THE MAGAZINE OF BOTHWELL PARISH CHURCH ‘SCOTLAND’S OLDEST COLLEGIATE CHURCH’

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC009819

FEBRUARY/ MARCH 2019

From the Minister P1 Carers’ Service P1 Christmas Decorations P2 Statement of Purpose P2 House of Winter P2 People to Know P3 Bothwell Guild P3 Chapterhouse Café P3 Sportsman’s Dinner P3 Rotas P4 Marriage: some thoughts P5 Society of Friends P5 Dementia Café P6 2019 Holy Week Services P6 Allovus Luncheon Club P6 Another Royal Visit P6 2019 Open Church P6

Minister: The Revd. J. M. Gibson, TD.

The Manse of Bothwell, 4 Manse Avenue, Bothwell, G71 8PQ

Tel: 01698 853189. Email: jamesmgibson@msn.com

Church Office Tel: 01698 854903 (Tuesday — Friday 9am-12.00pm)

Email: bothwellparishoffice@btconnect.com

Church Website: www.bothwellparishchurch.org.uk

Church Centre: 854987 Chapterhouse Café: 858566

FROM THE MINISTER On the first Sunday of this year, I made an announcement which was the result of a very difficult and painful decision. I have decided to retire from active ministry and will cease to be Minister of Bothwell on the last Sunday of March 2019. I cannot tell you how difficult this decision was. But I do know it is the right decision, coming at the right time both for me and Doreen, and for the life of the congre-gation.

It is a moment I have always known would come, of course; and its approaching has been dreaded

Bothwell Kirk is such a rewarding and fulfilling place to minister. It is also hugely demanding and full of challenge. I have loved almost every day of my ministry here. However, I have long been aware that a church, congregation and community like ours needs someone who is able to work constantly in full strength of body and mind. I can honestly say that, in this regard, I have done my very best but realise that present energy levels are, perhaps, not quite what they used to be.

Now in my thirtieth year at Bothwell, I have also come to realise that I need to scale back and this simply cannot be done while still being the minister.

While I am devastated that such a time has come, I also know that it is

A SERVICE THAT CELEBRATES COMMUNITY CARE

Now that Christmas has passed what happens now ?

Well: having celebrated the birth of love we must now find ways to share love and show that, as human beings and members of the Christian family, we care about each other and the world in which we live.

It’s now seven years since we last acknowledged the commitment and dedication of those who ‘care’ for people within our community. Maybe this is a good time to do so again.

Our worship on Sunday 17th March will take the form of a Carers’ Service when we will be pr ivileged to welcome South Lanarkshire Provost Ian McAllan along with Councillors, MPs, MSPs and a large number of women and men who may not think their work is special but without whom the people of our community would be much the poorer.

Our Service will be a statement that responsibility to care does not lie solely with official agencies or voluntary organisations, but with us all. We are all carers.

the right time for me to go. As a young boy, I would hear my father say that the right time to give up something was when you still felt able to contribute and things were going well.

Part of my sadness is that there is still so much within the congregation, within the building of the church and its surrounds, not to mention the church Centre, that I would love to have worked with others to attempt, or complete. I know that

no-one is indispen-sable; and what has not been possible

for me to do, I now hope will be possible for my successor.

My love for the building of this church and for its worship is something I cannot imagine no longer being part of. My ministry here has never been, in any sense, a job: its been my life. How fortunate I have been to have had such an able lady as Doreen, along with Niall and Valerie, sharing that with me.

By coincidence, the last Sunday in March is my 71st birthday. So I will make that my last service with the congregation—and, then, leave.

Preparatory work for the impending vacancy is already underway. All will be done to ensure that necessary procedures will be in place to shorten, as much as is possible, the length of the vacancy.

Bothwell Church will always have a very special place in my heart. I hope you may remember my ministry here with kind thoughts too.

Jim Gibson.

A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION

BUT THE RIGHT TIME TO GO A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION

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Statement of Purpose

Bothwell Parish is a congregation of the Church of Scotland and is part of the worldwide family of people belonging to the Christian Faith, worshipping God through Jesus Christ. In to the love of God for all, we seek to serve our community through worship, friendship, care and education; and to promote Christian values of concern for others, forgiveness, healing and justice.

Kirk Session of Bothwell Parish Church

Are your decorations down yet ? Has the tree been lifted from the street ? Are the angels back in their box and the wreath from the door safely stored away for another year ?

I hope so, because there are those who say it’s ‘bad luck’ for the rest of the year if you don’t have them down by the twelth night of Christmas (January 6th)then you must keep them up! Yes, all of them! For a whole year, it’s the only way to avoid the bad luck you have incurred. Or, so they say.

Goodbye to Christmas

But why is it supposed to be bad luck ?

Well, I’m not sure. However, this is what I have read. Apparently, way back in the mists of time, people believed that the spirits of the trees lived on all the greenery. So when the holly and ivy were brought into a home, they came in as well.

The spirits enjoyed the warmth of the home for the Christmas period but, then, with the festivities over, they had to be released back into the countryside again. If they weren’t, there would be no spring-time growth, and no summer crops. It would be disaster!

And, of course, the tree spirits trapped in your house could cause no end of mischief there, which would very much feel like ‘bad luck’.

To be honest, I’m not totally convinced by my previous couple of paragraphs. Indeed, I was beginning to lose the will to live while writing them. For the truth is that the decorations must come down

as the Festive Season comes to an end—not because we were wrong to enjoy ourselves, but because festivals only last for a season.

The Real Story

The decorations come down because Christmas was not really a fairy story of tinsel and romantic dreams at all. Life never is.

While the real world is much as we left it before our celebrations took over, the real story of Christmas is about a peasant birth that took place at the wrong time, in the wrong place, with a half-crazy dictator threatening to wipe out the whole enterprise before it had even begun. And there, we say, God was known and love was seen.

The Christmas story is the story of how light shines in the darkness of life’s realities, of how love triumphs over our worst fears, how death conquers despair and how hope can prevail even in the face of the world’s machinery of injustice and evil. Our task, is to say goodbye to Christmas and live that light … be the light that shines in the midst of the darkness of the world.

So let’s walk bravely through the threshold months of this new year. It may contain no more Christmas lights but yet hold a truer, more lasting light; and live this new year as he did, with all the love you have and with all the hope that is within you; and with all the energy of life at your command. For it’s only when you say goodbye to Christmas that the story can really begin.

HOUSE OF WINTER The Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown relieves the frosty bleakness of his opening lines with the symbolism of the white rose suddenly blossoming giving rise to the implicit sacramental offering of the end. (The poem is included in ‘Winter Gifts’ published by Happenstance).

At last, the house of winter. Find On the sill Intricate ice jewellery, a snowflake. Open one dark door. Wind-flung, A golden moth! Soon A candle flame, tranquil and tall. It is a bitter house. On the step Birds starve. The sign over the door is warped and faded. Inside one chamber, see A bare thorn. Wait. Abud breaks. It is a white rose. We think, in the heart of the house A table is set With a wine jar and broken bread.

On Taking down the Decorations By Colin McIntosh

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PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW

Minister Revd J M Gibson 4 Manse Avenue 853189

Session Clerk David Craig c/o Church Office 854903

Treasurer Jim Provan c/o Church Office 854903

Gift Aid Donald Lee c/o Church Office 854903

Roll Keeper Church Secretary Church Office 854903

Property Ken Hamilton c/o Church Office 854903

Organist & Director of Music Peter Shepherd (Please consult at church)

Presbytery Margaret Hutchison c/o Church Office 854903

Crèche Nan Carson c/o Church Office 854903

Sunday Clubs (Pre-school and Primary) The Minister Church Office 854903

ACTs (Teens) Rhona Armes-Martin Church Office 854903

BB Coy. Robin McLean c/o Church Office 854903

Allovus Heather Duddy c/o Church Office 854903 The Guild Doreen Gibson 4 Manse Avenue 853189

Church Centre Management Margaret Dobie c/o Church Office 854903 Church Centre 854987.

CHURCH REGISTER

According to the EU’s General Data Protection which took effect in May 2018, we are updating our congregational privacy policy. Consequently, we will no longer publish addresses/telephone num-bers (other than of the church/Centre/Manse). We respect the right of privacy of all members and others; and will do all we can to ensure the security of all data. Baptisms: December 16th Harry Griffith Lynch, son of Stephen and Donna Funerals: The Minister invites the prayers of the congregation for the family and friends of the following who recently received Christian funeral:

2019 January Mrs Nancy Carlisle. New Members: We extend a very warm welcome to the following who wish to join membership of our congregation: Mrs June Reilly Ms Caitlin Reilly.

GUILD

UPDATE Thanks to the excellent preparations of the Guild committee, the splendid food supplied by Craig of our Chapterhouse Café and everyone’s determination to enjoy themselves, members of the Guild celebrated Christmas in style and with a lot of fun. The main hall rang with the sound of much laughter and music as a great time was had by all.

The new year begins for the Guild with the annual Scots’ Night for members. This promises to be another enjoyable evening with supper of usual fare, music, fun and laughter.

Two OPEN Evenings For Your Diary.

February 25th:

‘Forensic Science: Friend of the Legal Process’ with Professor Brian Caddy.

March 11th:

‘Glasgow Necropolis: the burial place of those who made Glasgow

the second city of the Empire’ with Nigel Willis.

Tickets £3. Now on Sale! (First come, First served!)

and wishing continued success

to

CRAIG PARKER

celebrating

12 years

at

The CHAPTERHOUSE CAFÉ

within Bothwell Parish Church Centre

CHURCH FUNDRAISER

SPORTSMAN’S DINNER

at

BOTHWELL BRIDGE HOTEL

7.30pm

on FRIDAY, 15 FEBRUARY

Tickets £50 From church office

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Church Flowers

Crossing War Memorial 2019 JANUARY: 6. Mrs L McVey John Gordon 13. Nancy Robertson Anne McMillan 20. Ann Sharp Nancy Struthers 27. Janet McDougall Ann McQueen. FEBRUARY : 3 Mrs Eleanor Terrace Mrs Eileen Smith 10 Mrs Mary Williamson Mrs Evelyn Cole 17 Mrs Nan Carson Mrs Valerie Pringle 24 Mr & Mrs Ian Wilson Mr John Ferrell MARCH: 3 Mrs Betty Sinclair Mr Tom Abercromby 10 Mrs Irene Gilmour Mrs Carol Anne Cahill 17 Mrs Johann Smart Mrs D-A Ardrey 24 Mr Tom Hogg Mrs Alison Freeland 31 Mrs Sara Crichton Mrs C Livingstone APRIL: 7 Mrs Lynda Horn Mrs Isobel Parsons 14 McLean Family Mrs Mary McWhinney 21 (Easter) Mrs Jan Lee Mrs Mary Brown 28 Mrs Eileen Parsons Mrs Christine White MAY: 5 Mr John Hart Mrs Ann Walker

Sunday Church Welcome Rota Officebearers should please report for duty at 9.45am.

Sunday Crèche JANUARY 6 Suzanne Smith Louise Parsons 13 Elaine Easton Aileen Hepburn 20 Eleanor Terrace Elizabeth French 27 Nan Carson Jen Robertson FEBRUARY 3 Eleanor Barr Morven McPherson 10 Janette Provan Emily Barr 17 Pat Maxwell Gilliam Ormiston 24 Suzanne Smith Louise Parsons MARCH 3 Elaine Easton Aileen Hepburn 10 Eleanor Terrace Elizabeth French 17 Nan Carson Jen Robertson 24 Eleanor Barr M McPherson 31 Janette Provan Emily Barr APRIL 7 Pat Maxwell Gillian Ormiston 14 Suzanne Smith Louise Parsons 21 Ellaine Easton Aileen Hepburn 28 Eleanor Terrace Elizabeth French

JANUARY 6 E Terrace B Thomson G Whitton A Wilson 13 E Barr J Carson N Carson E Buttery 20 D Craig J Crichton J Dalziel E French 27 A Scott M Dobie V Gibson B G/espie

FEBRUARY 3 K Hamilton J Hart D Hapburn S G/Shields 10 H Gilmour J Gilmour I Henderson J Henry 17 M Jack D Lee H Marsh J Marsh 24 B Moyes G Ormiston Jim Provan J Provan

MARCH 3 R Parsons E S/ville A Scott B Sharp 10 E Terrace B Thomson G Whitton A Wilson 17 E Barr E Buttery J Carson N Carson 24 D Craig J Crichton J Dalziel M Dobie 31 E French B Gillespie V Gibson K Hamilton

APRIL 7 H Gilmour J Gilmour D Hepburn S G/shields 14 J Hart I Henderson J Henry M Jack 21 D Lee H Marsh J Marsh B Moyes 28 G Ormiston Jim Provan J Provan R Parsons

Coffee Rota JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH 06 Mrs J Craig 03 Mrs E Buttery 03 Mrs J Hamilton 13 Mrs S Crichton 10 Mrs M Wilson 10 Mrs C Cahill 20 Mrs N Carson 17 Mrs S Smith 17 Mrs A Thomson 27 The Parsons & The Ormistons 24 Mrs A Laird & The Cnverys 24 Mrs A Hepburn 31 Mrs J Craig APRIL MAY 07 Mrs N Carson 05 Mrs S Smith 14 Mrs S Crichton 12 Mrs M Wilson 21 The Parsons & The Ormistons 19 Mrs E Terrace 28 Mrs E Buttery 26 Mrs A Laird & The Converys

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Marriage: the changes

we need to recognise

One Sunday, during the autumn I preached on the changes taking place in society regarding the laws governing marriage. The sermon provoked a good bit of interest and a number of people kindly made contact to express interest and question me about what I had said. This is something I have always welcomed. Here I write some further thoughts and invite readers to consider their own thoughts too. The most up-to-date figure for the numbers of married couples in Scotland is 967,000. (2011 census). This means that just over 1% of the married couples in Scotland initiate an action for divorce. The numbers of divorces granted in any one year in Scotland has been slowly decreasing for the past 20 years; falling by 33% from 13,300 in 1985 to 8,875 in 2016.

This contrasts with the Scottish marriage rate. This fell by 23% over the same period.

There is little research available into the reason for the fall in marriage. A likely explanation however, is that people are no longer under the same pressure to marry as they were in the past and, so, when they eventually decide to do so, the chances are their marriage will endure.

Thirty years ago, 60% of all Scottish marriages were conducted by a minister of some denomination of the Church. For some, it may have been just convention, or to please parents, or because the building was likely to have been more attractive than a Registrar’s Office. But, for others, it would have been because they had deeper reasons, recognising the importance of what they were doing.

Today, the Humanist Society claims that percentage has fallen to less than 50%. and falling further. If this is true, changes in the way society regard marriage cannot be ignored and, if the Church is to give wise advice, it must first clear away decades, if not centuries, of muddled thinking.

The truth is that modern weddings have lost their way. The fact that many weddings cost well over £20,000 is just ridiculous and morally wrong—especially when one thinks of how many people struggle on this planet to live on less than one dollar a day. This excess is a symptom of a deeper problem. For what all the taffeta in the

world cannot cover up is that, for many, the modern wedding has become a matter of the ‘ego’ and out-doing the Jones’s. Sadly, for so many, the ‘special day’ has just become an excuse to indulge in the best of every-thing—from flowers to clothes, from hairdressers to holidays. Too many couples demand the adulation of celebrity and expect the Church to provide a liturgical charade to accommodate them. If the Church declines, then its off to some hotel or other venue where there are no such problems.

Of course, its is absolutely right that the bride and groom ought to feel ‘special’. After all, this is the day they publicly promise to love and care for each other for the rest of their lives. But overblown vanity is not what makes a wedding ‘special’.

Marriage is at the heart of a stable society. It provides a secure environment for bringing up children and it is conducive to our long-term happiness. All this needs celebrating. But how are we to do it? This is where the Church needs to be clear in its thinking and practise. Over centuries, the Church has consistently overestimated the importance the Bible places on marriage by suggesting it is a sacred ordinance decreed by God. There is simply no Scriptural evidence for such a claim. Indeed, the Bible makes only sparse mention of marriage and, when it does, it is as a metaphor to illustrate God’s relationship with humanity.

Throughout all Biblical period and cultures and in Christian Europe up to the Middles Ages, marriage was a civil institution — essentially a property exchange between two families for their mutual benefit. The property in question being the bride!

It is only since the Middle Ages that a ‘sacramentalisation’ of marriage helped to create the modern misperception that somehow God ordained this ordinance at the beginning of time.

With current changes being made to the laws surrounding marriage, maybe it would be prudent for the Church to examine closely what it believes it is doing when itsolemnises marriage. To me, all we are doing is invoking the blessing of God upon a covenant (relationship) which two individuals wish to enter one with another: a covenant which sometimes (but, only sometimes) they feel drawn to as a result of some calling by God.

If we accept the above, then we strip away the Church’s pietistic nonsense

about the ‘sacredness’ of marriage as a divinely-ordained institution and we lay open the possibility of offering a similar liturgical setting for the ‘blessing’ of a covenant between two individuals previously married elsewhere.

It seems to be the height of pastoral hypocrisy and ecclesiastical self-delusion for the Church to continue to marry individuals who may then later be divorced by the State—without so much as a theological quiver expressed by the Church. Surely, logic would demand that if the Church is to continue conducting marriage services then it ought to be the authority to divorce those it marries. If, on the other hand, the State is to remain the only divorcing authority, then it should be the only marrying authority.

So: whither the future ?

Would it really be so terrible for the Church to voluntarily set aside its privilege to conduct wedding services? For, were this to happen, the two individuals involved would be married by the State and, then, should they wish, could go immediately to the Church for a Service of Blessing.

This would not stop people being divorced by the State, but it would allow the Church to do its real, pastoral job: imparting God’s blessing on those who seek it on their married life.

Society of Friends Of

Bothwell Parish Church

The first AGM of our fledgling Society of friends will take place on Sunday 3 February, the weekend of the Feast Day of Brigid, Abbess of Kildare (St Bride) our patron saint. All members of the Society are warmly invited to attend as is anyone who might be interested in the Society’s activities. After coffee, the AGM will be held within the Centre. Some interesting events and unusual visits are being proposed. Items on the agenda are:

Welcome by Chairman Treasurer’s Report Elections to Council

The Year Ahead Date of Next Meeting.

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Find Easter puzzling?

Not sure what to think?

Each year, a short series of services is held during HOLY WEEK to give

some help.

The first thing to realise is: you are not alone. The claims of Easter are

mind-blowing. But that does not mean we can’t have understanding.

Easter is only possible because of the

life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and his actions during the last fateful

week of his life. The whole of Christian Faith can be seen enacted

during those events. It’s why it is so important to understand what happened during that time, and why, if

ever we are to let the joy and hope of Easter come alive within us, taking us

out of our comfort zones and guiding us on the adventure of faith.

This year, services from

Monday, 15—Thursday,18th April

will be conducted by

the Revd David Doyle

David studied at Glasgow and Cambridge Universities, formerly

Minister of St Mary’s Church, Motherwell. and is one of the

ministry team kindly helping us during the vacancy.

Each service begins at 7.00pm and lasts approximately forty minutes.

The service on Maundy Thursday will include the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Pause for Thought “The most beautiful thing we can ever experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion if a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”

Albert Einstein ‘What I Believe’

Later this year, ALLOVUS will celebrate its tenth birthday. The club has proved a great success, hugely enjoyed by its members.

This has been as a result of the dedicated team of volunteers who so willingly give their time and talents twice a month to ensure senior citizens enjoy each other’s company and a very varied programme activity and speakers. Allovus resumes on February 7th at 11.00am.

The club is open to any senior lady or gentleman who may wish to attend, regardless of religious affiliation.

Bothwell Church Dementia Club

Our Dementia Café is held within the church Centre on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays on every month from 1.00om until 2.30pm.

Trialled last May and, then, launched in August the club attracts a regular number of Dementia sufferers and their carers from the local area. Those attending enjoy participating in specially devised activities and making their own PlayList for Life recordings.

The café is OPEN TO ALL.

Another visit from HRH

Buckingham Palace has just announced that HRH The Princess Royal will return to visit Bothwell Church on Tuesday, 26th March.

As a result of her appreciation of the recent restoration of our church Quire, Her Royal Highness has requested that a charity of which she is patron should hold its annual ‘Gathering’ here at Bothwell.

Scotland’s Churches Trust (of which Bothwell Church is a member) works to encourage Scotland’s churches to promote themselves to the visiting public from home and abroad. It also offers grants for fabric repairs and supports the teaching of organ playing.

This is a particular honour for us all at Bothwell and, especially, for those whose skill and expertise enabled the completion of our recently completed restoration project.

2019 OPEN CHURCH Last August, how good it was to see the doors of our church ‘OPEN’ signalling a warm welcome within to visitors and tourists alike.

And ‘IN’ they came! Visitors from countries across the globe—and we have their name in our Visitor’s Book as proof.

This summer, we would like to extend our opening to cover JULY and AUGUST. However, this can only be achieved with the help of volunteers. Two volunteers are on duty during both morning and afternoon shift. Historical information about the church building is made available.

If YOU would like to help our 2019 OPEN CHURCH project, please make contact with Sandra in the church Office—854903 (Tues-Thurs, 9am to 12noon).

Welcoming visitors can be great fun!

Help to share

Scotland’s heritage.

1st Bothwell BB Coy.

Meets Fridays from 6.00pm. Always welcoming.

)

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A Short History of Bothwell

Continuing the instalments of the notes prepared by the late Rev. S. J. Hamilton, B.A., on the history of the parish.

The Reverend Gavin Hamilton, minister of Bothwell enjoyed an interesting and successful career. The second son of John Hamilton of Orbiston, who fell at Langside fighting for Queen Mary, he was born about 1561 and educated at the university of St Andrews where he graduated Master of Arts in 1584. Six years later he became minister of the Second Charge, Hamilton. Translated to Bothwell in 1594, he returned after a decade to his former parish where he ministered in the First Charge. Apparently one of the king’s ‘led horses’ he was appointed by James VI to the temporalities (properties and revenues) of the old bishopric of Galloway, with the priory of Whithorn and the abbeys of Glenluce and Dundrennan. A year later, he became Dean of the Chapel Royal and ‘constant’ moderator of the presebytery of Kirkcudbright. The climax of his career was reached in 1610 when, on the 21st October, he was consecrated in London to the see of Galloway. It is interesting to note that, at this ceremony, he was not re-ordained, Presbyterian ordination being then recognised by the Church of England. He died in February 1612. His wife was Alison, eldest daughter of James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, who bore him five children, one of whom married John Campbell, bishop of Argyll.

Like his predecessor at Bothwell, he was a man of some weight and standing in the ecclesiastical councils of the realm; and while still minister at Bothwell he had several important duties to perform outwith his parish. On 26th June 1595, he was appointed by the General Assembly to give information against such of the brethren as had ‘dilapidated’ their benefices in the bounds of Clydesdale, Renfrew, Lennox and Dumbarton and was one of the commissioners chosen by the Assembly for constituting an interim ‘platt’ for the same bounds. By the Assemblies of 1598, 1600 and 1601 he was empowered, with others, to plant such kirks in burgh-towns as are destitute and on 16th May 1601 was appointed, with others, for trial of the brethren in the bounds of Irvine and Ayr.

All that said, one point must be noted which does not seem to redound to his credit as far as the temporalities of the parish are concerned.

The following particulars would make it obvious he had something to do with the alienation of the church lands and property at Bothwell. In 1604, with the consent of Sir Walter Scott of Branxholm , then patron of the parish, he granted to his brother, John Hamilton of Orbiston in fee-farm and heritage:

1 the whole of ten pound lands of Orbiston and the manor-place, with the houses, yards, orchards and fishings –along with the tithes of the same, 2 the lands of Carnbrew, Unthank, Stevenson, Alderstoun, Carfin, Jerviestoun, Riccart-Johnstoun and Kirklee in the barony of Bothwell, 3 the mill of Orbiston, 4 the nether mill of Orbiston on the Calder, 5 the church lands of Bothwell with the houses, gardens and pertinents reserving, however, to the provost and his successors , serving the cure of Bothwell, a reasonable glebe of four acres of the said church lands, with the mansion, gardens and other premises which were then occupied by the provost.

As minister of Bothwell, Gavin Hamilton’s stipend was ‘the hail dew-tie of the prowestrie of Bothwell £222, with the vicarage £6 13s 4d’ (Scots) - a total of £19 1s 2d (Sterling). At times, he seems to have been responsible for paying the stipend of the minister of Shotts.

To be continued