Old Parish and St Paul’s Church, Galashiels Old Parish and St Paul’s Church of Scotland, Galashiels, is a Charity, SC010389, regulated by OSCR

~ Linked with St John’s Church, Hawthorn Road, Langlee, Galashiels TD1 2JZ ~

Newsletter ♦ May 2019

Dates for your Diary (details of some of these events are in this Newsletter or the Sunday Bulletin)

Regular Events

Morning Worship: Sundays at 11.30

Evening Worship: Sundays at 18.30 Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct & Dec in St

Paul’s; alternate months in St John’s Communion last Sunday each month

Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10.00 at 2 Abbotsview Gardens

Badminton for Seniors: Wednesdays at 10.00

Guild: Wednesdays at 14.15 (fortnightly from October - March)

Lunch Club: Thursdays at 12.30

Music Makers: Thursdays at 19.30

Boys’ Brigade: Fridays from 18.00 (during school term)

Other Events

Christian Aid “Big Brekkie”, Sunday 16th June: Liz Jardine is looking for volunteers to help with this event at 9.30 am in the Church: please contact Liz (on ecjardine@btinternet.com or 01896 664739) if you can help out.

Braw Lads Day Coffee Morn-ing, Saturday 29th June, a.m.: we will be looking for volun-teers to donate home baking for the coffee morning and to help with serving at it. If you think you will be available to help with this important out-reach event, please speak to David Leckey. Further details will follow in forthcoming Bulle-tins and the June Newsletter.

Interim Moderator:

Rev. Dr David 07817 479866 / 01721 602085 Donaldson

Locum Minister:

Rev. Neil Combe 755869 / 07730 941076

Session Clerk: David Leckey 757631

Board Clerk: Shirley Sandison 758634

Treasurer: Marjorie McKendrick 752540

Newsletter: Peter Sandison 758634

www.oldparishandstpauls.org.uk/newsletters.htm

God’s intervention saves 72 captive Nigerian Christians from Boko Haram firing squad

The lives of 72 Nigerian Muslim-background Christians held captive by Boko Haram mili-tants were saved by God’s intervention. Seventy-six men, women and children were taken to the terrorists’ camp where they were tortured. The four male leaders of the group were told at gunpoint to renounce their faith in Christ and revert to Islam. When they refused, holding fast to their Saviour, they were shot. The following week, the wives of the four martyred men were also ordered to renounce their faith or their children would be executed.

As the mothers struggled under this terrible burden, the children re-vealed that the Lord Jesus had appeared to them and told them “all would be well”. According to the account, the Lord Jesus then appeared to all of the group and told them not to fear, that He would protect them. They should not renounce Him, but stay strong, knowing that “He is the way, the truth and the life”.

The next day the Boko Haram militants lined the children up against a wall and asked the four mothers whether they would deny Jesus and return to Is-lam. All said, “No.” The soldiers prepared their weapons to take aim at the chil-dren, but suddenly began clawing at their own heads and screaming “Snakes! Snakes!” They ran from the scene, some of them falling to the ground dead. One of the Christian men reached for the gun of a dead militant but a little girl, at four years old the youngest of the children, put her hand on his arm to stop him. “You don’t need to do that,” she said. “Can’t you see the men in white fighting for us?” Some have asked whether such a wonderful story can be true. It is a good question. We all know that God can do such miracles, as for example when He covered a mountainside with horses and chariots of fire to save Elisha from the King of Aram (2 Kings 6:17). But not every claim made about the persecuted Church in the twenty-first century is accurate. Therefore, the local Christians in Nigeria set up a Discernment Committee to look into the story told by the 72 survivors. One of the actions of the Discern-ment Committee was to create a book of 26 pictures of Jesus. The book was shown to each of the 72 men, women and children, who were asked to choose the image that most resembled the man who had appeared to them that night. All 72 picked the same one. So let us rejoice that our Sovereign Lord still acts in power to save His peo-ple from those who plan to harm them. We may wonder why He does not do this always, why, even this time, He allowed four husbands and fathers to be slaughtered. But, as Christians, we know that His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8) and can take comfort that He is working all things together for the eternal good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Adapted from 2 articles in the May/June 2019 issue of Barnabas Aid (pp. 3 and 12), with kind permission. Many thanks to Milton Cashman for arranging this. The PDF version of the magazine is available at: https://barnabasfund.org/sites/default/files/resources/magazine/2019/bfaidmay_jun19.pdf

A Vision of Faith & Hope

In the second of our series about how other churches have embraced change, we feature Dumfries Baptist Church’s innovative new £4.7 million Centre, which has a spectacular 400-seater auditorium, café, sports hall, meeting and conference rooms. Many thanks to the McKendricks, whose family worship there, for suggest-ing this venue as a topic.

“A home for the congregation and so much more,” is the guiding principle of Dumfries Baptist Church’s innovative new multi-million pound Centre. Built on land on the town’s Gillbrae Road, the Centre is designed to serve its neighbour-ing communities, and Dumfries as a whole, with a Café, Sports Hall, meeting and conference rooms, as well as a spec-tacular 400-seater auditorium. All of its spaces can be hired by individuals and groups, for one-off events or regular meetings. “This is the fulfil-ment of a vision that’s been around for a long time,” said the Church’s Associate Pastor, Reverend David White [now retired], ahead of the Centre’s opening in April 2018. “Now we are here, we’re really excited.” David says the combination of church and community has always been central to the vision: “In recent times some churches have been quite insular. This is an opportunity for us to interact with, and offer something of ourselves back to, the community. It’s a great thing.” Dumfries Baptist Church almost closed in the 1960s due to decreasing numbers, but a small, determined group kept it going and the congregation started to grow during the 1980s and 90s. Gradually it began to outgrow its building in Newall Terrace, built in 1873, and for the previous 10 years morning services were held at Dumfries High School. The site for a new home on Gillbrae Road was identified in 2012 and a 16-strong Building Project team was formed. Fundraising began and the site was bought later that year. Following community consultation and the granting of planning permission, building work by Ashleigh (Scotland) Ltd started in February 2017 on the design by McLean Architects Ltd of Glasgow. The keys were handed to the church’s Project Manager, Alan Sloan, four weeks ahead of schedule on February 22, 2018. The £4.7 million cost of the site and the build was raised by the congregation from grants and benefactors. All profits generated by the commercial arm of the centre will go back into the Church. The new Baptist Church is the only church in the area - a community of around 8,000 people - and its members were deter-mined that it would meet that community’s needs and desires. “We have been open from the start,” says church member Barbara Mearns. “We held a summer fête on the site in 2014 and holiday clubs, ceilidhs and other activities in a marquee in July 2015, 2016 and 2017. “Now it’s here, the centre is open to all. The doors are open for people to come and have a cup of coffee and a scone and look around.” The Church has appointed a Centre Manager, Jason Stoker, and Depute Manager, Naomi Platt. They have been busy making the building operational, setting up the Café and taking bookings for the vari-ous facilities.

A stunning venue for the church’s Sunday services, the first of which was held there on March 25th 2018, the 425 square metre Gillbrae Au-ditorium (pictured left) can also be hired for large conferences, wed-dings, funerals, films, lectures, theatre performances and concerts. Its centrepiece is a contemporary stained glass window by architectural glass artist, Sarah Galloway, and it has a hi-spec sound system, projec-tion facilities, stage lighting and hearing loop. The light, bright Cornerstone Café, which seats about 40 and serves snacks and drinks, is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10 am to 4 pm. Along the building’s interior ‘Avenue’ is an unsupervised pre-school play area where parents can also sit and enjoy refreshments. Two “Avenue” rooms have sound-proofed partition walls making them flexi-ble spaces for a variety of functions. The 325 square metre Gillbrae Sports Hall, which has connected changing rooms and sprung floor, is equipped for badminton, volley-

ball, basketball, netball and table tennis, but it can also be used for dances, gymnastics, martial arts and exhibitions. The Centre’s upper floor is fronted by a glass-panelled gallery and incorporates the Newall Boardroom, four well-equipped, flexible meeting rooms, and The Loft: an informal, comfortable lounge area with its own kitchenette. The whole building is fully accessible and has a Changing Places toilet with hoists. Outside, a striking grey steel cross, forged by 22-year-old Nate Robinson from Dumfries, takes pride of place on the centre’s front wall. “So much work has gone into this building, it’s mind-boggling,” says Naomi, who has moved back to her native Dum-fries & Galloway from Edinburgh, where she was an Events Manager for Edinburgh University’s sports complex. “One of the things that appealed to me about this job is that it’s such a pioneering project, and I wanted to work for the church in a church environment. It’s a lot of work, but we have such an amazing support group behind us.” Barbara stresses: “Almost everyone in the church has been involved in some way. It has been a whole church project, not just the work of a few peo-ple.” Jason first came to the region some14 years ago to run Abernethy Barcaple Outdoor Adventure Centre and is a member of Dumfries Baptist Church. Previously he was a factory manager, a scuba-diving instructor in Zanzibar and the Caribbean, and latterly worked as a chef. “This job is such a great opportunity to serve in such a wonderful place as we reach out to the local community,” he says. “The mix of church, community, commercial and café, makes it so interesting, such an excit-ing and fluid job. You wouldn’t get that anywhere else.”

Adapted with kind permission from the May 2018 issue of Dumfries & Galloway Life The Centre was the subject of a feature on Border Life on 14th September 2018; further information available at www.dumfriesbaptistchurch.org.uk

A Special Tea Party

After the morning service on Palm Sunday (April 14th) the congregation were invited through to the Main Hall for more than the usual cuppa and biscuit. A group of members had got together to arrange an afternoon tea party to celebrate the return of Margaret and Milton Cashman after a peri-od of absence during which they were involved in the arduous task of “downsizing”. The following is based on an address given at the start of the tea party by our Session Clerk, David Leckey.

We are having this occasion today to celebrate the return of Milton and Mar-garet to our fellowship. There is a book entitled 'Don't wait until he's dead' – all about encouragement and letting people know how much we appreciate them. Hence the reason for this bit of a 'do'. In the early 1960s and Margaret and Milton met within the fellowship of a church in Wallington, Surrey, where they were involved in work with young people. After marrying in 1962, they went to India where Milton, who has a science degree, had been appointed to commission and train laboratory staff to support the rapidly expanding Philips Electronics manufacturing units. In India and Scotland Milton and Margaret encouraged many a weary missionary. Unexpected callers were always welcomed with love and deli-cious food: one weel-kent face in our congregation stayed with them for nearly two years! Their love is always accompanied by great humility, sym-pathy and humour. After nearly a decade of service overseas, they made their home at Grant-ley, here in Galashiels, in 1972. As a family, they worshipped at Saint Paul’s, where they were both active, and still are. As time passed, some members and Elders in the congregation encouraged Milton to train for the ministry. Following his acceptance by the Church of Scotland, Milton studied theol-ogy at New College, before being ordained and inducted to Abbey Church, North Berwick. While there, Margaret, who has a social work qualification, commenced her training as a Lay Reader and was finally ‘set apart’ in St Paul’s when they returned to Galashiels in retirement in 1998. They started a Monday and Tuesday Bible Study Group at Grantley, with about 16 people attending. It was always amazing that Milton could argue fiercely over some controversial theological point, yet – on bidding all good-

bye – he showed genuine love and fellowship. He travelled widely abroad as Chairman of the Scottish Council of Inter-serve and Margaret was on the 'Personnel' Committee.

Proverbs 22:6 states 'Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it'. Their three sons, Andrew, John and Stuart, are all excellent examples of this, and their grandchildren are a joy for Mil-ton and Margaret.

They have both treated us all as part of their own family – we can never repay them, but God can. Their reward will be in heaven!

Letter from Margaret and Milton Cashman

We drove to St. Paul’s on Palm Sunday morning looking forward very much to joining in worship and meeting up with old friends, after what seemed like months away. We went through to the Hall for coffee after the Service, and were completely overwhelmed by the reception we met there. First – the beautiful cake so expertly decorated by Wil-ma Turnbull, and equally skilfully made by David Leckey. Then – the tables, beautifully laid with goodies displayed on elegant cake stands, all prepared by the usual skilled and willing members of the fellowship at St. Paul’s. It was in-deed a wonderful welcome back, and it is hard to know how to say an adequate ‘Thank you’ to all concerned. Thank you to all who came and made it such a happy time. We are very privileged to be part of the caring, worshipping fellowship at St. Paul’s. We will not be as active as at one time – but we are grateful to God for all that is past, and we trust Him for all that is to come. In Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4, “

14 We know that the one who raised the Lord Je-

sus from the dead, will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence … 16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

Braw Lads Day Coffee Morning

We will be looking for volunteers to donate home baking for the coffee morning and to help with serving at it. It will take place on the morning of Saturday 29th June. If you think you will be available to help with this im-portant outreach event, please speak to David Leckey. Further details will follow in forthcoming bulletins and the June Newsletter.

Church Annual Clean This will take place on Monday 10th June from 09.30-11.30 am and 7.00-9.00 pm, and on Wednesday 12th June from 09.30 - 11.30 am, and will enable the Church and the halls to be cleaned for the Heriot-Watt University Graduation ceremony, which takes place on Friday 14th June. Could those who are able please bring their vacuum cleaner and any extension lead they may have: the more helpers we have, the easier and quicker it will be to get the work done, especially as a number of "regulars" will be away on holiday that week! If you are able to help, please provide details of day/s and time/s on the whiteboard by the pulpit. All help will be greatly appreciated!

Treasurer’s Report - March 2019

Actual General Fund income to date: £23,630 Actual General Fund expenditure to date: £23,591 Income to date: £39

Average weekly offerings compared: £792 (January-March 2018) £707 (January-March 2019)

Budgeted Expenditure for 2019 £77,812

Budget for January-March £22,183

Income from offerings to date £9,186

Gift Aided offerings tax reclaimed to date £4,448

Investment income to date £1,072

£14,706

Voluntary income -£7,477

Income from use of premises £5,031

Other donations to date £2,884

Legacies to date £1,000

£8,915

Income to date, against budget 1,438

Light up Scotland for Parkinson's

To mark World Parkinson's Day on 11th April, landmarks and buildings across Scotland, includ-ing our own Church, were lit up in blue. Many thanks to Rev. Dr David Donaldson, our Interim Moderator, for agreeing to this, to Keith Simpson, our Property Convener, for facilitating it, and to Ishbel Adamson for submitting this photo, which has managed to capture the moon shining just above the steeple during what turned out to be a lovely clear evening!

Wedding Ceremony

The Church was the venue for a joyous occasion on the af-ternoon of Friday 26th April when it welcomed the family and friends of Amanda Douglas and James Mackay, pic-tured below at the end of the service, to witness their mar-riage ceremony, conducted by Rev. Neil Combe, Locum Minister.

Cyclone Idai

As yet we have received no further information from Naisi, Malawi, about Cyclone Idai, which swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimba-bwe on 15th March, killing more than 750 people and leaving almost 3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. We only know that damage in the Zomba area was not as serious as in other areas. Please contin-ue to pray for our partner church and the repairs to any damage caused in March!

Ishbel Adamson