Last Sunday we gave thanks for the harvest at St Finnbarr’s in Dornoch. Classic harvest hymns including ‘We plough the fields and scatter’, a sermon featuring magic pumpkins and prayers of thanksgiving to our mighty creator God were all part of the fun!
Our thanksgiving collection included over 30kg of foodstuffs and £150 all of which was donated to Christian Community Action Support TeamHighland who are based in Tain. The food of course goes to the Food Bank and the money goes to help those who are finding it financially challenging to afford the power to cook their food.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Who has made heaven and earth. Amen!
A wonderful ‘Bring a Friend to Church‘ Harvest Festival in St Andrew’s this morning. The church was beautifully decorated by a very talented team with flowers and vegetables all around the church.
Jamie Campbell provided uplifting musical accompaniment and the large congregation were in fine voice.
Finally, after the service we all adjourned to the hall to share food and fellowship.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped and to all the friends and family members who joined us this morning.
To coincide with Doors Open Day in Tain this weekend, we have prepared a 12 page booklet about the Church, its furnishings, it’s stained glass and its memorials to help our visitors to appreciate the history of both the building and its congregation. Some of the material has been drawn from existing web pages about St Andrew’s, but a new pageon the stained glass has been created to fill an obvious gap. If anyone has additional details or spots any errors, please get in touch.
In memory of Elizabeth Mary Boys and her brother George Murray, children of Kenneth Murray of Geanies.
Last Sunday Canon James and Anna joined a wonderful choral evensong at St John’s Forres to bid farewell to Canon Robin Forrest a former Rector of St John’s and former Dean of the Diocese. Canon Robin is moving south to live with family in either Cumbrae or Wrexham. It all depends on whether he is finally taken in by his daughter or his Son:-)
What is perhaps more interesting to members of the East Sutherland and Tain congregations is that in 1981 Canon Robin joined Anna and James in Holy Matrimony in St Finnbarr’s, Dornoch and as Canon Robin put it “they have been living with the consequences ever since“.
Father Simon and several members of St Finnbarr’s congregation were involved in blessing and naming the new East Sutherland Rescue Association (ESRA) lifeboat this afternoon in Dornoch. The “Wildland” is a whole new capability for ESRA and, together with considerable ancillary equipment, has been very generously funded by Mr Anders Povlson.
The boat was formally (and brilliantly) named by Ms Kim Tulloch DL with the Lord-Lieutenant in attendance. Prayers were led by the Revd John Chambers OBE who chairs the Friends of ESRA. A blessing was conducted by Father Simon Scott with the help of local children who anointed both boat and crew (perfectly).
The L-L thanked Mr Neil Dalton and his team for such a successful ceremony. He then spoke of Sir Francis Drake’s prayer which reminds us that “….in any great venture….it is not the beginning but the continuing to the end which yields the true glory” and thus the vital need for enduring support for ESRA both financially and in finding volunteers to man the boat and to support her.
Lord we pray for the safety of this vessel during her years of service. Protect and strengthen all those who will crew her, and bring all those she is sent out to rescue safely to shore. Amen.
Yesterday evening our friends from the Ukraine, the Kyiv Classic Accordion Duo made their fourteenth visit to St Finnbarr’s to enthral all who heard them with skill and virtuosity and raise money for the victims of the war in Ukraine.
They played a varied concert of classical and folk music by a whole host of composers: Vivaldi, Widor, Albinoni, Bizet, Piazzolla, Zubitsky, Vlasov and Sarasate. And the very appreciative audience collected the staggering sum of over £1000 for the boys to take back with them to help just a little back home in Ukraine.
Igor and Oleksiy studied at the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev and began to perform professionally in 2002. Oleksiy plays in the Orchestra of the National Radio of Ukraine; Igor works in the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. They have been back on tour now every year since 2009 (except the COVID years) and now of course there is the war in Ukraine and the victims of that tragedy, the beneficiaries of this year’s tour.
Using two contemporary button accordions this pair can make the sound of a small squeezebox, a big church organ, a string quartet and even an orchestra playing such a variety of musical styles that at time it took our breath away. Thanks very much to Igor and Olesky, to the ‘St Finnbarr’s elves for organising and providing refreshments and to the audience for their generosity.
Ukrainian Accordionists
Prayer for all in Ukraine
We pray for Igor and Oleskiy, their families and friends, those supported by their charity work and all the people of Ukraine in this time of danger, fear and conflict.
Lord of all the earth, be present with the people of Ukraine at this time of danger, fear, and conflict. Grant that wise and peaceable counsels may yet prevail, and give to all suffering nations the freedom they desire and deserve. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Holy God,
We hold before you all who live close to war and conflict; and all who live close to the threat of war and violence. We remember especially at this time, people in Ukraine and Russia. We pray for nonviolence and peaceful resolutions of conflict. Give us hearts of hospitality and sanctuary, forgive us all our hostility and hatred. Bring all people to the humanity you give us, and to the reconciliation and healing for which you gave your life. Strengthen us all to work with you to build justice and peace, reconciliation and healing, in our hearts and homes, in our streets, in all communities, neighbourhoods and nations. Bless all who live lives for the peace and wellbeing of others, and make their service fruitful. In the name of Christ. Amen.
A joyous and uplifting Songs of Praise in the Golspie Gala Marquee this evening which was attended by over 60 people who sang out with great enthusiasm. We also heard a number of readings from Scripture, prayed for the Golspie community and its summer visitors and remembered absent friends and those who have attended these services over the past 50 years.
The service was attended by Gala Queen Mea and her attendants Chelsea and Tyler and led jointly by Simon and James.
It was lovely to welcome a former Rector of St Andrew’s to our worship this morning (actually the last but 9) Canon Darrel Speedy, accompanied by his wife Rev Angela and his middle son Paul together with his wife Bernadette. Darrel was Rector from 1979-1985, but of course there were one of two present who remembered him and who he remembered also (including Prue and Corbie Douglas-Menzies).
Scottish Episcopal Church - Dornoch, Lairg, Brora, Tain & Tongue 