The Alloa Guild

This year sees an exciting new change for the Guild locally as we have decided to merge the Guilds from Alloa Ludgate and Alloa St Mungo’s and have one Guild – the Alloa Guild.  When we spoke to our friends in Ludgate about once again having joint meetings for the Guild project speakers we felt that as this has worked well over the last couple of years it was the right time to merge the Guilds into one unit.

The Church of Scotland Guild was started in 1887 by Rev Dr Charteris as the Church of Scotland Woman’s Guild to give every woman in the Church an opportunity to have a voice.  Six years later they decided to build a hospital next to a school in Kalimpong and it opened the following year – the Guild doesn’t hang about but gets things done!  Over the years the Guild nationally has achieved a lot and has always been willing to change and adapt as necessary.  Locally there have been Guilds in the churches for more than 125 years and over that time they have done a lot of work to support others at home and abroad while learning new things and enjoying fellowship and fun.

The first Alloa Guild meeting took place on 5 October and there was a real feeling of excitement in the hall as we mixed together and made new friends while discussing various aspects of the Guild and how we see it progressing.   The Guild meets very 2 weeks from October to March and is open to all – men and women – and you do not have to be a member of the Church of Scotland to join.  Please put aside any preconceived ideas you may have about The Guild and come along and see for yourself what we do.  Our theme this year is “New Wine, New Wineskins” which seems to be very apt as we set out on the next stage of our journey.

 

 

October 2023

guild logo

Craft Group

Our large stock of blankets, knitwear and soft toys were donated to the Ukraine appeal early last year.  Hats were also donated to the Sailors society.   We enjoyed a lunch out before closing for a well-deserved Summer break.

Since resuming meetings in September this year, we have concentrated on gathering photos and preparing a calendar and in coming weeks we will be preparing for our stall at the Christmas Tree Festival at the end of November.

If you would like to help with our outreach to others, baby hats for the premature baby ward at FVRH are always welcome.  Likewise, blankets for winter warmth will still be appreciated whether for babies or seniors.  All will still be needed in the colder months ahead.  Members of the group have also been knitting teddies to put in the Samaritans Purse Christmas boxes.

Please feel free to join us on Mondays from 2 to 4pm in the Session House of the Church and enjoy some companionship and laughter while you do your craft work.

 

October 2023

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.

On Easter Sunday this year the Sunday School children organised an Easter Bonnet parade for the congregation to take part in and the picture to the left shows some of those who participated.

Connect Alloa

We are sorry that Connect are no longer meeting in St Mungo’s but delighted for the group that they have managed to obtain funding which has allowed them to obtain their own space to meet.  The group has gone from strength to strength since it started and was able to continue to provide a service to its members even during lockdown.  We wish them continued success in the future and know that we still have a positive relationship and connection with them.  Dave himself has told us that he hopes we can still work together, and they even have a cooking session with Billy Campbell coming up soon!

New volunteers are always welcome to apply, whether it be for the youth groups themselves or if you have an interest in raising funds on their behalf to support the group in these hard times.  Lastly, there is the possibility of ‘micro-volunteering’.  Micro-volunteering can be many things, but it is essentially volunteering on a small scale, remotely or in person, and finding something that can be a taster to volunteering with Connect or supporting the group in a way it may not have time for.  The hope is that with this, they can support more people who are not ready for a larger commitment or even people who are more comfortable volunteering their time to support Connect in some way from their own homes.

If you want to get to know more about Connect you can find them on www.connectalloa.org.uk or on all social media platforms by searching ‘connectalloa’.  The group supports any young person aged between Primary 7 and 19 years old as long as they have a parental or guardian permission form which can be completed here: https://connectalloa.org.uk/join-connect-alloa/.  If you have any questions, comments, or queries you can also contact Dave Crozier, Project Leader on 07598247277 or dave@connectalloa.org.uk.

 

July 2023