maxwell magazine logo 2
No.55 -  7th May

Hi, 

Welcome to the magazine.

It's magazine No.55 this week and it was nice that as I drove around Thornliebank a good number of people were clearly aware of this landmark and had put out some nice '55'  flags to commemorate it.

It's been a week of clear-outs it would seem - Heather and David have been looking through some cupboards and sent us in some things of interest. Obviously, we are keen to hear from as many people as possible but I'm hesitant to say if you have a clear-out of your old stuff do let us know....they do need to be relevant to the life of the church!!

It's good to read of things starting up again for the young people - Pauline has sent in a couple of great photos!

I've included another extract from one of Scotty Smith's daily prayers - he has such a good turn of phrase. "When I’m walking in Gospel-sanity and your Spirit, I realize all I really need is you, plus what you choose to give me...If we had everything we covet and want, it’d never be enough. Ingratitude is soul-cancer, comparison is peace-thievery, and envy is joy-sabotage."  

I think having 'Gospel sanity' is when we allow our minds to be transformed by His Word, and we take our influences and prompts from God not from our own thinking or our cultures.
What are you putting in place to make sure that happens daily/weekly? I was reflecting on the benefit I get from the Home Groups and how taking into the everyday life what we learn there makes such a difference.

Enjoy the Mag.

MB


10 years on...

Last week we heard from Heather as she recalled Scott arriving with the family to start his ministry at Maxwell.
David Merriman has sent in the Order of Service from this week 10 years ago. Were you there? 

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Pulse logo

Dear Congregation,
I know many of you really appreciate the opportunity to gather for prayer corporately.
Those of us who organize The Pulse on Wednesday evenings are aware of how challenging such a meeting is on Zoom. 

Many of you have been amazing in persevering over this last year or so despite the challenge Zoom brings to corporate prayer.
However, I note that the number of attending The Pulse has dipped over the last month or so. 

It's always good to review what we do at Church and how we do it - feedback is key to this. 
Having used Zoom for meetings for over a year now this would certainly be a good time to hear from folks - and perhaps especially from those whose attendance at Pulse is affected 
because of the format, or something I can change -  I would love to hear from you.

For privacy, please use my personal email address; skirkland@churchofscotland.org.uk
If you prefer not to email, please feel free to phone (560 5603/ 07526116726) or speak with me in person after church on Sunday.

I am eager to make the meeting as accessible as possible. 
Be assured, I will not link feedback publicly to any individual person.

Thanks for your help on this,  

Scott 


PULSE is on Wednesday at 7.15pm - 8.30pm  Look out for the Zoom link in your email inbox for this meeting.


Scotty Smith was in great form this week  - his daily prayer can be sent to your inbox. Here is the prayer from Thursday. 

Not Zen-like, but Gospel-soaked


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“A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” Prov. 14:30

Lord Jesus, what a contrast—a tranquil heart, or bone-rot. Hmm… which shall we choose?
On-a-daily-basis, I can be discontent with many things, covetous of all kinds of stuff, and envious of people I don’t even know.

I don’t crave my neighbor’s ox or donkey, but I’d love to have their pain-free knees and 20/15-vision; their organizing skills and Yoga-stretch-flexibility. I don’t covet my neighbor’s male or female servant. But I’d love his/her ability to fix whatever breaks, intuit directions from anywhere, remember everything important, and sketch photo-like images.

But as convicting as this verse is, it’s much more consoling. Tranquility of heart is not a cruel tease, groundless myth, or something just reserved for heaven.

When I’m walking in Gospel-sanity and your Spirit, I realize all I really need is you, plus what you choose to give me. Help me (and my friends) do so, more often for longer stretches. A perfected heart is in our future, but a Gospel-heart can beat within us on this very May Thursday.

If we had everything we covet and want, it’d never be enough. Ingratitude is soul-cancer, comparison is peace-thievery, and envy is joy-sabotage. Be our portion, joy, and all, Lord Jesus. So very Amen we pray, in your matchless and magnificent name.

SIGN UP for Scotty Smith's daily email here.


Banners!

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I am sure I am not the only one setting out to reorganise boxes of old photographs.
At first it is intended as a constructive way of passing the enforced time at home, and is more interesting than housework. However it soon leads down memory lane at an alarming rate , usually meaning the box is hurriedly replaced in the cupboard as it is time for the next meal.

I found this picture of the very first banner from the mid 1980s, when our new minister Sandy Roger suggested to each organisation that it would be good to make a banner to brighten the church , to make people think of the deeper meaning, and to praise God. I was in the choir at the time and I remember his visit to our midweek practice.  Betty Campbell was also in the choir and the idea obviously took root with her, as she subsequently led the Banner Group.

This picture shows the first ever banner, made I think by the Senior Sunday School or Bible Class  it appeared very quickly and was a sort of collage- quite a lot of paper glued on- no sewing , but effective. Of course it did not last very long being so flimsy, but I came across this photo I had taken and it made me think.

None of us knows the road that lies ahead, and it seems even more uncertain in this pandemic, but the Bible is  an unwavering guide for us all, as this banner quotes from Psalm 119.  We are further encouraged by Jesus’ words from the end of Matthew’s gospel —“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Heather R.


Praise Night

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Thanks to Ian who headed up an evening of praise on Friday.  

It was really good to see so many folk on screen (this is only some of the better looking ones we have picked out.)

Well done to all involved!


The Return of the Kids...

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Outdoor Hizkidz

We've now had two weeks of Hizkidz outside in the grounds at church and we've been having a great time being back together again and exploring the catechism questions using our natural surroundings. It's amazing how many things you can do with a stick! We are very thankful that we now have the cleared, enclosed area in the woods we can use which has been created by Off Grid Kids as well as the other parts of our grounds.

If you know of any children from nursery to P7 age who would like to join us on a Sunday morning then get in touch with Pauline mmcastlefamily@ gmail.com

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playgroup

A couple of weeks ago The Playgroup announced their restart and hoped there would be enough interest to start again on 13th July.
There has already been a great response. Fiona, writes: 'We weren’t even sure if we would have enough children to open for 3 days, but we are able to open for 4 days!'

Keep this and the Hizkidz work in prayer and give thanks that things are beginning to open up again in a number of areas.


Ladybird Book of Maxwell


Registering for Worship

Please continue to book for Sunday Services. (If services are oversubscribed, places will be allocated as fairly as possible on a rota basis, and you do not need to worry that you are taking a place away from someone else.)

The cut-off for registering for places on Eventbrite for Sunday worship each week is 11pm on the Thursday before

If there is space for you to attend in person, you will receive an email from Eventbrite on the Friday morning immediately prior to the Sunday (this is in addition to the original Eventbrite confirmation email that you have registered for places).

 

Please do not attend if you have not received this second email.

The services will continue to be live-streamed - click here for the church page on YouTube. 
If you have any difficulties with the booking process or have any questions, please contact Lorna Hamilton on 07736 420564 or the Church office.