Bellshill’s Central Church (your Church of Scotland Congregation at 346 Main Street) is very much alive and busy being involved in the community which is at our heart during these unprecedented times.
Our doors facing out onto Main Street may be temporarily closed, but the church is it’s people not just the buildings. Please know that our Minister, Rev Kevin de Beer, is very much available for spiritual help and support to the good people in Bellshill and Mossend. As the Central Church and your Parish Church we are here for everyone, that is our calling and ethos. Please get in touch with Revd. de Beer if you need to, he’ll be more than happy to assist. We’ve been proclaiming the Good News for over 147 years from our place in Bellshill’s Main Street and the Church is more than ever helping where it can.
Sunday worship is continuing, albeit in an online format. Our minister is currently speaking about “Many Languages” in his weekly messages. Please visit our website at http://www.bellshillcentral.church/watch-live to take part. The services begin at 11am, but from 10.45am we share in some news and songs as we gather in our houses as the church. The services are available at any time thereafter on our YouTube channel.
We also have a permanent local rate phone number where you can listen to Kevin’s weekly message and prayers. Just call 01698 533211 and you’ll be part of our “Dial in Congregation” this is ideal for those folks with no access to the internet, so please share this as widely as possible – and also our online watch live and catch up services.
To support our online services we are producing a weekly E-News with information that will help you in our online worship and also some pieces of news and information in and around the Church.
This coming Sunday is the Sunday in which we celebrate the church’s birthday and the coming of the Holy Spirit – PENTECOST! So, on Sunday 31st may we invite you to dress up red, as we would normally do on this particular Sunday, signifying the fire of the Holy Spirit (take a selfie as you take part in Church @ Home and send in to us.)
pentecost craft challenges!
Pentecost craft challenges we are setting this week include: Pentecost wind twirls (we can see the wind catch them, reminding us of the breath of God always swirling around us), Pentecost Windmills (again showing the wind and breath) and Headbands with the Flames of the Holy Spirit. INSTRUCTIONS ARE AVAILABLE HERE. Take your pictures or videos and send them to us to share online. Sent your videos or pictures by email to bellshillcentral@gmail.com, Facebook or twitter direct messages or via the Church WhatsApp group.
This past week has seen a fair number of birthdays in our Church Community, starting with the minister Rev Kevin de Beer, then member of the congregation Jim Mackie, Sheena Bowman and Liz Morton. Happy birthday to you all. We trust and hope you enjoyed your special day albeit in lockdown, and that you stay safe and we can wish you a personal happy birthday soon.
We’ve set up a Bellshill Central WhatsApp group so that we can keep up the friendship and fellowship which very much is Bellshill Central Parish Church. We have nearing 50 people part of this who enjoy a good morning message to start the day, funny stories and video clips, sometimes a quiz of places in and around Bellshill and just generally a welcoming and safe forum for us to keep in touch. If your part of our Church Family, formally or informally, and would like to join this group please get in touch via the website or email mailto:bellshillcentral@gmail.com
KEEPING IN TOUCH ONLINE
WEEKLY ONLINE YOUNG CHURCH TIME – via the church website we are sharing something suitable for young folks and adults on Wednesdays at mid-day. These usually consists of a video message and a bible reading. Look out for these posts on the website, Facebook and twitter. You can catch up with them at any time, and might be an ideal thing to watch on the sofa all together.
THE ORGANIST ENTERTAINS – Due to the need to help people keep as physically connected to their church building we have a new ministry which is now in its second week and it’s 4th episode. Our organist, Alan Mathew, whilst checking on the maintenance of the pipe organ, is recording requested hymns and songs and compiling them into a ½ hour video, introducing them and sharing just who has requested them. They are available on our church’s YouTube channel. They premiere on Sundays and Wednesdays at 8pm, but are available to catch up with at any time.
TIME OF PRAYER
We have a prayer routine at Bellshill Central Parish Church and invite everyone to take part.
- Sundays at 7pm we join churches across the UK in a time of prayer and reflection. These have been lead our Moderator Rev Colin Sinclair, but from this coming Sunday the new moderator, Rev Martin Fair will lead the prayers online.
- On Sundays at 8pm we are encouraging an initiative from Rev Robbie Hamilton in Airdrie to pause and reflect and simply stand on your door steps for a minute – it’s called Minute to Remember.
- Each other night Monday to Saturday at 8pm we ask all of our members, friends and wider community to pause and pray and light a candle for the crisis we find ourselves in. Pause and pray for ourselves, our families, our minister, the leaders and the keyworkers who are keeping the vulnerable safe and protected.
Via our church website and Facebook/twitter pages we are sharing daily Psalms for the Day. If you subscribe to the website you will receive these automatically by email. You can of course browse the website or our Facebook/twitter pages and find them just as easy. We also share inspirational images from around the world to remind everyone that there is hope, love and security in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and God the Father. Our website is http://www.bellshillcentral.church and the social media channels are http://www.facebook.com/bellshillcentralchurch & http://www.twitter.com/bellshillchurch
BELLSHILL’S HEARTS OF HOPE
We encouraged people to help brighten up our Main Street starting at the Church at 346 Main Street – Bellshill’s Central Church, to craft a sign of colourful hope and tie it to our railings. This has been very well supported and also popping up at the Co-op Funeral Care site on Hamilton Road. We hope you agree that these show signs of hope and light in this difficult and challenging time. All we need is one person to start and we could see a wash of colour streaming down Main Street towards the Cross at St Andrew’s Church. If you are our for your daily exercise, just pass by Bellshill Central Church and tie your colourful symbol to our gates and railings. We want to see wonderful images of community involvement touching the hearts of everyone.
SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL PARISH CHURCH.
For Church Members – Please keep up to date with your financial giving to your Church. Please continue with your standing orders and direct debits. If you give by way of envelopes/donations save these and bring to Church when we re-open. If you would like to change to direct bank giving please let us know and we can give you the necessary information. There will be a significant impact on our Church finances over these weeks so your continued generosity will be particularly important and very much appreciated.
For our community – we are financially supported by our members. This is part of our vows when we join the church. We cannot directly ask the community for financial aid, this is simply not how we work. We as members support the church, so that the Church can support you – the local community! However, if you would like to support us by giving a one off donation or even something more regularly you can simply get in touch and we will let you know how to do this. What would be more than wonderful is that you come along to church the first Sunday we can gather together in the beautiful building at 346 Main Street and support us by your presence as we rejoice in coming together. So, we hope you can come along when that day happens. If you want to donate just now or when you come along either would be graciously accepted.
Bellshill Central Church 