I did a fairly stupid thing today (“Not again!” I hear you say), I turned on my computer and searched for ‘Christmas Messages’ (purely for inspiration you understand). It seems that 1 in 75 has a vaguely religious thought, 60 in 75 are not suitable for a church magazine and the rest are so dull they make Christmas cracker jokes seem hilarious.
way. But we need to ask ourselves what Christmas is really about. If all the festive season delivers for us is a series of hangovers, and extra stone in weight and a scary credit card bill in the New Year, is that it? Same old telly, lots of expense, and presents we don’t really need. It’s no wonder we’re disappointed with Christmas.
It’s kind of like the scarf your aunt has knitted for you. It has so many colours that it can match any outfit you have. You hate it, but it’s Christmas and so, with your best smile, you grit your teeth and say, “Thanks, it’s lovely”. For so many people Christmas can end up being a disappointment. Our hopes are built up, maybe unrealistically, and then things just aren’t as perfect as we imagined. We run late. The turkey doesn’t cook properly. People turn up late. We argue with relatives.
But there’s more to Christmas than that. It all comes back to a baby. Granted, a very special baby. A baby born in a dingy stable in a forgotten town in the Middle East. A baby whose birth was foretold hundreds of years before. A baby whose birth was marked by an extraordinary star, celebrated by legions of angels, and sealed by expensive gifts given by travellers from a distant country. It turns out that this baby was a gift of life, who would show us how to live and would enable us to know the creator of the universe. That’s the kind of gift you remember long after the headache’s gone.
This is possibly because we tend to go a bit mad at Christmas. Maybe it’s because it’s the end of the year, and time for a break. Maybe it’s because we get used to overindulging a bit, and pushing the boat out. Maybe we’ve never thought of doing Christmas in a different
The baby was called Jesus, and as we remember his birth at Christmas time we realise that Christmas is about hope.
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Hope of a fresh start. Hope of life lived as God intended it to be left. All of the festivities we have come to expect at Christmas time stem from the reminder that Jesus was born. Christmas is about:
J E S U S
Joy—at the birth of a long awaited baby: the one who brings justice—the bible says Jesus will judge Kings, nations, authorities and us! Joseph—the faithfulness of a husband whose wife had been chosen to give birth to the son of God Encounters of the God kind—Angels bring God’s message and ordinary shepherd’s witness the birth of a King. Emmanuel—literally ‘God with us’. The creator sends his son to show us the life of heaven, lived on earth. Star—forget the sparkle of tinsel, this star was a heavenly sat-nav for the wise men. Silent night—one of the best loved carols, written to capture the wonder of that first Christmas: ‘Christ the Saviour is born’. Unlimited love of God— whether you know it or not God loves you! Undeserved grace—we cannot earn God’s forgiveness; it is a gift freely given through Jesus. Understanding us—because Jesus has lived on earth, he knows what it is to be human. Salvation—the saviour of the world brings a gift that can’t be broken, outgrown or neglected. Forgiveness and life in all its fullness have no sell by date.
Surprise—if Christmas delivers the same old thing, why not come to church this year and receive the best gift you can ever have—JESUS!
This year, as well as our usual services, we are going to try and beat the world record for most people singing Christmas carols together. We already hold the world record (us and almost 18,000 other people in churches across the UK!). We hope to have some fun doing that and, at the same time, celebrate what Christmas is really about. This year we started a food bank which has enabled the congregation to share God’s love with people in a very practical way. People have been very generous in giving food for distribution and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support. The team are going out with food more often as Christmas approaches and it is great to be able to share the hope that we have in Christ with others. Please remember this work over the festive season. Finally, I hope that whatever your circumstances, Christmas will not be a disappointment, but will be a time when you experience life in all its fullness. The heavens proclaimed Jesus’ birth, wept at his death, and rejoice in his life. Let us also rejoice that the Saviour has come. With every blessing David
LUNCH CLUBS. 2012 has been another successful and happy year for the lunch clubs—our numbers have fluctuated but the friendship and fellowship definitely have not waned. At the time of preparing this article we do not foresee an increase in the cost which still stands at £3 per head for 2 courses plus tea/coffee and biscuits. The menus will remain the same as usual as they seem to suit all tastes. We hope to see you all back in February 2013. 2013 Dates. Prestwick:
Wednesday 6th February, 6th March, 3rd April, 1st May and 5th June.
Monkton:
Thursday 21st February, 21st March, 18th April, 16th May and 20th June.
HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY AND HAPPY 2013. BLESSINGS - from all THE LUNCH CLUB TEAMS.
VOLUNTEERS, GOD BLESS THEM
Many will be shocked to find, when the day of judgement nears that there’s a special place in heaven set aside for volunteers. Furnished with big recliners, satin couches and footstools where there is no Committee Chairman, no Group Leaders or car pools. No eager team that needs a coach, no bazaar and no bake sale and nothing at all to staple, not one thing to fold or mail. Telephone lists will be outlawed, but a finger snap will bring cool drinks and gourmet dinners and rare treats fit for a king. You ask, ‘Who’ll serve these privileged few and work for all they’re worth?’ Why all who reaped the benefits and not once volunteered on earth. Cheryl Hamm Jim and Pat Riach were at a service in Westminster Abbey recently for the Scouts and Guides and this poem was on the back of the order of service. Jim felt this poem would be ideal for this edition of our magazine as some new volunteers have recently made themselves available to work within our Church family. Valerie.
CHRIST IN ACTION [C.I.A.]
PROJECT UPDATE.
The C.I.A. project has at 14th November 2012, provided emergency food parcels, for 74 adults and 36 children. God continues to bless the project and He brings the people who most need help, directly to us. Thanks to the continued generosity of the Church family and many others out-with our own church, we have been able to offer the gift of food, at a crucially difficult time for people who are in desperate need. Our Minister (David) was recently approached by the Sainsbury food store. He was asked if the Church could nominate any children who could benefit from a Christmas gift from the store. Through the C.I.A. project, we were able to provide him with names of 14 such needy children. Due to an increase in the number of Agency emergency referrals, we are delivering between 4 and 6 food parcels a week. This is keeping the delivery teams very busy. We were approached by the Salvation Army who were very interested in finding out about our project and wanted to explore if there were any opportunities for us to work together. David and the C.I.A. Committee met with Tim Stone and David Tomlinson of the Salvation Army on the 24 October 2012. We were greatly encouraged by the discussions we had with them and hope to have further meetings in the future. We thank and ask Gods blessing on all our Church family for their continued support, encouragement and prayers. The Christ in Action Team.
Church Flowers I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated flowers for the Chancel over the past year. If you would like to mark an occasion or anniversary with flowers for the Church in the coming year please add your name to the list against the appropriate date. The flower list for the New Year will be on the Chancel from Sunday 2nd December. (On the table just next to the prayer cross). If you know of anyone who is ill, bereaved or maybe housebound and needs cheering up, please let me know and I will do my very best to ensure that they receive flowers on behalf of the Church family. I also want to say a BIG thank you to all the ladies of the flower team who cheerfully deliver the flowers after the service each Sunday, they do a great job on our behalf. If you would like to join the team delivering flowers on Sunday please contact me. Margaret Ferguson Flower Convenor
DECEMBER DIARY DATES. Monkton & Prestwick North Parish Church. Sunday 2nd
11.00 am Morning Service 7.00 pm Christmas Praise Evening
Wednesday 5th
12 noon Lunch Club
Sunday 9th
11.00 am Morning Service
Sunday 16th
11.00 am Morning Service 6.45 pm World Record Carol Singing
Sunday 23rd
11.00 am Nativity Service
Monday 24th
6.30 pm Family Service 11.15 pm Watchnight Service Monkton Community Church
Sunday 9th
6.30 pm Evening Service
Thursday 13th
12 noon Lunch Club Prestwick Council of Churches
Sunday 23rd
6.00 pm Community Carol Singing (next to Kidz Play, Links Rd.
MONKTON FLOWER LIST. December January
9th
13th 27th
Mrs E McHarg and Mrs I Shields, Monkton Mrs C Hannah, Monkton Mrs J McKay, Newlands, Monkton
February 10th 24th
Mrs J McKay, Prestwick Mrs M Yuille, Monkton
March
Mrs M Paton, Monkton Miss A Brown, Monkton
10th 24th
CHRISTMAS LETTER 2012 FROM THE KENTS. Hello Friends, we are anxious to keep in touch with our many friends in Prestwick and Monkton, especially at this season of the year. With the help of the Editor, Isla and I have prepared this greeting to be included in the Christmas Edition of your Church Magazine. Having been retired for thirteen years we are finding life much more difficult than before. Isla has been unwell for most of this year and I am technically her carer. My own health has not been the best, mainly because of my physical disability, since my cancer of the spine in 2002, which slows me down quite considerably. However, despite our present physical failings, we are in good heart and still praising the Lord. Our plans for Christmas this year are greatly restricted because of our need to be closer to home for the present. I am still driving, but mainly local journeys in daylight hours. Hopefully, we can get to our daughter, Valerie, in the Cotswolds, for Christmas day. Our Church in Broadway remains a continuing vacancy for the past two years, because it has been very difficult to find a minister. This is a great challenge to our members, who have responded to the different needs in the congregation and we are soldiering on together. It has been good to see how our members have responded to the challenge. Our other daughter, Elaine, near Brighton, comes to see us when she can, which we appreciate very much. Our grandchildren are all doing well and are quite grown up. We value your prayers for us and we continue to remember you in our prayers. It is good to read reports of your progress under David’s ministry in the magazine and we give thanks for that. We take this opportunity to send you our love in the Lord and our prayerful greetings and we wish you a very happy Christmas and a blessed New Year, when it comes. Arthur and Isla. PS—our address is—17 St David’s Drive, Evesham, Worcs. WE11 2AS
C H R I S T M A S G R E E T I N G S, TOM AND I WOULD LIKE TO WISH ALL OUR CHURCH FAMILY A VERY HAPPY AND PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS. WE HAVE DECIDED TO SUPPORT OUR CHARITIES THE BIBLE SOCIETY AND SAVE THE CHILDREN IN PLACE OF CARDS AND POSTAGE. TRUST YOU UNDERSTAND OUR THOUGHTS. THANK YOU.
Tom and Elizabeth Mitchell.
THE AYR COMMUNITY GOSPEL CHOIR. The Salvation Army. SING FOR CHRISTMAS. Our Christmas Concert is being held in Castlehill Church on Sunday 9th December at 4.00 pm in aid of The Salvation Army Christmas Food Parcel Programme. Some members of the churches in Prestwick are members of this choir which is now almost 80 strong. Do put this date in your diary—no tickets—it’s free !! SUNDAY 9th DECEMBER at 4.00 pm.
OUTING TO THE SUSAN BOYLE STORY. A group of our Church Family visited the King’s Theatre on Saturday 6th October for the afternoon performance of this wonderful show. A great time was had by all and everyone agreed it had been a very successful trip. Those of us who returned to the Church hall for fish suppers were unanimous in our opinion that it had been a great way to round off a most enjoyable day out. Jeanette Munro.
BLYTHSWOOD CARE SHOE BOX APPEAL 2012. I would like to thank all the very generous people who kindly filled a box for this very worthy cause. These boxes make such a difference to those who receive them, knowing people care enough to send a box to someone they have never met. I would also like to say a very big thank you to all who donated money, knitted items and various stationery and toiletries etc. The charity is very grateful for all these things and can make good use of the smallest item. Our Church Family sent 110 boxes, which is up on last year. A great achievement at this difficult time for many of us. Jeanette Munro.
GOOD RESPONSE TO TALENTS QUESTIONNAIRE Many thanks to all of you who completed the questionnaire on “Talents” which is part of our ongoing Stewardship Campaign. The number of volunteer positions filled by some of our members is most impressive and we give our sincere thanks for all that they are presently doing. Our hope was, of course, that we might recruit members to fill additional vacancies and in that respect we have been very successful. From the questionnaire we have new volunteers in the following areas:Sunday morning prayer list – 3 Sunday morning reading list – 8 Singing within a group – 5 D-I-Y – 6 Computer & AV – 2 Church Garden – 4 Car Pool - 2 Visiting the housebound - 2 Creche - 5 Church flowers delivery – 13 Church Guild – 1 Young Church leadership – 2 Door duty/counting team – 9 Tea/coffee – 9 Alpha course – 3 Meals for courses – 2 Baking/Soup making for the Pioneer Café – 5 Fabric & Finance Committee – 2. Unfortunately two high priority vacancies were not filled – the vacant slot on the Church Officer rota and the pressing need for more volunteers to work in the Pioneer Café. Other areas where volunteers are still required are the Lunch Clubs, Boys Brigade, Girls Brigade and tea/coffee for the Kiddiewinkles. A big thanks to all who have offered their talents. Several important requirements (such as new members for the Fabric & Finance Committee) have been filled and the load spread over more people in a number of areas. If any of our readers wish to be added to the list then please speak to me or ‘phone on 476458. Jim Riach Chair – Pastoral Care Committee.
Young Church The new session started in September, with a good number of young people from 3 to 17 years of age attending. We have had a busy session so far, where all of the groups have been studying Saul/ Paul, through stories, arts and crafts, song and discussions. Members of the young church, along with members of the Boys Brigade, undertook a bag packing fund raiser in Asda in September, raising over £800 split between the Young church and BB funds. A big thank you to all of the young people and adults who worked very hard that day, and to Pat Simpson for organising the whole thing! As you read this, we are rapidly approaching Christmas, when we will be holding our Christmas outings and Nativity service. The outings will be held on 15th December with the youngest group going to Kids Play and the 2 older groups having evening activities in the church hall, including videos, food and games. The nativity service will be held on Sunday 23rd December, when the young church will be telling the Nativity story with a mixture of traditional and new songs. We hope to see as many of you at the Nativity service as possible and would like to invite you to join us for coffee and mince pies in the hall afterwards. The Nativity Service will be our last meeting of the year, as Young Church will be on holiday on Sunday 30th December and Sunday 6th January, returning on Sunday 13th January as usual. Every Sunday, the young people bring a collection to Young Church. This money is donated to charity at the end of the year. This year, we are donating £100 to each of the following, Monkton and Prestwick North Parish Church, Cystic Fibrosis, The Ark, The Salvation Army, Ayr and Christ in Action – Monkton and Prestwick North Parish Church. As well as these charities, the young church support a young girl in Guatemala, called Odilia. We make an annual payment to support Odilia, allowing her to attend school and have food on a daily basis. We also decided to send additional gifts to Odilia for Christmas and her Birthday, which we will do each year, providing small extras for Odilia. It is not possible to send large items to Odilia, but we will be writing to her and sending small items such as photographs and drawings from the children on a regular basis. As I said at the beginning, we started the session with good numbers of young people, but unfortunately the numbers have fluctuated hugely over the weeks. We would like to encourage any young people who have attended previously to come back and join us again, so if you know any young people who might like to come back or join us for the first time, please encourage them to come along on a Sunday morning from 10.45am meeting in the church hall. All children and young people from 3 years of age and will be made welcome. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has encouraged myself and the rest of the staff over the past few months and wish you all a joyful Christmas and a blessed New Year. Margaret McBain.
1st Monkton & Prestwick Girls Brigade
The Company have had a busy start to the 2012/13 session. In October some of the girls participated in the Girls Brigade national Olympic Challenge day, and got the chance to be coached in Judo by two Olympians. They also tried their hand at archery, football and zumba, and had a thoroughly enjoyable day. All the girls received a Health & Safety talk in October from policewomen Jo Hay as part of this session’s Juniors’ program. We held our first coffee morning with the Guild at the beginning of November, and raised much needed funds for the Company. Thanks to everyone for their kind contributions, assistance and for coming to the Coffee Morning. We couldn’t have done it without you! Last Monday we decided to raise money for Children in Need, and the girls came to Girls Brigade dressed as their favourite character from the film ‘Brave’. We had some fun games, including archery, highland dancing and lots of Irn Bru and shortbread, and raised £50. As we approach December and Christ’s birthday, we look forward to Carol singing, our Christmas Party, and our outing to the Pantomime, and would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Captain Susan Campbell
1st Monkton & Prestwick Girls Brigade, Monkton & Prestwick Church Halls, 10 Monkton Road, Prestwick, KA9 1AR
October's Messy Church theme was Harvest and God's Provision using the story of Feeding of the 5000. The evening began with 44 people sitting down to a tea of fish fingers and chips. Special thanks to Valerie for helping us 'tame' the church oven and the loan of the Lunch Club hotboxes, and to Margaret T who spent the afternoon watching chips cook, akin to watching paint dry methinks! Many thanks ladies. Crafts were next and included painting on bread, making cress heads and paint printing with fruit and vegetables. If you haven't already, have a look at the photos on the church's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/MPNchurch) and you'll see it isn't called Messy Church for nothing! The evening finished off with singing, dancing and our puppets (ably assisted by John, Erin and Lorraine) telling the story of Jesus feeding 5000. It was a great night and a chance to share Jesus's love with our wider community. Thanks to everyone who came along on the night to help. It is much appreciated and we couldn't do it without you. We hope that if you haven't already had a chance to see what Messy Church is all about, you will join us on Sunday Dec 30th between 4-6pm at Monkton Community Church. Bring your friends, family and neighbours and have some Messy fun (all children must be accompanied by an adult). Love and blessings, the Messy Church team, David, Elaine, Kieran, Lesley and Sandi.
Review of ‘Giving for Growth Campaign’
Member’s offerings November 2012 One year on from our Giving for Growth Campaign, it is a blessing that so many members have reviewed their offerings to our Lord and have responded in a positive manner. To often we are quick to complain when things go wrong but forget to give thanks for things when they are good. We take this opportunity to thank you all for your support in the Lords work being done here in Monkton & Prestwick North Church. Members in Church offering scheme
Homes - 230
Members giving with offering envelopes
122
Members giving by bank standing order/cheque
108
Members with Gift Aid
123
Members with offering envelopes but not using
Members assumed to use the open plate.
12
Homes -
Robert Gibson Church Treasurer on behalf of the Finance and Fabric Committee.
54
Carol Concert 4pm Sunday 9th December 2012 Castlehill Parish Church (1 Old Hillfoot Road, Ayr, KA73LW)
Irvine & Dreghorn Brass Band Worship Band (Gordon Anderson)
Admission Free Collection in aid of The Salvation Army Christmas Food Parcel Programme
ALPHA MARRIAGE COURSE. Four couples recently completed the 7 week Alpha Marriage Course. The nights began with a romantic meal for each couple. A very big thank you goes to all of the ladies who worked so hard in the kitchen to give us the very special gift of a night off. The food was delicious and added to the romantic atmosphere, creating a separation from the hustle of everyday life to time to concentrate on each other. Special mention to Scott whose expert service came complete with a tuxedo! The talks that followed were a mix of live presentations by Linda and David, and video clips of various couples. They were fun and informative. I am sure anyone walking past the Monkton hall on a Monday night will be able to attest to the amount of laughter to be heard. The talks were interspersed with exercises for each couple to work through. These were completed alone, there is never any sharing with the group allowing you privacy to talk about your relationship. Topics included Building Strong Foundations, Resolving Conflict and the Impact of Family. We are all especially grateful to David and Linda for all the work they put into organising and presenting the course. It was a big ask and they did it beautifully. Finally, to all the people who gave of their time to allow us the time and space to build up our marriages, we are very grateful. Thank you all so much and if the course was to run again we would have no hesitation recommending it to everyone. Taking time to invest in your relationship will always pay back more than you could ever imagine. Sandi Munro.
You will see that there is an article about the Ark in the magazine. I have been on the Management Committee of the Ark for a while and (very) recently became a Trustee. The Ark is next to the Citadel in Ayr and it provides a non-alcoholic venue for teenagers. It is a great resource with a pool table, computers, mixing desk, café area and stage for bands, open mike events etc. This is a fantastic opportunity to share God’s love with these young people. Recently there have been around 150 on Fridays and 30 on Saturdays. I know that life is very busy but I would ask you to consider helping out this project. We need people on Friday and Saturday evenings to ‘staff’ the premises and talk to the young people. You need to be over 16 to be a leader but there is no upper age limit—all you need is a willingness to share with young people. Full training will be given and I’m sure you will find helping very rewarding. If you would like more information I would be happy to chat. David Clarkson
Christmas Crossword Puzzle 1.
2.
3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8.
9.
10.
11
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
ACROSS 3 Shepherds activity in the fields (8) 5 Joseph and Mary fled here (5) 7 Joseph's city (8) 8 Guided the three wise men to the infant Jesus? (4) 11 Wise Mens gift (5) 12 Wise men looking for this person (3,4,2,3,4) 14 Otherwise known as the city of David (9) 16 Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in these clothes (10) 17 Gave the shepherds good tidings of great joy (5) DOWN 1 Roman Emperor who sent out a decree that all the world should be taxed? (6) 2 Honour (7) 4 Appeared to the shepherds with the angel (8,4) 6 Herod sent the three wise men here (7) 9 Herods reason for knowing when Jesus was found (2,4,3) 10 Place where the three wise men see the celestial body (2,3,4) 13 Country that Herod was the king of (6) 15 Where the angels went after they gave the news (6)
Will you help us? The Ark is a Christian charity, based in Ayr, which aims to help young people choose to avoid some of the damaging temptations and dangers found in today’s modern, hedonistic consumer society. From a vision in the 1990s for a safe place for young people – teenagers – to meet and have fun away from the temptations of alcohol in particular, it materialised, with the help of an injection of capital from 12 local churches, into a youth night club opening in August 2004 in premises in Burns Statue Square, Ayr. Eight months later it was closed by a fire that engulfed the premises above The Ark, resulting in the whole building being condemned as unsafe. Nine months later The Ark was open again in new premises adjoining the Citadel Leisure Centre in South Harbour Street, Ayr, which has been its activities and operational base ever since. Founded on Christian principles, and with a Christian operational ethos, our aims as Christ’s disciples working in and through The Ark are simply to: ♦
engage with young people (including many on the fringe of most mainstream provision), gaining their confidence and trust;
♦
equip them with knowledge and understanding for building and developing life-skills and selfconfidence; and
♦
empower them to make wise and safe lifestyle choices for themselves.
The Ark’s premises in Ayr are set up in such a way that enables it to operate as a ‘cool’ nightclub for teenagers on Friday and Saturday evenings where they can enjoy time hanging out with their pals, and participating in a variety of exciting diversionary events. From its location in Ayr The Ark now also operates over a wide field – geographically and topically - as A centre for outreach work with young people in and around Ayrshire during most weekdays – working in particular in collaboration with a number of Academies. The Ark’s staff are currently working actively in collaboration with staff from South Ayrshire Council’s Community Learning and Development team and teachers at Belmont and Ayr Academy, including involvement in both schools with: XL Clubs in each Academy (a Prince’s Trust initiative providing a personal development programme aimed at young people aged 13-19 at risk of under-achievement or exclusion from school); and More Choices, More Chances classes in each Academy (More Choices, More Chances classes are a tool for implementing the Scottish Government’s strategy to reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training in Scotland. Targeting the lowest attaining 20% of pupils, the classes aim to help these youngsters leave school for a positive outcome in further education or employment by supporting the development of both hard (i.e. qualification based) and softer (i.e. time keeping, and/or team working) skills.)
In 2013 The Ark’s staff will be involved with a key input for another More Choices, More Chances class, in this case in Kyle Academy. The Ark’s staff, with invaluable input from staff at Doon Academy, have also been developing a project compatible with the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence in the areas of English, Art and Media Skills, in the form of “The Ark Magazine” to provide young people with a credible forum of their own, through which they can ‘speak’ honestly about issues that concern and are important to them, thereby gaining confidence in their own abilities and develop the core skills and abilities for a fulfilling life. To sustain the (albeit limited) scale and diversity of The Ark’s work, the support of other Christians, particularly in the Ayrshire locality, is vital. In Matthew’s gospel (Matt 9:36-38) it is recorded that when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Today, young people wandering the streets on Friday and Saturday evenings seem like sheep without a shepherd who cares for them and wants to lead them to a safe place. Perhaps with a note of exasperation or sadness, Jesus compassionately remarked to his disciples that “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” However, with faith he went on to tell them, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.” Today, the potential harvest among harassed and helpless young people is plentiful. In prayer, will you earnestly and faithfully ask (and go on asking) the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field of young people who are wandering along the broad way in Ayrshire today? With just four employed youth workers (two full-time and two part-time), a part-time administrator and a part-time cleaner to deliver both the weekday and weekend services, The Ark is dependent on the active involvement of other Christians who, mindful of Christ’s instruction to “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27-28), are willing to sacrifice some of their own spare time some Friday or Saturday evenings for the sake of being good Samaritans to young people, who might otherwise fall into bad habits and unhealthy, pleasuring-seeking practices. Would you be willing to make a similar small sacrifice, voluntarily giving at most four to five hours of your spare time on a Friday or Saturday evening at least once or twice a month? It would be an answer to prayer – more workers in the harvest field! Annually it costs just about £120,000 to sustain the current scale of the work that The Ark does. A substantial proportion of this comes from the young people who themselves use The Ark’s facilities each weekend. However, the financial support of other organisations (churches, charitable trusts and foundations, etc.) and individuals is vital. In 2 Corinthians (8:2-9:6), Paul commends both the Macedonian and Corinthian churches for their willingness to give money as a service to the saints, encouraging the Corinthian church in particular to remember that “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Would you be willing and able to share as a service to the saints who seek to do God’s work in and through The Ark, by giving as generously as you are able in accordance with your heart’s decision and without compulsion or reluctance, knowing that God loves a cheerful giver? (Anyone who agrees to become a regular giver, giving as little as £10 per month, we include in the “Friends of The Ark” scheme.) For more information about the work of The Ark, volunteering or giving, please contact either Tracy (01292 264020; 07834 057237; tracy@ayrark.co.uk) or Mike (01292 264020; 07834 057236; mike@ayrark.co.uk) at The Ark, or speak to the Minister, David Clarkson.
MINISTER Rev. David Clarkson Telephone : 01292 471379 Email : minister@mpnchurch.org.uk
BIBLE STUDY Tuesdays 10.30 am Margaret Thomson Telephone : 01292 477045
SESSION CLERK James U Riach Telephone : 01292 476458 Email : james@jriach2.fsnet.co.uk
BOYS’ BRIGADE Friday pm (Various) Pat Simpson Telephone : 01292 477289
TREASURER/HALL BOOKINGS Robert Gibson Telephone : 01292 479248 Email : property@mpnchurch.org.uk
GIRLS’ BRIGADE Monday 6.00 pm Susan Campbell Telephone : 07863868863
ORGANIST David Watson Telephone : 01292 314867
GUILD Thursday 2.00 pm Jan McGill Telephone : 01292 477112
CHURCH OFFICE Telephone : 01292 678810 Email : office@mpnchurch.org.uk KIRK SESSION COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES Discipleship Sam Gilmour Telephone : 01292 470614 Fabric & Finance Eion Dougan Telephone : 01292 470143 Outreach
Pastoral Care Jim Riach Telephone : 01292 476458 Worship Scott Wardrop Telephone : 01292 670513
MONKTON BROWNIES Thursday 6.30 pm Monkton Community Church Irene Boyle Telephone : 01292 478376 KIDDIEWINKLES Monday 10.00 am Christy Watson/Francis Tippett Telephone : 07826639785 TOTS-TOWN Wednesday 10.00 a.m Monkton Community Church Toni Burns Telephone : 07886449563 THE YOUNG CHURCH Sunday 11.00 am Margaret MacBain Telephone : 01292 479092