Hobkirk and Southdean Parish Church with Ruberslaw Parish Church PARISH PROFILE 1 Contents page Welcome p. 3 Location p. 4 Our Churches pp. 5-9 Our Villages pp. 10-12 What type of Minister are we looking for? p. 13 What the Churches offer to our Minister p. 13 The Manse pp. 14-15 Financial Status p. 16 Contacts p. 17 2 Welcome! The Nominating Committee of Hobkirk and Southdean linked with Ruberslaw welcome you to our Parish Profile. We believe we can offer you a rewarding ministry – not without its demands – and a high quality of life in the beautiful Scottish Borders. The rural charge of Hobkirk and Southdean Parish Church linked with Ruberslaw Parish Church became vacant on the retiral of Rev. Douglas Nicol on 5th April 2018 after nine years of ministry here. We hope that you find this Profile helpful in giving a broad impression of our parishes and showing what life and ministry within them would involve. Please do not hesitate to get in touch using the contact details at the end of the document. We will be delighted to hear from you and talk about any queries you may have. We would be happy to accompany you around our villages should you choose to arrange a visit. We offer you our prayers in what is an exciting time for us all and trust that God will guide us in our decision making. With very best wishes, Clive Bewley Chair of the Nominating Committee Hobkirk & Southdean Parish Church of Scotland: Charity No. SC060362 Ruberslaw Parish Church of Scotland: Charity No. SC034629 3 Location Map 1 Key: A. Hobkirk and Southdean - Areas 3 and 4 B. Ruberslaw - Areas 1, 2 and 5 4 Our Churches RUBERSLAW History The Ruberslaw Parish is made up of one congregation worshipping together in three Churches. Denholm Church was built as a Free Church in 1844 in the heart of the village next to the green. The small rectangular Church had its interior altered in 1957 and was refurbished in 2012. The adjoining Pitt Memorial Hall was built in 1892 and is the meeting place for many different groups and coffee mornings. In 1963 Denholm Parish was linked with the parish of Bedrule. Bedrule Church is on an ancient site overlooking the Rulewater Valley and in the shadows of Ruberslaw Hill. The Church has been rebuilt several times and the current building dates from 1914. The Church has many beautiful stained glass windows including the Guild centenary window installed in 1992. The parishes of Denholm and Bedrule were linked with Minto in 1975. Minto Church, designed by William Henry Playfair, dates from 1830 when the settlement of Minto was developed. An impressive war memorial stands behind the Church where the congregation gathers on Remembrance Sunday. 5 Bedrule, Denholm and Minto linked with Hobkirk and Southdean Parish in 2002. The Union of Ruberslaw combining Bedrule, Denholm and Minto was formed in 2003. Ruberslaw currently has 239 members and 13 adherents, with 35 regularly attending morning worship. The Ruberslaw Kirk Session meets three times a year and once jointly with Hobkirk and Southdean Session, in Denholm Church Hall. There are 17 elders. There is a Congregational Board comprising of nine elders and six elected members meeting three times a year. The congregations are not large but there is a strong core of dedicated members who are involved in various capacities in Church life and volunteer readily for a range of tasks. The Ruberslaw Guild meets regularly over the course of the year in Denholm Church Hall. Lenten lunches are organised in March/April with the proceeds going to the work of Christian Aid. Worship Life Ruberslaw Parish Church meets weekly for Sunday morning worship in rotation around the three Churches. A printed order of service is prepared each week which includes the intimations. The service follows a traditional pattern with praise from CH3, Songs of God’s People and Common Ground and there are New English Bibles on the pews. All Churches have an organ with a regular organist. The Church has a portable data projector which is used occasionally in worship. Tea and coffee is served in the Churches after the 9.30 am services. Communion is celebrated three times a year at the morning service. There is a Worship Group which leads a Café Church three times a year in Denholm Village Hall and is available on occasion to take services in the absence of a Minister. A Church calendar is published annually detailing the times and venues of the services in both parishes. Details of the weekly services are published in the Hawick Paper and on the website which is shared with Hobkirk and Southdean. Additionally, a group of distributors deliver the Parish News, a joint publication of the charge, to all homes in the villages. 6 There are three joint services a year hosted alternately by Hobkirk and Southdean and Ruberslaw. As well as the weekly Sunday services there are additional special services. A Spring Lambing service encourages our links with the farming community and Easter is celebrated with a sunrise service on the summit of Ruberslaw, a hill which can be viewed from each of the Churches. Three baptisms and four marriages were held in the Ruberslaw Churches during 2017. There are eight weddings scheduled for the various Churches through until 2020. The Church of Scotland is the only denomination within the parishes. Pastoral Care The Minister regularly visits parishioners in their homes, the Borders General Hospital, Hawick Community Hospital and local care homes. The Minister takes services in Bonchester Care Home monthly. They are also on a rota for Knowesouth Care Home once or twice a year. The Minister takes home communion to members at their request. Elders visit members and adherents in their homes prior to communion services. Pastoral issues are brought to the attention of the Minister by elders, members of the congregation or neighbours. There were seven funerals in the parish in 2017. Christian Education There are currently no Sunday Schools within the parish which has been the situation for a number of years. There is a Boys’ Brigade Company which meets in the Church hall in Denholm and takes part in a number of the services including Christmas. Branches of the Girl Guides are invited for Thinking Day services. The Minister is School Chaplain of Denholm Primary School and is on the chaplaincy team at Hawick High School. As well as regular visits to the schools, the primary school comes to the Church for three end-of-term services. 7 HOBKIRK AND SOUTHDEAN Hobkirk and Southdean are united and work very closely together in all community and Church activities. Hobkirk Church is the main site of worship. It has been our site of worship for 900 years with the present Church built in 1866. Southdean Church is used for approximately six services a year plus special occasions. The present Church was built in 1876 and features some fine stained glass. There are the remains of two ancient Churches in the area including Souden Kirk. An annual service is held at Souden to commemorate the Battle of Otterburn. The combined membership of the congregation is 130, with a regular attendance of 20-25. The active Kirk Session of Hobkirk and Southdean keeps in touch with members of the community by visiting and distributing the Parish Newsletter to all households. The website is shared with Ruberslaw. 8 The main fund raisers for the Church have included The Big Breakfast, the Parish Barbecue and a St Andrew’s Day Concert. All are enjoyed by the wider community and support and promote the Church. The congregation is active in practical support for the Church. Coffee/tea and home baking are served after the service on the first Sunday in the month. There was 1 wedding in 2017 and there are 3 weddings scheduled through to 2020. One baptism and 4 funerals took place in 2017. We are fortunate to be able to share our organist with the Ruberslaw congregation and love to sing. The books we use are CH3, Songs of God’s People and Common Ground and there are pew Bibles (New English Bible). 9 Our Villages HOBKIRK AND SOUTHDEAN A warm welcome awaits a Minister in Hobkirk and Southdean. We are confident that we are a welcoming, tolerant and sociable community with our Church open to everyone. Hobkirk and Southdean is a scattered rural community including the expanding villages of Bonchester Bridge and Chesters. The main industry is farming and the Church has strong farming links. We have an annual Lambing Service held at a local farm and Harvest Festival has real meaning within our farming community. Hobkirk School has closed and our children are now taken to Denholm Primary, so the school chaplaincy is special to us in enhancing the link between our Church and the school. There is always something going on in our vibrant community. The two village halls of Southdean and Bonchester Bridge offer a wide range of social activities. The halls are well equipped and available for clubs or groups of all ages. Southdean Show and Rulewater Flower show are both well-established local events in our calendar. There is also an active SWI and the Guild meets regularly from October to April often holding open evenings with interesting speakers. Their May coffee morning and plant sale is a popular event and makes a valuable contribution to Church funds. Bonchester Care Home is in Bonchester Bridge, where both staff and residents appreciate the monthly service held at the home and chaplaincy visits.