September 2017
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L I N K Life in Netherlee Kirk September 2017 Forthcoming Services SEPTEMBER Sunday 3rd 10.00 am Morning Worship Sunday Club resumes Rev Scott Blythe preaches as sole nominee for the vacancy and also in Stamperland at 11.30 am. 2.45 pm Both Kirk Sessions to meet in Stamperland Church 3.00 pm Joint Congregational social in Stamperland Church Sunday 10th 10.30 am Morning Worship Admission of new Communicants 4.00 - 6.00 pm Messy Church Sunday 17th 10.30 am Morning Worship Sunday 24th 10.30 am Morning Worship OCTOBER Sunday 1st 10.30 am Morning Worship Baptism of Charlotte Victoria Quinn Sunday 8th 10.30 am Morning Worship Harvest Thanksgiving Family Service Donations of produce to LHM Harvest offering to Sri Lanka Youth Organisations dedication and launch of Shoe Box Appeal. ____________________________ 2 From the Minister Dear friends, During our summer services, it has been fascinating to receive pictures from the travels of so many of our congregation. Our little shopping bags have been taken around the world and on them, the message that God is with us wherever we go. We have seen lots of smiling faces of friends and families enjoying fine holidays and new adventures together. We even had a picture from one of our wedding couples on their honeymoon! Thanks to all who joined the fun and sent pictures. We have surely been blessed to share in the joy of so many of our friends on their journeys. The little message on the bag is a good reminder of God’s assured presence when our journey takes us to unexpected places where we may find ourselves nervous, uncertain and perhaps even fearful. We have the promise that if God is with us then His resources of grace, love, and mercy are also available to us. Over the summer months we have looked at a wide variety of different journeys recorded in the Bible. In each case we have found that people have discovered more about themselves and God along the way, and more often than not they were changed in some way. This month we have come to a significant point in the journey which our congregation as a whole embarked upon a few years ago. We have a Sole Nominee presented by our joint Nominating Committee with Stamperland. Should he be accepted by both congregations, we will begin the next chapter in working closer together with our neighbours. As in any journey we may well find some unexpected 3 twists and turns along the way but again, we have the assurance that God is with us to meet every challenge. I was asked to read a poem at a recent funeral service which spoke to me very deeply. The author is unknown. The poem conveys a powerful message that when all is said and done, when we have tried our best and when our resources run out, there comes a time when we have to hand things over to God in faith, hope and trust. I try to help the ones I know, And in my own life, now and then, each sad and troubled heart. when things are going wrong. But in the lives of those I love I tell myself you’re always near I only play a part. and you will make me strong. I see the worry and distress, So when the doubt comes creeping in the dreams that won’t come true. As doubt will sometimes do. Lord, let me do the best I can Lord, let me do the best I can And leave the rest to you. And leave the rest to you. May our gracious God draw near as we journey on together. Rev Tom Nelson ___________________________ Soon it will be 30 years since the Glasgow Garden Festival! It is now hard to find the site along the river with the building that has happened since the Festival. BBC, STV and the Science Centre are just some of the new buildings. Eco- Congregation Scotland is joining RSPB to develop activities for churches to look at gardening and wildlife. As most of us in Netherlee have gardens I am hoping that these activities will be relevant for us. The focus will be on biodiversity and garden birds. In the meantime I think a trip to the riverside to look for remnants of the Garden Festival site! I am sure there are interesting patches around. Sheena Wurthmann 4 KIRK SESSION Summer Update Welcome back – summer must be over. I hope you all enjoyed the summer break from the usual routine. The Kirk Session last met on Tuesday 6 June so most of what was discussed is now out of date. Two things I will mention though was the excellent report and experience Mike Buchan had of his week at the General Assembly which he found very busy and very tiring but a very worthwhile week with HRH The Princess Royal in particularly good form as the Lord High Commissioner on behalf of the Queen. Secondly and much less grand was the decision by the Kirk Session to revert to serving Communion in the gallery following a plea to the Moderator. It would be fair to say that the Session were fairly evenly split when it came to voting on the matter, however there were a few more votes in favour of re-instating the procedure which will occur at the November Communion. The Session also agreed to continue with the 3pm Communion service meantime but to keep it under review. As I started to write this article I was reminded that at this time last year we were still experiencing disruption with the Halls Project – and at that time we were assured that the project would be completed on schedule by 3 October – Oh how wrong that date turned out to be!!! One year on it seems like a distant memory and we have come to enjoy our enhanced facilities with Church and Non Church organisations alike grateful for the alterations we have made. The day this edition of LINK is published - 3 September will be a momentous one in the life of Netherlee and Stamperland. Hopefully the vote that day to elect Scott Blythe as the new minister will be clear and decisive allowing Scott to accept the call and allowing both churches to set about the start of a new era in the life of both Churches. While we can rejoice in that let's not forget that for Tom and Catherine it will seem strange for them to be still in post but planning for the next stage in their lives. We need to be sensitive to their needs and recognise the next year will not always be easy for them to adjust to. Tom as ever will use that time to help the new minister settle in to his new charge and to be ready for the linkage to be confirmed once Tom demits office from Netherlee around the end of July 2018. He will be able to introduce him to the other clergy 5 attached to Clarkston Churches Together; the primary and secondary schools chaplaincy team; to say nothing of the workings of Glasgow Presbytery. I hope for both it will be a rewarding and useful experience from which both churches will benefit. The Congregational roll at 6 June stood at 602. It was good to see the Holiday Club back on our Agenda with new leadership and a different style. All the reports I have received were positive with it being marked as a great success. The service taken by them on 13 August was great with the youthful enthusiasm there for all to see. I am sure there will be other comments appearing elsewhere in this edition. From a Kirk Session perspective, I would like to record our thanks to Stuart Buchanan as Convener of the Children and Youth Ministry Group with the support of other members of the Group for co-ordinating the administration of the week's programme under the guiding leadership of Jenny Hamill. Thanks are due to the Guild for providing the coffee mornings each Thursday in July and August. As usual the home baking was terrific and again it was well supported by you and some members of the Community. It was also great to see some new faces helping out on the AV desk during the summer months. To Elspeth Dick, Ben Crawford, and Alexander McArthur our thanks. I am sorry to report that we are still searching for a new BB captain but I will keep you advised of developments. Thanks are also due to the Families and church members who volunteered to carry out the welcomes and readings during the summer and to the Ministers and readers who stood in for Tom while he was on holiday or study leave. Looking forward, Session 2017/2018 will be an exciting one of changes, new opportunities and who knows what else but I am sure we will face up to whatever challenges are presented to us. John Montgomery Session Clerk 6 278 Glasgow Boys ‘Brigade Company Section Summer Camp We had some mixed weather this year but made the best of our summer camp at Tighnabruaich. We set off from Netherlee Pavilion on Sunday 30th July with a spring in our step ready for an exciting week ahead of us. As usual the advance party of officers set off the day before to prepare for our arrival. By chance the 44th Dundee Company were camping close by celebrating their 50th anniversary.