No.64      31st October 2025

Halloween Special?

Hi, hope this finds you well.

I know for some people, even having a church magazine with a Halloween Special will raise the eyebrows - you'll notice I added a question mark to the heading - the magazine's lawyers helped me with that.
So we need to do some thinking about this and we are helped in that regard by a couple of reflections this week, eg. Glen Scrivener sheds some light into Halloween to help us understand the origins and how we can enjoy the Light even more when we see how it drives out Darkness... and the Tea Break has a blog and video too - the video in particular gets us to think about if and when and why we 'open our doors' to anything. 

Enjoy the Mag.
MB

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Sunday 2nd November

 

Morning service - 10.30am
Rev Scott Hamilton
Mark ch8:1-21

 

Session 5 - Beyond Comparison
The Home Groups meet this week. 
There's lots of reasons why people are encouraged to be part of a small group - getting to know others better, learning more of the Bible together, sharing life. The studies are just part of the evening and no one is asked difficult questions or put on the spot. (Although occasionally Margaret is quizzed over how many pancakes she has had, but that's a different matter...)

It's easy to be fitted into a group so speak to Scott K or Scott H to make that happen. 

Wednesdays...

We meet on Wednesdays at 7.15pm for one hour.
For all Wednesdays in November, we meet at the McNicols in Eaglesham
Speak to Scott about being added to the 'Signal' app for getting PULSE messages.'

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Halloween

'The triumph is not with the forces of night.
It dawned with the One who said “I am the Light!”'

Watch Glen Scrivener read his poem in the video here and/or read below.

Vast armies undead do tread through the night and
In hordes march towards hapless victims to frighten.
They stumble in step with glass-eyes on the prizes;
Bunched hither, hunched over in monstrous disguises;
In sizes not lofty but numb’ring a throng;
To unleash on their prey the dreaded DING DONG.
Small faces with traces of mother’s eye-liner,
Peer up to the resident candy provider.

And there to intone ancient threats learnt verbatim;
They lisp “TRICK OR TREAT!” Tis their stark ultimatum.
Thus: region by region such legions take plunder.
Does this spector-full spectacle cause you to wonder?
Just how did our fair festive forebears conceive,
Of this primeval practice called All Hallows Eve?
The answer, if anyone cares to research,
Surprises, it rises from old mother church.

On the cusp of the customary All Saints Day
The Christ-i-an kinsfolk made mocking display.
These children of light both to tease and deride;
Don darkness, doll down as the sinister side.
In pre-post-er-ous pageants and dress diabolic,
They hand to the damned just one final frolick.
You see with the light of the dawn on the morrow,
The sunrise will swallow such darkness and sorrow.

The future is futile for forces of evil;
And so they did scorn them in times Medieval.
For this is the nature of shadow and gloom;
In the gleaming of glory there can be no room.
What force is resourced by the echoing black?
When the brightness ignites can the shadow push back?
These ‘powers’ of darkness, if such can be called,
Are banished by brilliance, by blazing enthralled.

So the bible begins with this fore-resolved fight;
For a moment the darkness…. then “Let there be Light!”
First grief in the gloom, then joy from the East.
First valley of shadow, then mountaintop feast.
First wait for Messiah, then long-promised Dawn.
First desolate Friday and then Easter Morn.
The armies of darkness when doing their worst,
Can never extinguish this Dazzling Sunburst.

So… ridicule rogues if you must play a role;
But beware getting lost in that bottomless hole.
The triumph is not with the forces of night.
It dawned with the One who said “I am the Light!”

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From The Manse

Dear Congregation,
As I have shared with you at various times, our entry into the Free Church has been nothing short of a blessing thus far. However, I have also shared the burden of our elders that we want, by the grace of God, to also be a blessing to the Free Church.
In this regard, thank you to all who contributed food for the Govan Free Church Foodbank. Jack Geddes filled his car and delivered the donations last week! Further afield, as many of you will know, our former members Calum and Lynda McPhail and Ken and Elaine Taggart moved to Argyll and began worshipping at Lochgilphead and Tarbert Free Church. They immediately immersed themselves in serving there. Calum is the Session Clerk, involved in various significant denominational committees and Presbytery elder. Ken is the treasurer and Lynda and Elaine have multiple responsibilities, including children's work and Safeguarding.
These two linked congregations needed an extra elder and so our own David Merriman has been appointed by Presbytery to join their Kirk Session as an "Assessor Elder".

However, the minister of Lochgilphead has just retired and Presbytery. I have been asked to step down from my role at Bishopbriggs and become the Interim Moderator at Lochgilphead instead. I was appointed last Tuesday at Presbytery.

In the providence of God, we now have six (some ex)members from our Mearns congregation serving at Lochgilphead and Tarbert —churches I am pretty sure we had hardly heard of three years ago!

I know these congregations would greatly appreciate our prayers. They are very small but have exciting plans to develop ministry opportunities. Please pray for the congregations as they go through these changes.

Bible Truth and Life: Assisted Dying:
On a different matter…The Christian Institute is holding a meeting at Newton Mearns Baptist Church on Thursday (7.30-8.45pm). We shall have literature about this on Sunday. Please attend if you are free. The gathering is part of the Institute's "A Guarding Lives Tour".The focus of the evening will be on Liam McArthur's Bill, "Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults". You may be interested in the Free Church statement on this matter, which was agreed upon at the General Assembly in May 2025. You can read it here.
The Christian Institute 'Guarding Lives Tour' details are here.

Bible Truth and Marriage: On a very different matter…a number of us were delighted to witness God joining together Hannah McNicol and Daniel Dieppe in marriage last Saturday. We rejoiced in the gift of marriage and love, as given by God from the beginning of creation in the first marriage of Adam and Eve. I don't normally follow the ins and outs of life in Finland. However, as I type this letter on 30th October, the former Member of Parliament and Minister of Interior (a physician by trade) Päivi Räsänen, is being prosecuted by the Finnish Supreme Court for "hate speech/incitement against a minority group". Two previous courts have judged that her quoting of the Bible and traditional Christian values on marriage did not amount to hate speech. However, the Finnish Prosecution service has decided to pursue this to the highest court – the Supreme Court.
In an article in Evangelical Times, Mike Judge writes:
"Why does this matter? Because what is at stake is nothing less than the freedom of the church to publicly confess the Word of God. When a believer can be criminally charged for citing Scripture and reaffirming the historic Christian view of marriage and sexual ethics, we have entered a new and dangerous frontier. The world is watching. The case has drawn international attention, with observers warning of a 'chilling effect' on free religious speech across Europe. If Christians in one democracy are silenced or prosecuted simply for speaking biblical truth, then where will it stop? If we allow this precedent to stand unchallenged, we may soon see other nations and courts use 'hate speech' laws to drive orthodox Christian convictions from public discourse."
I don't believe the New Testament encourages believers to be provocative for the sake of being provocative. That attitude can very easily slip into a hateful spirit rather than a spirit of gospel truth and love. However, in love and with godly wisdom, biblical truth must be upheld and articulated by believers, or we risk losing that truth and the gospel of Jesus itself.
Jesus said his disciples will always be persecuted. However, the Apostle Paul used the laws of the land in his day to legitimately minimize that persecution (Acts 16:37-38 and Acts 22:28-29).
Let's commit Päivi Räsänen and her fellow believers in Finland to the Lord in prayer, asking that justice might be rightly administered in this matter and that they—and we— remain lovingly bold in the truth of God.

Profession of Faith:…finally, the Lord has been drawing some among us into a wonderful, living faith in Jesus Christ. I am aware that some of you now profess the name of Jesus as your Lord and Saviour but have never done so in such a way to become formally part of a church community. We want to give you the opportunity to publicly profess that faith (be baptised if appropriate) and come into membership of Mearns Free Church. If this is timely for you, I am planning a service of worship for this on 7th December. If this is something you have been thinking and praying about, please speak with me as soon as possible.

Warmest Regards,
Scott

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Margaret and Sandy Cooper wrote to the magazine this week... "We would like to thank the Church Family for all the good wishes, cards and gifts received on the occasion of their Diamond Anniversary. We are very blessed and everyone has been so kind."

While we are celebrating with Sandy and Margaret we can add our congratulations to their granddaughter Hannah who married Daniel Dieppe last Saturday. There was a really great wedding service, led by Scott K, at NMBC.

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Each week Scott has been using the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) as a framework for prayer - helping us to pray through the great truths contained there... you can read the others by looking back at previous magazines. 
This week the focus is our Free Will - read this prayer of confession and thanksgiving here.
(The Free Church of Scotland recognize the WCF as a 'standard', not as important as Scripture but secondarily authoritative for defining theology.)

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Boxes

The Annual Box Check has begun - Weekdays from 9.30 to 3.30 in the garage at Maxwell Mearns Castle Church
All are welcome to join us .
The boxes are off to Ukraine again this year.
If you have the time and the energy Denise would love to see you.
Just knock firmly on the shutters at the garage at Maxwell
Not sure what's involved? Speak with Margaret Boyd if you want to know more about the Box Checking.
This is a very practical way to support the work of Blythswood.
DON'T FORGET Mearns Free Church are running a Coffee Afternoon at Belmont on 15 November - see details below.

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Ladybird Book of Mearns Free Church

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Alongside the usual fellowship, chat and treats at the Cafe there is often a visitor, or a game, or activity of some sort and a Bible focus too. 
This week Sheila Morris from TheraPets joined us to talk about the work they do.
Come along on a Tuesday at 2pm - 3.30pm at Newton Mearns Baptist Church.
Speak to Elizabeth Smith for more details - whether getting along, or able to help!

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Events Coming Soon...

Below are some events for your diary - please take a note of those which require registration.
We start with our own church events...

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Last week's magazine had alerted those who hadn't been previously aware that Alastair's expertise had been used widely in the sporting world. For various reasons there was one particular moment he had been  less than keen to draw attention to...

  
When asked about his decision making powers during the World Cup final at Wembley in 1966 and whether the ball had crossed the line he said 'I can't recall'.

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1. John Piper is asked what his view on Halloween is and gives a really balanced reflection on this 'celebration/holiday'.
But he actually does much more than that...the way he answers the question is a great lesson too on why we do need to take a moment to consider the big picture, and how we engage with our culture's celebrations or parties - watch HERE - 3 min video.

2. Along the same lines Pauline was using the topic of Halloween in SU High School groups too, looking at John 1:5  "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
They discussed how they need not fear darkness but how could we point others to the light...and particularly thinking about where Hallowe'en came from and two opposing viewpoints on how we should approach Hallowe'en as Christians. They used the Glen Scrivener (positive!) video highlighted above, but also looked at this short, less positive, reflection from J John. Read it here...'Why I don't agree with Halloween.'


Talking of SU Groups at School...
This photo was taken this week at the Eastwood High School Group.


The full story will be in next week's magazine - see if you can answer the questions posed, and work out what the theme was this week.

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