BOFA - Magazine May-June

M A Y - J U N E 2 0 1 8

P A G E 2 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
FROM THE
MANSE
Easter Sunday has passed and I am beyond making forlorn
weather predictions. However, I am hopeful that as you are
reading this you have had the chance to stand outside, at least
once, without hat, scarf and gloves to augment our hefty
winter/spring coat. Whatever the current weather, I think it is
fair to say that this winter has felt colder and longer than many
in recent years.
There are two possible questions that arise from what felt like
an unusually long and cold winter.
We must acknowledge that this change in winter weather is part
of a large pattern of climate change, and look into our own
actions. Looking to see how we can live in a way that reduces
our impact on the global climate shift. And, more so, how can
we lobby those in power to move our nation to be more
sustainable and ecologically minded in our production and
delivery of power and resources.
We must also ask ourselves if we reached out in the cold to
those who feel it worse than we did. When the snows fell did
we do enough to ensure our vulnerable neighbours had food and
heat enough? When it remained cold and wet for a long period
did we check on those near-by who might have not felt happy
about leaving the house and been stuck at home for days and
weeks on end?
We must also ask ourselves if we reached out in the cold to those who feel it worse
than we did. When the snows fell did we do enough to ensure our vulnerable
neighbours had enough food and heating? When it remained cold and wet for a
long period did we check on those near-by who might have not felt happy about
leaving the house and been stuck at home for days and weeks on end?
Dan

P A G E 3 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
STEWARDSHIP
WHY WE GIVE, WHAT WE GIVE &
HOW WE GIVE
Throughout the month of April we are looked at
stewardship. That difficult and often avoided topic that
looks at what we do with our money, with a particular
focus on giving to the Church.
This is a topic that is easy to avoid and hard to bring up.
It is not something that we like to talk about and is
something that most of us consider to be a matter
between ourselves and God. This is of course true.
However, it is important that we are intentional and
considered in our giving and what we do with our
money, and this period of looking at stewardship is
about facilitating that thinking and recognising that
whilst money is not the point of what we do, money is
needed to facilitate us doing the work of God in our
Parish and as a Presbytery and National Church.
In examining this we need to explore three areas;
namely, why we give, what we give and how we give.
WHY DO WE GIVE TO THE
CHURCH?
From a pragmatic point we could list in detail a number of
clear and matter-of-fact reasons for contributing
generously and realistically to the work of the Church.
We all know that bills have to be paid and the general
work of the Church, both at home and abroad, is year
upon year hit by ever increasing costs which like
everything else are subject to inflation. Costs rise but bills
still need to be paid and through that lens it is
easy to think of stewardship as a euphemism for
fundraising. But stewardship is not about fundraising.
Stewardship is about us actively thinking about how we
use the time, talents and resources that we have been
given by God. Stewardship is a spiritual discipline that is
based in gratitude, and how we respond with gratitude to
what God has given us.
Why do we give? We give out of love and thankfulness
because of what God has done for us in Christ and in
creation.

P A G E 4 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H
C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
WHAT DO WE GIVE TO THE
CHURCH?
This is maybe the most difficult of the three questions
to answer. Some will answer this question by saying
10%, a tithe on your income. There is precedent in the
Old Testament for such an amount, paying
compulsory taxes to both the religious and secular
courts. However, if we are giving out of gratitude then
a rigid amount to give does not allow for a true
response. Furthermore, if this is the case the parable
of the widow giving her two coins, all she has in the
world, being more generous than the rich, giving
large amounts for show but with no personal impact,
is lost.
What we give is a matter for each one of us to
prayerfully consider, for each of us to look at our own
circumstance and respond. Taking the example of the
widow in Jesus’ parable it is suggested that our giving
should be sacrificial and not just out of our spare
change. However, when we think of giving we should
be thinking about what give in terms of not just
money but also our time and our talents.
All of our circumstances are different, and the levels
of income we all have are different, and therefore it is
maybe worth thinking of our offering being a
proportion of our income and potentially going up
with inflation, rather than a fixed sum of money or a
rigid 10%. If our offering is truly a response to God’s
giving to us, it will be a generous, and possibly even
sacrificial, proportion of our income.
What do we give? As much as we feel we can.
HOW DO WE GIVE TO THE
CHURCH?
The answer to this (insofar as it relates to
money) is comparatively straightforward.
We give through the open plate on a
Sunday morning, we give through standing
order and freewill offering envelopes and
we give through legacies and one off
donations. We also give of our time and
talents!
The easiest way to give to the church is
through standing order, it takes small
amount of time to set up and then it is
done. This also allows for an easy pathway
for recovering Gift Aid, if you are a UK tax
payer, adding a further 25% to your
donation.
With the banks in Bridge of Allan closing
and cash transactions decreasing, giving to
the Church through standing order is easy
and secure and to be encouraged.
How do we give? In a number of different
ways, but preferably by standing order
with a Gift Aid declaration signed.
NEXT STEPS...
Please review your giving to the Church in a prayerful and biblical way. The following Bible
verses are useful in considering your own giving. Deuteronomy 26: 1-11; Psalm 116: 12;
Matthew 28: 16-20; Luke 12:13-21; Luke 18:18-25; Luke 19:1-10; and Luke 21:1-04.
To increase what you donate through envelopes and the open plate simply give more.
To increase an existing standing order you need contact your bank.
To set up a new standing order you need to contact your bank.
To make a Gift Aid declaration, adding 25% to your donation if you are a UK tax payer, then
please contact the Church Office, details on the back of the magazine.

P A G E 5 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU
GIVE £10 TO BRIDGE OF
ALLAN PARISH CHURCH
KEPT BY BRIDGE OF ALLAN PARISH CHURCH
(for maintaining the building, mission, worship
and supporting church groups etc.)
MINISTERS ACROSS THE CHURCH OF
SCOTLAND
(Including our own)
MISSION AND DISCIPLESHIP COUNCIL
CHURCH AND SOCIETY COUNCIL
CARE THROUGH CROSSREACH
WORLD MISSION COUNCIL
SUPPORT SERVICES
(inc. legal advice, accounting and safeguarding
etc.)
GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND MODERATOR
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
£4.20
£4.88
£0.08
£0.05
£0.09
£0.12
£0.45
£0.06
£0.07
TOTAL
£10.00
Figures approx and provided by Church of Scotland

P A G E 6 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
GUILD
For our last meeting in February we were delighted to welcome
our very own Janet Cameron (Dad Willie came to support), to tell
us about something she knew a lot about, The MS Therapy
Centre in Stirling. Many of you will remember when it used to be
in Bridge of Allan. It was an extremely fascinating and very
entertaining talk from Janet whose Mum Christine made use of
the Hyperbaric Chamber on a regular basis. Also Janet’s Dad,
Willie is an ‘award winning volunteer’ having volunteered for
over 30yrs. Thanks Janet for sharing some very interesting facts
about the MS Therapy Centre. You were a star performer!
Unfortunately the World Day of Prayer on Friday, 2 March had to
be cancelled due to the weather. So much snow!!! It was such a
shame as a lot work had been put into the planning of this event
but hopefully we may use some of that service, written by the
women of Suriname, at one of our Guild meetings in the future.
Our final speaker of the session was Iain Craig from the Haiti
Project, Mission International. A short quote from ‘Haiti Project’
sums up the importance of fundraising for these projects; “The
involvement of the Guild as a partner with the Haiti Project is a
real answer to our prayers. As a result we plan to help a
community devastated by poverty and crisis by building a multi
purpose building.”
Our AGM went well. Unfortunately I couldn’t be there as I was supporting Scotland in the
last game of the 6 Nations in Rome but I have such a fantastic committee that I was more
than happy to leave everything to them.
Finally, a massive thanks to the committee and friends for the huge success of the Daffodil
Tea on Saturday, 7 April. Thanks also to everyone who supported the event by baking, by
their donation and by coming along on the day. We raised a fantastic £762 which will go to
our Project partners.
Our last event is The Guild Summer Trip. We are heading back to Pitlochry Theatre on
Saturday, 2 June to attend the matinee performance of Chicago followed by High Tea at the
Theatre. Really looking forward to this and hopefully the sun will shine for us!
Whose we are and whom we serve.
The Guild Project Partners for the next 3 years have been announced. They are;
Malawi Fruits, Boys Brigade, Scotland, World Mission Council, Free to Live, CrossReach,
and Sailors Society
More information about these will follow.
Dorothy McGowan

P A G E 7 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
THURSDAY NIGHT
GROUP
Unfortunately our meeting scheduled on 1 March was
cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. We look
forward to having Shelley Batty from the Sunlite
Community Cafe next session.
We were delighted to have Karen Somerville from ‘Angels
Share Glass’ as our guest on 15 March. Karen and her
father, Tom Young, started this business in recent times,
working from Tom’s garden studio after Tom’s retirement.
So successful has this become, they have not only had to
move to larger premises, they are now exporting their
specialised items to many countries throughout the world.
The Session ended with a lovely meal in Vecchia Bologna
on 29 March.
It just remains for me to thank the committee and members
for all their help and support, resulting in a most successful
and enjoyable session. Thanks also to our excellent
Speakers for so willingly giving of their time.
Enjoy your summer break and let’s hope we have some
lovely summer sunshine to look forward to.
Please look out for details of our next syllabus in the
September issue of the magazine.
Mary Gairns
KNITTING GROUP
The amazing ladies of the knitting group have to date
supplied Larbert Hospital with 2,938 hats and 650 jackets
for the new born babies. Added to that they have knitted
40 Twiddlemuffs for Dementia patients and our latest
challenge was 150 Easter Chicks with chocolate eggs which
were donated to Strathcarron Hospice Shop for sale raising
more than £300.
The ladies, one of whom is in her nineties, love to knit hats
for the newborns, and they also rise to the different
challenges which I throw their way.
If you wish to join us, all items have very easy patterns,
just get in touch with me. As always we will be glad of any
donations of baby wool
Linda Stuart

P A G E 8 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
MUSIC & DEMENTIA
As some of you may remember, I recently asked for the
congregation’s help with a school project, called a Scottish
Baccalaureate project, on the effect of music on those living
with dementia. I recently completed this project and thought
you may be interested to read the results.
I conducted two surveys for the project, one of care home
managers and one of relatives of those with dementia to
gather their thoughts on whether music benefited them. The
results overwhelmingly showed that people have observed
that music helps those with dementia in many ways, such as
improving mood, awareness and engagement with others. As
this was a science-based project, I read scientific journal
articles to see if current research supported my findings. The
articles seemed to find the same effect, however, the
research is ongoing as to why this is the case. One GP which I
spoke to suggested it could be due to endorphin hormones,
which have a healing effect on the body, being released when
participating in musical activities - especially when singing
in a group during a church service! I was able to find out
about many different initiatives in the local area designed to
help those living with dementia using music. I have produced
a leaflet, that can be found in the church, which details
these, if you are interested.
I really enjoyed doing this project and I would like to thank
everyone who helped me with it as I am in no doubt that it
will benefit me in many ways through life and my future
studies in psychology.
Emma Macrae
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Last year our Sunday school collections went to Guide Dogs
for the Blind. On 18 March Bob Thornton came to talk to us
about the amazing work Guide Dogs do. He brought two of
his dogs with him. Bob is a puppy walker who helps to raise
future guide dogs by looking after and training pups until
they are just over a year old. They then go on to Training
School before finding a new owner.
The Sunday School Prize Giving will be on 17 June. This will
be a Family Service with the children from all the Sunday
School groups taking part in the service. This will be our
last Sunday School for the session. Sunday School will
resume on 26 August when any new children will be made
most welcome.
Annette Steele

P A G E 9 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly 2018 opens on Saturday 19 May and
closes on Friday 25 May.
The General Assembly has the authority to make laws
determining how The Church of Scotland operates. It is also
the highest court of the Church in which cases can be heard
in matters of litigation. The other courts in the Church are
the kirk session and the presbytery.
The Assembly comprises around 850 commissioners who are
ministers, elders and members of the diaconate.
Commissioners are sent from the Church's parishes and
presbyteries. Debates can be long and complex, sometimes
resulting in many votes having to be taken in respect of a
particular motion or amendment.
Each year there is a live webcast of the Assembly and
regular updates online on each day's business, as well as
reports and other information -
http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk
FRIENDS OF BRIDGE OF ALLAN
PLANT SALE AND COFFEE
MORNING
The annual plant sale and coffee morning organised by Friends of Bridge of Allan will be held in
the Church grounds and Chalmers hall from 10.00am-noon on Saturday, 19 May.
A variety of bedding plants will be available. All profits from this event will be used to support
the work of the Friends who plant and maintain the baskets and planters in the village
throughout the summer.

FOR THE SPIRIT
GOD GAVE US
DOES NOT
MAKE US
TIMID, BUT
GIVES US
POWER, LOVE
AND SELF-
DISCIPLINE
2 TIMOTHY 1:7
P A G E 1 0 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E

P A G E 1 1 | B R I D G E O F A L L A N P A R I S H
C H U R C H M A G A Z I N E
PHOTOS
If you have any images of the church and
Bridge of Allan you feel would be
appropriate for the magazine, please
submit them to the church office –
office@bridgeofallanparishchurch.org.uk
DATES FOR THE DIARY
SUNDAY 13TH MAY SERVICE AT STRATHALLAN COURT 2:00PM
SUNDAY 13TH MAY
SUNDAY 3RD JUNE
SUNDAY 10TH JUNE
MONDAY 11TH JUNE
SUNDAY 17TH JUNE
FRIDAY 29TH JUNE
CHRISTIAN AID SERVICE
FOLLOWED BY TEA AND COFFEE
AROUND THE TABLE
COMMUNION SERVICE
COMMUNION
JULY/AUGUST MAGAZINE
DEADLINE
SUNDAY SCHOOL END OF
SESSION & SUNDAY
SCHOOL PICNIC
BRIDGE OF ALLAN PRIMARY END OF
TERM SERVICE
5:00PM
6:30PM
11:00AM
6:00PM
WEEKLY EVENTS
SUNDAYS
COFFEE FELLOWSHIP
12:00PM
THURSDAYS
STREETS AHEAD COFFEE MORNING
10:00AM

Minister - Rev. Dan Harper
dharper@churchofscotland.org.uk
01786 832753
Church Office - Catherine Morton
office@bridgeofallanparishcurch.org.uk
01786 834155
Youth Worker - Lynda Young
bofachurchyouthworker@gmail.com
www.bridgeofallanparishchurch.org.uk
Bridge of Allan Parish Church
BRIDGE OF ALLAN PARISH CHURCH - SCO15171