Welcome to Paisley St George’s

Our Minister – Rev Hazel Shaw

Hello friends,
Christmas day will soon be here, the tree up and decorated, gifts bought, family invited, plans to
celebrate, plans & perhaps even more plans as we wait for the big day.
Or it may be Christmas day will soon be here and it’s quiet, loved ones are missed, we wish we lived
closer to those we love, we wait and we hope that 2026 will be better.
That very first Christmas day was different too – chaotic and uncertain for Mary and Joseph, scary and
exciting for those shepherds and a confusing adventure for the wise men. Yet for us all Christmas is a
time to wait with hope, to wait for the long awaited Messiah of all those years ago, who came as promised
and brought love to earth as a tiny baby. For He is the one who offers hope in the chaos, the one who
brings joy out of despair and the one who offers peace to our hearts despite life’s challenges and hurts.

Advent is a time to celebrate and give thanks for Jesus, the baby born in a manger, that love that first
came down at Christmas. The nativity story brings us great hope. The humble birth of Jesus in a stable
surrounded by animals and shepherds teaches us that God often works in the most unexpected ways. It
reminds us that love can be found in simplicity and that every life has value no matter how small or
seemingly insignificant.
For us as Christians we are called to share that hope with others, to bring peace where there is conflict, to
live with joy in our hearts and to show love and compassion to all we meet. I pray that this advent season
we will all wait with hope and act with love and compassion and however we spend Christmas we will
know the love of Jesus in our lives then and always.
There is much happening in our Church to help us to celebrate as we wait so please do come along to
our many Christmas services and activities. Please know that all are welcome

From our family to yours, I wish you and your loved ones a very happy Christmas and every blessing for
Your friend and minister,
Hazel

Can we pray for you? visit paisleystgeorges.org.uk/prayer/ to request

We livestream our service every week

please visit the worship page to view the livestream and our archive of services

Paisley St George’s is a congregation serving Paisley with our church in Causeyside Street in the town centre, and our parish extending to include large areas of the town including the Glenburn area.

The congregation has roots going back to 1738 when the Laigh Kirk opened to reduce pressure on the Paisley Abbey who were then having three services each Sunday due to the growing population of Paisley. Between 1738 and now, the congregations that now make up Paisley St George’s represent 1,115 years combined ministry to the people of Paisley – something we are proud to continue in 2025.

Church of Scotland in Israel and Palestine
Not one of us can fail to be moved by the scenes from Israel-Palestine. We find it hard to understand the multi-layered political situation. We watch the graphic images and we pray for peace. As you know the Church of Scotland has a presence in Israel-Palestine and some of you, like me, will have worshipped in this land. To help people respond to the crisis, the Church of Scotland has gathered resources to help individuals and congregations understand the situation better and how to respond to it.
This page will be updated with news, events and resources as they become available.
https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/our-views/church-of-scotland-in-israel-and-palestine

What’s happening…

12 January 2026