The Guild

The Guild of St Mary's-Greyfriars' Church is open to men and women who want to join in the fellowship of sharing God's word within a warm and friendly group. The theme for our 2007-08 session is "Let's Live: Body, Mind and Soul".

More details about the Guild can be found here.

On May 27, members visited Irving's Bakery in Castle Douglas. Keith Irving and his mother, Christine, gave us a guided tour of the bakery. The business has progressed from a farm kitchen in 1988 to a firm employing 24 people. We watched Keith cut up traybakes in an automatic machine. In the finishing area we saw orders made up to go out for the following day. We were treated to supper and the shop was opened for us. The members left with their hands full of varying varieties of the cakes and biscuits made at Irving's. I have received a letter from the Castle Douglas committee of Cancer Research UK Scotland thanking the members for their kind donation of £95.50 which was given on the night to Keith Irving.

Our next visit is on Tuesday August 26 to DS Smith Special Packaging in Lockerbie. Please meet at the factory for a 7pm tour. Any queries contact Catherine Nicholson on 265422.

The Guild is now in summer recess. However, we are looking to recruit members for the new session starting in October. We are a pro-active Guild. We have excellent fellowship, speakers, trips out and Christmas dinner together.

Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month throughout the winter, until March.

Many people do not consider joining for fear of having to serve on committee. Please allow us to help you put these fears away. We would like to invite you to consider coming along to a few meetings and see for yourself what we do.

The Church of Scotland Guild supports various nominated charities as well as local charities every year. Our Guild has an excellent record of supporting our own church.

We would be delighted to welcome you along to any of our meetings and hope you would consider joining our membership. The Guild welcomes all ages, male and female members are most welcome.

We are hosting a coffee morning on September 20 in aid of the Mercy Ships charity. Please come along and support us.

Contact Catherine Nicholson on 265422 for more information.

The Guild is holding a coffee morning on September 20, from 10am until 12 noon in aid of the Mercy Ships charity.

Mercy Ships exists as a compassionate response to a world in need. On ships and land bases, dedicated volunteers bring their wide-ranging skills to promote health and wellbeing by serving the urgent medical needs of the forgotten poor and empowering communities. All monies made on the day will be donated to this very worthwhile cause.

The Guild invites you to support this venture. Any donations of baking for the sales table, gifts for the £1 stall, small items for the tea tables will be gratefully received. More importantly, come along on the day and show your support to our effort in raising awareness and much needed funds for the Mercy Ships. Any donations will be most welcome.

Contact Catherine Nicholson, guild convener, on 265422 for more information or to offer help.

For more information on the charity’s work, visit www.mercyships.org.uk.

The convener opened the Guild AGM with a talk on a survival kit for everyday life, using several props to illustrate ways to survive. A toothpick was used to illustrate that we should pick out the good qualities in others and not be so judgemental; a teabag was shown to remind us that we all need to relax more and think about the blessings we have in our lives. Prayer followed.

Hymn 274 - I heard the voice of Jesus say - was sung, and the reading was Ephesians 1:15-23 - Paul's Prayer. A tribute was read following the death of Joan McLennan, who had been a Guild member for many years.

The Guild has donated £800 to St Mary's-Greyfriars' Church and will be convening a coffee morning on September 20 to raise money for the Mercy Ships Charity. Information will go to all Guilds in the Presbytery and their ministers with regards to promoting this event in due course.

Janette Kirkpatrick gave the Treasurer's Report, and the convener gave her report on all the events the Guild had been involved in over the past session. Guild members have been out to visit twelve other Guilds in our Presbytery - the convener remarked that we have great affection for other Guilds and try to visit whenever we can. This has been a tremendously successful year for members going out to visit.

The Guild outing is to Irvings Bakery in Castle Douglas on May 27, with 27 members attending. A tour of DS Smith Special Packaging Ltd in Lockerbie has been arranged for August 27.

Presentations were made to Freda Hunter and Moira Cannon who were retiring from serving on the committee. Kathleen Greer received a gift and a card wishing her well in her new home in Easter Ross when she moves to be nearer her family with her husband, the Rev Dr David Greer. The Rev Jamie Milliken officiated the election of new committee members - Bette Archibald, Anne Mackie, Carol Forbes and Sheena Watson.

Entertainment for the evening was provided by Helen Gray, Eunice Sutherland, Anne Twiname, Lorma Bell, Irma Mitchell, Lorna White, Isobel Evans and Janette Kirkpatrick. We had a selection of piano solos, poetry, choir singing and a sketch - a most entertaining arrangement from these talented members. To close the meeting, Hymn 649 - The King of love my Shepherd is - was sung and Mr Milliken gave the Blessing.

The Guild session is now closed until October 7. Everyone is welcome to come along and join us.

Catherine Nicholson
Convener