South Rhine Uniting Church Closure

God was so good to us, not too hot, and no sign of the rain. A great day for a picnic lunch outdoors, and pleasant inside the very full church.

• 140 or So Present

In the event, we seated about 90 in the church and the overflow on chairs on the lawn, connected with an outside sound sytem! Totally satisfactory to the organisers and attendees alike. Some stayed for the service, some only for the lunch, but with the 90 printed souvenir badges used by pre-registerd guests, plus the 54 extra hand-written name tags issued on the day, there were well over 140 attendess in total.

Inside the Church

Some of the outside crowd

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The Order of Service in appended below.

Closing Memorial Service

2pm – April 25^th, 2010

Welcome

Call to Worship

Prayer

Hymn (AHB) 68 vv 1,2 & 4

1.  Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet thy tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
who like me his praises should sing:
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Praise the everlasting King.

2.  Praise him for his grace and favour
to our fathers in distress;
praise him still the same for ever,
slow to chide and swift to bless:
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Glorious in his faithfulness.

4. Frail as summer flowers we flourish,
Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish,
God endures unchanging on.
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Praise the high eternal one,

Scripture Reading –
Hebrews  11: 1-3, 8-10
John 15; 12-17
Hymn (AHB) 16
1.  The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not
he makes me down to lie .      [want
in pastures green; he leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
2.  My soul he doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
even for his own Name’s sake.
3  Yea, though I walk in death’s dark
yet will I fear no ill;                    [vale,
for thou art with me; and thy rod
and staff my comfort still.
4.  My table thou hast furnished
in presence of my foes;
my head thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
5.  Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me;
and in God’s house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.

Hymn (AHB) 10

1.   All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice:
him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell,
come ye before him and rejoice.
2.  Know that the Lord, is God indeed;
without our aid he did us make:
we are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.

3.  O enter then his gates with praise,
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud, and bless his Name
for it is seemly so to do.         [always,
4. For why? the Lord our God is good,
his mercy is for ever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.

SERMON

Former Ministers greetings.

Thanksgiving Offering

Prayer of Thanks for Ministers, Elders, Trustees, Organists, Fellowship Presidents, Secretaries
and Choristers

Hymn  (AHB) 504

1.  In heavenly love abiding,
no change my heart shall fear.
and safe in such confiding,
for nothing changes here.
the storm may roar without me,
my heart may low be laid,
but God is round about me,
and can I be dismayed?
2.  Wherever he may guide me,
no want shall turn me back.
my Shepherd is beside me,
and nothing can I lack
.
His wisdom ever waking,
his sight is never dim.
He knows the way He’s taking,
and I will walk with Him

3.  Green pastures are before me,
which yet I have not seen.
Bright skies will soon be over me,
Where the dark  clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure,
my path to life is free.
My Saviour has my treasure,
and he will walk with me.

Items of Furnishings to be Returned:

Good News Bible – Given on occasion of Confirmation of Brook and Callum McLachlan and Iona McGregor (Fiona MacLachlan)

Pulpit Lectern  – Given in memory of Peter Trail Miller (Chris Kingsnorth)

Wall Plaque – Recording  the 66 yrs of dedication and devotion of beloved Floss Miller, organist, 1910 – 1976. (Anne Harkiss)

Prayer of Release

God of endings and beginnings
through your great goodness
this building has been used for your glory in worship, witness and service.

With whatever fears, whatever sadness, whatever excitement may be yours
We go in peace

As a pilgrim people
Always on the way towards a promised goal
We go in peace

With your faith in the pilgrim God
who led his people through the desert into a land of promise
We go in peace

Our Father , who art in……..

Hymn (AHB) 21

1.  I to the hills will lift my eyes:
where shall I find my help?
My help comes only from the Lord
who made the earth and heaven.
2. Your foot he’ll not let slide, nor will
your guardian ever sleep:
the one who guards his people still,
he slumbers not, nor sleeps
3. The Lord will be a shield and
with him at your right hand   [shade:
no harm will come from sun by day
nor from the moon by night.

4 The Lord will keep you from all
will guard your very life        [harm
preserve your going out and in
now and for evermore.

Going Forth Invocation:

We thank God for our Heritage, for faithful men and women who established His cause here, who were not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

But we in a sense are still pioneers –

“All the past we leave behind

And we take up the task eternal, and the burden, and the lesson

Conquering, holding, sharing, venturing –

So we go our unknown ways”

Benediction

***************************

Officiating Ministers

The Reverend  Keith Batt

The Reverend Rod Mann

Organists:

Mrs Greta Holder

Mr John Herring

• The Front of the Church

The stained glass window in the wall above the sanctuary is the memorial to the first Peter Miller, the donor of the land on which the church is built.

The general state of the interior is quite good, with most fittings in working order. The White ants had attacked the corner of the pulpit, the base of the collection plates and the steps to the vestry, but the treatment appears to have stopped any further damage.

• View to the back

• Memorial Tablet

and the Memorial Tablet of the son of the first Peter Miller on the South wall is in excellent condition.

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