Street Pastors on the streets

Last night saw three teams of Street Pastors pounding the streets of our city centre. I left the house at nine o'clock, my heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Having met up with the prayer team, we set off in teams of four from the Old High Church hall, our pockets bulging with space blankets, flip-flops, personal alarm, a little money and mobiles.
It was an incredible night--everybody was so friendly towards us. There was no problem starting conversations with the many young folk and it was so encouraging that conversations naturally (or should I say supernaturally turned to faith, the meaning of life, Jesus and God)
We helped a fair number of people from giving blankets to the half-clothed girls to helping an unconcious young man get to hospital. We didn,t get home till quarter past four. Yes, I was whacked, but what a privelege to bring the love of Jesus to the streets. I can't wait till next Friday to do it again and go to the Market Bar to hear Fay sing at 11 o,clock. She shared her kebab with me in pouring rain in the middle of Church Street at one in the morning. God bless her!
Many other stories.
I know many of you are praying for the Inverness Street Pastors and for Ingrid and myself and I certainly was very much aware of that because God was definitely there last night. I felt entirely safe, confident and everybody we met were so appreciative of our presence on the streets. So thank you for your prayers. Ingrid goes out tonight and it will be interesting to hear her stories. Keep praying that the peace of God will rule on the streets of our city and that a generation of young people will come to experience his love and grace.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready ,even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. Luke 12v. 38
Doda

Street Pastors

Ingrid Hutchison and Doda Dennis, two of our elders, have been training to be street pastors since September. Street Pastors was launched at the Town House tonight, so I went along to give them my support and to find out more. Mark Hadfield, the organisation's leader in Inverness gave a very inspiring address outlining the motivation behind street pastors and the benefits that have been seen in communities across the UK. It's great to see the Christian churches coming together to serve the city in such a practical way. The street pastors are out on the streets from 10pm-3am next Friday night, so do remember them in your prayers.

Books for Lent

Last Sunday morning, I said I would post a list of books which I could particularly recommend. I am concious that out of the hundreds of books I have read over the years, there are probably not that many which I could be confident that most people would enjoy. The feedback from the book reviews last Sunday have highlighted for me the value of regularly reviewing books both on Sundays and using mediums like this blog. Thanks to Philip and Margaret for sharing their books reviews. It would be great to hear from many more people over the coming weeks and months. Here is a very short list of a few books which I have found especially inspiring over the years.

If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat. (John Ortberg)

Prayer (Richard Foster)

Celebration of Discipline (Richard Foster)

What's so amazing about grace (Philip Yancey)

During Lent this year, I am going to read Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard.

Congregational Board

I am just back from this evenings Board meeting. Over a time span of one and three quarter hours, we covered a massive amount of ground. We are facing huge challenges at the moment in relation to upgrading the buildings. There were reports on fire and safety, health and safety and disability access. (and that was only a fraction of the business covered!)To comply with all the relevant legislation will be very costly, but I'm sure we'll get there. What struck me most tonight as I looked around the room was how fortunate we are at Hilton to have such a skilled and committed team of people to deal with all these matters. Our Board members give countless hours of their time to ensure that the congregation's properties and finances are well looked after. If you're a member of the Board and reading this, I just wanted you to know that I deeply appreciate all your efforts.
DM

Another recommended read

I would like to tell you about a book I really enjoyed. I was very unsure when Jean gave it to me to "test run" before putting it into the church library. I thought it would be far too deep for me, but no - the more I read the more interesting I found it.
The book is called "The Christian and the Pharisee" - which is a series of letters between Rabbi David Rosen and Dr R.T. Kendall - each putting forward their (sometimes very strong) views on the way to Heaven.
It will be in the library next sunday so hopefully more will read it and understand about other peoples views and beliefs.
A really good read.
Margaret Johnston

Garfield Weston Foundation

Over the past few weeks I've submitted around 10 applications to various Trust Funds seeking to secure funding for the redevelopment of the old manse. It has been an interesting experience. The Garfield Weston Foundation are one of the Foundations which we are looking to tap into. They have got back to me over Christmas and are looking for a photo of the church and the manse to provide to their Trustees. This is one of the photos I have offered. It got me thinking. This afternoon I read this story on the BBC website about Christians in China. Their reality is very different from ours but one thing that connected me to my brothers and sisters in China through reading their story and filling in endless forms was the inevitability that God's Kingdom will come and His will will be done both in Hilton as well as on the other side of the world. This is some comfort when I get news that one of our applications went missing in the post over Christmas and we missed the deadline for submissions!!!!!

Recommended Book

Following on from Duncan's address this morning, a book came to mind for me. I first bought and read it for the Easter of the year in which I was Saved, and have never forgotten it. It is particularly appropriate for the Lent period leading up to Easter, and I think is a very powerful but reasonably short and simple book. It is entitled 'The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross' by A.W. Pink. I see that , in re-printed form, it is still available, at least on the Amazon web-site, for £4.83. Chapter by chapter it systematically covers each of the 7 phrases used by Christ on the Cross. The language is perhaps a little old fashioned by modern standards; but it portrays the fullness of the Gospel message and the richness of Christ's love. I was richly blessed by it, and have never forgotten it.

Phil Kiln

(If electronic format is your prefered format you can download the text here.)

David Budge

David Budge was flown to Aberdeen on Thursday, and received emergency heart by-pass surgery yesterday. He is making good progress and you can keep in touch with his progress via the blog which his daughter Louise is keeping.

L'arche community

Highlight of the week - a visit to the L'arche community for a meeting with Robin Sykes, leader of the community. The high point of the visit was the opportunity to share in a short worship service at Braerannoch House. Wonderful. I am going to make a real effort to link more with the community both at a personal level and in terms of fostering closer links with Hilton Church. We have a very rich link with L'arche and I hope that it will grow in the coming years. DM.

Powerful poetry of hope

this day in paradise
new feet are treading through high halls of gold
this day in paradise
new legs are striding over jewelled fields
in which the diamond is considered ordinary
this day in paradise
new eyes have glimpsed the deep fire ready
to flame the stale earth pure
this day in paradise
new blood, the rose red juice that gushed at golgotha
now ripples and races down the pure veins
of a recently arrived beloved
this day in paradise
a new heart pounds in praise
a new body shaped by sacrifice
this day in paradise
the daunting dart of death has no point
no place and no meaning
and whilst we mourn and weep through these human hours
this day in paradise
the blazing embrace between saviour and son goes on and on and on...
(by stewart henderson)

Update from Laurence and Mairi

The vernacular greeting Kiruka omwaka is more of a congratulation on having completed the year that has past, rather than an anticipatory felicitation for the year that is to come. In that greeting alone there is a cultural gulf before one can arrive at Happy New Year, as expressed in the European futuristic paradigm. Regardless of all that we would like to extend to you a hearty Weel done for 2007, a Guid new year for 2008 and an invitation to open our latest in a series of letters from Africa which you will find here.

Flu, Alpha Course and Laptops

Well folks we had a great Christmas and hope you did too! Unfortunately our eldest daughter bought us the flu along with the three grandchildren and so as she left on Thursday I took to my bed!

Anyway, thank God for laptops because rather than stare at the ceiling feeling sorry for myself I have at least been able to do something productive inbetween the medications, food and sleeping bouts.

I have managed to put an Alpha Course section on our web site. You can see this at www.hiltonchurch.org.uk/alpha/ and it contains details of the next course, how to find the venue and also allows you to print off invitations/registration forms. Gwen will put some of these in the church foyer for folk to take as well.

As I have started preparing for the course I have to confess that this last Advent season is the first that I have really taken to heart. We are blessed at Hilton with many different speakers and contributors which gives a richness of approach that I have not encountered before. As an unchurched man ‘Advent’ has always been another of those fancy ecclesiastical words that are of little or no value to modern man. How wrong of course but I wanted to use this illustration to remind our folk, most of whom are from some kind of church background, that those outside the church are indeed a ‘long way away’.

I went through the equivalent of an Alpha Course some 28 years ago and the effects were just dramatic and very wonderful. I was privileged to be given a clear understanding of the main building blocks of Christianity and a steady process of change and renewal has continued to this day. I will always be so grateful to the man that was brave enough to tell me he was a Christian, and knowledgeable enough to give me a brief and challenging explanation of what that meant.

The next Alpha Course will be starting on January 28th and it is an opportunity for us all to pray and summon up some courage to tell someone about it. That’s our Mission. Yet the course is also relevant for ‘churched’ folk too because many have never really had either time or inclination to stop and ask the really deep questions. So, whether you are challenged to tell someone about the Course or whether challenged to come along yourself I want to encourage you take that next step and as we so often say at Hilton ‘Go for it!’.

See you all soon.
Rob

Alpha Course Promotional Video

click to play

lost horizons

While we freeze on the top side of the wordl, Simon Varwell is busy in search of Mullets down under. Read all about it here.
DM

UK's eldest emigrant to set sail

I have been working on a semon tommorow which centres on the power of Ideas. This article encourages us to believe that it is never too late.
DM

Accomodation needed

It seems likely that we will have an assistant minister at Hilton Church doing a probationary period of 15 months from the summer. Hopefully, we can confirm this within the next few weeks. A major priority for him is to find accomodation for himself and his wife for 15 months from July/ August. If you know of any suitable flat or house which is available for rent from the summer could you contact Duncan MacPherson (01463 233310)

2008

Happy New Year everyone
Bliadhna Mhath Ur a h-uile duine.