Dear friends,
Welcome to another Sunday service!
Last Tuesday Glasgow Presbytery met by Webinar. It was quite a strange two and a half hour meeting, sitting by a screen and pressing the icon which raised ‘a hand’ indicating that you would like to speak! It was also odd because, unlike our Zoom services where you can see most people, Webinar only allowed those at the top table i.e the Moderator, the Business Convenor, and the Clerks to be shown and when it was the appropriate committee’s turn, their convenor.
If I was paying attention, 85 churches in Glasgow have now sought approval to be opened in some form, 10 are waiting and 21 have still to apply. According to the Property Convenor, within the Presbytery there are 124 churches, 114 manses and around 400 buildings. When this pandemic passes the Church will need to see what the benefit is, or otherwise, of having so many buildings!
Dare I mention the word ‘Christmas’? Well the Prime Minister has and is considering cancelling it!! Andrea has asked me to tell you of the difficulties this year of selling Crossreach calendars and cards. There will be information in the next Newsletter regarding the ways that you can contact Crossreach and still support them.
Jill is in the process of sending out a third prayer booklet called ‘Don’t Feed me Bread’. Once again, these are prayers primarily sent out by text in the morning. These are also being placed on our Church Facebook page, now causing me stress if there are not enough ‘likes’!!
In our prayers today please remember the Macdonald family. Lang Macdonald died on the 3rd September and his funeral takes place on Monday 14th. Please remember Elsie and all the family in your prayers. Announced also in Presbytery was the sudden death of Stuart Bruce, who, I believe, was locum at Balshagray. So remember his family and our local neighbours in prayer.
We are also asked by the Community Responsibility Convenor to remember the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in our prayers. Seemingly if Glasgow City Council stops vital core services funding by September there is the possibility that the bureaus in Castlemilk, Easterhouse, Bridgeton, Parkhead and Glasgow Central will close.
Yours in faith
George
Click to download weekly reflection for Sunday 13 September 2020 (PDF):-
Rev Mackay’s weekly reflection is also accompanied by a piece from our musical director, Razvan Luculescu. This week, Razvan is playing CWM Rhondda (Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah).
