Dear Members and Friends

We all know the words of the Christmas song It’s the most wonderful time of the year – a sentiment which for some of us rings true yet for others can be challenging.

Whatever the coming days hold for you, one thing we can be certain of is the love of our Heavenly Father revealed to us in the gift of his Son Jesus who we celebrate over the Advent and Christmas period.

This week there are several opportunities to come together for worship and fellowship and I hope that you will be able to join us for some, if not all, of these services:

Sunday 22nd, 10.30am: Carols from Kids @ Wardie & a message about Joseph

Christmas Eve, 6.00pm: Family nativity

Christmas Eve, 11.30pm: Watchnight service

Christmas Day, 10.30am: All age celebration

Sunday 29th, 10.30am: Service of lessons and carols

During advent, the church sanctuary has been open on a Wednesday evening for a Quiet Space for Advent. This offered a place for quiet reflection and prayer. A huge thank you goes to Cathy Ballantine and Wardie’s Prayer Discovery Group for setting this up each week and providing some wonderful reflective activities and music.

Last week on Saturday 14th December we had our Gift Day and Coffee Morning. Many people came along and over £7,000 was raised for church funds. A wonderful effort from all involved with organising, baking, sorting out the technology and serving coffee.

Many people have been asking what is happening with regards to the Presbytery Plan which has been rumbling around us for three years now. The Kirk Session met last Monday and have agreed a recommendation which we have instructed our Session Clerk to send to the Presbytery’s deployment group. There are protocols around these things which have to be honoured but what I can tell you is that I will be here at least until 2028 (shhh… that’s when I reach retirement age) and perhaps even a little longer.

At the very start of the New Year, once we have informed the deployment committee we will be letting the whole congregation know. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Chris Boston, Tim Edwards, Cathy Ballantine and Glenn Liddall who represented us in the local area discussions and in particular to Chris who has chaired this group and guided the Session with great skill.

There is, as you can see, lots of Good News at Wardie.

Every blessing as we celebrate the fact that
Unto us a child was born, to us a son was Given

Thanks be to God

Dolly