The gifts from our annual Christmas Gift Service on Sunday 16th December at 11am, will once again go to Glasgow Women’s Aid for women and children in need of refuge.
Please help us to brighten up the lives of others who may be experiencing stress and hardship which can feel particularly acute and isolating at this time of year.
Donated goods might include clothes, toiletries, toys, chocolates or jewellry. Please note that these must be new and unwrapped.
Thank you.
What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in December than enjoying the greatest Christmas film of all time?
Why not pop along to the Grosvenor Cinema on 16th December for a special showing of It’s A Wonderful Life, presented by Classrooms for Malawi. Buy your tickets at Eventbrite:
Screening Time: 12.45pm (doors open 12.00)
Tickets: £15 (plus booking fee)
All profits will go directly to Classrooms for Malawi. Classrooms for Malawi believe that education is the only sustainable route out of poverty for the children of Malawi.
Once again we welcome the East Dumbartonshire Concert Band to our evening Carols by Candlelight service. With the church lit by the light of many candles, and the chance to sing some well-loved carols accompanied by some very talented musicians, this is a festive treat for all.
Each year as we approach Christmas we invite everyone in our community to our Christingle celebration. Christingle means “Christ light”. A Christingle is used in Advent services of many churches. Our celebration is for the whole community and is suitable for all ages. It takes place in the hall.
It includes dancing by our Highland dancers, music from choirs who meet in the hall and contributions from children’s groups. There is singing by everyone, we tell the Christmas story and every child makes a Christingle. We enjoy refreshments together afterwards.
We welcome all in the community; those who are Christian and those who are not but simply want to join us in the joy of the Christmas season. Don’t miss it. Bring your friends, your neighbours or your flatmates or just come on your own because you will find friends there.
We’re up and running with another very busy Advent. Here are some dates for your diary – hope to see you there!
Tuesday 4 December 20:00 – Cathures Concert
Wednesday 5 December 19:30 – Advent Studies (at Wellington Church)
Sunday 9 December 19:00 – Joint evening service at Kelvindside Hillhead
Wednesday 12 December – 18:00 Christingle all-ages celebration for church & community
Wednesday 12 December 19:30 – Advent Studies (at Wellington Church)
Thursday 13 December 19:00 – Kelvinside Academy Concert in the church (all welcome)
Saturday 15 December 15:00 – Church and Community Children’s Party. (To help out Santa, please contact Helen if your child would like to attend)
Sunday 16 December 11.00 – Gift Sunday in aid of Glasgow women’s refuge
Sunday 16 December 18:30 – Candle-light Carols
Wednesday 19 December 19:30 – Advent Studies (at Wellington Church)
Sunday 23 December 11:00 – Sunday morning service with Nativity
Monday 24 December 23.15 – Carol-singing
Monday 24 December 23:30 – Christmas Eve Worship
Tuesday 25 December 11:00 – Christmas Day Worship
Tuesday 25 December 12:30 – Community Christmas Lunch (no booking required – everyone welcome)
Our friends Cathures are performing in the church this Tuesday evening at 8pm.
A blend of polyphony and popular carols ranging from Palestrina in the 16th century to Rutter in the 21st. Refreshments available after the concert.
Making sure we’ve got all the glue, glitter, sparkles, icing sugar, sprinkles… things are going to get Messy tomorrow morning!
[In addition to our own service at 10.45am this morning, Rev Pat Lang will lead a Service of Remembrance at the war memorial in Oran Mor, the former Kelvinside Church, today starting at 12.45pm]
I think it would be true to say that all churches in Scotland over 120 years old, from the largest in town to the smallest country church, will have within its walls or in its grounds a memorial to the dead of the 1914-18 war, with a smaller addition of those lost in the last world war.
The three large churches adjoining Byres Road were no exception. At the union of Belmont and Hillhead the Belmont memorial was moved to Hillhead Church and is situated round the Vestry door in that building.
The Kelvinside Memorial was not so adaptable. It could not be moved as it was part of the structure of the back wall. It was in a prime position. As you entered the church there it was facing you. It is still there but is now covered by a mural.
In addition, the peal of eight bells was installed in the Kelvinside tower as a memorial to the young men of Glasgow Academy and the Church lost in the 1st World War.
Why these memorials? No church escaped the loss of young men of their congregation. The Muster Roll of the then Kelvinside United Free Church records that 237 men and 22 women served with the fighting forces. Of these 31 laid down their lives. In addition many gave service as Volunteer Reserves.
In many cases there were more than one from a family. One, still with connection to Kelvinside Hillhead, had three boys and one girl serving – one of the boys being killed on the Somme aged 24yrs and buried in the war cemetery in Rouen. A full roll of honour can be found in the Memorial Books in the stand in the left alcove in the Kelvinside Hillhead building.
The memorial to those of Hilhead Church is on the wall of the chancel and there is of course the Teacher Window in memory of their son who was killed.
It is important that the names are on these memorials to remind us that those listed were people, young men and boys. They were sons, husbands, brothers and friends whose lives were cut short and did not have the joy of growing up.
‘They gave their tomorrow for our today’
– Rev Pat Lang
(This article was originally published in the Autumn 2016 issue of the Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church Magazine)
All welcome at our Remembrance Sunday Service tomorrow morning.
Please note the earlier 10.45am start to allow us to be ready to observe the silence at 11am.
