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New sound system
As you will appreciate, we now have a brand new sound system in the Church which I'm sure will serve us well for many years. It's been something we've talked about doing for a long time now and at last, it's been installed. I would thank David and Billy from Interactiv Solutions for always turning up on time on their various visits and taking the time to understand what we required from the new installation. They always cleaned up any mess that was created and left a really professional job.
I have to tell you that the first week they came, they installed the 8 speakers - 4 upstairs and 4 downstairs but none of the amplifiers and microphones. Despite the speakers not being operational, I received 5 or 6 compliments about the sound from the new system (don't worry, I will not name names")
The first time the new microphones were used was at the brief service of remembrance in the Church on the day of the Moderator's visit. When some of the folks in attendance saw the case where the amplifiers are housed (next to where the beadle sits), I received comments along the following lines -"when did the tardis arrive?", "when did we buy the coca cola fridge?, "did that come out a space ship?" etc etc. However, needs must and this is what we had to do to have a state of the art system. We now have the facility to record services (once we learn how to operate the equipment) and hopefully this is a resource that can be utilised by the various COSY groups.
Alec
You may recall that there was an article in last month's magazine telling a story about Alec, his grandson and his interest in wildlife. Well I met Alec after that and gave him a copy of the magazine. The next time I met him, he told me that he had let the various members of his family have a read and asked if I could drop a copy into him from now on -consider it done.
Remembrance Sunday
I don't know if it was due to the Moderator's visit or the significance of the 90th anniversary of armistice day or because of the pictures of the few surviving men that had fought in the first world war but I thought that Remembrance Sunday this year was particularly poignant. There seemed to be more programmes than usual on television recounting the horrors of this war and the unimaginable conditions and traumas these soldiers had to endure. During our joint morning service at Wrangholm, the Moderator told of a woman in Mull who had lost seven sons in this war, only one example of several that he provided, reasons indeed why we should never forget.
Visit of the Moderator
This was a truly momentous day for both Holytown and Wrangholm. I do not believe that the Church of Scotland Moderator has ever visited Holytown in the past.
What made the visit different too was the fact that it was Remembrance Sunday. It was a privilege to have the Very Rev David Lunan on such a special occasion in the life of our churches. Mr Lunan has a real knack of speaking to the young folk and helping them to understand how important the day was for very many families. Being the 90th anniversary of the conclusion of World War I added to the significance of the event especially as we had witnessed some exceedingly old soldiers on television. Being together in Wrangholm gave us a truly large congregation.
The lunch in the Church Hall in Holytown was a very sociable gathering - much enjoyed by all. We were all part of the family of God - sharing fellowship, enjoying a meal. I'm sure that the Very Rev David Lunan also enjoyed being part of the gathering. This truly emphasised to us all that although we may seem just a small part of the Church of Scotland, we are a part of it and are valued in the Church as a whole. No doubt this visit will be spoken of many times in the future.
The Girls' Brigade
As part of their badge work this session the Junior 1 Section are collecting used Stamps for charity. With Christmas just around the corner could we ask you not to throw away your stamps? Instead please bring them to Church on a Sunday morning and hand them to a Girls' Brigade Officer or alternatively if a GB member lives near you please hand them in and they can bring them to the Company on a Wednesday night. We will be collecting stamps until the end of the session in May 2009.
The officers and girls would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a Good New Year and thank everyone who has supported us in the first half of this session. We look forward to your continued support in 2009.
Thank you.
Marlene Milton, Captain
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