august/september 2016 - st mary’s-greyfriars’ church ... · pdf filemusic too,...

St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Parish Church Minister: Rev David Logan

Tel 01387 270128 www.stmarysgreyfriars.org.uk

Scottish charity no SC009432

Team for a cuppaOur front cover this month features the

group who ran July’s coffee morning!

august/september 2016

Chrystal Chronicle August/September 2016 www.stmarysgreyfriars.org.uk

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Welcome to our Parish NurseThe wellbeing of the congregation has just been enhanced with the appointment of a Parish Nurse.

Mrs Catriona Logan, who has more than 30 years’ experience in general and psychological nursing, trained as a parish nurse when she retired and is the first to be appointed in Dumfries and Galloway. UK-wide there are 60 parish nurses and Mrs Logan is the ninth in Scotland.

Mrs Logan will work with the pastoral care team and spend time listening to patients, assessing their emotional and physical needs and giving them informed reassurance where necessary, liaising with GP surgeries and introducing voluntary agencies, health facilities or support

groups as appropriate. She will also offer sensitive spiritual care praying with people if asked and giving them Christian literature or pointing them in the direction of other faiths.

Hi, I am Catriona – your Parish Nurse here at St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ Church.

I am a registered general nurse and a reg-istered psychiatric nurse having worked as a senior charge nurse in psychiatry of old age in Dundee. On retirement from the NHS I trained as a Parish Nurse and I am registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and have a current PVG certificate. My work is entirely voluntary.

Parish Nursing provides whole-person health care through a church community. Based on Christ’s teaching and ministry, as demonstrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we support individuals’ physi-cal, mental, social and spiritual health.

We offer individuals and communities personal health advice, advocacy support, health education, run support groups and

help people integrate their faith and health. I am available to offer support with your

health needs. This may be to talk through your health and wellbeing or support you in seek-ing the most appropriate care. I can also offer the opportunity for you to explore the spir-itual aspects of your healthcare, if you wish.

As a Parish Nurse, I am not allowed to of-fer clinical treatments such as doing dress-ings or giving injections, but I can support you in getting the care that you need. I am however qualified to offer you health advice and to give you a health check up.

You will find me at the church every Sun-day as well as at our coffee mornings. Please do feel free to approach any time, or phone me at the Manse on 270128.

If you have a sudden illness please contact your GP or ring NHS 24 on 111 for advice.


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From the ManseDear friends,

It is just over three months since we moved to Dumfries to become your new manse family. It already seems more like three years! So much has happened in such a short space of time and the good news is that we are thoroughly enjoying living and working in Dumfries.

Catriona and I are now getting used to two nine month old kittens, Millie and Ro-sie, who have taken up residence as the new Manse Moggies. They are so full of energy that for the time being at least, they expend that by charging around the house sounding like a herd of elephants! Life has certainly changed for us!

Things are changing too at St Mary’s Greyfriars’. Watch out for our revamped website and our new Facebook page. The recently launched Parish Nursing Project has become established and is very successful. Our Parish Nurse already has 14 people in her care. Working alongside our Pastoral Care Team and myself, the Parish Nurse has brought a new dimension to the care of our members and those living in our parish.

Changes. For some of us change is uncomfortable. If it is, remember that our Lord is with us every day of our lives, not just on Sundays! If you are worried or upset about a new situ-ation, pray that God will grant you understanding and peace He will listen to your prayer and, He will answer it.

In the meantime, enjoy the photograph of Millie and Rosie who both look forward to meeting you when you call at the Manse.

With every good wish and blessing,David

In Touch outing: As part of our Pastoral Care commitment some of our church members were taken to the Powfoot Hotel for afternoon tea. Many thanks to all who helped with transport. If you would like to know more about our Pastoral Care please get in touch with Isobel Evans on 263630.


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Church register

What’s on …AugustMonday 8: Buzz, Folk Museum, Bill HollandSunday 21: Sunday Kids and creche resumeMonday 22: Buzz, The Lochthorn Harps

SeptemberSaturday 3: Coffee morningMonday 5: Buzz, A Trip Down Under, Isobel EvansWednesday 14: Garden Club restartsMonday 19: Buzz, Assistance Dogs, Anne Eagles and AlfieWednesday 28: Garden Club, speaker to be confirmedMonday 26: Service and soup, 12.15pm (please note the date)

OctoberSaturday 1: Coffee morning Monday 3: Buzz, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Gary Kirkpatrick Tuesday 4 Guild, From Polis to Pulpit, David LoganSunday 9: Harvest Thanksgiving

Death: “I am the resurrection and the life”March 8: Miss G Campbell

New members: “Welcome!”Mrs Catriona LoganMs Lisa McNay

Please let me know of any changes of address: Marion Bennett, 2 Wolfgill Drive, Dumfries DG1 4XY. Tel: 263106.

A Church of Scotland official has successfully completed a gruelling 45-mile mountain peak challenge to raise money for disadvantaged communities. Andrew Tomlinson, associ-ate secretary of the Church and Society Council, tackled 10 mountains in the Lake District National Park in just 16 hours.

Climb every mountain …


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About the magazine Useful contactsThe deadline for our October/November issue is Sunday September 18 for items through the church – and 3pm that day for those sent direct. Please include your name with all submissions.

Editor: David BennettWrite: 2 Wolfgill Drive, Dumfries DG1 4XYCall: 01387 263106Email: [email protected]

Minister Rev David Logan ..... 270128/07793 542411

Session Clerk David Matheson .............................. 252042

Treasurer Stewart Williamson ......................... 261257

Gift Aid and freewill offering envelopes Billy Simpson ................................... 252278

Christian Aid

Bible findA beautifully preserved Gaelic Bible dating back to the First World War has been discov-ered at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.

St Giles Cathedral is hosting an art exhibit, “Mapping Remembrance” by renowned art-ist Alison King that commemorates the contribution made by former Moderator of the General Assembly the Very Rev Dr James Black, chaplain to McCrae’s Battalion – the 16th Royal Scots.

The red hard-backed tome, which bears the white Royal Naval Ensign on the first page, appears to have been produced to provide comfort and inspiration to seamen. The text reads: “Presented by the National Bible Society of Scotland to ………… on active service 1917. Be strong and of good courage for the Lord Thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest”.

It is understood that the Bible was a spare and never handed out because there is no name on the presentation page.

The Dumfries and District house to house collection has raised, to date, a total of £13,635 and those from St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ and friends collecting contributed £1984.50 of that sum. Thanks again to all who were involved including those who gave.

The annual coffee morning on Saturday September 17, from 10am to 12 noon, is in The Usual Place, Academy Street, Dumfries – the proceeds again focusing on supporting Bang-ladesh.

More details in intimations nearer the time. Stalls will include cake and candy, plants, Hannah’s toys, books, crafts (includes wool), jewellery, jigsaws, Tradecraft and information.

Anne Twiname


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From the Buzz

On Monday May 30 we welcomed Grace Kirby, who told us about a holiday to France, including a visit to a place where there were scenes made from oranges and lemons. It was amazing to consider all the work that must have gone into making them. We had some nice music too, with Russ Conway on the piano.

At our meeting on June 13 we celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday (as you can see in our picture above). Rhona had a lovely programme made up of music and song. Ian Kirkpatrick played us a medley of Scottish music on his fiddle and Edna Wells sang us some songs, with us all joining in. Our decor in the hall was fit for a Queen and there were lovely hats of all kinds on display – it was an excellent afternoon tea!

We had our summer outing to Hoddam Estate on June 27. There were 26 of us and we went on different walks, followed by afternoon tea and a lot of chat.

We resume on August 8 with Bill Holland’s talk on a Folk Museum. All are welcome.Freda Hunter


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In the Garden

On May 11 we had an “In House” afternoon. We made arrangements for the coffee morning and plant stall, explored items for the syllabus and had contributions from various mem-bers: Sheila Cook, Isobel Evans, Betty Jardine, Stan Tanner, Dorothy Edwards and David Cannon.

The Gardening Club would like to thank all those who supported the coffee morning and plant stall on May 28. We had a plentiful supply of good quality plants and flowers, with cheery helpers behind the stalls and serving the teas. We had a good turnout and everything produced a very warm and pleasant atmosphere. Best of all, we raised £1000 for church funds. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Our last event of the season was a summer outing on June 15 to Old Keir Mill Garden (pictured), courtesy of Robin and Margaret Thomson. It was good to see that the garden has recovered substantially from the ravages of winter storms. The sloping aspect of the garden bordered by the burn makes a lovely setting and is overlooked by the old mill itself.

Thirty-four members were able to attend and enjoy a pleasant day out in a warm, sunny situation. We were delighted to have the company of David and Catriona Logan with us. Our “entry money” of £4 per head was given for Caerlaverock Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

We then went on to GlenWhisk, Moniaive, for afternoon tea. We had a lovely spread of food which was enjoyed by all. After tea, contributions were made by Dorothy Edwards, Tommy Jardine, Eunice Sutherland, Bill Holland and David Logan. The final event of a lovely afternoon was to mark Catriona’s birthday with a card and a plant.

Our opening meeting will be on September 14.Bill Holland


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Notes of thanks

August 14 ...........................................A FieldAugust 21 .................................... J ThomsonAugust 28 ...................................... A McCaigSeptember 4 ...................................... J TrainSeptember 11 ............................... L JardineSeptember 18 ................................K RentonSeptember 25 ......................Harvest serviceOctober 2 .........................................G Boyes

Anyone wishing to donate flowers please contact:Norna Francis ....................................250199Moira Cannon ...................................720394Betty Jardine......................................257691Margaret McCafferty ........................268673Margaret Thomson ...........................253484

Flower rotaThank you to the Sunday School for the lovely bunch of carnations from the flower service. Also thank you to Freda and Rose-mary for delivering them and their nice chat. Annie McCaig

Thank you for the lovely flowers I received from the flower service. They were greatly appreciated. Also thanks to the In Touch for the lovely afternoon tea at the Powfoot Hotel. The laughter and chatter which took place was a pleasure to hear. Even the weath-er turned out specially for us. Mae Lorimer

Thanks for flowers and other gifts received after the flower service, from: Eric Affleck; Mrs M Bird; Mrs Annie Clark; Robert Fish-er and Ms Lillian Lossius; Miss C Forbes; Mrs Agnes Fraser; Mr Alan Gemmill; Mrs L Gourlie; Mrs Mary Graham; Vera Haining; Bunty Hogg; Audrey Johnston; Mr and Mrs King; Mrs Marchbank; Mrs M McNicol; Mrs P McShane; Susan McSherry; Mr and Mrs Milligan; Mr and Mrs Saxby; Miss L Smart; Ina Thom; Mrs Margaret Wallace; Mrs J Wardrope; and Mrs Nessie Watson.

Thanks for the flowers after a recent be-reavement. They were very much appreci-ated – they were lovely. Freda Hunter

Please convey my thanks and delight on receiving flowers from my friends at St Mary’s-Greyfriars’. Linda Nicolson

I would like to say thank you for the flow-ers which were kindly passed to me on July 3 following the death of my cousin’s husband. Janet McSherry

I would like to say how much I have ap-preciated the very warm welcome from everyone following my Profession of Faith and becoming a member. Many thanks also for my Bible and the flowers. Lisa McNay

Thank you for flowers and visits when I was in hospital and at home. Nessie Glendinning

I would like to thank the church family for the kind gift of the church flowers, they real-ly did brighten up the day. Maureen Woods

Thanks from Les Charters on behalf of his wife Margaret for flowers, from the Buzz for a good wishes card, and from Rev Da-vid for visits.

I have also been asked to pass on thanks for flowers from Annie Clark and Eileen Hannah.


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PS: A Graham Kendrick hymn for reflectionBeauty for broken-ness, hope for despair, Lord in the suffering this is our prayer.Bread for the children, justice, joy, peace, Sunrise to sunset your kingdom increase.

God of the poor, friend of the weak, Give us compassion we pray, melt our cold hearts,Let tears fall like rain. Come, change our love from a spark to a flame.

Shelter for fragile lives, cures for their ills, work for the craftsmen, trade for their skills. Land for the dispossessed, rights for the weak, Voices to plead the cause of those who can’t speak.

Refuge from cruel wars, havens from fear, Cities for sanctu’ry, freedoms to share.Peace to the killing fields, scorched earth to green, Christ for the bitterness, his cross for the pain.

Rest for the ravaged earth, oceans and streams, Plundered and poisoned, our future, our dreams.Lord, end our madness, carelessness, greed; Make us content with the things that we need.

Lighten our darkness, breathe on this flame, Until your justice burns brightly again; Until the nations learn of your ways, Seek your salvation and bring you their praise.

CCl No 102598

Tomorrow’s CallingThe Church of Scotland has published a new title in its groundbreaking Learn pub-lication series. Learn: Tomorrow’s Calling explores the adventurous journey into min-istry through stories of men and women called to serve God.

Rt Rev Dr Russell Barr, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, praised the new book as valuable resource for anyone who senses their vocation lies within the Church of Scotland.

“Learn: Tomorrow’s Calling introduces a great deal of ideas and reflections on discern-ing a call to ministry,” the Moderator said.

The book is broken up into short thought-provoking sections that can be read in any order allowing the reader to dip in and out. Each section looks at a different aspect of the journey towards a calling and offers practical help to readers considering a greater role in the Church.


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From the Treasurer May/Jun 2016 May/Jun 2015 9 Sundays 9 SundaysOpen Plate £ 1470 £ 929Weekly Freewill Offerings £ 4432 £ 4492Banker’s Orders/Cheques £ 3104 £ 2669Collection Boxes £ 155 £ 120Total £ 9161 £ 8210Average weekly collections £ 1018 £ 912Annual total to date £ 27,230 £ 25,492

Stewart Williamson, Treasurer

Munro magnificence!T h e R e v D r Va l e r i e A l l e n ’s a m b i -t ion to conquer ever y peak of more than 3000ft has been 19 years in the making.

The minister followed in the footsteps of fellow Church of Scotland minister the Rev Archibald Eneas Robertson who is on record as the first person to complete all the Munros in September 1901.

Dr Allen of Doune, Stirlingshire, convener of the Church of Scotland’s Violence Against Women Task Group, climbed her final Munro – Ben Lomond – on July 2.

She has been officially recorded as a “Munro compleatist” by the Scottish Mountaineer-ing Club. It is believed she is the first female Church of Scotland minister to accomplish the feat.

“When I was standing on top of Ben Lomond I felt a real sense of unreality that something that has been such a focus in my life for so long had come to an end,” she said.

“I had a quiet sense of accomplishment and a real feeling of joy.”Asked what climb stands out in her memory, Dr Allen said: “Imagine sitting in the sun on

a snow covered mountain at the head of Glen Affric looking out at blue skies and a moun-tain vista that stretches for miles.

“It’s moments like that which draw me to the mountains, moments when I feel God’s presence palpably close and I marvel at the beauty of God’s creation.”


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Hungarian visitMonths of planning came to fruition in the very early hours of Monday June 6 at Edin-burgh Airport with the rather belated arrival of 12 people from the presbytery of Debrecen.

They spent the night in a hotel and after a walk down the Royal Mile and lunch at the Church of Scotland offices at 121 George Street the next day the minibus headed for Dumfries.

We met Janos and Aniko Veres the Pastor and his wife from our twinned church Ar-pad Ter at St George’s Church and brought them back to our home. We had first met them in 2011 and again in 2013 in Debrecen.

They had a packed programme for the next week all over the Presbytery but were delighted to join our Guild ladies for supper on the day after their arrival at the Queen’s hotel in Lockerbie. Their visits included Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, the cosmic gardens at Portrack House, Ellisland farm, and Dumfries prison as well as the Devil’s porridge and Ruthwell church along with other places. We had a very meaningful conference on youth ministry with both groups learning a lot from each other.

Janos and Aniko were so pleased to be able to share worship with both Caerlaverock and St Mary’s-Greyfriars’ on the Sunday. They gave us honey bread with their cockerel logo and our geese logo on them and also the mould for our logo. Examples of these are at the back of the church.

Janos delivered a very heartfelt message to us all on Sunday morning and everyone was very impressed with his English lan-guage skills. They were struck by the way we sit to pray and stand to sing – the oppo-site from Hungary – and the visual screens.

They loved the movement that took place during that service, the joy of the children, all the flowers and the welcome from every-one they met and talked to.

They were delighted to join in the Sun-day Kids’ picnic at Mabie on the Sunday afternoon and loved the forest setting. They were also very pleased to have time on the shore at Powillimount, as Hungary is land-locked, and a large bag of shells went home with them.

On their last evening we took them to the Guid Nychburris Songs of Praise in the High School which they said was one of the main highlights of their visit. This was followed by a fish supper – another first for them!

We were blessed with warm dry (well almost) weather for the whole week. Liz went in the minibus to Edinburgh airport on the Monday and came home with a very heavy heart at having to say goodbye to such good friends. The Presbytery will probably be arranging a visit to Debrecen next year and if you would like to go we can assure you that it is an opportunity not to be missed and you will have a wonderful time.

Stan and Liz Tanner


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Another busy year in Sunday Kids has come to an end with an excellent BBQ at Mabie Forest in lovely sunshine. Thank you to all those who helped.

Invitations had been extended and we were pleased to see that some of those invited came along to join us. Hopefully we will see some of the children in Sunday Kids next year.

At Christmas the children entered a Crossreach Christmas Card Competition for which they all received certificates at the flower service.

As you will have seen during the year, the children have been out and about carrying out various activities. As well as taking part in helping us to become an Eco Church they took part in the Christmas service and of course took the flower service.

To Kirstin, Ellie, Katie, Alice and

Summer Sundays …

Isaac, thank you. Thank you for coming along every week and thank you to your parents, grannies and grandads for bringing you.

Thank you to Isobel, Janet and Elisabeth for all the hard work you have done over the year. It really is appreciated. There is a saying “If you want a job done ask a busy person” and these three ladies certainly are that, but they never once say they haven’t the time for Sunday Kids.

Thank you also to our “helpers” who come along to give us a hand we couldn’t manage without you.

If anyone would like to join our merry band whether it be adult or child you will be made most welcome.

Enjoy your summer break and we look forward to seeing you all again on August 21 when we return.

Lyn Kuehnel

august/september 2016 - st mary’s-greyfriars’ church ... · pdf filemusic too,...

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