A welcome from our Minister, the Rev. Alan Gibbon M.Th. Hello, thanks for visiting our website. I'd like you to have a look around and get a feel for what we are like as a church. I would love the chance to hear your comments or answer any questions you may have. On a Sunday we have a contemporary style of worship, where we try and hold on to the best of the tradition of church down the ages, whilst trying new ideas and style that are more relevant to today. In my ministry I am encouraged by the writings or Rob Bell, Brian McLaren and John Otberg to name but three. These are people with something worthwhile to say. As a Church, we journey with the community that lives and works around us. We are home to several community groups and our buildings have played host to events as varied as drama productions and the Sri Lankan new year celebrations. We try to be here to serve. We want to invite you to be on that journey, and be part of a new conversation. At Knightswood Congregational Church, you will find all kinds of people who are at different stages of their faith journey and we try and create an atmosphere of acceptance where people can ask questions and together we can try and find an answer. Why not join us on Facebook, or Twitter, or come along on a Sunday? Be part of something new and join in. Contact Alan on (0141) 334 1351 / 07982261640 or e-mail him. Deacons The Church is also served by deacons. Deacons are nominated and recognised by the Church members. The Deacons support the Minister in spiritual oversight of the Church. Knightswood Congregational Church is affiliated to the Congregational Federation and the Congregational Federation in Scotland .

Letters from Alan

August / September 2011

I like to think I am a fairly observant person. Someone who is open to the places and situations around him.....well, sometimes I’m not...I as I discovered just the other week.

I have quite a lot of really quite normal hobbies......well, I think so at least! Others may disagree...

One that is perhaps not quite so ‘normal’ is that I quite like to visit old graveyards.

There is something about the sense of history, and the sense of peace that attracts me to wandering aimlessly around places like this. I find myself looking at stones that are sometimes hundreds of years old and asking myself what life must have been like for them way back then, thinking that at times over these hundreds of years people have stood in this same spot asking the same questions.....

I find times like that quite awe inspiring.......it gives a sense that we are part of God’s whole creation travelling down through the centuries and that the part we play while we are here is important.

While on holiday last week I was caught completely by surprise when I stumbled over an old graveyard that I didn’t know had existed.

To say that it was right under my nose was an understatement just behind a street that I had walked many many times over the years.

I was walking with a friend from The Stannergate in Dundee to Monifieth a round trip of some ten miles. On our return we found (with thanks to Mr Google) this hidden graveyard at the bottom of Fisher Street.

It’s a beautiful place full of history, full of peace, and full of belonging. If you're interested, more details can be found at: monikie.org.uk

And this place had passed me by for 40 years!

Sometimes if we really want to have a sense of perspective of our places and situations, we have to be prepared to have all our senses tuned into what is going on around us.

And as a Christian we need to have our spiritual eyes open as well so that we can have the full experience of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

We need to see past the walls, walls that sometimes we put in place ourselves, to see a whole new world on the other side.

As we look towards another church year beginning in September, we must be people willing to have our spiritual eyes open so we can see what is next!

Your friend and minister,