A large turn out for the Remembrance Service in Dornoch today.
Author: sheumais
The latest addition to the Body of Christ
Wonderful gathering today at St Andrew’s, as we welcomed Skye Jessie Kemmett into the Body of Christ. St Andrew’s hasn’t seen that many children at a Sunday Service for quite a while.
Reclaiming the Light
Lairg Christians Together held a Light Party yesterday evening in Lairg Community Centre, at which between 20 and 30 children (difficult to count them all in the dark:-), plus helpers and parents, enjoyed a splendid time. It really was fun for everyone!!
Light Parties have been held by churches with the help of Scripture Union teaching materials. They’re focused on offering an alternative message around the time of what many people associate as Halloween. The idea is that as a church we share the good news of Jesus with the young folk at Halloween. It’s all about ‘Jesus the Light of the World‘.
Our Light Party was called “The Lost Sun” with bible teaching, games, crafts and, like any good party, lots of party food. A wonderful celebration of Jesus being the light in the darkness and about us being called to follow him. A really encouraging message in place of all the ghouls and monster type stuff that’s on offer in the shops at the moment. However there were scary moments, such as when James was ‘dressed up’ as a Sun by a group of very enthusiastic young folk.
The road to eternal freedom
We are now entering what some call the ‘Season of Remembrance’. It starts with All Saints on 1st November, followed by All Souls on 2nd and continues until Remembrance Sunday (this year on 10th) and Armistice Day on 11th. It’s a time when we remember the Saints of the Church, those men and women who are recognised as having an exceptional degree of holiness and who are felt to have a particular likeness or closeness to God. We remember also friends and family members, who we have loved but see no more. And of course we remember those who have given their lives in the armed conflicts of more than 100 years. In churches and communities across the United Kingdom, all of these events are marked with public acts of worship and of remembrance.
On April 5, 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and teacher, was arrested by the Gestapo and thrown into prison; on April 9, 1945, he was executed. Whilst incarcerated, he wrote a collection of the letters, essays and poems. They were addressed to his parents and to a friend, and form an extraordinary picture of a sensitive man whose faith and dedication to service never wavered, whose spiritual depth enabled him to overcome the most trying of circumstances. He was a man of great faith, intelligence and compassion, who understood so well the problems of the modern world. Resisting ease and compromise, he was constantly ministering to his fellow prisoners right up to the time of his death. He was a saint, a friend to many and a casualty of war and therefore has a part in each element of our Season of Remembrance.
One of the short pieces that he wrote to his friend Eberhard Bethge is called “Stations on the Road to Freedom”. In it there’s a short verse on each of four ‘stations’ on that road: Discipline, Action, Suffering and Death. This last he described as “the supreme festival on the road to freedom”. The verse on Death reads as follows:
Come now, Queen of the feasts on the road to eternal freedom!
O death, cast off the grievous chains and lay low the
thick walls of our mortal body and our blinded soul,
that at last we may behold what here we have failed to see.
O freedom, long have we sought thee in discipline and in action and in suffering.
Dying, we behold thee now, and see thee in the face of God.
Blessings
James
Beauty and The Beak – a Black Isle Odyssey
Monday 11th November
Rev. Sandy Sutherland
will be giving a presentation (slides and talk) at “Umbrella” titled
‘Beauty and The Beak–A Black Isle Odyssey’
Sandy is a retired Free Church minister and an excellent bird photographer.
“Umbrella” is a non-denominational Christian social group who meet each Monday, 10.30 – 12 O’clock at The Stag’s Head Hotel on Main Street in Golspie.
This talk is a good opportunity for anyone who has not tried “Umbrella” to come along and give it a try. They would be assured of a warm welcome.
Tain Youth Cafe Light Party 1st Nov
A light Party
No Halloween costumes allowed!!!!!
Friday 1st November 7-8.30 pm
Entry £2
This will be a Onzie Disco and feature Games, Disc, Art and Craft like Badge making etc.
It is being run by jointly by the Tain Youth Cafe YMCA and the Tain New Wine Church.
Tain Youth Cafe AGM 4th Nov at 7:30pm
Tain Youth Cafe AGM
will take place on
Monday 4th November at 7.30 pm
and will incorporate the official opening of the
Elizabeth Hood Training suite
and a presentation by those who went to London for the
YMCA 175th Anniversary event.
All are Welcome!!
Quebec in the Highlands
Today we were delighted to welcome Bishop Bruce Myers and The Venerable Edward Simonton from the Anglican Diocese of Quebec. +Bruce preached in Tain and Ven Edward in Dornoch. In his address +Bruce told us about the scattered small congregations in his Diocese (nothing familiar there then:-)
He told us that when he first became Bishop, he put up a map of his Diocese and inserted a pin for each congregation. He had without thinking about it used yellow pins and the 68 pins looked like mustard seeds scattered across the map. How fitting was today’s Gospel – “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6)
Little Red Riding Hood Piped in to Tea
This afternoon was the annual tea for the volunteers and supporters of the St Finnbarr’s Charities Shop. 40 people gathered in the Dornoch Social Club and were treated to a splendid afternoon tea prepared by a local Patisserie and Cafe.
The gathering was entertained by not one but two “well kent faces”, one who talked about the Northumbrian Small Pipes and played us a few lovely tunes:
The other demonstrated to us how familiar children’s stories have changed since we were all at school:
Needless to say a good time was had by all. Thanks to everyone who made it such a lovely afternoon.
During proceedings, a presentation was made to Tom and Monica who have clocked up a large number of years between them ob St Finnbarr’s Vestry and who now will perhaps have more time for other activities:-) We are all very grateful for what you have done over the years.
Choral Evensong – 6th October – Inverness Cathedral
Sunday 6th Ocober at 5:30pm
Choral Evensong at Inverness Cathedral
This will an be occasion to mark the retirement of our Diocesan Registrar,
George MacWilliam.
All are welcome at the service and to show their gratitude
for the many years of service George has given to our diocese.
There will be refreshments served after the service.
The Cathedral can be contacted at
invernesscathedraloffice@gmail.com
01463 225553
9-11 Kenneth Street | Inverness | IV3 5NR
Scottish Episcopal Church - Dornoch, Lairg, Brora, Tain & Tongue 