THE KIRK NEWS ST DAVID S HIGH KIRK DUNDEE ISSUE 104 MAY From our Interim Minister Rev Alastair Morrice.

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1 ST DAVID S HIGH KIRK DUNDEE THE KIRK NEWS ISSUE 104 MAY 2018 From our Interim Minister Rev Alastair Morrice. I mentioned by way of illustration on Sunday (22nd April) the story of Rosaria Butterfield. I first came across her through her first book The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and now she is on the brink of publishing another. If you d like to see a short video where she shares you can go to What struck me so much about her was the extraordinary story of how this lady, who herself describes herself as an unlikely convert, came from the very outskirts of any kind of belief, right to the heart of a vital experience of God that changed her life. It was through the response of a Reformed Presbyterian pastor who reacted to an article she wrote not by arguing in print with her, but by inviting her for dinner at his home. The friendship of this pastor and his wife led eventually (about two years on) to her attending his church. It would be like our Free or Free Presbyterian church, solidly conservative, but authentically Christian. There she found that she was accepted for who she was, that she was loved, and prayed for, and in the context of friendship based on a home, and fellowship embodied in that small church, she met Christ for herself. Nearly all of us have what led her to experience Christ for herself. We have homes..we have some time.and we have folk we can invite to our table. Think of the people.not just the people who are like us.but the people who are not like us. You don t know them very well, but you see them with the eyes of Jesus and you invite them to your home, a cup of tea, or a meal, to join you on a family outing. You hear their story and enter a little into their lives, as they do to yours. They will soon notice what makes you tick and over time the faith will be shared quite naturally. Well on Sunday I was making the point that that is maybe one of the ways that the kingdom of God comes. Let me know how you get on! Every blessing, ALASTAIR MORRICE

2 VACANCY COMMITTEE There is no Vacancy Supplement with this issue as there is nothing to report, other than to say that the Nominating Committee are hard at work in the search for the person God has in mind to be our new Minister. You can be assured that as soon as there is anything to tell you, you will be told. PROPERTY UPDATE Regrettably, on Sunday February 25 the heating in the church failed and we held the service in the hall. The reason for this was a drop in the water pressure in the heating system, but the cause of it has not yet been identified. Topping it up manually is keeping it working meantime until a permanent fix is in place. As part of the investigation it has been established that three of the four radiators around the choir area are in poor condition and will require replaced. CHRISTIAN AID week runs from May and we will be having our usual retiring collection on two Sundays, May 13 and 20. There is also another Quiz for sale, a film quiz, and this can be obtained from Margaret Mulgrew or Christine Wilson at a cost of a 1. FROM THE KIRK SESSION At the meeting on 23rd April our new website was formally launched. The address is This has been a work in progress for several months and has been the result of work by Alistair Joss and particularly Claire D all who has undertaken the building of the new site. We are indebted to both of them for all their work, and indeed their continuing work in keeping the site up to date. This can only be achieved if they are passed material for inclusion, so if you are organising an event please pass the information to Alistair as early as possible in the planning process so that it can be added. The same applies to photographs. The new site is capable of supporting photographs and short video clips, but please ensure these are of a suitable quality and in a suitable format. If you re not sure, please ask beforehand. Please take time to have a look at your new website and please let us have your feedback positive or negative. At that same meeting the Kirk Session approved the purchase of a defibrillator for use in the church premises. We hope it will never be needed, but if it saves just one life then it is worthwhile. The intention is to have it in place as soon as possible and certainly before the organizations re-start after the summer. It may have training implications for keyholders and I will be in touch with them directly. Since the meeting funding for this has been secured from an outside body more details at the next meeting of the Kirk Session. Colin Wilson Session Clerk THE GUILD Our coffee morning is on Saturday May 12 at 10 am and we would be so pleased to see you. Do come along and sample our wonderful home baking! Our summer outing is on August 25 to Pitlochry Theatre to see Chicago followed by high tea at the theatre. Our session starts on September 25. WILMA DUNCAN, Co-ordinator

3 WORLD DAY OF PRAYER The World Day Of Prayer Service on Friday April 20 was attended by 36 people. Everyone appreciated it and all were blessed by taking part. The Open Plate offerings amounted to 106, including a Gift Aid offering of 5 for which a cheque has been sent, along with the Gift Aid declaration form, to WDP Scottish Committee Treasurer. A donation of 10 increased the total Offering for the work of the Surinam Bible Society and Feed the Minds among victims of domestic, physical and sexual abuse, enabling them to have a brighter future through education and a living faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. SINCLAIRE PYPER A little reminder Food Bank collections will be made on the first Sunday of every month please leave your donations in the Ladies Room as you go into the church. RAINBOWS We ve had a busy term with quite a few new girls joining, most of whom have now made their promise. We've learned how to play ladders, met two police dogs (with the Brownies), made Mother's Day gift frames and Easter chicks popping out of eggs. We finished the term with a Princess party with princess related crafts, games, stories and food. This term we're looking forward to getting outside for some games and our walk up the Law. Mrs Irene Aird, Rainbow Guider, retired at the end of term after 23 years of service with Girlguiding Dundee. We surprised her with a thank you badge, certificate and flowers and all enjoyed a piece of cake. I'd like to thank her for all she has done for the Rainbows over the years and hope she enjoys her new found spare time, not just on Wednesday evenings but all the other hours that are spent organising and preparing things for the girls to do. For the first time in a while, we have a waiting list but if any girls aged 5 to 7 want to join us let me know and their name can be added to the list. JENNIFER KINNEAR, Rainbow Guider PRAYER CORNER At this important time in the life of our church may we never forget the power of prayer. Please take time to remember the following in your own personal prayers: We pray for our nominating committee and ask for your blessing on each and every one of them. Inspire and guide them and give them wisdom and integrity. Grant us patience and may we never forget that there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3). We pray for the innocent victims of political power and for political leaders across the world. Be with them all in their discussions and decisions and direct them towards peaceful solutions in all they do. We remember those in our church community, their relatives and friends who are living with an inward pain physical, mental or emotional. We pray for those who are anxious about family members and who have recently lost a loved one. Give them courage to face the future giving them strength, peace and hope that they need. FIONA ANDERSON

4 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL A few Sundays before Easter the children and staff were talking about the Easter story and the children shared with us how some of them had enjoyed the recent animated film Early Man. From that conversation we decided to make our own animation of the Easter story. The children used their imaginations to make the characters with plasticine. Some characters had to double up the sheep at the beginning became the angel at the tomb at the end! We decorated some scenery, then completed this stop-motion film by adding music and, of course, the children wrote their names on the final credit roll. This was the film shared with the congregation on Easter Sunday. We also sent a copy to the church of Scotland YOYP (Year of Young People) to be shared on their web site. This proved a very interesting way of discussing this great moment in the Christian message. My thanks to all who helped make this possible, particularly Fiona Mack and Kathryn Husband. KAY HUSBAND A Sunday School teacher asked the children to write a letter to God. One little boy wrote, Dear God. We had a good time at church today. Wish you could have been there RAMBLERS Having missed last month's walk due to bad weather, we were raring to go in April. Our destination was Cardenden in Fife, a town not visited by any of us so new territory to explore. Starting at the railway station, a helpful local pointed out the wee path where the walk began and we were soon in the Carden Den, a wooded gorge above the poetically named Den Burn Climbing out of the gorge, we happened upon a plaque commemorating the site of the last recorded fatal duel in Scotland. The survivor, linen merchant David Landale, was tried for the murder of banker George Morgan and acquitted, later becoming Provost of Kirkcaldy. A wee detour took us to the site of the ruins of Carden Tower, abandoned by It was a 16th century tower house, and some of the lower walls have been preserved. Very challenging conditions under foot, meant we had time, when not negotiating deep and muddy puddles, to spot a grey squirrel and a tree creeper on the pines. There were celandines and coltsfoot amongst the undergrowth and the odd clump of daffodils adding a cheery yellow brightness to the otherwise overcast day. Returning through parts of Cardenden, a rather underwhelming g town, we passed a street named after one of Scotland s modern crime writers - Ian Rankin, who was born there. Only one incident of note was a tumble - elegant, I'm told, by a rambler who fell foul of a tree root but fortunately was uninjured, although no doubt bruises appeared in due course! Returning to Dundee proved a wee bit of a challenge but we managed our usual coffee stop and arrived home before the rain. NORMA STURROCK CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE If you haven't already given your name to Wilma Duncan for our wonderful trip to the Edinburgh Pantomime on Sat Jan 5th 2019 please don't delay. Tickets are selling out quickly so to avoid disappointment speak to Wilma soon. There will be a Soup and Roll lunch after the service on Sunday May 27. Please add your names to the lists which will be at the church doors and in the hall from 13th May so that we know how many to cater for. We are also planning our annual Congregational BBQ to Monikie Country Park on Saturday June 2. So again to avoid disappointment buy your tickets as soon as they are available. It is always a great day out. CHRISTINE OSWALD A BIG THANK YOU to the person who picked up my black leather gloves and left them on the table in the small hall. I had dropped them coming out of the church on Easter Sunday and was so pleased to have them back. JANET MARTIN

5 An invitation from the Rev Bryan Kerr regarding Heart and Soul. I would like to invite members of your congregation to Heart and Soul 2018 taking place on Sunday May 20 from to 6 pm in Princes Street gardens. We hope and pray this 8 th annual event will again be a true celebration of the church within the centre of our capital city. For the first time, as part of the Year of Young People, we are hosting a free youth event in the Gardens on Saturday May 19, 7 9 pm. We invite Sunday Schools and families to join our new family stage we will be hosting a giant picnic with music, games, stories and lots of fun from pm. As the theme of the event is Peace be with you, we are encouraging everyone to Bring your piece and join us at the picnic. There will be an In Conversation tent with contributions from Sally Magnusson, Very Rev Lorna Hood OBE, Ross Greer MSP, BBC s Hugh Pym and others, and over 60 congregations and exhibitors sharing their work and ministry, a packed main stage programme of bands and drama, St Cuthbert s, and a massed worship service at 5 pm. Do join us! (Bryan Kerr is Minister of Lanark : Greyfriars, Presbytery Clerk to Presbytery of Lanark and is the organiser of Heart and Soul 2018) MOSES AND THE RED SEA A little boy was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. Our teacher told us now God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea his army built a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. He radioed HQ who sent bombers to blow up the bridge and the Israelites were saved. His mother asked if that was really was his teacher taught him. Well, no he replied, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you d never believe it. GUILD COFFEE MORNING SATURDAY MAY 12 at 10 am Home Baking, Tombola, Crafts and wonderful teas! 2.50