Monigaff Church Parish Profile Our vision is to be a church for every day, spreading Christ's message through a motivated congregation, together serving and supporting our members and the wider community, through a variety of worship, the development of fellowship and the Christian care and support of those in need..
The congregation of the church comprises 280 on the membership roll plus 75 adherents. Sunday morning is a traditional style service with around 50 60 people attending. Starting at 10am. Many people stay after the service for a time of fellowship when tea and coffee are served. Sunday School children are present for the first part of the service then go out for their own programme or if they wish to stay with parents they are very welcome to do so.
Church Groups Prayer Groups
The Church Fellowship Group was formed out of a link between the Guild and a former Ladies Fellowship. They have a varied programme of events, speakers and outings and the group provides a great source of mutual support and friendship between its members. They have fundraising events and often make donations to other church groups, our missionary Helen Scott and other worthwhile causes. The Song Group meets weekly to prepare to lead worship on Sunday mornings. It is made up of people who enjoy singing praises to God. Two House Groups currently meet regularly for study and fellowship. Cornerstone Group are a morning study and fellowship group. Men s Fellowship meet for fellowship and to do practical church and community tasks. Young Women of Faith meet together along with any young children for fellowship and study. The Ladies Bible Study meets fortnightly for Bible study, fellowship, and provides a valuable time for the women to seek God's will for their lives. Prayer Groups meet regularly as an important support to church life.
Youth Groups These all meet every Friday (during term time) and attract around 50 children and young people, many of whom do not usually attend any church. The Senior Youth Fellowship is for young people of secondary school age, the night usually start with a few games then follow a bible study course. There is a worship band which plays at some of our youth events and have had trips to various events including Clan Gathering 2012. Excited to meet the band LZ7!! Junior Youth Fellowship comprises of two groups:- Rock Zone is for children in Primary 5 to 7 age groups, and Kids Rock is for children in Primary 1 to 4. Activities include games, fun activities and crafts all with a strong Bible focus. The youth leaders of the different age groups work closely together which makes for a strong team approach. Some members of the Senior Youth Fellowship are leaders in the younger groups
Monigaff has a Quod Omnia structure and has 18 elders forming the Kirk Session which meets every two months. The church also has teams of people who deal with various aspects of church life alongside the Session. These teams include:- Pastoral Care Team; Welcome Team; Social Events Team; Fabric Team; Flower Team; Cleaning Team; Catering Team; Finance Team; Magazine Editorial Team Fabric Team Welcome Team
Church Magazine The church produces its own quarterly magazine with information about past, present and future events happening in the church and local area.
Outreach We feel assured that God has great plans for this place and it is the belief of the congregation that God is making all things new. Outreach into the community is a main priority. We have Big Family Gatherings known as BFGs. They are held on a Friday night in Minnigaff Primary School which is in the heart of Minnigaff. These have been very successful with a mix of games, quizzes and crafts based on a spiritual theme.
2013 has seen the relaunch of our Holiday Club. Space Academy was this years theme. It was a time of real team building and outreach, hugely benefiting everyone involved. Outreach Holiday Club
See! I am doing a new thing... Isaiah 43:19 We are excited to say that the church is embarking on a new venture from September 2013 Afternoon Church is to be born. This venture is seeking to respond to those from within the community whose needs are not routinely met by church. It is seeking to provide a setting in which people of all ages can expect to meet with God and to be touched by Him in a way that is relevant to their situations. It is seeking also to embrace the 50 or so children/young people who attend the church youth groups, and their families, but whom do not regularly attend any church. We, as a church, are excited to be embarking on rethinking church rethinking in order to reach out rather than to solely focus inwards to church members.
Along with other local churches we are involved with the running of the Machars Basics Bank which has been recently set up to help people with basic food supplies at a critical time of need for them. Machars Basics Bank
For the last several years the church has supported the Samaritan s Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. Filled shoeboxes have been collected from the local area and the Shoebox Service has celebrated them going off to their destination. In this service our youth groups and local groups such as Scouts, Brownies etc bring their shoeboxes and have their own slot in the service. Part of the service is a boy versus the girls game which the girls have won for the last eight years!!!
Overseas Mission Helen Scott is our Mission Partner based in Ekwendeni, Malawi where she is Deputy Head of Ekwendeni Girls Secondary School. Helen has been there for many years. Our congregation supports Helen as she works, through education, to improve the lives of girls in Malawi. Vicky Graham is based in Zimbabwe. She works in the bush with underprivileged people as nurse and dentist. Helen Scott
Our location in South West Scotland Monigaff Church is situated in Minnigaff, in the centre of the very beautiful region of Galloway. The river Cree separates Minnigaff from the town of Newton Stewart, which is known as the Gateway to the Galloway Hills. This peaceful rural area is a wonderful place for walking, golfing, mountain biking, fishing as well as many facilities and local groups for children, young people and adults to enjoy. Newton Stewart is a thriving market town and an important regional hub in terms of commerce, services and tourism. The surrounding area comprises extensive farmland as well as the Galloway Forest Park, Britains' largest forest park which incorporates the Dark Skies Park. Newton Stewart and Minnigaff are well known for being very friendly and welcoming communities.
Where we are. A marks the spot
Church History Monigaff Church is a Neo-Gothic edifice built in 1836 beside the ruins of the Auld Kirk. This building dates from the late 12 th or early 13 th Century and probably replaces an earlier wooden proprietory chapel of the nearby castle. The church has beautiful stained glass windows designed by William Wailes of Newcastle 1868 and also Ballantine of Edinburgh 1910. There is a 900 year old yew tree within the church yard. Inside the church, the font was originally from the Earl of Galloway's private chapel. Two pillar slabs in the history corner of the church show that worship has taken place on this site since 7 th or 8 th Century. The Old Man indicates early Irish missionary influence. The organ was installed in 1873 and is still in use.
The manse is a modern 4 bedroom detached house which incorporates a conservatory, office and garage with garden and driveway, situated within the parish of Monigaff. It is close to all local amenities, and ten minutes walk from the church. It is within a mile of 3 primary schools as well as the local high school. The Manse
We acknowledge that, glancing through many Church of Scotland parish profiles, there will be many churches that have more numerous and extensive ministries than ours. Whilst we cannot currently compete with such churches in terms of extent of current ministries, we are excited to be a congregation that desires to embrace new life and the leading of God's Holy Spirit in reaching out to the local community with the good news of Jesus. We want to know God more and to make Him known. If you are a prospective minister, we would love you to prayerfully consider applying to our church to become involved in God's exciting plan for this place! We desire to be anything but a comfortable church to be real, dynamic, and catching the wave of what God wants to do in this beautiful but spiritually a very hungry area.
This unrestricted call for the parish of Monigaff linked with Kirkmabreck has arisen as a result of the retiral of our Minister at the end of May 2013. We are seeking a minister with a pastoral heart whom God is calling to embrace and work on His exciting plans for this place.
Further information is available on our website www.kirkmabreckandmonigaff.org.uk Or our Facebook page Monigaff Parish Church https://www.facebook.com/#!/monigaffparishchurch For further details please contact the Clerk to the Nominating Committee or the Interim Moderator. Clerk to the Nominating Committee. Mrs Lucy Gurling. Tor Edin, Old Edinburgh Road, Minnigaff, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire. DG8 6PL. 07974792915 lucy.gurling@gmail.com Interim Moderator Rev Ian McIlroy stoneleigh001@btinternet.com 01776 700616 Applications for the position of Minister are invited and should be sent to the Clerk to the Nominating Committee along with a CV, a supporting statement based on this Parish Profile and details of two referees. Congregation Number 090517 Scottish Charity Number SC006014