THE MAGAZINE OF
NEW LAIGH KIRK Church of Scotland KILMARNOCK Scottish Charity No.:SC031334
NOVEMBER 2017
“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 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: Contact: Amy Hannah (07980 665432) TrekkersNG (12-15 years) Contact: Bethany McCaw (07827 816405) Fusion (12-15 years) 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: Contact: Amy Hannah (07980 665432) 2.00 p.m. Music and Movement Contact: Miss Anne McVey (533975)/Mrs Mildred Mullen (528205) 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). 7.30 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: Andy King and Lilian Gillies Safeguarding Panel Members: John Dale, Bill Sherry and Ellen Stewart 2
New Laigh Kirk Manse Nov 2017
Hello everyone, If you’re like me you like having friends and it’s nice to know your neighbours though not too close that they are never out of your fridge. Here are definitions of friends: "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." "A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself." "Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend." I see very irregularly two of my closest friends and when I do it’s usually in a pub and we catch up. We talk about work and family, our faults, we polish our egos, and we tell each other even more the longer the night goes on and you very often find that the conversation begins with how fine everything is with family, work and everything else. But towards the end of the evening we discover that some things are not as fine as we make out and we soon find out that we help each other through our conversations that we are not alone with what is troubling us. There really is an exchange of the things in our lives that cause us to rejoice or pray for release. Of course, it doesn't have to be a pub. It may be morning coffee with a friend, or a walk on the hills, or an hour in a hairdresser, our place of work, or chance encounter in the supermarket aisle. Sometimes 3
these chance meetings are God guided. Don't relegate the meeting of close friends in informal situations to some lower level nonspiritual league. Jesus didn't. Jesus will be wherever two or three are gathered together. We find out so much more about people’s needs and how we might be able to help without interfering when we have these social gatherings. Our care and concern can be gathered up in our personal prayers and offered to God. In the Epistle of James we find, Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. If you pray for another you will be helped yourself. When we pray for our friends and our families and even those we do not know we make a connection, we may not feel any immediate change but authentic prayer out of real need always makes a difference. We will know the power of prayer by its fruits though these fruits may be a long while in ripening: Hard hearts may soften, old resentments give way to new compassion and breakdown lead to breakthrough. In prayer God gives us the rules of life and asks us to live it among our friends and families and even strangers of today who become friends of tomorrow. There is something quite true in John Lennon’s line, "I get by with a little help from my friends." With every blessing and prayerful good wish to you all.
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The 820/100 HERITORS CHALLENGE To recover our deficit and replenish our Fabric Fund for ongoing work, all our members are encouraged to become modern day ‘Heritors’ and rise to a challenge.
To recover our deficit and replenish our Fabric Fund for ongoing work, all our members are encouraged to become modern day ‘Heritors’ and rise to a challenge... ..where all our members, 820 of us, commit to raising £100 each over 6 months, to raise £82,000 for New Laigh Kirk by 31st December 2017. You will be helping to wipe out our £50,000 deficit overnight and replenish our Fabric Fund with £32,000 to enable us to seek match funding for further repairs to our buildings. The funds raised are being put aside in a separate bank account solely for future Fabric purposes because we have had to spend substantial sums on this recently. We are warm in the Church and Halls because we have installed new boilers (£30k), we can hear every word spoken in Church because we replaced the Sound System (£24k) and more recently carried out work on the Church roof, walls, stained glass windows and the exterior paintwork at a cost to New Laigh Kirk of £28k with the remainder (£214k) being paid for by grants which we successfully applied for. This is not the end of the works required - we have just received a quote to repair the hall roof at a cost of £3500 plus VAT. For some members writing a cheque for One Hundred Pounds payable to New Laigh Kirk is their preferred option. Others are filling the boxes provided with spare change, for example 50p pieces, and it is surprising how quickly it all mounts up. Some members are trying to raise funds by sponsored walks, selling home baking or sweets or even inviting friends and neighbours for tea/coffee for a small contribution, it's amazing how resourceful we are in New Laigh Kirk.
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Many members are tax payers and have previously signed a Gift Aid Declaration during a Planned Giving Campaign which will enable us to claim an additional 25p for every £1 contributed. We are now looking to prepare ourselves for the future and for what that may hold for us as a church and for our present and future members. New Laigh Kirk is one of the largest congregations within the Church of Scotland, with so much going on every day of the week in our buildings and in our community. We should all be proud of what we have achieved but there is so much more we need to do and your contribution will help to ensure a bright future. This is your investment to ensure your church is fully resourced to meet these challenging times and a beacon of light and hope in our town for our children’s children. That’s what the ‘Heritors’ did long ago to provide us with a beautiful place in which to worship. We have inherited that responsibility of care today. ‘Now he who provides seed for sowing and bread for food will provide the seed for you to sow; he will multiply it and swell the harvest of your benevolence, and you will always be rich enough to be generous.’ 2 Cor. 9:10 ‘Rich enough to be generous.’ - It’s a wonderful piece of scripture. By mid October almost Ten Thousand Pounds has been received.
Thank you Rev. David Cameron Ken Stewart (Treasurer)
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Prayer is the Rhythm of Life Monthly Prayer Meeting and Prayer Requests There is a Prayer Request Box on the Table of Remembrance in the church. Sadly it is not often used. Yet everyone needs prayer in joy or sorrow, celebration or commiseration. Prayer is the rhythm of all life. If you would like anyone to be prayed for or something to be prayed about then please leave your request in the box provided. Some people ask, “What is a Prayer Request ?� The simple answer is when you feel you need something to be prayed about then write a wee note and drop it into the box on the Table of Condolence in the church. Your request might include a wide range of prayers needed, for example: request a prayer for the work of the church, the organisations you are part of, the ministry, Kingz Kidz, Trekkers, Sunday Services, people visiting, people needing to be visited. Request a prayer of thanksgiving for life events, birth, marriage, new home, children setting out in life, retirement, anniversaries, happy times. You might like a prayer for someone who is ill, at home or in hospital, someone going through difficult times, bereavement, family break up, job insecurity. Prayers for others are important as well as the issues that concern us in a troubled world. You might want prayers said for news items or newspaper headlines that trouble you or that we should be thankful for. You can name people if you like and there is no need to name yourself, you can make your prayer request anonymously. From this very small list you can see there is no barrier to a prayer request. The limit is our own anxiety of making the request.
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The prayers are removed from the box at our Wednesday Prayer meeting, the group respond offering your concerns and thanksgiving to God prompted by the words written in your request. Please use the tear off slip below and place it in the box. You may also send your request to the minister, again this may be done anonymously. You can also post a private Message on Facebook through the New Laigh Kirk Facebook page. The prayer group will meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 7.00pm in the church. Please also note, anyone at all may attend the prayer meeting. You do not need to pray aloud. Others will lead the group in prayer. Just sitting in the stillness is all you need to do. There really is no barrier to attend and you will be made very welcome by all who already take part in this very worthwhile ministry of our Kirk.
If you pray for another you will be helped yourself.
Please Pray for…………
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Season of Invitation-A place to belong-New Laigh Kirk Our season of invitation continues. Most of you will have been influenced to come to church to embark on a commitment of faith from a young or middle age by a family member or friend. Church statistics - if you believe statistics point out that six out of every one hundred visitors to the church result from traditional organised visiting campaigns. Of four thousand people surveyed, 75 percent indicated they were in church because a relative or friend had invited them. That’s astounding, it means you who attend church regularly have an opportunity to double the size of our worshipping congregation every week by one invitation. There is something exciting about the prospect of inviting our friends and family and neighbours to reconnect with the church. When people meet Christ there is excitement. When people share Christ with others that excitement is sustained and often grows. Two men who had been business partners for over twenty years met one Sunday morning as they were leaving a restaurant. One of them asked, "Where are you going this morning?" "I'm going to play golf. What about you?" the other replied. The first man responded rather apologetically, "I'm going to church." The other man said, "Why don't you give up that church stuff?" The man asked, "What do you mean?" "Well," said the other, "we have been partners for twenty years. We have worked together, attended meetings together, and had lunch together, our families have enjoyed each other’s hospitality and all of these twenty years you have never talked to me about going to church. You’ve never invited me”. “Come and see. I have found the Messiah. Let me introduce him to you." It’s an invitation that each of us can participate in. It does not have to be perfect. It just has to be honest, and heartfelt, warm and real. Take this moment to read the passage of scripture that launched our Season of Invitation in August. 9
John 1:35-51 : John’s disciples follow Jesus ³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ ³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’ ³⁹ ‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter). Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael ⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ ⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ ⁴⁶ ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip. ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’ ⁴⁸ ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you.’ ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.’ ⁵⁰ Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ ⁵¹ He then added, ‘Very truly I tell you, you will see “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on” the Son of Man. ‘Come and See!’ who God is inviting you to ASK to church in this Season of Invitation? 10
12th November
- Remembrance Sunday (10.45 a.m.)
3rd December
- First Sunday of Advent
17th December
- Christmas Christingle and Carols (6.30 p.m. for 7.00 p.m.)
24th December
- Children’s Nativity Service
New Laigh Kirk is a family of friends where you can feel welcome, loved and cared for - where you can belong.
PRAYER What joy for me to live in your house always singing your praises. Father God I take this moment to reflect on my invitation and hospitality. May the faith I proclaim and the person I am bring hope, healing, joy and renewal to those I will invite to a season of renewal of my friends and family members, those I know who are lost and seeking something in their lives. I name them now and ask for confidence and patience to be the welcome invitation, to have confidence to say to those I know and love and care for and those I may be uncertain of - ‘come and see’ . For I know that there’s room for all of us in the home you have prepared for us through my brother and my friend, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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The Trainee Minister! Earlier in the Summer, I was delighted to learn that my first placement as a candidate in training for Ordained Local Ministry would be at New Laigh Kirk under the supervision of Rev. David Cameron. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I know that I will learn much over the next eight months. My first Sunday at NLK was on 17th September and I hope that my nerves did not show too much! I look forward to getting to know you and sharing with you – please keep telling me your name. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly to NLK. Some information about me I was born in Kilmarnock and brought up in Bellfield. In my childhood years, I attended a range of organisations at St. Ninian’s Church – Boys Brigade, Teenchurch, Youth Fellowship, Badminton Club, Judo Club, Table Tennis Club, and so on. It was at St. Ninian’s Church, at the age of 15, where I met my future wife – who was 13 at the time! I proclaimed my faith at the age of 16 and joined the Church of Scotland (St. Ninian’s) – I even had a spell as the Church Officer at the age of 19. At the age of 20, I started attending the Young People’s Group at St. Kentigern’s Church where my wife (Karlyn) and I would be married in 1986. During our marriage, we have worshipped at both St. Ninian’s and St. Kentigern’s and at both churches we have had an active involvement in children’s ministry. I was ordained as an Elder in 1995. We are members of St. Kentigern’s Church where we are leaders of Youth Church. Karlyn and I have 3 grown up children, one granddaughter – and another granddaughter on the way! I was educated at Kilmarnock Academy (by a few current members of NLK) and thereafter at Paisley College of Technology (now UWS), the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow. I am a lecturer ‘to trade’ (Employment Law and Human Resource Management) but I 12
was appointed as a Head of Department with SRUC four years ago. I also hold the position of Dean of the SRUC Ayr Campus. I am currently studying Theology on a part-time basis with Highland Theological College and plan to complete this course next year. This will be a busy year for me but I hope to visit as many organisations, and attend as many events as possible - and of course I look forward to assisting with leading worship. David Hume
Thank-you I would like to thank everyone in New Laigh Kirk who sent cards, flowers, messages and good wishes to me over the past few months. It is a great comfort to know that so many friends in New Laigh have been thinking of me. All the support given and shown to Bill, Iain, Gordon and their families has also meant a great deal. In addition Bill and I want to thank everyone for the cards, flowers and gifts given to us on the occasion of our Golden Wedding and Bill’s birthday. Words cannot express how grateful we are to everyone in New Laigh--- truly a place to belong. Hopefully I will soon be back amongst you all. Anne Sherry.
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Update from Bethany McCaw Youth and Community Worker Youth activities This term we have started attending an event called ‘This is Church’ with the young people aged 15 and over. This is a student worship night in Glasgow, very relaxed set in a café with a great worship band and a relevant talk. This is aimed at students and so is a great space for our older youth to have a worship experience aimed at them.
The young people visited Colin and Imy house in October and as well as playing some games and having dinner, they got to ‘interview’ us about our lives and faith. They sure know how to come up with some tricky questions! At the time of writing we’re looking forward to putting David and Laura through their paces when we visit the manse! Trekkers Life with Jesus This term at Trekkers we’ve been exploring the life of Jesus. From birth to baptism, healing people to 14
raising them from the dead, from dying to being risen to new life, to being taken up to heaven, Jesus led an incredible life! We’ve been enjoying learning about it, discussing it and finding that His teaching from all those years ago is still relevant to our lives today. Joint Youth Cell Following on from last term when we held a Youth Alpha together with Central Evangelical and the Basement youth cafÊ, which brought our youth groups together and encouraged young people to explore their faith with other churched young people. This term sees us starting a Joint Youth Cell group with Central youth group. We meet each Thursday October 26th- December 14th. We are following a great programme called Origins Youth Prayer Course exploring why we pray, how we talk to God and how we listen to God.
Guides photography competition The Guides took part in a Photography competition as part of the Heritage funding. They came and photographed the church inside and out. The winners were narrowed down by a group of judges and Ken Stewart and I visited the Guides in October to
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present prizes and certificates. Pictured are the two winning girls alongside Guides leader Emma Johnstone. Imagine and Home Groups Our first few Imagine contemporary praise events this year are following the material entitled Just10. Just10 is the Ten Commandments re-imagined for today's generation. Far from being a set of rules to restrict us, they are principles that bring freedom and fulfilment. Unpacking words that have been shared for millennia, Just10 provides a culturally relevant, practical application for modern lives. Along with our larger events we have several Home Groups which we encourage everyone to find a time that suits them and go along to share the experience together. It’s a fairly informal format with tea and coffee, a teaching video introducing the theme of the week and then some discussion where people can share their experiences and what they found interesting or thought provoking in the video. Thursday 2nd Nov at 2pm, meeting weekly to begin. 13 Central Ave, contact Ken Stewart 01563 524321. Monday 6th Nov at 7pm, meeting fortnightly. 12 Glasgow Road, contact Derek I’Anson 07989 473142. Led by Colin McCaw. Tuesday 14th Nov at 7pm, meeting fortnightly. 15 Peace Ave, contact Janice Grant 07581 722331. Thank you for your support, Bethany.
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Update from Amy Hannah Communities and Family Hello Everyone! The past few weeks have been getting busier with the families of New Laigh Kirk as we’ve jumped right into the autumn season. The Kingz Kidz have been exploring faith in different ways through crafts, games, songs and story telling which have proven to be messy but great fun! During the October week, we invited all our Primary aged children from the church, as well as children from the local community, to join in with the morning breakfast October Club, that ran from the Monday to the Wednesday of the October week. We had very enthusiastic young people who joined together for crafts, songs, dances, jokes, stories and games. We were all exploring the theme of God as our Good Father and so we managed to use some film clips from Finding Nemo to further explore our theme of the week and give us a better understanding of the importance of God as our father. The theme seemed to be popular among the children, especially when they got the chance to watch a little bit of the movie each morning, and everyone had the chance to design their own underwater craft creatures, play sea themes games and even got the chance to tell some funny jokes and stories of their own. The pictures included are from the club, showing you all that the young people got up to. Over the next few months, the Kingz Kidz intend to continue their development of faith through different stages by 18
using a newer faith based programme by Urban Saints, Energize that uses different crafts, games and discussion points to explore the Bible. We also plan to build a children’s choir over the next short while so that the young people can join in with the Christmas activities that the church has organised over the winter season. As well as this, we encourage our children and families to join in with our Christmas lights switch on, Nativity and Street Party Event that takes place on Sunday, November 26th. We look forward to the fun times ahead! Amy
Life and Work Subscription 2018 Please order my copies of Life and Work for 2018 at a cost of £30 Name
………………………………………
Address ……………………………………. ....................................... ……………….…………………… Orders must be with me no later than Sunday November 12th Please make cheques payable to ‘New Laigh Kirk’. Stephen Brown 46 Glasgow Road, Kilmarnock Tel :01563 525114 Email:- stephenbrown46@sky.com
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In 2017 the Junior Section are celebrating an important anniversary in the life of the Boys Brigade. It is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Junior Section. Celebrations will take place nationally across the calendar year, the 4th / 5th Kilmarnock Company has already taken part in “The BIG 100 Party” with a 100th birthday party in the halls. They have also been to ten-pin bowling, at the Garage with the Battalion and Alex Dunsmuir from “Heartstart” came along one Friday to teach the boys valuable first aid skills. The Company section went to Dumfries House activity centre for the Battalion Activity evening including climbing wall and table tennis. The Company is having a Coffee Morning on Saturday 18th November in New Laigh Halls from 10am to 12 noon, tickets are available from any boy or Officer.
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15th Kilmarnock Rainbows
The Rainbows have started this term working towards a Roundabout the World Badge. For this they have to pick what they would like to do from the Roundabout Book which is in four sections - look, learn, laugh and love. The Rainbows opted to do the following: torch treasure hunt, panda meeting, wonderful webs and healthy food. The Rainbows attended the rededication service on Sunday 1st October. The following Rainbows made their Promise on the 4th October - Lucy, Chloe, Emily, Elspeth, Emma and Beth. October will see them doing Hallowe’en crafts and their Hallowe’en party. 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, Abby, Eilidh and Jennie for all their help. Sheena
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15th Kilmarnock Brownies Well here we are at the start of our new term and we welcomed six new Brownies - Scarlett, Emily, Ava, Felicity, Zara and Isla who made their Promise on the 27th September. Brownies that were not doing their Promise book were doing the First Aid Badge or Number Fun Badge; they received their badges on the 27th September. Fifteen Brownies attended our weekend away to Blair Activity Centre on the 22ⁿd-24th September and enjoyed low rope course, mountain biking, crafts and sleeping in wigwams, they completed the Brownie holiday badge and received their two nights away badge, we would all like to thank Alison for arranging this great weekend and all the leaders who helped and made it possible. The Brownies attended the rededication service on Sunday 1st October and also in October they will be having a Hallowe’en craft night and their Hallowe’en Party. Brownies meet on Wednesday night 6:30-8pm in the Lower hall. Thanks to Alison, Fiona, Jaclyn, Eilidh and Jennie for all their Help Sheena
MUSIC AND MOVEMENT Summer is over again and in September we started our Autumn session. We had a good turnout of ladies keen to get back to exercising and to meet up with friends for a cuppa and chat after their summer holidays. Once more we have booked Piersland Lodge Hotel in Troon for our Festive Lunch on Tuesday 5th December. The coach is now full but anyone interested can give us your name for the waiting list. Like ‘Strictly” we will “keep on dancing”! Anne and Mildred 22
15th Kilmarnock Guides
Dear NLK Well what have we done since the last communication? We had our 5 patrol leaders go to Patrol leader training in Netherurd last March – which was a blast. The girls made so many friends and learnt what it takes to be an effective patrol leader. The girls were so excited about this that they took on organising some of the unit meetings. There were 17 girls at Tartan Gig. This was a Scottish guiding event for all the girls to enjoy going to a gig with pop artists like Jess Glyn and Laura Johnston – celebrating guides in Scotland and ‘girl power’. We had an outing to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie which all Guides across the UK had a special preview of at their local Odeon. We had 8 girls go to international camp which was held in Eglinton Park, Kilwinning. There were girls from all over the globe – Sydney, Taiwan, Canada to name a few. The girls made so many friends and learned about how guiding is done in various locations around the world. They also had an opportunity to go to Castle Semple to do water activities, Glasgow to do the Glasgow Guide Monopoly, Culzean Castle or stay on site to learn a new activity like belly dancing! This was such a successful camp for the whole of Ayrshire North (our district) and the girls. It was great to be able to support the girls in going to the camp financially as a result of our very 23
successful coffee morning. The girls are so grateful for the support of the church and its members when we do these activities. Plans for this year – we have lost a few members so we are down to 19 which is still a great number. We have 5 girls already on their way to completing the Baden Powell challenge award, we will once again have a Hallowe’en sleepover in the halls and next year we are looking in to a weekend away with some of the Scottish girls we meet at International camp. Once again I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support for the Guides – we really could not do this without it. The girls’ numbers are growing fast and they really enjoy coming to the unit.
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CHURCH IS FOR EVERYONE! Across Scotland approximately 1% of the community has Learning Disabilities – and yet in most churches this is not reflected in the congregation. In an effort to make churches more inclusive and more welcoming for people with such disabilities, the Church of Scotland’s Learning Disability Working Group has produced an excellent Learning Disability Action Pack to support churches to address this issue. Within New Laigh Kirk’s congregation of over 800 people, we have people who have either experience of learning disability themselves or in their family, as well as teachers, carers and social services staff who work or have worked with these members of our community. What a wealth of understanding and ideas these members of the congregation have to share – and yet we have never come together to talk about learning disabilities! As the newly nominated Learning Disability Contact for New Laigh Kirk, I invite anyone who is interested to find out about the Learning Disability Action Pack and work together to see how we can make New Laigh Kirk even more welcoming to this group of people, not only in our church, but as part of our mission outreach to people with such a disability in our whole community. If you share this desire, please contact me at tel. 522108 or barbara.graham74@btinternet.com. We can then arrange a suitable time to meet and share this valuable resource. Let’s make sure that our Season of Invitation is truly inclusive! Barbara Graham 25
Friendship Group Pantomime And Afternoon Tea Another spectacular show this festive season with the exciting rags to riches tale of Dick Whittington! Meet our hero Dick Whittington and his feline friend, who set off from Kilmarnock to seek their fortune in London. Featuring all the classic elements you’d expect from the Palace panto, including spectacular sets and costumes, amazing special effects, fabulous songs, dances and bags of slapstick fun, it would be a “CAT-astrophy” to miss it! . This trip is open to anyone from the church who is aged 60 or over. If you wish to do so, you may bring a friend. The date of this year’s show will be Saturday 2ⁿd December at 1pm. The cost is £12 for members and £14 non-members. There will be a supper in the halls after the panto for church members only. If you would like to attend the panto please complete the slip on the following page.
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Completed slips should be returned as soon as possible to M a r g a r e t Paterson at the address below with appropriate payment or the completed slip with payment may be placed in the offering plate on a Sunday in an envelope addressed to Margaret Paterson, and marked ‘Friendship Group Pantomime’. Mrs Margaret Paterson, 28 Colonsay Place, Wardneuk, Kilmarnock KA3 2JU Tel: 01563 551288 —-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Friendship Group Pantomime Trip 2017 NAME ______________________________________
ADDRESS ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ TELEPHONE NUMBER:
___________________
Number for
Panto Only
_____
Number for
Panto and Afternoon Tea
_____
Total number of members tickets @ £12 each
_____
Total number of non-members tickets @ £14 each
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Total sum enclosed in payment: 27
£
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Highlights Klub We began our session in September with an evening of after dinner fun and games, with a glass of wine to welcome everyone back after the summer break. The after dinner games proved to be a great success, particularly the spoons game, which highlighted exactly how competitive our ladies are! This competition, accompanied by screams of laughter made for a really enjoyable evening.
By the time the magazine is published, we will have enjoyed our visit to Many Thanks in Mauchline for some early Christmas shopping, with refreshments in the coffee shop and a chance to look at the art work on display in the gallery. In November we are continuing our art theme with an evening of arty crafty fun with Newmilns artist Maggie Henry, who will help us to explore our own creativity in a variety of ways. At our November evening, we need final names, numbers and payment for our Christmas night out. This will take place on Monday 18th December at Da Vinci’s Italian Restaurant. They are opening especially for us and the cost of £24.00 includes a glass of Prosecco or a soft drink on arrival, 3 course dinner, coffee with petits fours and a tip. New members are always welcome – contact me on 543488 or Angela on 534622, or speak to any of the committee. Eileen Murphy, Chairperson 28
Church Open Doors New Laigh Kirk is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 12noon to 2.00pm. The church will be open for those who want to come for a period of solitude or reflection, to see the newly restored stained glass windows from the inside or to find out some of the history of the church and town. We urgently require some more volunteers, especially men, to welcome the visitors during 2018, so if you could spare a couple of hours every six weeks or if you could cover shifts when regular volunteers are on holiday, we would be delighted to hear from you. The church will also be open every day during Advent so we will require additional volunteers. If you are able to help during this period, we would be delighted to hear from you. If you would like to be included in the rota, please speak to Helen Colman. Remember that the more volunteers that there are, the less often you will be on duty!
New Laigh Kirk Notelets
In this age of emails and text messages, it is a pleasure to receive a handwritten letter. Now you can send a brief note or an epistle on our New Laigh Kirk notelets. Packs of ten notelets (price ÂŁ3) are available when the church is open from 12 to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Proceeds from sales will go to church funds. 29
Prayer Group Our Prayer Group here at New Laigh Kirk continues to be a very small group of about seven who get together every month to pray for and about our church, our members, our friends, our town and our world. Sometimes, indeed, it is literally a case of “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them!” But we believe that prayer is central to our worship and our faith and something we like to do, not just alone or as part of a church service but together as a group. And so we are delighted that this year, the Church of Scotland has introduced a brand new initiative, “Together We Pray”, running from September 2017 to May 2018. As part of this, Saturday, November 25th has been designated a National Day of Prayer – and who among us can deny that there are so many things in our world today which desperately need our prayers? We have decided that on that day, during the Doors Open time of 12 till 2pm, we will join in that initiative by inviting members and anyone else who would like to come in, to stay awhile and pray – on their own or with others. The Kilmarnock Fellowship of Churches have already been invited to take part, a change from our usual Sunday meeting. We envisage having several prayer stations round the sanctuary, each with a different prayer focus – a bit like the 24/7 prayer rooms we have had before. People will go around them in their own time, reading, reflecting and praying. At about 1.30pm there will be a short act of worship to bring the event to a conclusion and there will be tea, coffee and biscuits available. Please do come along, whether it’s for five minutes or two hours. You will be very welcome as together we pray. The Prayer Group continues to meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm in the church. Come along and give us your company. If 30
you can’t, please leave your prayer requests in the box in church or on the church Facebook page. Here are some prayer suggestions: • Give thanks for all the good things in your life • Give thanks for all the organisations connected to our church which provide friendship, nurture and fun from the youngest to the oldest • Give thanks for all those who work to keep our church running, both paid and unpaid – the ministry team – David, Bethany and Amy; session clerk, Derek and depute, Margaret; treasurer, Ken and his team; property convener, Noel and his team; church officer, Billy and Martin the organist… I’m sure you can think of many more! • Ask God’s blessing on our student minister, David Hume, as he undertakes his placement with us • Pray for Crossreach, the social care organisation of the Church of Scotland and for all those who receive its help • Pray that, as we look forward to Advent and Christmas, there will be peace on earth Remember to put November 25th in your diary because when we pray together, God hears and God acts! With every blessing, Lesley Wright.
Friendship Group Coffee Morning ALL WELCOME!
Saturday 25/11/2017 10 am - 12noon - cost £2. Donations of bottles, baking and Christmas items and baking would be greatly appreciated.
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RESPONDING TO NEED
Over 200 years ago Robert Burns deplored “Man’s inhumanity to man”. Sadly, he could say the same today. The latest evidence comes from the plight of the fugitive Rohingya people, forced to flee their homeland in Myanmar because they have a different religion from that of the ruling regime. Before their exodus into poverty-stricken Bangladesh, over 400 Rohingyas were killed and nearly 7,000 homes were burned to the ground, leaving them with no hope of return. Now over half a million refugees barely survive in appalling conditions in ever expanding camps, many of them without shelter or clean water. In these camps deadly diseases quickly become epidemics. In overwhelming situations such as this, the Disasters Emergency Committee sets to work to bring relief. DEC brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis. They launch appeals to raise money to help those impacted by disaster, making sure that funds reach those that need them most. Money received through DEC appeals goes directly to the 13 trusted charity partners so that none of the aid ends up lining the pockets of bureaucrats. Already, food and clean water are being distributed in the camps and medical help is available to the refugees, many of whom are vulnerable children. Nevertheless, there is no end in sight in this crisis. The Bangladeshi Government is coping with the aftermath of the worst floods in decades and its resources are stretched to breaking point. Only a concerted international aid effort can begin to address this emergency. The UK Government will match the first £3 million donated by the public to the DEC Emergency Appeal. Donors can respond by donating at any bank or post office, visiting www.dec.org.uk, calling the 24-hour
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hotline on 0370 60 60 610, or sending a cheque to DEC Secretariat, 43 Chalton Street, London NW1 1DU. Tearfund, one of DEC’s charity partners, asks us to support the Rohingya people through this prayer: “Father God, we ask that support will quickly reach families in desperate need. We pray for an end to the violence, fear, anger and hatred among communities in Myanmar. Bring a lasting peace, Lord. “Raise up leaders to be a force for healing and transformation, with your Church at the heart. We lift up grieving families who have lost loved ones, and those traumatised by the perilous journey to safety. Bind up the broken-hearted, loving Father.”
NLK AND FAIRTRADE
New Laigh Kirk is a FairTrade Congregation and has made a commitment to using FairTrade tea and coffee at coffee morning and within its organisations. To advance knowledge of FairTrade and FairTrade products, a Family Treasure Hunt was held jointly with NLK Walking Group which was greatly enjoyed by all who took part. At the recent coffee morning in aid of Macmillan, the prize for a Treasure Map activity was a bag containing a selection of FairTrade items. A FairTrade group has now been formed within the Congregation. Look out in the next (February 2018) issue of the Magazine for information about FairTrade Fortnight, which will take place from 26th February - 11th March 2018. 33
NLK Walking Group
Our Wednesday evening Walks have ended until Spring. They will resume on Wednesday 4th April 2018 at 7pm, (just after Easter) and the Wednesday evening Walking season will end on the first Wednesday in September. The walks will take place as usual around the grounds of Dean Castle Country Park, and now that the renovations are finished, we look forward to seeing the two new bridges in the grounds and tackling the new walking routes. Although the summer and early autumn weather has been disappointing, we enjoyed a couple of weekend walks in late summer – to Chatelherault Country Park near Hamilton, where there are a number of walking routes of various lengths to suit all abilities. On the last Sunday afternoon in August, we held a Family ‘FairTrade’ Treasure Hunt around Kilmarnock Town Centre, based on the Kilmarnock Heritage Trail route, answering questions at various stages along the way. There were also a number of FairTrade questions to answer, from information leaflets in the pack participants were given. A number of families took part, and some brought along visitors. On completion of the trail, refreshments were served in the hall, using FairTrade tea and coffee as we are a FairTrade congregation. Children took part in art and colouring tasks and there were puzzles for all ages. Each family taking part received a Certificate of Participation. There was chocolate ‘Treasure’ for children, and FairTrade prizes were awarded. Participants reported that they had greatly enjoyed the afternoon. Sadly, our September walk had to be cancelled due to bad weather. Over the winter months, weather permitting, it might still be possible to have the occasional walk. These will be ‘spur of the moment’ events and will be intimated on the NLK Facebook page, stating where we are going and time of meeting. They may be on weekdays or at weekends. If the weather is good and anyone thinking of going for a walk fancies 34
some company, please post details on the NLK Facebook page of the location, time and place to meet. If you have any suggestions for weekend walks for next season, please contact me. We hope to welcome back current and past walkers and hope new people will join us next season. We try to host walks to suit people of all ages and walking fitness. As we walk we have a friendly chat, and some laughter‌..and it never seems as far! Everyone is welcome.
Ellen Stewart
Badminton The badminton club is a great night, we enjoy playing games and having a laugh. We have fun and friendly members of all ages and abilities. We are on in the lower hall Tuesday nights 7.15pm -9.00pm. We will stop for Christmas on Tuesday 12th Dec and return after the festive period on Tuesday 16th January.
Alan I'Anson
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The Guild Very early (7.30am) on a sunny Saturday morning in early September, a bus full of happy, excited, chattering people from across the Presbytery of Irvine and Kilmarnock set off to attend the annual ‘Gathering’ of The Guild at Caird Hall, Dundee. There were four of us from New Laigh Kirk – Elspeth Dale, Lesley Wright, Anne Scullion and myself (who was attending for the first time). Also present on the coach was John Urquhart, junior. The bus made very good time, which gave us plenty of time to grab a coffee and scone and browse the Guild Shop before taking our seats. Over 2000 people attended the event, which started promptly at 10.30am. This year, thanks to technology, the Annual Gathering went digital, with the broadcast being ‘streamed’ live via a computer link to the Church of Scotland website. Viewers across the UK and abroad were able to follow the day’s proceedings from their own computer screens. My ‘better half’ was one of those who viewed at home! There were 22 venues across the country where the events were streamed live, including two live links – from Fochabers in Moray and Yetholm in the Borders – where the members were able to participate in various parts of the programme. Following opening hymns and prayers, Guild Convener Marge Paterson shared her thoughts on how The Guild might grow in the coming year and spoke of her recent visit to Malawi. Guilds in both countries are developing links. The Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt. Rev. Dr Derek Browning addressed the audience. His address tied in with the Guild’s Theme for 2017, ‘Go in Love’, and called for the Guild to help “put love at the top of the agenda” and demonstrate “what love looks like in public”. Breaking for lunch, everyone hurried out to enjoy the day’s sunshine, Many chose to eat outdoors, others (ourselves included) went to St. Mary’s Parish Church Hall, where members of the congregation served us with tea and coffee to accompany our packed lunches. 36
Returning for the afternoon session, we enjoyed a lively session of singing (and even dancing) led by The Heart and Soul Swing Band, which included the Rev. Alex Shuttleworth. Everyone enjoyed the music and singing which included many ‘old favourites’ including ‘Wide, Wide as the Ocean’. The speaker for the afternoon session was Dr Pam Cairns, of the Free to Live Trust, who spoke about the charity’s work supporting street children living in poverty and victims of trafficking who have been forced into poverty. The stories were often harrowing – but hope – and the love of those working with the children shone through. The afternoon closed with a hymn and prayer, and having enjoyed a lovely day of fellowship and fun, everyone made their way back to the bus pick up point. The journey back to Kilmarnock was pleasant and we arrived back in Kilmarnock just after teatime, having had a lovely day. The Guild’s session is now firmly under way. It commenced with a visit by Rev. David Cameron and a celebration of Holy communion. This was followed by a talk by Stuart Wilson about his visit to Australia. Our next meeting was a talk about one of this year’s Guild Projects ‘Caring for Mother Earth in Bolivia’. On 30th October we had a Hallowe’en Night. November 13th marks the start of ‘Guild Week, when there will be a Fashion Show by Bonmarche. Tickets for this event are available from members of the Guild Committee. On Thursday 23rd November at 2pm, a service to mark Guild Week will be held in New Laigh Kirk. All welcome. On 27th November, Margaret Paterson will demonstrate Christmas Decorations, and our Christmas Night Out takes place on 11th December to Fenwick Hotel. We start 2018 on January 8th with a Fun Night by Jill Hendry and on 22nd January we will be having a visit from ‘Irvine Lassies Burns Club’. The Guild is open to both men and women. Come along, we’d love to see you. Ellen Stewart
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Church Register Funerals 9th August 2017
Audrey Loudon 126b Bonnyton Road, Kilmarnock
7th Sept 2017
Patricia Barclay (M) 10 Stirling Avenue, Kilmarnock
19th Sept 2017
Isobel Wight (M) Abbeyfield House, Kilmarnock
19th Sept 2017
Agnes Shaw (M) Gracelands Nursing Home, Kilmarnock
20th Sept 2017
Peggy Anderson (M) Howard House Nursing Home, Kilmarnock
27th Sept 2017
Jim Steel (M) 20 Alder Green, Irvine
28th Sept 2017
Sammy Higgins (M) 1 Pine Road, Kilmarnock
18th Oct 2017
Alexander McLaren (M) Gracelands Nursing Home, Kilmarnock
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In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed and apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until it’s season, something God alone can see. There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody. There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will come the future , what it holds a mystery, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. In our end is our beginning; in our time infinity; in our debt there is believing; in our life eternity. In our death, a resurrection; at the last, victory, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
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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 has no way of knowing if our church members are in hospital unless he is 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
To see the magazine in colour go to http://www.new-laigh-kirk.org.uk/
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