It was a train announcement like no other: “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank-you for travelling with MetroRail this evening. The next station is our final stop. Please remember to take your personal belongings with you on leaving the train. And remember that, since tomorrow is Sunday, you should all go to church – because God loves you.”

I was travelling back to Pretoria from Johannesburg, where I had been watching a football match between Argentina and Nigeria, and that train announcement summed up the whole atmosphere of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The whole nation was gripped by a spirit of joy and hope; every visitor was warmly welcomed and treated as a friend. The pride at hosting the tournament was evident in every conversation; their slogan “Feel it. It is here” reflected in every smile.

That experience on the train was an excellent metaphor for my whole visit to South Africa. For, although I had the unforgettable opportunity of going to six matches in the first World Cup Finals to be held on the African continent, I was also able to meet up with many friends who had visited Cumbernauld Old over the past few years, as well as stay with our World Mission partners Graham & Sandra Duncan.

It was a joy and a privilege for me to be able to pass on greetings from Cumbernauld Old to our sisters and brothers at church services in St. Andrew's, Pretoria, SAINTS (St. Andrew's in the South, also in Pretoria) and Mamelodi East, all congregations of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA). I was able to share our news with them and bring back warm greetings from them to us. This newsletter gives me the opportunity to do just that.

So many people with so many fond memories of Cumbernauld Old Parish Church and the folk who worship here; so many good wishes to pass on. I said that I would do my best.

Yet it is that unexpected act of the train announcer that remains the strongest memory of my trip. That simple act of witness to the passengers on his train, people from all corners of the globe gathered for a football match: Remember that God loves you. It is this love that makes us one, whether here in Cumbernauld or serving God in South Africa.

© Cumbernauld Old Parish Church of Scotland; Registered Scottish Charity SC000877