Sept 2013.pdf - St Mary's Parish Church

ST MARY‛S PARISHCHURCHAUTUMN 2013Bulletin No 312

Our centenary year is for us a glorious12 months, but it is just a short periodin a century and more of forwardadvance. We remember our story andrejoice in it, but the story of thechurch is a longer story. Our 100 yearshave their place in the 2,000 years ofthe movement of Christ's Church.Our forefathers with hope and visiongave us a building, ours for thesehundred years and much more, I'msure; but they built as a congregation,as we must go on building, in our timeand place, for their sake, for the sakeof Christ, for all time.We celebrate a climactic event; but wemark no conclusion. Old Augustine,1700 years ago, called us to live, "subspecie aeternitatis", "in the light ofeternity", here and now, and in all thedays to come, to see our place in thetimeless purposes of God, who is fromeverlasting to everlasting.Build on our past; your living stone,shape us to honour you, Lord, in thesedays.Yours ayeCHRISTIAN AID UPDATEChristian Aid Week 2013 was, as usual,a busy one. The sponsored walk in thepark started the week off in theblustery weather we’ve come to expectfor this event but in spite of theconditions, with Bill Taylor gamelybeing our official representative, thewalk was a great success. The mainevent of the week was the house-tohousecollection, carried out by ourfaithful band of collectors with thewelcome addition of several new (andvery welcome) recruits. At the end ofthe week, on Saturday 18 th May, anawareness-raising afternoon for youngpeople, hosted by our young C.A.S.T.group, was followed by a coffee eveningin which Sharon McNamara fromChristian Aid participated. Themembers of the Junior Churchcontinued to support Christian Aid byholding their own sponsored event toswell the fundraising.Altogether, from the house-to-house,long march, donations, Junior Churchand the retiring offerings madethroughout the Christian Aid ‘season’£3273.14 was raised. Many thanks toeveryone who contributed in any way tothis splendid effort.Margaret MacGregor3

THE TODDLERSWith the kids back at school, parents oflittle ones will be delighted to know thatthe Parents and Toddler groups arestarting back in September:Tuesday Group – 3 rd September at 9.45 amFriday Group – 6 th September at 10.00 amWhether you have a new baby or toddlerthe Toddlers is great way to get out of thehouse and meet other mums, dads andindeed grandparents. It also gives anopportunity for play and the little ones canenjoy something to eat and drink while themums and dads or granny and grandad get awell deserved cup of tea or coffee.We are looking forward to lots of newfaces joining us this year although we aresad to say goodbye to all the little oneswho are not so little now and who arestarting nursery and moving on to the nextstage.In particular we are saying goodbye to‘Mum’ Lesley Ann Cargill and ‘Mum’ SarahLee Robertson. Both mums deserve aspecial mention as over the years theyhave attended the group faithfully andhave given particular time and effort ascommittee members.The coming session is going to be filledwith lots of fun and in particular we lookforward to a ‘Yummy Mummy and DishyDaddy’ day at the end of October when wetake part in a dressing up Halloween event.Our President Joanne Hamilton (with thecommittee) has put a lot of effort planningthe session ahead and we look forward tolots of good times.If anyone has any questions about ourgroup or would like to join us pleasecontact our secretary Rosaline Ward.Diane Connor20012001 was the year of 2000+1@STM - Workshopwith Kids, Bash in the Park, Christmas CrackerConcert and the Leadership Trust Fund. All this aswell as the Get along Gang in the Summer.2002Amicus CD launched!4

MEN’S FELLOWSHIPThe Fellowship resumes the new session at7.30 pm on Monday 7 October, on thatevening we look forward to welcoming backMr Douglas Keith whose subject will be the“Scottish Calendar”.As ever the committee have prepared whatwe hope will be an interesting, informativeand entertaining programme, and ourthanks are due to our diligent SecretaryHoward Rennie for his efforts in arrangingand confirming the speakers.I would take this opportunity to extend anopen invitation to all men in thecongregation to join this very lively groupin the Conference Room any Mondayevening they are free, or where there is asubject that may be of special interest andthey will be assured of a warm welcome.Allan JoycePresidentOctober7 Scottish Calendar DouglasKeith14 3 Peaks Challenge Alan Brown21 Old Lanarkshire MargaretAnderson28 Trams RobertThomsNovember4 Journalism Bill Clark11 Football Development DavidGardiner18 Russian Orthodoxy Ian McKellar20th Century25 Stirling Castle Liz GrantDecember2 Fruits of the Vine IanMcPherson9 Hobart's Funnies -70 Years onCameronDick16 On Your Own - Quiz Bill TaylorJUNIOR CHOIRThe Junior Choir enjoyed singing with the Inbetweeners at the wedding of Lesley Beattieand Steven Niven. Lesley has been the pianist with the choir for 15 years and continuallyencourages them to enjoy singing and as can be seen from the picture they all had a fabuloustime.5

THE GUILDBuilding a Fellowship is the theme thisyear for the Guild Nationally.A challenge for all Guild Branches andGuild members and a challenge for StMary's Guild as we look forward to2013/2014.Fellowship and Friendship go hand in handand it is our desire to nurture these 2aspects within our branch.Opening Social is October 7th when agroup from Easter Egg will entertain.If you would like to come but requiretransport please let either myself orSheila Brown know as this can be arranged.Eleanor SimpsonPresidentOver 109 years the Guild in St Mary's hasthrived and served the church in manyways. Many of us can look back andremember some of the faithful ladies whowere the backbone of the Guild and thechurch and give thanks for their example.But what about our future? We can onlymove forward and grow if we continue tohave members who enjoy being part of ourwork.Who are our members? Ladies of thechurch who share a faith and who meeteach week to enjoy fellowship and learn ofthe work of others in the community orperhaps a new skill. The members arefriendly and faithful but there is always aneed for new members. In the past manyof us joined having been in the YoungWomen's Group, joined at the age of 40,some joined at a much younger age and arestill going strong. The Guild is for allinterested no matter what age you are, youare never too young or too old to comealong and enjoy the fellowship.Autumn 2004TUESDAY CLUBAutumn is approaching so it must be timefor organisations to start up again.The Tuesday Club will meet every week inthe Avon Hall at 2 pm from 10 Septemberuntil 3 December when they will have theirChristmas Lunch.Quite a variety of speakers and subjectshave been arranged - Scenes of Arran, AirAmbulance, Talking Newspapers, Music -and of course, always popular - a visit fromthe Toddlers. So go along and meet oldfriends and new.Howard Rennie and William McNairexamine manse and church roofsfrom a "cherry picker". An activityrepeated in recent years!6

What a glorious summer! The weather wasperfect and I hope you all enjoyed the longbeautiful sunny days. Already, though, thenights are starting to draw in which means ourthird season of the year is just ahead. Autumnis the time when the Church organisations gearthemselves up for the session ahead withpeople of all ages busy making theirpreparations and I’m sure we’re all lookingforward to having our Church filled once morewith young and old alike. As we approach ourCentenary Year, there is an air of excitementand many people have put in a lot of time andeffort in their planning of events which I knowwill be enjoyed and supported by all.The Motherwell Action Group of the ScottishBible Society is made up of delegates from ourlocal Churches and it is its task to raise fundsto distribute Bibles, New Testaments andother Scripture-based materials, in a range offormats, to people in Scotland and throughoutthe world. The Scottish Bible Society wants allpeople to be given the chance to read Bibles intheir own language and through the reading ofScripture know and feel the love and joy of ourLord.The Motherwell Action Group has three mainfundraising events throughout the session anddepends on congregations in the area for helpand support. This support was evident lastMarch, when St Mary’s Inbetweeners played amajor part in the Praise Evening in CrosshillChurch. The evening was a great success andenjoyed by all. We in St Mary’s are so blessedto have these young folk in our congregation, asthey are an inspiration and a joy to hear.At the start of the new session TheMotherwell Action Group has arranged for itsannual Flag Day to be at the end of August andby the time you read this report some peoplewill already have volunteered to stand in thetown centre (hopefully in dry weather), hold aSBS can and smile politely to people, hopingthat they might put hand in pocket. Thesecond fundraiser is the Sponsored Walk roundStrathclyde Country Park. This will take placeon Sunday, 27 th October. If you are able tocome along and join the members of the ActionTeam in this walk, sponsor forms will beavailable nearer the time. If you are unable toparticipate in the walk and want to contribute,please sponsor me. Another date to put in yourdiary is Saturday, 1 st February, 2014. This is aconcert and will take place in St Mary’s. The StJohn Singers will provide the music and song onthis occasion.The Motherwell Action Team has a busy yearahead. I do hope you will be able to come alongto these events and enjoy the fellowship andfriendship offered to you.With blessings,Margaret Carrol7

Monday Morning Work PartyBy the time you read this, the Work Partywill be winding down from their activitiesover the summer months. Last year ourwork concentrated mainly on theredecoration of the metal railings aroundthe perimeter of the church grounds. Thisyear our tasks were more varied, butequally as challenging.The external doors of the church propertyhave been redecorated. A large number ofloose and broken concrete slabs on thepath at the Cameron Street entrance tothe church have been lifted, and replacedwith new slabs and gravel chips. Thegrounds around the church have beenweeded, ……………on more than one occasion.Internally, the damaged cupboard doors atthe Cameron Hall have been repaired, andredecorated. The plastic chairs in theCameron Hall have all been cleaned. Newwall panelling has been fitted to thecorridor wall outside the lounge. The AvonHall has been stripped of all curtains andrails. In addition the small high levelwindows, and the window on the stage (thatwe did not know existed!) were all boardedover. All in readiness for the redecorationof the Avon Hall.Perhaps the most obvious project thissummer has been the painstakingrestoration of the external lantern.This lantern has been a feature of StMary’s for many years. However, it has notworked for a number of years. Our firstchallenge was to establish if it could berestored to working condition in readinessfor the centenary year and beyond. Wefound it could be. We then set about therestoration process. The restored lanternwill be in place and operational in earlySeptember. Shining a new light on StMary’s, as we move ever closer to ourcentenary year.The above works, along with therefurbishment at the Avon Hall entrance,was undertaken under the supervision ofthe Centenary Action Team. This continuesthe legacy of maintaining and upgrading ourproperty, that as a member of St Mary’s,you can be justifiably proud.I would express my thanks to all of theWork Party for their commitment everyMonday morning. The cost to St Mary’s ofthe work undertaken by the Work Party issimply the cost of the materials required.In some cases, they are donated. Theskilled labour, particularly therefurbishment of the external lantern, isgiven willingly and freely.Howard Rennie8

PRE-CENTENARY NEWSDear FriendsDuring the summer months the work of the Centenary Action Team has continuedwithout missing a beat. With the help of many members of the congregation theaction team has accomplished a great deal as it continues the preparations for ourcentenary celebrations in 2014. Let me share with you some of the tasks and thepeople who are making things happen.Our minister, Mr Doyle has been making arrangements for the many special serviceswhich will mark our centenary. He, with the help of Ian Beaton is also updating thebooklet on the history of St Mary's and this will be available later this year.The production of the centenary tapestry is progressing under the direction of SarahReilly and this is involving a number in the congregation (mainly ladies) who have aspecial talent in this area.The refurbishment of the lamp at the Avon Street entrance is the domain of PeterFerguson and will be in place by early September. Peter, a man of many talents is alsogiving the coffee bar a makeover in time for the start of the new session.No centenary celebration would be complete without Centenary Merchandise and thishas been masterminded by Robert Neilson, Tom Knox, Karen Maxwell and assisted byKirsteen Dick on procurement. Various items will be available and will serve as alasting memory of a special year.In the last bulletin I outlined the plans for the Avon Street vestibule, Avon Hall andladies and gents toilets. I am delighted to report that as I write work is well underway and should be completed by early September. These works are part of ourplanned legacy and have only been possible because of the generosity of those in thecongregation who have supported our fundraising effort in recent years and also thefaithful direct giving thru' our Centenary Fund Boxes.9

Cont'dThe Leadership of this project has been in the capable hands of Howard Rennie ablyassisted by William McNair and our Property Convenor, Craig Stockman.In addition we are indebted to Ron Mosley (electrical work) Brian Smith (plumbingworks) and Jim Johnstone (materials) for their contributions. Also to the group ofladies led by Sheila Brown who with their sewing skills have brought new life to theAvon Hall curtains, and to the technical expertise of Stewart Maxwell and JoeBradshaw who are in the process of installing new sound equipment.I would like to pay a special tribute to the intrepid stalwarts of the Monday workingparty. Their help in so many ways has been invaluable and in particular in thepreparations of the areas being refurbished.Finally, in respect of our legacy works I would also wish to thank Sam Harper our everpresent Church Officer for whom no task has been too big and no request met withother than his customary enthusiasm.During July over 60 letters were prepared by Margaret McCloy and sent to formerministers and members giving them a flavour of our centenary plans. We will alsosend a copy of our centenary calendar as soon as it becomes available and hope thatmany former members will be able to join with us in our celebrations.Our final planned events for this year include our Harvest Lunch on 6 October afterthe morning service and our Autumn Fayre planned for Saturday 26 October.We are blessed in St Mary's in so many ways. So much happening and so many peopleto thank. We have a rich tradition of worship, faithful service and sacrificial giving.This is the heritage that we must share with both the present and futuregenerations.WA Simpson (Chairman)The Centenary Action Team10

St Mary’s Centenary Action TeamTo celebrate the Church’s forthcoming centenary the teamhave commissioned items of merchandise to mark the event.Mugs, Pens, Pencils, Erasers, Rulers, Tea Towels, Key ringsand handy Shopping Bags will be available to purchase and weare sure that they will appeal to our entire congregation!The merchandise will be available to purchase from theHarvest Lunch on the 6th of October 2013 onwards.11

HARVEST LUNCHSUNDAY 6 OCTOBERAs part of our Pre-Centenary Year, we are holding aHarvest Lunch on Sunday 6 October immediately after themorning service.A light lunch of Soup, Crusty Bread followed by Tea/Coffeeand home baking will be available.Tickets, £4 will be available from September from membersof the Centenary Action Team.DATE FOR YOUR DIARY!Saturday 26 October 10 am - 1 pmPre-Centenary Autumn Fayre12

They were kept busy on Saturday andSunday with craft activities includingmaking up an autograph book, photoframe and clapperboard as well asmaking up a gift to take home forFather’s Day.RAINBOWSBoth Rainbow units, the Red Foxes andRed Squirrels celebrated the end ofthe session in June by having anenjoyable visit to the RainforestAdventure at Knowetop.The girls all enjoy parties and at theend of the session the Red Foxes helda Beach Party in the Avon Hall whilethe Red Squirrels had a Pot of GoldParty in the Cameron Hall to which theyinvited their parents.6THB BROWNIES6thB Motherwell Brownies (Mondaynight) visited Gowanpark, in the ClydeValley, during the weekend of 14-16June and enjoyed a week-end “At theMovies”.The girls were split into 3 sixes andbecame the Hollywood Studios, WarnerBrothers and Disney Pixar.Although the weather was mixed duringthe week-end, on Saturday afternoonthey ventured out for a walk down thebanks of the River Clyde to Crossfordand Valley International Park wherethey visited the Pet Shop. As usualwhen you have a bunch of Brownies intow, getting something to eat or drinkwas the next order of the day and IceCream was ordered for 18, althoughthe guiders did have a coffee!Following this they returned toGowanpark to get organised for abuffet tea and the Oscar Ceremony inthe evening.The weekend was another successfulPack Holiday and hopefully in 2014some of our Brownies will also get thechance to celebrate our Big BrownieBirthday (Brownie Centenary) withother Brownies from within SouthLanarkshire County at weekends beingorganised at Gowanpark.All the Brownie Units re-start on theweek beginning Monday 2 nd September.At the moment Monday Brownies don’thave any spare places available for newstarts but there are spaces in Tuesdayand Thursday units for girls wishing tojoin in the fun and friendship ofBrownies.13

6TH GUIDESThe Tuesday Guides brought theircelebration of 90 years of Guiding toan end with a trip to the KingswoodCentre near Doncaster in May.The state-of-the-art activity park hasbeen built to challenge young peopleand provided the opportunity for thegirls to use the high and low ropecourses, zipwires, nightline and enjoyother exciting activities.The accommodation was fantastic withen-suite bathrooms and a range from4-8 bedded rooms. Meals were allprovided, meaning no cooking for theGuiders.The Unit has also been planting 9 rosebushes, one for each decade in placeschosen by the girls. Gowanpark,Kingswood, and the Church grounds are3 of the places where they will bloom inyears to come.COMPETITION SUCCESSThe girls in our Brownie and Guide unitstook part in the Division Competition inMay. The Challenge was based on one ofthe Girls in Action Projects recentlyissued by Girlguiding UK -CHILDREACH INTERNATIONAL: InHer ShoesWinners of the Brownie Competitionwere the 6th Brownies, Tuesdaynight, who produced a super diarybased on the life of a girl in India andcompared it to that of a Scottish girl.The 6th Guides, Tuesday night, wererunners up in the Guide Competitionproducing a colourful Powerpoint diaryagain based on the lifestyle of anIndian girl.All the units who took part hadresearched the project and hopefullyenjoyed all the activities and learned alot about the lives of girls living in avery different environment from ourown.Congratulations girls.14

13 th Motherwell Boys’ Brigade CompanySt Mary’s Parish Church, Avon Street, MotherwellSummer Camp 2013The build up to Camp 2013 was surroundedby more excitement than normal as we wereexploring yet another different location andnone of the boys (and some of the officers!)knew what to expect!So it was with great anticipation that we setoff on Saturday 29 June to the EskdaleValley in the Lake District.Getting there….Day 1After a minor fright in the week leading upto camp when one of the minibuses wasscrapped and a replacement had to be hastilyfound, the usual convoy of minibuses with theChapman’s Landover and trailer and anAnchor Boy Dad’s pickup (another pressgangedfriend) we managed to load up andship out all 22 boys, 10 staff and all ourcamping stuff, provisions, a big gazebo and alawnmower(!).With a brief lunch stop in Carlisle we soonfound ourselves in the western edge of theLake District. The Eskdale Valley is in a verydramatic location – at the foot of ScafellPike and the end of the scary Hardknott Pass(see road signs in the photo above).The centre we were using is run bySouthfield Technology College and providedus with our indoor accommodation in theform of an excellent industrial kitchen,indoor dining and lounge area, drying roomand toilet and shower facilities. Adjacent tothe centre was a large field leading down to asmall river.This was minor issue number 2….we hadagreed with the caretaker that the fieldwould be completely mown to allow us to setup camp, a tennis court and a football pitchetc; however, when we arrived only a postagestamp of the field had been cut!!15

Mr Bradshaw’s lawnmower tried valiantly todeal with the situation but it was fighting alosing battle against the foot high foliage…..a tour of the local farms and some charm byMr Crawford and Mr Greenhorn and a farmerwith a big tractor soon arrived to deal withthe overgrown field.Now that nature had been overcome we setabout getting organised, building our footballgoals and lining off the pitch and withMurray Mania building we had to have atennis court!An evening stroll in the smir to theimpressive Stanley Force waterfall soon gotus in the mood for supper!The Dreaded Hillwalk….Day 2The weather was unsure what to do withitself on the Sunday morning but fortunatelyit was no worse than overcast as we setabout our ascent of Harter Fell, one ofScafell Pikes little brothers at 650 metreshigh. The photo at the start of the article isus all set for the off at the foot of the hills.We had a great climb and used our newwalkie talkies to keep all the groups in closecontact. Lunch was the incentive to get tothe top but we had to find shelter from thestrong breeze among the rocky summit area.We didn’t quite find the path we were lookingfor on the way down but we had a lovely walkback along the river to the campsite.Our evening activity was to watch theConfederations Cup final but with an 11 pmkick off after such a tiring day we onlylasted until Brazil were well in the leadbefore heading to bed…..Activity Days….Day 3 & 4Monday and Tuesday were both days oforganised activities where the main event ofthe day was provided by an outdoor activitycompany. On Monday our main organisedactivity was canoeing – the boys paired offinto their Canadian canoes and had a greatday paddling and playing water games on theimpressive Wast Water.On the Tuesday the main activity was a newone for us called Ghyll Scrambling (Cumbrianfor Gorge Walking). This was a seriouslychallenging but good fun activity working ourway up a lakeland ghyll against the full forceof the water flowing downstream. We wereequipped with wetsuits, waterproofs, helmetsand climbing harnesses and had an awesomeday jumping into deep pools, swimming underrocks, climbing behind waterfalls into cavesand rope climbing our way up a waterfall. Youneed to see the photos (next page) and thevideo (out soon!) to believe it!What else….?In between all the planned activities theboys were kept entertained/busy by ourcamp aficionado Mr Beattie’s games andactivities including a treasure hunt thatspanned the valley, a sports night, an xboxchallenge, a sports quiz and a relaxing movienight. Not to mention some wildlife intrusionsin the surrounding area and the excruciatingwake up calls courtesy of Mr Greenhorn…..Thank YouA big thank you to all the parents for theprivilege of taking their boys to camp (andfor providing us with cakes and biscuits forour suppers!).Thanks to Mr Bill Taylor our camp chef forproviding wonderful meals, doing all thedishes and putting up with all the banter!Thanks are also due to Chapman’s “TheButchers” for their continued support.Camp was great fun in better weather withawesome activities. Camp 2014 is booked forBadaguish in Aviemore – bring it on!!Captain Stewart Maxwell16

Summer Camp 2013 - photos17

JUNIOR SECTIONHOLIDAY CAMP 2013Surprised. Stunned. Shocked. Amazed. Allthese words could be used to describe theappearance of the 13 th Motherwell JuniorSection officers on the evening of the 7 th ofJune, because for the first time ever theywere heading to the annual Junior Sectioncamp and the weather was not just dry, notjust sunny, but utterly scorching hot. Yes,between Friday the 7 th and Sunday 9 th ofJune 24 boys and 11 officers from theJunior Section survived in a place that was,for that weekend at least, Scotland’s answerto the Sahara Desert (I believe it is knownas Moffat at other times throughout theyear).The Junior Section camp once again tookplace at the Wellroad Centre in Moffat. Itwas a weekend of fun, friendship and rathera lot of frozen food (mainly of the ice lollyvariety)! I have tried to summarise belowthe highlights of the weekend. For a moredetailed, photographic account of theweekend please see the Junior Section pageof the church website.On the Friday night after settling into theaccommodation and going over the rules forthe weekend, we headed down to the localpark to play rounders and football. Thefootball match took an unexpected twistwhen the ball was kicked into a nearbystream and disappeared under a bridgeheading downstream. However, thanks to theheroics of Mr Reid, Mr Allan and Mr Fraserthe ball was rescued before it reached theRiver Annan and the game resumed! I amsure the boys would have played on well intothe night, but unfortunately the local parkdid not have floodlights so as dusk began totake hold we returned to the WellroadCentre for a well deserved supper. Aftersupper and a quick room inspection the boyswent to their beds.....please note that whilstthey went to bed that does not necessarilymean they went to sleep. I believe that allthe boys slept at least for a few hours thatnight; however unfortunately for theofficers they did not all do so at the sametime!Saturday morning started early withbreakfast, sun cream inspection and then awalk along the river, through a skate parkand into the woods. During a short break inthe skate park the boys decided that theskate ramps made ideal slides (see picturebelow).As a result the short break was not therestful pit stop that the officers hadplanned! By the end of the walk the sunnyweather meant that the boys and officerswere both starting to weary. However, onreturning to the centre we discovered theperfect remedy for hot, weary BBs -- amassive water fight, involving water balloons,water guns.....and by the end of it basins andbuckets filled with water! After the soakingsubsided the boys recovered (and dried out)by breaking into small groups, with eachgroup designing and building a bottle rocket.Then, after a much needed lunch, it was downto the local park to launch the rockets. Therockets soared and whizzed into the air.Indeed, we were sure some of them cameclose to leaving the earth’s atmospherealtogether! Following the excitement oflaunching the rockets the afternoon wasspent playing various games and having a weebit of free time. Dinner arrived just in timebecause after a day of non-stop activitythere were some very hungry boys (and18

officers) needing fed. After dinner the daywas finished off with a movie, followed by agood night’s sleep for all.On Sunday morning the officers wereastounded to find that some of the boysactually needed to be wakened up. Howeveronce wakened and after a roll and sausagefor breakfast, they were once again ready togo. The first challenge of the day was anobstacle course in the park; this wasfollowed by a visit from Captain Maxwell anda potted sports event at the Centre. Thepotted sports event included some ratherunusual games, such as a ‘planking’competition (see picture) and a ‘draw to size’game which led to controversy over whichteam drew the best scale model of a TomatoKetchup bottle!Before we knew it the morning was over andthere was just enough time to have lunch andget packed up before the bus arrived to takeus back to St Marys.Once again, several people worked togetherto ensure that the sense of camaraderie,adventure and fun that is synonymous withJunior Section camp was present throughoutthe weekend. I think it is crucial toacknowledge and thank all those who had apart to play in the success of the weekendand as a result my thank you list for Camp2013 is as follows:1. The Relatives – my thanks to all therelatives who gave generous donations ofhome baking; ensured the boys weredropped off and picked up without anyhitches; and prepared the boys with theappropriate kit bags – includingsunglasses and sun cream!2. The Boys – their behaviour was excellentthroughout the weekend. Theyconsistently demonstrated team workand friendship. Their conduct wascommendable from the moment theywere picked up till they were droppedoff. So a very big well done and thankyou to them all.3. The Kitchen Staff – once again thekitchen was expertly managed by JohnCrawford and Colin Laing. Not only didthey provide us with excellent meals andhelp the boys make their own lunches;they also ensured that we had plenty ofJuice breaks to help us manage the hotweather. My thanks to them for beingexpert cooks, dishwashers and homebaking distributors!4. The Officers – last but by no meansleast, my biggest thanks, to thecommitted band of officers who staffedthe camp. In the last few years thiscore team of officers has ensured thesuccess of Junior Section camp and thisyear was no exception. Their enthusiasmand willingness to take part had a hugeimpact on the positive experience theboys had during the weekend.The aim of Junior Section camp isultimately to provide the boys withlasting, happy memories of fellowshipand fun. I am fairly certain that Camp2013 did just that and I am sure suchmemories would not have been possiblewithout input from the followingofficers: Stuart Reid, Stewart Reid,Alan Fraser, Neil Allan, StephanieMcMurray, Gillian Brown, Colin Barr andSean Crawford. I hope they are set todo it all again next year!Stephanie CrawfordJunior Section Officer in charge19

SUMMER CLUB 2013St Mary's Summer Club was anotherfantastic success this year and the team isvery grateful for the support from thecongregation which allowed the event torun so smoothly. Our theme was TheWizard of Oz and every morning around130 youngsters skipped down our yellowbrick road and headed to the halls for funactivities, games and crafts. Our youngestparticipants, the ‘Rainbow Tots’ were welllooked after by Caroline Robertson andSarah Reilly in the Conference Room. Ournext age group was ‘The Munchkins’ led byJoanne Morrison and Jennifer Bradshaw.The oldest group was named ‘The Emeralds’and was ably led by Hazel Graham. Some ofthis group, along with leader AlistairSwanson, spent time on various sports,either indoors or at the Duchess Park.Over the 5 mornings they enjoyed tabletennis, football, rounders and some Xboxgames.During the course of the week the childrenand young people learned about friendship;just like Dorothy and the Scarecrow werealised that challenges can be overcomewith the help of our friends. We made ourown friendship bracelets and created ourown model scarecrows which were trickybut great fun. We planted bean seeds tohelp us to remember to always think ofothers and try to make the right choices.Towards the end of the week we learnedabout strength and bravery and onThursday our focus was the Lion and hisquest for courage. We talked aboutfeeling brave and asking God for help whenwe didn’t feel so brave. Our crafts todayincluded making colourful crowns, like theLion’s, and also swords, wands and medals.We heard the story of David who bravelydefeated the mighty giant, Goliath withthe help of God.Each day our ‘real life’ Wizard of Ozcharacters made a special appearance andthe children were pleased to meet theScarecrow (Robbie Blair), Tin Man (GavinMcLaughlan) and Lion (ChristopherGraham) as they marched down the yellowbrick road with Dorothy (Alisha Steeds).They were joined on Friday morning byKeira Winton, representing the good fairywho helped Dorothy achieve her dream ofreturning home. As the week drew to aconclusion we thought about theimportance of feeling at home within thechurch and within the St Mary’s family. Asleaders and participants, younger andolder, we reflected on the success of theweek and felt grateful for the fun, thefriendship and fellowship that we hadshared.We can’t wait till next year!Another focus was the theme of love as weheard about the Tin Man who wasdesperate for a heart. We modelled ourvery own Tin Men out of foil and createdpretty paper angels who reminded us that‘God is Love’. We prayed together to thankGod for the many people in our lives wholove and care for us. We decorated fairycakes and worked together to complete ashiny collage of the Tin Man.20

Promotion SundayThe children of the Junior Church zonescelebrated the end of the session in Juneby contributing to the morning worship atour Promotion Service. A number ofchildren were promoted into new zones andall children received a certificate to markthe end of another busy Junior Churchyear.Christian AidAs a Junior Church we have made anexcellent contribution to the work ofChristian Aid again this year. This will gotowards the continuing work in third worldcountries. A BIG thank you to all whosupported the children.Summer ClubOur children enjoyed an action packedweek in July. Please take time to look atour art displays and photographs on displayin the halls. We hope you read about ourweek in the local press.New SessionThe new session is now well under way witha good number of children in each zone. Wewelcomed the children ‘back to the pews atthe front’, as they joined to celebrate thebaptism of baby Lucas.Our Junior Church postcards were aGREAT way of reminding our families ofthe start back day…I know many of themhave pride of place on the fridge door ofmany houses!! We are particularlydelighted to welcome our new Y Zonemembers as they now take on the roles ashelpers in our zones. Our zone teams havebeen busy planning for the term ahead.On the first Sunday back the Tots enjoyedlots of fun with the toys with Jennifer.The Mini zone shared stories from theirholidays during summer, before makingpretty collage fish.The Kids zone and Y zone were very busywith Hazel and the team designing andmaking rainbows of hope.A very busy start for our zones and lots of“Super Sundays” to look forward to.Come along and join us…Tot Zone Babies - 3yearsMini Zone Age 3 -Primary 2Coffee BarJenniferBradshawAvon HallChristineBrownKids Zone Primary 3-7 Cameron HallHazel GrahamY Zone S 1 + Cameron HallIan GrahamWe are always delighted to welcome newfamilies to our Junior Church….so come andjoin the fun!Karen MaxwellJunior Church Co-ordinator21

FLOWER LISTSEPTEMBER1 st Mrs J Crawford8 th Miss Smith & Miss WebsterMrs D ColquhounMrs E McAusland15th Mrs T SmithFriends of Irene NimmoMrs Loughbridge22 nd Mrs J MelroseMrs Ross & Mrs RankinMrs Thomson & Mrs Nicholson29 th Mrs J TurnerMrs M JoyceMrs M BimbiOCTOBER6 th Mrs A MorwoodMrs F Johnston13th Mrs A AndersonMrs Mishra20th27 th Mrs F MillerMrs CurrieNOVEMBER3rd Mrs M GrahamMrs B HamiltonMrs L HugginsMrs J Weir10 th Mrs S SinclairMrs A Corbett17 th Mrs M Hay24 th Mrs M McDonaldMiss J GrahamDECEMBER1 st Mr S DickMrs S Carswell8 th Woman’s Guild15th Mr W WotherspoonMrs WilliamsMrs I Scott22nd Mrs M Wilkie29th Mrs F RenwickMrs EarlMrs Ormiston22

FORTHCOMING SERVICESSept 1 11.00 am Bible SundayGuest Preacher: Rev Fergus Macdonald15 11.00 am Sacrament of Holy Communion6.30 pm Sacrament of Holy Communion22 11.00 am Rev Arthur BarrieOct 6 11.00 am Harvest Thanksgiving(Lunch in hall afterwards)13 11.00 am Guild Dedication Service27 11.00 am Boys' Brigade Dedication ServiceNov 10 10.45 am Remembrance Day ServiceDec 1 11.00 am Advent Sunday99th Anniversary Service23