I was back in my home church in Portree on the Island of Skye yesterday. I was there to attend the funeral of John Ferguson who was the minister there from 1980 until 2002. John gave me a great deal of support and encouragement as I began to take tentative steps towards entering the ministry in the early 1980's. My whole family - both my parents and my 3 sisters and brother- became Christians during these years, so John was a very important person for us all.
The church was absolutely packed with many people listening to the service from outside. John left a message for the gathering encouraging us not to be too sad because his death meant that he was going home. A journey of faith which began in N Uist in the late 1950's had reached its fulfilment.The service was very uplifting. John, a man of great grace and humour had a massive influence in the lives of so many people, and I for one am so thankful that I knew him. The highlight of the service for me was a gaelic psalm sung by the congregation. With relatively few gaelic speakers around these days, this kind of congregational singing is quite rare. I found it very moving. John retired to Beauly and in the subsequent years, he was a great help to me, providing pastoral support for the Parish when I was away. Today the family are travelling to North Uist where Johns remains will be buried. The day was a reminder of the brevity of life and of the joy of being able to share it with great people like John Ferguson.
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