Weddings at Dalserf Parish Church
Couples considering being married in Dalserf Church should contact the Interim Moderator Laura-Jean Fleming on 01355 263295 or 07803 721193
Fees are:-
- Use of Church £350, with £150 non-returnable deposit paid at the time of booking.
- Organist £75, and extra charge will be made if the wedding service is being recorded
- Church Officer £65, this includes wedding rehearsal and opening the Church for florist access.
Sacrament of Baptism
Please contact the Session Clerk Joan Pollok on 01555 860642 or 07728 337212
Funeral service
Please contact the Interim Moderator Laura-Jean Fleming on 01355 263295 or 07803 721193
The Purpose of our Giving
What is the purpose of our giving? If you were to answer that by saying “to run the church” or “to provide the church with the money it needs to do all it wants to do” you would be expressing only part of the truth. Suppose some rich benefactor gave or bequeathed to Dalserf church a couple of million pounds. In these circumstances every member could stop giving altogether if these answers regarding the purpose of our giving were valid. There is however a higher more noble more spiritual reason for a Christian to give and that is to express love and devotion to God. For the good of our souls we need to give. “Giving to God….reminds us who he is, who we are, and what our relationship should be to the things He has allowed us to manage in his name….by surrendering some of our physical resources, we testify to our origin”. (From “Giving and Tithing” Larry Burkett). In such circumstances where the congregation had more than enough money for the foreseeable future, the obligation to support one’s own congregation would be redundant and our giving could be to other good Christian causes.
The amount of our giving
How much should we give? That is personal between you and God but the church does give some guidance on this matter. Every Church of Scotland member has promised to give a “fitting proportion” of their time talents and money for the Churchs’ work in the world. That begs the question what is a fitting proportion? This is only a guide not a prescription but several decades ago the Board of Stewardship and Finance, in an attempt to give an answer to that question suggested that five percent of income (presumably net income) was a reasonable minimum. The Bible suggests a tithe (tenth) of income and some members do tithe. Tithing is common in some denominations outwith the Church of Scotland and much more prevalent in America than in Britain.
The rewards of our giving
One thing we can be sure of is that while our motive in giving should not be so that we will get back more in return, God will always bless sacrificial giving. Most people know the saying “You reap what you sow” which is based on Galatians 6:7 and 1 Corinthians 9:6. What few realise is that the latter verse” Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” was spoken in the context of financial giving.
We cannot lose by giving to God. In Luke 6:38 we read “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” That should be an encouragement to trust God more rather than to hanker after more material blessings for ourselves.
Bible Study Group
Meets on the first Monday of the month, excluding January, and is held in a members house.
Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting
A prayer meeting is held in Hamilton Hall on Sunday mornings 11.10am to 11.25am . Members are encouraged to drop in to this for any length of time to pray silently or out loud primarily for the service but for any matter of concern.
The Gathering
Held in Hamilton Hall on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Soup tea and coffee provided, bring sandwiches etc. We listen to an audio tape of a Keswick Convention address.
Worship is conducted every Sunday in Dalserf Church at 11.30am. The service is preceded by a short prayer meeting held in the Hamilton Hall 11.10am to 11.25am and followed by tea/coffee (soup during the winter months) and fellowship also in Hamilton Hall. A service is held in Rorison Church at 2.30pm. on the first Sunday of the month from October to June.
The main Communion services are held three times a year – normally on the first Sundays of March, June and November. Individual cups are used in the East and centre areas of the church with non-alcoholic wine and the common cup with the elders and in the West area of the church (organ side).
A number of family/youth services are held throughout the year which may be led by MAD Ministries or one or more of the youth organisations.
An informal service called “Focus” is held on the 1st Thursday of the month. Often a representative from a Christian mission or organization would speak about the work of the organisation.
A Bible Study group meets in Hamilton Hall, Dalserf, every Monday at 11am.
Becoming a Member of Dalserf Church
There are three ways of becoming a member of Dalserf Church :-
By Certificate of Transference
Any member of a Church of Scotland congregation wishing to become a member of Dalserf should ask their previous Minister or Session Clerk to send them a transference certificate (“lines”). This certificate should then be given to the Dalserf Roll Keeper with a view to the name being added to our roll of communicants. It is of course important that you take an active interest, otherwise such membership would be meaningless.
By Resolution of the Kirk Session
Where someone seeking membership has been a Church of Scotland member but cannot supply a certificate or if they are a baptised member of another denomination then the Kirk Session can resolve to admit them into membership.
By Profession of Faith
Where church membership is being sought for the first time, first and foremost, if you are not already doing so simply start to attend regularly. Let the minister know of your interest, he will invite you to a series of classes which involves no obligation on either side. Afterwards if you decide to join you would take vows of membership along with others at a church service