The Guild

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

On March 4, thanks was given to Rosemary Chambers and her helpers for the work which was undertaken at the very successful Lent Lunch that they catered for on behalf of our church. Final details were given for the Guild outing to the theatre in April. High Tea will be enjoyed at the Woodlands Hotel before the event. The Guild will also visit DS Smith Special Packaging on August 26.

The Guild coffee morning raised the magnificent sum of £637.90 and grateful thanks were expressed to all who had helped in whatever way. Our outing is on June 17 to Irving Bakery in Castle Douglas. Supper will be provided at the bakery and any empty seats on the bus will be offered to the congregation on a first-come, first-served basis.

A suggestion from the committee that we hold our January 2009 meeting in the afternoon to allow members who don't wish to come out at night to attend a Guild meeting was agreed. Cards were signed for Ruth Hattersley and Kathleen Greer who are both leaving the area - we wish them both well in their new homes.

The Rev Alan Donaldson was the speaker and he was a real treat. He told us that if he was not a minister he would want to be a jester. He rode his unicycle, demonstrated how to use the diablo, juggled balls, rings, clubs and throughout his time. He entertained and intertwined the bible stories throughout his act. Alan had the members in fits of laughter when they were making balloon animals. He was a fantastic speaker and the way in which he delivered a biblical message was most original. The Guild were delighted with his repartee with them.

March 18 was vice-president's night. The membership agreed to donate £800 to the church funds. We are holding a coffee morning on September 20 to raise funds for the Mercy Ships charity. This is as a result of our members being touched by the work that happens on the ships when a volunteer spoke at St George's Guild last month. We will contact all the Guilds and ministers in our presbytery to ask them to support our venture and hopefully raise a considerable amount to donate to this very worthwhile charity.

Our speaker was Dr George Stirling, retired consultant psychiatrist and medical director from the Crichton Royal Hospital. George told the members how he had came to the position of psychiatrist as opposed to working in general practice. He regaled us with many tales of his career from South Ronaldsay to the Torquay. He was the longest-serving medical director at the Crichton, with more than 35 years' service. He explained the different facets of mental illness and how they are treated. George gave statistics on how mental illness and depression differs between men and women.

Our next meeting is the AGM on April 22. If anyone from the congregation would like to join the Guild on the trip to Irvings Bakery on June 17, please contact me on 265422.

Catherine Nicholson, convener