East Kilbride
Old Parish
Church
Note: We have made some changes to all our Noticeboard titles to suit the current situation. Details of 'Dates for your Diary', which obviously are now limited in number, will now appear in 'Other Special Notices' or 'News'. The tweaking of 'Our Response to Church Closure' (to 'in Challenging Times') reflects the view that 'the Church is the people not the building and we, the people of God, are open for business' - albeit in a different way.
Information and Support following Coronavirus announcements:
April EKO Magazine
Please see 'News' for the latest EKO magazine.
Prayer Group
Two Video Messages from the Minister (latest 27th March)
(Note: You may need to 'Tap to unmute' ie put the volume on).
Click Here to hear the first message from our Minister, Rev. Anne Paton.
Click Here to hear the latest message from our Minister, Rev. Anne Paton (27th March)
Two Video messages from the Session Clerk (latest 25th March)
(Note: You may need to 'Tap to unmute' ie put the volume on).
Click Here to hear the first message from our Session Clerk, Alistair Walker.
Click Here for the second video message from Alistair Walker, our Session Clerk (25th March).
It includes a warning about a current scam doing the rounds where individuals are calling at homes purporting to be collecting church FWO or Gift Aid donations. We want to reassure our members that the church volunteers referred to below will not be making unsolicited calls and will not be calling looking for money.
“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 now check regularly for:
- Calls to 01355 279004
- Emails to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Messages sent from ‘Contact Us’ on our website: www.ekopc.org.uk
- Messages to our
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EKOLDPC/
Your Church Elder will also be able to help arrange things for you.
Keep safe, keep to the guidelines (* which, be assured, our volunteers will also follow).
Missing your Church Services?
You probably know by now that you can find recordings of Sunday Morning Services, led by our Minister, Rev. Anne Paton over the last couple of years, when you click on the 'Listen to a Service' button on the Home Page.
Revisiting old services, (perhaps on Sunday mornings at 11am, with your hymn book and Bible alongside you), may help you to feel in touch with your church, your fellow congregation members and your faith.
Perhaps you and a friend will arrange to watch the same service eg (the 'first October service in 2019' (I picked that totally at random). You could ring them afterwards and discuss the sermon, or the choice of hymns or reading, just as you might after normal church? Why not do it over a cup of coffee or tea 'together' over the phone and ask after each other, just as you might in the Lower Hall?
If this sounds a mad idea (?), just try it first - your website administrator (Christine B) did something similar with her daughter who then lived in Spain, and it really helped. We had dinner 'together', having cooked the same meal, with the (free) video calling feature on! The suggestion here is not going that far - just to agree to watch the same service on 'Listen to a Service' and then afterwards share a phone call maybe while drinking a cuppa (don't forget the biscuit!). It's a bit of fun which might just work for you and keep you in touch.
Other Church Services are also available on Radio 4 and BBC TV, as well as online. Why not explore all the options and see which suits you best?
Let me know how you get on ..... Send a message through any of the methods you see at iv) below.
Contact details:
To contact us, telephone: 01355279004, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can use 'Contact Us' on this website. You can also go to our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/EKOLDPC . These are all now monitored daily, though the office is now closed of course.
Note: We have made some changes to all our Noticeboard titles to suit the current situation. Details of 'Dates for your Diary', which obviously are now limited in number, will now appear in 'Other Special Notices' or 'News'. The tweaking of 'Our Response to Church Closure' (to 'in Challenging Times') reflects the view that 'the Church is the people, not the building and we, the people of God, are open for business' - albeit in a different way.
Spring Forward, Fall back.
The clocks go forward next weekend Sunday, 29th March.
'Lockdown'
We are now in 'lockdown' in all but name:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said you will only be able to leave your house for one of four reasons:
- Shopping for necessities
- Once a day for exercise
- Medical need or providing care
- Travelling to or from work (if you can't work from home)
As specifics are clarified and even changed often on a daily basis, please check government sites for more on this: just Click Here.
Information and Support
Click Here for NHS Coronavirus Advice,
Church of Scotland
27/03/20 Click Here to find out more about news 'Scottish Christians asked to join in prayer on Sundays at 7pm'. (Announced 27th March
22/03/20 Please Click Here to see an address from the Moderator of the General Assembly.
(You may need to 'Tap to unmute' ie put the volume on)
Contact details
To contact us, use any of the following (all now monitored daily, despite the office being pysically closed):
Telephone: 01355 279004 ; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; Send a Website Message via 'Contact Us' on www.ekopc.org.uk ; Or you can go to our Facebook page if you Click Here or alternatively put www.facebook.com/EKOLDPC/ into your Search bar. We are here to help in difficult times!
'Listen to a Service'
Please note that you can find recordings of our Sunday Morning Services, those led by our Minister, Rev. Anne Paton over the last couple of years, when you click on the 'Listen to a Service' button on the Home Page. (See 'Our Response in Challenging Times' for ideas on how you can make revisiting old services even more meaningful).
Church of Scotland
We have a number of links to different sections of the Church of Scotland website - just go to 'News' and scroll down.
Church Holiday to Scarborough Cancelled
If it is possible to rearrange later in the year, and if you are interested at that time, please get in touch with Angus McConnell when restrictions are lifted.
Our new Facebook page is now open - www.facebook.com/EKOLDPC
AND FOR MY NEXT REQUEST....
We thought we'd make this a space for upbeat stories and 'funnies' to lift people's spirits and raise a smile during these hard times. So here goes with the first batch...
Please feel free to send in your own contributions too to raise the standard a bit.
Send to this website's 'Contact Us'
or our Facebook page www.Facebook.com/EKOLDPC/
or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Changing roles for dog owners in Lockdown
Wise Words for Our Times?
In the current climate all dog owners should practice what they preach:
STAY!
and
SIT !
Working Against Each Other
The story is told of two men riding a tandem bicycle up a steep hill. After much effort, they finally made it to the top of the hill. The front rider said, “That was a tough ride.” To which the second rider replied, “Sure was, and if I hadn’t kept the brake on we might have slipped backwards.”
An Atheist
An atheist complained to a Christian friend, “You Christians have special holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. Jews celebrate their national holidays, such as Passover and Yom Kippur. But we atheists have no recognized national holidays, It’s unfair discrimination.”
His friend replied, “Why don’t you celebrate April first?”
Never give up on anybody.
Miracles happen everyday.
Watch out for big problems..
They can disguise big opportunities!
Looking for Love during 'Lockdown'
"Dear Diary,
Day 4 of Social Distancing:
Struck up a conversation with a spider today......He seems nice!
He's a Web Designer.."
Well it made me laugh!
Tales from the Supermarket
"Just been into Morrison's and watched a bloke buy up all the mussels, crabs and lobsters...
Filled his trolley right up, he did!
I thought, "Grrr, you shellfish B****** ! "
(Read it carefully!)
Noah only took 2 of everything when he went on the Ark.
Please remember that the next time you go shopping !!
Spring Forward, Fall Back
The clocks go forward next weekend. (They really do - Sunday, 29th March!).
Not sure how far forward.....but I think about four months would be good !!
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
