Focus On...

Focus On... Cross (Ness)

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:13:50 +0000

FOCUS ON CROSS (A.K.A. NESS)
The congregation of Cross Free Church (Continuing) actually meet in the village of North Dell, just south of Cross village, in the district of Ness. Ness is the most northerly area of the island of Lewis and has a population of between 1800-2000 souls.

The congregational name comes from pre-2000 when the place of worship was (and still is for the majority) in the village of Cross. In fact, the Continuing congregation have their roots pre-2000, when two elders of Cross Free Church were put under discipline by the then Kirk Session of Cross for attending services in Stornoway Relief Free Church.

From this beginning the Lord has honoured the stand of these men and others, and shortly thereafter they began to meet in the North Dell Community Hall. The congregation grew steadily at the beginning as more people came to the point where they could no longer remain in Cross FC congregation.

Having worshipped in the hall for more than 3 years the congregation completed their own building on gifted land once part of Dell Farm. The new church has cemented the permanence of the congregation and is testament to the Lord supplying all our wants.

For three years following 2000 the congregation were guided by Rev JA Gillies as both Interim-Moderator and long term resident supply.

In 2004 Rev G MacDonald accepted a call to his first charge in Ness.

The congregation now numbers about 50 on Sabbath morning and 65 in the evening. There is a weekly Prayer Meeting on Wednesday and a monthly one on the first Monday of the month. Sabbath School meets shortly before the evening service. All services are recorded and are available as digital recordings from our new web site:
www.nesschurch.co.uk

Work has recently begun on a new manse adjacent to the church which we are sure will be of great use to the congregation when it is completed.

With four Presbyterian congregations in the area some might wonder what scope there is for growth. Plenty! At the most only about 20% of the population of Ness attend services regularly. As well as many local people who have no live church connection, the Lord has brought many other people from out with the island into the district.

Points for prayer

That the Gospel would impact on their lives and that they would enjoy not only the peace and safety of island life, but the peace of God and the love of Christ.
That the unconverted souls who attend services would be arrested and converted.
That families in the district would be preserved from Satan’s attacks.
That homes where there is now one Christian witness would be united together in the gospel.
That baptised people who have cast off the claims of Christ would be convicted of their neglect and sin, and return to the Saviour.
That the ministry would be blessed to build up the saints in their faith.
That the manse building would be an opportunity for adherents to get involved with the congregation, not a cause of distraction from spiritual things.
That the upcoming communions would awake the dead and assure the doubting.
That those who would like to attend prayer meetings would be given the strength to do so.

Thank you for your interest in our congregation and for taking the time to read this. May the Lord bless us with a lively interest in the work of his Kingdom across the globe!

Focus On... Bracadale

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 22:45:42 +0000

FOCUS ON BRACADALE/DUIRINISH
Bracadale is a Parish on the north west side of Skye. It covers an area from the River Caroy through Ose, Struan, Satran, Carbost, Fernilea, Portnalong to Fiskavaig.
Early days
Bracadale is especially notable, spiritually, for the early ministries of John Shaw (1812-1823) and Roderick Macleod (‘Maightir Ruairi’)(1823-1839), before Disruption times (1843). Of Shaw it was said “He was a holy, humble man, of retiring disposition, and much given to prayer.” Times of awakening were associated with Maightir Ruairi’s ministry, both at Bracadale and afterwards at Snizort. “His ministry in Bracadale,” it was said, “… had many trials, but he also had great encouragement in his work. His church was crowded with eager hearers Sabbath after Sabbath … and Bracadale became famous as the birth-place of souls.” The Church where these men ministered is still there, occupied now by the Free Presbyterians. Shaw and Macleod are buried in the graveyard at the back of the Church.
More recent history
As far as Bracadale is concerned, the minister in the Free Church at 1900 went in to the union that year of Free and United Presbyterian Churches. There was subsequently no minister settled in the congregation before 1930. Since then there has been more or a less a continuous succession of faithful ministries and many people have been converted to Christ in the congregation over the years.

Current services
Presently there are Church buildings used at Carbost and Struan. Lord’s day services are held in Struan at 11am (with a Sabbath School beginning before the service from 10.30), and at Carbost at 6pm. There is a prayer meeting on Wednesday at 7.30pm, alternating between Struan and Carbost.

Duirinish
Effectively the Duirinish congregation is attached to the Bracadale congregation, though not formally so. The Bracadale minister is Interim Moderator and bears the main weight of the preaching ministry. The congregation meets in the Waternish Hall at Hallin on the Lord’s day at 2.30 and midweek on Thursday at 7.30pm. This was the one congregation on the Island in 2000 in which the resident minister did not adhere to the ‘continuing’ part of the Free Church.
Communions
Communions are held around the first Lord’s day in April and the second Lord’s day in July in the Bracadale congregation. There is a communion held around the third Lord’s day in August in Waternish.

Prayer requests
May the Lord come again in our day with such spiritual blessing which has been known in the past! Here are a few items for prayer:
Pray that we may be guided about the development of the congregation at Waternish, both in terms of supply and location
Pray for health and strength for the present Bracadale minister that he may be helped in the ministry in both Bracadale and Waternish
Pray for the small Sabbath School at Struan that the Lord may touch the hearts of the children and bless the young families we do have connected with the congregation
Pray for a resolution of property matters which in Bracadale remain still unresolved and are consequently unsettling

Focus On... Arran

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:02:34 +0100

The Isle of Arran is situated within the Firth of Clyde, the main ferry taking 55 mins from Ardrossan to Brodick.

The island has great scenic beauty and is often described as Scotland in miniature , having most of the attributes of the mainland within its small area - the road around the edge is about 60 miles. The island is bisected by the String Road with the more mountainous area to the North and rolling land to the South.

The main area of population is in the South of the East coast containing Brodick, Lamlash and Whiting Bay. The economy largely relies upon tourism and farming together with a few smaller enterprises. The resident population is around 5,000 .

The Free Church of Scotland ( Continuing ) has one congregation of 14 members plus adherents and youngsters . We meet in the Common Room of the sheltered-housing
complex in Glencloy Road, Brodick for the Sabbath 11AM service and at the Manse or other members’ homes for the 7PM service and for prayer ( 7pm Wed. ) and for other meetings. The Free Church buildings are presently under the control of the majority Free Church.

Arran has had a distinguished Christian history, particularly in the Free Church which, at the end of the 19th century saw a congregation in each of the main villages. The Island has known Revival, particularly in the early 19th century. Additionally, Rev. Kenneth Macrae gives a graphic account of a memorable Communion in June 1916, as well as accounts of his later visits to the Island, in his Diary (Banner of Truth ).

The incidence of Evangelical Christian worship has declined over the post-war years and is now at a low ebb with a general apathy towards the Gospel prevailing.

It is no surprise that in this day of small things Arran is affected by the anti-Christian wave that is sweeping the Nation. As ever, we value your prayers.

More images, to draw you over to the island are included below.

Focus On... Ayr

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:09:48 +0100

Ayr is a town in the south west of Scotland, approximately 35miles south of Glasgow, with a population of about 45,000 people. A number of other large towns such as Kilmarnock, Irvine and Kilwinning lie within a 15 mile radius of Ayr itself and the population of the county is approaching 375,000.

This whole region has a rich Christian Heritage and the names of many notable ministers are linked to the county. John Welsh, son in law of John Knox, was minister in Ayr early in the 17th century. David Dickson preached in Irvine around the same period, while later that century Alexander Peden, Donald Cargill, Richard Cameron among a great cloud of Covenanter witnesses contended faithfully for Crown Rights of Christ on the hills and moors of Ayrshire.

Today the cause of God is low in the area. We are thankful that evangelical churches can still be found, but on the whole, this evangelicalism is a long way from the robust Reformed and Calvinistic faith of our forefathers. Yet they died in the hope that their blood would be the seed of the Church and that the covenants would yet be Scotland’s reviving. At times we may get discouraged comparing the state of religion today with theirs, then on the other we are thankful that the Lord has still preserved a witness and we are privileged to enter into the their labours.

We are a small congregation. At the division of 2000 we had no congregation in Ayr. A proportion of our current congregation who had previously worshipped in the Free Church in the town had left prior to 2000 and were worshipping in congregations in Glasgow. After the division they were asked if they would consider planting a Free Church (Continuing) congregation in Ayr. They consented, and services commenced in 2001 and have continued faithfully until the present.

Some of the original members have entered their eternal reward such as Willie and Jenny Russell. Others like Raymond and Heather Kemp have moved into a different area because of work commitments. Their labour is not forgotten and in the kindness of the Lord others have come along to take their place. For the first few years the congregation was faithfully supplied by retired ministers and elders from our congregations in Glasgow. Prayer meetings were held weekly in the homes of the members and in 2006 the Lord answered the ardent desire of the people in placing a pastor over them. In March of that year Rev. Gavin Beers was ordained as minister of the congregation.

While we are a small congregation we are glad to have a number of young families in our midst. The age of the congregation spans from infants to senior citizens with 16 members, 12 children, and a number of adherents. We have one elder, Mr. James Frew who is willing and able to conduct the services when the minister is absent. The services on the Lord’s day are held in Heathfield community centre at 11:00am and 5:30pm. A mid-week prayer meeting is held in one of our members’ home in Kilwinning. A guided reading course is held monthly in the manse where set chapters of a prescribed Christian book are reviewed and discussed.

Points for Prayer
1. We have had a number of new people come into our congregation. Some are Christians and others are not. Please pray that the Lord would save sinners and help those who have come in to settle in the congregation.
2. We currently own no property. Please pray that the Lord would build us a congregation; provide us with a manse and a building suitable for us to worship in.
3. Our children. That none of them would perish but all would come to repentance and that they would serve the Lord from their youth.

Focus On... Aultbea

Mon, 7 May 2007 10:20:27 +0100

Poolewe and Aultbea Free Church (Continuing) is the proper 'ecclesiastical' name of our congregation, although informally we are usually just referred to as the Aultbea congregation. The congregation was left much depleted after the division in 2000. Both Poolewe and Aultbea are in Wester Ross, a part of the north west highlands renowned for its scenic beauty - the rugged wilderness, the dramatic mountainscape and the unspoilt coastline are all here. The communities are scattered, but close-knit and although on average church attendance has dropped across the denominations in the last decade there is still a certain respect amongst the indigenous population for the Christian religion.

We meet for worship in Bualnaluib (pron. Bool-na-loo-ib) Primary School, which is the local primary school in Aultbea and is situated just outside the village. This has been a wonderful provision for us as we are able to meet here for all our weekly services and for any additional meetings we may wish to have. The hourly cost is very reasonable. There is also plenty of parking!

Our congregation consists of seven members, although one is no longer able to attend the services; we have around nine adherents. Sadly we have witnessed the passing of a number of members and adherents in recent years, but God has enabled us to rejoice in Him and know His ever-abiding Presence. In October '06 we were encouraged by the arrival of a Hungarian family into our midst. This has greatly reduced the average age of the congregation!

Although the bulk of the congregation comes from Aultbea, one couple comes from Poolewe (ten minutes drive from Aultbea); one lady comes from Gairloch (a twenty minute drive); another couple come from Melvaig (a forty-five minute drive, partly over a single track clifftop road).

We have been vacant since the division in 2000, but have been blessed with regular supply since then, arranged for most of that time by our interim-moderator, the Rev. Graeme Craig, who also visits and preaches for the congregation on a regular basis, as well as taking a practical interest in all aspects of the congregation.

There are a number of retired ministers and elders in the Inverness area who regularly make the journey north-west to preach to us. It is a scenic drive, but takes about one and a half hours. Some of those who regularly supplied us over the past years are now no longer able to do so, but we owe them a debt of gratitude and to those who still come for being so willing to travel and for their ministry amongst us. At times we also have resident supply, provided again by some of our retired ministers or by our divinity students.

One of our two elders is also an able preacher and he willingly takes most of our prayer meetings. We are indebted to all those who preach for us, but above all we praise the Lord for His gracious Presence in our gatherings. We can attest to the fact that 'where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.'

Matters for prayer:
• that the Lord's guiding hand would be upon us as we seek to fill the vacancy and that we would continue to look to Him in all these matters: 'Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.'
• that the Lord would in His time add to our numbers
• that the Lord would enable each of us to bear witness to those around us and seek to reach out especially to the lost