L December 2017 I N K
Services December—February
Sunday 3 December 10.30 am Morning Worship – First Sunday of Advent 3.00 pm Time to Remember Service
Tuesday 5 December 7.30 pm Community Concert by Sounds International Sunday 10 December 10.30am Gift Service, Proceeds to ‘Starter Packs’ Tuesday 12 December 6.30pm Carol Singing around parish (Streets near the church) Friday 15 December 7.30pm Netherlee Chamber Music Christmas Concert Sunday 17 December 10.30am Morning worship for the third Sunday of Advent 6.30pm Lessons and Carols, led by the Choir Sunday 24th Christmas Eve 10.30 am Nativity Service, led by the Sunday Club 5.00pm Family Christingle Service 11.30pm Watchnight Service, music from 11.00pm Monday 25th Christmas Day 10.30am Family Service Sunday 31st Hogmanay 10.30am Family Service with the baptism of Christopher Robertson
JANUARY 2018 Sunday 7th January 10.30am Morning Worship – Sunday Club Resumes Sunday 14th January 10.30 am Morning Worship Sunday 21st January 10.30 am Morning Worship. Clarkston Churches Together Pulpit exchange for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 4.00 pm – 6.00 pm Messy Church 6.30pm Joint worship service in Cartsbridge Evangelical Church Sunday 28th January 10.30 am Morning Worship Sunday 4th February 10.30 am Morning Worship
2 From the Minister
Dear friends,
My letter this month is purely a huge thank you to every one for the splendid weekend of celebrations in recognition of my 25th Anniversary since ordination to the ministry. When the suggestion of a celebration was first muted by the Session Clerk and Kirk Session I was a bit reluctant to have much of a fuss. But I was delighted with the way things panned out. The ceilidh was a joy with families and friends, young and old, who all had a whale of a time. Diane Levey and Steven Crawford arranged the band and also provided entertainment by the choir, much to my surprise. Barbara Cochrane and her team presented an excellent buffet and to top it all John presented me with a clock with the inscription, “27 Oct. 1992 – 27 Oct 2017. To celebrate 25 years in the ministry of the Church of Scotland. Presented to Rev Tom Nelson BSc BD by Netherlee Parish Church.” The clock will have pride of place in our new home to remind me of your genuine Christian love and fellowship that has sustained me in large measure over the years.
The celebrations continued with the Sunday morning service with Guest preacher, The Very Rev Dr David Lunan, followed by another outstanding buffet by our catering folks. I cannot thank you all enough for making this such a special event and perhaps especially our faithful Session Clerk, John Montgomery for his excellent organisation. Cards and good wishes have also been much appreciated.
And if that were not all, Catherine and I are appreciating another round of cards, flowers and good wishes for the move to Crosshill Drive. Weare quite simply overwhelmed by the generosity, and kindness of our congregation. We feel like Paul in his letter to his church in Philippi, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:3-7
3 Now we move into the Christmas season to celebrate God’s wonderful gift of His own dear son.
Our prayer is that you may all experience the gracious Love, Joy and Peace this season promises.
Thank you all again,
Tom and Catherine Nelson
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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Please join with members of Clarkston’s Churches to mark this annual event at Cartsbridge Evangelical Church. There will be a varied programme which will include the opportunity to be introduced to new ministers in our community. The service, on Sunday 21 January, will start at 6.30pm and tea and coffee will follow.
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4 KIRK SESSION
As I write this article arrangements are well in hand for Scott's Induction and Admission to Stamperland Church. Indeed by the time this is published it will all have taken place and he will be in post and settling down to the new job. Not sure if all their belongings will have arrived or if they will still be using sleeping bags. My thanks are due to one family in the congregation who have offered them beds if needed until their furniture gets here. Some preliminary redecoration has been carried out already to two of the upstairs rooms. Other matters will await their occupation of the manse.
Tom's 25 years in the Ministry celebratory party went with a bang on Saturday 28 October. There was a great turn out of members of all ages and a good attendance of children who were all very keen to learn the various ceilidh dances under the guidance of Colin MacLeod from the band who led us through the moves. Entertainment from Hugh and Diane Levey gave the band a chance to draw breath, before the food was served up to a hungry audience, after Tom cut a celebratory cake and said a few words. Although the band was great the highlight of the evening was a comic musical rendition from the choir to commemorate Tom's 25 years in the ministry. I hope that the words appear elsewhere in this edition as they were very apt and amusing – thanks to the poetic talents of Diane. The evening was rounded off with the presentation of a clock suitably inscribed to Tom and a beautiful basket of flowers to Catherine.
On the Sunday the Very Rev Dr David Lunan gave a quite inspiring sermon to remember those 25 years which included the tremendous contribution that Catherine had made to Tom's ministry. They really are a team for which we as a congregation have enjoyed the benefit. David and his wife Maggie joined us for lunch afterwards when Tom cut yet another cake.
All of this would not have been possible without the four teams of willing volunteers who set up and dismantled the Large Hall; who prepared the food, served it and cleared up on the Saturday and Sunday. The staff of the “Nelson Arms” kept our spirits up throughout the evening. The event was a great success and my thanks are due to everyone who rallied round so
5 willingly to help. We couldn't have done it without you.
The Kirk Session met on 7 November when our topic for discussion was the arrangements for the Induction and Admission of Scott Blythe when we hope there will be about 400 people in attendance from both churches. As you might imagine the costs of relocating from New Jersey to Scotland are considerable and the Kirk Session agreed in addition to meeting the costs from Grangemouth docks to 25 Ormonde Ave (which we are obliged to pay), we would contribute 1/3rd of the total insurance costs approx US$ 1,800; Stamperland would also pay 1/3rd and the Blythe's the remaining third. A disturbance allowance for curtains, carpets etc of £1,744 as laid down by the Church of Scotland would be split 50/50 with Stamperland. Diane Levey told us how excited the Blythes were at the prospect of this new ministry and were looking forward to their new life in Glasgow.
We also had a visit that evening from Shona Crosby a lay reader from Fenwick Church who was about to visit our friends in Sri Lanka and to take with her the proceeds from the sale of the rugs and to also take the wool we had gathered. Shona would be preaching whilst out there and gave us an update on the situation affecting the Maillers which had at last been resolved. We thanked her for her report and wished her and her husband a safe journey.
Mike Buchan provided an updated Safeguarding Report and the Kirk Sesssion agreed to the inclusion of the usual annual safeguarding statement in our Minutes.
The Communion Roll at 7 November stood at 598 as reported by Mabel Bell and the attendance at Communion on 5 November at 10.30 am was 174 (lowest attendance ever) and at 3.00 pm was 16 as reported by the Clerk. [Post Meeting Note. On Wednesday 8 November 43 members took Communion at the Mid Week service]. We would continue with the 3.00 pm communion service until Scott Blythe took up his post and review it thereafter.
Allan Mathieson presented his Finance Report which was much more
6 positive than his previous two reports. The deficit on the General Fund has reduced by £5,100 to £2,667 at the end of September. At the end of September contributions from organisations stood at 42% of budget when they should have been at 75%. He urged those connected with organisations to do what they can to ensure that the organisations make their usual contribution by 31 December.
The funds invested with Hargreaves Lansdown have grown from £297,000 to £318,633 an increase of 7.3% over the last 2 years, while they have also paid us £21,655 in interest over the same period, an annual return of 3.65%. If we had left the funds in the Church of Scotland Deposit Fund it would have paid out £3,582 or 0.62%. Once we have met with Neil Edmondson the Session will receive a further update, but so far it looks encouraging.
The Listed Places of Worship Scheme has approved a payment of £2053.10 of which £1,412.84 relates to the refurbishment.
The committee reviewed funding of ½ the cost of an MDS and concluded that the church had sufficient reserves to fund such an additional cost, but recommended we review the position after 3 years. Allan was thanked for his report.
Jim Ferguson provided an update on the Common Good Fund which had shown little movement since his last report. He did report on the matter of Participatory Funding which the Community Matters Group agreed to take forward. Jim explained the principle to the Session who agreed the Committee should proceed to use the format suggested to Sheena Wurthmann and which had been used by Muriel Pearson at Cranhill. He would report back after the visit by Martin Johnstone to the Forum in the spring with whatever information Martin was able to provide.
Malcolm MacVey reported on Fabric Matters. Approval was granted to refurbish the 10 lanterns in the Sanctuary at a cost of £11,760. The cost to replace them with new lanterns would have been around twice that amount. There would also be savings with the lower wattage bulbs being used.
7 A DVD was shown of the works needed on the Church Roof which was helpful in understanding the extent of the problem.
A deep clean was to be carried out in the Manse ahead of the Blythes moving in and two of the upstairs rooms were to be painted in neutral shades to freshen them up. Other works, principally in the Kitchen were to be left until the Blythes were in residence.
The foul smell from the ladies toilet was still being investigated as so far the plumbers had been unable to source the cause. The Session asked that it be resolved as a matter of urgency,
The Worship Committee and the three sub committees had nothing in particular to report other than what was recorded in their Minutes.
Willi Povey would again be organising bulb distribution to those members identified as benefiting from such a gift from the church at Christmas. Tom reminded members of the Session to let him or Pat McKenzie know of anyone who was in need of a pastoral care visit.
Advent promises to be a very busy time again this year with all the services and concerts on. Let me wish you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas season.
John Montgomery Session Clerk 19 November 2017
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8 S Our Waiting Room has been transformed. Dagmar and friends have seen to the redecoration. New shelves and some re-arrangement of H the furniture and new carpet, it is looking good. Thank you to the A Fabric Committee. We have new chairs - comfortable and smart. R Our Advent study has started. This year our study is “So what are E we waiting for?” The title seems very appropriate for Advent. There are four sessions: Go with haste How long O Lord how long? Prepare the way of the Lord Kairos and Chronos: Is time running out? These are interesting titles to help us prepare for the birth of Jesus. With the commercial hype of Christmas ( as I am writing this there seems to be a lot of fuss about Black Friday!) it is almost a challenge to think about the impact of a baby born in a stable. We find at Share that taking that time for study and contemplation allows us to take a breath and refocus for Christmas. Come along if you feel the need for a break from the preparations for Christmas. 9.00 on Sunday mornings in the Waiting Room. Try out our comfy chairs and have a coffee or tea! Sheena Wurthmann ______
Cranhill Shop Thank you to all those who have handed in clothes, toys etc for the Cranhill shop throughout the year. Mary and her team of volunteers there do a wonderful job and they are very grateful for all the contributions they receive.
We will be making our final trip over there for this year on Monday 4th December so any donations should be in the cupboard before then please.
Many thanks - Jean Edgar and Ruth Henderson
9 Our lessons have continued with the story of Moses SUNDAY CLUB and then moved to Matthew’s gospel. We held our breaths to see how long we could last but we learned that God does not give up, God’s Love is Eternal. We made a banner with those words to decorate the large hall. In the Parable of the Sower we learned how Jesus told stories that were relevant and meaningful to the people of his time, and we acted the story in the form of a current TV quiz show, which brought it right up to date for us.
The Senior Sunday Clubbers continue to enjoy their Hot Chocolate and chat, with ‘cheating’ being one of the discussion topics. They are planning to support the Starchild Christmas Appeal by providing the teas and coffees - and star-themed goodies - after the service on 10th December. Starchild's ambition to help youngsters continue their education into secondary school is close to our group's heart, as they have all recently left primary school and are grateful to have the opportunity to support others to do the same. We hope you will join them for refreshments on that day.
On Remembrance Sunday we enjoyed sharing in the first part of worship in the church, and then held our own act of remembrance in the large hall. We spent time reflecting on what remembrance means for us and others, and made memory stones, painted with poppies, to build our own remembrance memorial cairn. It was lovely to welcome the Anchor Boys to share in our activities on that day.
We have already begun our preparations for Christmas with the children completing their pictures which they hope will appear on the parish Christmas card, orders of service and other items throughout the festive season. We will then be looking at the story of Christmas as we prepare for our Nativity, always a highlight of the year. A new activity will be to decorate a tree for the Christmas Tree Festival. For your Sunday Club Calendar
Sunday 10th December – Gift Service, and Senior Sunday Club Starchild Coffee Bar Saturday 16th December- Christmas Party for the Sunbeams, P1 & P2 children from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.
10 Thursday 21st December – Christmas Party for the P3 to P7 children from 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. Please check the Sunbeams and Sunday Clubbers letters, emails and the Orders of Service for final details of the parties Sunday 24th December – Sunday Club will lead the worship in Church with their Nativity service Sunday 24th December – Christingle Service at 5.00 p.m. in the Church Sunday 7th January 2017 – Sunday Club resumes All primary and secondary school age children are welcome to join us, whether this is regularly, occasionally or just as a visitor. Join us in the Welcome Hall from 10.15am and why not bring a friend? We have stories, crafts, songs, games, drama, challenges and treats too. The Sunday Club Team would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and many blessings for 2018.
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On behalf of the Christian Aid Committee I would like to thank all the swimmers who took part in our annual sponsor swim...... yes we had some males this time...... Netherlee swimmers made a grand total of £887.00 well done to everyone
Also Vicky took part in a sponsored walk at the wind farm ....again for ChristianAid and collected £190.00 in sponsor money.....well done
A big thanks to all in the congregation who give so willingly and so generously
Christian Aid Team
11 At our November meeting we reviewed “The Other Mrs Walker” by Mary Paulson-Ellis. This is a debut novel and has an interesting structure flipping between 2011 and 1930s, 40s and 50s. It took me a while to see how these stories were connected. I wonder what the next novel will be and how it will be structured.
Our next meeting is on 12 January 2018 at 8.00 at 17 Ormonde Avenue. We will be reviewing “No Great Mischief” by Alastair Macleod. Best wishes to all our readers!
Sheena Wurthmann
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As I write I am preparing for a meeting where some of the Eco-Congregation folks are looking at how we can revive or rejuvenate the Glasgow Network.
When the network was set up most of the congregations were learning how to do an audit and plan to reduce our impact on the environment. Since then things have developed and confidence has risen. How do we serve and support congregations in our present situation? I am looking for help to get a committee or team to work with me to help Netherlee (and perhaps Stamperland as well) to look to the future.
Wish us well at our meeting and think about how you can help Netherlee move on to the next award.
Sheena Wurthmann
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12 Netherlee Forum
Our speaker at the November meeting of the Forum was Ronald L. Crawford MA, BLitt, PhD, Honorary Research Fellow and former Registrar of the University of Strathclyde and accomplished author. Ronald had chosen as his title “Slavery and the Kirk – an inconvenient truth” but referred frequently to the axiom “Things are never quite as they seem”.
Ronald led a large and appreciative audience through the complex history of the slave trade with ease and clarity evidencing his thorough research into the subject, which is covered in depth in a chapter of his latest book, “The Chair of Verity. Political preaching and pulpit censure in eighteenth- century Scotland”.
Ronald began by showing us pictures of a monument in Paisley Abbey honouring the life of William MacDowall of Castle Semple and Garthland. MacDowall had served as representative for Renfrewshire in five parliaments and was revered for his public service in the 18th century and yet employed thousands of slaves over the years and became extremely wealthy. Ronald acknowledged the research of Stuart Nisbet, who addressed the Forum some years ago on the subject of Glasgow – a city built on slavery. Tongue-in-cheek, Ronald added that Stuart got to visit the West Indies during his research, whilst Ronald merely visited Paisley! Other prominent individuals or local benefactors involved with slavery were John Glassford, Glasgow tobacco merchant and John Witherspoon, also remembered on a plaque in Paisley Abbey. The Rev John Witherspoon was one of the signatories to the American Declaration of Independence, but seemed to accept slavery as part of society. However, there is evidence that he sought to provide refuge for at least one runaway slave in Scotland by baptising him and giving him a certificate which could have the effect of a character reference. The certificate, however, had no power in law to free a slave. This amongst, other insights, was an example of how slavery was endemic and acceptable in society, as Ronald returned to his axiom “Things are never quite as they seem”.
13 He showed a picture of Turner’s painting “Storm at Sea” – a picture of the sailing ship “Zong” caught in a storm. The picture revealed the horror of 133 slaves being thrown overboard as disposable cargo in order to save drinking water for the crew, whilst also enabling the ship’s owner to claim an insurance pay-out for the loss of cargo. This incident caused fierce public outrage and led indirectly to the formation of various anti-slavery societies in Britain.
You might have expected the Church to be at the forefront of the movement to abolish slavery but Ronald could find no evidence of this. He postulated that perhaps it was due to the Patronage Act of 1712. Ministers were beholden to the wealthy landowners for positions in the church, thus making ministers very careful not to offend their wealthy patrons. The system caused endless internal disputes in the church which possibly also diverted energy away from the slave issue. Most Church of Scotland ministers would be reluctant to use their pulpits for political purposes and it would appear that the enormity of the issue and indeed the true facts of the evils of the slave trade were virtually unknown. It was in fact the Quakers who lead the way against slavery at that time by making public the horrific treatment of slaves.
Ronald made reference to scripture for evidence on slavery in the Old and New Testaments. Slavery seems to be condoned in the Bible as part of society and the emphasis in scripture was on fair treatment of those under one’s care. He mentioned Paul’s letter to Philemon regarding the runaway slave, Onesimus. Paul argued for Onesimus to be received “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother” - which is perhaps where Witherspoon got his lead.
For further insights into the complexity of the issue of slavery and the slave trade, Ronald recommended the recent historical novel “Joseph Knight” by James Robertson, winner of the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year award. Joseph Knight was a man born in Africa and sold as a slave in Jamaica to a Scotsman, John Wedderburn of Ballindean. Back in Scotland, Knight brought a freedom suit against his master and won the case. This established the principle that Scots law would not uphold the institution of slavery.
14 Ronald finished by asking members of the audience to read excerpts from three eighteenth century sermons on the subject of slavery:
“The Situation of the World at the Time of Christ's Appearance, and Its Connection with the Success of His Religion, Considered”, delivered by William Robertson, minister and Principle of Edinburgh University in 1755, his only published sermon.
“On Gentleness”, delivered in 1794 by Hugh Blair, minister of the High Church, and Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres in the University of Edinburgh where the issue of slavery was painted with a broad brush, according to his biographer.
“The Progress of Christian Religion”, delivered in 1793 by the Very Rev Thomas Hardy, minister, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Edinburgh University. Hardy was the first minister to describe specifically the plight of the black African slaves and criticise Scottish missionary tactics.
All three sermons roundly criticised the abuse and practice of slavery, stating there could be no right of dominion of one man over another.
In summary, Ronald concluded that the path to abolition was agonisingly slow in the church as it was in the Parliament for all sorts of reasons. The Slave Trade Act of 1807 abolished the Slave Trade, but not slavery itself, and it was not until 1843 that slavery was abolished throughout the whole British Empire. A lively discussion ensued as a result of Ronald’s excellent address. It was a deeply emotive subject and raised all sorts of questions about morality and ethics throughout the centuries – even to this day as slavery still exists in many forms throughout the world, even within our own city of Glasgow.
All-in-all, another excellent evening was enjoyed by all.
Catherine Nelson
15 The next meeting of the Forum is on Monday 18th December, when we are privileged to have as our guest the Scottish mezzo-soprano, Fiona Joice, from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Alexander Gibson Opera School. Fiona has chosen as her title: “But what’s your REAL job?.... a talk about a career in Opera.”
Fiona graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2015 with a 1st Class honours with distinction winning the prestigious Governor’s Recital Prize of the Conservatoire. She then went on to study for a Master’s Degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London and graduated from there in 2017 with a 1st Class Honours with distinction. Fiona is now back in Glasgow, studying at the Alexander Gibson Opera School at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
A local girl, Fiona attended Williamwood High School and is well-known to many in our congregation as the granddaughter of David and Olive Leslie. Fiona has already shown signs of a promising career in Opera, giving annual recitals at the House for an Art Lover and performing at the Edinburgh Festival, and more recently touring Northern Italy with a small opera company, singing the role of Ernastina in Rossini’s Opera “l’occasione fa il ladro”.
Fiona will be speaking and singing at the Forum, so the meeting will be held in the church sanctuary. It promises to be a most entertaining evening. Please come along and bring a friend.
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Thank you to all who helped with the coffee morning for PoppyScotland. The final sum raised is a wonderful £827.36.
Anne Mann
16 17 Tom’s Anniversary Hymn (to be sung to the tune of hymn 543)
Twenty –five years, Tom has been preaching, Choosing the hymns, leading the prayers, Selecting the readings, children’s addresses Here is a song for him!
Chorus Tom’s been all right, over the years we’ve come to love him. Tom’s been all right, Twenty – five years Now we’ll have our say!
Avon was calling- ping pong! he landed in Stonehouse, After ten years, he found Netherlee, Living in Ormonde, Tom loves the parking, Even keeps neighbours calm!
Tom likes to demonstrate, his Bible stories, Practical jokes, experiments, Songs with the actions, these are his favourites, ‘Strictly Come Sing-a long!’
Playing guitar, Tom really loves that, Strumming his stuff all summer long. Fancies himself as a bit of a Rockstar! Here comes another song!
Tom is amazing baptising babies, Remembers their names…..well most of the time! Checking that all are in the right places before the baby’s bathed!
Bailing him out , that’s down to Catherine, Correcting his words, gives him the eye, Makes sure his props are in the right places, He is a lucky man!
But when we’re sad Tom will support us, Visiting homes, hospitals too. He will be there just when we need him that is a special thing.
18 And he is fond of lots of homebaking, Sausage rolls, biscuits, chocolate traybakes, No cups of tea, big cups of coffee, Even the odd vino!
Hope you enjoy your celebration, It’s been a pleasure singing for you, Christmas is coming and we need basses, We’ve kept a place for you !
Tom’s been all right, over the years, we’ve come to love him, Tom’s been all right Twenty-five years, enjoy your big day!
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Netherlee Chamber Music Series
On Friday 15th December at 7.30pm in the church we will have the popular Christmas Classical Concert presented by Martin and Kanako Storey and their friends.
For other information please contact Kanako by e-mail [email protected]
19 Blythswood Shoebox Appeal A huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported this year’s Blythswood Shoebox Appeal. 154 boxes were safely delivered to the warehouse! They were all very enthusiastically received by the team as they helped to carry them all in. Filled boxes were donated by members of the congregation and friends. The remainder were prepared from the very large quantity of congregational donations including toiletries, warm clothing, toys and gift that were left in the giant shoebox in the Welcome Hall. Specific thanks goes to those who donated bulk items: beautiful hand knitted items, handmade scarves, boxes of household candles, colouring books and crayons, toothpaste and brushes, wrapping paper; not forgetting Bellini for their supplies of extra shoeboxes. The Sunday Club will be making a further donation to Blythswood towards the cost of distribution of the shoeboxes. Christmas will be a little brighter for so many more this year. ______
Carol Singing for Shelter Scotland On Tuesday 12th December please come and join the Carol Singing in aid of Shelter. Meet in the Welcome Hall at 6.30 - 6.45 and bring a Santa Hat, torch or lantern. Hot Chocolate, tea, coffee and goodies will be served on our return to the church. All welcome, no audition required!! ______
An opportunity for busy young families on a Sunday afternoon from 4-6pm to experience Church through games, crafts and activities; as well as something to eat as a family. OK to drop in at the last minute!
SAVE THESE PROPOSED DATES: Jan 21 / Mar 4
20 STARCHILD RETURNS FROM UGANDA
Hi everyone we are back from Uganda and what a trip it was! We visited all our projects and made lots of wonderful new connections for the future of our work in Uganda. We can see the progress at our School for Creative Arts and have lots of pictures to show you ofour student’s wonderful creations.
Our women’s project is thriving and now almost self-sufficient! Our friends from the United States, Lia and Christina were so impressed they gave a loan to the ladies to buy a cow! There is a first time for everything. We thought it was Udderly brilliant!
But the highlight of our trip was being able to tell 11 vulnerable children that we had secured sponsorship for them to go to Secondary School! This was absolutely life-changing for them. Without this program, these children would be forced to marry at 13yrs or even forced into prostitution. We are busy having video edited and will show you this life- changing moment as soon as we can. It was certainly emotional.
We are aware that every year we will have another 11- 13 vulnerable children needing sponsorship so we plan to set up a scholarship fund to help maintain this extremely important program.
Starchild is also working very hard in Uganda to try to break down the myths and stigmas associated with disabilities and autism. This isan extremely challenging project as the belief is so strong that these children and their mothers are cursed. Most are hidden away, chained up in dire conditions and some have never seen daylight. The mothers are ostracised from the community and there seems little to no hope for mother and child. Starchild hopes to change that.
We look forward to seeing you and chatting over coffee and showing you all our pictures soon! Michaela and Rony xx www.starchildcharity.com www.michaelaonline.com
21 My family and I have greatly appreciated all the cards and letters, too many to individually acknowledge, sent to us on our very sudden loss of Alex.
Thank you all for your love and care for us over the past weeks.
Carine Morrison
Open Door - Every Wednesday from 10.00am Offering hospitality and friendship. Short worship service in the lesser sanctuary followed by tea/coffee and chat at 10.30am All welcome. The BB Minibus will be available to convey anyone to and from the church on request. Please contact John Montgomery on 637 2416
Tuesday 5th December 2017: 7.30pm Sounds International Choir offer a Community Concert in Netherlee Church with contributions from Netherlee Primary School and local musicians. All welcome
22 Church Register
Death 19.11.17 Miss Annette Arrol, District 24 Alan McDonald
Disjunction Ms Gail Fyfe 81 Ormonde Ave 20 Diane Levey
Change of address 6475 Mrs Clare MacCorquodale 263 Fenwick Road to 3 Deramore Ave, Giffnock G46 6SL 69 Alistair Gow
District Correction Mr Graeme & Mrs Karen Love 7 Gordon Drive 43 Jean Balfour
Flower Rota
December
3rd Fund 10th Joan Dunbar 17th Ann Warnock 24th Christmas 31st New Year
From the Editor
Thank you to all our regular contributors and members who have sent in articles over the year. The next edition of LINK will be issued on the first Sunday in February 2018. Please send articles to the Editor at [email protected]
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all—Anne (Editor)
23 Minister and Office Bearers ofNetherlee Parish Church MINISTER: Rev Tom Nelson, B.Sc., B.D. Glenclova, 11a Crosshill Drive, Rutherglen, Glasgow, G73 3QU Tel. 0141 534 7834 [email protected]
SESSION CLERK FINANCE COMMITTEE John Montgomery Convener [email protected] Allan Mathieson [email protected] ROLL KEEPER Mabel Bell TREASURER Ronnie Mair SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT [email protected] Helen Illingworth [email protected] DEED OF COVENANT, GIFT AID AND WEEKLY FREEWILL OFFERING CONVENER EDITOR OF LINK Dennis Burt Anne Tennant [email protected] FABRIC CONVENER Malcolm McVey LINK & LIFE & WORK DISTRIBUTION [email protected] Bill Findlay PREMISES SUPERVISOR DVD DISTRIBUTION Irene MacVey Carol Cleland, [email protected] [email protected] PROPERTY RESERVATION ORGANIST & CHOIRMASTER See Church Office below Steven Crawford [email protected] CHURCH OFFICE ((Mon, Wed, Thurs, Frid, 8.30 – 11.30 SAFEGUARDING CO-ORDINATOR Elspeth Bennett Michael H Buchan Netherlee Church, Ormonde Avenue, G44 3SL [email protected] 0141 637 2503 [email protected] Website: www.netherleechurch.org
Netherlee Church of Scotland is a charity registered in Scotland, Number SC015303
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