'Non-conforming zone' - worship for 9 March, 1st Sunday of Lent

Welcome to worship on this first Sunday of Lent, where once again, we begin the
journey to Jerusalem with Jesus; starting that journey in the wilderness. Traditionally a time of spiritual ‘decluttering’ or a spring cleaning for the soul, as we travel through these next weeks, what might we hear God saying to us?

The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE
(and will hopefully be active from about 6pm)

Church notices: 
Clydesdale Foodbank over Lent: As this is a communion month, and also the beginning of the season of Lent, let’s get back into the practice of gathering items over these next Sundays – and extend the time through to Palm Sunday. You might even want to take this on as your lent practice. For the moment, just leave items on the table as you come in to the vestibule and we can put them in a suitable container when we need to. For those of you online, THIS LINK will take you to the foodbank website, and if you wish, you can make a donation online for their ongoing work. 

Tues. 11 March, 7pm: Kirk Session A reminder to elders that we have a meeting of Session on Tuesday evening at 7pm and I’ll be getting an email out with details later today to session members.

Parish newsletter: a reminder about the deadline for our parish newsletter, which is Sunday evening the 16th – next Sunday. If you’ve any items you’d like included, please do get in touch with Dee or myself and thanks in advance. Also, we’d really appreciate any feedback on the newsletter – what would you like to see included, or dropped… is the current format working for you… or not? Are there any particular ways it could be more helpful? Do let us know!

As you begin your Lenten journey, may you know God walking alongside you.

God bless,
Nikki

'Wow'- worship for Sun 2 March

WELCOME to this week's time of worship, where on this Transfiguration Sunday, we spend some time up on the mountain-top with Jesus.

Our WORSHIP LINK IS HERE

Church notices follow...

CHURCH NOTICES/
Communion - As today is a Communion Sunday in the parish church, just a reminder to those living within the parish who are unable to attend, that home communion is available on request. Please do let Nikki or Dee know if you would like us to 'extend the aisle' and share communion with you at home, we'd be very happy to help.

Church newsletter: We are now in the process of preparing out Easter newsletter. If you would like to contribute any items for inclusion, please do get in touch with Dee or myself. If you don't have Dee's details, just use the 'contact us' facility to the right of our blog page, to get in touch.

Fri. 7 March -
11am - Funeral of Jean Carrick in the parish church, followed by graveside committal at Lamington Cemetery. Do please keep the family in your prayers at this time.

2pm - World Day of Prayer - the combined Guilds of Upper Clyde, Rigside, and Cairngryffe will meet together at Cairngryffe Parish Church for the annual World Day of Prayer. Refreshments will be provided after worship.

'Jesus is my superhero' - worship for Sun 23 Feb

Welcome to worship this week. Over these last weeks we've been exploring various aspects of Jesus. We began with Jesus the boy, moved to Jesus the storyteller, and this week, it’s wonder-working Jesus – as we hear two different accounts from Mark’s gospel, of Jesus demonstrating his power.

The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE 

CHURCH NOTICES -
Jean Carrick: Some sad news to share. If you’ve not yet heard, Jean Carrick died on Monday. Please keep Jimmy and the family in your prayers at this difficult time. Jean’s funeral will be on Friday the 7th of March, at 11am, here in the parish church, followed by a committal at Lamington Cemetery.

Evening worship: a reminder that evening worship will begin again on the last Sunday of March, and not this evening. So, if you turn up to Leadhills hall at 5 this evening you’ll be having a rather quiet time of it!

Quarterly Communion: this coming Sunday, the 3rd of March, will be a service of Communion, on site. Please do let anyone know, who you think would like to come along, and remember, that all are welcome, for it is the table of the Lord, and he invites us to come and share and remember.

As you go out into a new week, may you know God's presence with you each step of the way.

God bless

Nikki

'Whoever has ears' - worship, Sun 16 Feb

WELCOME to worship. Today, two stories within two stories - reminding us that as God spoke the world into being through Jesus, the Word, we are a people of story. So this week, we reflect on God's story, our story, and our place within God's story.
The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE 

CHURCH NOTICES -
Evening worship update: Just to note that our season of evening worship services will begin from the last Sunday of March. There will be no evening service this coming Sunday.

Cluster meeting, Wed. 19th at 7pm: our next cluster meeting is upcoming, and congregational rep's for this will be Willie White and Nikki Macdonald. If you have any questions that you would like us to raise, please do get in touch.

Thank you: Given the 'swimming pool' in the church halls just over a week ago now, on behalf of the congregation, and by way of a big 'thank you', I popped in on Sara, our church cleaner on Friday with a bunch of flowers. I'm sure we're all grateful for both her quick thinking, and all of her clean up efforts!!

'The Source' - worship Sun 9 Feb

Welcome to this week's time of worship where we'll spend some time thinking about that one tantalising story of Jesus, between birth and baptism as an adult at the beginning of his ministry. How might this story of the young Jesus help us navigate our way in a topsy-turvy 21st century?

The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE and the service should be available from around 5.30pm today.

Church notices:
Thanks - to everyone who helped with lifts last week, for our road trip to worship with our friends at Cairngryffe Church, for the visit of the Moderator. It was a lovely service and great to catch up with folk over refreshments afterward.
Boiler - a huge thank you to Sara, our excellent and very diligent church cleaner, who went above and beyond on Thursday, having come into the building to a new 'swimming pool' in the hallway by the boiler - a small part had either worn or snapped, causing water to leak. Her industrial wet 'n dry vac really came into its own! Thanks also to Willie, our ever-reliable property convenor, who jumped in his car after a quick phone call and who managed to stop the leak. 
Tues 11, 7pm - Kirk Session meets via zoom - I suspect the boiler will enter into some of our discussions!! 

Boilers notwithstanding, have a great week, 

God bless
Nikki                    

'Road Trip' - worship with the Moderator, Sun 2 Feb at Cairngryffe Parish

Welcome to worship in which Upper Clyde went on a wee road trip to join with our friends at Cairngryffe Parish Church, as they welcomed the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev. Dr Shaw Paterson. It was a lovely service - beyond the Mod. and the refreshments after worship, I confess to be very impressed by the heated pews - apparently a 'mod-con' installed in 1962, and still working brilliantly over 60 years later. Given we were elsewhere for our time of worship, and that Cairngryffe, like ourselves, don't have the facilities to provide live streaming for worship, I was permitted to film the Moderator's sermon, and also recorded his blessing at the end of the service.

The readings chosen as the basis for his sermon were
Jeremiah 1:4-10 and Luke 4:21-30. 

The video is a little rough and ready, so do bear with it! Hope you find his sermon an encouragement.

The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE and should be available from around 4.30pm Sunday afternoon.

The only notice to flag up is to note that there will be a meeting of Session on Tuesday the 11th of February at 7pm, but I'll note this again next week. The main area of discussion will focus upon our Southern Ministries cluster, and potential Union. We'll also begin to prepare for the upcoming annual attestation of records by Presbytery, and appoint/ reappoint office holders.

As you move into and through the week, go, knowing yourselves beloved, and blessed by God, this day and always!

Nikki

'What next?' - worship for Sun 26 January

WELCOME to worship this week...
Within our time of worship today, we remember International Holocaust Memorial Day, which
falls on 27 January...

If the question last week was 'what if?', this week, we ask 'what next?'

The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE 

Church notices:
Sun 26 Jan: Evening worship - just to note that there is no service at Leadhills in January. We'll be back on the last Sunday of February.

Sun 2 Feb., 11am: Joint service - Just a reminder that this coming Sunday, we'll be on the road, as we travel across to Carmichael to share in worship with our friends at Cairngryffe Parish Church, and enjoy a visit from the Moderator, the Very Rev. Dr Shaw Paterson. The service begins at 11am and refreshments will follow thereafter. Please do alert folk you know within the parish that our building will not be open on Sunday and do encourage them to come along. If you're needing help with transport, please get in touch and we can arrange this.
Online worshippers - I'm not yet sure if this service will be live-streamed. If it is, I'll put up the appropriate link. If not, and if it's possible, I'll try to record the Moderator's sermon, at least, and post that up on our YouTube space... and if that's not feasible, then I'll put up the usual links to connect you with other online services.

Minister availability this week: just to flag up that I'm not quite as available this week due to a follow up visit to hospital. Hopefully, I'll have a better sense of progress and navigating this new 'normal'. If you do need to get in touch, it's best to contact me via email - minister.upperclyde@gmail.com and I can respond as I'm able through Tues afternoon-Fri morning.

'A tale of two women' - worship for Sun 19 Jan.

Welcome to worship where, this week, it's a little bit 'Call the Midwife', as we reflect on the story of Shiphrah and Puah - their courage and their legacy.

The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE 

CHURCH NOTICES
Joint worship service: Just to flag up that, subject to Presbytery permission, Upper Clyde will be joining with Cairngryffe Parish Church for a joint service of worship, for the visit of the Moderator, the  Rev Dr Shaw J Paterson. Worship will be in the Cairngryffe church at Carmichael, at 11am, Sun 2nd Feb.

Southern ministries cluster meeting: a meeting will be held at St Nicholas' Church, Lanark, as rep's from the 3 parishes come together to explore the next steps in possible union. Our Upper Clyde rep's for this meeting will be Heather Watt and Nikki Macdonald, who will report back in due course.

Thanks to Dee and to Heather for 'holding the fort' while I was away and acting as parish contacts. It's much appreciated. And thanks to all on site for making George S feel so welcome... and leaving a spare Wagon Wheel or two!!

Church notices - 5 Jan to 15 Jan

 

CHURCH NOTICES

Annual leave 

This is to flag up that I’ll be taking leave from the 30th of December through to the afternoon of Wed. the 15th of January.  Once again, the Rev. George Shand will be providing both pulpit and any emergency pastoral cover while I'm on leave. George can be contacted at ph. 07765987163 or email - georgeshand@live.co.uk
For general parish queries, contact either Dr Dee Yates at ph. 01864 504093 or Miss Heather Watt at ph. 01899 850211
For worship online, here are the usual links to other congregations that you might like to visit:

Biggar Parish Church - LINK  
Dunfermline Abbey - LINK 

Worship Sun 5 Jan - snow alert: keep an eye out for incoming weather - worship may need to be cancelled due to the potential snow fall indicated by the Met Office. If you're planning on coming to worship on site, give Dee or Heather a phone to check first: the most important thing is that you're safe!

Christmas decorations - 5 Jan: after worship Sunday, if we could have some volunteers to pack away the Christmas tree and decorations, that would be really appreciated. In case of worship cancellation, well, if we do this instead the following Sunday :-)

Further ahead:
Wed. 22 Jan - Southern Ministries Cluster meeting: a meeting in Lanark, St Nicholas Halls of our cluster rep's to discuss going forward together as a union, and to start to get the building blocks in place.