A Happy Easter to you all!
I cannot thank you all enough for both the work and the support during Holy Week up to Easter Day. Like Jill in the past, Nickie went above and beyond to produce our little Holy Week booklet, ‘Wicked’, for our journey through each night. As I said in the intimations, this was our eleventh themed service done this way, but over my time, 31+ services of that ilk.
Over our Holy Week, we had around 60 worshippers each night, some who managed every single night and others, like our friends from Partick Victoria Park Church, who attended from Monday to Wednesday. I hope for all who dipped in and out of our worship, there was a deeper personal reflection to the last week of Jesus’ life: whether it was through the theme, the excellent support from our Elements Committee in their preparations for Maundy Thursday, or the friendship in the halls afterwards on Good Friday over some hot cross buns!
Before the rain arrived in the afternoon of Good Friday, I had the privilege of walking around the parish delivering Easter cards and thanking the businesses for their work in the community and wishing them every blessing for Easter. I was met with nothing but kindness from so many people of differing faiths and denominations and all bar none were touched by our thoughtfulness as a church to remember them: from hairdressers, food establishments, cafes, wine shops, florists, bookshops, estate agents, record shops, nail salons, dog grooming salons and even our local undertakers, many chatting along the way, some telling me of their worshipping plans over the Easter period.
And then Easter Sunday arrived.
We have been fortunate each and every time that we have an early Easter service in Kingsborough Gardens, the weather has been kind, even on the mornings, as I said last Sunday, when our Moveable Feast Day is earlier and we are staggering around in the dark, squinting our eyes to sing from Songs of God’s People!
As part of our tradition, joined by members of Jordanhill church and family and friends of our members, we ended our theme of ‘Wicked’ reflecting on the Eternal City, and then had the traditional photograph taken by Brenda, which you will see on page 2 of the magazine.
Breakfast was provided in Novar Halls by the hard working group of ladies, as they have done for so many years to meet the variety of tastes on offer and then it was back down the road for our Easter Family service. Don’t forget one of our new initiatives was placing the little bags around our parish with an Easter message and a ‘little Jesus’ encouraging those who had found it to come on the Sunday and receive an Easter egg, or more importantly, by finding the little bag, found Jesus himself and has brought some hope into their lives. It is difficult to assess, at this moment, this particular venture, but the plan was always to take the joy of Easter out into the community, and we will carry on in the belief that seeds have been sown right around our parish.
I was delighted to see a very busy church for our 10.30 service with Bill Keane at the organ, after the mammoth work Donald Macintosh had put in during Holy Week, and the fun we had with the children who were superb.
Who will forget in our ‘Spot the Difference’ Paul’s comment of ‘the guy with one leg’ or Phoebe shouting from the front of the church ‘What colour of egg do you want Naomi?’ From the egg hunt, organised by Gill, to the rolling of the ‘bowling ball’ to knock down our fears and worries, we had a great Sunday, of fun and laughter, filled with hope and joy and renewal on the Day of Resurrection.
I cannot thank you enough for the kind wishes afterwards. My hope and prayer is that we have made a difference, somewhere and with someone: that we have brought a little light to lives near and far and shared the Good News this Easter.
Your friend and minister,
George C Mackay
