FOCUS

    Summer       2010

Kirk and Community News

For the Parishes of Cairngryffe and Symington

 Church of Scotland

Cairngryffe with Symington Parish Churches

 Minister:  Rev Dr Graham Houston

16 Abington Road, Symington (01899 308838)

Session Clerks: 

Cairngryffe- Mr Jack Meikle

Glenbow Cottage, Thankerton (01899 308397)

Symington-  Mr Ross Russell

Spindrift, Main Street, Symington (01899 308240)

SUNDAY SERVICES

May, June and August               9.30am   Symington

                                                                                            11.00am   Cairngryffe

Joint Services during July 2010

04^th July Cairngryffe at 11.00am (no service at Symington)

11^th July Symington at 11.00am (no service at Cairngryffe)

18^th July Cairngryffe at 11.00am (no service at Symington)

25^th July Symington at 11.00am (no service at Cairngryffe)

COMMUNION SERVICES

Sunday June 6th       9.30am   Symington

          11.00am   Cairngryffe

Dates to Remember

Saturday June 5th Tinto Village Day at Symington Playing Fields

Sunday June 20th 9.30am   Sunday School Prizegiving, Cairngryffe

Board and Session Meetings

Monday August 16th 7.30pm Kirk Session Cairngryffe.

Monday October 25^th 7.30pm Joint Office Bearers Meeting at Symington.

Monday November 1st 7.30pm   Kirk Session Cairngryffe  

Visit our websites at

www.symingtonkirk.com Webmaster Robert Carson

www.cairngryffekirk.org.uk  Webmaster Jim Watt

From The Manse                                                                        Summer 2010

I hope that you will be able to make time for some time away during the summer. For many it’s the only real break of the year and an important part of our energy gathering for the year to come. Of course ‘holidays’ is rooted in the words holy days, those days in the church calendar when it was the custom to allow people time off work to attend special services. It can still be a time for refreshment and renewal if we set aside time for attending worship in a different place from usual.

Renewal is also a biblical idea which has become part of conversation but in this Pentecost season it means much more that enjoying rest. God makes all things new and includes us if we let him. We hear this from Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16 “Inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” The gospel brings us hope of ongoing renewal and strengthening by the Holy Spirit. Let’s make sure that we are in the place of renewal week by week. And have a happy summer.

Yours in Christ

Graham Houston.

NEWS FROM THE PARISHES

Deaths

Mar 23^rd Cairngryffe Pete Callan 23 Hillcrest Terrace, West End, Carstairs

April 16th, Ronald Dalkin, Brookside, Main Street, Symington

May 11^th Holytown Crematorium Marguerite Kirkpatrick 3 Carding St Symington

May 24^th Daldowie Crematorium Robert Cook 70 Mill Road Thankerton

THE GUILD

Symington Guild

We have also held two fundraisers.  The first being a coffee morning last October in aid of ‘Jeans for Genes’ and funds for our group where we raised a fantastic sum of £222.  The second was in aid of the Unicef ‘Day for Change’ campaign in February where our collection for the day was donated to help children in Mozambique.

SundayZone will return on 5th September at 11.00am.  Hope to see you there!

Donna, Hazel & Susan

CAIRNGRYFFE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

We have nearly finished another Sunday School Year ; many Old and New Testament Stories have been studied and enjoyed by both the children and the leaders.

We will be having our prize-giving and end of term fun-day on Sunday 20th of June.

After the school Summer Holidays our new session will commence on Sunday 22nd of August at 11am and look forward to welcoming children of pre-school and primary school age to our group.

For further information contact; Rosmairi Galloway Telephone; 01555 880779.

New members;

By resolution of Session on 1/3/2010

Mrs Moira and Mr Walter Jarvie, School House, Carmichael.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT CAIRNGRYFFE

his is to keep all our members up to date with what is happening in the Kirk Session at Cairngryffe.

church for a future wedding and his words were “I am completely blown away by your beautiful window”

* The church calendar for 2011is now being put together, this year we have followed a similar theme to 2010 and used old photos to give us more glimpses from the past.

* The visitors in the congregation continue to visit our housebound members and the feedback I get is very positive. Please let me know if you are aware of anyone who you feel should be visited and I will try and arrange this,  if you would like to be a visitor then speak to me please.

*You will notice The new Carmichael School is taking shape and the story is it will be ready for August. The road works to put in the new drainage system appear to be causing more disruption but there will still be ample parking for our services on a Sunday, I am sure it will all be  worth it when it is complete

        Jack Meikle, Session Clerk at Cairngryffe

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT SYMINGTON

We had a very successful ‘Souper Sunday’ on 28 February which was well attended by members.

The choir has finished now for the summer and will resume in late August. Gaynor has expressed appreciation of the commitment from all members and of the support she has received from our friends at Cairngryffe during the past session.  Next year promises to be interesting with a concert in October at Auchenloan and possibly another concert locally in the spring.

CAIRNGRYFFE CHURCH SOCIAL COMMITTEE

The Social Committee held another show of old photographs in Cairngryffe kirk on May 7^th. The audience were treated to a wide range of interesting local items from the kirk’s renovation in 1905 to a selection of 1930’s “bathing belles” from Carmichael Rural. Next on the agenda is a BBQ at Carmichael schoolhouse at 2pm on Sunday 6^th June. For further details phone Moira at the schoolhouse on 01555 880936 or 0781 015 6116 

Charlie Todd  (Convener) 308327

                                            FLOWER LISTS

CAIRNGRYFFE EVERYOUNG CLUB

A Mystery Tour is planned for Thursday 1st July to round off the activities for this session.  Meetings will resume on Thursday 14^th October in Thankerton Village hall at 2.00pm. 

For more information contact Sadie Campbell at 01899 308328

FROM OUR KIRK TREASURERS

Cairngryffe Church

Jan - April 2010

There has also been expenditure of £6,871 for window grills for the church from the Fabric Fund

                                                          Linzi Struthers, Treasurer

Symington Church

Treasurer’s Report

ur Expenditure continues to exceed Income as outlined below. However the tax rebate, resulting from the “Gift Aid” scheme, should offset the balance when it is claimed later in the year.

Robert Carson, Treasurer

PRESBYTERY NEWS

Presbytery Report

The Right Reverend Bill Hewitt, Moderator of the General Assembly, visited Lanark Presbytery in March visiting churches in Carluke, Carstairs and Biggar. He addressed members of Presbytery at their March meeting about the visits he had undertaken in Scotland and also in South Africa and India. He was looking forward to visiting the Holy Land later in his year of office.

You should know by now of the financial problems faced by the Church, and Presbytery is asking church members to pray that the correct decisions on the way forward are made. The May meeting of Presbytery started with a short session of prayer on this.

Also at the May meeting, Mary McLellan from Cairngryffe gave a talk on the ‘New Beginnings’ Charity which assists the homeless in the area.

Presbytery has contacted South Lanarkshire Council to express its dismay concerning the closure of a number of registration offices throughout the area which could have a serious impact on some of the most vulnerable people in our communities at times e.g. of bereavement.

The recent tragic event at Lanark Grammar school highlighted problems faced by the school chaplains who were unable to fulfill their counseling role. Officials from South Lanarkshire and the school senor management felt that the chaplains were not required. Rev Alan Gibson noted that during a similar situation at Carstairs Primary, the head teacher had given him full support and encouragement to counsel the pupils.

We have also been joined by Ross Russell (Session Clerk at Symington), who is working on a Symington volume and Tom Brown who is working on Libberton/Quothquan. Volunteers to work on other parishes would be most welcome as would a loan of further photographs and postcards.    

NEW WEBSITE PROMOTING THE AREA

www.biggar,org.uk has just been launched.  Covering the ML12 area, it is designed to help businesses promote themselves; to assist organisations and communities develop and interact more extensively; to attract more visitors.

An entry on the site is free for 2010. 

Please contact Joan Keys on 01899 221259

PRAYER  PAGE

Prayer and Praise Services

Cairngryffe and Symington churches look forward to welcoming everyone for this final Prayer & Praise in this session. If you know of anyone who is on their own and might enjoy a bit of company and fellowship please bring them along to the next Payer and Praise on the Thursday 3^rd June at Cairngryffe Church.

If you find coming difficult because of transport issues please contact either Sandra Stewart or George Mathew and we will try to arrange a lift.

In both Symington and Cairngryffe Church vestibule you will find a box for prayer requests.

This coming Prayer and Praise will be the last until September when we are expecting to have a change of day. The date and time of the next Prayer and Praise will be intimated nearer September.

Keep the following in your thoughts and Prayers:

·         All who are recovering from major surgery or illness. For those who are still sick, at home and in hospital, and for the bereaved.

·         The continuing conflict in Afghanistan and our Armed Forces working there.

·         The Church of Scotland General Assembly and the many important issues that will be discussed at this.

·         Our minister Graham his wife Irene and their family.

·         The agencies who work with people who have drug and alcohol abuse problems.

·         Remember all who are homeless and the Agencies working with those affected.

·         New Beginnings – Clydesdale as it continues to grow and for the volunteers who are working to help provide starter packs for people who were previously homeless and have just moved in to new accommodation.   

Lord God be with us through these summer months. Help us to keep in our prayers the many issues we have brought before you these past months.

You know our needs and the needs of all the people and situations we have prayed for. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

Prayer Promoters

Cairngryffe – Sandra Stewart Tel: 01555 880655

Symington – George Mathew Tel: 01899 308648

Editor's Note

Thank you to all contributors who provided the information contained in this newsletter.

The autumn edition of FOCUS will be issued early in September. Contributions from both community and church groups and organisations, covering the period from September 2010 up to the end of November 2010 should be sent to me by

Sunday 29th August 2010 at the latest.

For those organisations which have an annual syllabus, it would be very helpful if I could receive a copy prior to the August deadline.

The Editor Charlie Todd can be reached at: - 63 Station Road, Thankerton, ML12 6NZ     Tel: 01899 308327

or by email at charles.todd@southlanarkshire.gov.uk