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No.101 - 8th April

Hi,

I don't think anyone will deny the breadth of topic covered in the magazine this week. Amidst all the things in the world which are hard to hear about, bring upset and angst (and that's just the football sometimes) it was great to see photos from the Playgroup sent in from Fiona. So much so that I'll put more in next week!

Holy Week is upon us - more of what's on from Scott below!

Enjoy the mag.

MB


Sunday Morning Service - Palm Sunday

Call To Worship: Psalm 108.3-5
Praise: Praise is rising
Praise:  King of Kings 
Prayer of adoration and confession
Talk with kids and song: Hosanna in the Highest
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Reading: Matthew21.1-17
Praise: There is a higher throne
Sermon 
Praise: Rejoice the Lord is King 


 Pulse logo

NO PULSE MEETING THIS WEEK
We are hoping to be back meeting in person the following week...look out for details in next week's magazine.


From the Mansescott


Dear Congregation,
In worship this Sunday we shall remember what we call “Palm Sunday” - the day Jesus entered Jerusalem heralded as Saviour and King! In an astounding week, just a few days later He entered Jerusalem again but this time to be nailed to a cross and then raised from the dead!

And as we mark “Holy Week”, we have a busy schedule. Let’s pray it will be a blessedly busy week!

Monday Night 11th: 7.30pm We shall have a Kirk Session. At this Session, we aim to formally agree to enter into conversations about the Presbytery Plan with our other four local congregations. We will formally notify Presbytery of that decision.
Be assured (reassured?), this does not commit us to anything beyond engaging in these local conversations.

Tuesday Night 12th: 7.30pm-8.30pm We shall gather as a congregation to pray about The Plan. It is so important that together, we bring this matter before the Lord and seek His will. We want to be united in the way forward and there is no better way to foster that unity than to pray together. (Questions and comments will be welcomed on the night.) We shall pray in our Big Hall.

Wednesday Night: no regular prayer meeting

We will enter into shared events with our “cluster” and these are listed below.
I think it is important this year, that we try to attend as many of these as possible (to worship together) but also as we continue assess what future relationship we may have with our neighbours.

Thursday Night 14th: 7pm Eaglesham Parish Church for a shared (short) Maundy Thursday communion service. All welcome.

Friday Lunchtime: 11.30am “Walk of Witness”. Prior to COVID a number of us from MMCC joined this walk organised by MK and NM congregations.
The walk begins at 11.30 at Mearns Kirk Car Park and walking along Eaglesham Road, we stop at the stairs at the front of the Newton Mearns church building for a short outdoor service of worship. All welcome.

Friday Night 15th: 7pm Broom Parish Church for a shared Good Friday Service. All welcome.

Sunday Morning 17th: 6.30am “Dawn Service”. I will lead this service with praise at Broom Car Park. Then, after a walk up Broom East Road to the Trig point, we shall share in a short time of worship. Breakfast will be served at Broom church halls. All welcome.

Sunday Morning 17th: 10.30am Our Easter Service will occupy morning worship at our own, Maxwell Mearns Castle Church. All welcome.

Sunday Evening 17th: 7pm At our own Maxwell Mearns Castle Church “Easter In The Light”, we shall have a celebratory concert rejoicing in the Good News of the Easter message. We want you to invite guests, especially those who may have no church connections, or only historical connections.  However, all are warmly welcome with guest or not.
 

On other matters….


Heaters and air purifier
We have now installed two heaters at the rear of the sanctuary and though the weather has not been cold enough recently to really test them, our initial impressions are favourable.
However, what you may have not noticed is that we have also erected a device that pushes the warm air down and purifies the air also. Or more specifically; “The …purification and infection control system significantly improves indoor air quality reducing viruses, bacteria, gases, Volatile Organic Compounds, mould and odours by up to 99%+ using an integrated PHI Purification Cell, whilst its advanced atmosphere oxidisation technology gives indoor environments fresh, clean and odour free air.   

heating

This makes it the perfect low cost solution for hospitals, care homes, doctors & dentist surgeries, children’s nurseries and food preparation facilities etc. in maintaining a clean, healthy and odour free environment. In addition, while the air is continuously being purified the space is also being thermally equalised (destratification). This results in improved comfort through the elimination of hot and cold spots and the potential for a significant reduction in energy consumption by balancing the floor and ceiling temperatures.

Well, there you go. We shall be warmer and more “odour free”!

With warmest regards and prayers,
Scott

Easter Services in Mearns...

  • Maundy Thursday: 7pm Eaglesham: Shared Communion Service
  • Friday Walk of Witness: 11.30am Mearns Kirk Carpark to Newton Mearns Parish. Outdoor worship at Newton Mearns.
  • Good Friday Evening: 7pm Broom: Shared Evening Service
  • Sunday Dawn Service: 6.30am Broom Carpark to Trig point for outdoor worship (Breakfast at Broom afterwards.)
  • Sunday Evening Gathering: 7pm “Easter in the Light” at Maxwell Mearns Castle Church (See below)

Easter in the Light

Do you remember Christmas in the Dark?...well now we have Easter in the Light!
Everyone is welcome to a concert we are holding in the sanctuary at Maxwell on Easter Sunday night.  Taking a lead with the music will be our very own Maxwell band . We will  have the privilege of listening to a few of our talented soloists as well as us all joining in with some community praise.

This musical evening will give us time to reflect on the cross and  resurrection through biblical narrative,  dramatic reading and personal testimony. It is also an outreach opportunity as we consider again the evidence for the resurrection and see why Easter is indeed  the greatest day in history!
We will have tea & coffee and Easter treats at the interval so lots to look forward to

Please think and pray about friends and family you could invite along. Hope to see you there!


Ladybird Book of Maxwell

Ladybird book of masks

Playgroup

A selection of photos for the magazine from playgroup... we will show some more next week too.
The children learnt the Easter story from Heather and learnt how they could talk to God. They made Easter crafts then all children, staff and parents went on a visit to The Museum of a Rural Life.
 

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Transgenderism

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Transgenderism is one of the hot topics for politicians at the moment. Boris Johnson commented on this subject in relation to sport this week and had to caveat everything with 'I know this is controversial...'
But of course, it affects at a very deep level any who themselves have gender dysphoria  along with their family and friends.
What does the Bible say about it? What should we say about it? Robert Vaughan's book Transgender counsels that we can't say 'Yes', but we mustn't say 'Yuck'. 
We can take a look at other approaches in future magazines but for now here is writer Rosario Butterfield's take.  It's a five min read...and then another 5 mins to read it again. These are weighty issues but ones which we should be able to have a Biblical view on.

Transgenderism is such a new concept that the 1973 Oxford English Dictionary that sits open on my desk has no entry. According to etymonline.com, the word came into existence in 1974 as an adjective referring to “persons whose sense of personal identity does not correspond with their anatomical sex.” This word combines two older words. The first is “trans,” which is derived from part of a Latin verb that means to bring across or over, to transfer, to cause to cross, to extend across, or to convert. The second is “gender,” which derives from the French word for genre and the Latin word for genus, meaning kind, sort, or class. “Transgendered” became “transgender” after 2015 to indicate the new idea: that transgenderism is ontological, or something that is true of a person’s very essence. Today, the psychological condition where a person feels like their personal identity does not match their anatomical sex is called gender dysphoria. And there is a strong push in our culture to agree with the transgendered movement that when one’s gender, defined as their feelings of being male or female, conflicts with the biological markers of maleness or femaleness, the feelings are determinative.

Not all who claim to be transgendered, however, are suffering from a biological defect, and even some who are cannot reduce their feelings to a biological cause. Personal sin is still a reality. How does that come into play?

Rest of the article is here.


You're Not Okay

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An Easter extract from the excellent book 'Prayer in the Night' by Tish Harrison Warren.:

On Ash Wednesday a decade ago when I was new to Anglicanism, I knelt at a rail as Fr Thomas my priest, smeared a black cross on each forehead. Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return’. He intoned and marked the preteen girl kneeling next to me. Then, I heard her turn to her mum and whisper, ‘Does my ash look alright?’
Sill kneeling, I started to laugh, Because of course it didn’t look all right. She had a large black smudge in the middle of her forehead. There is no way for that to look all right.
But I also laughed because I heard my own heart in her question. I know I’m limited I know I’m dust and returning to dust. I bear vulnerability, weariness and mortality. I bear sin, selfishness and struggle. But I still want to, you know, look okay.
I want to pretend I am still all right. I have it together. It’s a well practiced facade. I’m a ten-year old girl with a big black smudge on my face hoping to somehow pass as acceptably cool.
We come to church in the first place because we find ourselves to be needy. Rich Mullins wrote:
‘I never understood why going to church made you a hypocrite…because nobody goes to church because they are perfect. If you have got it all together, you don’t need to go. You can go jogging with all the other perfect people on Sunday morning. Every time you go to church, you’re confessing again to yourself, to your family, to the people you pass on the way there, to the people who will greet you that you don’t have it all together. And you need their support. You need their direction. You need some accountability, you need some help.


Thank you...

Liz Burleigh and family would like to thank the congregation for their flowers, cards, thoughts and prayers and for attending her husband Andy's funeral.
Very much appreciated.


Home Groups restart

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The dates for the next series of Home Groups are as follows.
Sunday 1st May (Monday 2nd, Tuesday 3rd May)
Sunday 15th May (Monday 16th May, Tuesday 17th May)
Sunday 29th May (Monday 30th May, Tuesday 31st May)
Sunday 12th June  (Monday 13th June, Tuesday 14th June)

We are looking at 1 Corinthians again and your Home Group Leaders will have your booklets available this weekend.
If you have not been involved in a group before please speak with Scott and he will get you slotted in.

Broomburn Steps

Our team currently comprises five folk – a married couple and three individuals – the majority of whom have been carrying out this task for over ten years. Over half the team are in their eighties and we could certainly do with reducing the average age! It is inevitable that some will retire in the future for various reasons and consequently the more additional volunteers we get the better. The ideal size of team is probably around eight individuals, who would provide cover during holidays, illness etc. This would result in folk being required every eight weeks. However, the more the merrier!
Please consider adding your name to the list so we can continue this valuable ministry to the community.

Get in touch if you want to be involved or need more information.
Stewart Martin
wstewartmartin@hotmail.com

 

Review of Stated Annual Meeting Minutes 20th March.

You will find the draft minutes of the Stated Annual Meeting held on 20th March on the Home Page of our church website.
These are posted so all may see what was presented.
Additionally, for those present, please ensure the minute are correct.
Suggested changes should be sent to the office as soon as possible.
You will also find a link to our full and audited accounts for 2021.


 

pray now

Are you on the Pray Now WhatsApp Group? Perhaps the start of the year is a good time to join in.
If you want to be added to the group to receive prayer news then simply ask Margaret and she will add your number to the list.

If you have a matter that you would like to be prayed about in this way, you can contact Margaret Boyd or Scott and they will organise for news to be sent out.


Hizkidz - crèche

On Sunday the West Room on the mid floor will be available for parents/grandparents and younger children to use.
 The livestream of the service will (hopefully!) be playing on the TV and there are toys available too.
Speak to Pauline on Sunday who can show you which room to go into when the children leave for Hizkidz.


 

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Please note our Sunday morning services* are live streamed and subsequently available on YouTube.

Filming is only from the rear in the balcony. If attending in person you may wish to select your seats bearing in mind that rows at the rear in the Sanctuary are not in view of the camera.
(* occasionally other services)