History (2018 - 2019)
From the start of 2018 our Quilting Group transformed into the Green and Quirky Upcycling Project. This team meets fortnightly to save tired, old castoffs from end of life in landfill, transforming them into useable, pleasing objects once more, then selling them via social media. Any profits go to church funds.
Due to issues with the high ceiling in the Methven Hall, a new lower suspended ceiling has been installed with integral lights. This new fresh environment provides a more suitable location for meetings and conferences. A picture of the newly updated hall is shown below:
 |
The Methven Hall - Inside |
The Church of Scotland Guild decided to stop meeting at their April Annual General Meeting. Founded in 1929 in the old St. John's Church the orginisation had met continuously for 89 years!
At the end of April the new Church lighting system was unveiled and features individually controlled LED lights in banks suspended from the ceiling. As an added feature the large cross is now lit from behind in a striking effect. The brightness of the lights can now be adjusted during the service to ensure the optimal light level.
 |
The New Church Lighting |
The Bell Ringers celebrated another interesting year:
- We can read music------mostly!
- We can ring two bells each--------mostly!
- We can meet the challenges of chords-------definitely!
- We can face the music----most certainly!
- Dvorak-part of New World Symphony
- Greig---”Morning“, Pier Gynt Suite
- Schumann-- “Wild Rider” + the clip-clop of hooves on a Baobab nut shell
- Haydn—St. Anthony's Chorale
- Daisy, Daisy
- Edelweiss
- Men of Harlech
An improvement to the side door ramp has been installed reducing the angle to make an easier ascent.
 |
The New Side Door Access Ramp |
On the 4th November the moderator, Susan Brown, minister of Dornoch Cathedral, led worship in Kirkcaldy Linktown church where all the congregations from central Kirkcaldy were present. This special event occurs every 10 years as each presbytery is visited in turn.
To mark the 100th Anniversary of the end of the First World War a special Poppy Art Installation was created from empty plastic bottles and is shown here pouring out of the side windows.
 |
The 100 Year Anniversary World War 1 Poppy Art Installation |
On Remembrance Sunday the time of silence was held outside the Church with the congregation in the garden around the poppy installation. A piper sounded as the service continued in the Church. The special service included memories from members about relatives who took part in the war and poems written and read by children from Kirkcaldy North School. The history of some of the men listed in our War Memorials was also researched and presented whilst Bruce Davies sang one of his favourite songs.
 |
View more pictures from the Remembrance Sunday Service |
Our annual Christmas shoebox appeal filled 92 boxes from the Church and 58 boxes from Dunnikier School. Two excellent results! The boxes were sent on their way to Romania as things that we take for granted but will seem like luxuries to people living in poverty. The boxes will bring a smile to adults and children and hopefully they will enjoy opening them as much as we enjoyed filling them.
 |
Bruce Davies sings at Christmas |
2019
Sunday 27th January saw the dedication of the new sanctuary lights and we welcomed to Bennochy Church the contractors involved in the project as our guests.In February we held a new service named Thinking Day where our youth organisations took part. A picture of the flag bearers is shown below.
 |
Flag Bearers at the Thinking Day Service |
|
View more pictures from the Thinking Day Service |
On June 9th we held a joint Pentecost service where we welcomed our friends from Abbotshall, Linktown and St Bryce Kirk. Over 350 attended from the various Churches.
Our indoor bowlers have been meeting at Kirkcaldys Gunner Club for many years. However the venue closed in mid June so bowling is back in the Methven Hall.
The Messy Church picnic was held at the end of June in the Church grounds. Families were encouraged to bring and share their picnic, as well as playing games and having a treasure hunt.
At the end of September we held the Messy Church BBQ which included traditional games, races, a treasure hunt and a quiz.
At the service on 20th October Robin presented certificates for over 30 years service as Church Elders to Brian Booth, Ken Campbell, George Drummond and Alison Hamilton, shown below receiving their awards.
 |
30 Year Service Awards |
In November Robin visited Ghana along with the Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church Of Scotland. They met with partner churches to learn from their thriving congregations. The visit was organised by the World Mission Council and two partner Churches, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
 |
Robin with the Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church Of Scotland, visiting Ghana to meet with partner churches and to learn from their thriving congregations |
The Salvation Army joined us for the first Sunday in Advent as we presented them with toys and gifts donated by the congregation. These will be distributed in the Kirkcaldy area and we were told that the need for these gifts gets greater every year.
 |
Gifts donated by the congregation for distribution by the Salvation Army |
The Moderator of the Church of Scotland visited our Open Door project with the following news item appearing on the Church of Scotland website:
Rt Rev Colin Sinclair spent a day visiting a project in Fife which has used Go For It main grants to meet the needs of the local community.
 |
Each week Bennochy Parish Church welcomes residents of a local care home to their community cafe run as part of the Open Door project |
The Open Door Project, based at Bennochy Parish Church in Kirkcaldy, provides a hub for local residents and offers a range of services from a café with IT support to an afterschool board game club.
Rt Rev Colin Sinclair said: "It was a huge privilege for Ruth and I to spend the day with Go For It staff visiting two of the many projects they have throughout Scotland."
 |
Back row: Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, development worker Louisa Turner, Rev Robin McAlpine and Ruth Sinclair. Front row: Margaret and Angela, two volunteers who run the after school club |
"What was impressive was the way in which a vision had grown and the energy involved, as well as the way staff and volunteers work together to strengthen the interface between the church and the community."
"We were moved particularly by human lives that had been touched and changed by both projects, where people had been given value and dignity and an identity. It was good to be there - and the food wasn't bad either! "
In Bennochy the Moderator met a team of dedicated volunteers who run a weekly café which has been serving around 70 meals every Thursday since 2013.
Development Worker Louisa Turner said: "The café is genuinely the highlight of some volunteers and customers week, they feel bereft when it is not on. It's an opportunity to meet with family and friends and connect with others.We wanted everything to be a joint project with the community and the church. It has been life changing for some volunteers."
Mrs Turner explained that one of the ways they did this was by interacting with the two local primary schools and inviting them to help set up a community garden.
"Over the years they've planted an orchard, planted bulbs and had different activities in the garden", she said.
Members of the congregation have helped to develop an area of a primary school into a vegetable patch.
The café is open to all and among their regulars are residents of a local care home.
During café hours volunteer Debbie oversees computers which anyone can use and provides technical advice, such as assistance with setting up computer tablets.
She spoke of how volunteering regularly has helped to build her confidence.
"I was quite shy and nervous, but I've got IT skills and qualifications - that's what drew me here, an advert on a volunteering website for an IT buddy so I started focusing on that", she explained.
"I had never done anything like it. I custom built a database on the computer to help run the jigsaw swap.
"For me it's a job - it's a payment of feeling useful and having self-worth."
 |
Children from a local primary school came to sing at Bennochy Parish Church's Christmas lunch |
Rt Rev Colin Sinclair was able to join the café Christmas lunch, which saw around 75 people served with a three course meal.
[
