We are now preparing to open our church at the end of July, (our halls in August) but it will take us some time to work through all the new rules and regulations. We then have to get Presbytery’s permission to open. When we do open, we will also be allowed to have funeral services in the church. These will have restricted numbers for the time being.
Meeting of Kirk Session sub-committee for opening church in July to meet on Sunday 5th July at 7.30pm.
The Ministers in our Parish Grouping meet to continue their discussions as how the three parishes can work together.
The KIRK SESSION meet on Tuesday 14th July at 7.30pm.
VIRTUAL FUN WEEK from Monday July 27th to Friday July 31st at 10am every morning LIVE on the church Facebook page. This year we are “Roman from Iona to Lindisfarne with the monk, Father Bede, who is a right character! There will be informative conversations, crafts and treasure hunts! To register your child/children, please e-mail Dr. Kay with name and age of child(ren). KGauld@churchofscotland.org.uk Any child welcome from anywhere.
Thank you all very much for your generous donations of school uniforms and of money to buy new polo shirts and underwear. Thank you to Jen Sinclair and Jess for all their help; to Jo MacMillan for the lovely kit bags; to Tracey Hay for making little pencil cases and gifts; to Vera Taylor for lots of new t-shirts; to everyone who washed, ironed and made up the bags; and to those who delivered them. Everyone seems delighted with them! we still have uniforms for all three schools left, so Ii anyone would like to receive one for their child/children with lots of extras, please PM me or e-mail. You may be assured of confidentiality. PLEASE, do not feel embarrassed to ask. We’re here to help in anyway we can.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation either to the national funds of the Church of Scotland or to our own congregation can do so by visiting this page, https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/donate and by clicking on the donate button. All donations made to our congregation will be returned to us, thus enabling members and adherents to continue to make their regular offering or to make a special donation to enable the Church's work to continue at this difficult time. Should anyone like to set up a monthly standing order to the church, please get in touch with Dr. Kay or Diane McCallum for the bank account details. Thank you. Your support and help to make our church sustainable is most appreciated.
Please remember Christian Aid in your prayers and in your giving if you can. Thank you. You can donate online at: caid.org.uk/dam or call 0845 700 0300.
RAF BENEVOLENT FUND UPDATE – JUNE 2020
The recent virus has brought into sharp focus that more of the RAF Family may need the Benevolent Fund’s help as the effects of lockdown, Furlough and, possibly, redundancy have an impact on peoples’ lives, finances and health. The Fund has changed many of its support services during the last few months to adapt to potential beneficiary’s needs and has streamlined its application process so accessing funding is easier. Examples of its revised support are:
1) Increased number of Crisis or Temporary Financial Assistance Grants available for the RAF Family including working-age RAF veterans who may be out of work due to the crisis. This is in addition to on-going support for older veterans.
2) Introduced a new online application form to make applying for immediate financial help quicker and easier.
3) Weekly ‘Check and Chat’ calls for the veterans’ community.
4) Taking referrals from the public to direct support for isolated veterans.
5) Expanded Telephone Friendship Groups for more veterans to join.
6) Expanded Listening and Counselling Service, including the addition of a 24-hour emotional support helpline. This has been expanded wef 15th June to include children from 11 to 18 years.
7) Free access to the mindfulness app Headspace to provide preventative mental health support. These are just a few examples and there is a comprehensive list of other support that is available in the attached ‘Guide to our Services’ booklet and on the Fund’s website - www.rafbf.org
BLESMA: help for limbless veterans.
We have continued to operate within Scotland providing support remotely during the lock down to veterans who have lost limbs or lost the use of limbs through physical trauma.
https://www.flipsnack.com/…/blesma-summer-2020-magazine.html
This support includes, grants, prosthetics support, benefits advice as well as a wide variety of outreach activities which have been delivered online. These have included online drop in sessions, stone painting projects, knitting, book and photography groups as well as having guest speakers and demonstrations. Please get in touch if you have any questions. Emma Gration - Outreach Officer, Scotland, Mobile: 07884 695703; e-mail: outreachscotland@blesma.org
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