As we approach the festive season, St Finnbarr’s Dornoch are organising a collection for our local Food Bank. If you would like to support us, please bring donations to the church on Sunday 4th or Sunday 11th December between 10.30am and 11am or on Wednesday 7th December 10am to 10.30am. We are collecting the usual standard food and toiletry items to support people through the holiday period and you might like to include a few seasonal treats. The Food Bank is particularly short of coffee, sugar and biscuits. Please can you make sure any perishable items such as prepacked ham or spreads have a long date and it would be helpful to pack these separately so that they can be kept refrigerated. The Food Bank is currently experiencing increased demand, so your support would be much appreciated. Don’t forget that you can also donate money if you feel you would like to help in this way. We know not everyone will feel they can contribute, but thank you in advance for supporting our neighbours most in need.
On Sunday 18th December at 4.30pm St Finnbarr’s Dornoch will hold a Christingle Celebration Service in aid of The Children’s Society.
If you’ve never been to a Christingle before, please do come along to this very special, informal service which includes lots of carols and a simple all age Christmas message.
We know there is still a wee while to go before this happens, but wanted to let you know well in advance because part of the service includes making an offering to The Children’s Society. In the next couple of weeks special collecting candles and /or envelopes (like the ones below) will be available for you to collect from church and then slowly fill up during advent to then bring along as your offering to support some of our most vulnerable children and young people.
We look forward to welcoming you and presenting you with your very own Christingle to take home!
Earlier this week we were delighted to welcome Oleksii and Igor to St Finnbarr’s Dornoch. Our Ukrainian friends have been regular visitors, performing the most wonderful concerts for us – with a wide variety of music all played on the accordion! Oleksii and Igor were granted special visas to leave Ukraine and enter the UK in order to continue the vital work they do in raising money for the mother’s of Chernobyl (and this year for wider causes supporting the children of Ukraine). Given the ongoing occupation and invasion of Ukraine, the event held a special poignancy for us all. We describe the performance as an act of defiance, showing that the spirit of the people of Ukraine will not be destroyed! The photograph above shows our audience applauding that spirit!
God Bless you Aleksi and Igor as you and your country continue the struggle!
On August 6th our young episcopalians celebrated The Transfiguration with a day full of crafts, games, den building and other activities at St Trolla’s Church at The Crask Inn. We learned about the story of The Transfiguration of Jesus and explored what the story was saying about Him. Special thanks to Beatrice, Elizabeth and Peter who came along to help us. Take a look at the gallery below to see what we got up to!
Our heartiest congratulations to Marian Swanson – a member of our congregation and vestry at St Finnbarr’s Dornoch – as she receives a special community award from the Dornoch Community Council. This prestigious award is presented annually to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to our local community. Jerry Bishop made the presentation on behalf of the Community Council. Many of you will know that Marian is a key player in running St Finnbarr’s Charities Shop, Market stalls and online sales. Marian has supported, led and helped develop many other local initiatives too, but really doesn’t like to be in the limelight. However, given this well deserved award which recognises all that she is and all that she does, we wanted to raise a glass with her – God bless you Marian and may He uphold you in all that you do!
A week ago last Sunday a magnificent garden party was held at Dunrobin Castle to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The event was organised by the Rotary Club of East Sutherland (RCOES) and THE key organiser was Alistair Risk – a member of our congregation at St Columba’s, Brora. The garden party was extremely well attended, raising substantial funds for RCOES and other local charities – such as our very own St Finnbarr’s Charities Shop. Our thanks to Marian and Joanna who gave up their time to organise and run our ‘Sparkles and Spangles’ stall! Much fun was had by all – great job Mr Risk!!
COVID forced the closure, for a while, of St Finnbarr’s Charities Shop, in Dornoch, but the shop’s dedicated team of volunteers have quickly resumed their remarkable fundraising work! This year, once again, St Finnbarr’s has made a generous donation to the work of SSAFA Sutherland. SSAFA (The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) is a UK-wide organisation which helps serving and retired Armed Forces personnel and their families in time of need.
The small team of volunteers in the Charities Shop raise incredible amounts of money for charity each year, thanks to their skill in identifying the potential in donations from the community: they transform some people’s unwanted bits and pieces into other people’s desirable items – and offer astonishing value in doing so.
SSAFA’s Sutherland branch – another small team of committed volunteers – is dedicated to helping needy members of the Armed Forces community here in Sutherland. SSAFA caseworkers visit clients in their homes coast-to-coast, offering support in various ways, including direct financial support. Like all SSAFA branches, SSAFA Sutherland must raise its own funds. But time spent fundraising could be better spent in helping clients – so St Finnbarr’s generous donation has given SSAFA Sutherland a massive boost.
SSAFA Sutherland Chairman William Sutherland said,
‘SSAFA Sutherland volunteers are most grateful for this wonderful donation from St Finnbarr’s Charity Shop. Our volunteers travel many miles across Sutherland to help members of the ex-Services community, and this superb donation will do a huge amount to enable us help local clients in the year ahead. We thank St Finnbarr’s Charity Shop most sincerely for thinking of us and our valuable work, and we shall ensure that their donation will be used in direct support of needy SSAFA clients.’
Fr Simon (Priest at St Finnbarr’s) said,
“We are so pleased to be able to help secure the continuing work of SSAFA in Sutherland. Their excellent work supporting the mental and physical well-being of veterans and those who currently serve in our forces is so important, and along with our donation we pray they will continue to be a lifeline for those who have worked for justice, freedom, and peace. Our sincere thanks go to our donors, volunteers, and customers for making it possible for us to support SSAFA Sutherland and other local charities in this way.”
If you can help SSAFA Sutherland, either by volunteering or in some other way, OR if you need SSAFA Sutherland’s help, contact them by phoning 07585 030742 or emailing Alisdair.Miller@Sutherland.ssafa.org.uk
St Finnbarr’s Charities Shop warmly welcomes donations of unwanted items. However, restrictions mean they are not able to accept electrical goods, and large items such as furniture, bicycles, prams etc. Thank you for considering supporting local charities by donating items to St Finnbarr’s Charities Shop.
[Photo shows Father Simon Scott of St Finnbarr’s with SSAFA Sutherland Chairman William Sutherland. Also in shot are St Finnbarr’s Shop staff Caroline Barnes (L) and Monica Dargie.]
Scottish Episcopal Church - Dornoch, Lairg, Brora, Tain & Tongue 