MISSION GROUP
The Mission Group has two main aims - one to work with organisations within Kilsyth Burns & Old and secondly to reach out to the local and worldwide community.
Mission Group Members:
John Comrie, Evelyn Hay, Janet Kidd, Lora Morrison, Maureen Bathgate, Mary Paterson and Janette Marshall.
APRIL 2024
Outreach Tea Bar
The Outreach Tea Bar which ran from January to March was once again a popular and worthwhie venture which was appreciated by many of our congregation and friends. Tea and coffee were served with home baking and good conversation in a warm and friendly atmosphere. A week did not go by without someone donating items to ensure we always had a treat on a Wednesay morning! Thank you to everyone who helped in the running of the Tea Bar in so many ways. The kind donations over the course of the months amounted to the wonderful sum of £365. It was not our intention to use this venture as a fundraising platform, however it allowed us to provide lunch on Palm Sunday and also make donations to charity which will be detailed in the next issue of Contact as well as here on the website. We look forward to welcoming familiar as well as new faces when the Tea Bar recommences in the Autumn. Many thanks again for your support.
Peace Garden
Sincere thanks are due to all those involved in continuing the good work to keep the Peace Garden tidy. The group also has plans for the Spring Garden Fair on Saturday 4 May.
We are pleased to advise that our designated dog warden has now visited the Peace Garden and is working closely with us to keep it free from dog fouling. You may already have spotted the additional notices she has put in place, and she continues to monitor the situation regularly. We are very grateful for her support.
Eric Liddell Centenary
As mentioned previously, we plan to mark this centenary at morning worship on Sunday 23 June 2024. We are delighted to be working with the Rev John McGregor who will lead our worship that day. The Rev Jim Patrick, already known to many of us, will also participate in this special service to commemorate a Scotsman whose Christian faith directed each step of his life. KEEP THIS DATE IN YOUR DIARY - SUNDAY 23 JUNE.
We continue to appreciate the support of congregation and Session - many thanks to those who have passed on ideas; please continue to do so by speaking to any member of the group.
MARCH 2024
Outreach Tea Bar
The Mission Group would like to thank members of the congregation and their friends who have so kindly supported this new venture over the autumn and winter months. If you did not manage to come along over the past few months, please do join us when the Tea Bar re-commences in the autumn. We hope that you will enjoy tea/coffee and fellowship.
Thank you to everyone who donated their time as well as goodies to make the teabar a success and such a worthwhile venture. We hope to have more of our congregation and friends join us for a cuppa on it's return in the autumn.
Peace Garden
Don't you agree that our Peace Garden is looking particularly beautiful just now with a splendid array of spring flowers? It certainly gladdens the heart in these cold, gloomy days. We are extremely grateful to all those who continue to keep the Peace Garden looking so lovely despite the inclement weather and ongoing issues with dog fouling. We hope that the designated dog warden will soon visit the garden and be able to offer us support in this matter.
Palm Sunday Lunch
We hope that you were able to come along and enjoy the food and fellowship at this event held on Palm Sunday. We are grateful to all those who helped prepare and serve the food and for those who worked behind the scenes in the kitchen. Here ae a few photos to remind us of a lovely lunch (remember to open up).
Eric Liddell Centenary
We plan to mark this centenary at morning worship on Sunday 23 June 2024, more details will follow.
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We continue to appreciate the support of congregation and session and welcome any thoughts or ideas you have. Please speak to any member of the group.
FEBRUARY 2024
Outreach Tea Bar
We are holding a "Pancake Wednesday" on 14 February; we hope you will be able to attend and enjoy the fellowship and delicious fare. The Tea Bar will continue to run each Wednesday between 10.00am and 12.00 noon up to and including Wednesday 20 March 2024. We will then resume in the autumn. Please continue to come along on a Wednesday to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee; remember that this is open to everyone, so bring your friends too!
Peace Garden
Despite the new signage, we sadly continue to experience considerable issues with dog fouling in the church grounds and there has been some damage to the grass. We will contact the dog warden for further help and advice and also plan to speak to a local garden centre manager for advice on maintaining this area. We continue to be very grateful to those volunteers who help keep the Peace Garden clean and tidy in these difficult circumstances.
Future Plans
A light lunch will be provided after the Palm Sunday service on 24 March; we look forward to sharing in fellowship with you then.
We continue with our plans to mark the centenary of Eric Liddell and details will follow.
We continue to appreciate the support of the congregation and Session and welcome any thoughts or ideas you have. Please share them with any member of the group.
JANUARY 2024
The Mission Goup wishes everyone a happy and healthy New Year. We held our first meeting of 2024 on Monday 15 January.
Review of Carols and Reflections by Candlelight
We would like to thank all those who attended and supported this service. The service seemed to be well received and we plan to continue with this model for December 2024.
Outreach Tea Bar/"Pancake Wednesday"
The tea bar recommenced on Wednesday 10 January and we look forward to continuing to welcome you on Wednesdays between 10.00am and 12 noon. In addition to providing a happy meeting place, donations to this tea bar and the Sunday tea bar have enabled the Mission Group to donate £150 to Kilsyth Food Bank and £100 to the Leprosy Mission. Thank you for helping us to support these very worthy causes.
Advance Notice!
Homemade pancakes will be served at the regular Outreach Tea Bar on Wednesday 14 February between 10.00 am and 12.00 noon - please put this date in your diary and come along for a chat and very tasty pancakes!
Plans for 2024
We are in the process of discussing plans for Palm sunday, and we are thinking about how we might, as a church, mark the centenary of Eric Liddell, the talented runner who went on to serve as a missionary in China.
As always, we are grateful for your support and we elcome any thought or ideas you may have. Please share them with any member of the group.
December 2023
Christmas Tree Festival
Here are a few photographs from the Christmas Tree Festival held on Friday 1st December. The church looked absolutely beautiful and it's thanks to everyone who decorated a tree. The church choir sang in the afternoon followed by the Rainbows and Brownies in the evening. A very enjoyable time was had. Total raised was £1,923.
On Saturday 2 December, we were beautifully entertained by Stepps Songsters Choir accompanied by our friend James Greechan. A lovely selection of Christmas carols and music was enjoyed by the congregation.
November 2023
Carols and Reflections by Candlelight
This service, which will combine elements of the previous Reflective Service and the Carols by Candlelight Service, will be held in our church on Sunday 10 December at 11.00am. You are warmly welcome to join us for familiar carols, readings and reflections. Please see the flyer enclosed in the next edition of Contact whch will be available from Sunday 26 November.
Outreach Tea Bar
Thank you to all those who have been attending and helping with this new venture. Our final mid-week tea bar for this year is on Wednesday 29 November from 10.00-12.00 noon. If you haven't already done so, please drop in and enjoy a cuppa in cosy surroundings with good chat! The tea bar will recommence on Wednesday 10 January 2024 from 10.00am until 12.00 noon. As this has proved to be a very happy meeting place, please put 10 January on your calendar and come along.
Peace Garden
We are grateful to Session for supporting us in our endeavour to eliminate dog fouling from the Church grounds. You will soon see signs which are designed to deter dog-walkers from spoling our grounds in this way. These grounds form an integral part of our sanctuary, and we would wish them to be clean and attractive, affording people pleasure and a place for reflection.
We are grateful to everyone for supporting the work of the Mission Group. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please spak to any member of the group named above.
October 2023
At the Mission Group meeting on Monday 9 October, we spent most of the time discussing the format and content of the forthcoming Joint Service in our church on Sunday 10 December. Further details below.
Mary's Meals Sunday
This was a great success and a joint donation of £1,359 has been sent to Mary's Meals. Many thanks to everyone who continues to support Mary's Meals in this way.
Outreach Tea Bar
Initial signs are promising and the first couple of weeks have gone well, with people enjoying a chat over a cup of tea/coffee in the hall. Please come along on Wednesday between 10.00 and 12.00 and join in this fellowship. Now that it is getting a bit chillier outside, we hope that this venture will also provide a warm space and chance to meet friends old and new.
Harvest Thanksgiving Service
Just a reminder that this will be in our Church on Sunday 22 October at 11.00am. The Church will be open on Saturday 21 October from 10.00-12.00. Donations of non-perishable food items will be most welcome and will be taken to Kilsyth Food Bank after the service. As the Guild are having a speaker from the Food Bank at their meeting on Monday 23 October, it has been decided not to invite a speaker to the Harvest Thanksgiving Service to avoid duplication.
Reflective Service/Carols by Candlelight
We are now working on detailed plans for the above joint service which will be held in Kilsyth Burns & Old on Sunday 10 December at the usual time of 11.00am. The service will include familiar carols, readings, reflections and prayers on the theme of hope. There will be further details in a flyer in the November edition of Contact.
Thank you all once again for continuing to support the work of the Mission Group. As always, we welcome your thoughts and ideas; please speak to any memebr of the Group.
To view historic information about the Mission Group click here
Information is shown in chronological order with the most recent information at the top of the page.