NEWSLETTER: OCTOBER 2016I am slowly getting back to normal after my time in Ghana. Ten days of

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visiting churches, schools, orphanages and hospitals as well as meeting office bearers of the church and spending time with the local people. It was a wonderful experience. I was in Kwahu as Moderator of Hamilton Presbytery along with four other members of the Presbytery. The two Presbyteries, Hamilton and Kwahu have been in a twinning arrangement for some years now and representatives from Kwahu had visited Hamilton. The purpose of these twinnings is primarily to build on our fellowship with each other, and of course to support each other in prayer and in other practical ways in our work for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. By European standards most of the people of Ghana are very poor. And many of what we would consider the basics in life just aren’t possible for most. For example, we visited communities where not only was there no water on tap, but the “well” water was of very poor quality. We visited schools where they had no paper or pencils or books, and some had no desks or chairs or toilet facilities. We visited a hospital where all the equipment in the operating theatre was “ancient” and some of it did not work at all. While there were no major signs of people being undernourished, it became obvious very quickly that for many, food was in short supply. I had the privilege of giving to several schools and one orphanage the gifts of art work and toys that we purchased from the retiral offering that we had at Crosshill and St Margaret’s. I cannot describe the joy on the teachers and children’s faces when they received these gifts! And without fail, every teacher said the same thing, “give your people our thanks, God bless them and we will be praying for them”.Everywhere we went the same sentiment was expressed... “Thank you…God bless you…We will pray for you.” At first I thought that the Kwahu ministers had coached the teachers on how to respond to the visitors from Scotland, but no! that was not the case. The truth is that when it comes to matters of thanksgiving, faith and prayer, the people we met are leagues ahead of us.I must confess I found it difficult to understand how people with so little could be so thankful for what they have, but they are.When it comes to God they speak about God being in everything, “God talk” enters into everything. For example, they pray before they go on a journey for “travelling mercies”; they welcome each other with a word that translates as the “peace of God be with you”; one local asked me if I had slept well the night before, when I told him that I had, his response was, “Wonderful, by the Grace of God!” And when it comes to worship services, well that was a whole new experience for me.Two main services on a Sunday, the first starts at 7am and lasts till 9.30am. The second starts at 10am till 2.30pm. Yes, this is not a typo: a 4 ½ hour worship service! …filled with Hymns, prayers, dancing, bible study, sermons, scripture reading, dancing, dancing, oh, have I mentioned dancing.

Over the next few weeks during our worship services I will tell some stories of my time in Ghana, and I look forward to sharing them with you. I will also speak about how we as a congregation can “twin” with a congregation in the Presbytery of Kwahu. Also, I need to tell you that very soon, hopefully within the next fortnight, we will have a new website for Crosshill and St Margaret’s. The website address will be given out shortly, and you will be able to view many pictures and videos from my visit to Ghana on this site. The website will I hope be used by our members and visitors and help us to keep up to date with all that is happening in both Crosshill and St Margaret’s congregations. It is also hoped that you will be able to watch the Sunday morning services on line, although that will not be a good reason not to come to church…unless of course you want to dance in your living room?

God Bless you allYour friend and minsterGavin W Black

  

Senior Citizens Social

The Senior Citizens Social this year is being held on Sunday 11th December from 3.30 – 5.30pm. Your invitations have been delivered along with this magazine and we would like them back by 20th November if possible.If you are 70 years old or over and have not received an invitation, please do not take offence - it is because you look younger than your age!! Please contact Betty Usher or myself and we will make sure your name is added to the list.Look forward to seeing you there.Hazel Walsh

THANK YOU Mrs Moyra Scott wishes to thank all her friends at Crosshill Church for the lovely cards received during her recent hospital stay. She would also like to say thanks for the lovely flowers and plants received from the Church and the Guild. Many thanks to Gavin and Ian for their most welcome visits which were much appreciated. I would like to thank Rev Gavin Black, Ian Douglas and members of Crosshill for your

continued support while I was recovering from knee surgery. It has been very uplifting and supportive that so many of you have continually enquired and been concerned for my wellbeing over the past two and a half years. I can only thank you all again. God Bless.Isabel Martin Christine Johnston would like to thank her friends in the Church for the lovely flowers, the Guild for the card and plant, and for cards and visits, all very much appreciated. Moyra Duthart would like to thank Rev Gavin Black and Ian Douglas for their visits to her husband when he was in hospital. The flowers from the Guild and the Church were very much appreciated. CRAFT CLUB The Craft Club has got off to a good start this session and will continue to meet fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons from 1 - 3 pm. The dates for October are Tuesday 11th and 25th. A warm welcome is extended to former and new members to come along and join the group,It is hoped to hold an Open Day on Tuesday 22nd November when there will be an opportunity to make either a Christmas Tree Wall Hanging or a small Christmas Tree made from a polystyrene cone and ribbon. So that we will have sufficient materials available, we will be issuing shortly free tickets to those who wish to come along. Meantime, can we please remind you to save the plastic tops from the milk cartons and small bottles of water/juice as these will form part of the Christmas Craft.Ishbel Sheridan, on behalf of the Craft Club

URBAN SAINTS

The Urban Saints has started back for it's second year with over 30 young people joining us every week for games, crafts, stories and lots of noise. Our recent purchase of equipment to play "human hungry hippos" was a great hit. You can see what we are doing week by week on our Facebook page. 

FAIRTRADE STALL The FairTrade Stall continues to be well supported every month- thank you. The Stall has been stocked up with dried fruit ready for the bakers among you to prepare for Christmas. The Christmas brochure is available for any orders- the deadline for orders is 13th November to ensure items arrive well in time for Christmas. Sample cards are available to view in the large hall after the service. CONGREGATIONAL PROJECT- LANARKSHIRE BABY BANK

The visit in June from Bernadette Murphy had a great impact on members of the congregation as there have been many enquiries about what items can be donated.There is now a box in the large hall where any if the following items can be put- nappies, baby wipes, baby food (jars or dried baby milk etc), bibs, children's toothbrushes, bowls, cutlery, baby shampoo etc, clothes, toys. As any parent knows the list is endless. As it comes into the colder weather hats, gloves , small wellies etc will also be very helpful. Thank you to those of you who have already donated lovely hand knitting and many items lovingly used by your grand children. So far over 1000 babies/children/ families have been helped.    THE GUILD

The Guild Session 2016-17 started with the Dedication Service held on Tuesday 27th

September in the Church. We have a varied and interesting Syllabus for this Session and would like to welcome new members and visitors to join us on our Guild evenings. On Tuesday 4th October we will have a Speaker from the Heritage Centre describing the History of the Cinema especially in the Motherwell area. On Tuesday 18th October a Speaker from North Lanarkshire Council will tell us about their “Care and Repair Service.” On November 1st Chris Connelly will describe the work of the Salvation Army. The Guild meetings are on alternate Tuesday evenings at 7.15pm in the Large Hall. Please join us to enjoy the Fellowship of our meetings and a very welcome cup of tea or coffee.

YOUTH CLUB

The youth club for secondary school age, meets on a Sunday evening. The regulars have returned with some new faces that have out-grown the Urban Saints. We have tried some new activities already with many planned for the coming months. The Youth Club have decided to support the Congregational project- Lanarkshire Baby Bank- by instead of handing in a collection the first Sunday of every month they will bring an item to donate to the Baby Bank. They have also offered to go to the Baby Bank unit to help sort out the items donated- just waiting on a date to be confirmed. We would like to thank Emily Lang, Craig Shaw and Ross Frame, who all gave up the first week of their school holiday to help with the Summer Club this year. Samaritan's Purse Christmas shoe box appealThe Youth Club also wish to co-ordinate a collection for the Samaritan's Purse Christmas shoe box appeal. They have 50 shoe boxes ready to be filled with any of the following items:

Toys: include a toy that a child can love e.g. a doll or a cuddly toy, toy car, skipping rope, yo-yo, ball, small puzzle, musical instrument.School supplies: pens, pencils, crayons, rubber, sharpener, paper, colouring books, solar calculator.Hygiene items- toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, flannel, bar of wrapped soapOther items- hat, gloves, scarf, hair accessories. The boxes will be split between boys/ girls and the following ages: 2-4, 5-9 and 19-14.We are not asking for everyone to fill a complete box but donate any item that can be added to a part filled box. A leaflet with all the details can be obtained from the Youth Club or please see the Church notice board.  

A POEM!The grounds around the Church were a disgrace. They were beginning to look like a maze – But to pass them now, you can’t help but go ‘Wow’ and give them a lingering gaze. The call went out for some aidTo use a hoe or even a spadeFilling sixteen bags was some taskIn the result of which they can baskThe team worked together like a crewNever was so much owed by so many to so few! 

 TREASURER’S REPORT

2015 September 2016       

£862.07     £679.00£725.40     £647.43£1,477.50     £900.60£723.50     £641.05£2,589.50 BANKERS PYTS £2,258.50£6,377.97 TOTAL £5,126.58£55,713.40 TOTAL TO DATE £52,849.65£1,428.55 AVERAGE TO DATE £1,355.12

Total giving to date is down by £2863.75, a weekly average reduction of £73.43. The following is an extract Of Financial Report, Year ended 31 st December 2015 given by the Treasurer, Graham Neilson B.Acc. during the Annual Business Meeting held on Tuesday 29 th March 2016.

2015 was a challenging year for the Church. Income reduced and there was an urgent need to effect repairs and refurbishments all of which were expensive or will prove to be expensive. Principal sources of income were Gift Aid Donations of £59,214 (4% decrease on 2014), Weekly Freewill Offerings of £14060 (6% decrease on 2014), Tax Recovered on Gift Aid Donations of £18641 and Other Offerings and Donations of £7326 (6% increase on 2014). Overall our donations decreased by £4152 (4%) from 2014 to 2015. We continue to encourage members to gift aid their donations and use direct bankers payments. We encourage use of the Church facilities by outside parties but in 2015 we lost another let. We continue to hope that we can make alterations to our building and facilities which will attract prospective lets in the future, having a positive impact on our rental income. Interest rates again remained at a record low and continued to decrease throughout the year. In order to maximise the interest income generated we regularly review our investment accounts.Expenditure increased to £121,881. Most items of general expenditure were broadly in line with 2014 and the budget. The exceptions to this are the repairs costs and extraordinary expenditure on the Manse Windows. Consequently the year ended with an overall deficit of £14,790. However, this was entirely a consequence of the Manse Windows without which we would have managed a small surplus of £5771. 2016 will continue to be challenging as we have to continue to upgrade our buildings to make them safer and more accessible.

GRASPING THE NETTLE—what is the nettle?

It is the sometimes controversial – even prickly – subject of science and God.

IN A NUTSHELL: * There is a widespread view that there is a battle between science and God as conflicting explanations for our existence and that science has all but won. *Science has a public image of being a form of learning preserved for experts; one to which ordinary folk have little or no access. Consequently, Christians typically feel daunted about entering the science and God arena. * There is a contrasting view of science and God. It maintains that both are complementary, not conflicting, ways of investigating our existence. This view is well supported by the scientific evidence but it appears that the microphone is in the tight grip of those who dismiss God as having any role in creation and in our contemporary world. This is a nettle which, in significant numbers, Christians across Scotland are eager to ‘grasp’. The GTN strategy involves Christians working at both LOCAL LEVEL and PUBLIC LEVEL. In this way Grasping the Nettle is taking root in individual churches and communities while at the

same time developing a national profile. Each nurtures the other.Locally, GTN offers a variety of ways of exploring the subject of science and God with the aim of introducing thousands across the country to the astonishing wonders of our existence and exploring how science itself can provide powerful evidence that points to a creator’s mind at work. The main resource is EXPLORING THE GOD QUESTION which in six half hour documentaries takes viewers on a journey that begins 13.8 billion years ago at the birth of the universe and ends with the wonders of the human mind and brain. For more details, see www.thegodquestion.tv/explore. With the experience of Exploring the God Question behind them, Christians will have a much better grasp of the issues and even be confident enough to discuss them with those who have assumed until now that science and God are in conflict. Increasingly, churches are also EXPLORING THE GOD QUESTION in their COMMUNITIES, in venues varying from church halls to hotels and golf clubs to pubs. PUBLICLY, some quite high profile EVENTS are being planned across the country, one of which is likely to be in the SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT building. Discussions have been held with editors about their NEWSPAPERS hosting articles on the GTN agenda. Plans are underway to bring Grasping the Nettle to the BUSINESS COMMUNITY. The subject of science and God features in certain SCHOOL CURRICULA. To support these studies a new series for schools has been launched: INTRODUCING THE GOD QUESTION www.thegodquestion.tv/introduce. GTN has a STEERING BOARD representing major denominations in Scotland: The Church of Scotland, The Free Church of Scotland, The Scottish Episcopal Church, The Baptist Union of Scotland and The Catholic Church through The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. There is also representation of Work Place Chaplaincy Scotland and University Chaplaincy. GTN is supported by a COUNCIL OF ADVISERS drawn from education, media, business, politics, law, academia and the church. We are especially indebted to a succession of Church of Scotland Moderators for their valued support and active participation in GTN. But crucially important is the growing number of ‘AMBASSADORS’ who are being increasingly equipped and encouraged to share the reasons why they are convinced about the existence of a creator. Please visit the Grasping The Nettle website www.graspingthenettle.org or email any questions to office@graspingthenettle.org. There is a newly produced Grasping the Nettle booklet. If you would like an electronic copy, please email your request.  

COFFEE BAR ROTA

9.10.16/27.11.16/29.1.17/19.3.17/7.5.17/25.6.17/13.8.17M Alexander P Archibald S KennedyE Jamieson W Elder

16.10.16/4.12.16/5.2.17/26.3.17/14.5.17/2.7.17/20.8.17J Black D Stewart L HaggertB Usher N Roy 23.10.16/11.12.16/12.2.17/2.4.17/21.5.17/9.7.17/27.8.17L Irving H Walsh P ArchibaldM Gray L Gilmour 11.9.16/30.10.16/18.12.16/19.2.17/9.4.17/28.5.17/16.7.17/3.9.17H Barnstaple M Gardiner N DanskinB Ferguson M Sharp 18.9.16/6.11.16/8.1.17/26.2.17/16.4.17/4.6.17/23.7.17/10.9.17I Paterson H Davison L MillerE Buchanan S Kennedy 25.9.16/13.11.16/15.1.17/5.3.17/23.4.17/11.6.17/30.7.17/17.9.17M Anderson D Swan I CampbellJ Goldie J Valentine 2.10.16/20.11.16/22.1.17/12.3.17/30.4.17/18.6.17/6.8.17/24.9.17S Farrance M Moodie I LamieK Robertson E Neilson

If you know in advance that you will be unable to attend PLEASE arrange a replacement (normally by swapping with someone from another team). At the very least, please notify another member of your team that you will not be there. As a last resort or if at short notice, contact Laura Gilmour on 01698 293676.Please attend 20-30 minutes before Church starts to help set up the Coffee Bar and please bring one pint of milk.Arrange to take it in turns to wash and return the dish towels (you do not need to supply your own).

FLOWER LIST

October 2: Mrs Callan, Coursington Road October 9: Mrs Scott, Ladywell Road October 16: Mrs H Walsh, Woodlands Road October 23: Mrs Stewart, Wellview Drive

Mrs A Duncan October 30: Mrs M Sheldon, Leven Street

Mrs Lyn Taylor

November 6: Miss M Gray, Woodlands Road Miss P Archibald, Glencairn Street

November 13: The Guild November 20: Mrs Moira Gardiner, Woodlands Road November 27: Mrs J Haynes, Kerr Grieve Court

Mrs E Day, Wood Crescent

December 4: Mrs I Campbell, Brogan Crescent Mrs B Urquhart, Catherine Street

December 11: Mrs I Sheridan, Ladywell Road December 18: No names December 25: Mrs M Richmond, Catherine Street

Thanks to everyone who has donated money for the flowers. If anyone else would care to join the list would you contact me? Please check the dates and if I have the wrong date for you please get in touch. Thank you, Janice McIntyre. Tel 01698 358892

SUNDAY DOOR DUTY 2016 3 January/13 March/22 May/31 July/9 October/18 December C Sheridan A Merry E Buchanan J Sheldon Ray Gardiner C Murphy

10 January/20 March/29 May/7 August/16 October/25 December W Talbot A Campbell J Wotherspoon P Elder R McCunn Roy Gardiner

17 January/27 March/5 June/14 August/23 October J Martin A Smith K Robertson K Smith A Steven

24 January/3 April/12 June/21 August/30 October J McDonald E Usher F McDonald H Lang M Findlay A Dunn

31 January/10 April/19 June/28 August/22 6 November M Sharp W Davison A Smith F Currie A Steven Ray Gardiner

7 February/17 April/26 June/4 September/13 November J Martin Roy Gardiner S Smith G Sheridan H Sheridan G Neilson

14 February/24 April/3 July/11 September/20 November W Stewart D Allan J Dykes H Walsh D McIntyre

21 February/1 May/10 July/18 September/27 November R Walsh E Clements C Sheridan E Jamieson I Sheridan S Sheridan

28 February/8 May17 July/25 September/4 DecemberJ Martin C Rundell S DunnJ Rundell D Swan A Dunn 6 March/15 May/24 July/2 October/11 DecemberJ McDonald M Docherty G NeilsonS Kennedy A Campbell J Martin