Notices - Sunday 24th November 2024
Creche: 11.00am in the upper hall for children up to age 3.
Volunteers Today: Christine Smith, Catherine, Ruby and Alison.
Volunteers 1st December: Annette, Kathleen, Anne Mackenzie and Tina.
Holiday Tweenies in the main hall for children aged from 3 to Pr2.
Volunteers today: Liz, Alison and Aileen.
Volunteers 1st December: Chrissanne, Evelyn and Marissa.
Sunday School
There will be no Sunday School nor Bible Class today due to the school holiday weekend. The Holiday Tweenies will meet for pre-school children and those in Pr1 & Pr2.
Next week is a communion service so all children should go directly to the hall for 11am and will join the congregation later in the service.
Everyone is welcome to the M A Hall after the morning service for a time of fellowship. Tea and coffee will be served by Murdo and Kathetta.
Monday Toddler group is on holiday this week.
Tuesday 26th November at 7.30pm – Stornoway WfM meets in the M A Hall. Catriona Nicolson will give us a presentation on her work with OMF in China. All ladies are welcome.
Wednesday 27th November – National Day of Prayer
7.00am to 8.30am – English Prayer Meeting in the Seminary and on Zoom led by Mr Alasdair Macleod. Zoom details are the same as for the midweek evening prayer meeting.
12.30pm - Online Prayer Meeting: Everyone is invited to join a central prayer time on Microsoft Teams led by Free Church Moderator Rev Callum Macleod. Over the 30-minute time together, there will be a time of devotion followed by the opportunity to pray about a number of items. Please note, there are unlimited spaces on the online Teams call, so do join us to pray!
Please [email protected] if you would like the sign in details.
7.30pm – English Prayer Meeting in the Seminary and on Zoom led by Rev Calum M Smith.
Thursday 28th November at 7.30pm – Gaelic Prayer Meeting in the Seminary led by Rev James Maciver.
Thursday 29th November - Explorers meet in the M A Hall:
6.00pm - 7.00pm: P1 to P3
7.15pm - 8.15pm: P4 to P7
Saturday 31st November at 7.00pm – Preparatory Service in the church conducted by Rev Calum M Smith and live on YouTube (Channel name - Stornoway Free Church).
The Kirk Session will meet in the Kenneth Street Session room after the service and will be happy to meet with anyone who wishes to take communion for the first time or join the congregation by disjunction certificate.
Services next Lord’s Day – 1st December
11.00am – Communion Service (Church) conducted by Rev Calum M Smith.
6.30pm – English Service (Church) conducted by Rev Calum M Smith.
There will be no Gaelic service due to the communion service.
Harvest Thanksgiving Services – Special Collection
At a recent meeting of the Kirk Session, it was decided that this Sunday, 24th November 2024, the morning services in both Gaelic and English will be Harvest Thanksgiving services.
A special collection will be taken at all services today for the congregation’s Benevolent Fund. As it is short notice for the Harvest Thanksgiving service this year, and for those who are unable to be present but would like to contribute, you can put your donation in an envelope clearly marked ‘Benevolent Fund’ and leave it in the collection plates at the Church or the Seminary. If paying by cheque, please make it payable to ‘Stornoway Free Church’.
In 2023, payments of £500 each were made to the Eilean Siar Foodbank, the Dove’s Corner Baby Bank and the Stornoway branch of the Salvation Army. Payments of £250 each were also made to these same organisations again this year.
The Big ADVENTure – Saturday 14th December – 1.30pm–4.30pm
Our Christmas Club is now fully booked, and a waiting list has been set-up so that any cancelled bookings can be offered to others on a first come, first served basis.
Deaths
We were very sorry to hear of the passing of Annetta Campbell, late of Barony Square, on Tuesday 19th November. We remember all the family at this time, especially her husband Calum Iain, her daughter Erica, and her sons Hamish and Iain Norman along their partners David, Kendal and Karen. We also remember the grandchildren, Mercy, Eden and Joshua and the wider family and friends at this time of sorrow and loss.
We were also very sorry to hear of the passing of Rev. Robert Smith on Wednesday evening. Robert was Assistant Minister here in the congregation from 1984 to 1986. We remember his wife Janice, their daughter Lisa and son Gareth with their families, as well as extended family and friends praying God’s comfort for them all.
European Missionary Fellowship Presentation
We enjoyed a presentation given by Benjamin from Romania last Wednesday evening. If anyone wishes to contribute to the work of EMF, please put your donation in an envelope clearly marked ‘EMF’, in the collection plates at the church or Seminary. If paying by cheque, please make it payable to ‘Stornoway Free Church’.
Vacancy Committee Update
The Vacancy Committee met on Tuesday 19th November and held wide-ranging discussions on the way forward. There is much to reflect on and pray over and we appreciate that, for some, there may be the feeling that things are not moving quickly enough.
The Committee greatly values your prayers as they work through this process, which is two-fold. We have to carefully consider the views that have been expressed by the Congregation and then extend invitations to ministers to preach. This all takes time and once we have confirmed dates for visiting preachers, we will publish that information to keep you all as informed as possible.
Please be mindful that the personal circumstances of ministers could change between now and an agreed date for preaching which may slow the process but is also an opportunity for renewed prayer. The Committee encourages the Congregation to keep sharing your views and they can be approached at any time with questions.
Providence Christian School – Annual General Meeting
The AGM of the Lewis Christian Education Association (which operates Providence Christian School) will take place on Monday 25th November at 7.30pm at the Fire Station at Robertson Road. All are very welcome to attend.
