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Superb choice ClubFEBRUARY / MARCH 2018

NEWSLETTER NO.99Karlovy Vary Park, Czech Republic

Picture by David Boydell

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Till the next time,Greer and Moira

Greetings from Greer and Moira

We have just come in from outside. It is an absolutely beautiful winter’s day. The sky isblue and cloudless; the snow which came at the beginning of Christmas week is still withus three and a half weeks later; the mountains are all coated in that snow and brilliant whitein the bright sunshine. But oh my, is it cold! The temperature is -5 centigrade, and it is3.30 in the afternoon. We are pleased to begin to get warm again and see the beauty frominside. God’s handiwork all around us is a privilege. We wonder at how the same viewlooks different every day. We are constantly reminded of the beautiful world God madewhen it is left unspoiled, and the beauty which He can bring about in our lives through thework of Emmanuel, the infant Jesus and of the Holy Spirit.

Bookings for the 2018 holidays are coming in strongly. As last year, the holidays abroadare filling up very quickly, but the holidays in the UK much more slowly. We are surprisedat this in a way, in that we had been advised by many members that there were not enoughholidays in the UK and too many abroad. It was in response to these comments that weincreased the number of UK holidays. However, it looks like there is a shift back to Europe.Meanwhile there is, at time of writing, space for more singles and doubles in virtually allthe UK holidays. That is not to say that there is loads of room. Some are much fuller thanothers. So, if you are still deciding which one is for you, then do not delay too long. It isvery upsetting when you have finally made your mind up and send in your booking, only todiscover that the places are all taken. That was the case with Crieff, this year, and we arereally sorry that quite a number were disappointed. Some, in desperation, even rang thehotel directly to try and book independently, only to receive the same answer as ourselves,namely that the hotel is completely full.

Accordingly, at the meeting held yesterday to begin the process of agreeing a 2019programme, we have reduced the number of holidays in the UK and increased those abroad.The total number on offer will, sadly, be less, as Club numbers are not increasing. Currentlythe numbers are holding their own as the new members are offsetting the numbers leavingthrough having passed away. We are encouraged by those who choose to remain membersthough no longer going on holidays. There is still value in retaining membership as theNewsletters, like this one, bring news of what is going on in the Club; news of friends throughhearing of them by reading the holiday reports; and there is always the puzzle to try in theidle moments.

Finally, it was agreed yesterday that there should be a long haul holiday offered either latein 2019 or in January/ February 2020. Planning has to start now. Destinations suggestedare Australia, China, Japan, India, Peru. If you are interested in a long haul holiday, thenlet us, Greer and Moira, know. Better still, give us your preference or thoughts. All opinionsand suggestions are welcome.

Now for a well deserved cup of tea. Moira, put the kettle on!!

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FESTIVE SCC LUNCHES

ABERDEEN - Monday 4th December 2017

We all had an excellent lunch at the Ashvale Restaurant, afavourite with Aberdonians. Personally, I have rarely tastedmore tender roast beef. Seventeen of us enjoyed happyfellowship and reminiscences of our past holidays. No doubt,many are looking forward to the next holiday to enjoy.

Ellen and Bert Rendall

INVERNESS - Saturday 9th December 2017

Despite snowy weather and icy roads, a cheery group of 29club members ventured out for Christmas lunch at the

Craigmonie Hotel in Inverness.

The usual festive fare in, cosy surroundings, was greatly appreciated by all, as was thegood fun and fellowship together. Between courses, diners were challenged with a quizand, after coffee and mince pies, Greer Johnston gave an encouraging talk on the meaningof the coming of Christ to the world and to each of us. Thanks again especially to AnnabelBremner who helped plan and organise a memorable get together. John Muir

AYR - Wednesday 3rd

January 2018

The annual festive lunch inAyr had a new venue thisyear and it proved to be asuccessful move in manyrespects. Seventeen SCCmembers sat down to anexcellent meal in theChestnuts Hotel and wereimpressed with all aspects ofthe meal, from the beautifullyprepared and presentedfood to the convivialatmosphere and the thoughtprovoking epilogue broughtto us by our new ClubTreasurer, Bill Mackay. Theonly drawback, if that's whatit was, was the size andlayout of the room whichmade the usual group photoimpossible. I'm sure yourimagination will fill in the blanks.

Dudley and Sheila Bowling atthe Ashvale, Aberdeen.

Donald McLarty

Happy Members at Inverness - How many do you recognise?

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PRAGUE: Tuesday 17 - Tuesday 24 October 2017

EOPLE & PLACES4am, at Edinburgh Airport, was the time for the people travelling to Prague to meet ourassistant leaders Donald and Elspeth MacLeod for our 6am flight. It’s amazing how muchsleep you can get with your head on a table top!

ECEPTIONAfter a very smooth, uneventful flight we were welcomed to Prague with a surprisingreception. Our luggage was loaded into a minibus and then we were escorted to a whitestretch limousine. The antics of boarding this taxi are best not recorded. The four bottlesof champagne at our disposal also remained untouched on the drive to our hotel. We arestill not sure if they thought we were a “hen” party. We found ourselves welcomed at ahotel we hadn’t expected, but by Leaders David and Jessie Boydell whom we did. Therehad been a change of plan. The Lord was in this, however, as this venue turned out tobe much more suitable than where we thought we were staying.

DVENTURESThese had started on our trip to Edinburgh when we encountered the tail end of hurricaneOphelia and wondered if our trip would be cancelled before it started! Our first day inPrague turned out to be hot and sunny and soon we were off to explore this beautiful city.Some of the group had been there before and they wanted to revisit specific places. Therest of us were just happy to experience new sights. A walk across the famous CharlesBridge into The Old Town Square to watch the astronomical clock, when the apostlesappear for their hourly walk, was a good introduction. The next day we bought two-daytickets for the hop on hop off bus and spent most of the day at the Castle, with great viewsover the city. Within the walls of the Castle there is plenty to see, from the Cathedral ofSt Vitus with its magnificent stained glassed windows to various palaces and plenty ofinformation about the history of bygone days. There is even the changing of the guard tobe observed. The second day on the bus took us to a very different part of the city butalso gave opportunity for an hours’ trip on the river Vitava, when we sailed under theCharles Bridge while enjoying hot chocolate and apple strudel. There was plenty of timeto stroll the cobbled streets, admire the shops and just soak up the atmosphere of thishistoric place.Friday saw us travel 130kms, by coach, to the very delightful spa town of Karlovy Vary.Everyone was free to plan their own adventures, but we somehow seemed to meet upwith one another at riverside cafes. Most did sample the hot springs but they were not themost tasty! Having discovered that over 70’s could travel free on the trams in Prague, twoof the group decided to spend Saturday tram hopping. This proved to be great fun. Mondaywas more poignant with a visit to the Jewish quarter. Here there is a cemetery with gravesnine layers deep. Much food for thought. The last adventure was to board the long whitestretch limo for our return trip to the airport, early Tuesday morning.

ROUP The group of 15 now assembled represented not just Scotland but EnglandIreland and France. As we got to know each other better we enjoyed the fellowship andgood hearted banter. As always it was good to renew friendships and make new ones.The obvious talents of the group culminated in a great concert on our last evening.

NUSUAL FARE Not having our evening meal in the hotel meant we were able toexplore some of the local restaurants. One of them, to which we returned three times,was such a wonderful establishment where the most beautiful local dishes were prepared

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for us with such thought and care. Never have so many pictures been taken of the holidayfood and to David’s relief not at an outrageous price.

NCOUNTERS WITH GOD Meeting each evening for a time of praise and Bible studyis what makes Superb Choice holidays special. David and Donald alternatively addressedsome of the solae when we thought about faith alone, in Christ alone, by Scripture aloneand some of the reformersIt was a privilege to have as our guest one evening Martin Hejl of Czech SU and hear oftheir work. Another highlight was to join for Sunday worship at the International BaptistChurch of Prague. We are grateful for God’s goodness to us throughout the week, forthose who led and to the club members who prayed for us. Susan Giffen

Jan Hus andProtestant Reformers

Cemetery, Jewish quarter, Prague

Russian OrthodoxChurch, Karlovy Vary.

Cross on the Charles Bridge, Prague

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REUNION AT NEW LANARK: Friday 17 - Sunday 19 November 2017

Elva Carlise and Mary Wilson greeted the SCC members with a smile as we gatheredtogether at the New Lanark Hotel and so began the conversations between friends andacquaintances for the whole weekend.

Before dinner, David Jack, using his technical skills, presented a slide show of several ofthe holidays which the SCC had enjoyed through 2017. Memories were revived and friendsidentified!

It was lovely to be welcomed by the catering staff, in the restaurant, with whom we havebuilt up a relationship over the years. The food, as usual, was presented well and servedvery pleasantly by the staff. I think we all remembered what we had ordered in advance!

The speaker for the Friday evening session was Douglas Young who toldus about his involvement over the years with ‘Open Air Mission’. ThisMission began in London in 1853, driven by the Great Commission: Goand teach all nations. Their Evangelists and supporting staff now work inthe bustling streets of many cities in Britain. The large ‘story boards’ areset up and as the message progresses pictures and words are added.The speaker uses his normal voice to encouragethose who stop to listen to come closer. Manypedestrians walk between the speaker and thosewho have stopped but the Evangelist continues withthe train of thought. Members of the support teamtalk to those who show an interest during and at theend of the talk and also give out free leaflets, the book‘Ultimate Questions’ by John Blanchard and copiesof John’s Gospel according to the needs of theenquirers. They are keen to direct people to goodlocal churches. Douglas reminded us that the coat ofarms for Glasgow uses the prayer of St Mungo, “Lord,Let Glasgow flourish through the preaching of thyword and praising thy name.” The strap-line for Glasgow is now “People make Glasgow”but this is equally important to the Mission and God.

Saturday’s programme began by welcoming the Day Visitors who had joinedus. Gus Mackay was also welcomed. He spoke to us about his time in Nigeriaand his involvement now, as a minister, with The Lodging House Mission inGlasgow.

Gus had worked as a chemist for many years but then felt called to studyTheology at the then ICC. In his 3rd year in 2005, as part of a studentexchange scheme, he spent a term in the college in Nigeria. He wasassigned to the Master Class! Lectures were in a room with a blackboardand wooden chairs - no computers which could be used to download lecture

notes, no PowerPoints for charts and pictures to highlight the teaching and no printers! Thestudents were great listeners. They had to be as they took notes and discussed the content.After the lectures, in the discussion times the students would ask, “What does the man fromGlasgow think?”

There were many challenges: water had to be boiled and filtered and food carefully prepared;there was great corruption in the country; there were many robbers around and the Bible

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Centre had been held at gunpoint in one instance; religion showed itself in so many differentstyles and churches. As a white person Gus was expected to employ a servant. Gus paidthe sister of a fellow student to wash and iron his clothes to help give her income. He wasonly allowed to pay her the equivalent of £2 in the local currency to avoid drawing attentionto himself.

Gus is now working with The The Lodging House Mission in Glasgow as a pastor. Whatdo you think a homeless person is? Simply it is someone who does not have a home oftheir own. They may be housed in B&B, squatting, sofa surfers or sleeping rough outside.

How do people become homeless? This may be through addiction to drink or drugs, thenon-payment of rent resulting in eviction, fall out with parents or partner, release from prison,loss of job, mental health issues or even lost tenancy after a long stay in hospital.

The aim of the Mission is to help those who areseeking help to become self reliant and return tomainstream society. In Glasgow, 90 - 100 peopledaily come through their doors. It is run by 7 fulltime staff, 1 chaplain, 40 part time volunteers(85%male and 15% female) and the workingBoard. ‘The volunteers are not paid because theyare worthless but because they are priceless.’Although the Mission is open every day for support,during December through till end of March, amattress, towel, sleeping bag and a night’s shelter

is given by The Lodging House Mission . The support is through workshops and interviewsthroughout the week. Activities include drama club, bingo, pool, crafts and choir (”MissionVoices”). Education covers literacy and numeracy, computer skills, art and English andother languages. Support is given for accommodation, addiction, mental health, socialexclusion, making phone calls, form filling and crisis management. The Chaplaincybefriends and encourages prayer and Bible study.

It takes £300k per annum to run everything. 40% of this comes from Churches, 33% throughTrusts and 25% from legacies. Food donations are gratefully received as 24,000 meals areserved annually. ‘Harvest’ donations come from congregations with Greggs donating rollsand Morrisons, Tesco and Nandos giving food also. The mission is faith run and relies onour God to supply the needs. If you would like to support this mission, you can write to 35E Campbell St, Glasgow G1 5DT or phone: 0141 552 0285, open 8am–3pm.

Following our twocourse lunch, a few feltthey could walk alongthe banks of the Clydeto see the Cora Lynnfalls but others visitedLanark, browsed in theMill shop, had a cuppaand chatted with friendsin the lounge area orvarious combinations of

these. At 4:30pm we gathered to hear about, and see pictures of, the venues and holidaysplanned for 2018. Thanks to David Jack and John and Gwen Muir for this.

In the Hotel lounge area Autumn walk along the Clyde

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To round off Saturday there was the“Social Event” of the week-end.Together we all sang Scottish songsaccompanied on the violin by DonaldMacleod, puzzled out the anagramsand wordsearch provided by Anne andIain Sutherland, activated ourmemories with Kim’s Game andlaughed at the attempts of our sixvolunteers to feed a partner, frombehind, with dry krispies. Thanks to thecontributions of soloists, those withrecitations, jokes and acting abilities the entertainment was very varied and enjoyed.Edmund Messenger rounded off the evening with perceptive thoughts on Psalm 150.

Having stowed away our suitcases, it was time to worship God on His day. Greer usedMatthew 7:15-29 which includes the parable of the wise and foolish builders and Greerreminded us that Jesus knows what our lives are built upon. Verse 24: “Therefore everyonewho hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built hishouse on the rock.” But reading the previous verses tells us how we can build our faith andhope - by being discerning and growing good fruits for only those who do the will of theirFather who is in heaven will dwell with God for eternity. 1 Corinthians 11 shows that theworshippers at the Lord’s Supper should also be discerning and consider their behaviourand attitudes. This led into a time of Communion together.

After a coffee break, we watched with interest, a DVD of the life of George Muller. He wassuch a man of faith totally relying on God to supply his needs for himself and his family andalso for the need to build orphanages and feed and educate the orphans. He prayed aboutthe needs with his heavenly father and never made an appeal or asked for money. Hetrusted God to supply his needs and He did! What an example and challenge to us all.

One more two course lunch before we said our good-byes to each other. And so endedanother Superb Choice Reunion. Till next year in Peebles Hydro. Elizabeth McGrouther

CANARY ISLANDS: Monday 27 November - Monday 4 December

Tenerife in November is certainly tobe recommended! Fifteen of us,including our leaders Bill andCatherine Mackay, left a cold, grey,windy Glasgow for a week in the sun,and most days we got just that withtemperatures up to 26 degrees! Wemade the best of the lovely weatherin Costa del Adeje with gentle strollsalong the Esplanade, pausing forcoffee/cake along the way: twoBritish cafes served pots of EnglishBreakfast Tea – a touch of home-from-home!

T

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he Best Jacaranda Hotel (unrelated to the Best Marigold Hotel !), despite its enormity -somemight find it a bit too big - was very comfortable, with good food, 6 swimming pools andeasy access to the beach, shops and public transport. Our fellowship meetings were amongthe highlights of our holiday: Catherine shared morning readings from a book of Puritandevotions, whilst, in the evening, Bill’s well-prepared talks helped us to reflect more deeplyon God’s Word in the Deuteronomy 6, and to see how its teaching could be applied in ourdaily lives.

There were lots of excursions available. Nine of uswent on a catamaran trip (risking sunburn andseasickness!) in search of Pilot Whales that live inthe seas to the south of Tenerife. It was a beautifulsunny day, and we felt really privileged to have seena dozen or so of these amazing mammals with theirblue/brown colouring and growing up to 4.9m inlength – another example of God’s marvellouscreation.

Smaller groups visited the quieter coastal villagesof Los Gigantes with its dramatic plunging cliffs, and

Los Galletas, where we (Mark and I) discovered a peaceful little church. It was good tospend a few minutes in quiet prayer and reflection. There , and in La Caleta, we enjoyedpleasant seaside and harbour walks and delicious meals in the open air at the renownedseafood restaurants.Some of us visited Mount Teide for the first time – a very picturesque half-day trip that hadus ascend some 8,500 ft. to a large valley surrounded by dramatic volcanic (almost lunar)landscape – fascinating! The two peaks of Teide looked magnificent, even though it wastoo windy that day to travel higher by cable-car to the summit.On the Sunday, just before coming home, we enjoyed a lovely Morning Service at the SouthTenerife Christian Fellowship in Los Christianos (15 mins away by bus) along with at least100 people, mostly resident expats and a few tourists – a glimpse of the heavenly communitywith peoples from all the nations worshipping the Lamb with one heart and mind – wow!We were a varied group but we really enjoyed each other’s company. Would we go back?With this group - anytime! Mark & Elinor Gilmour

Los Galletas

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FOR THE ATTENTION OF ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS

With this year’s holiday brochure getting into full flow, I am thinkingof all these wonderful photographs that will be taken during the yearby our members. By autumn 2018, I will be looking for a reallyoutstanding picture from a club member, taken on a club holiday thisyear for the front page of next year’s brochure! It doesn't have to bea photographic masterpiece taken with the latest Hi Tech camera buta decent quality snapshot (MB size, not all KB size enlarge well.)A brief note of where and when would also be helpful. Memorable

places or events of interest to club members, are best. Your pictures should be sent to:donan@talktalk.net where they will be stored, along with all the others, until required forthe 2019 brochure front cover.

Of course, scenic holiday pictures are also needed for the cover of the bi-monthlynewsletter so that it truly reflects the activities of the club. These should be sent to:elizabeth.mcgrouther@gmail.com Group photos of a holiday are better included in thenewsletters with the holiday report Donald McLarty

It is with regret that we inform you of several deaths at the end of the year.

In the first half of November, David MacMorris of Milngavie died. He and his wife,Etta, had many holidays with the club but David had not done so since the suddendeath of his wife several years ago.

Towards the end of November, Kathleen Carter of Lincoln met her Lord in the 80th

year of her life.

Alex Ferrie passed away peacefully on Monday 27th November. He is survived byhis wife, Joyce. Alex was a long-standing member of the Club and, together withJoyce, faithfully ran the Prayer Chain for many years. Some of you may rememberhis thoughtful epilogues at Club Reunions and other events.

Agnes Best of Dumfries and Cathy Mackenzie of Inverness died at the end ofDecember. Both were longstanding Club members.

Please remember in your prayers those who miss the love and friendship of thesedeparted SCC members.

Contributions for the magazine should be sent to:Mrs Elizabeth McGrouther, 16 Queen Street, Alloa, FK10 2AR

by 28th February, 2018. Please send as an e-mail attachment, if possible.

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