 th Monday am 7.00 pm

16 For the Garden of Daily Living Plant 3 rows of peas: Peace of mind Peace of heart Peace of soul Plant 4 rows of squash: Squash gossip Squash indifference Squash grumbling Squash selfishness Plant 4 rows of lettuce: Let us be faithful Let us be kind Let us be patient Let us really love one another No garden is without turnips: Turn up for meetings Turn up for service Turn up to help one another To conclude our garden we must have time: Time for each other Time for family Time for friends Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is much fruit in the garden because you reap what you sow.

17 TEA ROTA SEPTEMBER 2015 JANUARY th September 2015 Kay Corsie Mary Mitchell 27 th September 2015 Margaret Third Liz Ashworth 4 th October 2015 Jean Jones Elsie McDonald 11 th October 2015 Simone Hernnkind Fiona MacKay 18 th October 2015 Elsbeth Jackson Isobel Livesey 25 th October 2015 Catriona Keir Colin Keir 1 st November 2015 Jan Smith Jane Rossetter 8 th November 2015 Moira Lawson Mary Thomson 15 th November 2015 Moira Anderson Christine Mutch 22 nd November 2015 Anne Mitchell Janet Grant 29 th November 2015 Kay Corsie Mary Mitchell 6 th December 2015 Margaret Third Liz Ashworth 13 th December 2015 Jean Jones Elsie McDonald 20 th December 2015 Simone Hernnkind Fiona MacKay 27 th December 2015 Elsbeth Jackson Isobel Livesey 3 rd January 2016 Catriona Keir Colin Keir 10 th January 2016 Jan Smith Jane Rossetter 17 th January 2016 Moira Lawson Mary Thomson 24 th January 2016 Moira Anderson Christine Mutch 31 st January 2016 Anne Mitchell Janet Grant Please bring ONE pint of milk and ONE packet of biscuits each Tea Money to be put in Bank Bag and handed to Elders on duty each Sunday If you cannot attend church on the Sunday against your name, please swap with someone else THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP

18 TEA ROTA PHONE NUMBERS Moira Anderson Liz Ashworth Kay Corsie Janet Grant Simone Herrnkind Elsbeth Jackson Catriona and Colin Keir Jean Jones Moira Lawson Isobel Livesey Anne Mitchell Mary Mitchell Christine Mutch Elsie McDonald Fiona MacKay Jane Rossetter Jan Smith Margaret Third Mary Thomson

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