THE
UNITED PARISH
of
CARSTAIRS
CARSTAIRS JUNCTION
Spring 2015
Dear Members and Friends
I have been working with you as your ‘volunteer’ Interim Moderator for just over a year but will now be moving to a new ‘day job’ which, sadly, doesn’t allow me the time to continue with you. It is terrific news to me that Lanark Presbytery has worked so hard to find a replacement in Rev Gordon Jamieson who has been ‘borrowed’ from West Lothian Presbytery. Gordon is hugely experienced as a parish minister and was Head of Stewardship for 12 years before retiring in 2012, with his successor in Alan Gibson who is well known to Carstairs. I really appreciate what others in the ‘team’ have provided to support the congregation through this vacancy period with Richard leading on worship and Alan providing important pastoral cover along with so many volunteers in the congregation including our two clerks, Keith and Mabel. A period of vacancy calls on everyone to step up to the mark!
At this point I have a sense that you are now moving forward with a bit of a vision having made some very difficult decisions. Without a ‘reality check’ of what could be afforded and where you might get support for looking after your buildings I fear that you would still be on a downwards spiral with the real danger that it would be difficult to ‘save’ either of your buildings in a few years’ time.
PRESENT POSITION WITH BUILDINGS
1. WHAT HAS BEEN AGREED
The Kirk Session recommended a Building Plan which was approved by the congregation after consultation, approved by Lanark Presbytery and by The General Trustees of The Church of Scotland.
a) The cost of the external renovation of The Village Church will be about £250,000 which should be mostly grant-aided by The Heritage Lottery Fund.
b) The cost of a new stair and toilets plus a room with small kitchen and store under the gallery with flexible seating and quality redecoration of the sanctuary should be around £150,000 depending on the extent of work and funding available. This might be afforded from existing funds including a £20,000 legacy & reserves, applications to trusts and land-fill, value of sale of The Junction Church and local fundraising.
c) Closure of The Junction Church with continuation and development of activities in The Junction as a clear commitment of mission.
2. VISIT TO SEE OTHER CHURCHES
We had a group visiting 3 other churches on the afternoon of Sunday, 1st February to get an idea of their vision for their buildings and to see how they have made adaptations. It was inspiring to see how church buildings could be used in a more flexible way to offer space at the heart of their communities for all kinds of spiritual and community activities. In Carlops we heard that the community had supported the new work to the church in a big way and also how the church and the neighbouring Village Hall work together to offer different spaces for different activities. Where local people are coming in and out of the church more often the barrier between church and people is much less and the church is a real resource and asset to the parish.
Carlops Village Hall and Church work well side-by-side with the church renovation well appreciated and supported by the community.
3. BUILDING PROJECT GROUP
Five people have stepped forward to form a Building Project Group which will be supported by a good friend of mine, David Menzies, as a ‘mentor’ to the group over the next few years. David is an elder at Tranent Church which we visited and were well impressed with and where David was the lead person for a quality building upgrade. He worked as a senior Project Manager, was a ‘mentor’ on my Priority Areas ‘Chance to Thrive’ Project and is now a General Trustee of The Church of Scotland. This support should allow the Building Project Group to move forward with interviewing and selection of an architect and then to make grant applications.
I will be returning to be part of the Church of Scotland Interim Ministry Team where I will be involved with churches in Lothians, Edinburgh and Fife. This was work I was involved with for 5 years before taking on my present post with Priority Areas of the Church of Scotland as Coordinator of the ‘Chance to Thrive’ Project supporting congregations in some of the poorest parishes in Scotland to take forward some amazing ideas coming from local people.
I wish you well for the future and look forward to hearing great and good things about Carstairs Village and Junction with its linkage to Carnwath.
Richest blessings
Russell
------
CONGREGATIONAL REGISTER
Please remember in your prayers the families and friends of:
Andrew H Barr, Harelaw
Ian Turner, Ravenstruther
Ann Allan, Carnwath
David Crilly, Carstairs
Maisie Clellland, Lanark
Jean Denholm, Lanark
Ernie Rae, Cleghorn
Betty Scott, Carstairs Junction
Alec McKillop, Carnwath
Margaret Renton, Carnwath
Olivia Alison Taylor
Baptised 25th January 2015
May God richly bless you
As you take this step of faith,
Being baptized in His name
And to walk within His grace
So you may always carry
The light of Jesus love
To those who may not have
Faith in God above.
© By M.S .Lowndes
From 5th April the Morning Services will be held at 10am alternating to 11.30am on 2nd August.
The United Parish of Carstairs & Carstairs Junction
Warmly invites you to join our church family on
Sunday, 1st March 2015
11.30am Carstairs Village Church
When the Sacrament of the Lords Supper will be celebrated
We look forward to your company
If you are entertaining visitors that day we hope you might also ask them to share in this invitation.
THE GUILD
As you read this article the Guild will already have held its AGM. We have an ‘At Home’ in April when we will play host to our Guild friends from Springburn along with members from other local Guilds. After a break the new session will start again in October.
Everyone is welcome to come and join us as a member or visitor. We start our meetings with devotions followed by a guest speaker who will normally give a talk / presentation for half an hour. We close our meetings with tea/coffee & lovely home baking.
------
DRAMA GROUP
The Drama Group exists both to build fellowship through a fun community group andto find new, creative and inclusive ways to share the gospel message.
We took part in the Christmas service and hope to perform at the Easter service. After a Summer break we will be in rehearsals to put on a production in the Autumn. The Drama Group continues to look for new members either to act or help out behind the scenes. Contact Maggie on 07977134854 if you are interested. Come along, get involved and enjoy drama and seasonal sketches with fun loving people.
Walking Forward With a Spring in the Step
We all have our favourite times or seasons of the year. For some it is summer. During a raw winter's day, when it is bitterly cold or torrential rain and a howling wind, the thought of a warm, sunny, pleasant, summer's day is very appealing. We may even picture ourselves just sitting at the back garden with not a care in the world.
For others, the sight of the changing colours of the leaves in Autumn is a welcome sight; that and knowing that the gardening season is coming to an end and so there will be a break from having to cut the grass every couple of weeks and the weeds will stop growing.
And, of course, there are some who like winter. Watch the look on the children's faces when they rise in the morning to see the place covered in a layer of snow; snow so thick that school is cancelled for the day and they have an unexpected holiday. Sledges come out and snowmen of all shapes and sizes pop up.
Myself, I prefer this time of year, Spring. The harshness of winter is coming to an end. The days are becoming longer and, usually, warmer. Bulbs are sprouting, snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils make increasing appearances. There is growth and greater colour around. Many people actually feel happier. With Spring we see potential. It is a season where things happen and we can look forward. It is a time of new growth.
And it is during Spring we celebrate Easter. From the darkness of Jesus' betrayal at Gethsemane and death on the cross we have the transformation of the Resurrection and new life with death defeated.
With the Easter story, we look forward and see the new life Jesus won. Yet, perhaps that is not what we do in our own lives. There may be times when we tend to look back more than we look forwards. We can allow events in the past to hold us back and so prevent us seeing the way ahead clearly.
This year, as we follow the Easter journey let's try and let go of whatever sadness, upset or disappointment that may have been holding us back and let's look forward. Let's move forward, leaving the past behind and sharing in the new life won with all the possibilities that lie ahead.
And as we go forward, let us be reminded of Jesus' last words to his Disciples - “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”, (Matthew 26:20),
Every blessing
Alan
Ringing the Praises of Robert Cowan
“Without the church I don’t know what else I would’ve done,” says Robert Cowan, reflecting on a remarkable six decades of service. Having recently celebrated his 80th birthday, Robert will now take a well-deserved step back from commitments to his local parish.
Born in Peebles but growing up a Junction boy, Robert was Primary Dux at Carstairs Junction before attending Lanark Grammar. Afterwards, he started his apprenticeship as an electrician – a trade he would stick to all his working life.
Robert and wife Mary met for the first time as teenagers on a trip to Edinburgh Zoo organised for the workers of Steele Howe. Though they can’t quite remember who made the first move, they were happily married in Carstairs in 1959 by the Rev. Douglas M. Craig. This came after Robert’s mandatory period of National Service where he served in the R.A.F, applying his skills as an electrical mechanic at Kinloss. “I did enjoy working on the planes, but not so much being on them. One time, coming in over the Moray Firth, the pilot was so low you could practically see the fish in the water. I was glad to get down!”
Since then, only once have the Cowans boarded a plane on a so-called ‘pleasure flight’ around Blackpool tower. However, over the years they have explored all corners of the British Isles by car and coach, listing the Lake District and Dornoch in the Highlands among their favourite destinations.
Mary trained at Coatbridge College as a shorthand typist and worked in Glasgow for many years, including a job with the Scottish Professional Footballers’ Union. “I used to walk down for the train every day. It was a busy time back then with a train-load of folk at Carstairs all heading into Glasgow, so I was never short of company!”
Robert, meanwhile, worked with the South of Scotland Electricity Board covering the South Lanarkshire region. “I was responsible for bringing electricity into the homes of Leadhills and Tarbrax for the very first time. I remember when we went to wire up a local Butcher’s house - we were told not to bring a piece the next day… I’ll tell you, it was the best work lunch I ever had!”
The Cowans have resided at the same Lime Walk address since the scheme was built 48 years ago. However, they reveal they actually spent their early married life living in a caravan (22 foot long, Robert hastens to add) next to Mary’s parent’s home.
Robert and Mary welcomed a son and a daughter, David and Doreen, and now have three grandsons. After taking time off work to care for her young children, Mary returned to work at William Low’s supermarket on Lanark High Street whilst Robert, attracted by the relatively short commute, moved to work at The State Hospital where he would finish his career in 1991.
Robert’s steadfast devotion to the church and local community increased when then Minister Archibald Black popped in for a visit back in 1972. “Robert was out, and I had to keep the minister talking for two long hours but he wouldn’t say why he had come!” said Mary.
“When I came in and saw him sitting there, I thought he must be after some sort of electrical job from me... turns out he wanted me to become an elder. It came out of the blue. I said, ‘let me think about it’. After about two weeks I realised I couldn’t find a good enough reason not to do it!” smiles Robert.
Robert and Mary have been integral behind the scenes at the church and have held numerous committee positions. Of his many roles, perhaps Robert’s most prominent duty (or at least, the loudest) has been as the Church’s bell-ringer. “Well, there’s a wee knack to it… but you can learn it in a few minutes” he says.
Though enjoying football and golf in his younger days, Robert’s favourite past-time became walking. In 2000, to mark the millennium, he decided to walk the Carstairs circle 100 times. To add a little more interest and fun to his hobby, he would mark out the distance he had travelled on a map of the British Isles. “I’d start at say ‘John O’Groats’ and work my way down, measuring the distance I’d covered each day. Eventually, I reached the far south of England. So as a kind of treat, we got on the train and had a nice little trip down to Penzance!” Robert remarkably managed to cover an astounding distance equivalent to doing a complete figure of eight on his map of Britain. After also embarking on a challenge to walk across all of Scotland’s great bridges, Robert’s grand total on his map came to a staggering 2112 miles. “I don’t walk now…well, I still walk to the shop” he laughs.