2009 Carol Concert Announced

The Salvation Army

Ayr Community Carol Concert

6th December 2009
6.30pm
Castlehill Parish Church

Featuring
Ayr Community Gospel Choir

Ayr Performing Arts Club Puppeteers

Ayr Salvation Army Brass Band

Guest Speakers

Commissioners John & Elizabeth Matear

(Leaders of the Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland).

Collection in aid of CLIC Sargent children’s cancer charity.

“Every day 10 families are told their child has cancer. As the UK's leading children's cancer charity, CLIC Sargent is the only organisation to offer them all round care and support. That’s because we’re there every step of the way:” (quote from CLIC Sargent website)

True Greatness

I have been thinking over the past couple of weeks again about what it takes to be truly great. I suppose the death of Stephen Gately, from Boyzone aged just 33 has led me to think again of the legacy that I would leave, should life be taken from me. You see I also am 33.

My mind was drawn to the scripture, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." (Mark 8:35).

It's true to say that the vast majority of the people today think of life in terms of ease, comfort, luxury and security. But, as I thought over these qualities, I recognised that we could have all of these in abundance and still not really be happy or contented.

Gadgets and possessions don't have the capacity to satisfy the human soul.

Biblical scholars believe Jesus also lost his life aged 33. By this stage, he had saved the world -- without comforts, luxuries or security that we would understand. There definitely is a vast difference between the popular ideas of today and the philosophy that Jesus taught.

Jesus saved the world through self-sacrifice. He calls his people to a life of self-sacrifice. It's the only way to find real life, rich life, a full life. Jesus never tried to bribe people by offering an easy way. He offered poverty, misunderstanding, criticism and a cross.

Of course, this principle is not limited to religion. In the days of World War II when Winston Churchill took over as PM, all that he offered the people of Britain was, "blood, sweat and tears". It resulted in Britain's "finest hour".

True greatness, I concluded, comes from a life of self sacrifice -- putting others before our own desires and taking the example of Christ and others to heart.

May God bless you.

Graeme Parkhill

Food for Thought

I once read that by the time we feel thirsty, we are actually too thirsty.

According to experts, it is advisable that we drink water long before we experience the symptoms of thirst. Those symptoms are nature’s way of telling us that we are on our way to dehydration, and that we have left it too long since we last filled up.

It’s much the same with a car, for example, or with the prize vegetables we are trying to grow down on the allotment. If we leave either without water for longer than is advisable, the car’s engine will begin to malfunction, and the vegetables will struggle and maybe even die.

I dehydrated once, when I caught a virus as a boy. The effects were dramatic. I would hallucinate as my body became unable to process the correct amount of fluid to my brain. All things considered, then, we can safely conclude that being deprived of water is not a good idea. Such deprivation weakens us, physically and mentally. Conservative Party leader David Cameron always drinks a mug of hot, sweet tea before Prime Minister’s Questions, working on the theory that hydrated brains function better.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus had a conversation with a woman who had come to draw water at a well. Jesus used the conversation to highlight our need of spiritual refreshment and sustenance. He said, “All those who drink this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring which will provide him with life-giving water and give him eternal life” (4:13, 14 Good News Bible).
For each of us, balance is important. We need to look after ourselves in order to maintain physical and mental wellbeing.

Our spiritual life, though, is also important. If we fail to nurture the spiritual dimension to our lives, there is a vital part of us, within, that suffers. Jesus alone can quench such a spiritual thirst. He wants us to take him up on his offer of life-giving water.

How about it? There is plenty for everyone. A chat with Jesus over a cuppa will do the trick, and will refresh those parts of us other philosophies and theories simply cannot reach. Consider yourself invited!

Major Stephen Poxon

Parkhill's Perspectives Debuts!

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Be sure to check out Capt Graeme's new series of thought provoking articles on the website in "Parkhill's Perspectives".

Just click here to go to the first in the series.

What's a lie?

As I was thinking about a Thought for the Week, I came across this devotional of Woodrow Kroll’s and thought that it was worth sharing in this way. It’s based on the Bible story of Abraham and his wife Sarah in the land of Egypt.

Graeme Parkhill

Genesis 12:12-13

"Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you."

The Wrong Kind of Help

A little boy asked his mother, "What is a lie?" "A lie," she replied, "is an abomination to the Lord -- but a very present help in time of trouble."

Abraham apparently agreed. Faced with a famine in the land of Canaan, he moved his household down to Egypt. Out of fear for his life, he told the Egyptians that Sarah was his sister and persuaded her to go along with his lie. When Pharaoh heard of her beauty, and thinking her unmarried, he took her into his harem. Abraham was on the brink of saving his life but losing his wife. Fortunately God intervened and Pharaoh learned the truth in time. Abraham, however, was rebuked and forced to leave the land. In the end, his lie earned him nothing but contempt and disgrace.

Often we are tempted to lie our way out of a tight spot. Perhaps at work a "small lie" will help us avoid admitting we made a mistake. Or at home "bending the truth" may seemingly help us avoid a scene. But resorting to subterfuge always ends up causing us more heartache than help.

When tempted to lie, remember that what seems like a "very present help" will ultimately be "an abomination to the Lord." Lies always result in more hurt and hassle in the long run. That kind of help you can do without. Instead, tell the truth and trust God. He'll take care of you.

A lie appears to offer help, but in reality only delivers harm.

The Brush

I'm a retired officer having worked, with my wife, on agricultural projects in Africa for much of my life. (I have a BSc. in agriculture). We now live in Perthshire. You may know Majors Stephen and Heather Poxon (at Paisley). Heather is our eldest daughter. We worked in Zimbabwe, Kenya (where Heather was born), Congo and Nigeria and retired in 1996. Both of us were new to the Army and just thank God for the wonderful way He has led us over the years. 

I still go to Africa quite frequently, last year I went with our youngest daughter, Carol and her family, and a group of school children from her school to Malawi to plant trees and put up beehives in four villages for the Army. Then in November I helped run a beekeeping training course for the Army in the Congo. Next month I will be going to Sudan to help with a beekeeping project run by World Vision.

Since retirement I have published several books for development workers in Africa (on plant uses, beekeeping and edible insects!). This work was paid for by doing dry-stane dyking for local farmers. I enjoy dyking, and it's a way of saying thank you to God for being able to live in this beautiful place.   

A few years ago I went to stay with my eldest daughter, Heather, who lived in the bush in the Congo. I remember when I woke up in the morning hearing all the wonderful sounds of Africa, the cockerels crowing, some women talking, I felt the warm air that came through the window which was wide open, and then suddenly I heard a pig. I looked out of the window but couldn't see it any where. Where had it got to? Then I suddenly saw it being carried on someone's shoulder.

While I was staying with Heather I was given my duties each morning. One morning she gave me this brush made from some grass stems bound with an old tomato tin.

It had been bought in the market for 10p.

My job was to sweep out the sand, dead cockroaches and ants each morning - all the bad things that had come into the house during the past 24 hours.

Each morning we need to ask God to keep us clean, pure and fit for his service - to clean out something unkind or untrue we might have said, some bad habit we've got into or some bad thought that's been bothering us.


Let us make the same prayer that king David made many years ago, each morning when we get up.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit in me".

Major Paul Latham (R)

Community Choir Gets In The Swing Of Things

The first rehearsal of the Community Gospel Choir went with a swing this evening! Over 50 people joined together in the Wallacetown Parish Church Halls to rehearse gospel music for the Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 6th December.

Led by Bobby Irvine, who certainly knows how to get the best out of any vocal grouping, everyone enjoyed the music, and the fellowship. The community feeling of the evening was evident from the very start, as everyone was encouraged to welcome three people that they had never met before.

After a quick shuffle to organise the singers into vocal groupings: - soprano, alto, tenor and bass and a humorous rendition of “My bonnie lies over the ocean,” the serious stuff started! (if you can get serious with gospel!)

All members seemed to enjoy the evening and many commented on what a good idea it had been to bring together this community gospel choir. Its not a closed event – all can join in and it seemed this evening to be a case of the more the merrier.

Watch this space to see further progress as the rehearsals start to build pace.

Graeme Parkhill