East Kilbride
Old Parish
Church
Normal church services are currently suspended due to Coronavirus.
To watch the latest online Sunday service video, please click on the picture below:
For previous services, please click on the 'Watch a Service' button, below left.
Sunday Services in Challenging Times 1:
Sunday Services - Video
The latest video is available at the top of the Home page.
It is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EKOLDPC .
Words for the readings and the hymns are shown on screen.
NB: Those of previous weeks will still be available if you click on the 'Watch a Service' button under the video. These services are not yet in date order, for which we apologise.
Sunday Services - Audio
For sound-only recordings of services, please click on the 'Listen to a Service' button under the video. These recordings are in date order. If you do not see the sevice you want, check you are in the right 'quarter'.
We also have a 'Dial-A-Service' system which plays a recording of our most recent service (like an answer machine). Please get in touch with Alistair Walker, or your elder, if you would like to know more about this for a friend or relative in the church.
Know Someone with no Internet?
For members without access to the internet, we provide recordings in these formats: Dial-a-Service, CD, DVD, USB stick, all on request.
Sunday Services in Challenging Times 2: How we produce the videos
Since Palm Sunday on 5th April 2020, our services have offered a new style of worship, in the 'virtual' setting of the sounds and images of East Kilbride Old Parish Church, but are made in the context of the current pandemic ie with no contravention of distancing rules.
Lasting around 30 mins or less, they blend new videos, recorded by the Minister and readers in their own homes without outsider involvement, only technology! The hymns were initially those sung by our congregation in the past as we are lucky to have access to an archive of audio recordings from previous years. However, we now have a new sound - recordings made at home by a few choir members and blended together digitally.
Virtual Tea & Coffee on Zoom, twice weekly...
... Sundays at 11.45am - 12.45pm (Access Code 814-8227-9764)
You are cordially invited to join in our 'virtual' Sunday Service Tea & Coffee, at 11.45am, not in the Lower Hall, as normal, but at your desk or coffee table, with whatever device you use to get onto the internet.
Bring along your own tea/coffee and biscuits (no spilling on the keyboard!!!), and we’ll just chat as we always do. Drop in, or leave, when you like. We'll aim to close at 12.45pm but we can always extend it.
The code you need for access to this 'meeting' will now be 814-8227-9764 each week.
For the guidance on how to join us, please see below.
... Thursdays, 10am - 12noon, (Access Code 820-1455-4693)
Anne, our Minister, invites you to join her at our Thursday Coffee Morning in what we might call our 'Zoom Room’.
There must be no travelling to Glebe St. Hall of course - you’ll find us on your computer, phone or tablet on Thursday, any time between 10am and 12noon. Bring along your own tea/coffee and biscuits (no spilling on the keyboard!!!), and we’ll just chat as we always do. Drop in or leave when you like. The access code number for Thursday Coffee mornings every week is 820-1455-4693.
New to Zoom? It’s as easy as choosing between 1, 2, 3 (and 4!)
NB: We now nominate a Helper if you need assistance with joining this 'meeting' on the day. 'Helpline' phone number for Sunday: 07912 295943 (Iain).
You can also get in touch if you would like advice before the day - use our usual choice of Contact details, as shown below, last item.
If you are new to Zoom and want to join us in the next meeting, please get set up beforehand. Try whichever of these methods suits you:
1) Click Here (or below at 3 if you prefer pictures).
Note: The separate code numbers for access for Sundays and for Thursdays are shown above.
OR
2) Send us your email in advance and our reply will get you started. Either phone it in to EK 279004, or email us at ekopcmagazine@gmail.com .
Note: you must be able to access your emails on the device you plan to use for Zoom.
OR
3) Prefer picture guides?
a) Picture guide for people who have downloaded the 'app': Click Here
b) For people who have not yet downloaded the 'app': We recommend you watch the video at 4) below.
c) Picture guide to the control symbols when you are in the 'Zoom Room' (for beginners): Click Here for a picture of the screen in a meeting, explaining the controls eg for sound, video, etc. You can zoom in on the screen picture if required in the usual way.
4) Prefer a short video tutorial? Click Here
This is a short Youtube video made by a 'senior' couple who explain much of what we've told you above but in video format.
When you open it, change to Full Screen view by clicking the broken square at the bottom right of the video screen itself.
To go back again, click the Esc (Escape) key - top left on a keyboard, or use the Home button on an iPad.
Need more help?
We will have nominated Helpers if you have a problem joining the 'meeting'. Just get in touch using our usual contact details (below, last item) preferably in advance. But you can also ring Iain, Alistair or Anne at the time of the meeting and one of them will 'step out' to give you guidance. Most commonly the issue is putting your volume or picture on. Read the guidance notes above to familiarise yourself with the control symbols.
“The Church is the people not a building”.
Our building may be closed, but the people of East Kilbride Old Parish Church are still here for you. Our volunteers are willing to help in many ways – just get in touch.
For example:
- Need to hear a friendly voice, even if it has to be over the phone?
- Need some shopping, a prescription, or a dog walker?
- In need of spiritual guidance, a few words of comfort, or a prayer to be said?
We check 'remotely', on a regular basis, for messages to the following:
Contact details:
To contact us, telephone: 01355 279004, email ekopc.office@btconnect.com or you can use 'Contact Us' on this website. You can also go to www.Facebook.com/EKOLDPC
Communion Service 11th October
See our 'News' page for more details on the following...
On Sunday 11 October, some of us will be able to celebrate Communion physically in both our halls as well as in the church, all in compliance with guidelines. Members watching the service at home may wish to make their own preparations to join in celebrating Communion.
Further monthly services will be held in November and December.
As with the trial service we will be obliged to record details of members attending, so if you intend to come to the service on the 11th please give advance notice (by 8th October) to Louise on 01355 279004 or by email at ekopc.office@btconnect.com . If you have any mobility issues please let us know and we will endeavour to provide appropriate seating arrangements.
EKO Magazine
The latest edition of our EKO magazine is available to read, save, or print off - just click on the link given in 'News'. It includes the monthly Prayer Diary.
Contact Isobel Gray if you would like to receive the EKO by email and she will add you to the list - you can use the Church Office number: 01355 279004, ekopc.office@btconnect.com or email ekopcmagazine@gmail.com .
Church Christmas Card 2020
We’ve had to devise alternative arrangements for the congregational Christmas card this year so that we can send our seasonal greetings in the usual way.
If you want your name added could you please send your details by Messenger, or email to ekopc.office@btconnect.com, or by phone on 01355 279004. The office remains closed but both emails and the phone answering service are periodically checked.
Your donations can be made by either bank transfer or by cheque to our Finance Convenor - contact details are in the church magazine. Closing date is 16 October.
The Guild Annual Gathering 2020
Click Here to watch a video of the Guild Annual Gathering 2020 - a digital event
Themed around ‘the extra mile’, members were able to take part from the safety of their own homes, via the internet.
Featuring singing and worship led by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, the specially created video helps us recreate the Guild’s joyful atmosphere and feeling of togetherness despite being unable to physically meet.
As usual this year’s Annual Gathering offered the opportunity to welcome the Guild’s new national convener, Mable Wallace, along with a chance to bid farewell to the outgoing national convener, Marian Macintyre.
Mrs Macintyre said: "During lockdown, Guild members all over the country have proved to be true 'companions on the road', especially by keeping in touch with those in their groups who have no access to technology—via phone chains, photocopied printed versions of the eNews (which has been steadfastly produced every single week), socially distanced visits.
“Now we are going 'the extra mile' - we can't be all together in the Caird Hall on 5th September, so we have produced a 'Virtual Annual Gathering ' which is available on the Church of Scotland website.
Other sections will include contributions from Rev Richard Baxter of Fort William Duncansburgh MacIntosh Parish Church, and news about our current Guild projects.
Those watching from home are advised to have bread and wine on hand in order to take part in communion.
Iain Whyte, general secretary of the Guild, said: “We were delighted to have sent out hundreds of DVDs and USB sticks to those without internet access in the run up so that hopefully everyone who wanted to was able to take part.
“It was very cheering to hear about small groups of Guild members who were planning to meet and watch the Annual Gathering together whilst still following the government’s guidelines."
Reading the Window
On a Sunday morning, many members of the congregation don’t see it at all. But what’s in it? Here are some pointers, to help us “read” the message in the glass.
Our one stained-glass window in the Church has as its theme the Resurrection. The basic texts in the New Testament are St Matthew 28: 1-10, St Mark 16:1-12, St Luke 24:1-12, St John 20:1-10.
On the left of the window is a figure clearly meant to be an angel. St Mark refers to a young man, St Luke refers to 2 young men, St John mentions two angels. Only St Matthew mentions one angel, so it seems the maker of the window has gone with the Matthew account. Another clue which confirms that is the fact the angel is sitting down. St Matthew writes: “..an angel of the Lord came down, rolled the stone away, and sat on it.”(28:2)
The stained-glass artist has, however, not portrayed a cave-like tomb, with a circular stone which could be “rolled” away. Instead, he has shown what is called a sarcophagus – a hollowed- out stone coffin, with a stone lid. In the window, you can see in the very centre the corner of the sarcophagus, with the white linen wrappings hanging over the edge. The angel is sitting on the lid, which projects down into the bottom left-hand corner of the window, and which has a cross carved on it. The angel’s left hand is raised in greeting, reassuring the women, telling them not to be afraid; his right hand is pointing into the empty grave, with the words “he is not here, he has been raised, just as he said”.(28:6)
On the right of the picture stand three women. The woman on the far right is carrying a jar, with the ointments for anointing the dead body of Jesus (as they expected). Interestingly, St Matthew doesn’t mention the ointment at all. The artist has borrowed that detail from St Mark (16:1). There are variations as to the names of the women who went first to the tomb on that first Easter morning. But all four Gospel writers include Mary Magdalene.
At the top of the window is another symbol – the depiction of Christ in Glory, a traditional position used by artists for the past 2,000 years (see Philippians 2: 6 – 11). In it, the Risen Christ sits enthroned – the earliest Christian creed was “Christ is Lord”. In his left hand, he carries a flag, which is the banner of victory and symbolizes Christ’s victory over sin and death. The right hand of Christ is raised in blessing. And behind is the sign of the Cross, and the words “He is risen”.
Stewart Smith
Our Online Activities for Children and Parents
Online Sunday School
Be sure to visit our Online Club in the Youth section if you have contact with children and would like some ideas for fun activities. Some of them are also of interest to adults.
Why not let us know which you like best by using the usual contact details posted on the site?
Congratulations, Fiona!
Fiona Anderson, our probationer has qualified and will now move to Strathaven Trinity Church. See our 'News' page for more...
Church of Scotland
Links to Church of Scotland News
At the bottom of our 'News' page, we provide links to different pages of the Church of Scotland website, but we try to highlight their special news and events here too:
A 'Call to Pray' since May 2020
Join the Church of Scotland and others in prayer every Sunday 7pm.
14 churches and Christian organisations across Scotland are calling on Christians to pray at the same time in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Thousands of people across Scotland have been answering the call to pray during this time of sacrifice, difficulty and bereavement. Prayer has become increasingly a valued time for Christians as they pause to pray, conscious that many others will be sharing the same prayer at the same time. It helps create a sense of community when we are isolated through lockdown.
Click Here for more details of the Call to Pray.
Introduction to the prayer for 27th September:
“For the second occasion, in the course of a journey that was now set to be much longer than originally anticipated, the people of Israel complain to Moses. At the heart of the complaint is the question: ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ The first occasion is recorded in Exodus 16 where ‘bread from heaven’ is provided by the Lord in response to that complaint.
“Now, as the journey is set to continue for a longer period, a complaint is raised again. In response, the Lord calls Moses to go ‘ahead of the people’ and lead them to the place of renewed provision. In response, Moses leads the people of Israel to the place where water is provided in the wilderness (Exodus 17: 1-7).
“For the second occasion, in the course of a journey that is now set to be much longer than originally anticipated, we are being asked as the people of God to share, in the communities of which we are a part, a renewed challenge in relation to the Covid-19 crisis.
“We are not where we wanted to be on the journey and we cannot go back to where we started. At this time, the question we might well ask is this: ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ As we go forward together, we ask that the Lord will lead us to the place of renewed provision, so that we can say, humbly and with thanksgiving: ‘Yes, the Lord is among us!’”
We Pray:
Living God,
We journey in hard places today
And in the company of many who are weary and fearful.
We journey in hard places
And we confess that we are weary and fearful ourselves.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
As you have heard our cry in times past,
Hear our cry renewed.
As you have provided for your people in times past,
Renew your provision today.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
You have watched over us
And brought us safe thus far.
You watch over us now
And we trust that you shall lead us to the place of safety renewed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
In our remembering of the journey past,
We do not forget those who are no longer with us.
In our remembering of the journey past,
We do not forget the depth of the challenges we have faced.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
Go before us we ask
And lead us to the place of your presence.
Go before us
And bring us to the place where your presence is renewed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord God,
In our journey onwards,
May we know that you are among us.
At journey’s end,
May we know that you have always been with us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Click Here to hear the prayer for 27th September said by the Moderator.
Click Here to hear the prayer for 20th September said by the Moderator.
Click Here to hear the prayer for 13th September said by the Moderator.
Click Here to hear the prayer for 6th September said by the Moderator.
The EK Old Parish Prayer Group
Our Prayer Group is not meeting at this time, but we are still taking prayer requests to our Heavenly Father on your behalf. Please send texts and emails to Marion Leddie.
Take your worries to the Lord in prayer.
Marion Leddie
EKOPC Prayer Diary for October :
Prayer is the link that connects us with God in his heaven above.
1st. Give thanks for the work of the "Loaves and Fishes" Foodbank in EK and pray that it will continue to be well supported.
2nd. Praise God for his daily blessings.
3rd. We pray that all people would follow the guide-lines regarding the Coronavirus to prevent a lockdown.
4th. We pray for all who have been made redundant.
5th. Lord, please put a few angels in our path today.
6th. Give thanks for the season of harvest and pray for all who work and serve so that every day whatever the weather we have food to eat.
7th. We bring you Lord, the serious migrant situation 19500+ from many countries, some don't make it. Guide the governments dealing with this.
8th. Lord, have mercy on me for I am weak.
9th. Pray for our church and all faiths at this time and bring comfort to the community and help us to cope.
10th. May the blessing of light be with you, light without and light within.
11th. Lord, we thank all in the NHS and support them as they work hard for us during the past and into the future.
12th. We pray for new government incentives in future job and education prospects.
13th. Let us give best wishes to Fiona Anderson as she embarks on her new post.
14th. Father, guide the scientists in their research to find a vaccine against Covid 19.
15th. Pray for our global neighbours especially in places where people live with real hunger every day and pray for the work of Christian Aid across the world.
16th. Give thanks for the stories and teaching found in the Bible and pray that we might continue to be fed by God’s Word in Jesus.
17th. Lord, be with those isolated from their loved ones and comfort them.
18th. Thanks for the work of all teams in the church in supporting members and wider community.
19th. Help us Father, to look after our planet and all the creatures who live on it.
20th. Thank you, Lord for this new day.
21st. Lord, let peace and love fill our hearts and our world.
22nd. Hold in our prayers our next door neighbours and ask God's blessing where there is distress of any kind.
23rd. Lord, bless your daughters who live in countries where they have no right to vote or lead or participate in decisions which affect them .
24th. Father, forgive us when we forget ourselves and speak out of turn, help us to listen twice as much as we speak.
25th. Lord, we pray for the homeless and realise how lucky we are to have a roof over our heads.
26th. We pray for vulnerable people living in fear or intimidation or terrible unhappiness in their homes,
27th. Give thanks for the colours of autumn and for eyes to see the loveliness of nature in gardens and parks, fields and woods, hills and mountains and praise God for the wonder of creation.
28th. Guide us, O Lord and help us to follow in your footsteps.
29th. Father please guide world leaders as they face the most immense challenges.
30th. Thank you, Jesus for your love.
This Prayer Diary is available in the EKO magazine, which can be found on our 'News' page.
Contact details
We are here to help in difficult times! To contact us, use any of the following (all now monitored daily, despite the office being physically closed):
Telephone: 01355 279004; Email: ekopc.office@btconnect.com ; Send a Website Message via 'Contact Us' on this website; Or to go to our Facebook page, click the link below.
..to lift people's spirits and raise a smile during these hard times.
More Colourful Delights... (Thanks - keep them coming!)
Needing More Exercise?
A friend told me this....
"I wanted to go jogging, but Proverbs 28:1 says "The wicked run when no-one is chasing them", so there's that.
Teachers v. the Devil in 2020
The devil whispered to the 2020 teachers:
"Your not strong enough to withstand this storm!"
But the teachers simply whispered back:
"You're".
A Splash of Colour to Brighten Your Day!
A passion flower:
In Christian circles, its name is said to refer to the passion of Jesus:
> the pointed tips of the leaves = the Holy Lance
> the tendrils = the whips used in the flagellation of Christ
> the ten petals and sepals = the 10 apostles, excluding St Peter, who denied and Judas who betrayed
> the flower's radial filaments = the crown of thorns
> the chalice-shaped ovary with its receptacle = a hammer or the Holy Grail
> the 3 stigmas = the 3 nails and the 5 anthers = the 5 wounds (4 by the nails and 1 by the lance)
> the blue and white colours = Heaven and Purity
> the flower stays open for 3 days, symbolising 3 years of ministry
(Info adapted from Wikipedia)
A Peacock Butterfly
Known as a peacock because of the 'eye designs' in its wings which remind us of peacock feathers which also have 'eyes'.
A Pheasant
As with many bird species, the male is much more colourful than the female.
Reaching out to the Congregation
Marie W in her safety suit chatting to daughter Jill C before she watches our weekly church service DVD on the big lounge telly in the comfort of her armchair. The services have lifted her spirits so much, and as she sings along with the hymns, her eyes light up. A carer has now given her a DVD player for her room too.
Dining Out in 2020
Click Here for an amusing clip of a diner eating out in Covid times...
Beginners' Guide: When the clip finishes it will show other Youtube videos. If you don't want to watch them, first click on the screen to show the pause button ( II ), click it, and then return to our site.
The Church isn't empty, the church has been deployed!
Reading the weekly update in the East Kilbride News 'Churches' column, it strikes home just how much is going on in our church, ie the real church, which is made up of the people, if not in the church building.
Do you have any good news stories? Funny snippets? Cartoons? Pretty pictures? Juicy gossip? (only if it's in good taste and ok to print!) Send your contributions to any of the usual contact details or use the 'Contact Us' button.
Now keep scrolling down (or go to the top menu) for our other sections:
Church Welcome and Introduction including: General Information; Location Maps; and 'Contact Us' message facility.
then our
Click-on Boxes:
Worship with Us, including information on Church Services as well as Communion; Accessibility and Extra Support; a 'Newcomers' Guide
News: Church News; Pastoral Letter; Youth & Families Worker Updates
Photo Gallery
Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
Activity Group Pages (Youth and Adults)
Faith Matters
History and Graveyard
NB: Work and Workings of the Church is yet to be opened...
Welcome to East Kilbride Old Parish Church!
Join us for worship on
Sunday Mornings from 11am – 12noon.
We hope you will feel a warmth and friendliness and that your experience of our worship together is enjoyable, meaningful and encouraging. Please also look out for activities you could be a part of during the week – there are lots of opportunities to meet with a friendly crowd! East Kilbride Old prides itself in being known as a welcoming church.
From the church of the past to the church of today…
“This website includes a section on the history of the church and its graveyard because we know may visitors are interested in this. The current building dates back to 1774 (though there has been a church on this site since pre-Reformation times).
When today’s church was built, it stood in the midst of a small village. Today it stands in the midst of a large new town with a population of around 75,000 people.
Beautiful as it is however, our church is not the building, but the people. Within that building, there is a warm church family. People of all ages meet together, all striving to reach out to the community we serve in the Village area and East Mains.
We have active organisations for children and adults, giving a wealth of opportunities for fellowship and sharing, and everyone is assured of a warm welcome.”
Rev. Anne Paton
