Worship, Sun 27 Dec - Worship with the Moderator

Church of Scotland Moderator - the Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair

Hello everyone.
I hope however you marked it, that your Christmas Day was a good one. Remember, Christmas Day is the traditional 'first day' of Christmas - so don't be packing away the decorations and twinkly lights just yet... you have 'til the 6th of January. Mind, given the year we've had, if the decorations and lights are helping to keep you cheerful, hey, keep them up for as long as you need [tho' perhaps take them down before Easter?!].

This Sunday, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, has put together a service of worship for us all to watch - and to give ministers a wee spell. So, with congregations all around Scotland [and those CofS churches outwith], today we'll be joining together to share in this time of worship. 

In the meantime, I hope this finds you all well, and we'll have one last opportunity for some Christmas music on the following Sunday... where we'll be thinking of Wise Men and stars, and journeying, as we dip our toes into a brand new year.
The worship link for the Moderator's service IS HERE 
Take care and God bless, 
Nikki

Worship, Christmas Eve - Watchnight

 Dear friends, on this Christmas Eve, a wee worship service of readings, music, and poem, to help bring in Christmas. Many thanks to all who helped in various ways, with this service. And to all of you, may the light of Christ stir hope in your hearts, may you know the peace of the Prince of Peace, may the joy of Mary and the rejoicing of the angels be yours, and may the love of God surround you and fill you this Christmas... 
Blessings to you all...
Nikki

Here's the WORSHIP LINK

This coming Sunday, we'll be joining with the Moderator, as he leads us all in worship.

Update on church building reopening

The best laid plans...
given the First Minister's statement on Saturday evening, the Session decided that, as we've waited this long to reopen the building, a little more waiting wouldn't go amiss.
Subject to the lay of the land, as such, we hope to open at the end of January or beginning of February.                   
We'll keep you posted!!

In the meantime, the Watchnight service should be posted online by about 8pm.

Worship, Sun Dec. 20 - Advent, wk 4 'Love'

 WELCOME and CHURCH NOTICES/
Hello and welcome to worship, on this 4^th Sunday of the season of Advent. We’ve been waiting and watching and preparing and soon, very soon, the time of waiting will be over – and we’ll be welcoming and celebrating the birth of Jesus, once more.

Over these last weeks, we’ve followed the traditional Advent themes of hope, peace, and joy, and on this last Sunday of Advent, we add love into the mix, as we think about a young woman – a teenager – from an out of the way backwater, from a family of no particular importance... someone who, in the society she came from, would ordinarily be invisible, unnoticed... and yet, someone seen by God, and chosen to do an extraordinary thing – to carry the long-held hopes of her people within her, and to see that hope born in flesh and blood, in the birth of her son, Jesus... on what was the very first Christmas.

CHURCH NOTICES/
Session news - having met over the course of the year, the Session was minded to invite Janice Reed to become a member of the Session, and having been asked, Janice has agreed, and so I’m delighted to announce that we will be ordaining and admitting her to the eldership. The date for the proposed ordination was to have been 3 January, 2021 - however, in light of the lockdown rules put in place on Saturday evening by the First Minister, this will now be rescheduled to a later time.

Re. the First Minister's statement, Sat evening and opening of church building: 
Given the changed circumstances, an emergency meeting with most of the Session was held on Saturday night.
Although we were to have reopened the church building for worship on Sun 20th Dec., the decision has now been taken to postpone at least until Sun 31st Jan, 2021. Presbytery has been duly informed and has agreed to this change of plan. We will keep you updated.
In the meantime, worship will continue to be provided online, including the Christmas Watchnight service, which will [hopefully] be online by 8pm on Thursday.

Over this coming week, blessings for a joy-filled Christmas.
Take care, stay safe, and God bless,
Nikki
                                          The link to this week's service of worship is HERE

Worship Sun Dec 13: Advent 3 'Joy'

WELCOME/

Hello and welcome to our online service of worship, on this, the third Sunday in Advent.
We follow the traditional Advent themes this year, and having begun with hope, moved to peace,
we turn our thoughts to joy - and, to John the Baptist. An interesting mix, this, given John's reputation for being the fierce, austere prophet in the wilderness who existed on locusts and honey, and wore camel hair garments. Perhaps what we might discover is that joy goes beyond surface cheerfulness -
it is an anchor for our souls in the hard and the dark times. With hope, comes peace, and with peace, joy. 
I hope you enjoy and are encouraged and refreshed by this time of worship. 
You can access the list by clicking on the WORSHIP LINK HERE.
Don't forget to check out our church notices below.

Several notices to flag up:
Church building -
As mentioned last week, the season of waiting has come to an end in one sense at least:
we will be moving back into the church building for worship as of this coming Sunday, the 20^th of December, at our usual time of 10.30.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, and the need for socially-distanced seating...

If you are minded to come, you will need to book a place – 

To book a seat, contact Janet Telfer on 01864 504265.

And a reminder that, if you’re anxious about coming, or are shielding, we’ll continue to provide worship online for you – please do what you need to do in these tricky times – we understand completely.

Newsletter
Just off the pressed, is a wee Christmas newsletter –  not our usual all-singing, all-dancing magazine, given ... well, there's not been a lot on due to lockdown!!
A small team of people are currently stuffing and addressing envelopes to send out in the post to members and friends.
In the newsletter, you’ll find an insert which gives you the guidelines for attending worship –
your safety is our priority, and we are ensuring that we are COVID-compliant.

Free Christmas lunch
Liz Steele – the local community worker in our area, has managed to source funding for those of you who live within the Duneaton villages in the parish – so, Abington, Roberton, Lamington, and Wiston – for a free Christmas Day lunch for anyone who’ll be on their own on the 25^th of December. A hot, two course lunch from the Elphinstone Hotel will be delivered to your door by a volunteer. This is open to any age group and a way of bringing a little extra Christmas cheer, (not to mention, to save cooking). The deadline for booking is Wednesday the 16^th December.
To find out more and to get in contact with Liz, see details just below....

Update on reopening the church building for worship

 The following is an update on reopening of the church building, having been closed for lockdown

...as at 8 December, 2020

In among the many tasks needing to be done to prepare the building for reopening - in order to make it COVID-19 compliant - was the requirement that an extensive electrical survey be undertaken.
All the other tasks having been carried out, this was the only outstanding task remaining.
Upon the electrician doing the inspection, a number of faults were found [not building-threatening, rather, mostly just upgrading needing done due to older fittings no longer compliant with newer regulations].
After some delays, the work was completed on the 2nd December, and notice sent to presbytery that same day.

Presbytery support committee met on the morning of 3rd December and approved our request to reopen the building.

That same evening the Kirk Session met, and, having discussed logistics and timing, decided that we would open once again for worship in the building from 
Sunday 20th December, at the usual time of 10.30am and subsequent Sundays thereafter
(subject to changes in regulations)

If some of you are anxious about coming to the church building for worship, online worship will
continue to be available for the foreseeable future, which you can access from the safety of home.
There is no need at all to feel 'bad' about choosing not to come to worship if you are anxious -
do what you most need to do - it's absolutely okay. 

Your safety is the most important thing.

Once we do open for gathered public worship, there will be certain things that all of us

must and must not do, and that we need to be aware of. 
Below is a checklist to guide us in best practice with regard to safety and COVID-19 regulations...

Worship, Sun Dec 6; Advent 2 'Peace'

 WELCOME/
Hello and welcome to worship, on this second Sunday in the season of Advent. 
The traditional theme for this week is 'peace' and the service will both reflect this as well
as think about a word from the prophet Isaiah - 'comfort'. The prophet proclaims to God's people
that God has heard their cry in the midst of distress, and will bring them comfort.

And now... for some church news:
At last! We will soon be opening the church building once again for worship. The electrical work
is now completed, the report has gone to presbytery, and we were given the green light on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Kirk Session met - via 'zoom', online, we are now getting rather high tech, don't you know! - and, having taken in a variety of factors, the decision was made to open in time for Christmas.
Our first service back in the building will be held at 10.30am, Sunday, 20th December.

Now, a few things:
Online worship will still be provided - so for those of you who are shielding, or are in a vulnerable group, or who are feeling anxious about coming along in person to worship - please make use of that. We respect your choices, we want you to be and to feel safe, and there is no need at all to feel any sense of guilt about not turning up to worship in the building at this particular point in time with these extraordinary circumstances that we’re all living through right now.

For those of you who are members, or those not, but who we know would like a copy, we’re putting together a Christmas newsletter, and this will be posted out to you, giving you more details on guidelines and about what to expect when you come along to worship in the building and these will also be posted on the blog. So, keep a lookout for that. 
One thing to note, however, is that due to the regulations currently in place, numbers will be limited
due to social distancing requirements. Having thought about the best approach on this, we've decided
that phoning to book a seat is the best way forward. But, more on that later.

So, that’s the big piece of news – in the meantime, hope you’ve all been coping with the snow and have been keeping safe and warm!

I hope this time of worship encourages you in the faith, and helps towards your ongoing Advent and
Christmas preparations, as we watch and wait for the Prince of Peace to be reborn in our hearts once more.
You'll find the YouTube WORSHIP LINK HERE

Worship, Sun 29 Nov: 1st Sunday of Advent 'Hope'

 
WELCOME -
Hello and welcome to this first Sunday in the season of Advent - a watching and waiting and making ready time. It's also the beginning of the church year - so, happy new year!
Traditionally, each of the Sundays in Advent have a particular theme, and on this first Sunday,
we begin with ... hope - something that, after this particularly strange year, we need more than ever.
Before linking across to the service, just a wee update on our church building:
David, the electrician has been busy at work and if not finished, is nearly there. I'll be checking in
on Monday to see where we're at.
Once the work is completed, I'll be getting in touch with presbytery, who have to sign off on the work
before we can open the building.
In the meantime, there'll be a meeting of the Kirk Session on the 3rd, where we have some decisions
that will need to be made, especially given that we are currently in tier 4 in S. Lanarkshire. Do please
pray for us as we have that conversation on Thursday night via the internet. 
As ever, thanks for your patience.

My prayer for you as we enter into this season of Advent is that hope, peace, joy, and love be yours
as we journey together to the stable in Bethlehem, that held the greatest gift of all.
May this time of worship be a blessing and an encouragement...
and you'll find the WORSHIP LINK HERE.

God bless, 
Nikki

Church news/ information for 9-25 Nov

*For those wishing to access the Remembrance Sunday service, use the link to the right in 'featured post', which will take you to where you need to go...

The minister will be using up some Annual Leave during 9-25 November

Contacts:
Urgent pastoral cover during this time will be provided by the Rev. George Shand of the Tinto Parishes.

His number is 01899 309400

For general parish enquiries please contact our Session Clerk Ms Heather Watt. Her number is 01899 850 211

Worship while the minister is on leave:
Here are some options for worship online that you might like to explore...
Livestream - 
10am St Mary's Church, Haddington - LINK to YouTube site;
10.30 am Dunfermline Abbey - LINK to their YouTube site;
11am Kirkton Parish Chruch, Carluke - LINK to there website;
All the above services are subsequently archived so if you miss the livestream, you can watch the service later on.

Church building update:
During this period, electrical work will be undertaken in the church building. Once this has been completed, and has been passed by Presbytery, we will be able to once again open the building for COVID-ready worship - subject to ongoing Government regulations.

Clydesdale Food Bank:
If you would like to support the ongoing work of the food bank, you can do so online HERE 

Online giving: 
Did you know that you can give online to Upper Clyde Parish? Should you wish to do so, please head over to our giving page, HERE

Worship, Sun 8 Nov: Remembrance Service

WELCOME/ 
Hello and welcome to this online service of Remembrance.
Due to the current restrictions in place that stop us from gathering at our various memorials within the parish, and also due to some ongoing electrical work in the parish church that prevents us holding a service there, I hope that this online version of our service of Remembrance will be helpful.

Just a couple of notes:
Since the lockdown earlier in the year, Upper Clyde has been posting worship online - 
so, if this is the first time you've visited with us in this way, a special welcome to you.
The service is put together and played as a playlist across on our YouTube channel, and I'll provide the link a little further below.
When we do manage to open the church doors once again for worship, with all due precautions taken, our online worship will be continuing for those who need to shield, or who feel just a little too anxious to attend in person on the day - so, should you wish to continue to join us for worship, why not bookmark or subscribe to our YouTube channel?

A wee word of thanks to all those who helped in some way with this service - particularly around the Act of Remembrance itself: truly, it's been a community effort and is very much appreciated by me!

For those of you with younger ones, if it's helpful before you move on to the worship service, THIS LINK will take you across to a web page where you can download some poppy craft activities related to our theme for today.

In the meantime, you can access our service of worship via this link:
LINK TO SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE

From wherever you're watching, and whenever, let's worship God, and let's remember...

(Rev) Nikki...

Worship, Sun 1 Nov: 'For all the saints'

WELCOME/

Hello and welcome to worship with Upper Clyde Parish. 

The theme for our time of worship is focused around what is traditionally remembered and celebrated as All Saints – remembering that great cloud of witnesses – those followers of Jesus who have gone before us, and passed on the torch of faith, so that we can praise God’s name, and share what he has done, and is doing, in our lives and in the life of the world. 

What is it to be a saint? As we spend time together in worship, let’s see!

CHURCH NOTICES/
Church opening update:

The Kirk Session met together online on Thursday evening to formally approve the electrical work that needs to be undertaken before we can open. Now that this has been approved and minuted, the next step is to see when the electrician can come and do the work. We are hoping that he will be able to do this sometime between the 9th - 25th of November.
If that goes to plan, the next step is to amend the presbytery check list and send that off to the business committee for their approval. Once that has been given, we'll have a much clearer idea of when the doors can once again open.
Slowly, slowly, we inch closer but of course, this is all subject to the regulations, which can change. But, at last there are glimmers of light...

Remembrance Sunday observance:
This coming Sunday is Remembrance Sunday. Given that the regulations do not permit meeting outside at the memorials in our parish, and that the church building is still closed, this service will be online.
However, over the course of this coming week, I will be dropping by the four war memorials to take some photographs - and, in some cases, to film a nominated person from each village as they lay a wreath. The footage will be added into our time of online worship so there’ll be at least some representation of our local memorials and those who in times past served and sacrificed much.

At present, these are all our notices...
I trust that as you move across to our worship service, that the time will be one of encouragement as you walk in faith. 
Blessings on you over the course of this week.
And here's the WORSHIP LINK

Worship, Sun 25 Oct: 'Songs of Praise' - style service

 WELCOME/

Welcome to worship! 
This time of worship presents a wee change of pace...
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been exploring Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, and in our last time of worship, we reached the end of our series.
Given the joyful theme running throughout that letter, and Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians and now, to us, to rejoice in the Lord always, I thought that we could do just that this time in worship with  an online 'Songs of Praise' style service.
So, over this time together in worship, with some great, well-known favourites to sing along to, I trust that you'll be encouraged, that it puts a spring in your step on these colder autumnal days, and helps you to give our God thanks and praise.

CHURCH NOTICES/
Electrical works -
Kirk Session will be meeting online this week to approve the electrical work needing done before we can open the building. We are going to have to draw upon our depleting resources for the invoice: the quote for works is just under £2 700 plus VAT. A bit of a shock!
Nevertheless, hopefully, we can get that work underway when our electrician is free, and subject to presbytery approval and the ever-fluid government regulations, we inch closer to opening those church doors.

Remembrance Sunday worship and observance update/
Given the restrictions, Remembrance Sunday worship and commemorations around the parish mean that we are not able to have an event outdoors to mark this.
So, Plan B -
I will be putting together a service online ... and am hoping to get around to the four villages that have memorials and take some pictures to incorporate into that service.
I’ll also be extra readers, so, those of you who are on the reading list... be prepared.
Another way of marking Remembrance Sunday that’s been talked about is to do something along the lines of what we were doing to celebrate and support our NHS earlier in the year with the rainbows in window...
Perhaps in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday, you could mark it by putting a poppy, or even making a display of poppies, in your windows. And for those of you with smaller members of the household, there are some great poppy making activities on the internet, and I’ll make sure to get some up onto the blog and also have the links placed under some of the youtube clips.

Guild/
If you’ve not already picked up a quiz from the Guild, you can still do so -
quiz sheets are selling for a £1, at the Abington Store, or you can get in touch with Heather Watt or Mary Hamilton to get one. All proceeds go to support the ongoing projects that the Church of Scotland Guild have chosen as their particular charities of choice this year.

Donate online/
Also, don’t forget, if you’d like to continue to support the work of Upper Clyde, you can donate online and the link for that is HERE
And many thanks to those of you have been able to make your donations that way.

Worship link/ To access the service click on this WORSHIP LINK and it will take you where you need to go. 

Enjoy your time of worship and may God bless you.

Worship, Sun 18 Oct: 'Joy' - pt 4 of our series on Philippians

WELCOME -

Hello and welcome to worship with Upper Clyde Parish.
It is always good to remember that, no matter how we gather, it is always good to offer God our worship, for God is truly worthy of our praise.

Over these last few weeks, we’ve been delving into Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and we have arrived at our final chapter – chapter 4. If you wanted a brief summary of this chapter, you could probably do it in two words:

‘Joy’ and ‘Peace’ - and I can almost hear the very long sigh of a certain Rev. I. M. Jolly at the thought of joy...!!

CHURCH NOTICES:

Guild Quiz -

Our friends in the Guild have set a quiz for us all. The quiz sheets are £1, and available at the Abington Store, or get in touch with Heather Watt or Mary Hamilton.

All proceeds go to the ongoing projects that the Church of Scotland Guild supports.
Many thanks to our Guild for organising this and for giving us a little light relief in what for some us are difficult times.

And a little advance notice: there’ll also be a quiz out in December...

Church building -

It's a long, slow process, I'm afraid, however, I’m hoping to have a little bit more information next week on what’s happening. We have received a quote for all the electrical work, so a meeting of the Session needs to happen, along with a wee discussion on finances for the work.
That said, given the current stricter lockdown regulations in force in South Lanarkshire, the Session is not really minded to push opening the doors just yet – even if we could... 

We want you to feel safe and not take unnecessary risks.
Thanks, as ever, for your patience.

WORSHIP AND RESOURCE LINKS -
In the meantime, turning to worship, here are the links -
first, for all-age resources
ALL AGE LINK

and for further bible study and reflection
STUDY LINK

Also, don’t forget, if you’d like to continue to support the work of Upper Clyde, you can now donate online, and many thanks to those of you have been able to make your donations that way
CHURCH DONATIONS LINK
Click 'donate to a congregation' and type in 'Upper Clyde Parish'

And finally, here is our WORSHIP LINK that will take you across to our YouTube channeL for our time of worship

Worship, Sun 11 Oct: 'Dual Citizenship'

WELCOME:

Hello and welcome to worship with Upper Clyde Parish.

In our time of worship, we continue exploring Paul’s Letter to the Philippians – and we’re now onto chapter three.
Last time, as we looked at chapter two, we thought about Paul’s encouragement that, as we lived out our lives walking in the faith, that we try to be imitators of Jesus – Jesus as our role-model...
As we explore chapter three, Paul talks of continuing on in the Christian life, - reaching for the goal, which is to be more like Christ and, that not only are we citizens of earth, but citizens of heaven.
how might being a citizen of heaven affect the way we live our lives in the here and now, I wonder?

CHURCH NOTICES:

First: in case you havn't heard, both Tom Hamilton and Drew Somerville have, sadly, passed away.
Tom’s funeral will be held on Monday afternoon at South Lanarkshire Crematorium
and Drew’s will be a graveside committal at Crawfordjohn Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon.
Please do be aware that due to the COVID-19 regulations, only 20 people will be able to attend these funerals - and given the numbers, that will mostly be family members.
However, I’m sure our thoughts are very much with both Margaret and Sheena and their families at this time - and I know many of you have already sent messages of support.

In other parish news:
just to note that a GUILD QUIZ is about to be unleashed upon the parish –
Isobel Taylor has once again done a cracking job putting the quiz together.
Copies will be availble for a £1, at the Abington Store, or get in touch with Heather Watt or Mary Hamilton...
All proceeds go to the ongoing projects that the Church of Scotland Guild supports, and in the meantime, we get to have a little bit of fun as we support that work.– so thanks to our Guild folks for organising this and keeping all our brains nice and active...

For those of you with younger members in your household: don’t forget to make use of the link to access all-age worship resources ...
ALL-AGE WORSHIP MATERIAL LINK

And for those of you who would like to spend more time reflecting on our scripture passage –
follow the link to take you to material to help your study and reflection... 
LINK TO STUDY MATERIALS

Also, don’t forget, if you’d like to continue to support the work of Upper Clyde, you can now donate online and the link for that is also on the blog, below this clip and sitting just below me even now, as I speak. And many thanks to those of you have been able to make your donations that way:
CLICK TO DONATE

And now, as we move into our time of worship, I hope that this set aside time refreshes your soul, and, having just mentioned the Guild, helps remind you of whose you are, and who you serve... which is also the Guild motto.
To get to our YouTube channel for worship, please click on the following link:
WORSHIP LINK

Worship, Sun 4 Oct - wk 2 Philippians: 'Aim low, and you're never disappointed'

WELCOME/
Hello, and welcome to our worship link page. Here you'll find links to take you across to our YouTube channel for a time of worship, and also links to resources for worship, and beyond.

Last time in worship, we began a 4-part series on Paul's letter to the Philippians, looking at Chapter 1.
We saw that Paul was currently under house arrest, a prisoner in - scholars believe - Rome.
Paul wrote to his fellow believers in Philippi, encouraging them to stand firm in the faith under difficult circumstances, and this encouragement was mutual - as he encouraged them, so they encouraged him.
So, our 'take-away' from last time was very much focused on the power of encouragement, and of the importance of both being encouraged and being an encourager.
This time around, in Chapter 2, Paul urges the Philippians to continue on in the faith by suggesting that the best example is Jesus himself - 'be imitators of Christ', he encourages them, and as he describes just who Jesus is, and what he gave up, we find a theme of practical love in action: loving and serving God and each other for the benefit of all... self-giving, not self-seeking.

For those of you with all-age households, for the younger members of the house, you'll find accessible worship material here: 
ALL-AGE RESOURCE LINK
And for those of you who would like to reflect a little more deeply on the bible passage itself, you can find material for further study and reflection here:
BIBLE STUDY LINK

Just to flag up that if you'd like to help support the ongoing work of Upper Clyde Parish, you can donate online by clicking the following link:
UPPER CLYDE DONATE ONLINE
This will take you to the Church of Scotland website. Just click the 'donate to a congregation' option, type in 'upper clyde parish church' and follow the instructions.
And thank you to all who continue to support the work in this and in other ways.

No news yet of the building opening...
In the meantime, you'll find worship available online by clicking on this link:
THIS WEEK'S WORSHIP 

I hope you enjoy and are spiritually fed by this time of worship.
God bless
Nikki 

Worship, Sun 27 Sept - Philippians series wk1: 'It's a hard knock life for us'

WELCOME:

Hello and welcome to worship with Upper Clyde Parish. No matter how we gather, it’s good to be able to make time and worship our God, the One who unites, and calls us into community, and who stands with us every moment of our lives.

Previously, in our last time of worship, we spent time hearing about the newly-liberated Israelites, who were wandering in the wilderness.
With supplies seemingly so scarce, how would they survive?
We also heard a story told by Jesus, about the owner of a vineyard who was in need of workers to bring in the harvest, and who, at the end of the day's work, paid all his labourers a full day's wage, regardless of when they may have started working.
In both cases, we reflected on God's justice, and God's generosity.

This week we begin a 4 week series exploring Paul’s Letter to the Philippians...
And in Chapter One, we'll see what Paul, the Philippian Christians, and little orphan Annie might just have in common...
This cartoon might also feel topical, as we reflect... 

If you prefer to skip the following and go straight to worship, you'll find the WORSHIP LINK HERE
Otherwise, a link is also provided at the end of our notices...

CHURCH NEWS:
There's not much to flag up in the way of church news:

Opening of church Building:
Nothing yet to report on the electrical work in the church building - once there’s news, I’ll make sure it’s passed on to you all.

Clydesdale Foodbank:
A quick reminder: if you’d like to support the ongoing work of Clydesdale foodbank, the online address is just here for online giving -
FOODBANK DONATIONS LINK

If you have any food or household items, do get in touch with me and we can organise either a drop off at the manse or church or some such – and my phone number is 01864 502139
And, if you find yourself or someone you know, needing some help, do get in touch with me and I can organise a referral.

All-age worship resources and Bible study material:
Don’t forget that if you have an all-age household, or you’d like to explore the reading a little further, links are below for both all-age worship material, as well as study material for personal reflection -
ALL-AGE WORSHIP RESOURCES and... REFLECTION and BIBLE STUDY

Just for a laugh: 
a certain minister's Aussie Dad enjoys a dire pun [yes, this is where I get it from!] and during the week he sent me several 'humour for times such as these' cartoons.
So, including the following just for a wee smile - or groan!

I hope that this time of worship will help to encourage and strengthen you as you follow in the way of Jesus. To access worship via our YouTube channel please CLICK WORSHIP LINK
Take care, and have a good week...
Nikki

Worship, Sun 20 Sept: 'More than enough'

Hello and welcome to worship with Upper Clyde Parish – I hope for those of you within the parish, that you've been enjoying these last few days of reprieve from all the rain!

For those of you new to us - a very warm welcome, we're glad that you're able to join with us in worship.

A quick recap: last time in worship, we heard Peter ask Jesus about forgiveness, and listened to a story Jesus told of mercy in the face of quite an enormous obstacle. So, we spent time thinking a little about mercy and forgiveness.
This week we’re going to drop in on the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness - about 6 weeks after they’ve made their escape from Egypt. They're getting a wee bit tetchy, and rather hungry. Will God provide? We’ll also be hearing a parable from Jesus, about some workers in a vineyard.
So, on our worship menu this week, we have manna, quail, and a little wine to finish!

Just a couple of notices - 

For those of you who missed last week’s building update:
due to some electrical issues discovered in the course of our very comprehensive electrical check, we’re not able to open the building until this has been attended to. We're currently in conversation with the electrician to see how long the work might take... and how much.
Once the work’s been done and presbytery gives us the green light, we'll let you all know.
So, for the time being, however, we’re continuing with our online worship.

Meantime, as I mentioned last week: we are still a community, and as part of our calling to love God and our neighbour, over September, we’re once again supporting the work of the Clydesdale foodbank.
So, a wee reminder that if you’d like to make a donation of cheque or direct debit online, the link is here ...FOODBANK LINK
Should you wish to drop items off to me in the manse, let me know.
You'll find my contact details above in the 'who's who' section.

Given this strange year, and the effects of COVID and lockdown, I've been referring more people to the foodbank, so this year, as we look further and think about potential Harvest giving, I’d ask you to consider supporting the foodbank as our charity of choice this time around... 

And finally, our usual note for those of you with all-age households, and those who might like to delve a little more deeply into our worship theme over the week:
Access for age-appropriate worship resources, as well as Bible study/reflection material and prayers can be found here... 
BIBLE STUDY REFLECTION AND ALL-AGE RESOURCE LINK
To go to the all-age worship material, see menu on p1 and click 'alternative material'

I hope that this time of worship will provide space to pause and ponder and pray and wonder...
and encourage you in your relationships with God, your neighbour, and the wider world.
And so on to worship - WORSHIP LINK HERE

Worship, Sun 13 Sept: 'Mercy and Forgiveness'

 Hello and welcome to worship with Upper Clyde Parish – it’s good to meet together and to praise the One who calls us to gather; the One who loves us, and who calls us to be his merciful, forgiving people. If you're joining with us for the first time, a warm welcome.

Last time in worship, in Matthew’s gospel, we were thinking about Jesus’ call to live in peace with one another – to be a community of reconciliation. 

And why do so? Apart from Jesus asking this of us, as the great reformer John Calvin observed:
the godly community is a harmonious community... So, to live in harmony, to live at peace with one another, is a mark of where we’re at within both our individual and communal faith journeys.
This week, we’re continuing a little further along that path, as we hear Peter ask Jesus about forgiveness, and listen to a story Jesus tells of mercy in the face of quite an enormous obstacle.
So, in a nutshell, mercy and forgiveness are our themes today in worship.

Before we move more fully into our worship time there’s several church notices:

First, an update on the church building and on opening for worship:
we now have our fully comprehensive electricians report.and, unfortunately, we’ve hit a slight snag -
there’s a wee bit of work that needs to be done before we’re allowed to open the building.
I’ll find out more on Monday when I speak with the electrician and I'll be seeing just how long he thinks it will take to do this work, and of course, the question I don’t want to ask...just how much it will be.
Until that work is done, we will not be opening for the next wee while.
So, worship options continue to be – to meet online through our youtube channel and for those folk who can’t access the internet, to tune into the morning acts of worship on the radio.
And, I’ll let you know when we can reopen the building!
We will get there, so thanks for your patience.

Meantime, we are still a community, and as part of our calling to love God and our neighbour, over September, we’re once again be supporting the work of the Clydesdale foodbank –
so, a wee reminder that if you’d like to make a donation of cheque or direct debit online, the contact details can be accessed on this FOODBANK LINK
Also, a little later on, in October, as we think about Harvest, I’d ask you to consider supporting the foodbank as our charity of choice this year. I ask this because I’ve been doing an increased number of foodbank referrals due to covid and feel that this year, we might concentrate our efforts a little more locally.

And finally:
As usual, for those of you with all-age households, don’t forget you can access age-appropriate worship resources to make worship more user-friendly for our younger friends. You can find the ALL-AGE LINK here..
Should you wish to dive a little deeper into today’s reading from the gospel you can access material  on this BIBLE STUDY LINK. 

With all that said, I hope that this time of worship will recharge your spiritual batteries, and re-energise you to show God's love at home, and wherever you may be this week. 
And here's the WORSHIP SERVICE LINK.

Worship, Sun 6 Sept: 'Peace-builders and Reconcilers'

 

Statue of Reconciliation, Coventry Cathedral

Hello and welcome to worship at Upper Clyde Parish.
It is good to gather to worship the One who calls us to be makers of peace, and reconcilers of relationships, and equally, it's great to be able to make space and time to worship our God - 
who loves us and will not let us go.

Last week, we visited with Moses on the mountain, as he encountered the God of his ancestors.
This week, we're in the New Testament, hearing Jesus talk with his followers about restoring 
broken relationships, mending fences, healing hurts - and our Gospel passage is a practical blueprint
to help follow Jesus' command to love our neighbour... in times when things go wrong.

Just an update on the opening of the building:
it's a little like we're stuck in time at the moment - we're in limbo, just waiting to get the electrician's
report to hand to presbytery...
Everything else has been done, and so it's a wee bit frustrating to be so close and yet not quite there...
Like many other tradespeople, however, our electrician is hugely busy with a backlog of clients -
including six other churches in a similar situation to us, wanting to get the doors open once more.
We will get there, but ... oh, gosh, it is painfully slow at the moment.
As I've said previously, once we've got this last box checked by presbytery, we'll be good to go...
and we will be getting the information out to you by a variety of means - so keep your eyes and ears 
peeled for news... 

Over September, we're once again supporting the work of the Clydesdale Foodbank - and because
I've been referring more people to them due to the knock on effects of lockdown, we'll also be 
supporting them when we acknowledge Harvest in October. If you'd like to make a donation you
can do so by clicking this FOODBANK LINK or by getting in touch with me if you have items
of food or household products on 01864 502139, and they can either be dropped at the manse, or we can arrange some other method of collection. Thank you in advance for your help.

For those of you with a mix of ages in your house, don't forget to access our all-age, family friendly
worship resources by clicking on this ALL-AGE RESOURCES LINK...
And for the grown-ups, there's the opportunity to delve a little deeper into our gospel passage by
clicking on this BIBLE STUDY LINK.

And, here's our WORSHIP LINK to take you across to our YouTube channel.  I hope this time of worship inspires and recharges your batteries and that you go out into the week
spiritually nourished. 

Have a good week,
Nikki

Update on church building re-opening

 For the latest details please do go to the dedicated page on the blog. 
                  LINK IS HERE

We are so tantalisingly close to opening - just one wee delay...

Worship, Sun 30 August: 'What's in a name?'

Hello and welcome to worship with Upper Clyde Parish.

As ever, it is good - no matter where or when - to join together and worship the One who knows us,
who names us, and who calls us.

Last week, we spent time reflecting on the identity of Jesus: people from the lofty heights of power,
through to the lowly crofts of farmers where filled with speculation, wondering just who Jesus was.
'Who do the people say I am?' asked Jesus of his disciples, with a follow up question that he still
asks of us today: 'who do you say I am?'
This time, in worship, we'll be transported back to the time of Moses, where, identity and names
are also in the frame. Moses, on the mountain, shepherding his father-in-law's flock, has an 
unexpected encounter with the God of his ancestors - with a mysterious burning bush that is not
consumed that gets his attention. This One, whose voice comes from the strange bush, knows exactly
who Moses is, and calls him to return to Egypt, and to his own people... to be used of God to rescue
them from captivity. And when Moses asks: 'Who shall I say sent me?' God reveals his name...

Some church news:
Argh! We are so close to being able to open - poised and at the ready... but, we've a wee delay as
we're just waiting upon the electrician's report, which we need to send to presbytery. We're also
waiting on the fire safety chap to do his inspection... so, the best laid plans, as they say.
Given this, my hope is that these two wee things will be sorted this week, and that I'll have some
happier news to report this coming week. I am now hoping for the building to open - subject to these
two matters - on the second Sunday in September. Once I know for sure, I'll ask the elders, and other
members to be in contact, to spread the word.

September is normally a month in which we drop donations of food and other items into our box
at the vestibule over each of the Sundays. Given the effects of lockdown - with redundancies, 
job losses, and the drying up of freelance work... there's been an increase in demand for the services
of Clydesdale Foodbank. If you're able to help, feel free to drop items off at the manse, or you can
make a direct monetary donation by CLICKING ON THIS FOODBANK LINK.
Thanks in advance.

For those of you with younger members in the house, here's the ALL-AGE RESOURCE LINK for
family-friendly worship resources to access.
And, for those of you who'd like to delve a little deeper into this week's readings, if you click on the
above link, you'll find a bible study link you can access.

And, as we move into worship, you'll find the LINK TO WORSHIP HERE
Let's worship God!

Worship/ Sunday 23 August: 'Identity issues'

'Who do you say I am?'

Hello and welcome to our worship online - whether you're a first time visitor, or a frequent flyer,

thanks for joining us, as we gather from our different places, united in our calling as God's people,

united in our calling to worship the One who has loved us since before time began.

Today we're thinking about identity - in particular, reflecting on two questions Jesus posed to his

disciples:

'Who do the people say I am?'

'Who do you say I am?'

To that, we'll be adding a third question, so, tune in and see what that might be.

A quick update on the building and opening:

we've had a slight delay with getting the electrical check finished - our electrician has been, but

will be coming back again to finish on Thursday this week. Once he's done, I can let presbytery know,

and hopefully, we'll then get the okay to have the building open ... and we're still hoping for the first

Sunday of September... Once it's been confirmed by presbytery, I'll spread the word!

In the meantime, for those of you with all-ages in your household here's the link to age-appropriate

worship resources:

ALL-AGE RESOURCE LINK

and for those of you who'd like to engage with the readings a little more over the week, there's

the opportunity for a little bible study here:

THROUGH THE WEEK BIBLE STUDY LINK

I hope you enjoy this time of worship, that it gives for thought and for the soul, and that you refreshed

and recharged in faith to move into a new week.

And, HERE'S THE WORSHIP LINK to our YouTube channel.

Have a good week and may you know God's blessing as you go about all you do.

Worship/ Sun 16 August: A crumb of mercy...

Hello and welcome to Upper Clyde Parish worship.

In this strange time, it's good that technology can come into its own and that worship can still be

offered. Though individually in our houses, yet, we're still one in Christ.

Our theme for worship centres around mercy, as we hear and reflect upon Jesus' meeting

with someone very different to himself: alien, foreign, who asks for mercy... just a crumb

of mercy for her daughter to be made well...

No building updates as yet, but soon.

In the meantime, if you're joining in worship and you have smaller folk in the house, 

do feel free to click on THIS ALL-AGE RESOURCES LINK where you'll be able to 

download material that fits in with our reading.

Within our time of worship, the subject of asylum seekers will be mentioned - very much in

the news at the moment. If you would like to help those who support and care for refugees

you can do so by clicking on this SCOTTISH REFUGEE COUNCIL LINK which will take you to 

their website, and where you can find practical ways to help.

And finally, here is our WORSHIP LINK which will take you across to our YouTube channel

so you can access this week's service.

Worship Sun 9 Aug: 'That sinking feeling'

WELCOME/
Hello!
Welcome to online worship with Upper Clyde Parish....
As regular blog visitors and online worshippers might know, I've been away on annual leave for a few weeks, and while holiday was lovely, it really is good to be back.  It's great to gather from our many different places and join in worshipping the One who is most worthy of our praise, and who calls us from wherever we are to be his community of faith, a family joined together, not necessarily by ties of blood, but through God's Spirit.

In our time of worship, we’ll be reflecting on how that faith journey involves – for one particular follower of Jesus – getting his feet a little bit wet as Jesus’ call to follow leaves him, quite literally, all at sea...

Before we move into worship, just one major matter to flag up:
And that’s the ongoing preparations for the opening of the church for gathered – socially distanced – worship... (and ‘socially-distanced’ worship feels like such a contradictory phrase)... but these are the times we’re currently living in.
Preparations are ongoing, and we hope to be able to open the church building once again from the 1st Sunday in September. Now, this is subject to all our preparations being in place and that what we've done is not only compliant with Government regulations, but also meets with presbytery approval.
We're very nearly - hopefully - there: we just need to get all our signage in place and have a visit from the electrician to do a thorough safety check... thereafter, we should be good to go.
Once presbytery has given its approval,  more concrete information will be forthcoming which we hope to get out to those in the parish by a combination of ways – both online and otherwise – so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

The only other matter to bring to your attention is the link for family-friendly, all-age resources to go along with our worship service. The ALL-AGE RESOURCE LINK IS HERE.

I hope you enjoy this time of worship and that it encourages and refreshes, and recharges you in your faith journey.
You'll find our YouTube channel WORSHIP LINK HERE

As you go into this coming week, may you know God's blessing each and every day.

Church news, info, updates: wk beg 20 July thru 5 August

Minister on leave Mon 20 July - Wed 5 Aug inclusive 

[available from c. lunchtime Thurs 6th Aug]

Arrangements during this time...

Contact details:
For urgent pastoral cover, please contact:
from Mon 20th - Sat 25th July, the Rev. Louise Mackay on 01555 661936
and from Sun 26th July - Wed 5th Aug, the Rev. George Shand on 01899 309400
For all other enquiries, please contact our Session Clerk, Miss Heather Watt on 01899 850211

Worship for 26 July and 2 August:
While I’m taking on annual leave, why not pay a 'visit' to worship with some of our other online parishes in the Church of Scotland...
These first two links feature daughters of Upper Clyde Parish - and sisters -
the Rev. Dr Jean Kirkwood, Minister of Townhill and Kingseat Parish,
and the Rev. Dr Fran Henderson, Transitional Minister in the newly created Shetland Parish.
CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR TOWNHILL
CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR SHETLAND
Both links will take you to the YouTube channels of each parish and into the 'playlist' section.
Look for the service with the date of worship you need - and scroll your mouse over it: you should see 'play all' - click on that, and you'll find a similar set up to our own, with clips that will play one after the other...

For live, streamed worship, you could visit:
Dunfermline Abbey, with the Rev. MaryAnn Rennie.
CLICK ON THIS LINK - it's a 10.30am start, but if you're late, you can watch it anytime thereafter.

Within our Presbytery, watch Lanark Greyfriars, and Lanark St Nicholas as they share in worship -
CLICK ON THIS LINK - it's an 11am start, but you also have the opportunity to watch again if you miss it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update on opening of church:
If you look to your right, you'll see the 'featured post' - if you click onto that, you'll get a long update on where we are in the process of moving toward getting our church building open once again for worship together. So, please do go and have a wee look.
And keep an eye out for further updates as they come.

We're still a little way off opening the doors just yet, so please do bear with us...

Worship, Sunday 19 July: Weeds and wheat

Welcome/
Hello and welcome to online worship with Upper Clyde Parish.
I hope this last week has been a good one for you.
As ever, it’s great to be able to praise and thank and bless:
the One who called into being the universe and everything within,
the One who is the Word of God,
the One who illuminates the word of God in scripture.

We have a special guest preacher with us for our worship time, the Rev. Dr Fran Henderson,
now in Shetland, but no stranger to us in the parish, given she grew up here. It's lovely to
welcome her and to hear her preach God's word.

Before clicking on our worship link below, please do check the notices underneath the link first.
WORSHIP LINK HERE

Notices/
There are several church notices to... well, to notice!
Update on opening of church:
If you look to your right, you'll see the 'featured post' - if you click onto that, you'll get a long update on where we are in the process of moving toward getting our church building open once again for worship together. So, please do go and have a wee look.
And keep an eye out for further updates as they come.
But again, we're still a little way off opening the doors just yet, so please do bear with us...

All-age worship resources: 
For those of you who live in a household of all-ages, do CLICK ON THIS LINK which will take you across to all-age, family-friendly resources that you can use and which pick up on our Bible passage and worship theme for today.

Minister on leave Mon 26 July - Wed 5 Aug inclusive [available from c. lunchtime Thurs 6th Aug]
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be taking a rather overdue break.
Contact details are as follows:
For urgent pastoral cover, please contact:
from Mon 20th - Sat 25th July, the Rev. Louise Mackay on 01555 661936
and from Sun 26th July - Wed 5th Aug, the Rev. George Shand on 01899 309400
For all other enquiries, please contact our Session Clerk, Miss Heather Watt on 01899 850211

Worship for 26 July and 2 August:
While I’m taking on annual leave, why not pay a 'visit' to worship with some of our other online parishes in the Church of Scotland...
These first two links feature daughters of Upper Clyde Parish - and sisters -
the Rev. Dr Jean Kirkwood, Minister of Townhill and Kingseat Parish,
and the Rev. Dr Fran Henderson, Transitional Minister in the newly created Shetland Parish.
CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR TOWNHILL
CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR SHETLAND
Both links will take you to the YouTube channels of each parish and into the 'playlist' section.
Look for the service with the date of worship you need - and scroll your mouse over it: you should see 'play all' - click on that, and you'll find a similar set up to our own, with clips that will play one after the other...

For live, streamed worship, you could visit:
Dunfermline Abbey, with the Rev. MaryAnn Rennie.
CLICK ON THIS LINK - it's a 10.30am start, but if you're late, you can watch it anytime thereafter.

Within our Presbytery, watch Lanark Greyfriars, and Lanark St Nicholas as they share in worship -
CLICK ON THIS LINK - it's an 11am start, but you also have the opportunity to watch again if you miss it.

Update: Re. opening of the church building

Reopening of church building news:

The following concerns the announcement about the possibility of 

opening church buildings from the 15th of July:

Due to the seriousness of COVID-19 and because of its highly contagious nature
before we can open the church building, there are a number of tasks to be done to
ensure that when we do gather together once again, that it is as safe as possible to do so.
Currently, where we're at is here:

• completed a Risk Assessment exercise and filled out corresponding RA form;
• filled out a major checklist covering all aspects of safety measures for opening the building, 
• procured items needed to to ensure safety and comply with Gov't regulations -
  [sanitiser stations, sanitiser gel, sanitiser spray, supply of face masks, aprons, gloves, etc]
• implemented a strategy for best practice when gathering
• written a water safety management plan [this re. ensuring a legionella-free building after closure for a long period of time]
• written a strategy plan in the case of someone becoming ill during worship in church - due to COVID-19
• drawn up a diagram to indicate one-way flow system/ seating arrangements
• all paperwork now approved by the Session
• paperwork has been sent to Presbytery for approval re. opening

Next on the to do list is:

• the installation of our new sanitiser stations, 
• putting information posters up so that everyone coming to the building knows the new procedures and what we all must do to comply with regulations,
• placing distancing stickers outside the entrance and exits to the building
• placing arrows inside to show the one-way flow system
• tagging seating to indicate where to sit to ensure physical distancing
• run all water taps for no less than 20 minutes to ensure no stagnant water in system

All the forms, checklists, procedural plans have now been gone over by the Kirk Session for a final check and all has been approved. 

Paperwork has now been sent to  off to Presbytery -

this works as a double-check process to make sure nothing has been missed.

Only when Presbytery is satisfied that we have complied with both Government and Church of Scotland regulations, will we be given permission to re-open the church building for worship and for funeral services.

So, while technically we'll be able to open the church building on 15 July,
as per the Scottish Gov't announcement... ensuring all measures are in place for maximum saftey takes a little time... 
In good conscience, we would rather take things a little more slowly and surely rather than to put anyone at risk by not being absolutely thorough.
With your safety in mind, it will be a good few weeks yet, before we can open the building.

Given the procedural business, as well as the fact that the minister is taking long overdue leave at the end of July and early August, in the best possible circumstances, the Session and I would hope to open on the first Sunday in September. I can't make a firm promise on that, but it is what we're hoping to do.
Also, when we do open for gathered public worship, there will be certain things that all of us must and must not do, and to be aware of. We'll be drafting up a bullet-point list for clarity, so that everyone knows best practice.
If some of you are anxious about coming to the church building for worship, online worship will continue to be available for the foreseeable future, which you can access from the safety of home.

As I said:

• we want to make absolutely sure that we can worship together as safely as we possibly can.
• We’ll keep you posted with updates.

So do bear with the Session, and me, as we get this rather substantial undertaking sorted and thanks for being patient in the meantime.

A dedicated page has been created above in the tabs at the top of the page - this will keep you up to date with information as we have it.
You can also LINK TO IT HERE to have a look

Considering the matter of opening the building for private prayer:
the Session felt that for both the congregation and wider community, that it might be seen to be more helpful in preparing the building for use for funerals....

We could now open the church building for private prayer – but we won't.
Why not? 
Because if you came here to pray we'd have to:
*make you wash or sanitise your hands at the door
*instruct you to wear a mask
*ask you if you had COVID symptoms, underlying health problems or got a flu jab
     (and turn you away if the answer to any of these was yes),
*tell you which seat you could sit in,
*warn you not to sing,
*make sure you left by a different door,
*then clean and sanitise every surface you touched.

Alternatively...
*you could sit on an armchair at home with a cup of tea,... 
*walk in the hills and watch the birds go by, 
*or sit along the Clyde, or the Daer, or Duneaton water... 
and talk to God just as easily.
You don't need special words, a special place, special objects or special people to talk to God.
God loves you and He is listening. 
So just do it.