From the minister

There's been so much going on in our congregation recently with our Mission Promises, changes to the church roll, discussions on communal space in the church, changes to the way we staff Sunday Kids and all the usual social activities, so I thought it would be good to also share with you what is happening at our sister church of Caerlaverock.

Caerlaverock also has been a very busy congregation. We have recently converted part of the sanctuary into a flower room (looks like a kitchen but isn't), we are now serving teas and coffees after the service, we have built a disabled access ramp (no more stumbling over old worn steps) and installed accessible toilet facilities.

We have also brought new helpers into the Sunday School rota (although numbers of young people have recently dropped so please keep both our young people's ministries in your prayers) and we have welcomed a new Elder to our Kirk Session.

We enjoy excellent links with our community and over the last few years have held special services to raise funds and give thanks for the Canine Rescue Centre and the Nith Inshore
Rescue. At the end of May we had a community service in Caerlaverock Primary School and David Matheson kindly led worship in St Mary's-Greyfriars' to enable me to lead this.

The aim of our service was to celebrate community, carry a message of hope to the parish and raise funds for the school. The offering during the service raised £122 and this was added to the money raised from the sponsored walk that followed at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust also to help boost school funds.

On that day we thought that if we want to remember something very important we might write it on the palms of our hands and that is what God does for us, each of names is very important to him and written on the palms of his hands. We are all there, each one listed individually … but we were not made to live alone.

So we also remembered that when community works well we are well connected. A young volunteer came out to the front and told us his name, then we worked out who he belonged to, he belonged to his mum and dad, sister, school, football team and so on … we also remembered that God tells us we are his children so our volunteer also belonged to him.

This positive belonging, united in a web of community, linked with others and God is the way we are meant to be, not islands on our own, but all joined up together - just as we are linked with Caerlaverock.
Caerlaverock is a great congregation and you will find us very welcoming. We meet every Sunday at 9.45am and we enjoy worshipping with our friends from St Mary's-Greyfriars'.

Yours in Christ's service

Jamie Milliken