The St Mary’s timeline and series of events taking place in May and June this year are our first step
in an ongoing Future Focus programme at St Mary’s. It begins with us using the timelines and
timeline series of events to find out `who we are’.
Each timeline tells the story of St Mary’s against a backdrop of world, UK, Scottish and Kirkintilloch
history. This `spine’ of our story is fleshed out with congregation members’ inputs. To know and
understand these timelines is to know and understand who we are. It allows us to see the role the
church fulfilled in the spiritual and physical well-being of its congregation and the community of
Kirkintilloch. It is an opportunity to know what we may have lost and should regain and what we
should be doing in the future to make things better. In looking back, we are urged to look forwards.
You can also enter our four timeline competitions
Click on the links below to view the timelines.
ST MARY’S TIMELINE: 1140 TO 1930
The period covered by this timeline saw the establishment of our parish church, the Reformation,
the Disruption and other momentous changes in secular and religious lives throughout the world,
Scotland and our community and parish. This period of history also delivered to us not just our
parish church as we know it today, but also the Church of Scotland and the form of worship that we
know and practise today.
ST MARY’S TIMELINE: THE 30s AND 40s
This timeline is the first in our series to show personal inputs against the background of world,
national, Kirkintilloch and St Mary’s history.
ST MARY’S TIMELINE: THE 50s AND 60s
ST MARY’S TIMELINE: THE 70s AND 80s
ST MARY’S TIMELINE: THE 90s TO 2010
Launching 3 June 2011
Building the St Mary’s timeline
The entire congregation and those with connections to
Saint Mary’s are invited to contribute their stories and
personal observations of celebrations / successes and
struggles / disappointments in their spiritual lives,
the life of the church and the community. By contributing
our stories and inputs, our timelines will become
personal and meaningful.
As we celebrate how our life has been touched by St.
Mary’s and prayerfully discern God’s will for our future
direction, our timeline will both frame our window
on the past and our threshold into the future. Our
expectation is that our timeline will be dynamic:
developing and refining as we tell our
own story in our own way. Whether as a senior’s thoughtful words
wistfully penned, or as a child’s creative imagination
colourfully scribbled – we want to know your story.
Eventually, our Timeline will become both our legacy
and touchstone for our Future Focus programme.
A series of timeline events is scheduled for May, 13th, 20th, 27th and June 3rd .
These are not virtual events, but opportunities for real live social networking to be enjoyed in our church halls in celebration of our timeline going live.
Each evening will be dedicated to a slice of the timeline and themed accordingly with contemporaneous music, displays, presentations and guest speaker.
Another evening of celebration is planned for the autumn, when all of your contributions will have been absorbed. Then, our focus will switch from our collective past to our united future in Christ.
Providing your stories and personal observations
You are able to provide your input to the timeline by completing a pamphlet which has been made
available in the March copy of ‘The Parishioner’, but which is also available here in pdf and MS
Word, and which can be:
· printed and dropped into boxes provided for the purpose in the church foyer and hall
· emailed to futurefocus@live.co.uk
· posted to the church office for the attention of ‘St Mary’s Timeline’
Click on the links below to open forms for the provision of your input:
pdf pamphlet (as distributed with ‘The Parishioner’) – for
printing and completion by hand:
St Mary's Timeline pamphlet.
MS Word input form for completion digitally or by hand:
St Mary's Future Focus Timeline input
Offering artefacts for possible inclusion
You are also invited to submit copies of photographs, films, video and artefacts for possible for
inclusion in the project. Every effort will be made to return these in their original condition
but please, no priceless, irreplaceable heirlooms - just in case.
The pdf pamphlet (see above) includes a section for the offering of artefacts, but clicking on the link
below provides an MS Word form which may be completed digitally or by hand:
MS Word artefacts form for completion digitally or by hand:
St Mary’s Future Focus Artefact Offer form
or, forget the forms and just email us
If you find filling in forms a pain, take a look at the form to find out what we need and just write your input
in an email to:
and the bit about REAWAKENING THE DREAM?
Our timeline is not an historical end in itself. You will be invited to share your wishes and dreams for
our future at each of the timeline events and at the final autumn event.
This will be the opportunity to reawaken the dream: an opportunity for us to reflect on the past we
have experienced through the timeline events and awaken aspirations and plans for our future.
If you wish to send us your dreams and wishes for the future regardless of whether you attend the
events or not, you could use the link below to download a form for printing and completion. You
could also e-mail us at futurefocus@live.co.uk to provide your input.
Timeline Draft Card design (Revised pdf form)
Timeline hopes and dreams form.doc (word version)
Thank you for your interest
Any input you can give us will be welcome, as it will result in a more interesting series of timeline events in
May and June 2011.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Mission & Discipleship Task Group
Saint Mary’s Parish Church