1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

MAY 2014
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The Church Newsletter of Peterculter Parish Church
May 2015
Friday May 15th 2015 at 7.30 pm
Prize money to be won! 1st: £100 ; 2nd: £50 ; 3rd: £25
To take part or if you would like to buy tickets, contact the church office on
01224 735845 or email [email protected]
In aid of the community
Save the
date!
DON’T FORGET
THESE UPCOMING
EVENTS!
SAT 2ND MAY
TABLETOP SALE 10 AM - 12 NOON
11TH - 17TH MAY
CHRISTIAN AID WEEK
www.culterkirk.co.uk
SAT 9TH MAY
PANDA EYES
CONCERT
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Dear Friends
I would like to thank everyone who came along to the discussion time after
the service recently as part of our Presbytery Local Church Review. I was
delighted that so many people attended and enthusiastically discussed the
priorities for our church. In listening in on some of the group discussions,
I was interested in the thoughts that some people had about the timing of
services and on the ways in which we can encourage those who are
searching for meaning and understanding in their lives to see the church as
a possible way of exploring questions of a spiritual nature. The full results
of the discussions will feed into the report and eventually into our Five Year
Plan.
Our congregation faces many challenges, but it has been great to see a rise
in the numbers attending Young Church recently. This is due in no small
part to the wonderful enthusiasm of the staff, who do a fantastic job week
by week. I would like to record my thanks to them all and to say – well
done! But we cannot be complacent. There is a need to constantly look at
ways of attracting young families to the church and the need to refresh our
worship in different ways always has to be a top priority.
For the past 15 years, I’ve held a number of Adult Christian Education
courses every year. I’ve decided to have a break for a while and recharge
my batteries a little! I would like to thank all those who have attended the
courses where we’ve had some great discussions.
Yours sincerely
John Ferguson.
The Stord Girls’ Choir
From Norway
&
The Shell Choir
Thursday 30th July
In the Church
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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Swimathon
On Saturday 20th June, we will be holding a
Swimathon from 1.00 pm- 2.30 pm at
Banchory Swimming Pool.
The event will be in aid of Aberdeen
Presbytery’s project to raise money for our
partner church in Malawi. Anyone wishing to
take part or to sponsor a participant can
contact Fiona Jones on 07775 955250 or
email [email protected]
Outdoor Worship Service
On Sunday June 21st at 11.00am (note later
time) we hope to hold our Outdoor Summer
Service, weather permitting.
The service will take place at the glebe, which is
the field beside St Peter’s Heritage Centre.
Chairs will be provided and transport will also
be made available from the church from 10.30
am onwards for those unable to manage to walk
down.
The service will be followed by a barbecue in the glebe.
Delta Bible Study
Group
Table Top Sale
Saturday 2nd May
10 am - 12 noon
All are welcome to join this group which meets in the extension area of the church 10 -­‐ 11 am on the first Thursday of each month
A table costs £5 and set up is
from
9 am - 10 am.
To book contact Jean cook on
734233 or contact the church
office on 735845.
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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Christian Aid Week 2015
10th - 16th May
Christian Aid Week is 70 years old
this year.
Christian Aid Week in Scotland 2014
raised over £1.6 million. the local
Committee, which consists of Cults
Parish Church, St Devenick’s
Espicopal Church and Peterculter
Parish Church raised nearly £24,000
in 2014.
£5,000 of that sum was for the neo-natal and maternal partnership in
Malawi. That attracted a 7:1 match by the Scottish Government so became
£40,000.
Holiday Club
We will be holding a Summer
Club again this year for
all primary school age
children
It will take place from July 20th - 24th 10.00 am – 12 noon
Large church hall
To sign up, please email
[email protected]
or phone 01224 735845 and
leave a message if the
office is closed
A mid-term report to the Scottish
Government on the progress of the
partnership received a “very good
+” on the use of the funds.
£2,230 was raised for the Kenya
maternal care project, which was
matched 2:1 by the UK
Government.
We are committed and enthusiastic
supporters of Christian Aid and
hope and pray that we will continue
to be so in 2015!
If you can continue to help our
collecting team, or would like to
join us, please contact:
Gillian Vullinghs
01224 734983.
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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Mr Jim Rodger
One of our longest serving elders, Mr Jim, Rodger, died recently aged 85.
Jim was an elder at Kelman Memorial and Peterculter Parish Church for 47
years. He was dedicated to the church and also very committed to the
Christian faith and to living it out in his life. He looked after the Deed of
Covenants and then Gift Aid for many years and there’s no doubt that his
quiet encouraging of people to take out a deed ensured that the church
received a lot of extra money over the years. He always contributed to Kirk
Session meetings in a wise and constructive way. He only retired as an a
few months ago.
Jim was a true gentleman, he was always courteous and kind to everyone
whom he met. He set a fine example of Christian living.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Hilda and all the family at this sad time.
John Ferguson
Summer Fayre 2015
Saturday 13th June, 2 – 4 pm
The Summer Fayre is one of our
biggest fund raising events
contributing £2,187 to our church
funds last year. Help is always
needed for the various stages of the
proceedings and this year will be no
exception.
Coping with numbers at Teas and Coffees usually proves a challenge and
extra assistance will be very much appreciated. A list will be available at
the side entrance to the church for those willing to volunteer to serve or
clear up and/or bake.
Please add your name to the list or phone Edna Ledingham on 733723.
If anyone would like to help between 1.30 pm and 4.30 pm by attending
stalls and clearing up after the Fayre please speak to Richard Little or
phone 733166 or email [email protected]
More information about the Fayre will be available in the June magazine.
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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3rd May
10.30 am - Morning Worship
Mrs Ibidun
Daramola
10th May
10.30 am - Family Service for Christian Aid Week
John Ferguson
17th May
10.30 am - Morning Worship
Rev Iain Telfer
24th May
10.30 am - Morning Worship
John Ferguson
31st May
10.30 am - Family Communion Service
John Ferguson
Exploring the Faith
Interested in becoming a member of the Church of Scotland or know of
someone who might be? I hope to hold a short series of informal meetings
to explore the basics of the Christian faith in the autumn. In particular, it
would be good to attract those who may simply want to talk about faith
issues without making any commitment. I would like to explore
fundamental questions about religion and would welcome people who are
sceptical about the faith and those searching for answers.
If you are interested, please get in touch.
John Ferguson
01224 735041
Church Directory
Baptism
29th March
Nathan Andrew Low, son of David and Linda
Funeral
2nd April
Jim Rodger, St Ronan’s Drive
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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PANDA AYES
TRADITIONAL/CONTEMPORARY
FOLK BAND
A CHARITY EVENT
IN AID OF
Registered Scottish Charity SCO36638
Saturday 9th May 2015
Peterculter Church & Church Hall
At 7pm
Tickets : £10
Tel: 01224 553104 (UCAN)
Website: www.ucanfundraising.org.uk
or
Tel: 01224 735845 (Church office)
Bring Your Own Drinks and Nibbles
to enjoy in the Church Hall
(Raffle, Heads ‘n Tails, Nearest The Bottle)
**Panda Ayes will entertain in the Church**
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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MAY 2015
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Annual Stated Meeting 2015
The following is summary of the recent Stated Annual Meeting of the
congregation, which took place following morning worship on March 15th
2015.
Minister’s Report
The Minister stated that this has been another active and busy year for
Peterculter Parish Church. This he said was due to the commitment and
enthusiasm of members who give a great deal of their time and talents to
the church’s work. He endorsed what he said the previous year thanking all
who have contributed to the work of Peterculter Parish Church and
additionally referred to the following:
• Reflective Worship is developing well and he hoped more people would
come to appreciate it even if it means calling in for just a few minutes..
• The summer Holiday Club was held during the summer attracting around
25 children.
• He said he would like to commend the staff of Young Church for all their
hard work – and also the Youth Group volunteers – and indeed all staff in
youth organisations. It was also good to have the recent youth quiz.
• Pastoral Care – he was conscious of not always being able to do all that he
would like, but fortunately he said that our pastoral care team and the
Elders are there in support and he was very grateful for that. He said he
was always grateful for people letting him know about those who are ill or
in hospital even if he knows already – he would rather be told three times
than not at all.
• Church building repairs – it was great to see how the congregation rallied
round when repairs were required to the building and the money
required was quickly raised.
Session Clerk’s Report
The Session Clerk, D Gordon started his report by acknowledging the
excellent work undertaken by the members of the Kirk Session who both
individually and collectively, have contributed greatly to the work of our
Church over the last year.
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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He advised that we have hand one resignations from the Kirk Session
during the last year – Jim Rodger (27/10/14), after more than 47 years of
service since he was ordained in March 1967. He said it was a privilege to
write to him and express the gratitude of the Kirk Session for their excellent
and much appreciated service whilst serving as an Elder here in Culter.
The Annual Statistical Return for 2014 shows a decrease in membership
from 621 to 606. Whilst 4 members were added to the roll sadly we lost 19
members though deaths. Other statistics show the number of Elders as 47
(29 women and 18 men).
Dave also reported that during 2014 the Moderator conducted 3 Baptisms,
7 Weddings, and 37 Funerals.
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer, William Anderson, presented his report with the Abstract of
Congregational Accounts for 2014. He said that the accounts were available
to all in full from himself or the Church Office.
He said that while the full accounts are available for anyone who wants
them today he would be speaking briefly on the abstracted figures that had
been circulated at the meeting. He said that the Kirk Session approved the
full accounts as Trustees of the charity on 9 March having been
independently examined and our Independent Examiner did not wish to
bring any points to our attention as Trustees.
Looking at the abstracted figures he said that our income for 2014 is
£134,206 and has shown an overall increase from 2013 of £126,448.
Overall therefore we have a small surplus. The increase is a result of the
good fundraising efforts for the work at the front door. The contributions
towards the door fund have not yet been fully utilised and will be carried
forward against other fabric work on the Church to prevent further damage
through water etc.
He said that the main source of income is from voluntary donations, mainly
by Gift Aid donations, and he would encourage anybody who is a tax payer
to sign a Gift Aid declaration as 13% of our income comes through tax
recoveries.
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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He continued that our own fundraising income generated a total of £26,535
this year from our usual fund raising events and the very successful Flower
Festival.
On the expenditure side he said we have kept our costs very similar to last
year. This year in view of the exceptional and unexpected expenditure on the
fabric of the Church we were granted a one off reduction of £3000 in our
Ministries’ & Mission costs. This is another reason we managed to achieve a
small surplus overall.
In conclusion while 2014 has been a challenging year, good stewardship and
budgeting allows us to go forward with confidence.
The Moderator thanked William for his report and also thanked him for the
excellent work he continues to do for the Church.
Thank You!
Howard Drysdale of the Aberdeen
Seafarers’ Centre has written to
express his thanks for the woolly hats
that have been knitted and donated
for the seafarers who use the centre.
He says:
“The seafarers are very appreciative
of their hats and we know from the many email and letters that we get from
seafarers from around the world that they do use them as they keep them
ward, especially when on deck! The wooly hats cognate to be given out
throughout the year and around 6000 hats come in and go out - so please
do keep on knitting!”
He adds that it is projected that by 2050 the number in the UK Merchant
Fleet will have decreased from the current total of around 30,000 to around
12,000. This means that there will likely be a growing number of foreign
seafarers visiting Aberdeen which in turn highlights the on-going need for
the Seafarers’ Centre.
For more information on what is happening at the Centre please visit
www.howarddrysdale.com.
If you are continuing to knit, hats can be handed to Dayer Colburn or to the
church office.
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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MAY 2015
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Church Flowers
We would like to say a big thank you to the
following who have kindly donated towards
the flowers for April to date:
Doris Rothnie
Alison Middler
Isobel Campbell
Anna Findlay
Sheila Watt
Marlene Dawson
Frances Chapman
Davina Greig
At this time we would ask those gardeners
who are dividing up plants or planting seeds
to put in a few extra so that they will be ready
for the Summer Fayre. We are always amazed
at the variety of plants we receive.
Convenor: Violet Smith, 01224 733317
Treasurer: Mabel Smith, 01224 732030
Mid Week Lunches
The next mid week lunch will be on Wednesday
7th May and the last one before the summer
break is date. Serving starts around 12.30 pm
and the price has been held at £3.50. We would
love to see you there.
Moira Marshall and the Team
Coffee Time
Join us for tea or coffee on Thursdays and
Saturdays from 10.00 am - 12 noon.
Fine fare and fine company to be had!
Also stay for our short service of worship on
Thursday at 11.30 am.
All welcome!
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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Peterculter Parish Church
Mission Statement
The purpose of Peterculter Parish Church
is to celebrate our faith in God and in the
Good News of
Jesus Christ
through
worship,
fellowship, teaching, outreach and pastoral
care and to participate in the work of the
worldwide church.
Minister
Magazine Editor
Rev John Ferguson
Tel: 01224 735041
Email: [email protected]
Val Muir
Tel: 01224 735001
Email: [email protected]
Session Clerk
Church Office
Dave Gordon
Tel: 01224 732036
Email: [email protected]
Margaret Bruce
Tel: 01224 735845
Email: [email protected]
Church Office Hours
Wednesdays & Fridays : 9 am - 1 pm
Next Issue - June 2015
Material to editor
Sunday 24th May 2015
Ready for distribution
Sunday 31st May 2015
www.culterkirk.co.uk
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