Dear Friends,
This year’s General Assembly in the Church of Scotland brought a new depth to the collective stupidity of those present. In practically every way possible the things held precious by generations of believers was contradicted, and all the little concessions made over the years have produced a major and defiant departure from the pattern of life handed on to us by the apostles and prophets.
Whilst the new initiative of dialogue with the Free Church was welcomed, the sticking point between the two denominations was pin-pointed as being the issue of the nature of the Bible. Whereas the Free Church accepts the Bible as what it proclaims itself to be - namely the very Word of God, inspired by God, and preserved by him down through the years in different languages and translations - the Church of Scotland, it is urged, merely believes that the Bible contains the Word of God, and it is up to the church to determine what is and is not the Word of God. However, if you read the Bible for yourself then it is up to the individual to accept what they read as the word of God or not.
What do you think you will find if, when you read the Bible, it is up to you to determine whether what you are reading is the Word of God or not?
In this month’s Life and Work someone wrote ‘…you can pick what you like…’ If so, then what you will find is not the Word of God but only what you wish to find. If that is so, you might as well face facts and not kid yourself on anymore, you are not looking for the Word of God at all, because you just want to do as you wish. You might just as well have been reading the Famous Five for all the good reading the Bible would do for you!
At this Assembly, sin and evil were given a place of prominence in church life as never before, and the prospect for the future seemed bleak.
However, we have been presented with an unprecedented opportunity to present the gospel (and why it matters) in full glare of the media and present the claims of Christ throughout our land in a way that is quite amazing. If we are careful and wise we may make the most of the opportunity that we have. I am reminded of Lord Radstock, who was given great freedom to preach the gospel to the aristocracy of pre-revolutionary
This is the gospel day, do pray that we will proclaim the truth with clarity and zeal.
Your Minister and friend,
Richard G. Buckley
THOUGHTS ON HABAKKK 3:17-19
Whene’er disaster overtakes me,
In the Lord I put my trust.
Though wheat crops fail and famine rages,
And drought turns pasture fields to dust,
Though trees have neither fruit nor blossom,
And plagues kill off the cows and sheep;
Still I rejoice in God my Saviour,
I know His covenant He’ll keep.
He lifts me up the highest heights,
He helps me through life’s bitter strife.
Yes, I rejoice in God my Saviour;
He is my strength, my power, my life!
Norma McKenzie would like to thank members of the congregation for their prayers, cards and get well messages following her recent accident.
Grace Crompton writes:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Buckley and all the congregation for the kindness they showed me with flowers and cards and their support and prayers during my illness, from which I am pleased to say, I am on my road to recovery.
I wish to thank you all for all the good wishes, cards and gifts I received on the occasion of my 80th birthday. I appreciate all your kindness and friendship.
Hettie Jamieson says:
My special 90th Birthday was made complete by the flowers, gifts, and all the good wishes from the congregation. This made me feel very fortunate indeed to have so many friends in my church family.
Mrs Margaret Whyte would like to thank the congregation and friends for their good wishes, cards and gifts which she received as she celebrated her 90th Birthday in March. Special thanks to Mr Buckley who re-invented Julie Andrew’s ‘My Favourite Things’ especially for the occasion and to those at the after church fellowship for their choral rendition!
‘Thank you’ also to the Women’s Hour who gifted Margaret a copy of ‘The Glasgow Herald’ dated
‘How to be Healthy and Happy’
- Practice deep breathing (Two hours every day)
- Avoid Stimulants (Alcohol, tobacco, tea etc)
- Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts xvi 31)
The “Golden Girls”
Betty McKenzie, Margaret Whyte & Bessie Sergeant
at one of the ‘90th Birthday Do’s!
THE FINDLAYS IN OZ….
As we celebrate the various 90th Birthdays in Trinity Possil & Henry Drummond we also have 90th celebrations in our extended church family. Older members will remember Jim and Betty Findlay and their family who were involved in our church in the 50’s and early 60’s before emigrating to
The Findlay Clan had a birthday lunch when daughters Doris, Andrea, Jeanette and son Samuel and Betty and Jim were all together. A great celebration was had by all and the following message from TPHD was read out.
Dear Mr Findlay,
Your friends and their successors at TPHD send you their greetings and very best wishes to you as you celebrate your 90th Birthday.
Such a major milestone in your own life is a cause for great thanksgiving to God our Heavenly Father as it marks the number of years he has blessed you and kept you, watched over your life and given you many evidences of his steadfast love, which as the prophet says is 'new every morning.'
This greeting comes with our Christian love and conveys to you the esteem and affection in which you and your family are held in by the congregation.
Yours warmly and sincerely
Richard G Buckley
Jeanette tells us ‘Trinity Possil were so wonderful when her Dad turned 86 – a picture from that event has pride of place in our living room’
Photo shows the family singing a version of ‘I belong to
Unfortunately since the 90th Birthday celebrations, Betty Findlay has suffered severe heart problems and been very ill – recent news though tells us she is recovering well. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the Findlay Family at this time, and our best wishes to Betty for a speedy recovery.
FAITH
Faith came singing into my room;
Other guests took flight.
Fear and anxiety, grief and gloom,
Sped out into the night.
And I wondered how such peace could be.
Faith said gently, “Don’t you see?
They really could not live with me”.
Anon
REV ANGUS JACK
January 1919 to April 2009
Rev Angus Jack
1954-57
Rev Angus Jack was the second minister inducted to the charge at Trinity Possil from 1954 until 1957. After leaving Trinity Possil the Jack family moved to
The following message was received from Moyra Dhaliwal, Angus Jack’s daughter on
“I am writing to let you and the church know that my dear Dad died this morning at age 92. He had pneumonia recently and recovered somewhat, but his strength was gone and in the last few days he stopped eating and on Monday slipped into a coma. My sister Dorothy, my husband Reg and I were with him and he passed away peacefully, listening to some beautiful music and surrounded by love. He is now at peace with my dear Mum, Davina, and is in the presence of Jesus.
We are so lucky to have had such a wonderful Dad and for such a long time. He taught us so much - how to be a good person, how to honour and love God and how to serve and love others. His memorial service will take place on
Please pass on our good wishes to the congregation at TPHD.
I attach a couple of recent photos of Angus, taken on his birthday, on January 29th.
God bless you.
Moyra”
X
MR THOMAS FREELAND
1921 - 2009
The following article was taken from
Many of the congregation were saddened to learn of the death of Tommy on
Born on
Following the Clydebank Blitz, Tommy joined the RAF and was stationed in
In July 1943 he and Molly were married, and in 1986 they left Possilpark and Lambhill and settled in Bishopbriggs. They had one daughter Anne, grandchildren Craig and Karen, and great-grandchildren Rachel, Lauren and Ben. Tommy was devoted to his wife Molly and their subsequent extended family. Aside from the love of his family, Tommy also loved music, golf and speedway racing!
The death of Molly in March 2004 and his daughter Anne in July 2008 took their toll on Tommy. However, Tommy was a man of faith and in that same faith we give thanks to God for his life and witness and draw comfort and strength from the fact that he would have been greeted in heaven by the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
X
MISS IRIS DONALDSON
1920 - 2009
The congregation were saddened to hear of the death of Iris Donaldson on
Iris was one of 87 new communicant members to join
As Iris’s health failed, she was blessed to have as a neighbour and friend, Jean Ross. Jean tended to Iris and helped with her day to day needs and also organised the health care Iris needed. With the assistance of Miss Betty Gray (
Although the residential home was very comfortable, Iris still longed to be at home in
Jean and Betty both gave of their time generously to ensure Iris was cared for in the best possible way.
We give thanks to God for Iris’s life and for the unstinted help Jean and Betty gave Iris as her health failed.
Iris will be greatly missed by all at Trinity Possil and
X
MR JOE WALLACE
Many members of the congregation were saddened to learn of the recent death of Mr Joe Wallace.
Joe and Isa, and their sons, were well-known in TPHD, where their friendliness and good humour made them a popular family. As the boys grew up and made their own homes, Joe and Isa moved to Arbroath, where they quickly settled in to a new congregation in Arbroath Old and
Sadly, Joe became unwell at the turn of the year, and, after a long period of severe illness, died in May 2009.
Joe’s funeral was held in TPHD, opposite the house which had been the family home for so many happy years.
Following the funeral, the Minister received the following note of appreciation from Isa Wallace:
Dear Richard,
What can I say! Thanks is not enough to express how I feel. Everyone was so impressed with Joe’s funeral service. It was so uplifting, I know it helped me a lot.
Would you please thank all the people who came from TPHD? It was lovely to see so many well-kent faces and catching up with dear friends.
Thank you once again,
Isa.
TPHD WEBSITE
http://trinitypossilandhenrydrummondchurch.synthasite.com/
On the web site we have an e-mail address which can be used to contact our church and this has been used frequently.
It is planned to display the history of our church as well as up-to-date news on the site. Currently we are building a history of all organisations which, along with photos, will be published on the website as they become available. If you have any memories, photos or information which you think is of interest and should be included on the website please contact Isabel Whyte or e-mail tphdchurch@yahoo.co.uk
Isabel Whyte
Andrew Laing (the son of the manse of
at
Is this a new step forward in Church Unity???
Thank You from Chipo and her Family
Our Christmas 2008 Appeal enabled the congregation of TPHD to send a special wheelchair to Chipo in
The following letter and photo were received from
This is our dear Chipo, the beautiful girl that you blessed with a gift that will last eternity in our hearts. Love is infectious. Your love did not just touch Chipo but everyone around Chipo and Christ Himself (Matthew 25:34-40)
It did not only bring joy to us but it came with peace to the entire family. Words cannot express what is in our hearts. Peace brings healing. Chipo's mum is now a happy person because it’s easier for her to transfer Chipo from the chair to bed - toilet. Before she used to lift her from the floor and it was hard work because as you can see Chipo is now a big girl.
Chipo is now able to go out and mix with other kids because she is mobile, before she was house bound and inactive. All we want say to you in our simple language is THANK YOU and may our good Lord continue to bless you.
God richly bless you,
The Nyamuzingas
YOUNG WRITERS AWARD 2009
Members will remember we recently congratulated Ruth Calley (ex-TPHD) when two of her paintings were selected to represent ‘North Ayrshire’ at an exhibition in The Harbour Arts Centre,
Naomi wrote an acrostic poem titled ‘Nessie’ and this has been selected for publication in ‘My First Acrostic- ‘Southern Scotland Inspirations’. This is a book containing a compilation of poems written by children. The poem Naomi wrote and a photo of her with the certificate she received are below.
Well done & congratulations to Naomi from all at TPHD!
NESSIE
Nessie nibbles at fish
Eats fish and frogs and tadpoles
Sees rocks and mountains and cliffs
Smells people on horses
Is big and scary
Enjoys cows and calves for tea!
Naomi with her Certificate
Here are a few quotes which give an insight into the mind and heart of this famous theologian:
There is not one blade of grass, there is no colour in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.
Seeing that a Pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness.
However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts.
All men were created to busy themselves with labor for the common good.
A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.
Man with all his shrewdness is as stupid about understanding by himself the mysteries of God, as an ass is incapable of understanding musical harmony.
Let us not cease to do the utmost, that we may incessantly go forward in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair of the smallness of our accomplishments
No man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men: neither is there any other thing which keeps us back from entering in, save only our own unbelief.
Our NEW, IMPROVED, MULTI-FUNCTION, SMALL HALL has now been in use for various meetings. Last summer we ripped out all the old wood and plaster (thank you to everyone - from the youngest to the oldest! - who helped!) and since then we have had the hall entirely redecorated; with controllable lighting, a projector installation, new window blinds, a new floor, new tables and comfortable seating installed!
We are indebted to Peter Kay, Iain Walker, Morag Ann Girvan, Betty McKenzie and Elizabeth Broadfoot for all the work done to make the Hall so user-friendly and comfortable.
We hope to have photographs of the progress of the renovation from start to finish on the website soon!
Are you concerned about the area where you stay?
Are there problems you would like to discuss?
Bring your concerns to :
LAMBHILL ACTION GROUP
P U B L I C M E E T I N G
in the Church Hall (behind St Agnes’s Church),
This meeting is a public meeting which will enable you to put forward any queries and concerns you may have about your locality.