The Church of Scotland Guild is a movement within the Church of Scotland which invites and encourages both women and men to commit their lives to Jesus Christ and enables them to express their faith in worship, prayer and action. With around 20,000 members, the Guild is one of Scotland's largest voluntary organisation. Although women make up the bulk of our membership, increasingly, men are becoming members and taking active roles at local and national levels. The Guild's motto which is taken from Acts 27, verse 23: 'Whose we are and Whom we serve.'
Themes, Topics and Strategies
Every three years, a strategy is decided by the Guild and within that are three annual themes. There is also a new discussion topic for every year. See below for the current theme, topic and strategy.
Strategy 2018-2021 - "One Journey, Many Roads!"
Theme 2018 - "Seeking the way"
Annual themes were introduced to encourage Guilds to plan their programmes more effectively. These resources were introduced in the 1950s to give a focus for Guilds but are sufficiently broad to allow for imaginative planning.
Discussion Topic 2018 - 2019 - "Unexpected journeys"
Topics offer a chance to explore a particular issue of current concern, possibly leading to some local action.
Resource material for each topic is prepared and circulated before each new session and training days are offered to help local leadership teams address the topic in their local groups.
Further details and current information for Meldrum & Bourtie Guild can be found in our Church magazine the Kirk News.
If you wish to join the Guild come along to one of our meetings or contact our Interim Moderator
Rev Dr Paul McKeown on 01358 742227
The Guild at Meldrum & Bourtie Parish Church:
The Guild at Meldrum & Bourtie Parish Church is one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1892.
We meet on the 2nd & 4th Monday's of the month at 2 pm (times may vary) in our Church Hall on Albert Road Oldmeldrum.
Our numbers are still in the thirties which compared with other Guilds in the district is excellent as many Guilds have folded due to lack of members. We are always looking for new ways to attract the younger women and men in the Parish to join us, if you are interested please come along and join us and see what we do first hand, you would be made most welcome.
We start our year in September with a Dedication Service in Church, when readings and prayers are done by the Guild members.
We invite along to our meetings a diverse range of speakers and manage to always have something different at every meeting.
Our meetings start with an appropriate reading for the evening, a prayer and the Benediction at the end. We always have a cup of tea or coffee with "a fine piece" served by members of the committee and enjoy a chat with our guests of the evening and amongst ourselves.
We do not have a chairperson as such, we have a leadership team and the members take it in turns to be "speaker of the night". This was introduced a few years ago and seems to work well.
The highlight of the year is our Christmas Party, when members are treated to a Christmas meal cooked and served by the Committee. Entertainment follows and everyone goes home filled with the Christmas spirit. At the end of the season, we have an outing and go and enjoy a meal.