nothing but the blood

It's the end of another Sunday - a really good one. There were lots of good things about today including an excellent evening on Ephesians 1 with Jamie Grant. At both the services today, the singing was quite outstanding. The congregation seemed to be really singing out in a way that you don't often hear. The above song was sung this evening. It's an old one which our youth group heard at Soul Survivor last year. It was a real blessing to be present this evening at Hilton as it was sung.

congratulations

A bit of a lull in blogging for several days up until yesterday, due to a few very full days. One major and very happy event which happened on 13th February was the safe arrival of Jessica to Julie and John Douglas. Julie and Jessica were home from hospital on the same day! We look forward to welcoming Jessica to Hilton Church in the not too distant future.

lighthouse garden

Colin marking out the paths before the work begins in earnest.

lighthouse team

Friday is generally the busiest day at the Lighthouse, although increasingly many of the days feel like a Friday in terms of the amount of folk coming in. Here's the "A Team" who were serving today!

garden landscaping begins

Colin and Ben arrived at the Lighthouse garden today. They are going to be doing the re-landscaping of the garden over the next few weeks. Colin tells me that the garden will look like a bomb site for several weeks before taking shape. I'm looking forward to seeing the new garden emerge, and I'll try and keep you posted via photos.

a good sermon

Over the last few years I have increasingly been involved in training for various forms of ministry. Periodically, I have to go for some training for the trainers, and this week that involved a day for supervisors in Perth. One of the major elements of the gathering this week was centred on training for preaching. Personally, I learnt through listening to inspiring preachers and then seeking to find my own approach. What makes for a good preacher and a good sermon? In my experience, different people will come up with different answers. I've just watched this sermon, and would commend it to you.

lighthouse lunchtime

I've been sharing some of the travails of life in the Lighthouse over the past couple of weeks! It has been a real struggle to keep the "show on the road" recently in the face of increasing level of custom and a skeleton volunteer base. We are especially indebted to Drew and Brian from Youth Inclusive who have bailed us out on more than one lunchtime recently. I spent 90 minutes "front of house" today, and I was reflecting on what an amazing opportunity it is for me as a Parish minister to be in touch with so many people from the community who use the cafe. Most of them won't be there for a sermon on Sunday, but I can serve them and share with them over food on a Thursday lunchtime. I'm also really struggling to work out how to envision a large congregation such as Hilton to see the amazing opportunities that the Lighthouse afford us a congregation to serve and share face to face. I think I'm going to put a focus on encouraging people personally to get involved in the Lighthouse, because general information and pleas for help don't work! Watch this space......

mentoring

We had about 30 folk present in the Lighthouse on Tuesday evening for our focus on youth mentoring. After a meal together, Jamie Grant, Elaine Watt, Drew Kuzma, and a local leader from the BB's shared a variety of insights on mentoring. It's good to see this vital ministry back in focus, and over the coming months, I hope we will begin to reflect on how mentoring can take place not just for youth, but for all of us across the Church. All of us are on a discipleship journey and all of us need that stimulus and encouragement from others who are on the way, who have perhaps got a a little more experience than us.

60 plus

The second of the monthly afternoon teas took place yesterday afternoon in the church. There were over 40 there, and it appears to have the kind of mix of socialising and sharing which folk are looking for. I can see this group really thriving as it develops over the next few months. I'll keep you posted!

LENT @ THE LIGHTHOUSE

20 of us gathered last night for LENT @ THE LIGHTHOUSE, a series of 6 evening doing an inductive bible study on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. It sounds quite heavy, but it really wasn't, and was an eye opener for for us all, as we followed the instruction as per this link. It's amazing how much more you can see in a passage, when you begin with a few basic questions to ask of the text, together with a pen for scribbling all over the manuscript as you go along! It was also a first opportunity for me to see Jamie Grant in full flow as a bible teacher. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Scriptures, and was able to skillfully answer all the questions that we had about the text. On Sunday evening, Jamie will be preaching on Ephesians 1, and we meet at the same time next Wednesday to look at Chapter 2. Come along if you can. It really is a great way to get into the Bible.

diplomatic hypocrisy

"For years countries that pride themselves on democracy and human rights have backed undemocratic regimes that to varying degrees oppress their people. It has been a useful piece of diplomatic hypocrisy."

A very striking quote from Jeremy Bowen today.

If the gospel of Jesus Christ is for the whole world, I wonder what the response of Christians should be to these realities? Is it possible to be a part of our political world without having blood on our hands?

sharing the pain

I was struck by this recent sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury in which he questions whether the burden of the recession is being fairly shared. I'm in agreement with the Archbishop on this, and I think it will become much clearer in England very soon when access to higher education becomes a major challenge for poorer and indeed middle class students.Maggi Dawn from Cambridge writes,

"the far more important story of the week.... is the latest development on student tuition fees. At this moment, anyone concerned with fairness in education should be paying attention."

This morning, I think we see another clear example of the lack of social justice with the announcement of Barclay Banks taxation bill. In actual fact, very few of the top 100 companies in the UK pay much in the way of tax.

It's clear that very hard times lie ahead when the cuts really begin to bite. It's good to see folk like the Archbishop taking a prophetic stance on the way these cuts are being shared out across society. It clearly isn't fair that large profitable companies don't contribute adequately to the UK treasury.

stones required

The landscaping of the Lighthouse garden is going to begin in the very near future. One commodity which is in short supply around the Lighthouse is large stones. If you have a broken down stone wall, dyke or a pile of stones near to you which is surplus to requirements, we could put them to good use in the garden. Just let us know, and we'll come and pick them up. contact duncan@hiltonchurch.org.uk

photo call

The cutting back of the cherry trees has been completed.

We have a new painting from Dot Walker up in the church.

A beautiful afternoon last Saturday at Nairn Golf Course. Here's a view across the 1st & 17th greens to the Moray Firth and the Balck Isle.

LENT@THE LIGHTHOUSE

Our lent bible study series begins at the Lighthouse on Wednesday night from 7.30-9pm. The passage for the first evening is here.

LIGHTHOUSE

Every once in a while, we hit a period where the pressure really increases in relation to keeping a project like the Lighthouse afloat! We have reached such a period this week and next. I was helping today for 3 hours over lunch, and it was so busy that none of us got a break.If we are unable to get some additional volunteers to help, there is a real possibility that we may have to cut back on our opening hours during the day. It would be a real pity given the demand for the Lighthouse generally. It was absolutely packed today, but without more support, it simply isn't feasible to ask so much of so few. If you're reading this and can spare some time to help during the day over the next week, please email duncan@hiltonchurch.org.uk

Mentoring

As you'll have seen in the bulletin and heard announced on Sunday, there's a Mentoring information and training evening this coming Tuesday from 6:30-8:30pm. The idea is to try and help people to catch the vision of mentoring teenagers in the church and, hopefully, to recruit some new people to get involved. Attending this meeting wont commit you to anything but if you'd like to come along it would be good if you could let me know (jonathan@hilton church.org.uk) as we're having dinner together. I thing we do to disciple our young people. Studies have shown that teenagers who stick with faith "Had a half-dozen 'mentors' present during their growing up years." Barabara Staggers, who works counsels teenagers in much more traumatic situations than any I know of here, has written, "With all the kids I know who make it, there's one thing they all have in common: individual contact with a adult who cared and kept hanging in there." You could be that adult for a teenager in the church here, and you might never realise the difference you make. But you don't need to hear how important mentoring is from me. The real difference is when you hear it from one of our young people themselves. So here you go:

Gosia Grant...
"Mentoring has become a very important part of my Christian life. While it is great to share in fellowship with other young people and with our youth leaders, the mentoring programme benefits us in different ways. Being able to get to know an adult in the church better, to share with, have fun with and set an example in faith for me is a huge encouragement. In general, my mentoring group will meet once a month with our mentor and share a meal, pray, study the Bible, just talk or play a game. I think that it is great to have help and advice in the difficulties and dramas that teenage life presents from someone that has already been through it all. To have an adult in the church as not only a mentor but a friend is really awesome. It breaks down boundaries between the age groups in the church and helps us, as young people, to be able to grow up into Christian life with the help of an understanding friend. I think that mentoring is also a positive experience for the mentor as well as the mentees. While our mentor is there as a teacher for us some of the time, we also learn together or from each other. We all pray for each other and share what is going on in our lives. This creates a bond which I know will last long after we have finished with the mentoring programme. In a nutshell, mentoring is an awesome way to get to know the youth in our church and help them grow in Christ. I definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get involved."

Eilidh MacPherson...
"To me, mentoring means a lot. Just knowing there's another Christian there that cares about you and wants to hear about what's going on in your life - but wont judge - is great. The two mentors that I have are brilliant. We meet up every so often and go out for a meal or eat at their house, hang out, chat and do whatever they have planned. It's good fun and we all get on great.
The thing that I find I get most out of mentoring is the prayer. At the end of every meeting we ask each other what we need prayers for and we take time to pray for one another. Also, on exam dates or when we're going through hard times, we can text our mentor and ask them to pray for us.
I would advise anyone to take up doing mentoring because as well as getting the support and advice of an older Christian, it's also great fun just having a night in with friends, chatting and just being yourself."

Sound like something you could do to minister to our young people?

administration

Is there any job these days where there isn't an avalanche of administration and paperwork which goes with it? I've just spent several hours working through a large backlog of paper work. Minutes, anual returns for Presbytery, references, bills , funding application......... I know I should deal with them all on a regular basis ( weekly or monthly) but there always seems to be something much more worthwhile or pressing to do with my time. Two more references to do and that will be enough for today. It feels like a dark cloud being lifted from above my head when I have a session of shifting paper, but it doesn't take long for more to takes it place!

belladrum festival - an invitation

BELLADRUM FESTIVAL 2011
Inverness-shire, Highlands, Scotland
THURSDAY 4TH TO SATURDAY 6TH AUGUST

TEAM INVITATION
www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk

It’s YEAR 5 of the Belladrum Festival Mission and, again, we are planning to multiply; not only in size but in the variety and creativity of what we will offer.

This invitation is being extended to those who have been with us in previous years (we would love you to join us again), to newcomers to this type of ministry, and to others from the UK and abroad who are already experienced in this field.

We are looking for all sorts of people, skills and gifts this year, not just encounter teams. So checkout the application form at www.box.net/shared/7tatnygpba to find the different types of teams you could be part of.

Belladrum is not only a mission field but a place of activation and training for the team; developing greater confidence, skill and experience for missions and for your own spiritual walk.

You may have been involved with a similar mission on the streets, at an event, or a Spiritual Fair. This mission will give you a completely different experience in a vibrant, busy festival, packed with seekers. Our teams are always fully booked at Belladrum. As we have grown, so it seems, does the appetite for spiritual healing and wisdom. God is doing the most astonishing things in festivals, pubs, cafes, streets … wherever we will go and take Jesus with us.

We need a large and willing team to serve the rising wave of spiritual hunger that meets us at this Festival. It’s been a very special place for us where we have seen God exceed all expectations every year. But we sense the waves getting higher and we are challenged to aim for greater faith, greater service, greater expectation ...So come and join us and bring your surfboard.

LENT 2011

Our focus for lent 2011 is going to be Paul's letter to the Ephesian Church. For 6 Wednesday evenings, beginning on 23rd February,we're going to host a group in the Lighthouse from 7.30-9pm. Everyone is welcome. It might be an opportunity for your group to take a break from your normal pattern, or if you don't go to a small group, it may be an opportunity for a short taster experience. We'll look at a chapter each evening using an approach called Manuscript Bible Study: The leader hands out an A4 sheet of paper with the passage to be studied printed on it. The participants then are directed to use their coloured pencils to mark words or themes or people or dates, discovering how it all links up and hearing what God is saying to them.

The following Sunday evening, the particular chapter will be the focus for preaching/teaching. The cafe will be open, each evening, if there is significant demand for quality coffee and cakes!

team meeting

We have quite a number of people now working in the Lighthouse and the church -including a caretaker, youth inclusive staff, an administrator, cleaner, youth minister, probationer minister, centre manager, kitchen staff and myself! We are all working at many different times and places, but there is a common commitment to seeking to serve Christ together. In order to help the sense of team and communication, we have set aside 9.30-10am every Tuesday morning for a time to share over coffee/tea and to pray with and for one another. We had our first meeting today, and it was really good. I'll try and take a photo some week soon!

presbytery meeting

At last years General Assembly, it was agreed that the number of ministry posts across Scotland would be cut by 25% over a period of 4 years. Each local area is now having to work out the reality of these cuts. Tonight , the kirk session and board are meeting with local presbytery representatives, and they are going to ask us the following questions:

Establishment and Vision


1. What distinctive contribution does your Church bring to your community? Bearing in mind the fluidity of people’s movements and networks, how do you foresee your role in the next decade?

2. How do you understand your witness alongside other Churches in your Community?

Outreach

3. How do you presently contact and build relationships with those who are not a part of the Church and how might you do this in the future?

4. What local Ministerial resources do you have to meet the strategic plan of your Church? What changes are foreseeable?

Buildings and Money

5. Is you building(s) in the right place, and of the right sort? If the present plant were to go out of commission tomorrow, what would you do? Where would you go? What financial possibilities would there be?

At the end of the consulatation period, the local presbytery has to work out a plan which will involve having 4 less ministry posts across the local area. It will be interesting to see how the process works out. Will the Presbytery look at a more radical plan which would probably require a much greater degree of flexibility in terms of ministry, or will it simply trim at the edges, and make no difference at all in the face of major decline and aging congregations?

LIGHTHOUSE LAUSANNE

I'm just back from the final evening reflecting on some of the themes of Lausanne Capetown 2010. If you haven't done so already, I would highly recommend the website which has lots of outstanding video clips to watch. Tonight, we watched a TED TALK by Bily Graham, who was one of the chief architects of the Lausanne Movement. It was very striking that for many of the younger members of the group tonight, Billy Graham was someone they had never seen or heard. It was also striking to discover that several folk there tonight were present at his first mission to Scotland at the Kelvin Hall in 1955. I believe Billy Graham has been an outstanding servant of God, and it was a blessing to hear him sharing this evening on the theme of faith and technology.

In many respects, I'm sad that we are coming to the end of our evenings in the Lighthouse. I've enjoyed the intimacy of the setting. I hope the meetings have set in train some thinking about how we can use it again in the future. I hope we can use this venue regularly along with the sanctuary.

salty photos

Thank you to everyone who sent me photos for this morning's service. I created a presentation using pro show gold, which co-ordinates music and images in very artistic ways. In the space of just over 24 hours, I received nearly 100 photos, which helped us to reflect on our calling to be salt and light in the world.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture

This morning we were reflecting on the question - "if you knew that the sermon you were writing was your last, what would you say?" I showed a brief clip from this lecture by Randy Pausch, who was faced with this reality several years ago.

cherry trees

A big thank you to Robert Patton for his help in cutting back the cherry trees next to the church building yesterday. The had grown so much that they were threatening to do some damage to the gable end of the church building and the roof. It's hard to believe how beautiful they will look in less than 3 months time!

NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT

I had never heard of Natural Church development before hearing it mentioned by a friend on Thursday. The term describes a massive world wide empirical study which seeks to identify factors which contribute either to growth or decline in terms of church life. It makes for absolutely fascinating reading. Here's a couple of links for you to find out more here & here .

salty photos

18 sets of photos received since yesterday afternoon. Many thanks and it's not too late to send me yours. I plan to do the collage while watching Scotland playing France this evening. duncan@hiltonchurch.org.uk

SALTY PHOTOS

salty photos

What an enjoyable evening I have had receiving all your photos. Thank you so much, and keep them coming. I will try and fit as many as possible in.

pictures

I'm wondering if I can use the blog to ask as many folk as possible connected with Hilton Church to help me out in my preparation for Sunday. I'm thinking about Jesus' teaching that " You are the salt of the earth!" Jesus was teaching that we need to be mixed up in the activities and the affairs of society at many different levels. I'm wondering and hoping that it might be possible to persaude as many of you as possible, to overcome your customery reticence, and send me an attachment photo of yourself at work, sharing within family, friends, sport, college, school.....where ever! I want to create a collage presentation of the salt being mixed into our world. If you were able to do this in significant numbers over the next 24 hours I would be so grateful. duncan@hiltonchurch.org.uk

The pciture is of Brian Irvine campaigning with Ian Rush (formerly of Liverpool FC, against the closure of Hilton Community Centre. We are delighted to hear that all the Community Centres are going to remain open under the plans announced by the Council this week.

theological education

This week at Hilton Church we have been celebrating UHI formally becoming THE UNIVERSITY OF THE HIGHLANDS. Hector Morrison and Jamie Grant (Principal & Vice Principal respectively of Highland Theological College) are both leaders in our congregation, and have made a substantial contribution to this important milestone. In recent years, HTC has become an approved training centre for Church of Scotland ministers, and this in turn has led to a much greater level of partnership between highland congregations and theological eduction. This has enabled theological training to be earthed much closer to home, rather than students having to move to a city like Glasgow to train. HTC has come a long way over its 17 year history, and we pray that it will continue to flourish and equip the Church for service both nationally and globally.

total wipeout

Last year at this time I was leading a group of church leaders around all the various project sites for the Vine Trust in Peru. One of the church leaders was Jim Stewart, who I see has recently been out in Argentina!

A CHURCH of Scotland minister from Perth has become first Scottish clergyman to appear on the hit BBC show Total Wipeout.
Sporting a red Hawaiian shirt, Reverend Jim Stewart braved the action-packed water obstacles and successfully finished the Argentinean course.
The 42-year-old minister of Perth Letham St Mark’s said: “It was a great experience and good light-hearted fun.
“I’ve done the West Highland Way before, but this was a little different.
“I was delighted to be the first Scottish clergyman on the show, and I think my congregation and fellow ministers will be relatively surprised at how I did.”
Total Wipeout, hosted by Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, pits 20 contestants on an extreme assault course over three rounds, with the winner taking the £10,000 grand prize.
The episode will be screened on BBC1 on Saturday 29th January 2011, at 6.10pm.

renovare group

Every 2 weeks or so, I meet in a renovare group with two close friends. We have lunch, we share what is going on in our lives and we pray together. Along the way, we have also set ourselves challenges in relation to a variety of spiritual disciplines. The accountability of the group has made it much easier to follow through on these commitments. Renovare has been a great stimulus in terms of my spiritual growth and a great stress buster because of the space it provides for sharing some of the burdens and hassles of life. Men in my experience are not very good at sharing burdens, so renovare provides a very healthy outlet. I sense that many of the men I'm in touch with through Hilton Church lead very isolated lives. Most of the Ministers I know have also been brought up in a Christian tradition which doesn't encourage much depth of sharing. In the wake of another renovare group today, I write simply to highlight the blessings of such sharing through a renovare group. All you have to do is find one or two friends and make a regular time to meet. You can work out the details as you go along. If you want any advice or help in starting a group, I'm happy to help with any advice. We used the above book for the first year of our group.

FUNDING

Funding issues are never too far away when one gets involved in community development projects like the Lighthouse. Last night Stuart MacQuarrie and I had a meeting with one of our funders, the Parish Development Fund, with a view to a continuation of funding for a further 2 years. We now have a deadline of 4 weeks to get our application in, which will involve a considerable amount of work for Stuart. I also have a deadline of 20th February for another funding bid, so a bit of work to be done there too! It's hard work for people like Stuart and many ministers within congregations to put in these extra hours for funding applications, but without them, we wouldn't have the Lighthouse, and we wouldn't have so much of the work which makes such a difference to the lives of so many people within our local community.

It might sound like very turgid work filling in forms, but over the years it has given me great joy to be able to connect these funding efforts with making a real difference in peoples lives. Several times over the years we have hit the jackpot (as it were!) with major funding awards, and there is nothing quite like that sense of joy and celebration when all the hard work pays off. It is a much more competitive situation these days in terms of funding, but hopefully we will be able to find sufficient income to enable the Lighthouse to continue to serve the local community.

What an archbishop!

I realise that this is completely out of season, but I wanted to post this as an encouragement towards prayer. May God raise up more leaders in the UK like Archbishop John Sentamu. We came across him at The National Gathering in Edinburgh in 2008, and he made a huge impression on us all. You can even follow him on twitter.

Historic day for Highland Theological College

Today (2 February) is a historic day for Highland Theological College UHI as UHI Millennium Institute becomes the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). Following confirmation from the Privy Council, the milestone will be marked by celebrations at UHI locations throughout the Highlands and Islands and a flag bearing the new UHI logo will be hoisted at campuses across the network. The achievement of university title by UHI is the realisation of a long-time ambition for the region to have its own university to support economic development and to help sustain rural and island communities.
Highland Theological College UHI was founded in 1994 by a group of ministers and businessmen who had the vision that a theological college would be part of the proposed university. Amongst that group were the Reverend Andrew McGowan (HTC’s first principal), the Reverend Hector Morrison (who became Principal of HTC after Rev. McGowan returned to parish ministry (East Church in Inverness) in January 2009) and the Reverend Alexander Murray, former APC minister and member of Highland Regional Council and current Chairman of the Board of Governors.

Hector Morrison, Principal, said: “This is a historic event and the culmination of years of work by many people. It is a very exciting time for the whole Highlands and Islands area and we are privileged to be part of it. For generations people have hoped for a University in the Highlands and Islands. It is finally here and it will bring great opportunities for the area – educational, economic, socio-cultural, etc. It is a momentous day and one that we will enjoy telling future generations about! We have sought God’s guidance in all that is done at HTC since the college started in 1994 and we thank Him for bringing us to where we are today.”

aLIVE FESTIVAL

aLive Festival – a series of high profile Christian events taking place from 9th – 18th June across Inverness.An open night is being held on Thursday 10th February at Hilton Lighthouse.Drop in any time between 7 & 9pm to find out more about the festival and to pick up promotional materials and resources for your church.
Tickets available on the night. www.alivefestival.co.uk

amazon hope

Albert Bogle, chairman of the Vine Trust in currently visiting Peru with a group from the UK.

MARRIAGE WEEK & PRESBYTERY

National Marriage Week takes place from 7-14th February. Colm Black has written an article celebrating commitment which you can read here. I was at Presbytery last night and saw this advert:

19:00 16th February 2011 ~ Alpha Marriage Course

Eight weekly sessions starting with a Valentine's Dinner, which is a taster and free of charge, aimed at couples, includes a meal, DVD presentation and couple discussion time.No group work.To register or for more info contact Katie and Tony Jarvis 01463 790230 marriagecourse@barnchurch.org.uk

Speaking of Presbytery, I took Chris Watt along with me last night, so that he could share about his work with OUT OF THE BOX. Presbytery is an exceptionally formal meeting. The clerk shouts "court" and we all have to stand up as the Moderator comes in. Then he bows to all corners of the room, and we are supposed to bow back! The whole affair feels like a throw back to another world, and it's not surprising that 50 would be classified as youth at such a gathering! Chris clearly found sharing in such forum very nerve wracking! The elders and ministers who go to Presbytery are an exceptionally good group of people, and I have always found them to be a very supportive body, but I wish we could find ways of loosening up the meetings. If not, I really wonder how the Presbytery will function in the long term, because understandably there aren't likely to be many takers from a younger generation for such an expereince.

I've just googled "nodding at presbytery!" and found the Handbook for Falkirk Presbytery. It seems that nodding is an optional extra which can be dispensed with:

Moderators may decide personally whether to:
1. greet Presbytery with a simple “Good evening” or continue the practice
of nodding to each sector of Presbytery;
2. ask Presbytery to remain seated to pray;

Perhaps there may be scope for some modernisation within Presbytery.

70 Christians Arrested

Over the last 4 Sunday evenings, we have been looking at some of the issues and stories shared at the Lausanne Conference in Capetown. I received this link, about one of the Iranian delegates to the conference who has been held in prison since Christmas day. One of the most striking aspects of sharing with believers at Cape Town from all over the world, was the reality of suffering faced by so many of them. This story from Sunday was especially powerful.