Sunday, 04 November 2007: All Saints' Day

Today started with difficulty as I had overlooked a request from a colleague at church to provide new church stationery for him, so I was late and Valerie set off alone for the Family Eucharist at St Aidan's, Scottish Episcopal Church. I arrived a few minutes late by taxi. Quite a few new folk there today, together with some visitors, notably some folk from the Orthodox traditions. This would be the penultimate 10am service that Paul will be Celebrant at, as he leaves to live in the Isle of Arran on 12/11/07 with his family. After the Eucharist we grabbed tea, cake and scones and I gathered Vestry members together in the Choir Vestry for an agreed Extra-Ordinary meeting to approve the Accounts and Report of the Vestry for OSCR ( Office of the Scottish Charities Register ) and the AGM of the congregation on 20/11/07. A last minute hiccup had occurred when, after receiving an OK from our Examiner of Accounts, I then learned she had changed my report and designation without discussing it with me. She had re-typed the report and changed our church name and mis-spelled folks' names! Needless to say she had a pertinent e-mail from me and the Accounts were withdrawn. To her credit she reverted to my original report and agreed that they be re-submitted in time for today's meeting and all went well after we spent a considerable time scrutinising the fine detail of the accounts, line by line. The Vestry approved them, so they can now go forward to the AGM for possible acceptance by the congregation.

Then it was poste-haste to Mitchell's up in the next village to us of Carmunnock for lunch. We were late but luckily Veronica, the co-owner, could give us a table. We were further lucky as, though late, we arrived in advance of a large birthday party of 18. We had a splendid lunch and I saw Gaille, the French waitress so I was able to practise my schoolboy French on her. Jean-Paul, her fellow countryman, is away just now. I learned that he does part-time lecturing at university here whilst he undertakes a PhD in politics at Glasgow. Ah well, 'a bientøt!'. Far from having a lazy afternoon the phone went continuously with folk on church business - for Val and myself. I shall be taking on board the production of the Weekly News Sheets for Colin, our Assistant Priest - quite a task. Then on Wednesday evening next the Vestry will meet the Diocesan Dean ( the Very Revd Dr Gregor Duncan ) to discuss the profile of our church in relation to our needs of a replacement Rector, and the type of person we seek. He will outline the Diocesan standpoint and the Vacancy procedure. Gregor is to be our Interim Moderator, to use a Scots' Presbyterian phrase. Now for a wee dram as I have earned it!