Dalneigh and Bona Church of Scotland. Parish Profile

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Stanley Lambert
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1 Dalneigh and Bona Church of Scotland Parish Profile

2 2 Contents Background Mission Vision The Parish p3 p3 p4 p5 The Church Premises Dalneigh Church p6 Bona Church p6 and 7 Dalneigh Manse p7 and 8 Membership and Church Services The Kirk Session p9 p10 The Congregational Board p 10 Safeguarding p 10 Employees p 10 Church Activities/ Ministries p11 and 12 Inverness p13 and 14 Summary p14

3 3 Background This document has been prepared in 2015 by the Nomination Committee of Dalneigh & Bona Church of Scotland, Inverness. The unrestricted call is a joint charge. Our vacancy has arisen because of our minister, Rev Andrew MacMillan along with some of our congregation leaving to form a new congregation of the Free Church of Scotland. The majority of the congregation have remained at Dalneigh and Bona, firmly believing that there is still a need and an opportunity to exercise a biblical gospel ministry within the Church of Scotland. The departure of our minister and some of the congregation, although a difficult and painful experience, has been an awakening to the fact that we need to be continually working together to be the Church of today in our parish. Mission We believe that under God the purpose of our church is to enable each person: To worship God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To grow in faith, knowledge and love of God. To live a life worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To share in the work of the Gospel through word and deed. In summary, we are a family that looks out for each other, worships and prays together and we encourage each other to communicate the love of Jesus with those we meet. Vision We recognise that the traditional model of the minister covering all functions is not only unworkable but is unbiblical and stifles the life of the church family. We need a culture of encouragement, equipping and enabling, for all the people of God to share in the work of the church. There is an imperative to be a truly mission minded fellowship. We are challenged by the rapidly changing nature of the population in our community. There are younger individuals and families with whom we find it difficult to connect. We need to be open to challenging and possibly changing the

4 4 way we have always done things. The current pattern of services and meetings is long established but an honest review of what we are doing and why we are doing it is currently underway. The fundamentals of the faith are unchanging. The practices and outward expressions are much more culturally dependant.

5 5 The Parish The combined population of Dalneigh and Bona recorded by the 2011 census was 3,779 and comprises a significant number of elderly and very elderly people. Compared to Inverness Presbytery overall, there are fewer people who have been educated to Higher or Further Education levels and in terms of housing there is a lower percentage of homes which are owner occupied when compared with other areas in Scotland pdf Dalneigh Dalneigh parish is set in a housing estate built mainly in the 1950s. It is bounded by the Caledonian Canal, Bruce Gardens, Dochfour Drive and Fairfield Road. There is a primary school and nursery in Dalneigh and outside the parish boundary lies Inverness High School, a short distance from Dalneigh Church and manse. There is also a relatively modern community centre adjacent to the primary school. Bona Bona is a rural parish incorporating some 15 sq miles of some of the most beautiful scenery in the Highlands, including a portion of the north aspect of Loch Ness and Loch Dochfour and a section of the Caledonian Canal at Dochgarroch Locks. Bona also includes picturesque Abriachan, a scattered community located high above Loch Ness and approached by steep roads from the A82. This community has a recently refurbished community hall. The primary school and nursery for the area are situated at Dochgarroch.

6 Church Premises Dalneigh Church Dalneigh church, built in 1953, became the church hall when the current church building was completed in 1979.

6 6 Church Premises Dalneigh Church Dalneigh church, built in 1953, became the church hall when the current church building was completed in The church seating is fixed pews and seats around 350 people. The main worship instrument is an electric piano. There is a vestry and a small room housing the tape library. Within the hall building there are a number of smaller rooms that were part of a refurbishment programme when new toilet facilities including a disabled toilet were provided. Both buildings are heated by gas central heating powered by two gas boilers. The buildings are in reasonable repair. Dalneigh Church

7 7 Bona Church Bona Church is situated in a prominent position above the northern shore of the Loch Ness overlooking the hamlet of Lochend. Adjoining the church is the former manse which forms part of Dochfour Estate. It is currently leased. The church seats 110 with further accommodation achieved by moving a sliding partition. The main worship instrument is an electric keyboard. The church hall attached to the rear of the church accommodates around 25 people. There is a small vestry, toilet and kitchen. The church building and the halls are in good repair. The picturesque appearance of the church and its location means that it is a popular location for weddings. Bona Church

8 Dalneigh Manse The manse, built in 1909, is set back from St Mungo Road. It was formerly the farmhouse for Dalneigh Farm on which Dalneigh housing estate is situated.

8 8 Dalneigh Manse The manse, built in 1909, is set back from St Mungo Road. It was formerly the farmhouse for Dalneigh Farm on which Dalneigh housing estate is situated. Internal decoration is in good order. The building is on two levels. The ground floor comprises: two large public rooms with open fires and a study, a small shower room with WC and at the rear of the house a well appointed kitchen. On the first floor there are five bedrooms and a bathroom. Windows are double glazed and the house is heated by gas central heating. There is a wooden garage and carport and the house stands in approximately one third of an acre, mostly laid to grass. Dalneigh Manse

9 9 Membership and Church Services The combined membership of Dalneigh and Bona Church is 200 with over 60 adherents. It is mainly a gathered congregation. There are currently two Sunday morning services: 10:00 am at Bona and 11:30 am at Dalneigh. Sunday evening services are held weekly in Dalneigh at 6:30 pm. During the months of May through to September our congregations hold joint services once a month: 11:30am at Dalneigh and 6:30pm at Bona. Members of our congregations are happy to participate in services, reading the Scripture lesson and leading prayers. Our regular pianist is accompanied by two violinists at Bona, one of whom assists in leading the praise at the evening and joint services at Dalneigh. Hymn Quest and Easy Worship are used to access the praise for worship which is projected onto a single screen at Dalneigh. At Bona, Songs of Fellowship (volume 1), CH3 and Keswick Praise (1975) are used. Communion is celebrated quarterly on the last Sunday of the month: January, April, July and October. Joint Family services (normally four) are held throughout the year. These services are usually followed by a church lunch. The mid-week service/prayer meeting is held at Dalneigh. This meeting is conducted by the Minister, a member of the congregation, or a visiting missionary, followed by a time of open prayer. A regular prayer bulletin is compiled by our recently appointed Prayer Secretary. Tea is served after the morning service at Bona, the evening service and midweek meeting at Dalneigh. These times of fellowship are well supported and enjoyed by our congregations. A new Dalneigh and Bona website is now in place with details of the life and work of the church. The website will be developed further in the months ahead and updated on a regular basis. and bonachurch.org.uk A facebook page has also been set up for Dalneigh and Bona church.

10 10 The Kirk Session The Kirk Session has 14 members, allocated to 11 districts. The Session meets bi-monthly (or as required). The Moderator is the Minister and the Session Clerk is Arnett Cook who is also a Reader. Currently one elder is a member of Presbytery. Most elders have help in distributing the church magazine: The Link, published quarterly, and also with visiting and delivering Communion Cards. The Congregational Board The Board consists of all the Elders and 11 elected members. It is chaired by one of our Elders Eric Stewart. There is a Finance Committee (Chair: Arnett Cook), Property Committee (Chair: George Hall) and a Grounds Committee. Safeguarding Roy Marr supervises safeguarding in our church and is the Presbytery trainer. Employees The church currently employs a church officer and cleaner at Dalneigh and a church officer (job share) at Bona.

11 11 Church Activities/Ministries Creche: A crèche operates during the morning and evening services at Dalneigh and is run by an enthusiastic group of volunteers. Rotas are used to ensure appropriate cover. There is currently no crèche at Bona. Sunday School: The Sunday school at Dalneigh meets during the morning and / or evening services. At present there is no Sunday school at Bona. The Sunday School Superintendent is Mrs Linda Cook. Guild: This organisation meets every second Tuesday afternoon in Dalneigh church hall. Mother and Toddler Group: Noah s Ark meets every second Thursday in Dalneigh church hall. This group is open to families in the parish. Approximately 20 mothers and carers with their toddlers attend regularly. Kidzone: This is an outreach for primary school children which meets on a Wednesday evening for an hour during school term times in Dalneigh church hall. The leader is Mrs Kathy Barrow. Boys Brigade: The Anchor Boys meet every Thursday evening during school term times in Dalneigh church hall. The Junior Section and a small Company Section meet every Friday evening during school term times in Dalneigh church hall. Pastoral Care Team: This is a team of volunteers who support the Minister and Elders with hospital and home visitations. This team of volunteers also hold a coffee morning for the parish on the third Wednesday of each month in Dalneigh church hall. Ladies House group: A group of ladies meet on a Thursday evening in a home to learn and discuss how to apply the Bible to everyday life.

12 12 Bible Bites: This is a recently formed ladies morning group. It is an opportunity to meet together with tea and a biscuit to hear and chat about passages of Scripture. This group meets in the Welcome Room in Dalneigh church hall. Holiday Club: Over the past few years the fellowship ran a Holiday Club during the Easter and Summer school holidays in Dalneigh church hall. This outreach attracted between 20 and 30 primary school aged children. Tape Ministry: Services are recorded and tapes are made available as required. We are currently upgrading our system. A community craft group meets on a Tuesday in Dalneigh church hall.

13 13 Inverness Dalneigh parish is in Inverness, the capital City of the Highlands of Scotland. Inverness has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years and currently has a population of approximately 80,000. A new University, the University of the Highlands and Islands, has been granted full University status. The University has a federal structure consisting of 14 colleges and institutions scattered throughout the Highlands and Islands. One of these colleges is the Highland Theological College, based at Dingwall, 15 miles north of Inverness. It has been recognised by the Church of Scotland as an accredited training centre for ministers, and its extensive library may be used by ministers from the area. An academic campus has recently been opened on a 215 acre site in the city of Inverness and the new Inverness College UHI costing around 50m will be opened in August 2015 on the Campus. Inverness is well supplied with excellent leisure facilities. Eden Court Theatre, which was built over 35 years ago, contains an 800 seat theatre as well as two smaller ones and two cinemas. Eden Court Theatre enjoys an eclectic programme of classical music, traditional music, jazz, dance and drama, and international as well as national companies and orchestras regularly perform at the Theatre. Art exhibitions are a regular feature on the Theatre programme. Iron Works is an entertainment venue which also regularly holds Christian events. A large multiplex cinema is based in the retail park on the east side of the city. Sports and leisure activities are also well catered for. There is a large Sports Hall and Aquadome with a swimming pool based in the city centre, and close by there is a small Botanical Garden. Adjacent to this there is an athletics track, and in the Bught Park there are facilities for sports such as soccer, hockey, shinty and rugby. Nearby, the Caledonian Canal skirts the west side of the city, and there are tow paths on each side of the canal from Inverness to Dochgarroch which are excellent for walks. A tennis and squash club and an ice rink are centrally placed in the city. There are three golf courses in Inverness. Healthcare facilities in Inverness enjoy a good reputation. In addition to a number of multidisciplinary primary health centres there is a large 450 bed regional hospital at Raigmore. Education is of a high standard in Inverness. In addition to normal primary education, a Gaelic Medium primary school has been operating successfully in a new building off the southern

14 14 distributor road for a number of years. Secondary education is provided in five schools Charleston Academy, Culloden Academy, Inverness High School, Inverness Royal Academy, Millburn Academy. The city also has a Street Pastor Scheme, which operates in the city centre and other areas of Inverness. The Inverness economy has undergone substantial change in recent years. Tourism is still a major component the Highlands of Scotland are a major attraction to UK visitors as well as those from overseas. As the administrative capital of the Highlands, there are many local government posts in Inverness. NHS Highland employs in excess of 3,000 staff at Raigmore Hospital, and Lifescan Scotland employs around 1,100 staff designing and manufacturing diabetes monitoring equipment at its Inverness factory. Inverness-scotland.com Summary The congregation at Dalneigh and Bona has a long history of expository Bible teaching. It is essential that our new Minister would continue this, encouraging the strong sense of fellowship in worship, witness and service, to which the congregation is committed. There is an urgent need and an enthusiasm among our congregation to reach out into the parish with the Good News of the Gospel.

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