The Guild

Our Guild meets in the Session House every second Tuesday from October to March. The Guild is open to all, men as well as women, and we meet for fellowship, friendship and fun. Our syllabus is always a mixture of music, talks (often about projects we support, both in this country and overseas), demonstrations and presentations. There is always tea and biscuits as well!

At Christmas we go out for a Christmas dinner; in the spring we have a theatre outing; in May we attend the Guild Rally where we meet members of other Guilds in the Presbytery; and we have a summer outing – this year it was a “mystery tour” which went to Crieff and then back via Lochearnhead and Callander for a meal at The Hollybank in Stirling.  At the end of May, several of our members attended the Presbytery rally in Bridge of Allan.  Guild members from across the Presbytery were welcomed by Sang in his role as Moderator of the Presbytery of Stirling and entertained by Alec Shuttleworth and friends.

The Guild also raises money for the church by our collections and a coffee morning with lots of Home Baking as well as a craft stall. This year we have also, with the generous help of the congregation, been knitting hats for the Sailors’ Society.  These were presented to Pauline of the Society at the service on 8 September which marked the beginning of Guild Week.

Yes, we are a vibrant organisation! Our opening meeting this year was on Tuesday 8th October at 7.30pm. Please feel free to come along and join us – no strings attached! You may actually find that you enjoy the evening. You are certainly assured of a warm welcome.

Craft Group

Let me tell you about a small group within the St. Mungo’s “family” .The Craft Group meets weekly on Monday afternoons between 2 and 4 p.m. in the Kirk Session room of the Church from September to June. So that’s the who, when and where……but what about the “why”? Over the 20 or so years since it was started the Group has produced handmade articles, decorations, cards and lots of baby knitwear for Craft Group stalls at the Church Christmas Fayres and Mini-Markets. They also make goods for themselves! The ladies have also supported many charities:- Teddies for Tragedies to comfort children in areas of conflict Worldwide Jumpers for the “Fish ‘n Chips” newborns in Africa Blankets for Blythswood charity (home and abroad) Cardigans and hats for the neo-natal Unit at Forth Valley Royal Hospital Twiddlemuffs for elderly coping with dementia in Church of Scotland Homes Knitted Hats, Scarves and mitts for CrossReach Craftathon Knitted and crocheted Prayer Shawls for Old Folks Homes locally and much more. At present they are working on more Twiddlemuffs for local hospitals. Meetings are OPEN to ALL, both members of St. Mungo’s and non-members. So, if YOU would like to join one of St. Mungo’s organisations for fun and friendship… WHY NOT US ?

Wednesday Morning Coffees

Coffee Mornings are held in the Session House on scheduled Wednesdays from 10.00-11.30am between September and June with a short break over the Festive Period.These are open to non-members and the local community. Volunteers on a rota basis provide delicious home baking and serve teas and coffees for a suggested donation of £2.50. Our regulars look forward to the weekly event and enjoy the opportunity for informal chat and uplifting camaraderie in the cheery atmosphere.

After Church Teas

On Sundays following the church service refreshments are provided at the back of the church. Volunteers take turns to serve Teas/Coffees in the newly refurbished café style social area. This facilitates informal chat, friendship and fellowship with others in the congregation.

Sunday School

The Sunday School meets every Sunday during the school term at 11.15am. We have a lively group of children aged from 3 to 11 who participate in bible studies and craft work on various topics from the Bible. If your child attends nursery or primary school and would like to join us please come along on a Sunday morning.

Connect Alloa

We now also have a Youth Group who meet in the Church on a Tuesday and Friday. Dave Crozier leads this group and he has kindly provided the following:

For those of you who don’t know me – I’m Dave Crozier, Director and Lead Youth Worker for Connect Alloa.

We’ve had a fantastic start and have had over 30 young people through the door already! Numbers go up and down week to week, but we also have consistency and best of all, the young people enjoy what we have on offer! So much so in fact that they have already asked for longer sessions and to use the larger space more frequently.

We have young people who are very vocal about what they want and what they enjoy and with support from our outstanding volunteer team we are working hard to provide the activities they enjoy.

We have volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and ages who all offer something unique to our youth nights but what we all have in common is enthusiasm. Every single volunteer, myself included, want the young people to have a safe space to be themselves, reduce isolation and feel a part of something. By offering opportunities we are achieving this much faster than expected and to a standard that sets the bar to only get higher as we move forwards.

I wouldn’t feel right if I did not also thank our brilliant Trustee Team. Again, every individual offers a different set of skills and such a huge degree of enthusiasm and selflessness that I feel we drive each other to push Connect Alloa to the forefront of our communities’ minds and to success.

Finally, I want to thank you, each member of St. Mungo’s Parish Church. You said ‘yes’ to this adventure with me. You took a leap of faith and it is already making a difference to so many young people. Without you, Connect Alloa may not have had this opportunity yet – but here we are, making a difference together.

A wise man once told me never to forget 4 words ‘you can do this’. He also changed this over time to be ‘you are Dave Crozier’. He said it knowing that, by remembering who I am, I would get the job done. I believe this is true but without all of the support from St. Mungo’s we would not be where we are now, at least not yet. I can confidently say, though, that we are making a difference and as time goes on, we can only make a bigger positive impact on our community.

Until next time.

All the best,

Dave