Fife Guilds will gather for a day-long gathering on Tuesday 29 April, in the Old Parish Centre. The theme for the day, 'A New Beginning', reflects the desire to connect Guilds from across the Presbytery of Fife in a more intentional way. The day begins with coffee at 10:30, and the meeting is from 11:00 until 3:00. Participants are asked to bring their own lunch.
[Remember: everyone is welcome, both women and men!]
Here are some events in the Cupar Cluster of Churches which comprises Cupar Old Parish Church linked with Monimail, Ceres, Kemback and Springfield Church and Cupar St John's and Dairsie United Parish Church.
This Week
Maundy Thursday 17 April, 7:00pm
Worship with Holy Communion, Cupar Old sanctuary
Good Friday 18 April, 1:00pm
Walk with the Cross, beginning at St James' Church
Good Friday 18 April, 7:00pm
Ecumenical Worship, Cupar Old sanctuary
Saturday 19 April, 12:00-3:00pm
Community Cafe, in the Old Parish Centre
Sunday 20 April, 8:00am
Easter on the Hill, ecumenical service at the Hill of Tarvit
Sunday 20 April, 9:30am
Worship in Monimail
Sunday 20 April, 11:00am
United Family Worship, in the Cupar Old sanctuary
There is no afternoon service this week, 20 April.
Sunday 20 April, 8:00pm
Prayer Team, via Zoom
Janice: janice.geddes2@btinternet.com
There is no Monday Lunch this week, 21 April.
Tuesday 22 April, 10:00am-12:00pm
Kinship Care Support Group, St John's session room
Wednesday 23 April, 9:30am
Midweek Worship, in St John's main hall
Wednesday 23 April, 10:30am-1:30pm
Warm Welcome, a meal and a warm space in St John's main hall
Wednesday 23 April, 2:00pm
Worship at Rosturk, led by Cupar Baptist Church
Thursday 24 April, 10:00am
Coffee and Chat, in the lounge in the Old Parish Centre
Jill: 07929 444 246
Thursday 24 April, 12:00-2:30pm
Thursday Lunch Date, Springfield Church
Thursday 24 April, 2:00-4:00pm
Busy Hands Craft Group, St John's main hall
The Tuesday Memory Cafe, for people with dementia and their carers, takes place on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 2:00pm - 3:30pm in the lounge of the Old Parish Centre. The cafe has been running for about 10 years and offers a wide range of activities as well as information on dementia. It is a very sociable cafe and has been much enjoyed over the years. For further information contact Shena Porteous (01334 653561); and keep an eye on LATEST NEWS.
The Tuesday Memory Cafe,for people with dementia and their carers, takes place on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 2:00pm - 3.30pm in the lounge of the Old Parish Centre. The cafe has been running for about 10 years and offers a wide range of activities as well as information on dementia. It is a very sociable cafe and has been much enjoyed over the years.
See "Latest News" for details as the third Tuesday of each month approaches.
For further information contact Shena Porteous (01334 653561).
Christian Aid Week takes place this year from 11 - 17 May. In advance, the Justice and Peace Group would like to invite you to hear Andrew Tomlinson of Christian Aid speak about the new Restore Campaign. This considers the effects of climate change and of debt in some of the poorest countries. Together these issues mean millions of people are being trapped in poverty. The campaign invites us to join in God's work to restore creation and calls on the UK Government to stand up to reckless polluters and greedy lenders. This meeting will take place in the lounge of the Old Parish Centre at 7.30pm on Friday 2 May, with teas and coffee available from 7.00pm. There will also be a Fair Trade stall. For more information contact Rev Jeff Martin or Celia Armitage (gandc.armitage@gmail.com)
Hospitality is a big part of our gatherings in the Old Parish Centre. Could you give some time to one of the many exciting things that are happening?
We have fellowship time after the Sunday morning worship Sunday and could do with some help serving. This is on a rotation and would involve serving once every eight weeks. This includes making teas and coffees, serving biscuits and cleaning up after.
We have Warm Space lunches each Monday. We need people to make soup, toasties, serve at the front counter and help with washing up.
In partnership with Community in Cupar, we also provide lunch each Saturday for the different nationalities that visit the centre. The food is provided by M&S and Lidl, and other donations. Tasks are similar to Monday Lunch.
If you'd like to join one of these serving teams, of if you would like more information, please contact Jean Martin: telephone 01334 652100 or email jeansmartin1968@gmail.com
Help the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) improve nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, create youth employment and mitigate the impact of the climate crisis. The CCAP project, Firmly Planted, aims to establish self-sustaining tree nurseries to nurture and protect the environment and protect livelihoods for households and communities.
Please post your stamps in the letterbox in the church vestibule.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend Dr Shaw J Paterson, has invited people across Scotland to join in his Moderator's Challenge: to help fund solar power energy initiatives for students.
The Moderator's Challenge appeal will enable children in Malawi to do their homework and advance their education with the aid of small solar lights they can borrow from their school's ‘light library'. It will also provide solar panels to enable PhD students at Zomba Theological University to study during the hours of darkness.
The Moderator was inspired to encourage people to support this challenge after his visit to Malawi in September where he saw the difficulties children faced in studying during the dark evenings without lights in their homes. Daylight hours in sub-Saharan Africa are short and most children are forced to do their homework by the light of candles, kerosene lamps and fire. Dr Paterson also witnessed first-hand power outages in Zomba Theological University and said the call to action fits the theme of his Moderatorial year, Building Together.
'I (witnessed) a real desire and enthusiasm for education and was so taken by the steps learners (of all ages) took in their thirst for knowledge,' Dr Paterson said. The Let Your Little Light Shine initiative will allow '...everyone at whatever level they are at, to be encouraged and supported to take the next step on their journey through life."
You may donate online at: Let Your Little Light Shine Donations:
At the baptism of their children parents promise by prayer and example to bring their children up in the life and worship of the Church. At Cupar Old we
encourage and endeavour to help parents do this from their children’s earliest years. We also seek to sow seeds in the life of our children and young
people and share God’s love with them from an early age.
Babies and children under pre-school nursery age are looked after in a safe, friendly, well supervised environment. The crèche runs every Sunday in the
purpose built facility in Old Parish Centre except when there is an All Age Family Service when we worship together in the church. The crèche is run by
volunteers, if you would like to help please contact the co-ordinator Morven Naughton.
Sunday Club is our programme for pre-school nursery and primary school aged children running during school term. Sunday Club meets at 4:00pm in the lounge of the Old Parish Centre - ie, the same time as Afternoon Worship.
St John's Church is hosting a youth group for teens in secondary school, ages 12-18. The group meets on the last Sunday of the month, from 5:00-7:00 in St. John's Hall. It is a time to 'explore faith, make friends, and share food'.
Messy Church is a new form of church for all ages which appeals to children and adults alike and is great for families to worship together. Everyone gets involved in making and singing and doing and we learn together as we go. It’s also great if you don’t feel the traditional style of worship is for you or your family and you want something different.
There are crafts and fun followed by a short celebration with singing and a bible story. At the end we share a meal together!
The “messy” bit is partly about the crafts, partly that we don’t sit still and face the front and partly that it’s messy round the edges as people who don’t always fit at traditional worship can find a place at Messy Church.
Cupar Messy Church involves the town’s two Church of Scotland congregations and Cupar Baptist Church. We meet on the last Saturday of the month, from 3pm-5pm, and the venue rotates around the churches.
If you’d like to see more, please come. All children need to be accompanied by an adult, but all adults do not need to be accompanied by a child. If you’d like to roll up your sleeves and do some crafts, if you’d like to mix with other people, if you like something that’s not meticulously packaged but is a little messy, please come!
Check when Messy Church resumes on our facebook page:
Click here for latest Parish News:
http://www.cuparold.org.uk/assets/uploads/documents/ParishNews12020.pdf
Decisions taken at the 2019 General Assembly have the potential to reshape the Church of Scotland at every level.
To help Church members and congregations engage with the reform process, Life and Work has released a FREE four-page guide summarising the key decisions.
View the guide HERE or visit www.lifeandwork.org/resources/general-assembly-supplement. You may want to share this electronically or print copies for others with an interest.
You can read the magazine's full coverage of the General Assembly in the July issue of Life and Work, available from the 14th June.
We trust you find this information to be useful.
Best wishes
Life and Work Team
Cupar Foodbank is a local branch of a charity that solely relies on food donations from the community to feed local people in crisis. It is operated by Cupar Churches and is part of the Trussell Trust network which supports over 420 Foodbanks in the UK.
Find out how the Foodbank can provide support
The Foodbank is located at 21 St Catherine Street and is open Mondays 11am - 3pm, Wednesdays 4pm - 6pm and Fridays 11am - 3pm and 5pm - 6pm.
Crisis food packs are available once you have a referral from one of the frontline care agencies and charities the Foodbank partners with.
2018 Harvest Appeal. More than 4000 have been fed by Cupar Foodbank since in opened in 2014. 280kg of food is being given out by Cupar Foodbank each week but only 100kg donated. The Foodbank ran out of food a few weeks ago and desperately needs food and household goods. Click here for a list of items urgently required. You can either donate in Tesco Cupar or bring items to church. Please help local people in crisis and give generously. Thank You
To read a real story of how Cupar Foodbank has made a difference see the article on the link below
Donating food
The Foodbank solely relies on food donations from the local community to feed local people in crisis. A standard shopping list is available via the link below
http://cupar.foodbank.org.uk/resources/documents/foodbank/CuparFB-Website-Shopping-List.pdf
If you want to support the Foodbank through donations you can place items in the permanent collection point in Tesco Cupar, bring along to church or drop off at the Foodbank during opening hours. Placing items in the permanent collection at Tesco has the added benefit of the Foodbank receiving 30% of the value of the goods donated and it saves having to carry and transport extra shopping
Details of low stock items are regularly updated on the Foodbank website:
Thank you for any support you can provide
For further information
For further information please contact: info@cupar.foodbank.org.uk
or visit: http://cupar.foodbank.org.uk/
Welcome to the website of Cupar Old. Our aim, as God’s people in this place, is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, make his name and love known as widely as possible, and to seek to serve the community in which God has placed us. Our services combine the traditional with the contemporary and we seek to give a warm welcome to all visitors who come to worship with us. If you are in Cupar on a Sunday we would be delighted to see you.
11:00am Morning Worship in the sanctuary
Reading
4:00pm Family Worship in Old Parish Centre
Sunday Club
Click here to watch recordings of Cupar Old's services on our Youtube channel:
Monimail and Cupar Old:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdOxFrZ_kg94DYogylFAVEQ
A signup form has been created for anyone who wishes to join our weekly newsletter mailing list. Please feel free to pass on details to anyone you think may be interested.
The signup form can be found here
Minister: Rev Jeff Martin
76 Hogarth Drive, Cupar, KY15 5YU
email: JMartin@churchofscotland.org.uk
Session Clerk: Jean Martin
1 Garliebank Crescent, Cupar, KY15 5JL
email: jeansmartin1968@gmail.com
Church Secretary: Liz Nelson
(01334) 652077
email: liznelson48@aol.com
Church Office Postal Address
Old Parish Centre, Short Lane, Cupar, KY15 5EQ
These activities are held weekly, unless stated otherwise, in the Old Parish Centre:
10.00-1.30 Coffee and Lunches
10.30-11.30 Kinetics
1.45-2.45 U3A Exercise Dance Group
2.00-4.00 Hard of Hearing Group (last Monday of month)
4.00-7.30 Judo
2.00-3.30 Tuesday Memory Café (3rd Tuesday of Month)
2.00-4.00 U3A Art History (3rd Tuesday of Month)
6.30-9.30 National Childbirth Trust Classes (6 week blocks)
1.30-3.30 Seescape (fortnightly)
2.00-4.00 Old Parish Centre Craft Group (fortnightly)
2.30-4.00 Guild (fortnightly Sept – March)
6.00-7.00 Badminton (Sept – March)
7.00-8.00 Cluster Prayer Group (3rd Wed of month)
7.00-9.00 Cupar Quilters (1st Wed of Month - Sep – Jun)
7.30.9.30 St Columba’s Choir
10.00-11.30 Coffee & Chat (inc outing 2nd Thurs of month)
1.00-2.30 Cruse Bereavement Service (Monthly)
6.30-8.30 Pilates Class
7.00-9.00 East Neuk Model Club (1st Thursday of month)
10.00-12.00 Patchwork Class (Sept- March)
2.00-3.30 U3A History Group (Last Friday of Month)
2.00-3.30 Cupar Forum (last Friday of Month)
12.00-3.00 Community in Cupar
4.00-5.00 Worship and Sunday Club
Our Church is located (KY15 5AL) in the heart of Cupar in Kirkgate. WIth it’s substantial tower and spire it is easily recognised, and is the building on the left side of the website banner above. Sunday morning worship is held in the church building, and it is also the location for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.
The Old Parish Centre is located in Short Lane, separate but close to the church building. It has recently been modernised and extended, is now the focus for our community involvement, and is used by church and community groups.
Sunday afternoon worship and Sunday School take place at 4:00pm in the Old Parish Centre. It is the building on the right side of the website banner above.
The Church (KY15 5AL) and Old Parish Centre (KY15 5EQ) are located in the centre of Cupar. Parking is available at the Centre, and a short distance away at Bonnygate Car Park - KY15 4LB
If you require transport to enable you to attend any Church service, or if you can help by providing this service for others, then please contact Sheila Abercrombie (tel 01334 656976).
Missed a service? Listen again to the morning services you have missed by tuning in to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdOxFrZ_kg94DYogylFAVEQ/videos
We are fortunate to have a number of Worship Leaders within the congregation who are able to take an active part in leading our worship at both morning and evening services. They are able to cover days when the minister is absent, to lead evening services, and also assist during morning worship.
These worship leaders are:
Gavin Logan
Brian Ferguson
Marion Cruickshank
Morven Naughton
Organist
Douglas Clark tel: 01334 840450, e-mail: suebrown65@hotmail.co.uk
Worship Leading: The choir and church musicians meet to prepare for worship each Sunday before the morning service at 10.30am. Anyone who would like to join is invited to contact Douglas Clark, Organist.
Morning Worship at 11:00am throughout the year, in the church.
Afternoon Worship at 4:00pm in the Old Parish Centre; children's Sunday Club also meets at this time in the centre's lounge.
Communion The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated at 11:00am and 4:00pm on the second Sunday of March, June, September and December.
Everyone who loves the Lord whether they are a member of Cupar Old or not is very welcome to share communion with us.
The Sacrament is always available to those who are housebound. Please contact the minister or your elder if you wish to have communion at home so that arrangements suitable to you and the minister can be made.
Cupar became a Fairtrade town with the official launch in June 2007. Close links we have established with Castlehill School and Bell Baxter High School.
Spurred on by dedicated teachers, the children are very keen to promote Fairtrade and have FT tuck shops. Fairtrade leaflets have been distributed
throughout the town in the library and shops, listing outlets where FT goods are available locally. Please ask shopkeepers if you cannot find what you are
looking for and encourage them to increase the number of FT items.
Click here to view the Cupar Fairtrade directory.
Click here to view photographs of recent activities.
The Fairtrade Group Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/CuparIsAFairtradeTown/
Contacts:Sally Mottram 01334 657445
Margaret Duffy 01334 652803
Email: fairtradecupar@gmail.com
In 1991 a covenant was signed by the ministers and Session Clerks of Cupar Old Parish Church and the First Presbyterian Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. The covenant hangs on the wall of the vestibule in the church. This marked the beginning of a relationship between the two churches which flourished through the early 1990s.
In September 2007 the minister and Jim Hanson, previous Session Clerk who signed the original covenant, visited Allentown with the purpose of rekindling our relationship. As a result we welcomed the Allentown Choir, during a visit to UK, to Cupar in June 2008.
The Cupar and District Justice and Peace Group is an ecumenical group, with members from many congregations and none. We are a campaigning group, believing that to pray and campaign for justice and peace is part of our Christian witness in the world.
Among our specific concerns are environmental/climate issues, Israel/Palestine, poverty at home and abroad, and third world debt. We organise open meetings each year on relevant issues. Most recently these have included: the situation in Ukraine and the experiences of Ukrainians living in our community; the situation in Palestine and an election hustings where we asked candidates questions relevant to our interests. We keep ourselves informed by sharing information via What’s App and email groups and often join in campaigns led by other local or national groups.
We have links with the Fair Trade Group, who usually have a stall at our events, and we occasionally share a stall with them at public events.
For more information, contact: Celia Armitage tel: 01334 656611 or Rev Jeff Martin.
In January 2005 the minister visited Peru under the auspices of The Vine Trust to see the work supported by the Trust and undertaken in partnership with Scripture Union Peru. Upon his return home and with the full support of the Kirk Session, the congregation adopted a building site in Ica where a home was being built for abandoned boys and agreed to provide help for its completion.
A Work Team of twenty volunteers from the congregation and community travelled to Ica in 2006 and helped with the construction of the Home. In January 2008 Revd Ken Jeffrey travelled to Ica to take part in the official opening ceremony of Casa Girasoles Home for Abandoned Boys. Forty boys now live in safety under the care of houseparents Augusto and Nancy Cavero. He returned again to Ica to undertake further building work with another team of twenty five volunteers from our church and community in October 2008. A further visit to Ica took take place during October 2012.
News from the Peru 2012 work party:
For Geoff’s Vine Trust Blog click here
The Old Parish Church Sunday School Hall was built in 1877 and has been used ever since by generations of Cupar’s town’s people. Since then it has undergone various refurbishments, the greatest of which was undertaken in 2007-08 as part of the congregation’s C4ward Project. The old Sunday School Hall was reopened in August 2008 after its transformation into the modern Old Parish Centre.
Today it boasts some of the finest facilities in Cupar and its surrounding area and is widely used seven days a week by a number of church based and local community groups. You are very welcome to visit the Centre at any time and to make use of its facilities.
Main Hall The large main hall has two full sized badminton courts and a small stage area. It can accommodate upwards of 150 people seated.
Café Lounge The bright café with a servery has seats and tables for forty people, as well as a comfortable seating area, and boasts a large flat screen television and DVD player.
Kitchen The large, modern and fully equipped kitchen complies with the latest health and hygiene requirements and has the capacity to cater for groups of up to 200 people.
Creche The colourful, purpose built crèche is specifically for the use of young children, their parents and carers.
Quiet Room/Resource Centre The Quiet Room has twelve comfortable chairs and two coffee tables, and is a perfect meeting place for more intimate groups. The Resource Centre has a range of Christian literature, CDs and DVDs.
Meeting Room The meeting room is a larger, multi- purpose space. It can seat up to forty people and can also be used by smaller groups for conferencing purposes.
There are opportunities to join with other members and friends in some low level walks, and for the more energetic in a variety of hillwalks among some of Scotland’s highest mountains.
Further information from Lynne Smith
tel: 01337 831230
The desire to offer a warm welcome and to provide hospitality to everyone who visits the Old Parish Centre or uses it’s facilities is fundamental to our sense of vision and purpose for the Centre.
Monday Lunches
Monday Lunches are served each week from 10:00am to 2:00pm in the cafe lounge.
The church cafe which serves tea, coffee, and home baking, which is open during the times listed below.
Mondays: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Wednesdays: 10:00am – 1:00pm
For further information about the Old Parish Centre and for Centre bookings please contact Liz Nelson, the Church Secretary:
Cupar Old Guild is a small, friendly organisation (approx 25 members) and we are always happy to welcome new members, both male and female.
We meet fortnightly at 2:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon in the lounge of the Old Parish Centre between September and March. Prior notice of forthcoming meetings is always intimated in the weekly church newsletter and in Latest News here. You will always be assured of a warm welcome, worship, an interesting speaker and a time of fellowship afterwards.
Information about Guild and its fund-raising projects:
https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/serve/the-guild/projects
2024-25 PROGRAMME
September
15th - Guild Rededication in the church
18th - Guild theme, "Let Us Build a House" - Rev Jeff Martin
October
2nd - "Therapets" - June Hutton
16th - "Growing Up with Music and Verse" - Elspeth Smith
30th - "Health and Old Age" - Gerald Burnett
November
6th - "Seasons Suitcase Collection" - Cupar Quilters
20th - Craft afternoon - "Christmas Table Decorations"
December
4th – Christmas Lunch - TBA
January
15th - "A Sure Foundation" - Rev Brian Porteous
29th - Burns Afternoon - with Guests
February
5th - Roddy Gauld
19th - Musical Connections - Callum MacLeod
March
5th - "My Life in Sport" - Gina Logan
19th - AGM
Eileen Spurr – Guild Convenor
tel: 01334 655010
07886 936922
email: eileen.spurr@btinternet.com
As part of our church family, our aim is to offer to put people in touch with each other and to ensure that everyone who would like to, has someone they can contact for a chat, listening ear, shoulder to cry on or as a friend to share both joys and sorrows. If we cannot help, we aim to identify someone who can.
Matthew 25:v36 “Jesus said …….you visited me”
By caring about those who are in need – giving of our time, not our solutions – we touch the heart of God. By ministering to others, it is not about our ability to solve problems or offer advice, but it is about letting people know they are not alone. It is a way of showing them that God cares for them and so do we.
More information please contact:
Minister: RevJeff Martin
(01334) 656181
Church Membership Classes - This series of classes, entitled ‘Believing and Belonging’, are designed for those who are interested in finding out about the Christian faith and the meaning of Church membership. They are usually held at the beginning of each year.
Adult Education courses are usually organised and held in the lounge of the Old Parish Centre during the Spring months.
Recent courses include:
‘How to read the Bible for all it’s worth’
Mark’s Gospel
The Four Gospels
Check back here to find details of forthcoming courses.
Become involved in prayer at Cupar Old in the following ways:
The Sunday Morning Prayer Team: If you feel you are in need of prayer or someone else you know is, then please come for prayer after church. Two members of the prayer team are available every Sunday. This service is of course confidential.
The Sunday Evening Prayer Team: If you have a prayer request please place it in the box within the church or at the Old Parish Centre and this will be prayed about by the Sunday evening Prayer Team and will also be passed to our team of intercessors who pray daily.
The Prayer Chain: If you have a prayer request that you haven’t given to the above groups and want immediate prayer then contact Eleanor Morris (657556) who can give your request to the prayer chain.
Prayer Tree: The prayer tree can be found in the foyer of the Old Parish Centre. Its function is to encourage anyone who uses the building to write a prayer or a prayer request on one of the leaves, fold it and hang it on the tree. These are collected regularly and prayed for by the Sunday evening prayer team.
Prayer Requests: by members of the congregation or the wider community may be left here
24 Hour Prayer: If you are interested in praying for world wide issues in a team then join the 24 Hour Prayer Team – contact Eleanor Morris (657556)
Need a focus for your daily prayers? Please pick up a copy of the Prayer Tapestry Leaflet at the Old Parish Centre, which might assist. If you don’t attend church you can also leave prayer requests in the post box outside the Old Parish Centre or contact Janice Geddes on 652957.
Prayer Suggestions:
Pray for the Children's Holiday Club and other ecumenical activities around the town.
Pray for the trouble areas world wide and for God's hand to be on the people in these areas.
Lord let us pray without ceasing with our minds focused on you.
Housegroups are very important to us in Cupar Old Church because they help us to grow closer to God and to one another. They help us to deepen our relationships with God and with other Christians in our church. Our vision for house groups is to see each one inviting newcomers along, and growing to the point where a new group needs to be formed. It’s an exciting vision, and we would like you to come and be part of it.
A housegroup is a small group of people who meet to read the Bible or watch a DVD or study a book, discuss its meaning, pray for one another, and encourage each other. Groups are about 6 – 12 people. They meet in a house, sometimes the same house or they may meet in different homes of the members.
If you came to one of our housegroups you would find people just like you, people who want to explore the Christian faith a little more. You will also find friends who will be happy to accept and welcome you. You will find women and men of all ages. Our housegroups are simply for anyone who wants to know more about Jesus, and would like to understand the Bible better.
Who leads a housegroup?
Most groups have a person or a couple who “look after” the group. In most groups, people who want to do so take turns to lead the study and prayer. But there is absolutely no expectation that everyone will do this – it’s your choice. At prayer times, you can pray out loud or silently – just as you wish. Some people just say a few words or one sentence – it’s very informal.
To find out more about what the groups are currently discussing check intimations on Sundays and contact them directly.
Session Clerk: Mrs Jean Martin
(01334 652100)
Treasurer: David Stevenson
(01334 654262)
Property Convener: Hamish Ferguson
(01334 769897)
Everything we do and the community we seek to be is informed by our simple strapline, ‘where everyone matters’. We believe that we all matter a great deal to God and that His plan is for us to demonstrate His love for everyone by the way we live together.
Accordingly, and in our efforts to honour God, we seek to live and grow together as a family of His people, loving and caring for one another through our network of house groups. We also endeavour to serve the needs of our local community through the welcome and hospitality we offer daily in our Church Centre, and we strive to help some of the world’s poorest children through our support of Scripture Union’s work in Peru.
In this way we do our best to keep what Jesus said were the two most important commandments, we do our utmost to love God and our neighbour as we love ourselves.
Minister:
Rev Jeff Martin is our minister
Church Secretary:
Liz Nelson looks after the administration of the congregation.
Organist & Choirmaster:
Douglas Clark has been our organist, choir master and director of our praise band for many years.
Church Officer:
Rev Jeff Martin was inducted to the charge of Cupar Old linked with Monimail on 28th February 2016.
Jeff is from the United States, and was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Boonville, Missouri for 14 years until he moved to Scotland with his family. He was assistant minister in Duns, Berwickshire for 12 months as part of a familiarisation programme with the Church of Scotland, until his call to Cupar Old and Monimail.
The story of God’s purposes for us and all His people is always continuing to unfold, and hence we are a ‘work in progress’, a pilgrim community that is evolving according to the plans God has for us.
So, we continue upon our adventure accompanied by God with a spirit of anticipation and expectation of new surprises and challenges to come. We simply seek at all times to remain faithful and obedient to God and sensitive to the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit.
Meanwhile our mission statement attempts to capture the kind of community we are working hard to become. We want to be a church where we…
SHARE God’s unconditional love
EXPERIENCE the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ
ENCOUNTER the power of the Holy Spirit
ENCOURAGE discipleship through worship, house groups and prayer
NURTURE our gifts so that we can all serve
SUPPORT one another and care for others
ENGAGE daily with our community
There are two Standing Committees of the Kirk Session responsible for financial and property matters: Finance Committee: Convener David Stevenson Property Committee: Convener Hamish Ferguson
Moderator: Rev Jeff Martin
Session Clerk: Mrs Jean Martin
The Kirk Session in the presbyterian system of church organisation is the body responsible to an individual congregation. It is composed of Elders who have been ordained and appointed to membership, and is convened by the minister who acts as Moderator. The Session Clerk is responsiible for the maintenance of the administration of the Session and congregation.
The Session has a total of 33 elders, of which 23 elders each look after a district which will have a number of homes. The elders maintain contact with the members in their district and act as a link between them and the minister and congregation as a whole.
Certain other elders have specific roles within the organisation of the church’s affairs including the treasurer and property convener.
The Kirk Session meets five times per year.
Planning and co-ordination of the activites of the Kirk Session are organised by a number of Workgroups:
Children & Youth: Conveners Jacqui Caldwell & Eleanor Barbour
Communication & Resources: Convener Frances McBride
Education Forum: Conveners Elspeth Smith & Brian Porteous
Outreach: Convener vacant
Pastoral Care: Convener Jill Logan
Worship: Convener Janice Geddes
The oldest surviving church in Cupar was erected on the site of the present Old Parish Church in 1415. An impressive building, it had a large tower at the west end which is still a part of the present church. This tower was increased in height in 1620 by the addition of the spire, paid for by the minister of the time, Revd William Scott. William Scott also donated communion silver which is still in regular use. Our union with St Michael of Tarvit was not the result of a recent parish reappraisal, but also took place at this time, in 1618.
The church building was taken down in 1785 and replaced by the present church, although the tower and spire were retained, along with the session house which forms a link between the tower and church. In 1877 a Sunday School Hall was erected close by the church in Kirk Wynd. The inscription on the west gable notes that the building was erected “To the Glory of God and the Godly upbringing of the young”. Over the years the hall was upgraded on a number of occasions to keep pace with changing requirements.
In recent years the building was extended and modernised to create the Old Parish Centre which opened in 2008. This proves a range of accommodation including hall, meeting rooms, resource centre, cafe and creche and provides a focus for our work in the community.
In January 2015 the congregation was linked to Monimail church; the two congregations remain as distinct entities although we share our minister, Rev Jeff Martin. Cupar Old Parish Church celebrated its 600th anniversary in 2015.
We are a Christian community in Cupar, a group of ordinary men and women, boys and girls of various ages and from all sorts of different backgrounds.
We are bound to one another and united together through the relationship we enjoy with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Our lives have been transformed by God’s love, made real and personal in our experience through the person and work of God’s Holy Spirit.
Together, we seek to be a church ‘where everyone matters’, an inclusive community that embraces and cares for all people no matter who they are or where they are from.
So, we invite you to come and meet us, either on a Sunday when we worship in the morning and evening, or anytime during the week at the various activities we run in our Church Centre, so that we might have the opportunity of sharing with you the good news of God’s love that we have found in Jesus.
We are part of the Cupar Cluster of Churches in the north east of the Presbytery of Fife which comprises Cupar Old Parish Church linked with Monimail, Ceres, Kemback and Springfield Church and Cupar St John & Dairsie United Parish Church.
The formal grouping enables the parishes to work more closely together, sharing, connecting with a wider community and drawing strength and support from each other.