CHAT Churches of Avonbridge and Torphichen - May 2021 Issue 117

CHAT
Churches of Avonbridge and Torphichen

            Published monthly

 May 2021                       Issue 117

Table of contents
Torphichen Kirk Gates at Easter by Kim McCulloch             1
Table of contents, editorial note, and Kirk details          2
Old Testament Overview: 4 – Abraham’s Call by Rev Ralph Dunn 3
Prayers for Abraham and Pentecost                            4
Reflection on Pentecost by Rev Ralph Dunn                    5
Fresh Expressions of Church in West Lothian by Ian Russell:
     3 – How to refresh Church after the pandemic?           6
     4 – Whither Torphichen and Avonbridge Kirks?            8
Christian Aid Week 2021                                      9
Avonbridge activities by Sarah Cameron                      11

                          Editorial note
We welcome contributions but edit them for length or style. Views in
CHAT do not necessarily reflect the views of the Church of Scotland,
Avonbridge Kirk or Torphichen Kirk. The deadline for the June 2021
issue is midnight on Sunday, 23 May 2021.

Editorial Team Rev Ralph Dunn, Eddie Ireland, Gina Baker, Innes
Duncan, James White, Lynne Sloan, Sylvia Forshaw, Ian Russell.

                            Kirk details
Website: www.torphichenkirk.com Email: admin@torphichenkirk.com
Facebook pages:      @AvonbridgeParishChurch; @torphichenkirk
Charity Registration: Avonbridge - SC 007454; Torphichen - 021516

Interim Moderator:                           Rev W Richard Houston
     Email: WHouston@churchofscotland.org.uk    Tel: 01506 202246
Locum Minister: Rev Ralph Dunn, 46 Lennox Gdns, Linlithgow, EH49 7QA.
     Email: russell.dunn92@gmail.com          Tel: 01506 348292
     Text & mobile: 07496 015080
Avonbridge Kirk Session Clerk:           Sandy Waddell
     Email: jandicaravans@btconnect.com       Tel: 01324 861303
Torphichen Kirk Session Clerk:           lnnes Duncan
     Email: innesduncan57@hotmail.com         Tel: 01506 652169
CHAT editor: Ian Russell, 5 Fitzallan Place, Bathgate, EH48 2UN.
     Email: i.t.russell@swansea.ac.uk   Text & mobile: 07 775 997 824

 Issue 117                         2                          May 2021

Overview of Old Testament: 4 – Abraham’s call by Ralph Dunn
God told him “Leave your own country behind you and your own
people, and go to the land I will guide you to. If you do, I will make
you the father of a great nation; I will bless you and make your name
famous; and you will be a blessing to many others” (Genesis 12:1-2).

These verses summarise God's plan of salvation – to bless the world
through Christ, the seed of Abraham. He is many times our great-
grandfather in the faith. So we receive God's promise to "bless the
entire world through the Jewish race" (Acts 3:25). When God spoke
to Abram in a vision, he responded ''what good are your blessings
when I have no son?" (Genesis 15:2). God told him to count the stars
in the sky, because his descendants would be as numerous. Was
this Abram’s inner conviction or an angelic announcement? Either
way, 'openness' is the key. Being open to God is essential. It settles
our minds and lets us walk closely with God in worship, love and
prayer. As Churches, we must also be open – to say “Lord, what do
we do next? What needs changing?” We see that “Abram believed
in God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith”
(Genesis 15:6). This verse needs to be highlighted, to stress its
momentous importance. It is the 1st time the Bible says a person
'believed' in God! It shows Abram’s faith and trust in God.

God speaks of Himself as Abram's Shield and Reward. Real faith
trusts even when the path is unknown, as Abram did when he left the
security of Ur. The promises of God are an important element in his
covenant with Abram. This is reflected in Hebrews 11:11: “Sarah too
had faith”, realising that God, who gave her His promise, would do as
He had said. She found God to be utterly trustworthy. Next Genesis
17:2 – “I will prepare a covenant between us, guaranteeing to make
you into a mighty nation”. God refers to Himself as the Almighty and
the Rock. Abram's faith deepens as he focuses on the all sufficiency
of the One who makes the promises. How often do we start praying
with “My all-sufficient God, my Rock”? Trusting God the Rock even
when our feelings are cold and we cannot sense His presence – that
is faith! What did Abram do? He “fell face down in the dust, as God
talked to him.” (Genesis 17:3).

May 2021                          3                          Issue 117

Then Abram's name changes. In Abraham: “Ab” means father, “Rah”
means great, and “Am” signifies multitude. So this new name is a
public proclamation and sign of Abram’s faith that God would fulfill
His promises. A further mark of God's power and testing of
Abraham's faith occurs in Genesis 17:15-21: "Regarding Sarai your
wife, her name is no longer Sarai but Sarah (princess). And I will
bless her richly, and make her the mother of nations! ... Sarah shall
bear a son; and you are to name him Isaac", causing her to laugh.
But with God the impossible becomes possible, and Isaac is born
(Genesis 21:1-3). The fulfilment of the Covenant promises happens
in response to the staggering faith and obedience of Abraham and
Sarah. What happens when Abraham is told to sacrifice Isaac? We
shall look at that next time.

                         Prayer for Abraham
Lord God Almighty, our all-sufficient One and our Rock, we thank you
for the lessons we can learn from Abraham's life of faith. Help us too
to be motivated by faith instead of our own cleverness and efforts.
May we also be shaped by the journey we are on, and, like Abraham,
forge a rich and deep relationship with You our Father God. We affirm
again that we will focus on your promises and never stop believing.
We hold firmly to the promises that you will give strength to the weary,
and we shall not be overwhelmed by the floods of trouble. Guide us
in our daily walk with you. To the Glory of our Saviour's Name Amen.

                       Prayer for Pentecost
Lord God your Spirit, like a wind, swept over the earth, from the
beginning of time. We thank you that the Holy Spirit is today our
Helper, Enabler and Comforter. He is our Inspiration, prompting us
to pray. As at Pentecost, break down the barriers in us and around
us. Be with us by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray, throughout
our lifelong journey with Christ. May we always be aware of His
presence and be thankful to You, our loving Father. Amen.

 Issue 117                         4                          May 2021

Reflection on Pentecost by Ralph Dunn
Two common mistakes about the Holy Spirit: people either ignore
Him completely; or call Him 'It', recognising His Presence but not His
Person. Such ignorance could turn away the most wonderful person
we can ever meet. Jesus calls Him “Counsellor” – someone who
hears and advises us. We may ask: do we pray to the Holy Spirit?
Do we worship Him? No! Rather we are in 'fellowship' or ‘partnership’
with the Holy Spirit, who helps us to pray and to worship Jesus.

The comedian Frank Skinner asks in A Comedian's Prayer Book
"Which aspect of the Trinity do we address in prayer? I rarely speak
to the Holy Spirit, one on one." Good point. Instead he thinks of Him
as “Smoke – a magical, enigmatic, inspirational smoke”. He says “I
feel you, Holy Spirit, already within me, as the source of my fears and
joys. You are my Prayer Mate!”

In days before steamships, great sailing ships were at the mercy of
the wind – hence the phrase 'in the doldrums'. When the wind blew,
the crew had to be ready to use it, otherwise it would be wasted.
Similarly the Spirit can help us only if we are ready for Him. Acts 2:2
compares the Holy Spirit to a wind: "Without warning there was a
sound like a strong wind. Then like wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread
through their ranks." The Chichewan language of Malawi says:
"Ngati mphepo yofika kunse" that is “God is the wind which touches
everything”. Today wind farms have spread onshore and offshore to
harness wind and generate power. The Hebrew word for ‘wind’ also
means 'breath' and 'spirit'. The Greek word is 'pneuma', as in
pneumatic drills. Others symbolise the Holy Spirit by Fire and the
Peaceful Dove. So many attempts to describe the indescribable!

However intelligent we may be, we still need guidance from an expert.
That is what Jesus promised – "He will guide you into All Truth; for
He will not speak on His own authority ... He will glorify Me, for He will
take what is mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-14). We become
aware of the way we should go, because God leads us in the right
way. "The Holy Spirit is left on earth to fill the gap left by Jesus – a
roving Ambassador from Heaven" (Frank Skinner).

May 2021                            5                            Issue 117

Fresh Expressions of Church in West Lothian by Ian Russell:
         3 – How to refresh Church after the pandemic?
Over the last 6 months, 30 participants from Parishes across West
Lothian Presbytery of Church of Scotland (CofS) studied the history
of our Church and considered its future role in secular Scotland.

Alternative forms of Church
Kirks need to consider 2 forms of Church, of which the 1st is historical:
 Inherited since most people inherited faith from their families;
 Communal since religious activity aligned with socio-economic
    activity, as in agricultural communities before 1800, when
    everyone belonged to the Established Church and Sunday
    worship really was the community at prayer; and
 Institutional since worship was regulated by Church law, with
    little scope for Christian leadership.

The more recent form of Church stemmed from splits in the Scottish
Church arising from industrialisation and the growth of evangelism:
 Voluntarist since members choose to meet their individual
   spiritual needs rather than to please others;
 Associational since people with given theological views freely
   associate to pursue their preferences rather than out of habit.
 Congregational since members work together to pursue their
   mission and support their community.

Institutional Churches arose from a hierarchical and fixed society,
whereas voluntarist Churches reflect increasing social mobility and
affluence. In the 21st Century these contrasting approaches form a
spectrum, with each congregation showing a mixture of both.
Institutional Churches focus more on service than on evangelism by
undertaking mission that benefits society. Because their authority is
vested in Church hierarchies, there is less scope for personal
initiatives in mission. Though these Churches are undeniably
Christian, they developed long ago, and now face serious challenges.

In contrast, most voluntarist Christians have actively chosen their
faith, so they typically seek to convert others through evangelism.

 Issue 117                         6                          May 2021

They also stress the importance of integrating service with
evangelism. Unfortunately this often hinders Christian unity –
Churches’ capacity to pool resources and personnel for mission. Yet
it highlights major dangers facing the institutional Church: neglecting
God’s Mission; and failing to explore how to serve our neighbours.

Making disciples of all nations
Disastrous though the pandemic has been in almost every way, it has
given Churches opportunity to review their roles, to refresh their
missions, and to identify genuinely ‘fresh expressions’ of Church.
There is evidence that these can be effective if carefully planned and
underpinned by a renewed culture of entrepreneurial discipleship. In
particular several fresh expressions in England and Wales that focus
on families, for example ‘Messy Church’ and ‘Open the Book’, have
successfully reached the unchurched. Nevertheless such new forms
of worship will fail if not properly resourced.

Fortunately the Church of Scotland recognises the need to invest to
create the conditions for fresh expressions. These include training
for Church members and the releasing of funds to support new
initiatives. Thus the future Scottish Church will be a ‘mixed ecology’
– of traditional and fresh expressions of Church. Traditional
Churches, like both of ours, need to include fresh expressions in their
congregational life. This will move resources away from the
institutional Church. But Church leaders know that it is not a question
of if traditional forms of Church will cease, only when. The challenge
is to ensure that, while we modernise the Church, the Gospel remains
central, and new forms of Church bring the Kingdom of God closer.

Summary
The Fresh Expressions Course concluded that most successful ways
of developing faith stem from Church communities, and integrate
discipleship, evangelism and service. Churches that are growing in
faith and numbers are integrating these in ways that serve their
communities. Though we may not reverse secularisation, fresh and
refreshed expressions of Church can stimulate and nurture faith in
neighbours who are still open to hearing the voice of Christ.

May 2021                          7                           Issue 117

4 – Whither Torphichen and Avonbridge Kirks?
Thus the Fresh Expressions Course encouraged Kirks to respond to
these challenges by prayerfully taking four practical steps:
1 Create Missional Teams (from Session & Board?) to pray & work
   together to pioneer fresh or refreshed expressions of Church.
2 Conduct robust Research into social & spiritual needs of
   Parishes, and means of meeting them.
3 Recruit local Partners, for example Community Councils?
4 Start Missional Cycle – pray, plan, pilot, review, reflect, replan.

On 4 March Torphichen Board debated the recent suggestion by
CofS Strategy & Innovation Committee that we move from the Kirk to
St John’s Hall; on 29 April Session debated that. Both agreed to:
 Reduce our buildings to Kirk or else Hall in the medium term;
 Consult congregation & community before making this choice; &
 Base that decision on prayerful review of our Church mission.

Proposed research in Torphichen
 Structured questionnaires, paper or electronic, to random sample
   from Electoral Roll and volunteers through CHAT et cetera.
 Semi-structured interviews at home, by phone or Zoom with:
   Session and Board members; village residents not Church
   members; and volunteers through CHAT & Torphichen News.
 Focus group (research method popular with politicians), which
   encourages and builds on interaction between participants.

Potential development in Torphichen
 Working meals in Torphichen Inn for potential partners.
 ‘Away day’ for Church members, adherents and friends.
 Standing agenda item at Session and Board.

Invitation from Kirk Session Clerks
lnnes Duncan (01506 652169 innesduncan57@hotmail.com)
welcomes comments on these early discussions at Torphichen Kirk.
Sandy Waddell (01324 861303; jandicaravans@btconnect.com)
welcomes comments before Avonbridge Kirk discusses these ideas.

 Issue 117                       8                         May 2021

Christian Aid Week 2021

Despite the pandemic, Christian Aid (CA) Week 2020 raised £4m
across UK, more than half the yield of the last ‘normal’ CA Week in
2019. CA Week 2021 is focusing on climate, notably the increasingly
frequent droughts in places like Kenya, where our gifts can help to
build better dams & sow drought-tolerant crops. So we in Torphichen
and Avonbridge aim to help CA to return to 2019 levels of fund raising,
and thus to address some of the worst effects of the climate crisis.

Willie MacRae & Ian Russell launched our 2021 campaign by doing
Scotland’s Kiltwalk on Saturday 24 April. Willie walked with family
from Queensferry to Bo’ness and back (3 photos above), while Ian
walked from Avonbridge Kirk to Torphichen Kirk via the Avon Gorge

May 2021                          9                           Issue 117

(3 photos below). With the help of the Hunter Foundation, who
increased all donations by 50%, Willie and Ian have so far raised
some £2800, compared with Torphichen’s reported collection of
£1100 in 2019 (excluding online contributions). If you have not yet
contributed, please do so via the Torphichen & Avonbridge CA Just
Giving website – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ian-russell22.

CA also invite us all to sign 2 crucial online petitions:
https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/climate-justice-
every-moment-matters calls on the Prime Minister to increase financial
                                        support to the world’s poorest
                                        countries, to stop the expansion
                                        of fossil fuels, and to support
                                        clean energy; and

                                        https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get-
                                        involved/campaigns/cancel-debt-
                                        2021 calls on the ‘big banks’ to
                                        cancel the debts of developing
                                        countries to help them recover
                                        from the pandemic.

Finally we have chosen Sunday 16 May, the last day of CA week, as
our Climate Sunday for 2021. Our usual Zoom Service at 7pm will
use the CA Climate Justice Order of Service. Regular worshippers
at our Zoom Services will receive that with their usual invitations.
Please contact Innes Duncan (email innesduncan57@hotmail.com;
tel: 01506 652169) if you wish to Zoom with us for the 1st time.
 Issue 117                         10                            May 2021

Avonbridge activities by Sarah Cameron

Since Christmas we in Avonbridge Community Association (also
known as Avonbridge Village Hall Committee) have continued to
support our community through the ongoing pandemic.

Happy Birthday Lilly!
On 29 January we celebrated
the 100th birthday of our
oldest resident with balloons,
flowers, cards & our very own
piper at her garden gate.

Free meals for Under-18s
Since December 2020 we
have provided more than 20
local families with more than 500 free hot meals – lunches for
youngsters every Monday and for parents and carers at half term.
Thanks to Avonside Inn for the use of their catering facilities while the
Community Hall remains shut, and to the following generous funders
for grants totalling more than £3,000:
 Fairer Falkirk – School Holiday Food Fund
 Falkirk Community Voluntary Services - Winter Support Fund
 Foundation Scotland – Dickon Trust
 Foundation Scotland – Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund

Litter picking
We now have a team of eager and regular litter-pickers helping to
keep the village tidy. Thanks to Falkirk Council for high-visibility
jackets, litter pickers, and black bags to support this initiative.

Broadband boost
A grant of up to £3,500 from Fairer Falkirk’s Digital Exclusion Fund is
helping up to 20 families with youngsters studying at home but
struggling with inadequate broadband provision.

May 2021                           11                           Issue 117

Avonbridge activities (continued)

Easter Bunny
A physically distanced Easter Bunny and helpers delivered 110
chocolate eggs around the village on Good Friday, bringing sunshine
and chocolate to all (1st photo).

Operation Play Outdoors
We offered 2 free activity sessions in Avonbridge Park over Easter;
local kids of all ages built dens and played games under the inspiring
leadership of Operation Play Outdoors (2nd photo). Thanks to:
 Robertson Trust for funding sessions in the Easter break.
 Dickon Trust for funding future sessions.

Looking ahead
With lockdown coming to an end, we aim to return to some sort of
normal. We hope to reopen the Community Hall and are planning
our summer programme: there will be something for the over-60s, &
free lunches for under-18s in the school holidays; and Operation Play
Outdoors will return for more fun in the Park. Watch this space!

.

    Issue 117                    12                         May 2021