Author: Bellshill Central

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.

Harvest Worship with Central on 18th October

October 18, 2020October 17, 2020 by Bellshill Central, posted in Catch Up, Sunday Worship

Join us for worship! This Harvest Celebration Sunday. THANKFULNESS.

We meet from 10.45am on YouTube, when we will hear from Rev Kevin for more inspirational teachings, with music, prayers and readings from within our church community.

Church at Home 18th October 2020 Download

Today would have been our Harvest Service and Ploughmans lunch. Here are some pictures from previous years.

Join Scottish churches in prayer this Sunday evening

October 17, 2020 by Bellshill Central, posted in COVID-19, Prayer items

This Sunday (18 October), as restrictions continue across Scotland, Christians across the country – and further afield – will once again join together in prayer at 7pm in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As with previous weeks during lockdown and the phased easing of restrictions, 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.

“I’m delighted to have read that in the last couple of months online searches for ‘prayer’ have increased dramatically,” Dr Fair said.

“But reading about what prayer is and how to do it is only the start of it. After that it’s time to actually pray.

“And what better than to join with brothers and sisters from across the nation at 7pm on Sunday to pray our way through this ongoing crisis. I commend it to you and look forward to being with you, in Spirit, on Sunday evening.

This week’s letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic states:

“Does God go with us? That is a question we might well ask at this time. Does God go with us as we journey through the latest stage of the challenge that we face personally and as a community? Does God go with us in the uncertainty of the times in which we live? If so, how do we know?

“Moses led the people out of Egypt and, during the subsequent journey in the wilderness, it seems that the persistent questions asked of him by the people of Israel can be summed up as follows:

“Does God go with us? If so, how do we know? In reply, the response of the Lord is this: ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest… and I know you by name.’ In return, Moses asks that he might see the glory of the Lord. In reply, the Lord offers to put him in ‘a cleft of the rock’ as a place of safety (Exodus 33: 14, 17, 22).

“The words of a traditional hymn capture the image:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

“Does God go with us? Yes, even on the hardest journey. If so, how do we know? We know because the Lord leads us to the place of safety.”

We pray:

Lord, lead us
To the place where you are known
And to the assurance of your presence.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place of rest
And to the promise of renewal.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where the people made in your image gather
And their voices are heard.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where we are called by our name
And find acceptance in your sight.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where we are protected
And our safety is assured.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where your glory is revealed
And our lives are transformed in Christ.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Signed by:

Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
Rt. Rev. Kevin Pearson, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
Rev. Lindsey Sanderson, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Rev. Jim Ritchie, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)

Prayer for Guidance throughout the day

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by Bellshill Central, posted in Prayer items

Lord, thank you for a great night’s rest and the opportunity to stand here today. Today is another day that you have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Lord, I know you love me. Your word makes me understand the depth of your love for me, and I thank you for this boundless love.

Lord, I ask for your unfailing guidance, as I step out in search of my daily bread today. Let your mighty hands of protection and strength cover me as I walk through today. Thank you because I am safe in your hands. Amen.

A Psalm a Day – Psalm 140

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by Bellshill Central, posted in A Psalm a Day

Psalm 140 New International Version

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers;
    protect me from the violent,
²who devise evil plans in their hearts
    and stir up war every day.
³They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;
    the poison of vipers is on their lips.

⁴Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
    protect me from the violent,
    who devise ways to trip my feet.
⁵The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
    they have spread out the cords of their net
    and have set traps for me along my path.

⁶I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
    Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.
⁷Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,
    you shield my head in the day of battle.
⁸Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord;
    do not let their plans succeed.

⁹Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;
    may the mischief of their lips engulf them.
¹⁰May burning coals fall on them;
    may they be thrown into the fire,
    into miry pits, never to rise.
¹¹May slanderers not be established in the land;
    may disaster hunt down the violent.

¹²I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
and upholds the cause of the needy.
¹³Surely the righteous will praise your name,
and the upright will live in your presence.