Safeguarding is very important to us at Belhaven and Spott. Our aim is to protect the congregation's children and adults who are at risk. To that end, all volunteers who carry out regulated work within the congregation - e.g., Launchpad, Lazers, Messy Church, Car Rota, etc. - must be PVG-registered with Disclosure Scotland. ("PVG" = Protecting Vulnerable Groups.)

These individuals must also attend appropriate training with Church of Scotland Safeguarding Service, either in person or online, and this training must be updated every 3-to-5 years. All Elders who are also Trustees and members of the Kirk Session must also attend Trustee training with the same organisation. This training must also be refreshed every 3-to-5 years. These are legal requirements and cannot be ignored.

If any person in the Congregation suspects or witnesses harm or abuse, or it is reported to you as a member of the Congregation, you must immediately report it to our Safeguarding Coordinator, Helen Baptie, who will then contact the Church of Scotland's Safeguarding Service at 121 George Street. (Helen can be contacted on 01368 862782 or 07944 560733, either to report an incident or to ask about training or other related issues.)

As noted in the above poster, the 2025-26 Church of Scotland Stamp Appeal is supporting the Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza; for more information, please visit https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/stamps. The previous Stamp Appeal for the Firmly Planted project to create tree nurseries in Malawi raised £18,613.50.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed stamps in the past year - keep up the good work!

Many congratulations to everyone who took part in Belhaven's annual Christmas Nativity celebration on Sunday 15 December. The show was much enjoyed by everyone in the congregation, and we really appreciate all of the effort that will have gone into making it happen! (Click on any of the photos to enlarge them and have them fill up the screen.)

Diana Mackie recently received a long letter - and many photos (along with several videos) - from Hriday Basumata, our twinning correspondent in Mahakalguri. There's plenty of news to share!

Dear Diana,

Greetings from Mahakalguri. I hope you are all well. It is a pretty long time that we are just silent and nothing being heard. However, I was a bit mentally retarded due to sudden stroke of my sister and her treatment in different Hospital and Nursing Homes for the last 7 months. Although she has overcome life threatened seriousness but lost the mobility and totally bedridden now. Still hopping the she will stand and walk again someday. Thankful to God that He has saved my sister. Please, pray for miracle and recovery for my sister.

By this time, we had lots of activities in our Diocese and Pastorate. We got a new Bishop Rt. Rev. Roshan Thapa in the month of July this year. Since formation of Church of North India in November 1970 we had no Bishop from the local Presbyters. Bishops were appointed from other Diocese of CNI and also there were no Bishop in the Diocese of Eastern Himalaya since 2010 till date and the Diocese was running by Moderator’s Commissaries posted time to time by the Synod.

The newly formed Men’s Fellowship in our pastorate successfully visited all churches in the month of September this year. A one day Seminar of Men’s Fellowship on the theme “The Role of Man in Home and the Church” and on “Financial Management in Christian Family and the Church” was very successfully organized on 5th October at Dan Chandra Memorial Church for the first time in the pastorate. We are thankful to God for this event where men memberships of all the 5 churches of the pastorate participated enthusiastically. The one day seminar of the Women Fellowship also colourfully organized in the Mahakalguri Mission School Hall on 10th October.

On 2nd November we organized a Eastern Duars Regional WFCS One Day Seminar successfully. The number of participants from the churches of 4 pastorates was truly much encouraging. Everyone was truly blessed with the wonderful sermon by Rev. David Hansda of Jalpaiguri of our Diocese. The church visits of WFCS is over on last Sunday the 6th of this month. We had very lively get together in my small church Dan Chandra Memorial Church of Pototola village.

The churches and family visits of Youth and Sunday school Fellowship in 5 churches of the pastorate is going on successfully. Truly it is a wonderful blessing of God in connecting people and God through this young children. They have visited every house and even houses of two families who are staying far at a distances of 10 and 18 km away from Mahakalguri. They will complete their program by early December. The Women Fellowship will do the same in November.

Twinning Co-ordinator for our Diocese Mr. Bill Stevenson is on the way to India. He will be visiting Mahakalguri and surrounding pastorates on 15th and 16th of this month. We are eagerly waiting for him prayerfully for his safe journey.
Finally, it is a good news that we have started construction of new church demolishing the old wooden church of Mahakalguri and a New construction of Church on new location in Taleswarguri Church of the Pastorate and the construction work going on smoothly. Please keep in your prayers for the financial sufficiency and early completion of the constructions.

It is further to inform that the Diocesan Twinning Meeting is being held on 18th instant. Please pray for the success and blessing of Lord Jesus on the meeting.

Apart from the church, me. My wife and the children in US are all fine in His grace and Mercy.

Prayerfully Yours,
Hriday

All of the proceeds from Caring Christmas Trees goes directly towards the work of Bethany Christian Trust, helping to fund their work on Homelessness Prevention, Crisis Intervention, and Housing and Support. Bethany works to alleviate the suffering and meet the long-term needs of people facing homelessness, or the risk of homelessness.

Trees can be collected from Belhaven on Saturday 14 December. If you are willing to volunteer to help onsite on the day, please sign up on the Caring Christmas Trees website.