No.45 9th May 2025
Hi,
Hope you have had a good week and getting to enjoy some of the nice weather.
I wonder if you, like me, have been keenly monitoring the news feeds waiting for the crucial decision on who will be asked be the next in charge, that person who will have a huge impact on so many lives...but there's nothing from Ibrox yet!! There was some news from Rome though and Scott picks this up in his letter.
I came across this quote yesterday -
"Do good with intention...not for attention". Such are our hearts that even when we are wanting to, and planning to do the right thing, the wrong motives can creep in - there is plenty to get involved in at Mearns Free, but lets pray for each other that it is all in response to the One who has done everything for us...there are details on how to help out below from Scott and from Pauline re. the Summer months.
We have been enjoying a national celebration this week - and quite rightly - so much to be thankful for. However, in 2 Chronicles ch5-8 as the people of God take a moment as a nation to look back to the ups and downs of life - and consider the future ups and downs of life (on a national or personal scale) they find a great source of HOPE in one place alone - take a moment to read Paul Tripp's encouraging words below.
Enjoy the mag.
MB
Saturday 10th May
At the Smiths, Eaglesham
9.00am
We meet tomorrow, 10th and then 14th June...we plan to continue on the 2nd Saturday of each month.
Speak with to Martin S for more details.
Sunday 11th May
Morning service - 10.30am
Rev Scott Kirkland
Mark ch1: 1-11
(nb. Services are not being live streamed but will be recorded and on YouTube shortly after the service.)
Sunday - 6.30 for 7pm
Joining with Newton Mearns Baptist Church to look at
King Jesus in the Psalms
Our first study was
Psalm 2 –
Enthroning the King
This week we look at Psalm 24 – Welcoming the King
Study 3:
Psalm 72 – Praying for the King
Study 4
: Psalm 98 - Worshipping the King
Study 5:
Psalm 110 – Proclaiming the King
Wednesday - 7.15pm - 8.15pm
@ John and Sandra's
Letter from the Manse
Dear Congregation,
Since “The Fall” in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), humanity has always been argumentative. There was immediate conflict between the man and the woman. This ongoing conflict is rarely about God’s truth but most frequently fuelled by personal pride.
In our current society it seems everyone wants an opinion (on virtually everything) but will not tolerate anyone with a different opinion. Conflict and the present day “cancel-culture” dominate.
As biblical Christians we have an added problem. Our worldview will always be at odds with those around us. And, if we are appropriately open about our belief in Jesus, we will inevitably come into conflict. It is a biblical “given”!
Gavin Ortlund has written a wee book to help Christians navigate this terrain. American Presbyterian minister and current President of Wheaten College, Philip Ryken writes, Gavin "...shows it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable”.
I think this will be a helpful book for many of us who find ourselves in disagreement with family, friends and colleagues. It may even be helpful for us as we engage with one another in church!
We shall have a number of these books for sale this Sunday. I have managed to get them in bulk for only £5 each. Stewart will have them at the back of the hall.
On a related but different matter…
How do you view the death of the late Pope and the BBC’s coverage of the proceedings that followed? Might we have differing opinions on this, without being disagreeable?
With apparently a billion Roman Catholics worldwide and 6 million in the UK, it is perhaps no wonder that the BBC took such a special interest in the election of the new Pope. If you listen carefully to their analysis of events, the presuppositions which lie behind the analysis peek through. I will let you come to your own conclusions.
It is hard to get beyond the febrile reporting to remember that a man has died and he will have close friends and an extended family somewhere grieving his death. Death is awful. We should have a sense of sadness that a fellow human being has died.
In addition, some of our Roman Catholic friends and family members may be grieving the loss of someone they valued in their lives. Some may even have “their faith shaken” by his death.
As mature Christians this is where we will lean forward in love towards our Roman Catholic friends. We should grieve with those who grieve. We should love our neighbours. During periods of grief we should be especially careful with our words. Maybe opportunity will arise for us to lovingly offer the biblical hope that comes by grace (alone) through faith (alone) in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (alone) as authoritatively held out in the Scriptures (alone).
However, as a non-Roman-Catholic Christian, I watch with dismay at what the BBC report as the appointment of the new “head of the church”. You and I must be crystal clear on this, there is only one Head of the church and He remains the same, Jesus Christ. Though He did die, He is Risen and will never again die. No monarch or Pope can claim the title or authority as Head of the Church (Ephesians 1.22-23,5.23&Colossians 1.18).
It is also timely to be reminded that, the basis of Presbyterian “polity” (church governance) is founded on the biblical understanding that Christian congregations should be governed by local elders who are all equal in status (i.e. no hierarchy). More importantly, the basis of reformed Presbyterian theology is not grounded in the supposed authority of apostolic succession (through bishops, cardinals, popes and then ex cathedra declarations) but the Word of God. It is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament (66 books) which are infallible, authoritative and have the only right to bind our consciences.
So we pray for our Roman Catholic friends and perhaps with all this news coverage, we pray the world might ask some deep questions about life, death and where hope is truly to be found. Would it not be amusing, no that is the wrong expression, would it not be amazing, if the BBC was unknowingly God’s vehicle for the extending Christ’s true Church at this time? Something to pray about?
On a different but related matter…
Professing Faith (and membership of MFC)… I know that some of you who worship with us regularly do so with formal membership in another church. Is it now timely to transfer this membership to Mearns Free Church?
Or, has the Lord brought you to a point in life where you must profess your faith publicly for the first time and be publicly identified with Christ’s people (here at Mearns Free Church)? We want to help you through either of the above situations. Please speak with me soon if the Lord has laid either of these on your heart.
With Warmest Regards
Scott
Bible Alive
IN LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS!
Please keep praying for this amazing opportunity in our local schools.
We are in the middle of a new initiative with P5s in Mearns and Crookfur called Bible Alive which takes pupils through the whole Bible over 7 sessions through drama, storytelling, music and BSL. This involves 4 one hour long sessions on the Old Testament then will return to do the New Testament sessions next year. This is co-ordinated by SU and has run in various places across Scotland for a number of years.
We are in the middle of the programme with the following dates to come - PLEASE PRAY!
Thursday mornings -22nd May in Crookfur
Wednesday mornings - 14th May, 28th May and 4th June in Mearns.
Pauline.
Here is Pauline's update from this week...
Adrienne and I took Bible Alive session 1 to the 120 Primary 5 pupils in Mearns Primary and we also had the opportunity to do a taster session at Kirkhill with nearly 100 P5s as part of their Cultural Week.
Dave Lazonby and Lynne Hamilton were in Crookfur with session 2.
We do not take these opportunities to present God's Big Story in our local schools lightly so please continue to pray for us, give thanks for the open doors and pray for more!
This week...
Being Human taster event with Peter Lynas– navigating culture through a Christian lens .
Newton Mearns Baptist Church
Thursday 15 May - 7 p.m.
A recent survey we did with our members showed that Christians in Scotland are seeking guidance on how to engage with today’s major cultural issues.
With that in mind, we invite you to stay for the Being Human taster event, where Peter Lynas, UK Director at the Evangelical Alliance and co-lead of the Being Human project, will introduce a framework to help us understand and respond to these issues from God's perspective. On the night, we’ll explore examples such as assisted dying and gender/sexuality, with space for discussion and a Q&A session.
This event is open to your wider church community – leaders, students, professionals, creatives – everyone is welcome. If you’re unable to attend, we’d really appreciate you sharing this event with your church and other leaders you know. This is open to all churches who are interested.
To help with sharing, I have attached a promotional poster for you to share. The QR code on the poster links to the registration page, but I’ve also included the direct link here for convenience.
Lost A Bible?
Did you lose your bible at Belmont somewhere over the last few weeks?
It is a small bible and I am hugely impressed that you can read the font size!
Speak to me for its return.
Scott
Behind the scenes...
When Paul wrote to the Philippians and he set up in juxtaposition some breath taking and remarkable words about Jesus, the Son of God, alongside very practical advice and 'expectations' he has for this church. You could sum it up: "If you have thought about the Gospel at all, then how you have understood and embraced it will be seen in your attitude to church and one another .'
"Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." Ch2:4 - THE MESSAGE
As most of you know there are a team of people involved in various ways to make sure things run smoothly (or run at all!) and what they do is wide ranging. Can you be part of this team?
Much of it is just behind the scenes but is still vital...and the more people involved the easier it is for everyone.
eg if you have 30mins or so to spare with your car on a Friday? Or are good at keeping an eye on a rota...or do want to learn how straightforward it is to run the sound and visuals (which have already been set up!) on a Sunday morning.
Take a look a three ways you could serve the church - remember it is not every week!
Transport: We transport AV equipment to the Belmont premises most weeks. Could you be on the rota?
AV equipment usually collected locally and delivered to Belmont on a Friday around 5pm. (See pic below) Assistance will likely be given each week to load and unload.
Process takes about 30 minutes (or less).
Car would best be hatch-back/SUV with rear seats that fold down. Please contact Scott.
Rota admin: We have two rotas currently in operation regarding AV. We need someone to help run this rota, get in touch with people, check dates etc -these rotas are updated quarterly. Please contact Scott.
Operation of AV: Would you like to help on Sundays with the actual control of sound or projection of words/images? Please contact Scott.
Ladybird Book of Maxwell
Scott has started to take us through the Gospel, according to Mark
This link has a helpful overview of this Gospel - it includes what we considered last week as we started looking at Mark's authorship, and then the Gospel as a whole.
And
Peter Lynas is speaking at NMBC this week - here are a couple of short videos to meet Peter -just a couple of mins for each one.
This is really interesting comment about each of us being salt and light where we are.
The summer holidays are going to be upon us in the blink of an eye.
We are looking for some people to lead one (or more) of our summer sessions to give our regular Kids leaders a break. You will need to have a PVG with Mearns Free Church (this can be arranged through Alastair MacLellan or Sue Anderson and is a relatively painless procedure) and there will need to be two adults aged 18+ at each session. We will be focusing on Nehemiah this summer and full teaching materials and resources will be provided for each week.
Speak to Pauline if you can help on any of the following dates:
29th June, 6th July, 13th July, 20th July, 27th July, 4th August.
HOPE
We all tie our hope to something, and what controls your hope controls your heart.
And what controls your heart controls you and everything you do.
Hope is in the heart and language of every human being.
“I hope you’re doing well.” “I hope I get the job.”
“I hope the weather is good.”
“I hope my marriage problem will be solved.”
“I hope he grows up to love Jesus.”
“I hope to get over this sickness.”
“I hope that what God says is true.”
“I hope I can afford it.”
Hope is an expectation tied to a particular object or outcome. Everything we do every day is fueled by some kind of hope in something or someone. We are motivated and guided by hope in ways we might not even recognize. The problem is that so much of what we hope in fails us. Hope in marriage is often dented and weakened because marriage is an intimate relationship between two people who still battle with sin. Hope for our children weakens as we realize that, even though we can guide, provide for, and discipline them, we have no power whatsoever to control their hearts. Hope in your job is rocky since you can’t control your boss, the corporation you work for, or the economy. Hope in your physical strength wanes as age and illness weaken you. The failure of our horizontal hopes makes commitment to vertical hope (hope in God) even more important.
In 2 Chronicles 5 Israel is in a moment of national celebration. They are celebrating not because of political or military victories. No, the festivities are deeply spiritual; they get to the core of who these people are and why they continue to exist. Solomon has completed the building of the temple; the ark of the covenant and all the furnishings for the Holy Place are now in the temple; and the glory-cloud of the Lord has descended on his house. It is a glorious moment, setting Israel apart from every other nation on earth. The temple, the ark of the covenant, and the visible indication of God’s dwelling with his people together remind the people not only of who they are, but of where lasting, faithful, and trustworthy hope is to be found. In response to God’s faithfulness, the people sing
, “He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (2 Chron. 5:13). Israel was delivered from Egypt
because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. They were sustained in the wilderness
because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. They conquered the nations in the promised land
because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. They are a nation with a temple filled with the Lord’s presence
because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever.
Nothing we put our hope in for this life will last forever, except the steadfast love of the Lord.
Putting your hope in him is never a risk. He is sovereign, he is almighty, he is holy, he is faithful, and he is good.
Rest your hope in your Lord; he is worthy of your trust. For further study and encouragement: Psalm 42:1–11
from Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life by Paul David Tripp (Buy here - on offer at the moment!)
LARGE PRINT -
SONG WORDS
If you find viewing the song-words on the screen in Sunday worship a problem, we currently print a limited number of large-print song sheets for specific people.
We don't want to print unnecessary copies so please speak with the door team and we will begin to make these available for you each week.
Mearns Free Church has a What's App Group for Prayer -The "PRAY NOW" Group
Purpose: A platform to share information regarding a sudden and crucial need for prayer.
How to connect: Speak to Margaret Boyd if you would like to be added to this group or email Margaret at: mandmboyd@hotmail.co.uk
What tech do I need?: You need to have a Smart Phone with WhatsApp to get set up.
Emailing The Minister
Please be careful when emailing Scott that you are using the correct current email address minister@mearnsfree.org. A number of emails continue to be sent to accounts no longer in use. Please be doubly careful when sending from a device that is not your normal communication device (like a phone) or if you use “reply to all”.
Email Addresses For Mearns Free Church
Please make sure you change your email address list now we are part of the Free Church.
Tom Brown (Office): office@mearnsfree.org
Scott Kirkland (Minister): minister@mearnsfree.org
Sandy McDougall (Treasurer): finance@mearnsfree.org
Pauline Forster (Children and families worker): children@mearnsfree.org