ST ANDREW’S
PARISH CHURCH
OUTLOOK – SEPTEMBER 2005
Interim Moderator: Session Clerk
Rev Bill McKaig Mr Alex McKee
53e Blairhill Street
Coatbridge
Tel: 421191
St Andrew’s Church Tel: 431385
www.saintandrewscoatbridge.org
September
2005
Dear Friends in
St Andrew’s,
In the words of
Old Blue Eyes, “And now the end is near……” for me with you at least. For this is my last pastoral letter to you
as your Interim Moderator. Moira McCall
might sleep more easily knowing that she’ll get her magazine material in good
time and in an orderly fashion from Fiona Nicolson!
Board and
Session meetings will return to a proper way of doing things; Janie McDonald
will revert to her real name rather than that of a well known fast food
product. Oh the sanity that life will
be with Fiona Nicolson!
Aye right! Fiona will become your new Minister on 7th
September – but she will continue to be a human being. Treat her as one, please. She has a name – let her not become “the
Minister”.
I must take this
opportunity of expressing my thanks to all at St Andrew’s who made this time as
your Interim Moderator a happy time for me.
Alex McKee as Session Clerk and Matt Sprott have been towers for me
during the period – places for both strength and refuge. The Goldies and then the Gillespies made me
welcome on their territory. The
Search/Vacancy Committee travelled some adventurous paths these past
months. They coped with the
frustrations, miles, disruptions, disappointments, hopes and eventual joy at
their search’s end. They did it all
with commitment, laughter, hope and faith that the process would win out in the
end.
And so, in Fiona
your new Minister, the process has won out.
I’m looking forward to getting to know her as a colleague and friend –
just one more friend along with those I feel I have made these past eventful
months.
A Blessing from
Genesis: “May the Lord watch between
you and me while we are apart, one from another.” May God’s blessing be yours.
Bill McKaig:
Interim Moderator.
COLLECTIONS F.W.O. Open Plate Total
August £4621.20 £193.55 £4814.75
PARISH REGISTER
BAPTISM
14/05/05 Leo
Derek McDonald DofB 04/04/05, 32 St Boswells Drive, Coatbridge
FUNERALS
Jesus said, “I am the
Resurrection and the Life …..”
09/07/05 Elizabeth Lawson, 16 East George
Street
10/07/05 James Nelson, 137C Sunnyside Road
21/07/05 Michael Bush, 6 Penzance Way,
Moodiesburn
29/07/05 Catherine Turner, 51 Coltswood Court
04/05/05 William Ferguson, 9 Bruce Street
DIARY DATES
7TH
September Induction at
7.00p.m. followed by Social
11th September Introduction of Rev. Fiona Nicolson by Rev Eliz. Kenny
18th September Rev. Fiona Nicolson’s first Service
SUNDAY SCHOOL
The Sunday School has
now commenced its new session.
I would like to thank
everyone who helped make the Summer Club its usual success, both here in St
Andrews and at Clifton during the joint services. Without volunteers, we would not be able to run the Summer Club,
so many thanks to everyone involved. George McCall, Superintendent
THE BOYS BRIGADE
All sections have now started their new session and
the numbers of boys attending is very good. The problem facing the company this
year is a lack of staff and helpers. This particularly affects our chances of
continuing with our events, where we take the Anchor Boys and Juniors on
various trips. The possibility of
continuing our craft work with so many boys makes it very difficult. We would
ask for the assistance of any adult willing to give us even an hour of their
time to assist us on a Wednesday night to contact myself on 605470 or come
along on a Wednesday and see exactly what goes on. Jim Elliot, Captain
6TH COATBRIDGE RAINBOWS, BROWNIES AND GUIDES
We are looking for some adult help in our
Rainbows and Brownies and if anyone is interested please contact me on 755222.
The Guides are looking
for someone to help them start up a football team as guiding has a new GO-FOR-IT
on football and we have a number of girls who would like to play football, so
if anyone is willing please contact me on the above telephone number.
As you know guiding
has built a new Garden House at our Scottish Training Centre and on Sunday 10th
July in the afternoon the guides invited the ladies from our church to go down
and see round it and then to have afternoon tea. 6 ladies and 5 guiders
went down and a enjoyable afternoon was had by all. Alexis Crichton Guide Guider
6TH COATBRIDGE GIRLS BRIGADE.
We hope you all had a nice summer
holiday. Girls' Brigade will re-start the new session on Tuesday
6th September 2005 at 6.30 p.m. Explorers (P.1,2 & 3) will
finish at 8.00 p.m. and Juniors and Brigaders will finish at 8.30
p.m.. All girls aged between 5 and 18 years will be made very
welcome. Come along and join in with games, badgework, outings,
crafts and competitions.
We look forward to seeing you all again on
6th September 2005.
Irene Krebs,Captain.
HARVEST THANKSGIVING
Harvest Thanksgiving
will be on Sunday 2nd October at 11a.m. and any gifts of flowers
should be handed in on the Saturday before 12 noon. These flowers will later be distributed to our members in
Residential Homes and Hospitals. The
retiring collection will be for the Christian Aid Niger Appeal.
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
Our first Indoor Game
is on Saturday 17 September at 4p.m. and we are assured of a good start to our
winter bowling season. Slips have been
given out and all returns should be made at least a week beforehand.
COFFEE MORNING –
Saturday 1st October 10-12noon
This is a new venture
for the Social Committee, as owing to our usual Social Evenings being
discontinued, funds are needed to be able to supply our usual Christmas parcels
to our member in Residential Homes and Hospitals. Tickets at £1.50 can be obtained from the Committee or pay at the
door. Any balance of funds will go to
the Church. We hope for your support
and if you can supply any “goodies” for the catering or the Cake and Candy,
please contact Nessie Hall – 603285. J Ferguson
THURSDAY CLUB
The Thursday Club will
start the new session on Thursday 6th October at 2p.m. as
usual. Our guests will be “A Touch of
Class” and the committee look forward to welcoming old and new members alike.
During the summer
break four of the ladies on the committee received invitations to the Royal
Garden Party held at Holyrood Palace on Thursday 28 July 2005. Moira Kyle, Ann Owens, Vi Whitfield and
Mable Daffurn had an enjoyable time despite a rather rainy afternoon.
Netta Stoddart
SUNDAY TEAS
We require a team to help on
the 4th Sunday of each month, please contact Irene Krebs or Jean MacDonald.
JOINT COMMUNION SERVICE
Under the auspices of
the local Area Mission Committee a joint Communion Service will be held in
Blairhill Dundyvan Church, conducted by the Rev Pat Carruth, on Sunday 18
September 2005 at 3p.m. Support for
this service is requested and the offering on this occasion will be for St
Andrew’s Hospice.
CHRISTIAN AID
The Christian Aid
house-to-house collection in Coatbridge raised the grand sum of £8,093.09. This, together with the proceeds of the Flag
Day and donations received, gave an overall sum of £9,267.60.
Niger and West Africa Food Crises
Thanks to the Sunday
School for their kind donation of £100 which has been forwarded to ‘Christian
Aid’ to support the emergency work on the ground in Niger, to reach the people
facing starvation.
In Niger and
neighbouring countries, swarms of locusts devastated crops, and the pastures
where they grazed their cattle. This
was followed by drought. The
combination has been lethal.
Thank you for your
ongoing support, generosity and prayers.
You are making an enormous difference.
Nessie and Sandra
BAKE FOR BIBLES
Our Annual Bake for
Bibles will be held on ‘Bible Sunday’ which is 30th October, in the
Hall. As always, donations of baking
would be gratefully received and I hope you will come along and support us.
MACMILLAN CANCER RELIEF
Irene Berwick and Jean
MacDonald will host the Macmillan Cancer Relief ‘Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning’ in Coatbridge Health Centre on
Friday 30th September, 10-12noon.
OCTOBER
EDITION OF OUTLOOK
All items for the October
issue should be placed in the box at the Church door or handed in before Sunday
25 September 2005.