MAGAZINE 22- OCTOBER 2007

From Our Interim Moderator

Dear friends,

One of my earliest amusing recollections in the parish ministry was when, early in my charge, I was visiting the homes of my congregation for the first time. I knocked on a door and it was answered by a little boy. I asked him if his Mum or Dad was in, on which he turned round and shouted to his mother, “Mam! There’s a man at the door!” His mother appeared in the hallway with a dishcloth in her hand and was obviously embarrassed to see that it was her minister on the doorstep (I wore a clerical collar in these days), and she promptly scolded her young son, saying, “That’s not a man! It’s the minister!” I’ve thought about that remark a lot and wonder if that little boy (now aged near-40) has worked out the difference in his own mind.

The 19th c. novelist Samuel Butler said, “Ministers are not men of the world; it is not intended that they should be; and a University training is the one best adapted to prevent their becoming so”. I don’t think that that is what the lady in my parish really thought or meant, but it is interesting that people might think that way. However, it is, of course, precisely because ministers are “men (and women) of the world” that we can understand and share in the joys and sorrows of others. We, too, know what it is to be happy and sad. We, too, have had difficulties in life, as well as successes. That’s why we can, and do, minister to others.

It is precisely, too, because He came to live among us, that God, in Jesus, is also a “man of the world”. He joins in the happinesses and celebrations of our lives, and He also is one with us in our traumas and tragedies: and all because He has lived this life before us. He can, of course, empathise particularly with the poor and the rejected, because He was poor and rejected Himself. This “man of the world” has even died our death before us (a particularly horrible death) and come back to show us that the grave is not the end.

So, yes! Don’t underestimate the minister, thinking, “What does he know about what I’m going through?” He might have been through even worse, you know. However, certainly don’t underestimate God, for He has been through, in His Son, far worse than any of us is ever likely to have to face. Turn to Him, always, for help. After all, that’s why His Son died on the Cross, so that we might speak to the Father any time, about any matter. Remember, our God is not distant and remote from us; He is a “man of the world”

Kindest regards,

Douglas

From the Editor        Ian Rudd

Hopefully you will notice a few new contributors to this OHSS magazine. In the spirit of Bono being allowed to help edit The Independent newspaper (to highlight the plight of sub Saharan Africa), Ken Cantlay, the editor, has asked the Youth Group to help produce this magazine.

We hope to give you a flavour of some of the Christian activities that we engaged in over the summer. We cover time spent at Scout Jamborees, Romania, Scripture Union camp and sports. And on Neil’s recommendation we have a quiz page that he remembers from years gone by. 

The Youth Group had a good break over the summer to allow some to recover from exams and others just a break from their routine. It was wonderful to meet up again a few weeks ago and to exchange stories about what we had been up to over the holiday period. Personally I don’t know how so much is packed so much in to six weeks.

Our first meeting back coincided with the Outreach meeting in St Stephen’s Church Hall. Since the meeting wouldn’t have been compatible with volleyball we attended as a group, listened to the discussion and had the opportunity to contribute our views. It was encouraging to hear the various adult speakers debate the issues with a real passion and concern for the Parish and Church.

One of the themes that captured the Youth Group’s attention was the discussion on how to make new members or visitors feel more welcomed by the church. This stimulated discussion as to how we could make the Youth Group more attractive when we introduce others,. Hospitality, warm welcome and bright lights came at the top of the list

So what I had feared would be a rather dry meeting turned out to be one that was lively, stimulating and challenging. Thank you to all who attended and organised the meeting.

Whilst researching an article on the Reverend Richard Gibbons for the next magazine, (Ed please note!) I discovered that many of the church leaders had alongside their picture their favourite Bible verse. So that made me think what mine is, and it is Exodus 33:14 "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."….

What’s yours?

Our Minister, Peter

It was lovely to see Peter in church last Sunday. This is an encouraging sign of progress on Peter’s way to recovery. While Peter is not ready to return, we can help by continuing to offer our prayers for his return to full health.

Tsering Dhonduptsangda    Jean Fleetwood

It is with great delight that I can tell you that I have heard from Tsering that he has passed his10+2 exams at Tribhuvan University, Katmandu, Nepal, with 69.9%, which puts his pass in the First Division. Although this was done at the University, it was because he wanted to study science, which was not possible at Namgyal School, which he previously attended up to what we might think of as Standard Grade. The subjects he has completed are English, Nepali, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths.

To have achieved this result during a time of great unrest and Maoist disturbance, when University had to close at times, is really remarkable.

You may recall that OHSS has supported his education to this stage, for which he is always most grateful. He now wishes to become a computer hardware engineer. It is very hard to try to make him understand that we have fulfilled our obligation by supporting him thus far. Perhaps we can all pray that he can find the help to achieve further and become self-sufficient.

Well done Tsering! Well done indeed.

Christians In Sport       Malcolm Rudd

In the second week of the summer holiday’s I went to a camp organised by a Christian youth organisation called Christians in Sport. It took place in Loretto School, Musselburgh. Christians in Sport is based in Biscester, England and it aims to help young people like me represent Christ in the world of sport.

The camp was for 11-16 year olds and was split into junior and senior sections. On arrival we were put into teams of six or seven. Each team had two leaders who were young Christians. 

They wanted to help others to understand the Gospel. We stayed in this team throughout the week. Over the week we competed with our team in various good spirited Team Challenges. At the end of each game both teams gathered to pray.

Every morning we had breakfast, went for a jog and then went and played our chosen sport for two hours. The coaching for all sports was excellent and I was fortunate enough to have the U16 Scottish Girls Hockey Team coach coaching me.

During the afternoon we went and played another two hours of a different sport. The tennis and basketball that I went to was amazing but one day I was lucky enough to go to see the U18 Eurohockey Championships. It was fantastic to see the quality of the play.

All the teams gathered in the theatre every morning and evening for meetings where we sang songs and learned about Jesus. During the evening meetings the videos of the day were shown by the cameraman. We were then given a talk on how the day had gone, after that we spent time learning from the Bible about how Jesus changed different people’s lives. These were passages from Luke. 

In the mornings we studied a passage from Romans about how Jesus had died for us, saving us from death and so we should give our lives to him. Then a different young person on the camp would give a testimony about how Jesus had changed their lives. After the evening meetings we would reflect in our groups about what we had learned that day.

Christians in Sport run five of these camps during the summer as well as several one day camps and weekends. Only one of these is held in Scotland. Five sports are on offer, tennis, football, rugby, basketball and hockey, and, in addition, other sports were available in the afternoon.

The aim of Christians in Sport is to have at least one Christian in the 125, 000 sports clubs across the UK. The organisation raises a lot of money for a charity called “Game of 2 Halves”. While we were there we did a sponsored bleep test to raise money for the charity. In a bleep test you have to run the same distance but in ever decreasing times to beat the next “bleep”.

Game of 2 Halves work in India helping poor children in orphanages learn about Jesus and have fun in sport.

Christians in Sport are always looking for help, with leading or coaching. The camps are great fun no matter what age you are, one of the team leaders was sixty nine and runs marathons in three and a half hours! 

Any one considering going should visit their website at:

www.christiansinsport.org.uk

The Alpha Beacon Supper      Malcolm Macrae

Ten of us represented Old High St Stephens at the Alpha Beacon supper which was held on the Saturday 25th August in the splendid facility of the ballroom at the Drummossie Hotel. The supper was intended as the name suggests, to be a beacon for the Alpha courses that are planned for the Highlands with the hope that we can spread the Gospel throughout the area. Much to the joy of the organisers, there was a good turnout of churches from differing denominations with almost 300 people in attendance. The geographical representation was also wonderful with some travelling from Kyle on the west coast, Golspie in the north, Moray in the East and Kingussie in the south.

Fiona Marks, who is head of Alpha Scotland was the guest speaker and she first took testimonies from four who had attended the alpha course locally. She then set the heather on fire when she gave an excellent talk on the subject of “Christianity, Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?” Let us pray that churches will be able to reach out successfully so that many will come to know Christ throughout the Highlands. Thanks to the Macdonald hotels for their generosity and to their staff for their courtesy and excellent service.

The Alpha Prayer Initiative

The Highland alpha prayer initiative was held at St Stephens on Thursday the 13th at St Stephens. The award winning choir entertained us throughout and we had the pleasure of being able to join them for two hymns. Prayers were led by Rev. Jim Robertson and Lily Bailey provided an excellent tea. Thanks to the choir and all who attended.

Scripture Union (SU)       Kirstie Charters

SU camps were started by a group of Christians intending to make children and young adults more aware of Christianity.

SU camps are a brilliant way for children to meet new friends, have fun doing lots of different activities such as go-karting, tree climbing, archery, beach volleyball, golf, mountain biking etc. and to learn more about the Christian faith. 

SU camps are situated all over the UK and there are also lots of different kinds of camp such as, study camps, horse riding camps, cruise camps, watersports camps and many more.

At SU you also go on day trips to swimming pools, go shopping or bowling!

I have now been to 4 camps and enjoyed each one as much as the other! I would thoroughly recommend going on an SU camp to anyone!

And I hope they will have as much fun as I did.

Beechwood House      Liz Finlayson

Beechwood House is where Crossreach provide a service for people with substance misuse problems. It consists of two separate units one called ‘The Designated Place’ and the other is the ‘Rehabilitation Service’.

The aims and objectives of Beechwood are to assist individuals to return to their communities without their dependency on alcohol and drugs.

The ‘Designated Place’ can accommodate up to 8 people and is where those in trouble are brought straight from the street. This type of service has been established under the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980. Places are offered as an alternative to custody for those who have been arrested for public drunkenness offences requiring a place of safety to regain sobriety.

The ‘Designated Place’ has 8 beds, four of which are for a maximum stay of 24 hours. Clients have to be ‘drunk and incapable’ and must be referred by either the Police or by a GP/ Medical person. The other 4 beds are available for respite and assistance with GP initiated ‘detox’.

The ‘Rehabilitation Service’ – anyone can make a referral to the Centre, but clients must be sober and have been through detox. This service provides up to 15 on-suite places in a safe, comfortable alcohol/drug free environment. There is a 14 week rehabilitation programme offered.

Treatment is through a structured core programme of treatment using REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy). The programme incorporates one-to-one counselling, group-work, and structured use of free time with the support they require to assist them to confront issues in their lives which have contributed to, or resulted in, their misuse of alcohol and/or drugs. There are two sequential programmes. All residents are initially accepted for 4 weeks. During this time an individual will undertake a number of activities that will contribute to their assessment and identify solutions. For those who require it, a further 10 week programme is available.

Family Involvement depends very much on the resident’s wishes and circumstance. Some clients prefer to have their time in the Service as a time away from the family, especially if they are felt to be a hindrance in their recovery. Families are encouraged to visit the Service within designated times where their involvement is agreed. Clients are also encouraged to establish and maintain contact with relatives, if they so wish. Occasionally, other family members are involved in ‘Key-Working’.

Residents are encouraged to attend AA meetings, and SMART (self-motivating & recovery therapy), meetings which take place in the community. Voluntary work is part of our ten-week programme and this is to encourage people to get back out into the community and regain confidence and social skills.

There is a ‘friends group’ attached to the service and they often visit and spend time with the residents and they help organise special activities, such as ‘Burns Supper’ nights.

Another service offered by Beechwood is ‘After Care’. This is offered to those returning to the community and requiring on-going support and assistance.

There are a number of activities available to the service for the clients, including badminton, five-a-side football, and craft & quiz nights

Every Friday there is a ‘service day out’ and the residents choose an activity they would like to try, such as Roller Bowl, swimming, golf, walking, and visiting places of interest.

The Service Manager has overall responsibility for the running of both Beechwood and Cale House Services and works closely with senior staff in both places. Cale House is offered for supported accommodation to those who require it and are eligible for admission there. This system of management therefore allows for closer links with both services that can directly assist clients to regain and retain their well-being, with the appropriate level of support they require to meet their needs. The focus of care in Beechwood is ‘Addiction’ where as in Cale it is on ‘Life Skills’. The Care Commission have stated that the care being offered in these places is at the forefront of development in this specialty. Success rates nationally are around 30% whereas using the pathway of our local services, it is 70%.

Beechwood is funded mainly by Highland Council Social Work Services and is supported by Highland Health Board.

How Can Our Church Help?

Beechwood would very much appreciate any help we could give towards fundraising, as this is an on-going need to help them maintain a good quality of service for their clients. 

Also, at the moment they are looking for any unwanted pieces of equipment that would be useful to clients for undertaking new activities e.g. fishing rods, badminton rackets etc., – if have anything suitable, contact Beechwood direct, or let me know. (Tel 229616).

Praise In The Park      Freda Charters

St Stephen’s choir was invited as the guest of the Inverness and District Gospel Male Voice Choir to sing at Bellfield Park on Sunday 9th September in the bandstand.

The male voice choir sang a wide selection of music and led the audience in singing several hymns and choosing mostly Scottish tunes to accompany them.

St Stephen’s choir sang a selection of 11 of their “greatest hits” to an appreciative audience including some of the congregation brave enough to sit through the blustery gale and 10 minutes of drizzle at the end of the afternoon.

Singing outdoors presented new challenges for the choir especially when the music scores of Pam, the music director, were blown off in the direction of the tennis courts despite the firm grip of several clothes pegs on the music stand. Some agile members of the audience retrieved the music and the choir managed to continue the performance once the giggling calmed down.

A free ice-cream cone at the interval made it all worthwhile!

News of God's Good Work In Romania    Rachel Hutchison

Issy Freudenthal from Blythswood, who is a Barn Church member, and I eventually arrived in Dej after a much longer journey than we anticipated mainly due to disorganisation at Inverness Airport which had repercussions all the way along. We travelled through the night by road from Budapest to Dej where we spent our first few days working with the Elpis Centre (a kindergarten plus many social projects) which is run by Vasile Pop. We spent a day in the Blythswood Warehouse packing boxes of clothes for needy families. The following day we went out delivering food and clothes and I was shocked to see the living conditions, particularly of the gypsies.

Vasile Pop's (who is co-ordinator at Elpis Centre) next project was a week long summer camp for the children of Dej. Around 200 would attend, some from the poorest families in the area. Vasile told us he had no clue how he was going to fund the week as there was no money in the Elpis Foundation pot and he was putting his trust in God that something would turn up. He had considered asking each child to contribute 1 lei (around 20p) but decided against this as he knew some families would not be able to afford this. I decided to donate £200 to Elpis for the summer camp. After leaving Dej Issy and I worked out that £200 would cover the cost exactly. Vasile's prayers had been answered. Blythswood have been supporting Elpis for 14 years now. 

Moving on

Our next destination was the Daniel Centre, just outside Cluj (the capital of Transylvania). En-route we visited a Romanian Hospital as one of the Daniel Centre boys, Romeo, wished to visit his father who was an in-patient. It certainly was not like Raigmore. It did not look like a hospital to me - it was very basic. Each ward had six beds and six bedside cabinets - that was all, not even a chair. You had to go through the male ward to reach the female one. You have to pay for your treatment and it is up to friends and family to see you are fed. It has been known for patients to die of starvation in hospital in Romania.

David and Joy Spriggs have been living and working in Cluj now for three years. They are from Westhill and members of the Barn Church. They were very good to us both, we were very glad of their shower and the many lifts we had in their car. They are doing amazing work running Operation Timothy which offers student financial support/counselling/English/piano teaching and lots more. Some of the students they are helping include Tony, who has just qualified as an opera singer. As an orphan, this has been a big achievement. Operation Timothy has paid for his studies for 2 years. Pray he now finds work. 

Florina is a 4th year medical student who is also an orphan who wants to become an oncologist. They also help Claudia, a second year geography student whose mother died last year. She looks after her disabled Dad and studies.  Ovidiu was given away as a baby because his mother could not cope. He is a brilliant linguist and has just got his English/French degree. Operation Timothy is now supporting him as he studies theology at the International Christian College in Glasgow. His only desire in life is to become a pastor / minister and serve God. I was really pleased when "Ovi" and David came to visit us at Daviot a couple of weeks after we came home. I donated £200 to Operation Timothy to support students in Cluj with their studies.

The Daniel Centre

You have probably heard about the Daniel Centre as quite a few people from this area have been out to visit and help there. It is a home for boys where they try to give them a better start in life. Currently there are nine boys in the centre and two in the transit home. The transit home is the stage in between Daniel Centre and a flat / home of your own. While living in the centre the boys learn life skills i.e. how to cook and clean for themselves as well as general housekeeping and moral and social skills. David Spriggs teaches the boys English.

All the boys have part time jobs, the majority of them working at Cora, a supermarket 3km from the centre. All the boys walk to and from Cora, whatever the weather. The Daniel Centre is now almost self sufficient and is supported by the market garden and B and B. I decided to give £200 to the Daniel Centre to buy the boys winter shoes and coats.

FCE

On our final day in Romania Issy and I visited the FCE Project which is a nice orphanage located in Margetta. I gave £200 to the project for general use. This means the project director can use it for anything needed, for example wages which are only paid if there is enough money in the kitty.

Finally, we met the Robertson family from Perthshire who work with the gypsies who live and work on the dump in Cluj. The gypsies make their meagre living collecting scrap metal which is sold, on to China. Most of the gypsies have no papers and this in turn means they have difficulty obtaining medical treatment or any kind of aid. To all intents and purposes they do not exist. Unfortunately for the sake of survival many of them are rogues and untrustworthy, though there are exceptions. I gave my final £60 to the Robertsons for their work.

There is so much more I would like to tell you but space does not permit - I met some truly amazing people doing their best to make a living in very difficult circumstances. I took 246 photos and then there are Issy's too. 

Romania is a lovely country, the scenery is similar to Scotland. In Romania you may say people are very laid back, if it happens it happens and if not maybe to-morrow - I loved the way of life but my Mum would never cope. We ate the most delicious fresh produce - from garden to plate in no time at all. The women were all very busy pickling and bottling for the winter. The cherries were to die for - I ate so many my teeth were a beautiful shade of red.

New projects include a bakery and bed and breakfast, the profits from which will support an old folks' home. It all takes a long time though and it will be a couple of years before they are up and running. I hope to return when the bakery is ready for painting.

I would like to thank Daviot Church for all its generous support - it wouldn't have happened without you. Before we set off and during our trip there were so many blessings.  I feel very privileged to have had such a wonderful experience.

Sunrise Ceremony And Brownsea Island Struan Charters

2007 is a very special year for Scouting as this year signals the Centenary of the organisation which has resulted in many opportunities to celebrate. For me the highlight was attending the ‘New Centenary Camp’ at Brownsea Island, where Robert Baden-Powell organised a camp for 20 boys of different backgrounds in August 1907.

Three of us travelled down from Inverness along with four girls from the Western Isles on the 31st of July. After a whole day travelling we eventually arrived at the Dorset County Camp near Wareham by Poole. We woke up early to participate in the Sunrise Ceremony. All around the world, including Inverness, people were renewing their promises, and we were no exception.

We watched a video link from Brownsea Island, where Chief Scout Peter Duncan led the proceedings with two people from every Scouting Nation in the world all having travelled down from the Jamboree in Essex. The promise we all recited is based on loving oneself, others and loving God:

  On my honour I promise that I will do my best,

  To do my duty to God and to the Queen,

  To help other people and to keep the Scout law.

It was very special to say it so close to the Island, knowing that we would soon be there. Dressed in our kilts, clearly a novelty in the south of England, we got a ferry from Poole to the Island located in the large natural harbour. We were split up into subcamps that were based on the 4 original patrols or groups, the Bulls, Wolves, Ravens and for myself the Curlews. With great entertainment and activities (including kayaking where I capsized 3 times), the only downsides were the short time we spent there of 3 nights, and that the menu was completely vegetarian! However it was a once in a lifetime experience, primarily staying the first night of the second hundred years where it all began, and it is an event that I shall cherish for a very long timeK

Kirking of the Council

Civic dignitaries, preceded by a town officer in ceremonial dress, with halberd, march along Church Street on their way to the Kirking ceremony at the Old High Church.

Elder is New Presbytery Moderator

An important historical occasion took place when Willie Weatherspoon was appointed the first lay moderator of Inverness Presbytery of the Church of Scotland, at the presbytery meeting on Tuesday 4 September.

Over the next year he will chair the presbytery’s monthly meetings, coordinate the body’s deliberations and decisions, and even, if necessary, try to mediate in the event of any controversy.

Since the Church of Scotland was formed in 1929 from the union of the Established Church and the United Free Church, this annual appointment has always gone to an ordained minister.

A senior elder of St Columba High Church, Inverness, he has served his own congregation as Session Clerk, Inverness Presbytery as Business Committee Convener and the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland as Education Committee Vice-Convener.

Mr Weatherspoon thanked the Presbytery for the honour bestowed on him, adding, “any concerns which I have had about taking up this commitment have been rapidly dispelled by the many good wishes and words of encouragement I have received from members.”  He was formally installed by the Rev Hugh Watt, of Urquhart and Glenmoriston.