THE
LINK - Spring 2005
PASTORAL
LETTER
When
I was a child in
Edinburgh
, not far away from us
was a ‘bluebell wood’- so called, of course, because in the spring it was
carpeted in blue and I remember there being a special fresh smell associated
with the flowers at that time. Inevitably, my friends and I often gathered the
bluebells to take home and put in a vase, to decorate the house or a bedroom.
Just as inevitable, of course, the bluebells drooped after an hour or two in the
heat of the house. It’s a salutary lesson in leaving things to grow where they
are. In his Letter to the Ephesians chapter 6,
St. Paul
speaks about being
‘rooted and grounded’; it is the case that if the bluebells are not rooted
and grounded they will certainly die quite quickly. Probably like me, you have
bought tulips also at this time of year and placed them carefully in a vase in
the house for all to admire. It’s
not long until they are also bending over in despair, because they have been
uprooted from their true habitat. At least with tulips, if they get a fresh
drink of water, it revives them for a short time. It doesn’t take them long to
revive; it almost happens in front of your eyes.
What
happens to bluebells and tulips is pretty much the same as what can happen to
us. If we want to grow and develop spiritually, then we need to be rooted and
grounded in God’s word. When
Christ does indeed come and dwell in our hearts, then His presence and His power
can literally rise up in us and strengthen our inner being, in much the same way
as the fresh water gives new life to the flowers. All that is needed for us is
to acknowledge the deep need which we have of God’s life-giving water. Once we
have understood that we stand in need, God will do the rest. It has been said of
our personal lives that they need to be watered, spiritually, a little every
day, and then receive a flood on a Sunday. A short prayer time regularly kept
each day and then worship on the Lord’s Day.
In
Kilconquhar and Colinsburgh, the recent Christian Commitment programme asked
everyone in the congregation to re-commit themselves in terms of their worship,
and it is gratifying to know that a large proportion of the members did so, and
this has been seen in increased attendance at services. In terms of service to
the church, many offers have been received and the Stewardship Promoter, Irene
Wallace, has reported on this in this magazine. I’d like to take this
opportunity, however, whilst on this theme, to record my thanks to many people
in both congregations who undertake regular service which is largely un-noticed,
but certainly would be if it was not done.
I’d
like to highlight those who provide, arrange and deliver church flowers, for
this is a ministry which is hugely appreciated. I’d like to thank all who sing
in our church choirs. A few years ago, we had no choirs at all in either
congregation, but now that has been changed. Their leadership of worship, under
George Lyon and Robert Lindsay, has greatly improved our singing. We thank
Callum MacLeod, also, for his contribution, now mainly in connection with
weddings. The Elie congregation has hugely benefited by the weekly prayer points
on the pew leaflet, imaginatively presented by Mary Sneddon. This is going to be
expanded to Kilconquhar and Colinsburgh through Julia Ogilvy who will work
alongside Mary. Crèche and Sunday Club helpers deserve our thanks for enabling
us to minister to the whole people of God, and being prepared to expect
the unexpected. Session and Board clerks, treasurers, coffee makers and servers,
child protection co-coordinators, leaders of organizations, property conveners,
helpers with outreach and Christian Aid, and Worship Committee members together
with typists and helpers with photocopying, all fulfill a role which is vital to
maintain the momentum of congregations moving forward in the service of the
Lord.
And
finally – if we are to continue to move forward as congregations, then we need
to move forward spiritually in our personal lives also. There is a Bible Study
Group meeting monthly on Monday evenings, another meeting weekly on Tuesday
mornings, a Lent Course stating in mid-February, a ‘Basic Christianity
Course’ after Easter, and the possibility of an Alpha Course to follow. Anyone
is welcome at any of these and if the last two interest you, please register an
interest with me now as it will be helpful towards gauging the likely take-up.
Thank
you for the part you play in the congregational life of Elie, Kilconquhar and
Colinsburgh churches. There is a lot going on. If you don’t currently
recognize yourself in anything listed above, then consider yourself invited to
come and get involved.
May
the Lord bless and keep you,
Iain
F. Paton
PRESBYTERY
REVIEW CONSULTATION
As
noted above, representatives of The Presbytery of St.Andrews wish to consult
with the congregations of the
East Neuk
churches about the future pattern of ministry in the
area, given that the number of ministers available for charges will reduce in
the course of the next few years. The evening meeting in
Kilconquhar
Church
on 20th
February is one of a series which will be held throughout the Presbytery area.
TREASURER
KILCONQUHAR AND COLINSBURGH
George
Forgie has submitted his resignation as Congregational Treasurer at Kilconquhar
and Colinsburgh, after holding the post for 11 years.
We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude and his service will be
recognized by the congregation shortly.
His place is being taken by Sandy Wallace who will assume sole
responsibility at the beginning of March.
His willingness to undertake this work is appreciated by the whole
congregation.
THE
LATE REV. WILLIAM NEVE MONTEITH
As
recorded below, we were all saddened by the death of The Rev. Bill Monteith on
10th November, thus bringing to an end a connection between
Elie
Parish
Church
and the Monteith
family which had lasted for a hundred years.
Bill’s father had been minister at Elie in the early years of last
century, leading up the outbreak of the First World War.
He was killed at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, and Bill was born
in December of that year. Not having
therefore known his father, he was given exactly the same name. He was educated
at Cargilfield,
Winchester
and
Oxford
. He flew Hawker Harts
in the Second World War, was brought down and captured, but it transpired that
he knew the German Officer responsible, as he had been at
Oxford
with him! He spoke
Italian and Sicilian, having learned both languages while in the POW camp.
At
the conclusion of hostility he entered the Diplomatic Service and was appointed
a District Commissioner in the
Sudan
. On his return to the
UK
he brought a baby
crocodile with him in the boot of the car, which he later presented London Zoo.
He then studied divinity at St.Andrews and was appointed Chaplain to
Strathallan
School
.
A fairly strict disciplinarian, he clearly enjoyed the challenge not just
of teaching, but of getting the Christian message over to his pupils in a way
that they could understand. Some of his sermons will shortly be placed in the
Elie Church Library.
During
his retirement he enjoyed golf and was a member of the R&A; he wrote and
read poetry, read widely, preached occasionally and, as all visitors to his
house know, enjoyed convivial company.
After
a long and intensely interesting life, he has now gone forward into the next
stage of life. He will have
fulfilled his wish to meet his father, been reunited with those of his family
who have gone before him, and entered into the joy of the Lord.
Thanks be to God for the life and times of The Rev. William Monteith.
I.F.P.
CHRISTIAN AID
by Andrew Millar
Asia
Disaster Appeal -
We have all seen on our
television screens and read in our newspapers of the human suffering caused by
the Indian Ocean Tsunami on 26th December 2004.
Few could not be touched by the number of lives lost, the physical and
mental scars of the survivors and the devastation to property and
infrastructure. It soon became
apparent that the immediate aid effort needed was going to have to be huge to be
meaningful, as was any long-term assistance.
To show our support for the emergency relief operation
the minister initiated the placing of donation boxes around the villages and
retiring collections were taken at both churches, St Michael’s and All Angels
contributed also. The response was truly magnificent -
£2953.15 - was collected and forwarded to Christian Aid – the church’s
official relief agency.
Thank you to
the whole community who gave so generously.
‘Give-a-Can’
Campaign –
Each autumn/winter the Christian Aid committee taps the resources of both
congregations to provide relief for those less fortunate either at home or
abroad. This
year, during Lent, the committee is asking that members look around their
kitchen cupboard and donate tinned and packet foodstuffs (with a healthy shelf
life!) All you need to do is bring a can/packet to church and place it in one of
the boxes. Collecting boxes are also
located in Elie and Colinsburgh Post Offices. The closing date is Palm Sunday
(20th March). The goods collected will be given to the Salvation Army
who will distribute them appropriately.
Christian Aid
Week – 15- 20 May. Planning for the week is now
underway but, please take note of the events listed:
Palm
Sunday - the quiz goes on sale, “General Knowledge” by Ian Sinclair.
Coffee Morning – Saturday 14th May – remember the book stall.
Christian Aid Sunday – 22nd May - it is hoped to have a guest
speaker.
Please remember the current issue of Christian Aid News is available in
the churches.
KILCONQUHAR
& COLINSBURGH
CHURCH
STEWARDSHIP REPORT
Commitment Challenge: There has been a good response to our “Building for
Tomorrow” Stewardship programme. This
has made us aware of the variety of abilities within our congregation and their
willingness to help. The Stewardship Committee wish to thank everyone for warmly
receiving our visitors and this reaffirms what a kind and caring community we
live in. Offers of help were received from people who already take part in
activities and new offers were received with really useful suggestions. We
believe that the number of responses received and the many offers and
suggestions contained shows that our congregation has the strength and will to
“Build for Tomorrow”. We have reaffirmed our Christian Commitment both in
our congregation and the wider community.
Carol
Singing: Community singing was arranged around Kilconquhar and
Barnyards with traditional refreshments afterwards in Kilconquhar Church Hall.
Thank you to all who participated (both groups!) and to those who welcomed the
singers.
Family
Lunch: To take place on Sunday 27 March 2005 in Colinsburgh
Town Hall after church service. Further details later.
Suggestions:
There is a
notice board in Colinsburgh/Kilconquhar church for relevant Stewardship
information. Please feel free to offer any suggestions or contact any of the
Committee, Elizabeth Bracher, Moira and Lindsay Wardrop, Doreen Hogarth , Judith
Fryer and Irene Wallace
CHURCH
HYMNARY – FOURTH EDITION
The
new Hymnary is now due for publication around the time of the General Assembly
this year, probably in May. Both of our Kirk Sessions have taken a decision in
principle to purchase copies of the new book for the congregations. There will
be an opportunity for people who would like to own their own copy to purchase
one. There will be a ‘words and melody’ edition for general use and a full
music edition for the choirs and others who might want it.
The
book contains about 800 items and is arranged in five sections.
These are:
The Psalms; Life in God; Life in Christ; Life in the
Spirit; Shorter songs, choruses and liturgical items. About a third of the
items in the present book (Third Edition) are still there. A number of ‘old
favourites’ from earlier editions have been brought back (e.g. How Great
Thou art; Brother James’ Air; What a Friend we have in Jesus). Tunes like
Orlington, St.Bees and Ruth have been brought back. Likewise, some items
currently in the supplements such as Common Ground and Songs of God’s
People, and which have proved popular, will be included. There are about 100
hymns with completely new texts and a section of short songs and choruses. The
section on the life of Jesus is about three times larger than our present
book, which tends to concentrate mainly on His life and death. Some seasons of
the year, like Advent, have better provision. The stages in the journey of
life are marked with additional material for marriage, illness, family life
and bereavement.
We
await publication with interest.
CHOIR OUTING
by Marjorie Lyon
Twenty-three
members from the choirs of Elie, Kilconquhar and Colinsburgh churches enjoyed an
excellent concert given by Cappella Nova on Saturday 18th December in
the Queens Hall,
Edinburgh
.
Cappella Nova, founded in 1982 by john and Rebecca Tavener, has an
unrivalled reputation as champions of
Scotland
’s unique treasury
of early vocal music. Every year at
Christmas they give a concert “Carols by Candlelight” in Glasgow and
Edinburgh. The programme commenced with the gorgeous tones of one of the
sopranos singing the first verse of “Once in Royal David’s City”.
We enjoyed Christmas Motets performed unaccompanied, the voices of the
choir blending beautifully. The audience too is expected to sing and we all
enjoyed the carols in the candlelit setting. I believe we all were able to
forget the “so many things still to do” and to really listen to the words of
the carols telling us of God’s great gift to us in His Son.
It was an inspiring evening.
THE
GUILD
The
Guild supports six projects, which change every three years. One of the current
projects is Tearfund working with
mothers and children in
Guatemala
. The Guild recently
had a talk on this project and the picture is the letter of thanks received from
the recipients of a donation. Tearfund
works closely with Christian groups in developing countries, and can often act
immediately when disaster strikes. It has a good network in the
UK
with emphases on
communication, education and prayer.
All meetings
are open to anyone who would like to come. There are posters around the villages
and an entry in the pew leaflet - so no excuses for not knowing when we meet!
EVENING
BIBLE STUDY GROUP
The
Bible Study group has restarted and everyone is welcome to attend. This year we
are looking at the Fruit of the Spirit and the titles and dates are as follows:
17th Jan – Love
16th May - Kindness
21st
Feb – Joy
20th June - Faithfulness
21st
Mar – Peace
18th Jul - Faithfulness
18th
Apr – Patience
15th Aug – Gentleness
19th Sep – Self control
The
Group meets at
7.30pm
in the Committee Room at the Church Hall. We hope you
can join us and explore the Bible together.
Contact:
Elizabeth Meacher 330 525
LENT
COURSE
The
Lent Course this year begins on Saturday 12th February and is held
over six Saturdays from
9am
until
10am
in the Toll Green
Hall Elie. Anyone is welcome and you may come and attend as many or as few
sessions as you like. The subject this year is ‘Christianity Explored’ and
highlights a number of the principal aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry based
on the Gospel of St.Mark.
SUNDAY
CLUB
Anne
McCall, leader of the Kilconquhar and Colinsburgh Sunday Club, is going on
maternity leave. We all wish her
well and hope that she will be back soon. Meantime,
Judith Fryer is co-ordinating the work and so we are in good hands.
SCRIPTURE
UNION
Please
take note of the following dates and pass them on to anyone who may be
interested:
Saturday 5th March – ‘Fun Day’ for
local children and visitors.
Monday 4th April – ‘Holiday Club’ for
one week.
(This will be the final one to be led by Alastair
Colquhoun, who is ‘retiring’.)
Monday 18th July - for two weeks, led by
Bruce Lockhart.
YOUTH
GROUP
Scope
might exist now or shortly to re-start the Youth Group at Elie. This has
operated off and on for many years, depending on the numbers of young people in
the village at any one time. If
you might be interested in helping lead such a group, please let the minister
know.
Do
you recognise the above paragraph? It
was in The Link last time. Nobody
responded. Better luck this time?
QUINQUENNIAL
VISITATION
The
Presbytery of St.Andrews is due to visit us this year to commence the latest
Quinquennial Visitation. These visits now set out to monitor and assist
congregations in their development over a five-year period and are much more
‘user-friendly’ than previously. More details later.
The minister in charge of our ‘quinquennial’ is The Rev. Gordon
Craig.
ELIE
OUTREACH COMMITTEE
Thank
you to all who supported the Ceilidh on 26th November; it was a great
success and a very enjoyable evening.
Ø
There will be a bookstall with Easter cards for sale on the 6th
February at the coffee after church and also at the lunch for the Conference
later that day.
Ø
On Sunday 27th March there will be a breakfast
served by the Outreach Committee at
9.00am
following the special
early morning Easter Service at the harbour.
Ø
The Outreach Committee is planning to hold a Craft Fair at
the beginning of July. Crafts for display, crafts to sell and crafts to make
will all be welcome at this event. Please let Elizabeth Meacher (330 525) or Jim
Bell know if you would like to have a craft stall or contribute in any way.
EDITORIAL
The
Link is
your newsletter and should be written by you. Please help with some interesting
contributions for the May issue. Twelve
words equal one line; 5 or 6 lines can make good reading.
We can use pictures/photographs but remember they have to be photocopied
in black and white so need to be very clear. It really would make a welcome
change to have too much material!
It
does not need to be directly related to our congregations, but could be a
comment on a special service, world affairs, an interesting walk, place to visit
(no direct advertising or party politics). Would someone like to do a book
review?
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