Dear Friends Three Wars at Christmas? Mat erial for t his m agazine was t o be handed in on 13t h Novem ber, which happened to be Rem em brance Sunday. I t herefore happened t o be t hinking about t his Christ m as let t er at t he t im e we were rem em bering wars past and present . I could not help t hinking how appropriat e t hat was because behind t he beaut y of t he Christ m as st ory lies t he grim realit y of a spirit ual bat t le of cosm ic proport ions. The First War We know well t he anger of Herod who sought t o kill t he new born king. Do you rem em ber t hat t hat was t he next in a long succession of at t em pt s t o kill t he sons of David and rid t he world of any m em ory of his kingdom and any fut ure for t he dynast y? At one t im e t here was only one son left ! And his life was ext rem ely vulnerable. What was at st ake was t he very prom ise of God t o David and t he t rut hfulness of his word t oget her wit h t he great quest ion of whet her God was powerful enough and willing t o keep t hat word. What lay behind t he frant ic at t em pt s t o kill David's sons was t he oblit erat ion of t he prom ise of God t hat David's son would be t he Saviour of t he world. Revelat ion 12 lift s t he veil on world hist ory t o see what lies behind event s and sees t he Devil him self wait ing for a wom an t o give birt h t o t he son of David. But his at t em pt is foiled. Today, t he Son of David reigns on David's t hrone in glory; his nam e is Jesus and he has saved us from our sins. The Second War Following on from t he realit y of t hat war is t he present spirit ual bat t le t hat t he Church is engaged in, worldwide. We need t o know how t o fight t hat bat t le as we seek t o be t rue t o our calling as children of God called t o t his warfare. Rem em ber t he hym n 'Soldiers of Christ arise, and put your arm our on...' for we are t ruly soldiers. We are not free t o absent ourselves from t he bat t le for t hat is t reason and desert ion, we are called t o fight t he good fight of t he fait h. We t ake responsibilit y before God for ourselves and our congregat ion at TPHD. We are in t he m idst of a serious conflict in t he Church of Scot land and we need t o be clear of what t he Lord

requires of us, which is '...t o love m ercy, do j ust ice and walk hum bly wit h God.' At present we hear and see so m any cast ing off t he rest raint s of t he Bible and dem and t heir way and be like t he world wit h all it s vain values. This has had, as Jesus said it would, t he effect of m aking '...t he love of m ost grow cold.' And he is speaking about his people! His Church! The Third War The j oy of Christ m as is when Christ is born in us. But t he bat t le t hen becom es one in which we are personally engaged as t he Adversary of t he people of God seeks '...like a roaring lion som eone t o devour...' Are you aware of changes in your walk wit h God t hat in your yout h you would never have foreseen? Your first ent husiasm and com m it m ent now dim m ed great ly? All kinds of t hings however good t hey m ay be drawing you away from t he Lord and your walk wit h him ? Then rem em ber you are in t he m idst of a bat t le for your very soul and t he great enem y of God and his Christ are seeking ways t o get int o your life ahd heart t o dest roy your wlak wit h God as he seeks t o dest roy t he Church. We do not walk hum bly wit h God when we rej ect or neglect his Word in t he Bible. We do not walk hum bly wit h him when we do so as and when it is convenient t o us or when we feel like it . Our energy, t im e, diaries, fam ilies and wealt h all belong t o him and we serve him in all of t hem when we m ake Him and His ways our priorit ies. Anyt hing else or less causes t he bat t le t o be lost , personally and corporat ely. Christ ian seek not yet repose cast your dream s of ease away: you are in t he m idst of foes wat ch and pray. When Jesus is born in you t he Spirit of Jesus t rains us for t he warfare he has led us int o. Let us recom m it ourselves t o him in t he obedience of fait h. Have a t ruly blessed and wise Christ m as, Richard, Your friend and Minist er

From the Apprentice - Reflections on 2011 2011 has been a gr eat year ! TPHD offer s a gr eat var iet y of oppor t unit ies and I ’m gaining invaluable exper ience in a m ult it ude of w ays. One of t he gr eat est qualit ies of t he chur ch, w hich I ’ve appr eciat ed im m ensely, is t he genuine fellow ship. The suppor t and encouragem ent of t he congr egat ion has been t r em endous. Som e of t he highlight s of t he year , w her e I ’ve been involv ed ( or fam ily m em ber s! ) include t he follow ing: Most w eeks I lead t he m or ning or evening ser vice, w hich has been a st eep lear ning cur ve, but gr adually m or e enj oyable. This includes choosing hym ns, pr aying, and giving a childr en’s t alk - all of w hich have pr ovided challenges. I w as sur pr ised how few hym ns I knew , public pr aying w asn’t som et hing I did r egular ly, and I hadn’t given a kid’s t alk for about 10 year s! I t ’s given m e plent y t o t hink about for t he fut ur e and a m uch gr eater appr eciat ion for a differ ent st yle of w or ship. Pr eaching is one of m y m ain dut ies at TPHD and t his year I have t aught fr om Mat t hew , John, Jonah, Joshua and 1 Tim ot hy. I hadn’t fully appr eciat ed t he hour s it t akes t o pray, st udy and pr epar e a 30 m inut e exposit or y ser m on, and w hile I ’m sur e it t akes m e longer w hen star t ing out , ever y second is w or t h it and essent ial. As I w as t old in t he beginning ‘it ’s blood, sw eat and t ears’, but it ’s an incr edible pr ivilege and r esponsibilit y t o m edit at e on God’s Wor d full- t im e. I gr eat ly

look for w ard t o pr epar ing and pr eaching m any m or e ser m ons in m y r em aining m ont hs. Ot her ar eas of m y developm ent include, t aking Pr ayer Meet ings, helping t o organise a Chr ist ianit y Explor ed cour se, and leading t he follow - up cour se ‘Just for St ar t er s’, past or al visit s, and or ganising t he cr èche r ot a! Mixed and var ied, t hat seem s t o be past oral m inist r y…I st ill have no idea how Richar d squeezes so m uch int o a w eek! Susan has helped set up Tw inkle Tunes ( Mot her s and Toddler s! ) and looks for war d w it h ant icipat ion t o w her e God w ill t ake t his. A quick fam ily updat e t o out side r eader s. Et han Oliv er w as bor n on 25 Januar y, and is t her efor e now cr aw ling ( sliding) , clim bing and m aking r andom I ndian noises! Susan has since r et ur ned t o t eaching, Kat ie st ar t ed school ( and loves it ! ) and Leah cont inues t o w in us over w it h her cheeky sense of hum our ! TPHD and fam ily life k eep us busy, not t o m ent ion st udying t w o days a w eek at Cor nhill, and spending one day a w eek at St . Geor ge’s- Tr on. I t becom es a slight j uggling act but in God’s gr ace he st r engt hens and pr ovides confir m ing his cont inued blessing as w e pur sue t his m inist r y dir ect ion. Please pr ay w it h us as w e seek God’s guidance for t he fut ur e. Chr ist m as, East er, Cor nhill t ill June, and then t his placem ent finishes in t he sum m er …t im e is fly ing past ! Ther e ar e sever al opt ions t o invest igat e, so please pr ay w e explor e t hese w isely. Chr ist m as Gr eet ings fr om t he War ds, and blessings for 2012. Oliv er , Susan, Kat ie, Leah and Et han ( x)

‘A Taste of Scotland’ 2012 Calendar A lim it ed num ber of ‘A Tast e of Scot land’ 2012 Calendar s w ill be available shor t ly pr iced £4.00 - pr ofit s t o chur ch funds. The calendar is A4 size com pr ising of phot ogr aphs taken by I sabel Whyt e fr om ar ound Scot land including Glasgow, St Andr ew s, Ar br oat h , Skye and Tir ee t o nam e but a few places w hich ar e feat ur ed in t he calendar . To or der your calendar - speak t o I sabel Whyt e as soon as possible.

Who do you recognise? No pr izes - j ust for fun! Do you r ecognise anyone in t he follow ing phot ograph? I t w as t aken ar ound 1970 - 43 rd Gir ls Br igade for m ing up in Br oadholm St r eet !

A few w ell know n and st ill at TPHD!

Mor e phot os next issue!

Jack Rae : 22 October 1921 – 25 September 2011 Following t he recent deat h of m y fat her, I would like t o t ake t his opport unit y on behalf of m yself, m y sist er I rene, and our fam ilies, t o t hank Rev Richard Buckley for conduct ing such a com fort ing funeral service. We would also like t o t hank Oliver Ward for t he Bible readings during t he service, and furt her t hanks t o Richard and Oliver for t heir kind words during t he m orning service on 2 n d Oct ober. We would also like t o t hank t he m em bers of t he congregat ion for t he kind expressions of sym pat hy on t he day of m y fat her’s funeral and t he cards which have been received. As m y fat her’s healt h det eriorat ed over t he last few years it was a great source of st rengt h and com fort t o know t hat so m any people were t hinking of him . The m any kind words and t hought s which were expressed during m y visit s t o church services over t he recent years will rem ain wit h m e. I am grat eful, along wit h m y sist er I rene and our fam ilies, for all t he kind t hought s and prayers of t he congregat ion. St uart Rae

I would like t o t hank every m em ber in our ‘Church Fam ily’ for all t he Get - Well wishes and visit s, and also for all your prayers for m y recovery during t he past year. Though I have been unwell, I am grat eful t hat I am able t o com e t o church m ost Sunday m ornings t o praise our Saviour’s nam e and m ost im port ant ly t o hear t he wonderful preaching of God’s Word. I look forward t o Church and m y prayer and Bible st udy t im e, bot h m orning and evening. I have a Christ m as Display wit h light s, carousels, et c. I include Nat ivit y display t o show what Christ m as should be about . Everyone is welcom e during t he fest ive season t o com e and bring your children and grandchildren t o see bot h sides of Christ m as. I wish t o give m y wish of a very warm happy Christ m as and good New Year.

Alist air McKenzie

CHARI TABLE GI VI NG… I t has been a while since I gave t he congregat ion an updat e on it s charit able giving but it rem ains a pleasure t o record and disburse t he generous gift s given for hum anit arian relief t hroughout t he world, t o help t he spread of t he gospel and t o help address t he m any m at erial and spirit ual problem s ‘in our own backyard’. During t he year so far we have realised £200 for t he Overseas Missionary fellowship, £232 for Realit y, and £1461 for Tear Fund. Local need has also been recognized by t he fine sum s raised for t he Lodging House Mission (£452) , and t o assist Mark Girvan in his work wit h Navigat ors. Rem em ber t hat by using Gift Aid when donat ing by regular giving or special offerings, our church receives large donat ions in t urn by t he t axm an. But before we pat ourselves on t he back t oo hard, we should always rem em ber t hat we are only st ewards of God’s wealt h; we can creat e not hing by ourselves, but only use what He has given us. As Christ ians, we should rem em ber t hat we received t he ult im at e gift – t he sacrifice of t he Lord Jesus Christ who died t o save us, and t hat our right eousness, as St Paul rem inds us, “ is as filt hy rags” . John Jam ieson

…NOW GI FT AI D I T! Do you pay t ax? I f so, you can increase your offerings by 25% at no cost t o yourself! Her Maj est y’s Revenue and Cust om s ( HMRC) kindly give t he Church back t he t ax t hat you have paid on t he am ount given t o t he Church. This year HMRC have refunded £9400. This sum is a great help t o our finances. You do not need t o be a m em ber, but you do need t o use t he Offering Envelopes or pay t hrough t he bank. Furt her inform at ion is available from j ean Ross. No financial det ails need t o be given, and everyt hing is t reat ed wit h t he ut m ost confidence. Jean Ross

HEALTH & SAFETY COMMI TTEE We have now been going for j ust over t w o year s and w e have been busy t r ying t o m ake t he chur ch a safer place for you t o com e and w or ship. We, t her efor e, t hought it w as t im e for us t o r epor t back on w hat w e have done. Her e ar e j ust som e of t he it em s w hich have been act ioned: The st age w as clear ed of r ubbish; holes in t he floor and ceiling in chur ch w er e r epair ed; chem icals ly ing ar ound t he buildings w er e locked aw ay; t he ur n in kit chen w as r eplaced w it h a boiler fixed t o t he w all; t he door leading fr om large hall t o vest ibule is unlocked ev er y Sunday m or ning; t he door fr om session house leading t o st air s now has a slip bolt on t he inside for safet y for childr en in t he cr èche and for t eam s count ing t he offer ing; t he cable leading fr om t he pulpit t o t he socket has been cover ed ( a socket w ill be fit t ed in t he pulpit ) ; longer hand rails have been put on t he st air s leading fr om t he Chur ch t o t he Large Hall and fr om t he Session House t o t he Large Hall! We ar e st ill w or king on a num ber of ot her t hings and w ill r epor t back in due cour se. Healt h & Safet y is an on- going pr ocess and if you see anyt hing at all t hat you t hink m ight be hazar dous please do not hesit at e t o r epor t it t o any m em ber of t he Healt h & Safet y Com m it t ee. Nor m a McKenzie Healt h & Safet y Com m it t ee.

The Tea Ladies ( also known – unkindly! - as ‘The Tea Bags’) would like to thank all the ladies who have donated biscuits and cakes during the year for the AfterChurch Fellowship

KI NG JAMES BI BLE CELEBRATI ON The King Jam es Bible, KJV, or ‘Aut horised Version’ as it becam e known, was t he Bible which m ost of t he m em bers of our congregat ion grew up wit h. However, unlike m ost of t he m em bers of our congregat ion, t he King Jam es Bible celebrat ed it s 400 t h birt hday in 2011, having been born in 1611! As t he version of t he Bible which has had such an influence on t he English- speaking Christ ian and secular world, we could not let such a m ilest one pass wit hout som e form of recognit ion. I t was decided t hat we should have a ‘celebrat ion’ of t he 1611 t ranslat ion, and t hat it should be held on t he m ost appropriat e dat e possible. The King Jam es Bible was published in 1611 – our celebrat ion dat e would be 16 t h Novem ber – 16( t h)11(t h – m ont h and year)! Our celebrat ion would t ake t he form of a m eal t oget her, wit h a t alk from a guest speaker. A splendid cold buffet was organized, and our guest speaker was Rev David Whit e, of St Colum ba’s Church, Kirkint illoch. Mr Whit e t ook us t hrough t he st ages of Bible t ranslat ion which had led t o t he King Jam es Version, beginning from t he earliest Lat in t ranslat ion, down t hrough t he various English t ranslat ions. Mr Whit e showed t he debt we owed t o t ranslat ors such as John Wycliffe (1324-1384) and William Tyndale (1494-1536) who brought us t he Bible in everyday English. Also t o help us underst and t he various st ages in t he t ranslat ion of t he Bible int o English, were a series of illust rat ed display panels loaned by Carlisle Cat hedral.

The Buffet Table

Som e of t he Carlisle Cat hedral KJV Display Panels

Talk at t he Tables

A Thought ful Mom ent !

Rev C.K.O. Spence , MC, TD, MA, BD. The Rev Char les Keit h Or m ond Spence w as bor n on Apr il 14, 1918 in Br it ish Guyana. Aft er educat ion at Hillhead High School and Glasgow Univer sit y he ser ved in t he ar m ed for ces fr om 1940 unt il t he end of t he Second Wor ld War . Dur ing his w ar ser vice he w as as a Capt ain in t he Ayr shir e Yeom anr y and was aw ar ded t he Milit ar y Cr oss in 1945. He w as also m ent ioned in despat ches on t hr ee ot her occasions. The cit at ion for t he Milit ar y Cr oss r eads as follow s: “ On t he night of 28 Febr uar y / 1 Mar ch Capt ain Spence w as For w ar d Obser vat ion Officer w it h t he 15/ 19 Hussar s. As he had no t ank him self he t r avelled in t he Squadron Leader ’s t ank of t he leading squadron. Dur ing t he ensuing bat t le, w hich last ed m ost of t he night , Captain Spence, on his ow n init iat ive, br ought dow n fir e w it h r em ar kable speed and skill w henever it w as r equest ed. This was a very gr eat help t o t he advance and pr event ed casualt ies t o t he t anks and infant r y w ho w er e for ced t o r em ain in exposed posit ions on t he r oad for long per iods, w hile w oods and t hick count r y w er e clear ed. When t he advance st opped and t he infant r y w it h t heir For w ar d Obser vat ion Officer s consolidat ed, Captain Spence w as no longer r equir ed t o br ing dow n fir e. He, how ever , far exceeded his nor m al dut ies by helping t he Squadr on Leader t o sear ch for and collect t he cr ew s of tanks w hich had been knocked out and w er e now in a ver y exposed posit ion som e w ay in fr ont of our leading t r oops. He cont inued sear ching for w ounded m en of t hese cr ew s under SA and shell fir e for som e t w o hours and per sonally carr ied one badly w ounded m an back 800 yards. Thr oughout t he operat ion he carr ied out all his dut ies w it h t he gr eat est possible skill and effect . When he w as no longer r equir ed for t hese he r ender ed invaluable assist ance in m ost

danger ous and difficult cir cum st ances in collect ing t he w ounded, t her eby set t ing a m agnificent exam ple t o all r anks.” This encount er t ook place in Reichsw ald For est in Ger m any. On leaving t he ar m y he st udied Divinit y in Glasgow Univer sit y gr aduat ing in 1948. His fir st call w as t o Henr y Dr um m ond Mem or ial Chur ch in Apr il 1949, w her e he r em ained unt il Sept em ber 1958. Fr om t her e he m oved t o the Old Kir k in Por t Glasgow and t hen t o Craigow nie Chur ch in Cove w her e he r em ained unt il he r et ir ed. His int er est in t he ar m ed for ces cont inued aft er his w ar - t im e ser vice and w it h t he approval of t he Kir k Session he j oined t he Ter r it or ial Ar m y as a Chaplain ear ly in 1950. He event ually becam e Senior Chaplain t o 52 Low land Division. As r ecognit ion of his ser vice he w as awar ded t he Ter r it or ial Decor at ion in 1962. Dur ing his t enur e in Henr y Dr um m ond Chur ch Mr Spence pr eached t he Gospel fait hfully Sunday by Sunday as w ell as in his w eekly Bible Class. He was inst r um ent al in int r oducing t he Young Wor shipper s League t o t he congr egat ion. His childr en’s addr esses ar e fondly r em em ber ed and alw ays seem ed t o cat ch t he im aginat ion of t he young folks pr esent . He was a devot ed past or, r egular ly visit ing hom es in t he Par ish. He w as a keen suppor t er of t he w or k of t he Nat ional Bible Societ y of Scot land, of w hich he was a dir ect or and also secr et ar y of t he West of Scot land Br anch. I n 1951 t o m ar k t he cent enar y of Henr y Dr um m ond’s bir t h and t he approaching 75 t h anniver sar y of t he Chur ch, Mr Spence pr oposed t he est ablishm ent of t he “ Henr y Dr um m ond Jubilee Fund” . I t w as hoped t hat £3,000 could be r aised t o decor at e t he Chur ch and Vest r y, pur chase a new organ, new chair s for t he choir and t w o new lect er ns. I t t ook 7 year s t o r aise t he funds and carr y out t he r efur bishm ent . Many of t he it em s w er e gift ed by m em ber s of t he congr egat ion and Mr HJH Dr um m ond, nephew and sole r em aining m ale r elat ive of Henr y Dr um m ond, m ade a gift of a br onze plaque of Henr y Dr um m ond as w ell as Dr um m ond’s desk

A Dedicat ion and Thanksgiving ser vice for t he var ious gift s and t he r est or at ion of t he Sanct uar y t ook place in Febr uar y 1958. Follow ing a prayer of dedicat ion, Mr Spence spoke of t he hear t felt t hanksgiv ing and j oy t hat w as felt am ongst m em ber s now t hat t he r epair s and redecor at ion w er e com plet e. Ear lier t hat m ont h a ser vice fr om t he chur ch w as broadcast by t he BBC on t he Over seas Pr ogr am m e. This ser vice w as t o com m em or at e t he 70 t h anniver sar y of t he publicat ion of “ The Gr eat est Thing in t he Wor ld” by Henr y Dr um m ond, fir st published in 1888. Consequent ly Mr Spence pr eached on t he t hem e of ‘lov e’ fr om 1 Cor int hians chapt er 13. This br oadcast is st ill r em em ber ed t o t his day by a m em ber of t he congr egat ion w ho was t w elve year old at t hat t im e. Lat er t hat year Mr Spence was called t o t he Old Kir k in Por t Glasgow . How ever , he w as t o r et ur n in June 1967 for t he final w or ship ser vice in Henr y Dr um m ond Chur ch, w her e he assist ed Mr Walker in a ser vice of t hanksgiving and praise. Mr Spence passed away on 26 July t his year and is sur vived by his w ife Mar gar et w hom he m arr ied in 1951. Pet er Kay

The Child in the Manger…… He is t he im age of t he invisible God, t he first born over all creat ion. For by him all t hings were creat ed: t hings in heaven and on eart h, visible and invisible, whet her t hrones or powers or rulers or aut horit ies; all t hings were creat ed by him and for him . He is before all t hings, and in him all t hings hold t oget her. And he is t he head of t he body, t he church; he is t he beginning and t he first born from am ong t he dead, so t hat in everyt hing he m ight have t he suprem acy. For God was pleased t o have all his fullness dwell in him , and t hrough him t o reconcile t o him self all t hings, whet her t hings on eart h or t hings in heaven, by m aking peace t hrough his blood, shed on t he cross. Colossians, Chapter 1,verse 15.

TWINKLE TUNES Tw inkle Tunes has been in t he pipe line for year s now ! We've been hoping t o r un som et hing for Mum s and kids in t he ar ea for a long t im e, but now it 's finally her e... We have been m eet ing on a Fr iday m or ning for a few m ont hs t o t hink and plan our lit t le gr oup and t he 28t h Oct ober w as t he inaugur al m eet ing. I t w as quit e a quiet affair , but since t hen t hings have got a bit m or e lively and int er est ing. So far w e have 5 childr en w ho com e along and have fun - singing, playing w it h t he t oys, r eading st or ies and having a snack. We ar e delight ed t o have t he childr en and fam ilies w e do, but w ould love m or e! I f you know anyone w ho w ould enj oy com ing along please let t hem know . Keep pr aying for t he r ight people t o com e along ( in w hat ever capacit y.. m um s and kids, hom e- baker s, t idyer s, ent huser s et c et c..) at t he r ight t im e.. Also, if anyone had any old spar e hat s ( for a dr essing up box) or old Chr ist m as decorat ions ( t o r ecycle and m ake new ones) or old w ool - w e could cer tainly r ecycle t hem for you... Gr annies ar e also VERY w elcom e t o com e along and sing w it h t heir Tw ink le Tot s.

THE TPHD GUI DE TO CHRI STMAS EATI NG….. The aver age per son w ill gain 6 POUNDS dur ing t he Chr ist m as season. Her e ar e som e easy- t ofollow guidelines for your Chr ist m as eat ing:

 I f you eat som et hing and no- one sees you eat it , t hen it has no calor ies.  I f you dr ink a diet dr ink w it h chocolat e, t he calor ies in t he chocolat e bar ar e cancelled by t he diet dr ink.  When you eat w it h som eone else, calor ies don’t count if you don’t eat m or e t han t hey do.  Dr inks used for m edicinal pur poses – sher r y, br andy, m ulled w ine – never count .  I f you fat t en ever yone else ar ound you, you w ill look t hinner .  Biscuit pieces and cr um bs contain no calor ies: it is a w ell- know n fact t hat t he pr ocess of br eaking causes calor ie leakage.  Things licked off spoons have no calor ies, especially hom e- m ade brandy but t er .  Foods of a sim ilar colour have t he sam e calor ies, eg, t ur key and w hit e chocolat e.

Oliver Ward

CHRISTMAS SERVICES

SUNDAY 18th DECEMBER 11am FAMILY SERVICE 6.30 pm CAROL SERVICE

SATURDAY 24th DECEMBER (CHRISTMAS EVE) 11.30pm WATCHNIGHT SERVICE (MINCE PIES SERVED FROM 10.30pm)

SUNDAY 25th DECEMBER 11 am CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE