The latest edition of the Channelkirk and Lauder Parish News is widely available around the community in glossy colour print form, and is for the first time available for download from this website! Look to the left hand side of the webpage for the link.
Read about the ever popular Burns Supper, success of our new Messy Church for young children and news of Souper Sunday.
Also for your enjoyment are backissues from December and January are available in the Downloads section.
Oxton and Lauder plans to contribute to a container of resources travelling to Zomba in April. Items requested include sets of Football /Netball Strips, Office Equipment, Bicycles, Musical Instruments, Garden Tools, Woodworking Tools, School Text Books, Knitting Needles, Sewing Machines, Wool for knitting. In the main all should be second hand items in working condition Some items (bicycles, for example) would be very useful no matter what their condition as skills could be learned through the repair work. Contributions to Graeme Donald by the end of January please.
During 2011 well in excess of £4000 was donated to six different charities.
The Kirk Session has agreed that we will continue the tradition of giving to one local and one international charity in 2012. The charities nominated to be supported as our main charities next year are Mary's Meals and the BGH Palliative Care Unit.
For more information on these good causes visit
When King James VI/I held the first printed copy of the Bible he commissioned in his hands in 1611, he could never have foreseen the impact it would have around the world. Many of our ancestors learned to read from the King James Version. The Scottish Bible Society’s The People's Bible project marks this important anniversary. It has been travelling Great Britain offering people of all faiths, and none, the opportunity to handwrite two verses of Scripture and at the same time logging that work as a digital copy which they can view on the web. This project will produce a unique, hand-written edition of the Bible. The Peoples Bible will be at Tesco in Galashiels on Thursday 27th October. Why not pop along and write into history? The project website is www.thepeoplesbible.org/
An evening of information sharing and discussion on our links with churches in the Zomba Presbytery will be held in Innerleithen Church Hall on Friday 16th September at 7.30pm. Please let Graeme D know if you would like to attend.
An inspiring service, dignified ordination and induction followed by a very friendly social gathering in the Public Hall saw the Rev Jamie J Griggs introduced as the new minister for Channelkirk and Lauder, to a congregation of around 370. Gladsmuir, Longniddry, Peebles and Eddleston were very well represented in the church and in the Public Hall where well over 200 enjoyed refreshments provided by many members of our church. The Kirk Session expresses their sincere thanks and appreciation to the many who were involved in making the all aspects of the evening a notable success.
The service held last Sunday in Channekirk, led by visitors from St John's Church in Galashiels and supported by the Lauderdale Choir, was very successful and well attended. £73 was donated to the church charity Borders Young Carers.
Blainslie artist Bill Bailey, who exhibited his work in the Church Centre last week, would like to thank Channelkirk and Lauder for the use of the Centre and for the support shown by way of attendance at the exhibition throughout the week. As a result of selling 15 pictures, Bill Bailey donated £328 to church funds.
Sincere appreciation is expressed to all who contributed to the social success of the community barbeque as organised by the church last weekend. Around 100 people supported the occasion.
In particular our thanks go to Mr and Mrs Waldie for their hospitality and promotion of the auction; to John Mackay, David Budd, Rhona Neil; Sandy and Laura Sutherland, the Jeffrey family, Billy Anderson, Ian Dick, Stuart Allister and Judi Gunn.
Those who donated to the auction and the raffle made a major contribution to the financial success of the afternoon – to them we offer special thanks. In total some £1800 was raised, £500 of which will be go towards the cost of maintaining the Christmas Lights.
He will provide (Matthew 6/33-34)
Lauder church was provided for in the most wonderful way this Sunday. A sudden and unfortunate set of circumstances meant both minister and organist were unable to attend Lauder Kirk and with only half an hour’s notice. Elders and congregational members stepped up to the mark in leading praise and prayer in the absence of a minister, but most notably our organ still resounded with the most beautiful music to lead our worship.
As Mr. Calder was welcoming the congregation at the front door and explaining that the service may not go ahead, a party of four Dutch tourists arrived to join our worship. On hearing our dilemma, the first member of the party offered ‘My wife plays the organ’. The lady was duly invited to ascend to the organ loft where she quickly familiarised herself with stops and keyboards before opening with a welcoming hymn, just as the clock reached 11:30. The music was wonderful, and considering that she had never seen CH3 in her life before, the note perfect renditions were all the more remarkable. It turned out that Will, from Utrecht and visiting Lauder for only a few days, is resident organist in her own local church.
The nominating committe have now recommended to the Kirk Session that Jamie Griggs BD be called to Channelkirk and Lauder as the sole nominee for the current vacancy for our parish minister. Mr Griggs will preach to the congregation at a joint service in Lauder at 11:30 on Sunday 17th July, following which members of the congregation will decide on sustaining the call.
following the election on 29 August for the nominating committee for a new minister for the parish of Channelkirk and Lauder, the committee members have been announced as follows:
Billy Anderson
Caroline Barr
Mary Bell
Christine Brotherston
Graeme Donald
Rebecca Green
Linda Kirby-Organ
George Megahy
Helen Morton
Noel Robinson
Grace Sutherland
Jo Sutherland
Bill Walker
Our Summer Praise Evening in Channelkirk Church raised an impressive £238 for the BGH Dialysis Fund.
On Tuesday 1st, Thursday 3rd and Saturday 5th June there will be an exhibition on the works of Channelkirk and Lauder Church in the Lauder public hall 10:00am to 1:00pm and 2:00pm to 4:00pm Tues/Thurs, 10:00am to 12:00pm Sat.
There will also be Congregational Meals on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th. There are fun activities for children and entertainment after the meal. This is followed by a short presentation on how our Church works, where the money comes from and where it goes.
This year's Burns supper at Carfraemill raised £1545. This will be divided equally between Blythswood and Channelkirk+Lauder.
Our three House Groups began their 2010 programme this month with the 59 Brownsmuir Park Group on Mondays at 7pm; The Oxton House Group (22 Justice Park) 7.30pm. and at 40 Thirlestane Drive, Lauder 7.30pm also. All welcome.
Last year twenty – six congregations across Lothian Presbytery persuaded four elders into leading a Sunday morning act of worship, marking the start of a new year. The service took as its theme, “New Beginnings”, placing a particular emphasis on the many good news stories which are emerging rapidly from the Church of Scotland HIV/AIDS Project. After close of worship, congregations enjoyed homemade soup and bread. The tasty and warming soup reminded them of their own food security in a world where long term hunger threatens so many lives and jeapordises the very viability of newly developed HIV medications.
This special day went by the name of “Souper Sunday”. It proved to be a success on a number of levels. Not only was awareness heightened of both HIV and the church’s extensive work in the field but the event became the biggest single fund raising event ever. “Souper Sunday” had sparked the imagination of many folk across East Lothian and Midlothian encouraging them to find out more about the project’s work.
Four months later, the General Assembly was asked to grant permission for a repeat of the day only this time taking place across Scotland on Sunday January 10th 2010. The Assembly went further, commissioning the HIV/AIDS Project Group to make “Souper Sunday”resources available for all elders prepared to lead worship on the HIV/AIDS theme.
Partners in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East and Scotland will benefit from the success of “Souper Sunday”. It seems amazing that something as simple as soup and bread can prove so helpful in involving people in the work of the HIV/AIDS Project, through its lesson of Lothian Presbytery.
To find out more go to the dedicated website www.soupersunday.info and the Church of Scotland Project through the co-ordinator, Marjorie Clark on
0131 225 5722.
(Ref: Life and Work: January 2010: “Feasting and Fund Raising” Rev. Dr. R Hill)
Sincere appreciation is expressed to the elders, lesson readers, soup makers and others through whose work “Souper Sunday” reached Oxton and Lauder and in particular to Worship Group leader Bob Towers for co-ordinating the planning of our “Souper Sunday”. Contributions to the work of the Project may be donated after the service and at the soup lunch. Clerk.
Rev. Dr Bruce Gardner has been invited to submit a Christmas message to the Scottish Review - an online magazine for Scottish current affairs.
Follow this link to read the article: http://www.scottishreview.net/BGardner187.html
Scottish Review recently published a version of Rev. Bruce Gardner's Christmas message. This will also appear in the hard-copy annual version which was published last week. Well done Bruce!
Scottish Review is an online current affairs magazine, edited by Kenneth Roy and Islay McLeod.
The Christmas message is also archived on the clchurch website here.
A Praise Evening will be held in Channelkirk Church on Sunday, 16th August, at 7pm, led by a visiting team from Galashiels Old Parish and St. Paul’s. This is part of their outreach to rural areas, to encourage fellowship.
First Prize: M. Hall
Second Prize: B.J. Gunn-Grieve
Third prize: A. Stamenkovic
Maundy Thursday 9th April - Communion, Lauder Church 7pm
Good Friday 10th April - Service, Lauder Church, 7pm
Saturday 11th April - Annual Easter Egg Painting Competition, Lauder Church
Easter Sunday - A short service, sausage sizzle and egg rolling on Chesters Hill, 9am. Bring a roll, drink and rug and of course eggs to roll!
Easter Sunday Service - Channelkirk church, 10am, Lauder Church, 11.30am
The first Alpha Course in Lauderdale ended before Christmas and all involved agreed that they had found it very beneficial and interesting.
Much was learned about the Christian faith and our personal response to it. Of equal benefit were the friendships made and strengthened as we shared evenings of food and discussion together over 10 weeks.
