Worship This Week
Wednesday 28 November
12.30pm Midweek Quiet Time at St Stephen’s
Sunday 2 December
10.00am Morning Worship at St Stephen’s
11.15am Morning Worship at the Old High
6pm Alternativity: meal and worship at St Stephen’s

For details of worship in December, including Christmas services see our Month of Sundays leaflet

SUNDAY BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS should be sent to Joy Cossar The deadline for all items is Wednesday at noon.

NEWS FROM OUR CONGREGATION

MINUTE FOR MISSION: PRISONERS’ WEEK For more information, please contact David Martin or see www.prisonersweekscotland.org.uk .
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CHRISTMAS GIVING TREES
OLD HIGH: The Giving Tree is in the East corridor of the Old High . Boxes for the donations will be in each porch on Sundays 2 and 9 of December. Info from Diana Fraser
ST STEPHEN’S The Giving Tree will be at St Stephen’s on Sunday 2 December. Please return gifts either on 2nd or 9th December for subsequent distribution. Info from Cliff Sim
Please choose a tag from the Tree and return the red bow for future use. Details of the gifts required are on the labels. Please wrap your gifts, attaching the label for identification. If you are giving more than one item please wrap each separately so that your kind gifts are distributed fairly. The gifts are for Beechwood, Cale House, Manna House, Mackenzie Centre, Hilton Village (Social Work), Porterfield Prisoners’ Children & Barnardo’s Springboard (toiletries or small items of inexpensive jewellery or clothing.for vulnerable youngsters aged 16 to 20 years). Thank you for your generosity!
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SOAPS Once again we hope to gift soaps to Homes and Hospitals in Inverness and we would be grateful if they could be placed in the bag/box provided at the doors on 2nd December (St Stephen’s and Old High). It would be helpful also to have a few volunteers available on Wednesday 5th December at St Stephen’s Church Hall at 2pm to write cards that will be distributed to our congregation and to help wrap surplus soaps. Many thanks. Florence Munro.
ALTERNATIVITY SUPPER- an invite from the Men’s Group for a meal with the folk of the church , for chat and song and quiet reflection as we enter the period leading up to the arrival of Jesus. 6.00 pm at St Stephens on SUNDAY 2ND DECEMBER. It would help the men who are catering if we had an idea of numbers, but turn up at the last moment if you wish! There is no charge. Iain Todd
ADVENT REFLECTIONS Advent is a time of preparation, of waiting to greet the Christ child again. Come and join in the weekly reflections at this special, thoughtful time. Where? St. Stephen’s vestry. When? 7.30 pm, starting on Wednesday 28th November. Please contact Iain Todd for further information.
MIDWEEK QUIET TIME We are continuing to offer a time of quiet each Wednesday at 12.30pm, with prayers and readings. Please note that these will be weekly at St Stephen’s from now on. Contact Peter or Iain Todd
CHURCH MAGAZINE It’s planned to publish the Christmas edition of the magazine on Sunday 16 December. Editor Willie Morrison asks for contributions as soon as possible. If you have any photographs of Church events, he’d also be happy to receive them, although for printing them need to be of high resolution. Please send all contributions to Willie
WALKING GROUP PRE CHRISTMAS WALK will meet at 13.45 on Sunday 2 December at Tesco Inshes Car Park –details from Anne Taylor
ST STEPHEN’S CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS Anyone who would like to help decorate the church for Christmas, please come along on Saturday 1st Dec at 2pm. Jill Russell
CONGREGATIONAL BOARD will meet in St Stephen’s Church Hall on Tuesday 27 November at 7.30 pm.
KIRK SESSION OF INVERNESS Meeting will be held in the Welcome Hall, Dalneigh Church Hall at 4 pm on Thursday 6 December at 4 pm.
SHOE BOX APPEAL A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the appeal. Jaye Rankine.
HOSPITAL VISITS It appears there are still problems with the system for notifying the chaplaincy at Raigmore about church members who are in hospital. If you have been in hospital recently and your details do not seem to have been notified to the Minister, please would you let him know? If you do go into hospital in the future, please make sure of a visit by contacting your elder or Peter directly
DING DONG MERRILY OLD HIGH Thanks to all who helped make this a resounding success. We raised £302 for MacMillan Cancer Support.

OTHER NEWS

WORLD AIDS DAY Waverley Care Highland will hold a Community Gathering to reflect and remember at Inverness Cathedral on Saturday 1st December at 3.30pm. Led by led by Bishop Mark Strange (Scottish Episcopal Church), it will include music from Inverness Gaelic Primary School. Peter, our minister, will speak about ‘What World AIDS Day means to me’. Refreshments will be available beforehand in the tearoom adjacent to the cathedral. Everyone is welcome to attend. More details from Waverley Care Highland:. www.waverleycare.org
BIBLE READING NOTES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA) The 2013 editions of Words for Today and Light for Our Path are now available. Both titles make excellent Christmas gifts for friends or family (or yourself) and at £8.75 including free delivery are the lowest price for yearly Bible reading notes around. Those looking to be challenged will like Words for Today and Light for Our Path is ideal for those looking for a more contemplative approach. If you prefer an ebook version, they can be downloaded from our webshop at £7.49 each. To order your copies today, please order online at http://shop.christianeducation.org.uk.
THE INVERNESS SINGERS present “Carols at the Crown” in the Crown Church on Wednesday, 5th December at 7-30 pm Programmes, priced £6 for adults and £3 for children and students are available from several members of the Old High Choir, from the Music Shop, Church Street and at the door on the night. A donation from this concert and the Singers’ spring concert will be made to the Highland Hospice. details Margaret Young
INVERNESS COMMON GOOD FUND SCHEME OF WINTER PAYMENTS The Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee has agreed to extend the qualification criteria for the winter payment scheme and also to offer a second one-off payment to those qualifying who may live in a home with poor insulation/heating. Residents are invited to apply for a payment as soon as possible and not later than Friday 4th January 2013. Application forms are available from the Town House, Council HQ Reception, Local Service Points and Libraries, Health and Social Care Offices, Citizens Advice Bureaux and Community Centres.
MUSIC FOR JOY Friday 7th December 7.30pm – Hilton Church, all Proceeds to the Tiyanjane and Ndi Moyo Palliative Care Services, Malawi and the Joy Community School, Ndola, Zambia. Starring: ‘Animato’, ‘The Marvel of Peru’, ‘In the Rhythm’, Malcolm Macrae & Friends, Peter Donald & Julie Keen Tickets: £8.00 (Child: £4.00) or on the door