Crossford Village Hall

Crossford is a small village about two miles due west of Dunfermline, with a population of about 3000 people. It boasts a few shops, a scout hall, a play-park, a golf course, a post office, two hotels and has the best kept village hall in Fife. This old village dates back to medieval times and apparently gets its name from being the place where monks crossed over a stream when in pilgrimage between Dunfermline and Culross abbeys.

Joint Edinburgh-Crossford meeting

There is something however, which makes this pleasant old village stand out in stark contrast from the others in West Fife around it. It is not just the fact that strangers will just stop and talk to you when you’re out for a walk in the spring sunshine, no it is something else entirely–there is something that is missing in village life–Crossford has no church of its own–no place for Christians to meet. God places things on our heart which simply do not go away and it is fair to say that I sat on this one for a while. Recently however, a door in Crossford has started to open, the village hall door to be precise, and a weekly prayer meeting has started on Thursdays (7 - 8pm). When the friendly hall keeper trustingly gave us our permanent set of keys, Fiona remarked, that I felt as if I’d been given the keys to the village!

Discussion after services

Once a month Perth church make the journey down and fill out the hall a bit more as we meet for a short reading and exposition of scripture, occasionally some live Christian music, and a time of sharing and prayer. We have ads in the local village newsletter (put in free as agreed by the local village council), in the local shop and now the post office. Small beginnings, but we hope that this Christian service to the village might one day grow into something bigger.

The best part of any service

Sometimes church itself comes to Crossford, this has been in the form of Perth church and the occasional joint services between both Perth and Edinburgh. Slowly, we hope that Crossford might develop a Christian heart; that the Cross might be put back into Crossford. Whether this outreach remains simply a place of weekly prayer, and the occasional church meeting, or develops into something more, it will be in God’s good time and according to his plan. Please add your prayers to mine, that God might be glorified in this village, I know that those prayers will make a difference.

Our Cardiff congregation, also known as the Welcome Christian Fellowship, and our West Wales congregation have launched a bilingual website. This provides readers with a Welsh translation of selected English language articles and material. Check out the site at www.wcgwales.org.uk. This is an exciting development within our fellowship. Please pray that God will use this initiative to His glory.

Coulsdon Nursing Home

Nine residents plus a carer and the entertainments manager were collected by car and minibus from the nursing home and treated to a three course lunch of warm bacon salad, roast turkey and plum pudding, plus wine and soft drinks. The meal was prepared by chef Keith Davis and his son Jamie, and was served by members of the congregation. There was a happy and relaxed atmosphere during the meal, and before the guests left they were each presented with a card and small gift.

Coulsdon Community Church congregation plans to continue with its outreach activities in the local community in the future.

This was stepping out of my comfort zone so I was very pleased that the first year it was raining when it came to deposit them to the various letter boxes.  I was able to hide under an umbrella!   After a couple of years we thought, “Hey, we are Christians and  we ought to give them religious cards, rather than the regular secular type.”   Again, out of my comfort zone, so even though it wasn’t raining at least it was dark!

By now most of our neighbours knew we were Christians, so three years ago another step was taken and another comfort zone breached.  We included the following on a slip inside each card.

“20 Rudheath Avenue

Dear  (fill in the appropriate name),

As this is the time of the year when many are giving to others we thought we would offer our service and the service of our church to our neighbours.  The two congregations we serve in Manchester and Preston regularly hold prayer sessions and are happy to include others at those times.  If you would like us to include any of your needs, or problems, at these meetings please feel free to drop the details through our letterbox.  Alternatively, if you prefer, we could discuss them personally.

Wishing you a happy Christmas and an uplifting New Year. 

(Sign our names.)”

Feeling it the best to not include the same invitation every year, two years ago we included a sticker on the envelope.  It read “Read the Christmas story for yourself” at the top.  Then an appropriate Christmas picture, with the bottom line reading www.therealstory.org.uk    These can be obtained from the Bible Society.

Last year we repeated the prayer invitation and this year we plan to repeat the stickers on the envelopes.  The thought is to alternate these two each year unless God has some other plans for this project.

So far we have not had any requests for prayer, but as least some seeds have been sown. We have not had any negative reactions and most of these neighbours now give  us a card.  

Perth Life Club

On Friday Jenny Keen put together a fabulous hot pot of potatoes and minced lamb. Afterwards there were games and fellowship.  Early next day a wonderful breakfast was served, followed by the church service which was well attended by visitors from all around. Rob Jones gave the main message regarding our future in Christ while Fraser Murdoch led enthusiastically in worship. 

Perth Life Club

Following lunch Geoff Sole directed Life Club. The club had 3 excellent speeches with an added impromptu. The first speech was from Euan Denman who spoke on “our pathway in life”. The second speech was given by Nathaniel Melman on the Apostle Paul’s conversion comparing it to how S.E.P brings young people to repentance. The third speech was one of a kind from Rob and Fiona’s oldest son Michael (aged 7) on the solar system. John Woolford gave an impromptu on the subject of a black hole. At the end of club the cup for the best achievement could not be given to anyone else but to young Michael Jones for his astounding delivery of his speech regarding the solar system. The best contribution went to Emily Keen for discussing in table topics how she copes with combining life at school with her faith. The cup for the best speaker went to Nathaniel Melman, and his many years of attendance and dedication to SEP were noted. 

After much positive contribution throughout club Mr Rob Jones ended the session in time for fellowship and games followed by another excellently prepared evening meal. After dinner Zandra Varnham and John Hunt kindly organised a Ceilidh. The dances were led by Erin Jack and Zandra.

Perth Life Club

We woke Sunday morning with a wonderful surprise as throughout the night it had snowed quite heavily. The young people were quick to engage in a snowball fight. We began the day with breakfast, followed by a well organised worship service and a walk lead by Chrissie McKay through the snowy Scottish countryside. 

God certainly blessed that weekend which is to be well remembered for many years to come.

Glasgow Nursing Home

On the 21st December the Glasgow congregation held a special service to celebrate the birth of christ.  The congregation had been encouraged to invite family members and friends to the service and a number of visitors attended and joined in.

Glasgow Nursing Home

After the service, a group from church went to the Golfhill Nursing Home in Glasgow and conducted a carol service for the residents at the home, many of whom joined in with gusto.  Tea and cakes were also served.  The church had bought individual gifts for all the residents.

Jennifer Beattie, a member of the Belfast congregation, initiated an idea to promote the Because blog site by designing a small credit card size calendar on one side and a photo with the wording “Change your world: involve Jesus” followed by “For anyone who has ever asked “WHY” along with the webpage and Market Harborough address.  At the bottom of the photo she’s put “We can Pray for you” with her email address.  Her plan is to give them out to people she meets.  It’s a useful little gift as well as a promotional tool.

Jesus and Me! at a busy glasgow shopping centre!

Most children who come in think it’s great and so do their parents. So, what do they get? Upon entering the shop there is face painting, popular with young children as well as older youths. Two Wii’s have been donated. Bean bags at the back make a “chill out” area. There are other games available as well as the busy card making tables.

As people leave they are given a booklet—a picture version for the young children, and an adult version for the older children and parents. The gospel is being shown in many different ways to many different people from all age groups. Most people are amazed that everything is free, and people give their time for nothing. Another positive is that we have never seen a discarded booklet anywhere!

Harvest Festival on the Farm on Sunday, September 21st.

We had sent out lots of invites to the service which had been featured in two of the local papers. One neighbouring farmer whom I personally invited said: “I’ve never been to a harvest festival in my life and I’m not starting now.” Bearing in mind that the average age of Mr British Farmer is 58 and this one had a few more runs to his innings than that, it was with particular gravity he said those words. Happily, however, another farming neighbour described the service afterwards as ‘rip-roaring’. I had to consult the dictionary on this word and it said ‘Noisy, Lively, Exciting.’ I’ll say amen to that.

Of the 80 or so people who came to the service I couldn’t help but note that some whom I had expected to be there weren’t and some whom I thought would never be there were.

We had a lot of positive comments about the venture including this one from the local Methodist magazine: “In Great Hatfield the harvest festivals in the now closed chapel are just a distant memory but happily this year Denys Fell, one of the farmers in the village, turned his barn over to a harvest festival which was widely advertised and well attended. God bless you Denys and family. How things do change!”

The next major event is on Sunday, April 5, 2009, when we will be hosting the Hornsea 1/3 Marathon preceded by a special ‘runners’ service.