St John’s @ 150: TREASURE HUNT: Keep the Date
There will be two Treasure Hunts starting and finishing at the church on Saturday 4th May starting at 2.00pm. The main Treasure Hunt is primarily for adults on foot doing a circular route. It has been done in 1 ½ hours. The second for children, and perhaps those less able (physically) will start at the Midsteeple with clues in the High Street and Loreburn Centre so that no roads have to be crossed except between the church and the Midsteeple. We will conclude with refreshments in the church
Thank you all again for your support of First Base Food Bank. All our donations to this very worthwhile cause are gratefully received and assist First Base in their work providing food parcels in our area. As Easter approaches can we do as previous years and donate Easter Eggs as well as our normal donations to give a treat to the families we are supporting. Thank you all so much, Annette and Pauline.
The grandfather clock in the Sacristy will be 200 years old next year. Our former organist,Tom Carrick, cared for that clock at his own expense for over 50 years. It is now in need of serious repair and is currently in the hands of Dennis Smith, our local horologist. He knows that the clock was made in 1820 by the local clockmaker, Adam Chisholm, and values it at anything between £5,500 and £6,500. He phoned me on Thursday and has generously offered to reduce his fee from £690 to £600. The Vestry is unable to finance the repair and so I appeal to the congregation to kindly consider making donations towards the cost so that we can preserve this valuable asset for future generations. Cheques should be made payable to St John’s Church, Dumfries. Thank you to those who have already contributed; further support nonetheless welcome. Raymond M. Budd
Internet and Social Media for Beginners events, organised by the Diocese and open to everyone.
11am, Sat 4th May, St Ninian’s Church Hall, Prestwick; 11am, Sat 25th May, St Ninian’s Church Hall, Castle Douglas (Whitepark Road, DG7 1EX). Come and explore any question you might have about the digital world and our participation in it with the Digital Missioner for Glasgow and Galloway. This course aims to provide basic information about staying safe online, utilising available resources and enabling you to become a confident digital communicator.
Please call the Diocesan Office (Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm) to book your place – 0141 221 5720, or email digital AT glasgow.anglican DOT org.
The April 2019 Newsletter from the Scottish Episcopal Institute is now on display on the lit noticeboard.
The overall sum raised from our Cyclone Idai collections was £365, to which Gift Aid also needs to be added. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
Following the trip to Glasgow and Perth in February to view lighting systems in other churches, a further trip was organised to Dundee and Invergowrie earlier this month. David Kerr is putting together a presentation with photos and comments from all the churches visited.
The consensus is that a lighting consultant should now be engaged. As those who visited Dundee all agreed that the lighting in St Paul’s Cathedral was the best system seen to date, it has been decided to approach the Edinburgh based consultant who advised on the Dundee project. The consultant will be invited to visit St John’s to give his opinion on a suitable lighting scheme for the church and asked to provide a report, with recommendations and costings.
Another SGM will be held when the lighting consultant’s report is available and David Kerr’s presentation will be shown at that SGM.
If the Edinburgh consultant is unable to provide the report, for any reason, then another consultant will be approached. Heather Gibbings
Election of Bishop: We now have the timetable for the second episcopal election process. The Diocesan Synod will met on the 26th April to elect the Preparatory Committee and have preliminary discussions. The closing date for nominations will be mid May after which the Preparatory Committee will consider the nominations and prepare a shortlist. The Synod will meet the candidates on the 27th July and vote on the following Saturday, the 3rd August. If you have any questions about the process please ask and please do pray for all those involved and for those considering the possibility of offering themselves for consideration. Margaret Morton, Lay Representative.
ALPHA FILM SERIES. Starting THURSDAY 25TH APRIL AT 7.15PM in the Church Hall, the series will run every Thursday until Thursday 4th July. We will be delighted to see you at the launch evening, and do invite your friends. There is no requirement to commit to the course thereafter, just come and see! Sarah Clark-Maxwell
Please note that the Cake & Questions Discussion Group is now on its Easter break. We will resume on Thursday, 09/05/2019 at 10.30am in the Meeting Room, where all will be welcome. Deirdre Holding
Book launch: Jane Haining: A Life of Love & Courage, by Mary Miller: to be held at Dunscore Parish Church, DG2 0TA at 7pm on Friday, 03/05/2019. Free admission, but donations welcome. Refreshments provided. See poster or www.dunscorechurch.co.uk.