Castle Douglas Parish Church
Autumn Bulletin 2014
SCO 11037
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Who’s who?
Minister
Rev. Stephen Ashley-Emery
Tel: 01556 505983
Email: RevStephenAE@gmail.com
Session Clerk
Mr Iain McDonald
Tel: 01556 504711
Fabric Convenor
Mr Richard Brown
Tel: 01556 503040
Treasurer
Miss Fiona McGregor
Tel: 01556 502609
Organist
Mr Callum Wylie
Tel: 07733386686
Church Officer
Mr Peter French
Tel: 01556 503556
Caretaker
Mrs Rena Reid
Tel: 01556 503226
Newsletter
Mrs Isobel Prowse
Tel: 01556 502860
Website administrators Mr I. McDonald and Mrs I. Prowse
news@castledouglasparish.org.uk
Church dates
20th October Kirk Session Meeting. 7pm.
26th October Sacrament of Communion. 11am.
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Session Clerk’s Report
The advertisement for the Vacant Charge of Castle Douglas linked with the
Bengairn Parishes began:
‘ “Let us build a house where love can dwell... at the heart of Galloway’s
green and pleasant land.” We look for a minister to help us reach out,
welcome and support our communities: to engage with the life of each
community and foster the links between our enthusiastic congregations.’
We have been blessed that God has so quickly sent us someone willing
and with recognised ability to engage and help us meet all challenges.
Anyone who spoke to the visitors from Ellon at Stephen’s Induction and at
his first Sunday service can only have been stimulated by their reports of
their experiences of working with Stephen.
As our minister, Stephen Ashley-Emery will, I am sure, challenge us in
how we fulfil our ambitions, and, with the enthusiasm which I have always
seen in the Castle Douglas congregation, I am sure we can rise to these
challenges within the town as we develop the church, growing its
supporting role within the community and continuing the spread and spirit
of God’s Word. Furthermore, not only do we have a new minister in the
area, we also have his “trained and training” wife, Lynne, and we have
already seen their teamwork in Sunday services.
Sunday worship may be in a different style but the fundamentals do not
change and it is interesting to see how, amongst the more modern hymns
traditional hymns can still play an uplifting part in worship.
With Stephen in place, we also enter a new era in our linkage with the
Bengairn parishes. The Nominating Committee had great joy in working
together and the positive benefits of that will continue as opportunities
arise to share the different and contrasting experiences of the two
congregations.
I cannot conclude without thanking those who have helped us to where
we are now. At the Induction I expressed our thanks for the work of Mhairi
Wallace and James Gatherer. Richard Brown has undertaken and coordinated a significant amount of work to get the manse up to the required
standard. It was unfortunate that, since their arrival, the manse family had
to be temporarily accommodated elsewhere. Richard has achieved so much
in a very short time and has once again let us have a manse of which we
can be proud. For all his hard work, we thank him. Iain McDonald
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On behalf of Lynne, Max and myself, thank you.
Thank you for the warm welcome and ‘bun fight’ at the induction. We felt
at home with everyone introducing themselves and telling us a little of
their background, place and life in the parish they belong to. Lynne and I
are particularly thankful for the gift you, as a linked parish, have given to
us. We understand there are expectations and a lot of guessing work going
on about who is actually going to be baking the cakes in the manse. All we
can say is “Keep watching ‘The Great British Bake off ‘or ‘Master Chef’
and you might see one of us there.”
We also want to thank Brownie Wright for her hospitality when we
arrived tired and exhausted from moving house and who kindly offered a
cottage as we waited for the manse to be prepared and made ready for us to
serve God. We moved into the manse on October 4th 2014. As ever, it is
going to take a good few weeks to get things settled down and out of
boxes, but we are looking forward to settling in. Max is looking forward to
getting his Xbox back into commission.
There has been a mammoth effort made to get the manse up to the
standard required by the Church of Scotland. Thanks to Richard Brown for
the countless number of hours he has given to the manse and to the people
he enlisted to work on the materials, we are both very grateful.
We certainly have a sense of privilege to be called by God to Castle
Douglas parish Church and the Bengairn Parishes.
Any journey in God’s name, we are told by Christ, will be a path that is
narrow and often rocky. As human beings we often feel we know the
direction we are to go. However, we can be blinded by our own gaze and
later discover that God has other ideas and always the better ones. Lynne
and I have found God leading us to you all in these linked parishes. The
beauty of God’s creation here strikes us, as does the warmth of the people
he has called to his church. Again God is right, who are we to say
otherwise?
The road being narrow does not mean it is not exciting - in fact it is
often the opposite. As we take this journey, one step at a time, Jesus gives
everything that we need, the Holy Spirit fills us with the strength we need
and God guides us in everything. It is a matter of trusting what God has for
us together. Every one of us has what it takes; it is just a matter of asking
God what is next in building a house where love can dwell.
Yours, forging forward in God,
Stephen Ashley-Emery
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Young Women’s Group
Here is the syllabus for the meetings for the YWG. To begin the new
session, on September 9th we had a very enjoyable visit to the museum at
Dalbeattie, where Mr and Mrs Henderson showed us round. Some of us
could remember seeing things like wireless sets and wringers in our homes.
On 7th October Jan Grey is coming to give us a talk on Reiki or
Alternative Therapy, it will be an interesting "hands on" night.
November 4th sees us having our charity night when we will have talks
and sale displays by both the RNLI (lifeboat) and Cancer research.
On December 13th we are going to the "Cocoa Bean" for our Christmas
night out, Christmas food and chocolate. Mmmm.
On January 6th Lyndsay Hunter is giving us a talk on her work as
Procurator Fiscal
February 3rd is the night of our quiz, which is made up by Aileen Stoddart
and is always very challenging.
March 3rd we hope to have a talk by a photographer but details are still to
be finalised and I will let you know.
March 31st has been organised with a talk about "sweets" given by a friend
of Maureen’s (details to follow)
We always welcome new members and our meetings are held in the church
hall, unless otherwise stated, at 7:30pm. Gwen Breckenridge 07810801656
Ministry and Mission Stamp appeal 2014
This year, the focus of our stamp appeal is Dorcas, a brand new Refuge
House for Women Victims of Domestic Violence and their children in
Milotopos, northern Greece run by the Greek Evangelical Church (GEC).
The GEC responded to requests from women seeking refuge from
violent partners by buying a house in 2012, which they fully renovated.
Now finished, the house provides a safe haven for women who have
suffered domestic violence and their children, such as its first 'tenant', a
young woman and her newborn baby who moved in this spring.
Money raised from the stamp project will go towards the running costs
of the house, as the GEC will never ask the women for any money, as they
are in financial need themselves. You can help provide these women and
their children with a safe place to call home by collecting your used stamps
which are sold to make money. Collection point is in the vestibule.
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Intimations
We regret that it has not been possible to include the usual list of baptisms,
marriages and funerals in this bulletin, but promise to include them as
usual for the Advent newsletter. Ed.
Weekly prayer meeting
9 am (till approx.9.30), on Thursday mornings, Room 1(downstairs in hall)
All welcome.
Norah Anderson
Ladies Club
Wed.October 8th - Mr Ian Wemyss "The Bagpipes-Man and Boy"
Wed.October 22nd - Mrs Kathy Hutchison "Autumn Arrangement"
Wed.November 12th - Mrs Sarah Eade "Guiding at Threave House"
Wed.November 26th - Mr Trevor Reid "World Cruise 2014 "
Wed.December 10th - Christmas Meal/Party
Isabel Anderson 505344
Coffee Rota
12 Oct
19 Oct
26 Oct
2 Nov
9 Nov
16 Nov
23 Nov
30 Nov
7 Dec
14 Dec
21 Dec
28 Dec
B Murray
A Murray
M Whitelaw E Brough
L McDonald I McDonald
I Prowse
E Jaszewski
Remembrance Sunday
A Reid
W Fortnum
J Feenan
A Brown
YWG
D Burns
M French
P Brown
J Duck
I Wemyss
C Rooney
K Hutchison
Ministry of Flowers
5 Oct
P McWilliam
12 Oct
A Stoddart
19 Oct
C Rooney
26 Oct
E Heuchan
2 Nov
C Stobbs
9 Nov
Ladies Club
16 Nov
23 Nov
30 Nov
7 Dec
14 Dec
21 Dec
28 Dec
L Sproat
H Smith
P Brown
L. Clark
A Smith
H Wemyss
F McGregor
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Hats and blankets for Malawi
Around twice a month, another parcel of knitted hats leaves for Africa. The
people who make them tell me that they can’t sit doing nothing while the
TV is on. Children and grown ups in Africa are grateful to the people of
Scotland for thinking about them. I wish to thank the knitters.
Just as we welcome warmer days and the summer sun, Malawi, Lesotho
and parts of South Africa face their coldest nights. Although the days are
still warm and clear, the night temperature falls to near zero. Shepherds in
the bleak cold mountains of Lesotho sleep rough, as do the boys cared for
at the Maoni Orphanage in Lunzu, Blantyre, Malawi, which has not yet
found enough funding for a boys’ dormitory.
Most of the groups receiving these hats for distribution also receive
Bibles, church songbooks, and other Christian literature, including Sunday
School material. Without this help, churches would have nothing to teach
from. When receiving hats, rural people across Africa and foreign sailors
hear the gospel for the first time. We supply a need, and those who have
not receive from those who have.
In the recent past, Western nations exploited the wealth of tropical
countries. Our abundance can now supply their want, and they return their
abundance in their prayers and thanks. As Paul says, “He that had gathered
much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.”
(2Corinthians 8.15).
Who knows what a warm hat will do for a shepherd boy in the bleak,
cold mountains of Lesotho, or a Filipino seaman on a cold sea-passage far
from his home?
God is looking for our hearts, not our gifts. When the poor widow
(Mark 12.42) put two mites into the treasury, Jesus commended her above
all the others who had put in “of their abundance”.
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth on Him, should have everlasting life. (John 3.16).
Nothing can ever match or surpass the love God extends freely to us.
Romans 8.32. See also 1 John 2.1-2.
Jim Figgis www.thebibleshop.org.uk
If you feel you could knit hats, sizes vary from infants to adult and they
can be any wool, any shape. Simple patterns are available. Ask Ed.
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Thank you for all our cosy hats.
We are grateful to Small Print for the production of this bulletin.
Submissions for the Advent Newsletter
should be with the editor by Nov 23rd please.