Contact is the magazine of Mastrick Parish Church, Greenfern Road, Mastrick, Aberdeen AB16 6TR, Tel

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1 Summer Contact 2017 Contact is the magazine of Mastrick Parish Church, Greenfern Road, Mastrick, Aberdeen AB16 6TR, Tel A cup of Tea is always a welcome sign, and every Sunday we are welcomed to church with a cup of Tea or coffee and a fine piece. One person said Oh Tea before the service how different! Another person said what a good idea! This has become a very important part of worship, yes, worship. Time is spent chatting about how our week has gone, its ups and its downs, catching up with friends, having a blether, building new relationships. When someone comes in to church who perhaps for some reason hasn t been for a while, they are welcomed with the offer of Tea. This immediately makes the person feel at ease, feel welcome and a new relationship begins. One person says I come that extra ten minutes early so I can have my tea and chat with my friends. 1

2 Another says This is the only conversation I have all week and I look forward to it very much. Having time to spend having a blether is good for the soul. The Pop Up Café that has been running now for a few months has been well attended by mums, grannies, child minders and their toddlers. An outreach café with play activities for the children and a cup of Tea for the adults, a time to sit down, catch up with friends and make new friends. When I am out and about in the community a cup of Tea is a welcome gift, an ice breaker, time to sit to enjoy the blether. I call this all worship because we are building relationships, getting to know each other better, sharing stories, sharing news; sometimes good and sometimes bad. Faith is all about relationships. A fine cup of Tea helps us on our way. Teresa Broere, Parish Assistant/Locum Service of Communion at 11am on Sunday 11 June 2017 All are invited to the Lord s Table 2

3 PARISH REGISTER DEATHS Mrs Elizabeth Roberts Mrs Esta Duncan Mrs Ellen Leslie Mrs Ethel McWilliam Mr Alfred Shinnie Mr R McDougall BAPTISMS Olivia Potts Ophelia Elegon NEWS FROM BRIAN GAULD, SESSION CLERK Good news! Extremely good news! Can you believe that we have been so fortunate that the Rev Susan Sutherland has accepted the vacancy at Mastrick (in deferred union with Summerhill)? Susan will be inducted at a service in Mastrick Church on Thursday 15 June at 7pm, to be followed by a celebration buffet in the Church Hall. We hope for a great turn out to welcome Susan and her husband Bill, and all are cordially invited to share in this great event. Jean Bell has offered to drive the minibus for anyone wishing to attend so please take advantage of this offer by calling Audrey Lawrence, Jean Bell or me to arrange a lift. Communion will be a week later than normal in June because of Scott Guy s availability and also because I am away at a family wedding on the first weekend of June. It will be good to share in 3

4 the Communion service with Scott on Sunday 11 June and formally thank him for his term as Interim Moderator. Our thanks are also extended to Teresa who has worked so hard as our locum minister. We have enjoyed Teresa's services over the last 20 months and I'm sure she'll be glad to get back to her post as Parish Assistant! We look forward to the next stage of Christ's work in Mastrick! Brian Gauld Dear Friends, It is a great pleasure for me to write this letter to you at this stage of the congregation's life. I am very pleased that you have agreed that Rev Susan Sutherland will become your new Minister and believe that Susan will lead you forward in faith when she begins her ministry in June. Susan's Induction has been set for Thursday 15 June at 7pm in the Church, with refreshments etc in the Hall afterwards. I hope you will be able to attend this special service and ensure her of your prayers and support in the future. I am confident that I am leaving you in very good and capable hands and believe that Susan will work well with you as you seek to serve the Lord together in Mastrick. It has been a great joy for me to get to know you better over the last 20 months or so and to lead you to this point in your ministry. I have really enjoyed my visits to Mastrick to conduct worship, Communion and Baptism services, moderate the Kirk Session and advise the Nominating Committee. I would like to thank each one of you for all your help and support, which has made my job so much easier and without which I just could not have done it. My thanks in particular, go to Brian and all 4

5 the members of the Kirk Session and Nominating Committee; it has been a pleasure working with you. I wish you well for the future and, along with my congregation at Northfield, will continue to pray for you and your new Minister. I will be conducting worship and celebrating Communion with you on Sunday 11 June and look forward to seeing you and thanking you in person. Yours in Christ's service, Scott Guy, Interim Moderator PROPERTY There are so many people using the halls at the moment that it was time to freshen up the paintwork so Brian and I started this task recently with the kitchen being first on the list. I thought that a change of colour would be good but the choice I made was awful, so, back to yellow! The kitchen now looks much brighter so all the surfaces will need to be painted to match a task for the Summer months. The garden at the front is beginning to take shape, with a good display of daffodils creating a splash of colour. The shrubs and pansies are all in bloom now so the garden looks lovely, well, apart from the weeds that Bill, Audrey and I struggle to keep in check. Re-painting is also going on at the Manse, making it ready for our minister in the next few weeks. 5 Rose Clayton

6 MINISTRY OF FLOWERS Have you ever thought how bare the church would be without flowers on a Sunday - like it was on the 9th April when in the rush to go on holiday I either forgot or dreamt I d put them in and there were no flowers - just some pussy willows which had been in the Church already! Flowers enhance the beauty of our Church and greatly contribute to the atmosphere in the building and apart from being bonnie to look at and smell, I think another reason is to remind us of the beauty of Creation which in turn through the change in seasons relates to "Resurrection" meaning re-creation, or made alive. Flowers should be used as often as possible, as a reminder that we were all created beautiful in God's eyes and so we should make our Church an example of that beauty. History tells us that it was around the twelfth century that Churches started using flowers for decorations so it s a long held tradition! Flowers are used at every occasion whether happy or sorrowful and when donated on a Sunday often demonstrate the significance of a special date or remembrance of a special event or person. The flowers are distributed to our housebound members or anyone in need of cheering up and are much appreciated. If you know of someone who would welcome a bunch of flowers then let us know either by letting one of the duty elders know or by contacting your elder or give me a phone. My grateful thanks go to all those who support the Ministry of Flowers either through selecting a date on the calendar (there are still some free dates) or by contributing to the flower fund for special occasions like Easter, Harvest and Christmas. Helen Gauld 6

7 JAMES TYRRELL CENTRE The Centre continues to thrive and is enjoyed by all who attend. We continue to have lots of enquires for places though not everyone who would like to come is able to for various reasons. We are looking forward to the warmer weather and hope for a few outings that folks always enjoy. The members enjoyed a visit last month to Robert Gordons School for a concert, and a good time was had by all. Members enjoyed a visit from the Easter Bunny and everyone received a gift of an Easter egg. As always we would be delighted to welcome new volunteers to help at the Centre; being a volunteer is a two-way activity as you get back so much more than you give. Thanks to everyone involved at the James Tyrrell Centre staff, volunteers and members for their commitment, reliability and hard work. Rose Clayton, Management Committee Chair SUNDAY MORNING TEAS AND COFFEES It is lovely to see so many people coming to church early so that they can enjoy fellowship with their friends in the congregation. So many people were standing around, chatting and enjoying the tea and company last week that perhaps we need to think about taking out another pew to make room for the socialising! 7

8 HAPPY 30 TH BIRTHDAY TO HOMESTART! 2017 marks Home-Start Aberdeen s 30 th year! The charity started in the Mastrick area of the city, initially operating from a small cupboard in Mastrick Church. Demand for the service grew and is now one of the largest Home- Start schemes in the UK, working last year with over 200 families including more than 300 children. A waiting list continues and volunteers are always needed to help the charity help more families. Home-Start recognises that a child s early years are critical to their future. Their experiences in the five years between birth and school are vital for their development. The family environment they grow up in has a strong bearing on the opportunities and life chances that they will receive. Home-Start understands that parenting isn t always easy and that family life doesn t always go to plan. Our fully trained volunteers help families in Aberdeen who have at least one child under the age of 5 to deal with the challenges they face. These might include post-natal depression, isolation, physical health problems, bereavement and many other issues. The vast majority of our volunteers are parents themselves. They understand the task of raising a family and are well-placed to support other parents deal with their life challenges, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children. For more information have a look at the website or facebook/twitter/linkedin pages. 8

9 JUSTICE AND PEACE Fairtrade The Fairtrade stall each Sunday morning continues to have a reasonable turnover with biscuits and jelly beans our favourite items! Do think about shopping at it and if you have a favourite item which isn t there it can be ordered for you! Pop-Up Cafés Pop Up Café & Play Sessions take place on the last Thursday of the month in the Church Hall from pm, for those caring for pre-school children to get together over a cuppa, and make new friends, while children play together. Please share this information with family, friends, and neighbours and encourage them to come along all welcome! Further information is available from Teresa Broere or Jean Bell. Instant Neighbour It seems that immediately the box for food donations for the foodbank is emptied, it fills up! All donations are very welcome, as Instant Neighbour reports continuing need for food parcels for folks in all parts of Aberdeen, who are in such great need. Many thanks to all who pop food items in the box at the Church. Stamps The Church of Scotland s World Mission Stamp 2016 Appeal will be supporting the Church of South India s Othara Eco-Spirituality Centre. All stamps can be sold to raise funds, even common ones! So please do hand in your used stamps at the Church door. Thanks to everyone who donates used stamps. 9

10 MESSY CHURCH Messy Church in April was great fun with lots of children and parents! The theme was Easter Fun, and we played games on an Easter theme, designed Easter cards, made chocolate Easter nests, decorated Easter eggs, made Easter suncatchers and butterfly clips and the Easter garden we built and planted was there for all to see in the entrance to the Church! This time we tried a different timing - lunchtime during a day in the school holidays - as families tell us that activities during holidays are always welcome, and any day chosen during the week in school term-time clashes with other activities. Everyone joined in the picnic lunch, games, activities, and worship in the Church The next Messy Church is on Thursday 10 August from 12-2pm with a theme of Summer Fun! and getting outdoors as much as possible. We ll be having summer fun with games and activities, Bible stories and songs, and lunch for everyone! Messy Church has no age limit though we do ask that all children are accompanied by an adult or someone over 16 and it s free! CHRISTIAN AID We believe in life before death British churches founded Christian Aid in 1945 to support refugees who had lost their homes and possessions in the Second World War; many people shared Jesus outrage over such injustice, and felt it was not acceptable to stand by and watch their neighbours suffer. They decided to get together 10

11 to take positive action & do what they could to change the refugees situations. Twelve years later, in 1957, Christian Aid Week was launched to help fund ongoing work, so this year marked its 60 th anniversary. This year, Christian Aid week focusses once again on the plight of refugees, and funds raised will help support our global neighbours who have found themselves driven out of their homes and in desperate need of help to survive. Our donations to Christian Aid will surely contribute to their efforts. CONTACT POINTS Locum & Parish Assistant Teresa Broere, Church Office tel , Session Clerk Brian Gauld, tel Jean Bell, tel , Minute Clerk Treasurer Moira Stewart, tel Organist Roll Keeper Church Officer Finance Team & Gift Aid Kareen Nicol Margaret Gee, tel , Bill Russell Kathleen Donald, tel , Freewill Offering Bill Booth, tel , 11

12 Property Team & Hall Lets Pastoral Care & Minibus Justice & Peace Team Flower Team Rose Clayton, tel , Audrey Lawrence, tel Brian Gauld, tel Helen Gauld, tel , Guild Jane Caseby, tel James Tyrrell Centre Management Team Rose Clayton, tel , Leisure Club Stan Stewart, tel Rainbows JayCarroll, Brownies Christine Bell, tel , Guides Shannen Brown-Cran, tel , Contact Editor Jean Bell, tel , Contact is printed by Iceberg Print & Design, a Social Enterprise supporting Aberdeen Cyrenians 12