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Forthcoming Services

APRIL Sunday 1st 7.00 am Easter Day Joint gathering with Stamperland in Linn Park followed by breakfast in Netherlee Church 10.30 am Easter Sunday Family Communion Service Followed by Easter Egg Hunt. Sunday 8th 10.30 am Morning worship conducted by Rev John Campbell

Sunday 15th 10.30 am Morning Worship conducted by Rev Scott Blythe

Sunday 22nd 10.30 am Morning Worship 90th Anniversary Service of Netherlee Church

Sunday 29th 10.30 am Morning Worship 6.30 pm Parade of Uniformed Organisations

MAY Sunday 6th 10.30 am Morning Worship ______Daily Devotional Readings

Copies of a booklet of thoughtful Daily Readings for the 7 week period from Easter to Pentecost Sunday are available on the welcome desk. Donation of £3.00 per copy welcome. For further information contact Sheena Wurthmann or the minister. [email protected]

2 From the Minister

Dear Friends,

April is turning out to be a month of celebration and thanksgiving. Thanks go firstly to our Treasurer, Ronnie Mair, who stood down from the post at our Stated Annual Meeting on 25th March. Ronnie has served the church well by keeping a close eye on our accounts with meticulous attention to detail. He has been an excellent Treasurer. Nothing seemed to be any bother to him, whether in keeping the accounts up to date or by giving advice or guidance to our organisation leaders. We are very grateful to Ronnie and express our heartfelt thanks. He handed on the baton to the very capable hands of Allan Mathieson who is also our Finance Committee Convener and we wish him well as our new Treasurer. Thanks are also due to Malcolm MacVey who stood down as the Fabric Committee Convener at the Stated Annual meeting. Malcolm took over the reins from Neil Munro two years ago and has taken his responsibilities very seriously. Hardly a week has gone by when Malcolm wasn’t in the church or halls attending to some matter or another. We thank Malcolm for the enormous amount of time and effort he has put in to keep the buildings well maintained. He passes the baton on to Iain Alexander, who was Property Convener when Catherine and I arrived in Netherlee and so we know he will be well received as our new Convener. We look forward to celebrating our 90th Anniversary of the establishment of the church on Ormonde Avenue. This we plan to do on Sunday 22nd April with a special thanksgiving service followed by lunch in the halls. We will have an exhibition to stir our memories and imaginations as we celebrate 90 years of faithful service,

3 fellowship and learning together. We are creating a time-line around the hall to give a visual trace of the church’s history and to help us find our place on that line. I trust it will be a special time for us all as we are reminded of God’s enduring faithfulness over the years together with the many faithful members and friends of our congregation past and present who make the church such an important part of our lives.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Rev Tom Nelson ______

On 22nd April we are celebrating Netherlee Church's 90th Anniversary. After the morning service we are having lunch and would like to reflect favourite foods through the nine decades. We will be putting sheets of paper on the boards at the back of the large hall and would love you to think about what foods you enjoyed from when you were young - up to the age of around 10 years. We will then use these suggestions to use for the lunch on the 22nd. You should add your suggestion to the decade in which you were under 10 years of age. By doing this we hope to have a selection of foods we can all enjoy. Alternatively you can email either Barbara, Marjorie or Catherine to give us your suggestions. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

4

KIRK SESSION—Changes are coming

March as ever has been a very busy month in the church calendar.

The preparation of the Annual Report & Accounts is a very busy time for the Treasurer. He reported to the Trustees on Monday 12 March with a full explanation of how 2017 had turned out. After listening to him and answering questions there were no amendments needed. The Session Clerk also commented on the Report section and was not quite so fortunate as there were a few alterations needed. Subject to making these amendments and after being advised by the independent examiner Alex Johnston, that he was happy to sign the Report and Accounts, the Session as the Trustees approved them and preparations are now in hand to finalise them for the Stated Annual Meeting on Sunday 25 March. This will be Ronnie's last report to the congregation as he retires as Treasurer at the close of the meeting after 7 years and 3 months in the post. He then hands overto Allan Mathieson. I do not want to pre-empt what Tom will say at the meeting but I am sure he will pay tribute to the commitment of Ronnie on our behalf. Let me encourage you to attend and show your support for this valuable work.

The Annual Inspection of Records is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 18 April. I am fortunate that there are a number of members who have the necessary skills to prepare and provide me with the required information to present to Presbytery.

The Communion services on 4th March saw the lowest ever turn out with 136 members at the morning service and 9 at the afternoon service. I am sure the atrocious weather played a large part in it and I am glad that so many members heeded the severe weather warnings from the Met office and put personal safety first. I was astonished to receive an email from the Presbytery reminding us that we had a responsibility to provide worship every Sunday and that if we were changing our arrangements or canceling them I had to let them know!! I wonder what they would have done if we couldn't hold morning worship.

5 Our sub committees met in March and reported on their work including 2018 being the Year of the Child, our Easter Services, the 90th anniversary celebrations and Tom's retirement events for the Community on Wednesday 20 June and his final preaching on 29 July.

The Worship Committee discussed the arrangements for the Summer Services and as reported in last month's LINK we will hold only one service from 10 June at 10.00 am.

Interestingly enough at a Joint Kirk Session meeting on Wednesday 14 March both Kirk Sessions after a good exchange of views agreed to an amended proposal from the Strategic Planning Group that following Tom's retirement and from the 5 August Netherlee and Stamperland should pilot a scheme of 2 services each Sunday with a 10.00 am service in Netherlee and an 11.30 am service in Stamperland. More details will follow as the rationale is fully explained to both Congregations. So our foresight to start the summer services at 10.00 am is quite opportune.

Preparations are in hand for our holy week Easter Services and the CCT leaflet has once again been distributed throughout the Parish. There will be a Family Communion Service on Sunday 1 April and there will be the usual Good Friday evening service led by the choir at 7.30 pm and joined by our friends from Stamperland. There are services each night of Holy Week in Stamperland which you are encouraged to attend and in particular the Maundy Thursday service. For those of you who are early risers the CCT hourly services on Good Friday start in Netherlee at 7.00 am. Last year we had the biggest ever turn out at 7.00 am. I hope we can repeat it again this year – I hope to welcome you!!!!

The provision of Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday proved to be very popular once again possibly helped by the schools being off. Our thanks to Barbara and her willing team of helpers who made it all possible and to you for turning up. It was a great treat.

The Christian Aid Art Show was again a great success and I think hada better selection of paintings available this year. I am sure the Netherlee team were delighted with the turn out on the Saturday and with the help

6 they received to set up and dismantle the exhibits.

The Beetle Drive for Poppy Scotland proved how competitive some of our members are.

The Stir it Up Lunch organised by the Sunday Club saw tremendous support and an exceptional sum raised for Tear Fund. Congratulations to all the Club members for their hard work.

On Fabric matters may I congratulate Malcolm MacVey and his team particularly Bruce Young, John Mann and Alan Edgar for the successful completion of the lighting project in the main sanctuary. The new lighting is a great improvement over the old system and with the lanterns refurbished they look even better than new. Using lower wattage LED bulbs should significantly reduce their running costs.

The replacement of the “Bells” system with new wiring, new speakers and the re-siting of the control panel with a new CD player to be controlled from the AV desk has gone smoothly and is working well.

That's all until next month.

John Montgomery Session Clerk ______

I have at last received the total figure for the 2017 Poppyscotland Appeal. The excellent sum of £4896.03 was raised. This sum includes the money raised in Sainsbury's, door to door, cans in shops and the coffee morning. A huge Thank You is due to everyone who helped in any way. The Beetle Drive raised a further £150. It turned out to be good fun. Thank you again to those who helped. Anne Mann

7 ROLL OF HONOUR

Members, who attended last year’s Remembrance Service, will recall that the Minister observed, that in fact, most members only remember these men as a name on a plaque. However, three ladies did remember some of them as active young men. I came away from that service moved by that thought, and resolved to research the situation.

After three or four weeks of digging in archives on the internet, I have established basic information of all nineteen men who gave their lives in the Second World War. Some searches were more fruitful than others, and more information became available to give an understanding of the horrors these brave men suffered on our behalf. I have written a short paragraph to summarise the information I have found on each individual, some more personal than others.

The Minister, the Session Clerk and the Editor of LINK have decided that these short stories should be made known to the Congregation in this Anniversary Year, significantly the last year before our impending Union. The Editor has decided to publish them in groups over a series of months.

I have found it a cathartic experience, having lived through the war as a young teenager, and now having lived to a ripe old age enjoying my family and grand-children, in a safe environment, as a result of the sacrifice of these brave men – three in middle age, and the remainder in late teens or early twenties.

David J Leslie

8 JAMES McMORROW ALLISON Able Seaman James McM Allison (D/JX 419830) served in the Royal Navy on HMS ‘Kite’, a sloop of the modified Black Swan Class. The ‘Kite’ had performed many escort duties for convoys bringing essential food and equipment to beleaguered Britain, most notably when she accompanied several other ships of the same class, when they sunk five U-Boats in one mission.

On the 20th August 1943, HMS ‘Kite’ was escorting aircraft carriers HMS ‘Vindex’ and ‘Striker’ who were in turn escorting Convoy Number JW-59 carrying supplies and equipment to Northern Russia, when the convoy was spotted by German aircraft. Soon a pack of U-boats arrived on the scene and attacked the convoy – one U-boat was sunk by Swordfish aircraft from one of the carriers, and two further Navy U-boats were sunk by destroyers.

At 06.30 on the 21 August HMS ‘Kite’ slowed to 6 knots to disentangle her ‘foxers’ (anti acoustic torpedo noise makers towed astern) . At that speed she was a ‘sitting duck’, and she was hit by two torpedoes from U-Boat U- 344, and sank. Of the ‘Kite’s’ crew of 10 Officers and 207 ratings, 60 survived the attack but in the freezing Artic sea only 14 sailors were picked up alive by HMS ‘Keppel’. Five of those picked up died on the deck of ‘Keppel’ - leaving only nine survivors of the crew.

James McM Allison died on the 21st August 1943. His sacrifice is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, the Giffnock War Memorial, and in Netherlee Church of Scotland.

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WYLIE BASER Wylie Baser, son of William Bell Baser and Agnes Smith Baser of South Shields, Co. Durham, was born in Glasgow on the 23 February 1921. He served the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and on the 16 February 1940 was granted a commission as Pilot Officer (on probation). Pilot Officer Wylie Baser served with 139 Squadron Blenheim Bomber IV, out of air base RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk.

The Blenheim Light bomber/heavy fighter was designed in the thirties and at that time was faster than other available fighters. However although used in many missions in the early years of the war, it soon proved to be under- powered and have defence deficiencies. It was used as a night fighter fitted with radar during the Battle of Britain, and was the first aircraft to conduct low-flying bombing raids over German held country.

9 At 09.00 on the 4th June 1941 Blenheim R3903, flown by Pilot Officer Wylie Baser, took off from Horsham St Faith, in the company of five other Blenheims, on a bombing mission on De Kooy Airfield in the Netherland, a base out of which German Bombers were carrying out bombing missions over London and the south of the United Kingdom. Approaching their target the squadron of Blenheims was attacked by Messerschmitt 109s, who shot down two aircraft and badly damaged a third. Blenheim R3903 crashed west of Bergen-aan-Zee, killing Pilot Officer Wylie Baser (aged 20) and his crew of two (aged 23 and 32)

Pilot Officer Wylie Baser’s sacrifice is commemorated on Runnymede Memorial, Surrey; Hutcheson Grammar’s Memorial; Giffnock War Memorial ; and Netherlee Church of Scotland.

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ROBERT SAMUEL CARSON CRAIG Robert S C Craig, was son of Alexander Craig and Sarah Thomson Craig of Netherlee Glasgow.

Sergeant Robert S C Craig (47814) served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and flew with the Royal New Zealand Air Force 75 Squadron as a front gunner in Wellington bombers. Between April 1941 to August 1941 he flew in many bombing missions over Hamburg, Emden. Brest, Manheim, Cologne, Boulogne, Hamm. Munster, Bremen, Dusselsorf and Duisberg, mounting up many hours of flying time.

On the 13th July 1941, Wellington bombers of 75 Squadron took off on a daylight mission to bomb the German battleship, Gneisenau, lying in Brest. Flak was severe and Wellington RJT533 was hit, and later attacked by a night fighter. Three of the crew were wounded in the later attack, the Second Pilot dying immediately. The navigator fell out of the damaged aircraft, and was taken prisoner on parachuting to earth. The wireless operator took care of the wounded, repaired the damaged radio equipment and calculated the route home. The aircraft made it back to base, the wounded taken to hospital, and the Second Pilot was buried a few days later.

Sergeant Robert S C Craig, the Front Gunner, was seriously wounded and died on the 24 July 1941 in hospital, aged 26 years. His sacrifice is commemorated at the Runnymede War Memorial, Surrey; the Giffnock War memorial and Netherlee Church of Scotland.

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10 JOHN MARTIN CRUIKSHANKS John Martin Cruikshanks served as a private soldier (Service Number 2939813) in the 5th Battalion of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. Accurate details of John’s service are not known, but it is confirmed that he died of wounds sustained in battle in North West Europe on the 13th June 1944, and is buried in Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados, France.

The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders were an infantry Regiment of the 51st Highland Division, who landed in Normandy on D-day of Operation OVERLORD, on the 6th June 1944. The 152nd Brigade, consisting of the 5th Camerons, 2nd and 5th Seaforths, landed just west of the Ornnemouth, and having quickly established a beachhead, moved inland and crossed the River Orne. Their objective was to quickly capture Caen, and establish a pivot around which the whole front could wheel and move eastwards on a broad front. Unfortunately, the Germans, expecting the landing to be at Pas de Calais, had assembled their Panzer Divisions, south and east of Calais, to repulse the invasion.

In the following weeks the 51st Division experienced some of the heaviest fighting of the war. They were operating in an area just east of Calais – known as the ‘Triangle’, defined by Ranville, Touffreville and Breville – and on the 13th June the 152nd Brigade ran into severe resistance in the area of St Honorine and Demouville. Their attacks were driven off and the brigade went into a defensive position south of St Honorine. .Eventually, on the 22nd June the 5th Camerons took St Honorine, and by mid July when the 152nd Brigade pushed on and achieved their objective, after intense fighting and heavy losses.

Private John M Cruikshanks lost his life on the 13 June 1944, during the heavy fighting around St Honorine. His sacrifice is commemorated on the Ranville War Memorial, the Giffnock War Memorial, and Netherlee Church of Scotland.

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DAVID AUCHIVOLE DICK

David Auchinvole Dick was the son of John Young Dick and of Mary Algy Dick (nee Dunn) and Husband of Janet Anderson Dick – of Netherlee. He served in the Merchant Navy and had experience on a number of ships.

In 1942, David A Dick was serving on MS ‘STENTOR’ as Chief Engineer

11 Officer. The ‘STENTOR’ was built by the Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited in Dundee in 1926, and was a Merchant Ship of 6148 tons, with 107 crew members and seven gunners.

The ‘STENTOR’ left Lagos, Freetown on the 6 October 1942, in Convoy, heading for Liverpool, carrying 6,000 ton of EST African produce, Some senior Naval Officers, 124 Passengers, including 26 army personnel and 11 Nursing Sisters of the Royal Army Nursing Corps. At 22.33 and 22.38 hours on 27 October 1942, U-boat (U-509) fired torpedoes at Convoy SL- 125, northwest of the Canary Islands, and hit ‘STENTOR ‘ and the ‘PACIFIC STAR’.

‘STENTOR’ was hit by one torpedo on the starboard side, at the holds which contained a deep tank containing palm oil, which was thrown up by the explosion and immediately caught fire, pouring into the passengers’ accommodation and setting the forward holds and bridge on fire. The ship suddenly sank by the bow, eight minutes after being struck.

Three lifeboats had been destroyed or were on fire, so the survivors abandoned ship in the remaining four boats and rafts. Three hours after the ship sank, HMS Woodruff (K 53) began picking up survivors, continuing throughout the night until 202 survivors had been picked up.

The Master, the Vice Commodore 19 crew members (including the Chief Engineer Officer), one naval staff member and 22 passengers, including three army personnel and four nurses were lost.

Chief Engineer Officer David A Dick died on the 27October 1942, aged 48 years. And his sacrifice is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, the Giffnock War Memorial, and Netherlee Church of Scotland.

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KENNETH ALFRED REID DOUGLAS Kenneth Alfred Reid Douglas served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, as a Pilot \Officer in RAF Squadron 57. Squadron 57 was a group within Bomber Command, flying Lancaster bombers out of East Kirby Aerodrome. As with other squadrons in Bomber Command it carried out many bombing raids on German targets. On the 6 January 1944, 57 Squadron took off on a night attack on a target in Stettin, in the German provence of Pomerania. Pilot Officer Kenneth A R Douglas flew Lancaster Bomber ED994, and approaching the target the

12 Squadron endured heavy flak, and was also attacked by night fighters, ED994 sustained heavy damage and crashed killing all crew. Pilot Officer Kenneth A R Douglas died on the 6 January 1944 and is buried at Poznan Garrison Cemetery, in Poland. Kenneth’s sacrifice is commemorated on the Paznan cemetery Memorial, Giffnock War Memorial, and Netherlee Church of Scotland. ______

ADAM McDUFF DUNLOP Adam McDuff Dunlop (service number 70193) served in the Royal Air Force. Adam, as was the case of many young men in the years preceding the outbreak of war, had joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and Adam having received four years as a pilot, whilst still in his civilian occupation, was a member of RAFO (Reserve of Air Force Officers). With the outbreak of war in 1939 members of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve were called by the Air Ministry to serve as air crew in the Royal Air Force. As a member of RAFO Adam received an immediate commission as a pilot. By the end of 1941, more than half of the aircrews of Bomber Command were members of RAFVR. Unfortunately, Adam’s squadron number is not recorded, and not a lot of information exists, without deeper research into the RAF Archive, as to the service record of Flight Lieutenant Adam McD Dunlop. However, by reference to other service records, members of the RAFVR would serve in the early years of the war, as fighter pilots, or as air crew in aircraft such as Blenheim Fighter/Bomber Squadrons in Bomber Command. Flight Lieutenant Adam McD Dunlop died on the 29 November 1941, and was buried at Cathcart Cemetery, Glasgow. His sacrifice is commemorated on Giffnock War Memorial and Netherlee Church of Scotland.

More of our heroes next month.

13 The Netherlee Sunday Club would like to say a huge SUNDAY CLUB THANK YOU to everyone who supported our Stir it Up Lunch. The Sunday Club, parents, congregation and friends all helped to raise an amazing £1022 for Tearfund. Building on last year’s success, the Sunday Club lunch proved to be very popular. Stir it Up is normally a supper where congregation members bring along a dish to share. Inspired by hunger lunches, the Sunday Clubbers thought they would again treat you to some homemade soup and home baking. In the weeks before the lunch the children made posters advertising the event and the Senior Sunday Clubbers prepared the Tombola. On the afternoon before the event a small army of kids descended on the kitchen and prepared all the vegetables. On Sunday Morning the kids set the tables and the Soup Fairy worked her magic to ensure fresh soup and bread was waiting at the end of the morning service. We hope you enjoyed the soup and homebaking as much as we enjoyed the fun and fellowship.

The heavy snow the following week let us remember how difficult simple things became, like buying bread and milk! It reminded us of those for whom this is a daily struggle. On Mothers’ Day our very creative children made gifts to take home. We did reflect on the role Mary, Jesus’ mother had on his first miracle at the wedding at Canaan.

The end of March saw us taking part in the Palm Sunday Service with the Senior Sunday Clubbers helping with readings and prayers. In preparation we looked at the Easter Story and made our own Rocky Road, definitely Messy Church Sunday Club style! Each ingredient represented something of the Easter Story: Green sweets – the palm branches; Orange oil – anointing of Jesus at Bethany; Broken Biscuits and cut Cherries – the bread and wine; Maltesers – to roll the stone away and many more. Why not try our recipe? We are looking forward to joining our families for the Easter Sunday Service. Did someone mention an Easter Egg Hunt??

For more information about what we do in Sunday Club, or if any child wishes to join, please just come and talk to any member of the Sunday Club team from 10.15am or contact the Church Office. We will meet every Sunday, except the Easter Day family service, until Sunday 3rd June.

14 Sunday Club – Rocky Road through Holy Week For our recipe we used: 1 drop of orange oil / flavouring 2 handfuls of raisins 12 glace cherries 1 bag of mini Easter eggs (100g bag) 3 Mars bars 1 bag of Maltesers (135g bag) 4 bars of milk chocolate (100g bars) 2 handfuls of small white marshmallows 1 handful of green sweets 5 sweet biscuits 30 silver sugar balls 10" square baking tray lined with baking paper

1. To start the Rocky Road through Holy Week add the green sweets to a mixing bowl. These green sweets remind us of the green palms waved on Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. 2. Next break the bars of chocolate into pieces to represent Jesus turning over the tables in the temple on the Monday of Holy Week. As you break the chocolate think about how angry Jesus must have been. Add the chocolate to a glass bowl & start to gently heat over a pan of water. 3. Add a drop of orange oil/flavouring to the melting chocolate. The scent of the orange oil represents the anointing of Jesus at Bethany with the expensive perfume. 4. Throw the raisins into the mixing bowl with the sweets. The raisins remind us of Tuesday & Jesus' lesson of the fig tree. 5. Count out 30 silver sugar balls & place these in a separate dish to use later. These represent the Wednesday of Holy Week & the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid to betray Jesus. 6. Break the biscuits into small sections to represent Maundy Thursday when Jesus broke the bread at the Last Supper. Cut the cherries in half to represent the red wine Jesus shared at that meal, & add the biscuits & cherries to the mixing bowl. 7. Cut the Mars bars into small chunks & add to the dry ingredients. A Mars bar is made of 3 layers, & these 3 layers represent the cockerel crowing 3 times when Peter denied Jesus on Maundy Thursday.

15 8. Collect the white marshmallows as a reminder of the linen they wrapped Jesus' body in, & a pinch of cinnamon to represent the spices the women used on Good Friday, & mix together with the dry ingredients. 9. Empty the packet of Maltesers into the dry ingredients as a reminder of the sealed tomb on Easter Saturday & the round stone that was rolled in front of it. 10. Take the melted chocolate off the heat & mix in the dry ingredients until everything is coated in the chocolate. Pour the mixture into a lined baking tray & sprinkle the 30 silver sugar balls over the top. 11. Finally place the mini chocolate Easter eggs over the top of the Rocky Road. These eggs remind us of the Resurrection on Easter Day with the promise of new life. 12. Place the Rocky Road in the fridge for a couple of hours until set, & then cut into small pieces to share with friends. We left our Rocky Road to stand for 15mins before slicing as it was pretty hard to cut through the solid layers

The Sunday Club Team

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Through Lent we have been studying the York Course “On the Third S Day” . We have been looking into resurrection. This has been a challenging study but relevant to the season of Lent. H As yet we have not decided our study for after Easter. Last year we A used devotional readings for the period from Easter Sunday to Whitsun. We found this helped us to look at the time when Jesus R appeared to the disciples and others and passed on the teaching of the faith. E Sheena Wurthmann

16 The Gathering and AGM of Eco-Congregation Scotland is on 28th April. Netherlee Church is a member and has voting rights at the AGM. Unfortunately I am not able to attend. I am happy to explain how the national organisation works and I am sure you will have an interesting day and meet people with similar opinions.

The theme of the day is “Pass the Planet”. The Annual Gathering will take place at Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh. The theme will focus on the world future generations will inherit.

The programme is :

10.30 Registration, teas and coffee 11.00 AGM (members only) 11.00 Photograph event

12.00 Lunch

13.00 Speakers and Discussion Tables 14.30 Refreshments and Feedback 15.00 Competition winners 15.30 Closing worship 16.00 Finish

Speakers Ruth Valerio - Tearfund Global Advocacy and Influencing Director Ross Greer - Green MSP

If you are interested and can represent Netherlee - please get in touch. We can have several people attending the Annual Gathering.

Sheena Wurthmann

17

Starchild would like to sincerely thank the members of the congregation who helped with Stars for Starchild on March 10th. The success was down to the help of various people. Thanks to everyone who handed in baking and raffle prizes, the lovely tea and coffee ladies and volunteers who ran the stalls. Special thanks to Carol Diamond for organising the tombola, soft toys and guess the birthday of the Star Wars teddies. Irene MacVey for her exceptional Star Wars themed cake. Thanks to the Communication Support Service group for Autism at Williamwood High School who organised the tuck shop. Everyone who bought tickets sold raffle tickets and so much more. Helen and Caroline MacVey for face painting, music and backdrops. Bob Shaw and Ron Stirling for the photography. Muriel Baker for her lovely mixed media embroidered picture which we auctioned. Elaine Murray who sold tuck shop goodies on Sunday. There were so many people helping in various ways and we thank you. Despite having to reluctantly cancel March 3rd due to the snow, we had a hugely successful event which raised £3057! If Santander match fund to £2,500 we will have made £5557!

It was a wonderful afternoon full of love, laughter and smiles. The actors and cosplayers were exceptional, giving of their time and talents to entertain the children, and of course the adults.

18 We plan to do the same again next year so watch this space. We would also like to thank everyone who helped with the church lunch on January 28th. The £500 raised will help to keep two children in school for a year. Starchild is extremely grateful to Netherlee for its continued support of our work in Uganda. We couldn’t do it without you.

God bless Michaela and Rony x www.starchildcharity.com www.michaelaonline.com

19 CLARKSTON & DISTRICT CHRISTIAN AID COMMITTEE

Our Netherlee Team is delighted to report the 38th Art Exhibition and Sale was a great success and while we donot have the final total we expect Christian Aid will receive £7,000. Of the 323 works on show we sold 79 with a value of £14,000, about £700 more than last year. We take 33% of artists' sales. Two paintings were donated for us to raffle and along with the various stalls our income increases considerably. The event cannot happen without volunteers and once again Netherlee were in the forefront, setting up of the hall on the Friday, attending the preview, manning the sales table, selling raffle tickets, stewarding, serving refreshments and organising the tearoom. You are a wonderful loyal band of volunteers and we want to say a very big 'Thank You'. A date for your 2019 diary - 9th March - Carmichael Hall for the 39th Art Exhibition. Vicky Anderson, Marjorie Lang and Walter McNeil

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Malawi Rice

Our rice is selling steadily. It would be good if we could complete the sale of the 90kg. Could I encourage you to purchase soon.

Thank you Sheena Wurthmann

20 Do you enjoy a challenge?

The Community Matters Group recently discussed how we might be able to help people who have difficulty in getting the best deal when renewing insurance/ utilities.

We are concerned that many people are paying more than they should because of the sometimes complex nature of finding the best deal and they then auto renew - which can lead to paying far more than is needed.

We would like to set up a small group who would be willing to help members of the congregation with this. If you are someone who likes to get the best deal, who likes to search online and is confident in changing companies each year, can you get in touch with John Montgomery or Barbara Cochrane as we would like to find out the best way of taking this forward.

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After reading “Golden Hill” (Francis Spufford) based on New York in its early days 1746. Very much a historical novel that describes conditions at the time. We had an interesting discussion as opinions were divided about the novel. The historical detail was accurate but some of the events seem unlikely. We have also read “A Man called Ove” Fredrik Backman. I found this a laugh out loud book. Poor Ove wants to commit suicide but gets distracted by his neighbours. He likes order and sees the obedience to rules. However not everyone else does!

Sheena Wurthmann

21 Netherlee Forum

There was a large turnout for the last meeting of the Forum for this session, when our guest speaker was Laura Maciver, the BBC Scotland Journalist, whose title was "Behind the scenes in Broadcast Journalism."

Laura lives locally with her husband and three children, and although her most important job is being a mother, she also enjoys her work with BBC Scotland. Her career in broadcast journalism started with Radio Forth, before moving to BBC Scotland. She has had a variety of positions with BBC including reporter; sub-editor; programme producer; radio business presenter, and now TV presenter.

Laura started by showing a montage of various news items she had broadcast over recent years, covering a wide range of topics including politics, sport, business, animal stories and everyday "stuff". A typical day for her involves a 5am start in preparation to go on air on radio at 6am or on TV at 6.25am. During that hour or so before going live, her time is spent news gathering, preparing her text, researching and editing, and she herself is prepared with lots of makeup. The news items can be very current or even unfolding as she prepares, unlike newspaper coverage, which by its nature is "old news".

Laura then treated us to an on-screen walk around behind the scenes of the BBC Scotland studios, talking to the staff as she went, starting in the Editing Suite. Unlike ITV, BBC has dedicated craft editors, who work together with the reporters to compile the reports, which are prepared on desk-tops with a collage of screens in front of them.

She then moved to Make-Up, where we saw weatherman Christopher Blanchett receiving his final touches. Because of the strong lighting, faces can become very white, so a lot of makeup is applied to both men and

22 women to define features and to reduce shine. Even the hair is attended to with plenty of hairspray to keep styles in place. Make up can take up to an hour!

We were then led in to the studio, familiar to us from the viewer's perspective. We were surprised to see that the room itself was split into three areas with the news studio to one side, the business and sport studio on the other and the weather map in the middle. BBC has just recently ended its long running relationship with the Met Office and forecasts are now in association with the Meteo Group with new graphics which have flattened out the weather map and allow us to see the islands moreto scale. Interestingly, we discovered that although the graphics are provided, the weather forecaster has no script, only a time clock! The presenter has to deliver the forecast in entirely his or her own words, but keep strictly to time. The weather presenters deliver thirty five weather broadcasts a day for BBC Scotland and start at 4am, so it is a demanding job.

In the main studio, we saw the auto-cue and the foot pedal which presenters themselves operate to keep the news rolling. An ear-piece keeps presenters in touch with the production team, who instruct them which of the five cameras to look at. Presenters have to develop the art of looking relaxed and at the camera, without giving the impression they are reading from the auto cue or listening to various voices talking (and sometimes screaming) in their ear!

Finally, we were led in to the Gallery, the mission control of the operation, where the director and other technical folks form a team behind the scenes, controlling and bringing together national, regional and local news.

Despite the rise of online news and social media, TV and radio news remain popular. Radio news, in particular, can be very important in crisis situations such as the recent snow storms, when people were trapped in cars for 24 hours with no power or internet coverage. There are specific

23 occasions when large numbers still turn to the news, such as elections, bad weather and storms and major political or national issues such as Brexit. During the recent "Beast from the East" red weather alert, Reporting Scotland had 914,000 viewers, the biggest number for eight years, since the last snow storms of January 2010, and more than double their average audience. 1.6 million also visited BBC news online that day.

All this gave a great insight into the mammoth amount of "behind the scenes" work which goes in to any news production.

Laura then proceeded to answer very eloquently a wide range of questions, a sample of which follow.  Do you have a Clothing allowance, or are you supplied any clothing? No, we buy our own clothes and are not allowed to accept gifts for reasons of advertising. Presenters receive periodic advice from a stylist, who advises on colours, hair length etc.

 Do weather forecasters choose the place names on the weather map? Not exactly. They are computer generated, but using a variety of small place names is an attempt to make people feel included.

 How does the BBC find sufficient reporters when a big news story breaks? Reporters are technically "on call" and are paid an allowance to be so. However, most reporters and camera men would instinctively want to be part of a major breaking news story and would make their way in to the studios, as happened on occasions like the Glasgow airport bombing or the Clutha helicopter crash.  Do you view social media as a benefit or a challenge, and how do

24 you know stories are true? If using a story coming from social media, it is essential to check it out. Laura would normally check a person's profile, then direct message or chat to them. It would be essential to get permission to use a photograph. In general, she would say that the benefits outweigh the challenges and it gives people a voice.

 What is your favourite "and finally" story? Probably the recent case of a couple getting married who couldn't get to their wedding venue because of the snow, and were diverted to Stirling Castle.

This brought to a close the last Forum meeting of the session, and indeed the last Forum meeting for which I will be responsible. The Forum was started fifteen years ago, in 2003, by Ronald Crawford who was enthusiastic to provide a platform for folks to get together and hear an address by an “expert” in some particular field, followed by an opportunity to question and debate the subject. Ronald led the Forum very successfully for some six years, at which time it fell to me to take it forward. Very quickly, I gathered a little team around me to help with ideas for speakers, chair meetings and write reports. The Forum has continued thus for another nine years. At present, Sheena Wurthmann and David Leslie are the only remaining team members. Both are keen to see the Forum continue, but not without more help. If you have any suggestions or are interested in seeing the Forum continue, please have a word with Sheena or David - they will be delighted to hear from you!

Catherine Nelson

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25 LIFE AND WORK

APRIL 2018 Easter Reflection from the Moderator of the General Assembly New Clarence McGonigall story by Ron Ferguson The Very Rev Albert Bogle explains how the resurrection invites us to prepare to encounter the risen Christ From Homelessness to Primus Interview with the Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church of Scotland On the Rails The work of the Railway Mission and recently-formed ‘Railway Pastors’ Tribute to Billy Graham By the Rev Jim Stewart, minister of Perth: Letham St Mark’s Home of a Vigorous Congregation John R Hume reports on the history of a spiritual and physical landmark in an Ayrshire village The Power of Place The Very Rev Dr John Chalmers highlights the importance of holy places How are you with God? In his final column as Moderator, the Rt Rev Dr Derek Browning highlights the unique selling point of the Church of Scotland Plus news, reviews, letters, registers and crosswords

Online visit us at www.lifeandwork.org for regular news and exclusive features, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @cofslifeandwork

Subscribe online from £12, or download a digital copy for £1.99; or speak to your church’s Life and Work coordinator.

26 Church Register

Death 4.3.2018 Mr Joe Welch District 17 Bruce Young

Disjunction 6568 Mr Scott Reynolds Monifieth DD5 4JP 6580 Mrs Fiona Reynolds as above District 91 Mabel Bell

FLOWER ROTA

April 1 Ron Dobson 8 Irene Carmichael 15 Irene Morton 22 Margaret Fear 29 Vicky Anderson

May 1 Sarah Sinclair Articles for the May edition of LINK should be with the Editor by Sunday 21 April.

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

27 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 0141 637 0591 Ronnie Mair [email protected] SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT Helen Illingworth DEED OF COVENANT, GIFT AID AND WEEKLY [email protected] FREEWILL OFFERING CONVENER Dennis Burt EDITOR OF LINK 0141 633 0309 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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