HOSPITALITY

Tonight we have our last Impact Cafe of the year to celebrate the beginning of Advent. We're delighted to welcome back Rob Barlow (who will be sharing tonight)who began our cafe services over 2 years ago. After the cafe, Nitelife are hosting youth groups from Inshes Church and Beauly at the Light house. There is a real energy and life about Hilton Church these days which is reflected in the fact that so much of our time is centred around hospitality and welcome. Thanks to everyone who is sharing their gifts in this vital way.

BANA CEILIDH

A very successful ceildh last night in support of the Bana Trust. A magnificent band, (Malcie Munro, Murray McCheyne, Ken Walker & Barry Dennis) and a massive crowd, the majority of whom were under the age of 18. Well done to Nitelife for organising such an enjoyable evening. To date, the ceildh has raised £840. THIS FIGURE HAS NOW RISEN TO A MAGNIFICENT £925.

BANA TRUST

Robyn Hammond now has her own blog up and running. If you want to keep up to date with her adventures, you can click on the link here and on the church blog sidebar.

AMAZON HOPE

Iain Whyte, consultant opthamologist at Raigmore Hospital is flying to Peru today. He is going to be doing eye surgery for the next week on AH1 at Iquitos on the River Amazon. To get an idea of the sort of work Iain will be doing you can read here

I saw this film poster for the new film Twilight this week in Glasgow. The tag line:" When you are going to live for ever what are you going to live for"

Sounds so like Dallas Willard's"In view of the fact you are an eternal spiritual being,how are you going to spent the rest of you life ! " Great question. Have we got a good answer ? I hope so. (Philip Noble)

I'M ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE

A fascinating article which reflects a new approach to political engagement. I wonder what message the church should be taking from this?

Too much to do?

Thanks to Noddy for introducing a note of humour into my day.

Light House Blog

Hello, Gwen Barlow here just to let you know that a blog has now been set up for news from The Light House. You can access the blog here or there is a more permanent link in the right hand column of this blog. Enjoy!
Blessings!
Gwen

TOP 10 BOOKS

Times online have an interesting article on amazon's top 10 best selling christian books, which you can read here

Christmas cards

The Bible, but not as you know it

The bible but not as you know it.

ST STEPHENS CHURCH, INVERNESS

We have received this email from Peter Nimmo at St Stephens.

For the past few months we have been employing a sign language interpreter at some of our services, and we have now decided to make this a permanent arrangement. It started off with a request for one person, but we think that there will be many deaf people in other congregations who would like to attend such a service, and so I am asking if you would intimate this in your Sunday announcements. Our interpreter will be at the services on the first Sunday of each month, which of course would allow folk to continue to maintain their connection with their existing congregations, whilst also being able to enjoy worship with sign language.

Next Sunday's 10am service at St Stephen's, Southside Road will include sign language interpretation for the deaf. Anyone who would appreciate this will be made most welcome. Old High St Stephen's Church of Scotland intend to continue to offer this on the first Sunday of each month, the next service being on 5 January. More details from Alison Pyott (01463 239 299), or from the Minister, the Rev Peter W Nimmo (01463 250 802).

MAGGI DAWN

Advent is nearly upon us. During Advent last year I read Maggi Dawn's book Beginnings and endings (and what happens in between). It has a chapter for each day in the season. I have posted some more information about the book here. It is a truly outstanding book which gives many fresh insights.

KINGSVIEW CHRISTIAN CENTRE

I was invited today to speak at a weekly lunch club hosted by Kingsview Christian Centre. The Centre hosts a meal for around 40 people from the community each week. There is so much good service quietly offered in Christ's name across the City. The facilities within the Centre are truly outstanding.. Worth a look if you are ever in the area. It was also good to have a chat over lunch with the pastor, Calum MacInnes (Angus's dad).

LIGHTHOUSE

A great day for working outside. Peter MacKenzie and Stephen Weatherall have been working hard to get the new fencing completed.

I met John & Olive Drane yesterday at the emerging church conference. Here is a review of John's most recent book After McDonaldization

As ever John Drane shows himself to be insightful and provocative with a concern for the future and mission and ministry of the Church in his recent book 'After McDonalidization'. At times his critique is incisive, one might say sharp, indeed cutting. Writing about the resistance that can be encoutered by people trying to 'break into' churches from those already there he states: 'I have come to realize that such hostility is far from unusual, and is actually quite deeply ingrained in the atitudes of many Christian people. tolerance of incomers-let alone showing friendship to them - is not even on their radar'. A quote offered by Drane from the journalist John Shore is if anything even more damming: 'Why are so many Christians so obnoxious and mean-spirited? It seems like Christianity's mostly about being judgemental, narrow minded, and having an infuriatingly condescending attitude towards anyone who isn't a Christian. Christians are so busy being smug about being Christian that they forget to be kind'. With such analysis it is perhaps not surprising that the remedy offered is not a programme or better publicity but a 'practice'. Drane writes, 'A central identifying mark of an authentic Gospel community in the twenty-first century (as in the first century) will be hospitality, a gift that invariably blesses thise who give as well as those who receive.'
Practicing hospitality it seems to me requires overcoming fear, the sense of the privacy and possession of 'my own space' and the 'ah but' feeling that excludes some people in our hearts and minds before we have ever welcomed them, and it also involves trusting in the transforming power of the Gospel and Gospel community honestly shared and lived. Not sure which of these may create us the greatest problem. Naming such difficulties, fears, and feelings, however, and talking them through rather than saying we should offer hospitality and then not doing so is perhaps something that requires time and attention. It certainly does if Drane is right in both his analysis and solution.
Good book, worth a read.
Stuart Blythe

ALL I NEED

It was great to see some of our youth involved in helping Audrey Whyte with the Traidcraft stall on Sunday morning. Significant amounts of chocolate were sold!Here is a very telling clip from Radiohead which highlights the issue of child slavery

EMERGING CHURCH

There is a great deal of interest and discussion these days centred around developing new forms of Christian community. We have grown up with a model of church which is centred around a gathering at 11am on a Sunday morning. This model is in terminal decline in the West. It nolonger connects with society in the way it once did. Many people who are part of this inherited structure also struggle. Research indicates that many people have left the church but have not abandoned their faith. Yesterday, I attending a conference at The Hub in Gilmerton which was exploring these issues. We heard a number of stories of christian churches who are seeking to engage in new ways across Scotland. I was particularly impressed by the work of Hot Chocolate in Dundee. This is something I really want to explore further in Hilton and beyond. What kind of church will engage with the families of all the children we work with through the schools and clubs we run? What kind of church will truly be home to the young people who Youth Inclusive work with? We can't do it all at Hilton, but what we can do is create space for new expressions of Christian community to emerge. What we can do is encourage those with the vision for these new expressions to have a go.

FUTURE EVENT

I travelled down to Edinburgh with Roy Searle after the weekend. He thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of sharing with us at Hilton Church, and was keen to explore the possibility of returning in the future with other members of the Northumbrian Community. I have been delighted to hear so much positive comment about the weekend. If you would like to comment on this blog, that would be much appreciated. What was so good about the weekend for you?Would you like to have a similar weekend in the future?

The Advent Antiphons

This video was created by friends of mine in the States last year to express something of the longings and anguish that characterise the season of advent. The video works through the seven medieval advent 'antiphons' (cries or chants) which are the basis for the hymn 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel.' Each antiphon is a biblical name for Jesus. The purpose of the film is to visually represent the longings of advent to which Jesus is God's response. For example, for the medieval Christians to cry out 'O Sapientia' (O Wisdom) demonstrates their longing for the knowledge that exceeds all human understanding. So the character is found searching for information in a library but is unable to find what he is, ultimately, looking for.
A few other things to look out for... Purple is the traditional colour of advent and, by wearing the hooded tops of that colour, the film-makers were illustrating how Christ comes into the midst of our experiences. By shedding the purple tops at the end of each sequence, revealing a white tops beneath, they signify that Christ not only meets with us, but that he is answer to our longings and the full realisation of God's promises.
Finally, they discovered that the first letters of the Latin names of Jesus in the antiphons spelt 'Ero Cras' which translates as 'Tomorrow I Will Be There,' which is the great hope of advent and the greatest promise of them all - Emmanuel, God with us!
This is well worth meditating on this advent.

Jonathan

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=SUNA,SUNA:2006-48,SUNA:en&q=ero%20cras&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#

LIFE WITH GOD

Northumbrian Community

Roy Searle, one of our speakers for LIFE WITH GOD is a leader within the Northumbrian Community. If you want to find out more about this community here is a link.

LIFE WITH GOD

Just back from LIFE WITH GOD.It was such a good time. Roy Searle together with Philip and Rosalind Noble led the gathering in such an encouraging way. I'll write some more about it next week and post a few pictures. I'm off to an Emerging Church Day in Edinburgh immediately after the morning service tomorrow. If you are reading this and you would like to record your thoughts about the weekend , please add your comments. I would love to read what other people thought of the weekend.

PROJECT TEAM PARTY

The Lighthouse Project Team had its final meeting last night. A time to celebrate a year of hard work and achievement as a team. A time to look back and reflect on how God has led us on a quite amazing journey. We have all really enjoyed sharing together. There has been a great sense of harmony within the team. We have laughed a lot! It has been a time of great excitement, but one thing we all felt was that it is NOW and in the future that the really exciting things will begin to happen as people begin to use the building. (The only person missing from this picture is Carol Sharp, who has done an outstanding job as the financial controller for the project.)

After the formal proceedings, we shared together in an Indian meal. A fitting way to end this chapter in the Lighthouse's development. The baton now passes to the Management Team, and we will keep you posted on it's work in the coming months. Gwen, our manager is starting a new blog on the The Lighthouse this coming week.

Stressed

If you are feeling stressed here are a few helpful tips, with thanks to Anne droid.
for the link.

WORSHIP 2009

I have spent some time this week beginning to plan towards 2009. At the 10am services beginning next Sunday(1st Sunday in advent), we are going to follow the readings from the Lectionary. We will do this for one year. For some months we have been following the Lectionary for our team meetings on Tuesday morning. It is a helpful discipline in that over a period of time it leads you to all parts of the Scriptures and forces you to engage with parts of the bible you may otherwise not cover. A bit like the Minor Prophets!

RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL

Philip Noble, who will be with us tomorrow for LIFE WITH GOD recommended this book to me some time ago. I read it this week as a preparation for the weekend. On Friday night the theme will be GRACE. The Ragamuffin Christian by Brennan Manning is a grace filled book. It is a easy book to read and one which will bring you much encouragement. The reviews on amazon will give you a flavour of the books content and impact. Brennan Manning is a very interesting figure and you can read a fascinating article about his life here.

The Light house

Work is steadily going on in and around the Light house. Today, a long time friend of Hilton Church, Peter MacKenzie arrived to put up some fencing at the side and bottom of the garden. We are grateful to so many people like Peter, who have given so freely of their time for the project. We plan to create an enclosed garden which will provide a safe space for children.Last night the new Management Team who will be responsible for running the centre along with Gwen met for the first time. Tonight, the Building Project Team meets for the last time. It will be a short meeting followed by an Indian meal. An opportunity to celebrate an exciting journey over the past year. I'll try and post some pictures of the team tomorrow. I was re-reading the following post by Stuart MacQuarrie nearly one year ago after a time of prayer for the Project. God is good. "What an exciting time to be at Hilton...."

Adapt & Prosper

No question about it, the arrival of children changes the balance and the dynamic of your relationship with your spouse. It brings both blessing and strain at times. It can be the catalyst for moving your relationship on to a new and higher level. But if we are not careful it can also cause us to drift a little in our care for one another as a couple because we are so focused on the needs of the child / children. ADAPT is a short session on how to look after your relationship when there is a new baby or small children in the home. Learn about:

How to love in the language of your partner.
Good habits to foster. Bad habits to avoid.
The Importance of Dad.

Hilton Church Small Hall.
Wed Nov 26th 10 – 11.15am or 7.30 – 8.45pm.
(Play space available for small children in the morning)
Come on your own or come as couple.

BIBLE WORLD

Bibleworld mobile classroom trailer to be sited at two Inverness schools during the month of November.

Inverness Royal Academy - Monday 17 to Friday 21 November, 2008

Inverness High School - Monday 24 to Friday 28 November, 2008

LIFE WITH GOD

4 days to our conference and we now have over 70 people signed up. This is a really encouraging number.

LETTER FROM LESOTHO

Well, here we are having been in Lesotho now for two weeks. All is well – my friend Ruth who came with me to help me settle in (and make sure that I stayed!) has just left on the plane for Johannesburg and I find a moment to write a bit on what has been going on.

Thanks to some good friends here, I arrived to find all the essentials in place and have spent the last week or so adding one or two luxuries like

I am meeting tomorrow with Pastor David (the leader of the church we go to here) to go over our plan of action and review timescales and such like so after that I will have a better idea of where I will start with the Care Centre.

I am spending time building simple relationships with the boys on the streets – taking them fruit and bread whenever I can and chatting to them in broken Sesotho – I really must learn more of the language!
I am also finding out about other people who may have some involvement in helping these boys so that we are not doubling up in the service we are providing. I plan to visit the Prince’s Trust offices this week, as well as the Girl Guides Centre to see what is going on there.

Palesa started school a week ago, and so far it has been fairly eventful. She came wandering home on Thursday at around 10.30am to see her mum – unfortunately I was not in! I am not even convinced that the teacher noticed she was gone until my friend took her back!

I am pushing to get going and get things started, but keep being reminded that This Is Africa, and to take things more slowly. I really need to get back into that way again I think! I certainly am not there yet!

Anyway, tried to put this onto a blog of our own but it did not work so will keep trying with that and in the meantime, post this on Hilton Church’s Blog!
Robyn

The Prisoner's Week Prayer

Lord,

you offer freedom to all people.

We pray for those who are captives in prison

and those who are affected by or involved in their imprisonment.

Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist.

Support with your love:

prisoners, their families and friends,prison staff and all who care.

Heal those who have been wounded by the activities of others,

expecially the victims of crime.

Help us to forgive one another,

to act justly, to love mercy,and walk humbly together

with Christ in his strength and in his spirit now and every day.

Amen.

REMEMBRANCE

Last night I watched "The Fallen" a epic 3 hour programme in which every soldier killed in Afghanistan and Iraq was named. It told the stories of many of the fallen soldiers and their families. So much pain, so many tears shed. I spoke to a several people after our own Remembrance service last Sunday who expressed the view that the war in Afghanistan is not one we should be involved in. This viewpoint echoes a BBC poll in which two thirds of those who were interviewed thought that British troops should be withdrawn within 1 year.This view also came across from quite a number of the people interviewed last night. I hope that many politicians watched "The Fallen" and were perhaps challenged to ask whether there is a better way forward in Afghanistan. For how much longer are British soldiers going to give their lives in this violent conflict which looks like it can go on for decades? The programme gave me a new appreciation for the armed forces and their families.

NEW DISABLED TOILETS

The new disabled toilet was also finished this week. We are grateful to Eddie Morrison and his team for the great work they have done. Laura and Mike Robertson also did an outstanding job preparing the plans for approval by the Council. I like the choice of colours for the toilet and hallway.

A FULL SUNDAY!

It's been a long but very memorable Sunday. It began before 9am. An hour before the service, the band were already in the church going through the songs for the morning. Chris and Iain were busy getting the sound and the AV sorted and Norma was through in the kitchen preparing all the flasks for hospitality after the services. We have so many people at Hilton who work hard behind the scenes to ensure that everything runs smoothly. This is Guild Week, so members of the Guild played a significant part in the morning together with presenting a cheque for £1000 to Gwen Barlow for the Lighthouse. (picture below)This was the first day that the Lighthouse was open for the various groups in the church to use, so it was fitting that our preacher was Gwen who spoke from Psalm 101 and Matthew 25 v30-41. She highlighted the values which would be expected of anyone who was involved in the Lighthouse and the priority and significance of social action and concern. The Lighthouse is to be a Centre for others, a place which we pray will be a beacon of light and hope for the community of Hilton and beyond.

I left the church tonight at 8.35pm after an outstanding service. David Whillis was preaching on that not so well known minor prophet Zephaniah. Our series - Stoning the Prophets - has taken us to pretty new territory and we have all learnt a great deal about a part of Scripture which is seldom preached from.

We seem to be going through a very busy time at Hilton Church these days. We had so many people there this morning that we had to take in extra chairs. It's a bit of a squeeze until the childrens group leave. This is a problem we are glad to have!

Guild presents cheque to the Light House

Representing Hilton Guild, Rebecca Wilson presented the Light House manager, Gwen Barlow, this morning with a cheque for £1000 towards the work of the Light House. This gift was very gratefully received and will be put to good use.

BBC CHILDREN IN NEED

The TV is on and we're enjoying another BBC Children in Need evening. At Hilton Church, we have much reason to be grateful to Children in Need as they funded a project worker in the Hilton community for 3 years (2003-2006), specialising with the 0-5 age range. Some great work was done, initially by Moira MacKenzie (who is now back in the Highlands working in Fort William) and then by Iwona Grant. Hopefully, the credit crunch will not stop the Appeal raising lots of money tonight.

HOT WATER

I have found this wonderfully quirky blog by a prison chaplain called AnneDroid. It's called GET OUT OF JAIL FREE and well worth a read.

Prisoners Week

As the Church of Scotland chaplain in Porterfield, I would like to encourage you most strongly to bring into prayers both on Sunday and through the week such concerns as are set out in the Prisoners Week flyer. Click here to view flyer. Those who have committed crime, especially once they have been put away, as the saying goes, are not to be forgotten - pragmatically because of the far too high risk of reoffending, theologically because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

PETER DONALD, PRISON CHAPLAIN, INVERNESS

Gadget vicar has a very challenging piece on his blog which you can read here

STREET PASTORS

It is great to see the regard in which Street Pastors are held in Inverness. The following piece is on the BBC website today. I'm assuming that the Street Pastors aren't the ones cracking down on the anti social behaviour.

Pastor patrols to be stepped up
Increased patrols by Street Pastors and a crackdown on anti-social behaviour are part of a drive to make Inverness more family-friendly this Christmas.
Operation Respect - a multi-agency initiative - will run during the city's Winter Festival.
Highland Council, Inverness BID Company, Northern Constabulary, Crime Prevention Panel and Crimestoppers are involved. The festival runs from 20 November until 3 January.

11TH DAY OF 11TH MONTH

It's the 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War. I've just watched My Family at War on BBC1. It told the stories of Kirsty Wark's great uncle and Rolf Harris' father and uncle. Compelling viewing and well worth watching on BBCi Player.

LIFE WITH GOD

10 days to our LIFE WITH GOD weekend, and we now have over 60 signed up, and a significant number of people who I know are coming, but haven't signed up. I am really delighted with that level of response. Please pray for Roy Searle together with Philip and Rosalind Noble as they prepare for leading this weekend.

NEW OFFICE

I have spent the last few days trying to make sense of my new office next door to The Lighthouse. It is a great space. It's a relief to have somewhere to put my stuff. For the last 4 months most of my books and files have been stored in the boot of my car. My new office is the garage for the fomer manse. I'm not sure if I should just call it The Garage! I am doing everything possible to avoid the scenario above.

PLATFORM 2

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity.......
Platform 2 is an amazing opportunity for 18-25 year olds, who wouldn’t normally be able to afford a programme like this, to spend 10 weeks volunteering in Africa, India or South America as part of a fully funded programme. Volunteers will be given the opportunity to live and work with people living in poor communities, to learn about local life, experience living/working conditions very different from the UK, and be part of a development project that will benefit local communities. Trips will be going out to different locations regularly over the next 2½ years – the next application deadline is 10th November ‘08 with a departure date of 6th January, 2009. Sign up now and you could be on the other side of the world after Christmas and New Year! Check out the website http://www.myplatform2.com/ for further information and an application form. For an informal chat about the programme, contact Craig McCreadie (t: 0141 241 6132 or 07891 860064; e: cmccreadie@christian-aid.org).

COMMUNITIES OF GRACE

Last week I posted Dot Walker's fabulous picture which was recently exhibited at Stations of Grace in Glasgow. On a similar theme there have been two outstanding posts by Tim Chester on creating communities of grace which you can read here and here.

Churches that eat together....

"We don’t know much about what the churches did when they gathered. But it seems the thing they always did was eat together. " Robert Banks.

I found the quote on this blog. Last night I was at a potluck supper for Audrey Whyte's homegroup and band. Thank you David,Jo, Ruth, Thomas and Hannah for great hospitality. I have an invite to another homegroup social this coming week. I must get my running shoes on soon! Seriously, food makes all the difference to the temperature of the fellowship. The sharing of meals is an important dimension of our lives at Hilton, and we're grateful for the many people who share and offer hospitality in this way.

REMEMBRANCE

At our Remembrance service today, we reflected on Jesus' call to be peacemakers. Jesus calls us to take the initiative in being peacemakers. (Matthew 5 v23-24) The lack of peace and the outright conflict which often exemplifies the Christian Church is a major hindrance to the credibity of our faith. The BBC report which you can read here illustates the point well. We also watched the clip below . It is a powerful reminder of the pain and suffering which war and conflict brings.

Robyn in P&J

Robyn's departure for Lesotho has been covered this week by the P&J. You can read the article here.

People of Peace

I'm working on tomorrow mornings remembrance service. We can't solve all the problems of the world, but we can make a great difference by being people of peace. We are called to be a people who embody Christ's peace and share it with others.Nelson Mandela can teach us a great deal on this matter.

BANA COFFEE MORNING

A very successful coffee morning in the church today. £580 was raised for Robyn's work in Lesotho. The church was full of people from shortly after 10am until it closed at 12.30pm. There was loads of baking and plenty of people helping to serve. Various cards, books and produce were also being sold to raise funds for the Bana Trust. It is great to be able to work to raise funds at the same time as encouraging people from across the church and the community to come together socially. The team hope to run a similar event every 3 months.

HILTON WORKS

This week,Eddie Morrison and his colleagues have been redesigning our link corridor toilets to comply with the Disabled Access legislation. I took this picture on Saturday morning. Most of the work is now complete. If you would like to help with the repainting of this area, please contact Mike Robertson.

HOMEGROUPS

Homegroups are an important dimension of life within Hilton Church. Last night I dropped in on the group hosted by Alan and Gillian Brown. They have around 15 people linked to their group. Last night there were 9 present. We met at 8pm and after some coffee/tea and cakes, there was a very relaxed bible study centred around John chapter 1. The group then had a discussion aimed at choosing a book they could read together on Prayer. They agreed to focus on a book called Prayer - Does it make any difference? by Philip Yancey. The evening closed with a time of prayer and folk were on their way home by 10pm. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. It was great to share in such a warm fellowship. The folk there have clearly forged good friendships during the 2 years the group has been in existence. If you are reading this and would like to be part of a group, there are 10 groups meeting at various times and places across the city. You can find out more by contacting Barry Dennis . Thank you Alan and Gillian for your kind hospitality.

Second-Hand items available from the Light House

Hello everyone, Gwen Barlow here. The following second-hand items are left over from clearing out the old manse before it was transformed into the Light House. If anyone is interested they will be available for viewing and/or taking away at the Light House after the morning service this coming Sunday. A donation to the Light House for each item would be gratefully received. All items are of good quality.
Dishwasher
Tall Bosch fridge
2 internal pine doors pine with glass panelling
2 tall filing cabinets

Blessings! Gwen

GRACE