NEWTON MEARNS NEW CHURCH LOGOS

No.16 4th October, 2024

Enjoy the Mag.
MB

sunday morning

We would like to invite you to consider joining a new prayer initiative.

A prayer triplet is a group of 3 people who will meet regularly (perhaps weekly) to pray together.
A team of three is suggested because it is non-threatening. People are not so nervous about saying the wrong thing in a small group of friends who are learning to trust God and each other together.

You can join as a group of 3 or you can join as an individual to be matched up with 2 others. Groups will be male/female/mixed according to preference.
It is a great opportunity to form closer, prayerful relationships within our church family.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.
Please speak to Sue Amery-Behr or Catherine MacKay if you would like to find out more.

CMJ evening

We are looking forward to hearing from Rev Aaron Eime at our service in October.

This is a great service to bring Christian friends along to and hear from Aaron, who is the new General Director of CJM, as he opens God's Word to help us understand the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.

tweet
WhatsApp Image 2024-10-04 at 1

Hizkidz and YOU!

5: A Table and a Tower

Bible passage: Genesis chapter 10-11
Big Truth: People wanted to be great, but only God is great.
Memory Verse: Its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:9

Ladybird Book of Mearns Free

New from London Institute of Contemporary Christianity

We've launched a YouTube series!

Have you ever wondered what Jesus would say about swearing, vaping, holidaying with your significant other before you're married, or social media detoxes – the topics everyone's got an opinion on but aren't explicitly addressed in the Bible? If that's you, our new YouTube series, Unscripted, is for you!

Take a look - who could you pass this link onto? All the details here

SAVE THE DATE - Scottish Prayer Day
Sat 9 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm
11 Newton Place
Glasgow G3 7PR
Join us for a day of focused prayer for mission partners serving around the world.
Refreshments provided.
All welcome.

Covenant Church are pleased to host the Searchlight Theatre Company, performing

Eric Liddell - The Chariot of

Friday, 11 October 2024. 7:30pm - 9:30pm Morton Hall, Newmilns
CLICK HERE
Set in Paris, during the Olympic Games of 1924, we see the struggles Eric Liddell faces around him in staying true to his principles. When given the chance to become the fastest man in the world, will his convictions buckle? Should he stay true to his beliefs? And can he bring home a medal for King and country?
All tickets £5
The show lasts a little over one hour, and will be followed by refreshments and a Q&A with the actors.
For more information, email EL@covenantchurch.scot

One Saturday a month, from September through to April, three lectures are delivered by visiting speakers.
These lectures, which are also available to access online, are specially designed to stretch the Christian mind and deepen an understanding of God’s word. The course content covers Biblical Studies, Practical Theology, Christian Discipleship and Christian Doctrine.

These are for people in the pews and from all denominations. You can see a short video about them here.

Fuller details can be found here.

Scott

Safeguarding in Mearns Free Church

Our safeguarding team is here to help ensure Mearns Free Church is a safe place for all. However, this ambition must be embraced by all of us if it is to be successful.
Let's get our PVGs in place, get ourselves trained and put safe practice into place week by week.

Free Church’s Safeguarding Training
Our Safeguarding Team (including Sue Anderson, Ian Forgie, Marlene Smith and Sue Amery-Behr) have so far processed the safeguarding paperwork for 63 folk in our congregation;
Disclosure Scotland have issued PVG certificates for just over half so far and we expect their task to be completed soon.

All who have applied for PVG certification need also to engage in the Free Church’s safeguarding training. This is currently provided online from the comfort of your own homes, and takes a couple of hours.
The next training session for congregations is Thursday 31st October at 19.30.
You can sign up for the training sessions through this link to the registration page: Safeguarding Training Booking – Free Church of Scotland

Office Bearers can sign up for their training on Tuesday 24th September.
Thank you for embracing safeguarding.
Doing so is essential to ensure that Mearns Free Church is a safe environment for all who worship with us and for all who engage in our ministries to children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Alastair McLellan

Mearns Free Church has a What's App Group for Prayer

Purpose: A platform to share information regarding a sudden and crucial need for prayer.

How to connect: Speak to Margaret Boyd if you would like to be added to this group or email Margaret at: mandmboyd@hotmail.co.uk

What tech do I need?: You need to have a Smart Phone with WhatsApp to get set up.

Email Addresses For Mearns Free Church

Please make sure you change your email address list now we are part of the Free Church.
Tom Brown (Office): office@mearnsfree.org
Scott Kirkland (Minister): minister@mearnsfree.org
Sandy McDougall (Treasurer): finance@mearnsfree.org
Pauline Forster (Children and families worker): children@mearnsfree.org

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello!

Smiling welcome

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We rent space at Belmont House School for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am (local map here). Cars...We use the playground as a car park and there is plenty of space. Please park on the premises.

In the interests of good neighbourly relations please do not park on Sandringham Avenue. In the unlikely event that the car park is full, or you prefer not to park on the premises, please use one of the side roads nearby but not Sandringham Avenue. (We do not want to hinder the flow of traffic or block pavements on Sandringham.) Entering the building...As you enter the premises, you will be greeted by one of our regular worshippers who will direct you to the auditorium where we meet. Songs and bible readings will be displayed on a screen at the front. The Minister will guide us through our time of worship. Don't worry about knowing when to stand or sit. The Minister will lead us through worship. Our time together is structured and appropriately "reverent", but it is a "relaxed reverence"!

We serve tea & coffee after the service, and this is a great way to meet people or simply take time to find your bearings.

Is there a dress code?	Not at all - come casual, come smart, but just come!
Will I have to join in?	You're welcome to simply observe or to participate actively
Accessibility	There is wheelchair access, and a disabled toilet

Our Worship

Just before we are called to worship by the Minister, we usually have an item of "gathering praise". This is a good opportunity to settle ourselves in anticipation of being called to enter God's presence together. Some find it helpful to use this time to pray quietly. Others prefer to reflect on the words being sung and some like to simply become quiet.

The service of worship begins formally at 10:30 am with a call to worship and lasts around 70 minutes.

Preaching, praise and prayer are central to our worship.
We share in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper on the last Sunday of each month. Some Sundays will include the sacrament of Baptism.

Our service of worship will include traditional and contemporary praise. We also include songs from the bible called "Psalms".

Though our worship has an informal "feel" to it, we do follow an order which the Minister determines. It will usually look something like this;

Welcome with notices
Call to worship with a Bible Scripture
Praise (this may be one or more items of praise)
Prayer of adoration & confession (we acknowledge the greatness of God and our need for forgiveness)
Talk to children (& sometimes a children's song)
The children leave for age-appropriate groups
Prayer of thanksgiving & intercession (we pray with thanksgiving and for the world)
Reading from the Bible
The sermon (the aim is to explain the passage of the bible read and apply it to life)
Praise
Benediction ( a blessing spoken over the congregation)

Our singing is led by our musicians, and the words of the praise are projected onto a large screen so that everyone can join in freely or just read & listen.

Don't worry if you're not a great singer - just making a joyful noise to the Lord is fine!

What about my kids?
	We welcome children of all ages Creche (0 - 3 years) HizKidz Nursery - P7 Prime Time S1 - S3 Older youth remain in worship For more information about what happens in the children's work please click here

As well as our Sunday morning service we have gatherings in church and in our homes. These include prayer meetings, Bible study groups, youth group meetings, all-age outreach activities, special events, and more.

We have more information for you specifically if you…

Are a student or young adult
Have children that will come with you to church
Have a young person interested in the Youth Group

Click here to contact us for further information - we'd love to hear from you

If you'd like to know about some of our staff, please check out our Staff and Leadership page.

Getting Connected

Small Groups
While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet during the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Would you like additional assistance to visit?

We'd be happy to help - just give us a few days' notice and we will aim to help make suitable arrangements with you. However, even without advance notice our door team is always happy to help on the day!

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

It is our prayer that you might come to feel at home in Mearns Free Church!

Scott Kirkland, Minister
minister@mearnsfree.org