WORSHIP SERVICES. Also prayers every Friday at 12 midday remembering people by name. Please make your requests known

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1 Newsletter Crown Church, Inverness June 2018: No. 740 Interim Moderator: Rev Duncan MacPherson WORSHIP SERVICES All people, of any age, are warmly invited to participate at all of our services We have Treasure Seekers, age-related fun and learning activity for children every Sunday at 11. Sunday 3rd June Sacrament of the Lord s Supper at 9.30 am, 11am and 3.00 Thanksgiving Service with Special Prayers at 6.30pm Sunday 10th June Morning Worship at 9.30 am Rev Morven Archer and 11am Rev Doug McRoberts Sunday 17th June Morning Worship at 9.30 am Rev Morven Archer and 11am Stewart Robertson Sunday 24th June Morning Worship at 9.30 am Rev Morven Archer and 11am Rev Morven Archer Sunday 1st July Morning Worship at 9.30 am Rev Morven Archer and 11am Rev Morven Archer followed by monthly Special Prayers Also prayers every Friday at 12 midday remembering people by name. Please make your requests known They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Acts chapter 2, versus 42 to 44

2 The Nominating Committee Notices were read at both services on Sunday 27th May regarding the arrangements for the nominating committee. A meeting will be held directly after the 11 am service on Sunday 10th June, the purpose of which is to appoint those who are to serve on the nominating committee. Those attending the meeting will be entitled to propose the names of those people who are eligible to serve by virtue of being on the electoral register. There requires to be both a proposer and a seconder for any name put forward. It is also important to point out that the consent of any individual whose name is to be put forward must be obtained in advance. With that proviso however, it is not necessary for the individual to be present at the meeting. There are a total of 13 places available on the committee. If more than 13 names are proposed, then there will require to be an vote which will be conducted by secret ballot at the meeting itself. It is therefore anticipated that, by the end of the meeting, the names of all of those who are to serve on the committee will be known. Thereafter, the nominating committee will itself elect a convener from its own number and the committee will commence its duties by having a meeting with the Presbytery advisory committee before setting about the detailed work of identifying a suitable minister who will then be presented to the church as a sole nominee. It is important to stress, however, that the final decision as to whether or not to accept the sole nominee as minister will lie with the Church members and not with the nominating committee. On a separate but related matter, the work on the Parish Profile has now been completed. This is the document which sets out the detail of the present position of Crown Church and which is intended to assist those ministers who might wish to consider applying for the vacancy. Anyone interested in seeing the detail of the Parish Profile will be able to access it in due course through the Crown Church website.

3 We introduced the idea of a Street Pastors Sunday in churches last June (2017) and we received loads of great feedback. So we decided to do it again this year and Crown Church very kindly invited us to come along on Sunday 26th May. The idea was very simple: highlight the work of Street Pastors. There was Sue and Robyn at the 9.30 service and Sue, Ross and Marjory at the 11am service. We all enjoyed ourselves very much and breakfast was very much appreciated. An introduction - Street Pastors is the local church in action on the streets. We are not a parachurch or ministry organisation. Our volunteers are sent from 15 different local churches and our management team represent 4 different local churches and different denominations. Our city s authorities understand this. The people we meet on the street to listen, to care, and to help, understand this too. The entire church community benefits from our reputation. Here are some questions that we are regularly asked - What s a Street Pastor? Street Pastors are trained volunteers from local Churches who care about their community. They are normal people like you and me. Anyone over 18 can be a Street Pastor as long as they are from a local Church, concerned for society and their local community. They should be willing to engage with people, whatever their perspective on life and wherever they hang out. They should be happy to work in a team and in collaboration with other agencies and projects, both statutory and voluntary. When, where and how often do we patrol? We patrol on foot in Inverness city centre in teams of men and women, usually from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on a Friday and Saturday night, to care for, listen to and help people who are out on the streets. Inverness also has patrols during the daytime in the city centre from till 2.30pm, in the evening in Merkinch / South Kessock and in Hilton we patrol on bicycle from 7.30pm till around 10pm. Patrolling on bicycle in the Hilton area means we can cover the area from Inshes to Lochardil. (Continued on next page)

4 (Continued from previous page) What are the main problems we encounter on our patrols? The biggest problems in the city centre at night time is usually people who have had too much alcohol and/or drugs. This can make them disorientated and often vulnerable. Quite often, all someone needs is to have a kind person listen to them non judgmentally and maybe help them sober up before getting them into a taxi home. If someone is hurt then we can stay with them until the ambulance comes. Quite often just being present can stop heated discussions from turning into a more difficult situation. Loneliness can be an issue in the housing estates and again, having someone to chat to can be all that someone needs. We can signpost them by letting them know where they can get help from local charities. There are also homeless people that sometimes just need a sleeping bag or warm socks or just a cup of tea and a chat. Just being there to care, to help and to listen can make all the difference. What training do we receive? Training is going to start in September this year and you are required to complete 3 core training days with the other training topics to be completed during your first 2 years. During training there is a requirement to go out as an observer. This gives an opportunity to find out more about the issues out on the streets. There are no qualifications required, just a willingness to learn about issues within the local community. How can you get involved? We will be holding information events on Wednesday 11th July at 7.30pm and Saturday 14th July at 10am. These information events will be held at the Hub beside the Baptist Church on Castle Street in Inverness. It is a great way to find out more about what we do and ask any questions that you may have. We also have Prayer Pastors in Inverness if you feel that your calling is to pray for those on the streets and also to pray for our Street Pastors. More information about how to be a Prayer Pastor will be available at the information events or contact us to have a chat. If you would like any further information about Inverness Street Pastors then please contact us on or inverness@streetpastors.org.uk Alternatively, like our Facebook page or follow us on twitter, just look up nesspastors and you will find us. Robyn Teago Inverness Street Pastors

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6 Colin Baillie to receive Freedom of the City of Inverness The Highland Council is to confer the Freedom of the City of Inverness on Colin Baillie for the wide commitment he has displayed across his lifetime to the wellbeing of the people of the Highlands and, in particular, the City of Inverness. The proposal to confer the honour to Mr Baillie was received by Highland Council from a number of organisations including the City of Inverness Highland Games Committee, Highland Rugby Club, High Life Highland and Police Scotland. Provost Carmichael said: I am utterly delighted for Colin Baillie that his good works throughout his lifetime will be acknowledged as he has provided eminent service to the area through his works and deeds. I am very much looking forward to the Freedom ceremony that will be arranged in due course. She added: Colin has made a highly significant impact on people s lives through his dedication, commitment, enthusiasm and unique ability to encourage and stimulate, promote and develop individuals and groups through his passion and zest for life. Colin is best known for his contribution to sport and in particular to rugby as a retired PE Teacher ( then Depute Rector) at Millburn Academy, notable member of the Highland Rugby Club and highly regarded coach with the North and Midlands Rugby Team. To us at Crown Church, Colin is known for his work with the Boys Brigade and as an elder. Many congratulations, Colin. Colin Baillie leads The Boys Brigade at the 2017 Kirking of the Council in Inverness

7 Thanks to Richard Ardern for telling us about this article in the Strathnairn News on the ancient linkage between Daviot and Dunlichity. DAVIOT & DUNLICHITY CHURCH FURTHER INTO THE FUTURE! Something happy, something sad for our churches. The happy is that this year we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the union of Daviot and Dunlichity Churches the oldest union in the Church of Scotland. We want to make the most of this, as the sad news is that under the new Presbytery Plan, Dunlichity is to be closed. We have been given a stay of execution until early next year because of the anniversary, but after that it will not be allowed to continue as a place of worship in the Church of Scotland. However, we would love to find ways to retain it, not least because of the connection with local clans, especially the clan MacGillivray, and all its historic associations and interest to our community going right back to the first church in the days of St Finnan in 575 AD. To begin the celebrations there will be a special service at am on 3rd June in Dunlichity Church, followed by a picnic. This, we hope, will be a special community event to which everybody is invited, so do come and join us!! Also, inspired by actions of other congregations in other places setting up community trusts to keep their churches open, we are looking at that possibility for us. For this, we would need support from other groups and individuals from the community, and encompass wider interests. Meantime, we would like to enable both buildings to be open at times during the week so that people could explore their historic interest or just visit to enjoy the quiet for a time more details of opening times to follow... One definite date, is 10th September, when both churches will be open for Doors Open Day. Because the manse at Daviot has been judged as not fit for purpose, we are not allowed to call a minister meantime. There is even a suggestion that Daviot church could face closure at some time in the future. However, we are not all doom and gloom, and are looking forward to finding new ways of outreach and being a church for this community, working together with the Community Church and St Paul s. Meantime, we will, of course, continue with services of worship in Daviot Church at 12 noon each Sunday with an interesting and varied selection of Pulpit supply! and on the first Sunday of each month at Dunlichity at 6.30 pm, until October. We would love to see you at either or both Churches and of course, don t forget the special date of 3rd June at Dunlichity! Kathleen Matheson & Joyce Mitchell

8 3rd Inverness Boys Brigade Company News The session of the 3rd Inverness Boys Brigade came to an end on Friday 18th May with our Annual Display and Parent s Night. This year our Chief Guests were Colin and Lily Baillie. Almost 60 Boys were in attendance at the display and it was great to see a full hall of parents, grandparents and friends packed into the hall. Once again the highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Queen s Badge to 1 young man. This year it was Craig Macaulay who attained the highest award the Brigade can offer. President s Badges were also presented to Conor Moran, Damon Rattray and Dean Boyce. There was another special award as Dean Boyce also received a Brigade President s Commendation for the courage he s shown through various health issues over the last couple of years. We re hoping to have a selection of photos uploaded to our Facebook page just search for 3rd Inverness Boys Brigade. Next on the agenda for the older boys is company camp this year we re joining with the th 10 Company and 35 of us are off to the Cairngorm Christian Centre for a long weekend from the 10th to 12th August! At the end of another very busy year the staff are all off for all well earned rest but we ll be back raring to go again in August / September!! Gary McAra

9 LAUNCHPAD AND DONALD MATHESON Last October, the Newsletter included an article by Eileen Ardern celebrating 30 years of Launchpad in Crown Church. For those who are unfamiliar with Launchpad Inverness, it was established in 1987 with the aim of offering help to unemployed people in the local community. It does so by offering small grants for equipment or course fees to applicants with the aim of helping individuals to develop an interest during their period of unemployment. Over the period, some 600 applicants have been interviewed and 52,000 disbursed. The people who have benefited from these grants are as many and as varied as have been the purposes of the grants themselves. However, even although the amounts of money have been relatively small, the impact which they have had on the lives of the people involved has been very considerable. Remarkably, one of our elders, Donald Matheson, has been involved with Launchpad Inverness since it started. Donald was the charity's Treasurer for many years and latterly was the examiner of its accounts. Donald stepped down from this role last month. The newsletter editors would like to join with the rest of the church in giving Donald a hearty round of applause for the sterling work which he has carried out for Launchpad over so many years. Well done, Donald!

10 The following is a short excerpt from a feature article by Lynne McNeill who interviewed the Rev Susan Brown, Moderator Designate of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in The text of the full article can be accessed via the May edition of Life and Work. It is perhaps fitting that in the 50th anniversary month of the historic decision to ordain women as ministers in the Church of Scotland that a woman parish minister has been nominated as Moderator of this year s General Assembly. The Rev Susan Brown, minister of Dornoch Cathedral since 1998, is honoured to have been chosen. As one of the first woman ministers to serve in the Highlands she was called to Killearnan in 1985 she was also the first woman minister to serve in the presbyteries of Ross and Sutherland and has served as Moderator in both. Barely five feet tall, she is warm, witty and self-deprecating, but brimming with energy, determination and vigour in her drive to serve not only the Church but her local community and the world beyond. It is clear parish ministry is at the heart of all that she does. She is passionate about Dornoch and does not miss an opportunity to promote the Highland town. Her theme for the year is Walking with, rooted in her early church life, where hillwalking was a regular activity. (Continued on next page)

11 (Continued from previous page) Walking is good for your mental health, your physical health and it is good for your spiritual health, as well as for the environment. When you are walking you are talking to people in a different way. Conversations take on different flavours. You and others move and as you do, you remember life is always a journey and in that thought we find echoes of the road to Emmaus Road. I would love to have as many different people as possible, within and outwith the church, joining me on different walks during the year. Born in Edinburgh, Susan grew up in Penicuik, worshipping at Penicuik North. It was here that she first met her husband Derek at the age of ten in the church s Sunday School. Derek and Susan, who married in Penicuik North in 1981, are part of a group of five or six people around the same age who went on to be ordained into the ministry of the Church of Scotland from that congregation alone. Derek is lead chaplain at Highland Health Board and chaplain to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. Susan says her faith was nurtured by both ministers at Penicuik North, and by her involvement not only with Sunday School, Youth Group and Scripture Union but also by links with Youth With A Mission. It was in those early formative years that she sensed a call to the ministry of the Church of Scotland. She studied theology at New College in Edinburgh and served as a probationer at St Giles Cathedral for two years, and was then called to Killearnan on the Black Isle where she served as minister for 13 years before being called to serve as minister of Dornoch Cathedral. Reflecting on what parish ministry has meant to her, she simply says: It is the privilege of leading worship among people who let you in on all the highs and lows of their lives the beautiful and the messy moments. Lynne McNeil

12 Because God doesn t fit in a box Last year during Lent we introduced the BOX project. It stood for Bibles Open Xplorers. Acrostics containing the letter X will always be a challenge. The idea was that we d do our best to equip families to bring the conversation of faith home: to help make spiritual conversations part of the everyday for as many as possible. Youth and children s workers up and down the country have been scratching their heads for a few years now about what sorts of things we could be doing to better equip families to be growing in faith together at home. I say a few years ; it s possible that people have been head-scratching over this one for millennia! We read in Deuteronomy 6: 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. You can just imagine the original listeners responding by saying but HOW?!? The BOX project was Young Crown s answer. Each box contained several items designed to help share faith and aimed across a wide age range we had knitted prayer pals which were to help youngsters to remember to pray (and snuggle with too!); Lord s Prayer cubes (an interactive way to engage with the familiar words); a contemporary version of Luke s Gospel (to accompany the series on Luke we were doing in church at the time); and a set of special challenges for families to undertake together. We wanted the stuff in the boxes to go hand-in-hand with what we were doing in services to build the connections between our spiritual lives at home and at church. We did so in the hope that all, or at least some, of it would be useful so that parents, grandparents and guardians would be that little bit better equipped to take up the challenge from Deuteronomy 6. That s all well and good, but why are you writing about what you did last year? I hear you ask Well Because we re doing it again! Updated for 2018 and with a brand new Diary of a Disciple Peter and Paul s story to go alongside our series in Acts (which we ll be doing at 9:30 services and probably 11:00 services too); we ve started sending new content for the boxes home. It s our prayer that these will continue to be, or become for the first time, a valuable resource in helping families to share faith together at home. I m excited by this. Most of the contemporary research you read in the youth and children s ministry field suggests that making our Christian living central to how we do home life has a profoundly beneficial impact on the chances of our children growing up in the faith. They re peddling this advice like it s new. Our effort in doing this is in the hope that what happens on a Sunday flows into a Monday (and Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.) and that any sense of disconnection between them is reduced. Our hope is to find that these boxes at home work back into an increase in the faith life of the church too. Struan

13 The Guild Just a reminder that we meet for coffee on the 26th June, the 31st July and the 28th August for coffee and a chat. We meet from 10:15am until noon. We hope as many members as possible will come and enjoy the fellowship. Dorothy Mein Guild Correspondent Highland Foodbank The items Highland Foodbank would be grateful for during June & July are:- Cartons of long life fruit juice Tins of potatoes Tins of corned beef Tins of tomatoes Without Crown Church's donations the work of the Foodbank would not be possible. Thank you. Liz Gray Highland Malawi Trust There will be a Strawberry Tea held at the home of Chrisanne and Stewart Robertson (6 Raasay Road) in aid of Highland Malawi Trust on Saturday 9th of June from 2 pm until 5 pm. All welcome!

14 Daily Bible Readings for June/July June 3, 2018 Sunday, Exodus 20:3-11 Monday, Exodus 18:1-12, Moses Reunites with His Wife Tuesday, Exodus 18:13-27, Jethro s Advice Wednesday, Exodus 19:7-25, The People Consecrated Thursday, Exodus 20:18-21, The People Feared God Friday, Exodus 20:22-26, The Law Concerning the Altar Saturday, Exodus 23:10-13, Sabbatical Year and Sabbath June 10, 2018 Sunday, Exodus 20:12-16 Monday, Exodus 21:1-11, The Law concerning Slaves Tuesday, Exodus 21:12-27, The Law concerning Violence Wednesday, Exodus 21:28-36, Laws concerning Property Thursday, Exodus 22:1-15, Laws of Restitution Friday, Exodus 22:16-31, Social and Religious Laws Saturday, Exodus 23:1-9, Justice for All June 17, 2018 Sunday Exodus 20:17 Monday, Exodus 23:14-19, The Annual Festivals Tuesday, Exodus 23:20-33, The Conquest of Canaan Promised Wednesday, Exodus 24:1-8, The Blood of the Covenant Thursday, Exodus 24:9-18, On the Mountain with God Friday, Exodus 25:1-22, The Ark of the Covenant Saturday, Exodus 25:23-40, The Table and the Lampstand June 24, 2018 Sunday 1 John 1:1-4 Monday, 1 John 2:3-6, Christ the Advocate Tuesday, 1 John 2:7-11, A New Commandment Wednesday, 1 John 2:12-14, A New Commandment Thursday, 1 John 2:15-17, A New Commandment Friday, 1 John 2:18-25, Warning against Antichrists Saturday, 1 John 2:26-28, Warning against Antichrists July 1, 2018 Sunday 1 John 1:5 2:2 Monday, 1 John 2:29-3:3, Children of God Tuesday, 1 John 3:4-8, Children of God Wednesday, 1 John 3:9-10, Children of God Thursday, 1 John 3:11-17, Love One Another Friday, 1 John 3:18-22, Love One Another Saturday, 1 John 3:23-24, Love One Another

15 CONTACTS INTERIM MODERATOR Rev Duncan MacPherson OLM ASSISTANT Rev Morven Archer YOUTH WORKER Struan McRoberts SESSION CLERK Brian Macgill, ORGANIST/CHOIRMASTER SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPT Patricia MS Crippin BOARD CHAIRMAN Bill Mein CLERK TO BOARD Judith Macleod TREASURER Donald MacKenzie FREEWILL OFFERINGS Robert Shanks GIFT AID TREASURER Robert Hendry CHURCH SECRETARY Gloria Mackintosh, Church Office SAFEGUARDING Lynn Forbes FACILITIES -CONVENER Gordon Cameron David MacLellan HALLS BOOKINGS Irene Whyte CARETAKER Eilidh Ross GUILD SECRETARY Adrienne Adie LADY VISITORS Jane Wilson FLOWERS CONVENER Ruby Coe NEWSLETTER EDITORS Bob & M Forrest CHURCH OFFICE Crown Church Tues-Fri ( ) office@crown-church.co.uk WEBSITE Jun July 1 8 Readers Communion Jean Smith Charlie Gallacher Hilary MacLean John Barbour Liz Forbes Creche Marjory MacKenzie & Chrisanne Robertson Jane Smith & Muriel Choppy Kay MacDonald & Jane Smith Marjory MacKenzie & Muriel Choppy Kay MacDoanld & Marjory MacKenzie Kay MacDonald & Marjory MacKenzie Coffee Communion Janet MacPherson, Mairi Main, Paul Brady MaryAnn Buchanan, M Barbour, Irene Munro Isabelle MacKenzie, Fiona Carter, Alison Caird Organisation Organisation June Count Team Sheena Ferguson Heather Beck, Robert & Aileen Laing, Helen Boynton July Count Team Liz Gray Bruce Merchant, Douglas Taylor, Margot Tuley June Welcome Team North Door Marion & John Barbour South Door Lena Clarke & Val Little Midmills North Peter & Joyce Collinson Midmills South Brian Macgill July Welcome Team North Door Alan Nelson & Margot Tuley South Door Eileen & Richard Ardern Midmills North David Crippin Midmills South Ella Low

16 DEATHS NEWS OF THE CHURCH FAMILY Mr Ian Akers, on 4th May Mrs Sheila Ferguson, on 21st May Community Fete Plans are afoot to have a Community Fete in Crown School Grounds on the first Saturday of September. This is to be similar to the fete run by Young Crown last May. The purpose behind the fete is to raise the profile in the local community of all the activities going on in our kirk for the young and the not so young. It is hoped each organisation will want to have at least one stall. This could be merely to advertise your programme, to recruit new members, or preferably it could offer a game, or items to buy, a craft to try please put your heads together and come up with something attractive. This is a great opportunity to show what is happening behind the four walls of Crown church. It is also an opportunity to indulge a hobby which might allow you to prepare over the summer items to sell either on a stall of your own, or shared with others. We would like a small team to oversee the planning arrangements for the Community fete. If this is your thing, please let us know of your interest by speaking to or e mailing - Struan McRoberts or Judith Macleod The copy deadline for the July/ August newsletter will be Sunday 24th June Contributions should be sent to the Forrests at: marionandbobnewsletter@gmail.com or left in the F pigeonhole. Please note that the newsletter can also be accessed via the church website where you will be able to see the photographs in colour. Published by Crown Church, Inverness (Church of Scotland) Registered charity SC The Church website is to be found at