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PYRAMID ROCK HOLIDAY CLUB

  • 1 June 2018
  • lorna.graham

Registration opens on Monday June 4th when you will be able to download a form here and email it to clovenford@gmail.com to secure your place.

Or you can pick up a registration forms in Parkhead Primary, Bellsquarry primary, or Polbeth Harwood or The West Kirk. they can be returned to all these venues too but do not hang about as numbers are limited and it fills up very quickly!

The club starts on Monday August 6th at 10am in Polbeth Harwood Church it finishes daily at 12:30pm

On Friday August 10th we have a family evening showing off our best bits from the club.

This starts at 7pm and lasts around 40 minutes long ending with a messy challenge! tea, coffee and cakes.

June 2018 Letter

  • 31 May 2018
  • nanda.groenewald

Dear Congregations

For one whole week during the month of May, George Stott, Liz Dyer and I were commissioners at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It was a week of early mornings, late nights and long afternoons! We sat there in the Assembly Halls with more than 800 other people, attending the longest and biggest meeting I have ever been to! (And us ministers attend plenty meetings!)

Now I know this might sound a little daunting, or even boring – and I won’t lie to you – there were moments (especially after lunch on a warm afternoon) that I struggled to keep my eyes open, never mind concentrate! But it was really amazing to be part of something so BIG. To meet so many other people who do what we do in other places all over the country (and even abroad), and to hear about the difference the church is making in so many people’s lives. Did you know that the Church of Scotland is the largest body of volunteers in the country? And we are a part of that!

ut it wasn’t all listening to reports and debate. On Sunday morning we attended an amazing service in St Giles Cathedral, where the church burst out of its seams and the singing lifted the roof! Then there was Heart and Soul in Princes Street Gardens, where it was lovely to see thousands op people celebrating our Church in an informal setting. On Tuesday we celebrated the fact that 50 years ago the 1st female minister was ordained in the Church of Scotland, and to me that was a very heart-warming experience. Suzanne Dunleavy came along to join lots of other women walking up the Mound, and we listened to inspirational stories told by special ladies. On Thursday evening we attended a beating retreat and reception at Holyroodhouse Palace, where we were treated almost like Royalty. And then on Friday Alison Quilter was introduced to the General Assembly along with all the other new ministers.

The moderator, the Right Rev Susan Brown, a small woman with a big presence, led the meeting splendidly and with her good sense of humour she had us all in stitches every now and again. No doubt she will lead the church to new heights this year.

I thank God for the opportunity to not only be the minister at the very special West Kirk of Calder and Polbeth Harwood Church, but also for the fact that we form part of a Church that isn’t afraid to look the future in the eye and bring much needed change when and where we can…

The theme of the Assembly was “Peace be with you” – and it is my prayer that the Peace of God will be with you all – always.

Blessings,

Nanda

 

May 2018 Letter

  • 30 April 2018
  • nanda.groenewald

Dear Congregations

During April I got the opportunity to look at Scotland through fresh eyes again… We had South African guests over, and I was so proud to show them this beautiful country we live in. All of us might have complained about the late snow we had, but they were delighted to pelt each other with snowballs for the first time in their lives. And then… The daffodils started blooming in all their glory! And the sun actually made an appearance too!!

 

Driving around in the car, we spoke about Scotland a lot. About the Loch Ness Monster, Haggis running around in the hills, Unicorns and Kelpies. But the creature that fascinated them most, was the Hairy Coo!! We had to stop and take photo upon photo of these cows with their fringes hanging over their eyes…

 

We climbed millions of steps in old castles, and we learned more about the people who walked in this land many many years ago. And that just made me aware again of how amazing God is. God was with everybody who lived here before us, and he is with our friends and families all over the world now. He is BIGGER than all these breath-taking things he made, and still he cares about each one of us. About you and about me.

 

So wherever you are on your journey through Scotland and through live – just look around you, and be reminded that God is with you. Seasons might change, times might change, but God’s love for us will never change…

 

Blessings,

Nanda

 

April 2018 Letter

  • 9 April 2018
  • nanda.groenewald

This month our letter is written by our Ordained Local Minister, Alison Quilter

 

It is said that inspiration comes from the strangest of events and is to be found in the most unusual of places. How true these words are! 

Whilst standing outside the George Hotel recently, my friend and I found ourselves rooted to the spot as our eyes caught sight of the signage on the outside of the “Hard Rock Café”. 

Like the first Easter disciples who appeared at the empty tomb, we were dumbfounded at the sight. The words emblazoned on the front of the café were what we refer to as our call to discipleship – “love all, serve all”. Through those words we were reminded once again that God meets us in the unlikeliest of places. 

Yet why should we be surprised, it happened to the group of women who arrived at the tomb; it happened to the disciples on the Road to Emmaus; it happened to Saul and Thomas and countless others throughout the ages. 

All whom God has revealed himself to were charged to take forward the message of discipleship and to transform the world through the power of the Risen Christ. It is a call to “love all, serve all”.

As we reflect upon the story of the resurrection, and the disciples whose ‘eyes were opened’ to the reality of God’s presence among them, may we be transformed by the message of Easter and respond to God’s call to “love and serve all”.  May you know the resurrection gifts of hope, peace and love and I pray that the gift of hope is never extinguished in your heart.

I finish with ‘Thank You’! Thank you for making me feel so welcome.

Shalom.

Alison

 

 

YOYP April Children's Craft Event

  • 5 April 2018
  • lorna.graham

Polbeth Harwood & The West Kirk have some special craft events planned for primary school age children in support of "The Year of Young People 2018"

You can now download the registration and booking form to be completed and returned in advance of these events. 

Completed forms can be handed into Polbeth Harwood Church or the West Kirk  or emailed to : clovenford@gmail.com

Further dates also available in May 11th & 18th and June 8th & 15th

 

 

 

 

 

 

File Attachments: 
PDF icon Craft Registration & Booking Form

March 2018 Letter

  • 2 March 2018
  • nanda.groenewald

Dear Congregations

This past winter is the coldest winter we have had in years. The last time it snowed so much was in 2010, when my wee boy Nehan was just 1 year old. I’ll never forget how he fell over in the snow and almost disappeared completely! After which he hated the snow with a passion… Until he was old enough to start enjoy sledging – which instantly turned snow into something to look forward to!

 

I was so excited when the first snowdrops appeared, because these lovely wee flowers hold the promise that spring is just around the corner! But as I am sitting here typing this letter – it’s snowing again!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        And that made me worry about the snowdrops. Will this late cold snap make them die? Break them completely?                                                                                                                             So I read up about snowdrops, and discovered that although in very cold spells of wintry weather, the snowdrops collapse to the ground, and might even look dead, they are nothing of the kind! When the temperatures rise, they will resurrect themselves unharmed. In layman’s terms, this is because snowdrops have built-in anti-freeze!

Isn’t that just a lovely metaphor for what happened to Jesus at Easter time?

He died, but at the right time, God resurrected him!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 And because of what God did for us through Jesus –exactly the same thing is true for all of us too:                                                                                                                                                 We sometimes have to go through hard times. Times so bad – that we might even think we are broken - that the damage is irreversible. But our faith is like the snowdrops’ “anti-freeze”. It can change our winters into spring. Sometimes even when we least expect it…

So don’t be discouraged if you get snowed under by worries or problems or sadness. The sun WILL come out again, because Jesus is alive!

May the love of God shine brightly on your faces this Easter.

Many blessings,

Nanda

 

Weather disruption

  • 1 March 2018
  • liz.dyer

Due to the bad weather, the following meetings / events have been cancelled or re-scheduled

Thursday 1st March  West Kirk Board & Session meetings have been re-scheduled for Thursday 8th March

Friday 2nd March     Local  World Day of Prayer service has been cancelled

Saturday 3rd March  Candy Bar at the West Kirk has been re-scheduled for saturday 10th March, serving coffees from 10am and lunches from 12 noon

Monday 5th March    West Kirk Guild meeting has been cancelled

 

Traidcraft Update - February 2018

  • 25 February 2018
  • church_admin

Traidcraft continues to go from strength to strength, supporting Damasi, our sponsored child through Compassion UL. He lives in Tanzania.

Have you seem our real Easter Eggs? They include an Easter story activity book as well as two varieties of chocolate - Swiss chocolate chunky buttons and a egg made with 35% fair trade cocoa.

Don't forget - the table is available each Sunday morning before and after worship.

Thank you for your continued support.

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