Welcome to St Mungo's
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Mission Statement
Seeking to be
open and
welcoming
to all actively
growing in faith
Our Minister
Ever since our minister, Rev Sang Yoon Cha, came to us in 2011 we have been on a wonderful adventure together. During this time we have faced many challenges and changes. We have had major building work done, adaptations to the inside of our building and the introduction of some different types of services. We have lost old friends and gained new. We are currently facing what is possibly our biggest challenge since he arrived – Covid 19 – but with Sang’s help support and guidance we will see this through and be stronger together.
Sang’s message for week beginning 28 June 2020 is now available on the About Us page. Just click on the Message from our Minister box.
Get Involved
In normal times, there are lots of ways you can get involved in the church, it’s not all about the Sunday service. You could join the Guild – it is open to all. You could volunteer to help with the after church coffees, Wednesday coffees or the Café. Volunteers to help with the café will be welcomed when the Church reopens and the Cafe is finally able to open, You could attend the events organised by the Church throughout the year.
However, at this time, all of these things are on hold but you can keep in touch with members who are isolated – a phone call or text shows them that they are not forgotten.
Every Sunday, there is an order of service on the Church’s Facebook page with a reading and prayer by two members of the congregation, and a sermon from Sang, our minister. There are links to hymns on YouTube so that you can join in singing or just listen and Islay, our organist, plays various pieces to allow for quiet reflection.
Despite the fact that the Church building is closed, the work of the church is still continuing and there are still expenses to be covered so please help if you can. You can either fill your envelope each week ready for when we can have services in Church again or if you would like to set up a Standing Order or give a donation please get in touch using the email addressconnect@alloastmungos.org and we will be happy to give you more information.
A joint call from Scottish Churches, of all denominations, has been made for people to join together at 7 pm on a Sunday. Further information and this week’s prayer can be found on the What’s On page. Please join in.
What We Offer
As well as the services which include baptisms, weddings and funerals, we offer fun, friendship and fellowship.
As we are unable to hold our normal Sunday services at the moment, St Mungo’s has posted an alternative on our Facebook page. Please click on the Facebook tab above and join us in our alternative service.
The Order of Service for 28 June can be found above. Links to the sermon, prayer, Bible reading and music for reflection for those who don’t access Facebook, will be available on Sunday on the What’s On page. Just click on the tab above and scroll down to below the calendar.
Ways to Support the Church Financially
Apart from the routine way of donating money, if you were to
use “Easyfundraising” then the church benefits without it
costing you any more.
News from 121
This week the Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, has paid tribute to the NHS as it marks 72 years in existence. He pays tribute to all who work in the healthcare system for the work that they do. He is encouraging people to take part in the one-off clap for carers event at 5pm today. To read more about what Dr Fair said and also to find out a bit more about the role of hospital chaplains, follow the link below
Also this week, Christians in South Korea donated Covid-19 testing kits to the NHS. The links between Christianity in Scotland and Korea date back to the 1880s when John Ross, the missionary, was influential in bringing Christianity to the Korean peninsula – both North and South as his mission predated the demarcation of the 38th Parallel. Our Minister, Sang, has made reference to John Ross as someone who indirectly started him on his journey to Alloa to become our minister. You can read more about the South Korean gift of testing kits by following this link
The Guild continues to produce its weekly newsletter which can be found here.
https://mailchi.mp/churchofscotland/guild-news-12530035?e=b6ff4e6724
The Church nationally has a group who meet regularly to develop guidelines for Churches which will help them to prepare to reopen safely when conditions permit. Let us hope and pray that we will be able to meet in person in St Mungo’s in the not too far distant future when the time is right.
The Church of Scotland has introduced an online donations system. To find out more about this and the importance of your donations, follow the link below.
https://churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/2020/support-your-local-church-with-our-new-online-donations-system
Crossreach
Crossreach is the Social Care arm of the Church of Scotland and offers care and support to people of all ages who just need a bit of extra help to allow them to live life to the full. Crossreach has been providing this support for more than 150 years and has changed and evolved over that time. The ethos of the organisation is to “aim to show the practical side of our Christian faith by reflecting Christian love to those we support, through our leadership, management and working relationships”.
Find out more about Crossreach and the help they offer by checking their website at
https://www.crossreach.org.uk/
If you feel stressed or worried, you may well find something helpful at Crossreach.
The Gate
During these strange and worrying times, The Gate’s Foodbank is busier than ever. Many people referred are unable to go out and are facing a financial crisis due to issues such as being self-employed, zero hours contracts or having lost their jobs.
The Gate relies on donations of food which are usually collected through local churches, schools, the general community and supermarkets. However, churches and schools are currently closed and people are visiting supermarkets less frequently and are focussed on the shopping they need for themselves or for friends or family who are unable to go to a supermarket at this time. The usual monthly shopping bill was £500 but recently it has increased to £2,500 each month to purchase essential items needed to meet with the increased referrals.
There are collection trolleys in all supermarkets in Alloa so, if you are shopping, you may wish to donate some store cupboard food. If you are not shopping, you could help by making a cash donation by visiting The Gate Centre in Tullibody Road, Alloa (opposite Ludgate House) any day Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm or by making a donation via bank transfer.
The Gate is also collecting NOW and for the next two weeks NEW and good quality second hand school clothing and equipment to distribute during the Open Week which will be held this year in Alloa’s Town Hall from Monday 20th July to Friday 24th July. Last year, over 350 children were provided with school uniforms and equipment such as school bags, lunch boxes, stationery sets, and PE equipment. All clothing from all schools within Clackmannanshire for children aged between 5 to 18 years of age is accepted.
Details of how you can donate cash or items can be found on The Gate’s website: www.the-gate-charity.org
Weekly Digest Article
As the local paper is not currently publishing the District Digest, we thought we would add our normal weekly contribution to our website instead.
Over the past few months it feels like we have been contained in a bubble within our own homes and have adopted a “Covid Safe” lifestyle. We have kept ourselves busy keeping fit, spring cleaning, decorating, making home improvements both inside and out, and our involvement in home schooling with all its challenges has given us renewed respect for teachers. Now we are preparing to emerge cautiously from our bubbles with thoughts of reconnecting in person with family and friends indoors. Alternative holiday plans to compensate for those cancelled are being considered and those fortunate enough to own a second home are dreaming about being able to use it shortly. A gradual return to a broader social life along with the ability to enjoy some retail therapy and outdoor physical activities begin to ease feelings of weariness and improve well-being.
However, throughout all of this in our next steps to fight coronavirus we must protect ourselves, our loved ones and others in the community and we pray for strength to undertake this responsibly. This week our prayers include all those people who have been hospitalised due to the virus and who are slowly recovering from the serious impact on their overall health, frontline workers in all sectors who have worked and served us diligently throughout the pandemic, and all those who are suffering from the effects of loss.
Summer Reading Challenge
As the weather has changed back to our more normal Scottish weather this may well be time to sit down with a good book, a cup of tea and a cake. With this thought in mind, you might be interested to know that Clackmannanshire Council have set an Adult Summer Reading Challenge running from 6 July to 14 August. As travel is still restricted, the theme this year is Around the World and you have to read 6 books in 6 weeks. For further details follow the link below
https://www.clacks.gov.uk/community/events/?event=2806
For children, there is also a national reading challenge – the Silly Squad Summer Reading Challenge which Clackmannanshire Council are supporting through a Treasure Hunt. More details can be found here:
https://www.clacks.gov.uk/community/events/?event=2804
The reading challenge sounds like a good excuse to take a break from housework and DIY and escape to another country. Enjoy your reading.
Current Events
Website Updates
We have updated some of the items on the Church Finance page and the What’s On page. We have also updated the Communications section on the About Us page. Please check them out.
You can now see the Weekly Parishioner online. Just click on the Newsletter tab above and follow the link. We hope you enjoy it. Week 14 is now available.
A copy of this week’s national Call to Prayer can be found on the What’s On page.
Alpha and Omega
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters in the classical Greek alphabet. In Revelations Chapter 21 verse 6, we find the phrase “For I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end”. There are 3 different verses in Revelations which refer to the Alpha and the Omega – in Chapters 1, 21 and 22.
In St Mungo’s many people will have noticed the Greek symbols on the front of the pulpit with Alpha (ꓮ) on the left and Omega (Ω) on the right.
The symbols can also be found in one of our stained glass windows. If you look closely at the top of the Gethsemane window you can see the symbols for Alpha and Omega. When the Church reopens, please take time to look at this for yourself.
There are many interesting things to be found in our church building and we hope when life returns to normal that you will be able to see them for yourself. If you want to know more about our building please check out the relevant page on our website.
