Worship Sun 27 March - Lent 4: 'Outrageous'

WELCOME/
Hello – and welcome to this 4^th Sunday in Lent, also the day on which Mothering Sunday falls: so we give thanks for all those who have nurtured us – whether through the bonds of family or the bonds of friendship. And, ironically, on this Mothering Sunday, we move further into Luke’s gospel and hear Jesus tell the story of a father and his two sons – in many ways, an ‘outrageous’ story...

As per usual, the church notices appear below for ease of reference, but, if you'd prefer to skip straight on to the service and just listen to them, you'll find the WORSHIP LINK HERE.

CHURCH NOTICES/
On the matter of Covid restrictions and attending on-site:
as of today, we no longer have to take names at the door. And, with the easing of restrictions, you can sit anywhere – but, it would be very prudent to maintain the 1 metre distancing rule, unless you’re in a bubble with others. Covid is still with us. Sth Lanarkshire is currently at 1 in 11 people catching Covid...so let’s be canny, shall we? At the moment, we are still required to wear face masks – and, when that regulation is eased, one very practical way of showing we love our neighbour is to continue to keep wearing them... but this will very much be a matter of individual choice... so whatever you decide to do on the matter of masks, let’s all try to be respectful of each other’s choices, even as we try to look out for each other. 

Funeral of Jenny Hodgen:
We're still to confirm exactly, and I'll update this as soon as I have confirmation hopefully on Monday. However, it looks like this will take place on Fri 1st April - a church service in the parish church at Abington, followed by graveside committal at Roberton.

Parish newsletter:
Proofs are now at the printers and we hope to have these by the end of the week, for mail out the following week.

Clydesdale food bank: 
Don’t forget that this month we’ve been flagging up the good work of Clydesdale food bank and encouraging you to help out a struggling neighbour by supporting this work. Onsite, the foodbank box is in the vestibule to leave food and other items, while, online, you can go to their website and make an online financial donation there. The link is on our 'links' section on the r-hand panel.

Evening worship: 
This evening, there’ll be an informal service of worship at Leadhills Village Hall at 5pm – and we’ll be looking at an encourager and champion of the faith, Margaret of Scotland. There’ll be refreshments and a chance to have a blether over a cuppa after the service.

Anna Chaplaincy Commissioning: 
This coming Saturday at 2pm in Douglas Parish Church, there’s a commissioning service for our Anna Chaplaincy ministry – a ministry shared between Upper Clyde, Douglas Valley, and Tinto Parishes. It’ll be a wee service to mark the official start of this ministry, after which tea will be across in the Bowling Club – if you can come, it would be lovely to see you there as we celebrate this first of its kind ministry in Scotland.

'Let's get growing': 
I’m delighted to say that we’ve managed to get some grant funding towards our ‘let’s get growing’ project for a second year – so keep an ear out for further plans in the very near future.

Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine continues, many of us wander how we might help. An excellent place that gives practical advice and contact links is the Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees (SFAR). I've added a link in our 'links' section on the right hand panel for ease of access, and you can also just click HERE

Worship Sun 20 March - Lent 3: 'Are we nearly there yet?'

fig tree grove

WELCOME/ Hello – and welcome to this third Sunday of Lent. Today we’re thinking about patience as we listen to Jesus tell a story about a fig tree, its owner, and the gardener...

Announcements, in full, are copied below for reference, so, if you prefer to skip them and just watch that in the service, no problem. 

To save you scrolling down, the 
WORSHIP LINK IS HERE

NOTICES/
I'm very sorry to announce the death of Jenny Hodgen, who died peacefully on Thursday. She was a friend to many in our community, a woman of faith, passionate about her cats, loved her family, and gifted our church community for many years with her musical skills, as organist. 
Once the details of her funeral are known, I'll post them on this blog. In the meantime, I know you'll be thinking of, and praying for her family, at this sad time. Jenny was a beloved child of God, so, may she rest in peace, and rise in glory.

Our thoughts and prayers are also with the Damers at this time, as they mourn Beth - much-loved daughter, sister, and friend to so many. A truly lovely young woman and very much missed.

Other notices...
Evening worship, Leadhills 5pm, 27 March: A reminder that this coming Sunday, that there’ll be evening worship at 5pm in Leadhills Village Hall and the chance of a cuppa and blether after that service. All are welcome to come along and share in this time of worship together.

Anna Chaplaincy commissioning service: this is a shared ministry with our friends at Tinto Parishes and Douglas Valley. The official commissioning will take place on Saturday the 2nd of April, at 2pm – there’ll be a short service in Douglas Parish Church, followed by refreshments in the Bowling Club. It would be lovely to have some representatives from Upper Clyde at this service, so, if you can make it, that would be grand.

Easter newsletter: Don’t forget that today is the deadline for articles for our parish newsletter. Please do get them to Dee Yates as soon as you can.

Clydesdale Food Bank: we continue to highlight the essential work of Clydesdale foodbank: if you’re able, and haven’t quite got around to it yet, there’s still time to make a donation to their work. The link is on the right hand column to make an online donation.

Easter Sunday hymns: as we look ahead to Easter Sunday, I'm hoping we can celebrate with a good sing - we'll be having a full range of hymns, and you get to choose the playlist. Do let me know what your favourite Easter hymns are, and the hymns with the highest number of nominations will be selected for that service – this is for all of you, whether you attend online or on-site, so do let me know!

These are all our notices, so, as you walk through this week, may you feel God walking close beside you.

Blessings to you all, 
Nikki

Worship Sun 13 March - Lent 2: 'Glimpses of God'

Welcome  to worship with Upper Clyde Parish on this second Sunday of Lent. Today we hear what the writer of Ps 27 has to say about God, and catch up with Jesus three years after his time in the wilderness. We find ourselves on the outskirts of Jerusalem listening in to a conversation between  Jesus and some pharisees on the matter of foxes and hens.
Church notices are below.
The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE.

Church notices/
Healthy Valleys is looking for some volunteers:
if you enjoy having a chat to someone on the phone or meeting up for a cuppa or a walk Healthy Valleys would be interested in hearing from you as they are always looking for befrienders.
Also, they are on the lookout for bicycles:
if anyone has any old childrens or adults bikes hiding away unused and unloved Healthy Valleys could find them a new home, as they have a project sorting pre-loved bikes and giving them to people who need them.

Anna  Chaplaincy Commissioning Service: This service to commission Angela, our Community Outreach Worker, as an Anna Chaplain will take place on Saturday 2^nd April at 2pm at St Brides, Douglas, followed by refreshments at the Bowling Club next door. 

Clydesdale foodbank: don’t forget that this month, we’re highlighting the good work of Clydesdale foodbank, so, if you’d like to make a donation – you can do so by dropping goods into the box in the church vestibule or by going to the foodbank website and making an online donation. The link is on the right hand side of the blog under 'links'.

Worship Sun 6 March Lent 1: 'Hungry'

WELCOME/ Hello, and welcome to worship on this first Sunday of Lent: 
the season of the church year in which we take time to walk the way to Jerusalem with Jesus,
and make time to reflect on our relationship with God, and each other...
And following the long-held tradition, we begin our journey in the wilderness, and meet Jesus who, having fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights, was faced with temptation...
Notices are below - there are a number to read through, and it's useful to have them up on the site for ease of reference... so if you'd prefer to listen rather than read, you can go straight across to our youtube site for worship. 
The WORSHIP LINK IS HERE 

NOTICES/ 
Foodbank: Today, we’ll be reintroducing one of our pre-lockdown customs. As we begin a month in which we have communion, we highlight the work of Clydesdale food bank over the course of this month. The food bank box will be put in the vestibule once again for donations each of our Sundays in March and meanwhile, for those at home, you can donate directly online by using this FOOD BANK LINK and scrolling down to the 'donate' button.
This is very much a great practical way of being able to love your neighbour – so thank you in advance. 

Ukraine: As the war by Russia on Ukraine continues, many of you are looking for ways in which to help. The latest update on donations is that it’s more efficient now, to donate money, rather than sending goods across borders. The Government has committed to matchfund donations £ for £ up to £25 million pounds, if made to the DEC – Disasters Emergency Committee – on top of that, you can also choose to gift aid. The DEC LINK IS HERE where you’ll be able to make your donation there and help our Ukrainian neighbours.

Church magazine deadline: Sunday the 20th March 1pm. 

Guild: The Guild meets this coming Wednesday at 2pm in the church. The speaker will be Angela Brydson, our community outreach worker.

Easter music: On Easter Sunday we’ll be having five hymns instead of three and, I’d like you to tell me what your favourite Easter hymn is – and, I’ll choose the top 5 most requested as our hymn list for that day. So... get thinking and let me know!

Morning tea after church - update: This morning, we’re reintroducing morning tea in the hall.

Covid restrictions update: If all goes according to plan, restrictions will be further eased towards the end of the month. It would be useful to have a conversation with those of you who are attending, about navigating the best way forward on this. We want to make sure that we continue to provide a safe environment and try not to exclude those who are more vulnerable, while at the same time, work out how to be a little less restrictive – so over the next couple of weeks get in touch and let’s have a chat, as I think this would be good to decide together as a community.

New church member: And, finally, we’re delighted to welcome Ralph Barker into church membership at Upper Clyde in the building. It's lovely to make this official.