Welcome back, Messy Church! After the summer break, our monthly Messy Church is back up and running – and September’s edition was as messy as ever. Thanks to Elaine and the Messy Team for another great family occasion – and thanks to the new families that came along to join the family!! Messy Church will be back on the last Sunday in October, 4-6pm as always.

Having said ‘goodbye’ to Amy, Chris and Matthew at the end of June, we’re delighted now to be saying ‘hello!’ to Catriona and Susan, our volunteers for 2016-17. Susan, from Shotts, and Catriona, from Helensburgh, are now safely installed in the church flat in the heart of our parish and are beginning to get to grips with the range of duties that they’ll be involved in during their year in Arbroath. They’re here under the auspices of the Church of Scotland’s Volunteer Vocations’ programme and we hope that both of them will find it to be a hugely important year as they seek to discover what they’re being called to.

We wish Catriona and Susan well and look forward with anticipation to all that they will bring to our congregation and community in the months ahead.

It’s hard to believe but it is ten years ago this week since we started what has become the Havilah Project! None of us knew back then what it was going to become. These were very humble beginnings and the name ‘Havilah’ hadn’t been thought of (see Genesis c2 if you want to know the origins of the word!) Now of course, the project runs out of its own purpose-built premises, employs staff and is open every weekday – with the sole purpose of serving men and women to support them to break free from addiction. And the great news is that many have set out on that road to recovery and have indeed become free to live life in all its fullness!

On Thursday 25th August, we’re hosting a special evening celebration to give thanks for all that has been achieved and to commit ourselves to the next stages of the journey. It’s an exciting time for Havilah and for St. Andrew’s Church and we invite you to come along to share in our special celebration.