WESTERLY OUTLOOK

BELLSHILL WEST PARISH CHURCH NEWSLETTER

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

Autumn/Winter 2015

The Arrival of our New Minister

- Reverend Calum Stark
As we publish this edition of Westerly Outlook as a Congregation we eagerly await
the arrival of our new minister the Reverend Calum Stark and his wife Liz and two
sons Douglas and Fergus. As a Church we are delighted that Calum and Liz have
chosen to follow Gods Path leading them to Bellshill West.
Calum has been minister at MacDuff Parish Church in the North of Scotland for
the past 5 years and we know they are sad to see them move to pastures new .
Our prayers are with them at this time as they now seek Gods guidance in calling
a new Minister.
The Induction by Hamilton Presbytery will take place at Bellshill West Church on
Thursday 3rd December 2015 at 7pm we hope you will all join us for this wonderful event in the history of the Church.
Join us as we extend a warm welcome to Rev Calum , Liz , Douglas and Fergus.

Gods Phone Number

In Bellshill when we pick up the phone we automatically think of our dialing code of
01698 followed originally by 74 or 84. During our time of Vacancy the phone number that consistently rang out in my mind was Jeremiah 33.3 - Call Me and I will
answer you. I truly believe our prayers were answered. Thank You Lord

Call to me and I will answer

you, and I will tell you great
and hidden things that you
have not known.

A Huge Thank You

-Jeremiah 33.3

As we enter the next chapter in our life as a

Church I would like to take this opportunity
to say Thank You to
Rev Les Brunger Interim Moderator for his
support in this time of vacancy.

In This Issue

And Especially the Rev Dave Hall , his wife

Eleanor and son John who for the last year
have all been a huge part of our family here
at the West. Dave has worked throughout
the parish and has opened our minds to the
Alpha Course and shared the Gospel in his
own special way. As Session Clerk I would
like to thank all who have offered their support to myself and the Church.
Annabel Leitch - Session Clerk

SC 008340

www.westchurchbellshill.org

New Minister Arrival

Guild

Senior Citizens

Q&A with Duncan

Youth

Notices

Guild

'Whose we are and Whom we serve

The Church of Scotland Guild at the West invites and encourages both women and men to commit their
lives to Jesus Christ and enables them to express their faith in worship, prayer and action. We have a
faithful group of members. Although women make up the bulk of our membership, increasingly, the men
of the Church are enjoying some of the varied events that we enjoy.
Recently we opened our session with the wonderful Bohemian Singers from Falkirk an evening of wonderful music and food was enjoyed by all, we also enjoyed an evening of shared fellowship with our
friends from Central Church in the town and have had a varied repertoire of guest speakers with subjects
ranging from Summerlee Heritage site , Poetry by Alex Baird , Hats by the Rev Stanley Cook, and an insight in to the work of the St Andrews Hospice. As we write this article we are eagerly looking forward to
hearing one of our own members George Blake on the 23rd , then on the 30th of November we have our
St Andrews Night with Mure Memorial Concert Party entertaining us with a traditional Scots supper included for just 3.50. As we move towards Christmas we have an evening of Carols on the 7th December with
Tea and Mince Pies served in the hall finally we round off the year with our Christmas Lunch which this
year is at the Greenside Nursery on the 14th at 12 noon. If you currently dont attend the Guild but would
like to come along have a wee chat with Rena Davidson after Church.
A calendar of events for the new year is listed below so plenty of variety to encourage you, come and join
your friends on a Monday night at 7.15pm . New faces will be given a warm welcome!
Rena Davidson

Seniors Group at the West

With the session nearing Christmas we have had a couple of milestones within our wee group notable
Birthday milestones to be noted were May Wilson (Senior) 90 years young and Jimmy Stewart reaching
the same milestone in October. Congratulations to you both.
In addition to Birthdays we had two couples celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary congratulations go
to Jack & Mary Hendry , and Jimmy & Helen Stewart.
Events on Tuesday afternoon have been busy and this month we have enjoyed Mr. Reeks talking to us
about his involvement in Charity work and we look forward to hearing Miss Ann Robertson talk to us about
her experience as a Tourist Guide. On the 1st of December we have Mr&Mrs Stevenson coming along
to talk to us about their experiences of being Visitors to Prisoners. On the 8th December we have our
Christmas Carol Service which will be led by Rev Agnes Moore, we round off the session on the 15th
with our Christmas Party.
In 2016 we have already a varied calendar of events and we would welcome along any new faces who
are looking for a healthy dose of friendship on Tuesday afternoon. At 1.30pm in the Church Hall.
As we bring 2015 to a close we pray for those Seniors who find themselves unable to attend due to illness
and we wish them a speedy recovery
May Wilson

2016 Events JanuaryFebruary

Guild

7.15pm Monday Evening

Seniors 1.30pm Tuesday Afternoon

11 Jan

Rev Agnes Moore Barra

12 Jan

Mrs. Walker School

18 Jan

Irene Dick Burns

19 Jan

Rev D Lyon - Ethiopia

25 Jan

Stuart Aitken Brewery Tour

26 Jan

Mr. Walter Burns Burns

1 Feb

Rev D Lyon - Ethiopia

2 Feb

Quiz Afternoon

9 Feb

Mr., Walter Burns Film Night

9 Feb

Donald Murray

15 Feb

John Irvine - Karaoke Hymns

16 Feb

Movie Time

22 Feb

Street Pastors - Ascension Trust

23 Feb

John Irvine - Karaoke Hymns

Music from
The West Church
CD
Question & Answer Session
Duncan MacKayChoir Master and Musical Director

Q -How long have you played the Organ/Piano at the West?

A I have been organist and choir master since July 1994. Jim Crawford asked me
to fill in for Ian Handley for a few months and I am still here 21 years later!
Q -What is your favourite piece of Music?
A I suppose like many people, ones favourite piece of music changes through
the years. However I have several pieces of music that I love these include The
Messiah by Handel, the opera Madam Butterfly by Puccini, Fagail Lismore
(Leaving Lismore) sung by Calum Kennedy, Kontakte and Stimmung by Karlheinz
Stockhausen, Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens and My Love is Like A Red
Red Rose sung by Kenneth McKellar
Q -Do you have a day job? If so what is it?
A I teach music at Strathaven Academy, and run the music department . It is
great fun and keeps me in touch with young people and their aspirations.
Q -What is your favourite food?
A I like chicken and any seafood such as mackerel, prawns, lobster, scallops ,
crab, which can be caught on the west coast of Scotland.
Q -What is your favourite holiday destination?
A My favourite destination is back to my family home in Skye. The scenery is
fantastic and I love the fact that I can spend the day as I like, preferably on a boat
on the sea viewing the fantastic Cuillin Hills. Beyond Scotland I have always liked
going to Majorca for the sun and the beautiful scenery.
Q -If you were not a Music Teacher what would you be?
A I really dont know. When I was young I thought of doing law or going in to politics. I intended after studying in East Anglia to go into the recording industry but
due to domestic circumstances I came back to Scotland. I have no regrets.
Q -What is your favourite Hymn?
A Again, like favourite pieces of music I have so many. Fantastic favourites from
my childhood such as Come Children Join to Sing, Jesus Friend of Little Children,
Jesus Loves Me, When he Cometh, and adult hymns such as How Great Thou Art
and Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.
Q -If you could change one thing to make a difference in the world what
would that be?
A Two things ! World peace and an end to poverty.
Q- Who have been your musical influences?
A I have been greatly influenced by three people. Alex Gibson, the Motherwell
Conductor of the Scottish National Orchestra and founder of Scottish Opera,
Calum Kennedy, the greatest Gaelic singer of all time, and the avant garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Q What are your best musical memories?
A- Being part of the SNO Chorus and performing at the Hollywood Bowl, performing with my pupils at the Scottish Parliament, playing for my boyhood hero Calum
Kennedy at the City Halls in Glasgow, recording music which was broadcast on
The Beechgrove Garden and Classic FM, and studying with the international composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in Germany....and of course playing at Bellshill West
Church as organist which I always wanted to do , but did not realise that one day I
would be able to!

Music from The West CD was specially recorded in aid of church funds.
featuring 22 tracks and includes congregational hymns, pieces by the
church choir and organ and keyboard
pieces performed by Duncan Mackay.
Tracks include:
Highland Cathedral
No Matter What Widor Toccata
Caledonia The Dark Island Over
The Rainbow
Amazing Grace
Bridge Over Troubled Water
How Great Thou Art All Creatures
of Our God and King
Spartacus Going Home I Vow
To Thee My Country .... and many
more!
The CD has over one hour of music
and costs only 6 with a special deal of
2 CDs for only 10! A great Christmas present for relatives and those
with connections to Bellshill West!
All proceeds are in aid of church funds. To
order your copies please contact Carole
Muir (Tel: 01698 861027) at church or email
your details and order
to:roy.henshaw@blueyonder.co.uk

Boys Brigade session is well underway and we have in the region of 65 boys across all sections
we meet on Tuesday night from 6.15pm through to 9.30pm so far this year we have enjoyed an
active programme with the boys learning Chess , playing five-a-side football , ten pin bowling and
all sections enjoyed a somewhat scary Halloween night . Harvest night had an array of decorative
pancakes with some strange toppings. I must also commend the Boys and Parents for the fantastic
turnout at the Remembrance Sunday service despite the weather!
For those who missed our updates on the Facebook page we also celebrated our 90th Anniversary
on the 5th of November Happy Birthday 3rd Bellshill to members past and present..
Captain David Foye
Girls Brigade meet on Wednesday evenings and this year we have balanced numbers across each
age group we have enjoyed a variety of activities so far but the big highlight for the girls was the
Halloween Party where the costumes and face painting was amazing. If you have not seen some of
the scary photos on our Facebook page here are a couple of examples of how good they looked,
See if you can pick out the girls behind the
make-up!
Captain Janey Kennedy

An Amazing night was

shared by all at our Fireworks Night with a fantastic sum of 565 raised
for the Church, Well
Done to the Youth Committee for once again
organising this evening.

And Finally from the Youth

Remember Sunday School is on each Sunday during the Church Service and the Sunday Night
Youthie is open to all our youngsters P7+
Looking forward to 2016 we have over 40 signed up to our weekend away at the Compass Christian Activity Centre in May.
You can find us on Facebook : Bellshill West Parish Church of Scotland
3rdBellshillBoysBrigade

1stbellshillgirlsbrigade

BellshillWestChurchYouthCommittee

FOOD BANK DONATIONS FOR E.U. CHURCH COLLECTED EACH SUNDAY

Come and Join us on a Sunday at 11.30am

At Rest with God

Christmas Eve Services 7.30pm & 11,30pm

Members

Christmas Day 10.30am

Mrs Margaret McLeod

Weekly Organisations

Beechwood Care Home, Wishaw

(Formerly of Milnwood Avenue)

Parish

Guild

Monday

7,15-9.00pm

Seniors

Tuesday

1.30-3.00pm

Boys Brigade

Tuesday

6,15-9,30pm

Sequence Dancing

Wednesday

1.00-3.00pm

Girls Brigade

Wednesday

6.00-8.15pm

Bowling

Thursday

1.00-3.00pm

Choir

Thursday

7.45-9.00pm

Badminton

Friday

7.00-9.00pm

Youth Club

Sunday

7.00-8.30pm

SC 008340

Marlyn Graham

Castle Hill House, Wishaw

Jim Hamilton

Park Place

Josephine Mackie

Moray Quadrant

Joe Morrison

Stewart Street

James Moonie

Croftbank Nursing Home

Betty Campbell

Hattonrigg Nursing Home

Andrew Skea

Kenilworth Drive

Danny Dougal

Hattonlea Nursing Home

www.westchurchbellshill.org