Hello again Everyone. We can hardly believe that it’s November already. To begin with here’s an update on what has been happening with the church since the last newsletter.
We are still working on the business plan which we must produce to prove to the powers that be at Church of Scotland head office that we are a viable proposition. To that end we visited The Madoch Centre in St Madoes and found out how they went about planning, funding, and running their venture. We do not envisage being as big as their Hub, but we were encouraged by what we heard and came away with many good ideas.
As for the manse we are still waiting for the final say so from 121 George Street as far as the possible sale is concerned.
We also still have the services of the four ministers who have been preaching on a Sunday morning and are hoping to secure their support until at least March next year.
Services
Remembrance Sunday will be on 12th November with wreath laying at the war memorial on the village green afterwards. It is hoped that Andrew Donaldson, as an ex-serviceman, will lay a wreath along with Councilor Hugh Anderson and some local youngsters.
Communion will be on 19th November at the usual time of 10am and all are welcome.
We would also like to tell you about the services we have planned for the festive season and to invite you to come along and join with us.
Lessons and Carols – Joint service in Collace church on the evening of 17th December at 7pm.
Bereavement service – This will take place on 21st December at 7pm in Cargill Burrelton and will be led by Lynne Mitchell. It is intended to provide a space for remembering those we have lost at any time in our lives and not just in the past year.
Christingle – Joint early evening service in Cargill Burrelton on 24th December at 5pm.
Christmas Day – Joint service at Collace in the morning at 10.30
New Year’s Eve – Joint service with Collace to take place in Cargill Burrelton at 10.30
Community Hub
Many of you will know by now that Kirsty, our community worker is moving on to pastures new. She has done a tremendous amount of work, and we wish her the very best in her new post: –
We are continuing to run the church community hub activities and there is always a buzz about the hall on Tuesday lunchtime whilst the café is on. This is, of course, helped by The Shepherds Hut run on behalf of the church by Kirsty. Remember that the first of the two weekly sessions is on a Tuesday from 12 – 1 whilst the café is on and the other is on a Friday from 3.30 – 5 during which time there is the opportunity to meet with your friends in the church hall and enjoy some tea, coffee and biscuits and perhaps even scratch your head over a jigsaw or two or play cards. There is always an amazing variety of produce on sale at vastly discounted prices or even for free. The Shepherds Hut is open for everyone and is a venture which aims to combat food wastage and the only rule is that you must live within the parish boundaries to be able to shop there. This is because of restrictions placed on us by the bodies who have helped fund the venture. If you don’t yet have a Shopper’s Card, then please bring proof of your address when you come to the Shepherd’s Hut and you will be issued with one.
The Busy Bees toddler group is also still running and is enjoyed by lots of children, parents, grandparents, and carers twice every week. The sessions provide great peer support to the adults as well as to the children who come along, and they take place every Monday and Tuesday from 10 – 12 noon in the church hall. The age range catered for is birth to five years.
In addition, Kirsty ran other courses over the school holidays. These sessions proved very popular with a visit to the Belmont Centre where high ropes and scary climbs were braved. Bush crafts were also explored, new cooking skills learnt, and creativity encouraged with the help of a local artist. We were able to provide these sessions for free.
Kirsty has also restarted the digital drop-in sessions on the last Tuesday of each month excluding December. Meet at the church hall from 2 – 3.30 and let us help you unravel some of the technical tangles you might be in. The last remaining session this year is on 28th November.
A highly successful Pumpkin Trail was organized and enjoyed by 120 people on 31st October. There was a free café with soup, stovies and hotdogs along with toasted marshmallows. A total of 37 households took part in decorating their windows and gardens for keen trail followers to enjoy. The feedback from families was extremely heartwarming and we also impressed the local fire service officer with our fire safety procedures. A huge thank you to all the café volunteers, café visitors, trail followers and house decorators. You all made it a wonderful event.
All the activities run by the Hub will continue with the help of the amazing volunteers we have, whilst we actively seek a replacement for Kirsty. If there are any changes to dates or timings, we will keep you informed
To finish the Hub news our ever-popular Christmas Lunch will take place again this year on Tuesday 12th December at 12 noon in the church hall. There are 50 places available on a first come first served basis and application forms can be had from the café or via the Facebook post. If anyone wishes to donate a raffle prize that would be much appreciated and as always the lunch is free but donations are always welcome and can be given on the day. Any money raised by the lunch will be split evenly between Churches Action For the Homeless in Perth and the Local Firefighters Charity.
The Woman’s Guild
The Guild opened session 2023/2024 with the Rev. Dr. Hugh Ormiston giving his interpretation of the Guild theme “New Wine, New Wineskins”. At the October meeting Aileen Riches spoke of her work as a tour guide at Scone Palace. This proved to be informative and entertaining. The November meeting saw us welcome Graeme Pearson representing the Guild project “Chocolate Delight”. Members learnt of the work of missionaries helping people form their own businesses whilst learning about Christianity.
On October 27th Guild members hosted the Harvest Supper. The hall was filled to capacity, and everyone enjoyed a two course meal prepared and served by Guild members. Live music followed provided by Nicol McLaren, the internationally know accordionist. The amount raised was £854 after expenses were deducted and the remainder will be divided between Arbroath and Anstruther RNLI and Erskine Hospital for ex-service personnel.
New members and visitors are always welcome. Please come along.
Burrelton and Woodside Senior Club
The club meets fortnightly in the church hall from September to March at 2 – 4.30pm on alternate Thursdays. It is fun and friendly offering games, refreshments, and entertainment. New members welcome and you can just turn up at the church hall on the day. There is a limit on numbers but at the time of going to print there are still spaces available. If you would like more information, please contact Gillian on 07719 920074 or look out for the Senior Club stall at the village Christmas Market. Membership £10 plus £3 per session.
STOP PRESS – We have been given permission from Presbytery to advertise for a new Youth & Community Worker. We would like to invite applications for this post for which the closing date is 30th November. It is hoped that interviews will be week beginning 11th December. More details can be had from Perth Presbytery website, the church website and Facebook page and the local paper and Job Centre.
And finally – We would like to wish you all the very best for the upcoming Christmas season. We hope to see you at the Café, Shepherd’s Hut or some of our festive services. God Bless.
“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it”.
Hebrews 13, verses 1 – 2