Property Team and Convener

Can you help?

Our Property convener, Matt Sime, is giving up his post after 8 years, and we are looking for a small team of volunteers from the church community, and / or family members or friends, who would be interested in taking on and sharing property tasks within the church properties. Around six people would be an ideal number.

All those interested would be invited to a meeting with Matt to look at all aspects of the role and try to match responsibilities to skills, capabilities and availability. It would be down to individuals to offer their time and talent in whatever way they could. The volunteers would take on the regular weekly tasks as required, so as not to overburden the Property Convenor.

It would include weekly Fire Alarm testing in the church and checks on fire extinguishers etc for any leaks. Arranging access to church properties for contractors / service engineers and plumber / electrician when required to carry out maintenance, servicing and repairs.

We are also looking for a volunteer who would be willing to take on the position of Property Convener,  as a point of contact for the church and liaison with Glasgow Presbytery as required. 

It is important that there are enough volunteers to take on the administration and practical responsibilities, as there are a small number of statutory and critical tasks that need to be done on a regular basis, otherwise the church cannot open for Health and Safety reasons. 

Volunteers are welcome from the congregation or the wider community. 
Full training will be given. 
Please contact Matt on mattsime46@gmail.com or mobile 07707 868781, if you are able to offer any assistance. Thank you!

Kirkyard Clean-up

The group currently surveying, photographing and cataloguing the gravestones surrounding Cumbernauld Old Parish Church plan to have a tidy-up session of the kirkyard on Saturday 13th April from 10.30am onwards (i.e. for as long as we feel up for it!)

In consultation with North Lanarkshire Council grounds department, we hope to gather up the leaf litter, cut back the overgrown trees and remove some of the obtrusive, damaging ivy. Just for the avoidance of doubt: we will NOT be touching the stones themselves – just the grounds around them.

We would love more volunteers to help, so if you can spare even half-an-hour on 13th April. please come along. We’re offering tea, coffee and cake as a bribe (sorry, an ‘incentive’).

Summer Fair at Cumbernauld Old

The Fundraising Group at Cumbernauld Old Parish Church met recently to firm up plans for the Summer Fair. This will take place on Saturday 16th June from 1.30pm to 3.30pm in the Manse grounds. The entry fee is £2 for adults and includes tea / coffee and a scone with cream and jam. There is no entry fee for children under 16 years of age.

Admin Group appeal

The Admin Group at Cumbernauld Old Parish Church is urgently looking for volunteers to join the team to help with the production of the weekly Church News-sheet and printing of our quarterly magazine. If you can use a PC or laptop, have a working knowledge of MS Word and are willing to join our team, which operates on a rota basis, then please contact Janice at (01236) 733510. Thanks in advance for your help!

Village Food Bank – One Year On

The following article was printed in our recent Church Magazine. We thought it worth sharing…

Having supported the Cornerstone food bank for some time with weekly food donations from our congregation, Cumbernauld Old Parish Church decided to offer additional help in the form of a satellite food bank in our area too. Thus with the support of our friends at Cornerstone, the Village food bank opened its doors in April 2015 at the Session House in the Village.

The Cumbernauld Village food bank is open in the church Session House on Friday mornings from 11 – 12.30 to provide not just food and toiletries but support and a welcome for some of the most vulnerable in our community. Advice can be given regarding courses on basic cooking and budgeting as well as providing information regarding other agencies who may be of help. An important function is to provide a relaxed friendly place where people can come to share and chat over a coffee and feel valued.

Church open days

One condition of the funding we received from the Heritage Lottery Fund for Project ROCK is that we must open the Church to the public (apart from our worship services). We hope to do this by opening our doors on Sunday afternoons in July, August and September from 2pm to 5pm and longer on the Doors Open Days weekend (12/13 September).

We therefore need a number of willing volunteers to show visitors around the Church – the more the better – so if you can spare one or more afternoons in an excellent cause, please speak to Iain Ogilvie or any office bearer over the next week or two. We will provide enough information to be getting in with and you will not be expected to know the full history of the Church – just be a friendly face!