Scottish Charity No. SCOO7072 Denny Westpark & Our Hymn of Hope (Tune: Hosanna, loud Hosanna!) e We re looking for a Minister of Sacrament and Word; One who ll dearly love us, one who clearly loves the Lord. You ll need a sense of humour and the meekness of a lamb, The patience of a donkey when with Harry, Dot or Tam! The hide of a rhinoceros would come in handy too When people are insistent that you hear their point of view. You ll work like any beaver, you ll be stronger than an ox, And you ll listen with attention to the one who talks and talks. You ll work with other churches that make up Falkirk West, We re all in this together and we must do our best to care for one another and promote real unity within the Church of Jesus and the whole community. When it comes to preaching, we know you ll do your bit; to comfort or to challenge, just as you see fit. People will respond to you, their comments will be many; And rest assured your sermon will be talked about in Denny. So what have we to offer? we thought you d never ask. The pages of this profile describe our mammoth task. We need YOU to help us - man? woman? - we re not fussed! We will pledge our loyalty, our love and mutual trust! www.westparkchurch.btck.co.uk IM: Rev Phyllis Wilson t: 01324 832 257 e: thomas.wilson38@btinternet.com Clerk: Etta Eadie t: 01324 823 962 e: ettaeadie@gmail.com
Denny (Scottish Gaelic: Deanaidh) is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland, formerly in the county of Stirlingshire. It is situated 7 miles (11 km) west of Falkirk, and 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east of Cumbernauld, adjacent to both the M80 and M876 motorways. Overview of Denny Denny is separated from neighbouring village Dunipace by the River Carron. The Denny and Dunipace area has a population of around 12,570 and comprises Denny, Dunipace, Head of Muir, Stoneywood and Fankerton. Until the early 1980s, Denny was a centre for heavy industry, including several iron foundries, brickworks, a coal mine and paper mills. Nowadays Denny is a commuter town for the neighbouring town of Falkirk and the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling. Denny is not the bonniest of places at the moment. Denny s beauty is to be found in its people! Rev Phyllis Wilson, Interim Moderator Building work on our new Town Centre is scheduled to start before 2015 Overview of Denny
Parish of Westpark Denny Westpark Church resulted from the amalgamation of Denny Broompark Church and Denny West Church in 1963. The newly united congregation meets in the building previously used by Denny West Church. This year, the united congregation is 50 years old! We thank God for the ministries of Revs Dugald McTaggart, George Chalmers, Douglas Cranston, Mark Johnstone and Drew Barrie. We re also very proud of five of our young people who have become Church of Scotland Ministers Bill Thomson, Fiona Nicholson, Bryan Kerr, Andrew McMillan and Drew Barrie. Three years ago, we met with the other four churches in the Falkirk West area to consider the Presbytery Plan. We needed to reduce the number of full-time ministries from five to four. After many meetings and much discussion: Falkirk West Zone - It was agreed that Bonnybridge and Westpark be regarded as charges in full tenure and that further adjustment be negotiated amongst all the charges of the zone to determine the most appropriate linkage partnership for Haggs. 4 Posts (for the avoidance of doubt the negotiation is to reduce the present paid ministry positions from 5 to 4) After nearly three years of vacancy, Westpark now has permission to call a Minister on an unrestricted basis. Representatives of the five congregations have met and a facilitator is being sought. The parish boundary map above has been taken from the Presbytery website.
Our aim and prayer Our present Mission Statement needs to be revised, but, basically, our aim is: To bring Christ to the community; To bring the community to Christ. The prayer opposite reflects our deepest longing. We d like to share it with you. O God, make the doors of our church wide enough to receive all who need human love and friendship but narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and strife. May the threshold be smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, or a barrier to the elderly or disabled. Let them be rugged and strong to turn away the tempter s power, but open and inviting to those who are your guests. O God, make our church s doors the gateway to your Eternal kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Carols and Christingles at our service on Christmas morning 2012 Public Worship takes place each Sunday morning at 10.30am. Children who attend Kidzone join us in the church for the first part of the service, before heading to the McTaggart Hall for their activities. Members of the congregation are actively involved in Sunday worship, welcoming worshippers as they arrive, taking part in our call to worship, reading the Bible and leading prayers. They are joined by the children to uplift the offering. Attendance at our Sunday services is usually around 120 people Music is a key part of our worship. We are fortunate to have an Allen organ, an enthusiastic choir who lead us in worship each Sunday and an organist who is accomplished in both traditional and contemporary hymns. We have a praise band who help lead worship at all-age services. A printed order of service which includes the hymns is available each Sunday. A recently formed Westpark Teen Squad of young people contribute to music, art and drama, as well as promoting Fairtrade within the church and parish. Tea, coffee and juice are served after Sunday worship which allows time for fellowship. We have a PA system and there is a induction loop for those with hearing difficulties. Services are recorded for those who are unable to attend church. A short midweek service takes place each Wednesday morning after a time of fellowship. This service begins at 11.15am and lasts for 30 minutes. Around forty members and friends attend regularly. During the vacancy this service has been led mainly by our Elders with the assistance of our Locum. Communion is celebrated on the first Sundays of March, June, September and December and also at the Wednesday Welcome the following week. An short Communion takes place at the start of each year. Members of our church are part of a united choir who sing at a number of services throughout the year including our joint Remembrance Service in the town centre. The churches in the town work together in Holy Week with services taking place each evening, a Walk of Witness on Good Friday plus an early morning Easter service and Easter breakfast. Public Worship
Church Organisations Monday Monday Club for the young at heart Guides, Brownies and Rainbows Tuesday Toddlers Group Guild Badminton Club Wednesday Wednesday Welcome Boys Brigade Home Bible Study Group Thursday Open Door Cafe Toc H Club Appointment with God Prayer Group Friday Toddlers Other organisations who use our halls on a weekly basis are Tae Kwon Do and Aberlour Child Care Trust
Kirk Session Kirk Session Our Buildings 25 men and women form the leadership team of our congregation. They are sub-divided into five Action Teams taking responsibility for: Worship (in conjunction with the Minister) Pastoral Care Stewardship (our Stewardship Season is in Lent each year) Outreach Education On entering the Church there is access to the Sanctuary at ground level. There is a balcony above the entrance to the Sanctuary. Adjacent to the Sanctuary, there is a suite of 2 halls. The larger of these is well used by various organisations (Boys Brigade, Girl Guides, Badminton etc.) and for larger social functions. The smaller hall is used for Kidzone on Sundays and Committee meetings, Guild and some social functions. Our Education Team works closely with Nethermains PS, a relationship which we are keen to maintain and develop. Reading helpers visit the school weekly. The Thumbs Up lunch-time club meets on Mondays. This year s Easter Code for P7s is pictured above. This year s Summer Misssion takes place in August. It will be based on the Scripture Union material, Space Academy. In conjunction with other churches in the town, the Kirk Session is exploring Food banks and other ways of reaching out to the homeless in our community. Last year s Kirk Session get-together was entitled Cheers n Challenges. We have much to be cheerful about, but we re not blind to the challenges that face the Church in today s world. There is a modern kitchen and toilets adjacent to the halls. In addition, there Is an older hall (with kitchen/toilet/office) at the back of the Church. Westpark Manse is located in Baxter Crescent, Denny, a secluded cul-de sac, approx. 10-15 minutes walk from Westpark Church in Duke Street. The manse is a substantial detached villa built circa 1970, with a detached garage in the grounds at the side of the Manse.
Total income 97,726 Total expenditure Difference Members of our Social Committee organise a number of social and fundraising events which take place throughout the year. In January we hold an annual Burns Evening with Scottish fare, speeches and entertainment. This is greatly enjoyed by everyone and gives opportunity for fellowship with friends. 2011 2012 99,670 111,982 104,528-1944 + 7454 Finance This table shows details of our income and expenditure over the last two years. Social Events/Fundraising Annual Burns Evening We have our Autumn Fayre in September of each year with a variety of stalls. We also have three coffee mornings for our fabric fund in March, June and December. Antony and Darya Short along with their children, Joelle & Ezra, are annual visitors to Westpark. Antony is Head Teacher at Tabeetha School in Jaffa. We are linking with the Church in Bochum (Germany). Betty, our Session Clerk, & her husband Jim at the Bridge Cross. Blythswood Care shoeboxes for Romania. Global Perspective Regular outings for some of our older members are organised with our church minibus. These include trips to the cinema, visits to garden centres, lunch dates and shopping expeditions. BB Boys take part in the Big Sing for Christian Aid.
What Denny Provides A new library will provide an important community facility at the heart of the proposed new development 3 primary schools (2 within walking distance ofthe manse) 1 High school under 5 years old. Swimming pool, Astroturf and sports department within the school for community use Also a separate sports centre Variety of good local shops 2 smaller supermarkets Sainsbury s and Co-op Day care nursery Frequent bus service to and from Falkirk, Stirling and Glasgow Trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow from Larbert, only 10 minutes away. Denny is central for easy access to motorways which run North, East, South and West. Good community library There are 4 other churches in the area: Denny Old, Dunipace (both C of S churches), St Alexander s RC Church and Denny Baptist Church. The local Ministers Fraternal meets monthly Local Information