Food, glorious food! - St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Church, Dumfries · 2017-03-03 · november 2015...

november 2015

St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Parish Church Interim Moderator: Colin Sutherland

Tel 01387 279954 www.stmarysgreyfriars.org.uk

Scottish charity no SC009432

Food, glorious food!Find out about our Harvest Kirn Page 2

Chrystal Chronicle November 2015 www.stmarysgreyfriars.org.uk


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Harvest Kirn

Our first Harvest Kirn on October 10 was a real celebration of all the wonderful local produce that we enjoy here in Dumfries and Galloway: n cheeses, butter and breads from n Loch Arthur; n all sorts of weird and wonderful n Fairtrade and Galloway Lodge n preserves (banana and rum was very n yum but the dandelion syrup didn’t n have many takers!);n milk from farms in the Stewartry; n potato scones and shortbread from n Kilnford; n pates from Castle Maclellan; n homemade banana muffins and n truffles; and n homegrown apples and tomatoes.

Although the hand-delivered invitations to our neighbours along St Mary’s Street and Annan Road didn’t result in any visitors, there had been

some lovely conversations during their distribution and we hope and pray that the offer of fellowship in itself was viewed positively.

We also launched our “Rice Challenge” (see page five) and Marion Bennett proved to be a persuasive saleswoman with a third (30 bags) already sold at the time of writing!

The Harvest Prayer is this month’s PS and David Matheson’s quiz certainly caused some head scratching! The answers can be found on page six.

Thanks to all who assisted and also to those who came along and shared in the event.

From the Interim ModeratorThis is a very special time of the year. The month of November is the time when we remem-ber the people who sacrificed their lives during the two world wars and all the wars and conflicts that we have been involved with ever since.

This year we have remembered the 70th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in Europe, and yet to this day wars continue to be fought in so many countries in the Middle East – Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Today the continent of Europe is faced with an enormous influx of refugees and migrants trying to find what they see as a country where they can live in peace and safety. Nevertheless, we must never forget those men, women and children who lost their lives during all the wars and conflicts of the last 100 years and more.

One would find it very difficult to imagine servicemen going off to fight in a war with-out today’s methods of communication. No internet, no Skype, no Facetime, no mobile phones. Yet during the last century service men and women had as their only form of con-necting with those back home what we now call “snail mail”.

Today we take so much for granted – we use all the modern forms of communication without giving them a second thought. Where would we be without a mobile phone, an iPad, tablet or computer? Sometimes when you are out and about and you cannot get a signal for your phone or some other device it is a major problem. Recently I experienced this when I inadvertently left my mobile phone in the house. I was somewhat lost without it in my hand. We have over the years become so very dependent on all the electronic forms of communication now available.

This is a time when we must remember the people who through their efforts and the sacrifice they made for us that we have the ability to live in a world which is as safe as it is at this present time. The services on Remembrance Sunday will certainly reflect the gratitude that is felt by everyone who in any way knows of, or remembers, that period of our history. The many occa-sions when they were so brave in the service of our country. We will be forever thankful to them and to those who gave their lives. We will never forget. We will remember them.

May God richly bless you in the weeks and months to come.Colin

By the waysideOur Minister Colin told us about “wayside pulpits” during the sermon one Sunday morning. This is the official name for the notice boards that are outside churches and are used for shar-ing messages, often puns, about Christian faith. We have a wayside pulpit at our Church and so each month we’ll have a different poster that we hope inspires a thought or brings a smile to passers-by. The first one, during September, was a quote from Hugh Walpole (who featured in another sermon) and said: “God must exist to explain all the love there is in the world”; and the one for October (suitable for our harvest season) is “forbidden fruit causes many jams!”

If you have any ideas or suggestions for the Wayside Pulpit messages please do pass them on to any member of the communications, outreach and worship committee.



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Church register

About the magazine Useful contactsThe deadline for our next, double issue (covering December and January) is Sunday November 22 for items through the church – and 3pm that day for those sent direct. Please include your name with all submissions.

Editor: David BennettWrite: 2 Wolfgill Drive, Dumfries DG1 4XYCall: 01387 263106Email: [email protected]

Interim Moderator Colin Sutherland ............................. 279954

Session Clerk David Matheson .............................. 252042

Treasurer Stewart Williamson ......................... 261257

Gift Aid and freewill offering envelopes Billy Simpson ................................... 252278

What’s on …NovemberMonday 2: Buzz, Mixed Bag entertainsWednesday 11: Garden Club, Willie Taylor, BeesSunday 15: Guild, soup and sweet after the service in the hallMonday 16: Buzz, David Johnson, Hook Line and SingerTuesday 17: Guild, Speaker from BarnardosWednesday 25: Garden Club, Andre Barallon, Travel slidesThursday 26: Service and soup, 12.15pm in the hallMonday 30: Buzz, St Andrew’s Day Celebration, Janette Kirkpatrick DecemberTuesday 1: Guild, Taste and Try with a Christmas theme. Saturday 5: Christmas Bazaar, 10am to 12 noon

Death – “I am the resurrection and the life”September 24: Mrs S KnoxOctober 18: Miss M Bissett

Baptisms – “Let the little children come to me”October 4: Anna WardropOctober 18: Harley John Bell

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

The Rice ChallengeAt the last Kirk Session meeting it was agreed that our church would take the “Rice Chal-lenge” – selling 90kg of rice at a fair price so that a Malawian farmer can send one of their children to secondary school.

The rice is white, long grain, comes in 1kg bags (just over 2lb) and is priced at £2.70 a bag. It seems expensive but that’s giving the farmer a fair price for its production. It also highlights that when we buy rice for less than that, then that farmer is actually getting paid less than it cost them to grow.

The cost of sending a child to secondary school in Malawi is the equivalent of the farmer selling 90kg of rice, so if we can sell that amount we will know that we have helped educate a child. At present less than 1 in 3 children in Malawi have the opportunity to attend further education and as Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

If you want to know more about the rice challenge, and how it helps farmers in Malawi, look up www.jts.co.uk.

If you would like to buy a bag of rice please give us your name and a contact number either on the website or using the slip below (which can go into the collection plate at a Worship Service or give it to any Elder) and we will be in touch to arrange delivery.

Thank you for your support!

Yes, I want to participate in the Dumfries St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Church Rice Challenge!

Name: ______________________________________________

Contact telephone number: _____________________________

Number of bags at £2.70 a kilo: ________

Riding Out Theatre Company Baked Alaska event – time to Change the Temperature – in Dumfries High School on November 19 at 7.30pm. Tickets £12 (conc £9) or £7.50 (under 18s in groups of 8+). Box office 01904 613000, www.ridinglights.org/baked-alaska or call Kath Aitken on 01387 820448.

Big Christmas Sing with Dumfries Male Voice Choir – 7.30pm December 9, St George’s.

Christian Aid events Still a great deal!One of the two pairs of antique deal chairs discovered in a recent church hall clean-up remain available. These are in good condi-tion, but in need of some TLC.

Offers are sought for these items of church history at a reasonable price, as they still have a lot of life in them, and they would certainly prove suitable in a domestic setting. All enquiries to Tommy on 01387 257691.



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Food1. What shape of pasta is lumanche? Snails2. What is the main ingredient of borscht soup? Beetroot3. Which country is the main supplier of mustard seed? Canada4. Which fish is traditionally used in kedgeree? Smoked haddock5. Which King knighted a side of beef? Henry VIII6. What is osso buco? Veal shanks7. What are angels on horseback? Oysters wrapped in bacon8. What does the Scoville scale measure? Heat of chillies9. Which was invented first – the toaster or sliced bread? The toaster (in 1893; sliced bread was invented in 1928)10. Hunger makes the best … what? Sauce

Drink11. How many people know the recipe for Irn Bru? 312. What is the average yield of a dairy cow in litres per year? 771713. What is tasseography? Reading tea leaves14. How much of your body is water? 60%15. How many normal bottles of Champagne are in a methuselah? 816. On average, how much water does each of us use each day? 150 litres17. What cocktail is made from gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water? Tom Collins18. What drink did chemist William Owen invent in 1927 to help those who were unwell? Lucozade19. What condiment is made from Trebbiano grapes? Balsamic vinegar20. What carbonated drink is the ‘totally tropical taste’? Lilt

The AGM of the Dumfries Fairtrade Group took place on Thursday October 1 with one of our church representatives, Stan Tanner, in attendance.

Chair Rosie Rutherford gave an overview of the last year and highlighted the suc-cessful renewal of Fairtrade Town status, the visit by a sugar producer during Fairtrade Fortnight and a wide range of stalls selling ethical and Fairtrade products at the Fairer World Fair. Treasurer Judith Mylne submitted the annual accounts which showed that income and expenditure was well balanced, and during the last year a donation had been made to an emergency fund for earthquake victims.

Rosie was re-elected chair; Judith re-elected treasurer; and Sandra Watson elected sec-retary for the year ahead. Plans for the coming year include a presentation to the Rotary Club; and various events during Fairtrade Fortnight in February/March 2016 when the national theme is “breakfast”. All in all, the group are in good heart and keeping very busy!n The annual Fairer World Fair is on Saturday November 1 from 10am to 2pm in St George’s n Church Hall.

On September 21 we welcomed Marian Donnelly, a Visitor Services assistant at Galloway Forest Park. We had a glimpse, with the aid of some beautiful slides, of how we could ex-plore the park’s three visitor centres at Kirroughtree, Glentrool and Clatteringshaws.

In 2009 the International Dark Sky Association designated Galloway Forest Park as only the fourth Dark Sky Park in the world and the first in the UK.

As not many people actually live within the 300 square miles of the park area, there is very little light pollution, so it is really dark – apart from the stars! Marian went on to test our knowledge of the stars which are visible from the park. Suffice to say some did better than others!

After some questions we enjoyed a birthday cake tea and sang happy birthday to Dick Ged-des, who had celebrated his 95th birthday the day before. His question to Marian was: ‘Is the park suitable for disabled buggies?” The answer: “some of it is” … he may be planning an outing!

On October 5 Bette talked about the harvest time of year, being very busy for farmers, and we discussed the church being decorated with fruit, vegetables and flowers. It is a very special service, with the produce delivered to our In Touch members.

From the Buzz

Kirn quiz answers

Fairtrade group AGM

From the GuildThe Guild’s opening meeting for the year was on Tuesday October 6. Rev Douglas Irving led us in a celebration of Holy Communion,followed by a most interesting slide show on his holiday in the Falklands. Goodness, who knew there were so many types of penguin?

We were particularly pleased our new convener Janet McSherry felt able to conduct the meeting – she seems to be on the road to recovery but we will all assist her in running this session.

November meetings start with the Presbyterial Council meeting New Abbey Church at 3pm on Sunday November 1. Tuesday November 3 is Guild Project night. Guild Week runs from November 15-22 and will start with soup and a sweet in the hall after church on the 15th. Our meeting on Tuesday November 17 will see us hear a talk from Barnardos on their work. As you can see November is going to be very busy in the Guild,so come and be busy with us.

Christmas BazaarOur Christmas Bazaar is nearly upon us again – it takes place on Saturday December 6, from 10am to noon.

As I am organising things this year, I’m asking for offers of help to make this a big fun-draising event for the church. We will have the usual stalls, and Loftus Brown will be sell-ing calendars, so be sure to come and buy for Christmas posting. Teas and coffees will be served, along with seasonal fayre.

Please contact me with any ideas or offers of help, on 266186. Anne Mackie



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November 8 .......................................H GrayNovember 15 ..............E Manson, K RentonNovember 22 .............................B ArchibaldNovember 29 ................................. B JardineDecember 6 .....................................A Miller

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

There is now a notebook on the vestibule table for names of members who are ill or housebound who might like to receive flow-ers. Please do feel free to pass on any details this way.

We would be most grateful if you could let us know of anyone who is ill, at home or in hospital.

The flower slots for the remaining Sun-days in December will be taken up by Christmas arrangements.

From the Treasurer Sep 2015 Sep 2014 (each 4 Sundays)Open Plate £ 303 227Weekly Freewill Offerings £ 2236 1899Banker’s Orders/Cheques £ 1414 1465Collection Boxes £ 0 0Total £ 3953 3591

2015 Year to Date (39 Sundays): £36,953. 2014 Year to Date (39 Sundays): £37,620. Deficit: £667 (1.78%).

Stewart Williamson, Treasurer

Flower rota Notes of thanks

For reflection

Sincere thanks for lovely flowers I received recently. Also, many thanks to the kind lady who brought them. It was so nice to hear from her about the various activities at our church.

Susan McSherryI would like to express my sincere thanks to the Sunday School and church for the flowers received after the flower service and also during my recent stay in the hospital. Thanks also to all who held meetings on my behalf whilst I took time off to recover.

Janet McSherryI’ve been asked to pass on thanks for gifts from our harvest service from Mr Tom Bar-ton, Mrs Bird, Mrs Clerk, Miss C Forbes, Mr Allan Gemmill, Mrs Nessie Glendinning, Mrs L Gourlie, Mrs Graham, Mrs Audrey Johnston, Mae Lorimer, Mrs P McShane, Mrs Opstad, Mr and Mrs Robson, Mrs Mary Wallace, Mrs Wardrope, Mrs Neiria Wat-son, and Mrs Nessie Watson.Thanks also for flowers from Jessie and Bert Thomson, Edna Wells, and John and Isabel Wright.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,When sorrows like sea billows roll;Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,“It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

Though Satan should buffet, if trials should come,Let this blest assurance control,That Christ has regarded, my helpless estate,And hath shed His own blood, for my soul.

My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought –My sin – not in part – but the wholeIs nailed to His cross; and I bear it no more;

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live!If Jordan above me shall roll.No pang shall be mine, for in death as in lifeYou will whisper Your peace to my soul.

But Lord, it’s for You – for Your coming we wait,The sky, not the grave, is our goal!O Trump of the angel! O voice of the Lord!Blessed hope! Blessed rest of my soul.

Horatio Gates Spafford (1828-88) CCL No 102598

There is an inevitability for everyone, as the years advance, that the necessity for physical exercise each day is vital when the weather permits it, and it is crucial that we take advantage of our “great outdoors” in proffering the wonderful walks available literally on our doorsteps. My wife and I travelled recently to the disparate village of Brydekirk, about 16 miles from Dumfries and sited near the striking 100-year-old bridge over the River Annan.

As we had previously traversed the three-mile portion of the Annandale Way a couple of times, we chose to cover the southern side of the river as far as the quaint metal foot-bridge at Blacketleese, and return back up the river to the refuge of a seat in our car and a refreshing drink of water. At the early part of our journey past the weir and ancient Lade, the footpath was very muddy, but the calm expanse of river and the vast area of beautiful deciduous trees in psychedelic colours was undoubtedly autumnal.

We crossed the footbridge and noticed a trio of fishers enjoying the beauty of the river. One gentleman told us that the return pathway was blocked by two fallen trees, and sug-gested it would be difficult to continue our way back. Thinking the warning was exagger-ated; we continued our walk and eventually found two massive fallen oak trees with a girth of nearly two metres. Eventually, with great difficulty and belying our age, we reached the safety of the route home and finally caught site of the Brydekirk Bridge and our solitary car on a very quiet street. We did reflect that our decision to proceed was foolhardy and would have been better tackled by more youthful walkers!

The Annandale Way



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In the garden We’re going green!

PS …Dear Lord our God,What a wonderful world you have created!So many plants and fruits, animals and fish for us to eat.An abundance of choice.

What a terrible world we have created!So many people working hard, living in poverty.An embarrassment of injustice.

We are connected to this world by food, finance and faith.Encourage us to make the right choices in our food,Help us spend our money on the right things,Guide us in our prayers for farmers and producers around the world.

We bring this to you through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, Leader and Saviour.Amen.

A celebration took place on Sunday Oc-tober 11 in Maxwelltown West Church to mark 70 years of Christian Aid and 60 years of fundraising in Dumfries and District.

Mary Mulligan of Christian Aid gave an overview of the organisation’s national work in the three areas of its remit: “Give. Act. Pray.” Alison Wright looked back over the various events and contributions our locality has made.

Anne Twiname, our church repre-sentative on the local committee, read a beautiful prayer in dedicating the offering, and afterwards there was fellowship and refreshments.

E c o - c o n g r e g a t i o n i s a national initiative where churches work through a formal programme of reducing their use of the earth’s resources and raising awareness of the congre-gation of environmental issues.

D a v i d M a t h e s o n preached on these themes when he led our Sunday morning worship in Sep-tember and the Sunday Kids made a collage.

As they were putting the material together and talk-ing about the issues, our young people demonstrated a d e e p u n d e r s t a n d i n g about what we can do as

individuals, as a church, and as a world society to use less energy and how to look after our planet better.

The s e concep ts were further developed during their walkabout (see page 12) and a sp ec ia l team is being put together by

David as Session Clerk to work through the cr ite-ria for eco-congregation accreditation.

If you would like to be part of this exciting initia-tive please get in touch with David – your help will be greatly appreciated!

Celebrating 70 years of Christian Aid

Our photograph shows members of our church who attended the service, along with Provost Ted Thompson and Alison Wright.

The Gardening Club speaker on September 30 was Brian Hammond, of Drumlanrig Estate. He spoke of his time working on the estate. He served five years as an apprentice game-keeper; the early years involved many of the daily duties required to keep ordinary life go-ing – including ca-ing the mangle for the head keeper’s wife on Monday washday. He spoke of what went into his training and his work – with guns and dogs, building and repairing butts for the shooting season. He traced many changes that have taken place in rural and estate life. He has served under three Dukes. His recent work has been involved with edu-cation about rural life, which the estate promotes. He cited hilarious events where visitors have come unprepared – physically and mentally – and came to grief – often in the river. His instructive and pleasant talk was very much appreciated. He was warmly thanked for it.

On October 14, Bob Shepherd gave us an illustrated talk on a trip to Nepal. He spoke of their preparation which included being given medical supplies and provisions by friends and pharmacies. They were surprised to find that these were allowed through customs at both ends with minimum formality – and no extra charges. He showed us the capital, Kathmandu. and described Nepal’s dependence on tourism. He showed the contrast between wealth and poverty; between Kathmandu as a living city and a museum. He showed temples – Buddhist and Hindu; areas populated by Tibetan refugees; a climbing trip up to Annapurna and a flight round Everest – we all envied him. Bob was warmly thanked for his fascinating talk.


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A fruitful walk for Sunday Kids

On Sunday October 4 the Sunday Kids went on a walk to look for Fruits of Creation.

We started at the back gate entrance to the church and gathered some chestnuts. This was followed by a walk along to the railway station where we gathered raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, rhubarb, chives and a crab apple from the Incredible Edibles gardens.

We then headed back to the hall where we discussed the fruits and the Fruit of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Humility and Self Control.

G N Galatians 5 vs 22 and 23

Food, glorious food! - St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Church, Dumfries · 2017-03-03 · november 2015...

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