up the creek without a mullet

Tomorrow sees the launch of Simon's book. Here's the details of where you can find him over the next few days. Simon has a great blog which is regularly full of interesting insights and reflections.

ISLAY

Islay is a very beautiful Island. The views from the manse are spectacular. The weather was pretty wild while we were there, but just before we left, we got a clear view of the Paps of Jura.

Cartoon Church

Great cartoon here by Dave Walker.

Peru floods

BBC report and pictures here about the latest floods in Peru. The floods have caused major damage to the Vine Trust's home in the Sacred Valley. You can read more details about that here.

ROB BARLOW'S INDUCTION

I'm just back from Rob's ordination and induction in Islay. It was great to be there with Rob & Gwen as they begin this new chapter in their lives. Here's a few photos to give you a flavour of the event.

malaria tablets

I'm off to Peru next Tuesday, and while I'm there I am going to spend a couple of days on the Amazon. This means that I will have to take malaria tablets. The cheaper version is doxycycline, but the down side is you have to keep taking the tablets for 30 days after leaving the area. The expensive drug (ridiculously so!) is malarone, but you only have to keep taking it for a week after leaving the infected area. I'm off to do a price check at the various pharmacies on malarone. If you are reading this and just happen to have any spare malarone tablets from a trip, I would be delighted to hear from you. I'm not expecting to receive as many offers as I did last week, when I said I was looking to borrow The Blues Brothers DVD! Thank you to everyone who kindly offered thier copy.

haiti disaster emergency appeal

A cheque for £1800 was sent away today, which added to the £1000 sent last week, amounts to £2800 for the haiti disaster emergency appeal. Thank you to everyone who gave.

A prayer for Haiti

Loving God of creation,

at this time of devastation we hold before you the people of Haiti.

When the damage is unimaginable, and the suffering seems overwhelming,

remind us that every person affected is loved, honoured and precious in your sight.

We remember all those who have been hurt;

all who have lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones.

Work through us to bring healing to broken and distorted lives,

peace to those who have been thrown into despair, light to those in darkness,

and hope to those who fear.

We ask this in the name of Jesus in whom all life and grace is found.

Amen

BOOK LAUNCH

An exciting week ahead for Simon
Simon Varwell and Sandstone Press are very pleased to invite you to the launch of Simon’s first book, Up The Creek Without A Mullet, which will be held at the Bishop’s Palace, Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, at 6.00pm on Monday 1st February. Bar facilities will be available.
For several years now, fascinated by the dreadful 1980s haircut, the mullet, Simon has been has been visiting locations all across the globe with the word ‘mullet’ in their name. At the same time the world’s first and, as far as we know only, Mullet Hunter has been operating his (recently redesigned) frequently visited web site www.simonvarwell.co.uk. This first book describes how he began his mad quest and covers his travels to Albania, Ireland and Australia.
Sandstone Press Managing Director Robert Davidson says: ‘From our first glance at Simon’s manuscript is was apparent that he is a natural writer. After reading the whole thing it was equally apparent that he is an interesting and thoughtful individual with a very witty, albeit eccentric, take on life and travel. Sandstone Press is proud to usher this first book of his into the world. So confident are we of its success that we have already signed him for the second.’
In addition to his own web site Simon Varwell also blogs frequently at www.sandstonepress.com.

A boy with a Bike

On the same day that 'Chemical Ali' was executed, a young boy called Charlie Simpson set off on a bike ride to raise money for survivors of the Haiti disaster. Charlie set his sights on £500. A day later and the total is approaching £120, 000. Two extremes of human contribution to society which couldn't be more stark. If you haven't yet contributed to the Haiti fund then I'd recommend Charlie's Just Giving page which gives money to UNICEF work in Haiti.
Stu MacQ

offensive?

Apparently there is nothing offensive about a campaign to promote marital affairs!According to ASA, a national campaign encouraging marital unfaithfulness, doesn't "offend against widely accepted moral, social or cultural standards.' I will be surprised if this response by ASA isn't vigorously challenged.

engagement

Congratulations to Rosie Evans and Jim Stevenson who have just got engaged. They are to be married at Hilton Church on 10th April.

house for all sinners and saints

I heard a very fine talk by sarcastic lutheran at greenbelt. Here's another one.

homegroups

Tonight we are highlighting the significance and the benefits of small groups within the life of Hilton Church. I've just noted down the various groups that are taking place and contact e-mail addresses.

Audrey Whyte audwhyte@aol.com

Brian Gunn b.gunn34@btinternet.com

Barry Dennis barrydennis@live.co.uk

Alan Brown alan.brown@jacobs.com

Stuart Harvey harveystuart@gmail.com

Jamie Grant Jamie.Grant@uhi.ac.uk

David Shepherd david.shepherd80@tesco.net

Michelle Hamill michelle@hiltonlighthouse.org

Marion Manson rom10v9@btinternet.com

Margaret Johnston mgtbob@tiscali.co.uk

Simon Varwell mail@simonvarwell.co.uk

Isabel Black antighdubh@ukgateway.net

Jonathan Fraser jonathan.fraser@alum.ptsem.edu

STREET PASTORS

Mark Hadfield from street pastors was sharing at our morning service today. They are planning to expand their work into the Hilton area. We hope that there will be a significant number of people from our congregation who will get involved in this ministry. Here's an email from Mark with some additional information.

Thanks for the opportunity to enthuse about Street Pastors this morning. There was a really good atmosphere. I received a few questions over tea and coffee that maybe you could address with the congregation for me when reminding them about the information evening on the 3rd ...

1. We work in teams, so each volunteer only needs to go out once a month (i.e. not every week!)2. It's most efficient for me if people who are interested come along on the 3rd, but if for some reason that's really not possible then please contact me directly:

email inverness@streetpastors.org.uk

mobile 07761 293 1083.

Some are concerned that they're busy the weekend of 19/20 February which is our main training weekend for new volunteers. If that's the case then people should still come along on the 3rd and we'll discuss it. There might be a way forward

.thanks,Mark

--Mark Hadfield

http://facebook.com/markhadfieldhttp://twitter.com/mark_hadfield

Street Pastors Coordinator

Love Inverness

22 Mackay Road#

Inverness.

IV2 4JJ

mobile: 07761 293 108

helpline: 07828 002 966

http://www.streetpastors.org.uk

CEILDH FOR A CAUSE

The ceildh last night organised by nitelife for the Haiti Disaster Appeal was a massive success. A huge turn out of people, the majority of them in their teens, and younger. Great band. Over £700 raised. Well done nitelife.

JOY

PRAYER

We spent today together as a leadership. I'll perhaps write a bit more about the focus of our retreat later, but we spent a considerable period of time thinking about prayer. I've just read this post by Albert, which I think adds to what we discussed:

Talking about prayer is another effective way to engage work colleagues and friends without appearing to be intrusive. The strange thing is that most people will respond to the idea of prayer. Even if they’re not sure they believe. They will be touched by the thought that someone was thoughtful enough to suggest prayer.
Many years ago I remember doing a prayer experiment round the parish. I took my young probationer minister at the time and we went door knocking. We simply knocked doors and asked people if they had any requests for prayer. The funny thing was that no one questioned me or asked why I was doing it. It was as though i was the milkman inquiring how many pints were required. Admittedly I we were wearing clerical collars, but in some strange way people realised that was the business of the church. Perhaps they saw us as God’s postmen picking up the mail for heaven. The astounding thing was that we went to twenty or thirty doors and no one refused to give a topic for prayer. I well remember one big man came to the door with his simit on and his shaving razor in hand and the foam all over his face. When I told him what we were doing he moved away as though to shut the door, then he turned and said ” Could you pray for Mary across the street she’s struggling at the moment with cancer.” I’m learning that there is often more faith in the street than in the church.

MSM 4 FREE!

The next MSM day takes place on Saturday 20th February. The course which has a further 5 Saturdays in Hilton Church to go, costs £250 BUT we can offer participation in these 5 Saturdays entirely free for several volunteers who would be willing to provide some minimal backup as part of the day. Helping with some of the set up, av and sound, serving teas/coffees etc. We need some volunteers who have an interest in learning more about ways of being followers of Jesus who can effectively connect with our cultures, who are willing to get involved in helping with practical tasks as part of the day. If you are interested - duncan@hiltonchurch.org.uk

BEECHWOOD HOUSE

Beechwood House Designated Place
Threatened Closure 1 April 2010
Call to Prayer
East Church - Margaret Street Entrance
Saturday 6 February 3pm

LIGHT HOUSE PRAYERS

An important dimension of the Lighthouse is the fact that we see this whole ministry as a gift from God. He has enabled it all to happen and a vital aspect of our lives is centred around trying to decern God's heart and priorities for the daily activities and focus of the Centre. The role of prayer within the life of the Lighthouse is therefore very important. Gwen made this a priority from the very beginning,and we are now working out how to continue that practice. This week, we have begun to meet for a short prayer time between 9 -9.10am. Anyone who is in the vicinity is welcome to join.

Divine encounter in a sexual age

“The duty of a Christian is not to seek out people in distress and prey on their needs, but to wait and prepare for that unexpected encounter with the other that reveals the shape of God by making our own limits clear, and, in so doing, offering a path towards greater wholeness.”

After the Church. Divine Encounter in a sexual age by Claire Henderson Davis.

Just seen this book review. The above quote alone, about the parable of the Good Samaritan is enough to encourage me to read it.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR

On Sunday evening , John MacLeod was preaching from Mark 1 on Jesus' declaration that "The kingdom of God is near!" He recalled a time several years ago, when he was asked to speak at a leaders meeting in South India. He had prepared his talk, but felt led at the beginning of his address to ask the people to share on "What signs they saw of God's kingdom and the Holy Spirit at work in their ministries." John told us that he didn't have to share any further, because of the number of people who came to the front and testified to what they saw the Holy Spirit doing in their midst.

It led me to think about all the various homegroups and small groups meeting across Hilton Church. If I was to ask the question on Sunday evening - "what signs are you seeing of God's kingdom and the Holy Spirit at work amongst you?" I'm wondering whether I would be met with the kind of response John experienced in India. Perhaps I'll need to try it, so that I can find out!

composting

God made Heaven and Earth then The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it :Genesis Ch2 V15.

Recently in Copenhagen peoples of the World have found the need to review our stewardship of the task given to us with particular emphasis on climate change and our effects on it. Before the summit took place the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland decided that all Churches had to consider the reduction of their carbon footprint by 5%. These are positive steps towards the care of planet, but it is not down to a global or national decision but to personal thoughts on how we all care for God’s great gift.

One problem we have is the amount of waste going to landfill. Nobody wants a landfill site near them but there also is an environmental reason to be concerned about the rubbish in your green bin that goes to landfill. Organic waste, such as fruit and vegetable peelings, rots down in landfill to form methane gas which is a powerful climate change gas. Its effects are twenty three times more potent than carbon dioxide. Luckily you don’t have to wait for inter-governmental organisations to solve all climate change issues; you can play your part and in your own back garden too.

Consider having a compost bin in your garden. You can feed it uncooked vegetable and fruit scraps including potato, carrot and sprout peelings, orange peel, banana skins, tea bags and even the contents of your vacuum cleaner. Garden weeds, grass clippings and paper items such as egg boxes, toilet roll tubes and shredded letters go in too. This will soon turn into rich, healthy compost you can use all round your garden and no methane gas is produced!

WRAP Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government offers compost bins for as little as £8, and this includes delivery, full instructions on how to compost and a free kitchen caddy. For more details, and to order your bin visit http://www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk/ or ring the order line on 0845 076 0223.

alpha vision day

small groups 1

I have spent part of this morning doing some work in relation to a special service on Sunday evening. We are hoping to highlight the significance and the benefits of being part of a smaller group within a larger Christian community like Hilton Church. We have around 10 homegroups which meet at various times and locations,ranging in size from about 5 to 25! One group has grown so large, that they are currently working out how to split into 2 or maybe 3 smaller groups. The groups are generally based around fellowship, pastoral care, prayer and bible study. Most of the groups regularly share meals together and at various points they will engage in common tasks of service. Some of the groups, for example, helped to paint the Light house. For those who are reading this post from the groups, it would be good to have some comments about other aspects of homegroups. Do any of the groups have a particular leaning towards some particular activity or outreach?

Here's one church, St Thomas's in Sheffield. I spent time there two years ago, and experienced there model of church which is built around cell, cluster and celebration. St Thomas' is the largest church in the north of England, and there practice of church has evolved over a period of 30 years. So no quick fixes!

A curry kirk session.

Highlights of last night. Definitely, Brian Gunn's various Indian dishes. Absolutely superb. For many years we regularly met together to share meals as a kirk session. The fact that we have lost that practice in recent years, probably reflects the rush and the pressure of life. I'm inclined to think that we should work hard to re-institute it. It makes a real difference to the whole feel of a meeting, to have food as part of it.

Another highlight was Steve Aisthorpe's part in our meeting as facilitator. Over the years, when we have reached key points in our life together, I have always thought it wise to bring in skilled leadership from beyond the congregation to facilitate the process. Steve led the meeting with great skill, and the level of open discussion, which engaged every single person present, was great to see. For those who are perhaps reading this from other congregations, we would want to especially commend Steve's skills to your fellowship.

KIRK SESSION

We are having a leadership team (kirk session) meeting tonight in the Lighthouse. We have been going through a period of major change in the church over the past 18 months and on Saturday we plan to spend the day together to prayerfully consider how we are going to go forward in the coming months and years. Tonight we are going to share in an Indian meal together, which Brian Gunn is very kindly preparing, and then we are going to try and work out what the key questions are, that we want to consider at the weekend. We have invited Steve Aisthorpe, advisor for Mission and Evangelism in the Highlands (Richard Gibbon's successor) to lead our evening. I'm looking forward to the food and I'm also looking forward to sharing with the elders who are truly an exceptional group of people.

CONGREGATIONAL BOARD

The Board is responsible for the financial and property matters related to the congregation. For the last 2 years I have been chairing the Board which wasn't in my masterplan! Last Tuesday evening I handed over to Mike Robertson. I could feel the burden literally lifting off my shoulders as he led his first meeting in the chair! Mike is currently training to become a Church of Scotland minister so hopefully the experience will be valuable for him in terms of his future vocation. We are all very happy to have him leading the Board, and we hope it will be an enjoyable experience for him. It was also marvellous to welcome Lloyd Arthur back to the Board too on Tuesday evening. Lloyd was the senior elder at Hilton when I arrived 16 years ago. After a very prolonged period of ill health, Lloyd has volunteered to take the minutes at the Board meetings. This is a very valuable role which he is offering to do, and we're delighted to welcome him back onto the Board.

MARTIN LUTHER KING day

christianity explored

A Christianity Explored Training Conference is being held at Inshes Church on 20th February (10 till 4pm). It's open to anyone who wants to reach out with the Gospel and is a good chance to get a closer look at the CE course, whether for the first time or as a refresher if you've been involved before. It should be a top quality day because the CE Training Director - Craig Dyer - will be leading it, and there should be people from all different churches with an opportunity for discussion and interaction. Feel free to tell others who you think may benefit from it. Come on your own or with a group from your church. Let me know if you've any questions. The Lord bless you in your work for him.

Farquhar

Congregational Worker

Inshes Church

Home: 01808 521450

Mob: 07749 539981

HAITI APPEAL

A great post here on the current emergency in Haiti. The congregation have donated £1000 to the Disasters Emergency Commitee and we are going to have a special offering at both services next Sunday. The Youth group has organised a "ceildh for a cause" for next Saturday night, and the proceeds of that event will also go to the Appeal. If you want to give directly, you can do so here.

MSM

The MSM course on Saturday went really well. 38 attended, with about another 7 signed up to join us in February. In the lead up to the first day, John Drane wrote,

"Enrolments have been going up all week, and as of this moment in time we have 35 people, which makes the Inverness course the biggest group in the UK to be starting the MSM course this January. We have almost exactly the same number of women and men, and we represent just about every Christian tradition you can think of - so we should have some engaging conversations over the next few months."

I think the course represents a great opportunity for both learning and networking with people from across the North who have a desire to explore and experiment with fresh expressions of Christian community.

LIGHT HOUSE.

Major events for 70 and then 40 last week, and tonight the Light house hosts a meeting for street pastors in the cafe downstairs and upstairs a training event is taking place for the St Columba new charge. This morning an alpha course was using the cafe.It's good to see the Light house gathering momentum in terms of use.

Funeral panic

Yesterday I experienced a measure of anxiety at a funeral which I wouldn't want to experience again. After the service at a local funeral home, I went back to my car with the intention of following the cortege to the cemetary, which was some 15 miles away. Unfortunately, on trying to move my car back onto the road, I managed to bury the wheels in deep snow and became very stuck! One very kind person saw me, and using his shovel, I was digging furiously, with visions of the family standing at the graveside wondering whether the minister had forgotten about the burial or got lost.I probably left the funeral home, ten minutes after the hearse, so it was an anxious drive to the cemetary, and a prayer that the hearse had been driving suitably slowly. Thankfully, I managed to arrive within a few minutes of the family at the cemetary and the proceedings then continued without any further incident.

What!!

When is an obstruction not an obstruction? Someone abandoned a car across from the Lighthouse yesterday on Tomatin Road. The outcome was that the service buses hit at least 3 cars trying to navigate through a small gap in the road. Today we have witnessed general chaos and arguements between bus drivers and equally irate drivers. I've just phoned the police to see if anything can be done and apparently the abandoned car is not causing an obstruction!

PS THE ABANDONED CAR IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BUS!

Communication

The meetings that I am generally involved in are pretty low tech! This week, however, has provided some new experiences. At the Light house management team meeting, Stuart joined us from his home in Muir of Ord via a conference call. Tonight, because of the weather and a multitude of other commitments, I wasn't able to be at the Vine Trust Board meeting in Bo'ness. Instead I joined the meeting via Skype. It was a great benefit to have Stuart "at" our meeting on Tuesday, and I was glad to be a part of the meeting down in Bo'ness tonight along with another of the Trustees who was skyping from Gibraltar.

What a team!

Today, the Light house had a major function in the afternoon, catering for 70 people. Next Saturday, the Light house will be doing the catering for 40 as part of the MSM course in the Church. Michelle, Alison and Elaine did a terrific job this afternoon, with all the guests at the event clearly being impressed by the venue and the service. Hopefully they will pass on the word and more such events will take place there on a regular basis.

OASIS

Great to hear that Matt Wakeling has been accepted by Oasis to work with them for a period of 5 months in Zimbabwe, beginning in April.

BLUES BROTHERS

I'm wondering if anyone reading this, can lend me their dvd copy of The Blue Brothers. I need it for a clip I want to show as part of MSM this Saturday. Thanks.

Simon's new blog

Simon has a new format for his blog which looks very fine. He has just posted on the challenges of re-cycling in the Highlands. We've been trying to sort out similar kinds of issues in the Light house and the same kind of challenges are there too. Most of the solutions involve having to drive somewhere with the rubbish, which is actually very hard to do in a place like the Light house, where volunteers aren't that plentiful.

Simon's book launch takes place at 6pm on Monday 1st February. I'm sure he would be delighted to have a good contingent from Hilton there to celebrate the launch.

MSM

I have begun work on a Session called "The Mission of God" which I am leading at the MSM course on Saturday. I am more familiar with being in the role of a preacher rather than a teacher, so I am well out of my comfort zone, which is probably a good thing. I would be lying if I didn't admit to being already rather anxious about doing the seminar,so I would value your prayers as I prepare. I found this prayer within the materials very helpful:

"Lord Jesus, in the midst of all that is changing and all that you call us to do differently as your church, help us to focus on you and keep your will and purpose at the centre of all that we seek to do as your church - the body of Christ in this area. Amen.

Amazingly, the numbers signing up for the course just keep increasing. It looks like we may have nearer to 40 presnet on Saturday!

TALL SKINNY KIWI

One of the blogs I regularly read is TSK. In the last few days, I have learnt about the challenges of being a Christian in Egypt, how to spot a Church Movement , and I'm thinking about memorising the Letter to the Ephesians.

Mission Shaped Ministry

I am leading an MSM course along with John & Olive Drane, which begins this Saturday at 10am in Hilton Church. A few weeks ago, we had only 4 signed up for the course, so things weren't looking very encouraging. Since then, the level of interest has increased dramatically, and we now have over 30 coming. This is an extremely positive response for the first MSM course to be run in Scotland. It's still not too late to sign up, if you would like to come along!

CAFE FAREWELL

The road conditions last night were treacherous, but it didn't stop a large crowd gathering to bid farewell to Rob & Gwen Barlow who are moving to Islay. Impact Cafe began shortly after their arrival in late 2005, so it was fitting that their last evening with us was cafe style. So many good things have happened over the past 4 years at Hilton through their respective ministries and we will all be praying for similar blessing to flow to the people of Islay in the coming years.

advent 2010

I'm probably guilty of planning too far ahead, but already I'm wondering about what we might do in advent 2010! The all age nativity at Hilton this year was so outstanding, that it really would be a very hard act to follow. I am wondering whether we could actually think beyond our 4 walls and have "a Nativity without walls." Here's a fellowship which tried it. Any thoughts?

Summer holidays

Robyn is blogging again after her summer holiday! It's currently way below freezing in Inverness, so a bit of summer warmth would be very welcome! I was amazed at the number of people this morning at Hilton who absolutely love this snowy cold weather. Personally, I would be happy to see it go asap.

BAPTISED and BELOVED

One of the frustrations of preparing for Sunday, is that there is always so much one has to share and so little time to share it in. Here's a story that I will be storing up for another time.

BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

This Sunday, the church around the world especially remembers Jesus' baptism. Baptism involves getting wet, it is an engaging reality. I have been thinking of various ways in which we can reflect that in the service. I found this very moving clip which you can watch here. I would have shown it on Sunday, but I'm not sure its worth $15 to download.

time to reflect

With thanks to Sally for posting these pointers for reflection. I plan to use them on Sunday, so if you're coming, you have time to think about them in advance!

1. What will you gladly leave behind in 2009?

2. What is the biggest challenge of 2010 for you?

3. Is there anything that you simply need to hand to God and say "all will be well, for you are with me"?

4. If you could only achieve one thing in 2010 what would it be?

5. Post a picture, poem or song that sums up your prayer for the year ahead....

SMALL GROUPS

At Hilton Church, there are many small groups of varying sizes - from 3 to 23! The groups meet on different days and at various times of the day. Small groups provide an ideal enviroment for friendship, fellowship and service together. Sunday 24th January will be a focus day for small groups, with the evening service especially focusing on them. If you are part of a small group or interested in finding out more, we would encourage you to come along to the services that day.

LIGHTHOUSE

We had to close the Lighthouse for about 2 hours over lunch today. The white plastic outflow pipe from the boiler had frozen, and the said boiler was therefore making a rather alarming vibrating noise. The outflow pipe was apparently smaller than the recommended diameter and should have been insulated, so we'll have to try and sort that out to avoid a future problem. An expensive breakdown both in terms of a call out charge and the loss of income, but I suppose another experience to learn from. We have left the heating on constant throughout the church building for over 2 weeks now, to avoid the risk of a burst pipe. The temperature has been well below freezing all day, and there is no sign of it improving over the next few days.

SOUND & AV TRAINING

Just a wee reminder of the training session in the church tonight for anyone interested in being involved with sound or av. The session begins at 7.30pm.

St Columba's new charge

I went to a fellowship meal last night for people (and their families) who are involved in the planning for the new St Columba congregation. The evening was organised by Murray and Laura McCheyne, and basically involved a meal and time to relax together. It's quite amazing how a meal changes the whole atmosphere and dynamic of any meeting. No wonder the early church was so enthusiastic about it! My reflection from last night was that in our culture we should be continually looking for as many opportunities as possible to share meals together - meals in which we are constantly seeking to invite not just our friends , but also the stranger. "I was a stranger and you invited me in" (Matthew 25 v35).

I keep saying this, but I'll say it again! This is a really exciting opportunity to be involved in something new and hopefully quite experimental and innovative in terms of establishing a new church. Perhaps you're looking for/need a challenge in your life to excite and stretch you? Why not have a word with Murray to see about ways in which you could be involved in supporting this new outreach.

WHO SAID THIS?

Who do you think said this?

As I understand it, into the heart of every Christian, Christ comes, and Christ goes. When, by his Grace, the landscape of the heart becomes vast and deep and limitless, then Christ makes His abode in that graceful heart, and His Will prevails. The experience is recognized as Peace. In the absence of this experience much activity arises, divisions of every sort. Outside of the organizational enterprise, which some applaud and some mistrust, stands the figure of Jesus, nailed to a human predicament, summoning the heart to comprehend its own suffering by dissolving itself in a radical confession of hospitality.

You can find out here!

TRAVEL CHAOS

Large parts of Scotland have been hit by even more snow over night. It's best not to travel unless absolutely essential. Peter Neilson was due to be at a meeting of the St Columba New Charge this evening to lead a training session, but with the train line closed at Carrbridge and the A9 uncertain, he has wisely postponed his visit.

LIGHTHOUSE OPENS

The Lighthouse opened again today. Steve had a busy time digging out all the paths around the building for access. The carpark is also blocked up with snow. The pavements in Hilton remain extremely hazardous. There is no evidence of any salting or clearing.The snow has been falling throughout the morning, and the forecast is for more!

The A9 is shut. I wonder how many folk who have gone ski-ing for the day will be stranded in Aviemore tonight. Rory is one of them! Good picture of Angus on the Northern Constabulary website.

MORE SNOW

Dumisani Theological Institute

It was good to have Alistair & Jenny Wilson with us at Hilton Church this morning. Alistair is the Principal of Dumisani Theological Institute in South Africa. We often hear about the astounding growth of the church on the continent of Africa. What we often don't hear about is the dearth of theological training for the leaders of these young churches. It was good to hear of the work being done by Duminsani in training up a new generation of Christian leaders and pastors. If you want to hear more about this work, here are some of the dates in the coming weeks when Alistair will be sharing.

6 Jan (Tues) Sandyford-Henderson Church of Scotland, Glasgow. Evening meeting.
10 Jan (Sun) Little Hill Evangelical Church, Leicester. 10.30 am. & 6.30 pm.
24 Jan (Sun) Bon Accord Free Church of Scotland, Aberdeen. 11am and 6.30 pm.

SNOW

The conditions were pretty treacherous this morning with snow and ice, so it was a surprise to see how many folk turned up for church. The state of the roads and pavements around the church were such that it wouldn't have surprised me if there had only been a handful of people present.Roger and Steve did a power of work clearing all the paths. There was so much snow that it wasn't possible to use either the front or the rear car parks! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm looking forward to a thaw.

FAREWELL SERVICE

It's just been confirmed that Rob Barlow's ordination and induction to the charge of Kilarrow linked with Kildalton and Oa in Islay is to take place on 28th January at 7pm. Rob together with Gwen have been such a blessing to us all over the past 4 years, so we want to use our service next Sunday evening, to express our gratitude for their respective ministries, and to pray God's blessing upon them as they leave for Islay.

We plan to make it a special evening with high quality coffee/drinks, and we're inviting everyone to bring along some cakes/cookies etc. They can be handed into the kitchen next Sunday morning, or brought along on the night. Hope to see you there.