No.95    12th June, 2026

Hi, 
Hope this finds you well. 
This week we are announcing dates and details of the Community Weekend in August - there are a number of factors this year which mean we are condensing our busy annual Community Week into a really busy weekend. But it's certainly no less important in terms of the people who can be invited into the activities of Mearns Free church family.

In July, Sundays will be special too, with evenings events at Belmont through the month - make sure you prioritise these times. And there are details on an opportunity to get across to Leith to visit the 'Logos Hope' Ship. Before that, next weekend, the Praise Gathering Concerts are on - Ian and Elizabeth are taking part and they have sent in their thoughts on the choir.

Over the next few weeks we will drip feed the info regarding the Summer stopping and starting dates of the regular activities such as Pulse or Cafe Connect. But still running is the Monthly prayer time tomorrow morning!

Enjoy the mag,
MB

Saturday 13th June

Meeting at 9am - 10am 
The Smiths in Eaglesham

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Sunday 14th June

Sunday Morning - 10.30am
Rev Scott Kirkland
Mark 15:33 - 47

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Wednesday

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

Never been along to the prayer meeting before? - you'll be made welcome. There is no pressure to pray out loud and its a great way of getting to know what is going on in and around the church family (the good, bad, difficult, joyful) and to bring these things to God.

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Letter from the Manse

Dear Church Family,
This Sunday, we arrive at Mark 15.33-47, our penultimate sermon in Mark’s Gospel (at this time).
I have found preparing for our Sunday worship immensely enriching, just as I have appreciated sitting under Scott H.’s expositions. It is my earnest prayer that the Lord has spoken this Gospel into your life, and that you find yourself responding to our loving Saviour with commitment to live a life of righteous, obedient faith.
I have shared this story before: when I was young, my dad told my sister to bring a freshly brewed pot of tea from the kitchen to the living room. She didn’t go. My dad’s word was not something you ignored. Thinking I could do what she should have done, and thereby save her from his wrath, I picked up the teapot. It was full and heavy. As I walked, it tipped forward and spilled boiling tea onto my bare foot. It scalded me, and a huge blister immediately rose on my skin. I still have a faint scar! So much for trying to take her place; I only ended us both up in double-trouble!

This Sunday, we return to that most harrowing and sobering place: the cross of Calvary, where Jesus surrendered His life.
Despite the appearance of power and control held by the authorities, they did not take His life; Jesus gave it. On the cross, He determined by His own sovereign will when it was time to die. At Mearns Free Church, we are very familiar with the reasons Jesus allowed Himself to die that way. We know the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3: "...Christ died for our sins..." . Substitution is the heart of the Gospel.
Jesus stepped into our place to take the wrath of God upon Himself so that it might be turned away, eternally, for all who unite with Christ by faith. On the cross, the wrath of God was fully satisfied by Jesus, the sinless Son of God. The judgment declared for sin since the Garden of Eden is death; Jesus took that death for all who believe in Him, so that we might have the eternal life that only He earned.
In the Old Testament, the sacrificial system pointed toward this through the offering of spotless animals. Of course, no animal, no matter how perfect in appearance, could truly satisfy God’s justice for sin. Then came Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:18–19: "...knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

You know all of this. Jesus takes away our sin and its judgment through the cross of Calvary.
But what of the actual, positive righteousness that should characterize our lives? If I can put it this way, it's like our lives are placed on the zero axis of life?
I have mentioned previously that, while I believe the Apostles' Creed is a wonderful early statement of Christian truth, it is (in my view) missing one thing that is vital to the gospel. The missing truth belongs at the comma separating the clauses "born of the Virgin Mary" and "suffered under Pontius Pilate." At that comma, there is an absence of a statement regarding the active, righteous life of Christ—lived from conception to the cross.
We tend to think only in terms of the cross when we hear Paul’s famous words in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." But that clause, "who knew no sin," means that in His 30+ years, Jesus not only never sinned but always did the right thing (Hebrews 4:15).
The perfection of Jesus’ life is actually captured well in Luke's Gospel when it says "he increased in wisdom, stature and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2.52). It is captured in the Father’s assessment of Jesus at the Transfiguration, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Everything about the life of Jesus pleased God! That is said of no other human being. It cannot be because all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3.23).

The righteous life of Christ is the only human life which in and of itself is pleasing to God.
The Father is well-pleased with Jesus because in every human breath he took, every step taken, Jesus thought, spoke, acted righteously; His inner motives were pure and then always expressed in pure words and righteous actions. Only Jesus possessed 100% purity of motive and motion.
Only Jesus Christ, the Son of God can truly become our substitute and step into our place. (I failed quite hopelessly to do the right thing on my sister’s behalf with that teapot!)
His life was beautifully righteous. The cross writes our sin to Christ’s account, and the judgment of death follows. Simultaneously, the cross writes Christ’s righteousness to the believer’s account, and the gift of eternal life flows.

What is our part in any of this? The Westminster Confession of Faith (11.2) rightly says: "Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification." Faith is the empty hand by which we embrace our sinless Saviour and all His saving grace.
Scott had us sing the words of Philip Bliss last week:
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood, Sealed my pardon with His blood: Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Warmest regards,
Scott K.

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The last Cafe Connect is this Tuesday
We are celebrating 10 years of the Cafe (which continued from its time in Maxwell Mearns) - thanks for all who have led and served at the Cafe, and we especially thank Elizabeth Smith at this time who is stepping down from leading this ministry. 

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As a newbie at Praise Gathering this year Martin asked me to write a few words. This is my 8th year of being part of the Praise Gathering family and after 9 weeks of rehearsals , 12 new songs to learn and just 1 week to go 🫣 I still feel nervous!  
However, as each year’s season comes round it is a blessing to reconnect with my PG family which this year has grown to over 500 in the main choir and 100 in the youth choir - Christians young and old from over 250 churches across Scotland!  Quite incredible how Ian Watson, Dave McLaren, Clifford Haxton, the band and the team bring it all together.  What is special is it is all denominations and none together with no agenda and just one mission - to worship God and proclaim Christ as our Saviour to those who come to listen.  If you have never been before I would really encourage you to come and experience Praise Gathering - this year with Celtic Worship and Searchlight Theatre as guests.  
Tickets for the Glasgow Concert hall are expected to be sold out for Sat afternoon but there is still some left for Sunday afternoon.   
ORDER TICKETS HERE 
Elizabeth Smith (who writes below) and I hope to see you there!

Ian Forgie
 

‘Oh how good that it is to sing praise to the Lord’

Being part of the Praise gathering choir is an opportunity to meet weekly at rehearsals with fellow Christians to sing praise to the Lord, to hear from his word and join in prayer. All this leading up to the concerts when, as we worship God, we seek to honour Him and be a blessing to those who attend.

This year there are nearly 500 members of the choir from over 200 different churches, including 3 of us from Mearns Free Church.
Taking part in the concerts is an amazing experience but one of the highlights for me is the Praise Gathering Youth Choir. They bring the enthusiasm of youth as they too sing praise and are an inspiration!

So if you haven’t got your tickets use the link above.
Elizabeth Smith

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The four Sundays in July  will have an evening event in Belmont. (7-8.30pm)
Through the year on Sunday evenings we have a programme of Home Groups or Joint Services with NMBC -
But for Sundays in July we will use videos for Bible teaching followed by discussion groups. Look out for details in the next couple of weeks but put these times in the diary  - perhaps you haven't been involved in either a Home Group or have attended the Joint Services? - this is a good way to get into this part of church life.

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Since Operation Mobilisation launched Logos Hope in 2009, nearly 11 million people have visited the ship.
Join us on Saturday 18th July

We are planning to a have a Mearns Free ‘Car Share’ to LEITH in order to experience the Logos Hope’s history, stories and mission.

Discover the decks of Logos Hope!

“Step aboard for a 60-minute immersive tour where you won’t just visit the ship—you’ll step into the story. Meet crew members from around the world, hear their personal journeys, and discover how Logos Hope connects with port communities globally through knowledge, help, and hope. Tours will be conducted by guides in small groups of 7 people, exploring a wide variety of areas onboard the ship.”
Please note: unfortunately, this tour is not suitable for wheelchair users.
BOOKING IS REQUIRED FOR THE TOUR – SPEAK WITH MURRAY OR MARGO TO GET A SPACE IN A CAR AND ON THE SHIP’S TOUR.
We leave Glasgow at 9am
Ticket price. Free for children 4 and under, £2 for children between 5 and 16, £5 for adults.
Read more about the Logos Hope and the UK tour here.
You'll also be able to participate in onboard events, enjoy the cafe,
wander the bookfair and much more!

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More details will be coming soon about this Weekend - speak with Pauline or Scott H if you would like to be involved in some way. You can see that the team will be made up of people able to sit with children or carry tables, or just invite friends and family for a cuppa and a dance!!

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It's been great to see people supporting Govan Free Church's Food Bank.
Thanks to those who brought items in recent weeks.
Look out for the Green Box at the back!

Coffee, Teabags, Cereal, pasta / pasta sauce - all these are welcome- remember any size of jar/box will be divvied up into smaller bags - can you help?
If you have any questions about the Food Bank speak with Sue A, Mary R or Martin B

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An invite

An invite for anyone who lives or works or who has a connection with school pupils in Barrhead. Access to the schools in Barrhead is not as easy as it is in Newton Mearns, come and pray as we ask for God's wisdom for next steps. 
Pauline

Prayer Hotline

SU Scotland Summer Events 

We have an exciting programme of residential events and holiday clubs being planned for the Summer holidays. We are really excited about these amazing opportunities to spend time with young people, sharing life and having fun, exploring the Bible and responding to the significance of Jesus.
There is a lot of work going on just now building teams, preparing teaching and planning activities. Will you stand with us in prayer in the lead up to events, and particularly the periods when these events are happening?
Register the weeks you are available to pray here to join the Prayer Hotline, to receive weekly prayer information, prayer letters from Team Leaders and updates as needs arise during events. 

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1. Paul Miller's book 'A praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World' has these 4 principles to keep in our minds, in our lives and our prayers:

(1) God is sovereign – He is in control over every detail of my life, don’t doubt that
(2) God is loving – His concern & heart is always for our good
(3) God is wise – so He’s not going to do everything the way we’d do it 
(4) God is patient – He’s going to take exactly the right amount needed to get it right for us / he won’t be rushed

Take some time this week to consider the concerns you have for you and your family and our church at the moment, and apply these truths as you pray.

2. Thane has written a series of 3 articles encouraging us to see that Science and Faith are not incompatible.
God's people have always been called on to prioritise learning and focussing on God's Word...
Reasonable Faith
Part TWO: Curricula and Class

This short series busts a myth that science and Christianity are at odds. Last week (see magazine no.94) saw how Judaism, the root of Christianity, normalized reading. But how to move from temples to classrooms, from priests to professors? 

Short answer:  Cathedral schools. Cathedral schools laid the foundations for universities. In about 310 CE, Christians were under constant, life-threatening persecution. The first Monasteries were rural Christian communities gathering in the Egyptian desert, where they were safe. (Praying with your children before school, quietly repeats 1700 years of Western world history.)
Monasteries would have a large role to play in forming the education system, once Christianity was not punishable by death. Enter Roman Emperor Constantine who legalized Christianity (313 CE) taking the empire from burning Christians to building cathedrals. Constantine built cathedral number 1, The San Giovanni in Laterano.  Then early church councils like the Council of Toledo and the Council of Vaison (527 CE) organized the first Cathedral Schools strictly to train local priests. In 529, The First Monastic Schools form. Saint Benedict establishes the iconic monastery of Monte Cassino and orders daily divine reading for all monks. In 789, Emperor Charlemagne issues the "Admonitio Generalis", the scale up decree.

Now every monastery and cathedral must run a school to teach basic reading, writing, and grammar. Now the children of noble families could study at monastic schools. For 790 years education was by the church, for the church. Far from a science-faith divide, reason and logic grew because of faith and served the faithful. 
The first curriculum. Under Charlemagne, the church standardized a secular, "preparatory" curriculum - the Seven Liberal Arts. The same curriculum Monastic schools had taught for 100 years: Scripture, the Trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) and the Quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy). Can you imagine - scripture and logic, taught together? Cloisters were the covered walkways surrounding the Monastery's central courtyard. Trellises, vines and recitals from stone benches. The "schola" we're indoor schoolrooms near the cloisters. As we look back through the long corridors of history, schola and cloisters are the first classrooms recognizable to our 21st century eyes. 

Next Week: Justice and University

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Ladybird Book of Mearns

 

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From the 'Other' Manse

Have you ever heard of the island country of Nauru?
It’s one of the hardest countries to access in the world, given that there is only one airline that flies there. In order to get to Nauru, one needs to make their way to Brisbane, but first one must manually email the consulate and await approval to enter the country.
As we think of other hard places to get to for us in the west, our minds might think of North Korea, Eritrea, Iran amidst other countries. If someone asked us, “what is the way there?”, we’d need to be guided.

This week, with Youth, we’re looking at Jesus telling His disciples that He is “the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him” (John 14:6). He alone is the way to salvation, and the truth of how we get there.
The gospel is always a wonderfully inclusive one. Jesus speaks to young and old, the important and the outcast, prince, pauper and politician. All are invited to come to Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness. These verses are a reminder, however, of the exclusive nature of the gospel. If His words are true, and we have every reason to believe that they are, then no other religious system will give us salvation from our sins and from death.
Think about the significance of this for our Youth. As they go to school and are told to work hard, Jesus insists that our deeds will never make us good enough for God. As they go to school and are told that all religions have more in common than the have separating them, and that no one religion has a greater claim to the truth than the other, Jesus insists that faith alone, in Him alone, is what will lead to His Father’s house.

The gospel is such a radically counter-cultural message. It flies in the face of all that these young people will be hearing outside of God’s Word. Yet think of what Jesus promises to do. He is going to prepare a place for us before coming back to take us there (John 14:3). How does He do that? He dies on the cross. This is Jesus preparing the way for us to spend eternity with Him in the new creation and therefore there is no reason for the disciples’ hearts to be troubled (John 14:1).

Please pray for our Youth as we study these verses on Sunday evening, that the inclusive gospel will slice through the divisions they see around them, but that the exclusive gospel will show them their need to trust in Christ alone. 

Scott Hamilton

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!