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minister's blog: March 2009 - looking back and looking forward

Dear Friends

The past twelve to eighteen months have been successful, humanly speaking, for our congregation, and I pray God has been honoured in what we have tried to do for Him.  The buzz and energy which comes at the beginning of a new ministry is still evident, and I hope we want to keep it that way.   We can’t afford to be complacent, and we need to remain as excited about the work here as we have been, if not more so.  You will be aware that we have much to do, and that the same buzz and energy will be needed as we continue.

Looking back over the past year we have known many high points, and no doubt these will be recorded in this Book of Reports.  Financially, we have had a fairly good year, with a 1.5% increase in our offerings. However, the downturn in the financial sector has seen the value of our investments fall dramatically, and while this is simply a paper valuation, our treasurer is warning that because we may not be receiving dividends on our share portfolio, we could be facing a very large budget deficit by the end of 2009.

The fabric of our church building is now also causing some concern, with the news that to make all repairs highlighted in the Property Condition Report we commissioned, we may need to spend upwards of some £600,000.  As I write we are waiting to meet with Stirling Presbytery’s Property Committee and the General Trustees to determine the scale of the repair work they will authorise, and work out how these repairs are to be funded.  When this meeting takes place, and when Presbytery has made its recommendation we will, of course, keep you informed.

The temptation will be to throw all our efforts, and money, into the repairs, but while these things remain a concern, our work as a congregation of God’s people must continue and our mission must drive us forward.  One of the reports being made to our Stated Annual Meeting will be from our Congregational Development Group, who hosted a very successful Congregational Gathering and Conference in February.  In that conference we were very clearly asked to think beyond our church walls to reach out to folk in our community and beyond in different ways.  By making outreach a high priority in our strategy we said a hearty “Amen” to that idea. 

There is no doubt we can be rightly proud of our Church.  We have a beautiful building which is seen for many miles around, both during the day, and thanks to the floodlighting, at night too. But more than the building, it is the people of God who are the Church, and we can be rightly proud of our folk and their hard work over this year that has passed.  God has blessed us mightily and we can depend on Him continuing to bless us as we honour Him.  Thank you everyone for your effort and for your commitment.

Our congregation is in good heart, and it has been a joy to see everybody working together for the sake of the gospel.  Our Guild has been well attended, and they are coming to the end of a session with a rich and varied syllabus of speakers and events.  Our Coffee morning continues to attract its regulars, and we are delighted to welcome most weeks a group of children from Clackmannan Nursery.  The choir, though small in number, have a group of very enthusiastic and talented singers, and led by their choirmaster, our Organist, they play a very significant part in our weekly worship.

Wednesday Prayers continues, with around ten folk every week coming together to discuss a Bible passage, currently from the Psalms, and then praying for folk and situations in and around the congregation, as well as the wider church, and beyond.  We are grateful for those folk who feel they can ask us to pray for particular people and situations, but I know the prayer group would dearly love to add to their number.

Young people remain a highlight of our work in Clackmannan.  Last year’s Holiday Club for Primary School children remains a major talking point for many folk, with seventy children from the community and beyond being led by a team of thirty-five people, of varying ages, for a week of bible teaching and fun and games.  One by-product of this has been the invitation from my home church for some of our teenagers to go and help staff their holiday club in Dunfermline in August.  We look forward to our own club, “The Potter Project”, in July.

Our Boys’ Brigade Company continues faithfully, although with small numbers.  It was a great blessing to see them in church for their enrolment and dedication service back in October.  The Sunday-school is also doing well, and a happy problem which they are facing is the need for more adult helpers to provide cover on a rota basis every Sunday morning.  Vision, our Young Church group, continues to grow in strength and in quality, and some of their members are planning an experimental worship experience this coming April, which I hope we will all support.

I particularly want to thank all the members of our church who are in their places Sunday by Sunday.  Your attendance each week is a source of great encouragement to me and a sign that God is at work among us.  Over this past year we have lost some of our dearest friends, who have been “promoted to glory” as the Salvation Army puts it.  But we have also got to know a number of new, and returning, folk who have come among us and are already making their presence felt.  We are glad that you are part of our family and look forward to getting to know you better.

One of the successes of the past year has been how our church website has developed and been received.  Almost 2300 people have visited the website since its publication in December 2007. That means that around 150 people per month, or 40 people every week, from all over the world, have seen what Clackmannan Church has to offer.  Through the website we have even received a request from a couple in Texas to hold a wedding in the Church in July 2010 – though it has to be said that part of the bride’s family live in Clackmannan.  We are currently looking at ways to improve the website and for more content to be included.  Ideally we would like to stream the church services over the internet, though initially we are looking at ways of putting recorded services or sermons online.  Our Young Church group “Vision” have their own “Bebo” social networking page on the internet too, and that is enjoying some interest.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Haggai gives the people a message!  He says "Give careful thought to your ways". Think about what you are doing that is provoking God, and think what you can do to show repentance.  He wants to see a change.  He goes on, "Go up to the mountains and bring down timber and build the house..." and then the assuring "....and I will take pleasure in it and be honoured."  Then the mercy of God - "I am with you".  The same prophet that brought them a reproving word brings them news of God's mercy, a comforting, encouraging word. "I am with you", "I will forgive you, I will protect you against your enemies, and I will prosper you, bless your hands and strengthen the work". 

Haggai then delivers a second message.  God is saying "You have honoured me in the way that I wanted”.  That was the important thing.  “Now you have done that, just wait and see what I am going to do for you so that the temple can be made splendid.  You won't believe your eyes”.  The temple these people were building would have great honour placed upon it.   The presence of the Messiah would be in it, the infant Son of God presented there, the 12-yr-old Jesus would ask and answer his questions, then his preaching and working miracles there, his driving the buyers and sellers out of it.  Who knows what blessings God may yet heap upon us as we honour him with our efforts.  I look forward to discovering them with you as we continue with His work.

May God be with you.

©Clackmannan Parish Church of Scotland, April 2009