David
A WORD FROM MAX LUCADO. FINDING GOOD IN BAD.
Wish good for those who harm you; Wish them well and do not curse them. ROMANS 12 : 14.
It would be hard to find someone worse than Judas. Some say he was a good man with a backfired strategy. I don’t buy that. The Bible says, “Judas ..... was a thief” (John 12:6). The man was a crook. Somehow he was able to live in the presence of God and experience the miracles of Christ and remain unchanged. In the end he decided he’d rather have money than a friend, so he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver ..... Judas was a scoundrel, a cheat a bum. How could anyone see him any other way. I don’t know, but Jesus did. Only inches from the face of his betrayer, Jesus looked at him and said, “Friend, do what you came to do” (Matt. 26:50). What Jesus saw in Judas as worthy of being called a friend, I can’t imagine. But I do know that Jesus does not lie, and in that moment he saw something good in a very bad man ....... He can help us do the same with those who hurt us.
Christian Aid Events - 2016 As we approach the festive period, The Christian Aid Team would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support in 2015 We have a couple of events coming up in the new year. We are planning to hold a coffee morning early in the new year. We don’t have a date yet but will keep you informed when we have more details. Something new for 2016! We will be hosting a contemporary Christian music night here at M.P.N. This will be a celebration of some of the wonderful worship music available now. This event will be suitable for all ages and we really do hope you will be able to come along and enjoy the music whilst supporting Christian Aid. The Christian Aid Team would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful 2016.
THE GUILD Members of the Guild have just enjoyed the uplifting experience of being part of a packed church, singing hymns of praise to our Lord. This was the ‘Big Sing’ in St Nicholas Church on the 19th of November. 81 Guilds from all over Ayrshire were represented. Guild members from all 3 Ayrshire Presbyteries introduced their favourite hymns and read passages from the Bible. This was the highlight of ‘Guild Week’. The previous week we enjoyed an illustrated talk by Abi. This session closes with our Christmas Party on the 10th December. Our Topic this year is ‘Go in Peace’ – sadly the world is even less peaceful and our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are suffering. We pray that 2016 brings more peace to the world. The Guild supports 2 projects every year –one home project –‘Street Pastors’ and one overseas project – supporting a charity aiming to ‘break the cycle of Female Genital Mutilation in a region of Kenya. Two of our church members will be part of the local ‘Street Pastors’ who will be out on the streets of Ayr and Prestwick in December. We had a special collection at the end of worship on the 15th November for ‘Street Pastors’. Thank you to all who contributed. We will be delighted to welcome everyone to one of the following meetings next year. 7th January 21st January 4th February 18th February 3rd March 17th March
Travels with Malcolm Salvation Army Pusong Pinoy Fun Zumba Chaplain of Barlinnie AGM &Daffodil Tea
Malcolm Yates Captain Cheryl Stone Douglas Inness Fiona Young Rev Eddie Simpson
All meetings are in the small hall at 2pm. Hope to see you there. Margaret Goodlad
BLYTHSWOOD CARE SHOW BOX APPEAL 2016.
Once again can I thank all those who contributed to this years’ appeal. The Church family and also some others who use our halls contributed 73 boxes. A huge thank you is extended to those who kindly donated cash, knitted garments and bags of various stationery items, toiletries etc. These gifts are greatly appreciated by both adults and children who would otherwise receive very little this Christmas. Jeanette Munro
CHRIST IN ACTION As the excitement of Christmas approaches and the festivities of the season get underway, it may seem that we are more interested in what and how many presents we are going to get. Let us remember that we are celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Born in a lowly stable in the most demeaning of circumstances. He became human to serve others and died so others could live. We give gracious thanks and praise for Jesus, the most precious of gifts. For the many blessings and lessons we each have received throughout the year, we glorify and praise His holy name. Foodbank Update – Increasing Numbers We have seen a year on year increase in the numbers of the people/families being referred to the C.I.A. for assistance. 2015 has been no different. With over 200,000 Scots living in poverty and 90,000 children living in severe poverty and material deprivation, the need is greater than ever. Why People Use Food banks There are many varied reasons why people and families are referred to Food banks. However, it will almost certainly be preceded by a sudden financial loss (loss of job, illness, cut in Benefits, Benefit Sanctions, awaiting processing of a claim, transfer to a new claim) any of which, can turn the situation into an acute crisis, leaving little or no money with which to buy food. The situation becomes chronic when Sanctions are applied and money is stopped completely. Although no foodbank can in itself solve the problems of unemployment, broken relationships, homelessness, addictions or debt, it does provide the vital breathing space necessary for the person or family to get the special help or intervention they need. Still Evolving
Over the last 3 plus years, the C.I.A. has naturally evolved and been directed into areas we had never envisaged. For example:Health and Hygiene packs – to provide the items necessary for day to day cleanliness. Fuel poverty – to help people caught up in the cycle of fuel debt. Baby items – to provide milk, nappies, food and clothes. Adult clothing – for people arriving with nothing at Homeless Hostels. Christmas presents for children of families in crisis. Outreach Foodbank The C.I.A. have recently set up a mini outreach food bank/clothing exchange at Newton Primary/Nursery School in Ayr. The resource is open to any family in crisis who have children at the School. It is manned by C.I.A volunteers for three hours a week during term time. Referral to the resource is through the School.
We are supporting the School [CAN] cheap and nutritious healthy eating initiative and looking at ways the children can be involved in supporting the food bank resource as a community initiative. The children at the school have recently designed a 2016 logo for the Food bank. Some of
their amazing art work is displayed on the MPN Church web site.
This was the winning Entry - above The prizes were presented to the Children by their School Chaplain Rev. Dr. Abi T.Ngunga Community Involvement We have recently been asked by Skills Development Scotland who have partnered with Enable, if some of their students could be involved with C.I.A. Foodbank. This is to enable the students to complete a part of their employment course work “Engagement within the Community”. We are in talks with them at present to look at ways in which we can support this initiative. First Official Fund raiser. In January 2015, Christ In action became a Charity in its own right. On the 19th September 2015, we had our first official C.I.A. Fundraiser at MPN Church Halls in Prestwick. So many of the Church family and friends worked hard to make the event successful. Micky Mouse made an impromptu appearance in the Kidz Zone where Shannon was painting faces and Patricia was selling toys, books and games, whilst others enjoyed the Bouncy Castle. The Stalls in the Main Hall included home baking, bric a brac, fancy goods, household items and the “Friendsheep Knitting Group Stall”.
Refreshments of tea, coffee and shortbread were served and the Scottish Quiz was won by Mary Dougan. As the C.I.A. work continues to increase, costs also inevitably increase. We know however that God will not give us the work without providing the necessary resources to carry it out. It therefore came as no surprise that despite being a bank holiday weekend and a decision to make it a 3 hour event, the wonderful sum of £1,209.10p was raised. The entry fee to the event was a tin of food and Yes - the trolley was filled to overflowing.
We give thanks and pray Gods richest blessings on every single person both in and outwith the church family who have supported and continue to support the C.I.A. Food bank in so many ways. C.I.A. Team November 2015
Faith means that you have peace even when you don’t have all the answers. Love the people who saw you when you were invisible to everyone else. Nothing is really lost until your Mum can’t find it.
Pioneer Cafe As you may know the cafe has been forced to close on a number of days in November and December. This was not an easy decision but we simply did not have the staff to cover the days. It is hoped that in the New Year we will be able to return to our usual opening hours but this will not be possible unless we can find some more volunteers. The cafe provides a valuable focus and presence in Monkton for our Church. Many of our regular customers rely upon us, knowing that there is always a warm welcome and a willingness to provide friendship and support as well as an affordable meal. The cafe is often the first contact that people have with our Church and is a chance for us to demonstrate what Christian love and service really means, in action. We can no longer sit in our Church saying 'why are people not joining us?', we need to get out into our community so they can get to know us and have opportunities to tell them about Jesus, and the cafe is an excellent chance to do this. There are many different ways that you could support the cafe. We know that one obstacle to volunteering is not knowing what you are actually signing up to so I would like to take this opportunity to give some details of ways that you can help. First is actually working in the cafe, sometime between Monday and Friday 9.30am-3.30pm. The level of commitment can be from an hour a fortnight to a day a week. Training is provided and you will not be forced to do anything that you are not comfortable with, including working the till which seem to be people's biggest fear! It would also be helpful to have names of people who would be willing to cover holidays as currently if someone is away then volunteers have to do extra hours, which is not always possible. Perhaps you could do a couple of hours during the school holidays, a time when many of our volunteers are needed at home to help with childcare? One of the most popular aspect of the cafe is our delicious homemade soup and home baking. We need between 6 and 10 pots of soup a week, so even a pot a month would be extremely helpful. We can provide large tubs, large pots, recipes, stock, expenses to cover ingredients and help transporting. Soup can be left in the church kitchen freezer or be brought to Sunday services, the Gathering, or Messy Church. To comply with Food Hygiene regulations soup must be completely vegetarian- no meat, meat stock or meat stock cubes, and we need an ingredient list. Lentil, Broth and Chunky vegetable soups are our biggest sellers but more modern soups like Courgette and Brie or Carrot and Coriander sell well too. Baking can be anything from the most simple to the beautifully elaborate. Everything is gratefully received. e are very lucky to have several regular bakers and customers love the wonderful selection that we are able to offer. One item that has been missing from our menu since Jane Harkness’ retirement is Macaroni Cheese. Jane used to make us a big pot of delicious macaroni which was then frozen in portions and offered as a special when in stock. This is something that is often asked for and would be fantastic to be able to offer again. We can help with ingredients, containers and transport. My last appeal for help is with our Annual Deep Clean. Each year we take a day to give the whole cafe a good spring clean. The of jobs we try to do varies from washing walls and windows to polishing the sugar bowls so there is something for all abilities. We always need help with heavy lifting too as we like to clean behind bridges and move all the tables out to really clean the floor so if cleaning is not your thing but you could help with this that would also be great. This is usually a fun day believe it or not, and many hands make light work. This year we plan to clean on Monday 4th January, so please consider if you could spare an hour or two on this day.
We are blessed with many wonderful volunteers who give up their time, talents and money to serve God and support the cafe, for whom we are so very grateful. The Cafe could not open without them and it would be missed by so many so please, consider if there is anything that you could help with. If you can help or for more details please see any of the Cafe Management Team- Mary Yuille, Pat Riach, Robert Gibson and Sandi Munro.
Church Flowers
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who kindly made donations towards the Church flowers over the past year. The flower list for 2016 will be on the Chancel from Sunday 5th December, you will find it on the small table just in front of the font. If you would like to commemorate an occasion or anniversary with flowers in Church please put your name at the date/dates of your choice. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the ladies and gentlemen of the flower team who cheerfully deliver the flowers after the service each Sunday, they do a tremendous job and their kindness means a great deal to everyone they visit. If you should hear of anyone who is ill, bereaved, housebound or just needs cheering up, I would be very grateful if you could please let me know and I will be very happy to deliver flowers on behalf of the Church family. If you don't manage to catch me in Church please just give me a call at the following number. 01292 479472. Margaret Ferguson Flower Convenor
LAUGHTER is the sun that drives Winter from your face. A diamond is a chunk of coal that was made good under pressure. We can’t all be stars, but we can all twinkle. Begin to weave and God will give you the thread.
ASHGROVE HOME IMPROVEMENTS. Kitchens, Bathrooms, Bedrooms and Marble Fireplaces, Stockists of Wall Panels and floor. We also cater for the less abled. Our specialist staff will tailor a design to meet your needs, and help inspire you to create the home of your dreams. New showroom at 21 Mackintosh Place, South Newmoor Ind. Estate, Irvine KA11 4JT. Tel. 01294 211888. Open 7 days. www.ashgrovehomeimprovements.co.uk
Our MP held a surgery at Monkton recently and Robert managed to get her details if anyone needs to contact her.
SINCERE THANKS It has taken me some time to get my head round the events of the past few weeks, and still can’t quite believe it. However, due to the outstanding medical care I received, and also the constant love and support from my wonderful wife, from Scott, Nicola, family and friends, I am making a good recovery—managing to get out for the odd coffee and when the weather allows, a few walks. I would like to take this opportunity to thank most sincerely, members of our Church family for the abundance of cards, prayers, messages and good wishes following my recent spell in hospital. I have been overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness and thoughtfulness. I am delighted to say I am getting stronger each day and for once, doing as I’m told! I’m hoping to be back at the organ in January, and look forward to seeing everyone again. In the meantime, I know Moira, Scott and Nicola join me in wishing you all every blessing as we approach the festive season. Now .......... Must get back to daytime TV .......... Is it bargain hunt today or 60 minute makeover?..... Well, let’s see! Many blessings, David Watson.
Elaine’s Childminding Services Registered Childminder 23 years experience in Early Year Education Open Days available on request Contact:Elaine Wardrop 155 Adamton Road South Prestwick 01292 670513 Mobile 07526128194 wardrop.elaine@gmail.com
LUNCH CLUBS Christmas is almost upon us again and we are already looking forward to the second half of the Lunch Club season. Please join us if you can at either Prestwick or Monkton and you will receive a warm welcome. As always we don’t meet in January, but dates for the first half of 2016 are as follows and we hope to see you there for food and fellowship. PRESTWICK
MONKTON
February
3rd
18th
March
2nd
17th
April
6th
21st
May
4th
19th
June
1st
16th
“The Eskimo has fifty-two names for snow because it is important to them; there ought to be as many for love” Margaret Atwood. “Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
1ST MONKTON AND PRESTWICK GIRLS BRIGADE The Girls Brigade has had a brilliant start to the term with a fantastic sleepover at St Meddans Church in Troon with 19 girls and 4 officers. There was a treasure trail around Troon , blindfold chocolate tasting, a fish supper takeaway and then the girls entertained us by singing and dancing all evening. The whole Company wants to do this again so we will make this an annual event. This has been followed by Sewing Workshops hosted by Claire Docherty , knitted Poppy Craft by Sandra Taylor, and a visit by popular entertainer Brian Mitchell with his circus skills workshop and science/gospel show. The total raised by the girls on selling their knitted poppies was £36 which was then passed on to Erskine Hospital. A total of 12 infusion pump bags have been completed so far for distribution to the Beatson. 15 shoeboxes were handed in by the girls again a very good total and more than last years. Service badge work has been the focus of the last few months and as you can see the girls have done extremely well. I was very pleased this year with the excellent turnout by the girls at both the Harvest and Remembrance Church Services . The Explorers are busy learning a new drama/song of the nativity and also making their Christmas crafts. The Juniors have completed their Spiritual topic for this term ‘Harvest for the world’ and their inter squad discussions were focused on world poverty . The Juniors are starting their healthy eating Topic in January with a talk by Fairtrade representative Margaret Goodlad followed later in the month by an outside visit to a local supermarket where they will be choosing toppings to make their own pizzas. A visit to the library in February and an outing to Ten Pin Bowling are also planned. Two of our older Juniors who are the squad leaders enjoyed a craft workshop at Rozelle and I took our senior Brigaders to a Firewall concert in Stewarton and a planning meeting at Macdonalds earlier this month. The Brigaders will be organising our St Andrews evening at the end of November with both a spiritual and physical content and a piper has been booked for the occasion. At the start of the session the Brigaders studied the history behind the hymn Amazing Grace and researched their own favourite hymn and presented their findings. They also looked at the health benefits of walking and have looked at and discussed the effects of alcohol in young people and this will be followed up with a visit from a health professional in the next session.
Can I please ask you to support our evening on the 25th January where we are fundraising for Cancer Support as this is our chosen charity this year. Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to next year’s programme which commences on January 11th 2016. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Susan Christie Captain.
Monkton Pioneer Café
Do you want a relaxed place to meet up with friends for coffee or lunch? Do you want to be served by friendly, helpful staff? Do you want a bit of company or someone to chat to? THEN LOOK NO FURTHER! ! ! The church café offers all this and food! Homebaking, Homemade Soups and a range of lunchtime meals
We’ll be there Mon-Fri 10am – 3pm – so when will you be there? (Cafe closed for festive season 16th December to 11th January)
We were recently invited to take part in a Messy Church Networking event for Ayr Presbytery. This was an opportunity for different Messy Churches to meet with congregations who are considering starting their own Messy Churches. We began by sharing a meal together, followed by crafts, and finishing with a story and worship time. The idea was for the attendees to experience a session of Messy Church, with the chance to ask questions. It was surprising how keen many of the adults were to join in with the craziness that is Messy Church. One craft table was face painting and there were many who left beautifully adorned, although only one person went for the full face painted! Our table was 2 activities from our last Messy Church session involving the plagues suffered by the Eqyptians, and Passover. We had a Seder tasting plate and two 'Messy Feely Boxes' which people had to put their hands in and guess which plague was represented. It was a lot of fun and really encouraging to see how many churches are reaching out to their communities through Messy Church. Our November Messy Church fell on the same day as Prestwick Lighting Up day so we moved to Prestwick for the day. We joined together with New Life who did a beautiful Christmas Experience story time, followed by our crafts and tea and coffee for the adults. We had a great turn out and it was lovely to see the hall full of families. Our next Messy Church will be on December 27th when we will be having our Christmas Party. Lots of food, fun and crafts so please do join us if you can. Love and blessings, the Messy Church Team.
Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet. Don’t lose hope. When it gets the darkest the stars come out. Learn to enjoy the little things there are so many of them. Your life may be the only Bible some people read, God speaks to those who take time to listen.
Our Friendsheep Knitting Group meets each Wednesday 2.30-4.00pm in the Session Room at MPN Church. We share coffee and fellowship whilst knitting and sharing our skills. We are a mixed group from beginners to experienced knitters and everything in between! We are involved in several projects and are also open to any suggestions or ideas about any other projects we could get involved in. We continue to knit our squares, our basket sits on top of our unit and any completed squares go in there, they are then collected each Sunday and sewn up to make blankets of varying sizes. The Christ In Action Foodbank then have access to the blankets and if they come across anyone requiring a blanket they will take it to them. We have also started to make up little “knitting bundles”( 4 or 5 items sent together as a little gift) these have gone to families who access the new foodbank hub at Newton Primary. Recently we were knitting slippers, gloves, hats and scarves for the shoebox appeal, a large bag of knitted items was uplifted along with the shoeboxes. We have had a stall at Prom Day, CIA Funday and we intend to have a stall occasionally on a Sunday after morning worship. Please come along and see what we are doing. If you know of anyone who would benefit from any of our knitted items, please feel free to take them from the boxes in the Session Room, along with a compliments slip which you will find on top of our boxes. Please come along if you are free any Wednesday and join us ,there is no need to bring anything, we have patterns, needles, wool, etc. We also have some embroidery, cross stitch and rug making. We’d love to see you and you will receive a very warm welcome. For further information please see Catherine McCormick or Elaine Wardrop or call 857153. Thank you for your continued support. The Friendsheep Knitting Group
DISCOVERY
Coffee Buddies Coffee Buddies meet every 2nd Thursday in Sainsbury’s Café from 1.30-2.30pm. Some of our friends from Sutherland House come along. This is a wonderful, relaxed opportunity to just come along, build relationships and just share fellowship together. This really is for everyone, why not pop along for a wee cuppa, we’d love to see you there. We Can Help Project We are delighted to announce our new joint project with GE is now up and running. A team of volunteers from GE recently redecorated the Dayroom facility at Lichtenfels Gardens. They did a fantastic job and we are delighted to be partnering with them and excited about working together again very soon. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Together with our awesome God, we really can make a difference!
Church Cooker To all who have made a donation towards a replacement cooker range for the Church kitchen, please accept our grateful thanks. As usual, when an emergency arises our Church Family respond magnificently. By the time you read this, I’m expecting to have the new cooker installed so that Jeanette & her team can cook up her usual, fabulous lunch for the December Lunch Club. (other caterers are available, just not up to our Lunch Club standard) Your generosity has made this much easier to achieve. Your financial support to the Lords work is very much appreciated Robert Gibson Church Treasurer property@mpnchurch.org.uk
A GOD CENTRED, FORWARD LOOKING CHURCH FAMILY, FULL OF LIFE AND UNAFRAID OF CHANGE Monkton and Prestwick North Parish Church of Scotland Charity Registered in Scotland Charity number - SC004271
AV TEAM
The AV Team are looking for some new recruits! Are you interested in technology….then the AV Team is for you ! The AV Team are responsible for operating the laptop, the sound desk and recording our worship services. If you are interested in one of these areas but not all three, that’s absolutely fine and we’d love you to join us. We will be holding a couple of training sessions in the near future and we will announce dates for these, if you think you might be interested, why not pop along to the training, then you can decide if it’s for you. We have a team and work on a rota basis, therefore it’s not a huge commitment. Please speak to a member of the team or phone 07526128194 for more information . Thank you
I found this in a friendship book. I like words, they are endlessly fascinating. So, when the British Council conducted a poll asking more than forty thousand English speakers in forty six countries what their favourite word was I was intrigued. There were lots of good words to be found in the top twenty, such as cherish, blossom and tranquillity, but the number one word took me by surprise. Then, when I thought about it, I was surprised that I had been surprised. What other word would possibly mean so much to so many people of different races, creeds and colours? It’s the word that goes straight to the heart of all of us. It was MOTHER.
MINISTER Rev. David Clarkson Telephone : 01292 471379 Email : minister@mpnchurch.org.uk
BIBLE STUDY Wednesday 10.30 am Margaret Thomson Telephone : 01292 477045
SESSION CLERK James U Riach Telephone : 01292 476458 Email : james@jriach2.fsnet.co.uk
BOYS’ BRIGADE Friday pm (Various) Pat Simpson Telephone : 01292 477289
TREASURER/HALL BOOKINGS Robert Gibson Telephone : 01292 479248 Email : property@mpnchurch.org.uk
GIRLS’ BRIGADE Monday 6.00 pm Sue Christie Telephone : 07751219601
ORGANIST David Watson Telephone : 01292 314867
GUILD Thursday 2.00 pm Margaret Goodlad Telephone : 01292 470903
CHURCH OFFICE Telephone : 01292 678810 Email : office@mpnchurch.org.uk KIRK SESSION COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES Discipleship Sam Gilmour Telephone : 01292 470614 Fabric & Finance Allan McBain Telephone : 01292 479092 Outreach Margaret McBain Telephone : 01292 479092 Pastoral Care Jim Riach Telephone : 01292 476458 Worship Scott Wardrop Telephone : 01292 670513
KIDDIEWINKLES Monday 10.00 am Elaine Gilbert Telephone : 07734806812 TOTS-TOWN Wednesday 10.00 am Monkton Community Church Leigh Flanagan Telephone : 07545050190 THE YOUNG CHURCH Sunday 11.00 am Lesley McCarrell Telephone : 01292 477779 Duncan Campbell Telephone : 01292 435020