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Parish News

Thursday August 10 2023

Our regular round-up of news received from churches

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The ladies of Baillieston St Andrews Church knitted 1400 poppies to create Poppy Falls for the front of the Church and a Lectern Poppy Fall for inside. Extra poppies will be made into brooches and sold with proceeds going to Poppy Scotland and Erskine Hospital.

Children, parents and grandparents built a Lego mosaic of St Fillan’s Church, Aberdour, as part of the Aberdour Festival celebrating the 900^th anniversary of the church this year. The mosaic took two hours to build, and was made from 27,756 Lego bricks.

St Fillan’s is presumed to date from 1123, when Inchcolm Abbey was founded not far away on the island in the Firth of Forth. The anniversary is being celebrated with a series of events throughout the year.

One of the churches now in the United Dalriada Mid Argyll Parish got together to recognise the work of their now retired Session Clerk.

Linda Tighe has been Session Clerk of Glassary, Kilmartin and Ford Church for many years and since the last minister left for the USA she has worked tirelessly to keep the doors open and to ensure that Sunday services continued.

Linda also took on the role of ad hoc estate agent, involved in the sale of the three churches and hall after the successful purchase of the new building in Kilmartin.

At the celebration, Linda was presented with a silver Luckenbooth brooch (a symbol of loyalty) and a monetary gift. Elder, Sheena McNair, presented the gifts and spoke with warmth about Linda's tenure in the demanding role.

Students from the Prince’s Foundation Summer School visited a Renfrewshire Church last month to learn more about building conservation.

The visit was organised as part of a £40,000 grant award to Bishopton Parish Church from Historic Environment Scotland. The students and their leader Michael Goodger learned about practical masonry conservation and lime mortar works at the north elevation of the church sanctuary.

The group was welcomed to the church by the Rev Yvonne Smith and after a buffet lunch took part in talks with by David Woodrow MBE (Church Elder and Chair of Bishopton Community Council) and Jamie McNamara, Presbytery Buildings Officer (Clyde Presbytery) on behalf of the General Trustees. A practical session on lime mortar works followed, involving Richard Fraser (Limerich Ltd, the principal contractor of the work at the church) and an interactive session by conservation consultant Nic Boyes.

The Prince’s Foundation (https://princes-foundation.org) is one of the most active and prominent heritage conservation organisations in the UK. The Summer School (https://princes-foundation.org/education/foundation-summer-school) provides a three-week programme for international professionals engaged in conservation activities to network and improve their skills.

The 1815 Grade B Listed sanctuary church building was shortlisted for the John Betjeman Award 2022 and also a winner of the National Churches Trust 2022 Award for Excellence in Church Maintenance.

More than 1,800 items of donated school clothing were handed out by a Forfar church in just one week last month.

Volunteers at the project at Forfar: St Margaret’s Parish Church said the demand showed the cost of living crisis was hitting hard for families in the area.

Established in 2015, the pop-up shop would usually see about 1,000 donated items – new and second-hand - given away during the week or fortnight it was open. This year 933 items were given out by the end of the first day.

The initiative operates twice in the summer holidays as well as in January, Easter, and October. It is open again from August 7-11.

The Rev Maggie Hunt, minister at St Margaret's Parish Church, started the initiative in the summer of 2015 and estimates it has given away at least 7000 items of clothing since it was set up. The congregation has a team of volunteers who launder, iron, and label any second-hand donations.

"It is a community project that not only helps families financially but also reduces the amount of good quality clothing from going to landfill, making it good for the environment too," said Maggie.

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