Notices - Sunday 17th April
Blythswood Care Appeal
The Blythswood Ukraine Crisis Appeal will remain open, and contributions can be made by calling 01349 830777 or at any time online at:
www.blythswood.org/donate-to-ukraine-appeal
Alternatively, you can put your contribution in an envelope clearly marked ‘Ukraine Appeal’ and place it in the collection plates at the church or the Seminary. If paying by cheque please make it payable to ‘Stornoway Free Church’.
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 17th April'...Notices - Sunday 10th April
WfM Ladies Annual Event – Friday 20th May in Cabarfeidh Hotel
Booking forms are available now from Lizzie (07900 586 930) or Donna (07810 386 774) or by email to [email protected]. This is a booking only event and bookings need to be in by 30th April. We have reduced the numbers to 150 maximum for safety and comfort. Donations of baking, jams, marmalades, crafts, rhubarb, and plants would be gratefully accepted to sell at the event. All money raised will go to this year’s projects.
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 10th April'...Notices - Sunday 3rd April
Call to Rev Calum Murdo Smith
Following the congregational meeting on Wednesday 23rd March, at which Rev Calum Murdo Smith, (minister at North Uist, Grimsay and Berneray Free Church) was elected as prospective Assistant Minister, a request was sent to the Presbytery to arrange a meeting to sign a Call to Mr Smith.
The Presbytery met on Tuesday 29th March and appointed Wednesday 20th April as the date for signing the Call. This meeting will be in the church, Kenneth Street, at 7.30pm. It is important that as many people as possible attend in person to sign the Call so that the Presbytery can ascertain the level of support for calling Mr Smith.
If you are unable to be present, you can sign a form known as a “mandate” authorising one of the elders to add your name to the Call. Separate mandate forms are used for communicant members and for regular hearers who are not communicants. For all who are housebound, or just not likely to attend the meeting, your district elder will contact you and encourage for you to sign the relevant Mandate Form. Please contact your district elder if you have not been contacted by Saturday 9th April and wish to sign a mandate form or are unsure about any of these matters.
Please pray for Mr Smith and for the congregation in North Uist, as well as for ourselves, that God will make His will clear.
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 3rd April'...Notices - Sunday 27th March
Blythswood Care Appeal in Stornoway
We thank your church and congregation for the support given to the Blythswood Appeal for their work at home and in Eastern Europe. It was an amazing day of community spirit in helping and supporting the Blythswood Appeal. God blessed it very, very much.
At present Blythswood are working with, and supporting their partners in Hungary, Romania and Moldova with the significant number of refugees coming into these areas. They are also helping other partners in Ukraine.
The Blythswood Ukraine Emergency Appeal has raised over £200,000 at present and can still be contributed to.
Donations to the Blythswood Ukraine Crisis Appeal can be made by calling 01349 830777 or at any time online at:
www.blythswood.org/donate-to-ukraine-appeal
Alternatively, you can put your contribution in an envelope clearly marked ‘Ukraine Appeal’ and place it in the collection plates at the church or the Seminary. If paying by cheque please make it payable to ‘Stornoway Free Church’.
May God bless you all and may we all pray for peace to come to Eastern Europe.
Organising Group – Blythswood Stornoway
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 27th March'...Notices - Sunday 20th March
Congregational Meeting – Wednesday 23rd March
The congregational meeting last Wednesday evening could not be completed because the number of people wanting to join the Zoom meeting exceeded the limit of 100. For an additional fee this limit has been increased to 500 over the next month. The rearranged congregational meeting will now take place in the Seminary on Wednesday 23rd March at 7.30pm, with a Zoom facility for those not able to attend. The Zoom login will be as for previous Wednesdays.
The purpose of the meeting will be to elect an Assistant Minister for the congregation to replace Rev K. I. Macleod who retired last year.
As a number of people were asking what will happen at the meeting, the following details should be helpful.
The minister will lead the meeting and after a short time of worship he will explain the procedure involved in electing a new assistant minister and at the end of the meeting he will explain what happens next. A member of the Kirk Session will propose the name of a minister deemed by the Session to be suitable for the post of assistant minister and another member of Session will second this proposal. An opportunity for other names to be submitted will be given.
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 20th March'...Notices - Sunday 13th March
Blythswood Care’s Ukraine Emergency Appeal
Congregations and individuals throughout the Free Church are encouraged to contribute towards the Ukraine Emergency Appeal through Blythswood Care.
Free Church Moderator, Neil MacMillan, said: “We want to do all we can to help the people in Ukraine and those who are refugees; hundreds of thousands of them across Europe.
“We are partnering with Blythswood Care who have a long track record of working in Eastern and Central Europe and with many trusted partners who are working with refugees in Romania, Moldova and Hungary. So please, give as much as you can, give generously, give now and do all we can to help the people of Ukraine.”
Donations to the Blythswood Ukraine Crisis Appeal can be made by calling 01349 830777 or at any time online at:
www.blythswood.org/donate-to-ukraine-appeal
Alternatively, you can put your contribution in an envelope clearly marked ‘Ukraine Appeal’ and place it in the collection plates at the church or the Seminary. If paying by cheque please make it payable to ‘Stornoway Free Church’.
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 13th March'...Notices - Sunday 6th of March
Blythswood Care’s Ukraine Emergency Appeal
Congregations and individuals throughout the Free Church are encouraged to contribute towards the Ukraine Emergency Appeal through Blythswood Care.
Free Church Moderator, Neil MacMillan, said: “We want to do all we can to help the people in Ukraine and those who are refugees; hundreds of thousands of them across Europe.
“We are partnering with Blythswood Care, so if you want to give financially to help in Ukraine, please send money individually or as a congregation to Blythswood who want to raise £100,000 to help with the refugee crisis.”
He added: “Blythswood have a long track record of working in Eastern and Central Europe and with many trusted partners who are working with refugees in Romania, Moldova and Hungary. So please, give as much as you can, give generously, give now and do all we can to help the people of Ukraine.”
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 6th of March'...Notices - Sunday 27th February
Saturday 5th March 12.00pm-2.00pm
Cancer Research are hosting a fundraising lunch in the M. A. Hall. All are welcome. Covid guidelines will be adhered to.
Notices - Sunday 20th February
Communion Details
As a result of the Covid situation we have had to introduce a number of changes relating to the communion, as set out in the points below.
- As at present in our services, we will leave an empty pew at the communion table between those occupied and, except for family groups, we will ensure adequate space between communicants in each occupied pew.
- The bread and the wine will be on the communion table from the beginning of the service, rather than after a “fencing” of the table as previously.
- We will be using individual cups for the communion wine and the bread will be distributed to communicants in a way that ensures each individual communicant alone will have hand contact with the piece of bread they will use.
- Immediately before the bread and wine are dispensed, the minister will specify how these will be distributed by the elders and received by communicants, and how the empty cups will be collected.
We rejoice in this renewed opportunity to remember the Lord’s death in the Supper, thanks be to God! May He bless us through word and sacrament to His praise and glory.
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 20th February'...Notices - Sunday 13th February
Communion Details
We are greatly looking forward, God willing, to the communion next Lord’s Day, when the sacrament will be dispensed at the morning service.
The Kirk Session will be delighted to meet with anyone wishing to take communion for the first time at any of these meetings of Session. Those who wish to join the communicant membership and have a certificate or letter from their previous congregations, are also encouraged to meet the Session at any of the meetings so as to be welcomed by them.
As a result of the Covid situation we have had to introduce a number of changes relating to the communion, as set out in the points below.
- To reduce personal contact to a minimum we will not be using communion tokens, so there will be no need for communicants to wait behind after the service on Saturday evening.
- As at present in our services, we will leave an empty pew at the communion table between those occupied and, except for family groups, we will ensure adequate space between communicants in each occupied pew.
- The bread and the wine will be on the communion table from the beginning of the service, rather than after a “fencing” of the table as previously.
- We will be using individual cups for the communion wine and the bread will be distributed to communicants in a way that ensures each individual communicant alone will have hand contact with the piece of bread they will use.
- Immediately before the bread and wine are dispensed, the minister will specify how these will be distributed by the elders and received by communicants, and how the empty cups will be collected.
We rejoice in this renewed opportunity to remember the Lord’s death in the Supper, thanks be to God! Its absence from our practice over the past two years has convinced us, more than ever before, of how much we need it as a channel of grace to our souls, along with the preached word. Our earnest prayer is that the Lord will be with us to bless us by word and sacrament to the praise of his glorious Name.
Read more about 'Notices - Sunday 13th February'...
