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A wee update from Joan ’ s Angels Pop Choir
Hi , just a wee update on Joan ’ s Angels Pop Choir , the new interest has been way more than we could ever have imagined , we have such a lovely group of women of all ages and I ’ m sure with their own mental health struggles . I do think people under estimate the power of music and singing that can really help people with mental health and well-being .
Our choir is not professional we all just sign along to C . D ’ s and I give you word sheets for all the songs , we only sing upbeat songs to cheer us all up , so if you are new to the town , on your own , feeling low or just want a good night then we are in John Knox Church hall on a Wednesday night 6.30pm-8pm , if you want any more details please contact me on 07525 157272 .
Joan Scott xx
John Knox Church News Update
Join us for worship for the whole family on Sundays at 11.15am and if you can ’ t be there in person join online live or on catchup . Check out our website www . johnknox . org . uk for details of all our services , events , groups , and community news . easter sunday
We ’ re delighted to be back at Gameshill at 8.30am on Easter Sunday with other churches in the town for praise and of course egg rolling ! Chocolate eggs for all and a prize for the best decorated egg ! full of hope
There is hope . You may not feel it . Like me , you may have felt this has been a long winter There ’ s been the hope that the pandemic was nearing an end but that end just hasn ’ t ever quite come . Now , as I write , Russia has invaded Ukraine with all the suffering that that entails for people in that region . Our hearts sink .
Walking in the wonderful countryside of Ayrshire helps me when the problems of the world close in on me . It ’ s been good recently to feel the warmth of the sun again reminding us that spring is coming at last ! On a recent walk I passed a grassy field . Now there ’ s plenty of those around here but the sun glistening on the shower drenched grass of this particular field that I saw was absolutely stunning . This simple field of grass shone with life and vitality . That field was made up of individual blades of grass , none of which in themselves were very impressive to look at . Each was small , damp and pretty fragile . Yet together they were a thing of beauty , full of life .
Spring leads us to Easter when we particularly remember the death of one individual , Jesus , on behalf of many . Easter reminds us of the power of one to bring new hope to many . Today he is still calling people to follow him , to find new hope and bring new hope to others . He calls his followers to form a community of people who recognise that they are not that impressive as individuals but together as a body , a family of people , they can be full of life and hope .
All of us , whether you consider yourself a follower of Jesus or not , have been through this pandemic together trying our best to stay hopeful and connected with others . I hope each one of us in the coming months , like that solitary blade of grass , can play our part , however small it might seem , in making our community a place full of hope , life and vitality .
Perhaps we can stretch our hope even further and pray that the miracle of Easter , the rising of Jesus from the dead , can bring hope not just to us and our community but even to whole nations , even to Ukraine and Russia alike .
Rev Gavin Niven is minister of John Knox Church www . johnknox . org . uk @ jkchurch
Join us for a cuppa and chat on Saturday 2nd April from 10am to 12 noon at our Church in the old Royal Bank building , opposite Post Office . We are often asked about the URC church . We grew from the Congregational Church in Avenue Square where we had been for over 100 years ( not the same people of course ). Since we left there , we worshipped in McKellars Parlour and then bought the ground floor of the old Royal Bank building opposite the Post Office but of course Covid regulations have forced our closure on several occasions and once again we want " The wee friendly church " to be involved in the Community as we were before . We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 2nd April . Margaret Anne - 01560 483600 and 07966 876704 .