1960(Part 1)

There was an appeal to purchase a Communion Plate. The Envelope Collection, involving more than 500 members, amounted to £125. This sum together with previous retiring offerings, donations from the Boys' Brigade and the Life Boys of £20, and a donation of £5 from a member, made a grand total of £240. This was sufficient to cover the cost of purchasing the Communion Plate.


Each Sunday evening after the service the congregation was invited to have a cup of tea with the Youth Club in the hall, “a happy half-hour to meet informally and make friends”.


By this time, Mr Thomas Telfer was the Session Clerk and the Halls Convener. Mr Thomas McEwan was the Treasurer, and the Church Officer was Mr George Shearer.


Contributions to the Church Magazine, the Crusader, from the box in the church for December 1959, and January and February, 1960 amounted to £13 18s 2d. The magazine had been in existence for almost three years.


On 29th January the Assessor Elders and their wives were guests at a social gathering in the church hall, when members of the Kirk Session, the Congregational Committee and representatives from all the organisations of the church met to honour them. They had given four years of “valuable service” and most had by now returned to their own churches. They were:  Mr A.E. Dickson and Mr T.J. McWilliams (Cathcart Old Parish), Mr G. Stewart (King's Park), Mr M. McNaughton (Battlefield East), Mr Jas. Stewart and Mr John Morrison (Croftfoot Parish), Mr R. Wilson (Cathcart South), Mr D. Stewart (New Cathcart), Mr W.B. Picken and Mr J.M. Dougans (Mount Florida) and Mr C. Thomson (Netherlee).


Offerings for the four months, December 1959 to March 1960 were £876 7s 11d


The Captaincy of the Boys' Brigade again changed hands, as Mr B.J. Chisholm, who had been an officer in the 18th for four and a half years, accepted a business post in Sierra Leone. Fortunately the Company secured the services of Captain, Mr W. Robertson, late of Mosspark B.B., a man with long experience in the B.B. Movement.


The Company at this time had 132 boys on the roll, with five officers. During B.B. Week, the boys managed to collect £101, which placed them 16th out of 250 Companies in Glasgow Battalion. Four boys were presented in the City Chambers with the Queen's Badge Certificate, and they were Sgt Malcolm Napier, Cpl David Carrick, L./Cpl Alexander Stephen and L./Cpl Alan Baxter.


Full Status was in sight for 1961. From the Church of Scotland, Castlemilk West received buildings to the value of £43,000, and over the first four and a half years more than £5000 for stipend, salaries and other things. They had to repay £11,000, in total, and as soon as possible take over the paying of the stipend, salaries and other sundries. Full status (by the General Assembly) would be granted when £4000 towards the church building was repaid and the minister's stipend could be paid (less £150). At this time £1,640 had still to be raised.


Mr W. Strain was the Building Fund Convener. A Garden Fête (opened by Mr Charlie Sim of the One o'Clock Gang), raising £270, was held, as were dances, a Shopping Morning, and a Jumble Sale. Coffee Mornings were held every Saturday morning from 23rd April.


Miss McNaughton, the deaconess arranged the first visit to the Church of Scotland Rest Home at Craigengower, Tighnabruaich, for women in the parish who had suffered bereavement, sickness, or were in need of rest.


On 25th May the Lord High Commissioner, the Queen's Representative at the General Assembly visited both Castlemilk West and East Churches.


A portable Communion Set was donated anonymously by a member of the congregation, and a blue velvet Pulpit Fall, embroidered with the Burning Bush, was presented to the church by Mrs Steenson of Downcraig Drive. She had embroidered it herself. New Curtains for the hall were obtained.


The Woman's Guild Day Trip went to Oban and the Evening Trip to Ayr.


The Sunday School Trip went to Rouken Glen, as the cost of hiring buses to go further would have been too expensive. The Sunday School purchased a projector.


Castlemilk West F.C. gained promotion after their first season in the Churches League 2nd division, and were the only 2nd League team to have reached the third round of the Scottish Churches Cup. The team members -all young lads – attended church regularly. Four players were lost to Junior Football.

Four boys from Glenwood Secondary School gained first prize in the Art and Industry competitions at the Gaelic Mod held in Dundee. They all won prizes for woodwork with Celtic designs. One boy, Peter Aitken was a member of the Boys' Brigade and William Wilson was in the Youth Club and Football Team. The other two boys were Robert Galloway and Alistair Kenyon.

(Senior, Junior and Children's Choirs – September 1959)

The Children's and Junior Choir, under the conductor and organist, Mr Barker, were progressing well. He also encouraged more people to join the Church Choir.