November 2010

The Free Church recently held a plenary assembly to debate and vote on the future of public worship. An amendment by Alex MacDonald, which allows musical instruments and doctrinally sound hymns, was passed by a vote of 98-84. Though not all churches are forced to move to a new form of public worship, this gives all Free Church Kirk Sessions the freedom to allow these new expressions of worship.

Many have come back from the assembly with a good report of the charity and respect between the ministers and elders involved in the debate and vote. If you would like to read the running commentary of what took place 12-13 November as well as a worship statement for Free Church congregations, visit the Free Church News & Updates here.

Smithton Church

• The Singing Group will meet for practice tonight at 5:45pm.

• The Youth Fellowship is at 8pm today after the evening service at Free North Church. Anyone who can help with lifts would be appreciated. Please speak to Ethan.

• The Pop In is on this Tuesday at Smithton Hall from 10am to 2pm.

• There will be no Ladies Bible Study tomorrow due to a school in-service day.

• Community Groups meet this Wednesday at 7:30pm. Please pick up a study/question sheet before you leave. The venues for each group are as follows:
  • Smithton/Culloden – The Manse
  • Culloden Moor – Donnie & Chrissie Macleod’s
  • Balloch – TBA
  • City South – Calum and Morag Graham’s
  • Cradlehall – Scott and Lizanne Lauder’s
  • City West – David and Jean Sutherland’s
  • Westhill – Jim and Joan Chalmer’s
  • Fortrose – Geoff and Morven Hulks

• The December issue of The Record and Free magazine are available to pick up from the table at the back.

• The Sunday School teachers will meet for 10 minutes after the morning service today to discuss the Sunday School Christmas party (which will be on 18 December).

• Thank you to all those who helped with moving the furniture yesterday morning.

• Ladies “early” Christmas meal on Thursday 16th December at 6pm at the Mustard Seed. This Festive Meal will cost £14.95 for 3 courses and all ladies are warmly invited to attend and afterwards to Liz Ann’s for coffee and a chat. There is a signup sheet at the back for those interested in going.

• We have a number of Christmas Cards available for sale on the back table. Proceeds will be donated to Women for Mission / Disaster and Relief work. 10 cards + envelopes for £3.50.

• Friday Fellowship, Lunch Club and Pop In folks are all warmly invited to a “Christmas Get Together” on Friday 17th Dec. 2 – 4 pm at Margaret Ann’s 10 Heights of Woodside, Westhill, for some festive nibbles. If you require a lift, please speak to Margaret Ann, Liz Ann or Ali.

Community

• Thank you to all who supported the Inverness and North Free Church Mission Support Group Coffee Morning recently. They raised £1,039 which has gone to help equip Mission Schools in India.

• Please remember the Highland Food Bank. Items which we have been asked to contribute are tinned potatoes, tinned salmon/tuna, packets of crackers and sugar. Please leave donations on the table at the back or bring them to the portacabin at the church anytime during the week.

Rotas

• Today Crèche:  Sandra Munro, Katie Macleod & Donnie Forbes

• Wednesday 1 Dec. Tea –

• Sunday 5 Dec. Door:  Heather Morrison, Ian MacGillivray & Jim Chalmers

• Sunday 5 Dec. Crèche:  Muriel Pearson, Ali Meredith & Susan Anderson

• Sunday 5 Dec. Welcoming Team:  Willie Forbes & Sandra Munro

Smithton Church

• We give a warm welcome to our pulpit this evening to Brigadier Ian Dobbie from SASRA.

• We will be having our first Singing Group practice for the new term tonight at 5:45pm sharp. It would be great to see new people coming along. We will be practising some carols and psalm tunes this evening.

• The Kirk Session will meet for normal business this Tuesday at 7:30pm in Rosebank Hall.

• The Pop In is on this Tuesday at Smithton Hall from 10am to 2pm.

• We will be hosting a special meeting of Release International at Culduthel Christian Centre this Wed 10 November. We were hoping to hear from Helen Barhane and her work in Eritrea. Unfortunately she has been unable to obtain a visa so she will not be able to attend. However, there will be a taped interview with Helen shown at the meeting.

• Food Hygiene Course – To all potential new church kitchen users – there may be places available on a Food Hygiene Course to take place in Inverness on Thursday 9 December. If you would like to attend please speak to Ali.

• Anyone wishing to contribute to the Building Fund have now the opportunity to do this online via our website at www.smithtonchurch.com/resources/building. Click “Donate Now”.

Community

• Join Inshes Church this Friday 12 November at 7:30pm for an evening of worship led by the well-known Scottish worship leader and singer songwriter Ian White. Tickets £5 available at CLC or Living Oasis Bookshops or online at www.aliveministry.co.uk

• The Women Across the Highland Conference will take place for all women on Saturday 13 November at Culduthel Christian Centre. The speaker will be Elaine Duncan.

• Help required. The Dunbar Centre will reopen early in 2011 as a Pop-in and will be run on similar lines to the one which has been operating successfully at the Church since 2008. Volunteers are required to assist with making soup, baking, serving, etc. and caring for folk. Any person interested in helping should contact Alan Michael on 790410 or speak to Charlie Anderson 793191.

• Inverness and North Free Church Mission Support Group will be having a Coffee Morning on Saturday 20th November from 10.30am to 12 noon in the Free North Church Hall, Inverness. (Entry is from the Church Street entrance).

• The next meeting of Ignite will be on Saturday27 November at 7:30pm in the Ironworks. The speaker will be Jim Turrant, former minister of Culloden Baptist Church. Tickets are £2 and are available at the Ironworks Box Office.

Rotas

• Wednesday 10 Nov Tea  —

• Sunday 14 Nov. Door  —  Mairi MacLeod, Donald MacRitchie & Charlie Anderson

• Sunday 14 Nov. Crèche  —  Donna MacLeod and Susan Anderson

• Sunday 14 Nov. Welcoming Team  —  Neil and Catriona Cameron