Joint Service

There will be ajoint servcie in Moinymusk on Sunday 4th December from 10.00am. This is an area group swap Sunday and our worship will be led by Rev John Cook from Howe Trinity. Our minister will be going to Upper Donside

Christmas In Monymusk

details to follow soon

Christmas Thrift Shop

Monymusk church will be manning the Thrift Shop for the first three Saturdays in December. This is an ew venture leading to Chrsitmas and we are thankful for the oportuinity. Come along for a fly cup and fine piece and enjoy the thrift shop experience at the weekend.

Arts Trust Christmas Fayre

The congregation woudl like to thank the Arts trust for its willingtness to donate the tea money from the fayre to church funds. Just under £200 was raised.

Murder Mystery

Monymusk Village hall was the location for this annual event. The hall was full and the guests were entertained by the Cluny Players troup and fed bye members from Cluny and Monymusk Churches. All who attended this event had a great night and our thanks are offered to all involved. The sum of just over £750 was raised fro Monymusk Church

Holy Communion

Holy Communion celebrated on 30th October at 9.30am and 6.30pm.

Coffee Morning Bring & Buy Sale

The annual coffee morning took place in Monymusk Hall on 29th October from 10.00am until 12 noon. Bring & Buy sales table, Neep/Pumpkin lantern competition encouraged a great turn out for the event and just under £400 was raised for church funds. Thanks to all who helped or just came along. The neep/pumpkin lanterns were superb.

Upgrades to the Manse

The congregations of Cluny and Monymusk have decided that they are to upgrade the heating int he Manse in Monymusk. A new woodburning stove is to be built in the place of the old fireplace in the sitting room. This will be be followed by oil fired  central heating shortly afterwards. This is a majot cost to the congregations and we in Monymusk will have to work hard to balance the books. If anyone has novel ideas as to how we can raisie our income please speak to the minister or any committee member.

Summer Clean

The Church Committee took the oportunity for some spring cleaning of the church Vestry and Office during August when worship was help in Cluny Church. The Office was cleaned out, the vestry likewise and the walls and celinings were redecoprated after old holes in the plasterwork were filled.   The woodwork was cleaned down and the gloss paint was repainted. A new carpet was installed in the vestry and office and new floorcovering in the toilet area.The office and vestry has been adapted to be more a business and meeting space with storage facilities situated in the church vestibule. During August the church spent just under £1000 repairing and renovating the organ.  Dave Wilkinson has become the church handyman cleaning up around the outside of the church, removing the church notice board for renovation purposes and taking on the reponsibility of looking after the clock. All in all very useful summer. The minister wants to thank all involved especially the painting  and decorating crew and Dave for getting the clock back running.

Sunday 26th June

On Sunday 26th June we shall hold an alternative style all age servcie on the theme of "Being Part of God's plan." The service will be in the village hall rather than the church and will involve chocolates, radio controlled cars and jigsaws.  The young church will have their presentations at the close of their church year. All welcome to come along to this otherway of worshipping.

Church Roup

On Saturday the 11th June with our neighbours from Cluny in Monymusk grain dryer barn ( thanks to Sir Archie Grant and Monymusk Estate staff for making it ready) the congregations organised an old fashioned roup. A huge collection of items of many descriptions came in from crockery to ceramics, bikes to furniture, golf clubs to kids games. An Auctioneer from Thaninstone Mart was on hand to go through the items some of which were being sold for individuals with the church getting a commision on the sale, but the majority being donated and sold for church funds. The grand total of just over £780 was raised for each congregation. A refreshment stand selling teas and coffees did great business ona cold damp morning. The Minister commented that this was another great joint effort and the support we had was very welcome. He thanked the organising committee and all who helped make this a great success.

Bible study and Prayer meetings

The prayer meeting takes place from 7.10-7.25 pm and then the bible study group runs from 7.30-9.00pm. They are held in the manse and anyone is welcome to attend. Bring a bible if you have one but dont worry there are a few in the Manse!  If you want to suggest a topic for bible study please email the minister.

The dates for the bible group meetings for this year from Easter- December are

April 6th, May 4th June 8th, August 3rd, September 7th, October 5th,  November 2nd & December 7th

Please check with the website for any alterations of meeting dates.

3rd April

On Sunday 3rd April we join with our neighbours at Cluny for worship in Monymusk Church at 10.00am.  The Rev Matthew Roger the locum preacher from Skese will be elading our worship as our minister is at Skene preaching the charge vacant In the evening there will be a servcie in Cluny Church hall at 6.30pm led by our minister.

Church Cofee Morning

7th May from 10.00 until 12 noon.

The Guides and Brownies

Sunday 20th February saw the Guides and brownies from the Monecht group of girls attend the church for their Thinking Day Service. The girls took part in worship saying a prayer doing a bible reading and uplifting the offering. It was great to see them and their leaders in church.

Joint Worship

Our new pattern of Joint worshhip begins on first Sunday in February when we worship together at 10.00am in Monymusk Church. Thereafter the first Sunday of each month we alternate between churches- all the servcies starting at 10.00am. In the evenings at 6.30pm there will be a short servcie in the church not used in the morning.

Family Services

There will no longer be a family servcie on each third Sunday of the month. They will be intimated on the Church notice Board and the website. Our first family servcie will be in February on the 3rd Sunday of the month.

Christmas at Monymusk

Our Christmas celebrations were interupted by deep snow and freezing temperatures making it difficult at times to get to church. Undaunted we battled on and enjoyed a very enjoyable series of Christmas servcies.  It was launched by the children elading us in their Christmas nativity. Its amazing whata few kids with willing helpers can do. They told us the story of Christmas in a most moving way.  On Christmas eve downstairs of the church was packed ( upstairs closed due to danger ont he stairs due to ice and snow) and the lights were put out and small electric candles lit the sanctury as we sung together Hark the Heral Angels sing. The atmosphere sent people away from church ready to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.  On Christmas morning a good turn out came to church to share what Santa had left them and to sing some favourite carols.  On Boxing Day we joined with Cluny Congregation in Monymusk to sing five of the top ten Christmns carols chosen by both congregations. The remaining five were sung on the first Sunday in January at a joint service at Cluny. Our minister noted that though the weather had been cold and extreme at times the temperature of the Church at Christmas was warm and relaxed and reflected the Spirit of Christmas.

Carols in the Square

This year we tried a new venture with Carols in the Square. This took place on Tuesday night 21st December. It was a cold night. The Bon Acord Silver Band who were due to play for the carols were unable because of the roads and the temperature to come out from Aberdeen but undaunted we held the event. It began with mulled wine and mince pies courtecy of the Grant Arms Hotel. they went down a treat on such a cold night. Then the 70 or so gathered ( a brilliant turn out ona cold night) moved into the square around the Christmans trees and began to sing carols led by Euan Glen and some of the singers from Cluny and Monymusk churches. The chidlren played in the snow, the adults enjoyed singing the favourite festive carols and after aronund 45 minutes all went home to warm up. Did I mention it was cold ( -14 to -18C) It was a great start to Christmas and we hope to do the same next year. If anyone reading this has any pictures please amil the Minister Minister@monymuskchurch.org.uk

Snow Closures

There will be details of all events cancelled due to snow over winter

Carols with the Choir 19th December 7.00pm Cancelled due to snow and parking restrictions around the village

Prayer meeting & Bible study 1st December Cancelled

Advance Notices

Sunday 5th December 6.30pm Christingle Service Monymusk Church

 Friday 17th December 7.30pm Carols with the Choir in Cluny Church Sunday

19th December 9.30am Family Nativity service 

19th December 7.00pm Carols with the Choir in Monymusk Church

21st December 7.00pm Carols in the Square with Bon Accord Silver Band

Christmas Eve 7.00pm Christmas Family Service Monymusk Church ( Community Carols from 6.45)

 Christmas Eve 11.30pm Watchnight service in Cluny

Christmas Day 10.30am Family worship for Christmas morn in Monymusk

Boxing Day 10.00am Christmas worship in Monymusk

2nd January 10.00am Worship for the new year with Communion in Cluny Church

David v Goliath

On Sunday 21st November at a joint servcie in Monymusk Church the congregation was split into two and each became either their Philistine army or the Jewish army at the battle of David & Goliath.  Paper darts were made to repesente the spears carried by the armies and were  thrown at the other and the chidlren of the church each took it in turns to try to hit Goliath with a magnetic dart.  The service was great fun and taught the important lesson that we need to trust in God as David did facing the giant Goliath.

Joint Craft Fair and Coffee Morning

The Congregations worked well together at the craft fair held in Millbank Hall on Saturday 6th November. This was a busy day with people from all over the region taking stalls for what turned out to be a very busy morning. The Money raised went to Cluny Church and this was agreed by the Monymusk Committee to help Cluny after its recent major repair of a new roof over the church. It was felt that this is two congregations workign together for the benefit of both. Around £650 was raised for the church on the day and over a £1000 spent over the various stalls. Cluny expressed its thanks to the members of the Church Committee for their hard work in this event.

Churches Together
The following statment has been prepared and agreed by both Kirk Sessions to outline the way forward of the congregations

At a recent meeting of representatives of Cluny and Monymusk there was much discussion about how we move towards a union of our two churches in the next two to three years. This has been agreed as part of the bigger plan for churches across not only our own presbytery but across all churches in Scotland as we face ever increasing challenges and costs of ministry and buildings.

We seek to come together on a more frequent basis and worship as a bigger community in one congregation and thereby moving away from worshipping in each individual church every Sunday. We are all fiercely proud and protective of our buildings, and this has manifested itself particularly this year with the fantastic response to the roof appeal at Cluny, We all acknowledge that we wish to retain both churches, so with that in mind we must think of bringing in more people on a weekly basis to support both establishments and grow together as one congregation worshipping with a stronger voice.

There have been so many positive moves towards working together that have happened in the last few years, and some of these examples are the Murder Mystery which may be held in one parish but is supporting both churches; the joint choir which raises funds for charity and both churches at Christmas and other times; the Praise in the Park which is supported strongly by both communities; coffee mornings and plant sales too. The next obvious step is to worship together to make not only a bigger sound and an increased feeling of belonging but to encourage our minister and those who lead our Aberdeenshire churches that there is strength in numbers and a willingness to meet those challenges head on.

We hold about 14 joint services in the year, including the summer services time about in Cluny and Monymusk and these are generally well attended and also offer an opportunity to meet up afterwards for coffee and a chat. Beginning in January we will introduce a joint service once a month on the first Sunday of the month at 10.00, followed by coffee. For those of us who would like to go to an evening service, this will be introduced from February in the “other” church, but more of the detail will come later with a calendar listing dates and locations of the services. We felt it important that there should be a recognised pattern of service and times, to make it easier to remember.

Euan would also like to consider introducing different types of service, with the more traditional perhaps in the morning and an alternative service in the evening. We know we will have to gauge how this is working and will welcome feedback from you during the coming year. The plan would be to increase joint services in the following year, 2012, but again offering evening services in the other church too. All being well, this should allow us to be in a secure position to reflect our intention to Presbytery that we will be a united church in Cluny and Monymusk and enable change in a planned and positive way. 

Holy Communion

The new pattrern for Holy Communion began on Sunday 31st October with the reintroduction of an evening servcie of Holy Communion. The Minister is pleased with the turn out of 12 people at the servcie.  This sets a benchmark for the new informal evening communion he said. 

Session Clerk

The Kirk session is pleased to announce that mrs Dot Gray from Monymusk has agreed to become the new Session Clerk. Mrs Gray though relatively new to being an elder will be supported by all the elders and the congregation in her new task. The Minister says he is delighted in the appointment and looks forward to working with Mrs Gray in her new roll for the church.

Photographs

There is a new collection of Church photographs on the website under the newsletter section. This is a shared collection with Cluny and though there may not be many photographs of Monymusk church events on it, the reason for this is that many of them include chidlren and we do not want to put children's pictures on the website.