Our Ongoing Story
At our 4th anniversary thanksgiving service on
Sunday 28th. October, we remembered again "our" verse
Jeremiah 29: 11 and gave thanks to God for His Word which
never fails. Indeed His purposes and plans for us are to
prosper us and not to harm us - plans to give us a hope
and a future. But we need to remember to call on Him and
seek Him as the following verses in Jeremiah 29 state.
We gave thanks to God; and we sang our own special hymn ( to the tune of Highland Cathedral) which Iain McFadzean wrote for us and which we adapted slightly to reflect the four years since.
BANKFOOT CHURCH CENTRE – ANNIVERSARY HYMN.
1. God of our fathers, You have brought us
here
Guided your people throughout endless years
Shown us the plans that have been laid by Thee
Hope and a future, setting people free.
God is here in the midst of us
His gracious promise He will fulfil
O’er the darkness He prevails.
Our God will overcome.
2. Trials of the past are far behind us
now
Christ is our Saviour and will show us how
Our lives can shine into the darkest place
Light that brings all before the Father’s face.
3. Change has been made but You have
guided through
Answering prayers and giving hope anew.
We, who have faith, look to a future here
Knowing Your love and care are ever near.
God is here in the midst of us
His gracious promise He will fulfil
O’er the darkness He prevails.
Our God will overcome.
4. As we approach our anniversary,
Over the years we have been truly blessed.
Grant us the faith, the courage and the grace
To press on and serve You in this place.
Written October 2008 and adapted October 2012.
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Rev. Adrian Lough was ordained and inducted to this
parish linked with Stanley & Redgorton on Wednesday 20 June 2012.
We now look forward to a new era in our church's life.
Open PHOTO GALLERY
tab for photos of the event; and click on NEWS AND EVENTS
tab for more details.
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The induction and ordination will take place on Wednesday 20 June 2012.
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October 2011
The nomination committee have now produced a parish profile for both Auchtergaven & Moneydie Parish and Stanley & Redgorton Parish. This can be down-loaded from the Home Page.
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We are now, as of Wednesday 28 April 2011, a linked charge within the Presbytery of Perth. We are linked with Stanley and Redgorton Parish. We will be working towards calling a minister for this linked charge.
A Nominations Committee has been formed comprising 6
members from Redgorton and Stanley and 7 members from
Auchtergaven and Moneydie. Their remit is to search out the
person who will be called as our new minister of this linked
charge. We believe that God has this person in mind already.
We ask for wisdom that the nomination committee finds this
person and that the person in question knows the call of God
on their lives for this place.
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THE VACANCY
Six months have now elapsed since the demission of the Rev. Iain McFadzean from the charge, and members of the congregation and parishioners may well wonder what progress is being made to bring the vacancy to an end and to appoint a new minister.
Unfortunately matters are not straightforward. Because of constraints on the Church of Scotland as a whole, there is a need for a sharp reduction of ministerial posts to be implemented across the whole country. Perth Presbytery itself has to reduce its number of full time ministerial positions from 29 to 22 by 2014. One consequence of this is that Auchtergaven and Moneydie will no longer be permitted to call a minister to serve only this one parish. What the appropriate Presbytery Committee (the Appraisal Committee) wishes to bring about is a linking of this congregation with the congregation of Redgorton and Stanley, since having one minister to serve these two congregations will help to fulfil the need to reduce ministerial numbers.
Members of the Appraisal Committee met with the Kirk Session
of Auchtergaven and Moneydie on September 28th, when the
convener, the Rev.
Graham McWilliams, explained how unsatisfactory both he and
his Committee found it that no progress was able to be made
meantime towards bringing the linking about. He assured the
Session that his Committee was doing all that it could, in
conjunction with the Ministries Council of the General
Assembly, to find a solution to the problem. All present at
the meeting recognised the very difficult position in which
the minister of Redgorton and Stanley, the Rev. Derek Lawson,
was now placed because of the current situation, and wished to
express their understanding and concern for him and his
congregation.
Very honestly Mr. McWilliams could not promise any immediate
solution, but did assure the Kirk Session that finding one was
the most pressing matter facing his Committee and that every
effort would be made to do so. Meantime, therefore, continued
patience and renewed commitment to the Church’s cause are
called for from everyone involved with the life of the
congregation.
Peter Thomson
OUR OWN MIRACLE…
As anyone, who attended church during January or visited the
café, will tell you, we had a problem with the heating.
The church building usually so cozy even in the coldest of
weather was freezing.
The company who installed our ground breaking, new, eco
friendly system were called back to find out why it was simply
not working. After hours of painstaking effort, it was
discovered that there was a leak in the underfloor pipes that
took the heated water throughout the building. Fortunately
they were able to isolate the sector that the leak was in.
Perhaps it had been caused by a nail being knocked into the
pipe by accident in laying the floor.
Having discovered the appropriate location of the fault, how
could the exact fault be determined without lifting the floor
of the whole section? (in this case, the Auchtergaven room)
Then Iain had a shaft of inspiration - thermal imaging cameras
could tell exactly where heat is underground and they could
pinpoint the exact place of the leak.
But how can you get hold of a thermal imaging camera? Well the
Fire Service have them… So we contacted the Fire Service but
the cameras can never, unless under extreme circumstances, be
taken out of the fire engine. The station duty manager was,
however, someone who trained under Andy Smith when he was in
the Fire Service. Because he knew Andy, he authorised the
camera to be brought to Bankfoot and used for the test!
The fault was thus located exactly – and all that was required
to fix it was to dig up a small hole in the floor of a
cupboard! Not only was this an easy thing to do, it saved us
many hundreds of pounds! And of course the church is back to
its usual comfortable heat!
Thanks to all – and thanks be to God!
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Looking for wildlife bloggers in Bankfoot….
In April, we began to develop the grounds around the new eco-church at Bankfoot, from a mixture of bare soil and builder’s rubble to, hopefully, something that will serve the community, attract lots of wildlife and be really beautiful. There are lots of plans and ideas – trees, an orchard, community potager beds – but of course we are strapped for cash, and it will all take time, effort and initiative.
This blog is going to be part of a journal to monitor the changes in biodiversity – plant, animal, bird, insect and fungi species – we see as the grounds develop. We want to develop a record of what creatures share the site with us, and to check we are doing our job well in creating a church centre that benefits the whole of nature.
IF YOU ARE AROUND THE CHURCH CENTRE IN BANKFOOT AND NOTICE ANY WILDLIFE OR WILD PLANTS IN PARTICULAR PLEASE ADD A COMMENT HERE ON THE BLOG!http://biodiversitybankfoot.wordpress.com/
Church Garden News
Thanks to Douglas Dow the majority of the site has been seeded and will be mown every fortnight. Four of the eight raised beds have been adopted by villagers and more can be made available for anyone wishing to grow vegetables or flowers. The trees for the Community orchard are on order and volunteers will be welcomed to attend our tree planting and care session on Saturday 26 November. Ornamental trees will also be put in place around this time. The potato crop was excellent, a few still available in the shed for anyone to take and enjoy. More volunteers would be greatly appreciated to plant up the lavender either side of the pedestrian path, just a few hours could make a big difference if enough folk get involved. Please give names to the church office, the minister, or Catherine McIntosh as soon as possible – by this time next year the garden will be transformed!
(Catherine McIntosh)
Church Shed
People will have noticed the ongoing changes to the shed beside the new church building. It was structurally in reasonable shape and has had profile sheeting put on the outside; the walls have been lined and with the help of Ricky Key, a concrete floor was laid. Doors have been made (thanks to Jim Meikle for 2 of them) and when hung will result in excellent storage space for the church. The roof was sound and has and is being treated with Hammerite paint.
Many thanks to all who have helped.
(Alex Melville)
Thank you for your help!
Many thanks to the 14 people who worked so well on Saturday 29
August at our “big clean”. All the high cleaning was done and
we hope to repeat this on a 6 monthly basis.
(Alex Melville)
Eco congregation Award.
On 4 January 2008 we became the 58th church to gain an Eco-Congregation Award.Many Christians are concerned about the environment but don't know what they can do. Eco-Congregation Scotland is an ecumenical programme to help congregations understand environmental issues and make appropriate practical and spiritual responses. The programme is free of charge and very flexible, as each congregation has different opportunities for change.
Small actions add up to big results. Hundreds of Scottish congregations have requested information, 208 are already well on their way with environmental projects and 66 have gone on to receive awards. Could you start things off in your church?
http://www.ecocongregation.org/scotland
Bankfoot Church Centre
Some facts and figures concerning the Bankfoot Church Centre…
Outside
This will be laid to grass, with fruit orchard and low
maintenance planting. Working with City Farms initiative, we
aim to have greenhouse/classroom for older residents to pass
on knowledge.
There are large SUDs “Sustainable Urban Drains, hidden under
soil and under the chipped area of car park.
There is parking for 50 cars & overflow for 40. There is
also an undercover park for prams and bikes.
The large wooden Arch at end of path will hold the Moneydie
bell. (from the original church there in that parish with
which we are now linked.)
There is a rain water harvester takes water from roof, stores
it underground and uses it to flush toilets (1 tank= 3500
flushes )
The roof tiles are recycled Quarry dust and resin 84%
recycled
The aluminium Soffits and facings last 20 years before first
maintenance and are 100% recyclable at end of life.
All glass is “Low E”, allows heat and light in but restricts
heat out
The Cross on roof is Cedar. The 3D effect to symbolise
reaching out to whole area.
The Building
The frame is made entirely from wood from renewable forests.
“Glulam” beams (thin strips of wood glued together) allow for
large spans.
The building has one of lowest carbon footprints for its size in UK at present, roughly equivalent to a modern 2 bed bungalow. This is achieved through high insulation levels close sealing of building and the heating system.
The Heating System
2 wind generators produce 6KW each. This drives a compressor
for a ground source heat pump and feeds hot water into pipes
embedded in a thermal slab under the floor.
The heat pump produces 4-5kw of heat for every 1 kw of
electricity. It gathers heat from 3.5 km of pipe buried 1m
down and 1m apart in the glebe field.
The earth stores the suns heat even in winter and is always 5 degrees warmer 1m down that on the surface. This heat is then compressed and fed into the under-floor pipes at the required level. A buffer tank stores enough water for 24hrs continued heating even if the heat pump failed. However there are 2 compressors either of which could heat the building if the other failed. This heats the building for very little cost.
When the heating is not in use any electricity produced goes into the grid and we are paid for this. Our meter measures electricity both in and out.
The heat pump can be reversed to cool the building in the summer and the building is designed to use natural ventilation rather than mechanical.
Green Elements
Instead of high carbon ceramic tiles all splash backs behind
wash hand basins are made from recycled yoghurt cartons. The
panels on the wall of the soft play area are made of recycled
wellie boots and mobile phone cases. The decorative insets in
the youth café are from recycled CDs.
Decoration
The wooden panels beside the church doors engraved with the
words of the fruit of the Spirit (Galations5:22-23), are from
a local oak tree felled by a storm and donated by a local
farmer. The same tree produced the communion table, the
lecterns, side table and crosses all crafted by Rob Brunswick.
The stained glass window represents the spirit descending and deliberately shines over the cross. The window is by Artisan Glass of Bankfoot. The etched glass cross is by “write on signs” of Perth.
The Church seats 223 but with the back wall folded back can go up to over 400. It has an Allen organ and facility for other instruments. It has full audio-visual facilities and ability to record video.
The Foyer contains a community café with both tables and a soft seating area. The electronic notice board advertises local trades, crafts and business. Below the notice board is an area dedicated to display and exhibition again usually of local artists etc.
The prayer room is available at anytime the building is open and will be kept as a quiet, tranquil space.
The Auchtergaven Room opens onto a patio with views over the fields, will be used by many different groups and is available for hire.
The Soft Play (“The Ark”) area will be open whenever the café is open and on Sundays. It is a very safe facility but is unsupervised and parents/guardians must supervise their children.
The Elderly Day-care Lounge will be run and staffed by Perth and Kinross council and Crossreach and has places for 12 people.
The Logiebride Room will be used by the community Dental and Podiatry services to provide care for local residents and may in the future provide other clinical functions.
The Moneydie Hall contains 2 badminton courts but hard wall surfaces and an impact absorbing floor make it suitable for all sports as well as dances, shows, conferences and many other functions. This hall also contains full changing and showering facilities including disabled bathing and a viewing gallery.
The Hub is a drop in café facility for children and young people aged 8-18. It provides 2 lounge areas which will eventually be open 5 nights a week and will provide the venue for an out of school club which will open in the New Year.
We hope the building will provide facilities for everyone in
our community and a focus of village life where people will
across generations to help support and enjoy one another…… and
that is Church.
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For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Significant dates in our story
The original church was built in 1812.
In January 1979 a union took place between the Parish of Moneydie and the Parish of Auchtergaven. The new parish was known as "The Parish of Auchtergaven & Moneydie" and services were held in the Auchtergaven Church building.On 25 February 2004 fire completely destroyed the church on the hill. Even the organ was reduced to ash. The church bell fell on the church safe. It was cracked. The communion silver in the safe was unharmed and apart from being smoke blackened suffered no damage. Nothing else remained.
On 27 April 2005 Rev. Iain McFadzean was inducted to the charge of Auchtergaven & Moneydie.
At the induction social which followed, Iain and Joy (his wife) presented the church with the first item of furniture for the new church. The bell that had been damaged in the fire, had been fashioned by a cabinet maker friend of Iain's, into a baptismal font.
By 3 June 2007 we had planning permission and we met at the new site to cut the first turf.
The Foundation Stone was laid by the very Rev. Dr James Simpson on 10 February 2008.On 22 August 2008, as the building had progressed at a good pace, it was time to lower the three dimensional Celtic Cross on to its position on the roof. Once the crane lowering the cross had collected the workmen from the roof, the sun came from behind the clouds and shone on the cross!
The church was adequately ready to allow the wedding of Stuart Farmer and Ashleigh Wilson to take place on Saturday 27 September, 2008.
The church was officially opened and dedicated by the Presbytery of Perth on Wednesday 22 October 2008.
Sunday 26 October 2008 was the village celebration of our new community church - the Bankfoot Church Centre.
Thanks be to God!