Hello friend,

I hope that you had a good Easter and were able to join in some of the services that the church were part of through Holy Week and on Easter Sunday, either in person or online

It was very encouraging to see so many people from all the churches in the cluster attend the services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and this year we held a Tenebrae style service which left more space for personal reflection on the Passion of Christ.

So, Easter is behind us, and we now look forward to the rest of the year. Whilst no formal agreement has been reached yet as to where the 3 FTE posts will be allocated, nor which buildings will remain open, life and the church goes on.

Whatever else is happening, we, as his followers, are all still called to serve Christ and our community through the Five Marks of Mission.

So, my prayer for this month is that we do not allow whatever else is going on to distract us from doing this and we do everything we can to continue to grow and develop our relationship with Jesus, and share his love with those around us.

And whilst Lent is the traditional time for personal reflection on our relationship with God, it shouldn’t stop when Lent ends. So, I encourage you to continue on your journey with God, spend time with him and listen to what his plan is for you.

Ask and look for new ways to serve him in the community because our community needs to know the love of God more than ever.

Why not start by asking someone along to church that hasn’t been for a wee while. Maybe they need a lift so if you can’t offer them that, ask if someone else can.

It has statistically been proven that most new people come to church because someone has invited them, so why not give it a try, the worst they can say is no, but they may well say yes.

So, pray about this and ask God to show you who to ask and see what happens.

Your brother in Christ
Stuart

Café Warm
On every Friday during December and January (with the exception of 29th December) the church will be open to host a warm café space in The Old Hall between 10am-12pm.

This space is open to everyone, is free, and tea, coffee, biscuits, and fellowship will be available.

So, if you, or you know someone who would like to come along then please do, it will be lovely to see you.

Brunch and the Bible
Starting on Tuesday the 12th December, then every 2nd Tuesday in the month, the first in our new monthly gathering called ‘Brunch and the Bible’ will take place between 11.30-13.00 in the vestry. So, come along for a bite of brunch followed by a time of reflection and discussion on a bible passage. If you have any food intolerances, then can you please bring your own food.

PMAP Update
I was very encouraged recently by the number of people who attended our open meeting to give an update on the PMAP and there were some excellent questions asked about the future of the church here in Newton Mearns.

So, for those who were not able to come along let me give you an update on where we are so far.

Glasgow Presbytery approved and re submitted our draft plan last week, so we wait to hear if the Faith Nurture Forum will approve it so we can finally begin to implement the plan on a regional and local level.

On a local level we are still in talks with the neighbouring churches in our cluster as to how the allocation of 3 FTE posts will be distributed amongst the five churches and which building will be chosen as the one centre of worship between the three churches who will be uniting as part of the plan.

No decision has been made surrounding these very important issues yet, although we are hoping they will be made soon, and if our plan is accepted then the decision as to which building will remain as the centre of worship needs to be made by the end of this year.

I would therefore ask that unless you hear news from me or one of the other ministers in the cluster do not believe any stories you may hear about this or that building being sold or closed. These decisions have not yet been made.

And as I have mentioned several times before these conversations up to now have not been easy and I suspect they are going to get more difficult in the coming months so please keep the process and all involved in it in your prayers.

And whilst these will be difficult decisions and whatever is decided will not, please everyone, I ask that you do not lose heart, and more importantly continue to trust in God, for it is him we worship and that should not change.

He has a plan for the church here in Newton Mearns and across the whole nation and we must continue to listen to his voice and follow the plan he has for us.

So, if you have any questions about the process, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and I will do my best to answer them.

Afternoon Communion
Before the pandemic we offered a shorter afternoon communion service in the Murray Mackay Room at 2pm on the same day we celebrate communion in the morning.

I am thinking of re starting this in March, so if this is something you would be interested in coming to or bringing someone along to please get in touch to let me know either via e-mail or telephone and if there is enough interest these services will re start.