The Presbytery of Angus

Local Congregational Review        Edzell Lethnot Glenesk       11 March 2015

 

The visiting team of Rev Carleen Robertson, Dr Ian D Duncan and Mrs Evelyn Hood met with representatives of the office bearers of Edzell Lethnot Glenesk on the evening of 11th March. The charge is currently vacant and will shortly be advertised.  The Interim Moderator is the Rev John Orr. The current locum is the Rev Brian Dingwall who also attended the meeting as did the Rev Ian Gray, the linked charge’s OLM.  The tone of the evening was to focus on the positive and the challenges facing the congregation. This report supplements the review completed by the congregation and which is available from the Presbytery Office on request.

 

The strengths of the congregation were identified as:  The congregation …

• is playing a very strong role in the life of the community it serves with ~60-70 attendees at weekly services in Edzell Church followed by light refreshments. 

• holds additional church activities including weekly Bible Study and Prayer Groups, a reinvigorated choir, a very active Guild, a small Sunday Club, and a monthly Film Club aimed primarily at the parish children and houses a Play Group 5 days/week

• enjoys a strong bond with Edzell Primary School which regularly uses the church for one-off events as well as end of term services.  The locum minister and OLM also visit Tarfside and Lethnot Primary schools on a regular basis.

• supplies and serves hot nourishing food and drink from a car boot to the homeless people in Dundee on a weekly basis for the organization “Graham’s Soup Kitchen” and provides them with scarves, socks and gloves which they have knitted and second hand furniture for those recently housed

• initiated and now supports a local venture using a cottage owned by the community to make preserves, salads etc. and to collect donated food e.g. potatoes as an inexpensive food source for the elderly and less well off

 

The challenges facing the congregation were identified as:  The congregation …

• finds that the geography does not encourage close ties with the linked charge

• is seeking to find a new minister

• is seeking to increase attendance (currently 12 -14) at the monthly Glenesk Church service, the low attendance partly explained by the fact that there is a preponderance of single individuals in the community there.

• is seeking to attract younger people into the church from a community with a higher than average proportion of elderly and very elderly people

• is seeking to encourage more of its members to give of their time and talents and join their existing Pastoral, Mission, Media, Fellowship and Vision groups

• is considering a fund-raising project to celebrate their bicentenary by renovating the windows, lighting, heating and organ in Edzell Church

 

Deliverance

Presbytery

1. notes that the congregation of Edzell Lethnot Glenesk was visited in terms of Act 9 2011 in March 2015

2. encourages the congregation to continue promoting its work within the Community

3. encourages the congregation to strengthen relationships with its linked charge of Fern Careston Menmuir and to share strategies with the other Congregations in the Esk Parish Grouping

4. instructs the Superintendence Committee to contact the congregation of Edzell Lethnot Glenesk in 12 months to monitor progress and offer continued support from the Presbytery

 

The Presbytery of Angus

Local Congregational Review          Fern Careston Menmuir              4 March 2015

 

The visiting team of Rev Carleen Robertson, Dr Ian D Duncan and Mr Ian Kellie met with representatives of the office bearers of Fern Careston Menmuir on the evening of 4th March.  The charge is currently vacant and will shortly be advertised.  The Interim Moderator is the Rev John Orr and the current locum is the Rev Brian Dingwall.  The linked charge also has an OLM the Rev Ian Gray who is currently on vacation.  The tone of the evening was to focus on the positive and the challenges facing the congregation. This report supplements the review completed by the congregation and which is available from the Presbytery Office on request.

 

The strengths of the congregation were identified as:  The congregation …

• is witnessing an increasing number of younger adults attending worship on a regular basis accompanied by young children despite the fact that there are no longer any schools in the parish

• is welcoming these young families during worship and providing colouring books etc. in pews at the rear with the approval of the parents so that all can remain in the church throughout the Sunday Service which they prefer to do.

• is focusing on the local, but being rural, scattered community advertising church events widely to all regardless of whether they are members or not

• is involved in a wide range of activities including Coffee Mornings, BBQ’s, Auctions, Songs of Praise, Concerts, and Carol Services including outside groups e.g. Brechin City Brass Band

• is actively involved in fund-raising and all events are based on using members time and talents as well as harnessing people’s skills and resources across the linkage

• is organizing Gift Days when goods are donated and given to families in need

 

The challenges facing the congregation were identified as:  The Congregation…

• having recently changed its constitution to a unitary one is seeking to encourage more members especially younger ones to become Elders

• is considering its future if the current anticipated reduction in Ministers affects them directly and is planning some lay-led services in conjunction with Edzell Lethnot Glenesk instead of seeking universal pulpit supply

• is seeking to improve its present facilities including the installation of currently non-existing toilet facilities

• is seeking to co-operate with the other churches in Brechin/Esk Parish Grouping which currently does not function as well as it might

 

Deliverance

Presbytery

1. notes that the congregation of Fern Careston Menmuir was visited in terms of Act 9 2011 in March 2015;

2. encourages the congregation to continue promoting its work within the Community;

3. encourages the congregation to strengthen relationships with its linked congregation of Edzell Lethnot Glenesk and to share strategies with the other Congregations in the Esk Parish Grouping;

4. instructs the Superintendence Committee to contact the congregation of Fern Careston Menmuir in 12 months to monitor progress and offer continued support from the Presbytery