News

Parish News Round-up

Thursday June 16

Our regular round-up of news received from churches

Please send items of parish news to magazine@lifeandwork.org or Life and Work, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN. Digital photographs should not be reduced. Please check the quality of your pictures: images which are blurry or too dark cannot be used. If there are children in any picture please confirm that their parents or guardians have given permission for publication.

A busy Helensburgh church has become a major community hub following the opening of a new £1.9m hall development.

Since the extensive halls at Helensburgh Parish Church were officially launched six months ago, more than 20 community groups are meeting regularly in the multi-purpose building in the town’s square.

The community space boasts a suite of rooms which are attracting not just church groups but community and commercial organisations. The space is currently home to the local toddler group, creative writing club, disabled groups and keep fit classes. It also acts as a child contact centre for parents with limited access to their children, providing a safe meeting space for fathers and mothers.

Minister, the Rev David T Young, is delighted with the reaction to the new-look building which attracted more than 1500 people at an open day in February. He said: “Our open-door approach means people, whether they are church goers or not, can feel free to drop in and out, and to make use of the space. It’s a great way to show that the church is here for everyone, and is not just for a Sunday morning service.”

Picture: Former Moderator of the General Assembly, the Very Rev John Chalmers, officially opened the new suite of halls which took more than two years to complete. He cut a ribbon in the new gathering space which connects the church, built in 1853, to the halls complex.

^{Picture by National Churches Trust. Creative Commons License}

St Athernase Church in Leuchars, one of the best preserved Romanesque parish churches in Scotland, is to share in a £391,000 funding payout from the National Churches Trust.

A £40,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help to fund urgent and essential repairs to roof coverings, external walls, leaded and stained glass windows and to treat wet rot at the A Listed church.

The church minister, the Rev John Duncan, said: "It is wonderful news that the National Churches Trust is to give Leuchars: St Athernase such a generous grant and we are pleased that it also acknowledges the importance of St Athernase Church at a local and national level. I am grateful to the Trustees of the Trust for enabling future generations to appreciate the historical jewel we have in St Athernase Parish Church."

During May children in Dumbarton Riverside Parish Church’s Sunday School were learning about Bangladesh – the country that was the focus of this year’s Christian Aid Week. Their diverse activities ranged from treating the congregation to curries to developing their own wormery. Together with members of the 1^st Dumbarton Rainbows and 1^st Brownies they did a sponsored walk up the hill and ‘over the bridge’ to Overtoun House on a gloriously sunny May 14 for Christian Aid. Between them they raised £1112, and had great fun into the bargain!

^{Picture by John Lord, Creative Commons License}

Craigsbank Church in Edinburgh celebrated the 50^th anniversary of its distinctive A-listed building over Pentecost weekend.

On Saturday May 14 a charity concert was held on behalf of the Corstorphine Dementia Project, with entertainment from the Edinburgh Police Choir, Edinburgh Gay Men’s Chorus and The Amber Knights. The concert was a sell out and enjoyed by all with over £2,700 being raised for the charity.

On Pentecost Sunday a special service was held, where various speakers reflected on different aspect of the sanctuary. Previous minister Rev Dr George Grubb was one of the speakers and he spoke about his time at Craigsbank (‘A place for proclamation’) before he became Lord Provost. Others spoke about Craigsbank sanctuary being ‘A place to gather’, ‘A place to belong’, ‘A place of grand design’, ‘A place for song and prayer’, and finally ‘A place to leave’ when the minister, the Rev Stewart McPherson said that the most important part of the sanctuary was the door.

A large congregation of family and friends gathered at Tomnacross Parish Church in Kiltarlity, near Inverness, on May 22, to mark the retiral of Norman S Grant after 53 years’ service as beadle.

Norman has served under no less than seven ministers, and it is reckoned he must have rung the church bell more than 2500 times. In 2004, on behalf of The Moderator of the General Assembly he was presented with a long service certificate to mark his fifty years in office. Norman has also served as a Deacon since 1978.

Tributes were paid by the Rev Jonathan Humphrey, and by elder Ian D Morrison with the latter, on behalf of the Kirk Session and congregation past and present handing over to Norman a cheque and a handsome glass bowl inscribed “Presented to Norman S. Grant by the Kirk Session and congregation of Tomnacross Parish church in grateful recognition of his faithful service as church officer 1964-2016”.

A bouquet was presented to Norman’s wife, Carol Grant by the Sunday School of the church.

Norman is pictured (front right) with Mr Humphrey (left) and Mr Morrison.

The fabric convener of Tranent Parish Church, David Menzies, received a long service certificate after 49 years in the eldership. He is pictured with church minister the Rev Erica Wishart.

View by category

View by date

Current issue

News

Parish News Round-up

Our regular round-up of news received from churches

Related Stories

Parish News

Parish News

Parish News

Comments

Add a reply