THE
VILLAGER
Church News for the Village Issue 46
September 2020
lite
“Unimaginable!”
Services
If you’d been told last November that a virus had presented in a Chinese State which would sweep across the globe, grounding all air travel, confining populations to their houses and causing astronomical spending by countries’ treasuries, I wonder if you’d have taken it seriously? Unimaginable? Well it has happened.
We continue to ‘meet’ on-line on Sundays at 10.30 am. The link is shown on p. 4.
I have had my 65th Birthday. (I know, I might look more like 80!) I’ve been here for 30 years. I came as a fresh-faced bachelor with a suspicion of hair. Now I have a wife and four children. The paucity of hair that I retain may be related to the plethora of offspring. Can I imagine what it may be like to retire? With difficulty - but I know it will happen soon enough. Often I have written about the issues of life and death in the Villager. If there is no God or after-life, as some friends believe, then it really doesn’t matter. If there is, however, then we will meet Him and be called to account for our life. I for one am appalled at that thought. I struggle to imagine what that meeting will be like, but when it does happen, I am trusting in Jesus Christ alone for my security. As you try to imagine your future, I urge you to find your hope in Him. If interested, this might help: I am putting a series called ‘Jesus Christ?’ on our Website https://www.torranceparishchurch.org.uk/jesus-christ/ They’re about 15 mins long, viewable on phone or computer and are ideal for people interested in Jesus but with no church connection.
Nigel CAFÉ ON HOLD 2
ACTIVITIES 3
PLANS 4 1
The building has been prepared to hold services when the Kirk Session decides. There can be seating for 43, in households of 1, 2, 3 or 4, with 2m spacing.
Communal singing is forbidden: it throws droplets 4m. At least at home we can sing God’s praise All plans within are correct as at 17/8/2020, but could change!
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You will be shown where you may sit, to meet whatever regulations are in force on that day, and your order taken. All the usual delicious scones, shortbread, teas and coffees will be available.
Closer - at a distance We are all missing being able to meet with friends, eg at the Community Café.
Extra hygiene measures include hand sanitisers, and staff will clean tables and chairs between users.
Jen and the team are busy making plans to re-open the café as soon as it is feasible. Look out for information on the church website or posters. Meantime, here is an idea of what the new-style café will be like:
Like you, staff will wear masks - but behind them is the usual warm welcoming smile!
‘Toilet Training’! Once activities resume in the church building, new rules apply to the toilets, for the rooms are too small to keep 2m apart.
To allow for social distancing we will use the church instead of the foyer, once a week, 9am to 12noon, on Thursdays.
So only one person at a time may use the Ladies, Gents or Wheelchair Toilets. After use, wash your hands with plenty of soap and water; dry them on the new paper towels and pop the towel in the pedal bin. (The hot-air driers are off meantime.)
It is now mandatory that you use a facecovering within the building, except when actually eating or drinking. There will be a clearly marked, one-way entry/exit system. Someone will greet you on entry and take the required contact details (name and phone number)
There will be a moveable sign outside in the corridor; turn it to ‘Engaged’ when you enter, and ‘Vacant’ as you leave. If queuing in the corridor, stand 2m apart.
A Listening Ear These have been strange times, with many finding themselves in situations and with problems never imagined. Often it helps to talk these through with someone else and we can offer this in relaxed and discreet, private surroundings. The prayer team will have two members at the church every Wednesday morning from 10.30 to 12 noon. They will be available to listen and chat with you. And since we believe God also listens when people pray, they’ll be glad to pray along with you or for you, if you wish. Please wear a face covering and use the hand sanitiser near the front door. They look forward to welcoming you. If you cannot come in person, you may still pass on prayer requests by telephone: call Marion Murray on 07788 797238 2
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The Village Hug
The Holiday Club
“The people of Torrance can be rightly proud of the youngsters on the team at The Village Hug - what a great thing they’ve done over lock-down. The newsletters are fantastic. Where else can you find walks, film reviews, interviews and Covid advice? I’m impressed. They represent a wave of community spirit that has swept across Scotland… Pandemics are not good things but if anything good can come from this one it will be about community and kindness. I am thankful for their example. Now, I’m off to make some caramel shortbread….”
could not run as normal this year. Undaunted, our young folk came up with ‘Paul’s Adventures’, a set of YouTube videos featuring all that everyone loved about Holiday Club: Energizers, Drama (The Bus Trip), Bible stories, Memory Verses and more! They wrote and filmed it all themselves and created activity bags to help each viewer all week with crafts ideas, activity sheets and sweets!
Professor Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director for Scotland, much on our TV screens of late.
Our young folk were very busy all summer, producing the Village Hug, a weekly, on-line magazine with a great variety of items and something for all ages. Many thanks to Norman, Craig and Sean for masterminding this. THE VILLAGE HUG
Nearly 80 bags were picked up; some got as far as Montrose! We are so grateful to all who helped out and to God for giving us the material to make this happen You can still see the 6 episodes on the ‘Luke’s Adventures’ YouTube Channel.
Holiday Club and Junior 13 now 7 August 2020 ChurchIssue have teamed
Connecting Community Creatively th
up for ‘Luke’s Adventures’, a village-produced video Prof Leitch wrote the foreon YouTube which is going word to the compilations out at 5pm on Fridays and of INTERVIEW the walkswith and recipes Jonathan Girvan about Modern Slavery can be viewed any time from the series. thereafter. Go to: If you missed it first time, https://youtu.be/ issues are still available on iTBKGmz1Ifo the Church website. And he did no do a e e pec ed but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's ill 2nd Corinthians Chapter 8, Verse 5
The Village Hug is a newsletter created by the young folk of Torrance Parish Church as a gift to the people of Torrance during the Coronavirus Emergency. Please pass on this PDF to others who may enjoy it and print it off for people not connected by email or Facebook (whilst taking the appropriate social distancing precautions of course). If you have any ideas for future content then please contact us at thevillagehug@gmail.com
In September I left Torrance to join Unseen UK s Modern Slaver and Exploitation Helpline. As a Christian, I know God cares deeply about justice and has called His people to plead the rights of the vulnerable and the oppressed. And so, it has been a great privilege to fight against slavery and human trafficking in the UK through my work during the last 4 years. With an estimated 40.3 million people living in situations of slavery around the world today, and 100,000 of these people believed to be in the UK alone, modern slavery is one of the great injustices of our time. The Helpline provides a free, confidential, 24-hour service to report concerns of exploitation and modern slavery and to support victims through advice and support. In serving as a safety net for many situations of exploitation and trafficking that are not otherwise addressed, the importance of the Helpline s role in combatting modern slaver in the UK cannot be overstated. Calls to the Helpline from the public have often resulted in the rescue of victims, who come from all walks of life and can be any age, gender, nationality or ethnicity. When victims call the Helpline, it is sometimes their first opportunity to reach out for help and receive support to escape an exploitative situation.
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Crimes that encompass modern slavery can seem distant and difficult to confront, but the reality is that slavery is in our midst in nearly every industry, remaining unseen and unchallenged for years. Car washes, nail salons and massage parlours are places where victims of modern slavery have been uncovered in recent times. However,
Crossover is the village youth club for all young people from P7 to S3. Over lockdown, they ‘met’ on-line (even some from Zambia!) and had loads of fun with various games and activities. For instance, ‘Describe lock-down with kitchen utensils’:
They currently alternate between online and outdoors. There’s been a village-wide photo scavenger hunt and a trip to Mugdock Park. If you are interested in Crossover, or know someone who is, for more info, e-mail office@tpc.org.uk . For registration and consent form, go to: https://form.jotform.com/ 202147077463353 Planned meetings: 19/9/20 Crossover Online 3/10/20 Crossover Outside 17/10/20 Crossover Online
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Girls’ Brigade
The Visiting Friends team are keeping contact with folk by telephone since they cannot visit in person. If you know of anyone who would benefit from this service, please contact Dorothy Beaton or Marion Murray on 07788 797238.
To get an enrolment form please contact Sheila Traynor at sheila@traynor1.plus.com
However, The Friendship Lunch and
Girls are currently meeting online, on a trial basis until October holidays when it will be reviewed. All girls are welcome to join us for fun, games & activities on Wednesdays. Primary 1-3 6.15pm to 6.45pm Primary 4 -Sec 6 7pm to 8pm
There is a £10 fee.
Boys’ Brigade The Company Section, (P7 - S6) hope to meet physically week about, i.e. one week outdoors, the other online. These boys are invited to a registration evening in the church carpark, planned for Thursday 24 Sept, 7.00 to 8.00 pm Details for Anchor and Junior sections are not yet final, but any boy from P1 and above is welcome that evening to record their interest. For more information please contact Sean at seanr345@googlemail.com
Carrot Cake Club is a Sunday evening club for all in S4 and older. It's a mix of food, fun, discussions with a Biblical context, movies and catching up with friends. For the moment they’re meeting on Zoom, every Sunday, 8-10 pm If you're interested in trying it out for the first time then e-mail office@tpc.org.uk and we'll send you the relevant log-in details.
Get to grips with your finances! We will be running a CAP Money Course later in the year. See www.capmoney.org for details E-mail office@tpc.org.uk to register interest.
‘Thank you for the music’ Singalong cater mainly for the ‘vulnerable ‘age group, so will not be resuming at the moment. We’re as sorry as you!
Remembrance Sunday
Whatever the form of Sunday services then, we plan an act of remembrance at the War Memorial on Sunday 8 November at 11am.
Sunday Services
If you have a PC, laptop, mobile phone or tablet, and an internet connection, go to the church website (see below) then click on ‘Sunday Services’. The options are 1 Watch together on line at 10.30am BST on Sunday mornings. If looking at that time, click the image to start watching. If looking at another time, scroll down to option 2: 2 Watch on demand any time. Click the image OR 3 Listen live on any phone at any time: dial 01360 545515 after 10.30 am on Sunday morning to hear the recording of that week’s service. Local call rates apply. If you have free calls up to one hour, this will be included. Minister: Rev Nigel Barge 01360 622379 For latest news, events, sermons - and to give us your views too - join us on @torrancechurch or www.facebook.com/torrancechurch
Office: 1 School Road, Torrance, Glasgow, G64 4BZ 01360 620970 office@tpc.org.uk Website: www.torranceparishchurch.org.uk
Scottish Charity No: 4 SC016058. Part of the Church of Scotland