Our popular Wednesday Lunch Group restarts on Wednesday, September 18th, at noon in the church hall. All are very welcome to join us.

Join us every week for hot soup, home-made filled rolls, cakes, tea/coffee and a good chat.

Occasionally we have guest speakers or special activities.

In the church on a Wednesday at 10.30am there is a prayer group then at 11.00am we hold a short said Communion service, after which you are invited to go to the hall for refreshments.

Revd David attended the induction service for the new pastor of Bearsden Baptist Church, the Revd Roland Cohen, on Saturday.

Roland, his wife Mandy, and their three young children come to the area from South Africa. Roland was previously minister at Connect Church in Cape Town.

David welcomed Roland to the area on behalf of All Saints and hoped there would be opportunities to work together as Christians in the community.

During the service there was a message from John Basson, senior pastor at the International Community Church in Surrey.

The induction and welcome included prayer and laying on of hands, worship led by the band, and a children’s blessing based on John 10:10.

Our Rector, Revd David, joined colleagues from the diocese at St Mary the Virgin church, Port Glasgow, on Thursday (August 1st) for the licensing of the Revd Lisa Curtice as priest in charge of the Heartland Group.

A packed church of episcopal colleagues, representatives from other denominations and friends and family celebrated the arrival of Lisa, as she was licensed as the priest in charge of the Heartland Charge, which includes St Mary’s, Port Glasgow, St Fillan’s, Kilmacolm, and St Mary’s, Bridge of Weir.

The service was led by the Rt Rev Kevin Pearson, Bishop of the United Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway.

Lisa trained through the Scottish Episcopal Institute and served as Regional Curate in the Renfrewshire Region.

Bishop Kevin says, ”We are thrilled to be able to welcome Lisa into this new role as the Heartland Charge enters this new chapter of its mission and ministry. Lisa is well known in the life of our diocese and is a familiar face at diocesan gatherings and across the Renfrewshire Region. It is good to be able to harness the skills, gifts and talents that Lisa has to focus on the next chapter in the lives of the congregations in the Heartland Charge. It is with excitement that we look forward to seeing the next stage in the mission in that part of our diocese as Lisa and her husband John, move to the Rectory at Port Glasgow.”

Flower Festival

“Each person should use whatever gifts they have received to serve others faithfully, administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

What we offer to God and each other is at the heart of a new initiative we are launching at All Saints – how we offer our time, talents and treasure and how we respond to God and those around us in prayer.

“Generous Giving, Generous Living” combines the thinking behind a stewardship campaign with encouragement to be people of prayer as we look ahead together as God’s people at All Saints within this community of Bearsden and United Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway as part of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

The Vestry firmly believes that if we want to change, grow, be refreshed, and face the challenges of the future as well as deal with the practical issues of the present we need to set aside some time to pray together, reflect on where we are and where we’re going, and ask if you might be willing to increase your giving, make special one-off donations when you are able, plan to leave a legacy, or offer yourselves in some kind of service to the church – whether that be going onto a reading or prayer rota, boosting our choir numbers, serving on the Vestry, developing new work with young people, assisting at Sunday services and in many other ways.

Or you might consider becoming an All Saints Prayer Warrior, taking time out every day to pray for a particular aspect of our church life and ministry.

“Generous Giving, Generous Living” is a great phrase because it reminds us that stewardship isn’t all about giving what we have, but it’s more about living to the full and benefitting from the life God has called us to. Paul writes to Timothy: “God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.. do good, be rich in good deeds and be generous and willing to share… and take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6: 17-19). That’s a very clear call to leaders to teach people how to live generously. It’s easy to follow that thinking through to what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Our initiative isn’t principally about encouraging you to unlock your wallets – it’s about unlocking your generosity and calling for a personal response where you think hard practically and prayerfully about what you give to God, to the church, to the community of your gifts, your finances and your life.

We are launching this initiative on Saturday, May 11th, with a Day of Prayer and Giving in church from 9.30am-4.00pm. The day will start with a short Morning Prayer and end with Evening Prayer and on each hour there will be a short time of led prayer. In between the church will be open for you to come and pray, using a variety of resources. You will find our new prayer sheet with this magazine or available in church to help you, there will be other printed material to use as a springboard to prayer, you may wish to light a candle as a symbol of your prayer, or you may wish to be quiet and listen to what God might be saying to you.

There will be an opportunity to make a financial donation to our church work – we welcome anything, big or small – and there will be paper available for you to let us know your name and your interests or experience and if there is anything you feel you might be able to offer practically to us as a church.

It’s all about looking beyond the present, and looking beyond how you present yourselves and what you present to God and others. Is it your desire to do good with what God has given you in terms of your wealth, your precious time or your talents? Is it our desire as a church to do good with what God has so graciously provided? Whatever the Lord has entrusted to us, can we say that we are using it to do good? If we use our resources to invest in the lives of others and to advance the gospel, we are living life to the full and storing up treasures in heaven. When we use our resources to honour God, not only are we laying up treasures in heaven for ourselves, but we also point others to Christ. In the process we experience a more rewarding and fulfilling life on this earth.

Part of the message is about money and financial wealth. We do need to raise money just to pay our bills, to pay the Rector’s stipend, to look after our buildings, to develop all aspects of our ministry and more but that isn’t the full story. The bigger picture is about encouraging everyone to give and live generously as part of who we are as Christians and as members of All Saints and as part of the Church in Bearsden and beyond.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Whether you can come for five minutes or five hours on May 11th, please do make an effort to be part of this important event, as we seek to undergird our hopes and plans with prayer, seeking to give and live generously in all things and striding out in God’s name with confidence and hope. Giving and living a generous life isn’t just about what we give and how we live but about experiencing the fullness of life that our generous God gives to us.

All members of the congregation are invited to an Emergency General Meeting after the 10.30am Sung Communion service on Sunday, April 28th. This meeting is being held to elect an Alternate Lay Representative.

All are welcome to join any of our services during Holy Week and Easter