As the Church of Scotland in Bellshill we extend a warm welcome to any of our activities. People have been coming to this building to worship God for over a hundred years. While our town has journeyed through many changes over those years, the constancy of the witness of the “Church at 346 Main Street” has remained uninterrupted. The mission of any Church is to reflect through its presence, its music, its fellowship and its beauty the greatness of God, and we seek to do that here in all that we share.
We hope that everyone who enters these doors will find an encouraging, friendly group of people. While we are far from perfect, we are regularly discovering truths that are changing us individually and enriching our lives as a church community. As we worship together, learn from the Bible, and pray for one another, we are strengthened in our commitment to Jesus Christ as well as to each other. If this is your first time here, we welcome you, and invite you to share the joy that we have found.
Thank you and bless you, we hope you feel part of the Central Church family by participating in this service of online worship – wherever and whenever you take part.
All songs and hymns are published using our various CCLI licences which are:
Church Copyright Licence 876673;
Music Reproduction Licence 876680
Church Video Licence 2258718;
PPL Church Licence 1593113
CLA Church Licence 1002856;
PRS for Music Church Licence 1448921
Streaming Licence 1638311
Please visit our website http://www.bellshillcentral.church for all we are doing online to spread the wonderful news of the Gospel in Bellshill and beyond Bellshill Central Church of Scotland Registered Charity: SC012556 346 Main Street, Bellshill, ML4 1BA
On Trinity Sunday (30 May), following the Kirk’s annual General Assembly, Christians across the country – and further afield – will join together in prayer and reflection at 7pm in response to the pandemic.
As with previous weeks during lockdown, 14 Christian churches and organisations across the country, including the Church of Scotland, have co-signed the letter calling for prayer.
Scottish Christians have been continuing to answer the call to pray at the same time each week, and the incoming Moderator, Lord Wallace, is taking part alongside them.
“We should always be mindful for the wisdom handed down to us from past generations; much of it learned the hard way, from mistakes made and consequences suffered,” Lord Wallace said.
“So, too, we are grateful for the richness that comes to us from living alongside people of other traditions. In our day and generation we must surely allow our minds and hearts to be open so that we can risk getting to know them and learning from them.
“In this pandemic, our responsibility is to come together and offer our prayers for all the many diverse expressions of our Christian faith that enrich life, as we have done for many months now.
“A pattern has been set for us, lived out in Jesus Christ, made possible by the Spirit. May we follow in His way, and be guided by the one over-riding rule of love in all that we say and do.”
This week’s letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic (a copy of which will be available to read here soon), states:
“The vision of the Lord offered by the prophet Isaiah is one in which the presence of the living God fills the Temple and we hear resounding from every corner the cry:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
The whole earth is full of His glory.’
“The Temple itself is shaken as the fullness of God’s presence is revealed. The prophet Isaiah can do no more than acknowledge who he is before God. Yet, even as he senses his own weakness, he hears the voice of the Lord calling: ‘Whom shall I send?’ In response, Isaiah says: ‘Here am I. Send me!’
“Today, in the midst of all we face, the fullness of the living God is made known to us in Creation and revealed through Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and by the Holy Spirit as our Sustainer. In our weakness, we also may hear the voice of the Lord calling: ‘Whom shall I send?’ In response, we also may say: ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
We pray:
Holy, holy, holy Is the Lord Almighty; Living God, may Your presence be known to us Even in our weakness. May we know You as Your presence is revealed And as Your calling is renewed. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Holy, holy, holy Is the Lord Almighty; Living God, may Your presence be known to us In all the gifts of Creation. May we receive these gifts as a sacred trust And treasure all that You have given to us. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Holy, holy, holy Is the Lord Almighty; Living God, may Your presence be known to us In the One whom You have sent to redeem us. May we share in the life of Christ And in the life of the body of Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Holy, holy, holy Is the Lord Almighty; Living God, may Your presence be known to us In the One whom You have poured out upon us. May we be renewed by the Spirit And share in the life the Spirit gives to us. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Holy, holy, holy Is the Lord Almighty; Living God, may Your presence be known to us In our worship in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. May You receive us as we are And accept us in our weakness. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Thank you and bless you, we hope you feel part of the Central Church family by participating in this service of online worship – wherever and whenever you take part.
______________________________________
All songs and hymns are published using our various CCLI licences which are:
Church Copyright Licence 876673;
Music Reproduction Licence 876680
Church Video Licence 2258718;
PPL Church Licence 1593113
CLA Church Licence 1002856;
PRS for Music Church Licence 1448921
Streaming Licence 1638311
Please visit our website http://www.bellshillcentral.church for all we are doing online to spread the wonderful news of the Gospel in Bellshill and beyond Bellshill Central Church of Scotland Registered Charity: SC012556 346 Main Street, Bellshill, ML4 1BA
This Sunday (23 May), as Pentecost takes place, Christians across the country – and further afield – will join together in prayer and reflection at 7pm in response to the pandemic.
As with previous weeks during lockdown, 15 Christian churches and organisations across the country, including the Church of Scotland, have co-signed the letter calling for prayer.
Scottish Christians have been continuing to answer the call to pray at the same time each week, and the outgoing Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, has been taking part alongside them.
“Too often, different parts of the Christian Church have allowed themselves to become distant from one another. They’ve looked at certain doctrinal or liturgical matters in different ways and have allowed those differences to become divisive,” Dr Fair said.
“But we can, and should, all pray together. And when we do, we find that some of these differences that seemed important begin to diminish in significance.
“Through the pandemic we have prayed each Sunday evening at 7pm and we’ve done it together. We’ve been united in praying for the country and in praying for the life and mission of the whole Church.
“Jesus’ final prayer when with his disciples was, ‘My prayer for all those who believe in me is that they shall be one.’
“We’ve demonstrated that by our shared prayer. Let it continue to be so.”
Next week’s prayer will be led by incoming Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Lord Wallace.
“The Gospel of John speaks of the One who is to come and of the One who is to go. Jesus is the One who is to go and He must do so first.
“On hearing this, the disciples of Jesus are filled with sorrow and He explains to them that ‘if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you’. The disciples fear that they will be left bereft and Jesus reassures them that His absence will be filled by the outpouring of ‘the Spirit of truth’. The Spirit is the One who is to come and Jesus is the One who is to go. (John 15: 26-27; 16: 4b-15)
“Who is the Spirit who is to come? In the Gospel of John, the word used to describe the Spirit is variously translated as ‘Advocate’, ‘Comforter’, ‘Counsellor’, ‘Helper’ or simply transliterated as ‘Paraclete’. (John 15: 26) The word used is found in only one other place in the New Testament outside the Gospel and here it is used to describe Jesus. Jesus is the One who stands before the Father and pleads for us. (1 John 2: 1)
“On this Pentecost Sunday, we give thanks to God for the Spirit outpoured on the people of God. The Spirit comes to be the abiding presence of God in our lives and in the life of the people of God. We give thanks that the Spirit is the One who has come.”
We pray:
Living God And Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pour out Your Spirit upon us And fill the hearts of Your faithful people. May Your Spirit come as the One who speaks for us And advocates on our behalf. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God And Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pour out Your Spirit upon us And kindle in us the fire of Your love. May your Spirit comfort us in our sorrow And strengthen us in our weakness Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God And Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pour out Your Spirit upon us And create Your people anew. May Your Spirit come to counsel and direct us And grant to us wisdom in all we face. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God And Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pour out Your Spirit upon us And renew the face of all the earth. May Your Spirit help us to care for Creation And to live as those who cherish the gifts You have given. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God And Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Pour out Your Spirit upon us And set us free to worship and glorify Your Name. Come, Holy Spirit, And fill our hearts with love for You. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
BELLSHILL: CENTRAL PARISH CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 