Week beginning: Sunday 24th May 2020

 

                              ASCENSION SUNDAY

 

                                   NEWSLETTER

 

Hello again,

 

What a strange week it has been weather wise.  Just as we hear of folk getting to work with bedding plants and painting fences and garden sheds, the heavy rain and high winds come back along!  We do hope that you have been able to get out of the house for some fresh air at some point.  With it being Mental Health Awareness Week, Naomi has been reminding us on the Church Facebook page about the importance of simple things like fresh air being so beneficial for our welfare and encourages us to even simply open a window if going out is not an option.

 

She also acknowledges that even if we are sharing our home with someone else in lockdown we can still experience a sense of loneliness. As well as Naomi’s suggestions for combating this, please remember, as always, that the Ministry Team, Douglas, Kirsteen and Naomi are around and would be delighted to chat and/or pray with you on the phone, via text messages or zoom – whatever way is easier for you.  Please know all these calls and messages are treated in the strictest confidence and you can be assured that you will not be alone in having these feelings.  Contact details are at the end of the newsletter. 

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From the beginning of lockdown many people have been asking the question “Where is God in all of this?”

 

In his sermons Douglas has been exploring this question and we know from scripture that God does not do anything without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.  (Amos 3v7)

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God has allowed this pandemic to happen and there is a belief that God is wanting us to use this time to get still before Him, to rest in His presence, to forgive those who have wronged us, to seek God’s forgiveness for the wrong things we have done and to repent.  Working through this will place us in the right position to receive God’s blessing, to know more fully the reality of His Love, His Peace, His Joy, His Grace and His Mercy.

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For the next 6 days, Monday to Saturday, leading to Pentecost Douglas is going to offer a time for us to discover what today’s prophets believe God is saying as well as leading us in worship and prayer.  This series is called “Daily Praise and Prayer in the Upper Room” and we would strongly encourage you to log on each day.  It is not live streamed so you can choose the time of day that suits you best to be still and be part of this exploration. The video will be posted on the church website each day at 9.00am.

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Again, we want to mark the special occasions in the life of our church family:

Many happy returns to Davie McGrath who celebrated his 58th birthday on Friday, 22nd May; to Raymond Kilpatrick who celebrated his 26th birthday on Saturday, 23rd May; and congratulations to Jill and Mark Divers who celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary on Saturday, 23rd May.

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To the Youth Group, led by Kirsteen, we offer commiserations.  They had a Zoom quiz with other young people from Springburn Youth Club. Sadly they were not the winners this time but taking part was great fun and they look forward to a rematch.

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Please continue to pray for Naomi supporting young families and Kirsteen in her work supporting the youth group.  At an age where friendships and being together are so important for their sense of wellbeing and self worth we give thanks for the technology that gives them an ability to remain connected and we pray for fresh ways of expressing God’s love for them.

 

If you have any good news, words of encouragement or things you would like to share via this online newsletter please email Douglas at the address given in the next column.