by Michael Newlands
The Youth Group, and for the church, the year as we mean to go on – Christmas and New Year may be long gone, but we’re gearing up for the next round of festivities.
We have the bicentenary around the corner where we will be celebrating 200 years of the church of St Rufus on its current site. It’s very much a chance to celebrate the past and also the future. We’ve been in a period of vacancy for some time now but we do have much to celebrate!
The Youth Group will be hosting a family ceilidh on the 22nd February to raise funds. That will be a time for us to come together as a church to celebrate the fellowship we share in a party atmosphere. It’s a chance for all of the generations of the church to come together to share food, the good mood and each other’s company. It’s been a while since we’ve had a ceilidh and I’ve had a lot of folk come to me and say how much they are looking forward to it. So please do come along and support us.
We also received some brilliant news at the start of this year. The Youth Group have been nominated in the National Youth Awards hosted by YouthLink Scotland. Not only have we been nominated, we have made it to the finals! How amazing is that? Now all thanks go to Sarah for nominating us. It’s not often that someone would go to all that effort but I think we can all be glad she did.
I’ve been involved with the Youth Group for a number of years now and I have seen first-hand the amazing work the young people do in the community. Over the years they have given countless hours to help out with various events, like coffee mornings and the Fun Week. They’ve raised thousands for various charities over the years. They get involved with church services. They display their talents through the shows we’ve put on, and will be taking part in the bicentenary services as well.
At this time of uncertainty in the church, it is a real boost to see the Youth Group gain this recognition for all of their hard work. It’s not often that we see this level of recognition for work in rural areas, and it is amazing that our Youth Group is being recognised nationally. The awards dinner will be hosted on the 13th of March down in Glasgow so watch this space!
I think you will all join me in wishing the Youth Group the best of luck with but also congratulating them on the honour of being nominated and making it to the finals.
I wish them all the best with this and I think they deserve a pat on the back for all of their hard work. Well done to them all!