JUNE 2015

G O O D N EW S F R O M I N C H B R A Y O C K A N D M E L V I L L E S O U T H K I R K S , M O N T R O S E

Inside this issue:

From the Editor 2

Changes at the Oasis 2

Your Loving Substitute 3

Waste not, want not 4

Summer Delight 4

100 points to get into Heaven

4

Young people forging ahead 1

5

Word for Today 5

From our Youth

Worker 6

Young people forging ahead 2 7

Farmer Math 7

Letters to a Pastor 7

Stamp Appeal 8

Most of you will be wondering where

things are in relation to the vacancy we

have for a minister to replace the Rev.

David Dixon and to the future of our two

churches.

The Kirk Sessions of both churches have

met separately and jointly on several

occasions to discuss how best to move this

forward and the decision was taken to

explore the possibility of a union.

After discussions with the Presbytery

Vacancy Advisory Committee, an approach

was made to Presbytery to put the vacancy

procedure on hold and to instruct the

Mission and Appraisal Group to begin

exploratory talks with both Kirk Sessions.

A citation about this was read to both

congregations on 30 November 2014.

A meeting has taken place with

Presbytery’s Mission and Appraisal Group

and a team of six elders, three from each

session, has been formed to draw up a

proposal for a basis of union. This will be

discussed with both full sessions and, when

finalised, will be put formally to each

congregation to vote for or against. Before

that there will be a meeting (or meetings) of

each congregation to give an opportunity

for members to ask questions and raise any

points of concern.

Why propose a union? Our congregations have responsibility

for outreach to the south side of

Montrose where there is a great need –

and great opportunity. We feel that we

can carry out this mission best if we are

(Continued on page 3)

Our joint future? How our thinking is progressing

What is the connection between the Tay Bridge Disaster and Inchbrayock

Church?

Go to page 4 to find out the answer.

2

Earlier this year, I went to one of

the best Christian conferences I

have ever attended. It was led by J

Warner Wallace, a cold case

detective in Los Angeles who is

also an ordained minister.

J Warner Wallace was an atheist

until he was 35 when he decided to

apply his detective skills to

answering the question: is the

evidence for the Christian faith

reliable. He answered yes and

became a Christian.

One editorial cannot do justice to

what he taught us. He provided

insights into the attitude of an

atheist to Christianity. He

emphasised that before he was

interested in what the Bible said he

had to be persuaded by external

evidence that what the Bible said

was true. His experience is that few

Christians are able to give the

answers that atheists were seeking.

He suggested that atheists do not

see why they should consider

Christianity if Christians are not

prepared to take the time to find out

the answers to these questions.

J Warner Wallace also

emphasised how important he

believes it to be that Christians do

find out these answers. He pointed

out that in recent years atheists have

become more aggressive in their

attitudes towards Christians. It may

be that this aggressiveness is less

pronounced in UK than in USA at

present but often what starts in

USA eventually reaches UK. It is

vital that Christians have the tools

to withstand this aggression.

Sometimes, as Christians, we can

influence non Christians with our

personal testimony. But what if the

non Christian gives a personal

testimony that conflicts with ours?

Can we provide the evidence that

corroborates what we say? Can we

be effective case makers for Christ?

Can we be witnesses for Jesus

wherever and whenever we have

the opportunity.

For more information on J

Warner Wallace go to http://

coldcasechristianity.com/.

Picture—J Warner Wallace.

FROM THE

EDITOR

We’re online

Check us out

On 21st April, the new website of the two congregations went online at

http://www.inchbrayock-melvillesouth.org/

Visit us and find out what the website

has to offer

Change in use – we recently

experienced an increased

volume of clients – both an

encouragement to our faithful

volunteers and a salutary

reminder of the current state of

our society in which such a

service is needed.

There was a positive response

from our volunteers to the

suggestion that we should

continue into May and June; so

as an experiment the lunches

will continue in the meantime.

Client need is ever changing

from week to week, but we try

to keep a consistent welcome

to all, whether few or many.

Changes in personnel –

inevitable as people’s

circumstances change. We are

grateful for all the service

given. It is perhaps permissible

to mention just two of them .

Joan Christie, through whose

inspiration and initial activity

the whole project came into

being, will be much missed.

Tribute should also be paid to

Mrs Margaret Socha who

recently passed to her rest. She

gave great material support and

encouragement, particularly in

the early days.

However the good news is that

some new volunteers have

come forward to join the team

– whether to make soup or

serve it and chat to the clients,

provide supplies for the

cupboard or keep the key – all

have their part to play – not

least the support of the church

in allowing us the use of the

hall at a minimal rent.

Constant change is here to stay

– but God’s mercy endures for

ever.

Elizabeth Anderson

Changes at the

Oasis!

3

united. At present we support each other’s

activities but it’s in an informal

way. Combining all of our

resources (of which people are the

most important), planning together,

working and worshipping together

will help us make a bigger impact in

all the activities we carry out. There are good practical reasons

why we cannot continue to

operate in the way we have done

in the past.

In both congregations we have

dwindling financial reserves and

rising age profiles which have

resulted in falling membership.

Because of reduced income and

additional expenses, with expensive

buildings to maintain, both

congregations have annual deficits

which, if continued, will lead to

serious financial problems sooner

rather than later. We want to reverse

this trend through growth and feel

that supporting each other much

more closely through a union would

be the best way of doing that. We

also feel that a united congregation

would be more attractive to an

incoming minister and would allow

him or her to work most effectively.

What next?

One big issue has to be tackled first.

We feel that the most effective way

to serve our people would be to

have a centre of ministry in each

parish. We realise that this is an

expensive option and that it might

not be possible to achieve but in the

first instance we are urgently

seeking advice which will help us

decide what to propose.

Beyond that there are many

practicalities to discuss – how many

services there should be, where they

should be held, arrangements to

help everyone get to worship and to

other activities.….. We would want

to hear from you about your

thoughts and hopes for these and all

other aspects of the work ahead and

a new minister would obviously

have an input. We will keep you

updated whenever there is

something of importance to tell you

about and would hope that there

would be an opportunity for each

congregation to meet to voice

thoughts, opinions and any concerns

soon after the publication of this

issue of Bridge.

Please pray for God's will in this

matter to be made known and for

wisdom for all concerned to

recognise His will and have the

courage and faith to follow His

lead.

Jim Kellas, Roy Nelson,

Allan Duncan, Ken Linton,

Alan Fraser, Gordon Penman

(Steering Committee on behalf of

the two Kirk Sessions)

Our joint future? (Continued from page 1)

David Wiles, CEO of Frontier Youth Trust, tells of a

little girl named Liz, who was suffering from a rare and

serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared

to be a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother,

who had miraculously survived the same disease and

had developed the antibodies needed to combat the

illness. The doctor explained the situation to her

younger brother and asked the little boy if he would be

willing to give his blood to his sister. He hesitated for

only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,

‘Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.’

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to

his sister, and smiled, as they all did, seeing the colour

returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his

smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with

a trembling voice, ‘Will I start to die right away?’

The little boy had misunderstood the doctor. He

thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his

blood in order to save her. This boy loved his sister so

much that he was willing to die instead of her – as her

substitute.

God loves you. The amazing and wonderful message

of the Bible is that God came to this earth in the person

of his Son, Jesus Christ, and died in your place. Words,

images, metaphors, pictures and illustrations (such as

that of the five-year-old boy) can help our

understanding, but they can never perfectly describe the

indescribable love of God. Jesus died for our sins. He

died instead of you and me (Mark 10:45).

Your Loving Substitute This year Nicky Gumbel is writing a daily email devotional called the 'Bible in One Year'. Each day you can receive

a portion of the Bible to read plus an insightful commentary.

The following story is an example of what appears in “Bible in One Year.” Sign up for this great resource today at

http://www.bibleinoneyear.org/.

Inchbrayock Cafe

Inchbrayock

Church Hall

Fridays

2 to 4 pm

All welcome

4

These three photos may not seem to have much in

common, but they do. The centre one holds the key. It

is a picture of the terrible disaster when the original Tay

Rail Bridge collapsed in a storm in 1879.

When the railway bridge was rebuilt, many of the

original girders were reused but some were sold off for

scrap. At that time, It appears the heavy, wide-span roof

of Inchbrayock Church required the strengthening of

the walls supporting it, and the lattice-span girders of

the Tay Bridge were a perfect, and cost-effective, way

of adding strength and stability to the church.

The girder section used to tie the north and south

walls (adding strength and preventing the walls

splaying outwards) is the largest and consists of one

side of a box girder used on the lower spans of the first

Tay Bridge. The cast iron beams and supporting bars

are riveted and bolted together. The girder was built

into the wallheads and is supported on box-section iron

uprights attached to the walls. Smaller girder sections

stretch from the east to west walls.

So the recycled beams form the connection between

the original Tay Bridge and Inchbrayock but what about

the Irn-Bru? Of course, Inchbrayock isn’t the only

thing ‘ made from girders.’

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

150g dry bread crumbs

60g grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast

halves

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

(175 degrees C).

2.Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking

dish.

3.In a bowl, blend the olive oil and

garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the

bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese,

basil, and pepper.

4.Dip each chicken breast in the oil

mixture, then in the bread crumb

mixture.

5.Arrange the coated chicken

breasts in the prepared baking

dish, and top with any remaining

bread crumb mixture.

6.Bake 30 minutes in the preheated

oven, or until chicken is no longer

pink and juices run clear.

Summer Delight Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at

the pearly gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100

points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good

things you've done, and I give you a certain number of

points for each item, depending on how good it was.

When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay" the man says, "I attended church every Sunday"

"That's good, says St. Peter, " that's worth two points"

"Two points?" he says. "Well, I gave 10% of all my

earnings to the church"

"Well, let's see," answers Peter, "that's worth another 2

points. Did you do anything else?"

"Two points? Golly. How about this: I started a soup

kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless

veterans."

"Fantastic, that's certainly worth a point, " he says.

"hmmm...," the man says, "I was married to the same

woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in

my heart."

"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three

points!"

"THREE POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the

only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"

"Come on in!"

100 points to get into Heaven

Waste not, want not

5

Ask God for a Mountain (1) ‘…give me this mountain…’

Joshua 14:12

Why would someone ask God for a mountain? Because when

you tackle something bigger than yourself: 1) you grow; 2) you

learn to depend on God; 3) you get to celebrate big victories.

Caleb said: ‘…here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still

as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as

vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me

that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified,

but, with the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said’ (vv. 10-12 NIV). Anybody can

occupy the flat ground, but it takes faith in God to tackle a mountain. What’s more, that’s where the

Anakites—the giants—lived. These guys were so big they caused ten of Moses’ spies to say, ‘…Next to

them we felt like grasshoppers ...’ (Numbers 13:33 NLT). You’d think at eighty-five Caleb would have

asked for a nice cottage in Shalom Acres! But no, he wanted another battle and another victory before he

checked out. Stop asking God for a problem-free life, otherwise you might die of boredom. It’s in

working to solve problems and overcome challenges that you become the person God wants you to be. So

ask Him for a task that will keep you learning, growing, uncomfortable, and hungry for

significance. When you pray, ‘God, use me,’ be prepared to encounter four things: adventure, danger,

risk, and reward. How about it—are you up for a little excitement?

This appeared recently in “The Word for Today” . Word for Today notes are produced by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) and can be received, free of charge, from PO Box 255, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY (Tel: 01782 642000; email: ucb@ucb.co.uk or visit www.ucb.co.uk)

A t a time

when

there is

so much

talk about the church

being in decline, with

young people in

particular being

absent, it's good to be

able to report that the

10:10 club has gone

from strength to

strength this session.

Around 20 youngsters,

from both

Inchbrayock and

Melville South

Churches with many

from no church at all,

are on the register

with the average attendance being

15/16.

The club has gained some new

members this year. When we

asked John, Zoe, Megan, Abbie

and Charlie why they started

coming, this is what they said:

' My brother went and a friend

went and it sounded good '

' I was told it was great fun. '

' A friend told me about it and

said it was good fun. '

' My sister used to speak about it.

She really enjoyed it. '

Some members have been

coming for years. ' Why do you

keep coming? ' we asked.

' People are friendly. '

' We like the people - including the

leaders. ' (fortunately!)

' It's fun and we enjoy it. '

' I enjoy the activities '.

These were the responses from

Elice, Dexter, Chloe, and

MIchaela.

Anna, Logan, Brendon, Heather,

Elise and Craig were asked what

they enjoyed.

' Noodle hockey. '

' Drama. '

' Being able to come to escape

troubles from outside. '

' Outdoor activities. '

‘Tray wars.’

' The Easter egg hunt

in the dark. '

As you can see, the

activities have been

very varied. A

highlight of the

session has been the

Family Quiz Night

organised by the

members of the club

who presented the

quiz, baked for the

refreshments and

provided

entertainment. It was

a night to invite

families along but it

was also a fundraiser

for the eagerly anticipated

weekend in Pitlochry in

September. £470 was raised.

There is also the 10:10+ group,

comprising 5 or 6 club members

who want to think more deeply

about the Christian faith. This

group meets every second

Tuesday, it's a time for socialising

and frank discussion often based

around Christian DVD material.

Many people in both churches

have supported these groups in

practical ways and especially in

prayer. Thank you for this, it is

vital and very much appreciated.

Young people forging ahead 1

10:10 is growing

6

It has now been a year since I started in the position of Youth and Children’s Worker and it has been a very

busy year. We have made some great contacts and this is continuing to grow.

We celebrated Fairtrade fortnight at the end of February and a number of events took place involving the young

people of Montrose. A great example of this is Ferryden Primary School who have a great Fairtrade committee

made up of 2 pupils from each year group. They have worked hard at developing this group and this year they

taught the rest of the school and some parents about Fairtrade at an assembly. They also sang the Fischy music song

“I can make a difference” with the lyrics “I can make a difference, you can make a difference, we can make a dif-

ference in this world of ours” which summed up the assembly perfectly. The Fairtrade committee have also intro-

duced a Fairtrade cafe to the village at the Inchbrayock hall. They bake their own cakes using Fairtrade ingredients

and serve fair-trade tea, coffee and hot chocolate. We have had two successful cafes so far and the final one this

term is in June.

Following on from “Bubblegum n Fluff” which concentrated on the real meaning of Christmas, we celebrated

Easter with the programme “Easter Code”. 23 Primary 6 aged children from Ferryden attended a morning at

Inchbrayock church hall where they

looked at the story of Easter through

a number of different stations which

involved washing their feet, being

part of a crowd and eating a last

supper. This then followed with 55

p6 children from Lochside Primary

attending a very similar event at the

Old and St Andrews church hall the

following week. Due to the number

of children the programme changed

slightly although the message of

Easter was prominent throughout.

Although all the children had heard

about Easter and celebrated with

chocolate eggs, many did not know

the real Easter Story and to be able

to share that with over 70 local chil-

dren is brilliant.

Moving on, I am looking at intro-

ducing Pentecost to the Primary 7

children through a programme

called “Popcorn and Cake” which is

just as much fun as it sounds. I am

also working on introducing “Bible

Alive” into the Montrose primary

schools after the summer term.

Emma Duncan

I’ve had a warm welcome in the

primary schools where I have been

working and there are good

opportunities to do more. Could

you help me to extend this

important work?

I have organised three activities

where primary pupils have come

to churches for 2 hour sessions

about Christmas (Bubblegum n’

Fluff), Easter (Easter Code) and

Pentecost (Popcorn and Cake). The

children have had fun and learned

a lot and it would be great to give

more children the opportunity.

I am also preparing a course to

take the Bible into Primary

Schools.

It’s called Bible Alive and it

introduces children to important

Bible stories through drama, music

and multimedia. I hope to present

this to lots of primary children.

For these activities I need people

who could –

Work upfront with the

children

Help with any crafts

Make costumes

Make props

I am also on the lookout for any

props, costumes, material, puppets

or anything which you may not

need any more but could be used

with the children.

If you could help, that would be

great . Please get in touch – my

mobile number is 07825547671

and my email address is

emz8285@hotmail.com.

Thank you for your continued

support.

From

Our Youth Worker

Can you help?

An appeal From Emma

7

A Farmer died leaving his

17 horses to his three sons.

When his sons opened up his

will it read:

“My eldest son should get

1/2 (one half) of the total

horses; my middle son

should get 1/3 (one third) of

the total horses; my youngest

son should get 1/9 (one

ninth) of the total horses.”

As it’s impossible to divide

17 by 2 or 3 or 9, the three

sons started to fight with

each other. So they decided

to go to a farmer friend

whom they considered quite

smart, to see if he could work

it out for them.

The farmer friend read the

will patiently. After giving

due thought, he brought one

of his own horses over and added it to the 17. That

increased the total to 18 horses. Now, he divided the

horses according to their father’s will:

Half of 18=9. So he gave the eldest son 9 horses.

1/3 of 18=6. So he gave the middle son 6 horses.

1/9 of 18=2. So he gave the eldest son 2 horses.

Now add up how many horses they have:

Eldest son 9

Middle son 6

Youngest son 2

TOTAL IS 17

This leaves one horse over,

so the farmer friend takes his

horse back to his farm.

Problem Solved!

Moral: the attitude of

negotiation and problem

solving is to find the 18th

horse, i.e. the common

ground. Once a person is

able to find the 18th horse,

the issue is resolved. It is

difficult at times. However,

to reach a solution, the first

step is to believe that there is

a solution. If we think that

there is no solution, we won’t

be able to reach any.

And the best 18th horse of all is Jesus. When God saw

all the turmoil and fighting in the world, He sent Jesus

to be the solution. God took him back to be with Him,

once Jesus had made that solution clear. When each of

us accepts that solution, our life will be completely

changed. Once this world accepts that solution, it will

be transformed.

Farmer Math

The cafe facilities in

Inchbrayock Church

Hall have been

extended - but not by

the usual Friday

afternoon helpers. A

once a month

Fairtrade Cafe has

been started by the

Fair Trade Group in

Ferryden Primary

School.

The group has been

running for a few

months. It is made up

of two pupils from

each class in the

school. The first

activity was a school

assembly about Fair

Trade, what it is, why it is

important and how people can get

involved. Then the group had the

bright idea of holding a cafe using

Fair Trade products and home

baking. The pupils in the group

did the baking themselves, with

supervision and no doubt a little

help from parents. On a cafe day,

the pupils set the tables, serve the

food and drinks, staff

a stall of Fair Trade

goods and do all the

tidying up.

The money raised is

for an excellent cause,

supporting the

school’s link with

Luhomero Primary

School in Malawi, and

it is hoped that it can

be used to buy things

which our schools

take for granted but

which financially are

well out of reach of

Malawi schools. So if

you're free on the first

Wednesday of each

school month, why

not come along to support the

pupils and a worthy cause, and

have a refreshment in pleasant

surroundings? You would be

most welcome.

Young people forging ahead 2 Another Cafe

Letters to a Pastor

Dear Pastor, My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at church every week even if she has a cold.

Annette. Age 9,

Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished. Ralph, Age 11.

Useful Contacts Interim Moderator/

Locum Rev. Alastair Morrice ambishkek@swissmail.org or 1575 574102

Editor Mr Ian Davidson Email:mail@idavidson.co.uk

INCHBRAYOCK:

Session Clerk Mr James Kellas 20 Graham Crescent, Montrose

Clerk to the Board Dr Douglas Craig hornblower7@btinternet.com or 01674 958285

Treasurer Mr Allan Duncan Balgove House, Craig, By Montrose

MELVILLE SOUTH:

Session Clerk Mr Roy Nelson 26 Provost Mitchell Road, Montrose Tel: 672873

Church Administrator Mrs Tessa Shearer 100 Castle Street, Montrose

Clerk to the Board Mrs Rosemary Nelson 26 Provost Mitchell Road, Montrose Tel: 672873

Treasurer Mrs LesleyAnn Paterson 40 Grampian View, Ferryden, Montrose

Stamp Appeal

This year the Church of Scotland Stamp Appeal will support

the work of the Church of Scotland HIV Programme which

supports partners both in Scotland and overseas to support

those infected and affected by HIV.

HIV and AIDS do not often make the headlines these days.

Many people think that the problems caused by the global

epidemic are things of the past. Unfortunately, it is still an issue,

particularly for our partner churches in sub-Saharan Africa and

Asia.

There is still no vaccine against HIV, and while retroviral

treatment is available for those lucky enough to access it, there is

still no cure. Each year over 1.5 million people die of HIV- and

AIDS- related illnesses, and over 2 million new

infections are recorded. There are still a huge number

of children who have lost one or both parents to HIV,

and who are reliant on the extended family or

community to care for them.

For over 12 years, thanks to the generosity of church

members and their fund-raising, the Church of

Scotland HIV Programme has been able to offer

support to partner churches overseas as they engage

with the reality of HIV and AIDS in their

communities; nearer to home, we also support local

organisations in Scotland who are reaching out to

families infected and affected by HIV.

The projects we support at home and overseas run

education awareness programmes, support orphans

and vulnerable children, train volunteers to provide

home-based care, facilitate support groups for people

living with HIV so that they can live positively in

every sense of the word. They also challenge the

stigma and discrimination which so often

accompanies an HIV+ diagnosis.

Bridge is the official publication of Inchbrayock Parish Church of Scotland (SCOO9017)and Montrose Melville

South Church of Scotland (SCOO9016), both charities registered in Scotland .

Used stamps needed

Please collect your used stamps and place them in the bin in

either church entrance. These are sorted and sold, the

money raised helping the World Mission Council to support the work of the Church of Scotland

HIV Programme which h partners both in Scotland and overseas to

support those infected and affected by HIV.