Corsock
Guild Harvest Supper
On
Friday 30 September Corsock Guild held its annual Harvest Supper in the newly
refurbished village hall in Corsock, the first function to be held here since it
was refurbished. The guests enjoyed
dining in the pleasant surroundings of the newly painted and well insulated
building. Betty Watson welcomed a
company of 54 diners, and after a
harvest thanksgiving grace, given by John Moorhouse, a three-course meal
consisting of lentil soup, pork casserole and sherry trifle was served.
Over
£400 was raised by the event which will be used for Guild funds and the
national Guild projects. [ Submitted
by Betty Watson ]
Kirkpatrick
Durham and Corsock Church Calendars
This
year sees the start of a new enterprise in our churches, a photographic record
of the year’s events incorporated into a calendar for the year ahead, 2012.
Conveniently sized and in full colour, these calendars are a snip at £6.50
each, and would make a lovely Christmas gift for those who know our area and to
whom we send presents, not to mention for your own homes.
Please contact Dee Cusack or any other Board member for a copy or two.
Christ
A really inspiring talk entitled “Spirituality in Medicine and Palliative Care” was given by Dr Lindsay Martin, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Dumfries Alexandra Unit, on 8 November at the Douglas Arms Hotel. She pointed out that whilst we all prepare for the birth of a child, going to school, for marriage and so on, we rarely prepare for our deaths. She then expanded on this theme in a most thought provoking way
Future
talks at the Douglas
Arms Hotel at 11:00 are
planned for Tuesday 28 February when Bobby Carver, wartime naval officer and
local farming figure, and Alan Stewart, retired Chartered Surveyor, Factor and
Lay Reader in the Episcopal Church for 56 years, will each give a short talk
under the title, “The Hand of God in our Lives”.
On Thursday 10 May 2012 Mike Smith, currently pastor of the New Life
Church in Castle Douglas, and his wife Debbie will speak on “The Hand on My
Shoulder”.
The
talks are aimed to make us think, inspire us and sometimes provoke us, not
preaching at us but sharing the experience of God in people’s lives.
Tickets are bought at the door
and coffee and biscuits are served making it a cheerful morning out.
Remembrance
Sunday
The
annual poppy collection for Kirkpatrick Durham and Crocketford raised just over
£400 this year and, as ever, the collectors carried out door-to-door visits in
both villages as well as to many of the outlying farms and homes in the
community. Collectors always receive
a welcome as it can never be assumed everyone has had an opportunity to visit
the local shops and obtain a poppy. Long
must we remember that fact.
This
year we also offered small wooden crosses made available by the poppy factory in
Edinburgh on which individuals can write their own private message to a lost
relative or friend. The modest cross
can then be planted in the ground, usually at a war memorial, as a private act
of remembrance. At a recent visit to
a small village war memorial I saw many such crosses which carried messages to
servicemen and women from the Great War through to Afghanistan 2011 - very
moving indeed.
At
Kirkpatrick Durham wreaths were laid on behalf of the Church and the
Community Council. One wonders if other community projects would like to be
represented at the village war memorials in future and lay their own wreaths in
tribute to the fallen.
I
made a visit this year to the poppy factory in Edinburgh and was delighted to be
taken around by one of the many ex-sevicemen working there and to be told how
the operation works, the planning and logistics and how many millions of poppies
are sent out every year. The
enthusiasm was impressive and I was made to feel extremely welcome.
I was told that staff are always most willing to take small groups of
visitors around the workshops to help spread a clear understanding of what and
how the wonderful Earl Haig Fund works for all of us.
Grateful
thanks are due to all those who collected and contributed in their own way this
year. The Springholm collection was particularly noteworthy, the amount of £402.74
being raised in collecting tins in the shop, school and pub.
Further details of amounts raised will appear in The
Galloway News. [ Submitted by
Reading
the Authorised Version of the Bible at St Nin
On
the evening of Sunday 30 October a
group of Christ
We
each had a chapter to read, with the longer chapters being divided between two
readers. Having two lecterns set up
at the front of the hall, the readings flowed smoothly, with each person
connecting almost seamlessly with the reader before, and the words, rhythm and
cadence of the timeless prose were a joy to hear.
A most moving, solemn and uplifting two hours passed without notice, the
service being introduced and ended in prayer by the Revd. Canon David Bayne of
St Nin
Christmas
Carol Singing in Kirkpatrick Durham
As
has been customary for Christmases past, there will be carol singing on
Christmas Eve around the streets of Kirkpatrick Durham village, with a
collection being taken. All are most
welcome to join. The group will
gather at the crossroads at 18:30. Dress
up warmly and bring a torch!
Ready
Steady Christmas
As
we write, plans are going ahead for two great fun afternoons in Kirkpatrick
Durham church in the early December (St Andrew’s) school holiday. These are
for children of primary school age, with crafts, games, quizzes and songs.
We
thank our SUPA Club team for all they do in school throughout the year and for
reminding our children about Christ’s birth and the real meaning of Christmas.
SUPA
Club continues at Springholm School on Friday lunchtimes fortnightly.
The
Guild Timbrels
The
Kirkpatrick Durham Guild Timbrel Group has been asked to perform over the
Christmas period and has been busy compiling a short programme of Christmas
carols and songs. The group will be
at the Guild Autumn Rally in Gatehouse Church on Sunday 27 November and at the
evening Advent Service in Corsock on 11 December, as part of an evening of
Christmas delights with music, readings and refreshments.
We hope to see you there.
We
thank our friends at Lockerbie Salvation Army Corps for kindly teaching us to
make joyful music to the Lord in this way. It
is great fun! They are in our thoughts and prayers as they undertake their
packed Christmas programme.
Burns
Night Supper
The
Congregational Board has booked Kirkpatrick Durham village hall on 21 January
2012 for a lively celebration of our national bard, with various artists
providing poetry, singing, piping-in and the address to the haggis. Tickets will
be £7, and we are licenced for you to bring your favourite tipple.
Come along at 19:00 (for 19:30) and enjoy a good night.
This
should put you in the mood to return to the hall on Saturday 25 February 2012 to
brush away those winter cobwebs at the annual Guild ceilidh.
This has become a must in the winter calendar with the Ceilidh Band
entertaining, and with dancing led by our own
First
Aid Study Day
Tuesday
22 November saw a group of ten students from all four parish churches assemble
at Kirkpatrick Durham church to learn how to save lives and become accredited
First Aiders. A four-hour course of
practical learning followed under the able tutelage of John Bell of the British
Red Cross, as we resuscitated mannikins, manoeuvred one another into the
recovery position, relieved choking and applied slings and bandages.
You are now in somewhat safer hands should anything happen to you in any
of our churches!
Welfare
Rights
A
small independent local charity has been formed in Dumfries to help local people
with housing, benefit, debt and employment problems.
They have no funding for their advice office, and so have opened a
charity shop in Lincluden. To help
get this off the ground they are looking for donations of any saleable items -
household and bed linen, kitchenware, books, bric-a-brac - and they will even
arrange house clearances. If you
have goods to donate please speak to Victoria Long or Eileen Brown about
arranging uplift or where to take your goods.
A notice is to be found on the noticeboard in Kirkpatrick Durham church
hall.
The
Bible study group reconvenes after the summer break to begin a new series
looking at the place of prayer in our lives.
We will be meeting at 7pm on alternate Mondays in the church hall,
starting on Monday 19th September. Everyone
is most welcome to join us.
Guild
News
Our
Guilds at Corsock, Crossmichael and Parton, and Kirkpatrick Durham step back
into action in October with the session’s theme focussing on the third part of
the verse from Micah 6 verse 8 where we are
“called
to walk humbly with our God.”
During
the summer recess much has been happening at National level. The illness of
General Secretary Alison Twaddle, which has resulted in a long period of short
staffing in the office, has now come to an end with the appointment of people to
three posts. Most notable of these is the appointment of the Rev Ian Whyte as
General Secretary. Ian was formerly
General Secretary to the Board of Parish Education and has a good understanding
of the Guild and all it seeks to do. Although
he was the unanimous choice of the interviewing committee and has been warmly
welcomed by our National Executive, members at grass-roots level of this, one of
the premier voluntary organisations for women in
As
ever our Guilds have prepared a varied programme of meetings for this session,
at which everyone is warmly welcome, to be part of a caring fellowship, to be
informed, stimulated and at times inspired, to join with others in worship and
prayer and to find opportunities to
deepen your faith.