No.87    17th April, 2026

Hi, 

Hope this finds you well.

It's been the usual 'interesting' week in world politics with one world leader actually posting (and then deleting) a picture of himself as a Jesus-like figure healing a sick person. I know Alastair has been worried that the Magazine would depict him in a similar way (and it certainly is tempting since we received the offer of a £500 donation towards the Kiltwalk if we would do so...it was a generous of Sheila nevertheless).

Seriously though, at what point does the church get involved with the politics and powers of the day? Should the church have a voice in the public square, and how does it react publicly (IF it does) to political decisions?  This week it has been the Roman Catholic church who have been in the spotlight over comments about the Iranian war, but in Scotland we have elections coming up - is it right that the church denominations gets involved and push their own agendas? Scott's WCF prayer this week has some thinking about this so make sure you take time to read it. And next Sunday evening (26th) we have a guest at the joint service who will speak about "Christianity in Scotland Today." Details are below - plan to get along.
So yes, maybe there are debatable areas in how much and what kind of involvement Christians will have in this world's affairs, however this doesn't stop us making prayer a priority - below we can read of those persecuted across the world for their faith, and there is also an interesting update from Murray about the current situation in Nazareth with suggestions of what would be pertinent and wise to pray about in these very difficult days.

Finally, we've enjoyed a few weeks where we haven't needed to clear away chairs, lectern and AV equipment - but all good things come to an end so do keep that in mind at the end of the service this Sunday morning.

Enjoy the mag.
MB

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Sunday 19th April

Sunday Morning
Rev Scott Hamilton
Mark ch14:1-11

The new session starts this week for the various groups on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays - the outline of studies from April - June is below.

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TUESDAY -  2 - 3.30pm

The Cafe is back this week after the Easter Break in Newton Mearns Baptist Church.
A great opportunity to meet friends, and enjoy some tea, coffee and home baking.
If you want more information or need a lift to get along to the Cafe speak with Elizabeth Smith.

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We meet again for prayer this Wednesday, 22nd April at the Merrimans'.

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Couple of suggestions for your Tea Break on similar themes:

1. Have a read of Andy Bannister's reflection on the recent Artemis II journey
"To Infinity and Beyond - Why a Moon Mission and a Very Big Rocket Changed How I See Humanity." Click here 

2. God vs Science: Which explanation is correct?
For a few moments reflection on how being Christian doesn't mean you can't be 'scientific' here is 10 minutes with Professor John Lennox: video here

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Letter from the Manse

Dear Church Family,
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been supporting the Food Bank at Govan Free Church. Rev. David MacPherson recently highlighted our congregation's assistance at Presbytery, specifically mentioning the upcoming Kiltwalk.
This Saturday,  25th April , Maggie Hailstones will be taking on a 14-mile walk to raise funds for their Food Bank. Maggie's goal is to raise £500. She and David will be accompanied by Scott H on the walk. Scott H will be there to cheer Maggie and David on every step of the way!
If you would like to support Maggie’s efforts, she has set up a JustGiving page - see below.
A quick note on donating: The page is set up through Mearns Free Church, but please be assured that 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the Govan Food Bank. By processing donations this way, we are able to claim Gift Aid, making your contribution go even further. You can show your name in the donation or if you prefer donate with anonymity. Click here to donate to Maggie’s Kiltwalk
 
On a different matter…this Sunday, April 19th, I will be leading worship at Lochgilphead and Tarbert.
This will be the last time for several months that either Scott H or I lead these congregations in worship.
We value your prayers for the following:

• Pulpit Supply: Please pray for the various men who will be faithfully preaching the Word over the coming weeks, that their ministry would be a blessing to all.
• The Vacancy Committee: Having recently purchased a manse, we are now beginning the process of forming a Vacancy Committee. Please pray for wisdom during this process and that the congregation would themselves surround this work with prayer.
• A Future Minister: Pray that the Lord is already preparing the heart of the next minister to lead these two unique and dissimilar congregations.

With warmest regards and great appreciation for your fellowship, 

Scott K

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Letter from the Other Manse

“You, therefore, have no excuse”

This is how Paul begins chapter two of his letter to the church in Rome. It’s the chapter which the young adults studied on Thursday evening of this past week at our monthly Bible study.
Paul has spent the second half of chapter one explaining the lost state of humanity and helping us to understand how desperate our situation is without the Lord.
We exchanged God’s glory for the glory of this world. We exchanged the truth about God for a lie. We know that what we do is evil, but we continue to do it and approve of others who practice it. We fully deserve God’s judgment for what we have done.

Chapter two then raises four possible excuses that humanity might try and use to exonerate themselves.

• “But other people are more evil than I am!”
• “But God is kind, patient, and hasn’t judged my actions so far!”
• “But I don’t come from a context where I’ve had God’s Word in my life, how am I to know any better!”
• “But I’ve come from a context where I’ve had a real religious pedigree and heritage, surely that has to count for something!”

I wonder if we’ve heard any of these excuses recently. I imagine we probably have. People will say that they’re really not that bad. People will presume upon God’s kindness and patience. People will protest that they’re not from a household or a country where God’s Word is known. People will lean on their spiritual ancestry or acumen, how they “know the stories from the Bible”, how they attend church from time to time, or even how involved they are in serving around their local church.
These are the sorts of things that humanity could use as excuses.
These are even the sorts of things that Christians might occasionally think count towards our salvation or might mean that God will go easy on our sins. Do they somehow let us off the hook before a just God?

Paul knows the human heart’s tendency to self-justify. Unsurprisingly, his answer is “no”. However, Paul will go on to talk about the wonderful, liberating freedom of assurance that we are no longer condemned because we are in Christ Jesus. In order for us to lean entirely on the Son of God, our weight needs to shift off anything that we might want to lean on alongside Christ Jesus.

I know my own temptation to think “surely the fact that I have done X or Y, or not done these things, must mean something?”.
We will do good works as those who are saved. We will be transformed to sin less as those who are saved. These things do not save us to begin with.
We reflected last night that this grows our appreciation for Jesus’ work, that He was sinless and blameless, and we were grateful for God’s Word taking our weight off our own performance and resting us in the welcome arms of Jesus once more. I hope that’s something we all know, something for which we’re all grateful, not just this week but every week of our lives as we follow Jesus, our Saviour and our King!

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Our new session of Joint services begins next Sunday (26th)
"Christianity in Scotland Today."​

We are starting our joint services with a guest. The Rev. Dr. Willie Philip (Tron Church) will be joining us to speak on "Christianity in Scotland Today." He will reflect on Scotland presently and how we might engage faithfully in the "public square" as believers in our current culture.

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"We feel ignored, forgotten. Like we are in the dark,"

Arise Africa petition - Open Doors UK & Ireland
Millions of Christians have been driven from their homes by violence and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. Nobody is talking about it.
"We feel ignored, forgotten. Like we are in the dark," says Pastor Barnabas from Nigeria, who lives in a displacement camp after narrowly surviving a violent attack."

At the PULSE prayer meeting this week the work of Open Doors was talked about as they support our brothers and sisters across the world living with persecution because of their faith in Jesus.
This website gives prayer news and prayer points and also a way to show your support by filling in a petition. The African church is calling upon the global community to ensure that Christians and other vulnerable individuals in sub-Saharan Africa are treated with dignity and respect. 
READ MORE HERE
This 4 min video talks about where the most dangerous places in the world are to be a Christian.

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KEEP THIS DATE!

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This week the prayer Scott K has written is based around what the Westminster Confession states about Synods and Councils.
In part, the prayer outlines how the Church should interact and respond to the culture it is in, and in particular its relationship with the government and authorities in the land. You can read the prayer here. It requires wisdom when we want Biblical truths to shape decisions being made in Holyrood which in turn shape our communities...and at the same time we realise that what the Bible has to say will often clash with current and popular worldviews. "...may any petition or advice offered to the nation be issued with a deep humility. And Lord God, in the event that the civil authority might seek the Church's counsel on a matter; may your Church respond with rigorous biblical wisdom and Christ-like grace."

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The Evangelical Alliance and Both Lives Matter are chairing a round table discussion on how the churches are responding to crisis pregnancies and abortion.
WHERE:CARE, Clockwise Glasgow - Coworking & Office Space
WHEN: Thursday, April 23  •  1 PM - 4:30 PM
There is a charge of £10 but lunch is provided.
Find out more details about the event and book a space here.

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It's great to see people at church supporting Govan Free Church's Food Bank regularly.
Whether, biscuits, tins, rice, cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, these have all been welcomed.
We will have a bag at the door of the gym on Sunday morning, or leave on the table if you don't see it. 
If you have any questions about the Food Bank speak with Sue A or Martin and Margaret B

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Kiltwalk - the Big Stroll!

Saturday 25 April starting at 10:30am

We want to support the Govan Free Church Food Bank and the Kiltwalk is a great focus to raise more funds.
Maggie Hailstones and Scott Hamilton are taking part along with David MacPherson, the minister at Govan Free Church.
They are doing The Big Stroll which is 14.6 miles long from Clydebank to Balloch.
There is a JustGiving page for Govan FC funds. click here.

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PVG TRAINING

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

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A number of us from Mearns attended the Festival in Perth which the Orchestra invited us to over the last couple of years - this year it can't run and so they are coming to play in Glasgow. We hope a good number of us can head across to St Silas church and support them there.
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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Glasgow City Mission invites you to the “Light in the Darkness” conference — a time to reflect on the challenges facing people in Glasgow today and to hear stories of hope from those working at the heart of our city.

15th-16th MAY
We’ll also look at how movements that began right here in Glasgow have gone on to shape missions across the globe. Scan the QR code on the slide for full programme details and registration information.
Thank you so much for your support.

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Ladybird Book of Mearns Free Church

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A rare opportunity - will you play your part?

All week, colleagues in Nazareth have been expressing optimism about the ceasefire and asking us to pray for a lasting peace in the Middle East. It may be a rare and precious opportunity - will you play your part? 

Ongoing talks between the United States and Iran, alongside the possibility of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, have emerged against the backdrop of war, regional realignment, and deep exhaustion with conflict. For the Nazareth Trust, these moments are not merely geopolitical; they are profoundly spiritual. We yearn to experience the ‘year of the Lord’s favour’ announced in Nazareth two thousand years ago. 

The present conflict has paradoxically produced new regional dynamics. Iran’s actions have driven Arab states into closer cooperation with Israel and the United States, weakening support for militant proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah across much of the Arab world. This has reshaped alliances and created cautious momentum toward de‑escalation. Even so, there is a real danger that negotiations will settle for expedient ceasefires driven more by economic pressures than meaningful transformation, leaving underlying wounds and injustices unaddressed. 

In the Holy Land, any lasting peace will require more than security arrangements or diplomatic declarations. It must include healing - psychological, social, and spiritual - for communities scarred by over a century of recurring violence. This is where prayer is urgently needed. Christians are called to pray not simply for an end to fighting, but for outcomes from Israeli‑Lebanese talks and Iran‑US negotiations that produce enduring, systemic peace. Only such peace can create space for confession, lament, forgiveness, and restoration to take root. As the Nazareth Trust seeks to embody reconciliation and healing in the Galilee, we need the sustained prayer and support of the global Church. 

This may be the most promising moment in a generation. Faithful, persistent prayer for wise leadership, courageous compromises, and God‑given imagination remains essential if true healing is to begin. 

Murray

For more information around this article and the Nazareth Trust Hospital speak with Murray McM

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Vacancies in the Free Church of Scotland Central Office Team

We are looking for enthusiastic and capable individuals to join our Central Office Staff Team.
Camps Coordinator (full-time) Details HERE
We are looking for an enthusiastic and energetic person to join our team of committed staff in the Free Church offices in Edinburgh to help in the efficient planning and administration of the Camps programme. The Camps Coordinator will have frequent contact with people from across the Church, including ministers, volunteer leaders and parents. The post holder will be highly organised and self-motivated and have a passion for supporting work amongst children and young people.

Finance Administrator (Mat Leave Cover) (full-time)
The Free Church of Scotland is looking for a capable Finance Administrator to join the Central Office staff team. This position is to cover maternity leave from late July 2026. Working as a part of a small finance team, the role will have a particular focus on payroll and payments, and will involve regular contact with other staff, ministers, treasurers and suppliers. The post holder will be highly organised and self-motivated and have a desire to manage Church finances well.  Details HERE
 
Accountant (part-time)
A capable Accountant is sought to join our team in the Central Office to help with specific projects and support the regular financial work to make the Finance Manager role more manageable. This is a new part-time role on an initial one or two-year contract. This is an exciting opportunity for someone to use their professional skills in a vocational Christian role. Details HERE
 
More information, full job descriptions and an application form can be obtained from the Free Church Website.

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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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