THE MAGAZINE OF BOTHWELL PARISH CHURCH ‘SCOTLAND’S OLDEST COLLEGIATE CHURCH’

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC0 9819

IN THIS ISSUE

Summer

2015

World Faith Service of Unity P1

Brighter Bothwell P1

Red Sea/Noah’s Ark Donation P2

Church Register P2

From the President P2

Choir Recruiting P2

Statement of Purpose P2

‘A Pilgrimage to Turkey’ P3

Used Stamps Appeal P3

Living the Questions P3

Sunday Rotas Page P4

From the Minister P5

Family Garden Party P5

Summer Car Treasure Hunt P5

Restoration News P5

Autumn issue Deadline P5

Living the Questions P5

World Mission -Used Stamps P5

MESSY Church P6

‘A Little Help …’ Grace Whitton P6

Minister: The Revd. J. M. Gibson, TD.

The Manse of Bothwell, 4 Manse Avenue, Bothwell, G71 8PQ

Tel: 01698 853189. Email: jamesmgibson@msn.com

Church Office Tel: 01698 854903 (Tuesday — Friday 9am-1pm)

Email: bothwellparishoffice@btconnect.com

Church Website: www.bothwellparishchurch.org.uk

Church Centre: 854987 Chapterhouse Café: 858566

GOOD

LUCK

to

ALL

local

Volunteers! …. as they

prepare to

defend and, if possible, improve their

current status as justly proud winners

of last year’s ‘Best Small Town’ in

the annual Beautiful Scotland Awards.

Judging is due to take place around

Bothwell on July 29th. Whatever the

result, our thanks to them all for

working so hard to make our

community such a pleasant place in

which to live. Let’s hope everything

comes right for them.

Scottish Representatives of World Faiths

meet at Bothwell.

On Sunday 14 June, leading representatives of World Faiths in Scotland gathered

together at Bothwell to lend support for an initiative taken by our Minister and

Mushtaq Ahmad OBE, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire.

This influential gathering held a unique Service of Unity, prepared by Mr

Gibson, as a response to recent acts of inhumanity carried out by extreme

fundamentalist Islamic groups in the Middle East and elsewhere in the name of

religion; and, also, to continuing sectarianism and bigotry here in Scotland.

During the Service, each representative denounced violence as an acceptable

means to an end. Acknowledging differences of opinion concerning religious

belief, the representatives declared our common dependence on the earth as our

home and how the value of human worth is found through justice withy peace,

love in our relationships and the willingness to serve one another, even when

sacrifice is demanded.

Our photograph (by N. McPherson) shows representatives of the Baha’i,

Buddhist, Christian (Church of Scotland, Episcopalian & Roman Catholic

Churches), Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faith communities along with

Al Ker our sitar player.

At the end of the Service, each representative agreed to meet annually here at

Bothwell to further strengthen bonds of unity between our religious traditions in

Scotland.

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Baptisms:

April 26th. Claudia Isabella Peterkin, daughter of Emma Peterkin and

the late William Peterkin, 5 Old Bothwell Road, Bothwell.

William Cole Peterkin, son of Emma Peterkin and the late

William Peterkin, 5 Old Bothwell Road, Bothwell.

June 6th. Alexa Grace Allan, daughter of Perry and Emma Allan, 39

Smithycroft, Hamilton.

Marriages:

March 7th. Laura McConachy and Campbell Connor, 67 Reddeer Rd,

Cambuslang. G72 6QA.

May 9th. Rebecca Gilmour and Luke Scott, 54 The Fairways,

Bothwell. G71 8PA.

29th. ` Ashley Millar and Anthony Kelly, 132 Butler Crescent,

Blantyre.G72 9JH.

June 12th. Hayley Bowman and Robert McDonald, 79 Cochrane Street,

The Aim of the Guild

is to invite and encourage

men and women to commit their lives to

Jesus Christ

and enable them to express their faith in

worship, prayer and action.

Statement of Purpose

Bothwell Parish is a congregation of the Church of Scotland and is part of the

worldwide family of people belonging to the Christian Faith, worshipping God

through Jesus Christ. In to the love of God for all, we seek to serve our

community through worship, friendship, care and education; and to promote

Christian values of concern for others, forgiveness, healing and justice

RED SEA

&

NOAH’S

ARK

SUNDAY

CLUBS

Thanks to the generosity of parents,

friends and our congregation we

raised £333 at our Nativity Play last

December. This was sent to our

former Assistant Reader Mrs Monica

MacDonald who remains our

Scottish link with the Place of

Restoration an orphanage for

Children near Durban in South

Africa. As a result, along with Will

Hepburn and his mum Aileen, I

travelled through to meet Monica

and two ladies from the orphanage

visiting Scotland.

We heard an update of their work

and how children are eventually

fostered and adopted by families in

the local community.

On behalf of our Sunday Clubs, Will

received the gift of special

bookmarks and pin badges which

were made at the orphanage. Will

happened to be the only child present

in a group of forty adults and proved

himself the perfect representative of

our church. Well done, Will !

Though this information is coming as

we head into summer, we would still

like to say a special thank you to

everyone who kindly contributed

towards our fundraising at Christmas

from the Guild President

Hello Everyone and, I mean, Everyone

I am privileged to be the President of the Church of Scotland Guild at Bothwell.

Indeed, I have been a member of the Guild for more years than I now care to

remember and so have been able to see for myself the good work the Guild can do

both locally, nationally and internationally. How about joining us. Our

organisation is now open to both men and women and we would be delighted to

welcome interested new members.

We meet in our church Centre every second Monday evening, 7.00pm for our start

at 7.30pm. Each session, we have varied and interesting programme. We always

begin a new session with a Dedication Service held in the church and conducted by

our minister. Last session, we welcomed speakers whose themes were as diverse as

Glasgow Street Pastors, the Fighting Men of Bothwell and all about Beekeeping.

Come November we enjoy an Open Evening and what would Christmas be without a

wee Night Out ! Summer warmth entices us further afield with our annual Day

Trip. So, you see, we believe in enjoying our fellowship together.

By the way, did I mention our members make a great cup of tea and cake for us all

to devour come the close of our meetings ?

So, why not come along and swell our ranks ? Whether you are a member of our

congregation or not, male or female; if you would like to help us fulfil our aim and

object as a Guild, you will be most welcome.

Our new session begins on Monday, 5 October 2015. See you then, I hope!

Someone

is

missing

from

our church Choir.

Could it be

Church Register

For details

on the current activities

being held within the

church Centre please see

the noticeboard

or

look up:

bothwellparishchurch.org.uk

If you know of anyone

requiring

a home visit from the Minister,

or

if you have a change of details,

please

complete the

‘WELCOME CARD’

placed on each pew and hand

it in to the Church Office.

Ever since the first announcement was

made that a new discussion group was

going to be formed called Living the

Questions, uptake for places in the

various groups held has been almost

immediate.

In the early Autumn the present group

will meet again to take their discussions

further.

Perhaps over the coming weeks you

may hear about it from those taking

part. The course is repeated at different

times of the year and, so, if you hear

favourable comments and think it

might be the sort of thing for you in the

future, just let the Minister know or

contact the church Office to book a

place!

Thank you for saving your used stamps

and donating them in such quantities to

boost the Stamp Appeal of the Church of

Scotland’s World Mission Council.

Last year, the Appeal reached its target

raising £4,500, all because kind folks like

you placed your used stamps in our

special World Mission Post Box in the

Narthex of the church. Your old,used and

unwanted stamps are now being recycled

to make a world of difference to some of

the world’s most needy souls.

Though it will cost you nothing, by

giving these stamps, this year you can help

women and men suffering from HIV and

AIDS related illnesses. There is still no

vaccine against HIV and while

retroviral treatment is available for those

lucky enough to be able to access it, there

is still no cure. Each year 1.5 million

people die without that treatment, while

another 2 million new infections are

recorded.

It’s so easy for us to be like the Good Sa-

maritan. Just keep putting those used

stamps in the church’s Appeal Box on a

Sunday morning.

A PILGRIMAGE TO TURKEY - a personal view.

Nowadays, it is normal practice when planning a trip away to do quite a bit of

research—perusing travel books and brochures, talking to friends and family

and spending time on the internet with special reference to that oracle for any

traveller, ‘Trip Advisor’. It was therefore quite strange when very little of this

process was required when we signed up to join the group from Bothwell

Church on their pilgrimage to ‘Turkey:Istanbul and the Seven Churches of

Asia’. My husband, Campbell, and I had heard such wonderful reports about

the previous pilgrimage to the Holy Land; and, after reading the blurb from

the tour organiser, McCabe Travel, we were sure that this was for us and so

signed up immediately.

Of course, as the trip drew closer, we did some reading on the places we

would be visiting, but nothing could have prepared us for the totally magical

experience we were to enjoy. From day one in Istanbul we were immersed in

another time and culture and on many occasions were lost for words at the

wonderful sights we saw and amazed at the skill and ingenuity of the ancient

builders and architects.

It is really hard to pick out favourites from the many places we visited.

However, there are two aspects that I will never forget. One was the peace

and total tranquillity that I felt at Sardis; and the incredibility when walking

the marble Acadian Way in Ephesus—picturing life that way it was when St

Paul lived and taught there 2000 years ago. That particular day my post on

Facebook read ‘This actual road was the one used by St Paul when he arrived

at Ephesus. Can’t describe the feeling properly.’ Indeed, huge thoughts of a

very personal and spiritual nature!

The one element, however, that made our pilgrimage totally complete,

memorable and so enjoyable was the other seventeen people who made up the

group from Bothwell. The welcome extended to Campbell and myself was

exceptional as each and every one reached out to us in Christian friendship

and fellowship. As members of a c hurch across the border in North

Lanarkshire, we felt very much part of this small satellite congregation from

Bothwell and enjoyed both spiritual and social times together. In our own

church on the first

Sunday back after the trip, one line in Hymn 622 particularly jumped out:

‘Come pilgrim love, livee in our hearts today.’ The love we were shown on

this pilgrimage by the members of Bothwell church will live in our hearts for

ever.

On the first evening our waiter told us that the Turkish word for cheers was

‘serefe’. So to all the wonderful people we met, to the members of Bothwell

Parish Church and to the Reverend Jim who brought the whole spiritual part

together in his own wonderful and insightful way, Campbell and I would like

to say thank you—and a gigantic SEREFE! Barbara Sefton.

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4

Church Flowers

Chancel War Memorial July 5 Mrs J Campbell Mrs E French 12 Ms Marilyn Jack Mrs M Mitchell 19 Mrs L Horn Mrs M McArthur 26 Mrs M Chalmers Mrs Una Morris

August 2 Mrs J Neely Mrs J Marsh 9 Mrs N Robertson Mrs E Barr 16 Mrs C Jack Mrs S Greenshields 23 Mrs I Greenhalgh Mrs P Brown 30 Mrs L Leckie Mrs M Cunningham

September 6 Mrs E Forrest Mrs M Jaap 13 Mrs S Crichton Mrs E Buttery 20 Mrs S R-Young Mrs M Maillie 27 Mrs Irene Glen Mrs G Whitton

October 4 Harvest Mrs J Provan Mrs P McAulay 11 Mrs B Peacock Mr J Dalziel 18 Mrs G Ormiston Mrs F Lorimer 25 Mrs F McOmish Mrs J Young

Sunday Welcome / Duty Rota Office bearers should please arrive at Church for duty by 10am. Anyone unable to fulfil their duty should please arrange cover.

Please note that only two of the office bearers will be required to assist with counting the collection after the service.

Sunday Coffee Rota As usual, volunteers are asked to please swap any inconvenient dates with each other.

New volunteers are most welcome to join the list and should please contact Marilyn Jack—tel 852138.

Sunday Crèche

July—NO CRECHE AUGUST 2nd NO CRECHE 9th NO CRECHE 16th Hazel Gilmour Jaynie Craig 23rd Janette Provan Pat Maxwell 30th Julie Wilson G illian Ormiston SEPTEMBER 6th Suzanne Smith Elaine Easton 13th Aileen Hepburn Eleanor Barr 20th Eleanor Terrace Elizabeth French 27th Shirley Frew Nan Carson

JULY

5 J Hart, I Henderson, J Henry, D Hepburn 12 L Horn, M Hutchison, M Jack, D Lee 19 H Marsh, J Marsh, G Moore, C McQueen 26 G Ormiston, R Parsons, J Provan, Dr Ritch

SEPTEMBER

6 J Gilmour, S Greenshields, K Hamilton, J Hart 13 I Henderson, J Henry, D Hepburn, L Horn, 20 M Hutchison, M Jack, D Lee, G Moore 27 H Marsh, J Marsh, C McQueen, R Parsons

OCTOBER

4 Boys’ Brigade Company 11 G Ormiston, J Provan, Dr Ritch, B Sharp, 18 E Sommerville, E Terrace, Dr Thomson, A Watt, 25 G Whitton, A Wilson, E Barr, E Buttery

AUGUST

2 B Sharp, E Somerville, E Terrace, Dr Thomson, 9 A Watt, G Whitton, A Wilson, E Barr 16 E Buttery, J Carson, N Carson, S Cook 23 D Craig, J Crichton, S Crichton, J Cumming 30 J Dalziel, E Dempsey, V Gibson, B Gillespie

JULY 5 Mrs Nan Carson AUGUST 2 Mrs Carol-Ann Cahill 12 The Ormiston Family 9 Mrs Jayne Craig 19 Mrs Ellen Buttery 16 Mrs Sara Crichton 26 Mrs Eleanor Dempsey 23 Frew and Hepburn Families 30 Mrs Jean Hamilton SEPTEMBER 6 Parson and Wilson Families OCTOBER 4 Boys’ Brigade Company 13 Mrs Arleen Thomson 11 Mrs Ellen Buttery 20 Mrs Nan Carson 18 Mrs Eleanor Dempsey 27 Ormiston Family 25 Mrs Carol-Ann Cahill

RESTORATION NEWS

Over the past month,

progress by the contractors

has become visibly quite

dramatic. After weeks of

very careful preparation,

hidden from view by the

large temporary canvas

covering, the ancient stone

slabs that have covered the

Quire roof for

over 600 years

have, literally,

been brought

down to earth.

This removes a

tremendous

weight from

bearing down on the walls and enables

drilling to take place horizontally

into the stonework of the walls.

Thereafter, steel rods will be

inserted and once the walls have been

‘tied’ together, hopefully, never to move

again, the roof slabs will be replaced.

While every effort is being made to do

this work without damage to the ancient

slabs, sadly their antiquity has meant

that some cannot be reused.

Replacements have to be specially

quarried in Ayrshire and the south of

England and then cut by stone-masons

so that, once finished, the roof will look

as near as possible to how it has done

throughout past centuries.

Meantime, further repair work has had to

be carried out on the structure of the

tower. Windows have been replaced and

the floor on the very top of the tower

completely renewed. The ironwork

securing the church bells has

dangerously rusted causing it to weaken

and will be replaced and a new flagpole

erected.

The Great East Window (Burne-Jones)

is also receiving refurbishment and

repair and will be reinstalled using more

modern techniques to safeguard its

longevity.

Because of the technical complexities of

the project, work is roughly six weeks

behind schedule. However, it is surely

better for the work to be carried out well

and safely than for it to be hurried and

damage occurs. Roll on the end of the

year when we hope completion will be

in sight!

A Pause for Thought from the Minister

Recently, I read this which I hope you

might find of some interest and cause for

thought:

“We have imagined that Christianity is a

religion of virtue. But, no. Desmond Tutu

reminds us, ‘Christianity is not a religion of

virtue; it is a religion of grace.’ And there’s

a huge difference. A religion of

virtue says, ‘If you are good, then God will

love you.’ Whereas, as religion of grace

says, ‘God love you!’ In other words, God

loves you despite your foibles and failures,

not because you are so good but as some-

one who falls-short in need of mercy. God

loves you: live then as one who is be-

loved, who has been forgiven.”

From Anthony Robinson

ALLOVUS extends

a warm welcome

to EVERYONE

who might wish to join

their lunchtime activities !

Now in their sixth year,

the ALLOVUS team are excited

about their programme for the

coming session,

offering:

lots of laughter and fun

outside visits

interesting speakers

films and music

good food & friendships to enjoy

and a whole lot more!

ALLOVUS

meets on the

FIRST and THIRD Thursdays

of most months

at 11.30am

SUMMER

CAR TREASURE

HUNT Yes, folks, the time is almost here for

us to enjoy some of the best fun the

summer has to offer!

SUNDAY

6th SEPTEMBER

is the date EVERYONE should have

marked in their diary and on their

calendar.

NO excuses, now!

John and Hazel Gilmour have risen to

the challenge of organising this

year’s event. So, make sure you

don’t miss out.

The church Centre is the place.

2.00pm the time.

Tickets

£10 per car

SUMMER

GARDEN PARTY

FOR

EVERYONE

TO ENJOY !

Sunday

23rd August

2.00—4.00pm

Manse Garden

(4 Manse Avenue)

Lots of fun

Laughter & chat

Burgers from the BBQ

Activities (for the young)

Relaxation (for the not so young)

Tickets £3

On sale NOW from church Office

(Wine £1per glass )

Another little Thought

“Something to learn

is that

there is a lot to unlearn.”

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AUTUMN 2015 ISSUE

OF THE LANTERN

Please submit all news, events,

articles, rotas & photos

for the next edition by

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

You can email the office: bothwellparishoffice@btconnect.com

A Little Help Goes A Long Way by Grace Whitton

Most of February this year was spent in New Zealand. I was there for the Blind

and Partially Sighted (VI’s) and Physically Disabled (PD’s) World Bowls,

representing Scotland. I am a Scottish coach for bowlers with visual impairment.

We were a small squad consisting of four bowlers, plus their coaches for the VI’s

along with 9 PD’s, plus our head coach and his assistant.

In all, we won 5 gold medals and 2 silver medals. I am pleased to report that my

bowler and I were recipients of a gold medal.

As you would expect, the journey was long and tiring, leaving Glasgow late one

Wednesday afternoon and arriving in New Zealand on the Saturday—thirteen

hours ahead of GMT. However, our eventual success meant the journey was well

worth it.

For the past eight years, I have been coach for a totally blind bowler, George

Gourlay. Unfortunately, George was unavailable for NZ but, in that time, we have

enjoyed some significant achievements. Among them being:

The UK Championship—indoor

The UK Championship—outdoor

The Scottish Championship 4 times and Runner Up 3 times

George was selected for the World Bowls in South Africa

Won the Elizabeth Taggart Cup—singles competiton

Won the Scottish Triples

Won the Scottish Rinks

Won the Scottish Invitation Outdoor Rink.

Earlier in my life, I lost my sight for thirteen months and when, eventually, I

watched visually impaired bowlers playing I felt here4 was a job I could do (even

though I have sight in only one eye).

A bling bowler has to rely on voice connections between them and their coach.

The very first thing one has to do is to lead your pupil to the green itself. Its quite

a feat of trust asking someone to step down some 10 inches from pavement to

grass. Thereafter, the pupil may be guided by allowing them to hold your elbow

or shoulder. It is imperative the coach knows exactly how much of an impairment

the bowler has. Just as it is so important for each to enjoy a good rapport with the

other. Confidence in each other is essential.

A bowling green is approximately 31 to 40 metres long. The coach walks with the

player up the green counting the paces they take to the half way point. This allows

us to judge distance for the jack as well as the bowl. A string is placed down the

centre of the rink. The jack i9s always set on the string and helps the player place

his/her mat. Advise is then offered through reference to the hands of a clock. The

top would be 12 o’clock, to the right would be 3 o’clock and so on.

When delivering the jack, the player feels the string and sends the jack up the

green as near to the string as possible. In starting the game, the coach stands with

their feet slightly apart, about three yards in front of the bowler and talks to the

bowler so that he/she knows in which direction to play. The bowler will swing

their arm a few times to get their weight, then lets the bowl go hopefully between

their coach’s feet and on towards the jack. The ‘Caller’ will then shout down the

rink where the bowl has stopped, ie one yard at 4 o’clock.

Visually-impaired bowlers are classified according to the amount of vision they

have. Each classification ha sits own league and championship. Winners can be

put forward for international competitions similar to sighted bowlers.

Our next competition is in Israel in May 2016, dependent on funding.

I think it one of the most satisfying feelings one can enjoy to know that you are

helping someone less fortunate achieve high standards in their chosen sport. I am

very fortunate in being able to do so.

Please

save used stamps.

Post

them in the box

in church narthex

and help save a life !

With a good, solid beginning to our very

own MESSY CHURCH at Bothwell

we look forward to building on the

groundwork laid by so many enthusiastic

helpers. It was really encouraging seeing

some forty children with parents/adults—

members and non-members of the congrega-

tion— coming along to take part in our

launch. After sharing a simple meal made in

our own kitchen everyone went to the main

hall where various activities were waiting to

be enjoyed. The evening was brought to a

close with a brief explanation of the

evening’s Biblical theme.

MESSY CHURCH participants next

meet on MONDAY, 24 AUGUST at

6.00pm when, if weather permits, a BBQ

is planned!

Got kids ? Then come along and join the

fun ! No obligation. No charge!