Bishopton Parish Church (Church of Scotland) Scottish Charity No Sc006109
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BISHOPTON PARISH CHURCH (CHURCH OF SCOTLAND) SCOTTISH CHARITY NO SC006109 Network Magazine September 2020 Coronavirus Advice Contact Information The Church office My Dear Friends, The Cornerstone I hope that you are managing to keep safe and coping with all the Greenock Road social restrictions that this Pandemic has necessitated and which Bishopton have been imposed on our lives. It is hard to believe that as a PA75JW congregation we have been unable to meet in the Church or Phone;01505 862583 Cornerstone for worship in the past 6 months and I am sure, like Email: me, many of you are missing seeing one another, and the [email protected] fellowship of gathering together. As I write this article I am trying to plan our Harvest Thanksgiving Anyone wishing to contact the Service. I had hoped that this would be an event we could Minister should contact Yvonne celebrate outdoors but the recent rise in Covid infections in our area and the tighter National restrictions has quashed these plans and on 01505 862161 therefore our Harvest Thanksgiving service will be celebrated Anyone wishing to contact the online. session Clerk, Douglas Hope or We still plan to receive donations of dry/tinned food for the Food the Clerk to The Board, Stewart Bank and these can be dropped off at the Cornerstone on the 3rd, Campbell should do so through 4th and 10th October between 2 and 4pm - please see related The Cornerstone Office. Foodbank article. I also plan to launch our annual JARS of GRACE appeal which supports the work of UNICEF, the idea being every time we say In This Issue Grace and Thank God for our food we should stop and think about • Pastoral Letter children and families in so many parts of the world where famine, war, poverty or natural disasters have made food, water and • Message from Treasurer medicine scarce. • Assessment Tool UNICEF is an organisation which we have traditionally supported between Harvest and Advent and we have previously been • Renfrewshire Foodbank encouraged to put our spare change and coins into a Jar. This year • Pastoral Visiting Team we are very aware that people are not handling money as before so we are asking that members donate directly to UNICEF and there • Community Unites will be a link via the church Website. In order to remind us that we • Knitting Project are doing a virtual collection there is a small picture of a ‘JAR’ in the magazine that you may like to cut out and put on your fridge etc. as • Youth Organisations visual aid. (on page 11) • Jar of Grace visual . • Intimations 1 Pastoral Letter cont…. Like many churches in the area we are hoping to re-open the Cornerstone toward the end of October and are preparing for a short reflective service on a Sunday morning at 10:30am. This will not replace the Sunday Morning on-line worship which will continue to be our main format of congregational worship while there are restrictions on public gatherings and the virus is prevalent Those who wish to attend this service will be required to book a place in advance as we are limited as to the number of people we can accommodate in the Cornerstone while adhering to the social distancing rules. We plan to have a telephone booking system via the Cornerstone office on a Thursday morning to facilitate this. Details will be taken when you phone, which include your name and telephone number so that this can be kept for the Track and Trace regulations. This information will be treated as confidential and destroyed after the designated time frame. Those wishing to attend this service will be asked to comply with the Government regulations on social distancing and to wear a face covering at all times when in the Cornerstone. You should also be able to manage the stairs up to the upper hall as the lift cannot be used due to it being too confined a space. Within the Network magazine you will find a copy of the NHS risk assessment (on pages 4 and 5) which is included in the Church of Scotland guidelines and which we have been asked to share with our members. I would ask you to study this questionnaire and ascertain your individual score before phoning to book attendance at worship. The risk assessment is not to frighten or put you off attending the Cornerstone but to allow you to make an informed choice in the same way as you currently do as you go shopping, visiting a garden centre or café at this time. We have put in place all the necessary signage, hand sanitising equipment and regulations to comply with the Government and the National Church of Scotland Guidelines to allow us to re-open and to meet together for worship. I know that with all the restrictions it will not be the same format of worship that we have previously enjoyed and been accustomed to, but I certainly look forward to welcoming all those who wish to attend. The online services will continue and this includes our service of Remembrance on the 8th November and Communion on the 29th November (1st Sunday in Advent). We hope to have another Network out by then which will provide information about the services over Advent and Christmas. Keeping in contact and the Spiritual wellbeing of our members and community has been paramount to me and I am very grateful to the Kirk Session and members of the PVT who have been phoning and keeping in contact with members and friends in the parish and community. I would also express my sincere gratitude to Gill McHattie and her team of volunteers for the Afternoon Tea (July) and the Harvest Bags distributed in the last week. These little treats have made many people very happy and boosted moral in difficult times. 2 As part of our Harvest Thanksgiving we will be singing - albeit from our separate homes - the hymn by Matthias Claudius (1740-1815) “We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land, but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, the breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all his love.” Throughout the past six months - despite the gravity of our situation - we have seen signs of God’s Love:- His care and provision for us; the lovely warm and sunny Spring; the loosening of restrictions in the Summer that allowed us to meet with family and friends; and now the majestic colours of this Autumn season, reminding us of God’s love in nature. We know we are heading towards Winter with longer darker days and there is a fear and apprehension in all of us of stricter restrictions and a return to limited contact with family and friends. It is vital that as a church family we continue to keep in touch with each other, to encourage, support and help one another. To trust that His light will continue to shine even in this Pandemic for we have the promise “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out” (John 1:5), and each one of us from the youngest to the oldest have our role to play. As the old adage states “Many hands make light work” Keep safe, keep well and keep connected – we are a TEAM and Together Everyone Achieves More. God Bless Yvonne Minister Rev. Yvonne Smith 07540 592937 3 News Message from the Treasurer These are difficult times for Congregations. We miss the buzz of a busy Church on a Sunday and chats with friends before, and after, worship. Church Halls are no longer frequented by a multitude of groups, young and not so young. It would be good to get back to the way things were but we know this may take some time and that we have to do whatever is necessary to keep everyone safe from infection. One of the consequences of the Covid restrictions is that Congregations have suffered a fall in their income. For example, there are no open plate collections and the loss of income from hall lets is also significant. However, many of our members continue to contribute by monthly standing orders and others pop their WFO envelopes through the Cornerstone letterbox or give donations. I would like to thank everyone who has supported our Congregation by maintaining their offerings during the past few difficult months. Your support is critical to us being able to pay our various expenses and to be in good order for the day when the pandemic passes. So, a big thank-you from the Treasurer and the Congregational Board! Paying by standing order is the easiest way of contributing. Please contact me ([email protected] or on 07477.770970 or 01505.862414) if you would like to start paying by standing order. It is simple to set up and there is no long-term commitment. If you are a taxpayer then signing a Gift Aid form allows us to claim 25 per cent of your offering from the tax authorities. Again, it is simple and I can provide the necessary form. Best wishes, stay safe and stay sane! Graham MacSporran Assessment Tool for Individual and Group Health Risks (Part of the Guidelines issued by the Church of Scotland) The assessment ‘tool’ on the right helps you to see how different risk factors may combine to give serious health complications should you catch the COVID-19 virus.