No.84      27th March, 2026

Hi, 

Our Easter activities and services start this weekend - if you haven't got an image with all the details you can send to friends and family speak with me or Margo.

This week I had a number of people who got in touch saying how unnessarily cruel and unkind I had been to show those photos of Javier struggling to fold up one of the chairs after church.  However, these didn't begin to compare to the deluge of calls, emails and messages thanking the magazine for showing them and asking if we had more... the public have spoken...or 'Me he puesto en contacto con mis abogados' as Javier would put it.

Oh, and yes, it is this Sunday - don't be an hour late!!

Enjoy the mag.
MB

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We are looking forward to seeing lots of friends (and making new friends) at the Fun Day.
Thanks to those who have already done so much to get ready for this event - make sure you get along to support.

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Palm Sunday - 29th March

Morning service - 10.30am
Luke ch19: 27-44


Sunday Evening

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Ladybird Book of Mearns Free Church

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There is no prayer meeting on 1st or 8th April.
We meet again on the 15th at the Merrimans'.

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SpeakLifeUK have made great Easter videos -
for example:
"God shows up to a funeral… late…
then he out-cries all the mourners… and raises the guy."
clIck HERE to watch “If You Had Been Here”,  a poetic reimagining of the Lazarus story. 

And for Palm Sunday - 'A funny thing happened on the way to Jerusalem' might be even more timely. Watch here.

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How many members of MFC does it take...

to fold a chair. 
Daniel just about had it but then Debbie and David got involved...in the background David U's look is a perfect combination of disappointment and disdain.


Meanwhile, Iain is claiming that smugness is one of the less well-known fruit of the Spirit.
Rumour has it that Javier was still trying to fold the chair on Monday morning and Belmont's S2s just had to play basketball around him.

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Letter from the Manse

Dear Church Family,
You may be receiving this magazine just as we are getting final prepartions made before opening the doors for our Community Fun Day on Saturday morning, 28th March.

This is an event for all ages, and it would be wonderful if you were able to come along, meet our guests, and spend time chatting with them—perhaps even inviting some along to church. The Fun Day will run from 11am to 2pm, and you are welcome to arrive and leave at any time during this period.

On a different matter…
I will be on holiday for a few days from Sunday, 29th March, returning on Thursday, 2nd April. In my absence, please direct any pastoral matters to our Associate Minister, Scott Hamilton, on 07738 283020 or via email at associate@mearnsfree.org.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, and as we begin this special season, in addition to our morning worship, we will gather in the evening. Scott H will share with us some historical evidence for the resurrection.
Our Easter season will continue with a Communion Service on Thursday evening at 8pm, a Good Friday Service at 7pm, and a Dawn Service on Sunday morning at 6:30am. The Dawn Service will be held outdoors, beginning at the Garden Centre car park at Rouken Glen. We are very grateful to those who have volunteered to prepare breakfast afterwards at Belmont.
I really do hope you can be with us at all our additional services and activities over the coming week or so.

With warmest regards,
Scott

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Letter from the other Manse

Hello church family,
I’ve been thinking and reflecting on the widow who contributes out of her poverty, as we read and studied on Sunday morning. Mark 12:41 – 44 is the reference if you want to go and re-read it.
I ended the sermon by suggesting that she is a positive example of how we should react to Jesus, alongside the teacher of the law who is not far from the Kingdom of God and the crowds who hear Jesus gladly. These examples contrast so starkly with the other teachers of the law and religious authorities, who are only interested in the glory and greed of this world.

It strikes me that the three examples are in many ways the journey that every believer embarks on, where we conclude that Jesus teaching is good, we listen to Him gladly, and then we give to Jesus our hearts, out of our impoverished state. He has rescued us from a human-centred approach to self-salvation. We realise that our religious works, our religious words, and our religious worship could never save us. It’s only by God’s grace that we are saved as we place our faith in Jesus.

What also strikes me is Jesus’ kindness as He refers to this woman.
He sees her and understands her situation without even having to ask. With His disciples, He doesn’t suggest that they truly ought to give more than the pitiful offering she makes. He doesn’t suggest that her offering is a good start, but she really needs to increase her donations in order to really be accepted by Jesus.
Jesus is kinder to  this widow than we’d be. He’s often kinder to ourselves than I suspect we are sometimes.
Speaking to someone this week, I realised again that as time goes on, we feel like we aren’t able to give the same youthful energy and effort to ministries that we were once able to give. Our diaries are crowded with noble responsibilities and our minds slow down. How does Jesus’ respond to the toll this world takes on our bodies and brains?
He remains resolutely committed to claiming the hearts of every single one of His people. He doesn’t need our donations in order to do His work. He’s already the Lord of all, the Creator of the cosmos. His power and might are limitless. He could financially enrichen any work as and how He pleases. He wants us to love Him, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
I think that reveals a lot about our Saviour, that He isn’t transactional, nor is He investing in us expecting some sort of return. What displeases Him is superficial religiosity. What pleases Him is when we turn over our lives to Him and surrender our will to His, the very thing that we were made for, the very thing that will bring us joy.
So, why are we at times so unnecessarily demanding on ourselves? 
Around a church, I think it’s easy for us to expect more from ourselves than we can give. I know the temptation is to expect more from others than they can give. Yet look again at Jesus here. He was kind to the widow, who knew that God would provide for her. He was kind to the widow who gave all she was to Christ and His Kingdom.
That’s your story and mine if we trust in Jesus.
Remember every day the warmth of His welcome into His Kingdom, even amidst the busyness and the temptation to compare and contrast.

Blessings,
Scott H

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The happy meal that kept on going

Last Sunday the P1-P7 kids group were exploring the feeding of the 5000. Did you know that it is the only miracle that appears in all 4 gospels? We read each one and thought about why some had different amounts of detail before focusing on Jesus power. 

After church we had our own families happy meal but sadly there weren't 12 baskets of McLeftovers! 
After lunch the children spent some time playing games together while the parents thought and chatted about being Christian parents. 
Pauline

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Events coming up...

Some of these events have been mentioned in previous magazines - click here to view full details and to follow the links for sign up and registering.

Scottish Day Conference 2026
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Date: Saturday 18 April
Time: 10am – 2.30pm
Venue: Sandyford Henderson Church. Join us for a day of worship, fellowship, and mission-focused teaching.

Saturday 25 April starting at 10:30
David MacPherson, the minister at Govan Free Church is taking part in the Kiltwalk to raise funds for the church's foodbank that we support with food donations and two volunteers
David is taking part in the Big Stroll which is 14.6 miles long from Clydebank to Balloch.
Do you fancy signing up to walk with David and support Govan Free Church? It would be fantastic if Mearns Free Church had a presence. Read last week's mag to see how to get involved.


Everyone who has PVG certification through Mearns Free Church must undergo safeguarding training (or refresher training) every 3 years. Some have still to undertake this training. The Free Church provides excellent online safeguarding training (places can be booked through the following link: Safeguarding Training Booking – Free Church of Scotland).
The next training sessions are on:
Tuesday 28th April – 19.30
Monday 25th May – 19.30

‘Left to Their Own Devices’
- A Care for the Family Meeting
Parenting support event to Glasgow on the 19 May,
Newton Mearns Baptist Church at 7.30pm.
great event for parents of children aged 8+

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Can you join the audience on 15th May to encourage this ministry for disabled people who love music.
Ian White is leading the Orchestra and you can hear more from Ian in this short clip here.

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Sometimes people ask ‘why pray when God already knows what he’s going to do?’ Maybe you think if your friends are going to come to faith in Jesus, there’s no point in praying.   Here is the link for the Why Pray? article by Jeremy Ross : "Ten reasons to pray for ten friends."

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At the AGM one of the areas covered by Sandy was how we can support the work of the Free Church and our own Mearns Free Church by arranging our legacies accordingly.

There are details in this FCoS leaflet 'A LASTING LEGACY: IMPACT THE FUTURE' - click here.
And if you want to see how this can be part of YOUR legacy this document is a template to which you can add your own details and that of Mearns Free. Speak with Sandy McD for more details about this.

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Melville Knox School

The Melville Knox School is looking for Christians and churches to support their Spring Appeal to raise funds for the new school campus in the east end of Glasgow.
They invite you to financially support this new educational initiative in the East End of Glasgow. You can hear about this in the video here 
And you can see more about the school more generally here.

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50 Reasons for the Cross

John Piper's book 50 Reasons for the Cross is available as a FREE download which you can access easily here. Each 'reason' is only 2 pages long and is a great way to understand the Gospel better.

This week's prayer from Scott K looks at Baptism which is a sign pointing us toward, but not the actual thing itself, which saves us  -  the Reason no.13 in Piper's book shows why we don't rely on ANY ritual for our salvation.
Here is an extract where the question was about circumcision and whether that 'sign' was needed alongwith faith in Jesus...

Throughout the Gentile world the apostles were preaching forgiveness and justification by faith alone. Peter preached: “To [Christ] all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). Paul preached: “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that . . . by him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39, author’s translation). But what about circumcision? Some in Jerusalem thought it was essential. Antioch became the flash point for the controversy. “Men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised . . . you cannot be saved’” (Acts 15:1). A council was called, and the matter was debated. Some . . . rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” . . . Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that . . . God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe . . . why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” And all the assembly fell silent. (Acts 15:5-12)
Nobody saw to the bottom of the issue more clearly than the apostle Paul. The very meaning of the suffering and death of Christ was at stake. Was faith in Christ enough to put us right with God? Or was circumcision necessary too? The answer was clear. If Paul preached circumcision, “the offense of the cross has been removed” (Galatians 5:11). The cross means freedom from the enslavement of ritual. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

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TUESDAYS 2 - 3.30pm
in Newton Mearns Baptist Church
A great opportunity to meet friends, and enjoy some tea, coffee and home baking.

LAST CAFE OF THIS SESSION
EASTER BREAK - No Cafe on 7th or 14th April

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This week the prayer Scott K has written is based around what the Westminster Confession of Faith says about Baptism.
Across the membership of MFC there will be different experiences of Baptism - but the words Scott picks up on which describe what our Baptisms are pointing towards and declaring is something we all have in common - take a moment to consider how remarkable the work that God has done in our lives is :  "a sign...of our ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, the remission of sins, and a visible commitment to walk in newness of life through Him. "  You can read the prayer here.

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11 different Easter SU Holidays are running, representing hundreds of young people and team members in different locations, including the Ski Holiday in Austria.
Volunteers will be serving as Team Leaders, Group Leaders, Cooks, Assistant Cooks, Travel Leaders and Trainee Leaders. Those of us at home can still be involved, doing the vital job of covering them and their events in prayer; they are partners with us in sharing the word of God with children and young people, and are on the spiritual front line!

Can you join the prayer support team - or do you know someone who would love to do this?
Register the weeks you are available and you will be send prayer letters and urgent prayer requests during the weeks you are available. Click HERE for details.
Thank you!  

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