
Festival of Light – Monday 31st October


This Sunday is the fifth Sunday of the month and there will be services as follows:
There will be no service in Brora this week.

This Sunday (9th October) our 11am Eucharist will be a joint service in St Finnbarr’s Dornoch.
There will be services as follows:
There will be no 11am Eucharist Service in Tain this week.



The Black Mambas are the first all-female anti-poaching organisation in the world and comprised solely of women. They are a nonprofit anti-poaching unit in South Africa, who won the Eco-Warrior Silver Award for their work combating poaching. Not only is this organization making impressive strides to reduce poaching, it is also helping to address South Africa’s unequal social climate.
The Black Mambas are a project that has not only given women a source of employment, but also a voice in their communities. They present a unique employment opportunity for South African women, many of whom are the sole earner in their families, to afford housing and schooling for their children. The women also teach the importance of their anti-poaching efforts in schools through the Bush Babies Environmental Education Program and through that have become role models for young South African girls.
You have a chance to hear about their work and meet some of them in person on:
When a group from the Black Mambas will be giving a presentation, showing a video and taking questions from the audience. This event is child-friendly, so all ages are welcome.
This formal part will last roughly an hour and afterwards there will be a Coffee and Shortbread and a chance to have an informal “chat” with the girls.
There will also be a small raffle and a “silver collection” to raise funds for their work.
There will be additional parking available in the grounds of St Finnbarr’s if the Social Club car park is full.
All are welcome to come along and meet some of these ground-breaking women in person.

You can register for this event at: https://www.empowering-success.co.uk/meet-the-mambas

During the Season of Creation, we have been holding services of Stations of Creation around the grounds of various places of worship.
The service is based around St Francis’ “Canticle of the Creatures” on which the hymn All Creatures of our God and King is based. As we move around the grounds, we pause 10 times for Scripture, Reflection and Prayer and then sing a little of All Creatures of our God and King as we move to the next stop. It is a lovely way to reflect on Creation and the Creator.
The next service is at: St Columba’s Brora on Friday 23rd September at 5:30pm
There will also be one at: St Finnbarr’s Dornoch on Tuesday 4th October at 5:30pm (The Feast of St Francis)
All are most welcome to join us either tomorrow in Brora or a week on Tuesday in Dornoch.











The Episcopal Churches in Tain, Dornoch and Brora will be open today between 10am and 5pm for anyone who wishes to have a quiet place to pray and reflect on the life and death of Queen Elizabeth II or just a quiet place to be.
At Noon, the bells in St Finnbarr’s Dornoch and St Andrew’s Tain will be tolled 96 times to mark this sad day in the life of our nation as we remember a remarkable woman who dedicated herself to a life of service for over 60 years as Queen and was carrying out her duty until two days before her death.
Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life:
Shed forth upon your faithful servant, Queen Elizabeth,
the bright beams of your light and heavenly comfort;
And grant that she, and we with her,
may at length enter into the joys of your eternal kingdom;
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
Amen.

The Season of Creation runs from 1st September until 4th October (The Feast of St Francis).
This year we have a number of things going on in addition to our usual services:
There will be five pairs of sessions, based on material produced in South Africa in 2008 by members of Green Anglicans – one after each of the midweek services in:
on:
The materials for the five sessions can now be found on the Study Group page.
There will be four services in different locations spread through the season:
The service is based around St Francis’ “Canticle of the Creatures” and at each station there is a reflection from “Laudato si” Pope Francis encyclical on Care for Creation.
