Ideas and Volunteers!

Hello! Gwen Barlow here just to let you know that starting this Monday I will officially be the Hilton Church Community Centre’s “Development Manager”. What does that mean?!! Well, it means now that we have this fantastic new resource in place, I’ll be working, alongside the Project Management Team, to develop the use of building. It started out as the “Hilton Community Café Project” but has actually become more than a café since it also has several meeting rooms which is why we’ve started calling it a “centre” instead.

The church’s vision for the centre is one of outreach and a tremendous opportunity to share the gospel with the wider Hilton Community; but as you may appreciate, we do have quite a blank sheet of paper in terms of the details. So.. I welcome your thoughts and ideas about the centre, its direction and what you would like to see happening. I can’t guarantee that all ideas can be implemented by any means, but all are certainly welcome, big or small..

We are also looking for any volunteers that would like to be part of the team working at the centre, perhaps in the cafe or in some other role at the centre.

On either of these issues, please don't hesitate to contact me. My email address and phone numbers are gwen@miragemedia.co.uk tel: 01381 629008 or just come and have a chat with me after the morning service this Sunday. I won’t be at the service every Sunday morning at Hilton since I’ll be over in Beauly with Rob, where he’s currently doing his ministry training placement; but whenever you see me please don’t hesitate to come over and chat.

Duncan has suggested that I put a photo here for those of you who don't know what I look like and so here's the most recent one I could find of me at one of our daughter's graduation ceremony this summer..
Blessings!
Gwen

ABORTION & DOWNS SYNDROME

On Channel 4 News tonight there was a very startling article on the screening of foetus' suspected of having Downs Syndrome. New research has claimed that,

"For every three unborn Down's syndrome babies prevented from being born, two healthy babies will be miscarried because of the methods used to detect the condition.The research claims that, in detecting and preventing the birth of 660 Down's babies, 400 healthy foetuses are lost."

Abortion is a very emotive issue, but these statistics don't make comfortable reading. It would be interesting the know the responses of the GP's in our own congregation to this medical journal report.

Summer Postcard

Family support comes in a variety of ways - from organised courses, to "simply listening", to providing a service such as Toddlers etc. One of the simplest and most appreciated ways in which we have been able to help is through Hilton Family Breaks - a fund set up specifically to provide a holiday break for an individual or family who just need to get away. Applications are by referral through Social Work, the School or another agency. Since July this year 5 familes have benefitted from the fund. Are we making a difference? The summer postcard says it all:
"Thank you so much. We are having so much fun. The weather has been lovely. We have been to the beach and we love the night parties. see you soon."

help!

Iain Ross asked for help on Sunday from anyone in the congregation who felt confident about doing a little painting once the carpets were down. Yesterday, only Brian Gunn came to help and he was working away on his own all day. This is not an acceptable solution, so today Iain and I have been looking at how to respond to such a lack of volunteers. We plan to phone around tonight, to see if we can get a team together for Thursday night to finish off the little work that remains to be do. If you can help on Thursday night, its not too late to "volunteer!" You are also invited to come on Thursday night (same night!) to help tidy the building. We want everything to be in perfect order for the weekend.

BONO ON BELIEF

Fascinating interview with Bono which you can read here

What is your religious belief today? What is your concept of God?

If I could put it simply, I would say that I believe there's a force of love and logic in the world, a force of love and logic behind the universe. And I believe in the poetic genius of a creator who would choose to express such unfathomable power as a child born in "straw poverty"; i.e., the story of Christ makes sense to me.

How does it make sense?
As an artist, I see the poetry of it. It's so brilliant. That this scale of creation, and the unfathomable universe, should describe itself in such vulnerability, as a child. That is mind-blowing to me. I guess that would make me a Christian. Although I don't use the label, because it is so very hard to live up to. I feel like I'm the worst example of it, so I just kinda keep my mouth shut.

Do you pray or have any religious practices?
I try to take time out of every day, in prayer and meditation. I feel as at home in a Catholic cathedral as in a revival tent. I also have enormous respect for my friends who are atheists, most of whom are, and the courage it takes not to believe.

THE WEEKEND THAT WAS

Another Sunday gone. The morning was an opportunity to take breath after a tough weekend working on the Centre. A remarkable sermon by John MacLeod last night from the minor prophet Obadiah - Reconciliation and forgiveness. I'll try and get it on the blog before the week is out. Jonny Baker also appears to have been involved in an intriguing and very creative service at Grace this weekend.

We also spoke to Jonathan and Susie last night, and Iona is still in ITU. They are cautiously optimistic that things will move in a positive direction this week for Iona. Hopefully we will be able to welcome them all back to Inverness soon.

9/11

Amidst all the activity of this week, 9/11 (7th anniversary) on Thursday was a reminder of how fast time passes and how different the world is today because of it. On 9/11, 2001, I was at a meeting which was all about making a beginning to the project which has been the focus of the blog all week. It has been a long road! The image above is part of a series of images which you can see here

PRESS & JOURNAL TODAY

You can read a report of yesterdays events here

THE TWO TROJANS

Here is a good picture of two of the central characters in the project. Iain Ross and Lewis MacDonald have worked like Trojans this week. It was great to see them at 5pm this afternoon,so pleased and happy at the end of such a challenging week.

HANDOVER

At 4.30pm this afternoon, the building was handed over by Rok to our project chairman Iain Ross. After all the planning and hard work, the event felt a bit like a dream. The last 24 hours have been quite remarkable with a huge response in terms of volunteers to paint. If a good number turn out tonight, all the painting should be complete in time for the carpets and floor coverings being laid on Monday. Thank you to everyone who has helped.

PLEASE HELP!

I'm just back from an afternoon of painting at the centre. There were 6 painters this morning and another 6 this afternoon. If a good team turns up tonight we may just manage to finish it by tomorrow evening. If you can , please come along on Friday to help, morning, afternoon or evening. Bring a tray, rollers or brushes and we will give you the paint.

I have e-mailed my entire address book asking for help. If you could pass the word on as well, that would be great.

Cafe keys handover

PRESS RELEASE

A LONG cherished vision on the part of Hilton Church comes nearer to fulfilment tomorrow afternooon (Friday) with the handover of the the keys to the congregation's new community centre building by Rok Construction. The church aims to provide a cafe, together with other rooms for use within the newly re-developed former manse.

Minister, the Rev Duncan MacPherson said Rok had done an outstanding job under the leadership of site manager Lewis MacDonald, who is also a congregation member. "Rok moved onto the site on 16th June, and has completed the work in less than three months - a magnificent achievement", he revealed.

Leading Highland businessman David Sutherland, who was brought up near the new centre's site, has been a pivotal figure in this re-development, added Mr Macpherson, giving generous financial support together with expert back up through Rok and Tulloch Homes.The project which has cost in excess of £500,000 involved the purchase of a new manse, followed by the re-development of the old building for wider use.

"Some have suggested that the new centre will be in competition with the existing Community Centre. Nothing could be further from the truth," declared Mr Macpherson. "Our aim is to complement the existing services offered by the Community Centre and to provide an additional resource for the Hilton area.

"This week volunteers have been busy painting the interior of the building and next week all the floor coverings will be laid.Within the next few weeks we aim to have a centre manger in place and to have a suitable name for the building."

The formal opening will take place towards the end of the year.

The Blogging community mourns

This entry by Steve Taylor was a powerful reminder to me today of the way that community has evolved through the Christian blogging community. The blogs are full of tributes to bigbulkyanglican

CENTRE PAINTING

It's Wednesday night and we still have a real challenge to get all the painting done by the weekend. We have had good sized teams out during the evenings, but the numbers appearing to help during the day have been too small. The picture is of Brian Gunn who was working away on his own this afternoon. If you are reading this, and you have any time between now and Friday night, please take your rollers and paint brushes and trays and come and give us a hand.

SOULED OUT

Tickets for the event on the 1st of November at the Iron Works will go on general release from this Friday, the 12th of September. Tickets that are ordered on-line through the website link or via the box office (0871 789 4173) will have the usual Iron Works Fee booking fee applied but tickets collected in person at the venue in Academy Street, Inverness will not be subject to the booking fee. There is no charge for the event itself. Tickets will be limited to a maximum of 6 tickets per person & anyone wanting to enquire about group bookings should contact myself on 07919 066 139 or Dave Eglinton on 07720057522. We expect tickets to go quickly & once they are gone they are gone so would urge people to book early to avoid disappointment.

Gandhi's seven deadly sins

Mohandas Gandhi, one of the most influential figures in modern social and political activism, considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity…...

Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Science without Humanity
Knowledge without Character
Politics without Principle
Commerce without Morality
Worship without Sacrifice

On Sunday night Jamie Grant was giving us an insight into the backgound of the minor prophet Amos. It was a call for us to consider the integrity of our lives. Some of the observations which Amos makes are reflected above, and they are still a challenge to us today.

A good question to ask!

Before I die I want to......

ANOTHER GOOD DAY ON THE HILL

Just back from an outstanding days hillwalking near Spean Bridge today. It is great to be able to access such beautiful places so close to home. Here is a picture of Iain Macritchie at the bothy, just before we begin to ascend to the top of Stob Ban behind.

SIX MEN

At this mornings service, I read some excerpts from a book which tells the stories of 6 men, who have encountered God in their lives. Men, in general, tend to be less involved in the Church than women. The author of the book was keen to explore this phenomena and to simply listen to the stories of various men who have encountered God. The book is available on amazon.

ROK OUT!

This afternoon, Iain Ross and I dropped in to say a big "thank you" to the magnificent team from Rok Construction who have done such a great job on the new Cafe and Centre. What a whirlwind of activity the summer has been. Rok only moved onto the site on Monday, 16th June. They were finishing off the landscaping at the front today. On Monday our own volunteer painters move in. We hope to have all the painting done by next Friday.

NELSON MANDELA ON LEADERSHIP

Nelson Mandela is widely regarded as the most revered leader of the late 20th century. Today I read a Time article in which he laid out his 8 principles of leadership. You can read the whole article here

1.Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it

2.Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind

3.Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
4.Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
5.Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
6.Appearances matter — and remember to smile
7.Nothing is black or white
8.Quitting is leading too

Southern Cross

Over the past 3 years, about 80 people linked to Hilton Church have worked on street childrens projects in Peru along with the Vine Trust. A pivotal figure in all of this work is Paul Clark, head of SU Peru. I discovered today that he has published a book about the street childrens work. The book is available on Amazon.

CAFE CHURCH

There is a lot of talk about emerging church in Scotland today. Our cafe services together with initiatives like the new Centre are all aimed at seeking to provide space for new expressions of faith and worship to emerge. It is clear that many traditional expressions of worship nolonger connect with the majority of people today. Rob & Gwen Barlow have been a big factor in this emerging church development at Hilton. Rob came to do a 6 month placement with us in 2005 and stayed for 3 years! As well as doing his probationary year at the Church of Scotland in Beauly, he is also doing all the required academic training for ministry at HTC. He has a busy year ahead of him. In his "spare time", along with Gwen, he is also working on a number of iniatives linked to cafe church. You can read all about it by looking at their very impressive website SERMON VIDEOS.

BABY IONA UPDATE

Iona is continuing to make steady progress. If her condition continues to improve it is hoped that by the weekend she may be able to move from Intensive Care to the High Dependency Unit. We are grateful to God for all his many answers to our prayers. We continue to remember Jonathan and Susie in our prayers, aware of how exhausting it must be for them to still be at Yorkhill after nearly 3 weeks.

"THE REV" STEWART MACKAY

Congratulations to Stewart MacKay. He has successfully completed his probationary period at Loanhead Parish Church. He plans to spend a next year at Cornhill Scotland. He is then considering going into army chaplaincy.

HTC EVENING CLASSES

Evening Classes
Old Testament
Wednesday 17th September (for 10 weeks)
7.30 – 9 pm
Kingsview Christian Centre,
Balnafettack Road, Inverness
Tutor: Len Cazaly
Cost: £60
Covering some of key themes of the Old Testament, set in their historical and cultural context, these classes will help you to understand the links between the Old Testament story of God's people and the New Testament story of God's revelation in Jesus Christ.

These classes are aimed at anyone who simply wants to find out more about the Old Testament. Not heavy going - no exams or essays!

This is a non-certificated course. Anyone wishing to gain a qualification from their studying is encouraged to enquire about HTC’s Access Course in Christian Theology or BA Theological Studies degree.

To find out more please contact Marina at:
Highland Theological College UHI, High Street, Dingwall, Ross-shire
Tel: 01349 780000 www.htc.uhi.ac.uk htc@htc.uhi.ac.uk

Stanley Hauerwas

An important discipline for me is to read regularly and widely. Over the past month I have been slowly reading THE JESUS WAY by Eugene Petersen. At the close of his book, Petersen recommends a number of writers who can help us to decern the Way. One of them is Hauerwas. I don't like to buy books before doing a little research on the writers and google is now a great way of accessing a wide range of material about most writers. In doing my research, I found a quite remarkable lecture by Hauerwas called Abortion, Theologically understood. The article is quite lengthy, but it introduced me to a completely different way of looking at abortion and a variety of other important topics. If anyone else reads the article, I would be interested to know your response.

Duncan

LIFE WITH GOD

It is 50 years in 2008, since the sanctuary was built and opened. In the same year we will be opening a new purpose built centre and cafe which we hope will be a great asset in serving the community of Hilton in Christ's name. But we don't want the 50 years simply to be marked by bricks and mortar. We also want to spend some time focussing on the core features of our Christian faith and the call that Jesus makes upon our lives to follow him. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus in 2008? To that end, we are having a special weekend of teaching and fellowship to which are all invited. You can read more about it here

alpha

Tomorrow evening, (Wednesday at 6.30pm) we begin an alpha course in partnership with the chaplaincy team at Raigmore hospital. It is the first time I have been involved in leading a course for several years. To date, not many people have signed up to do the course, but from previous experience (10 courses!) God always seems to do some remarkable and wonderful things in peoples lives through the course. Just last Sunday, we baptised Martin and Michelle at Loch Ness. They came to faith through the last course. Please pray for us timorrow night.

Youth Discipleship Programme

We started this new programme last year and things have been going well, with around 9 of our young folk being mentored on a regular basis last term.

The main aim of this programme, is to enable the youth of our church to meet regularly with an older member of the congregation to study the Bible, pray together, and in doing so, help deepen their faith and love for the Lord.

This is a voluntary programme and folks have to sign up to it. So far, for this next term around 20 of our young people in Teenscene and Nitelife have signed up to the programme. They will meet with their mentor once a month, where they will eat together, read the Bible together and pray together.

Please pray for the young folk and mentors involved in this programme. Thanks

Chris

GOOD NEWS FROM THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Good news from the Scottish Government today. Hospital parking charges are being abolished. Read about it here.This will save the congregation some money in terms of the parking charges we pay to go and visit at Raigmore Hospital. It will also be good for patients and their families who at the moment incur considerable costs in terms of parking if their relatives are in hospital for an extended period.

ROK ON

I took a few photos this morning on the way to the office to illustrate the amazing progress being made on the Centre. Rok were pouring concrete today for the various ramps and steps for the entrances to the building. The keys are now being handed over on 15th September. The painting begins next Monday with teams of volunteers from the church. It is all "go!"

A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE!

We realised tonight that the new cafe won't be big enough to host Impact Cafe, if the numbers that came tonight keep coming and/or increase! We had over 100 there tonight. There was a great atmosphere with the band from the new SOULED OUT event playing, Peter Noble sharing a few songs linked to the themes of the prophet Joel, and Chris Dowling sharing his vision for an Intergenerational, multi denominational event at the Ironworks beginning on 1st November. We also had a new team doing all the catering and serving tonight. They did a sterling job hosting such a large number of people on their first night. Rob & Gwen Barlow did such a great job of establishing the cafe service. It was a bit daunting doing it without them tonight, but so encouraging so see the event continuing to develop.

DORES & BOLESKINE CHURCH

This morning, I was preaching at a joint service at Boleskine Parish Church. Stuart Jeffrey, Laura McCheyne's father, is the interim moderator of this congregation. Peter got some tuition on bell ringing prior to the service!

IMPACT CAFE

We have our first Impact Cafe service of the new session at 6.30pm tomorrow evening. We are going to take a look at the prophet Joel, with the help of Chris Dowling from the Kings Factory. The band from the Kings Factory are also coming along, and we have our very own Peter Noble sharing some of his songs too. Next Friday, Rok are handing the real cafe over to us for painting, so it shouldn't be too long before we can hold these kind of events in a real cafe setting.

TORRIDON HILLWALK

I'm just back from a very enjoyable hillwalk near Torridon. The weather forecast wasn't very favourable, but we had a clear day with no rain.

LOCH NESS BAPTISMS

It has been an exceedingly busy week, so time to put news on the blog has been sparse. Last weekend was a social whirlwind with a 40th birthday bbq at Nairn East Beach for 3 "young" folk from the congregation. If someone else has a photo or two from that special afternoon, they might want to post them for all to see. On Sunday afternoon, there was a picnic at Dores Beach followed by the baptisms of Michelle and Martin, who came to faith through a recent alpha course. The weather wasn't quite as kind as Saturday afternoon, but the water of Loch Ness was slightly warmer than I had expected!

GOOD NEWS

I have been very hesitant over the last 2 weeks about putting news regarding Iona's condition on the blog. On several occasions, I have posted encouraging news only to hear within minutes that her health has deteriorated. BUT!!! Jonathan has phoned tonight and he wanted everyone to know that the news is very good. Iona has had a very stable day and the hope is that tomorrow the medical team can start doing a variety of procedures which will take her closer to moving on from Intensive care.

BABY IONA UPDATE

Iona was taken back to theatre last night as her blood pressure had dropped very low. This was causing the medical team concern. The surgical team were called, but by the time she was examined in theatre her heart was functioning properly again. The hospital have no straight forward explanation for this. We are all pleased to hear that Iona has come through another crisis. We can only hope and pray that today will be a good day for Iona and her parents.

Over the last few days, we have seen the emergence of a prayer text chain as news of Iona's situation from day to day has been shared for prayer. Thank you to all who are praying and supporting Jonathan and Susie at this difficult time.

BABY IONA UPDATE

Shona and I travelled down to Yorkhill Hospital yesterday (Monday) to visit Jonathan and Susie. They were looking remarkably well considering the ordeal they have been through since Iona's birth. They received very good news from the doctors just before we arrived about Iona's condition. Unfortunately Iona's condition has again taken a turn for the worse this evening (Tuesday) and she has just been taken down for further surgery which is expected to last several hours. Please pray for Iona and for Jonathan and Susie.

Minor prophets

What a brilliant introduction by Hector on Sunday evening. My appetite is certainly whetted for what is to come in this series. The whole teach/preach was inspirational, but what impacted me most was that the Major Themes of the Minor Prophets is The Day of the Lord. This Day incorporates both Judgement and Salvation. How apt is that for us all--Christians, non-Christians and the Church? Folks, don't miss out on what God through His Word is going to teach us over the next few months on Sunday evenings. Bless you, Hector, for sharing your insight with us.
Doda

BABY IONA UPDATE

Iona's operation finally took place yesterday at Yorkhill Hospital. The operation took over 7 hours. Iona is now in Intensive Care and the medical team continue to monitor her condition. These are anxious hours for Jonathan and Susie. They have been told that the next 48 hours are critical.We continue to pray with them for a positive outcome to the surgery. Please pray for them too.

church hillwalk

Given the range of ages, we have opted for a walk which will take us to one of the most dramatic places in Scotland – the magnificent Coire Mhic Fhearchair, one of the finest corries in Scotland. A popular and straightforward hillwalk reveals the classic view of the towering Triple Buttress reflected in the waters of a beautiful lochan. The walk is about 14km and in the guidebook takes 3.5 to 5 hours. We will depart from the rear church carpark at 8.30am next Saturday morning.(30th August) If you need or can offer a lift to others, can you let the church office (233310)know by Wednesday. Please take suitable clothing for such an outdoor enviroment, together with a food and drinks.

Sermon recording

The recording of Hector's opening sermon on the minor prophets is now available on the church website. Click here

Minor Prophets

Great start to the series on the minor prophets with Hector Morrison giving an outstanding introduction. You can read about it here , here and here. Hopefully we can post the download too in the near future.

Cafe project

The project has gone a bit quiet over the summer on the blog, but on the ground it has been action packed as far as Rok Construction and the Project Team are concerned. The building is due to be delivered on 5th September and we are aiming towards having the bulk of the landscaping and painting done by 20th September. Our project chairman, Iain Ross will be reporting to the congregation on Sunday, and his report will be posted on the blog afterwards.

BABY IONA UPDATE

Jonathan and Susie have been in touch to let us know that the operation has been postponed again. This is obviously a tortuous wait for them. We continue to pray for them and we''ll give you a further update once the surgery takes place.

OPERATION MOBILISATION

We received this request from Sharon Rose of Operation Mobilisation. Is this something you could help with or perhaps you know somebody who would love to be involved.

I received this email from the Logos Hope and wanted to pass it in to you for your prayers. If this is something that you could consider or you know of someone who could get involved please get in touch.

We have a few critical skill needs onboard the Logos Hope at the moment, to help us keep momentum towards finishing the project and to get us into ministry as soon as possible. These are for:Plumbers,Carpenters and Welders

Could you please ask people to pray for God to provide and to consider asking any friends with these skill sets to come out and help us on the Logos Hope for 2 to a few weeks? If anyone is interested, please direct them to follow the links on our website: www.logoshope.org .

BABY IONA UPDATE

I know that so many have been praying for Iona today. It was expected that she would go through surgery today. Unfortunately the surgeon was unwell , and the operation has therefore been postponed until tomorrow (Tuesday). We'll keep you posted on any news tomorrow.

THE LOST OLYMPIAN

The Olympics in Beijing are now in full swing. I read a fascinating article today which reminded me that Eric Liddell, one of Scotland's great athletes ever and Olympic gold medallist in 1924 is buried about 2 hours outside Beijing. He was born in China and returned there as a missionary. He died there in 1945 in a Japanese POW Camp.

BABY IONA

It has been an especially anxious 48 hours for Jonathan and Susie Fraser. Iona became very ill on Wednesday night and was flown to Yorkhill Hospital on Thursday afternoon. Iona's condition has stabilised and it is likely that she will undergo surgery at the beginning of next week. It has been amazing to see and experience the reality of love, concern and prayer for Iona and her parents at this difficult time. Please continue to pray for them. (Philippians 4v19)

Holiday Club

What a great week!!!! What a great team!!!! What a great bunch of kids!!!!

I think the children left the church today happy that they had been here for Holiday Club, at least that is what I hope. If happy faces are an indicator on how well things are going then it must have been brilliant. We crammed quite a lot into the programme which kept everybody on their toes, especially when I changed the order of things round all the time (sorry about that Team). The singing was great, our new song written by Peter Noble went down extremely well. The DVD was good, the games were brilliant, the challenges were funny and the Drama was first class. Only the Sunday service to go now and that will be Champions Challenge all finished.

I want to thank all the team for all they did this week, they were such a good team of folks. I would like to ask you now to pray for the kids who were at Holiday Club as they head back to school. Pray that what they have learnt about Jesus this week won't stay in the church but that it would make a difference in their young lives. I will get the opportunity to work with most of these children again in the next year, whether it be at Hilton or Cauldeen Primary School or SU Group or through Hyphop, MYC, Jump or Sunday Club and so I would value prayer that I will be able to build on what we have done this week at Holiday Club.

All the groups I mentioned above are not just run by me, it takes a team 0f people, exactly like Holiday Club, in order to make the groups happen. Therefore this is my shout out to anyone who is interested in helping reach the children and young people of our area with the Good News of Jesus. Come and be part of a team involved in children's/youth work at Hilton Church. We need you. Please speak to me soon.

Chris Watt
Youth Worker

DAYS LIKE THIS

Days Like This is an Exciting Nationwide Project run by Scottish Book Trust and BBC Radio Scotland. The project aims to gather thousands of extraordinary tales, from born-and-bred Scots to newly-arrived immigrants, from Moffat to Orkney. To take part in Days Like This, all people need to do is write about a day in their life that was a bit extraordinary: It could be the day they didn’t get married, or the day they got lost in a supermarket. It could be a childhood memory or something that happened yesterday. It could have happened in Scotland or anywhere else in the world. Anyone can send a story - content is what matters! Stories should be no longer than 1,000 words and can be about anything as long as it’s true! All stories will appear on the BBC website for everyone to read. The celebrity panel will choose their favourites to be recorded and discussed in a series of radio programmes and published in a book in 2009. The deadline is 1st November 2008. For more information go to www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/dayslikethis/.

MERCY SHIPS

Today April Sutherland embarks on a long journey to Benin in Africa where she will be working with Mercy Ships. Our prayers will be with her on this trip. She writes:

As I head off with another Mercy Team this week, I'm asking that you take time to pray for the country I'm heading to. Benin is the birthplace of the Voodoo religion and spiritual darkness. It has a Christian population of only 5%! I'll be working with the others in the team to help finish a newly built orphanage and spend time with families and children who have nothing to live for - but do.

The aim of Mercy Teams is to bring hope through an outward expression of the Gospel whilst providing practical help to communities such as healthcare, crop harvesting, teaching etc. Please pray for the families and children we meet and that the team are safe as they travel from all over the world. All thoughts and prayers from home are much appreciated!

The glorious 12th!

We have just received the wonderful news that Erica Cload was born at 2.55pm this afternoon. Both mother,Carolyn and new baby are doing well in Raigmore, and Laurence, the proud dad was sounding suitably elated on the 'phone. We share in their joy tonight.

Holiday Club

Holiday Club is going really well. We have over 60 kids coming along, which is brilliant...and I think they are all having fun. The team is great too, all working really hard.

The picture at the top shows Amy running down the center of the church, in slow motion, holding the Olympic torch. The next picture shows everyone watching the DVD. The DVD, which is very well made, gives the teaching of the Bible passage before the kids move into groups to look at the story in more detail.

Please continue to pray for the Holiday Club and for the children coming along each day. Pray too for the team as we get to the middle of the week, pray for energy...I know I'm starting to feel tired...too old for this now I think :)

Thanks folks.

Chris

Stoning the prophets

Next Sunday evening at 6.30pm, we kick off a new series on the minor prophets of the old testament. This is not a part of the bible that is frequently preached from. We plan to look at a different minor prophet each week. One idea which I picked up from Steve Taylor in New Zealand, who ran such a series, was to have a time at the beginning of the service where people have the opportunity to respond to what they have read.

Then the invite to pick up a stone from the pile in the middle and to share what struck us. People shared and then tossed their stone back onto the pile. There is something very primal about the sound of stone striking stone. There is something rich and powerful about being among a community taking the word of God seriously, as a community and not from a preaching expert.

I think I will try this out. We begin the series this Sunday with a general introduction led by Hector Morrison, Deputy Principal of HTC (and one of our elders.)

It's a girl!

At 11.45 am this morning, Iona Fraser arrived safely into the world at Raigmore Hospital. She weighed in at 10lb 2oz. Jonathan and Susie are both ecstatic. We are all delighted for them at Hilton Church, and we look forward to seeing Iona in the near future. A picture may follow in due course.

WEDDING

On Saturday, 9th August, Trish Campbell married Iain Taylor at Crown Church. The service was held in Crown Church because of all the disruption at Hilton caused by the cafe development. Trish was one of the first adults to be baptised following the alpha courses which began around 1996 in Hilton Church. She then spent 2 years working with the World Exchange Programme in Jamaica at an orphanage for girls. This was a very exciting time for Hilton Church, as she was the first person to serve overseas in this way from our congregation. After her time in Jamaica, she went to teacher training college and for the last few years has been working as a Primary School teacher near Edinburgh. Tomorrow, Trish and Iain fly out to begin married life together in Quatar. We wish them every blessing in their new life together.

DAILY NOTES

I discovered some months ago, that SU post Daily Notes on their website. They also have an archive of their notes going back over many years, so if there is a book of the bible which you are especially wanting to study, there is a good chance that will find a helpful set of daily notes. If you have lapsed in your daily reading of the bible or are finding it a struggle, this may be a helpful way of moving forward.

Renovation of the heart

If you are currently looking for a good meaty christian book to read, can I recommend Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard. I bought my copy at Wesley Owen in Inverness.The review which you can read here gives you a flavour of the book's content and intent. I am reading a chapter a week, and then meeting with a friend to discuss it. There are a helpful list of questions to consider at the end of each chapter. It's the kind of book which would be great to look at together in a small group, but it would require some effort and thought from each member of the group prior to any meeting.

WEDDINGS

Fiona Dennis and Iain MacGregor were married at Dornoch Cathedral on Friday, 18th July. The happy couple are pictured at the door of the Cathedral after the wedding service. I had never been inside the church before the wedding. What a wonderful place to get married. Fiona and Iain are settling in Inverness and we wish them every blessing in their new life together.

THE JESUS WAY

Over the past week, I have been reading THE JESUS WAY by Eugene Peterson. This is a wonderful book which gives fresh insights into the Bible on a daily basis. If you haven't read any of his books before, I heartily recommend his writing, especially CHRIST PLAYS IN TEN THOUSAND PLACES.

Today, in my reading,Peterson has been focussing on the prophetic work of Elijah, and he writes,

"He will not see the results of his prophetic work. None of us in this kingdom work ever do. We "plant sequoias."

For me this observation is an important reminder. The summer will soon be over, and ahead lie many challenges. Some of them already appear quite intimidating.I need to remind myself that much of my/our work is about planting seeds which will bear fruit long after I/we are gone.

Duncan

Holiday Club 2008

Preparations for this year's Holiday Club are coming along nicely. The material this year is great, looking at Jesus as the Trainer, Physio, Teammate, Substitute, Winner and Champion. Did you guess that it is a sporty theme this year?

We have a great team of folks helping at Holiday Club, helping with groups, with creche, in the kitchen, helping with registration............it's going to be a great week.

Holiday Club registration will happen on SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2008, in the large hall of the church from 10am till 12pm.

I would be grateful if you could spread the word about Holiday Club...leaflets have went out, posters are up, the Holiday Club banner is in the front garden of the church, BUT it is always good to personally invite someone along. SO, I am asking all you adults out there who read this blog to go and tell your children, your grand children, your niece's and nephew's, your neighbours children's, your friend's children, any child you know about Holiday Club and invite them to be part of it. Go on, tell someone.......

For all the team - Holiday Club training is on Thursday 7th August in the church from 7.30pm till 9pm. Hope you can make it.

Set-making days are Saturday 2nd and Saturday 9th August from 10am - anyone can come along and help with this. Thanks.

Please pray for Holiday Club, pray that children would hear about it and come along, and that they would feel welcome and have lots of fun. Pray too that God would speak to the children through what they see and hear during the week and that lives would be changed.

Thank folks.

Chris

GOD IN THE ORDINARY

God speaks to us in the ordinary every day experiences of our lives. That is the focus of our worship at Hilton Church this morning. I will be mentioning Steve Taylor's outstanding blog during the service.Here are a couple of links well worth reading and reflecting on. Here for God's leading in their church as they seek to serve the community and here for the blogs which seek to decern signs of the kingdom.

Helpers needed at Belladrum

My friend Charity Webb, in association with Streams Ministries, is heading up a team which will work at Belladrum Festival (8th and 9th August), seeking to bring God’s word to festival goers through dream interpretation. In response to overwhelming demand last year, they have multiplied the team and tent size for this year, but need two people for each day who would be willing to hand out leaflets, and steward the queue outside the tent from 12 till 7.30pm. You would then be free to use your (free) ticket to listen to the bands for the rest of the evening. Anyone interested in helping on one or both days should contact Charity on 222690.
Dot

Fishlock Update

For more news on the Fishlock's latest adventures click here. If you want to keep in closer contact why not bookmark Keri's blog as a favourite.