5th                       Aileen Hepburn               Elizabeth French

12th                     Elaine Gibson                   Eleanor Barr

19th                     Shirley Frew                      Suzanne Smith

26th                     Eleanor Terrace                Nan Carson
MARCH:

4th                       Janet McDougall              Jaynie Craig

11th                     Pat Maxwell                       Gillian Ormiston

18th                     Elspeth Hamilton             Aileen Hepburn

25th                     Elizabeth French              Elaine Gibson
APRIL:

1st                        Eleanor Barr                     Shirley Frew

8th                       Suzanne Smith                Eleanor Terrace

15th                     Nan Carson                      Janet McDougall

22nd                   Jaynie Craig                     Pat Maxwell

29th                    Gillian Ormiston             Elspeth Hamilton

FEBRUARY:

5th         Mrs Mary Williamson          Mr Bill Ryrie

12th       Mrs Nan Carson                    Mrs Valerie Pringle

19th       Mrs Reba Wright                   Mrs Betty Fairley

26th       Mrs Betty Sinclair                 Mrs Esther Mackie
MARCH:

4th         Mrs Jean Moyes                    Mrs Carol-Anne Cahill

11th       Miss Muriel Gordon             Mrs Dorothy-Anne Ardrey

18th       Mr Tom Hogg                        Mrs Alison Freeland

25th      Mr Stuart McCarte                Mrs I Miller
APRIL:

1st          Mrs Jean Hamilton             Mrs Isobel Parsons

8th        Mrs Louise McLean             Mrs Mary McWhinney

15th       Mrs Jan Lee                          Mrs Mary Brown

22nd      Mrs Sheila McDermid       Mrs Elizabeth Brownlie

29th       Mrs Patricia Mosley           Mrs Ann Walker

5th      Boys Brigade

12th     The Frews & The Hepburns

19th     Mrs S Crichton

26th     M & V Bryson Carson

MARCH:

4th      Mrs J Hamilton

11th     M & R Parsons & Julie Wilson

18th     Mrs N Carson

25th     D & G Ormiston

APRIL:

1st      Mrs A Thomson

8th     Mrs M Cumming

15th     Mrs E Buttery

22nd   Mrs H Gilmour

29th     Mrs E Dempsey

5th       Boys Brigade

12th     E Somerville                    Dr Thomson                A Watt                     G Whitton

19th     E Buttery                          J Carson                      M Clark                    S Cook

26th     D Craig                            J Crichton                    J Cumming              J Dalziel
MARCH

4th     E Dempsey                      B Gillespie                    J Gilmour                 T Goodsir

11th    S Greenshields               K Hamilton                  J Hart                        I Henderson

18th    J Henry                           L Horn                          M Hutchison           M Jack

25th    D Lee                               G Moore                       H Marsh                   J Marsh
APRIL

1st      L McLean                        C McMurdo                 C McQueen              Dr Ritch

8th     Easter Communion

15th     R Robertson                 B Sharp                         J Shaw                       K Simpson

22nd    E Terrace                      E Somerville                Dr Thomson             A Watt

29th     G Whitton                     E Buttery                     J Carson                    M Clark

Following the success  of previous groups and the interest voiced  by possible participants, another two sessions of LtQs have been arranged as follows in 2012:

Level 2 (follow on for those that attended in September 2011)
March 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th

New Level 1 Introductory Group
April 18th & 25th and May 2nd, 9th & 16th

For those interested in the Level 1 course, please contact the Minister or the church office as soon as possible. Spaces are limited and on a first come first served basis.

HOLY WEEK SERVICES
Monday to Thursday,  2^nd to 5^th April 2012.

 “THE  LAST  WEEK”

 “You cannot understand the meaning of Jesus’ passion unless you know what
it is he was passionate about”

To those attending our Living the Questions discussions, the names of two American scholars – Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan – have become familiar.  In 2007, they wrote a book called The Last Week in order to counter the understanding of Christianity portrayed by Mel Gibson’s blockbuster The Passion of the Christ.

Borg and Crossan wrote The Last Week in order to present a different kind of Jesus altogether and a different way to understand his death. They maintain that Jesus died because he dared confront the Roman Empire with his vision of another empire – one based of the unconditional love of God and which is marked by non-violence, justice, forgiveness and self-giving.

This is the theme we will follow during this year’s Holy Week services. The scene will be set on Palm Sunday as Jesus makes his planned entry into Jerusalem.  Then, using St Mark’s Gospel as our guide, each night we will watch how the inevitable collision course unfolds, meeting with a Jesus who engages us and invites us to follow him.

Each evening, the services will be held in church beginning at 7.00pm.  As usual, all are welcome.

During the service on Maundy Thursday, the sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated.

On Good Friday, the church will be open during the Three Hour Devotion (when people may enter/leave anytime) and a short celebration of Holy Communion will take place at 3.00pm.

Time to breathe, to look around yourself with nothing else  to do but look; time to close your eyes and feel life drum softly all around you.

Do you ever  actually pine for that ?

Mind, body AND spirit—that’s who we are, but where is the care  carved out for that part of ourselves that remains most hidden ?

We stretch our minds,  we hone our bodies, but when do we ever spend much time with our spirits ?

Forty days — Jesus was in the desert forty days, praying and fasting, readying and steadying himself, so the story goes.  Well: we are approaching  Lent now. Maybe we could use this time as an unexpected ‘gift’ – mirroring his time in the desert…. using it  as a time to breathe, to look around yourself with nothing else to do but look;  time to close your eyes and feel life drum softly all around you.

Yearn for it ?  YES!

A prayer for Lent…
God,
grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

This year, February 26^th is the first Sunday in Lent.  Over the following five Sunday taking us up to Palm Sunday when Holy Week begins,  worship will naturally follow themes which prepare us for the events of Christ’s passion. But what else could we do to deepen our thinking and strengthen our devotions at this particular time ?  What I suggest is that you choose one or two things from the list below – or adopt one or two other things that you can think of yourself – and take them on for Lent as a means of helping you get a bit closer to God.

Why?  Well, the purpose is certainly not to earn some kind of ‘points’ for being good.  The aim is self-knowledge and growth in our lives and understanding as Christian people. I always believe its much easier to take something on then to give something up. So: why not give it a go ?

In deciding what to do, I offer three suggestions.

1)      Your Lenten ‘discipline’ should be relevant in helping you think and prepare for Easter;

2)      It should make a difference.  You should notice, each day, that you are doing something ‘special’ because it is Lent;

3)      While it should make a difference, it should also be realistic.  Otherwise, all you will succeed in doing is become frustrated, disappointed and, even, angry with yourself.

Here’s the list of suggestions.  Choose a couple  –  and remember to do them !

•   Attend church every Sunday, without fail.
•   Attend services during Holy Week / or Good Friday
•   Devote a fixed period each day/ week to think/ pray about your faith
•   Abstain (if it will help you) from something – coffee, chocolate, cigarettes, alcohol (and donate the equivalent amount to the church)
•   Visit one or two folks whom you know to be lonely
•   Spend some time each day/week in silence. Finish by saying the Lord’s Prayer
•   Try to live a bit more calmly.  Try doing just one thing at a time
•   Stop gossiping about others
•   Ask God to forgive those whom you cannot forgive yourself
•   Contact family/ friends with whom you may have lost contact
•   Pray for your minister/ congregation/ community/ neighbour/ colleague
•   Read St Mark’s Gospel at least once.

The first few weeks of this new year have reminded me of how time flies.  It brings back odd memories of my Latin class at school: ‘Meanwhile it is flying, irretrievable time is flying’ (Virgil).  And I was beginning to think it was just my age!

A quick glance back!

 Christmas services went well and were certainly well attended. The nave was very nearly filled on Christmas Eve and the numbers of worshippers attending services on the morning of both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (when extra seating had to be brought into the Quire) ensured a very warm and worshipful atmosphere.  And now – the work of the congregation continues in earnest.  The children attending our Sunday Clubs participated in another Christingle Service held in the light of the Christmas Tree and candles. A firm favourite of children and adults alike, this has become a very popular service held before decorations are removed from the church. Members of the Guild then gathered in the Quire to begin the second half of their session with a short celebration of Holy Communion. They begin activities in their 126^th year looking forward to making their own special contribution to both the life of our own congregation and the projects undertaken by their national administration.

Throughout all the special services leading up through Advent and Christmas and over the New Year, the congregation has been enormously indebted to Peter McLean for deputising at the organ. Peter generously offered his services when our organist Ian Handley sadly had to retire owing to illhealth.  Ian is a hard act to follow. An excellent musician and talented organist and composer, he had also become a good friend to many of us. We will miss him; wish him good health and hope that should Ian feel able to return to an organ console before long, our loss at Bothwell may, eventually, become another congregation’s gain. As it happened, over the period of vacancy, Peter fulfilled well the task of directing the choir and playing during services on Sundays as well as for funerals and weddings. We are so fortunate to have such a talented musician as a chorister and hope he will continue to allow us the pleasure both of his singing voice and his musical ability for a long time to come.

The vacancy for an Organist/ Director of church Music has now been filled with the induction of Mr Phil Hotham. Phil comes to us with a very high reputation both as an organist and choral conductor.  A retired Headteacher in Manchester, Phil brings a wealth of musical talent as an organist, composer and choir director as well as a obvious enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, liturgical music. In welcoming him to his post, we look forward to a long and happy association working and worshipping together.

Looking forward  into 2012 .. 

Most immediately and, also, perhaps most evidently, will be the commencement of essential restoration work within the church Quire. This is due around the end of February. Not that the congregation will actually see too much of the work being done since a screen will be erected cutting off the Quire from the Crossing and Nave.  In preparation, arrangements are being made for all the contents of the Quire to be removed to the safety of storage.  Once work begins, a sprung corbel will be repaired high up on the south wall and tie-bars will be installed across the Quire, between the north and south walls, halting the chance of further movement. Investigative work will then be undertaken to determine the external condition of the Quire roof and its internal timbers etc. The architect has advised that this ‘first phase’  of work could possibly take four/ five months. Thereafter, findings will be analysed and the extent of work comprising ‘the main  phase’ will be determined and costed.  Work will only commence on that phase once the finance required has been obtained.  We are fortunate in having substantial, proven, professional and management expertise in the members of the congregation and others comprising the Restoration Working Group and, so, we thankfully place our trust in their abilities to ensure the successful completion of this considerable project.

Meanwhile, the ordinary everyday work of the congregation and demands of the community we serve continue. Holy Week and Easter will be upon us before we know it and, then, its on to summer.  What was that about time flying ?

Jim Gibson.