SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES
Serving our parish and people and projects in our own country
As a parish church we have a natural focus on those living in our neighbourhood and, as our Mission Statement says, we seek reach out to them showing care, compassion and support in times of need. The minister, elders and members do try to offer both spiritual and practical support and we would ask that no one would hesitate in coming to seek assistance. You can speak to the minister in absolute confidence.
But we also seek to show that being a Christian can involve fun and we seek to provide a wide range of activities (concerts, quizzes, car treasure hunts, outings, walks, etc....) to which everyone in our community is welcome.
Many of the our members are active in our local community serving on Community Councils, Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and being involved with a wide variety of charitable organisations.
Looking outwards from our parish we support our local Church of Scotland home – Williamwood House. Some of our members work as paid staff, some members attend as volunteers. Our minister, along with his neighbouring colleagues, is a chaplain. Further information about both homes can be found by clicking the following link: www.crossreach.org.uk/.
One of the initiatives we support - The Heart for Art Project - employs art therapy as a means of promoting creativity, self worth and achievement in sufferers from dementia. The Heart for Art Group meet in our halls each Friday afternoon and undertake supervised art activities. The Heart for Art Project was launched in our Church and is new expanding throughout Scotland. A YouTube video describes the aims and activities of the Group in our church and further information can be found by clicking this link.
We also support the four Glasgow Presbytery projects Church House, Glasgow the Caring City, The Well, Asian Information and Advice Centre and The Lodging House Mission.
We have more involvement with the Lodging House Mission than the other projects.
One of our elders, Alastair Graham, is a regular visitor to the LHM and often takes with him donations of sugar, tea and coffee as well as good quality second-hand clothes.
After the Harvest Thanksgiving Service large quantities of tinned food are also taken to LHM.
We had another food initiative - known as "3-4-2" - where we asked the congregation for donations of food for distribution to the needy. The "3-4-2" name derives from the occasional supermarket practice of selling three items for the price of two; (we thought this was a better name than BOGOF - Buy One Get One Free). More recently this initiative has changed and we are now supporters of the East Renfrewshire Food Bank. Items donated are taken to the Foodbank in Barrhead.
In recent years we have supported the "Real Easter Egg Campaign". We've collected "Easter eggs" and donated them to Robin House - the Children's Hospice Association Scotland's residential home at Balloch.
We regularly support the Church of Scotland HIV Project by participating in the SOUPER SUNDAY initiative. Following the Souper Sunday lunch in 2013 for which the men of the congregation made and served soup it looks as though "man-made" soup will be a permanent feature for our Souper Sundays.
After each of our main Communion Services and our Harvest Thanksgiving Service we provide members with an opportunity to make an offering to a “good cause”.
We try to make sure that we alternate our donations between giving to overseas charities and home charities. Over recent years we have made donations to the following local (or UK) organisations.
2018
Eastwood Link Club £165
Mary's Meals £118
Scottish Autism £310
2017
East Renfrewshire Good Causes £451
Williamwood House £115
Erskine Home £272
Water Aid £150
Lodging House Mission £230
RNLI £124
Heart for Art £131
2016
Starter Packs £113
Two Betty's Hostel £153
Erskine Home £245
Robin House £162
Lodging House Mission £176
2015
East Renfrewshire Good Causes £113
Williamwood Home £134
Erskine Home £136
Saying Goodbye £189
2014
CHAS £117
Williamwood Home £119
Erskine Home £164
Church House Bridgeton £166
Church of Scotland HIV Programme £280
2013
Scotland's Churches Trust £ 87
Erskine Home £116
Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice £148
CrossReach £117
Church of Scotland HIV Programme £370
Clutha Disaster Fund £280
2012
Netherlee Primary School (for Pokola School) £111
Erskine Home £355
Williamwood House £105
Lodging House Mission £292
Church of Scotland HIV Programme £188
2011
HIV Aids Project £310
Bridging the Gap £ 68
Craig Stokes' HART Fund £ 88
Lodging House Mission £112
CHAS £283
2010
Lodging House Mission £230
Cumbria Memorial Fund £170
Erskine Home £161
CrossReach £ 76
2009
Girl's Brigade £ 88
Eastwoodhill Eventide Home £ 80
Erskine Home £124
CHAS (Robin House) £263
2008
Craig Stokes' HART Fund £200
Victoria Hospital Sanctuary £264
2007
Erskine Home £242
Earl Haig Fund £103
Starter Packs Glasgow £284
Lodging House Mission £470
2006
Williamwood House £ 232
Erskine Hospital £ 112
Childline Scotland £ 110
Church House, Bridgeton £ 114
Lodging House Mission £ 293
2005
Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice £100
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland £100
Erskine Hospital £100
Lodging House Mission £247
2004
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland £ 80
Williamwood House £100
Eastwoodhill Eventide Home £100
Chavey Down Respite Home £100
Age Concern Eastwood Dementia Project £100
Eastwood Refuge £100
Lodging House Mission £425
2003
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland £427
Erskine Hospital £100
Lodging House Mission £260
Williamwood House £100
Eastwoodhill Eventide Home £100