Old Parish and St Paul’s Church of Scotland, Galashiels

Old Parish and St Paul’s Church of Scotland, Galashiels, is a Charity registered in Scotland, No: SC010389

Newsletter ♦ October 2017

www.oldparishandstpauls.org.uk/newsletters.htm

Minister: Rev. Dr Leon Keller, Woodlea, Abbotsview Drive, Galashiels TD1 3SL (01896 753029)

Session Clerk: David Leckey, Dove Cottage, 69 Melrose Road, Galashiels TD1 2BX (01896) 757631

Deputy Session Clerk:

Jim Tennant, 43 Kilnknowe Place, Galashiels TD1 1RH (01896) 751003

Board Clerk: Shirley Sandison, Lynhurst, Abbotsview Drive, Galashiels TD1 3SL (01896) 758634

Treasurer: Marjorie McKendrick, 1 Hayward Drive, Galashiels TD1 3JB (01896) 752540

“Do we see the poor person lying at our gates?”

The article below appears in the Tear Times Scotland edition for Autumn 2017. Your editor, Jim Tennant, found it

very moving and appropriate to reproduce, with permission, for this season of harvest. It is titled “Do we see the poor

person lying at our gates?” and written by Lynne Paterson, Scotland Director, Tearfund.

Over the last year I’ve been studying part time for a Masters in Theology. It’s been great for my brain, but has

done nothing for my social life. It has also been spiritually challenging, especially my final essay on wealth and

poverty in Luke’s Gospel. Surely, in the day job, this is my bread and butter, a theme I’ve been speaking about for

years? But my deeper study has disturbed me, and I want to invite you into my discomfort.

My essay was on Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. I’ve always found this story a little

troubling. At first glance, it appears to show a rich man going to hell for his lavish lifestyle and a poor man in

heaven simply for being poor. Indeed, there are some who hold that there is no moral aspect to Jesus’ teaching

here at all. However, Jesus’ parable in context is an indictment against the Pharisees, whom Luke had just called

“lovers of money” in verse 14.

Our riches

In the parable, Jesus uses graphic language to depict the total injustice of the situation, leaving us horrified at the

callous behaviour of the rich man to his neighbour whom God has commanded him to love. The reversal that hap-

pens as they both enter the afterlife is equally vivid: Lazarus is comforted in paradise and the rich man suffers eter-

nal torment.

He has proved by his actions in this age not to be a true follower of God, and is therefore eternally outside the

community of God’s people. In this story, Jesus warns the Pharisees that this also applies to them, unless they re-

pent of their selfish ways and demonstrate true faith in their care for poor people.

In recording this parable in his Gospel, Luke gives his readers the same warning: there’s no escaping the truth –

in today’s economic standards, we are the rich. We are the ones who have food and clothing in abundance whilst

795 million people in the world go hungry. And like the rich man, we are without excuse.

Living radically different

We may not have Lazarus sat outside our gates, but millions of images of poor people like him come into our

homes each day through the media. In this parable, Jesus makes it clear that being one of his disciples has serious

implications for how we use our resources in response to poverty. If you are reading this magazine I know I am

preaching to the converted – your generosity is helping to transform thousands of lives across the world.

But are we going far enough? Do our shopping and giving patterns look radically different from those who

don’t know Jesus? Being his disciple is a call to invest our resources in God’s kingdom in a way that humbles us,

and lifts up the oppressed. The parable has also challenged me about the comparative ease of helping poor peo-

ple at a distance. I believe the parable demonstrates that Jesus’s desire was not for the rich man to toss crumbs to

Lazarus at his gate, but rather to welcome him at his table.

Jesus is challenging us to be selfless, to tear down walls that separate us from poor people. He calls us to open

up our lives to people who don’t just lack finance, but friendship. Tearfund supports local churches as they do this

around the world, but what does this mean for people I pass by every day huddled in shop doorways? In this, and

in many other areas, I pray that God will help me make my study far more than just an academic exercise.

Lynne Paterson

Church Autumn/Christmas Fayre

Our Church is holding its Autumn Fayre and Coffee

morning on Saturday 18th November from 10.00 to

12.00. This year, however, the venue for the Fayre is the

Volunteer Hall. Stalls will include books, toys, produce,

bric-a-brac, cake and candy, prints and many others.

If you would like to come along, the price is £2 per

adult, which includes refreshments. Children will be ad-

mitted free. Tickets will be available soon.

If you would like to: help out on a stall; have goods

to sell and would like a stall; help to serve the refresh-

ments; provide traybakes for serving with the teas and

coffees; bake for the cake and candy stall; or help to tidy

up at the end of the Fayre, please sign your name on the

flip chart beside the Church pulpit.

We hope this will be a major fund-raiser, so please

support us in any way you can!

Shirley Sandison

The Guild

Just a reminder that the Guild begins its regular fortnightly meetings this month on

Wednesday 4th October at 2.15 pm in the Small Hall. On that afternoon we will be looking

together at our Theme for 2017-18, “Go in Love”.

Members will be very sorry to hear that the Rev. Clive Moore, who we were looking for-

ward to hearing speak to us then, has had an accident, and will not be able to come. We

pray for a speedy recovery for him and remember, too, his wife Margaret , as she supports

him at this time.

On October 18th we look forward to welcoming one of our own members address us!

Our Minister’s wife, Janette, will be sharing with us her reflections on life here in Scotland as

compared with South Africa, as they obeyed God’s call to serve Him here.

November 1st brings a speaker from one of the projects the Guild is supporting at this

time. Members of the congregation are most welcome to join us at any of our meetings.

Please phone Margaret Cashman on 01896 752711 if you require any further information.

Christian Contact

We all know the gospel records of Jesus meeting people. Have you ever paused to analyse some of the principles of

His contact with people? Consider what we can learn from Jesus, and notice the way in which this is followed by the

early church:

1. Jesus noticed people as individuals :

John 1.48; 4..4-26; 5.5-7 This is so important when in 2017 many feel they are just a num-

ber. Meeting so many folk it is far from easy to remember details about all the folk we see

(I find I can do that, but forget their names - oh dear!), but it is so important in the per-

ception of those we meet. Personally I find praying for individuals is an enormous help. cf

Romans 16,Philemon, John 2+3

2. Jesus used simple points of contact :

Matthew 9.9-10; John 4.4-26 Being thirsty, using a coin. People always felt comfortable in

the company of Jesus … unless they were exploiting others or turning their back on God’s

loving invitation. Representing a God of grace leads to gracious sensitivity. cf Acts 17.23

3. Jesus did not allow Himself to be trapped, “returning their serve” :

Matthew 22:15-33 in which Jesus returned the conversation to their court, so that they

would be made to think through the logic of their position and validity of their world

view. cf Romans 6.1; Galatians 2.14

4. Jesus focussed primarily on a person’s relationship with God :

Luke 15:11ff; John 4:26. Practical details of loving one’s neighbour were spelt out by Jesus, but a living relationship

with the living God was a key dynamic for all relationships. cf Titus 3:4-8; Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 John 1:1-4

Early Christians (people “in Christ” with “Christ in”) embodied Jesus’ way. Do we?

Adapted from a circular written by Sandy Gunn Chaplain, Work Place Chaplaincy Scotland

Life & Work magazine subscriptions

If you wish to subscribe to the print edition of Life and

Work magazine in 2018, please let Peter Sandison (Life

and Work Co-ordinator) know. The cover price of Life

and Work will be £2.50. However, Church members get

a discount of 9%, giving a cost of £2.28 per issue,

which equates to £27.36 annually for 12 issues. Exist-

ing subscribers are kindly requested to make payment

of £27.36 to Peter if they wish to continue their sub-

scription. This payment goes to our Treasurer, who

pays a block subscription to the Church of Scotland.

There is also a digital edition of

the magazine available as a sin-

gle download for £1.99 or on a

subscription basis for 6 months

(£11.99) or annually (£20.99).

Details and samples through

www.lifeandwork.org/subscribe.

Lighting the Borders Concert

We were very privileged to be asked to host a concert on the opening weekend of the 2017 Borders Heritage Festival,

under the title of "Lighting the Borders". The concert was designated a signature event for the “Year of History, Herit-

age and Archaeology 2017”. Historic buildings right across the region - including our Church - were illuminated in

blue from 1st to 3rd September

The concert featured Langlee Community Choir - under the direction of Chris Achenbach - who delighted the

sizeable audience with the quality and variety of their repertoire. They were followed by the Gala String Quartet, who

played the première performance of "South to Scotland", a composition by local composer, Eric Falconer, who intro-

duced the piece in person. After a short interval with refreshments we were entertained by Tuuslaujalat (pictured be-

low), a visiting choir from Finland, who were performing parts of their celebration repertoire for the centenary of

Finnish independence. The evening was brought to a suitable close by the choirs singing two pieces jointly, the final

one including the audience in a rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".

We would like to thank everyone who helped in any way: before, during and after the concert, generously giving

of their time and talents to help the concert run as smoothly as possible.

“The House Elf”

Louise Johnston is starting up a business called the

“House Elf” and is offering to help with any domestic

tasks within her capability, such as:

• Housework: cleaning, tidying, hoovering, ironing, etc.

• Light gardening

• Decorating

• Dog walking

• Shopping

The cost is £10 an hour and she is prepared to travel

within a 10 mile radius of Galashiels.

Louise is trying to get some idea of what you think

of her proposal, i.e. would you be likely to use the ser-

vice or do you know of anyone who would be interest-

ed in contacting her? Any useful comment or ideas

would be warmly received and appreciated. Louise is

hoping to start around the first week in December.

Louise Johnston Home: 01896 756023 Mobile: 07841 935561

Email:

Treasurer’s Report - August 2017

Actual General Fund income to date £48,557 Actual General Fund expenditure to date £59,501 Income shortfall to date -£10,944

Average weekly offerings compared: £871 (Jan - Aug 2016)

£842 (Jan - Aug 2017)

Budgeted Expenditure for 2017 £90,015

Budget for January-August £62,884

Income from offerings to date £29,473

Gift Aided offerings tax reclaimed to date £6,021

Investment income to date £1,091

£36,585

Shortfall (voluntary income) -£26,300

Income from use of premises £8,576

Other donations to date £3,662

Legacies to date £50

£12,288

Income shortfall to date, against budget -£14,011

World Mission Weekend: Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th September

The weekend proved to be a very happy and challenging occasion. A splendid four-course meal was served most ele-

gantly by the charming kitchen staff and waiters, to whom credit and thanks are due for the friendly atmosphere

they helped to create. David Leckey and his team - pictured below - worked long and hard to provide us with a lovely

meal which some 60 people or more sat down to enjoy. Due to the generosity of many, including members of St.

John’s Church, who provided the delicious desserts, we had a balance of £220 after expenses were paid, which went

to mission causes. Our sincere thanks, and those of the Mission Committee, are due to all concerned...

Our speaker for the evening was Mrs. Jane Fucella, former Missionary in Thailand and now serving on the Interna-

tional Council of Interserve. Her theme was the challenge of taking the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to a rapidly

changing world characterised by globalisation and urbanisation, where mega-cities of over 15 million people are try-

ing to cope with change. Interserve International, in stating their vision and values, says: “Our purpose is to make Je-

sus Christ known through holistic ministry, in partnership with the Global Church, among the neediest people of Asia

and the Arab world.”

On Sunday the speaker at both churches was Mr. Callum Henderson, who with his wife Izzy spoke of their work

with Comfort Rwanda and Congo, with many illustrations of the transforming power of our Lord Jesus Christ in the

lives of people who had experienced great cruelty.

Some 36 Missionary Gift envelopes have

been returned so far from both churches,

and these yielded a total of £730.

This was distributed as follows:

MISSION AMOUNT

Barnabas Fund £30

Scottish Bible Society £20

Comfort Rwanda £135

CURE Malawi Hospital £60

Feba Radio £42

Interserve £99

Leprosy Mission £45

MAF £75

Open Doors £70

OMF £60

Tearfund £45

Wycliffe £45

TOTAL £730