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How
well we partied!
The Children's Christmas Party in the Pitstop on
22nd. December was huge fun, was extremely well attended and was
excellently held together by the children's party organiser, magician
and balloon sculptor to whom the evening was entrusted.
The trip to the pantomime was the best trip yet. Aladdin
at the Pavilion was much, much better than the pantomime last year
and our seats, in the stalls, ensured that no-one suffered from
vertigo. And after the show, the family meal at the Pit stop brought
the day to a happy conclusion.
Christmas
Services better supported than ever
Perhaps as a result of the Christmas Card
delivered to every home in the parish -- a card which had details of
all special Christmas services -- our services over the Christmas
season were very well supported -- The Service of Nine Lessons and
Carols, the Christingle Service (held on a Wednesday evening for the
first time), the Watchnight Candle-lit service on Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day and the memory Star Service (also held on a Wednesday
evening). This has been hugely encouraging for us all.
Board
reports continued progress
(Pewspaper of 11th. December reporting on
Congregational Board meeting of 7th. December). First item on the
agenda was to appoint a new Clerk to the Congregational Board. Our
previous Clerk, Neil Black, has moved on to become Session Clerk and
the Board deliberated on who would be best suited for this important
job. Our new Clerk is Beth Jenkins and I am sure that everyone will
wish her well in this post. Then it was on to considering the
finances of the Church. This is always a crucial meeting; the year
end is almost upon us — are we going to be able to relax and
enjoy the final weeks knowing that we can balance our budget or will
we need to scratch around desperately trying to raise additional
funds? To help us our treasurer Karen Campbell prepares an annual
budget and milestones for each month are set out so that we can see
how we are doing. The figures presented to us last week show that in
terms of our giving we are right on target — frighteningly so!
In fact our non-covenanted FWO givings (that’s the money put in
envelopes by people not paying tax) is £14 less than budgeted
and our Gift Aid Offerings (that’s money put in envelopes by
people paying tax — which we later reclaim) is £4 more than
budgeted. That’s staggering! Anyone can set a high target so
that we fall behind and have to be encouraged to give more, or can
set a low target so that we feel good — but to set the right
target to enable us to pay our bills and for us to be right on the
button with the end of the year in sight is really quite remarkable.
Congratulations are due to our finance committee but also a huge
thank you to all of our generous members who give week by week to
support our Church. In fact the situation is even better because, as
a result of our Christmas Fair which last week raised over £1,460
(yes, the figure does continue to increase) the fund raising
committee has now exceeded its target for the year with one more
fund-raising event to come. The Board congratulated Gill Dunbar and
her committee: Gill had been due to retire at this time after several
years of hard work in charge of the fund-raising committee but said
that her committee was so good and the congregation so supportive
that she would be happy to continue for a bit longer. You may be sure
that her offer was enthusiastically accepted! Finally we learned that
our budgeted expenditure was within our targets, so providing your
generosity continues to the end of the year we can relax and
concentrate on celebrating Christmas without a financial care in the
world! Thank you all very much indeed.
Eric
Davidson
After the sudden death at the end of October
of Eric Davidson, the minister paid this tribute at the Presbytery
meeting on 1st. November:
Soon after I was inducted into the charge of
Arrochar I was given a set of papers containing a recent return to
Edinburgh. Down the left-hand side of the page was a list of official
positions in the congregation - Session Clerk, Clerk to the
Congregational Board, Church Officer, Presbytery Elder, Property
Convener, Organist, World Mission organiser and so on. There were
seventeen such titles and against sixteen of them was written the
name Eric Davidson. (The only other name was that of Davina MacLean
as organist.)
For many people Eric was Arrochar Parish Church
and it is certainly true this evening to say that without Eric
Davidson and his commitment there would not be a congregation in
Arrochar today.
Eric was born in Manchester, eighty-five years
ago. His father died when Eric was very young and soon afterwards,
mother and Eric moved to Lytham St. Anne's where his mother ran a
boarding house and Eric was educated at King Edward's School. Eric's
earliest years of Christian formation were within a Methodist
congregation in St. Anne's.
Following the remarriage of his mother, the
family moved to Glasgow where they lived within a stone's throw of
Hampden Park. Having completed his schooling Eric was taken on by the
Admiralty at the Torpedo Factory in Greenock but shortly afterwards
war broke out and Eric enlisted in the Royal Air Force.
War years behind him, Eric returned to the
Admiralty serving in a variety of Royal Naval Armament Depots ranging
from Ireland, through Mombassa and Gibraltar to Bath; and it was from
Bath in 1966 that Eric was appointed Deputy Superintendent -
administrator in charge - of the new NATO Armament Depot in Glen
Douglas. Compelled by regulations to retire in 1980 on attaining the
age of sixty, Eric promptly signed on for a further five years as a
clerical officer in the Common Services office - working as a junior
to many he had managed up until that point.
Back during the war, he had met and married
Florence in Glasgow in 1944. They were constant companions for more
than fifty years of marriage until Florence's death in 1996 by which
time Eric had spent the last two years nursing and caring for his
wife and enabling her to fulfil her wish of remaining at home
throughout her final illness.
Against this background of work and family life
Eric became a member of the congregation at Arrochar. The
congregation was small and the Kirk Session was tiny. The way Eric
told it, eventually there was no-one else for the minister to turn to
as Session Clerk and Eric - protesting his Methodist background -
accepted the Calling.
From that moment he regarded it as his
responsibility to ensure that the Church survived: and survival was
the order of the day. The Kirk Session now had only two elders and
the congregation could be accommodated in the small hall behind the
Church which could seat a dozen or so in comfort.
By now the Church building had been declared
unsafe by Presbytery - something which Eric always felt was wrong.
The General Trustees had put the building on the market, but
mistakenly entrusted to Eric the task of showing prospective buyers
around for Eric, totally convinced that Arrochar needed its Church
would have said or done anything to keep it going until the tide of
opinion changed and the time of renaissance arrived.
It is history now that it did; but that it did is
entirely due (on a human level at least) to less than a handful of
Arrochar folk, none more so than Eric who led and shepherded them in
their efforts. Always polite, usually deferential, but absolutely
resolute once he was convinced that what he was about was right, he
worked tirelessly to rebuild both the Church and its congregation
taking enormous pleasure as both grew and developed. Meanwhile he
served as Chairman of the Community Council, was instrumental in
establishing a group to build a new community hall and continued as
President of our Guild. And, of course, he was our Presbytery Elder
sitting with his opposite number from our partner Church at Luss,
saying little but building up friendships with folk from so many
other congregations and reporting back diligently to the folk at
Arrochar on all that he saw and learned.
Eric was a remarkable man - a man motivated by a
real love for his Lord and by the understanding that because he was
loved so he should love others. There are many in our community who
will miss his acts of kindness and consideration; we will all miss
the conscientious way he made sure that everything was right for
worship each Sunday - and his prayers - discussions with the Almighty
on the important issues of the day. Most of all Eric will be missed
by Davina with whom he shared his life during the last seven years, a
friendship which brought comfort and delight to them both.
Eric died after an illness of less than a day,
having been active to the last: one of his most recent days-out was
to Dundee for the Annual Meeting of the Guild. Although his name
appeared but infrequently on the list of Church Officials now, it
still appears as President of the Guild and I suspect that would have
been the post he was most reluctant of all to give up.
We shall be meeting in Arrochar Church next
Monday to give thanks for Eric's life.
Fabulous
Flower Festival
Everyone loved the Flower Festival (2,3 and
4 September) It was our first effort and everyone did superbly. It
was so encouraging to have so very much help from so many different
folk from the community, and what a grand turn-out for our Songs of
Praise which brought the festival to an end.
Our
Big Day Out
(By Alison Frame & Fiona
Ritchie -- Pewspaper 10th. July) On Saturday the 2nd July 2005
Alison, Elspeth and Fiona all met in Helensburgh along with several
other people from the surrounding district and got on a bus!
There is nothing very remarkable about getting on a bus but when you
saw that every single person getting on the bus was wearing a white
tee shirt and wearing a white bracelet you may begin to realise that
this was a gathering of like minded people.
This had all started some weeks
previously with phone calls, meetings and a great deal of
organisation to get all these people to Edinburgh to join in a
political event that has swept the country and indeed the world.
The 'Make Poverty History’
campaign came to our attention after a screening of, appropriately
enough, the Vicar of Dibley in January 2005 and from that moment
there has been an overwhelming desire to make a difference, change
the world, just do something!
So off we went on the bus with our
pack lunches to keep us going through out the day. It was
intimated that Elspeth was secretly hoping to slip away for a coffee
in Jenners but as it turned out we never got anywhere near Princes
Street never mind Jenners. There was a bit of speculation as we
travelled into Edinburgh of just how difficult it would be to get
into Edinburgh perhaps the roads would be grid locked, we might get
turned back or if the opportunity arose should we do a bit of
shoplifting and looting? In any event we swept into Edinburgh
and were deposited at the Meadows, the rally point for all the marchers.
The organisers wanted to form a
band round the Castle, hence the white tee-shirts. This would
look more impressive probably from the air but it was amazing to see
so many people dressed in white. We knew that the march or walk
would have staggered start times so we thought we would check out the
Meadows and see what was going on and oh, eat lunch!
While eating, a lady approached
rather shyly and Alison got chatting with her. It turned out
she was a teacher from Swaziland and she was covered in little red
white badges. Turned out they were made from beads attached to
a safety pin with the symbol for aids in red on a white beaded background.
These had been made by African grandmothers whose grandchildren had
been orphaned by that dreadful disease. Obviously we bought
some badges and the lady was going onto one of the two stages erected
in the Meadows to highlight this particular African story. Much
to our regret because the lady was rushing we didn’t get her
name and we have all forgotten the website address she threw at us as
she made her way to the stage.
We made our way over to one of the
stages to listen to live music but thought we better start finding
out how to join the march. It became apparent that there were
queues forming so we stood in line and waited. We watched the
‘Clown Army’ making their way across the meadows and
decided forming a platoon was the only way to go. Then we saw a
group from ‘Greenpeace’ and ‘Christian Aid’ but
soon realised they were not making any progress on the march either.
It seemed we were grid locked in the meadows! Over the tannoy
the announcement came that the organisers had achieved their goal
– there was a complete band of white round the Castle with still
thousands of people in the Meadows waiting to go. For two hours
we stood waiting to get out onto the march being entertained by the
music, people and just the sheer happy feeling all around.
At three o’clock a minutes
silence had been planned which would be signalled by flares. As
the time drew nearer Elspeth remarked that the only advance we had
made was through people leaving the queue – we were not going
forward! We took the decision to stay in the meadows and listen to
the speakers and get ready for the silence.
Sitting on the grass in the
sunshine we listened to various speakers Grace from Malawi asked the
question “just because we have a higher rate of infant mortality
do you think it makes it any easier for us”? Charity a
very happy bouncy lady from somewhere in Africa thanked every one for
taking part and said “we just want the opportunity to help ourselves”.
A Cardinal, splendid in his robes of office, was impressed by how
many “young” people had come to take part.
Then it was time for the silence,
everyone stood up from where they were sitting on the grass and
observed the silence and it was quite. Unfortunately, the helicopters
which had been hovering over us all day decided not to pull back or
fly higher and the noise they made was a bit obtrusive. However, that
was soon drowned out because we had been asked to “make some
noise” after the minute was over and boy did we ever! It hurt!
They probably heard us in Africa!
We continued to enjoy the
atmosphere laughing at one guy, there’s always one, the nutter!
He was shouting, using his whistle in an attempt to provoke the crowd
into responding to the speakers on stage. We just wanted him to
shut up so we could listen to them. Frustrated at the crowds
lack of response to his efforts he shouted “lets go Glasgow”
and some joker responded “You‘re in Edinburgh, you plonker”!
That got an amused response.
The best badge seen on the day was
on a guy’s hat with the legend ‘buck fush’!
Time to make our way back to the
bus and home but not before we tried to get Elspeth a cup of coffee!
Not Jenners, unfortunately, but some dodgy Italian café just
off the Lothian Road the proprietor of which was stressed to the
eyeballs but he would enjoy banking his takings that evening!
As we made our way home on the bus
everyone remarked how trouble free the day had been and how
marvellous it had been to take part. At the time you do feel
overwhelmed by the event and you don’t know if you are making a
difference or not but before we left the meadows it was announced
that they reckoned 300,000 people had turned up! Someone must
have noticed.
During these days our Parish
Churches proudly wore their own ‘Make Poverty History’
white bands and, in concert with Church Bells throughout the country
and throughout the world, the bells of our ancient Churches joined
their voices to the calls to world leaders to make poverty history as
they met in Gleneagles. It was also a cry for peace with justice and
an end to terrorism and violence throughout God’s world and in
sympathy with the people of London struck by a terrorist attack that morning.
Throughout the world Church
bells rang between 1.45 and 2 p.m. on Thursday 7th. July.
Church
Board's upbeat report
(Pewspaper 19th. June) We had an
important meeting of the Arrochar Congregational Board on Wednesday
evening. You may remember that following our meeting three months ago
I told you that we were slipping slightly behind in our budget
projections for our offering income and I asked if everyone would do
anything they could to help us get back on track. When we met last
week Karen had prepared a detailed report to show that people had
responded to our appeal and that we are now back where we had hoped
to be at this stage in the year. So thank you, thank you all very
much indeed for responding as you have with customary Arrochar
generosity. And thank you, not just from me but from every member of
the Congregational Board.
Much
to rave about!
The Guild trip to Inversnaid was
super. With such an 'off and on' weather week we were exceptionally
fortunate to have one of the finest days of the year for our cruise.
The sun shone, we sat on deck and after a grand meal we explored
Inversnaid and enjoyed the warmth.
Yesterday (28th. May) was the
Church Without Walls Celebration in Edinburgh. several folk from our
join congregations were there -- all agreed that it was a splendid
occasion, one of the very best we had experienced.
Pentecost
Parties
They were everything for which we
had hoped! The Children's Party (16th. May) and the Congregational
Meal (19th.). Brian the magician kept the children entranced with his
magic and the food was grand. The Congregational meal at the Ben
Lomond was first-rate. It was a wonderful evening, not least because
it was an opportunity for us all to talk together and have fun
together. Our speaker was Malcolm Wright who told us about some of
the more hapless moments of his ministerial career -- some of which
certainly rang bells with me! Definitely something to be repeated, please.
Bible
Study Group completes task
Last Monday (28th. April) evening
the Bible Study group completed its journey through Matthew's Gospel.
They have met every Monday evening since October and have found the
task an eliciting and rewarding one. There will be now be a break
over the summer months before they come back and start to work their
way through the Gospel of John.
Church
Board tackles challenges
Last Wednesday (13th. April) was
the evening of the Arrochar Church Board. This was an extremely
lively meeting. We noted that our offerings, which have risen
drastically over the last five or six years, have now begun to
plateau out and that, although we are continuing to live within our
means, we are really running at about £15 a week less in
offerings that we need to continue our upward growth which is
important because the cost of ministry will continue to rise and even
having a glorious building won’t keep us here if we can’t
pay our way! We have some special events planned and these were all
discussed at the Meeting. Over Pentecost, which is about a month
away, we shall be having some real celebrations. A leaflet telling of
our work will be delivered to every home in the parish and there will
be two celebratory events. The first will be a party for our
children. This will be held in the Pit Stop on Monday 16th. May and
with times still to be finalised, may be between 6 and 8 p.m. Later
in the same week there will be a congregational supper at the Ben
Lomond at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday 19th. May. Tickets and details of
this event will be available next week but I am letting you all know
now so that you can keep a space in your diary. We need to reach out
to others in our community and, in order to give folk the opportunity
of coming into our beautiful Church, we are planning a Flower
Festival for Friday to Sunday, 2nd. to 4th. September. Heading up the
committee to make all the plans are Eileen Kay and Margaret West and
I have assured them that everyone will be anxious to help in what
will not only be a great deal of fun but also a wonderful opportunity
to involve others in what we are doing. We will end with a Songs of
Praise on the Sunday evening.
Children's
Activity Week
(Pewspaper 10th. April) For many of us this has
been a really splendid week. At our Centre we have had our first
Children’s Activity Week and we have enjoyed the company of many
young people both from Arrochar and from Luss. What a week it has
been, one which has underlined to us how we have needed our new
Centre, and one which has been great fun as well. One of the marks of
the success has been that although the programme has run officially
for two hours each day we have had youngsters with us from first
thing in the morning until almost ten at night. On Monday Ken Offord
led a workshop on film-making. Many of the adults present have told
me that they would love to learn more about this and wonder if Ken
can be persuaded to run a regular class for them. On Tuesday Andy
Simpson and his son Robert turned the whole Centre into a computer
games extravaganza — a Playstation 2 was plugged into the data
projector and youngsters raced cars and played football against each
other on the big screen, while many other young folk took part in a
variety of other games on the consoles in the computer room. Such was
the success of this day that we now have our own Playstation and it
has been in almost constant use from the moment it arrived until now.
On Wednesday Robert Kyle got everyone involved in making pottery.
Some of the older ones were soon hard at work on the pottery wheels,
but the majority of folk were in the main room working on the tables
there creating a variety of works of art — pottery pigs seemed
very popular — which once they have dried out and been glazed
will be put on display for all to see. Thursday morning was a film
morning — the cinema was full and there was an overflow meeting
in the anteroom. Films have proved to be very popular and the regular
children’s film club also had its usual meeting on Saturday
morning when an animated cartoon film entitled ‘Shark Tale’
was shown. On Friday the theme was Easter. Hordes of younger children
were decorating eggs and later searching for them in an egg-hunt
which proved to be extremely popular. Meanwhile older youngsters were
back in the computer room playing, among other games, ten-pin
bowling:- a grand week. The lemonade and crisp break was a daily
highlight as was the presence of so many parents with their children.
Thanks to everyone who came to help and particularly to Lorraine who
was the organiser-in-chief.
Easter
Celebrations
The Church's Easter and Holy Week
programme (Services each evening during Holy Week and and early
morning service on Easter Day on the banks of Loch Lomond at Tarbet)
was, as usual, well supported and there was a wonderful feel in the
Church when we all met to celebrate Easter Communion.
Pentecost
Programme
We had an excellent meeting of the
Arrochar Kirk Session on Wednesday evening. We have made plans for an
outreach adventure surrounding Pentecost in two months time. We are
planning to do three things: to prepare a leaflet telling about the
work of the Church and where we have reached in our plans and
inviting folk to come and join us (this will be delivered to every
home in the parish); then we are going to have a congregational
evening meal (somewhere ‘posh’) with an entertaining
speaker (we have someone just right in mind)!; and we are to have a
children’s party/meal for all of our younger folk. That’s
the plan and it will centre broadly around our Pentecost celebrations
when we remember the birth of the Church and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Fabulous
Fiddlers!
(11th. February). The Helensburgh
and Lomond Fiddlers gave us a splendid evening in Arrochar Church on
Friday night. This was an evening of glorious Scottish music —
ten fiddlers, four accordion-players, two guitarists, a pianist and a
very energetic conductor — and some excellent solo items, and it
was a very good audience as well. Some of us are already looking
forward to next year.
A
real gem of a Guild meeting
Ann McEachern wowed the Guild with
her presentation on her hobby of polishing stones. She explained not
only how to cut and polish stones but also introduced us to
semi-precious gems from all round the world. (13th. January).
Response
to the Tsunami Appeal
(9th. January from the Pewspaper)
This has been a difficult time for so many with the calamitous news
coming from the area around the Indian Ocean; news which has
challenged both the way in which we look at the world and the
response which we have to make to the needs of other people. Our
small response last Sunday was to sell off the candles which had been
made in the Pilgrimage Centre and to send the money raised to the
Tsunami Appeal. As a result of the generosity of those in Church last
Sunday I was able to send £1,000 to the appeal on Sunday
evening. I was also able to send a further £254 to Christian Aid
for their goats, seeds, education and water appeal (the money given
at the Luss Christmas Eve service — and a reminder that even in
the midst of terrible tragedies the needs of others in the third
world continues). Indeed, one of the comments which struck me most
forcibly during the week was the aid worker reacting with huge
pleasure to the generosity of the British people in raising £100
million pounds but gently reminding us all that the equivalent deaths
of the tsunami disaster occur unnecessarily among children every week
in the developing world. It was her hope that our generosity would
continue until all of these needs had been filled and that no-one
died through lack of money, or food, or hospital care. At a time when
we are challenged to think through our resolutions and dreams for the
coming world I hope that we will see supporting our own Christian Aid
action group as very high on our priority list.
Church
Fayre exceeds target
We thought the Arrochar Fayre
(4th. December) had done well by raising £1,086 .11 but then it
turned out that no-one had counted the money from the candle stall so
we have to add another £63!
Church
Author Visits
(6th. December) Heather
Wraight from Christian Research spent a day in Arrochar meeting with
people who had been involved in the story of the rebirth of the
Church. Heather is hoping to include a chapter about Arrochar in a
new book which she hopes to publish next year.
Christian
Aid Presentation
(Sunday 14th. November) A
Christian Aid presentation was made by Eve, May and Lorraine as part
of the morning service today. They reported back on what they had
learned at a large Christian Aid conference in Glasgow and shared
some of the plans for our own Christian Aid activities over the
coming months.
Remembrance
Day
Many people turned out for the
short annual remembrance ceremony at the War Memorial. As usual the
police stopped the traffic for the whole duration of the service and
members of the community laid the appropriate wreaths.
Pantomime
Trip Planned
Tickets for a matinee performance
of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow have
been booked for Saturday 11th. December. Tickets are now on sale and
include bus, show and a fish supper on the way home!
Bad
Weather wipes out Cruise
Really severe weather forced the
cancellation of the Loch Lomond Cruise. So much rain fell that the
pier itself was under water. The cruise will be rescheduled later in
the year.
Pilgrimage
Centre Opens
(16th. September) Our new Centre
at Luss was opened by the Reverend Douglas Nicol, the General
Secretary of the Board of National Mission. He spoke to us about the
three challenges which he thought faced us at this time -- the
commitment to change, the commitment to working together in
partnership and the commitment to being a welcoming Church.
Councillor Petrie, in his chain of office, brought us the best wishes
and also the congratulations of Argyll Council and of the Tourist
Board on the successful completion of this stage of our project. Also
present was the Reverend James Simpson who is the Convenor of the
General Trustees and who represented the Trustees involvement with us
in this adventure. It was especially good to welcome representatives
of Scottish Enterprise, Lomond and Rural Leader Plus, the Business
Gateway, Community Futures, the National Park and, of course, our
Presbytery -- all of whom have helped us to build our Loch Lomond
Pilgrimage Centre. Following the opening there were splendid
refreshments (in a marquee in the garden as well as in the manse) and
then everyone had an opportunity to visit the Heritage Centre,
experiment in the Computer and Video Studio or watch the children
from the Primary School at play in the pottery and candle-making units.
In the evening the Dedication
Service in Luss Church was on the theme 'Stories from our Past:
Dreams for our Future' during which several folk shared stories and
led our prayers. Following the service there were more refreshments
before we showed the film 'Jesus' in the new cinema facility. It was
a thoroughly good day made
possible by the huge amount of work put in by Jimmy Kelly and his
team who have created a Centre of which we are all very proud.
Sixtieth
Wedding Anniversary
(Pewspaper of 12th. September)
George and Nan Chappel are celebrating their sixtieth wedding
anniversary. Regular attenders at Arrochar Church, they were the last
couple to be married in the old Ballyhennan Church in Tarbet. We wish
them both well at this time of celebration.
Arrochar
Glebe Walk
(Saturday 26th. June). Folk met on
the Arrochar Glebe to continue the excellent work of creating a
nature reserve. Already one walk-way, the yellow route, is in place
and it is quite easy to walk; now plans are in hand to create the
blue route (this will be harder) and a little centre which will both
provide the opportunity to learn about what can be seen and to watch
some of the bird and animal life without disturbing them. Already
there is some excellent signage in place and, at a small ceremony on
the glebe, the Minister thanked Andy Kerr (who has been the
driving-force behind this new venture), the paths committee and the
National Park for all their help.
Presbytery
Moderator's Visit
On Thursday (4th. June) the
Moderator of our Presbytery visited both Arrochar and Luss Churches.
Gregor MacIntyre, accompanied by Christine Liddle, was quite
astounded by the changes in Arrochar Church which he had visited
during a Presbytery Pulpit Exchange shortly before the Church closed
during the nineties and was greatly encouraging as he spoke to the
group which had come to meet him.
Mark
and Ellie's Music
A splendid evening of music led by Mark and Ellie
in the Church on Saturday 22nd. May. Local pipers, singers and
musicians shared in a full programme which was part of the Fund
Raising calendar of the Congregational Board. Ellie's singing and
Mark's piping will remain with everyone who was there: it was a
thoroughly grand evening.
May
MacLachlan dies
(From the Pewspaper of 16th. May)
We have been ill-prepared for the death of May MacLachlan who was
such an important member of our Church community, working tirelessly
for the congregation in the days before we really had much of a
congregation, lending her support in the attempts to re-establish the
Church and one of the first new elders to be ordained as the
congregation once more took shape. She was, of course, regular at
worship, she was a leading light of the Arrochar Guild and cared
diligently for her elder's district in Tarbet. But, as Billy Petrie
reminded us at our Christmas Fayre when he popped in to make a
surprise presentation, May did a power of work in other ways for the
local community, particularly for the Community Council on which she
served for many years. Many of us will remember her infectious giggle
and her sense of fun -- we will miss her but we thank God for her
life and assure her family that they are in our prayers.
Holy
Week Services Well Supported
(Sunday 11th. April) The new format of Holy Week
services was considered to be a great success. Using video, DVD and
the screen in the Church we were transported to the Holy land and to
the last week of Jesus' life. Pictures brought home to us in a
different way the story of Jesus' Passion and the large attendance
each night suggested that everyone found this to be a good
innovation. More people than ever before met early in the morning at
Tarbet pier to celebrate Easter in the open-air. It was good to sing,
to read the Easter story and to break bread together in the early
morning sunshine: The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Christian
Aid Committee Constituted
Following the Ash Wednesday Service in Luss
(Wednesday 25th. February) members of both congregations met in the
Manse with Ailsa from Christian Aid. Ailsa showed us a short film
about the work of Christian Aid and then we started thinking about
how we could be more active in its support. We agreed to form a joint
Arrochar and Luss Christian Aid Committee and everyone present was co-opted
on to the committee! However some people agreed to take on special
responsibilities. May MacDonald is to be the over-all co-ordinator
and to be the link person with Christian Aid; two people each from
Arrochar and Luss agreed to be local organisers -- from Arrochar
Isobel Sutherland and Jean Travis, from Luss Lorraine Sharp and Mhari
Buchanan; Grace Jamieson agreed to be our education person (and will
keep us up to date on what it happening in the world of Christian Aid
and Eve Ritchie with help from Cathy Convoy will be in charge of
special events. The actual committee is much larger and anyone who
wants to join will be made very welcome.
Presbytery
Planning Comes Here
The big event of the week for our congregation
was the visit of the Presbytery Planning Committee (Thursday 29th.
January) to discuss our future under the terms of the new Presbytery
Plan. This was a joint meeting with the folk from Luss and was held
in the Luss Church and later in the Manse. There was an excellent
turn out of both congregations and even so there was plenty of food
and refreshments in the Manse for everyone there. Roddy Hamilton of
the Planning Committee told us that there were problems ahead in
terms both of ministerial staffing and financial resources which
would be available to the Church: so many ministers will be retiring
and so few are coming in to take their places. However, against this
background we were assured that the Presbytery wished to keep all of
our congregations going and that the order of the day would be
increased sharing of ministers and more involvement both of lay
people and specialist staff in the Church of the future. At present
we share in a team -- Arrochar and Luss together make a fine team. In
the future our team will probably include Garelochhead and the two
churches on the peninsula and we will be served by two ministers and
probably an additional staff member as well. That sounded like good
news to us all at the meeting. We learn from other folk with whom we
share (that's been our experience between our two congregations) and
a specialist youth worker might help us become more relevant for some
of the younger folk in our community. The Planning Committee also
told us of new moves which were planned to make ministry more
flexible so that should all the ministers be at one end of the
presbytery at some time in the future when no more ministers were
available then there will be steps which can be taken to move a
minister to a different area within the presbytery. We also learned
that the General Assembly is likely to approve a scheme to ensure
that available ministers are shared out among all parts of the
country and we don't end up with all the ministers gathered in the
central belt with none in the highlands, islands and border areas.
Everyone present seemed to think that the plan was a good one. Eric
Davidson stressed that he thought the Presbytery had got it right in
putting us together with Garelochhead and the peninsula while Robbie
Lennox (Eric's opposite number from Luss) underlined how much
Arrochar and Luss now rely on each other and enjoy sharing together.
All agreed that we see our future together and thoroughly understand
the importance of the Church sharing the limited resources it has. We
also look forward to even more involvement in all parts of the
Church's work and see this as a positive step forward for our own
growth and development as a congregation. We are grateful to Roddy
Hamilton, Andrew Scobie, Alistair Carnegie and Robert Kyle for making
our visit so pleasant.
Shared
project with Luss
Having a little money over at the end of 2003,
(Sunday 28th. December), Arrochar made a donation of £2,500 to
our sister congregation at Luss. This is money which we had budgeted
for the Church nationally but which they told us they did not require
and so it is good to help the project to restore the Manse Outhouse
buildings. These buildings will be used to welcome visitors, to house
a local computer project for older folk and youngsters and to provide
a number of craft units to enable young folk to learn skills which
may lead in time to permanent jobs.
Several
beautiful services
Everyone agreed that the services
leading up to Christmas this year have been very special. This
morning's setting out the nativity crib (Sunday 21st. December) with
members of all ages bringing forward the figures and speaking their
lines got us ready for Christmas. This evening's Christingle Service
was well attended by children and their families from all over the
parish and was quite simply one of the occasions of the year.
Surprise
Moment at Christmas Fayre
Yesterday (13th. December) the Christmas Fayre
was held in the Church. As usual it was a great event. Everyone was
extremely generous in supplying goods to be sold and equally generous
in buying items on the day. Father Christmas did a roaring trade and
was visited not just by the youngest members of our Church community
but by several of our older folk as well! There was a surprise moment
when Convener William Petrie made a presentation to Eric Davidson and
May Maclachlan to mark the years of service which they have given to
the Community Council -- from which they both retired earlier this year.
Blue
Window Unveiled
In the presence of the artist,
Lorraine Lamond of Glasgow, the new window, the gift of the late John
Gray in memory of his mother, Margaret, was dedicated today (Sunday
7th. December). Naturally the window captures the theme of
motherhood, but it is also based on Loch Sloy, the place where John's
mother lived and a lace which is important to all members of the Clan
MacFarlane. The minister said, "To my eyes this is a beautiful
window and one which reflects the reality that ours is not only an
old Church but a newly restored Church for folk living in the
twenty-first century. And it reminds us that restoration is not an
exercise in recreating the past but is all about creating out of what
we have been given something which will speak to future generations
about our own time as well -- and which will be an appropriate place
of worship for the people of our own day. As I have said, the theme
of the window is Loch Sloy and motherhood. Loch Sloy is the
earth-mother of Clan MacFarlane to which John Gray belonged and so
the window is a reminder of a shared inheritance. On the hillside
above the waters can be seen the cranberries which are part of the
clan crest and the mother figure is seen with a baby in her arms and
with four young children around her. There is a great deal of
symbolism there. But there is additional symbolism as well. For the
Church this window provides a profoundly important image of our birth
'through the waters' -- the baptism by which we are brought into
membership of Jesus' Church and through which our journey through
life is sustained. And it reminds us that our baptism is grounded
both in the Church -- God's Holy Spirit hovers over this window like
a dove -- and in the community to which we belong. Like the children
around their mother's skirts we too are nourished, encouraged and
enthused by the folk with whom we share the journey of faith and we
are grounded in faith in a particular place and at a particular time.
The window will speak to me of baptism and particularly of my own
baptism whenever I pause and look at it in the future and I am so
glad that this window is one which also speaks of this time and this
place." (picture)
New
Sunday School is Going Well
(Sunday 30th. November) The new Sunday School
programme is going very well indeed! This session we have developed a
team of Sunday School teachers who take it in turns to lead the
Sunday School. Each teacher is partnered by a member of the
congregation who acts as an assistant. Now children go to Sunday
School as soon as they arrive at Church but come into the Service
during the offering praise and share with us all that they have been
doing. It's challenging for our new teachers, for the children and
sometimes for the congregation as well, but everyone is agreed that
this is turning out to be a good experiment. The programme that we
are following is entitled 'Go Teach' and the congregation is enjoying
seeing the results of this programme as part of each Sunday service.
Plans
for the Future
We learned today (Tuesday 9th. September) that
the Presbytery Plan for our area projects a grouping of five
parishes with two ministers for sometime in the future, ideally
within five years or so. The parish grouping will be based on
Garelochhead and will include the five congregations of Craigrownie,
Rosneath: St. Modan's, Garelochhead, Arrochar and Luss. Although the
plan is for us all to work together, there is no suggestion at all
that any of our congregations will disappear or that any of our
places of worship will be closed. At present these five congregations
are served by three ministers, the plan suggests that this will be
cut to two ministers but that there will be additional non-ordained
staff and that there will be a period of training to enable us all to
play a fuller part in the worship and ministry of our congregations.
The Presbytery Planning Committee will be coming to discuss its plans
with us during the latter part of this year and it is hoped that the
plan for the whole presbytery will be agreed at the February meeting
of Presbytery. What exciting times we live in.
Target
Reached
(Sunday 24th. August) The target of £2,000
set by the Board to the congregation a few weeks ago as a
contribution to the purchase of pew cushions has now been reached.
The sing-through of 'Songs of God's People' brought in just over
£620 and there have been some donations as well. Well done, everyone!
A
Letter to Make You Think
The minister got a letter on Friday (15th.
August)—addressed to ‘The Minister at Arrochar—Please
Find!’ The letter is quoted in full because it is a lovely
letter for us all:
Dear Reverend,
I wonder if you remember us — we visited
your lovely church last Sunday (3rd. August) to worship?
We truly met with our Lord that day, and will
never forget the children’s faces as you sat with them telling
them a parable — just as Jesus would have done. We felt
compelled to write to tell you what happened to us in church today.
We have about four to five hundred people attending each Sunday, and
as we entered, each couple or single person received a folded piece
of paper — when the time for prayer arrived, we were all asked
to open our piece of paper and pray for the place we would see there,
whether it was in America, India, Africa etc.
Andrew and I opened our piece of paper which
proved to be a piece of map showing Loch Long with just the village
of Arrochar marked. Having shared a memorable morning and received
such a warm welcome and hospitality, the Lord must have known how
well we could pray for you all, recalling in tiny detail all
the lovely memories of last Sunday. We know we shouldn’t feel
amazed at how our God works — but we are!
Thank you again for such a memorable service,
and we will continue to pray for you all. So loving greetings in our
Lord’s name from us both.
Patsy and Andrew
P.S. You will get a glimpse of Eastbourne this
Sunday in ‘Songs of Praise.’
What a super letter and what a strange
co-incidence — but then those are the things which keep
happening and which make it so clear to us that God is at work making
things happen in our world and in our church life together. It is an
important reminder of how we are blessed by the presence of the many
visitors who come to enrich the worship of both of our congregations.
A
Generous Gift
(Sunday 10th. August) Members learned today of
the generous gift of £500 in memory of Betty Reid who was
married to the Rev. Iain Reid, a former minister of our Church. It is
proposed to put this gift towards the cost of the pew cushions so
that there will be something tangible in the Church by which we shall
remember Betty.
Pew
Cushions Installed
(Sunday 27th. July) Folk arriving in Church were
delighted with the new pew cushions. Now our Church is not only
beautiful but is comfortable as well. The colour chosen matches in
perfectly with the dark panels on the Church walls and everyone
agrees that they are 'just right.' (picture)
Fund
Raising Again
(Saturday19th. July) Marion's sale
for the Pew Cushion Fund raised a splendid £500 and the
Strawberry Teas in Inverioch Court made something more than £125.
The Pew Cushion Fund is off to a fine start and a sponsored
sing-though of the whole of 'Songs of God's People' is planned for
the afternoon and evening of Sunday10th. August. Gordon has agreed to
play the organ, Tom to support on guitar, Retta and Gill to provide
coffee, tea and refreshments and it is hoped to raise a further
£500 through sponsorship.
A
Wonderful Pentecost!
Pentecost (Sunday 8th. June) was
made particularly special by the presence of twenty six members of
the First Presbyterian Church in Fargo, North Dakota. Gary and his
bell ringers and choir led the worship and the sermon was preached by
Emery, one of the ministers of their church. In the evening a
stupendous concert was provided for a full congregation in Luss
Church - a concert which was later repeated in Iona Abbey and in St.
Giles Cathedral. While the group is with us they are living with
members of the congregation and really strong links are being
established between our two congregations. Much more information and
many pictures are to be found on the special page
detailing the Fargo visit.
Visit
to our Presbyterial Council
The Minister was the guest speaker at the May
meeting of the Dumbarton Presbyterial Council held in Alexandria
Church on Wednesday 21st. May. Many of our members went along to
provide support as Dane tried to remember the six years which he and
Rachel spent in Italy right at the start of his ministry more than
thirty years ago!
Visit
from Gary announced!
He has been here twice before, once to collect
some Scottish music for the Church of which he is musical director in
Fargo North Dakota, and once with his family (and during which they
sang at the service at the Pulpit Rock). Now he is to return with a
party of 26 of his bell-ringers to visit Scotland for a week
beginning the 7th. June. Members of our congregation are providing
accommodation for the initial weekend before the party sets out to
explore Scotland and some rare musical feasts are being prepared!
The
Best Service of the Year?
On Sunday 27th. April the minister
was on holiday (to Stornaway, celebrating his mother's eightieth
birthday) and the service was conducted by members of the
congregation. The theme of 'Pictures of Easter' and looked at several
of the word pictures drawn for us by the writers of the Gospels.
Asked by the minister how they had got on while he was away, one
member replied, 'It was the best service of the year, will you be
going away again soon?'
Easter
Fair is Better than Ever!
Crowds came to the annual Easter
Fayre on Saturday 5th. April and helped us raise more than £1,000
for Church funds. Pennies were collected for the mile of coins,
cakes were bought, bids (for the silent auction) were logged, books
were hoarded, lucky dips were pulled out of the barrel, bottles were
tombola'd, faces were painted and everyone had a grand time.
Congratulations to Gill and her team for another great success!
Christian
Aid Visit from Inette
On Wednesday
19th. March we were visited by Inette, a Christian Aid development
worker from Haiti. Inette is part of a Methodist partner organisation
of Christian Aid and achieves wonderful work in what is recognised as
the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We learned of
wonderful programmes to develop agriculture, to enable people to set
up in business for themselves, to provide schools in a country where
fifty per cent of all children have no school to attend, to establish
credit unions to help plan for the future and to create funds to
insure those who are sick and can no longer work. We also leaned of
exciting and important work to encourage parents to educate girls so
that they can play a full part in the future of their country. All
this work is done by the Methodist team in Haiti, but the Methodist
team is funded by Christian Aid - and not just funded but supported
with advice and encouragement, training and prayer. Christian Aid
works that way. Everything is done closely with partners and that is
how it should be. Christian Aid is also not afraid to say 'That's not
fair!' There is much in the world which is not fair - the way rich
countries use poor countries for their own benefit, the way poor
countries are shackled by debt repayments, the fact that so many
people have no food, no home and no opportunity of education.
Christian Aid campaigns for the poorest in the world - they do it in
our name - and they do it so very well. While Inette was with us we
visited Luss School where she told the youngsters all about the
schools which Christian Aid was funding in her country and then, for
more than an hour, she answered all their many, many questions.
Afternoon tea in the Manse was attended by several from our Luss
congregation. We watched slides and learned more of Inette's work and
we introduced Inette to a cloutie dumpling! later, at Arrochar, we
had another happy event, this time around an evening meal. And the
main dish? Haggis, neaps and tatties of course! We wish Inette well
in her work and we shall think of her especially during our Christian
Aid Week activities.
World
Day of Prayer at Arrochar
Led by May, ladies of our
congregation led the annual World Day of Prayer service in our own
Arrochar Church. We were joined by members of the Roman Catholic
Church and all enjoyed the service which this year had been prepared
by women from the Churches in Lebanon. (7th. March, 2003)
Camhanach
come to Town
It was another really special
night - Saturday 4th. January - as Mark Carmichael and his team
thrilled local folk with a splendid concert of traditional and
folk-rock music. The concert featured Ellie's singing, and several of
the youngsters of the village played their pipes. A wonderful
evening, superb music and glorious talent - and more than £500
was raised for Church funds. In every way a great success!
Christmas
School Service
There wasn't a seat to be had in
Arrochar Parish Church on Friday 13th. December as the children of
Arrochar Primary School met to celebrate their Christmas Service. The
programme consisted on a number of vary varied musical items - 'What
does Christmas mean to you?' and 'We've a snowman to make' (this from
the children of the pre-five unit); as well as 'Away in a Manger' and
Come all ye faithful', and then there were some other favourites
including 'Walking in the air' and 'Sleigh Ride' with everything
grouped round the annual Christmas Play which, this year, was 'Are we
nearly there yet?' Well, we are very nearly there and the children of
the school helped all of us in our Christmas preparations - if we
wondered for whom we have rebuilt our beautiful church the answer was
staring us all in the face on Friday!
Another
great day
Saturday December 7th. - the day
of the annual Church Christmas Fair and this year it seems that there
were more people than ever piled into the Church to raise money for
the electricity account. (We don't charge organisations to use our
building - all we ask is that people come out once a year and help us
raise enough to pay our electricity bill!) There were stalls of all
kinds - bottles, perfumes, gifts, cakes, books, records, lucky dip,
guess the doll's birthday, the weight of the cake, and so on. Santa
was there in his grotto, coffees and mince pies were served and,
after just a couple of hours, the sum of £963 .11 was raised.
So, rejoicing, we all tidied the Church and went home. (picture)
The
Restoration Programme is Complete
There is great rejoicing
everywhere connected with the Church as everyone comes to terms with
the fact that the huge task undertaken some three years ago has now
been completed. The Church has been entirely restored and looks
absolutely beautiful. What is more wonderful is that everything has
been paid for! There will be other pages on this web-site which will
tell the story in more detail, but this small entry marks the fact
that on Sunday 22nd. September, 2002 the congregation met to mark the
completion of the restoration programme and, after worship in the
Church, went to the Loch Long Hotel for a celebration lunch!
Songs
of Praise Comes to an End
A very good crowd from both Arrochar and Luss
were present in Arrochar Church on Thursday 5th. September for the
final Songs of Praise evening. A programme of praise had been
prepared by Davina who was assisted by Tom on guitar. Members of the
Arrochar Christian Fellowship were also present and sang a number of
praise songs to the assembled company. The vigour of the singing
showed what a good time everyone was having, and the weight of the
collection tin suggests that the Restoration Fund will have done well
from this summer's Thursday evening sing-alongs.
A
Glorious Sail on Loch Lomond
Eighty folk from the community and
congregation of Arrochar met on Thursday 29th. September for an
evening sail from Tarbet Pier. It was a wonderful night - one of
those you remember for years to come. The boat was given to us for
the evening by Cruise Loch Lomond and on the boat Mark Carmichael and
his band played from start to finish (with some help from Mark's two
young pipers and Marie and Eileen on guitar). Congratulations to Gill
and her committee for a splendid evening. We sailed to Ardlui and
back, enjoyed good company, excellent sandwiches, views beyond
compare and good Scottish music. Many will be hoping that this
evening is repeated in the future. Oh yes, and £733 was raised
for Church funds!
Weddings
Two glorious weddings were held in
Arrochar Church on Saturday 24th. August. The Church looked
beautiful, the sun shone and everyone agreed there couldn't possibly
be a nicer place for a wedding - anywhere!
Luss
Church Re-opens
Many of our members joined the
folk from Luss for their special Songs of Praise on Sunday evening
3rd. August. At this service the new Allen Organ was dedicated and a
well-filled Church sang favourite Hymns to the strains of the new
organ, expertly played by Luss's organist, Gordon Kinniburgh.
A
Fabulous Gala
The Arrochar and Tarbet Gala was
held at Tarbet on Saturday 3rd. August. The weather was good and the
Gala was bigger and better than ever. Our minister was invited to
open the Gala and to crown Ainsley at the Gala Queen. The tea tent
was staffed by ladies from the Church and crowds gathered to watch
the mini Highland Games, the dancing and the Raft Race - five rafts
this year; the event won by the Village Inn, followed by the Fire
Brigade, the Post Office, the Bikers and the Loch Long Hotel. The
Church, who won last year, didn't have a team in this year, but have
promised to be back next year! The beer tent did a roaring trade as
did all of the amusements and the cause of Leukemia Research and of
many local groups will have been considerably enhanced by the
generosity of all those who attended. Congratulations to the organisers!
Visitors
from around the World
More and more visitors are coming to join us at
Arrochar. On Sunday 21st. July we had visitors from Japan, from
England, from the USA and from Scotland. From the USA there were folk
from Los Angeles, from San Francisco and from New York - including
Jimmie and Chris who were married two years ago to the day in our
Church. From England we welcomed folk from Doncaster, from Keswick
and from Manchester, while Scotland was represented with visitors
from Perth, Kirkcaldy, Methil and Dunfermline. And of course, we had
visitors with us from Luss who will be returning to their own Church
after its restoration in a fortnight's time.
Onge
Visits from Sudan
On Sunday 14th. July, there were
several visitors in Church (from Leven and Windygates in Fife, from
New York, and Ireland) and one who had come to visit us all the way
from Sudan. That's a bit of an exaggeration - but only a bit. Onge,
who had graduated from Preston University on the 12th. July, was
anxious to visit Arrochar Church because in his country important
missionary work had been carried out by a Doctor Frazer who
originated from Ardlui. This Doctor Frazer and his Irish wife took
the gospel, made the first Scripture translation into the Sudanese
language and set up a medical service which in time led to the
construction of a hospital and of Frazer Cathedral, both of which
have since been bombed by the Khartoum government, but the work and
worship continue and the Church is growing fast.
Following the service, Onge and
his friend Miss Jebb, spoke to the congregation over coffee before
Jimmy Kelly took them both to Ardlui to see for themselves the small
community which was home to Dr. Frazer.
Neil
Visits Every Island in Loch Lomond
Starting very early on Saturday
morning (15th. June) Neil Black set foot on every island in Loch
Lomond before night fell. Carried from island to island by a team
consisting of the Manse family and the Stewarts of Lochgoilhead, Neil
has a photograph of himself on each of the twenty three named islands
(and two others besides!) to prove that he did complete the challenge
- thus raising a considerable sum of money for the on-going work of
the Arrochar Parish Church Community Trust which both cares for the
Church building and makes it available for use by the Church and by
members of the wider community. Well done Neil! (picture)
Grand
Finale to Guild Programme
Thursday 30th. May. Eighteen members of Arrochar
Guild and two children set out from Tarbet Pier on the Lomond
Princess and sailed to Inversnaid for lunch in the dining room of the
Inversnaid Hotel. After lunch there was an opportunity to see the
waterfall in full flow before rejoining Cruise Loch Lomond for the
trip home. A lovely day out in fine company with fine food and
glorious views of the hills and the loch. Let's do it next year as well!
Rain
Fails to Dampen Spirits
Members of Arrochar Church joined members of Luss
Church for a splendid Pentecost Service of Celebration at the Pulpit
Rock on the banks of Loch Lomond on Sunday 19th. May. It rained - and
how it rained - but we had a wonderful time and really enjoyed
worshipping on the spot our forebears had worshipped on between 1825
and 1890. It was good, too, to use the old silver communion cups from
Luss presented to the congregation in 1727. Gary, from Fargo in North
Dakota, was with us and he and his family sang at the service. It was
good to have them with us. (picture)
A
Sunday Service to Remember
Members of the Youth Fellowship - Johanne,
Claire, Janey and Rebecca - conducted the morning service on Sunday
28th. April. The service explored two of Jesus' best known parables -
the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the Parable of the Talents -
and prepared the congregation for Christian Aid Week next month.
Following the service a party of nine adults and twenty seven
children spent the afternoon in Inverary, visiting both the historic
jail and a favourite chip restaurant! Everyone who set out returned safely.
A
Super Evening of Song!
Members of Helensburgh Savoy
presented a fabulous evening of song in Arrochar Church on Friday
26th. April. Songs from the Shows and a specially written mini
version of the Pirates of Penzance. It wasn't the first visit by this
talented group to Arrochar and we certainly hope that it won't be
their last either! Keep watching our web-site for news of future
special events - we hope that they will all be as good as this one.
Holy
Week is a memorable one
Services were held each evening of
Holy Week (24th. to 30th. March) in the Church and were well attended
every evening. Each service from Sunday to Saturday was at 7 p.m. and
was an occasion to meditate on the events of that day in the last
week of Jesus' life. There was also a three hour service on Good
Friday at noon which those who attended also found to be a valuable experience.
Easter
Fayre -- a Great Success!
(Saturday 9th. March). A new
venture for the Parish Church, but a hugely successful one, the
Easter Fayre held in the Church with teas and coffees in the hall
raised £800 towards general running costs. Due to inclement
weather, the mile of pennies ran along the pews; the cake and candy
stall was very well supported, as was the tombola and prize draws.
The children's lucky-dip had some super prizes and the silent auction
really took a trick with some very interesting items ranging from
telephone systems to silver trays with matching glasses; from framed
pictures to brand-new jigsaws. The book stall was well patronised and
everyone who came had a grand morning.
Sun
shines for Wedding
(Friday 1st. March). After what
seemed like weeks of rain and wind the sun came out for the wedding
of Steve and Didi Morgan who had come up from Jersey to be married in
our beautiful Church - a Church which was looking even more beautiful
than usual with the flowers which decked the chancel, vestibule and
pew-ends and candles burning on every windowsill. The bride arrived
(eventually!) in a very old vintage rolls royce and the service was
conducted by the parish minister with a flautist to accompany the
organist for the playing of the wedding music. It was a lovely day
for everyone involved.
Fun
for all at Car Boot Sale
(Saturday 16th. February).
Small-scale but lots of fun, our car boot sale was held inside the
Loch Long Hotel due to rain. Lynn had laid on soup and sandwiches,
many folk had brought along their odds and ends and after a couple of
hours £187 had been raised. And we all had a lot of fun!
Burns'
Afternoon a great hit!
(Thursday 24th. January). Members
of the Guild prepared, served and enjoyed a magnificent Burns'
afternoon. Haggis, tatties and neeps; shortbread, cheese and
biscuits, tea and coffee and it was still just the middle of the
afternoon. Excellent speeches from Marion and May; poetry and humour;
lots of fun and a repeat performance planned for next year. Now what
could be the next excuse for a party ...?
Church
again makes Halls freely available to Community
(Wednesday 16th. January). After
the success of last year, the Board again heard that the Church hall
and, where appropriate, the Church itself would be made freely
available to community groups without a home. Already it was clear
that the hall would be occupied regularly every evening from Sunday
to Thursday, with some day-time activities as well. New groups
requiring space will be welcome especially if they meet on a Friday
or Saturday evening!
Panto
brings in the crowds (and the plaudits)
(Friday 4th. January) A large
crowd filled the Church for the first night of 'Cinderella' performed
by many of the youngsters of the village. This first pantomime was
arranged by Tracey and Michelle (Crazy Duo productions) with proceeds
in aid of the Church Restoration Fund, Cancer Research and L.E.S.A.
Many local companies and businesses supported the event by gifting
items for the prize draw, and both the Loch Lomond Golf Course and
Allied Distillers made donations towards the cost of the production.
But best of all were the
youngsters themselves who presented a rattling good show, enjoyed by
all and, with all tickets sold out for the final performance tonight,
we are promised another super evening.
Carol
Singing is Alive and Well
The Manse 'at Home' this evening
(21st. December) turned into a grand carol-singing session led by
Gordon Kinniburgh the organist at Luss. Fortified by mulled wine and
Christmas pies, the assembly sang through the repertoire of the
Bethlehem Carol Sheet, which will also provide the basis of
carol-singing throughout the village on the evening of Sunday 23rd. December.
What
a Good Show
The Arrochar Primary School held
its annual Christmas Concert in the Parish Church today (Monday 17th.
December). Carols, an unusual Nativity Play, instrumental numbers and
real enthusiasm captivated the packed Church and got everyone
thoroughly into the Christmas spirit.
A
Fabulous Day - and a Wonderful Result!
The Annual Christmas Fair was held
today (1st. December) and for the first time ever a result in four
figures was raised - £1, 030 .71p. Congratulations to Gill and
to her team of hard-workers! This fair was organised to raise money
to pay for the Church electricity bill. During the year the Church
makes its facilities freely available to everyone in the parish at no
charge at all; all that is asked is that folk come and help at this
annual fund-raiser to pay the electricity costs of allowing the use
of our building to everyone who wants it. So it is especially
pleasing that such a superb result has been achieved.
Those who attended visited cake
and candy stalls, a Christmas gift stall, guessed a dolls birthday
and another's name, estimated the weight of a wonderful Christmas
cake, took part in a Lucky Dip, bought books, candles, bottles,
baby's clothes, aromatherapy oils, gas-filled balloons, visited
Santa's grotto, and enjoyed coffee, tea and mince-meat pies. It was a
fabulous day - and a wonderful result!
Minister
is Guild's Guest
The Guild met on Thursday (22nd.
November) and welcomed their own Minister as their guest Speaker.
Dane spoke of the trip which he and Rachel had just made to visit the
First Presbyterian Church in North Dakota, describing the differences
and the similarities between our two Churches and sharing some of the
other high-spots of their visit - a Service for the Kirking of the
Tartan, a visit to the Sioux Stadium at Grand Forks and the chance to
see the Bisons playing a football game at Fargo. Most of all he
described the friendship which Rachel and he had discovered in Fargo
and the hopes he had for close ties with Fargo First Presbyterian
Church in the future.
Service
at War Memorial
A good crowd gathered at the War
Memorial this morning (Sunday 11th. November) for the annual Ceremony
of Remembrance at which the wreaths were laid by Ian MacLachlan and
Jack Anderson. In pouring rain, the lament was played on the pipes by
Donald Carmichael. The service followed the regular morning service
at Arrochar Church which on this one Sunday of the year is held half
an hour earlier than normal, at 10 a.m., to enable everyone who
wishes to gather around the War Memorial in time for the two minutes
silence at 11 a.m.
Visit
of Stephen Blakey Appreciated
Stephen Blakey, from Abercrombie
in Fife conducted our service on Sunday (14th. October) standing in
for the Parish Minister who had been sent to Old Kilpatrick Bowling
to conduct the Congregational Meeting to elect a Vacancy Committee.
It had originally been the intention that the Locum at Old Kilpatrick
Bowling, Ian MacBain, would come to Arrochar, however, his daughter
was taken in to have a baby (boy both mother and son doing well) and
Stephen stepped into the breach. Everyone was of the opinion that it
had been good to have Stephen with us and it is hoped that he will
come to lead our worship again in the future.
Celebration
Day Lives up to Expectations!
Arrochar Church was full (Sunday 7th. October)
for the Special Service of Celebration and Re-dedication - full of
congregational members from Arrochar but also with members of the
Luss congregation who had come to share in this special service. All
of the work which has been done on the building over the last twelve
months was dedicated as were both Guild branches and, as Neil Black
confirmed his Church membership by making for himself the promises
which were made on his behalf when he was baptised, the whole
congregation stood and remade their own promises. Finally everyone
shared in a celebration of Holy Communion. Following the service an
exhibition of local, national and international work of the Church
was opened and then the congregation set off for the Loch Long Hotel
where a family lunch was served. It was a wonderful day which is
recorded in part on the photograph page.
Wonderful
Music from the Church!
Tonight (Friday 5th. October,
2001) the Church was filled with glorious music provided by the
Helensburgh and Lomond Fiddlers who were playing both to entertain
the folk of Arrochar and to assist us in raising funds for the work
of the Church. It was glorious programme of traditional and modern
Scottish music which soon had everyone's feet tapping and hands
clapping. Our own Tom, Dorothy and Anna sang to Tom's guitar
accompaniment and added to the evening's enjoyment. Already folk are
asking when the Fiddlers will return!
A
Super Day on the Loch
Several of our congregation made
their way to Luss following our own service on Sunday (30th.
September) to join with the Luss congregation for their service 'on
the water'. Cruise Loch Lomond's 'Laird of the Loch' sailed from Luss
Pier at noon. The rain which had been very heavy eased at once, and
the gales which had been forecast, didn't materialise. Once in the
shelter of the islands, the engines were turned off and the service
began. At once the sun came out, and the Loch began to look very
beautiful. The service reached its climax with a simple sharing of
Holy Communion before the congregation sailed back to Luss (enjoying
coffee and shortbread provided by the crew on the way). A memorable
day which will live on in the folklore of Luss for many years to come.
Married
on Saturday
The sun shone on Alastair Ross and
Claire Gammon as they were married in the Church on Saturday 29th.
September. A full Church witnessed their vows and shared in the
Service of Worship and Celebration and afterwards everyone moved on
to the Cobbler Hotel to continue the celebrations.
Another
Fine Party
People are already talking about
the Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving to be held in the Parish
Church on Sunday 7th. October followed by lunch at the Loch Long
Hotel. The first of these service, held a year ago, was a resounding
success and the lunch which followed was an occasion to remember.
This year the same programme will be repeated to celebrate two years
in the refurbished Church and all that has happened to the
congregation in that time. Tickets for the lunch are on sale now
price £7.
Grand
End to Summer Songs of Praise
The summer Songs of Praise ended
last night (Thursday 13th. September). One side of the Church was
completely full and the singing was superb accompanied by Davina on
the organ and Tom on his guitar. Everyone has agreed that it has been
a grand season and the sum of £636 has been raised for the
Church Restoration Fund.
Friends
from Dalserf Parish Church Dine at Arrochar
(Thursday 13th. September) A
congregational outing from Dalserf Parish Church in Lanarkshire broke
their journey in Arrochar where they enjoyed their picnic lunch in
the football pavilion before continuing on to Rothsey. At the
pavilion they were welcomed by Eric and Davina and some took the
opportunity of visiting our newly restored Church. Davina tells me
that she is always especially happy to welcome folk from this
congregation because it was at Dalserf Parish Church that she was married.
Sunday
Evening at the Manse
The Manse was brimming over with
folk on Sunday (9th. September) as folk from the congregations of
Arrochar and Luss met to share an evening with Gary Thrasher, the
Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church, Fargo, North Dakota.
Gary told us a great deal about
his Church - a permanent staff of nine, including two ministers, a
Director of Christian Education, a Director of Youth Work, and
himself and an assistant on the music front. We learned about the
freezing winters of Fargo as well - but most of all we enjoyed
hearing his music accompanied on guitar.
Not to be outdone, we Scots sang a
number of our Scottish worship songs led by Tom Stewart on both
guitar and accordion and together we ate and celebrated for several hours.
Now it is hoped that our two
congregations may forge a real link for the future and we will look
forward to welcoming many more from Fargo to our congregations by
Loch Long and Loch Lomond.
Two
More Windows Restored
Worshippers in Arrochar Church on
Sunday (9th. September) were delighted to see that two more of the
Church's stained-glass windows had returned from restoration. The
window by the organ ('I to the Hills') has been cleaned, restored and
re-leaded, while the Palm Sunday window has, in addition, had a
considerable amount of repair work done to it. Everyone is agreed on
how beautiful they look. At the same time the central mullions of the
windows have been replaced with new wood which adds considerably to
the beauty of the Church.
Before the Service of Rededication
(October 7th.) it is hoped that the window to the Vestry may also be
replaced and the new light fittings in the Church fitted.
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