A Message from our Minister

Dear Friends,

If the rain has given us a rather dreich June, then it is made so much worse by hearing of heatwaves down South - although to be fair I think I prefer the rain to too much heat especially when it makes sleeping at night even more difficult!

It is tempting to look and think the ‘grass is greener elsewhere’ but when we are so busy looking at what others have or are doing we can miss the good things we have got, and this summer Inchinnan Parish Church has plenty good thing going on (and I don’t just mean the fact that the minister is not preaching for two Sunday’s!).

We start the 1st of July with the first of our annual summer ‘3C’s Café’ 2-4pm every Wednesday when the proceeds will go to ‘Prospects Across Scotland’; our Outdoor Worship in the 5th; then it is SunFun for primary aged-children on the 6th in the morning with the first of our weekly ‘Board not Bored’ for secondary aged young folk in the afternoon; we will share our favourite praise items on the 9th August, and some of us are working with Erskine Churched Together as they host their week long summer holiday club. So lot’s still going on and remember the ‘Friday Friendship Café at 2:30pm continues each week as well.

However June as we look back was also full of good things, there will be articles about the Fete in this ‘Patter’, but our sanctuary hosted the Clyde Presbytery Conference on ‘Working with Young People’ and Rev Paul Beautyman who was the speaker spoke to 52 people from across the presbytery and a few from other denominations. He was very impressed that he could use the tables at the back of the sanctuary, and those present were impressed with his talk. The Rev Mhairi Braingan moderated the full presbytery meeting on the 16th, and conducted a beautiful Communion worship service at the start of it with some of our Elder’s serving the presbytery the elements of bread and wine - thanks to all who helped at both these presbytery events to show IPC hospitality and welcome.

We also hosted the school Valedictory on the 10th June and it was great to be able to invite them and their families to celebrate their time at the school, and on the 12th the P5’s made a visit to the church where I was able to speak to them about the Christian faith, the symbols they can see around the sanctuary and their meaning. Some great questions were asked but perhaps the highlight for me was when they were asked what makes the church and one boy answered ‘the people’.

We might have challenges in the days ahead but there is a lot of good going on, so let’s not get despondent but remember when the words the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the exiled Israelites:

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  Jeremiah 29:11-12