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.
Loving God, we seek your presence in the silence beyond words looking to you for comfort, strength, protection and reassurance breathing with gratitude holding on to hope trusting with faith that you are still God in the midst of the turmoil and that your love reaches to the ends of the earth. Be present with us now. (Silence)
God of love and mercy, embrace all those whose hearts today overflow with grief, unanswered questions and such a sense of loss. Grant them space to express their tears. Hold them close through the coming days. Amen.
The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity.
Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him.
Would you be interested in a weekly Lenten prayer group?
We’d meet via zoom.
Day and time to be organised at a mutually convenient time.
If you’re interested please email bellshillcentral@gmail.com
This Sunday (31 January), as the UK records 100,000 deaths from Covid-19, Christians across the country – and further afield – will once again 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 Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, has been taking part alongside them.
“There are some things which make sense for a certain period of time but which come to a natural conclusion – such as clapping for carers during the spring lockdown. Prayer isn’t one of them,” Dr Fair said.
“The Apostle Paul encourages us to ‘pray without ceasing’ and Jesus himself offers parables where persistence in prayer is lauded.
“It can be hard to keep going when there’s no end in sight; much easier when the finishing line comes into view. In the case of the pandemic, it still feels as if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.
“All the more reason then for God’s people to continue faithfully in prayer. And even better when we can pray across the whole of the Church, unrestricted by denominational divides.
“If Sunday at 7pm is in your diary, keep it there. Thank you. If it hadn’t been, it would be great to have you involved. It matters that we pray.
“The remembering of the past is an integral part of what it is to be human. In our remembering, we recall the persons and the events that have shaped us and made us who we are. In the act of remembering, we often seek to make sense of and come to terms with the past. In the depths of our remembering, we acknowledge and lament loss.
“At this particular time, we are profoundly conscious of the depth of loss within the communities and nation of which we are a part.
“In the Book of Psalms, the Psalmist affirms that God ‘remembers’ and that, in particular, God remembers the covenant made with the people of God. The One who forges a relationship with the people of God, is the One who remembers the covenant forever. (Psalm 111: 5)
“In our remembering, we recall the One who remembers us and does not forget all that we endure in these hard times.”
We pray:
God who remembers, Be with us in our remembering this day. Be with us on the journey That takes us from the past And into the future that lies before us. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God who remembers, Be with us in our remembering this day. Be with as we recall those who have shaped us And the events that have made us. Grant to us grace and healing in all we recall. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God who remembers, Be with us in our remembering this day. Be with us in sorrow and in loss And come beside all who mourn this day. Come beside us and do not leave us. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God who remembers, Be with us in our remembering this day. Be with those who serve in hospitals and in homes And who, by their medical and nursing skills, Provide comfort and hope to those who suffer. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God who remembers, Be with us in our remembering this day. Be with us as community and nation And strengthen us in all we endure. Even in the darkness, may we find your light renewed through Jesus Christ. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
BELLSHILL: CENTRAL PARISH CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 