FROM THE MANSE Autumn 2005

Session Clerks: Cairngryffe- Mr Euan Davidson
Redmires, Carmichael (01555 880555)

September, October, November, December 2005
9.30am - Symington 11.00am - Cairngryffe

COMMUNION SERVICES
Sunday November 6th
9.30am Symington 11.00am Cairngryffe

Kirk Session Presbytery Plan - Thursday September 15th 7.30pm at Cairngryffe 8.30pm at Symington
Session/Board at Symington - November 7th at 7.30pm
Session at Cairngryffe - November 14th at 7.30pm
Joint Office Bearers Meeting - October 31st in Symington at 7.30pm
Joint Finance Committee - Monday December 5th at 7.30pm in the Manse

Since our last issue of FOCUS many of us have enjoyed a refreshing summer holiday or break. None of us, however, could ignore the terrible news which has broken over the last three months. We were relaxing in our caravan on the Solway in early July, when the radio informed us of the devastating bombings on London’s Underground, with considerable loss of life. Almost daily, we have seen on TV the carnage as yet more Islamist suicide bombers destroy innocent lives in Iraq. Then there have been the tragic news stories of lives, young and old, taken by violence, like those of the Brazilian young man mistakenly killed by police in London, the primary schoolboy Rory, abducted and murdered in Livingston, and, bizarrely, the killing of 90-year-old Brother Roger, leader of the Taize Community in Burgundy, France, who died after a crazed knife attack by a woman attending a prayer service. Then the latest outrage: a woman shot dead in South London while cradling a baby at a baptismal party. The victim, a 35-year-old health worker, originally from Sierra Leone, was enjoying a family celebration with friends and relatives when she died.
Perhaps we are getting too used to such tragedies. We live in an age when human life is cheap, and many people spend time watching violent videos and television programmes, while others enjoy playing bloodthirsty computer games. What does it all mean? Why is the church not speaking out? In particular, who can explain the terrible phenomenon of murder perpetrated by religious zealots?

One of the Ten Commandments is “You shall not kill”, which focuses on the crime of premeditated murder. People carry out plans to destroy other lives, because there is a fatal flaw in human nature, which the Bible calls “sin”, and which infects our intentions, imaginations, and desires. Jesus realised that the desire to destroy is a deep-seated and very dark aspect of the human condition, so much so that he taught his disciples to face up to and deal with its root cause: uncontrolled anger, or dismissing others as good for nothing. (Matthew 5:21-24) The apostle James wrote about it in his letter: “Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your desires for pleasure…You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill.”(James 4:1-2)

Such destructive attitudes and behaviour are never justified, even if there is provocation, and can be present even in members of the Christian church, as history reminds us. Think of the slaughter of Covenanters in the hills around us in South Lanarkshire, 350 years ago. That was the taking of innocent human lives, and all human life is sacred. True followers of Islam today cannot use their religion to excuse the willful destruction of human life, as is the case with members of Al Qaeda worldwide. Suicide is forbidden in the Qur’an, the Muslims’ holy book, yet the bombers allege that they are not committing suicide but acting as martyrs. They believe that their deaths will immediately bring them to the pleasures of heaven, as promised in Qur’an 3:164 – “Count not those who were slain in God’s way as dead, but rather living with their Lord, by him provided, rejoicing in the bounty that God has given them.” Muslim clerics have denied that this verse gives any justification for the taking of innocent human life. They claim to accept that Jesus was the Messiah and a messenger of Allah (God) and urge the other “People of the Book”, Jews and Christians, “Do not go beyond the limits in your religion, nor say anything of Allah except the truth.”(Qur’an 4:171) In this way, true Muslims are bound to accept that there is at least some truth in these other religions, and that there are limits to the methods they may use to persuade others about their beliefs.

As Christians, we also must reject intimidation or other such methods of persuasion. We cannot set about winning converts by domination or deception. Christian leaders must be very clear that their role is not that of control, but rather of concern, and that there are limits to their interference or influence in the lives of others. That is why the gospel proclaims that Jesus said, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”(John 8:31-32). The truth about God, his world, and everything, is revealed through Jesus Christ the Word of God, and the scriptures which bear witness to him. True freedom is to live out the truth; to practise what is preached. Christian liberty is to be like Christ. There is no doubt that the Qur’an contains echoes of both Old and New Testaments, as Muhammad was raised in seventh century Arabia and exposed to Jewish and Christian thought. What he could not accept is that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, or the Christian doctrine of the

Trinity. In fact his beliefs were similar to heretical Christian views which were held at that time, and continue to be held by groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The moral darkness in which many of our people in the west are living today has to be addressed. We who claim to follow the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, are called to reflect his light. The Christian way to tackle the mystery of human wickedness is to share good news, humbly and in a spirit of prayer. It is only God the Holy Spirit who can change the direction of the lives of individuals and communities, so Christians have believed these 2000 years. In such days as these, it is all the more important for those who profess to follow Jesus to stand up and be counted. That means, at the very least, joining with fellow-believers in weekly worship on the Lord’s Day, and being determined to hear and obey the Word of God. That way we can be sure that our lives are not ruled by terror, but by truth.
Yours in Christ Graham Houston.

May 29th   Joshua Alexander Caleb Davidson, 18 School Road
               Callum Alexander Gray, 8 Knocklea Place, Biggar
               Alistair Gordon Rogers, 44 Sherifflats Rd, Thankerton

Funerals
June 21st Symington Jean Lindsay, Woodhurst Home, Carluke
July 5th Mortonhall Crematorium Bill Fraser,1 Schoolhouse Rd., Symington
July 6th Cairngryffe James Warnock, Sr. Watchknowe, Sandilands.
July 13th Covington Annie Taylor, 7 Westercrofts, Biggar.

New Members
August 05 Symington Elma Wight and Jack Wight Townhead Farm, Symington from Glencaple

Member left by Certificate of Transference
August 05 Symington Beatrice Gilbert, Rowantree, Wiston

The Money Matters initiative has now come to a close and I am delighted to report that the campaign has exceeded our expectations.
From the responses received from the members of the Congregation we are anticipating an increase in income for the Church of £12,040 per annum. This is an increase of 51% in the present level of giving by the Congregation.
More than half the families in the Congregation have increased their giving to the Church as a result of this initiative and to them I would like to pass on our grateful thanks.
None of this would have been possible without the hardwork of the “Money Matters” Committee, the Visitors, the postmen and women, the door keepers and everyone else who was involved in the initiative. This initiative from start to finish lasted ten months and I am indebted to all who took part.

Our two Family Meals took place as planned in June and it was good to see so many of our friends there.    Those present not only enjoyed an excellent meal and good fellowship but, through some light entertainment, we were shown ways in which we could commit our time, talents and money to the life and work of the congregation.
We were also given a vision of how this could enable us to go forward in the future to be the Body of Christ in Cairngryffe Parish and beyond.   From comments received it would seem that everyone had a very pleasant evening.
A special thanks is due to our teams of visitors, without whose commitment of time and effort in personally taking invitations to each member of the congregation, these events could not have taken place.   They have since paid a second visit to collect members’ response cards.    The information from these is currently being collated and studied and, where appropriate, follow-up contact will be made with members in due course.

Symington

The financial situation continues to be uncertain although I am hopeful that we will end the year in the “black” but only just. This situation has improved dramatically as a result of the success of the “Money Matters” initiative.

This initiative has now been completed and the results have been beyond our expectations. Following on from the initiative the Board and Kirk Session are formulating a Parish Development Plan to take the Church forward over the next 5 to 10 year period.

Main items of income and expenditure for Cairngryffe  from
January - July 2005 were as follows
Income                                                  Expenditure
Gift aid                      £8250              National Stipend Fund       £6025
Free will Offering       £1200              Mission and Renewal         £2020
Open Plate                  £1200              Salaries                              £1300
Tax Recovered           £4000             Joint Congregational A/C £1700
Donations                     £250              Travel Expenses                 £1140
Social committee           £430              Electricity                          £500
Special collections          £80              Stewardship Programme £1690
                                                           Printing                             £200

To keep to our proposed 2005 budget our giving will need to be slightly more that it was for the second half of 2004.
Anyone wishing to set up a regular monthly standing order to the church please contact myself on 01555 663598 for bank details.

The new edition of the Church Hymn book is now available, due to two generous donations for the pew editions. The choir will be using it regularly from now on, in preparation for its introduction to the congregation at the special praise service on October 9th. Choir practices are held in Symington Church at 7.30pm and resume on Wednesday 7 September. New members are always needed and will be warmly welcomed by choir director Russell. You don’t need to be a trained singer or to be able to read music to take part. Why not give your humdrum routine a lift and join us?
Contact Gaynor at 01899308240

A wonderful total of £1651 was sent off after Christian Aid Week this year. This was made up as follows:

A very big thank you to everyone who contributed and helped to collect this amount.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Niger and West Africa crisis, please either phone 08080 004004 or send to Christian Aid, Freepost NATE 1169, Redhill. RH1 2ZA.

This year Graham Houston and Robert Carson (Symington) were commissioners. It was Robert’s first experience of the Assembly, and his report to Presbytery indicated his surprise and delight that the week of debates and meetings was so well organised and clearly motivated by Christian conviction and commitment.
Jack McLellan (Cairngryffe) was also a commissioner, and he made a very good speech reflecting on his first visit to the Assembly which was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
Graham first attended in 1978, and noticed a big change this year in the Moderator’s leading of worship, including thoughtful messages for each day. Rt Rev David Lacy, from Kilmarnock, was a contemporary of Graham’s when they were assistants in Edinburgh’s west end in the mid 1970’s. His fair and at times humorous handling of the business earned him the respect and affection of the commissioners.
Following last year’s Assembly’s decision to implement large cuts in the Mission and Renewal Fund budgets, much anguish was expressed about the Kirk’s withdrawal from some long-standing mission partnerships overseas. This was emphasised by the presence of delegates from partner churches in Africa, Asia, and South America. Thankfully, a number of charges, including our own, have been engaging in Stewardship Programmes to ensure substantial increases in congregational income. In 2004, the average increase was nearly 15% in those who did so. See below for our results so far!

Rev. Bryan Kerr has been nominated as Moderator of Lanark Presbytery for 2005-06. Bryan is presently Minister at Douglas Valley. Most of you will remember Bryan from his time here with us in Symington.
Symington Kirk is well represented in Presbytery during 2005 – 06 having two Conveners of Presbytery Committees:- Rev. Dr. Graham Houston – Stewardship & Finance Committee
Robert Carson - Business Committee
Rev. Mike Frew is leaving Carluke: St John’s to take up a new charge in Edinburgh at Slateford/Longstone. Mike is currently the Clerk to Lanark Presbytery and a new person will be appointed to that position shortly.

One of the recommendations of last year’s Presbytery Visit was that we re-launch the ACE programme which ran in 2002-3 and which was well received, with about 20 people participating over three series of Adult Christian Education. The purpose is to enable discussion and application of the messages preached in church over a given period. Graham Houston will lead ACE gatherings in the Manse, at 7.30-9pm, on the following Thursdays: November 10th, 17th, 24th, and December 1st, with the series title –“Approaching Advent”.The passages for study and discussion will be the set gospel texts from the Lectionary: (1)Matthew 25:1-13 (The Parable of the Ten Wise and Ten Foolish Girls); (2)Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the Talents); (3)Matthew 25:31-46 (The Last Judgment); (4)Mark 13:24-32(The Coming of the Son of Man).
Everybody is welcome to join us for ACE.

Theme for the Year: - Dare to Care with Commitment
Cairngryffe Guild had their yearly outing on Wednesday 3rd August to Netherurd Pottery.followed by High Tea at the Tinto Hotel. Some details of the syllabus have yet to be confirmed but we hope to repeat the success of the Charities Bazaar at the Gillespie Centre in Biggar in November. Planned meetings are September 14   Antiques and French Polishing
October 12         Life of a Doctor by Dr Flowerdew
Joint meeting with Symington Guild
November 9      Overseas Rally at Lanark
Meetings take place in Thankerton Hall at 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of every month unless otherwise stated. Visitors are always welcome   Contacts are Jessie Duff, President - 01899 308365 & Margaret McMahon, secretary – 01899 308131.

Sincere thanks to our retiring president, Lynn Carson whose excellent leadership over the last three years has been much appreciated by all members of the Guild. The Our opening meeting will be held on Thursday 22nd September at 7.30pm in the Church Hall. Present members will be warmly welcomed and it is hoped that they can encourage a number of new members to come along. Anyone wishing further information can contact members of the committee or phone the new President, Sheena Carlyle at 01899 308269. All are welcome

September 22 Speaker The Rev Jack Stewart
October 12          Joint meeting with Cairngryffe Guild, as above.
November 24      Walking in Peru by Mr Stewart Toy
November 27   Guild Coffee morning following the Church Service

CAIRNGRYFFE SUNDAY SCHOOL

Sunday School has recommenced after the summer break. From now till Christmas we will meet during the Church Service at 11.00am. There will be no Sunday School during the September Weekend, Sunday 25 September, nor during the October school holidays. October 16 and 23. This year a variety of Bible topics will be looked at, with art work and worksheets and appropriate songs learned. We have a small but very happy little group. If you would like your child to join us, bring them along on a Sunday or contact Rosemairi Galloway at 01555 880779

Trailblazers started back on 21st August and we are pleased to see old faces and new. If you would like to come and join us for a fun filled Sunday morning the Trailblazers meet at 9.30 from Sunday 4th September. We go into church for about 15 minutes and then over to the Church Hall for stories, songs games and crafts for about 45 minutes. We welcome all children pre-school up and including to P7.
We have organised a Trailblazers trip to the Big Saturday event at the SECC on Saturday 10th September and the children are looking forward to seeing and singing along with Stephen Fishbacher who was a great success when he visited Tinto Primary The Trailblazers Treasure Island Game on Village Day raised a very credible £40 which the children decided to donate to the Edinburgh Sick Children's Hospital. Well done to all the Trailblazers who made the Island and to everyone who supported us on the day, a Big Thank you.
For information, contact Linda Tucker at 01899 308943.

Carmichael WRI meets on the second Monday of each month in Carmichael Hall at 7.30pm. Forthcoming meetings are:-
September 12   Talk by Doctor Andrew Goldie
October 10th   Guest Night with Steven Johnston and pupils
November 14   Dinner at the Inn on the Loch (7.00pm for 7.30pm)
Janette Elliot, secretary, at 01555 880614 can provide more details.

Thankerton SWRI meets in Thankerton Village Hall at 7.30pm on the first Thursday of each month. A range of talks, demonstrations, visits and activities are enjoyed during the session which runs from September to March, including:-
September 1    Talk and slides on the Forth & Clyde Canal
October 6    Faberge Style Eggs – Demonstration and Workshop
November 3   Visit to Purves Puppets with Buffet Supper
Any lady thinking of joining will be made most welcome. Contact Connie Johnstone at 01899 308764 and Irene Ross at 01899 308738

Pettinain WRI meets in Pettinain Village Hall at 7.30pm on a Wednesday, annual subscription £7. Why not join us?
September 7 Mini Produce Show and talk from Warburtons October 19 Talk on Chiropractic by Dawn McGee
November 2 Whist Drive
November 16 Tray Bakes with Barbara Robertson
Contact Ann Murray on 01555 870379

New members are always welcome to
join us at our meetings in Symington Village Hall on the first Thursday of the month at 7.30pm. We enjoy a talk or demonstration each month on a variety of subjects.
September 1    Flower Arranging with Graham Crouch
October 6   Venison Cookery at Carmichael Visitors’ Centre
November 3   At Home
Contact Janet Hope –01899 308716.

Over the past months the group has been busy creating cards, gifts, decoupage pictures etc. in preparation for our first time participation at the Blackwood-Murray Rally held in Biggar show field on Sunday 14 August. All proceeds from our efforts are going to two charities, CHAS and Guillain-Barre Syndrome Support Group. The sum of £814. 15 was raised and this will be divided between the two charities after our next sale just before Christmas. The girls thank all those who gave donations and supported us by their purchases. Contact Nan Mackie at 01899 308569

Once again an exciting programme of meetings is planned for this lively group. They meet fortnightly on Thursdays in Thankerton Village Hall at 2.00pm. The first set of meetings is as follows:-
October 13   Biggar Ambulance Service with Mr T Robertson
October 27 Guest Day. Tom McAlpine- Arctic Circle Film Show
November 10   Dogs for the Blind with Mrs Ann Royal
November 24   CHAS (Children’s Hospice) with Jill Fraser
For more information contact Sadie Campbell at 01899 308740.

Once again you are invited to join this club which meets in Carmichael Village Hall every Tuesday night all year round and also on every Monday night from October to March from 7.30pm to 10.00pm. (The second Monday each month, however, is WRI night so bowling is on Tuesday and Wednesday that week.)
New members are always welcome, gents, ladies or juniors (ten years or older). Even if you have never played bowls before why not come along and have a go! You’ll have a lot of fun!
For more information call Jack Meikle at 01899 308397.

This group for little ones from 0 to 5 years meets in Carmichael on Mondays and Thursdays. The children enjoy a good variety of activities and all will be made very welcome. More details of location and times can be had from the playleader. If interested please contact Catherine Hamilton, playleader, on 01555 665239.

Symington Playgroup is open to all little ones from 2 years upwards. The sessions take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Currently there are spaces for new children and you are invited to bring your child along to join in the fun. For full information please contact Lesli at 01899 308164.

Tinto Toddlers meet every Wednesday and Friday in Symington There is variety of toys for babies and toddlers including a quiet baby corner, craft table, book corner and many other toys to play with. We also offer healthy snacks for the toddlers. Mums, Dads, Grandparents or Childminders all bring Toddlers along to play while they have a chance to sit down and chat. We charge £1 per session for Toddlers and 50p for babies to cover costs. If you would like further information please call Lara Boyd (chairperson) on 01899 309070

Rainbows are for girls aged 5-7 years and meet in Symington on a Monday during school term time. We take a subscription each term and this covers materials and ingredients used at weekly meetings. There is currently a waiting list for the coming term which starts on September 5th. If you have a little girl who would like to join, please contact Wendy Carrick at 01899 308544 for more information..

We are pleased to welcome back the Brownies after the summer holidays. The Brownies are looking forward to taking part in the District Camp, with a Pirate Theme, in September, along with Rainbows, Brownies and Guides from Symington and Biggar.
Thank you to everyone who sponsored us to climb Tinto Hill in May earlier this year. We raised in excess of £400 towards the camp! Well done girls!
If your daughter is aged 7 to 10 years and wishes to join 1st Symington Brownies, which meet on Mondays, you can get full information on times and venue from Gillian Aitchison on 01899 308098.

For girls aged 10 to 14 years, First Symington Guides start in early September on Mondays. The Senior Guides for those aged 14 to 26 years meet in the same place at the same time but usually do not restart until later in the month. For more information, contact Anne Galloway at 01555 870865.

1st Biggar Tinto Beavers, Cubs and Scouts meet in Biggar on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout term time. They currently have a waiting list in all sections. If you are interested in joining, either as a Beaver Cub or Scout or are interested in helping as part of the leadership team, please contact Alex Clark at 01899 308330. He can give full details of meeting times and venues and of the waiting lists involved.

The After School Club runs a variety of Clubs within the school and grounds once school has finished. We do not provide child care; we exist only to introduce the children to different sports, crafts, arts etc. The clubs currently running include Netball, Football, Gardening, Chess and Chanter.
We also offer blocks of activities 1 day per week for 4 or 6 weeks e.g. Basketball, Rugby, Cookery, Reading & Storytelling and many, many others. Some of these may become Clubs in their own right if we can recruit leaders with experience of an activity who could volunteer their time and enthusiasm to share their interest with the children!!
Please contact Jane Stevens on 01899 309070 for further information or if you would like to help.

We are also very proud of our Gardening Club which the Children, Parents and Staff have worked very hard to create and maintain. We now have a vegetable garden in addition to the shrubbery and we have plans to extend the use of the area to include seating for outdoor learning. The Club generally runs on a Thursday but we don’t meet during the Winter months.
We very much need help with the general maintenance of the garden and would be delighted if anyone would like to spend some time after 3p.m just pottering and tidying up. If you would like more information about the Garden, or would like to discuss it contact June McGill on 01899 308389.

LOCAL BUS SERVICE
Readers may be aware that there have been some changes to our local bus service [Route 191 Lanark – Biggar] since the middle of July. Weekday connections and through ticketing to Glasgow is improved. Improved Sunday service is as follows:-

Lanark dep	0905	and at	2205
Thankerton dep	0919	the same times	2219
Symington dep	0924	each hour until	2224
Biggar arr	0934		2234

Biggar dep	0935	and at	2235
Symington dep	0945	each hour until	2245
Thankerton dep	0950	the same times	2250
Lanark arr	1004		2304

Don’t forget the forthcoming meetings of Symington Community Council on September 12th, October 10th, November 14th and December 12th in the village Hall at 7.30pm

Editor's Note
Thank you to all contributors who provided the information contained in this newsletter. Some articles had to be edited in order to fit them all in.

Please note that I have been advised that, in the interests of child safety, it is no longer permitted for leaders of youth organizations to publicise the exact venues and meeting times for their organizations. Such information can be had directly from the leaders of the groups.

The Christmas edition of FOCUS will be issued early in December. Contributions from church groups and organisations, covering the period from December 2005 up to the end of February 2006 should be sent to me by Sunday 20h November 2005 at the latest.

I can be reached at: - Rena Mitchell, Mossgiel, 64 Biggar Road, Symington, ML12 6FT Tel: 01899 308261
or by email at mossgiel64@tiscali.co.uk ** NEW**