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.
We invite our Christian Brother’s and Sister’s in our town and local area to join together in the unity of prayer, during the Week of Prayer of Christian Unity.
Details of these services, all held in Bellshill Central Parish Church, are listed in the poster and we encourage everyone to come along when they can, regardless of race, age, background or faith as we come together to pray.
Each day during Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – #WPCU and #WPCU2020 – we will post daily readings and reflections to help you in this week’s prayer journey if you are not able to join us in person each day.
Choir Introit MP 1 A new commandment (bible is place in pulpit)
CALL TO WORSHIP
HYMN 510 Jesus calls us here to meet him (t. Blaenwern)
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
All Age talk
HYMN 554 When I needed a neighbour
Offerings
Readings: Genesis 4:1-11 and Luke 10:25-37
HYMN 469 Restore O Lord
Sermon – ‘The Neighbour’ – limiting our ‘godtalk’ in favour of meaningful and engaging acts of compassion (the 2nd in a 7 week series “With Jesus in Samaria”
HYMN 528 Make me a Channel of your peace
Prayers
HYMN 115 Love is the touch (t. Slane)
Benediction and Three-fold Amen
RECESSIONAL HYMN 824 Amen we praise your Name O Lord
We look but what kind of looking do we do? How do we see and understand ourselves, especially in light of our relationship with the Living Christ? We know that God speaks to us in still small voices, but also in the people and places we least expect. In supposed barren hard places there can spring unimaginable beauty and nourishment.
In spite of the turbulence of the world at the present time, we also discover acts of kindness, of love, forgiveness and hospitality in places or from people we did not expect. As in the natural world, there are still the places where the water of life seeps into the mainstream and brings colour and joy and offers a hopeful future.
But it is only when we immerse ourselves in the vitality of all that life brings do we find this water of life seeping into the main steam. Our Bible story gives us a visceral story of human fear, survival, hope and love. It will invite us to reflect upon the abundance of God’s grace and fullness, that we can see if only we stop and look closely at what is in front of us. In the most difficult situations, inhospitable places and even in the most inhospitable people, there we will find something of God’s grace.
We are invited in this year’s Week Of Prayer for Christian Unity materials to see God working through people and places which offer unusual kindness. If only we would do the appropriate kind of looking.
Bob Fyffe, General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
BELLSHILL: CENTRAL PARISH CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 