DECEMBER 2014

G O O D N E W S F R O M I N C H B R A Y O C K A N D M E L V I L L E S O U T H K I R K S , M O N T R O S E

Inside this issue:

From the Editor 2

From the Interim

Moderator 2

The Raven Trust 3

From our Youth

Worker 4

My Christmas Delight 4

A Trip to the Holy Land 3 5

Word Puzzle 5

End of an Era 1 6

Word for Today 6

End of an Era 2 7

“Today in the town of David a

Saviour has been born to you”

2

W hen I moved to

Camarillo earlier

this year, I looked

around for a church

to attend. I had a few in mind

based on my experience during

prior visits to the town. Then, one

day I saw a sign to the “101

Church,” a new church just a few

months old that meets in a cinema

close to my home.

I decided to go there one

week and was overwhelmed

by the welcome that I received.

Numbers were small – about 30

people – but the members made up

for that in hospitality. There were

several people at the door who

greeted me as if I were an old friend

and as I sat waiting for the service

to begin everyone arriving came

and chatted to me. On my way out

of church, the pastor chased after

me to emphasise how pleased he

was to see me and hoped I would

come again.

I did. That welcome resonated

with me and I felt that it was the

right church for me in Camarillo.

This experience reminded me of

the importance of welcoming

visitors and potential new members

to church. That welcome may not

have been the only factor in my

decision but it certainly was as

important as any other.

My experience was similar when I

first attended Melville South 40

years ago and the welcome that I

received then influenced my

decision to become a member there.

Inchbrayock I have also found to be

equally friendly. Although I have

never been a member there, I have

over the years come to regard it as

unofficially my second church

home in Montrose where I can find

many good friends.

It will soon be Christmas when

we celebrate Christ’s birth and His

coming into the world. Do we

welcome Him. It is far too

easy to forget because we

are wrapped up in all the

trappings of Christmas: presents,

Santa, parties, family time. There

is nothing wrong with these things

but without Christ they are

meaningless. He wants to be in our

hearts this Christmas (and every

day) but He will not enter our

hearts unless we invite and

welcome Him. When we do that,

He will give us the perspective we

need for a meaningful and happy

Christmas.

A meaningful happy Christmas

and 2015 to you all.

FROM THE EDITOR

A Sunday School teacher asked

her class, "Does anyone here

know what we mean by sins of

omission?" A small girl

replied: "Aren't those the sins

we should have committed, but

didn't?"

Dear members and friends of

Inchbrayock and Melville South,

I have been learning a lot as I’ve

been working with you now since

July. I’ve tried to get round as

many of the list that David left me

of those of you who are

housebound or in the different

sheltered housing complexes

around Montrose. And, of course,

as you would expect there have

been the occasional funerals and

other special needs which

arise. I’ve been able too to get into

some of the regular things that go

on, and more recently I’ve been

made very welcome in Ferryden

Primary School. We just had a

special Armistice Day service there

this morning.

It has brought home to me how

many lives are in contact with the

two churches in various

ways. These are all avenues which

the Holy Spirit can use as God

reaches out in His mission of love

in our communities.

Of course, I am only too well

aware that you are missing the

ministry of David and Helen Dixon

and you are looking forward to

having a full-time minister again.

Can I say two things to you about

that?

One is to emphasise to you all

that your Kirk Sessions have been

thinking and praying about how

best the parishes can be

served. This is taking a little longer

than some of you might have

expected, but it is very important

when you are calling a new

minister to get things set up in the

most constructive and helpful way

for the future. So please be patient

and please be prayerful for all

concerned in this process.

Two is to emphasise that because

a church is vacant in the sense that

it does not have a full time minister,

it is not vacant of the presence and

power of the Lord. For my part I

will seek, with the limits of time

that I have, to minister to you in the

fullest way possible both on

Sundays and at other times, and I

want to encourage you to call on

me to help in any way that you

think that I can so that even at such

a time as this, our faith can grow

and God’s blessing be known.

During this time it is more vital

than ever that we all fulfil our

various responsibilities and support

the worship and prayer and

fellowship of the churches. You

have a loyal core of devoted office

bearers in both of the

congregations. Please give them

your fullest support.

In fellowship and service

Alastair Morrice

From the Interim Moderator

3

D VD for sa le Over 70 st i l l ima ges of D a vid & Hel en D ixon’ s

f ina l service

P hoenix P hoto Shop Ca st le P la ce

£10.00

SHOEBOXES

FOR

CHRISTMAS

Many people, particularly in Scotland, have taken

Malawi to their hearts, but few have made such a

practical difference as John and Sue Challis, founders

of the Raven Trust.

John and Sue live in Strachur on the shore of Loch

Fyne in Argyll where John was postmaster for a number

of years. A resourceful, practical and committed man,

John had a big and novel idea for helping Malawians.

Having been given the use of a barn for storage, he

invited those who had goods which could be useful in

Malawi to bring them to Strachur. Once enough goods

had been collected, he hired a ship container which was

brought to Strachur by lorry. The contents of the barn

were carefully packed into the container which was then

sealed and sent off on its long journey – by lorry to a

Scottish port, by sea to South Africa or Mozambique

and then by lorry again to Ekwedeni in northern

Malawi.

The majority of goods sent out have been for the

mission hospital in Ekwendeni. It is poorly equipped

and depends on donations, from knitted garments for

newborns to large hospital machines which are no

longer of use in Scotland. Typically, a container will

contain a variety of goods with a recent container

containing hospital beds, crutches, a physiotherapy bed,

medical supplies, educational books, bibles and Bible

reading notes among other things but perhaps the most

unusual item was a boat custom built in Macduff. It was

designed to be an ambulance boat for use on Lake

Malawi and it has proved invaluable in providing

assistance for lakeside communities whose access to

roads is very poor.

Although the container work still forms a large part of

the Raven Trust’s mission – well over £1,000,000 worth

of goods have been transported in the last few years –

the Trust carries out other vital work. It has provided

sewerage systems and water supplies, carried out

building work at hospitals and schools, established eye

clinics, helped with road construction and repairs and

started honey making projects. In addition to his

practical skills John is very persuasive and many people

have gone to Malawi on a short term basis to use their

skills e.g. in installing and servicing equipment at the

hospital.

Why write about the Raven Trust now? First to let

you know that when goods are sent out to our friends in

Northern Malawi, it’s the Trust which transports them.

Secondly because a depot has now been opened in

Dundee making use of the Trust’s transport by groups

in the north east of Scotland much more feasible. And

lastly to promote the Trust as a very worthy cause for

financial support. Everything that is done is done in the

faith that the funds necessary will be provided. At

present the Dundee depot is full to overflowing, waiting

for the £10,000+ necessary to send the container. It will

come. It always does!

Thank you to everyone who has helped in any way this year.

From Melville South we have been able to send 26 boxes and

£57.50 to help with transport.

The Raven Trust – now in Dundee

4

After a fun summer of holiday clubs we are into a

really busy time with the young people of Montrose.

I have visited both Ferryden and Rosemount primary

schools and am about to start working with the Prefects

in Montrose Academy. There are lots of exciting things

happening in the schools and I am looking forward to

being a part of all the activity.

On 1st November we were privileged to be a venue

for the "Battle for your Soul" tour. This is a tour with

the Christian rock band "Superhero" who hail from

Glasgow and have toured Eastern Europe earlier this

year. They were supported by the Californian band

"Safe Haven" who feature in the newly released film

"God’s not Dead". This was Safe Haven's first trip to

Scotland and they had stopped off at Stirling Castle

before arriving in Montrose where they took a huge

amount of photos and couldn't believe they were

playing in a town with so much history.

The band arrived about 2.30pm with two vans full of

equipment. Once they had set up and had some food

(kindly donated by members of the various

congregations) it was time for a sound check. I would

be very surprised if many of you didn't hear this in

Ferryden. It was loud!!!

The concert began at 7.30 with a number of people of

varying ages in the audience. The bands played an

amazing concert which involved many members of the

audience taking part and the atmosphere was great.

Both bands commented on how encouraged they were

by the people who had attended and especially the

young people, many of whom were members of the 10

10 club.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody

who played a part in the concert and made it such a

good, fun night. Looking forward to the next event!

Photos:

Left: Emma Duncan, our Youth Worker

Right: Superhero in concert

From Our Youth Worker

8 oz chocolate biscuit crumbs

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 oz butter, melted

1 (10 ounce) package frozen

raspberries

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cornflour

118 ml water

1 lb white chocolate chips

118 ml single cream

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

4 oz white sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, mix together biscuit crumbs, 3

tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into

the bottom of a 9 inch pan.

2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons

sugar, cornflour, and water. Bring to boil, and continue

boiling 5 minutes, or until

sauce is thick. Strain sauce to

remove seeds.

3. Preheat oven to 325

degrees F (165 degrees C). In

a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white

chocolate chips with cream, stirring occasionally until

smooth.

4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and sugar

until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla

and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over

crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter.

Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again

spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl

batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect. 5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool,

cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours

before removing from pan. Serve with remaining

raspberry sauce.

My Christmas Delight White chocolate raspberry

cheesecake

5

W e arrived at the small Abu Jubran

Lutheran Guest House in Bethlehem on

2nd April and left three nights later.

Settled into our rooms, we headed out

and walked to Manger Square. Disappointingly,

Manger Square is a tarred over car park with shops and

restaurants around it. However, across the busy road is

the Church of the Nativity. It was early in the evening

and we decided on a visit before our evening meal.

Very few people were in the church and it was peaceful

(apart from some noisy workmen up in the roof on

restoration work). We found the "cave" where Jesus

was born and the manger where Mary laid him as a

newborn baby. It was a very moving experience and

we were so appreciative that we could be here when it

was so quiet and peaceful. Certainly another visit

would be made.

Several visits were made to the Church of the Nativity

- during the daytime it was so crowded with groups that

the queue to visit the "cave" stretched almost to the

main door. However, we were able to visit in the

evening when it was really quiet and we found it to be a

spiritually moving place.

We went to visit the Shepherds' Fields and the little

church there. It was quite a hilly drive. Looking from

this location across to Bethlehem it is not hard to see

how the star must have stood out against the coal black

sky above the stable in Bethlehem.

A Trip to the Holy Land

Part 3

Bethlehem

As Christmas approaches the five

travellers to Palestine and Israel cast

their minds back to their visit there

last April.

d h e r m m e s h g

p n a m l a e e n h

h s a a o e r r h h

j e m n e o d y p r

e b h g d o n k e y

s d r e h p e h s m

u e h r d s d l o g

s e a y r o e n j y

e o r h u h s e k s

d m l s s l h e e r

Can you find the 10 Christmas words?

Children's Letters to God Dear God, If you watch in church on Sunday, I will show you my new shoes. Mickey D.

6

Wise Men still seek Him That they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they

might...find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.' Acts 17:27 NKJV

When Jesus was born, the biggest issue of the day was wanting lower

taxes and a different government. Sound familiar? In Jerusalem, the

capital, we read, 'When Herod the King heard [about Jesus], he was

troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.' (Matthew 2:3 NKJV) As a result,

he committed one of history's greatest atrocities by killing every Jewish baby boy under the age of two, in order to

get at Jesus. And today Jesus still forces a reaction in the hearts of men and women! That's why some people want to

take Him out of the classroom, the courtroom and government. The forces of darkness are set on a course of trying

to remove His name, His influence and His authority from all public life. Why? Because when you do away with

God, there's no higher power than yourself, so you get to play God! Lenin, the father of Russian Communism,

reputedly said of Christ, 'His kingdom is invisible, His rule is in the hearts of men, so He can't be tolerated.' As a

result, over 20 million people died during the Russian revolution in an attempt to build an atheistic state. But

fighting God is futile; it's a battle you can't win, because ultimately '...every knee shall bow... and every tongue

confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.' (Philippians 2:10-11 NIV) Every prophecy concerning Christ's first coming was

fulfilled to the letter, and every prophecy concerning His second coming will be too. So if you want to meet Him in

peace, surrender your life to Him today and accept Him as your Saviour.

In 1974, a New Zealand

missionary called Peter McNee was

working in Bangladesh. As part of

his ministry, looking for a way to

help desperately poor women in

Bangladesh by finding markets for

the jute handicrafts they were

making. Peter contacted Tearfund

and spoke to Ian who then spoke to

Richard. The result? An order was

placed for £1000 of goods and mail

order leaflets listing 11 items were

produced.

As a young organisation,

Tearfund was always looking for

new opportunities to improve

conditions for the poor and this

seemed a good idea to follow up.

Soon afterwards, a very surprised

and delighted Peter received a call

from Tearfund. A plane carrying a

load of milk and basic medical

supplies was due to be flown out to

Bangladesh in two weeks time.

Could he fill the empty plane with

handicrafts on the return flight?

Peter contacted delighted producers

and by the time the plane arrived,

enough goods had been collected to

fill it. That planeload of jute

handicrafts was the beginning of

Tearcraft, one of the first

organisations to sell fairly traded

goods.

Since then, Tearcraft (now known

as Created) has brought help and

hope to thousands of craft workers

in poor communities around the

world. By providing markets for

their goods, Tearfund has supported

many communities by training

thousands of artisans and helping

them to establish businesses which

have helped them towards self

sufficiency and given them the

chance of a decent life.

As one of the pioneers of fair

trade, Tearcraft has had the

satisfaction of seeing many other

fair trading organisations spring up.

This has given those groups which

currently supply the goods Created

sells in this country with other

markets, some worldwide. High

street stores are now selling fairly

traded goods and with the

economies of scale available to

them, competition on prices is

increasing. Considering these

trends, Tearfund had to make a

difficult decision. While Created

has aimed to break even yearly, and

has done so, future prospects were

not so encouraging. To continue in

the same way would have run the

risk of not breaking even in future,

and so it was decided that Tearcraft/

Created should be closed down in

an orderly fashion after this season.

Its 40th anniversary was marked

with a service in London, very

appropriately, a service of

thanksgiving.

Photo: Handicrafts being made in

India for Created

This appeared recently in “The Word for Today” . Word for Today notes are produced by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) and can be received, free of charge, from PO Box 255, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY (Tel: 01782 642000; email: u c b @ u c b . c o . u k o r v i s i t www.ucb.co.uk)

End of an Era 1

In the early 70s, two college friends, Ian

Prior and Richard Adams, were each trying

to make an impact on the lives of the poor in

the developing world. Ian was working for

Tearfund while Richard was trying to

establish a company to import fairly traded

goods from the developing world.

7

At the start, another rep helped

me, supplying me with goods as

samples for the first Open Days.

But when she gave up to have a

fourth baby, I was on my own.

Each year the activity has been

concentrated in the period from

September to December with the

main event being an Open Day in

October during school holidays. At

the beginning, the Open Day was

held in the family home, first in

Redfield Road and later in High

Croft, as many of you will

remember. Coffees and teas were

served in the lounge, goods were on

display in the dining room, with our

children and their friends helping

and sometimes baking for their own

little stall for Tearfund. About 12

years ago, the Open Day moved to

Inchbrayock Church hall. With that

move, it has grown and grown. In

the last few years the average

attendance has been about 150, with

people coming from all over Angus.

In addition to the Open Day,

there has been an annual coffee

morning and sale organised by

friends in Westhill, various other

sales all over the county, numerous

outings to give talks to interested

groups, the preparation and

distribution of boxes of goods to

those interested in selling in homes,

churches and schools and the

distribution and servicing of lots of

catalogues. Latterly with the

increased interest in fair trade, the

work has extended to include Fair

Trade fortnight.

The announcement of Created

closing down at the start of the year

gave rise to mixed emotions. There

was inevitably sadness, reinforced

by many comments expressing

regret at the last Open Day. But

there was also a measure of relief.

The boxes didn't seem to be getting

any lighter and keeping up with the

demands was getting more

challenging. The question I was

asking was 'how long can I keep

doing this?' Now that the question

has been answered, I can look back

with gratitude not just for 31/32

very successful and rewarding years

of selling on behalf of all our

producer groups, but also for all the

help given by so many friends –

those closely involved whose help

at the Open Days has been essential

(with a special mention to Evelyn

Annandale for the Herculean task of

organising the Open Day catering),

those who came and purchased,

took boxes of goods to sell, sent in

orders, introduced the work to

friends and family and promoted the

work in other ways. And of course,

I am indebted to Alan for his

patience, help and encouragement

throughout. Our visit in 2012 along

with other reps, to meet some of our

producer groups in Sri Lanka and

India helped us to realise at first

hand the difference Created’s work

had made. It was a real highlight.

It has been a big and very

successful team effort which has

made a difference to many lives.

The season is not over yet, so till

then . . . keep buying and thank you.

Edith Fraser

Photo: The last Open Day

End of an era 2

In the early 80s, just after coming to

Montrose, I found that the Tearcraft rep in

the town was leaving. I was very drawn to

this organisation, which was trying to help

people with skills but no markets, to earn a

living while being given good and fair

working conditions and I decided to take on

the role.

Many thanks to Melville South for providing a welcoming haven for

those who come along to the lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12

noon to 1.30pm - and also very many thanks to the volunteers from all the

different churches who make the service possible, supporting it in many

different ways.

One of our new clients was heard to say that not only had he enjoyed the

soup on offer, but also the welcome and encouragement he had been given

when he was feeling at a particularly low ebb. So, if we were in any doubt

about whether the service was needed, a comment like that - made to a

third party, outside church premises - reminds us that to show the love of

God in action can have an effect beyond our realising.

If anyone wishes to offer to help, please contact Elizabeth Anderson

(672029) - and if you know of anyone who could benefit from a plate of

soup and a bit of support, please pass the word on!

Oasis Soup Lunches Inchbrayock

Cafe

Inchbrayock

Church Hall

Fridays

2 to 4 pm

All welcome

Dorcas Refuge House for Women

Victims of Domestic Violence

This year, the focus of our stamp appeal is Dorcas, a brand

new Refuge House for Women Victims of Domestic Violence

and their children in Milotopos, northern Greece run by the

Greek Evangelical Church (GEC).

The GEC responded to requests from women seeking refuge

from violent partners by buying a house in 2012, which they

fully renovated. Now finished, the house will provide a safe

haven for women who have suffered domestic violence and their

children, such as its first ‘tenant’, a young woman and her new-

born baby who moved in this spring.

Money raised from the stamp project will go towards the

running costs of the house, as the GEC will never ask the

women for any money, as they are in financial need themselves.

You can help provide these women and their children with a safe

place to call home by collecting your used stamps which are sold

to make money.

Useful Contacts Interim Moderator/

Locum Rev. Alastair Morrice ambishkek@swissmail.org or 1575 574102

Editor Mr Ian Davidson Email:mail@idavidson.co.uk

INCHBRAYOCK:

Session Clerk Mr James Kellas 20 Graham Crescent, Montrose

Clerk to the Board Mrs. Joyce Lowe 15 Inchbrayock Road, Ferryden, Montrose

Treasurer Mr Allan Duncan Balgove House, Craig, By Montrose

MELVILLE SOUTH:

Session Clerk Mr Roy Nelson 26 Provost Mitchell Road, Montrose Tel: 672873

Church Administrator Mrs Tessa Shearer 100 Castle Street, Montrose

Clerk to the Board Mrs Rosemary Inglis West Lodge, House of Dun, by Montrose

Treasurer Mrs LesleyAnn Paterson 40 Grampian View, Ferryden, Montrose

Bridge is the official publication of Inchbrayock Parish Church of Scotland (SCOO9017)and Montrose Melville

South Church of Scotland (SCOO9016), both charities registered in Scotland .

Used stamps needed

Please collect your used stamps and place them in the bin in either church entrance.

These are sorted and sold, the money raised helping the World Mission Council to support a safe haven in Greece for women, and their children, who have suffered domestic violence.

Deadline for contributions for next issue

8TH FEBRUARY 2015

Contributions to either the Editor

or Alan Fraser, Inchbrayock Co-ordinator.

The DEADLINE date must mean exactly that, with all articles and pictures submitted on or before

that date.

Rosemary and I will be married in Melville

South on 14th February 2015.

We want all our friends to join us in the

celebration of our marriage and to join us

in the hall after the ceremony for refreshments. Please come!

Roy Nelson