Faith Wisdom & Spirituality – Conversations
A series of Tuesday afternoon Conversations
Recorded March and April 2022 – Recordings available here
This Pentecost Weekend
What’s on this Whitsun weekend
Whitsun, or White Sunday is another name for Pentecost when the Church celebrates the coming of the promised Holy Spirit to inspire and enthuse the Church… it was in a sense the Church’s Birthday… and we celebrate the ongoing life of the Church this week – 31st May.
Click the links for more information
- Sunday 7.30am – BBC Radio Scotland: New Every Sunday, Act of worship
- Sunday Worship with Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland can be watched on the Church of Scotland Website from 10am. Audio only also available to listen to via The Linked Parishes Podcast or by calling 01173 252 399
- Sunday 11.15 on BBC1 – Reflections from the Quay
Rev Tara Granados, Ibrox Parish Church, Glasgow and David Strachan talk to Madinah Javed about the importance of Ramadan and the festival of Eid. Plus music from Siobhan Miller and Euan Burton. - Invitation to light a candle and pray at 7pm
Next Week
Tuesday 2nd – 3pm – Bible Study – A Zoom through the Book of Joshua. If you’d like to join in this… have a read over Joshua Chapter 1, and let Donald know you’d like to join in and he’ll send you the link. All welcome…and it’s about learning and sharing together – so you don’t need expert Biblical knowledge! If getting online on Zoom is a problem, you can join via telephone – Donald can give you the number and access code to key in.
Wednesday 3rd – 10.30am – Coffee and Chat… (make your own coffee!) – again contact Donald for login details.
Sunday 7th 11am – As well as the video worship to view… on 7th we will also have an opportunity to gather virtually for Communion via Zoom.
Thy Kingdom Come :: 3
ThyKingdomCome 3
A song: Amazing Grace
https://vimeo.com/420342183
A Thought:
A key feature of the ThyKingdomCome movement is to pray for others who do not already know God’s love, amazing grace and inspiration in their lives.
Think of 5 such people, and pray that they may come to know God who was revealed to humanity in the prophets, the Scriptures and supremely in Jesus.
A Prayer:
Lord God, I thank you for the awareness I have of your love, and I pray for others especially for… that they may be open to your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Challenge:
Perhaps you could invite them to Church tomorrow… maybe a message, email or tweet… “I’ve been appreciating the worship at www.aksm.org.uk… would you like to ‘come to Church’ tomorrow?
8 Week Prayer Course
Would you be interested in this 8 week course? It’s the sort of thing we might otherwise have arranged over 8 weeks at one of the churches or village halls – but we could do it at home! Click the link below to see an overview of the 8 weeks – unpacking aspects of prayer in The Lord’s Prayer.
8 Week Prayer Course
If a few folk are interest we can make this happen… watch the videos in our own time and gather together weekly on Zoom (or whatever app works best for those involved.)
A different way of being Church
In the light of the decision to cancel all gatherings for worship, there will be an online time for reflection and worship each Sunday at 10am. This will also be able to be watched later in the day – details at the ONLINE page
Know that God’s blessing, from Father, Son and Spirit is with you…
Eigg Trip – 10th June
On Monday 10th June there will be a trip to Eigg. This is being arranged with the Western Lochaber Group of Churches… namely ourselves, Acharacle and Ardnamurchan, along with North West Lochaber.
If you are interested in participating please let Donald know. A minibus will be coming up from Kilchoan and can pick folk up at Salen. there are still places available – if you would like to come along on Monday – let Donald know ASAP.
The ferry from Mallaig to Eigg departs at 1010
The ferry will arrive at Eigg at 1125. The cost is £8.20 return, unless you have a Highland Concession card (Bus Pass) in which case the ferry is free 😊. We will gather at the Church for a wee service at about 12:45pm.
People can then have a picnic lunch at the Church, or walk back down to the pier and lunch at the café/shop, or explore the island, making sure of being back to the ferry terminal in good time. The far end of the island road (at the village of Cleadale) is 4 miles from the ferry terminal, and 2.5 miles from the Church. Note that anyone going to Cleadale or Laig at the far end will have to climb back up the hill to the church, before descending to Galmisdale where the ferry terminal is.
There will be transport provided by some locals to and from the pier to the church for those who’d rather not walk too much.
The ferry arrives at Eigg at 1610 (4:10pm) to take us back to Mallaig (ferry departing 1625). It reaches Mallaig at 1740 (5:40pm).
Lochaline Messy Church | Messy Church
Lochaline Messy Church | Messy Church – 4th Sunday of every month
— Read on www.messychurch.org.uk/church/lochaline-messy-church
Fairtrade Rice…
It’s fairtrade fortnight… and there’s some fairly traded rice from Malawi available at Ardgour Church. £3.50 per kg – 3kg for £10.
A Wee Survey
Please help me plan for a brilliant 2019… take a few minutes to answer a few questions which will help shape what we do around Strontian, Ardgour and Morvern Churches…
Thank you
Donald
PS: the link is to www.surveymonkey.com/r/738W8TK – just a few questions – it won’t take you long to complete.
Different expressions of Church
‘Sanctuary First’ is a congregation of the Church of Scotland, but unlike Strontian, Ardgour and Morvern Parish churches it doesn’t have a building and it doesn’t have parish boundaries! Sanctuary First is a virtual online resource which seeks to engage with those who may not find existing forms of church helpful in their spiritual journal. There are many expressions of church… and many within the umbrella of Strontian Morvern and Ardgour Churches… the traditional Sunday worship, Cafe Church, Messy Church, various small groups and other occasions for engaging in matters of Christian faith.
This Christmas time, I hope and pray that many will be sustained in their faith; that many will develop and deepen their commitment to Christ and his ways; and that some will be awakened to the realisation that the Jesus story isn’t just history but living reality. At Christmas we celebrate that God crept into our human experience, he became as one of us to show the way of love, peace, justice, joy and hope. Within the constraints of human language and experience, stories, songs, and symbols point us toward the mystery of God’s love for everyone and for all creation. Was Mary a virgin? What did Joseph really think? Did Mary ride on a donkey? Was it a stable? Did the shepherds leave their sheep? Was the star Halley’s Comet? How many wise men were there? Questions perhaps to be pondered by Nativity play directors! I don’t know exactly what happened when Jesus of Nazareth was born, but I know the story of Christmas to be true – revealing God in Christ who shared the fragility of human life.
I hope to see old faces and new faces at the various events and services in this last week before Christmas. I hope that whatever your situation you find ways to awaken, develop or sustain awareness of God’s blessing in your life. Sanctuary First has some great resources – there’s really beautiful reflection on Mary’s response (podcast link half way down the page at Sanctuary First)
Different things are happening around the parishes of Morvern, Ardgour, & Strontian – Carols by the tree, Readings and Carols, Coffee and Conversation, Blog posts, one more podcast episode before Christmas, Carols by Candlelight (Strontian Church 7pm 24th), Watchnight services – 11.30pm at Ardgour and Kiel Churches. I hope there’s something for you…
With every good wish and blessing this Christmas time…
Donald