Prince Charles honours organist who is still playing after 75 years
Mary Edmondson, 89, the organist at Canisbay Parish Church in Caithness had a surprise visit from Prince Charles last week. To mark the fact that she has been an organist for 75 years she had a visit from Prince Charles who presented her with a basket of flowers.
East Renfrewshire church welcomes Ukrainians and their host families
Park Parish Church in Giffnock has set up the Ukrainian Hub Giffnock where Ukrainian refugees and their host familiea can come together and learn from one another as well as make new friendships.
New worship materials will help Church of Scotland mark Season of Creation
The Season of Creation runs from 1 September to 4 October and encourages Christians to engage in prayer and action for the protection of creation. This year Eco-congregation Scotland launched the resources which are available to all and include Stilling videos.
Christian Aid launches emergency East Africa hunger appeal
After the worst drought in 40 years, vulnerable people in East Africa are now facing the threat of famine and death. Christian Aid has launched an East Africa Appeal in a bid to alleviate the suffering being faced. The Moderator tells how some individuals have been affected by the drought and Sally Foster-Fulton outlines how your support can help.
Nominations still open for the 2023-24 Moderator of the General Assembly
The Committee to nominate the Moderator is ready to receive recommendations for the person who will be nominated as Moderator of the General Assembly in May 2023. The post of moderator is an important one for the Church as the person chosen acts as an ambassador for the Church of Scotland at home and abroad. Any member of the Church of Scotland can recommend a minister, elder or deacon for consideration by the Committee using the recommendation form. The date for submission has been extended and completed forms must be returned by 19 August.
The Guild Newsletter
Although many Guilds across the country have now finished meeting for the summer, The Guild, nationally, is still producing a monthly newsletter. In the summer edition , the National Vice-Convenor spoke about the Queen’s Jubilee. There is also information about the National Convenor Elect and also the new national Vice-Convenors – including Christina Patterson from our local Guilds Together – and Regional Support Workers. As usual there is news about what some Guilds across the country have been doing. This month’s hymn is Great is Thy faithfulness.
This Sunday, 14 August, the service will be taken by Rev Sang Y Cha. The Order of Service can be found on the What’s On page and the service will be broadcast live on Facebook.
After church teas and coffees continue to be served following the appropriate guidelines. If you would like to help with this, please speak to Joyce or Elma.
The café now has a Facebook page, thanks to a member of Connect Alloa. Billy started serving his summer menu from Monday 20 June.
The garden at the back of the Church is being transformed with fruit trees and bushes being planted. The weather vane presented to the church in memory of Rev Alan Downie has now been placed in the Church garden.
Preparations are underway for the visit from the Moderator of the General Assembly on 28 August for the service of dedication of the church café and garden.
A permanent ramp has been installed leading into the porch and this has been welcomed by many as it will make access to the building easier. We have had many positive comments about this already.
At a recent Kirk Session meeting it was agreed that, as restrictions have eased, we would reinstate the use of the display boards in the Porch to highlight matters of interest in St Mungo’s and the wider community. This month we are highlighting the work of the Sunday School which restarts on 21 August.
There is a box in the Porch for donations to The Gate which is always willing to accept donations of tins and packets of food and carrier bags.
We have put a submission to presbytery with our views on the draft Presbytery Mission Plan.
When the late Rev Alan Downie was our minister, he acted as prison chaplain at Glenochil prison where he was highly regarded. After his death the prisoners at Glenochil crafted a beautiful weathervane in his memory. During the renovations of our building, we were advised that there was no suitable position for it on the roof so it has been on display in the porch, but it has now been installed in the garden behind the church.
Weathervanes have been used for centuries to show the direction of the wind and come in many designs. In the 9th century, the Pope decreed that weathervanes on churches should use a cockerel as the focus. It has been suggested that this is in reference to Jesus’ prophecy that Peter will deny him three times before the cockerel crows the morning after the Last Supper. As the cockerel crows first thing in the morning with the rising sun it has also been suggested that it represents the victory of light over darkness while warding off evil.
Whatever the reason for the design we are fortunate to have such a beautiful piece of work in our Church.
The Church is now open for the Sunday service , and the other work of the church is still continuing. This means that there are still expenses to be covered so please help if you can. You can either fill your envelope each week ready for when you are able to join us for the Church service again or if you would like to set up a Standing Order or give a donation please get in touch using the email address connect@alloastmungos.org or contact our Treasurer, Scott Maxwell (07711148762), and he will be happy to give you more information.
A new way in which you can support us is by shopping with Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same experience as on amazon.co.uk. The difference is that when you shop by following the link below, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases to St Mungo’s. Only purchases made through smile.amazon.co.uk are eligible to generate donations. There is no cost either to you or the church. When you first click here you may be asked to set up an Amazon Smile account and choose a charity. Select St Mungo’s Parish Church, Alloa and every time you purchase goods from Amazon, the church gets a donation paid directly into our bank account.
To find out about the ways in which you can support the Church – financially and otherwise – please click on the Support Us tab below.
The café is normally open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week between 10 and 4 and the summer menu is available on the newsletter tab above.
You can find the menu for our café by clicking on the newsletter tab above. Booking is advised for afternoon tea. Please phone Billy to book a table either on his mobile, 07395091107 or, during café opening hours, on the church number 01259 723004.