St Paul's and Missions

St Paul's supports many missions, both local and far away. We believe that God is the first missionary, sending his Son into the world to save the lost. In mission we are responding to His call to love our neighbour as ourselves. St Paul's congregation has close links with a number of Scottish based Christian charities and organisations and seeks to support these in various ways. In addition we have a missionary partner in Japan and connections with other organisations which work overseas.

St Paul's congregation has close links with a number of Scottish based Christian charities and organisations and seeks to support these in various ways; whether by donations of money, gifts of time and expertise or collections of food, clothing and other useful items that can be distributed among the people they seek to help.

 

Rehoboth Church

In November 2016 a member of our congregation brought before us, the work of Rehoboth Church based in the Springburn part of Glasgow. The Congregation consists of Indian and Sri Lanka origin, asylum seekers. They also carry out outreach work to other ethnic groups in Glasgow.

At that time they worshipped in a rented building in Springburn and they had the possibility of purchasing a Church building which closed six months ago, which is ideal in terms of size, location and transport etc.

The Home Mission Committee suggested the use the Christmas Collection/s to support this appeal in the purchase of this Church building. This was done and passed on to the Rehoboth Church. This, and other gifts, along with sacrificial giving by the Rehoboth Church members allowed the building to be purchased and they are now worshipping in it. The dedication service for the new building was in September and a few members of St Paul's Church joined in the celebrations.

 

Preshal Trust

Preshal - the Gaelic for “precious” –is a recognised Christian charity. In a friendly, caring, loving and supportive way Preshal seeks to tackle head-on, the problem of social exclusion in the Linthouse area of Glasgow. This problem is manifested in poverty, alcohol and drug addiction, low literacy and numeracy levels, depression and low self-esteem. The Trust, working with other agencies, provides a wide range of social, recreational and educational activities which enable these issues to be dealt with effectively. They adopt a holistic approach seeking to cater for the whole person, including meeting individual physical, mental and – as a Christian rooted organisation - spiritual needs.

The congregation has supported Preshal in a number of ways in recent years: a sponsored bike ride was one, the collection at the Watchnight service was another, members give of their time to lead Bible studies and serve on the Board of the Trust. 

 

The Lodging House Mission

Based in the East End of Glasgow, the drop-in centre has been serving the city's homeless community since 1909 and has built on over 100 years of successful service, adapting to the changing landscape of Glasgow and the client group.

Today LHM operates within a Christian framework as a Day Centre, Drop-In Cafe and Church for Glasgow's homeless, hostel dwelling and resettling communities. The current era of hostel closure represents a particular time of unrest for many clients, and LHM offers a wide range of services in order to cater for their diverse needs, including a cafe, access to shower facilities, emergency clothing store, help and support from care staff, chaplaincy service and education/activities programme.

LHM is one of several organisations which receive an annual gift of food from the Harvest Thanksgiving service. This year we also sold Christmas cards and members are encouraged to buy meal vouchers which provide valuable income - even if they are not used.

 

Scottish Bible Society

The Scottish Bible Society seeks, under God, to put the Bible into people's hands and hearts. We work so that all people can have the Bible in a language they understand, a form they can access and at an affordable price, to aid genuine encounters with God.

They are a Scottish registered charity and a founder member of the United Bible Societies - 147 Bible Societies at work in some 200 countries worldwide.

They distribute Bibles, New Testaments and other Scripture-based materials, in a range of media, in Scotland and throughout the world and have a volunteer network including Action Groups, local church representatives and speakers, all helping to spread the Word of God and finance the distribution of the Scriptures.

AtSt Paul's we hold an annual Bible Sunday in February when the proceeds of a special collection are sent to the SBS, members were also involved with the "People's Bible" project in 2011to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible and there have been a variety oflocal sponsored eventsto support their work.

 

Glasgow City Mission

Glasgow City Mission is the world’s first City Mission. Since 1826, it has been showing Christian care to vulnerable adults and children by fighting against poverty and disadvantage in Glasgow.

They work with people who are often leading chaotic or difficult lives. That situation may involve homelessness, addiction, poverty, family breakdown, prostitution, emotional issues - or maybe all of these.

They feed people because they are hungry and each evening will serve almost 100 men and women. They offer further evening support and advice including prayer, help with finding accommodation and food parcels.

Providing sustenance for someone is a short-term solution to a bigger problem. Using the facilities of a purpose-built Centre they seek to build relationships with individuals through a programme of clubs, activities and one-to-one support, over time building relationships of trust and earning the right to speak into their lives. The hope is that positive changes develop where people can talk through their problems and take the first step to a life free from drugs or towards reconciliation with family.

 

The Chanan Trust

Chanan (Glasgow) is a Christian charity, operating in the voluntary sector and offering free help to those who use its services. It was founded in 2009 and the name was chosen deliberately to symbolise the compassion of God, providing opportunity and hope to those leading a lifestyle of despair. Their aim is to help people to progress and move on - to take steps away from the trap they find themselves in - and help them to 'Rebuild (their) Broken Lives'.

During the period of Lent over the past few years the congregation has collected tea, coffee etc for organizations which feed the people on the streets of Glasgow. One of these is the Chanan Trust who appreciate the boxes ofrice,pasta and pasta sauces, soup and other tinned goods. Please pray for this work on the streets of Glasgow and in Barlinnie prison.

 

Prison Fellowship Scotland

Prison Fellowship Scotland is a dedicated band of Christians from different denominations in Scotland who take the Good News of Jesus to prisoners inside almost all of Sotland’s gaols(currently 13/17). As part of an international organisation working in more than 100 countries worldwide, we work under the supervision of the prison chaplains, visiting prisoners on a very regular basis and engaging with them in Bible study and encouraging free and open discussion in a sensitive and non-judgemental way. A typical group consists of 2-3 volunteers and 6-10 prisoners who indicate their willingness to attend to the chaplaincy team or prison officers.

Approximately 100 volunteers are currently working in Scotland, both men and women, with a wide age range and background. The opening of the new prison at Lowmoss, Bishopbriggs in March 2012 offers an exciting new development which we trust will provide fresh opportunities to reach out to more of the 8000 needy prisoners in Scottish gaols with the Good News of Jesus’s love.

If you would like further information on how you might help in this exciting and rewarding ministry in a practical way please contact Ramsay Vallance at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..