Chrystal. April 2013 A SCOTTISH SPRING SCENE. St Mary s-greyfriars Parish Church Interim Moderator: Colin Sutherland

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1 Chronicle Chrystal April 2013 Picture: jasonbolonski/flickr A SCOTTISH SPRING SCENE St Mary s-greyfriars Parish Church Interim Moderator: Colin Sutherland Tel

2 The Chrystal Chronicle April Church register Deaths I am the resurrection and the life January 12: Mrs M Walker, formerly of 38 Moffat Road March 8: Mr P Bruce, 79 Annan Road March 9: Mrs M Kerr, 4 Huntingdon Road March 24: Mrs Butter, Annan Road Baptism Let the little children come to me February 24: India Rachael Watson Please let me know of any changes of address. Marion Bennett, 2 Wolfgill Drive, Dumfries DG1 4XY. Tel: FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to our April edition. If you have anything to be included in the next edition, which will be published at the start of May, please pass it on through the church by Sunday April 21. The deadline is Tuesday April 23 at 3pm. Thanks as always. If you have any articles, please contact me: Address: 2 Wolfgill Drive, Dumfries DG1 4XY Telephone: magazine@stmarysgreyfriars.org.uk Twinning with Arpad ter Church, Debrecen David Bennett Editor At its meeting on March 12 the Kirk Session agreed the draft Twinning Agreement with Arpad Ter Church Debrecen with one or two minor changes. This Agreement had also been agreed by Caerlaverock and will be officially signed this month so that copies can be sent to Hungary. David Matheson, Stan and Liz Tanner are going to Hungary in May for a week and are very much looking forward to meeting members of Arpad ter Church. The Chrystal Chronicle April From the Interim Moderator A time for change There I was, and have been since May of last year, very happy to be the Locum Minister for the charge of Caerlaverock and St Mary s-greyfriars, then all of a sudden following the exchange of a few s, lo and behold I get a promotion from Locum to Interim Moderator. Times change so very fast sometimes and the week from Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to Easter Day when he rose from the dead was just a short space of time in the whole scheme of things. There are many times when we are moving in a particular direction that we have a good idea of the outcome and I know that was the case for Jesus as he rode that day toward Jerusalem. Jesus knew exactly what lay ahead of him, he was aware of the money changers in the Temple and how he was going to deal with them. The Passover meal he would share with his disciples and the manner in which he would be betrayed with the kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane. He then knew about the mock trial and what would follow. The hill of Calvary was to be place and time where he was crucified. All of the events of that week had been preordained every single thing that happened was mapped out from the time Jesus came into this world. The greatest and best is that Jesus was on that Easter Day raised from the dead and he is alive and lives and reigns forevermore, our Lord and Saviour. I believe even for us that some things are preordained, for instance the time and place when we are born and also at the other end of life when we pass from this world. This life is for real, we are not on a practice run, this is our one and only chance to live our lives and we must do that the best way we can. We need to remember the things that Jesus has done for us and that because of His life, death and resurrection we have the forgiveness for all the faults that we have in this life. May God s richest blessing be with you all. Useful phone numbers Session Clerk David Matheson, Treasurer Stewart Williamson, Gift Aid and freewill offering envelopes Billy Simpson, Colin

3 The Chrystal Chronicle April From the Guild The following report was given at our AGM on March 19. Theme: A Faith to Proclaim. Our 126th Session started on Tuesday October 2, 2012, when, after being welcomed by convener Janette Kirkpatrick, we were entertained by the Dumfries Baptist Church Choir. We were pleased to have a group of our friends from Tundergarth Church join us for the evening. Two weeks later Donald Henderson told us about Local Heroes of the Titantic with very evocative pictures. In November we explored the theme a Faith to Proclaim and we were challenged in various ways. Our second meeting that month was a visit from Margaret Flanagan who is an ambassador for Mary s Meals one of the six new Guild projects. We were joined at this meeting by members of four other guilds. December found us eating at both meetings! The first was in the hall with a Christmas Taste and Try evening, and later in the month our annual Christmas dinner saw more than 20 members dine together at the Woodlands House Hotel. Following what is now an annual tradition, at our January meeting, we were delighted to have a Musical Afternoon with Mary Wilson. She had us singing, playing musical instruments and identifying musical tunes from various countries. Both of our February meetings had visiting speakers. Ailish McCarron came from SW Scotland R and R and Joe Cassidy came from the Julius Project the latter being another of the Guild projects. At our first meeting this month the Rev Norman Hutcheson, minister at Dalbeattie, spoke about his meetings with a Prime Minister, a President, a Bishop (or two), the Pope and the Queen. During the year members have attended two Presbyterial Council meetings in Dumfries as well as a Let s Celebrate Songs of Praise at Kirkmahoe Parish Church last June. We have been invited to meetings at St Michael s, KTT, Maxwelltown West, Kirkmahoe, Troqueer, New Abbey, St George s and the Salvation Army. Our outing last summer was to see the Jane Haining Memorial at Dunscore followed by supper at the Woodlands House Hotel and plans are being made for this summer s outing in June. We celebrated Guild week in November and held a very successful Coffee morning earlier this month. As part of the 125 National celebrations four of our members attended the Guild Songs of Praise at the General Assembly in May, we have knitted well over 125 squares to make into blankets and are looking forward to the local celebration in the Easterbrook Hall on Sunday 28th April. We were delighted that Maggie Bisset has been presented with a certificate from the Guild Office congratulating her on being a member of the Guild for over 80 years. The Guild at St Mary s- Greyfriars is in good heart and continues to play an important part in the life of the Church. At its AGM, the Guild received the Treasurer s report and dispersed the funds. We were The Chrystal Chronicle April 2013 We re going to the zoo The Sunday Kids are following the story of Noah and it has been decided, with this in mind, to organise a trip to Edinburgh Zoo on Saturday May 25. The bus will leave Brooms Road car park at 9.30am and leave Edinburgh at 4pm. The cost of the coach is being funded by the Kirk Session, using money in the Youth Memorial Fund. As we have a small number of children in the group it has been decided to offer places to the congregation and friends to fill the coach. If you are interested it will only cost you the entry into the zoo. The cost of the entry into the zoo is 9.50 for children, 11 for concessions and 13 for adults. Any child wishing to go must be accompanied by an adult. If you are interested in going please contact me on or Isobel Evans on by May 1. World Day of Prayer service 5 Douglas Edgar Convener, education and training committee A very meaningful service (which had been written by Christian people in France) took place in the hall on March 1 to mark World Day of Prayer, with approximately 30 people attending. David Matheson led the service and nine other people were readers. Rhona Pringle accompanied us on the piano and added a very definite French flavour to the music. From the Guild pleased to be joined by our link elder Billy Simpson who oversaw part of the election of the committee. Our convener, vice convener, Treasurer and Secretary remain in office for another year. The four other committee members have agreed to serve another year and we welcomed two new members to the committee. With the business dealt with, we had a fascinating brainteaser to take part in. Agnes Fraser had lent us her collection of 30 objects which we had to identify ranging from butter pats to a mushroom brush and a pickle fork to a massage mouse. The highest score was 12 and the lowest 1 but everyone had a very enjoyable time. Our meetings have now finished for the session and we start again in October when a very warm invitation is issued to everyone who would like to come and join us. Liz Tanner Secretary

4 The Chrystal Chronicle April From the treasurer February 2013 (4 Sundays) Open plate 307 Weekly freewill offerings 2025 Banker s orders/cheques 1332 Total total (8 Sundays) total (8 Sundays) 8755 Decrease 1657 (18.93%) Christian Aid Stewart Williamson, Treasurer Six weeks of Lent Lunches and Sales Tables have passed a wonderful time for fellowship between church members and for raising valuable funds for Christian Aid. Lots of people worked very hard to make it all happen! The Fairtrade Group ran the sales table on Friday March 8, during Fairtrade fortnight. We now look forward to Christian Aid Week from May 12-18, when we will again be carrying out house-to-house collecting for the challenging work of Christian Aid throughout the world. An urgent plea for some more people to give a little time to help us with our collecting please! Please! Please! Buzz update Anne Twiname Tel On February 28, Duncan Ford from Hoddom gave us a talk and film on the dawn chorus which, in summer, can happen as early as 4am! It sounded lovely, with a wide variety of birds in the trees and bushes. The sounds wre really beautiful but it was difficult to guess the difference between them. It was a very interesting afternoon. After a mix-up on March 11,instead of community policing, we discussed ideas for our new syllabus, which is being put together for May. We also discussed our coffee morning, which will have taken place as this magazine comes out. We also held a few quizzes for a very relaxing afternoon. The Chrystal Chronicle April Flower rota Apr 14 Apr 21 Apr 8 May 5 N Glendinning R Manson Vacant L Tanner Anyone wishing to donate flowers please contact: Norna Francis Moira Cannon Betty Jardine Margaret McCafferty Margaret Thomson The new flower list is now displayed in the vestibule. There are some vacant dates if anyone would like to donate flowers. If you wish to do so, please contact one of the flower team. We would also be most grateful if you could let us know of anyone who is ill, at home or in hospital. FLOWER THANKS Alan and Margaret Franks would like to express their thanks for the beautiful flowers they were given recently. It was a true kindness and much appreciated. Mrs Molly Houston would like to say thank you for the lovely flowers she received on the sad loss of her husband. Ms Lesley Telfer says thank you for the flowers received after she fell and broke her wrist. I have also been asked to pass on thanks for flowers from Bunty and Norman Hogg. Movie music You are invited to an open concert of your favourite film music in A Night at the Movies by Dumfries Town Band on Saturday April 20 in St. George s Church at 7.30pm. Free admission!! Come along, bring your friends and family and enjoy an evening listening to the band there will be music to suit everyone. Hopefully you will then want to join us as a player! Look forward to seeing you there. Margaret Williamson

5 The Chrystal Chronicle April PS Just tiny specks on a spinning orb in a huge universe of massive space in God s endless eternity, yet here we sit rejoicing at the laden table of DATES FOR YOUR DIARY the Wonderful One who created all of this and so much more, sharing sacrificial love that remembers, reaches, enfolds and promises the unimaginable. April Monday 8 Buzz: Tanners Travels, Stan and Liz Wednesday 17 Garden Club Monday 22 Buzz: Music in the Afternoon, Kate and mixed bag Thursday 25 Communion and soup, in the hall, 12.15pm Sunday 28 Communion services: 11.30am and 6.30pm May Wednesday 1 Garden Club: Garden Wise at 7pm Saturday 4 Coffee morning Monday 6 Buzz: Speaker to be arranged Date to add? Get in touch details on page two. Susan Lenzkes CCL No Fairtrade breakfast More than 30 church members attended this year s Fairtrade breakfast 50% up on last year. From the 9.30am start there was a steady flow of people selecting what was to their taste from the buffet tables. This year, I found it much easier to find Fairtrade fruit in our local supermarkets, so there was pineapple, red and white grapes, blueberries, oranges and bananas to add to the cereals. There was also a wide range of Fairtrade jams and marmalades to be found quite easily in our shops. With plenty of time before the Sunday service, everyone seemed happy to have a good chat over a leisurely meal. The sale of surplus rolls and other items plus the basic charge meant that we were able to send 50 to the Fairtrade Foundation. Thanks to everyone who supported this event. Alan Franks