Monifieth South Angus Church of Scotland

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Monifieth South Angus Church of Scotland

We are a community of individuals who seek to follow the teachings and example of Jesus in the way we support and care for each other and our community.

We are a community of individuals who try to follow the teaching of Jesus in the way we support and care for each other and those in our community.

04/06/2026

A message from our minister:-

I loved watching a TV series called “Black Mirror”. Each episode showed an alternative reality based on our obsession with technology and what could go wrong as a result. One episode featured a world where our rating on social media affected what we could and couldn’t do in the real world. People would act in a certain way to ensure their reputation remained high and avoid other situations that could decrease this score. One of the things that strikes me about biblical studies is how little people have changed over the centuries. In Jesus’ time, honour and shame were social currency. And while we are not quite in Black Mirror territory, we are not too far from it. How we are perceived by others can be seen as more important than anything else. We will avoid certain situations, or act in certain ways to ensure we are not seen as ridiculous by other people.

In our reading this week (Matt 9:9-13; 18-26), Jesus takes a huge reputational risk. Firstly He calls as a disciple Matthew who, as a tax collector, is despised by the Jews and seen as a traitor. By associating with he likes of Matthew, Jesus could also be seen as a traitor to Israel. Then He allows Himself to be touched by a woman who is deemed “unclean” by her society. In a world where “sin” was something that could be caught from others, He risks seen by others as being a sinner Himself. And lastly, He enters into a house where everyone is mourning the death of a child and He boldly announces that the girl is not dead. This exposes Him to ridicule as the crowds gathered laugh at Him.

Of course, the outcome of all these encounters is that those Jesus goes to are changed by the experience. If Jesus stuck to the traditional rules, none of these individuals would ever encounter God’s love or grace and nothing would ever change. It’s not just the individuals who change either, it’s also those all around them as they witness the transforming power of love. How often do we in the church pay more attention to our institutional reputation rather than risking ridicule by showing love to everyone rather than just a select few? Jesus, through His extravagant generosity risks ridicule and shame for going to those people everyone else ignored. If we are called to follow Jesus, we will do likewise. May we continue to show God’s great love to everyone God has placed around us and may we also see the transformations of those people who realise that someone, somewhere, actually loves and cares about them.

01/06/2026

⛪️ MIDWEEK SERVICES ⛪️

While Murroes Church Hall is undergoing redevelopment, our midweek services will now be held once a month at Wellbank Hall (3 Kellas Road, Wellbank, DD5 3PE), on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 am.

The next service is on Wednesday, 3 June

We look forward to seeing friends old and new!
Everyone is very welcome!

29/05/2026

5th SUNDAY SERVICE

While Murroes Church Hall is undergoing redevelopment, our 5th Sunday service will now be held at

📍 Wellbank Hall, 3 Kellas Road, Wellbank, DD5 3PE

The next service is on Sunday, 31 May, at 10:30 am

Everyone is very welcome!

28/05/2026

A message from our minister:-

This Sunday we celebrate Trinity Sunday where the church reflects on the uniquely Chirstian understanding of God existing as a Trinity. And the Trinity always causes concern given it is a great mystery. But as St Augustine said, if you can comprehend something, it is not God!”. It remains an important part of our theology though and our reading this week from Matthew’s gospel makes specific mention of the Trinity (Matt 28:16-20). Known commonly as “The Great Commission”, Jesus leaves the church a threefold instruction. They are to carry on the mission of Jesus by doing three things. They are to go and make disciples of all nations, they are to baptise them those disciples in the name of the Trinity, and they are to teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded them to do.

Yet despite being given these instructions, I worry that the church has not been carrying them out as Jesus has instructed. The mission is to the whole world, that is, all nations, not simply the ones we would rather go to. As we saw over the past few weeks, God has made God’s grace and Gods Spirit available to all, not just some. God loved the whole world that God sent God’s only Son to save the world, not just some. In His life, Jesus went to those that many would have thought beyond grace, the l***r, the woman, the outcast, and so on. Unless the church is doing likewise, ministering to the least among us, then we are not carrying out the mission entrusted to us.

Similarly, while we are commanded to baptise people, this is clearly not the end goal in and of itself as we are also instructed to teach all that Jesus commanded. It’s not the goal of the church to baptise someone then move on to the next person but to value and love each person that joins the church and take on the responsibility to teach them about Jesus. We must give expression to this teaching in all we say and do. As Charles Wesley famously said, “preach the gospel, and only use words if you have to”. If we are not caring and loving all those we encounter, then we are not complying with the great commission. God exists as a Trinity with each part as important as the others and each part intimately connected with the other parts. So it is with the commission. Each part is equally important and intimately connected with the other parts. May we take our commission seriously and go to make disciples of all those that God has placed around us, baptising them, and teaching them to obey all Jesus has commanded with all that we say and do.

21/05/2026

A message from our Minister:-

This week the church celebrates receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit when we mark Pentecost. Unsurprisingly, the lectionary reading this week is Acts 2:1-21 which describes this event. Pentecost follows on from Ascension Day where Jesus tells the disciples that they will be sent out into the world to continue the mission of Jesus and they are to wait for the gift of the Spirit that will empower them in this mission. We are told that the disciples are all together when they receive the Spirit and, despite being from different lands, they are able to speak to one another and can be understood. The first gift of the Spirit appears to be the ability to create unity in diversity. Others do not see this and believe that the disciples are simply drunk!

It is this claim that prompts Peter to address the issue. He points out that all that has happened is simply a fulfillment of the prophesies of Joel. Joel wrote that in the days after God has come to God’s people, God would pour out God’s Spirit on all people and all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Peter states that this time has come. Jesus came among God’s people and, after His death and Resurrection, the time spoken of by Joel has now arrived. God has poured out God’s Spirit on all people to empower the church to go out into the world and witness to all that God has done. Unity in Jesus is God’s gift and will for the world.

This is still significant for the church today. It was God’s plan to unite humanity to Godself and to each other. It is God’s plan to unite heaven and earth as one and Jesus came to us to show us this unity. As the body of Jesus today, it is our role as the church to give effect to this unity and to work towards it as well. God has generously poured out God’s Spirit on all people, not just some. All who call on the name of the Lord are saved, not just some. If God does not limit who can receive the Spirit and grace, then neither should God’s church. If the church denies ministry to some, if the church limits her membership to some, if the church creates division or disunity, how can we claim to be acting in the name of Jesus who strove to unite all people in their diversity? May we, in this time and place, be agents of reconciliation and grace as we strive to give effect to Christ’s will and gift for the world.

18/05/2026

🎨 MESSY DAYS at Wellbank Hall

Monday 25 May
10:30am – 2:30pm
Come and have fun with us!

All welcome!

📍3 Kellas Road, Wellbank, DD5 3PE

Free drop-in craft activities for primary-aged schoolchildren—Children must be accompanied by an adult

15/05/2026

🎶 DO YOU LOVE MUSIC? DO YOU HAVE BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEANING OF LIFE? ARE YOU WONDERING ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE ON EARTH?

Come along to our Bible in Song Group for teenagers and young people, and take part in an exciting, faith-based journey through the songs of Project of Love, blending scripture and music.

THESE FREE SESSIONS ARE HELD EVERY SUNDAY AT 11:45, AT MONIFIETH SOUTH ANGUS CHURCH

You don't need to sign in - just drop by.
And you don't have to be a Christian to join us!

14/05/2026

A message from our minister:-

Unless you’ve been really inattentive recently you’ll have noticed we’ve had another election. Elections are of course an opportunity to elect those who will lead us and while we vote for a local representative, often we have in mind the leader of the party as they will become the First Minister, or even Prime Minister, depending on the election. And despite my views on leaders and leadership, I recognise the importance of them. A country or organisation with good leadership will thrive while one with bad leadership will suffer and decline. We as a church have a new moderator to lead us as a denomination and, locally, we are looking at how we can flourish and grow. Therefore the issue of church leadership and how it is exercised is especially at the forefront of my mind. I sometimes reflect that the definition of Presbyterianism is that while we do not have bishops, we all know who they would be if we did!

Our reading this week (1 Peter 5:1-11) contains the leadership advice of the first apostle to lead the early church, Peter. Peter appeals to the church leaders to lead as Jesus did; with a servant heart. Peter reminds them that Jesus did not come to lead them for personal gain or profit but to shepherd the people of God. Jesus loved those He led, He was gentle with them and humble of heart. He always showed love and, gave of Himself for them. Peter argues that church leaders must display these traits too. They must serve those in the congregations they are called to. They must not act out of self interest or promotion, but put the good of others ahead of their own ambition. They are to display the same servant hearted leadership that Jesus showed.

It’s good advice for anyone in a church leadership position today. Across the world, there are too many stories of church leaders using their positions for self-gain or self-promotion. There are instances of those who use the church to meet their needs rather than giving of themselves to meet the needs of those they are called to serve. There are some leaders who engage in bullying or domineering activities to “get their way” or who abuse the authority of the office they hold. Our theology is clear, it is Jesus who is the head of the church. And Jesus, famously, was someone who did not see equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage but instead took the form of a servant. Those who seek to lead His church in our time should be using Him as our example and adopt His style of servant leadership in their own situations. Congregations should not live in fear of their ministers, but act with mutual love and respect as together we all exercise our gifts and graces to be the people of God we are called to be.

04/05/2026

Looking forward to welcoming everyone to Messy Church this Saturday, 9th May. Hope you can join us for fun, learning and fellowship.

01/05/2026

⛪️ MIDWEEK SERVICES ⛪️

While Murroes Church Hall is undergoing redevelopment, our midweek services will now be held once a month at Wellbank Hall (3 Kellas Road, Wellbank, DD5 3PE), on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 am.

The next service is on Wednesday, 6 May and includes Communion.

We look forward to seeing friends old and new!
Everyone is very welcome!

Address

41 High Street
Monifieth
DD54AA

Website

https://www.monifiethsouthangus.org.uk/

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