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: [email protected] 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
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 [email protected] or 1575 574102
Editor Mr Ian Davidson Email:[email protected]
INCHBRAYOCK:
Session Clerk Mr James Kellas 20 Graham Crescent, Montrose
Clerk to the Board Dr Douglas Craig [email protected] 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.