Risen - worship for Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024

Christ and Saint Mary Magdalene at the Tomb, 

by Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1638

CHRIST IS RISEN!
ALLELUIA! 
HE IS RISEN INDEED! 
A very happy Easter to you and welcome as we gather as God's people, online and onsite, to worship the One who defeated death, and who promises life in all its fulness.

Our WORSHIP LINK IS HERE and church notices follow below.

NOTICES/ 
Lent 40 for 40 appeal for Clydesdale food bank: just to say a huge thanks to everyone who donated items for the food bank over these last weeks. I'm delighted to say that we well exceeded our target, and also, hopefully provided a little Easter joy with gifts of chocolate eggs as well as basic food items. Well done everyone and thanks for your generosity.

Mon 1 April - Wed 17th - minister on annual leave: just to note that I will be taking some time off immediately after Easter Sunday and will be back at work again on Thursday the 18th. 

During this time:

     for general queries, our contact person is Heather Watt - 01899 850211

     for urgent pastoral cover (Upper Clyde only), please contact the Rev. Mike Fucella - 01899 229291

     worship cover over both Sundays on site will be provided by the Rev. George Shand

     music will be provided by Shenna and Philip Fox, on the organ

     online worship - some links to other congregations who have online services are copied below.

     You may like to visit with the following congregations:

     Biggar Parish Church - LINK 
     Dunfermline Abbey - LINK            
     Hamilton Old Parish Church - LINK

Sun 21 April: Church Newsletter deadline for items to be included in our Pentecost newsletter. There will also be the latest update on where we are at with the 2nd draft, amended, reviewed, revised presbytery plan... If you have any items, please get in touch with Dee or via the 'contact us' link on the right of this page.

Anna Chaplaincy reminiscing café: do you have any photos of the old Abington School? If so, would you mind lending them to us for our reminiscing café in May, please? If you're able to help, please get in touch with Angela Wilson, our community outreach worker at: angela.wilson@churchofscotland.org.uk

In the meantime, a blessed and joyous Easter to you all.

Nikki

From palms to passion: a service for Palm Sunday, 24 March 2024

Welcome to our time of worship on this Palm Sunday, as we move into Holy Week. Our service moves us from the entry into Jerusalem and through to the events of Good Friday. A slightly different format for worship as we allow the story to unfold through scripture and poem...

THE WORSHIP LINK IS HERE

Many thanks for all the generous donations of items for the food bank - I'll be uplifting them and dropping them off this afternoon to a friend who volunteers there. 

Just to note that there will be evening worship in Leadhills Village Hall at 5pm tonight. This evening, we'll be exploring Palm Sunday through the lens of the icon: 'Christ's Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem' as part of our 'Iconic' worship series. All are welcome to come and there will be refreshments and the opportunity for a blether after the service.

May you know God walking close by over the course of this week, and until next time, take care, goodbye, and God bless.

'Restoration' - worship for Sun 17 March, 2024

WELCOME to worship, on this 5th Sunday in the season of Lent – a season in the church year traditionally associated with reflection and repentance, and the colour purple, and yet, as we move into the week, this more quiet and reflective time is interrupted on Wednesday with International Day of Happiness. It may seem, somehow jarring and yet, scripture reminds us that happy are those who walk in God’s ways!
To go straight to the service the WORSHIP LINK IS HERE and the service should be available by c.6.30pm Sun evening.

CHURCH NOTICES/
'40 for 40' Lent Food Bank Appeal - Don’t forget our Lent ’40 for 40’ appeal for the Clydesdale foodbank – and this Sunday coming, which will be Palm Sunday, will be your last opportunity to pop a donation of food or other items into the food bank box in the vestibule – as I’ll be collecting it and taking it along to Ben for delivery to the food bank after worship. Alternatively, you can always make a donation online through the Clydesdale food bank website by CLICKING HERE.

'Remember when?' Café - one item I did forget to flag up was the upcoming 'Remember when?' Cafe which will be held at the Abington Community Hub. Over lunch, our Community Outreach Worker, Angel Wilson, will be facilitating a time for sharing of memories. All are welcome to come along and share memories over some lunch.
This is part of the Anna Chaplaincy project.

Sun 24 March, 5pm: Evening worship at Leadhills Village Hall - although not quite the last Sunday of the month, we'll be holding worship in the village hall this coming weekend. Do come and join us for worship, conversation, and a cuppa, from 5pm.

As we move towards Palm Sunday, may you know times of refreshing and restoration over this coming week.

God bless

Nikki

Pulpit swap for Sun 10 March

Hi everyone.

Just to flag up that on the 10th there will be a pulpit swap happening between Douglas Valley and Upper Clyde. Nikki will be across sharing in communion at both Douglas and Rigside, while in the parish church at Abington, Denham MacDougall will be conduction worship. Given this, there will be no online Upper Clyde service provided this week.
For those of you wishing to worship online, this week is an opportunity to have a wee visit and some suggestions follow:

• Biggar Parish Church - LINK 
• Dunfermline Abbey - LINK            
  
• Kirkton Parish Church - LINK        
  
• Hamilton Old Parish Church - LINK 

Church notices/
Guild - the Guild meets this week on Wed. at 2pm in the church hall. Our speaker will be Rachel Belk, talking about the Quakers. Thereafter, refreshments will be served. all welcome.

'40 for 40' - don't forget our appeal for donations to support the work of Clydesdale Food Bank. The challenge is to ensure we have at least 40 items in the food bank box by the end of Palm Sunday - which will then be uplifted and delivered to the food bank. If you'd like to make a donation online, CLICK THIS LINK which will take you across to the food bank website

God bless and see  you next week,

Nikki

'We think it 'mazing' - worship for Sun 3 March, Lent 3

Welcome to our service of worship on this third Sunday in the season of Lent.

Today, we hear two stories from Luke’s gospel, in which we encounter two people in particular need of help – two people, whose circumstances couldn’t be more different and  yet, in both situations, we find the same love and compassion extended by Jesus…
You'll find the LINK FOR WORSHIP HERE

As is usual, church notices are copied below for reference.

Church notices/
Parish newsletter - an update: instead of an Easter newsletter, we're having a slight change of plan. As there will be a meeting of presbytery on the 27th of April to discuss the amended 2nd draft plan, Dee and I thought we would hold off on publishing the newsletter until after the meeting has taken place. This way, I can put include an up to date report on where we are - or aren't - at, with regard to the plan. So, for a change, we'll be having a Pentecost newsletter instead (Pentecost falls on 19th of May this year).

In the meantime, I’ll get information out about services around Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter – by way of poster, and on our blog.

Lent appeal - '40 for 40': Don’t forget our ’40 for 40’ Lent appeal on behalf of Clydesdale food bank – on site, we’re hoping to achieve a target of at least 40 donated items for the food bank by the end of Lent – to be taken to the food bank after Palm Sunday. If you have any items that you’d like to donate to the food bank, either drop them into the box in the vestibule at church, or, just let me know and I can arrange to have them collected. And for folk online, you'll find a link to the food bank on the panel to your right should you wish to donate that way.

Session meeting: For members of the Kirk Session, just to note that we have a meeting on Thursday this week at 7pm, and I’ll send out the papers and a link on Sunday evening.

Pulpit swap: Just to flag up that next week, we’ve a pulpit swap, as I’ll be over at Douglas and Rigside celebrating communion with them. In my place will be Denham Macdougall, who’ll be conducting worship for us in the building. Online, I’ll set up links to other online services that some of you in our online community might like to go and visit.

In the meantime, have a good week, 
God bless

Nikki