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Sunday
8th. January
On
Friday 20th. January there will be a reception in the Church hall
for all of those in the community of Arrochar who helped us with the
recent Flower Festival.
Sunday
20th. November
The
Kirk Session at Arrochar met last Wednesday evening to make its
plans for the future. After Eric’s death there are positions
which need to be filled and the Session spent quite a lot of time
thinking through how best this should be done. Not everyone has yet
agreed but I’ll tell you what the thinking is so that you know
what is going on. Jimmy Kelly will be our Senior Elder and, as such
will look after everything which happens on Sunday morning, just as
Eric did. He will also be there to play a leading role in the
meetings and events of our congregation. Neil Black has been invited
to become our new Session Clerk. Although our newest elder, Neil has
been a fabulous Clerk to the Congregational Board and the Session
believes that he is the right person to take on this important post.
Providing he agrees to do the job he will, of course, be relieved of
the post of Clerk to the Congregational Board creating a vacancy for
someone to pick up this task. Jamie MacTavish has agreed to take on
the responsibility of being our Presbytery Elder for one year at
least, with an opportunity to consider his options at the end of a
year and we are inviting Margaret West to become our Child Protection Co-ordinator.
Margaret is the obvious person for this post as she runs (superbly)
our small Sunday School, has all the training of being a professional
school teacher and has been through all the child protection
training. We hope that she will agree to do this for us. Attention
then turned to plans for Christmas. I hadn’t realised the
problems that would be caused by the fact that Christmas is on a
Sunday and that two Sundays before Christmas was a whole fortnight
before Christmas (and would be felt to be too early for some of our
traditional Christmas events) while the Sunday after New Year when we
would normally have our Memory Star service is the 8th. of January,
by which time the Christmas tree should be down. So what has been
suggested for Arrochar is this: Sunday 18th. December at 6.30 p.m.
Service of Nine Lessons & Carols by candle-light; Wednesday 21st.
December at 6.30 p.m. Children's’ Christingle Service; Saturday
24th. December at 11.30 p.m. Candle-lit Watchnight Service; Christmas
Day at 10 a.m. Christmas Service; Wednesday 4th. January at 6.30 p.m.
Memory Star Service. I will be delighted to hear views on these plans
— but quite quickly, please, as we are printing a Christmas Card
with all the details.
Sunday
20th. November
A
reminder that Arrochar Christmas Fayre is on Saturday 3rd. December
from 11 - 1 p.m. Donations are requested for the home-baking, bottle
and raffle stalls and you are asked to save your coppers for the
'pile of pennies.' Remember to tell the youngsters you meet that Santa
will be in his grotto throughout the fayre.
Sunday
6th. November
Next
Sunday is Remembrance Sunday and our service will start fifteen
minutes earlier than usual at 10 a.m. and will end about 10.40 a.m.
to enable us to make our way to the War Memorial for 10.50 a.m. when
the short act of remembrance will begin. The two minutes silence will
be at 11 a.m. and the police have said that they will close the road
for the duration of the service. It has been arranged that we can
park our cars in the Army Cadet Force car park.
Sunday
7th. August
The
congregation of Arrochar Parish Church is delighted to be promoting
its first ever Flower Festival which is to be a three-day event
commencing Friday 2nd. September and finishing on Sunday 4th.
September with a Songs of Praise at 6 p.m..
The
theme of the Festival is 'A Celebration of Community Life' and it
will be sponsored by local businesses, organisations and members of
the community. This Flower festival is the Church's way of thanking
the community for all its hard work and generosity in helping to
restore the building to its original glory, and reflects the Church's
position at the heart of the life of the community of Arrochar.
The
Festival will be open on Friday Saturday and Sunday and refreshments
will be available in the small hall. Please come along and view our
celebration and while you are with us register your visit in our
special visitors' book which will be a lasting memento of this
important community event.
Sunday
31st. July
Next
Sunday our Church Without Walls Loch Lomond Celebration takes the
form of a trip to Inchtavanch where there will be a Songs of Praise
'in the footsteps of Kessog'. Following this service there will be a
Bar-B-Cue in the Manse garden.
Sunday
24th. July
On
Monday 1st. August at 7.30 p.m. in Luss Church there will be a
Summer Concert by the Halmstad Chamber Choir from Sweden. This will
take the form of a Renaissance Concert
Sunday
5th. June
A
week ago several members of our congregations set off for Edinburgh
to take part in the Church Without Walls Celebration. This is a
report of the day we had, prepared for congregations throughout
Scotland by Richard Gibbons of National Mission:
Edinburgh’s
Internal Conference Centre often hosts events as diverse as major
medical and financial conferences to the popular children’s
event the “Singing Kettle”. Last Saturday the 28th
May however, they hosted the “Church Without Walls – a Day
of National Celebration” where congregations from across the
country joined together in what turned out to be something of a
unique day.
For
months organisers had been planning a major church event at the end
of the week of the General Assembly and so congregational
“ambassadors” participated in a programme which was as
diverse as those who were present. People had come from the
northern isles, the Hebrides, overseas, England and the borders, some
were as young as eight and one was ninety three.
Participants
involved themselves in over forty workshops and seminars which ran
throughout the day. The bigger events — the opening
ceremony, the film festival, the Ian White Concert and the Ceilidh
which started at 11pm and finished at 1am — were stimulating and
refreshing at a variety of levels. Drama, music and
children’s events also played an integral part in the days
activities as did one or two well known speakers. Adrian Plass,
writer and broadcaster, Dr Elaine Storkey, well known for explaining
the relevance of the Gospel to contemporary culture, and best selling
author Leonard Sweet who reflected on what we as Christians can learn
from society, were all well received. Their contributions to
the day were highly valued and deep appreciated by those present.
Throughout
the day, “Theatre Without Walls” explained to those
gathering in the main reception area what it means, often in a
humorous manner, to be involved in being a Church Without Walls.
A Carnival atmosphere was created by “Church Through the Looking
Glass” and “Busking Worship Style” reminded
participants that worship lies at the heart of who we are. The
Prayer room was on hand for those who wished to pause in the course
of the day’s activities and to reflect on all that God was
saying to them.
The
“Parable Puppets”, “Creating Lay Ministry teams”,
the “Caithness Drama Group”, the “Creative Showcase
events” and so many more all challenged the participants to
think clearly of what it means to be the church of God in the 21st Century.
There were so many events running it is almost impossible to
highlight them all. However, the overall sense of those attending was
that there remains today a faith-energised life and vibrancy in the church.
We were celebrating all of God’s goodness to us and
acknowledging that informed, enthused, encouraged and enabled
congregations can make mission a priority in the life of their
congregation and that there are plenty of resources available.
“The
Weaving the Word” project had gathered old bibles from almost
every part of the country and had woven the pages of scriptures into
a massive canopy which was situated in the reception area.
Participants also discovered that many every-day objects around the
conference centre were covered in the scriptures. Clocks, hoovers,
bookcases, walls, seats and many other objects were wrapped in the
words of scriptures and this had the visual effect of reminding
participants to look for the divine in the everyday.
At
seminar level, congregational ambassadors often left inspired by
what other congregations were doing and took away ideas to adapt for
their own situation. This was an experience repeated throughout
the day.
Numerically
the day was a great success. Conference centre staff informed the
organisers that the building had reached capacity by around 11:30am
and that they had run out of meals by early afternoon. Queues
for workshops were common place and in many situations the only room
left was on the carpeted flooring area or standing at the back of the room.
Time and again this was the case. One lady was
overheard chatting on her mobile phone telling her husband at lunch
time, “I know I said I would be home, but this is so good I am
remaining for the rest of the day”.
The
opening ceremony helped to create the ideal atmosphere for the day
when participants worshiped together by singing from Psalm 67 and
listening to ten-year-old Robbie Johnstone read from John chapter ten.
The Rt Rev David Lacy, Moderator of the General Assembly, spoke about
the spiritual necessity of an energised life and faith. Greetings and
reflections to the participants were received through a series of
video clips and bread was given and received which symbolised in mime
community, belonging and sustenance reflecting on the major themes of
a “Church Without Walls”. Dr Donald Smith
highlighting the potential of story-telling creatively encouraged
participants to consider the impact of the church in future generations.
The organisers sought to create a worship event at the beginning of
the day that was familiar enough to be recognisable yet challenging
enough to encourage people to realise that they were about to
discover a different kind of day.
In
every way the National Celebration event was a great success and
provided a forum for an exchange of ideas leading to a learning and
reflective experience which allowed congregational ambassadors to
take away a number of principles of mission and to adapt them to suit
their home church contexts. Throughout the day the prayerful
mood and tone of the event helped reveal from the contributors that
there were a number of little glimpses, hints and precursors to what
God is doing in our land. Celebrating ministry which is well
rooted in the Gospel and culturally relevant for today highlighted
that considering the issues involved in being a “Church Without
Walls” was a day well worth attending.
Sunday
22nd. May
All
this week there will be bread and cheese lunches at the Pilgrimage
Centre in to support the work of Christian Aid.
On
Tuesday the Guild will sail from Tarbet to Inversnaid for lunch.
On
1st. June there will be a sail on Loch Lomond from Tarbet at 6 p.m.
with music provided by the Tom Stewart ensemble. Tickets are £5.
Sunday
8th. May
On
Monday 16th. May there will be a children's party in the Pit Stop
Diner from 6 - 8 p.m. as part of the Church's Pentecost celebrations.
There will be a congregational meal at the Ben Lomond on Thursday
19th. May. The speaker at this will be Malcolm Wright who will be
talking (humorously) about ministerial disasters -- drawing, he says,
very much on his own experience!
Sunday
24th. April
On
18th. April we welcomed the
BBC who made a twenty-six minute radio programme about our
Pilgrimage Centre. This programme will be broadcast towards the end
of May on a Sunday morning.
Sunday
13th. March
Next
Saturday 19th. March is the Church Easter Fayre (11—1 p.m.)
Please come, please bring your coppers for the mile of pennies, bring
your savings to buy from the stalls and bring any items to sell as
well. We need everyone’s support if we are to make a really good
show out of it — but then we always get it, and we are very,
very grateful.
Sunday
27th. February
The
Congregational Stated Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday 13th.
March at 3 p.m. in the Parish Church.
Sunday
27th. February
The
World Day of Prayer Service will be held in Arrochar Church on
Friday 4th. March at 7.30 p.m. when our service will have been
prepared for us by women from Poland and will be led by members of
our own congregation with ladies from St Peter and St. Paul's Roman
Catholic Church.
Sunday
6th. February
There
will be a Fiddlers' Rally in the Church on Friday 11th. February
presented by the Helensburgh and Lomond Fiddlers in aid of Church
funds. Please come and join us for what will be a very happy evening.
Sunday
30th. January
The
half-yearly meeting of the Arrochar Parish Church Community Trust
is scheduled
for this Wednesday, 2nd. February
at 7.30 p.m.
Sunday
16th. January
Presbytery
has decided to conduct the five yearly inspection
of Arrochar Church on Wednesday 16th. February —
probably from around 7 p.m. The folk from the Presbytery will want
to meet with members of the Congregational Board and from the Kirk
Session and this will provide us with an opportunity of telling our
story and ensuring that it becomes part of the story of the
Presbytery as well. It is vitally important that everyone who is on
the Board or Session comes to share in this evening if at all
possible and this is the nearest to a three-line whip that we will
ever see in Arrochar Church! The following Sunday — Sunday 20th.
February — the leader of the Presbytery team will conduct our
morning service and other members of the team will visit the Sunday
School and the congregation giving everyone an opportunity to speak
to them and have their say about our Church. Again it is important
that as many as possible come to be with us on this Sunday, but then,
you always do — and it is appreciated!
Sunday
2nd. January
Church
Diaries, provided with sponsorship from local advertisers, are
available for all members
of our Church families at Arrochar and Luss at our service today.
Sunday
19th. December
Christmas
Candles
As
many of you will know, we now have our own candle-making studio as
part of the Loch Lomond Pilgrimage Centre. To mark Christmas 2004 and
the new skills which we are learning a Luss Christmas Candle has been
made, or to be more precise, forty Luss Christmas candles have been
made. Each one has a small picture of the Church on it and the date
2004; each one is also numbered underneath. The plan is that as years
go by a new candle will be made each year and will, among other
things, mark the improvement in our skills!
This
year’s candle is now on sale at the cost of £5 (which is
significantly more than it cost to make but only a small proportion
of what it is worth). The entire £5 raised from the sale of each
candle will be donated to Christian Aid to help with their project to
buy goats for poor families in Bolivia to enable them to become self-sufficient.
The extra income from selling produce from the goats can not only
buy food, it can also provide a chance for a farmer’s children
to gain a proper education. Once goats breed, the kids are passed on
to help another family.
So
the skills we are learning in candle-making and the services in
which we are sharing at Christmas time will bring something special
to people in other parts of the world who although they will never
hear of us will have a happier time because we have heard of them.
Our
Christmas Eve Offering will also go towards this project.
Sunday
28th. November
Plans
were unveiled
for this year's Christmas Services today. On Sunday 12th. December
at 6.30 p.m. at Luss there will be a Service of Nine Lessons and
Carols followed by a reception in the Pilgrimage Centre -- sherry,
mince-pies and savouries. The following Sunday, 19th. December at
6.30 p.m. in Arrochar there will be a Children's Christingle Service.
Our Candle-lit Watchnight Service will be at 11.30 p.m. on Christmas
Eve with our Christmas Day service at 10 a.m.
On
Boxing Day there will be a Service of Music and Readings for
Christmas and on Sunday 2nd. January at 6.30 p.m. there will be a
Service in which we shall remember those we have missed at Christmastime.
Sunday
21st. November
It
was announced that there will be a regional celebration for Church
Without Walls
on Friday 3rd. December at 7.30 p.m. at the Dumbuck Hotel in
Dumbarton to which every congregation is invited to send four representatives.
Sunday
7th. November
The
Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated on Sunday 21st.
November -- the last Sunday of the Christian Year -- 'The Reign of Christ
the King.'
Sunday
7th. November
The
Arrochar Church Christmas Fayre will be on Saturday 4th. December.
Please keep the day free and start collecting items for all of the
stalls. Santa
will be in attendance!
Sunday
31st. October
There
is to be a national gathering in the Edinburgh International
Conference Centre in May of next year on Saturday 28th. to which all
congregations are to be invited to send three people to mark
five years of Church Without Walls.
"So
what will the day be like? It will certainly be a busy one and the
Edinburgh International Conference Centre will never have hosted a
day quite like it. From the moment you arrive until the moment you
leave you will be aware that you are in the middle of something very
exciting -- works of art have been commissioned for the occasion, new
drama has been written and directed. There will be workshops in which
the best in worship, music, drama, outreach, working with children,
using sacred spaces, and much more is presented. There will be
internationally acclaimed speakers and many ordinary folk from
congregations throughout the land with extraordinary stories to tell
-- stories which are shared because they are good news and because we
can all learn from them. There will be exhibitions of projects set up
with funding from the Parish development Fund and the opportunity to
meet representatives of organisations who want to fund new and
original Church projects. There will be glorious worship, a Church
Film Festival presenting films from many of our congregations, at
least one ceilidh, storytelling, a puppet show, several plays and a
challenging presentation of where our Church might be in just a few
years time as we continue to listen to what God is saying to his
people and grasp the challenges presented to us in this twenty-first
century world. There will be plenty for young and old alike and we
trust that no-one will leave without thinking, 'Wow! We could do that
-- just wait till I get home and suggest it!'"
Sunday
26th. September
Next
Sunday will be our Harvest
Festival Service during which there will an opportunity of
contributing towards the Christian Aid Sudan Appeal. The Sunday
following will be the Dedication of the Guild Service.
Sunday
5th. September
The
Loch Lomond Pilgrimage Centre will be officially opened on Thursday
16th. September at 11 a.m. There will be an open afternoon to follow
during which everyone can explore the new facilities which have been
created and there will be a service of dedication in the Church at 6
p.m. with a programme of activities in the Centre from 7.30 p.m.
Sunday
5th. September, 04
There
will be an evening cruise on Loch Lomond with music by Mark
Carmichael on Wednesday 22nd. September, leaving from Tarbet Pier at
7 p.m. and returning at 10 p.m. Tickets are priced at £5
and only eighty are available so get your one soon!
Sunday
20th. June, 2004
The
Arrochar and Luss Christian Aid Committee announce that just a few
pounds less than eleven hundred pounds have so far been raised. Now
they are planning a stall at the Luss Highland Games on Wednesday
21st. July to raise awareness about the sixty countries in the world
in which Christian Aid works to relieve poverty usually by supporting
self-help groups which are locally run.
Sunday
30th. May,
04
The
Moderator of the Presbytery of Dumbarton,
Gregor MacIntyre, will visit Arrochar Church as part of a
Moderatorial tour of the Presbytery
on Thursday 4th. June accompanied by Christine Liddle, the presbytery
communications convener.
Sunday
9th. May, 2004
The
Lomond and Rural Stirling Leader Plus funding organisation
considered an application for grant aid for the new Centre at Luss
and agreed to fund half the cost of equipping the new Centre. Most of
the other half of these costs will be met by Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire.
Sunday
2nd. May, 2004
The
Sunday Pewspaper announced that Robbie Lennox and the minister would
both be attending the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland this
year. (Each congregation is invited by Presbytery
to be represented by an elder and their minister
about once every four years.)
Sunday
2nd. May, 2004
It
was announced that next Sunday (9th. May) will be the start of
Christian Aid Week
and we shall be sharing in the service prepared for Christian Aid
and offered to congregations throughout the United Kingdom.
Sunday
21st. March, 2004
The
programme of Holy Week Services for this year was announced today. There
will be a Service for Holy Week each evening of Holy Week at 6 p.m.
Each service will consider the events of that particular day in Holy
Week and will use visual elements in the service to guide our
thoughts. Pictures, video and so on will make this series quite
unusual for us in Arrochar. For those who prefer the more
traditional, there will be services in Luss each evening at 7.30 p.m.
On
Easter morning there will be an open air service at Tarbet pier at 8
a.m. followed by breakfast.
Sunday
21st. March, 2004
Child
Protection training (for any member of the congregation working with
young people) has been arranged for Wednesday 14th. April at 7 p.m.
in the Church. This will be conducted by Hilda Dalziel, the
Presbytery Child Protection Officer.
Sunday
14th. March,
2004
The
Easter Fayre
is on Saturday 27th. March from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. Gill Dunbar, our
fund-raising convener, hopes that everyone will support as they
always do!
Sunday
29th. February,
2004
Next
Friday
is World day of Prayer and there will be a joint service in St. Peter
and St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church at 7.30 p.m. The service this
year has been prepared by women from Panama and is offered to
everyone in the world for this special service.
Sunday
22nd. February,
2004
It
was announced that there would be an Ash Wednesday service in Luss
Church on Wednesday 25th. February
at 1.30
p.m. for the members of both congregations.
Sunday
15th. February,
2004
Good
news,
as it is announced that next Wednesday the Reverend Norma Moore will
be inducted to Jamestown Church. The folk there have been without a
minister for a long time and it is good that they will soon have a
minister in the Manse (a new Manse which the congregation has only
recently purchased).
Sunday
8th. February,
2004
It
was announced that next Sunday there will be a Pulpit Exchange, as
part of the Presbytery programme, between our minister and the
minister of Rhu and Shandon. The
Reverend Colin Caskie has only recently arrived at Rhu from
Carnoustie in Angus. He is presently the convener of the Board of
Stewardship and Finance. We look forward to welcoming him to Arrochar.
Sunday
18th. January,
2004
At
a Congregational Board meeting held last Wednesday
members of the Board had their first opportunity of examining the
accounts for last year. Our givings were again slightly up last year,
our fund-raising slightly down (and this because we had one fewer
fund-raising event last year when we didn't have our musical cruise
on Loch Lomond). We have ended 2003 with all bills paid and with a
balance in the bank. It's all good news as will become clear when we
have our Stated Annual Meeting in March, but we cannot rest on our
laurels as it is quite clear that we are going to have to pay more
towards the cost of ministry. Until now we have been subsidised
centrally but now that we are in a position to stand on our own feet
we will be asked to pay the full costs of ministry , so in order just
to stand still we will all have to be even more generous. At the
start of a new year, this is a good time to review our giving and, if
it is possible to add just a little bit to what we gave last year. We
are, of course, encouraged to give in response to God's goodness to
us -- and as we look around our lovely Church and see how things have
happened for us we know how good God has been to us.
Sunday
7th. December,
2003
The
programme of
special Christmas services was announced today:
Sunday
14th. December at 6.30 p.m.: Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.
Sunday
21st. December at 6.30 p.m.: Children's Christingle Service.
Christmas
Eve at 11.15 p.m.: Candle-light Service
Christmas
Day at 10 a.m.: Christmas Day Service
Sunday
28th. December at 10.15 a.m.: Readings and Music for Christmas
Sunday
28th. December at 6.30 p.m.: Memory Star Service
Information
about these services has been printed on a Special Christmas Card
which will be delivered to every home in the parish this week.
Tuesday
2nd. December, 2003
The
new stained-glass
window has today been installed in our Church. The work of
Lorraine Lamond and the gift of the late John Gray, this window is on
the theme of 'motherhood and Loch Sloy.' It will be dedicated to the
Glory of God and in memory of John Gray's mother on Sunday 7th.
December, 2003 at 10 a.m.
Sunday
30th. November, 2003
The
new Church Year begins and this year our congregation will be guided
by Saint Luke. Members are looking forward to a year in the company
of the Gentile doctor who accompanied Paul on his travels and who
returned to the Holy Land to collect stories about Jesus for his
Gospel and in so doing recorded some of the best known parables and
personal encounters in our New Testament, parables and encounters of
which we would have no knowledge had it not been for Luke.
Friday
24th. October, 2003
The
Annual Fiddler's Rally will be held on Friday 24th. October at 7.30
p.m. in Arrochar Church. It will be presented by the Helensburgh and
Lomond Fiddlers. Tickets are available price £5.
Sunday
7th. September,
2003
The
new Sunday School programme
is unveiled today. We shall be following a course designed by an
organisation called 'Go Teach.' Between now and Christmas there will
be fifteen sessions covering the story of Moses, Jesus in Galilee
and, of course, Christmas. A team of volunteer teachers has been
recruited and will take turns in leading the Sunday School.
Sunday
24th. August
The
Service at Arrochar this morning will have a very special preacher -
the Reverend Doctor Thomas Gillespie, President of Princeton
Theological Seminary, the most prestigious
Presbyterian Theological
Seminary in the world. Dr. Gillespie will be accompanied by his wife
Barbara and they will be staying in the Manse over the weekend.
Sunday
3rd. August
We
learned that our Missionary Partner, Liz McKee
has retired from her post with the Murree Christian School in
Thailand (where the school has been based since the attack on it in
Pakistan). We look forward to meeting with Liz again soon.
Sunday
29th. June, 2003
It
was announced that the Congregational Board had agreed to order pew
cushions for the entire church and that it was hoped that these
cushions would be in place very soon. In order to help with the
funding of this purchase it was hoped that members of the
congregation would assist the Board by raising £2,000 of the
costs so that the congregational account is not too depleted!
Immediately Marion has announced a Sale of Work and Gill and Retta a
Strawberry Tea. More information will follow.
Tuesday
10th. June, 2003
The
Presbytery of Dumbarton inducted its new moderator - the Rev.
Gregor McIntyre from Faifley Parish Church. Eric and Dane attended
the service of induction at Faifley Church where there was a good
congregation including many of the local congregation.
Sunday
8th. June, 2003
The
Service for Pentecost Sunday this year will be conducted by twenty
six members of the First Presbyterian Church, Fargo, North Dakota.
They are members of the Church bell Choir and as well as singing and
playing, one of their ministers will be preaching at our Whitsun
celebrations. There will be an opportunity in the evening to hear a
concert performed by the bell choir and there will be several meals
and get-togethers while they are here so that everyone can meet our visitors.
Sunday
11th. May
Neil
Black,
a member of the Congregational Board and regular participator in
leading worship, was today ordained as an Elder in the Church of
Scotland and admitted to the Kirk Session of our Church. Everyone is
delighted that he will now be taking over the care of the district
which was in the hands of Tom Stewart before he left for Luss (what a
friend gains is no loss!)
Sunday
13th. April (Palm Sunday)
This
was a great day for Arrochar Parish Church as we welcomed Ellie
Doodey and Mark Carmichael into full membership of our congregation
as they reaffirmed the baptismal vows made on their behalf when they
were children.
Sunday
13th. April
A
full programme of services for Holy Week and Easter
is planned between the two congregations of Arrochar and Luss. Each
evening at 6.30 p.m. there will be a service. On Palm Sunday evening and
on Holy Saturday these will be at Luss; from Monday to Friday these
will be in Arrochar. On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday there will
also be a service at noon in Luss.
On
Easter Sunday there will be a service in the open air by the pier at
Tarbet on the banks of Loch Lomond at 8 a.m. followed by breakfast
(kindly supplied by the Loch Long Hotel).
Wednesday
5th. March
The
Board and Session learned
of the wonderful gift of a new stained-glass window to be installed
opposite the Palm Sunday window. This window is the gift of the late
John Gray and is in memory of his mother. Appropriately, the theme of
the window will be motherhood and will incorporate some reminders of
Loch Sloy where John Gray's mother lived for many years. The window,
the design of which has been approved by the Artistic Matters
Committee of the Church of Scotland, will be created by Lorraine
Lamond BA and installed for the first Sunday in September.
Wednesday
5th. March
Today
marks the start of Lent - Ash Wednesday - and there will be a
special Ash Wednesday Service in the Church at 6.30 p.m. The
Christian Year is important - its rhythm guides our Christian
pilgrimage and gives shape to our lives. For the next forty days or
so we shall be journeying with Jesus towards Jerusalem, to the events
of Holy Week, Good Friday and the wonder of Easter beyond.
Sunday
23rd. February
A
lovely short service was held in front of the Church this afternoon.
At the service two trees were dedicated to the glory of God and in memory
of John H. Carson, C.B.E. who was a much-loved member of the
Arrochar community in years gone by. His daughter, Elizabeth Findlay,
donated the trees which will remind everyone in the community of her
father and of his contribution to what Arrochar is today. Following
the service there was a reception in the Loch Long Hotel.
(words of the service)
Sunday
9th. February
Today
is Presbytery Pulpit Exchange Sunday and the preacher at the
services at Arrochar and Luss is the Reverend Eric Hudson, minister
of Bearsden: Westerton Parish Church. In the old days when the future
of Arrochar was very uncertain, Eric was convener
of the Presbytery's Arrochar Committee. He will be impressed by all
that has happened since his last visit!
Sunday
26th. January
All
the scaffolding is now down! All the workmen have left - and the
Church looks fabulous. There is still a huge pile of sand and gravel
by the Church - but that's because these are being used by the
environmental task force which
is hard at work re-erecting fallen grave-stones and generally
repairing the church yard. Fantastic!
Saturday
7th.
December
What
a wonderful success the Christmas Fair turned out to be. So many
stalls, so many people, so much fun and a happy, happy atmosphere. It
only lasted for two hours and in that time close on £1,000 was
raised. Well done, everyone!
Sunday
1st. December
At
3 p.m.
in Luss Parish Church a Service of Celebration will be held to mark
the reopening of Luss Parish Church and the completion of the
restoration project. The guest preacher will be the Reverend David P.
Munro, M.A., B.D., STM. the Clerk to the Presbytery of Dumbarton.
Greetings will be brought by Convener William Petrie, O.B.E., J.P.,
D.L., Argyll and District Council. Following the service there will
be a reception in the Village Hall.
Thursday
14th. November Celebrate
A
limited edition of mugs has been produced to celebrate the
completion of the refurbishment projects of both Arrochar and Luss
Parish Churches.
The
mugs have been made as a lasting reminder of this wonderful year
when both Churches completed their refurbishment projects. The 8 oz
bone china mugs with beautiful drawings of both Arrochar and Luss
Churches with the inscription
"To
celebrate the refurbishment of Luss and Arrochar Parish Churches 2002"
are
offered to members of both parishes at a special price of £5.00
All
profits from the sales will go to the respective Church's funds.
Please
place your orders with Tom or Dorothy Stewart by contacting them on
01436
860616 or 01301 703488
or
by e-mail
tom-dorothy@wildwings.fsnet.co.uk
All mugs have now been sold!
Tom and Dorothy presented a
cheque to each congregation for £170 being a half-share of the
profits of the exercise.
Well done!
Sunday
3rd. November, 2002
A
Special Reminder: Arrochar Parish Church Memory Stars.
For
the past two years memory stars have been placed on the Christmas
Tree at Arrochar. These stars have been inscribed with the names of
people dear to us who have died in the recent, and not so recent,
past. Last year for the first time we had a special Church Service on
the last Sunday of the year in the evening at which we remembered
those dear to us whom we had missed at Christmas time. It is proposed
to repeat this programme this year.
Stars
can be arranged through Eileen Kay. The cost is £5 per star
(the money goes into Church Funds). Eileen is anxious to start the
work of preparation as soon as possible as the Christmas tree is
normally in the Church from around the first week of December and
there is a great deal of work involved in preparing the stars. If you
would like to have a star or stars this year, please speak to Eileen
after one of our services.
Sunday
20th. October, 2002
It
is announced that the Bible Study Group in the Manse at Luss will
restart on Monday 4th. November at 7.30 p.m. The book to be studied
this session is Exodus. All welcome.
Also
it is announced that on Sunday 3rd. November in Arrochar Church in
the evening, rehearsals will begin for our musical version of
'Joseph' - this is an all age activity and everyone will be made very welcome!
Sunday
29th. September, 2002
The
Congregation is reminded that from next Sunday - Sunday 6th. October
- Church services will start not at 10.30 a.m. but at 10.15 a.m. This
will enable the end of services to be less rushed, especially
services such as Holy Communion which is celebrated next week.
Saturday
21st. September, 2002
The
restoration of the Church is now complete. All of the tasks
undertaken three years ago have now been completed (and many
undreamed of then, have been tackled and completed as well). It is
good to report that not only has all of the work been done, but it
has all been paid for too. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Sunday
1st. September, 2002
A
good crowd of young folk turned up at Church this evening to take
part in a start of season Bar-B-Cue with folk from the Church and
with Alan Wadsworth and some of his team from Helensburgh. A
programme of games followed and everyone had a good time. Next week
there will be a programme of drama in the Church hall. All young folk
are invited.
Thursday
15th. August,2002
We
have learned that Liz McKee is now safely at home in Dumbarton. This
has been a terrible ordeal for her, but at least she is now home. We
remember in our prayers those who are still at the Murree Christian
School in Pakistan.
Thursday
8th. August, 2002
Received
the following worrying letter from the Church of Scotland in
Edinburgh about our Missionary Partner Liz McKee and the school at
which she works in Pakistan:
5th.
August
We
have heard that there has been an armed attack on Murree Christian
School, Pakistan. Six Pakistani staff have been killed, some injured.
We are trying to follow-up as much information as we can and to make
contact with our own mission partners. I shall update you when I get more.
Jill
Hughes, Asia Secretary.
6th.
August
We
have now heard from all of our Pakistan-based Mission Partners: Liz
McKee (teacher/house parent at MCS); Sandy and Marie Sneddon and
three children (pupils at MCS); Paul and Cathie Burgess (presently at
Hill Lodge in Murree for the summer school); and Helen McMillan (on
holiday at MCS).
All
are safe and uninjured but obviously very shocked. They thank us for
all the prayers and concern and ask us to continue to pray for them
and the other staff and children, and also for the families of their
Pakistani colleagues who have been killed or injured in the attack.
One parent, Mrs. Juliet Visitacion, from the Philippines was wounded
in the hand. This has come as a huge and horribly shocking event to
the school
community where security has been increased since last year due to
the effects of the 11th. September. There are well-practised
emergency drills and these have been put into immediate effect. The
school has cancelled classes for the next twenty-four hours,
counselling is being offered to staff (both Pakistani and expatriate)
and students, and the army form the local Garrison are providing
extra security.
An
emergency meeting of the MCS Board of Directors and School
Management team will be held on Tuesday to discuss the immediate future.
The
school has asked us to limit telephone calls to the staff and
students since the number of telephone lines are limited. The MCS
website will be updated regularly (www.mcs.com.pk) as will the World
Mission website (www.world-mission.org.uk).
Thank
you for your concern and prayers. Throughout its history Murree
Christian School has been a place of friendship and good working
relationships between Christians and the local Muslim community. We
pray that this will continue.
At
the present time we are not planning to bring mission partners back
to Scotland. However, we will be in discussion with the School
authorities and mission partners over the next while in order to
discuss the situation and make any such decisions.
Jill
Hughes, Asia Secretary.
Sunday
4th. August
It
was announced today that all of the tickets for the Evening Cruise
on 29th. August had now been sold.
Sunday
14th. July
It
was announced today that there would be an Evening Cruise on Loch
Lomond on 29th. August from 7 to 10 p.m. in aid of Church Funds.
Tickets are priced at £7.50 and can be bought from Gill now.
During the cruise, music will be played by Mark Carmichael and his
Band. We acknowledge with gratitude the generosity of both Cruise
Loch Lomond and of Mark Carmichael which will make this evening one
to remember!
Tuesday
11th. June, 2002
Tonight,
meeting at Garelochhead, the Presbytery of Dumbarton agreed to
receive the Petition from the the Kirk Sessions of
Kilmaronock-Gartocharn, Alexandria, Luss and Arrochar along with the
ministers of Alexandria and Arrochar with Luss and having received it
they further agreed to approve the request of the Petition in
principle and to submit the petition to the Presbytery Planning
Committee and to the appropriate committee of the General Assembly
for further consideration. The new parish arrangements will not come
into effect until the minister of Kilmaronock-Gartocharn retires, but
Presbytery approval gives the Kirk Sessions of the four congregations
the green light to further close co-operation in the task of 'serving
the people of the lochside and the visitors in our midst.' This
approval is important because it enables the congregations to start
to put everything in place for a Church presence in the new National
Park within the area of the Presbytery of Dumbarton.
Sunday
2nd. June, 2002
Today
a Petition asking the Presbytery of Dumbarton to set up a pilot
maxi-parish consisting of the present parishes of Kilmaronock-Gartocharn,
Alexandria, Luss and Arrochar has been submitted to the Presbytery.
The Petition has been signed by the Session Clerks of each Kirk
Session and also by the Parish Ministers of Alexandria and Arrochar
with Luss. The Petition (the
full text of which can be seen on this web-site)
asks that a decision be made quickly to enable the Church to play its
full part in the new National Park which is about to be officially opened.
Friday
31st. May
Work
is progressing magnificently on the exterior of the Church.
Horrendous weather is unable to weaken the enthusiasm of everyone
involved and everything is on schedule to be completed on time. The
exterior harling has all been removed; the scratch-coat put on and
the majority of the Church has already been re-harled. Much of the
stonework has been pressure-hosed clean and soon work will begin on
the re-pointing.
Wednesday
15th. May
The
Discovering Faith series came to an end with a spirited discussion
on the future of the Church. This was a meeting of great optimism.
There will be changes but we will embrace them with open arms and we
shall look forward to another series of Wednesday evening meetings in
the autumn. (picture)
Tuesday
30th. April
Scaffolding
is now being erected at the Parish Church to prepare for the
removing of all of the existing rough casting and to allow the
building to be re-harled. Also as part of this final phase of the
Church refurbishment all of the down pipes will be replaced and the
remaining windows will be restored. Today members of the Presbytery
Property Committee visited the Church and saw for themselves all that
has been achieved in recent times. It is hoped that the restoration
programme will be completed by the end of September of this year.
Sunday
21st. April
A
big and special fund raising event is now almost at hand. Entitled
‘American Pie—Rates!’ (Pirates—did you get it?)
This is the latest offering from the Helensburgh Savoy and will be
presented in Arrochar Church on Friday 26th. April at 7.30 p.m.
Tickets price £4 if you get them from Gill Dunbar (01301 702361)
or price £5 if bought at the door, are now available. The
programme consists of music from Penzance to Pennsylvania and
includes a mini-version of The Pirates of Penzance followed by songs
from across the Atlantic including Chattanooga Choo Choo,
Alexander’s Rag Time Band, All the Things You Are, Deep River,
Someone to Watch Over Me and a medley from Guys and Dolls. Tickets
will sell quickly so please do get yours as soon as possible.
Sunday
17th. March, 2002
It
was reported to the Stated Annual Meeting of the Church that last
year had been the best ever in terms of the givings of the
congregation. We were on track to become self-supporting in 2004. As
it is hoped the refurbishment of the Church will be completed this
year we are well on target to achieve our dreams of a refurbished
Church, a self-supporting congregation and a Church with all of the
pews regularly filled by 2004. Neil Black, one of our newer members,
was elected to the Congregational Board.
Monday
11th. March, 2002
The
Church Stated Annual Meeting will be held next Sunday at 3 p.m. At
this meeting accounts for last year will be presented to the
congregation for approval, as will a budget for 2002. There will also
be an opportunity for the congregation to elect new members to the
Congregational Board. The Board meets this Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. to
ensure that everything is in order for the Congregational Meeting
next Sunday.
Friday
1st. March, 2002
Today
two services to mark the World Day of Prayer were held in our area.
The first at 2 p.m. was in the Reading Room of the Village Hall at
Luss; the second, at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter and St.
Paul in Arrochar. At both the service prepared by members of the
Eastern Orthodox in Romania was followed closely - and greatly
enjoyed by everyone who took part.
Sunday
10th. February, 2002
Today
is the Sunday of the Presbytery Pulpit Exchange when all of the
ministers of the Presbytery will be in different pulpits. At Arrochar
and Luss we shall welcome the Reverend Jim Brown, the minister of
Park Church in Helensburgh. Our minister will preach at Park Church
this morning.
Monday
21st. January, 2002
Liz
McKee, our Missionary Partner is home from Pakistan and will be
spending the evening at the Manse in Luss as the guests of the Bible
Study Group although everyone is invited whether they come to Bible
Study or not. Liz writes: "After the September 11th. disaster in
America, parents started removing children from our school and on
14th. September the school decided to close, so that families could
be together. Then if evacuation became reality families could travel
together. The Murree Christian School (MCS) plan was to reopen at the
end of October and staff would not leave, however the Christians
became increasingly uneasy about so many Western people living
together which made them and us a possible target. By the 22nd. all
Western staff had left. The fears of our Pakistani staff were
confirmed when the massacre of the congregation at Bahawalphur
happened. However, I have had word from my Christian friends in
Murree since then. The Assistant Commissioner who is in charge in
Murree called a meeting of leaders of Christian churches and
institutions. There he gave an assurance that the police and army in
Murree would protect them. My friend Albert says the people in Murree
are reassured." Liz hopes to return to Pakistan at the end of February.
Tuesday
15th. January, 2002
A
second Bible Study Group got underway tonight in the Church hall
with eight members. After discussion it was agreed to spend the time
between now and Easter looking at the first eleven chapters of
Genesis - because these were passages with which many people had
difficulties. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of serious
discussion during an evening which everyone agreed was thoroughly
worthwhile. The group will continue until Easter and new members will
be made very welcome. No previous experience or knowledge is required!
Sunday
30th. December, 2001
Today
saw two very special and different services at Arrochar Church. In
the morning a Service of Music and Readings for the Christmas Season
was well attended by members of both Arrochar and Luss congregations
who enjoyed a varied programme of music and readings from both
religious and secular traditions but designed to evoke thoughts and
feelings of the real meaning of Christmas.
In
the evening a much larger congregation than expected met to remember
those who we miss often especially at this time of year - those who
were with us at previous Christmases but who are now no longer with
us. Together we shared in the ceremony of the Advent Memory Ring and
thanked God for the many memories we have to today which make us what
we are.
Sunday
23rd. December, 2001
A
new magazine 'Boundless' is issued today. This magazine, produced by
the team of Tom and Dorothy Stewart, Jessie MacDonald and John
Sinclair, is a full-colour affair and covers the work and witness of
the two congregations of Luss and Arrochar. Our congregations are
'boundless' in their enthusiasm, hope, and determination to serve our
Lord and in our belief in what he will do through us for the parishes
entrusted to our care and to us through the folk we meet as we seek
to serve him. Free to all who wish it, 'Boundless' is produced
without cost to the Church and promises to appear on a regular basis.
Initial reaction is "Wow! Isn't it good!"
Saturday
22nd. December, 2001
At
a lovely wedding ceremony today, David Horner and Janet McIlroy were
married in our Church. Normally attenders at Luss when they are in
the Loch Lomond area, it was our pleasure to provide our Church while
Luss Church is out of commission due to its restoration programme.
Sunday
18th. November, 2001
News
of the Grand Christmas Fair to be held on Saturday 1st. December was
announced in Church this morning. The Fair will be held in the Church
between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. There will be home baking,
Christmas gifts, a bottle stall, a raffle and many other stalls.
There will also be the opportunity of visiting Santa in his Grotto
and tea, coffee and mince pies will round off each visit. Now is the
time for gifts for the various stalls to be made!
Saturday
10th. November, 2001
Dane
and Rachel returned safely from their visit to the First
Presbyterian Church at Fargo, North Dakota. There they received a
right royal welcome and have come home brimming with ideas for our
congregation! Gary sends best wishes with them to everyone in the congregation.
Sunday
14th. October, 2001
The
Service today will be conducted by Rev. Stephen Blakey and not by
Rev. Ian MacBain as previously announced. On Thursday evening, Ian
MacBain's daughter gave birth to a child and Ian and his wife have
gone south to be with her, having arranged for Stephen to stand in
for him. Stephen is from Abercrombie in Fife and we look forward to
having him with us.
Tuesday
2nd. October, 2001
Presbytery
duly passed the deliverance mentioned below; the convener of the
Ministry Committee, George Thomson, congratulating the congregation
of Arrochar on the amazing way that things had been 'turned around.'
In time honoured fashion, Presbytery responded by stamping their feet
in approval!
Monday
1st. October, 2001
At
the meeting of Presbytery to be held tomorrow evening the following
deliverance will be presented by the Ministry Committee:
"Approve
Revision Schedule for Arrochar and Luss: Recommend Presbytery to
accept a sliding scale for Arrochar whereby it be granted Aid of
£7421 in 2001, £4000 in 2002, £2000 in 2003, and
£1 in 2004. Recommend Presbytery to accept that Luss should
receive Aid at £6876 for 2001, £7148 in 2002, 2003 and
2004, with a further revision thereafter."
This
is fabulous news for Arrochar as it marks our progress in moving
towards becoming a fully self-supporting congregation. Soon, instead
of receiving aid from the Church centrally, we shall be able to
concentrate on contributing to all those who are less well-off than ourselves.
(The
only reason that Luss is a little behind in this is because of the
massive restoration programme currently underway. As soon as this is
completed, Luss will quickly move to the same situation.)
Monday
1st. October, 2001
The
Arrochar Guild will NOT meet this Thursday at 2.15 p.m. in the
Church hall. Instead this meeting will be on Thursday 11th. October
at the same time and place.
Monday
1st. October, 2001
The
'Arrochar Parish Church Friendship Book' has now been launched.
Thirty two copies were sold yesterday and more will be available from
Marion and nancy next Sunday. Each book costs £3 (all proceeds
to the Church restoration Fund) and is filled with favourite, poems,
prayers and verses which have been contributed by members of the
congregation. An appendix also lists favourite songs from the Hymn
Book, Songs of God's People and Common Ground.
Sunday
30th. September, 2001
Tickets
are now on sale for the Fiddlers' Rally to be held in the Church on
Friday 5th. October at 7.30 p.m. These are price £5 for adults
and £2 for children and are available from Gill or May. It's
going to be a super night!
Tuesday
25th. September, 2001
Learned
today that the Helensburgh Gilbert and Sullivan group are coming to
perform a concert version of 'The Pirates of Penzance' in the Church
on Thursday 15th. November at 7.30 p.m. I don't yet know how much the
tickets will be - but they will be on sale from Gill very shortly.
Please put the date in your diary and keep it clear!
Also
learned from Fred Moore that Cruise Loch Lomond are giving Luss
Church two boats for the service this Sunday coming (30th. September)
so there will be room for up to 160 people and everyone - especially
folk from Arrochar - will be most welcome. The boats will leave the
pier at Luss at 12 noon on Sunday and cruise through the 'narrows'
before anchoring between the islands for our morning service.
Tuesday
18th. September, 2001
In
the very early hours of this morning I received an e-mail from Gary.
He is home and safe - at last. Many thanks to all who have been
thinking of him, praying for him and asking about him. It must have
been quite some journey, but at least he has been safe throughout.
Friday
14th. September, 2001
Received
an e-mail from Gary from Amsterdam. He tells me that he is foot-sore
and tired and spends most of his days either standing in queues at
the airport or searching for accommodation for that night. He's also
run out of clothes because all but his hand-luggage is still on the
plane. So he is looking forward to getting back home soon and Lucy
(his wife) and Rick, the minister of his Church, have both promised
to let me know as soon as he gets home.
Spoke
to Paula and Ken James from New York on the phone today. You'll
remember that their son Max was baptised on Remembrance Sunday, 2000.
All are well; Ken should have been at a meeting by the World Trade
Buildings but slept in because Max was staying with relatives and was
not on hand to wake him up! The family all send their love to
everyone in the Church.
Tuesday
11th. September, 2001
After
all of the tragic news from America earlier today, I had an e-mail
from Fargo a few moments ago to say that Gary Thrasher,
whom
I deposited at the airport at the crack of dawn this morning, was in mid-Atlantic
when news came through of the destruction of the World Trade Centre.
His plane returned to Amsterdam where he is staying in a hotel until
it is safe to return home. Good to know that he is well and safe.
I
also got an e-mail from Chris and Jimmie Pratt who were married in
our Church last year. They have an apartment in Manhattan from which
they could see all of the events of yesterday. They wanted us to know
that they too were safe and well. (Their
photograph is on the Weddings page.) |