KIRK MATTERS - Amazon S3 · 2015-12-09 · KIRK MATTERS CLEISH PARISH NEWSLETTER WINTER 2015 When icicles hang by the wall. And Dick the shepherd blows his nail. William Shakespeare

KIRK MATTERS

CLEISH PARISH NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2015

When icicles hang by the wall. And Dick the shepherd blows his nail.

William Shakespeare –Love’s Labour’s Lost

FROM OUR MINISTER

Dear Friends.

As I write this letter Christmas seems to be just around the corner, seven weeks still to go, yet, I know those days will

just fly past because there are so many exciting things happening during that time. There’s lots of information about

forth coming events in this newsletter and dates for your diary too. I do hope that you will be able to come along and

enjoy all the events that are planned. Remember among all your celebrations and buying of gifts that “the greatest [gift]

of all, is, God with us.” (John Wesley) The greatest present of Christmas is God’s presence. “They shall call his name

Emmanuel, which translated means, ‘God with us’.” (Mt 1:23)

The only person in history who was able to choose where to be born chose a humble stable. He came in a humble way

to bring God’s love to all and the Magi, anxious to bring their gifts found him there in a manger and worshipped him as

the King of Kings. They brought their gifts of gold, myrrh and Frankincense but none of these were the greatest gift

they brought. The greatest gift they brought was their devotion; their willingness to endure whatever it took and to look

as long as it took to find what God had promised them through the sign of the star. Their physical gifts paled in

comparison to their gift of devotion and love. It is this reciprocal giving and loving that lie at the heart of Christmas.

“Christmas is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas” (Dale Evans). As we approach

the manger this Christmas-time let us do so with the love and devotion of the Magi and let that love and devotion flow

over into all we say and do and so may we bring the love of God to all whom we meet.

I hope and pray that you all have a loving, peaceful and joyous Christmas time and that 2016 is full of all God’s

blessings.

Rev Lis

NOTES FROM THE SESSION CLERK

Since the last edition, the Kirk Session has been busy with various meetings and training courses. In August, jointly

with members of Fossoway Session, we underwent a Safeguarding training event, led by the Presbytery Safeguarding

officer.

Several meetings have been held in recent months to address ‘Future Focus’, the plans for our Church for the future and

these were led initially by an external facilitator, to ensure that the meetings were productive and structured. This is

ongoing at present, with the most recent meeting held on 27 October, to progress the suggestions which had been made

in earlier meetings.

What used to be a Five Yearly Visit, where a team was sent from Perth Presbytery to examine everything about our

congregation, the buildings, our finances, how we conduct worship, etc. has now been replaced with a three year review

to be known as the ‘Local Church Review’. The Session has been issued with the relevant papers and at a recent

meeting, the various sections of the report which has to be submitted to Presbytery prior to their visit in the Spring of

2016, were examined. The next task is to complete the many sections of the report for approval by the Session before

its submission to Perth.

There is a grouping of the Kinross-shire Churches of Scotland, (not to be confused with the Kinross-shire Churches

Together, which involves more than the Churches of Scotland), and this grouping has been holding monthly evening

services entitled “Digging Deeper” where one book of the Bible is studied in depth. The services include hymns and

prayers together with several readings from the book being reviewed and are very informal and informative. The

services are held in a different church each month and the readers are volunteers from each of the churches.

Another group which is in its infancy yet, is the Kinross-shire Youth Enterprise initiative, known as KYTHE. Members

of each of the churches are the Trustees of the initiative, whose aim is to promote activities for the social, recreational,

physical and spiritual benefit of young people in Kinross-shire and surrounding areas. This will be achieved by

encouraging young people to gain greater understanding of their collective and individual responsibilities of service to

their communities through participation in voluntary activities, often in partnership with other local and charitable

organisations, all within a framework of faith and service to others. More details are contained in a separate article,

elsewhere in this Newsletter.

The Legal Department in George Street has issued instructions regarding Data Protection and the way in which personal

data is recorded and stored by each congregation. In the case of Cleish Church, the information is kept in the form of

the Congregational Roll which shows simply names of members and adherents, together with postal addresses and, in

most cases, telephone numbers. The Roll is kept solely for Church use and will not be made available to third parties.

If anyone should object to this information being held, they are asked to contact the Session Clerk without delay.

Neil Maclure

Session Clerk

THE EDITOR'S VIEW

The English language is a rich and vibrant treasure chest with which we may express ourselves. Over the centuries, the

great poets, authors and orators have entranced, informed, persuaded and even frightened us with their adroit use of the

right words. Like all languages, it has grown and developed and adapted both to and by the society in which it is used.

And yet, on an almost daily basis, we mistreat, misuse and generally mangle it. We sprinkle phrases such as, “you

know” and “I’m like” over our conversation while we search for, or worse, ignore the appropriate words. We use words

such as “incredible” and “amazing” as poor and inaccurate substitutes for excellence, excitement, disapproval or

pleasure.

Enough already. But there is one word that interests me, because it carries with it a wide range of meaning, together

with a potential for mistaken assumptions about what it is really saying to us.

That word is “Community.” We refer to the village community, the Church community, the Muslim community, the

scientific community, the business community, the black, white, Chinese, immigrant community. The list is endless.

But what is this community? What does it mean? The Oxford Concise English Dictionary gives a range of meaning;

“all the people living in a specific locality; a body of people having a religion, profession, etc in common; a fellowship

of interests.” Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why we gather in our church on Sundays; why we enjoy Parish

lunches, fêtes, musical events. Community.

My worry is that the word sometimes carries with it an implication of exclusivity, of specialness, like an estate agent’s

label for a certain “desirable” part of town. We belong to the such and such an “exclusive” community; members only,

not you. Outsiders keep away! I know of one couple who were described as “not a part of the community” because

their address was outwith a Parish boundary even though they travelled into the Parish to attend church on Sundays.

No mention of any of that in the Dictionary, nor, more importantly, in the teaching of Christ.

So, gentle reader, are we looking outwards from our community, be it church or village or any other, in order to make it

more inclusive, more welcoming? Or is our gaze, as it were, focussed entirely inwards? As David Cameron didn’t say;

“Hug an outsider today.” Just a thought.

This will be my 13th edition as Editor of your Newsletter. If I have any complaint, it is this small gripe. I know of only

three people, in or outwith the Parish boundary, who over five years have offered a single opinion, comment, criticism,

or even praise of Kirk Matters. I am told that this apparent indifference is quite normal and I should put up with it.

I am not, repeat not, seeking shrieks of approval; hordes of folk pushing through the crowd to pat me on the back. Just

a few more than those three giving me some feedback, good or bad, which I can then pass on to the faithful folk who

actually sit down and write for the Newsletter. They are sadly far too few in number.

In my first Editorial, in Summer 2010, I wrote:

This is your Newsletter. If you like it, or if you have ideas for its improvement, then do please let me know. If there is

something you want to say and you want the Parish to hear your voice, then write to me and I will publish it. I will

protect your privacy if you wish, by withholding your name from the Newsletter, but I will not print anonymous letters.

So, what about it folks?

Andrew Whitehead

THE REIDS’ ROWAN TREE

Once the tree planting season had arrived, the family joined me to plant, (with the permission of our Kirk Session) a

Rowan tree in the garden at the foot of the steps up from the road to Cleish Church. Judith came from Cumbria, Lorna

from Devon and Peter from Shetland.

During the morning of 16th October we planted the rather spindly young

tree, while Peter’s wife, Ritva, snapped off a great collection of

action photographs. We’ve stipulated that the tree should have

red berries; not orange or yellow! But that wont happen for a year or

two. Then, in the afternoon we were joined by Bert Ironside, who had

been our nearest neighbour when we lived in the Manse, as well as by

Willie Black, (who had been Fossoway’s Session Clerk when

David was the Minister and his wife Eileen. We dedicated our wee tree

to David’s memory by sharing a moment of quiet while we each

remembered him in our own way. L to R: Lorna, Judith, Peter, Isobel

As I write this the leaves are turning a glorious rich red. David loved the colours of Autumn.

Isobel Reid

TRAIDCRAFT

In the August edition of Life and Work there is a letter from Traidcraft, with the worrying news that while we see

encouraging signs of increased numbers of Fairtrade goods being stocked in our supermarkets, Traidcraft itself has been

running at a loss for the last 4 years. The sad fact is, that unless the church members throughout the country make a

concerted effort to buy Traidcraft goods directly from Traidcraft, rather than through shops, it will be unable to remain

in business.

Traidcraft is a charity, which is able to support the poorest farmers, who would not be able to deal with the large

supermarkets and Traidcraft has also been at the forefront of new initiatives such as the first fairly traded palm oil

which is in the new cleaning range Clean & Fair.

Traidcraft are asking us to do the following:

Have a regular stall and make orders from the catalogue

Serve Traidcraft tea and coffee at church and church events

For individuals and the church management to consider buying as many items as possible from Traidcraft

e.g. toilet rolls, handwash, washing up liquid

This message also comes with appreciation for all the sales and support which the members of the church have already

given to Traidcraft, over the last few years and a plea for increased support in order to help Traidcraft balance the books

and be able to continue in their support of producers throughout the world who depend on them, and all of us!

Karena Jarvie & Isobel Watt

(Traidcraft Team Kinross Parish Church)

Editor’s Note. Karena sent me this post card, which

gives a good idea of the extent and nature of Traidcraft’s

progress since their foundation 36 years ago.

WHEN THE SEA IS ROUGH, MEND YOUR SAILS

Sometimes nothing seems to be working. You’re between jobs; you’re in a relationship desert; you’re trying to get

projects off the ground but nobody is returning your calls; you should be training for a marathon but you’ve turned

your ankle; you’re longing to move home but deals keep falling through; you’ve reached the stage where you’d even

give up and go with the flow if you could but there is no flow.

Sometimes life is just like that. If, when you look clearly at the situation, you seem to be making the right moves but

the world is not responding, it may be time to take the desperation out of your voice and eyes and respond to the deeper

rhythm of events. You may have entered a period of winter; but winter isn’t terminal, it isn’t death. It’s simply a time

to hibernate; to turn your energy inwards and do all your growing underground.

Westernised culture doesn’t support hibernation. People lead 24-hour lives where nothing ever sleeps. TV, radio,

transport, light, heat, the Internet, all keep going like a funfair. Nothing switches off any more and life is full-on, or

appears to be, so when it goes quiet for us, it seems like a violation of the natural order, but it isn’t.

Outside the industrialised, computerised world, whether you go back in time or sideways into different cultures, people

understand the slower rhythms of life better than we do.

“To everything there is a season…” says the Bible. Gardeners know it. Fishermen know it. Sailors, farmers and

nomads know it. If you look closely at your own life, you can see it too. The rhythm changes.

Sometimes things flourish, events pile up. Sometimes life feels as though it has gone into slow motion, even stopped.

I’ve found that the way to survive is to continue working but reduce your activity and greatly reduce your expectations.

At times like these, it never works to force anything.

When the sea is rough, mend your sails. When the ground is frozen live off your harvest. When you can’t take your

herds to the pastures, give them hay and stay by the fire to weave your rugs or mend your tents.

Assuming you are not a fisherman or a nomad, there are plenty of things you can do in times of hibernation. These are

times for editing your possessions, harvesting your resources, evaluating your progress, learning new skills, cultivating

new friendships, catching up on reading or sleeping, caring for your body, going deep within and reconnecting with

your dreams.

There may be lessons to be learned and now you have to learn. Your maps may need to be redrawn and now you have

time to redraw them, knowing all the time that the season and the energy will shift.

As spring follows winter, times of inactivity are usually followed by periods where your feet don’t touch the ground. A

season out in the wilderness, which can happen to the most gifted, famous and celebrated people, can quickly become a

call back into the marketplace. And when the time comes, you’ll be prepared because one thing you do in periods of

inactivity is keep faith in yourself, your abilities and your dreams. You keep preparing, so when the change comes, as it

always does, you are ready to respond.

So when the signs of winter come around, you can recognise them and greet them without fear.

[From: Everything I’ve Ever Done that Worked - Lesley Garner]

Discovered by: Sheila Paterson

A Petrol Scented Spring Ajay Close

Did you know that suffragettes were incarcerated in the high security Perth prison? The prison doctor Hugh Ferguson

Watson also undertook the force feeding of the women imprisoned there.

I pass the buildings of the prison often and was unaware of the battle for women’s suffrage that took place within its

walls in the environs and its horrors.

Then Hugh joined the ranks of the ‘upper crust’ in society marrying Donella who had been presented at court, one of the

well-placed girls looking for a suitable husband. Hugh, a man brought up in the shadow of the Reformed Kirk bowing

the knee at the High Anglican alter as he gained a place in Society. Does this have a deeper meaning or is just what

happens?

The story is wound round events that really did happen with the people who really did exist. Ajay had undertaken a lot

of detailed research through records and spoken with the family. She weaves a tale round the things that happened to

create a powerful story which drags in the reader.

The very first words catch the imagination; picturing a busy London but not all of it. Inside the genteel walls of the

stylish town house is a peaceful, organised family where a butler brings in the post yet only a few feet away is the noisy,

bustling, grimy London of the ordinary people on the street. Go through a heavy front door and your world changes one

way or the other. But this picture reflects the two sides of life. The unchanging safe old world clashes with the

demands for ‘Votes for Women’. The girls of the family witness the assault by suffragettes on the shops of Kensington

High Street. Shock horror or delight?

Back in Scotland a hatchet is put through a portrait of the King in the Royal Academy by a protestor. What should be

done with these women? Women in prison for a few days refused to eat and on being released could shout about it in

their meetings. Then Arabella Scott, an educated, convicted suffragette is force fed in Perth prison by the prison doctor,

one of few who was willing to undertake this task. She has a number of arrests to her name. They are harrowing

descriptions which revolt the senses and appal but show an author who can create a picture of fear and misery within

sweaty, grey walls and the apparent indifference of the wardresses.

Intriguing is the relationship between Arabella and her captor, Dr Hugh, then his wife to be, Donella.

This is a well woven story with a dark humour also. The women singing outside Perth Prison in support of Arabella

was more than courageous as the local roughs threw rotten vegetables at them. If a polis was hit then that was a bonus

and did the roughs care about ‘Votes for Women’?

There is so much in ‘A Petrol Scented Spring’. It is a powerful, exciting story that should tell us much about what may

be an unknown legacy. I can only mirror Fay Weldon in saying that ‘A J Close is brilliant’ and she has ‘an eye for

dreadful detail,’ but the story is harrowing yet with a humour that is dark and full of pathos.

This really is a book to read for its history, which must be better known, but also its interactions of people and classes in

Edwardian times. Names and styles may change but so much of our human interactions do not.

PS When Ajay gave me a copy of the book she wrote in it ‘enjoy’. Well yes I did, but I must think carefully about what

this means. This is a brilliant book.

‘A Petrol Scented Spring’ Ajay Close Sandstone Press ISBN 978 910124 61 1 £8.99

Brian Ogilvie

The following comes from the Cleish School pupils:

Our first two terms have been jam-packed and full of fun learning. P1-3 children have had fun learning about Cleish.

They made maps of Cleish which were made using Google Maps. One thing they have enjoyed very much was learning

French and can now have a basic conversation!

P4-6 learned lots and lots about the human body. They made paper skeletons and labels with information about bones.

They created and presented PowerPoints about a system in the human body. Primary 4-6 were also lucky enough to see

a 3D scan of a human body as well as having Body Works in to talk about the digestive system. They had lots of fun

watching an edible camera travelling through a human’s digestive system.

P6-7 have learned tonnes about the rainforest and living there. As a way to display their learning they created short

plays based on life in the rainforest. They were filled with useful information as well as fictional scenes. They found

the major differences between tropical forests and temperate forests such as climates and plant adaptations.

In October, we had an end of term assembly in the church which Mr Ogilvie came to. Each class shared their learning

with parents and families. We will be having another assembly at Christmas time where we will be singing carols and

telling the Christmas story.

Christmas is fast approaching and there will be lots happening in school during December. Along with some parents,

we are organising a Christmas Craft Fayre on Wednesday 16th December, from 6-8.30pm. This is to help raise

funds for the School. It is hoped that this will become an annual event which brings the school and community together

in sharing a magical, festive atmosphere. There will be a wide selection of stalls featuring local, talented crafts people

and traders as well as things that we have made ourselves. We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible

at our first Christmas Fayre in Cleish Village Hall.

By the Cleish Primary Communications Committee

The following, sent in by Tricia Cochrane, will be appearing in Church Newsletters around the County.

(Editor)

KYTHE

Kinross-shire Youth Enterprise

Charitable Status: SCIO 45043

HISTORY

The Kinross-shire Youth Enterprise is a newly formed charity, set up by the Churches of Scotland in the old County of

Kinross-shire with a vision to engage with, encourage and support young people living in the area (primarily 11-17 year

olds). Discussions for the project began in the Autumn of 2013 and the Charity was registered in August 2014.

Although the initial set-up has been initiated by the Churches of Scotland in the area, it is intended to invite other local

churches in the area to join the charity by nominating a Trustee to the Board.

VISION

A great deal of the initial encouragement received by the Trustees came from one of our Ministers, Rev Dr Angus

Morrison of Orwell and Portmoak Parish Church and a Charity in Oban called ‘Hope to Oban’ or H2O. H2O have been

running for 9 years and are reaching the community there by very imaginative and effective means. At the present time

they employ three youth workers who are based mainly in Oban High School. We seek to base much of our work on

this model, learning from their experience whilst remaining open to God’s direction and will for this work with the

young people of Kinross. Our intention is to employ a Christian Youth Worker to visit the school two or three days per

week to make connections with pupils and build relationships by means of interesting events and groupings.

We are presently seeking to capture the vision we share in an imaginative Vision Statement. This is still a work in

progress but at present we are using the following:

get alongside teenagers living in Kinross-shire, gain their trust and build lasting, supportive relationships

encourage and enable the young people to grow in confidence and to make positive, informed choices, helping

them to cope with the increasing responsibilities and challenges of life

work in complementary partnership with other youth-focused organisations in the area

FUNDING

At the time of the initial discussions, each of the churches were asked to contribute £250 to cover the initial set-up costs.

Subsequently the churches, with the support of the Presbytery of Perth, granted £2,500 each towards the costs of the

Youth Worker and associated costs. The rest of the funding is being sourced from a number of charities.

PREPARATIONS

Early in the setting up process we approached Mr Richard Keatings, the then Head Teacher of Kinross High School,

where most of the Secondary aged pupils living in the area attend. He was very receptive and encouraging, ensuring us

that ‘we were pushing at an open door’. The new Head Teacher, Mrs Sarah Brown will be supportive of the post.

PLANS

The key to the Kinross-shire Youth Worker is be based on conversations with pupils, staff, and our Trustees and

Management / Action Group. We look to develop the programme of activities with the vision we have identified, also

keeping in mind the feedback from our intended client group.

TRUSTEES

Janet Harper, Convenor

Euan MacLeod, Secretary

Allan Dearing, Treasurer

Ewan Cathcart

Tricia Cochrane

Margaret-Elspeth Harman

Tom Mechan

Jaffrey Weir

PIGS PART TWO

Pigs are wholly uneconomical unless they are bred from. Cue our next Great Learning Experience at Meadowhead. CC

found a pedigree Tamworth boar whose owners would transport him to us, if we would return him once his chivalrous

deeds were done. What a magnificent animal he was! Huge - twice the size of our dear little maidens, who had been

growing apace in their happy land of trees and bracken.

He was also a natural poseur. He knew I was impressed, and when I

brought the camera, he posed, flank to the sunlight, head up, displaying his

natural magnificence, regal colouring and dispositional hauteur! As soon as

I had taken the picture - it was a perfect shot - he gave a satisfied grunt

and returned to attend to his sows. An unforgettable encounter.

Piglets are utterly charming, totally inquisitive, intensely experimental and infuriatingly elusive. In the open they are

impossible to catch, for with tiny neurological circuits and tight muscles, their reflexes are much quicker than those of a

middle aged human, or even a young one. Sows are very protective; and as an older, less domesticated breed,

Tamworths have an attractive degree of independence and resourcefulness. We put together a fine outdoor shelter for

them made of old corrugated iron, railway sleepers and reused marine ply - more of a fortification, really. It looked like

an Eeyore house and we filled it with fresh straw. Lovely and cosy. And it was soon full of little piglets - with a safety

barrier, so they could escape being crushed when mum took a nap.

Piglets need lots of extra food if a large litter is to survive. Mum's milk is great to begin with, but as they grow very

fast, extra food is vital. And of course Mum wants it too. So we had a regular open air performance with gates and

barriers and foodie distractions to ensure both piglets and their mothers got their correct food. All this worked well in

the fine days of summer and autumn. Rain changed things significantly. The pigs dug up all vegetation around their

lodgings. We were soon dealing with our own special re-enactment of the Somme. The pigs took everything in their

stride, but we found ourselves sinking in mud and sliding about - all too close to that powerful electric fence.

So after a couple of seasons the Great Bracken Experiment came to an end, to be followed by the Rushes Experiment, to

finally settle in an electrically fenced extension of the farmyard. This brought the pigs closer to home and reduced the

work of feed carrying significantly.

It is a legal necessity to tattoo piglets with their holding and herd number. A hellish activity that entertains any onlooker

to an equally opposite degree. Squealing, wriggling bodies have to be held long enough for their ears to be perforated

with the tattooing device. I found it essential to grip their muzzles, for the more they screamed the more they frightened

themselves, and all around them!

Once tattooed they can be sold, with the prospect of some financial return for all the effort around their origination and

upbringing. Hardly a commercial return in our case, but a little was better than nowt.

The day we sold a pair of weaners proved memorable. The purchasers arrived in a people carrier with an open potato

crate in the back. The technique to carry weaners is to pop them into a hessian sack; inside, unable to run or see very

much, the animal calms. So, once chosen, the little darlings were taken in the sacks and duly released into the big box.

Will they get out? Oh, no I don't think so. OK, let’s go in, have a cuppa and do the paper work. Fine!

We were at the kitchen table when the horn sounded.

Out we went to discover …..

The hazard lights flashing......

And the windscreen wipers wiping .....

Frightened Piggies bouncing on messy front seats, desperately seeking an exit …..

Doors locked .....

Keys in the dash.....

It took quite a while for someone to arrive with spare keys.....

David Adams

IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, JULY 2015

In my Grandfather’s study hangs a framed map of the Falkland Islands, with annotations and pictures pointing to some

locations. Growing up, I often found myself studying the map, wondering what stories lay behind the annotations. I

certainly never envisioned travelling to the Falklands, 8,000 miles away, to find out for myself. Nevertheless, I was

delighted to discover that that’s exactly what I would be doing, grasping a rare chance to follow in my grandfather’s

footsteps, in the winter months of a remote archipelago at the bottom of the earth. Not many 16 year olds can say that!

Arriving in mid-July, it felt at first as if I had never left Scotland. It was cold, wet and windy, with round, rocky peaks

and boggy ground everywhere - much like the Highlands and Islands. In the company of an ex-marine who had settled

in the Islands, we were in good hands, learning much about the history of the islands and the conflict. Travelling over

80 miles from our base in the capital, Stanley to the far side of the East Island to Port San Carlos, where 45 Commando

landed, I understood that the Islands were nothing like I had imagined - a huge, sprawling land mass of mountainous

terrain, complete with near Antarctic winter conditions. It was relentless out there. Having been out on the ankle-

breaking terrain that the marines “yomped” across in ‘82, carrying 100 pounds of equipment on their backs, I only now

start to appreciate what was achieved to liberate the islands.

Only 3,000 people live on the islands, but they remember. The people are just as, if not more proud to be British than

back in the UK. Union Jacks adorn many houses and shops, almost all souvenirs are coated with national slogans (I

picked up a “Keep calm and keep the Falklands British” mug) and veterans are honoured with countless beautiful

memorials across the islands. The Falklanders may be few in numbers, but they will never forget the sacrifice made to

save their islands.

The trip was a fascinating but emotional one, with a visit to the graves of the men who were laid to rest there, and a

haunting march up a foggy Two Sisters, the mountain that my Grandfather and 45 commando assaulted on their yomp

to Stanley. Visiting the Falklands helped me understand the importance of a conflict that is often overlooked, cast into

the shadow of the great wars of the 20th century. Yet on Remembrance Sunday, I will not forget the 258 Brits who lost

their lives protecting our islands in 1982.

Adam Loudon

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

From:- John and Tricia Getley

36 New Road

Milnathort

Kinross

KY13 9XT

Tel: 01577 862682

Dear Andrew,

We are moving on after 35 years with Cleish Church. We’ve enjoyed the wise guidance of five Ministers, each with a

unique skill upon which to build our lives.

We are extremely grateful for the warmth of friendship and support that we’ve had from so many of the congregation.

With David Reid’s inspiration, and Charlie and Gwen’s support, we formed a youth group and much enjoyed getting to

know the youngsters from Fossoway and Cleish as we camped under the auspices of the National Trust. We had fishing

trips, long walks sleeping in Youth Hostels and most interesting talks to suggest future careers to our members.

During David Macleod’s era we began to organise Sunday lunches, canal trips and a theatre outing for the congregation.

Also there were parties in the hall for a wider group gathered from the parish.

As you can see from our address we have not gone far and our home will always have a welcome for our friends.

With our best wishes for a strong and positive church May it forge forward into the future with confidence

Tricia and John

CLEISH CHURCH DIARY

Below is some information about Church services and events in Cleish Church during the months of December and

January - we hope you find it of interest

DECEMBER

Sunday, 6 11.15am Morning Worship. Junior Church rehearsals for the Nativity Play.

Tea and coffee served in the Village Hall by the Guild. Traidcraft

Stall

2.30pm ‘Service of Remembering’ in Cleish Church followed by

refreshments in the Young Room

Monday, 7 3.15pm ‘Messy Church’ in the Village Hall. All children and their carers

welcome

Sunday, 13 11.15am Morning Worship with Nativity Play performed by the children

of Junior Church

Sunday, 20 11.15am Morning Worship. Christingle Service followed by mince pies in

the Young Room

Thursday, 24 11.15pm ‘Watchnight’ Candlelit Service of Carols

Friday, 25 11.15am Christmas Day ‘Toy Service’

Sunday, 27 11.15am Service of readings and carols

JANUARY

Sunday, 3 11.15am Morning Worship. Tea and Coffee served in the Village Hall.

Sunday, 10 11.15am Morning Worship.

Monday, 11 3.15pm ‘Messy Church’ in the Village Hall. All children and their carers

welcome

Sunday, 17 11.15am Morning Worship. Junior Church

6.30pm ‘Digging Deeper’ evening worship and Bible study, the book of

Daniel, in Kinross Parish Church

Sunday, 24 11.15am Morning Worship.

Monday, 25 2.00pm Cleish Guild Afternoon Meeting. Speaker Michael Cook: Topic:

Scripture Union at Lendrick Muir

Friday, 29 7.00pm Cleish Church Burns Supper in the Village Hall

Funerals

Margaret (Markie) Walker 18th August

Dr Alexander (Sandy) Morton 2nd November

Baptism

Imogen Abigail Dwyer 23rd August

New Members

Katherine Nicholas

A ‘THANK YOU’ FROM THE FLOWER CONVENER

I would like to thank all members of the Congregation who have donated so generously towards the Flower Fund this

year. The Fund helps towards the cost of the flowers – particularly in the winter months when we have to resort to

‘shop bought’ flowers – and we (the flower group) are extremely grateful.

It has occurred to me that some of you may have a special date or anniversary which you wish to mark with flowers in

Church. I do hope that you will get in touch with me. I (or a member of the Flower Group) will be delighted to

organise the purchasing and arranging of any flowers. We shall look forward to hearing from you!

Claire Paton, Flower Convener

……and finally…..

A PIECE OF CHEERFUL MADNESS FROM AN ANONYMOUS DONOR

In ancient Israel , it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a healthy young wife

by the name of Dorothy (Dot for short). Dot Com was a comely woman, large of breast, broad of shoulder and long of

leg. Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou

canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?"

And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said,

"How, dear?"

And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for

sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. The sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by

Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were

an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent.

To prevent neighbouring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she

and the drummers knew. It was known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language

to transmit ideas and pictures - Hebrew to The People (HTTP).

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called

Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS. And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new

riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum

dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. Indeed he did insist on drums to be

made that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others." And Abraham looked out over

the Bay of Ezekiel, or eBay as it came to be known.

He said, "We need a name that reflects what we are." And Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators."

"YAHOO," said Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com. Abraham's cousin,

Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to

locate things around the countryside.

It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).

That is how it all began. And that's the truth.

It wisnae me; I’m only the Editor