No.53 Summer Special 1
Hi, hope this finds you well.
There is lots going on at church and the hope is that this edition brings you up to date, reminds you to put things in the diary and above all, encourages participation.
There are also significant events like Scott Hamilton joining us. More of that below. I asked Scott for a photo to go with his short bio - it can serve as a warning for all of us to be careful what you ask for...let's put it down to him still being in 'Holiday mode'. Under that same theme ie. of being careful what you ask for, Scott K has asked for suggestions for names to differentiate the two 'Scotts'...well...
Since we are not quite back to weekly magazines yet, there are a few things below to note, read through, or click on to read/watch which are for the Summer weeks but also beyond that. Hopefully, something will catch your eye and be of interest.
Enjoy the Mag.
M
Sunday 27th July, 2025
Morning service - 10.30am
Rev Scott Kirkland
Mark 5: 1-20
No weekly PULSE prayer meeting during July.
Look out for details of restart, and speak to Scott about being added to the 'Signal' app for getting PULSE messages.
From The Manse
Dear Congregation,
We are grateful that Martin has brought the magazine back into circulation a little earlier than we would normally have at summertime. This is really helpful as we have number of things happening around MFC in the next two months that we should begin to pray about schedule our participation in.
Scott Hamilton 3rd August
I am looking forward to the arrival of our new Associate Minister on 3rd August, Scott Hamilton. We have rented a wee flat for Scott in Bonnyton Drive, Eaglesham. Let's pray he settles well, congregationally and domestically. Scott is moving from St Andrews. Please go out your way to encourage Scott. I have valued your many words of encouragement through the years, let us all take personal responsibility to encourage Scott as well as welcoming him. What are we going to call him and me?! I am not enthusiastic about "old Scott" and "young Scott"! Recommendations welcome.
(See below, a short intro from SH)
Community Week 4th – 8th August
You will see extended details below about the Community Week beginning 4th August. We are now getting to the point where we all need to be active in inviting folks to come along. This is a great way for every one of us to be involved in the life of our church.
The Holiday Club is for primary school age children. Have you children? Bring them along. Do you have grandchildren that age, neighbours or friends with children that age? Invite them along. A Community Week Café will be held on Wednesday afternoon – all ages. There is a Thursday evening activity for Youth. Speak with Margo or me about including some youths you would like to invite. (Scott H will be prominent that evening). We shall have a Friday Fun Night are for all ages. Come along, invite a friend!
Please pray. Unless the Lord builds the week, we labour in vain! (Psalm 127)
"Food For Thought" - Evening Meal 4th September
Now is the time to begin praying earnestly for our special evening on Thursday 4th September. Our Outreach Team has arranged an evening with a two-course meal in the private room at the Eglinton Arms, Eaglesham. In addition to the meal, there will be "Food For Thought"!
We have invited David Nixon. David is one of the ministers at a church on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. David writes for SOLAS, The Centre For Public Christianity (you can see their work here at their website). We have invited David to speak after dinner on the topic: "Am I Matter or Do I Matter?" There will then be an opportunity for Q&A. David speaks frequently to different age groups around Edinburgh and especially university students. He will be more than able to answer anything we throw at him! You can find more detail below in the magazine.
This will only be a success if we invite friends and family to come. We want you to consider inviting someone who is unchurched, “less-churched”, perhaps even hostile to the Christian faith, or simply needs encouragement in their walk with the Lord! The idea is that you cover the cost of their meal so that they can attend free of charge at your personal invitation. The cost will be £25 per head (so if you have one guest it will cost you £50).
For this price, the Eglington will provide a two-course meal and coffee. There will be water at each table also. MFC are subsidising the cost of the evening to keep it to £25. Should additional drinks be required, these can be purchased and paid for personally. Even if you don’t know which of your friends or family will come, can you register with Lorna Hamilton so that we can best plan for the evening.
We are praying that at least thirty-five of us will successfully invite at least one guest (equals seventy people in attendance)!
Flyers will become available at church for you to hand out and there are details on our website, Facebook page and Instagram page. Please, let's not leave this until the last few days before the event.
Encouraging Prayer
The elders were eager to have us develop our congregational prayer life. Two sermons were preached on prayer (and the Lord Jesus) prior to the summer and we plan two further sermons on prayer in late September.
To add to our thinking about prayer, I thought it might be helpful to turn each section of the Westminster Confession of Faith into a prayer. I have tried to retain the wealth and depth of the theological content in each of these prayers. My aim is to include in the magazine a prayer based on each chapter of the WCF over the next thirty-three weeks (there are thirty-three chapters).
My hope is that you can make these a real personal prayer for yourself. Like all prayers by other people, you may want to rephrase my words or add to them as you pray (making them better and very much your own prayer).
The prayers will vary in length, depending the length of the content of the chapter at hand. I am trying to retain the themes and the where possible the words.
The first prayer is based on Chapter 1, titled "Of the Holy Scripture". Chapter 1, as it happens, is one of the longest chapters in the Confession, with 10 separate sections. This prayer is therefore going to be one of the longest.
Because of its length, you may choose to pray individual sections on different occasions you sit down to pray. You will find this first prayer here: "WCF Prayer: Chapter 1 – Of the Holy Scriptures."
Hope you enjoy the resumption of the magazine.
Warmest Regards,
Scott
Storms of Life - are Real and for a Purpose
Last Sunday, as Scott took us through the next part of Mark's Gospel, we arrived at the account of Jesus calming the storm. Scott was keen to point out that this was a real storm - not some made up 'cautionary tale' or a parable. It happened and it was life threatening, there was actual fear and upset.
What would the disciples reaction be to the storm?- and more importantly had their confidence and hope in Jesus grown at all - did they have faith?
REAL PROBLEMS!
This made me reflect on the connection with the morning studies from Keswick week 1, which were in the book of James. Early in that letter we read "
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" Really? We've to view these 'storms of life' as something to be embraced as positive things? (it's very worthwhile taking time to listen to Andy Gemmill give these 5 talks. - you can watch the first one on Youtube
here - scroll to 58mins for start.)
What about these storms of life - the trials of life God puts us in?
Andy made these key comments about these difficult experiences I thought were helpful - five things we MUST NOT say about these trials God has given us:
a)
the bad thing is really a 'good' thing. (It's
not - the truth is it can be horrible and upsetting)
b)
the trial is really no big deal! (It
is! eg. the disciples knew they were in danger)
c)
there's no cause for lamenting (Yes,
there is - that's part of the experience, although not the whole story - and we wish we weren't in it.
We are not to imagine that we should seek or enjoy heartache or pain - we are not sadists, or mentally unhinged in order to embrace this 'joy'. - the joy is in the fact that we have a Father who wants us to build our faith up, trust him more, look away from the world for our satisfaction (which is either not there or, at best, is fleeting) and turn to Him more and more - for HIS glory and our good.
d)
the person with real faith should deal with things easily (No, faith will help us to see that God is in control, He is with us and wants the best for us, and has not left us...BUT it doesn't mean it's easy - it's a storm!!)
e)
the person witih real faith can see things clearly NOW as to how God is working HIs purposes out. (NO, they can't and that is why it is
faith which is being built up, not
sight...faith grows when we DON'T know the outcome, but KNOW the God who is both sovereign and a Heavenly Father.)
As we heard last week, the storms of life, can make us doubt God's goodness and presence.
But there is an additional danger (especially in the communities many of us live in) of becoming 'practical athiests' in our thinking - ie just acting like people who aren't Christians at all. So, if we have serious illness or pain then we have health insurance, or we know someone who knows a consultant. Lose our regular income? - we have savings. Difficult relationships? - everything from a good HR dept to a parent or a best friend can be called on. But whereas none of these are wrong things, God is wanting us to call on Him and trust Him for all these matters, learning to rely on Him, and this is something which will be distinctively different from many colleagues and friends we have.
MB
Hello Scott
We're looking forward to Scott Hamilton joining us as Associate Minister in a couple of weeks time, and asked him write a few words of introduction for the magazine - of course Scott has been with us at Mearns Free before, and some of us know him as he is from 'these parts', and it will be good to get to know him better when he joins us in August.
Hello church family!
It’s almost August and I’m looking forward to returning to an area of Glasgow which is both very well known to me and well loved by me.
After attending primary school at Carolside, high school at Williamwood and then University in Glasgow’s West End, I began my journey into ministry over in Edinburgh. Until graduation as a young adult, I had always admired those who were in full time ministry but never thought to do it myself. By God’s grace, I’ve always had a few older and wiser Christians around me to suggest really good steps for me to take. After leading Bible studies as a student and enjoying the talks and seminars I did in summer camp contexts, a few people suggested that I should dip my toes into the ministry waters, and I’ve never looked back.
Having studied for two years at Cornhill whilst I was an apprentice at Chalmers, and having worked for a few years with UCCF, I began my formal training for Free Church ministry in St Andrews. This meant finishing my studies at Crosslands and doing a few modules at Edinburgh Theological Seminary. Whilst academia is not something that comes naturally to me, I’ve really appreciated my theological formation and growing in my own convictions. I’m even more excited now as I look to the future and see what lies ahead of me.
I’ve worked alongside kids, young adults, led small groups containing younger and older parents, and visited many an elderly person in their home. I’ve studied the Bible in one-to-one contexts with Christians and with non-believers. I’ve led music ministry and preached with an increasing frequency. I’m looking forward to bringing all of that experience with me whilst eagerly anticipating all the ways in which I’ll continue to grow in each of these areas. I’ve still got lots to learn and loads of ways in which I can and will develop, and I’m looking forward to partnering with each of you over the years ahead.
Every time each of us models Godliness, every time we encourage one another in the gospel of Jesus, we do so together, helping one another to mature and to run the race, bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. It’s a genuine privilege of mine to do that in specific contexts for which I am particularly thankful, such as preaching and leading as an elder, but this is a responsibility and a joy we all share as a church family.
This is why a local church is so important to me, and to all of us. My passion for you and for God’s glory is to see us all grow to be more and more like Him, and that so often happens in the everyday, “ordinary” ways in which we point one another to Him. When you show one another Christ around a church, when we speak His Words and bear His likeness in whatever manner, we help one another to live like Him and live for Him.
Scott H.
Wedding Bells!
This Thursday is a special one for the Cunningham and Waugh Families -
Andrew and Hannah are getting married on the 31st at Boturich Castle, Loch Lomond.
Let's pray God's blessing on them as they start married life together.
Holiday Club bookings are live!
Children (who will be in P2-P7 after the summer) can now be registered for our Tale of Two Kings holiday club!
Click this LINK to register
Please continue to pray for preparations for this and tell people locally about it. Please share the link above with anyone you know with children of primary school age in our area. If you are a facebook or instagram user then please also share the church posts about holiday club.
There are flyers on the table at the gym hall door - please take some and hand to people you know with primary school age children. It would be great to have to print more rather than be recycling them in August!
Red t-shirts
If you have a Mearns Free Church red t-shirt at home and you are not involved in the community week please could you lend us your t-shirt for those that do not have? We currently don't have enough of the right sizes for the new members of the holiday club team. If you would like it returned then pop your name clearly on the label!
TABLE CLOTHS
Do you have any plain white table cloths you can lend for the Coffee Afternoon event? Speak with Margaret Boyd.
Community Week Events
for Your Diary
In addition to the Holiday Club we have these events below.
Pauline writes:
Community week is fast approaching! Even if you can't be there in person to help during the week there are 3 ways you can still be involved and help out.
1. Pray - either come along to the daily prayer meetings or pray at home - speak to Martin/Elizabeth Smith for more info or to get prayer updates.
2. Bake - we need baking daily for the parents cafe, for the community cafe on Wednesday, for the parent's lunch on Friday and for the family event on Friday.
3. Invite - there are events for every age throughout the week - who can you invite along? Where could you share the events online? All the details are in here, on the church website and will be appearing on the church Facebook and Instagram pages too.
Ladybird Book of Mearns Free Church
Photos from the Summer...
Welcome Rosie Lauren Geddes
Back at the start of July, Liz and Jack were thrilled with the birth of Rosie Lauren Geddes, a second daughter for Graeme and Jane and a little sister for Gracie.
Congratulations to Gran and Grampa Geddes!
Keswick 2025
Some Mearns Free folk (and erstwhile members) were spotted in Keswick too.
Some did more than just picnicing and lounging around in parks and took to the hills...and what wonderful views they (might have) enjoyed?!?!
DATE FOR DIARY
Invitation Dinner
We have invited David Nixon to join us as an ‘after dinner speaker’ at Eaglesham Arms Hotel in September – the topic he is keen to open up is ‘Am I matter or Do I matter?’ – there are few more crucial questions than that – do we have any value, how do we decide that - and does what Christians believe about these things really stand up to scrutiny?
David is the Associate Pastor at Carrubbers Christian Centre in Edinburgh – he originally trained as a lawyer having come across from Belfast. He took on pastoral responsibility at Carrubbers for Youth and Students in 2014. He also lectures and writes focussing on the sort of BIG questions people ask, so has experience in facing issues about life, suffering, gender, justice and “you’re only a Christian because you’re Irish… If you were born in Saudi, you’d be a Muslim!” etc.
David says:
“The reason why I have come to believe something is one question; but a second question is “What good reasons are there to believe that Christianity is true!?” I’m always challenging myself about whether I have good reasons to be a Christian! Is this just all down to family and culture, and wishful thinking – wanting it to be true? So my apologetics is rooted in separating out WHY I have come to believe; and whether there are good reasons to believe it or not, in the light of all the objections.”
As Christians we can all feel nervous or under pressure when facing these sort of questions – we are keen for friends and family to find the same faith we have in Jesus, but know that more and more people need to understand issues and ‘make sense’ of things before just ‘believing’.
This will be a great evening to treat a friend to dinner in an informal setting and have the opportunity to hear what God thinks about each of us as we consider the question, ‘Am I matter or Do I matter?’
Speak with Margo or Scott for more details about costs etc for this evening.
To make it easier to invite someone look out for one of these leaflets to pass on or ask Margo to send a copy via WhatsApp
Sunday Evening Joint Services with NMBC will start again
on 24th August and be 2nd and 4th of each month.
There will be Home Groups on the 1st and 3rd Sundays (or that week)
So,
7th September will be the first one of a new series -
"Meeting God"
Look out for more information coming out about that soon from your Home Group Leaders.
If you are not in a Home Group speak with Scott as these are key times together for learning from God's Word and fellowship.
Open Doors And Prayer for Children
The charity, “Open Doors” have produced a prayer resource for children.
They say
, “you are never too young to pray, never too young to care, and never too young to connect with the persecuted church.”
They have produced a World Watch List Children's Pack consisting of a Prayer Passport and Activity Map. Click
here for details.
Mearns Free Church also 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 or email Margaret (mandmboyd@hotmail.co.uk) if you would like to be added to this WhatsApp group.
Scripture Union Scotland are gearing up for another busy summer of holidays and missions.
Many of our young people will be attending camps as both campers and trainee leaders. Please pray!
SU Scotland run a prayer hotline while events are happening. Click here to sign up and get those updates. You can choose which weeks you would like to pray when you sign up. It is a vital part of all that will happen this summer.
DATE FOR DIARY
The church Golf day is on Saturday morning 20th September at Fullerton Golf Course in Troon .
There are still places available for you and any golf friends you would like to invite to join us .
The cost is around £40 .
Please let me know if you are interested or want to know more.
Val Forgie
We know that over the last few weeks the UK Parliament have made attacks on human life - those just beginning and those at end of life.
How can we answer these questions of what is right and wrong? Some even ask 'Is there a right and wrong? - and 'Who gets to say so?!'
John lennox answers this question so well in this short exchange - take 5 mins to listen to this key question
here.
If you can give half an hour to considering the morality of abortion then Glen Scrivener looks at what happens when what abortion actually means is talked about!
"Four Comedians Say The UNSAYABLE" gives Scrivener the opportunity to unpack the morality many people sign up for (often quite unwittingly) and how uncomfortable they can be when it is laid out before them.
MB
Summer Reading 🌞
BEAR GRYLLS: The Greatest Stort Ever Told
Best known for his survival skills, Bear Grylls turns his attention to the greatest story of all time—the life of Jesus Christ. In this bold and imaginative retelling, Grylls brings faith and adventure together to captivate a new generation
The incredible true story about a Galilean stonemason who changed the course of the world forever.
Beautifully told through the eyewitness accounts of those who knew him best.
Grylls’ style of writing is reminiscent of those old storytellers who were vital to ancient civilisations, passing down stories and folklore from a society’s past. He successfully achieves this by adopting five different New Testament personas, which tell the story of Jesus through eyewitness accounts. He also adds intrigue by using original Hebrew names for people and places, making their identities a puzzle, enhancing the book’s enjoyment and educational value.
Throughout, Grylls is faithful to the Christian story as depicted in various translations of the Bible. For example, words attributed to Jesus (Yeshua in the book) are scripturally authentic and his vivid imagination comes through explicitly in the depiction of the stories of Jesus’ life, ministry, miracles, trials, death and resurrection through the eyes of the five key individuals. This is achieved with refreshingly accessible clarity and a dramatic style that draws readers into the story and compels them to keep turning the pages.
A word of caution: Grylls does not shy away from the brutality of events. For example, the scenes leading to the crucifixion and the crucifixion itself are realistically portrayed, with graphic scenes that some may find gruesome and distressing. However, it could be argued that such emotions are precisely what we should be feeling, if we are to truly understand the magnitude of the events that occurred.
Grylls’ characters are persuasive, imaginative, and not without occasional humour. Each character has their own section with short chapters and sentences, enhancing the book’s appeal and readability for a young, contemporary audience.
Is this book worth reading? My answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. Read it to your children, buy it for your teenagers, read it yourself, and give it to your friends. It definitely lives up to its title!
(from Premier Christianity review)
Available from usual outlets including 10ofThose.
Going to The Fringe?
We really enjoyed LAMPS being at MFC for their Easter drama, The Passion.
They are now playing at the Edinburgh FRINGE with
The Passion and another show too..
.Salt and Light
"Lake Galilee, AD 30, and in the little fishing community of Capernaum, rumours of miracles and healings abound. Five members of one family struggle to make sense of the radical new teacher walking their shores. Who is this man? What is he? And what might it mean for them and their lives? Join us around the campfire for shanties, stories and spoken word – the tales of the first disciples."
Both
Salt and Light and The Passion will be performed at Palmerston Place Church, 12 Palmerston Pl, Edinburgh EH12 5BJ
6 – 9 August 2025.
Dates and times of both performances
HERE
Mens Training Weekend in September
Join us this September for a weekend gathering focused on the theme of how we can pursue holiness.
Come and have your mind stimulated and your heart warmed as we seek God together. There will be heart-piercing preaching, laughter and friendship, self-reflection and prayer, good food, and practical seminars on spiritual growth.
A lot of Christian men need their lives refocused on God. Don't miss this opportunity to put first things first. You will benefit; your family will benefit; your church will benefit. Scotland needs nothing more than men whose hearts are on fire for the glory of God. Come and reignite your passion for holiness.
All the details you need are
here
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.
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