No.93    29th May, 2026

Hi, 
Hope this finds you well. 

First of all, we have been looking forward to this weekend's church birthday celebration - part of that is meeting at the Covenanters' Trail tomorrow (30th)  HOWEVER, PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED.

In the magazine this week you will see there are a number of 'repeats' asking for help or details of events, ie these were in the magazine last week -  so, rather than just repeating the same material I have put the relevant headline in and the link to last week's magazine, where all the details can be read. Don't skim...take a look to see what you can do to help.

We carry on with our studies in Mark's Gospel this Sunday. Last week there was a glitch in the recording so we didn't get the service uploaded to YouTube as usual. However, we have the audio of Scott H's sermon on our own Mearns Free webpage and now have the audio of the sermon with sermon headings on YouTube. If you know of any who look out for our church service online perhaps you could apologise for the technical hitch.

This month in the evening services we have had some important teaching on how Christians loving one another can be seen evidence of their faith. A good example of this was when I told Chisholm that I had to go for an MRI Scan on my brain this week, and he very kindly said, 'I hope they don't find anything'.

Finally, it's been great to see the hall busy on Sunday mornings...please make sure you don't leave gaps in the rows so we can avoid having to bring down additional chairs unnecessarily - thanks!

Enjoy the mag,
MB

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Sunday 31st May

Sunday Morning - 10.30am
Rev Scott Kirkland
Mark 15.1-20

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Wednesday

In June the meetings will be at the Robertsons'.
7.15pm - 8.15pm
Speak to Scott K or Scott H if you want more information.

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From the Manse

Dear Church Family,
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who served and ministered in my absence, and to those who prayed for our holiday. Your prayers were answered; we had a truly refreshing time. We were blessed in being able to reconnect with Anita’s extended family—some of whom flew across the country just to be with us—and it was especially lovely to spend quality time with her mother. Thanks to Scott Hamilton for leading us excellently in God's Word over these weeks.

While away, it was a joy to worship at both the Pittsburgh Chinese Church and The Gospel Fellowship Church in Pennsylvania, where my friend and former colleague, Rev. Matthew Everhard, serves as minister. Lord willing, I hope we might be able to welcome Matthew to Mearns Free Church one day. You can view the service we attended here: YouTube Link.

Wedding Celebration: Last Saturday, we had the delight of celebrating the wedding of Cathy Renn and Finlay Murphy. I know they were touched that so many from our church family were able to participate in making there wedding day so special. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a blessed occasion. Let us continue to commit to the Lord in prayer their new life together.

Covenanters' Trail: We are pleased to share that we have reached capacity for tomorrow’s Covenanters Walk, with forty-six people now signed up. Please join me in praying for safety along the route. My hope is that all who attend will be encouraged in their faith by reflecting on the Lord’s faithfulness to His Church and the example of those who walked before us over this terrain in trials and suffering for the Kingdom. It is a wonderful encouragement for our own walk with the Lord today.

Our "Second Birthday": I praise God for these past two years as part of the Free Church of Scotland. We have been so richly blessed by our union with our brothers and sisters across the denomination.

I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday, Lord willing.
Warmest regards,
Scott K.

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Remarkably prophetic from John Stott looking ahead 44 years. 
A good reminder as the church enjoys its 2nd Birthday that the time we spend around God's Word and in fellowship together should be valued.

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This year, Blythswood is giving thanks for 60 years since our work began. There have been many changes through the decades, but something that hasn’t changed is the necessity of prayer. Prayer was essential to the group going out with gospel tracts on the streets of Glasgow in 1966, and it is essential in the work of seeing lives changed for good and forever across Africa, Asia and Europe in 2026.


Blythswood’s Day of Prayer takes place on Wednesday, the 3rd of June.
This year, we are inviting you to set aside 60 minutes to give thanks for 60 years of Blythswood. You may choose to do this on your own, as a family, with friends, or as part of your church’s prayer meeting. The 60 minutes can be spent all at once or spread throughout the day.
Click here to see a copy of the guide for the day that contains information and points for prayer that could be helpful to you. By taking part in our Day of Prayer, you will be joining people from around the world in prayer for Blythswood.
Will you set aside 60 minutes to give thanks for 60 years of Blythswood on Wednesday, the 3rd of June?
Sixty years after Blythswood’s work began, our need for prayerful support from individuals, families and church congregations remains unchanged. Our need to depend on the Lord every day, in every way will never change.

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Cathy & Finlay - Congratulations!

With a celebrity wedding this is the closest the magazine has come to looking like Hullo ! magazine. Congratulations to Cathy and Finlay who were married last Saturday.
It was so good to see the church family involved in all sorts of ways throughout the day.

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Ladybird Book of Mearns

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Hello church family. The Mearns Youth are still in John chapter ten this coming Sunday evening, where our next I AM study at Youth concerns four different actors in Jesus’ analogy.  

First, there is the sheep. They represent you, me, and everyone else throughout the years who have been a part of God’s visible people on the earth. We are not great at taking care of ourselves, we are of great interest to our enemies, and we need to be led away from them.  

Second, there is the wolf. This represents anyone who has ever been an enemy of God’s people, determined to attack, scatter and devour us. Anyone who has made it their life’s business to carry out the work of Satan, to disrupt gospel work, to distract us from the truth of the gospel, and to mislead us away from Christ Jesus bears the same resemblance and bares the same teeth as the wolf in these verses. 

Third, we have the hired hands. These are those that have been put in place to lead God’s people but have done so poorly. They have run away from their responsibilities at the first sight of any danger, choosing not to get in the way of the wolf, and sadly at times have even encouraged the wolf to tuck into the sheep. I’m sure we’ll be able to think of hired hands that we’ve seen throughout God’s Word and throughout our own history, who simply shrug, hold their hands up, and walk away from their duties, looking much more like a fellow wolf than a shepherd. 

Mercifully, fourth, we have the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the one who lays down His life for His sheep, rather than running away. This is what He does on the cross to disarm the wolves, to disarm the power and authorities of Satan and death. He is gathering His sheep from across the world to Him, one flock under one shepherd. He “lays down His life only to take it back up again” (v17), predicting His own death and resurrection, all to defend you and me from the enemies which we cannot battle ourselves. We are far too weak on our own. We need our Good Shepherd, two thousand years ago and today, to protect us. 

Please pray for our young people, hearing so many voices in our world, from wolves and hired hands alike, that they will listen to the voice of their Good Shepherd above and beyond every other voice. 

Scott H

We are keen for everyone to follow what the Youth are studying and to pray for them from week to week.
Thanks to Scott H  for these notes which keep us up to speed on which verse they are looking at each week. 

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COFFEE AND TREATS AFTER CHURCH

BAKING  - it's great that so many people are on the baking rota - this means that it is around every 7-8 weeks that they are called on. Can you join this group - or know someone in your family who is a great baker, who could make something which you can pass off as your own work? Speak with Margaret Boyd
CUPS - already a lot of people bring their own cup along - this does save on costs for paper cups so if you can bring your along that would be great,  and the team will almost certainly speak about you behind your back less than they currently do!

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Summer Sundays

Over the summer we like to give our regular kids team a break and so are looking for volunteers to help lead sessions on the Sundays listed below.
We need volunteers to help in various ways - you will get all the support you need. 
ALL THE DETAILS ARE IN LAST WEEK'S MAGAZINE HERE
Please take a look and contact Pauline if you can help. Thanks.

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Bible Alive props needed 

Can you help Pauline help you?!
"We are looking to add some more props into our Bible Alive lessons and are on the hunt for the following:
The list of what is required is in last week's magazine - take a look again and see if you can  be helped to declutter your house!"
Pauline
 Click here to see the list.

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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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No.1  A reflection from David Powlinson.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. —Hebrews 12:6
God’s love is active. He decided to love you when he could have justly condemned you. He’s involved. He’s merciful, not simply tolerant. He who abhors sin pursues sinners by name. God is so committed to forgiving and changing you that he sent Jesus to die for you. He welcomes the poor in spirit with a shout and a feast. God is vastly patient and relentlessly persevering as he intrudes into your life. God’s love actively does you good. God’s love is full of blood, sweat, tears, and cries. He suffered for you. He fights for you, defending the afflicted. He fights you. He pursues you in powerful tenderness so that he can change you. He’s jealous, not detached. His sort of empathy and sympathy speaks out words of truth to set you free of sin and misery. He will discipline you as proof that he loves you. He himself comes to live in you, pouring out his Holy Spirit in your heart, so you will know him. He puts out power and energy. God’s love has hate in it: hate for evil, whether done to you or by you. God’s love demands that you respond: believe, trust, obey, give thanks with a joyful heart, work out your salvation with fear, delight in the Lord.
Extract from David Powlinson's daily devotional book 'Take Heart'  You can buy it here.

No.2

These are important questions which Glen Scrivener takes on - the answers are just 'starters' (5 questions about 4 mins each) when trying to help sceptics, with genuine questions, looking to understand what the Christian position is. The video also gives confidence that the Bible does have clear answers to tricky questions in ways which can be rational, clear, sensitive to other's view points and lead people to have further discussion...rather than 'gotcha' type answers.
Watch the video here

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Recliner 

A beige recliner is available if anyone would like it. It is in
excellent working condition.
Speak with May Arthur if you are interested in this.

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