REV DEMPSTER TO BE INDUCTED
Mearns Coastal Parish THE new minister of Mearns Coastal Parish Church of Scotland, the Rev Colin Dempster, will be inducted into his new charge in Johnshaven Church on Thursday April 15.
Mearns Coastal is a very young parish having been established as recently as 1998 with the union of the two formerly independent parishes of Benholm and Johnshaven and Garvock/St Cyrus. Up to then the two parishes had been partners in a linkage and, while each retained its own Kirk Session and Congregational Board they shared a minister, firstly the Rev Thomas F. Wilson who was inducted and ordinated in August 1984. When he moved to the North Church of St Andrew in Aberdeen he was succeeded in July 1991 by the Rev Harry Brown. The Rev Brown's departure for Menzieshill Parish Church in December 1996 was followed by an extended vacancy during which the Presbytery of Kincardine and Deeside decided that the linkage would be converted to a union and this decision took form on 13 February 1998 with the induction of the Rev George Hastie, whose retiral a year ago after 11 years in the position created yet another vacancy.
The Rev Dempster, a late entrant for the ministry, and who for 17 years has been the minister of Tayport Parish Church in Fife, his only charge, will be "preached in" on Sunday, April 18.
Sunday morning's service in Johnshaven Church was conducted by locum minister, Mr Gordon Anderson. Commenting in his sermon on a commonly held view that all opinions on a subject have equal merit, Mr Anderson said that true belief should be based on the word of God made known through Jesus Christ.
The organist was Robin Beattie.
This Sunday, February 21 the annual Thinking Day Service will be held in Johnshaven Church at 11.30 a.m.. There will also be the usual service in St Cyrus Church at 10 a.m.
On Sunday, March 28 the Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated in St Cyrus Church and will be followed by the Annual Stated Meeting of Mearns Coastal Parish Church.
Beach for the Brave
Rebecca Chambers, local organiser for SHARK (Safe Habitat Alliance for Rural Kincardineshire), is appealing for as many volunteers as possible to join in this Sunday's clean-up of a badly littered section of the beach. Don't be put off by the weather, it's been with us for a long time now, outdoor exercise is good for both body and soul and there is also the satisfaction of knowing that you will be doing something worthwhile to protect the environment. Remember, too, that refreshments will be served afterwards.
Registration is at the turning point just beyond the composting site at Wairds Park at 11 a.m. and then working north and all necessary equipment will be provided For further information contact Rebecca on 01561 362120.
Mearns Coastal Guild
The next meeting of Mearns Coastal Guild will be the leisure hour in the Church Hall on Monday, February 22 at 2.30 p.m. when Mr Robert Gove from Gourdon will give a talk on local history.
Wairds Park
The Annual General Meeting of the Wairds Park committee will be held in the Community Clubroom at the Park on Thursday, February 25 at 7 p.m. to which all are welcome to attend.
Meanwhile the committee wish to thank all those volunteers (including Bryan Duff and Eck O'Brien) who helped at the week-end with the laying of the extended paved area at the bowling green. Some remedial work remains to be done to the concrete base but in view of the unsettled weather it has been decided to suspend operations until conditions improve, the projected date for the laying of the new carpet having been put back until the middle of March.
Benholm Kirk
The extensive electrical works at Benholm Kirk have now been completed and the interior left in a very tidy condition by the contractors. This has made it possible for the kirk doors once again to be open to the public on a daily basis during daylight hours, although it is planned for a much bigger spring clean to take place before too long.
Built in 1832, the kirk was saved from permanent closure in 2005 when it was purchased for 12,000 by the Scottish Churches Redundant Trust in 2005. At that time it looked as though the building might be stripped of all its fittings and converted for agricultural storage purposes or simply left to fall into decay as has been the sad fate of so many other redundant churches. However, the SRCT was persuaded to buy the kirk, not only for its architectural merit, but primarily because of the excellence of its two wall monuments, incorporated from an earlier church on the site, the most important being the one dating from 1621 commemorating Lady Mary Keith, daughter of George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal and founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen. Consequently, because of the significance internationally of the monuments, Benholm Kirk is visited regularly by groups of university students and on a more general level is a popular destination for family historians who find the surrounding graveyard a fruitful focus of their researches.
Memories
As intimated above the annual Thinking Day Service will be held in Johnshaven Church this Sunday and will more than likely follow the traditional pattern. Twenty five years ago, however, while the service began and ended with the solemnity which the occasion deserved, those who took part may like to be reminded of how they were persuaded to move their arms and other parts of their bodies more vigorously than would normally be the case in a Sunday morning in church.
Throughout the service Miss Joyce Hamilton from Glasgow, accompanying herself on guitar, led the congregation in a series of popular religious choruses, some old, some new, but all lively and bright. The youngsters responded with tremendous enthusiasm, going through all the actions with great gusto. The adults, while enjoying the singing, tended to be somewhat lethargic until a threat from Miss Hamilton that "defaulters" would be brought to the front, produced a much more vigorous response, even from the most reluctant!
The service was conducted by the Rev Tom Wilson; Diane Leith, Fiona Stephen and Helen McBay read extracts from a history of the Guide movement, Angela McBay gave an appropriate prayer and the organist was Avril Stephen.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Stonehaven
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
