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Welcome
to the website for Kiltarlity and Kirkhill Churches!
The
purpose of this website is threefold.
Firstly, to keep you informed about the life and work of our churches.
Secondly, to be a useful tool in sharing news and letting you know how
our search for a new minister is going, and thirdly to be a source of
further facts relating to the mission of the Church of Scotland and its
related organisations.
A
new team has been formed to manage and administer the web site. The
team consists of members of both churches and their contact details can
be found on the Contacts page.
If you would like any content added to the site or have any feedback
(good or bad) then please contact any one of these people.
Locum Minister
- The View from God's Little Acre
Dear fellow pilgrims,
 DO
I HAVE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU???????????
It now appears
that I will be your “locum” for a while longer and
that fills me with great excitement. I have tried to think of what
would be the most helpful and useful way that I could spend that time
together with you, whether that time be long or short.
I would like
to challenge the congregation to join me in reading the Bible from
cover to cover for the next year. We did this in Crown Church, where I
am convinced it was the best thing I ever did there. We had over 250
people reading the Bible together for a year. In a time when it is
obvious that there is Biblical illiteracy everywhere,
wouldn’t it be fantastic if we in Kirkhill and Kiltarlity
agreed that we would covenant together to read the Bible through in one
year.
THE
WHOLE BIBLE - DURING THE WHOLE YEAR
WITH THE WHOLE CONGREGATION
I would like
to begin this opportunity on Sunday, September 7, as we begin where the
Bible begins, “In the Beginning”.
Wouldn’t it be terrific to include the children in this
journey of discovery through the Bible?
Each week, as
you come to worship, you will be given an Order of Worship. The theme
of the sermon will be derived from the readings we have shared in the
week just passed. The hymns, readings and prayers, and the
children’s sermon will all centre on what we have read
together. The Order of Worship will include the readings for the week
upcoming and they will also be included in the monthly edition of the
Parishioner, and on our website, so that we can all stay together.
It is
important not only that we read the Scripture together, and hear it
preached in worship on Sunday, but that time be given to members who
are reading to ask questions that puzzle or perplex them. The Bible is
not easy reading, and frequently questions arise that need to be dealt
with. Sometimes you simply don’t know what the Bible was
talking about, or, having understood it, you just can’t
believe that. Let’s talk about it. I am going to set up two
opportunities a week. One in the evening, one in the morning, one in
Kirkhill, one in Kiltarlity. This will be our Didache 2. The details,
as soon as they are fleshed out, will appear in next month’s
Parishioner.
Many people
have said how they would like to read straight through the Bible, and
they even do begin, but about the time they reach the book of Leviticus
they begin to reconsider, and many drop by the wayside. Some of the
Bible is boring indeed; and not all of it is of equal value, but
together we will pledge to each other…..we will read it, and
seek to understand what that ancient word means for us today. We
Reformed Christians have from of old been called “The People
of the Book”, but unfortunately that would be hard to defend
today as many people believe that the Bible is true, but keep it shut!
One professor of mine once memorably said “I wish our people
had a lower view of Scripture and a higher use of it”. Our
desire is that the Word of God might take legs and move powerfully
among us.
We will
interrupt the flow of the readings only with the arrival of Christmas,
Easter and Pentecost.
We may be able
to finish this ambitious programme while Pat and I are still here,
perhaps not, but let’s give it a go and see what God can do
among us when His Word is unleashed in our midst.
Yours aye,
Willis
Interim Moderator
I had hoped that in this
minister's letter I would be able to tell you that we had a sole
nominee.
However,
although
there was one individual who was interested, at the end of the day he
decided to decline our offer that he be our sole nominee. Whilst on the
one hand we are disappointed in this we are not downhearted as it means
that Willis will remain our locum for more months to come yet.
The
experience has been
helpful to your nominating committee though, and we continue with
renewed hope the task of finding a minister for Kiltarlity and
Kirkhill. The post will be advertised again in a future issue of Life
and Work, and other possible candidates may be sent copies of our
Parish Profile for their consideration.
There
is work
still to be done on the churches and the manse to prepare things as
best we can for the new ministry that will in due course begin. I
thank the congregations for their continuing support at this time. It
is encouraging to see increased attendance at church and in Sunday
School as well as good support for the social, spiritual and fund
raising events that have taken place recently.
We
are looking
also to strengthen the eldership over the coming months. An evening
will be arranged after the summer for those who may be considered for
this important task. A strong leadership is vitally important if the
church is to grow. In my own experience as a minister it has been where
I have received the support, encouragement and backing of the Kirk
Session and where we have worked together in prayer and action that
God's work has moved forward often in very exciting ways. It is
important not to be afraid of taking risks and even to be willing to
learn through one's mistakes. For without such risk taking, without
adventurous Christian faith little is achieved.
I
have great
confidence that God has a future and a purpose for Kiltarlity and
Kirkhill churches. We are seeing many encouraging signs already. May
God help us to move forward in the way he wants and to the continuing
praise of his glory.
Reg
Campbell (Interim Moderator)
Pat's Piece
Dear pearls of great price,
This
morning, as an addicted viewer of “One Foot in the Grave”,
I would like to revive a quote from Richard Wilson: “I
don’t believe it”! Believe it or not, on the BBC morning
“Breakfast” show, the anchor man and woman recommended
going to car boot sales both as sellers and buyers, as one way of
coping with life in “pre-recession” days. Attendance at car
boot sales was to be considered as one way of expressing solidarity
with the needy, in these jittery days of escalating food, fuel, and
mortgage expenses.
At
first, this advice seemed a bit extreme and pessimistic to me. But
– wait a minute. I can remember some very lean days in our early
marriage, when I did go to car boot sales, and buy clothing for the
four girls at charity shops. In retrospect, I couldn’t have
managed without them. Continuing that train of thought, I’m
thinking that those days weren’t so bad. What if the BBC has
something good in mind? Could this period be the best of all times
instead of the worst of all times? Maybe it’s a breakfast wake up
call – reminding us how to live better with less. In fact, in our
consumer society, it just may be the right time to relinquish some of
the security we derive from material possessions and spend time in
cultivating the gifts of the spirit, and the joy in relationships. I
believe we can do that.
I
was born between the Great Depression and the Second World War. I was
very blessed with parents who sang in the rain, and looked for the
silver lining in every storm cloud. The happiest childhood memories are
images of standing around the piano and belting out great songs like
“I can’t give you anything but love, baby” and
“Got no money – oh but honey – ain’t we got
fun”. My favourite then, and now, is “Side by side”
– “Oh we ain’t got a barrel of money, maybe
we’re ragged and funny, but we’ll travel the road, sharing
our load, side by side”. Mom, the piano player, reminded us that
some of the very best songs came out of depression, and even war. She
loved “Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile,
smile, smile”. Mom and Dad, with their music, helped us to know
the comfort of swimming and keeping afloat – when everything else
seemed to be conspiring to keep us down.
Worry
about the shaky economy is nothing new. Jesus thought his disciples
were prophets of doom and gloom. They may not have moaned when their
petrol tank was half empty – but they weren’t chuffed when
Jesus asked them to “tighten their belts (or their tunics) and to
think about only their real needs, and not their unjustified wants.
Jesus comforted them, and all of us filled with anxiety about the future in these uncertain times:
“I
tell you, don’t worry about the food you eat, and the clothes you
wear on your body. Life is much more important than these things”.
“Consider
the wild flowers. They toil not, neither do they spin. But even King
Solomon in all of his glory is not arrayed so beautifully as they
are”.
Do
not be afraid, little flock. For your Father is pleased to give you the
Kingdom. Look for your riches there. For your heart will always be
where your riches are!
Selections from the Gospel of Luke.
Hopefully yours,
Pat.
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