No.2 31st May, 2024
Hi,
There is a wide range of articles, news, reflections and photographs of elders in the magazine this week ensuring both larger than usual circulation and complaints in equal measure.
David told me he, Charles and Andrew were getting induced this week so expect Graham MacK to be on hand with his camera... and maybe Catherine with some towels.
We are grateful to Graham who took some great pictures last Sunday at what was a great service- I've put some below. - thanks too to those providing lovely treats for the time of fellowship afterwards, esp the cake Emily made.
Hope you enjoy the mag as much as we enjoyed the cakes!
M
Sunday 2nd June, 10.30am
Rev Scott Kirkland
Scripture - Romans 9:1-33
LARGE PRINT
If you would prefer to have a large print copy of the song words which appear on the screen on a Sunday morning let the door team know.
We don't want to print copies which aren't used so just the team know and we can organise that for you.
If you require a lift to get to church email office@nmnewchurch.org
Letter from the Manse
Dear Congregation,
Remember that this Sunday afternoon, we shall return to Belmont at 4.30 pm for our “Starter For 10”. We shall have praise, a guest speaker and dinner together. Importantly, we shall also have a time to share how we can use the gifts the Lord has given us to become an increasingly healthy gospel church in the Mearns.
This is a “Starter for 10” because it is just the beginning. However, it is good to make a start even if just with small steps!
You will see a fuller explanation of this gathering below. Please do come and participate.
Glasgow and Argyll Presbytery: We had a lovely service of welcome with Glasgow and Argyll Presbytery last Sunday. I am sorry it had to be arranged when many of you were away. I felt it was important to complete as soon as possible what we had started at the General Assembly.
We are now “Mearns Free Church”! I have been installed formally as your minister and we have a Kirk Session of elders.
There are six Free Church presbyteries covering the whole of Scotland. The Presbytery of Glasgow and Argyll is large geographically! It stretches from Mull in the North to Dumfries in the South (200 miles). In the West there is a Free Church in Campbeltown and in the East, Airdrie (154 miles). We will be somewhere in the middle!
Though now Mearns Free Church, there are still a few formalities we need to attend to.
Though elected by the congregation on 10th March we need to install the three elders who were not able to be present with us last Sunday. We shall install them this weekend.
We also need to formally adopt a constitution. I keep mentioning this because it is important for the governance of our congregational life. However, we also need a constitution to register Mearns Free Church with OSCR, the charity regulator. We want to do this as soon as possible.
As I have explained elsewhere, in the Free Church, there are two types of constitution. You can see the details below.
Our elders propose the second option which includes a Finance Committee. We believe six members would be appropriate (in addition to the elders).
We have thought it important to recommend to the congregation who might serve us well as a first Finance Committee. Several of those proposed have already fulfilled important roles in the process of transitioning from MMCC to Newton Mearns New Church and then from NMNC to Mearns Free Church. We believe that this experience will serve us well in these early days. However, we will also propose two new members (Tom Brown, Lorna Hamilton, Margo McNicol, Lawrence Renn, Catherine MacKay and Daniel Clarke).
In regard to the process of election, each candidate must receive a majority of those voting on the evening. You are more than welcome to make alternative nominations at the meeting. Only six will be elected.
In addition to the above, at the meeting, important information will be shared about the ongoing relationship between “Newton Mearns New Church” and “Mearns Free Church”. Please do try and come along.
Warmest regards,
Scott
Proposed Constitution Of Mearns Free Church
MEETING - 7th June, 8pm
There are two options for us to consider when adopting a Constitution in the Free Church. The key difference lies in whether we think it best for us to have a Deacons Court or a Finance Committee oversee our “finance and fabric”.
A Deacons Court means ordaining men as Deacons, for life. A Finance Committee means the congregation elects men and women annually.
The elders propose that the congregation adopt the constitution with the Finance Committee.
We believe having a Finance Committee elected annually by the congregation from the men and women of the congregation best suits our history and the gifts of our congregation. Members of the Finance Committee may be re-elected each year by the congregation. We propose adopting a constitution at a congregational meeting on 7th June. We will announce this formally as part of our proceedings on Sunday.
To compare and contrast the two constitutions, you can view them here.
Please note that the link takes you to two Appendices.
We are proposing Appendix II.
Lock down!
Margaret and David did feel bad about having to make sure the members of the band were kept out of the way for last Sunday morning, but insist they were well looked after throughout.
Back to 'normal' this week.
Weeds?
Sam N sent in this photo from his garden - he was telling me that the Digitalis (Hollyhocks) is self seeded - ie weeds - and it has grown up right alongside the cultivated Clematis.
It reminded me of a comment Don Carson made on this situation regarding our own lives...
"Sometimes God chooses to bless us and make us people of integrity in the midst of abominable circumstances, rather than change our circumstances."
“Learn to sit amongst the weeds with God as Gardener, not the self.” - Teresa of Avila
"I’m a gardener, but I’m not the Gardener. God the Father is the Gardener of the world, including my life––and yours. All we have and all we are come from Him and are for Him. He makes the garden we live in grow. He also allows weeds to intermix with our circumstances. So in every aspect of life, our attention needs to fix on the Gardener, not the weeds and not ourselves. He provides wisdom, discernment, and instruction. Each day, as we walk with Him in the garden and become more attentive to His promptings, we learn to focus on Him above all stresses and distractions. Weeds no longer stand as a consuming daily ordeal."
(from Bible.org)
'Most Scots have no Religion'
Published this week, Scotland's Census 2022 reveals that the majority of people now say they have "no religion". What are the implications for us?Andy Hunter (FIEC Director for Scotland & North of England and member of Greenview Evangelical church) has written a short report
Read it here.
Join us for...
Sunday 2nd June - Everyone’s invited!
Starter for 10 – Happening this Sunday!
It’s finally here, the event you’ve all been waiting for - Starter for 10! We are looking forward to everyone joining us this Sunday at 4:30pm to gather as a church to think about how we can be a healthy Gospel Church in Newton Mearns.
Come along whether you have loads of thoughts to share or none at all, we want it to be an opportunity of sharing and discussion among the entire congregation.
The volunteers manning the stations are not there to filter any suggestions, they are just there to be a friendly face to chat to as you share/write your thoughts. All the ideas for each station will be gathered and sent to the kirk session so they can be discussed and prayed over by church leadership. So, no matter what your ideas are please bring them!
A reminder of the stations: Training & Leadership, Mission & social action, Pastoral & relationships, Praise & Worship, Outreach & Discipleship, Prayer.
And the ideas we want you to bring are - 1. What do we do well in this area? 2. What do we do badly in this area? 3. How do you see your gifting in this area? 4. What ideas do you have for how could we develop this ministry at Mearns Free Church?
We want you to spend time at 3 of the stations, brining ideas that can then be fed back to church leadership.
We are delighted to be joined by Simon Attwood from St Silas church, Glasgow who will be speaking on being a healthy gospel church in our community. And there will be a buffet tea for us to be able to share together as a time of fellowship.
So, if you are young or old, new to the church family or not, please come along to share and discuss any and all ideas.
And if you can’t make it, please be praying for the event!
Any questions, email Jacob (youth@nmnewchurch.org)
Prayers for People Under Pressure
O God, Control my tongue.
Keep me from saying things which make trouble
and from involving myself in arguments
which only make bad situations worse
and which get nowhere. Control my thoughts.
Shut the door of my mind
against all envious and jealous thoughts;
shut it against all ugly and in unclean thoughts.
Help me to live today in purity, in humility and in love.
Through Jesus Christ my Lord.
Amen
Reflection:
Galatians 5 sets out a list of the fruit of the Spirit. Many believers know that the list begins with 'love, joy, peace'. Fewer remember that ends with 'self control'.
Exercising this control needs God's help. It was said of Oscar Wilde,' 'He would murder his grandmother for a witty saying.'. Without going that far, the temptation to make a an amusing, bitchy, trouble-stirring comment can prove irresistible, as James sternly warned: 'No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison.'
This prayer has the plea, shut the door of my mind against bad thoughts, is a request we can all repeat. This prayer is a formidable weapon in that struggle, reinforced by its last line, help me to live today in purity, in humility and in love.
From Jonathan Aitken's Prayers for People Under Pressure.
Holiday Club Team Lunch
For all those who have expressed a desire to help with Holiday Club this year (and those who would like to but haven't yet passed this info on to Pauline or Jacob!). We will gather after church on Sunday 9th June to enjoy some lunch together followed by a meeting to do some training and safeguarding, allocate roles and tasks and pray together. Please do come along if you are able!
Pauline and Jacob
Mearns Free Church - Sunday 26th May
Ladybird Book of Mearns Free Church
Mearns Free Church
Community Week
5th - 9th August
The Paris 2024 Olympics marks 100 years since Eric Liddell famously won the 400 metres in the 1924 Paris Olympics.
Join us for a week of activities for all ages as we explore more about the life and faith of a Scottish sporting legend whose heart lay in China.
All activities will take place at Belmont House School, home of Mearns Free Church, and are free to attend.
FULL MONDAY TO FRIDAY PROGRAMME CAN BE SEEN HERE.
Praise Gathering
Book tickets here now :
Hi everyone
Praise Gathering is a 400 strong choir and a 80+ youth choir led by an amazing band and over the years I and others from our congregation have had the privilege of singing with some fantastic guest musicians such as Graham Kendrick, Paul Baloche and Celtic Worship. This year our guest is Alvin Slaughter from New York who for over 30 years he has brought gospel music to the world.
It’s a great way to join other churches in worship and bring someone along who isn't a Christian as well.
This year our concerts are on a Saturday afternoon (22 June) and a Sunday evening (23 June) at the Glasgow Concert Hall so you have a choice of times to suit your weekend.
Please come and support these events - The Concert Hall is a great venue but it’s big so we need to sell as many seats as possible to cover the costs.
This is my 5th year of singing in Praise Gathering and every concert has been a rich blessing and a joyful time worship and I really want to encourage you to come and experience it if you have never been before.
Tickets are available online so please book them now to get the best seats. The GRCH Booking Office number is el: 0141 353 8000 or online
Elizabeth Smith, Christine Maddock and I are involved this year and we would be delighted to see you there!
Thanks
Ian (Forgie)
Prayer News and Job Vacancy
Monthly prayer letter is here.
Trusts and Communications Assistant
Full-time, 35 hours/week, £28,000 - £33,000 p.a. dependent on experience
We wish to appoint a Trusts and Communications Assistant to join our Marketing and Fundraising Team in our Head Office in Glasgow city centre.
Find out more here.
Safeguarding in Mearns Free Church
One of our priorities now that we are in the Free Church is to ensure that we comply with the Free Church’s safeguarding policy and processes. Our safeguarding team is here to help everyone to do what is required; our safeguarding team comprises Sue Anderson (Safeguarding Coordinator) and Ian Forgie (Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator) assisted by Marlene Smith, Sue Amery-Behr and Alastair McLellan.
The Free Church’s safeguarding policy requires everyone who is working with children (including in the holiday club and one-off events), with young people and with vulnerable adults (including Café Connect) to do the following:
Read and become familiar with the Free Church’s safeguarding policy: Read here.
Complete a self-disclosure form for declaring convictions (to be completed and returned directly to the Free Church’s Legal and Compliance Officer (fraser.munro@freechurch.org). Link to form here:
Have a brief interview with the safeguarding team to check your ID. This link is to a form that shows what forms of ID are required: The team will also complete a form confirming your roles and contributions to the work in Mearns Free Church requiring safeguarding, and confirming your familiarity with the safeguarding policy.
We will arrange times for these brief interviews after Sunday worship over the coming weeks.
Disclosure Scotland (via the Free Church) will then send you a link to the PVG form either to complete for the first time or to update to reflect that work requiring safeguarding is now being undertaken within the Free Church.
Everyone should also undergo the Free Church’s safeguarding training over the coming months. We are exploring the feasibility of arranging a ‘whole church’ training session –
–it is uncertain whether this can be done. In the meantime the Free Church does have availability on their online training sessions and you are encouraged to sign up for these via their Safeguarding Training Booking webpage here.
Giving at Mearns Free Church
Sandy, our Treasurer, will give an update on our Church finances at the Congregational Meeting, and will explain how our giving can migrate over to Mearns Free Church over the Summer period.
We will start the OSCR charity registration process for Mearns Free Church as soon as the Congregation has approved our new Constitution on 7th June, and once that is in place we can apply to open a Mearns Free Church bank account. In the meantime we can continue to give to NM New Church, and it will continue to meet all of our costs. We therefore don't need to take any action in the short term. Sandy will explain the changeover process and timeline when we all meet on the 7th.
As ever, please don't hesitate to contact Sandy if you have any questions at all in the run-up to the meeting.
DATES FOR DIARY IN JUNE
If you’re a dad, mum, grandparent or anyone wanting to help children build strong emotional wellbeing, join us for this popular event.
by Care for the Family
Thursday, June 20 · 7:30 - 10pm
C7 Conference Centre100 High Craighall Road Glasgow G4 9UD
Event info and booking here
Anxiety levels and struggles with mental health are on the rise in children and young people, and as mums and dads, this can feel overwhelming … even at times debilitating. But there’s good news! You, as parents, have incredible power to help your children build strong emotional resilience and healthy mental wellbeing.
A Mind of Their Own is packed with simple and effective strategies for you to use at home, helping you to better understand what’s going on in your child’s head. Together with Katharine Hill and Sim Dendy, we’ll explore the science of the mind, and why children act and react the way they do.
Featuring interviews with mental health professionals, Dr Rob Waller and Dr Kate Middleton, this event will expand your understanding of the unique pressures and opportunities facing young people today, so you can help your child develop an emotional resiliency that lasts.
Summer Conference
Allander Evangelical Church
We are pleased to announce the event, High hope for low days: a weekend of hope the Bible, with invited speaker Simon Manchester. He will be speaking through the weekend from Friday 28th June to Sunday 30th June:
Friday 28th June at 7:30pm
Saturday 29th June at 10:00am and 11:45am
Sunday 30th June at the 10:30am morning worship service
Life is a battle and can leave us feeling weak and hopeless and even with faith we can find ourselves lacking strength. This is not a modern phenomenon as we discover that the Apostle Paul, often felt overwhelmed at life’s challenges.
However he discovered that there was Divine strength for him to find in the consciousness of his own weakness. As Paul prays for himself and for the church, he opens our awareness to the reality that there is help to be found from the highest source when we endure our lowest experiences.
Come and hear Paul’s prayers expounded and find God’s help for your life.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
We are in part 3 of a new series looking at aspects of the Gospel. Don Carson has a short booklet based on this exposition of 1 Corinthians 15:1-19 from the plenary address at The Gospel Coalition's inaugural public conference in 2007
You can buy it here.
I shall try to bring things to clarity by focusing on eight summarizing words (six of which were first suggested by John Stott), five clarifying sentences, and one evocative summary.
1. The Gospel Is Christological; It Is Christ-Centered
2. The Gospel Is Theological
How often when we preach the gospel are people terrified? The Letter to the Romans, which many rightly take to be, at very least, a core summary of the apostle’s understanding of the gospel, finds Paul insisting that judgment takes place “on the day when God will judge everyone’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares” (Rom. 2:16). Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul reminds us that Jesus “rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:10). This Jesus will be “revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his Eight Summarizing Words 13 powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thess. 1:7–10). We await “a Savior from [heaven], the Lord Jesus Christ”—and what this Savior saves us from (the context of Philippians 3:19–20 shows) is the destiny of destruction. “Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), for we gratified “the cravings of our sinful nature . . . following its desires and thoughts” (2:3)—but now we have been saved by grace through faith, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Eph. 2:8–10). This grace thus saves us both from sins and from their otherwise inevitable result, the wrath to come. Jesus himself is our peace (Eph. 2; Acts 10:36). “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom. 1:18). But God “presented Christ as a propitiation in his blood” (3:25), and now “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (5:1–2). Time and space fail to reflect on how the sacrifice of Christ in the Letter to the Hebrews is what alone enables us to escape the terror of those who fall into the hands of the living God, who is a consuming fire, or on how the Apocalypse presents the Lamb as the slaughtered sacrifice, even while warning of the danger of falling under the wrath of the Lamb. This nexus of themes—God, sin, wrath, death, judgment—is what makes the simple words of 1 Corinthians 15:3 so profoundly theological: as a matter of first importance, “Christ died for our sins.” Parallel texts instantly leap to mind: “[Christ] was delivered over to death for our sins, and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). The Lord Jesus Christ “gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age” (Gal. 1:4). “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). Or, as Paul puts it here in 1 Corinthians 15:2, “By this gospel you are saved.” To be saved from our sins is to be saved not only from their chaining power but also from their consequences—and the consequences are profoundly bound up with God’s solemn sentence, with God’s holy wrath. Once you see this, you cannot fail to see that whatever else the cross achieves, it must rightly set aside God’s sentence, it must rightly satisfy God’s wrath, or it achieves nothing. The gospel is theological.
Continued next week...
1824—2024
This June, Crow Road Free Church will celebrate its 200th anniversary.
Known originally as Hope Street Gaelic Chapel the congregation was formed in 1824. In 2023 it became known as Crow Road Free Church following the union of Glasgow City with Partick Free Church.
To mark 200 years of life, worship and Gospel witness of this congregation, special services are being held in the church at 29 Crow Road, Glasgow, on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June.
Dr Derek Thomas, formerly First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi and First Presbyterian Church, Columbia and Rev. Neil MacMillan, Cornerstone Free Church Edinburgh, a former member in the congregation, will be our guest preachers.
A warm invitation is extended to you to join us for any of these services.
Saturday 15th June at 7.30 pm
Preacher: Rev. Dr Derek Thomas
Greetings and reminiscences from former members
Book Launch: A Family We Belong To—a new history of the congregation by Evan Macdonald, £10
Exhibition of archive photographs and artefacts
Sunday 16th June
Morning Service at 11.00 am: Rev. Dr Derek Thomas
Evening Service at 6.00 pm: Rev. Neil MacMillan
B.Y.O.C. please
CAN YOU HELP?
it makes such a difference if people bring their own cups rather than using the disposable ones each week - can you help?
You can watch a live stream our services on YouTube each week.
You can find the service here and don't forget to click SUBSCRIBE
If you have friends/relatives who can't manage out they can simply search on YouTube for Newton Mearns New Church.
Wednesdays 7.15-8.15pm.
Look out for details this week on email/whatsapp
If you need a lift please email office@nmnewchurch.org.
Mearns Free Church has a What's App Group for Prayer
Here are some details on what it is about... read to the bottom and then find out how you can be involved...
Purpose:
A platform to share information regarding a sudden need of prayer
i.e somewhat pressing in their nature or even viewed as an emergency / crisis, and often personal in content.
(As opposed to regular prayer meeting issues, national/world issues etc typically part of a church prayer meeting.)
There is also the opportunity to add a follow up, e.g ‘still an issue, keep in your prayers’ or ‘thanksgiving for answered prayer’ type of message.
PNG WhatsApp Members:
Because of the nature of the requests (i.e often personal) the PNG WhatsApp group will be exclusively for New Church members and those known to us by their regular worship with NMNC. Typically, a prayer request will be expected from someone in the church or their immediate family member/friend.
Adding prayer requests.
Prayer points may be added by the group administrators and at their discretion.
Speak to Margaret Boyd if you would like to be added to this group or email your details to mandmboyd@hotmail.co.uk
You need WhatsApp on your phone to get set up.