Worship/ Sun 21 June - Thanksgiving

Welcome/
Hello, and welcome to our blog, and to online worship - the link for that is a little further below.
I hope you're all keeping safe and well, and have been able to catch up with family and friends
a little more, given the gentle easing of our COVID-19 lockdown.

Over June, we're exploring prayer - the types usually found within a service of worship.
So, we began with the prayer of adoration, moved on to confession, and today we'll be
reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving... giving thanks to God... and thinking about gratitude.
We have two readings from the psalms, one of which is read by Ursula Baillie... the other is more
of a 'dramatic' reading via a YouTube clip...
The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE and below, you'll find a couple of church notices - so you might just want to have a quick read of them before going over to our YouTube channel for worship.

NOTICES/
A couple of notices before we move across to the service however.
First: church opening.
You may have heard in the news or via the First Minister, that churches may consider opening
for personal prayer - this is not at all to be confused with gathering together for corporate worship.
Now, given this is something we've not offered before, as it tends not to be part of Church of Scotland tradition (we gather together for community prayer in the building... we are at home, or on the hills, or anywhere for personal prayer) the Session will be discussing this matter to see if it might be
something that we can offer even while we can't yet gather together.
Our main objective is to make sure that whatever we may or may not do, that everyone's safety is
paramount. Before any decisions are taken, we need to put together an action plan, undertake suitable risk assessments and suchlike. So, bear with us, and we'll keep you up to date.
At the moment, however, we are not permitted to open the building... so, this is just flagging up
something that may happen as lockdown eases.
As to gathered worship and communal prayer, that will be a wee while off yet, and even when we can gather, worship will
feel quite different. Again, once the Session puts a plan together, and once we are permitted, we will keep you posted as to what we're able to offer.
So, it's slow-going yet, but we are looking ahead, and we aren't rushing in without making sure safety procedures are in place first.

Online donations made easy -
Thank you to those of you who give via direct debit, or who are gathering a collection of envelopes, or who have popped cheques in the mail - all for the ongoing work and upkeep of the church.
It's very much appreciated. For those of you who'd like to donate, and usually do so via the offering plate, did you know that you can now donate online?
If you go to the Church of Scotland website [THIS IS THE LINK] at 'step one' just click on 'donate to a congregation' and type in 'Upper Clyde' and you can give that way - and thanks in advance!
And a big thank you, too, for the many other ways you have been and continue to use your gifts and skills to help others.

Community support groups -
On the right hand side bar of our blog, you'll see a section of links to organisations that are there to
lend a hand in a variety of ways. If you are finding this time of lockdown a particular struggle, check out the links for help whether it's via a listening ear with the Samaritans, or you're needing help with food through the work of the food bank - and the minister is able to write referrals for the food bank, so do get in touch with her [01864 502139 or minister.upperclyde@gmail.com] and let her know. Nikki is also available for a chat, should you need a friendly listening ear