Tuesday 31 August 2010

LIGHTHOUSE PUBLICITY

Here's a copy of the notice I put in the bulletin for last Sunday. Since I wasn't there I haven't a clue how many folk are coming tomorrow evening, but I can hope!
We have quite a number of streets in the Parish which we want to cover with leaflets highlighting the Lighthouse. Could you spare an hour from 6.30-7.30pm this coming Wednesday night to help. It's an easy job with a big crowd. Free coffees/drinks in the Lighthouse for all helpers afterwards. Duncan.

The Bible in One Year

By all accounts, the youth service on Sunday morning went exceptionally well. It's a big day tomorrow for many of our youth along with a variety of others within the congregation! They begin the read The Bible in One Year programme which they found out about at Soul Survivor. If you would like to join them, here are the readings for the first few days. They will appear on Jonny's blog on a daily basis.

Wednesday 1st September - Genesis 1:1-2:17; Matthew 1:1-25; Psalm 1:1-6
Thursday 2nd September - Genesis 2:18-4:16; Matthew 2:1-18; Psalm 2:1-12
Friday 3rd September - Genesis 4:17-6:22; Matthew 2:19-3:17; Psalm 3:1-8
Saturday 4th September - Genesis 7:1-9:17; Matthew 4:1-22; Proverbs 1:1-7
Sunday 5th September - Genesis 9:18-11:9; Matthew 4:23-5:20; Psalm 4:1-8

greenbelt 2010

We drove 1000 miles to Greenbelt and back. It was worth every mile of the journey. So many highlights. One of them was the Applecart Theatre Company. I could wax lyrical about the power of their story telling, but instead I'll let them tell their own story.

LIGHTHOUSE VOLUNTEERS

Laura McCheyne has been a very faithful volunteer within the Lighthouse every Tuesday lunchtime since we began operating. Laura along with her husband Murray are now very involved in leading the development of St Columba's new charge, and her time as a volunteer is coming to an end today. The contribution of volunteers like Laura to the work of a fledgling Centre like the Lighthouse is beyond any calculation. The Centre will only thrive in the long term through the commitment of volunteers like Laura who can make the connection between their Christian faith and the opportunity we have to serve in Christ's name through such a venture. I would like to say a big thank you to Laura for all her work within the Lighthouse, and wish her well as she continues to serve and reach out within a new church in Inverness.

Wednesday 25 August 2010

greenbelt

One of the highlights of 2009 was my weekend at Greenbelt. I'm going again this weekend, along with Eilidh. We're camping, so hopefully the weather won't be too wet. Here's a sample of the programme which is incredibly diverse. I'm a dedicated Five live listener, so I don't listen to that much new music on the radio. I have been researching some of the bands playing at greenbelt and Ana Silvera is my pick so far.

time out

"Time Out" started up again this morning in the church with about 30 people there. It was great to see so much creativity going on. Folks getting into mosaics, glass painting, sketching, card making, felting and scrapbooking. Some didn't get around to crafting because they had so much to talk about over coffee and cake! The kid's are also catered for and have a great time in the creche which is provided by Direct Childcare http://www.directchildcare.co.uk/. For some parents it's one of the few times in the week when they are able to spend time without their children. A real time out!

edinburgh fringe

Peter and I spent an enjoyable couple of days at the Fringe. We had gone in the first place to see Duke Special, but took in a few other shows while we were there. Out of the Blue was the highlight experience for both of us.

sunday club

"The kirk sesssion (leadership) have not been able to identify anyone willing to take on leadership of the Sunday club. This being the case, Andrea Boyes and I have agreed to take on leadership on an interim basis to explore how we can do Sunday club together as a church on a basis that will enable new leaders to emerge. We have been encouraged by the amount of support we have received and the number of people who have expressed willingness to get involved. We will be using the Roots lectionary material which follows the same scripture passages as the main service, so there will be a crossover in terms of teaching. It means that parents who get involved in helping with sunday club will be learning from the same passages, possibly in a way which is more fun than the sermon! We plan to be very experimental, and as well as having a core team of helpers we will welcome the engagement and involvement of parents. We want to see whether there are ways in which we can support families in learning together. We will value your prayers, support and feedback over the coming weeks. The new format begins from next Sunday." Duncan.

"I'm looking forward to being part of sunday club in the next few months and hope that all of us, children , parents and leaders are all able to learn more about that "big book" the bible. A large part of our gospel tells us about sharing meals and friendship so part of our time will be doing just that , sharing some breakfast together and hearing a bible story as we do. It would be great to have the parents there too, help make that toast! Several people have volunteered to come and lead us in worship songs and prayers , so Im sure it will be a loud sunday morning with music to reach the highest of heavens. Games and crafts will also be part of our learning and worship (as we follow the lectionary reading), the brighter the better so for sunday club perhaps the children should bring their energy, loud voices and not their best clothes. "Andrea.

A CHURCH IN CRISIS

I stumbled upon part of this programme about the Church of Scotland called "a Church in crisis?" last night on BBC1. It made for some pretty grim viewing. One of the few glimmers of light was this church in Luss.Personally, I see the crisis as a positive thing. The good news about Jesus Christ is absolutely relevant in 21st century Scotland, but so much of what the church does and represents by the way it goes about things communicates a completely different message.

Tuesday 24 August 2010

LIGHTHOUSE

I called into the Lighthouse around 1.30pm and ended up staying for a couple of hours to help out. Over the past few months we have moved to a position where the cafe remains very busy often from before midday until closing time at 3pm. Sometimes it's so busy, that there is barely an opportunity for staff to take a break. I really enjoy the buzz around the place and the opportunity to meet and serve so many different people. Since opening in the evenings, we have been successful in recruiting a good number of volunteers, but we're still struggling in terms of support during the days, especially over the lunch hours. In many ways I find that reality quite surprising when I think of the size of our congregation. At the end of the day, I think all we can do is continue to persevere and to trust that God will continue to call new people into this exciting rollercoaster ministry.

SUNDAY CLUB

I'm having a planning and preparation day! In the absence of a new leader/s emerging for Sunday school, Andrea Boyes and I are going to be interim leaders. We are going to experiment with a variety of different ideas we have for the group, and we are going to link our times together with the lectionary Roots material. The use of Roots will mean that all ages across the congregation will be looking at the same bible passages each week, which should hopefully encourage a more cohesive learning experience. We hope that along the way, new leaders for Sunday club will emerge. We also hope that our approach will involve all ages, not just the Sunday club. This is the theory, we'll find out what the reality is when we begin! We will be starting on the first Sunday in September, so plenty planning and preparation to do!

oasis over

Matt is back home after an amazing summer in Zimbabwe. We looking forward to hearing all about his experiences in the near future

CRECHE

There are a significant number of changes taking place around our Sunday worship services this year. Last Sunday saw the launch of a more structured creche. After a short time together with the whole church family, the creche will run a programme for the older children under 3, as well as looking after the babies. Hopefully, I'll be able to share news about how this is developing in the coming weeks. Feed back from the first morning was very encouraging.

SUNDAY ALL AGE WORSHIP

It was an absolute pack out on Sunday morning, with folk sitting on the floor and standing in the corners! It was an all age worship service using SU's Back to School Sunday materials. The service worked really well, with an outstanding drama from the youth linked to Rack, Shack and Benny. Chris Watt added significant verve to the experience by leading some very active songs. We also had some feedback about soul survivor and the joy of Charlie Fraser's baptism. Next Sunday morning, the focus will turn from children and the beginning of Sunday club to youth, with Jonathan Fraser leading our service.

Friday 20 August 2010

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Laurence and Carolyn Cload on the birth of Hazel on Wednesday, a baby sister for Erica. Carolyn and Hazel are both well and are already home from hospital.

PARENT & TODDLER

The Hilton Church Parent & Toddler group began again this morning. The group has been in a rather precarious position over the last 6 months. The Thursday group came to an end and the remaining leaders were concerned as to how viable the Friday session was in terms of leadership and support from the congregation. They shared these concerns with the congregation before the summer, and the fruits of all their prayers and hard work were there for all to see this morning. There is an excellent team of leaders together with a variety of helpers from the congregation who are assisting with various aspects of the group from making tea and snacks to welcoming parents and their children. They have also produced a helpful information leaflet which I'll post here soon, so you can pass on the word to anyone who might be interested in the group. I don't think it will be long before the group is full judging by the quality of what I saw this morning. Well done to the team and thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help in this important ministry.

Thursday 19 August 2010

Camping

Men & kids camping at Badaguish, Aviemore on 10th and 11th September 2010. Please contact Alan Brown for details on 01463 715 720.

BLOG FAST

I'm back! In actual fact I've been back for the last month, but decided to give the blog a rest for the summer. The schools are back, and right on cue the sun has come out after all the rain!