News from around the local churches

King’s Park Church likes to remember that Christmas is a time for giving and so, in amongst all the hustle and bustle, there will be opportunities to remember other people who are less fortunate.

This Sunday, December 14, the third Sunday of Advent. there will be a retiring offering after all of the services in aid of the Stephen Sutton Teenage Cancer Trust. All services at 11am, 3pm and 6.30pm will be conducted by Rev Sandra Boyd and will include the Sacrament of Holy Communion. All welcome.

Another charity that will benefit this Christmas is the Robin House Children’s Hospice which has been chosen to be the recipient of money raised through the church’s Christmas Star Appeal. In this initiative, members can have their names added to a congregational family Christmas card by making a donation to the Children’s Hospice. It is hoped that as many as possible will contribute to this worthy cause.

There is also still time to support the Lodging House Mission, a project that cares for homeless and disadvantaged people in greater Glasgow. They would welcome donations of shoeboxes containing toiletries, clothes and other small gifts to be distributed to their service users at Christmas. The boxes should be labelled‘Man’or‘Woman’ and should be handed in to the church by Friday December 19. Monetary donations can be given if preferred.

To mark the end of Christmas services at the Victoria Infirmary, the Chaplaincy is planning a special Christmas Carol service this Sunday, December 14, at 5.45 for 6pm in the Cafe Fleure on level E.

And then, on Tuesday, December 23 at 6pm, there will be carol singing round the wards, something that has always been appreciated by patients, their families, staff and carol-singers alike. It is hoped that many congregations will join to support these special services.

Rutherglen Old Parish Church’s next monthly coffee morning will be on Saturday, December 13, from 10am till noon when the usual supply of cakes will be available to enjoy at home, after having a tea/ coffee with baking. This will be held in the downstairs hall which has full access for the less able.

Caledonian Voices will perform at Stonelaw Church next Friday, December 19, and are promising a suitably festive show.

It’s the third year in a row that the choir will be appearing at Stonelaw, and the funds raised on the night will go towards a good cause too, in the shape of the Cambuslang and Rutherglen Reachout Trust.

Caledonian Voices consists of singers who are either embarking on a professional career or who are still studying at university, but want to keep singing in a chamber choir.

It’s the brainchild of Calum Fraser and Rutherglen man Andrew McTaggart, a former Stonelaw pupil who stayed near Dryburgh Avenue.

The Christmas concert is on Friday, December 19, at Stonelaw Church.

Tickets are available by emailing info@ caledonianvoices.co.uk

Croftfoot Parish is now holding two Sunday evening services each month, on the second and fourth Sundays.

A healing service will be held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm. The church will continue to have the healing hour from 7.30-8.30pm on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Stonelaw Parish Church is holding the Meeting Place every weekday, where visitors can drop in, drink coffee, browse their range of Fairtrade products and choose a second-hand book.

The idea of the Meeting Place is to provide an informal, comfortable location, open to the whole community, for people to drop by.

It is open every Monday to Friday, 10.30am-12.30pm, and also Thursday afternoons 2-4pm and Wednesday evenings 7.30-9.30pm.

Flemington Hallside

Cambuslang Parish Church’s community cafe is running each week.

It is held in the Kirkhill building hall and the organisers are inviting the local community to go along and enjoy a drink and a tasty snack in warm, comfortable surroundings.

The cafe is open each Wednesday from 10am until noon.

However, the cafe will be closed for four consecutive Wednesdays, December 17, 24, 31 and January 7. They will re-open on Wednesday January 14 and look forward to welcoming customers old and new in the New Year.

Rutherglen West and Wardlawhill Church’s weekly friendship cafe is offering a warm welcome.

The cafe runs every Tuesday

Burnside Blairbeth Church is holding its weekly Tuesday coffee morning. Tea, coffee and home baking will be served in the gathering area from 10am-noon.

The Salvation Army in Rutherglen has a number of clubs for kids running each week.

On Tuesdays, there’s Kids Alive! JAM (Jesus and Me). There’s songs, crafts, games and a Bible story, from 5-6.30pm every Tuesday, for ages five-11 years.

Each Wednesday, there’s the Kids Club, for children aged five-11, which also runs from 5-6.30pm. There’s fun, games and a tuck shop.

There’s also the Sunshine Corner toddlers group, which meets every Tuesday with morning and afternoon sessions.

The morning session runs from 9.45-11.30am, and in the afternoon, it’s from 12.452.30pm.It is open to all pre-school aged children.