Summer suns are glowing!

It’s a well known hymn and great to sing on a bright summer’s day. The trouble is as a minister you plan ahead to give the organist some time to practice and by the time Sunday comes the sun is nowhere to be seen. It’s not long till the Glen Fete and while we pray for a sunny summer’s day you never know.
When the Kirk Session met recently to plan this year’s event our stalwart organiser, Donald McPhail, announced it was time for him to take a back seat and hand over the reigns.  We recorded our sincere thanks to Donald for many years service in organising the fete.
Donald’s replacement, George McMillan, looked bemused as his election was whole heartedly endorsed without him saying a word! I’m sure Donald will ‘keep him right’ and on the day we’ll seat George in the customary organisers chair at the stage and ply him with tea and ice cream. I trust you will all give George your ideas and your support and pray for sunshine.
The sun was shining on Colintraive Church the day of our meeting, a glorious setting.  However, the words of Rev. Austin Erskine were ringing in my ears as I stood in the pulpit and looked through the glass doors to the yachts sailing by.  “If you are finding it hard to concentrate, just remember there’s a congregation trying to concentrate too and their view is not nearly so pleasing”.

May the sun glow for you this summer.

Rev. David Mitchell   

The Sunday School year is drawing to a close and the mums who run it are pleased to report that it is in a healthy state. Denise McKane, who has moved into the manse, is a welcome and useful addition to the teaching rota and her daughter Lucy has joined the littlest class of pupils.

We purchased Scripture Union work books at the end of last year and since their introduction the teaching has been both more structured and more enjoyable. The children are divided into three age groups for activities around a weekly bible passage.

The youngest ones might colour in an illustration of the story while the five to eight years olds tackle word searches and mazes. In their worksheets, the older children discuss meanings and lessons learnt. Particularly popular is the use of paper cut outs from the booklets so that the children can recreate the story as a little play.

We feel that the children are learning a lot, as are some of the mums. We hope that the congregation aren’t too troubled during the service at Colintraive, when we try with varying degrees of success to keep the noise down in the back room.

After our annual picnic and the prize giving, we are now on a break until September.
Kirsty McLuckie

I’m sitting in my study looking across the Kyles to Bute waiting on the Storm Force 10 winds to arrive and with them maybe some snow.  The winds will be from the South West so the manse will be sheltered but I expect they’ll be sweeping away the debris from the Tighnabruaich seafront in the morning.
All around people are warning that spring is going to be early this year and we’re headed for a mixed up season. Even the Christian Church seems to be playing its part with the celebration of Easter on 23rd March, almost the earliest it can be.  The schools will be off for the Easter weekend, back for a few days and then off for two week Easter holidays.
I’m looking forward to Easter this year after being caught by surprise in 2007.  In the city the churches usually have far fewer people than normal on Easter Day as people get away as soon as the schools break up, now I know where many of them go!
Whatever kind of Spring we are headed for, early, late, long or short, I hope you have the health to enjoy it. I also invite you to join the congregation of Kilmodan and Colintraive for worship on Easter Day which is Sunday 23rd March in Kilmodan Church at 10.45am.

Rev. David Mitchell,
Minister, West Cowal

They say that time flies by when you are enjoying yourself. It is hard to believe that a year has passed since my induction. Although it’s been hectic, ithas been enjoyable. I’m much better at finding my way around now, though still struggle to work out what’s happening when.

Alternating Sunday services with Kyles and Kilfinan does not make for any real continuity. Folk regularly ask me, “Where are you this Sunday?” To which my answer is, “I don’t know, where’s my diary?”

Maintaining church buildings is not easy these days - if it ever was. Where you feel it most is wgen you want to make a change and it costs money. We are updating the hymnals we use in church and need to raise about£1,500. It is over 30 years since the Hymn Book was last revised. The new version brings back old favourites that missed the last edition and introduces some new hymns that you may have heard on ‘Songs of Praise’.

The Hymn Books cost £12 for words onlt, £16 with melody and £20 in large print. That is about the same price as any hard back book these days and will be used every Sunday and at weddings and funerals for another 30 years.

Our hope is that members of the community might consider gifting a book to the church to help us on our way. There is a leaflet in this issue with details.

Enjoy the summer with its lighter nights, colour and, perhaps eventually, sunshine. If you are heading off on holiday, have a safe journey
Rev. David Mitchell

It is time to disclose ideas which have concerned us for some time. The manse at Kilmodan became surplus to requirements when parishes were linked with a new manse in Kames. The Church of Scotland General Trustees own the manse and at our request agreed to allow us to continue to let as long as we could find good tenants. The situation is complicated as the manse is used by the Sunday school, one of few in the area.
When the tenancy ends in June we are faced with several options. The first is to re-let and hope the new tenant allows the Sunday school to continue. This is the easiest solution but does not solve a long term problem. The second is to allow the manse to be sold and with the proceeds build a small all-purpose Church Hall. A sale would mean the church would lose all control over its former property which, while it could become a single house in permanent occupation, is likely to be divided up, redeveloped or become holiday accommodation. The third option would be for the community to re-develop the manse site in a manner beneficial to all.
Some of us feel strongly that a community development proposal should become one of the first projects for the local Development Trust. The financial implications are formidable. Funds would have to be found to purchase the manse and garden. The building could be resold with the garden retained and possibly along with adjoining Glebe land, developed with custom built accommodation for use by the Church and the community. The number of visitors to both Clachan and Church in the summer makes us wonder if a heritage centre would be worthwhile. A need exists for affordable housing for which some church glebe land could be used. The Shinty club need a new pavilion and some sports facilities could also be provided.
The easy option is to sell the manse and build a small hall. We have however a chance to give the community something where it is needed. If such a project attracts local support and enthusiasm, it will almost certainly attract financial backing. We are told small rural communities face a doubtful future and some of us believe that a development such as this could give hope for future generations. There are related matters to be considered. The Glen hall is a fine building and invaluable to the community and must be retained. Access to the envisaged development could not be by the present church lane and an alternative would have to be found. The interests of the school and adjoining proprietors would have to be protected.
What do others think of these ideas? Are they worth further consideration?
Tom Mowat, Sessions Clerk

SERVICESÂ

April
Colintraive 10am, Kilmodan 11.30
May
Kilmodan 10am, Colintraive 11.30