The Web
Torch
October 2014
www.riccartonparishchurch.co.uk
The Web Torch October 2014
Page
Dear Friends,
I came across a recent story of a not very bright criminal.
After selling his pickup truck, 22-year-old Westley C. French, decided
he wanted it back. So Westley and a few friends mugged the new truck
owner. After taking back the truck they then abandoned it. Then
Westley and his friends fled the scene in their getaway car - a green
Nissan 240 SX. The muggers thought they had a fool proof plan to
avoid police - they covered the green Nissan with a fresh coat of black
spray paint. By changing their car's colour they were able to outrun
the Washington state police for five hours.
Unfortunately, as Westley and his pals headed north in Washington
they never bothered to change the North Dakota license plates. The
police easily spotted their getaway car and Westley was sentenced to
one year in jail. According to one news story, "Now he might be making
license plates”.
A rather amusing story, apart from the poor guy that got mugged,
and I suspect even he managed to get a laugh from the final outcome.
It’s easy to get a laugh at someone else’s expense, but this story also
gives us a thought for reflection. We can be just as ridiculous in the
things that we do. How easy it is for us to “spray paint” over our lives
without allowing the Lord Jesus Christ to transform us from within. We
may fool others, and even ourselves for a time, but eventually the
truth will catch up with us.
Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All
this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ …” (2
Cor 5:17,18) We all need to be changed, not to try to hide the truth as
Westley French and his pals did, but so that we can become the people
that God wants us to be, so that we can no his forgiveness and his
peace. May each of you know his transforming power in your lives this
day and every day! May you know his blessing.
Colin A. Strong
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Here is the Introduction and the Prayer that was used in our
morning service on 21st September, the Sunday after the
referendum:
The Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt. Rev. John Chalmers is
leading worship in St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh this morning
in a service which will include political leaders of different
persuasions. He has asked that we reflect the themes of
reconciliation and healing in services throughout Scotland.
I’m sure you are all familiar with the words from the Christmas
Carol: “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee
tonight”. To some extent that describes what has happened in
Scotland this week.
We come together this morning with a wide variety of feelings
and emotions. As we bring them before God I want us to approach him in prayer from four very different perspectives. I
think that to some extent most people will be able to identify with
one or other of them. There will be at least 3 that don’t apply to
you, so please don’t be offended, but try your best to identify
with, or at least understand those who do feel that way.
At the end of the prayer we will say together the same prayers
that are being used by our political leaders at St. Giles’.
Let us pray:
Lord God, we bring before you our wide range of thoughts and
emotions, of hopes and fears, of aspirations and expectations in
the light of the referendum.
Some of us are sick fed up with it – we’ve had enough.
We don’t want to hear anymore.
We just want to get back to getting on with a normal life.
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Some of us are overwhelmed with disappointment.
Our dreams have been shattered, the opportunity has been
missed. We feel that there was so much potential for Scotland, if
only others had not been afraid to grasp the thistle.
Some of us are delighted with the result.
We are excited at the new opportunities that we see opening up.
We welcome the changes which we believe will bring more powers
to the Scottish people enabling us to build a better future.
Some of us are relieved, but at the same time apprehensive about
the future. We are concerned that the instability brought about
by constitutional change will be harmful to the land we love.
We are fearful of where the nation is heading.
Some of us may not fit into any of these categories, but you know
the innermost thought of our hearts.
Whatever we are feeling, we lay our thoughts at the cross.
We remember those ancient words from Asaph, as he pondered
his questions of life:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever.
May that truth give us joy and confidence, and focus our minds
on your eternal values.
And now we join with others throughout Scotland in praying these
words:
We commit ourselves, to work for the people of Scotland, uniting
to build a better society, grounded in the values and ideals we
share:
Let us act wisely:
- respecting our differences
- healing one another’s pain
- working together for the common good
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Let us act justly:
- towards those who have held different views
- towards those who cannot stand up for themselves
- towards those who live life on the margins
Let us act with compassion:
- when we see others struggling
- when our neighbour needs support
- when our rivals are in despair
Let us act with integrity:
- putting the good of others before our own
- putting honesty and truth before personal advantage
- putting self-interest aside in favour of self-sacrifice and
noble service
Hear us now as we pray together in Jesus’ words:
A big thank you to everyone who supported the Macmillan
"World's Biggest Coffee Morning on 26th September. Although not
officially a church event, Riccarton Church folk really got behind
it. Thanks to all the lovely people who provided us with home
baking and the generous donations of money. Special thanks
goes to those who helped on the day. We couldn't have done it
without you. A great team effort. The final total was £457.30. All
money raised will be used locally to help people affected by
cancer.
May God bless you all.
Mairi & Carol-Anne
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E MacTaggart reported on the Presbytery Mission Meeting held in
the Howard Centre on Tuesday 6th May. Five Members from
Riccarton attended. The focus of the evening was on the work of
Christian Aid tackled under 3 headings all to do with justice for
poorer nations. There were three workshops
Jubilee Scotland made us aware of the crippling effects of poor
countries having to repay debts (often relating to weaponry or
environmentally unsound projects.
Christian Aid (Tax) It was explained that across the world, chronic
hunger still exists and yet the world has bountiful resources.
Tackling poverty costs money and can be effective if poor
countries received a fair share of tax revenue. But because of tax
– dodging on a massive scale universally by some large
unscrupulous global companies this is not happening. Christian
Aid believes the key to ending tax –dodging is financial
transparency by governments and large companies.
World Mission urged us to get involved in the church in Africa and
the Caribbean. We were given a sheet with lots of ideas on
involvement Musical items from the Deaf Choir were really
inspirational and much appreciated by all.
Moderator reported on behalf of the “More Than Gold” planning
committee. Sunday 1st June would be Riccarton Games with the
day beginning in Church with a shortened service at 11am. This
would be called The Opening Ceremony after which the games
would start. The games would be followed by lunch in the hall. Then
presentation of medals would be made by sporting Christian
celebrity. A stall bearing the name of Riccarton Church providing
water tea and coffee at the Sports Arena in Queens Drive was
planned for the day when the Queens Baton would arrive in
Kilmarnock on Saturday 21st June at around 5pm More than Gold
penny gospels (The Gospel of Luke) would be distributed
throughout the parish. A card inside to read “A gift from Riccarton
Parish Church”.
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A Dempster reported on the Food Bank that 4 volunteers would be
going for training on distribution to the Darvel Centre.
Denham Kirkpatrick reported by e-mail on the BB Queens Badge
service on Sunday 25th May when Gary Kirkpatrick and Stuart
Leitch would receive their Queens Badge. BB Parents night on
Friday 30th May. More than Gold games event on Sunday 1st June
.Sunday School and Youth Church Prizegiving on 8th June BB Camp
on 20th June.
Ann Dempster informed session that the last Messy Church would
take place on Thursday 29th May at 5.30pm when they would be
having a barbecue.
A question was asked about the appointment of liaison elders.
Session Clerk informed Session that the appointment of liaison
elders would be reviewed at the start of new session in September.
A Dempster Liaison Elder reported on the Guild Rally held in
Riccarton Church on Monday 12th May. She said it was a
memorable evening and everything went very well. Ann said the
Guild ladies should be very proud of what they had achieved on
behalf of Riccarton Church. The Convener Rae Lind and the ladies
from the Presbyterial Council spoke very well as did the guests
especially the main speaker Rev Dr Bill Moore. A full report from G
Barnes Jt Convener Riccarton Guild would be printed in the Torch
along with a letter of thanks from Catherine Rennie Secretary of
the Presbyterial Council of Irvine and Kilmarnock.
Moderator reported on the meeting of the organ committee. The
committee felt it was not worth advertising the post of organist as
it was very expensive. They felt it would be better by word of
mouth. Cover was in place until the middle of August. D Kirkpatrick
was authorised to purchase a complete copy of Mission Praise at a
cost of £36.00. This was agreed subject to Board approval.
James Barnes
Session Clerk
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Session Clerk on behalf of Kirk Session congratulated the
Moderator on his Twenty Five Years in the Ministry being
Ordained and Inducted by the Presbytery of Orkney on 16th June
1989 to Rousay Parish Church.
T Linton was impressed by the cushioned seating when visiting at
Crosshouse Church and commented that by comparison
Riccarton Church pews are not comfortable especially for elderly.
This was noted for consideration in the future.
Moderator reported that the More Than Gold sports day had been
well supported He thanked Mairi and Denham Kirkpatrick and all
who had helped in any way to make the day such a success. The
closing ceremony had been moved to the hall with the
presentation of medals being made by Alistair Queen.
Preparations for the stall in the Athletics Arena on the 21st June
during the Queen’s Baton relay were well under way with Asda
supplying Tea, Coffee, Milk and Sugar and Tesco supplying 280
bottles of water.
The penny gospels had been delivered throughout the parish.
It was intimated that there would be a fun day on the 21st June
form 10am -2.00pm to help raise funds for the centre
Denham Kirkpatrick reported that all arrangements were in place
for the BB Camp to Barcaple on 20th June.
It was agreed that Harvest Thanksgiving would be on Sunday 28th
September with harvest gifts being shared between Calum’s
Cabin proposed by A Dunachie seconded by E MacTaggart Mary’s
Meals proposed by W McCready seconded by D Lees
James Barnes
Session Clerk
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T Linton presented reports for June and July. Although August
report not available at present we received a payment from H.M.
Revenue for Gift Aid claim. These funds have been allocated to
Property Fund, Manse Fund, War Memorial and General Fund .
This was agreed by the Board.
J Barnes reported on Presbytery meeting held on 2nd September.
Rev. Andy Black is Moderator for 2014-15 Session. New
Commissioners welcomed by Moderator as were Advisers,
Readers and Students. Rev. Neil Urquhart congratulated for his
25 years in the Ministry. Mission Meeting in October will be
Messy Presbytery in Irvine St. Andrews and November Meeting
will be in Crosshouse Parish Church with Rev. John Bell.
Restoration work went ahead all Summer. Pulpit light may be
fixed on Saturday. Reference Razor Wires on drainpipes still
under discussion. Vandal paint and smart water already used.
Police did survey and approved what was already done. Clock
repaired and pillars repaired, both bills paid and we will reclaim
VAT. Work required on spire to make it safe, quote for £8,890
agreed by the Board.
Contact to be made with 121 regarding availability of grants.
The Chairman expressed thanks to E McCallum for all her efforts
in taking care of Property concerns. Wasp nest at Manse all
cleared.
11th October
Boys’ Brigade Coffee Morning
st
1 November
Caring Group Party
29th November
Christmas Fayre
Proceeds from the Christmas Fayre to be allocated to the
Restoration Fund as agreed by Finance Committee.
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J Barnes reported on the celebration of Colin Strong’s 25 years in
the Ministry. He had contacted Liz Dornan and agreement was
made to provide sandwiches and sausage rolls for lunch. We will
require numbers who may attend.
T Linton informed meeting that other churches in the Presbytery
only had Board meetings every two months, with emergency
meetings as necessary. The Board were asked to consider this.
The next Board meeting will be on Monday 27th October, 2014.
Mary Kean
Clerk to the Board
A father was approached by his
small son, who told him proudly, "I
know what the Bible means!" His
father smiled and replied, "What do
you mean, you know what the Bible
means?" The son replied, "I do know!"
"Okay," said his father. "So, son,
what does the Bible mean?"
"That's easy," Daddy. It stands
Instructions Before Leaving Earth."
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for
"Basic
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Christmas Fayre
This year the Christmas Fayre is on Saturday
29th November 2014 from 10 -12 in Church Hall.
Tickets priced £1.50 on sale soon and all
proceeds to Restoration Fund. Tea/Coffee and cakes included.
All usual stalls and Santa but NO nearly new clothes. Hope to
see you all enjoying the Fun of the Fayre.
Donations of baking etc greatly appreciated and any monetary
donations can be gift aided if you are a tax payer.
Eleanor
Tickets available from Stevie Robson
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A mouse looked
through a crack in
the wall to see the
farmer and his wife
opening a package;
what food might it
contain? He was aghast
to discover that it was a
mouse trap!
Retreating to the
farmyard, the mouse proclaimed
the warning, "There is a mouse
trap in the house, there is a
mouse trap in the house. " The
chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and
said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell you this is a grave concern
to you, but it is of no consequence to me; I cannot be
bothered by it. " The mouse turned to the pig and told
him, "There is a mouse trap in the house. " "I am so
very sorry Mr. Mouse, " sympathised the pig, "but
there is nothing I can do about it but pray; be
assured that you are in my prayers. " The mouse
turned to the cow, who replied, Mr.Mouse, a mouse
trap; am I in grave danger? " So the mouse returned to
the house, head down and dejected to face the
farmer's mouse trap alone. That very night a sound
was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a
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mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife
rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she
did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail
the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned
home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a
fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his
hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main
ingredient. His wife's sickness continued so that
friends and neighbours came to sit with her around
the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the
pig. The farmer's wife did not get well, in fact, she
died, and so many people came for her funeral the
farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for
all of them to eat. And the mouse looked upon it all
from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So the next time you hear that someone is facing a
problem and think that it does not concern you,
remember that when the least of us is threatened,
we are all at risk.
St Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 sets out for us the list of
gifts given to the Church and tells us that we are all
part of the body of Christ and in verse 26 he says, "If
one part suffers, every part suffers; if one part
rejoices, every part rejoices with it." If we take our
part within the body of Christ, we accept that we
then have a responsibility to one another to be
loving, caring and supportive.
Contributed by Elspeth
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Thank you to those in the Congregation who collect used
stamps. Please continue to do so, as they are used for fund
raising by the World Mission Council. There is a poster in the
Church telling about this year's appeal.
Thank you to all the ladies at the Thursday Group who have
trimmed and sorted many stamps over the summer period.
I am grateful also to Mrs Grace Martin, a friend of Betty
Kirkpatrick, who takes the trimmed stamps to Glasgow for me.
I have had word from World Mission Council office saying that
on average stamps raise £2,000 to £3000 each year, and in 2013
they raised £4,073! So it is worthwhile saving them. If you leave
them on the pew where the Church Officer sits, I will pick them up
from there.
Ann Gilmour
The Sunday School are taking part again in the appeal for
shoeboxes for Blythswood Care. This year boxes will go to
Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Pakistan, Romania
and Serbia. Items required are the same as for last year and we
would be grateful for any items or empty shoeboxes which are
increasingly difficult to find! A list of suitable items can be found
on the box for donations in the Church or you can pick up a
leaflet with the instructions if you wish to fill a shoebox. Could you
please bring donations by 26th October at the latest.
Thanking you in anticipation, Sunday School staff.
Congratulations and every good wish to
Tom and Marion Linton who celebrated
50 years of marriage on the 3rd October.
All the Best to you both.
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From Anne Costine
I would like to say a sincere thank you for all who phoned me on
the death of my dear sister Irene. Thank you also for the
beautiful flowers from the church, which were greatly
appreciated.
From Mollie Drake
Thank you very much for the lovely church
flowers, received on my birthday.
From Myrtle McCready
Thank you for the lovely flowers from church
recently. They were very much appreciated.
From Margaret Burns
Thank you for the flowers received from church. They were much
appreciated. Also to Tom Linton for his visits, greatly
appreciated.
From Mr & Mrs Adam
Thank you so much for the lovely flowers we received from the
church. They were very much appreciated.
Our first meeting on 16th September brought
everyone together again and it was great to meet up.
Meetings dates for your diary
OCTOBER
14th
Hansel Village - Sheila McLean
th
28
Marie Curie - Barbara Graham
NOVEMBER
11th
Music and Dance - Tartan Ladies
We welcome anyone who wishes to attend any of these meetings
which interest you.
Mary Kean
Secretary
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How beautiful the garden whose fragrance is family and friends
5th
12th
19th
26th
Guild of Friendship
Liz Wilson
Mary Helen Williamson
Anne Waddington
2nd
&
Christine Dalgleish
Bill McGill
If any assistance with the buying or arranging the flowers is
required, the flower convener will be happy to help.
Mrs Margaret Henderson Tel. 537982
5th
12th
19th
26th
Mrs S Hamilton
Mrs M Aitken
Mr T Linton
Mrs J Ferguson
2nd
Mr J Marshall
Andrea Dunachie
Bill McGill
Moira & Ian Aitken
Jackie Wallace
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Convener Margaret McCluskey
Margaret Henderson
Marie Littlejohn
Convener Tom Linton
Alex & Shona Hamilton Marion Linton
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5th
12/19
26th
Myrtle McCready
Mary Kean
Marion Linton
Jan Miller
Rose Thomson
Liz Wilson
Margaret Fulton
Margaret McCluskey
2nd
9/16
Marion Linton
Beth McGhee
Margaret McCluskey
Jackie Wallace Lorna McColgan
Jim Barnes
Alan Cairns
Margaret Henderson
Graham Kirkpatrick
Tom Linton
Alan Cairns
Ian Aitken
Bill Connor
Jackie Wallace
5th
19th
Bill McGill
Bill McCready
12th
26th
Jim Robson
Bill McGill
2nd
16th
30th
Jim Robson
Bill McGill
Bill McCready
9th
23rd
Bill McCready
Jim Robson
Material for November Torch should be given to Mrs Betty Robson, 8
Bressay Place NOT LATER THAN Sunday 19th October.
Betty Robson (Editor) 01563 532248
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