KIRK MATTERS

CLEISH PARISH NEWSLETTER

SPRING 2015

When thou hast enough, remember the time of hunger

Ecclesiasticus Ch 18, v 25

One of the exquisite paintings by Reverend David Reid, reproduced in

miniature form as a Christmas Card

FROM OUR MINISTER

Dear Friends,

There’s an old saying about March that goes like this:

‘March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.’

March certainly came in like a lion this year: the wind and storms were wild and strong. It was definitely not the

best of weather for moving house, yet I was soon transported from Kinross to the new manse in the Crook of

Devon and at the end of a bitterly cold and blustery day it was good to close the doors at the new house and start

to feel cosy again. I’m beginning to settle in, yet there are still boxes all around, a seemingly never ending

amount of boxes, but no doubt I will soon have found a place for everything.

My letter to you all in the December issue was all about remembering and looking back. I find that moving to a

new house starts one looking forwards, looking to new horizons and planning for the future. I certainly have a

wonderful new horizon to look at from the windows of my upstairs sitting room. It’s a very beautiful view.

Looking forwards is also what we have been doing with Future Focus and we have a clearer idea now about the

things that we would like to start and develop over the coming months and of course our plans will help us at the

end of the year when Presbytery come to carry out their Parish Review (formerly the Quinquennial Visit).

Whether March goes out like a lamb or not, and hopefully the weather will be a little calmer and warmer, we will

finish March with the Lamb, the Paschal Lamb. The last few days in March herald the start of Holy Week. The

service on Palm Sunday will be a very special one with the baptism of baby Lara Davies being conducted by the

Rev Dr Angus Morrison, Moderator designate of the General Assembly. The service has been planned and will

be conducted by Mr Brian Ogilvie and the Worship and Education group. There will of course be many

different services hosted by Kinross Churches Together throughout the week (details can be found in this

newsletter) but of special note for us is a new event, a Passover Meal taking place at Fossoway Church on Wed

1st April (be sure to get your tickets early) and a Good Friday service at 7pm at Cleish Church on 3rd April, I

hope you will all be able to attend.

The season of Lent in which we are in is all about looking forwards and preparing. Looking at our lives and

seeing how we could be following Jesus a little better than we are. Taking time out to pray and meditate, to

consider the plans that God has for us. It’s all about recognising the awesome gift that God has given us in

Christ Jesus our Lord and responding to the costly gift that He gave us when he died on the cross for our sakes.

We can never truly experience the true joy of Easter Day unless we have journeyed with Christ through the

sadness, sorrow and pain of those events of the last days of his life.

Looking forward to the start of April and the joy of Easter Sunday I leave you with this Easter Blessing from

Kate McIlhagga

How beautiful is the blossom

spilling from the tree,

and the bluebell

ringing out the news.

He is risen,

he is alive

we shall live

for evermore.

The dark winter is past,

the slow, cold, foggy days are over.

May the warmth of your resurrection

touch our hearts and minds

as the warmth of the sun blesses our bodies.

May you all feel truly blessed by the Lamb of God this Eastertide

Lis Stenhouse

THE EDITOR'S VIEW

Seated at my desk to write this and waiting for inspiration on what is officially the second day of Spring, I am

able to look out of the window and see the evidence of its arrival. After a wet and sometimes very cold winter,

the new Season is definitely on its way. Snowdrops have been brightening every corner of the garden for several

weeks, emerging quite undeterred from a regular covering of snow or frost; daffodils are pushing steadily

upwards, their buds just showing; and at the bottom of the drive, there are two flowering currant bushes which

seem to be competing to be the first to come into leaf and flower. And of course the birds are breaking into

song, with chaffinch and great tits leading the chorus. The woodpecker on the front cover now comes to our bird

table, but I have to be pretty stealthy to catch his photograph.

Last year I wrote of Spring bringing the promise of renewal; but every year at this time, there is another promise

that seems to blossom with the new Season, and that is Hope. Hope for a good Summer, hope for progress with

some of the world’s problems: war, terrorism, poverty, starvation, bigotry, prejudice, intolerance; the list goes

on. But with the birth of the new season, hope springs eternal and it becomes possible once again to look

forward with optimism for the year ahead.

Closer to home, there are our own reasons to be hopeful. In the Winter 2014 edition, I wrote at length about the

Future Focus exercise, which took place during the autumn of last year. Guided by our Minister, Lis, ably

supported by Tricia Cochrane and backed by the Kirk Session, plans are being constructed to help us to move

forward with confidence and strength. Good progress is being made. A report, mapping out the way ahead,

written by Lis and Tricia, may be found elsewhere in this newsletter. If we can seize this chance, offered by the

ideas in the report, to develop and grow, both in the size of our congregation and in the diversity of our

community’s activities, then there really are grounds for hope!

And now, as the Season turns, it is good to be able to offer a warm welcome to Mr and Mrs Charles Miller and

their family, as they move into the house in Cleish that was once the Manse. We all share the hope that they will

soon feel at home in our community, and that we will see plenty of them, especially on Sundays. Nice to be able

to walk to church!

At the same time, a suitable new Manse has been found and bought, in Crook of Devon. By the time you read

this, our Minister will have moved in and we all hope that she is well settled and happy there.

We were all shocked and saddened by the news that a stroke had laid low our Session Clerk, Gordon McMillan.

But we are greatly encouraged by reports from Margaret that he is making a slow but steady recovery. Our

thoughts and prayers are with them both and we look forward to the day when Gordon is back among us again.

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote the following in the Spring 2014 edition:

On Christmas day 2013, one of the brightest stars in the modest galaxy that we know as Cleish Parish, was

extinguished. Rev Clifford Hughes, former Minister of St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington, a member of our

Church and occasional preacher here and in many other churches, died peacefully at his home in Rumbling

Bridge, surrounded by his family.

Now, just one year later, another brilliant light in the life of our Parish has gone out. Reverend David Reid, our

Minister at Cleish and Fossoway from 1985 until his retirement in 1993 died quite suddenly on 23rd December

2014. For those of us who had the good fortune to know him, the most suitable word to describe him is

inspirational. And that is an understatement. A quietly spoken and modest man, his presence, both in the pulpit

and in daily life, revealed his scholarship, his multi faceted experience, his humour, his understanding and his

compassion. Readers will perhaps have seen the full obituary published by The Scotsman on 3rd February, 2015

and available on line, which more fully describes the extraordinary and varied background of this much loved

and admired man. One church member remembers him thus: “David was visible and available. His conduct of

worship was exceptional. He was an artist in the pulpit. He took people on a journey of faith in which he

himself was involved.” He was also an artist of consummate skill with a paintbrush, and his gorgeous landscapes

in water colour were frequently reproduced in miniature to send to friends as Christmas or birthday cards. After

his retirement, his regular presence in church, his occasional thoughtful and penetrating sermons and his

contribution to discussions at the Men’s Breakfast Club are all examples of the real learning, measured yet often

provocative opinion, wit and understanding that he brought to our lives.

He is sorely missed. His widow, Isobel, a loving, supportive, and contributing partner in all that he did, is

always in our prayers.

Andrew Whitehead

SESSION CLERK’S NOTES

As regular attenders will know, I have been persuaded by Rev. Lis to accept the challenge of being Acting

Session Clerk with Tricia Cochrane continuing as Deputy while Gordon recuperates from his untimely stroke. I

feel very humble and unworthy in taking up this post, considering the various far more worthy and eloquent

Session Clerks who have gone before me in Cleish. However, I shall endeavour to do my best to fulfil the

various duties until such time as Gordon is fit and able to return; I am merely keeping his seat warm until then!

I am sure that I speak for everyone in wishing Gordon a speedy recovery and that he will continue to be in all our

thoughts and prayers.

During Heather’s absence through ill-health, the various Beadle duties are being shared amongst a group of

willing helpers and we are very grateful to them for their time and efforts. We would ask that members be

patient during these absences, but if anything is causing serious problems, please report it to any Elder. Some of

the heaters in the church are not working and the services of an electrical contractor are being arranged to rectify

the situation and to carry out routine testing of all the electrical equipment in the church.

Our wonderful piano has been out of action for a few weeks while the strings were being replaced. These are

basically steel wires with thin strands of copper spirally wound around them and with the constant heating and

cooling conditions in the church had rusted. One or two had already broken and it was only a matter of time

until more followed suit. As part of this exercise, the piano tuner has installed a little heater in the piano to keep

the workings warm and dry, so the new strings should last a lot longer.

On the subject of manses, it is great news that Rev. Lis has at last been able to move to the permanent manse in

Station Road, Crook of Devon. It is hoped that she will be very happy with the new facility and location. As

you are probably aware, a small working party consisting of members of both congregations, ably led by Rev.

Allan Wilson, was set up to find a suitable new manse. This committee considered many existing houses and

vacant plots over a period of several months, before finally choosing the property in the Crook, which is of a

very high quality of internal finishes and well insulated, so that it will be very much more economical to run than

the old stone manse in Cleish. As instructed by the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland in 121 George

Street, discussions were held among the two Kirk Sessions following which Fossoway Session decided to recoup

some of their share of the expenditure on the old manse as cash from the sale of the manse and thereby forfeit

any percentage ownership of the new manse. This means that the new manse, although owned by the General

Trustees, is 100% Cleish Manse and in the event of it being sold at some future date, the entire proceeds would

be allocated to Cleish Church. Maintenance costs will be shared equally by the two congregations.

The rules regarding the sale of property vested in the General Trustees are complicated, but essentially, the

proceeds from the sale of the old manse can be used for the purchase of a new manse, subject to approval of the

proposed property by both Presbytery and the General Trustees. The residual cash can then be used to complete

any projects which had received Kirk Session approval previously but had not been carried out and then the

remaining monies are subject to a levy by 121 which goes into the “Go For It” fund. Any money left after that is

allocated to Cleish Church’s Consolidated Fabric Fund. The “Go For It” Fund aims to encourage creative ways

of working which develop the life and mission of the local church and are transformative for both communities

and congregations.

It is hoped that, once the purchasing transaction of the new manse has been completed, we can proceed with the

planned internal improvements at the entrance area in Cleish Church, which were shelved at the time of the

construction of the new vestry as a cost saving.

Neil Maclure

Acting Session Clerk / Property Convener

CLEISH PARISH CHURCH FUTURE PLANS

As a result of the Future Focus Programme several different suggestions were made for the future development

of Cleish Church. The following is a vision statement that reflects some of the aims identified during the

programme.

VISION STATEMENT

At Cleish Church we aim to continue building on our reputation in welcoming and sharing in our worship,

hospitality and fellowship. At the centre of a small community we seek to have a heart and care for those close

to the church and those beyond our parish boundary too. Through our network of Christ centred relationships

we seek to do Christ’s work and to take his message out into the wider world.

OUR FOCUS FOR THE FUTURE

The different Groups of the Kirk Session have looked at the results of the Future Focus Programme and have

developed the following action.

WORSHIP AND EDUCATION GROUP

New types, times and styles of worship services

A questionnaire is to be drawn up and launched in early 2016 to consult with the church members about the

types of services etc that they would like to be developed. As a result of this consultation worship services

will be developed and people with the necessary skills will be identified and/or trained to help conduct the

services.

Hymn Requests

In March 2015 cards will be placed on each pew in the church so that people’s favourite hymns can be

requested. A box will be available to put the completed request cards in. This will be reviewed in Oct 2015

Development of the Choir

In an effort to support and encourage the development of the choir the Minister will consult with the Choir

Master in March 2015 as to how we can most effectively carry this out.

Develop a Junior Choir

There was a feeling that we need to have more young people interested in church before this could be

developed. We will look at this again in 2016.

Development and growth of the Junior Church

In March 2015 the Group will begin to look around at what is being successfully carried out in other

churches. Links between Messy Church and the Junior Church will be made wherever possible and an

invitation will be given out at Messy Church for Palm Sunday which is planned as an All Age Worship

service.

In March 2015 a Pre-Messy Church group with afternoon tea will be started for parents/carers and toddlers.

This will be reviewed in June.

Messy Church

Messy Church has proved to be very successful and will continue. Support will be given to Fossoway to start

their Messy Church.

Support for KCT

Cleish will continue to support KCT and the services organised.

Evening Bible Study/Service

This is being organized by KCT as a monthly event as this will rotate around the different churches/parishes

Cleish would only need to host one or two evenings.

Prayer Group

Fossoway has just started a monthly meeting for prayers one Sunday per month before the service. We will

consult with Fossoway about the success of this group with a view to developing something similar.

Vestry Hour

Rather than a traditional Vestry Hour when the Minister would be available at the church, the Minister will

let people know through the intimations and newsletter a regular hour when she would be available at the

manse for phone calls, visits by appointment etc.

The Fundraising group are also looking at providing a regular lunch or afternoon tea during the week for all.

Watch out for more information.

Joint work with Fossoway with regard to Men’s Breakfast will start up again in October.

As you can see we are moving forward with a focus on Cleish Church’s future. We can only do this with

everyone’s support, so please:

Ask not what your church can do for you, but WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR CHURCH.

Volunteers are always needed for a variety of things; the Fete for example. Donations of goods

and/or your time will be gratefully received.

Contact any Elder to discuss further.

Lis Stenhouse

Tricia Cochrane

PULPIT SWAP

This is a sermon delivered earlier in the year at Fossoway and Cleish Churches by Fr David Mackenzie Mills

from St Paul’s Church Kinross, as part of the pulpit exchange programme. Many members of both churches

have asked for copies So here it is:

A sign found on the Ship of Fools website:

Last week I spent a few days with ordained colleagues from across the

diocese of St. Andrews, Dunblane and Dunkeld at our annual Conference.

The theme for the few days we spent together was, ‘Seeing in a new way.’

Not for the first time, we discovered that we so easily see, understand and

communicate what we want to see, understand and communicate from our

shared picture of the church in the world. It’s good to know that we’re not

alone; at the end of another day’s gruelling travelling, Jacob wearily and probably very grudgingly simply

regarded the desert floor and jagged stone boulder that he nestled under his head as well below four star standard

accommodation. The cameo appearance of Nathaniel in John’s gospel begins with his amused incredulity at

Jesus’ rather dubious background. In Nathaniel’s eyes, folk from Nazareth were no better than residents of

Perth! (Sorry, Muriel…). Even though he’d spent three years as a close, personal witness of Jesus Christ’s

ministry to Jews as well as Gentiles, Acts records the time when Peter was totally flummoxed by God’s request

to meet, greet and eat with Cornelius, a Gentile Roman soldier, a person not merely soaked with religious

impurity but a symbol of an occupying military oppression to boot. It hadn’t taken long at all for this fisher man

of elevated status to forget all that his patient, forgiving Lord and Master had taught him. No matter what I’ve

come to experience of the Holy Spirit’s grace and power to transform and renew our little bit of Christ’s church,

I so often find myself reverting to type at the drop of a hat. And I’m sure I can’t be alone on that!

Twelve months since we last did so, we commemorate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The first verse of

Psalm 133 are lovely, easy words of encouragement as we begin these days of reflection on our unity; ‘how good

and pleasant it is to live together in unity.’ Such a sentiment is all well and good but what does living together in

unity really mean? Before we begin to try and answer this question, we need to understand why we exist as

those little bits of Christ’s Church in the first place. What is this or any of our church buildings really for and

why do we gather inside them each Sunday, or perhaps more often than that…? You and I constantly battle

against the lure of seeing ourselves as members of an exclusive club or clubs, seeking comfort and shelter from

the outside world. We unconsciously work hardest at conserving and preserving what we have inherited – an

ever changing list of fee paying individuals who help keep the roof up and the heating on. We slip into

identifying ourselves as those who don’t, whether it’s don’t swing incense, don’t religiously grovel and scrape

or don’t sing and wave during worship songs. The older we get the harder and harsher the world seems to

become until we simply retreat into knowing what we like and liking what we know. That’s when God causes

us to realise that we’ve been telling the world around us that we love hurting people.

A Syrian slave and Latin scholar known as Publius Cyrus who lived just before Jesus was born is quoted as

having said, ‘Where there is unity, there is always victory.’ It almost sounds as if it’s something we need to fight

for together. He didn’t say, ‘Where there is uniformity, there is always victory’ because if everyone lived and

worked and worshipped in the same way, humanity’s soul would soon die. Put simply, Christian unity finds its

voice and purpose in the world through the undeniably hard work of healing, praying, loving and telling.

Although my natural instincts are to attempt these from a fairly high liberal catholic, sacramental kind of way, I

rejoice greatly that others try hard to show Jesus to the world through such expressions of Christianity as

charismatic renewal and the Talking Donkey project. God calls the Church in all her wonderful diversity to

champion issues of justice and peace for people and the rest of creation and to embody God’s endless, boundless,

reckless love through our sacrificial service that has no need for any payback.

When we leave here this morning, life will carry on for you and I much as it has done. Like Jacob, Nathaniel

and Peter, I will certainly need to hear this message again next month, not just next year if I am truly to change

my ways. Let me know if you would like to read any of this again - e-mail is a wonderful thing! Maybe in the

days, weeks and months still to come before next year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we can all carry on

helping one another in our different churches and across our traditions to love hurting people in the best way

possible. Amen.

Fr David Mackenzie Mills

TRAIDCRAFT

We have had another successful year selling Traidcraft to various places, including after the service once a

month at your Churches in Cleish and Fossoway. So thank you to all our customers who buy goods on a regular

basis. As well as selling goods we have also been out at various groups and schools during this year’s Fairtrade

Fortnight promoting the Rice Bucket Challenge. I’m sure you all remember the Ice Bucket challenge last year--

brrr!!!! Well, if 90kgs of Kilombero Rice is sold then the money raised from that will educate a child in

Secondary School for a year. 1 in 3 children in Malawi don’t get an education because their parents can’t afford

to send them to school.

Also this year between January and April, there is a Fair Necessities Appeal where the Government will double

any money raised either by donations or by holding a coffee morning. We will have Kilombero Rice for sale and

also our new catalogues will be out very shortly, so please come along for a coffee and try some of our goods. If

you require any other information about the above then please ask either Karena (07765453451) or Isobel

(07961919967). Thanks again for your continued support.

Isobel Watt

MESSY CHURCH

Some of you may be wondering what on earth Messy Church is. I will endeavour to explain...

Messy Church is roughly a halfway house between a craft workshop and a Sunday School, which we put on once

a month. It lasts just over an hour and the children, in our case of primary school age and some younger

siblings, come over to the Village Hall straight after school with their parents in tow, to spend the time drawing,

painting, making wonderful woollen weave art frames, bead bracelets and key rings, painted jam jars to hold tea

lights, spiral mobiles, collages with barley heads, bird feeder cups and any number of other arty projects. We

also have a baking table every time, skilfully organised by Mary McDougall, where they have decorated biscuits,

made “cake pops”(think perfect little spheres of cake on a lollipop stick!), pita bread pizzas and other delights!

As well as Mary McDougall, Christine Maclure, Judith Maclaren, Jackie Watson and myself man the show, with

Lis helping us plan it and being there usually to lend a hand.

For the last twenty minutes or so of our time together, we have a bible story linked to our “theme” of the month

(this last Monday we had the story of the Prodigal Son and everyone dressed up in some bits of the Nativity

costumes – even one brave father! - and we acted it out. It was a lot of fun). Finally we finish with a bible song,

usually with me on the guitar.

It has proved very popular on the whole, though we have suffered a little sometimes when the school have a

parents' evening that we are not expecting! It really helps that the village hall is just across from the school and

is therefore very easy for parents to collect their children and come on over. There is a lot of repeat business and

through Messy Church many of the children are really keen to come and experience church on a Sunday. It was

very handy for the cast of the Nativity Play!

One last comment: the name. Without knowing much about it, “Messy Church” might seem to have negative

connotations to adults, but it has to be said that kids are really attracted to it and that's what matters!

Bridie Graham

TWENTY DOZEN EGGS - A TALE FROM OLD MEADOWHEAD

It all started at the Kinross auction, late-ish in the last century, a year or two before mobile phones. Our friendly

bright yellow Renault 4 had died. Permanently. Rust perforating the floor pan; engine spewing oil; tyres bald;

dead.

Off to the auction, our eyes caught by this charming little Peugeot 304 estate: iridescent green, smart, chunky

looks, brown Formica-like lined loading bay; engine seems OK - just the business, and a steal at £350!

Back home. Hmm, the ride jiggles a bit. Get it looked at. 'A few bits missing under the bonnet - but we can fix

it'. First expense. Weeks pass. This car is not as good as we hoped. It hops. Well that's the Cleish road for

you. No, it hops on other roads, too. A sort of kangaroo squiggle when you don't expect it. More weeks; there's

real work to be done, the car has to do its job, even if it has to be driven with more respect than we would wish.

My wife CC has a hoard of chickens - ex battery hens to which she, in her abundant mercy, and for a greatly

reduced cost, has given a retirement home, in return for their continuing, if reducing, productivity. We are

organic producers and the chickens are now certified. (Being certified as organic is a humane and painless

process.) She has collected twenty dozen eggs to be delivered to the organic farm shop at Wester Balgedie.

"David will you take them?"

I know where my duties lie and load the eggs into the back of the wee green estate car, and drive off,

accompanied by the family dog, saying casually in passing, "One day I'll finish off this dreadful vehicle.." Be

careful what you say in jest.

The dog, Ludwig: liver and white German short-haired pointer. Found by my god-daughter Peggotty as a puppy,

abandoned on the Cleish road, and now named after my Great Uncle Ludwig Fritz Adams (and that is another

story, too).

Ludwig is not your ordinary hound (though he had an infallible nose and a perfect point). He has somehow

acquired considerable sensibilities that have to do with his unfortunate childhood. Ludwig is emotionally

demanding, full of psychological projections and sends his owners to Coventry if, in his eyes, they misbehave

(which is quite often). He is also a specialist at vindictive chewing, when, for him, things have gone beyond the

pale. Ludwig and I have a somewhat complicated relationship.

So, off we go. Me and dog in the front, the eggs, neatly stacked in their packing trays, in the back.

The road from Kinross to Kinnesswood has been improved now. Back then one encountered an unusual left-

hand bend with an extra kink to the left, about a quarter of a mile before Braids Farm. The double curvature

could take one off-guard, and had a changing camber to its surface. That Saturday morning in May it was

raining. I was in a 'let's-get-this-over-with' mood, pressing forward. And I was not as familiar with the kinked

bend as I was soon to become.

Half-way into the bend I added some extra helm to steer round the unfamiliar kink. Immediately I became

surreally aware of a radical change in my direction of travel, and a sudden slippage of time into slow motion...

The car, in a mad dash for freedom, forsook any response to its driver.

Before my bemused and narrowed gaze appeared, fleetingly, a fence - a field - a steep grassy slope - another

fence - a flowing burn - and thump! We came to a sudden stop, nose into the water, greeted by an immediate

puff of steam.

A glance at Ludwig, who had braced himself with an outstretched paw against the dashboard; our eyes met: one

of those classic comic book disaster moments, "What the...?" - in that same second, the twenty dozen eggs

came pelting over us. Splatter, splatter, splatter, splat!!

Deluged with goo, we looked at one another... The dog's lugubrious expression of accepting reproach said

everything the boys would have, "Bad call, Dad..."

A whole body egg shampoo when fully clothed is not to be recommended. It penetrates everywhere, cool,

clammy, humiliating - a total challenge to the recipient's sense of humour, and a farcical joy to onlookers!

Nothing for it but to thole our dripping bedraggled state, look up Sandy Braid and ask to use his telephone.

Fortunately he has a cordless one that I can use outside. I inform CC of the happening. It becomes immediately

clear that I will have to reimburse her farm for the value of the lost eggs. And she will come and collect us.

As the car, recovered to a local garage, stood in the spring sunshine, awaiting an insurance inspection, the broken

eggs decomposed. This rendered the vehicle untouchable and a hazard to passing citizens. In their haste to settle

the matter the insurers paid out £500. Which was as good an end to the saga as anyone could expect.

David Adams

FROM THE POTTING SHED

I’ve lost count of the number times I’ve been told it’s all right for you. This is usually due to the fact that for the

last nineteen years I have had a heated greenhouse, propagation bed, and a POTTING SHED (I will have to think

of a new title) in which to work. One or two people have asked what I will do this year; the answer is buy larger

plug plants with a later delivery date, keep them covered with horticultural fleece and hope that there are no late

frosts. As I do not need the volume of plants I probably won’t need to take cuttings but if I am short of one or

two plants I still have my little propagator that can sit on a windowsill. Fiona won’t mind!!

I have been asked when to prune Buddleia. I hope this covers that.

I must start by asking; ‘why prune?’ I think the best way to explain why we prune is to break it down into four

reasons.

First- and I believe most important is to remove dead, deceased and weather damaged wood; (by heavy snow or

gales). This is done by cutting back to strong healthy wood leaving a clean sloping cut. This can be done at any

time of year except during very cold weather.

Second- where a plant has outgrown its allotted space, cut back as little as possible, again any time of year

except very cold weather.

Third- to improve quality/quantity of fruit/ flowers. I’m leaving fruit for another day (hopefully far away ). This

is done in two ways. For plants that flower on one year old wood prune after flowering by taking the old flower

heads off and take out any very old wood. For plants that flower on this year’s cut back to four buds any time

after flowering to spring, (which is best), but remember the later you prune the later the flowers.

Forth- plants that are grown for their coloured bark two of these are:

Salix Chrysocoma Cornus Siberica Alba

These can be pruned hard in spring every year.

Robert Barnfather

THE BATTLE OF DUPPLIN MOOR

Here, where Fife meets Kinross-shire, we enjoy our fair share of history. Not just tales of deeds done but hard

evidence in the form of castles, roads, hills and rivers. But do we know about them all? For instance, just over

the hills from Cleish is the place where the English Longbow began its bloody reign over the battlefields of

Europe and here is how it came about.

In 1332, King Robert of Scotland died, his five year old son David succeeding him. King Edward III of

England gave his tacit approval to the actions of a force set up to snatch back the throne of Scotland. This force,

headed by Edward Balliol, was supported by a group of Lords known as “the disinherited”. These were the heirs

of those who, opposed to Robert the Bruce, had forfeited their lands after Bannockburn.

This expeditionary force, estimated at 500 men-at-arms with 1000 infantry and archers, landed at Kinghorn on

the 6th August 1332. Advancing towards Perth they discovered that their approach was barred by a large force

commanded by the Earl of Mar. A second force had crossed from Lothian under the Earl of March and was

heading up towards them.

They marched on and reached Forteviot on the meadows of the river Earn on the 11th. Above them holding the

high ground on the Gask Ridge was Mar’s army. That night two different actions occurred. The Scots aware of

their vast superiority of numbers sent to Perth for strong refreshments and proceeded to get drunk. The

disinherited force had to act fast before Mar received further reinforcements and so launched a night crossing of

the Earn and attacked the Scots camp scattering camp followers. Mar’s army had been left largely intact and in

the morning, alerted, they advanced rapidly against the small force pitted against them.

The battle took place on the high ground of the Gask Ridge close by the current Dupplin Castle. Balliol’s men,

few in number, were forced on the defensive forming four ranks of dismounted men-at-arms and spearmen, a

narrow front of no more than 200 yards. One of Balliol’s leaders now made an inspired tactical decision, one

that would have a profound impact for over a century. He posted the archers on the flanks of the men-at arms.

The Scots, formed into schiltrons or rings of spears as used by Wallace and Bruce, rushed into the attack and

managed to push the disinherited back some 60 yards but the attack stalled and the flanking archers began to fire

into the mass of Scottish spearmen extracting a terrible toll. The Scottish woes were compounded by

reinforcements simply pushing the leading men forward onto the men-at-arms who cut them to pieces. The

battle was lost by the Scots and their losses were enormous.

Following his victory Balliol was crowned at Scone but failed to gain support. He moved to Galloway and in

December was attacked and chased back over the border. In the defeat at Dupplin Moor were lessons that the

Scots and later the French would ignore at their peril and within 12 months a Scottish army suffered one of their

worst ever defeats at Halidon Hill outside Berwick on Tweed, cut to pieces by English bowmen.

After Dupplin Moor and Halidon Hill the longbow evolved into that weapon of mass destruction. At Agincourt,

almost 100 years on, the English bowmen were delivering over 1,000 arrows per second on to a French vanguard

struggling to close with them.

So, should you be driving on the A9 about two miles west of the Broxden roundabout, look south. That’s

Dupplin Moor.

James Barr

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

March

Sunday, 22 11.15am Morning Worship. Stated Annual Meeting.

Junior Church meets in Village Hall.

Sunday, 29 11.15am Palm Sunday Morning Worship. Sacrament of Baptism.

Congregational Lunch in Village Hall.

Monday, 30 7.15pm Cleish Guild meeting in Village Hall.

April

Sunday, 5 11.15am Easter Sunday. Informal celebration of Holy Communion.

Tea and Coffee in Village Hall.

Tuesday, 8 2.30pm Cleish Guild ‘Daffodil Tea’ in Village Hall.

Sunday, 12 11.15am Morning Worship

Sunday, 19 11.15am Morning Worship

Sunday, 26 11.15am Morning Worship. Junior Church.

May

Sunday, 3 11.15am All-age Worship. Tea and Coffee in Village Hall. Traidcraft Stall.

Sunday, 10 11.15am Morning Worship

Monday, 11 3.15pm Cleish ‘Messy Church’ in Village Hall.

Saturday, 16 2.00pm Cleish Fete

Sunday, 17 11.15am Morning Worship.

‘Heart and Soul’ in Edinburgh

Sunday, 24 11.15am Morning Worship. Junior Church

Sunday, 31 11.15am Morning Worship. Sacrament of Holy Communion.

June

Sunday, 7 11.15am All-age Worship. Tea and Coffee in Village Hall. Traidcraft Stall.

Sunday, 14 11.15am Morning Worship

Monday, 15 3.15pm Cleish ‘Messy Church’ in Village Hall.

Sunday, 21 11.15am Morning Worship

Sunday, 28 11.15am Morning Worship. Junior Church

July

Sundays 11.15am Morning Worship. No Junior Church

Holy Week Services in Kinross-shire

Below are details of Church Services to be held under the auspices of Kinross Churches Together during Holy Week this year. All welcome.

Monday 30 March

7.00pm St. James’ RC Church Stations of the Cross

Wednesday 1 April

7.00pm Fossoway Church Passover Meal

Thursday 2 April

7.00pm Kinross Parish The Lord’s Supper

Good Friday 12.00 - 3.00pm St. Paul’s Church Three Hours at the Cross

Good Friday 7.00pm Cleish Church Good Friday Service

Saturday 4 April 10.30pm St Paul’s Church Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday 7.30am Kinross Pier Easter Morning Service & breakfast

Easter Sunday 6.30pm Orwell Church Easter Songs of Praise

Lochside Service on Easter Sunday: after the service at 7.30am, the Bistro will provide catering, approximately £4.25 for roll and hot drink. Please contact Fiona Eastop (fiona@dfeastop.co.uk) with numbers for catering.

A GLIMPSE OF HISTORY

The photograph below, sent to Kirk Matters by a reader who has asked to remain anonymous, was taken in either

1942 or 1943. The axe men have clearly been busy in the intervening period. Somewhere behind all those trees

is our church.

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR BIBLE?

SCRIPTURE CAKE

4½ cupfuls of I Kings iv 22,

1½ cupfuls of Judges v 25,

2 cupfuls of Jeremiah vi 20,

2 cupfuls of I Samuel xxx 12,

2 cupfuls of Nahum iii 12,

1 cupful of Numbers xvii 8,

2 tablespoons of I Samuel xiv 25,

6 articles of Jeremiah xvii 11,

a pinch of Leviticus ii 13,

2 teaspoons of Amos iv 5,

season to taste with II Chronicles ix 9.

Method: Add citron and follow Solomon's advice

for making a good boy - Proverbs xxiii 14 - and you

have a good cake

Margaret-Elspeth Harman

CHURCH FLOWERS

Kirk Matters has learned that Catharine Erskine, our Flower Convenor over many years, supported by Caroline

Strathie, is retiring. Flowers in church add so much to the beauty of the building, and arranging them every

Sunday is something which we often take for granted. Our grateful thanks go to them both.

We further understand that Claire Paton has kindly agreed take up the role and we all wish her the best of good

fortune.

Andrew Whitehead

COMMUNITIES AND COMMITTEES

Do you enjoy living in a community or are you happy living in your “own island” Communities can exist in

large towns, small villages or scattered rural areas Communities may consist of

many things including a church, a hall, a school, all of which need our support.

Schools although run and funded by the local authority often need extras to help the

children have a better learning experience, village halls are run and funded by the

public money raised by the community and the church, whatever its denomination is

again funded by public donations.

Committees are set up to oversee the running of these places and to fund-raise for the money required to keep

these buildings going.

In Cleish we are lucky enough to have all of the above and more, a village hall, a church, a school and a sports

field. They are all co- dependant on each other and as we have a small community some of the committee

members of one are the same as another. Fund-raising for all these organisations is an ongoing thing and many

people put in a lot of work quietly behind the scenes so that functions can take place.

In this day and age of mobile phones, Facebook and Twitter it is so easy to be contacted and to arrange meetings

and social occasions; it is equally as easy to cancel meetings, be late for arranged meetings and not commit to

things. Meeting someone for lunch at an arranged time used to the norm, now many people think nothing of

being late as it’s easy to contact the person you are meeting and tell them you are running late for whatever

reason. Many people feel they don’t need to commit to occasions; they can just turn up if nothing more exciting

turns up.

When committees arrange a fund-raising function they need commitment from the public to

make sure these function are a success, saying that “you might come” or “I’ll let you know”

or “I’ll send you a text ” doesn’t really help.

Do you like your children going to our small village school, using the sports field for games,

using the village hall for their PE classes and coffee mornings and social occasions, using the

church for the end of term assemblies and Christmas nativities?

Do you enjoy worshipping in our church, using the hall for functions, Sunday morning

coffee and Sunday School? Do you like having a village hall to use for your parties, for

meeting your neighbours, for listening to lectures, Pilates and other functions?

If the answer to any of the above is yes, have you ever considered how these buildings are maintained?

There has developed a certain amount of apathy in our community and one or two of our functions have had to

be cancelled due to lack of uptake of tickets.

If our community no longer wants to take part in fund-raising/social occasions then that is fine, but if they still

want to use the hall, the school, the field or the church where is the maintenance money going to come from?

Perhaps we should all sit at home and chat through Facebook or Twitter and not bother going out at all – it

would save all our dedicated committee members a lot of time and effort.

Patty Fraser

COLOURS

Colours surround us, often giving us clues to seasons, weather, feelings, moods. I think it is safe to say that God

loves colours. He sprayed them all over our universe; beautifully red rose, the sun, a kingfisher flashing along

the river, the tip of the tail of a red squirrel as it scampers off the bird nuts and into the green leaves in the trees,

but most magnificently of all, onto a rainbow.

The colours we use in church, the pulpit fall and the bible ribbons recognise the movements and moods of the

Christian year. Purple is used for times of preparation and penance; white or gold is used for celebration and

rejoicing; green is for re commitment and growth in Christ; red is for the fire and power of the Holy Spirit.

Within Cleish church we place the following colours at the following times:

White Easter, Christmas, Holy Communion, Weddings, and Transfiguration Sunday

Purple Advent, Lent, Funerals

Red Pentecost, Ordination of ministers and elders, Membership

Green Epiphany, Ordinary time, which is whenever none of the others apply.

Tricia Cochrane

Cleish Guild

invite you to their

DAFFODIL TEA

Cleish Village Hall

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

2.30 – 4.30pm

Bring & Buy Stall £4.00

All proceeds to Guild Projects

(Cleish Church Charity No: 003168)

Cleish Fête Dog Show (Charity No: SC003168)

Saturday, 16 May 2015 at 2.00pm

Adult and Children’s Classes (under 13) Registration 2.00pm

Adults £3 Children £1

Prizes and Rosettes

Adults Best looking dog (stance, movement, grooming)

Obedience (Walks to heel off lead, sits and stays as handler walks

away and returns when called)

Children Best looking dog (brushed, healthy, wags tail)

Obedience (Walks quietly on lead)

Cleish Fête Saturday 16 May 2015 at 2.00pm

A brilliant afternoon out!

Dog Show

Baking & Produce

Tombola

Afternoon Teas

Children’s Games

Bric à Brac

Music and Flowers in Cleish Church (Charity No: SC003168)

Come and join us!