THE MAGAZINE OF
NEW LAIGH KIRK Church of Scotland KILMARNOCK Scottish Charity No.:SC031334
MARCH 2019
“A caring welcoming church at the heart of Kilmarnock reaching out to all”
Minister: Rev. David S Cameron, 1 Holmes Farm Road, Kilmarnock (Tel.: 525416) Session Clerk: Mr Derek I’Anson Depute Clerk: Mrs Margaret Patterson Community and Families: Amy Hannah Community and Youth: Bethany McCaw Pastoral Care Worker: Morgan Johnston 1
CHURCH CALENDAR SUNDAY 11.00 a.m. 11.00 a.m.
5.30 to 7.30 p.m. MONDAY 7.15 p.m. 8.00 p.m.
MORNING WORSHIP Crèche (0 to 3 years) Junior Kingz (age 3-primary 3) and Senior Kingz (primary 4-primary 7) Contact: Amy Hannah (07980 665432) TrekkersNG (11-17 years) Contact: Bethany McCaw (07827 816405) See Youth activities programme Contact: Bethany McCaw (07827 816405) Guild (every second Monday) Contact: Elinor MacKillop (525223) Highlights Klub (1 Monday per month – see Syllabus) Contact: Mrs Angela Mitchell (534622) or Mrs Eileen Murphy (543488)
TUESDAY 10.15 to 11.15 a.m. Tots Praise (Babies - 4 year olds) Contact: Amy Hannah (07980 665432) 2.00 p.m. Music and Movement Contact: Christine Kinnell (535190) or Jean Mulholland (403891) 7.00 p.m. Badminton Club Contact: Mr Alan I’Anson (07949 169051) 7.00 p.m. Congregational Board Meeting Contact: Mrs Elizabeth Young (540339) 7.00 p.m. Session Meeting (Dates as arranged) Contact: Mr Derek I’Anson (521445) WEDNESDAY 2.00 p.m. Friendship Group (downstairs second Wednesday of each month) Contact: Mrs Margaret Laird (525732) 6.00 to 7.00 p.m. Rainbows 6.30 to 8.00 p.m. Brownies Contact: Sheena Baillie (531440) 7.30 to 9.00 p.m. Guides Contact: Emma Johnstone (07853 240753) THURSDAY 2.00 p.m. Guild of Friendship (every second Thursday) Contact: Janette Howard (529005) 7.00 p.m. Vestry Contact: Rev. David S Cameron (525416)/Mr Derek I’Anson (521445) 7.30 p.m. Choir Contact: Mr Martin Sharp (524133) FRIDAY 6.00 to 7.30 p.m. Boys’ Brigade Anchor Boys (5 to 8 years) St. Andrew’s and St. Marnock’s Halls Contact: Mrs Michelle Taylor (529266) 7.00 to 9.00 p.m. Boys’ Brigade Junior Section (8+ to 11 years) St. Andrew’s and St. Marnock’s Halls Contact: Elaine Park (533464) 7.00 to 9.30 p.m. Boys’ Brigade Company Section (11+ to 18 years) New Laigh Kirk Hall Contact: Mr David McDonald (544037)
Safeguarding Co-ordinators: John and Jamila McDowall Safeguarding Panel Members: John Dale, Bill Sherry and Ellen Stewart
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New Laigh Kirk Manse March 2019 Hello. I’m pleased the dark months of winter are beginning to move over to springtime. Bulb shoots will begin to burst out of the ground as leaves and shoots bud and burst with springtime colour. There’s a freshness about spring that helps us move from the dead of winter to life giving hope of spring. It is the season of Lent - Lent of course means springtime. The real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare us for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ. It is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. The better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. The seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives however are often marked by the continuation of worry, anxiety and illness. To desire a life that is worry free is in all likelihood to dream the impossible dream. 6 out of 10 people worry intensely for at least 90 minutes every day. It may be about our marriages, children, jobs, mortgages, health, friends or a host of other issues. Whatever the source, worry is an emotion with which all of us are familiar. Jesus had a lot to say about worry and how to deal with the sort of anxiety that takes the joy out of life. “Why are you anxious ...? What good does it do? Which one of you by being anxious can add a single hour to your life? What good does most of our worrying do? What does it ultimately accomplish? What are our priorities? What are we anxious about?”
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Perhaps the most unforgivable thing about worry is that it is a waste of time and we don’t improve the given situation one bit by doing it. Coping with worries and all the courage that entails, we should try and get our concerns into perspective for at some point in the future we will see that these insurmountable mountains were mole hills after all. Jesus looks at the flowers of springtime, flowers which have one spectacular shot at living their lives, and in that fleeting flash there is beauty and meaning and joy. Each one of them is unique and irreplaceable, but they are part of something much bigger than themselves. Jesus was saying, value life itself with all its possibilities, with all its varied experiences, with all its encounters. All Jesus asks us to do is to live - just live. If serious illness is facing you or a loved one, live fully and deeply anyway. Poverty and injustice and political paralysis seem to be gripping the world and our country, live prayerfully anyway. Old age is creeping up on you diminishing your power and your energy, live thankfully anyway. The relationships and dreams that have grounded your life are crumbling and disappearing, live with hope and expectation for the new thing God is doing anyway. Trust in God always, and in valuing life, then the things we need for life, food, clothes and shelter, will find their proper place. God greatly values the birds of the air, he greatly values the flowers of the field, because he created them and he values you even more. These are God's days, leave them to God and by his grace you’re going to make it. Look at the birds of the air. Enjoy the period of reflection through the season of Lent, especially enjoy the freshness and purity of spring. With prayerful good wishes
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At the last Kirk Session meeting the main topic of conversation was to discuss and update Kirk Session on the Presbytery plans within Kilmarnock and district including the rural areas. The Moderator explained the process for developing a new Presbytery plan for the allocation of a reduced number of ministries by 2023. A meeting of ministers and office bearers of churches outwith the Irvine area had considered four proposals and had selected two which will be considered at their next meeting on 21st January. In small groups Kirk Session members discussed the two remaining options. Seven groups chose option 3, which consists of unions, linkages and the dissolution of one congregation. In this option New Laigh Kirk and St John’s Church would unite in a parish which could include the Southcraigs estate. Two groups preferred the more radical option 1, featuring Hub church groups encompassing existing congregations, plus a new charge at Southcraigs. One group voted by a majority for option 3, but one member expressed the view that neither option is sufficiently radical and in either case, the situation would have to be revisited in a few years’ time.
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It was agreed that, in view of this discussion, New Laigh Kirk’s representatives at the next planning meeting will support option 3, possibly with minor adaptations. A further Presbytery meeting was held on 21st January and Senior Office Bearers from NLK attended. Mrs Fiona Richardson tendered her resignation as an Elder to take up a post abroad. Although her tenure as an Elder was short, the Kirk Session wished her well and thanked her for her support. The next Kirk Session meeting will be held on 19th March 2019. Derek I’Anson. Session Clark
Badminton The badminton club are back up and running after the festive break. We meet in the lower halls on Tuesday nights from 7.15pm till 9.00pm. We enjoy our games and have a laugh. For all ages (over 16) and abilities. Alan I’Anson 07949169051
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Thank you to everyone who supported the Company in our fundraising activities in November, the Coffee Morning and Flag week were a great success. Before Christmas the Junior Section had a great time when they went to the Pantomime at the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr to see Aladdin. And everyone came back in one piece from trips to “Flip out” the trampoline experience in Glasgow and the ski centre at Newmilns where the boys tried Skiing, Snowboarding and Tubing. The Junior section hosted the Battalion quiz and were 1st and 2ⁿd, New Cumnock were 3rd. We are having a good run in the National Competitions, at the time of writing, the Masterteam Quiz lost out in a place in the Scottish Final by only 1 point, the U18 and U14 5-a-side teams have both reached the Scottish finals of the football, the Table Tennis and Badminton are in the last 8 teams in Scotland and the Chess team reached the last 4 teams in Scotland. This year’s Battalion Parade is on 17th March at St John’s Church in Onthank. We have 5 boys working towards their President’s Badge this year and 2 senior boys who are attending the Queen’s Badge completion course at the Tamar Manoukian Outdoor Centre at Dumfries House at the beginning of March.
Junior Section Boys who attended the Battalion quiz
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Update from Bethany McCaw Youth and Community Worker Trekkers
This term the teaching theme of Trekkers has been Jesus’ seven ‘I AM’ Statements. I am the Light of the World, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Bread of Life, and I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. These are all found in the book of John. The young people have enjoyed looking up all the verses where Jesus explains to his followers what these mean and realising how relevant his teaching still is to our lives today. Costa Wednesdays This term I’ve been meeting the young people on Wednesdays after school in Costa. This is our own small group where we catch up on the week, what’s going on at school and usually have a Bible based theme to discuss. We’ve very imaginatively named this Costa Wednesdays!
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Youth Service Trekkers have an upcoming youth led service on Sunday 10th March, and at the time of writing have just started preparations. If previous years are anything to go by, you’re in for a fun packed, faith filled service with lots of energy and input from the young people. College Chaplaincy I continue to be involved in the chaplaincy team at Ayrshire College in Hill Street. Our aim is to be a Christian presence in the college, to build relationships with students and be able to support them through life’s ups and downs. Although chaplaincy varies a bit term to term there’s currently a small team of us from different churches in Kilmarnock - youth workers, ministers, and church members. Representing New Laigh Kirk, the Baptist, Central Evangelical, St Joseph’s and the Salvation Army. I spend time at the college each Friday for two hours over lunch time. The majority of students I talk to at college are in their first few years of leaving school. They’ve often been infrequent school attenders and are now in access courses at college which are mostly practical courses with some activities designed to improve English and maths skills. These young people often don’t have many good role models in their lives and chaplaincy is a good time to connect with them, chat about a particular subject or whatever they are facing that week. If the opportunity arises the chat can turn to faith issues.
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I like to use a question written on the table as a conversation starter. Recently I had ‘Why do you think people find their religious beliefs difficult to talk about?’ I’ve previously used other questions like ‘If you had 24 hours left to live, what would you do?’ That sparked interesting conversations about people’s priorities in life. And another – ‘If you could ask God anything, what would you ask?’ These provide good opportunities to talk with students about life and faith. I would love to have some more input from church members, so if you have a couple of hours free on a Friday lunchtime every fortnight or every month and think you‘d be good at engaging students, I’d love to have you support college chaplaincy. Trekkers Coffee Morning is coming up on March 30th – as you know we like to plan a theme to make it a little more fun. The young people have yet to agree on a theme but I know that you’ll really enjoy what they come up with along with the usual fabulous home baking and chat. We’d love you to come along and support the young people. Thanks for your ongoing support, Bethany
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Update from Amy Hannah Communities and Family Hello everyone! Happy New Year! It’s a New Year and Kingz Kidz are in full swing already for the new term. Our Kingz Kidz Christmas events were a hit last year, as we all got in the festive mood. We had our “Deck the Halls and Movie Night”, where all our Kingz Kidz had the chance to decorate the upper hall with wrapping paper, tinsel, stars, crafts and of course a Christmas tree. All before sitting down to a Christmas movie with some snacks and hot chocolate to finish the night. Our junior Christmas Party was held in the upper hall and we had a great turnout of children playing games, making crafts and lots of eating! Our senior Kingz Kidz tried something a bit different for their Christmas Party last year; tubing! We all made a visit to Newmilns Snow and Sports Complex to zoom around in the snow. We all had a great time! We have kicked off the new term with a great start with our Kingz Kidz Coffee Morning raising over £800 in total! Thank you so much to everyone who helped, donated, baked and gave money to our event, it was a great morning. We had our Kingz Kidz team (including many of our junior and senior Kingz Kidz members) helping to sell cakes, toys, books, raffle tickets, handmade crafts as well as much more for the morning and all efforts seemed to have paid off. It is a joy to work with such a great team of people! Our junior Kingz Kidz sessions are focusing this term on the stories of the New Testament and the works and life of Jesus. Our seniors are following the stories from the services in order to connect the children more to the church as they grow in faith and age. Our first All Age of the year was at the end of February and we had a great time exploring a Bible story, playing games, making crafts, singing songs and of course, eating snacks. Our All Age services are from 11
10:55am-12:05pm, held in the John Finnie Street halls and are open for all children and young people to come along and enjoy! Our next All Ages are: March 24th and April 28th. We also have our Prize Giving Family Service on June 2nd and we encourage all families to come along to see our children and young people receive prizes for their dedication to faith and the church. Also, our Easter Club will run from Monday 8th until Wednesday 10th April from 10am-12pm and will be open for all children Primary 1-7 to come along and enjoy songs, games, stories and much more. If you would like to register your child/children for Easter Club, please let me know as soon as possible by email: amy_bh@hotmail.co.uk or contact number: 07980665432. Soon in New Laigh Kirk, we hope to start a Messy Church, for families to come along to enjoy time together for prayer, reflection, games, family time and a meal. We are looking for volunteers to help with this, so if you would like to be a part of this or help out in any way, please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you. NLK’s Community Choir is still running strong and developing each week! We continue to get new members join the choir and this term, we are working on material for our first big performance! We hope to run a concert by the choir in the church sometime in the summer and we cannot wait to sing for you all! All are welcome to join the choir with no financial obligation or musical prerequisite, so please come and join us or if you would like to help support, promote or be a part of the choir in any way, please be in touch.
Amy
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Prayer Group This year the service for the World Day of Prayer 2019 is being held in New Laigh Kirk on Friday, 1st March at 2pm. The service has been written by women from Slovenia and is entitled, “Come – Everything is ready.” And as I write this I do hope that many people from our Kirk and others will come along and that everything will be ready! Many of the older generation may remember that this was originally the Women’s World Day of Prayer and the services are written and, on the whole, still organised by women. However, everyone is invited to attend. The idea of the WDOP movement is that for the whole 24 hours of the first Friday in March, that service of praise and prayer will encircle the whole world, uniting and inspiring Christians everywhere. The theme this year is invitation, “Come, everything is ready.” Come to praise, thank and proclaim the kingdom of love. The invitation is grounded in the parable that Jesus told about a great dinner which was attended by those called off the streets, as those who had been invited sent their excuses. The community around the table is still not enough to fill the seats – there is still room. We are asked to consider who is missing from the table in our community. Who should we invite to share the table of our Lord? In the Church of Scotland there have recently been seasons of invitation – we have taken part in this here at New Laigh Kirk – with varying levels of success. The national church is faced with falling membership and difficulties in filling vacant charges. There was a call for a ‘radical action plan’ at the General Assembly in 2018 with the over-arching theme of Jesus’ call- “Follow Me!” It will be no easy task to meet the huge challenges faced by the Christian Church in general, and the Church of Scotland in particular. However, I was struck by this paragraph in an article in Life and Work in January, written by Sally Bonnar, convener of the Council of Assembly: “At the heart of the action plan must be a commitment to prayer, prayer for guidance, prayer for one another and, above all, prayer that 13
we will hear and act upon what God is saying to the Church at this time.” What can I say except, “Amen to that!” The Prayer Group continues to meet on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm in the church and I invite everyone to attend. Everyone!! If you cannot come in person, please place your prayer requests in the box in church or contact me on the church Facebook page, or via Messenger. It is our pleasure and privilege to bring your prayers before God. In the meantime, here are some topics for your own prayers: �� Give thanks for all those in the pews of our church on a Sunday morning and ask God to suggest to you who else you could invite. �� Give thanks for all the children and young people in our church and ask God to show us how to encourage and support them. �� Pray for all those in our community who feel excluded and isolated and pray for all the people and organisations who reach out to them. �� Pray for unity amongst Christian people of different churches in Scotland and tolerance of different religions. �� Pray for peace in our world – in minds, families, workplaces, communities, governments, countries. Everywhere! And please pray for the Prayer Group as we consider ways of developing the prayer life of our church! Lesley Wright.
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STAMPS I really must thank the various many members of the congregation who have given me stamps - not only on behalf of the charities they support but personally as well. The response has been truly wonderful and although I passed on hundreds, probably thousands, before Christmas you have contributed just as many to pass on once again. So for all your kind and thoughtful efforts my sincere thanks. Remember your Valentine and Easter and KEEP THEM COMING. Esther.
Gentlemen's Dinner Can I thank all gentlemen who attended the dinner in November and helped raise ÂŁ665.75 which was given to church funds. I hope all who attended enjoyed it and were entertained by both Raymond and Neil. We hope that this will lead to more such events in the future. Iain Sherry and Colin McCaw
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EACHa Each person matters Scottish Charity no: SC 036849
If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry And satisfy the needs of the oppressed Then your light will rise in the darkness And your night will become like noonday Isaiah 58:10
We have had a very busy few months at EACHa. In November we had a very successful bag packing day at Asda in Kilmarnock – raising funds and sharing information about our work with the customers. EACHa bag packing at Asda December was a whirlwind. We had our usual party for our drop-in attenders, where everyone left with a gift and parcel of food, courtesy of Asda, as well as our Christmas tea to thank our very committed 16
volunteers. Twelve congregations, including New Laigh Kirk, participated this year in the Christmas Gift Appeal. The gifts were delivered to our church over two Sundays in December, sorted by our volunteers and distributed by children’s workers to local families where there is often little spare money for Christmas presents. Once again, EACHa was invited by Kilmarnock FC Supporters’ Association to hold a ‘Bring a Gift’ day at the Kilmarnock v Dundee match on 15th December. This was by far the coldest, wettest day in December but we were overwhelmed by the generosity of the supporters and Kilmarnock FC staff. We had five full car loads of 'Bring a gift' at Rugby Park gifts, as well the Club’s van crammed full! Altogether, between the churches and the football supporters, around 1500 gifts were donated. Every single one went to a specific child, and every single one was very much appreciated. Sincere thanks to all who helped brighten Christmas for many families. 17
Our Action Plan, mentioned in the last magazine, now has teams of very committed people working on implementing its recommendations. We will keep you posted on progress. We continue to run our drop-in in our John Finnie Street halls on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. On 25th January, everyone enjoyed a Burns Lunch of haggis, neeps and tatties, courtesy of the Co-op and our own Charles Sim. We also very much appreciate the continued support of Asda, who have an in-store trolley for customers to donate food for our Wednesday drop-in. We’d be delighted to hear from you if you would like to volunteer with us. EACHa staff enjoying haggis and neeps
In particular we are short of helpers on Monday and Friday, just for an hour, to help us prepare the food. Please contact any of us, details below, if you would like to hear more of what’s involved. Sincere thanks to everyone who supports our work with your donations of cash, food or toiletries. We could not manage without your kindness. Janice Grant mob 07581 722331 David Quinn mob 07779 237318 Craig McCance mob 07967 637181
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Christian Aid Week 12th to 18th May 2019 The first Christian Aid Week took place in May 1957 when hundreds of churches came together and raised £26,000 to help refugees around the world. Christian Aid Week is still going with tens of thousands of volunteer collectors. In 2018 £8.5 million of funds was raised by 57,000 volunteers from 12,000 churches. Your gifts this Christian Aid Week could help the world's poorest mums and babies to have fullness of life. Tenneh and her baby have come to a health clinic in Sierra Leone for a check-up. The baby had been delivered by a nurse at the clinic a few months before. Tenneh had lost her first child a few years previously before there was a trained nurse or health clinic in the village. Tenneh was unconscious and bleeding heavily during labour. Her baby would not breastfeed and died at the age of three months. Nurse Judith now works at the health clinic but the roof leaks, there are no lights and there are only two delivery beds. Every day ten women die from giving birth in Sierra Leone. This Christian Aid Week you could help give mothers and babies in Sierra Leone the gift of love. New Laigh Kirk covers many streets in Kilmarnock, and volunteers are required to take part in the house to house collection. Last year £10,411.40 was raised in Kilmarnock during Christian Aid Week with £3,445.95 being raised in New Laigh Kirk. Another £84.63 was collected in town centre. Can we beat that in 2019? Graeme Johnstone will look after the Glasgow Road and Beansburn area and Helen Colman will look after Bonnyton, Dundonald Road/South Hamilton Street area, Grange Estate, Irvine Road and Woodstock areas.
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Everyone can help by filling their Christian Aid Week Envelope. There will also be the opportunity to pick up a Christian Aid Week Envelope at church. If you are a taxpayer, you should complete the Gift Aid Declaration on the envelope giving Christian Aid 25% extra. Further information online at http://www.caweek.org.uk. If you would like to help during Christian Aid Week , please contact Graeme or Helen.
Music and Movement After the Christmas and New Year break we started back on the 8th of January. We all look forward to another session of exercise and friendship. The Spring outing has now been arranged. On Tuesday 30th April we will travel to Cardwell Garden Centre in Gourock and after lunch we will go to spend some time in the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. Once this visit is over we will drive to the Fenwick Hotel for High Tea and then home. If anyone else would like to join us on the trip, costing ÂŁ25, would you please see Jean or Christine. Thank you. Christine Kinnell and Jean Mulholland
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15th Kilmarnock Rainbows
The Rainbows ended 2018 with a trip to the Ayr Farm Park to see Santa and to enjoy the soft play area; all went home tired but happy. We started this term with 1 Rainbow moving to Brownies and welcoming 1 new Rainbow. We have been working on the new programme doing the Innovate skills builder. This involves the Rainbows completing 5 skills which includes slippery slopes where the girls experiment with different materials to see which are super slippery and which are super sticky. They have also taken part in new unit activities again needing to complete 3 hours of activities. We have been working on the Drawing interest badge which is again new to Rainbows as before they did not have interest badges, these badges have to be done at home, but we decided to do the first one in the unit. We hope to finish all of the above by the end of February and the girls who have completed everything that is required will receive their first Theme Award. Rainbows meet on Wednesday nights 6pm -7pm in the Upper hall. Any girl age 5-7 interested in joining please come along on the night. We will be happy to see you. Thanks to Jaclyn, Doreen and Jennie for all their help.
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The Guild of Friendship ladies had a lovely Festive Afternoon Tea to end our first session. Unfortunately Elizabeth McGill has had to take a step back for health reasons. We are grateful to Helen Mair who agreed to take over and lead the meetings for the remainder of this session which started on the 10th of January. We had a great afternoon with the Tartan Ladies, with the chance to join in with some of the easier dances. On the 24th of January we received a wonderful talk from David Hume. We look forward to Barbara Graham telling us all about the life of Helen Keller on 21st February and our Daffodil Tea on 7th of March. Something else to look forward to is our trip this year, on the 30th of May to Radstone Hotel for lunch and then to McKinnon Mills with a cost of ÂŁ23. For anyone wishing to join us contact me or any member of the committee. Janette Howard
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The Guild
It seems no time at all since the start of the 2018/2019 Guild Session, however, by the time the Magazine is distributed, we will have held our AGM and are preparing to hold our Closing Social, which will be held on Monday 1st April, when “The Barbershop” will entertain us. The Guild has been very active in 2019, commencing the second half of our Guild session with an evening of Chat, which was followed on 21st January by our Burns Night Celebration with a visit from Andrew Dick, who entertained us. Our meeting on February 4th had an intriguing title – ‘Bible Favourites’ whereby members brought along an item which related to a favourite Bible text, which was then sold to members in a ‘Bring and Buy’. We welcomed David Hume as our speaker on 18th February, and on Friday 1st March – the World Day of Prayer – the service was held in New Laigh Kirk and our Guild members served tea/coffee afterwards to the Congregation. The following day – Saturday 2nd March – was the annual Guild Coffee Morning. Our final ‘normal’ meeting prior to the AGM was held on Monday 4th March – focusing on our second Guild Project for this session – The Boys’ Brigade. Our AGM will take place on Monday 18th March. Details of the Guild’s Summer Meetings will be included in the next issue of the Magazine.
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HIGHLIGHTS KLUB Our November evening saw Janet from Class Cocktails demonstrating how to make several different cocktails and we all very much enjoyed tasting each one. Janet was very entertaining and informative and was good enough to send us copies of her recipes, which I know some of our ladies have used. Our Christmas Day out started with cocktail chocolates on the bus, then afternoon tea with cocktails in Culzean Castle. We had a lovely afternoon and enjoyed seeing the castle decorated for Christmas. The Foc’sle Room provided a
beautiful setting and the sea view would have been lovely if it hadn’t been for the low cloud and mist!
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January saw our annual post Christmas work out with Heather, which is always great fun, and by the time this edition of the magazine is published, we will have had our ‘Early Brexit’ evening – a bit of fun in our celebration of all things European. Please note a date for your diary – our annual charity quiz is on Monday 29th April at 8pm in the lower hall. Further details can be found on the notice below. New members are always welcome at any of our evenings – contact me on 543488 or Angela on 534622, or speak to any of the committee. Eileen Murphy, Chairperson
Highlights Annual Charity Quiz in aid of Breast Foot Forward. Monday 29th April in the Lower Hall at 8:00 pm Teams of 4-6. Cost (per person) £6 (£5 to the charity and £1 towards refreshment) Raffle with great prizes - please give generously All money raised in the west of Scotland stays in the West of Scotland
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Thank You I would like to say a very warm thank you to Mr Cameron, the session and members for your warm wishes whilst I was in hospital and for the lovely flowers when I came home. They were greatly appreciated. Valerie Nathan
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NLK Walking Group With the arrival of Spring, NLK Walking Group’s 2019 walking season commences – our Wednesday Evening Weekly Walks as well our Monthly Weekend Walks (which take place on Sunday afternoons, with one exception – our Annual Big Day Out to Arran which takes place on a Saturday in June). The walks are open to everyone, and people of all walking abilities will be made most welcome. Most of our walks contain a choice of route to enable individuals with mobility/health issues to take part and enjoy the health benefits of social interaction, fresh air and light exercise. More challenging walking routes are available for experienced walkers and ramblers, and if anyone has a particular favourite walk or ramble, it might be possible to include this in our walking schedule. Our Wednesday evening walks recommence on Wednesday 3rd April and take place in Dean Castle Country Park, meeting at 7pm at the entrance to the main car park. These run from the first Wednesday of April until the last Wednesday in August (as there is insufficient daylight after that to continue our walks around Dean Castle Country Park in safety). There is no need to intimate your intention to attend, just turn up. We’d love to see you. Bring your friends, relatives, children and dog! IMPORTANT: Please note that there will be no walk on the Wednesday of Holy Week (Wednesday 17th April). Monthly Walks for 2019 will run (weather permitting) from the end of March until mid-October. Apart from the (whole day) Big Day Out to Arran, these are all afternoon walks, mostly commencing at 2.00pm. Walks include a comfort stop and a tea/coffee stop after the walk. Lifts can be arranged if required. Dates/venues may undergo change due to weather conditions, etc., however a provisional schedule is outlined below. Everyone is welcome. Further info will be outlined on the church Facebook Page, Orders of Service and Church slides nearer to the relevant dates. Postponements/cancellation will also be intimated. 27
Provisional Monthly Walk Schedule for 2019 SATURDAY 30th Mar. Dumfries House grounds/Knockroon Meet at 2pm outside the Visitor Centre. Sunday 14th April
Maidens to Culzean Foreshore Meet at 2.30pm in the main Car Park at Maidens
Sunday 19th May
Oswald’s Trail, Auchencruive Meet at 2pm in car park area
SATURDAY 1st June Annual ‘Grand Day Out’ to Arran. Choice of routes. Details TBA. (alternative date - 8th June) Sunday 23rd June
Caprington Woods to Caprington Castle Meet at 2pm in Caprington Golf Club Car Park.
Sunday 21st July
River Nith circuit, Carronbridge, Dumfriesshire. Meet 2pm ouside NLK Halls. Snack break TBA. Return time likely to be early evening.
Sunday 18th August FAMILY AFTERNOON OUT. To Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch, section of Clyde/Muirshiel Country Park. Walking activity around loch. Family fun activity.. Meeting time 2.30pm in the main carpark. Sunday 29th Sept.
Irvine Historical Trail. Meeting time 2pm. Meeting Point TBA.
Sunday 13th October Craufurdland, Fenwick. Meet at 2pm in the car park.
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Church Register Wedding 2â żd Dec 2018 Funerals 25th Oct 2018
Jade McLean to Nicholas Davis 29 Bowmore Road Kilmarnock Norman Love (M) 34 Donaldson Drive Kilmarnock
28th Nov 2018
Eileen Symington (M) 1 Cavendish Place Troon
29th Nov 2018
Mavis Lennox (M) Abbeyfield House Kilmarnock
11th Dec 2018
Rose Wallace Argyll House Kilmarnock
24th Dec 2018
Elizabeth Black (M) 15 Hunter Road Crosshouse
16th Jan 2019
Patricia Caufield (M) 31 Glebe Road Kilmarnock
25th Jan 2019
Elsie Milne (M) 195 Irvine Road Kilmarnock
1st Feb 2019
Jim Oliver (M) 40 Carmel Avenue Kilmarnock
18th Feb 2019
Reg Dawson (M) 15 Riccarton Road Hurlford
20th Feb 2019
William Manuel 108 Bonnyton Road Kilmarnock
28th Feb 2019
Margaret Milligan (M) 109 Dundonald Road Kilmarnock 29
Finding You in Beauty The rays of light filtered through The sentinels of trees this morning. I sat in the garden and contemplated. The serenity and beauty Of my feelings and surroundings Completely captivated me. I thought of you. I discovered you tucked away In the shadows of the trees. Then, rediscovered you In the smiles of the flowers As the sun penetrated their petals In the rhythm of the leaves Falling in the garden In the freedom of the birds As they fly searching as you do. I’m very happy to have found you, Now you will never leave me For I will always find you in the beauty of life. --Walter Rinder
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Hospital Visiting Due to the inadequate provision of patient lists to ministers of the church, knowing who is in hospital is impossible to determine. This includes Crosshouse, Ayrshire Central and Ayr Hospitals. David and Morgan have no way of knowing if our church members are in hospital unless they are told. Please use the Pew Card, telephone or email to inform him if you know of someone who is in hospital at any time. Your help in this matter will ensure we maintain effective pastoral contact with our members in time of need. David
01563 525416
dvdcam5@msn.com
http://www.nlk.church
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NLK Fairtrade Group At the ‘Bethlehem Experience’, NLK’s contribution to the ‘Celebrate Kilmarnock’ Christmas Lights Switch-on, Fairtrade Tea, Coffee and Cocoa was contributed for hot drinks supplied to visitors to ‘The Stables Café’. Building on the success of last year’s sales of Fairtrade ‘Real Easter Eggs’ the Group took orders in late Autumn for Fairtrade ‘Real Advent Calendars’. Orders were placed through Traidcraft, and sales were very successful. Several purchasers gifted us their change, and this was used to purchase, after consultation with EACHa, a quantity of men’s toiletries. Thank you for giving that little bit extra! Traidcraft, which supplies our congregation with its Fair Trade items, was facing difficulties towards the end of last year, and has restructured. Fair Trade items will still be available and we hope to order a supply of Fair Trade ‘Real Easter Eggs’ once more. An Easter Story booklet is included with each Egg. The booklet has been revised and is different from last year’s Easter Story booklet. Eggs are hollow, made of milk chocolate (35% cocoa - and palm oil free), weigh 150 grams, and will be on sale when we get the full details of the price. Cash with order again, please. Orders will be taken after church services on various dates, which will be announced later and intimated in Orders of Service, on Church slides and on the NLK Facebook page.
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