Puppet Christmas!

Here's a clip from our "Joy of Christmas" celebration last week. Those puppets certainly know how to have good time!
Click on the picture or here to see the clip.

Thanks to Barbara and Ian Black for providing it.

Evening with the Matears

Soldiers and friends at Ayr Citadel recently enjoyed a truly inspiring weekend under the leadership of the Territorial Commander and his wife, Commissioner John Matear and Commissioner Elizabeth Matear. It was a weekend that had been anticipated for a long number of months and we certainly were not disappointed – their leadership was masterful, their speaking inspirational and the personal interest they took in the members of the congregation was welcomed and commented upon by all who attended the weekend’s activities.

The first major event of the weekend was "An Evening with the Matears", an informal gathering giving the opportunity for the members of the Corps to meet the Commissioners over dinner and listen with enthusiasm to their after dinner speeches.

Dinner consisted of quite the most amazing serving of turkey with, of course, the seasonal trimmings; or for those who preferred, winter stew. Certainly we were blessed by the quantity of food piled onto our plates and were not disappointed by the quality of the fayre – cooked to perfection by a team of willing volunteers from the ranks of the Corps.

The soloist for the evening was our own Bandmaster, Bobby Irvine,
who brought great blessing with his singing of various Christmas favourites from the hauntingly beautiful "O Holy Night", to the ever popular "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" and, accompanied by our own Robert Dibden on the piano, presented a truly unique and playful version of "God rest ye merry gentlemen", a la Dave Brubeck, the American jazz artist.

Commissioner Betty Matear spoke of her own experiences in ministry, thrilling the congregation with her personal insight of the difference that Christ has made in her life – from an enforced visit to the Salvation Army in Greenock due to her finding herself without her Sunday-go-to-meeting hat! (Praise God that all can attend the Salvation Army, with or without hat!) to her experiences at the training college and subsequent officer service, culminating in her present role as Territorial President of Women’s Ministries. She also gave insight into her role as Moderator of the Free Churches Group.

The Territorial Commander spoke on an aspect of the Army’s work that was growing in strength and making a practical difference in the lives of those we seek to serve in Christ’s name. The Employment Plus programme has been helping young men and women enter the workforce and gain the relevant support to help them to life lives closer to the John 10:10 maxim of “life in all its fullness”.

Our own Commanding Officer, Captain Graeme Parkhill guided the gathered congregation through the evening with a lightness of touch that complemented the whole evening.

Overall, a great evening, enjoyed by all who attended.

Stressed Out?

As it comes up to this time of the year, the happiness and joy of Christmas can often be forgotten, or seem far away in the rush to get ready for Christmas time! Over the past week Wendy and I have certainly been very busy as we prepared and tidied up after a wonderful weekend we spent with the Territorial Commander and his wife, Commissioner Elizabeth Matear. It was a tremendous weekend of God-honouring praise and worship, but busy none the less.

It put me in mind of a thought by Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in the US, which I'd like to share with you this week. It may be a timely reminder to us all at this hectic time of the year!

Managing your stress

Stress is caused by two opposing forces which pull against each other. We usually think of this as something negative but actually some stress is essential for living. For instance, gravity is a stress to your body – but you couldn't live without it.

You'll never be able to eliminate all stress from your life. You wouldn't want to. But you can reduce the intensity of stress and you can learn to manage it.

When a violinist tightens the strings on a violin, she puts stress on them. The strings are pulled in two directions. The capacity of a string to be stretched is called "tensile strength". If the strings are weak, they break when stretched. But if the strings are strong, the violinist is able to produce beautiful music because of the stress.

People are like that. When pulled in two different directions some people snap from the stress. Others, however, are able to handle the stress and use it to produce something beautiful. The difference is the spiritual strength of the individual.

How do you get recharged spiritually when you're feeling stressed?

1. PAUSE! Step back from your work for a moment. But instead of taking a coffee break, take a spiritual break! Take a deep breath, quiet yourself and focus on the fact that God is with you right now. You're not alone. God is ready to help you.
2. PRAY! Prayer is a powerful stress-reliever that you can use at any time of the day. It works best when you pray aloud - but when your situation doesn't allow that you can talk to God with your thoughts. Tell Him exactly what you feel. Of course, He already knows. The relief comes from getting it off your chest. God won't be shocked. He made you and He loves you.
"I pour out my problems to Him; I tell Him my troubles. When I am afraid, you, Lord, know the way out." Psalms 142:2-3
3. PRIORITISE! Pinpoint what's really most important to you and what isn't. You can't do everything, so clarifying your priorities is essential to reducing stress. Your work will be determined by pressures or by priorities. It's your choice. If you don't determine what's important – others will decide it for you.
"There is a right time and a right way for everything." Eccl 8:6

May God bless you richly this week.

Graeme Parkhill

Event Photographs

We now have some photographs of the very successful weekend activities "An Evening with the Matears" and "The Joy of Christmas" available.

To view just click on the links below. If you have photographs of these events you'd like to share, please contact Leonard McIlloney.

An evening with the Matears
The Joy of Christmas

Community Gospel Choir Debuts

Click on the photograph to see a video of the choir's debut performance at Castlehill Parish Church.

We will have more details and highlights for you shortly!