No.90    8th May, 2026

Hi, 

This Saturday (9th) the monthly prayer meeting is back at the Smiths' in Eaglesham , from 9am - 10am. A good way to start the weekend if you can make it.

Keep remembering the Youth Group as they look at the 'I AM' statements made in the Gospel of John...Scott H gives us an update of the Youth Work below. While they are looking at the Gospel of John, the Joint Evening Services at NMBC are starting to look at John's Letters. These services at NMBC are a great way to double the amount of Bible teaching and fellowship you can enjoy and benefit from on a Sunday - in the magazine there is a short article about why we should value being together which was prompted by something Catherine shared with us at the PULSE prayer meeting.

Enjoy the mag,

MB

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Sunday 10th May

Sunday Morning
Rev Scott Hamilton
Mark ch14: 25-42

Sunday Evening
A NEW SERIES STARTS THIS WEEK...


This Sunday evening one of the NMBC Elders, Morgan Jamieson, will take us through 1 John.
Why not take some time to read this letter before Sunday evening - less than 20mins?

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TUESDAYS  2 - 3.30pm

at 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.
NO CAFE THIS WEEK - 12th MAY


In between the eye-watering intake of calories and caffeine, Val had the absolute nerve to lead the the Cafe guests in some healthy chair exercises - it probably ticked the box for some European directive. During one exercise Val asked with confidence if people could feel a particular muscle being stretched. There was a clear 'Naw' heard from one area of the room...wholly unrelated to that, it was good to have Scott H along at the Cafe this week to speak to the guests.

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We meet again for prayer this Wednesday
and throughout May at the McDougalls'
7.15 - 8.15pm

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Letter from the 'Other' Manse

Hello church family,
As you’ll know, Scott and Anita are away on holiday this week and for the next few Sunday mornings. I’ll be taking us through the final verses of Mark chapter fourteen before Scott returns.

We might like to take these weeks to pray particularly for Scott and then for the rest of the eldership across the church. Praying for the leaders of a church is something that the Bible commands a local church to do (Hebrews 13:17 – 18). It’s a part of the rhythm of a healthy church and it’s something that we deeply need and deeply appreciate as those who will one day give an account for our actions.
Having worked closely alongside Scott for a number of months now, I’ve seen first hand (as you will all have too) how much he labours for the gospel and for God’s people as he ought to as a minister of a church and a servant of the Word. We want to pray that, over these weeks, he will enjoy the rest that he needs, that he will remain diligent in his devotion to the Lord, and that he will continue to be a real blessing in Christ to those around him, here and in the USA.

Let’s also be praying for Anita. Again, you and I will have seen all of the work that she does around the church and perhaps even glimpsed something of how she serves her family and others so diligently. Their Godly example as a couple is tangible. We’d love for them both to enjoy these weeks off from Mearns Free Church, that together they’d be refreshed in God’s grace, sustenance, and care, as they continue to read God’s Word and pray to Him.

We’re so very thankful for the Kirklands. Let’s continue to uphold them in our prayers and look forward to supporting them upon their return.
See you Sunday morning!

Scott H

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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.

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A Privilege, Not a Chore

This week at the Pulse prayer meeting, Catherine shared some stories of those in different parts of the world for whom the decision to attend church can be very difficult – it may involve their own or family’s safety, are they being watched/reported? Or simply they can remember the upsetting experiences they have had previously at church.
In the light of that, this extract of an article by Trevor Wax recognises this and challenges how WE think about church each week.

3 Reasons You Should See Going to Church as a Privilege, Not a Chore

If you think of attending a worship service as merely a duty or an obligation that you are bound to fulfil, then you are speaking of worship as if it were a chore. Regular church attendance may feel like that at times, just as a daily “work out” sometimes does. But we’re off base if we regularly conceive of our weekly efforts to “meet together” and to “stir one another to love and good works” as merely an obligation.

Having To, Getting To
One of the dads in my small group said that he corrects his kids if they ever ask about having to go to church on a weekend. “We never have to,” he says, “we get to go.” I like that. He’s policing the language of the house because he knows that the way he talks about church will send a signal to the rest of the family about how to view Sundays – as chore or as privilege.

Here are three ways we should see gathering with God’s people as privilege:
1. Culturally
In some places, church attendance is regulated by the government. Unless you are registered, you cannot legally meet. Or you must meet in small numbers. Or you can meet, but are constantly afraid of what might happen. The news of church bombings across the world, often during worship services, is a frightening reminder of the high cost of meeting with other believers.
We have the privilege of living in a society where we are free to get to go to church. It is hard to imagine persecuted believers whose baptismal services are secret, dangerous affairs ever saying they have to go to church. Listen to the global church, and be renewed in your gratitude for the privilege of freely worshipping with believers.
2. Theologically
In some religions, adherents must fulfil elaborate rituals and sacrifices before gaining access to a holy space or the ability to appease the gods. Christianity, however, teaches that we have direct access to God because of the final, perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf. The gateway to God has been opened by Jesus, the Door.
Whenever we conceive of our praying and singing and listening to God’s Word as merely a duty or obligation, we forget that we are responding to a precious invitation. We have the privilege of speaking to and hearing from the King of the Universe. Do we have to meet with God Himself? Or do we get to address “our Father”?
3. Corporately
One of the reasons I love meeting with other believers is because I feel like I have a front-row seat at what God is doing in the lives of people around me. Over time, I see how God’s Word slowly transforms us into His image. I see how God brings people from different backgrounds and interests, different ethnicities and generations, and unifies them by the gospel without obliterating their differences, thus shining a spotlight on the goodness and grace of God from gloriously different angles.
We are not lonely pilgrims on individual journeys to glory; we are a community of faith, marching forward as exiles in this world, beloved by God and beloved by each other. It is a privilege to be part of each other’s lives, to cheer one another on in the faith, to chasten and chide with holy reverence when needed, and to love one another as Christ has loved us.
Conclusion...
We do not go to church because of guilt. We are the church because of grace.
As Jonathan Leeman writes, we “gather to hear the Lord’s words, to affirm [our] accountability to it, and to extend its ministry in one another’s lives.” What an honour! Do we have to extend the ministry of God’s Word in the lives of others? Or do we get to see and show Jesus in the lives of our fellow church members?
Church attendance is not a chore. It’s a gift. Therefore, it should elicit gratitude, not griping.

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AT THE FOREFRONT OF COMPASSIONATE CARE FOR THE CITY’S MARGINALISED SINCE 1826.

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SU Regional Weekend Away

PARENTS - Sign Up ASAP!
There are only a few spaces available!
04 - 06 Sep, Gowanbank ,
S1 - S6, £110.00
This is the weekend away specifically for teens in our area.
Alongside the Bible teaching there is Archery, Bushcraft, Crafts, Crate Climbing, Escape Room ,Sports and Games ,Team Challenges ,Tree Climbing
Speak with Pauline if you have any questions about this - lots of information and booking page is HERE.

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Zero apologies for putting in the Gospel Mantra in the magazine again this week - I need to have important truths like this resuscitated regularly.
Watch it here and commit to memory.

• I'm a complete idiot
• My future is incredibly bright
• Anyone can get in on this

It's only 1.25min but a great way of understanding the Gospel..right to the last line: 'If it's not too far beneath you'.
Decide what your favourite line is...and tell someone.

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This past Sunday evening in Youth, we heard Jesus say, “I AM the Bread of Life”.
It’s a throwback to the days of the Exodus, where God’s people were finally free from their enslavement to their Egyptian masters. They are now being led through the wilderness to their promised land. However, would God sustain and care for them along the way?
Unsurprisingly, the answer is “yes”. God provides manna from heaven to feed and nourish His people. However, the twist from Jesus in John chapter six is that this manna from Exodus isn’t the true bread from heaven.







The true bread from heaven is a person, someone who could come to feed and nourish His people in their wilderness in a much bigger, better, everlasting way, even bigger and better than the manna of the Exodus.
Jesus says in John chapter six that He is the true Bread of Life, and Jesus tells us that if we eat this bread we will never go spiritually hungry, we will never thirst, we will never be rejected by Jesus, we will be kept safe by Him, and we’d rise again to eternal life in our own promised land, the new creation.
It got us thinking at Youth about the ways in which we can be spiritually hungry as a generation. I wonder how you might answer that. Where are the deep, lasting hungers in our souls and in our societies, and what food do we often substitute for the Bread of Life? What solutions to these hungers are we consuming instead of Jesus? Why will they ultimately leave us feeling just as dissatisfied, perhaps even hungrier than before?
It goes without saying that none of these “breads” satisfy. We sometimes sing, “what is our hope in life and death?” The wonderful, rousing answer is “Christ alone, Christ alone.” The Bread of Life that we truly need must nurture us and fill us to the point where our deepest hungers are met, hungers left by sin and death.
This is exactly what Jesus has come to do, and that has given Him the right to call Himself the Bread of Life.

Jesus invites us to spiritually feed on Him, to feed on His Word, to feed on His death and His resurrection, and to draw spiritual nutrition and sustenance from these things. He invites us to find ourselves hungry no more. Draw close to Him this weekend, whether you’re on your own, or with your family, or together with the rest of us on Sunday, and feed on Him and His Word as we gather to hear it taught and preached.
Scott H
 

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Enjoy a day out (to mark our 2nd birthday) at the Covenanters museum, a picnic lunch and optional walk along the trail, whilst learning more about the Covenanters - what motivated them, the actions they took, how they were treated and our response.
It's open to all...bring a friend!

There are a couple of ways to join in…see below which one suits you best. It’s all walkable (along a country pathway, not a difficult hike) up to the Lochgoin Covenanters’ Museum.

The Plan for the day:

• Meet at the Lochgoin Covenanters’ Museum carpark at 11.30am (KA3 6EX, NB this is not the Whitelee Windfarm) The carpark is adjacent to the main road. There is a walkable track about - 1.6m mile from carpark to museum.
• After our first History Bite we will walk to the Museum (1.6m) stopping off at Covenanters’ Memorial.
• At the Museum we will have another History Bite - there will also be time to look around the museum and there’s space outside where we can spend time together with a picnic lunch. Bring your own packed lunch/blanket
• Around 12.45pm there is the option to go on the Covenanters’ Trail. We know the 2.5hour walk might be too much for some, so free feel to head home at this stage. Great that you could make it along.

The Covenanters’ Trail will take us to Fenwick Parish Church  - it’s about 7 miles so wear sturdy shoes. Along the way Eric will give us more short History Bites as we head past the caves and over to Fenwick. We expect to be at Fenwick around 3.15pm and cars will meet us there to take us back to Lochgoin carpark.

Use this Eventbrite page link to register that you are coming along to the Museum and if you require transport back from Fenwick after the trail.

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Ladybird Book of Mearns Free Church

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PVG TRAINING - THIS MONTH

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 session : Monday 25th May – 19.30

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All women are warmly invited to the Women for Mission Annual Get Together on Saturday 16th May at 2pm, held at Crow Road Free Church, Glasgow.
As well as launching our 2026/27 project, we’ll be hearing from a number of speakers who will share experiences and updates from work in Scotland, Ecuador, Bolivia, and more. We will also announce the total from our 2025/26 project Flourish. 
The meeting will last for around an hour and a half, after which we’ll enjoy refreshments together with plenty of sandwiches and home‑baked treats. We would love for you to join us.
The Annual Get Together is not ticketed, so please feel free to bring an interested friend!

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‘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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