Chronicle Chrystal - St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Church ...ChronicleChrystal May 2014 St...

ChrystalChronicleMay 2014

St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Parish ChurchInterim Moderator: Colin Sutherland

Tel 01387 279954

www.stmarysgreyfriars.org.uk

Church members from across Dumfries, including St Mary’s-Greyfriars’, took part in the “Walk of Witness” from Troqueer Church via the Mill Green and Friars Vennel to the High Street on Good Friday


The Chrystal Chronicle May 2014 | 2

Church registerDeaths – “I am the resurrection and the life”March 19: Miss B Brown, Cargenholm Nursing HomeApril 6: Mrs M Laurie, CharnwoodApril 14: Mrs O Thomson, Lochduhar

Baptism – “Let the little children come to me”March 30: Thomas Euan Dunlop

Please let me know of any changes of address. Marion Bennett, 2 Wolfgill Drive, Dumfries DG1 4XY. Tel: 263106.

FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the May edition of the magazine. If you have anything to be included in the next edition, please pass it on through the church by Sunday May 18. The deadline is Tuesday May 20 at 3pm. Thanks as always.

Apologies if you submitted anything via email for this month’s magazine on deadline day and it hasn’t appeared – some major gremlins stopped messages, or replies, arriving for 24 hours!

If you have any articles, please contact me:n Address: 2 Wolfgill Drive, Dumfries DG1 4XYn Telephone: 263106n Email: [email protected]

David BennettEditor

Useful phone numbersSession Clerk – David Matheson, 252042 Treasurer – Stewart Williamson, 261257 Gift Aid and freewill offering envelopes – Billy Simpson, 252278



April 2014 has been a very busy and exciting time in the life of St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Church. As I reported in the last magazine we have the unanimous approval of the Kirk Session for the alterations and installation of the new central heating system.

Following on from that we now have the unanimous approval of the congregation as this was explained to them at the Stated Annual Meeting held in the church following the service on Sunday March 23.

The Presbytery Property Committee’s approval has been sought and we have re-ceived that also. We have now submitted our plans to the two further bodies within the Church, namely the Artistic Matters Committee (CARTA) and the Gen-eral Trustees, whose approval we now require to enable us to proceed with the proposed alterations.

Drawings have been received from the heating consultant appointed by the General Trustees and they have been included in our submission to Edinburgh.

There will be radiators installed around the ground floor walls and the centre portion of the church will have underfloor heating to ensure the comfort of those using this area of the church.

Upstairs will also have radiators around the upper walls, which will ensure an even heat throughout the church. The project committee will present all the plans and proposals to the next meeting of the Kirk Session in May.

Please be assured that the proposals and decisions that have been taken so far, and those that will be taken in the future, will have the best interests of the congregation as a priority.

We have so far been very fortunate to have received additional supplies of oil, which has enabled us to continue to use the church with a good level of comfort, and our thanks go to those who have arranged this on our behalf.

The hope still remains that we will be able to have the work started early in July fol-lowing the flower festival and we should then have it all completed during the summer months.

We will keep you well informed as to the progress we make over the next couple of months and with the effort of many people we should be able in due course to have a new church with an exciting future.

Wishing you all God’s blessing.Your Interim Moderator,

Colin

From the Interim Moderator



The Guild’s yearA Fellowship to BuildBetween the AGM on March 19, 2013 and the start of the 2013-14 session, Guild members went to the Presbyterial Council’s 125 celebration tea party in the Easterbrook Hall on April 28, the Thea-tre on April 30, the Let’s Celebrate event on June 5 and Chariots of Fire at Boreland on June 18.

Throughout the year we have had musical meetings, with the Bells of St Ninian’s from Moniaive and a packed house for Robert Lind. We have had talks from the Rev Val Ott on her Presbytery mod-eratorial year, John Glover on being a “Son of the Manse”, Brian Morrell on the Caerlaverock WWT, Bill Gillis on his work with Dumfries and Galloway CID and Liz Tanner on Hungary. We learnt about two Guild projects, Crossreach’s Heart for Art from Janet Combe and Comfort Rwanda from Callum Henderson. Our skills have been tested with the making of Christmas crafts, wordsearches and quizzes. Twenty-five members enjoyed a Christmas meal at the Woodlands House Hotel.

Our AGM included food too with a “candlelight supper” – a delicious buffet provided by members and entertainment in the form of two sketches which included the whole committee in one and a narrator, an injured traveller, ladies in fur coats and fancy hats, a punk rocker and a social worker in the other. A new committee has been elected whose first task is to make up next year’s syllabus – the Guild never sleeps! We more than doubled our target of 125 knitted squares and the resulting blankets have been gratefully received by various past members of the Guild, friends and relatives. Members have greatly enjoyed hearing the Moderator, the Rt Rev Lorna Hood, and Olivia Giles of the charity 500 Miles at the two Presbyterial Council meetings.

Our coffee morning in March was well attended and we now look forward to our theatre visit in May and our outing in June as well as this year’s Let’s Celebrate event at Dunscore.

Liz Tanner

Easter serviceOur Easter service on Sunday 20 April was most uplifting and thought provoking.

Great hymns: Jesus Christ is risen today; Crown Him with many crowns; and the wonderful Thine Be The Glory. The reading was from Luke Chapter 24: v1-9 – the passage about finding the tomb empty. The sermon, “You can’t keep a God-man down”, looked at the factual evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, as well as the positive impact that this has had on millions of lives. We ended with an informal Communion.

If you weren’t able to attend you might like to look up the reading and hymns and spend some time thinking about the sermon theme so you too can experience the special meaning of Easter. If you were there, you can do the same and enjoy reliving the service!



Christian AidThe soup ‘n’ rolls lunches held in St John’s church hall during the six weeks of Lent again pro-vided a wonderful focus for fellowship and run by Dumfries and District Churches.

There was lovely soup, filled rolls and an opportunity to purchase baking, jams, chutneys and various other items. A considerable sum has been raised for the valuable work of Christian Aid (accurate figures are not yet available but it was over £4000).

Christian Aid Week is from May 11-17, when lots of our members and friends will be dis-tributing and collecting envelopes from homes within our parish. Please support this effort for Christian Aid if you can. The money collected will go towards helping communities caught in conflict helping them to rebuild their lives – eg £5 could buy 150 bricks to help a family made homeless by war build a safe place to live.

From the BuzzOn March 24, we welcomed Kathleen Scaife with her mixed bag – 14 entertainers came along. The theme was Ireland, their costumes were very colourful, and soon had us all singing and playing mu-sical instruments. We sang various songs, including Long way to Tipperary, Wild Irish Rose, Danny Boy and Irish Eyes are Smiling. We all enjoyed a very musical and happy afternoon followed by tea.

At our meeting on April 7, the talk was provided by one of our members, Liz Tanner, who reminisced about growing up in London. She was one of four, with two brothers and a sister. Liz was born in Berkshire and brought up in Hampstead Heath. They lived in a very large house where they hosted Sunday School parties in the large reception room.

Liz reminded us about rationing of food, but she enjoyed orange juice and the daily delivery of milk in glass bottles brought to her house on an electric milk float. The sweets enjoyed were blackjacks, sherbet and Smiths crisps with the little blue packet of salt. Photographs of a gym slip brought back memories for many of our schooldays! The day ended with afternoon tea.

A Prayer for Christian Aid WeekThis Christian Aid Week, we focus on communities caught in conflict. We ask that you lift to the Lord all those who face or flee violence, all those wounded by war, and all those seeking to be in-struments of God’s peace.

For journeys home; for determined steps to peace; for hope overcoming fear; for kindness against violence; for goodness and mercy.

Even through the horrors of war; for the breaking of bread and for prayers; for sharing what we have; for all these things, give us glad and generous hearts.



From the treasurerMarch 2014 (5 Sundays)Open plate £ 445Weekly freewill offerings £ 2581Banker’s orders/cheques £ 1660Collection boxes £ 0Total £ 4686

2014 total to date (13 Sundays): £11,9242013 total to date (13 Sundays): £11,710Increase: £214 (1.82%)

Stewart Williamson, Treasurer

In the gardenThe Gardening Club members were most fortunate on April 2, to have our own Bill Holland to lead us through a most interesting afternoon where the star attraction was the delightful dahlia, with the showy flowers. His pictures and commentary were enjoyed by all and any questions posed were dealt with amicably.

April 16 saw Andre and Barbara Barallon in the driving seat as we cruised through Portugal, Spain and France. Visits to many cities were described in detail and many in the Gardening Club audience were no doubt tempted to replicate the voyages on the cruise liners.

The annual church plant sale and coffee morning is on Saturday May 31 from 10am to 12 noon and will be led by Gardening Club members and friends. A good all-round response would be most gratifying.

All are welcome at any of our Wednesday afternoon meetings in the church hall.

An Evening with Stuart TownendAn Evening with Stuart Townend is taking place in St George’s Church on Tuesday June 3 at 7.30pm.

Stuart is regarded as one of the leading worship songwriters of his generation. Tickets cost £10. To book call 268926.

More information can be found at www.stuarttownend.co.uk.

http://www.stuarttownend.co.uk



Flower rotaMay 11 F HunterMay 18 A MackieMay 25 M ThomsonJune 1 M Bennett

Anyone wishing to donate flowers please contact:Norna Francis 250199Moira Cannon 720394Betty Jardine 257691Margaret McCafferty 268673Margaret Thomson 253484

FLOWER THANKSn The Drummond family would like to offer their sincere thanks for all the many flowers that Anne Drummond has received in the past years. Thank you also to Norna Francis and Margaret Thomson for their beautiful arrangements in the church on April 1.

n I have also been asked to pass on thanks for flowers received from Gladys Affleck, Mrs Carnochan, Alan Gemmill, Mrs Jane Gillis, Dr J Train and Mrs Mary Wallace.

For reflectionThe Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want.

He makes me lie in pastures green.He leads me by the still, still waters,His goodness restores my soul.

And I will trust in You alone,and I will trust in You alone,for Your endless mercy follows me,Your goodness will lead me home.

He guides my ways in righteousness,and He anoints my head with oil,

and my cup, it overflows with joy,I feast on His pure delights.

And though I walk the darkest path,I will not fear the evil one,for You are with me,and Your rod and staffare the comfort I need to know.

Psalm 23, adapted Stuart Townend CMP 1008

CCL No 102598



PS …

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY May Monday 5: Buzz, Caerlaverock and Locharwoods, Robert Copeland Wednesday 14: Garden Club Sunday 18: Morning worship in the hall, 11.30am Monday 19: Buzz, Music, Fashion and Facts in the 60s, Margaret, Bette and Isobel Wednesday 28: Garden Club Thursday 29: Service and soup in the hall, 12.15pm Saturday 31: Garden Club coffee morning and plant sale

June Monday 2: Buzz, Cycling Across America, Andy Armstrong

Date to add? Get in touch! Details on page two.

Dear Lord our God

You are awesome!miracles of spring, new birth, new life all around us.

You are loving!forgiver of sins, ever present comforter and healer.

You are great!we have food and homes, friends and family, faith and a future.

You are powerful!influence the decision makers, heal the hurting, change our lives.

You are alive!the miracle of the resurrection means we have life eternal.

We are Yours!Amen

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