The Skein The West Angus Area Ministry Newsletter
Christmas 2015 20
The Skein The West Angus Area Ministry Newsletter
Doing together the things that make common sense
Doing alone the things that make common sense
Christmas 2015 20
The Skein The West Angus Area Ministry Newsletter
Seasonal Foods for December
Vegetables – beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, chicory, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, potatoes, squash & turnips
Fruit – apples & pears
Meat – beef, lamb, pork, chicken, partridge, duck, pheasant, hare, Guinea fowl, rabbit, red deer & farmed venison
Seasonal Foods for January
Vegetables –beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, chicory, leeks, mushrooms, parsnips, potatoes & turnips
Fruit – forced rhubarb & pears
Meat – beef, lamb, pork, chicken, partridge, duck, pheasant, hare, Guinea fowl, rabbit, red deer, venison & farmed venison
Blythswood Shoebox Appeal
Isla Parishes sent off 45 boxes this year.
GKOPC sent 105 shoeboxes and £143. There were also several bags of handknits and shoeboxes to help make up more boxes at HQ.
Well done and thanks to all involved.
Office
The office will close at 12 noon on Friday 18th December and will reopen on Monday 4th January at 9.30am.
Update for WAAM Knitters
We can now take more of the Fish & Chip jumpers if you are keen to keep knitting them. We are still looking for school jumpers as well.
The premature baby unit in Ninewells is always looking for very small cardis hats etc and so far this year GKOPC have sent 50 cardigans, 125 hats, 12 mitts and 1 blanket. This will be an ongoing appeal.
‘In the beginning was the Word’
In the beginning of what or where? In the beginning of mystery or wonder? No, Just in the beginning with God.
Our minds cannot grasp the enormity of this happening. We cannot understand what it was like before time. And where did You come from God? When did this life-force, this Word appear and how did it happen? It is impossible, we cannot grasp it.
‘In the beginning was the Word’ Was it swirling grey mist? Was it sunlight and sunbeams? Was it emptiness or filled with colour? We do not know, because it is impossible, we cannot grasp it.
‘In the beginning was the Word’
The Word. The Creator, the Life-Giver, the Dreamer. Dreaming of what? Something to complement the vastness of it all? Something to change the dynamics of the heavens? Something to fill the space? It is impossible, we cannot grasp it.
But You talk to us of angels and heavenly beings, heralds and messengers. Where are they now, these bringers of hope and peace? We do not see them, we cannot hear them. It is impossible, we cannot grasp it.
Yet here we are, inhabiting this planet, here we are, still searching for meaning. The universe is so vast, we are so small. The stars in
their myriads shine their light upon us, the moon smiles on us and the sun sends its rays like arms enfolding us. And it may seem impossible, and it may be hard to grasp…
But, in the beginning was the Word.
This is our language now – a man, a woman and a child. The child who grasped our finger with his tiny one, the child who helped us understand something of the beginning, says to us ‘It is not impossible, I am here, the Word made flesh and I dwell among you’ That’s all we need to know.
And if we listen, we will hear the angels announce it again – ‘Unto us a child is born’.
Carleen
Thanks to everyone at Eassie, Nevay, Newtyle & Glamis, Inverarity, Kinnettles who so generously supported the Syrian Refugee Appeal and the Blythswood Shoebox Appeal. Also to those at Glamis for the superb donation of knitted hats, carves and gloves.
The Isla Parishes is having a busy, successful year. In June we re-opened our church doors to the newly refurbished building. Gone were the pews and dark wood panelling which were replaced by comfortable chairs, good heating, lighting and sound systems with a modern state of the arts overhead projector. The latter is being used to bring many beautiful local photographs into the church to emphasise a reading, hymn or prayer.
As well as being a lovely place to worship on a Sunday morning this versatile space we have lets us have other events. A strawberry tea in the church kick started several social and fundraising events.
Our Harvest Thanksgiving was well supported and gifts of produce were given to many people in the area as well as a small amount being donated to the Kirriemuir food bank. A harvest soup and ploughman’s lunch was enjoyed afterwards in Kilry Hall.
The autumn quiz was in Airlie Village Hall and a fun night was had by 12 teams who enjoyed light supper of crackers & cheese. Winners for the evening were Anne and John Pole & Clare and Philip Ross.
Margaret Robertson and Bob Dunn were recently presented with certificates to mark their service as Elders for 30 years and 37 years respectively.
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45 Shoe boxes were filled for Blythswood and we thank all who donated many and varied items for this and we are grateful to our Sunday School children for sorting out and filling the boxes.
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Smarties tubes are being circulated to raise some church funds.
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Shawl Ministry/Crafting and Giving: A small group has been formed within the Isla Parishes to produce craft work for anyone in the congregation and nearby communities who may be in need of support, are ill, are bereaved, have a new baby etc as well as knitting/sewing/crocheting for the SCBU at Ninewells and for overseas Charities. We have designed our own label ”Hand made with love from the Isla Parishes” with a heart motif.
At a recent service, the congregation presented Elizabeth Buchanan with flowers and a shawl (made by one of the ladies in our Shawl Ministry), Elizabeth is moving out of the area to be closer to her family. She is a much loved member of our congregation and community and she will be greatly missed. The tag on Elizabeth’s shawl read
“ Autumn Rose shawl: a peaceful shawl to give comfort to chilly shoulders and laps and to provide a
constant warm hug and reminder that we care about you” which is exactly the message we aim to convey..
A St Andrew’s Night Family Ceilidh is planned for Friday 27th November in Glenisla Hall at 7.30pm and promises to be a good evening with Stuart Anderson, the renowned accordionist. Tickets are £6.00 for adults and £3.00 for primary school children. There will be a light supper, hall bar and a raffle. Tickets are available from Moira Clark 01571 560213 and Jenny Ralston 01575 560250.
A Christmas Tree Competition is being held in the Isla Parishes Church in Kilry. All visitors will have a chance to vote for their favourite display and enjoy a bowl of soup and other goodies at the pop-up café organised in Kilry Hall by the
hall committee. Times of opening are: 10th December 10.30 to 12.30am, 11th December 7.00pm to 9.00pm and 12th December 2.30pm to 4.30pm giving everyone the opportunity to view trees. Janetta McMicking has details and can be contacted on 01575 560731.
Through all of this God’s hand is bringing out talents which many of us never knew we had. The gold thread binding us together is our own minister Reverend Ian Murray. Ian has a special gift with people and delivers many wonderful sermons; both
thought provoking and emotional getting right to the heart of many an issue. He spends a huge amount of time on pastoral matters and visits frequently those who are ill and elderly in our parishes and also the wider community, which is much appreciated by all. At a christening recently he picked up a fractious baby who was calmed immediately seeming to know God was speaking to her through Ian. He is a very special person and we are so lucky.
Sometimes we don’t need fancy words.
Sometimes we don’t need eloquent words.
Sometimes we don’t need a lot of words.
The following prayer was found by my friend
at the Parish Church of Sant Roma, Lloret de Mar:-
I do not know how to pray...
I do not know what to say...
I do not have much time...
Lord,
The light that I give you
Is a little bit of what I have
A little bit of my time
A little bit of myself.
Amen
Sometimes we just offer what we can...
Linda
Family Ceilidh
Friday 27th November 7.30pm
Glenisla Hall
with Accordionist
Stewart Anderson
All welcome
The Lord’s Prayer
Scotland - 1595
Our Father which in Heaven art,
And make us all one brotherhood;
We call upon thee with our heart,
Our Heavenly Father and our God;
Grant we pray not with the lips alone,
But with the hearts deep sigh and grove.
Thy Blessed Name be sanctified,
Thyne holy Word mought us inflame;
In holy life for to abide,
To magnifie thyne holy Name;
From all errours defend and keep,
The little flock of thy poor sheep.
Thy kingdom come even at this hour,
And henceforth everlastingly;
Thine Holy Ghost into his power,
With all his gifts most plenteously;
From Satan's rage and filthy band,
Defend us with thy mighty hand.
Thy will be done with diligence,
Like us in heaven on earth also;
In trouble grant us patience, Thee to obey in wealth and wo; Let not flesh, blood nor any ill, Prevail against thine holy will.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And all other good gifts of thine;
Keep us from war, and from bloodshed,
And from sickness, dearth and pine;
That we may live in quietness,
Without all greedy carefulness.
Forgive us our offences all,
Relieve our careful conscience;
As we forgive both great and small,
Who unto us have done offence;
Prepare us Lord for to serve thee,
In perfect love and untie.
Amid great child lead us,
That evil overtake us not;
For the kingdom within us is Thine,
With its power and its Glory;
Even forever more, Amen.
Path of Renewal National Project
The West Angus Area Ministry has applied to take part in the national Path of Renewal project. We do not know if we will be accepted but this is an update to keep you informed.
The WAAM ministers see Path of Renewal project very much as an extension of what we are already doing, looking at some of the questions we are already asking and developing some of the things that we are already doing. Like us, the focus of the project will be to make the Church as relevant as possible in the 21st Century
The project will last for two years and will try to involve members of the Church, and maybe the community, who are not regular attenders.
We believe that the project will address issues like …
· how can we make the Church more relevant to you?
· do we need alternatives to traditional Sunday Morning Worship?
· how do we make the Church relevant to teenagers and young families?
· how can we engage more effectively with the retired congregation members?
· how can we communicate more effectively with Congregations and Parishes?
· should we be building a rural support network?
· are there town based needs that we should be addressing?
· how can the WAAM churches work better as a team?
· how is God relevant today?
· what is your view of God?
It is clear that the Church is becoming increasing less relevant in its own communities. Although a significant number still claim association with the Christian faith, that is not reflected in participation in traditional Christian (Church) activities such as regular worship, Bible study, prayer groups, etc.
We hope to work with those who share the values and ethos of Jesus, helping developing them and integrating them into their everyday life. In the broadest sense this means honouring God and loving your neighbour (Matthew 22:37-39).
We recognise that the project will require a lot of work by a few people and the full support of everyone else. We also recognise that issues that are relevant to the town churches may not be so relevant in the rural congregations, and vice versa.
In the coming months members of the national steering group will meet with WAAM ministers and Session Clerks and then with representatives of the WAAM Kirk Sessions.
In the meantime if you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the WAAM ministers who, if they don’t have an answer, will point you in the right direction.
WAAM Services at Christmas
CHRISTMAS AT
NEWTYLE CHURCH
20th Dec
10am Nativity with the children
24th Dec
11.30pm Watchnight Service
28th Dec
10am Lessons and Carols
GLAMIS INVERARITY AND KINNETTLES CHURCHES
20th Dec
11.30am Family Service
24th Dec
11.30pm Watchnight Service
27th Dec
11.30am Lessons & Carols
INVERARITY
24TH Dec
6.00pm Nativity with the children
No service on 27th Dec in Inverarity Church – joint service with Glamis
GKOPC
6th Dec Clova Kirk
2.30pm Carols at Clova
13th Dec Old Parish
11am ‘Messy Christmas’
6.30pm Inner Wheel Carol Service
20th Dec Old Parish
6.00pm – Concert of Christmas Music with Roger Clegg and the Strathmore Singers
24th Dec Cortachy
4pm Christingle Carol Service
24th Dec Old Parish
6.30pm Family Carol Service
11.15pm Watchnight Service
25th Dec Old Parish
10.30am Christmas Morning Service