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Church News and Events
Bus Trip to Kyles of Bute - Sat 31st July
We are organising a bus trip to the Kyles of Bute on Saturday 31st July. Departing the church at 9am, we will head to Gourock and get the ferry over to Dunoon. We will then head to Portavadie Marina for a BBQ lunch, before returning to Tighnabruaich around 2.30pm for a chance to wander around the scenic little village. Cost for the trip, including lunch, is £21 Adult and £10 Child. We only have 4 spaces left, so don't delay if you wish to go on this trip. Monies are due by Sunday 25th July.
Business as usual!
Following a fall of plaster in the church sanctuary in February 2010 we have been unable to use the church for worship, as structural surveys have revealed serious problems with the building. We are in the process of commissioning a feasibility study for our buildings to determine what kind of facilities we require to allow us to successfully provide outreach and services to our community. Exciting times are ahead for us.
As such, we are now using our church hall for the foreseeable future for all services. Since February, it has seen a remarkable transformation - from a thorough cleaning, installation of a digital organ, new window blinds, and over the course of the coming summer, new chairs and noticeboards/curtains.
We can happily accommodate over 120 people seated in the hall. For events that require a larger capacity such as some weddings and funerals, we have arrangements in place to use alternative church accommodation in the town.
Forthcoming Fundraising Events
Our forthcoming fundraising events for 2010 are as follows:
March 13th: Coffee and Cards
March 20th: Quiz Night and SUpper in aid of Ardrossan Presbytery Together's HIV/AIDS appeal
April 15th: Guild Daffodil Tea
April 23rd: Pampered Chef
June 26th: Coffee Morning
July 10th: Craft Fair
July 31st: Church Bus Outing
August 22nd: Sponsored Walk
October 23rd: Quiz Night and Supper
November 6th: Craft Fair
December 4th: Christmas Fair
December 14th: Carols by Candlelight
Annual Stated Meeting / Congregational Meeting
Annual Stated Meeting
The Annual Stated Meeting of the congregation will be held in the church hall on 21 March 2010 at 12.15pm (immediately following Sunday worship).
After the Annual Stated Meeting there will be a short break for lunch (tea, coffee and sandwiches will be provided) then a congregational meeting will follow on.
Since the congregation last met on 15 November 2009 to discuss property issues, Presbytery have received confirmation from the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland that they will fund an architect-led Feasibility Study into what could potentially be done with our church building and halls complex.
Before Presbytery give approval for the Feasibility Study to go ahead they need to assess our future plans for the congregation in respect of encouraging and developing active community involvement and participation in the building, and outreach from the building.
This is an essential part of the proposed Feasibility Study and it is necessary for these plans to be discussed and agreed by the congregation at this meeting on 21 March, prior to any submission being made to Presbytery.
So please make a special effort to attend these meetings on Sunday 21st March. You are part of the community of God’s people in Barony St John’s and this affects you – both now and in the future.
Congregational Meeting 21 March 2010
Thanks to all who turned out for the Annual Stated Meeting and the Congregational Meeting on 21st March.
The Congregational Meeting was opened by Rev Dorothy Granger. Then the Presbytery Clerk, the Rev Dr Johnston McKay, addressed the meeting. Rev Dr McKay talked about the national situation in the Church of Scotland – the financial crisis and the need to reduce the number of ordained ministries in parishes across Scotland - and how this might affect us in Barony St John’s.
He made clear to the meeting that while Presbytery is committed to the congregation of Barony St John’s - and has expressed this commitment in allowing the congregation to call a minister without restriction - the Presbytery is not committed to saving the sanctuary. Current estimates show that expenditure in the region of £500,000 is required to bring the sanctuary up to a safe and suitable standard and it is very unlikely that a sum in excess of £100,000 could be raised through grant funding sources out with the church (i.e. Historic Scotland and the like).
Once Rev Dr McKay had finished speaking, members had a chance to ask questions about the future of the congregation and about the church building.
The second half of the meeting was given over to discussion groups and a feedback session. Members split into five discussion groups to look at a series of questions about (1) our congregation; (2) how we might reach out to our parish community; and (3) what is hindering us from meeting the needs of our parish.
Each group independently concluded that we needed more detailed information about the needs of our parish and that the congregation should work with the Transformation Team (part of the Church of Scotland’s Priorities Areas Initiative) to produce a detailed parish profile. This profile would then form the basis of our plan for mission and outreach to our parish community. This plan then has to be submitted to, and approved by, Presbytery prior to their giving approval for the Feasibility Study in to the future usage of our building.
The Project Group (Stuart McMahon, John Armstrong, Jim Neil and Pauline Reid) and the Minister will also meet with a Sub Group of the Presbytery Business Committee to look at the information gathered to date and, if appropriate, to progress the Feasibility Study with the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland when the results of the parish profiling are known.
The church property committee will in due course meet with the Presbytery Property Committee and the General Trustees to discuss the sanctuary. An approach will then be made to the Local Authority about how best to manage the future of the sanctuary given its Grade 2 listed status.
Coffee Morning and Organ Recital - 26 June
Our coffee morning held on Saturday 26th June raised an amazing £935. In addition, the organ recital held later in the afternoon raised an additional £120 and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. A very big thank you to all who supported both events.
Donate a Chair
There has been a wonderful response to our appeal to buy new chairs and we have now raised over £4300 to date. We now have some sample chairs for us to try.
The appeal will stay open during June as additional donations will enable us to put arms on some of the chairs and to buy special trolleys for moving the chairs in and out of the hall.
Acknowledgements will be getting sent out soon to those who requested them.
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Ideally we would like to purchase at least 100 chairs at a cost of approximately £30 each. To help raise money for the chairs we are asking members to ‘donate a chair’ - or more accurately the cost of a chair.
It will not be possible to attach memorial plaques to individual chairs, but the names of those who donate a chair or who have a chair donated in their memory will (if so desired) be inscribed on a commemorative board which will be mounted on the wall in the church hall.
If you would like to donate the cost of a chair, please print out and complete the attached pdf file along with the amount you wish to donate (each chair costs approximately £30).
The envelopes, clearly marked "Chairs" can be returned on a Sunday morning. Please place them in the offering plate or in the special box provided as you come into the hall.
Alternatively you can return the envelope containing your donation to your elder or pastoral visitor, or you can send it directly to the Minister – at 10 Seafield Drive, Ardrossan KA22 8NU.
Pampered Chef
Our 'Pampered Chef' cookery demonstration evening held at the end of April raised the wonderful total of £270.86. A big thank you to all who supported the evening.
Church Information Leaflet
We have produced an information leaflet about our church and the organisations that currently use it. Please click the attached file to download a pdf file of the leaflet. It includes a tear-off slip which you can either fill in electronically and email to info@baronystjohns.co.uk or post it back to us.
1st Ardrossan Boys' Brigade
The 1st Ardrossan Boys' Brigade is urgently looking to recruit some extra helpers and staff as they now only have two officers and one helper to look after three sections. As you can imagine this is putting a considerable strain on them, and if no-one else can be found to assist the company may not be able to continue.
If you are interested in helping or supporting the Boys' Brigade please speak to either Rev Dorothy Granger (01294 463571) or Rev Jim Smith (01294 469378).
