Notices - Sunday 4th February
Creche: 11.00am in the upper hall for children up to age 3.
Volunteers Today: Elaine, Christine, Chris, Annmarie and Helena.
Volunteers 11th February: Christine Ann, Maighread, Donna and Carol Ann.
Tweenies: 11.00am in the main hall for children aged 3-5.
Volunteers today: Liz, Evelyn and Angela.
Volunteers 11th February: Chrisanne, Eilidh and Kay.
Sunday School and Bible Class arrive in church at 11.00 with family, then leave through the side door nearest the hall after children’s address.
Everyone is welcome to the M. A. Hall after the morning service for a time of fellowship.
Tea and Coffee will be served by Chris and Mary Ferguson.
Annual Special Collection for Bethesda
A special collection will be taken for Bethesda Home and Hospice at all services today. Collection points will be available at all exits. Contributions can also be made by cheque and should be made payable to ‘Stornoway Free Church’ and placed in an envelope clearly marked ‘Bethesda’.
YF meets tonight in the M.A. Hall following the evening service.
Monday 5th February from 1.00pm-3.00pm – Toddler Group meets in the M.A. Hall.
Monday 5th February at 7.30pm – Monthly Prayer Meeting on Zoom.
Tuesday 6th February at 11.ooam – Prayer and Update with Muriel.
Wednesday 7th February at 7.30pm – Bible Study in the M.A. Hall led by Rev James Maciver. We will be continuing with our topic “Six Steps To Loving Your Church.”
Thursday 8th February at 7.30pm – Gaelic Prayer Meeting in the Seminary led by Rev Donald A. Macdonald.
Thursday 8th February - Explorers meet in the M.A. Hall.
6.00pm - 7.00pm: P1- P3
7.00pm - 8.15pm: P4 - P7
Friday 9th February from 12.00pm to 3.00pm – Fridays at The Free
The M.A. Hall will be open for soups, teas and coffees to give people an opportunity to meet with friends.
There will be a kids play area available as well as items from ‘Dove’s Corner’ Baby Bank free of charge.
Anyone needing transport please call Calum on 07717 495424
Saturday 10th February at 7.30pm – English Prayer Meeting in the Seminary.
Services next Lord’s Day – 11th February
English Service at 11.00am (Church) – Rev Calum M. Smith
Gaelic Service at 11.00am (Seminary) – Rev James Maciver
English Service at 6.30pm (Church) – Rev Calum M. Smith
55+ Fellowship
The next meeting of the 55+ Fellowship will take place on Friday 16th February between 2.30-4pm in the M.A. Hall. That day we hope to have as our speaker Rev Kenny Ferguson (Retired, Back) and leading the singing we hope to have Donald “Conn” Maciver.
Having had to cancel the January meeting due to the adverse weather I hope we will be able to welcome you back in February. If anyone needs transport to or from the meeting please contact me on one of the telephone numbers below:
860 418 or 07787 973802.
Please feel free to invite friends and neighbours to our meetings. It has been good to see new faces appearing over the last few months.
Duncan Norman
(On behalf of the 55+ Fellowship Committee)
Saturday 10th February from12.00pm to 2.00pm
The High Free Church Women for Mission committee invite everyone to a fundraising soup and pudding lunch in the M.A. Hall to raise funds for this year’s WfM projects.
Communion
The Lord’s Supper is due to be observed at the morning services on Sunday 18th February 2024. The visiting ministers expected are Rev Calum Macdonald, Callanish, for the Gaelic services, and Rev Angus Macrae, Inverness Free North, for the English services.
The Kirk Session will be opened on Wednesday 14th in the Seminary after the service that evening. Thereafter the Session will meet in the Kenneth Street Session Room after each of the services on Friday and Saturday, apart from Saturday morning when it will meet in the Seminary Session room. As always, any who wish to take communion for the first time are invited to meet with the Session at any of the occasions above. The ministers and elders are also most willing to speak at any point over the next couple of weeks with anyone who has thoughts of taking communion for the first time.
Communion tokens will not be used.
The 8.00 morning prayer meetings will be led by elders.
Please pray that God’s blessing will be evident throughout these services and that as a congregation we will be encouraged and uplifted. Pray also for the ministers expected.
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Friday 16th February |
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8.00am |
Kenneth St Session room |
Prayer Meeting |
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7.30pm - English |
Kenneth Street Church |
Rev Angus Macrae |
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7.30pm - Gaelic |
Francis Street Seminary |
Rev Calum Macdonald |
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Saturday 17th February |
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8.00am |
Kenneth St Session room |
Prayer Meeting |
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11.00am - Gaelic |
Francis Street Seminary |
Rev Calum Macdonald |
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7.00pm - English |
Kenneth Street Church |
Rev Angus Macrae |
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Lord’s Day 18th February |
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8.00am |
Kenneth St Session room |
Prayer Meeting |
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11.00am - Gaelic |
Francis Street Seminary |
Rev Calum Macdonald |
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11.00am - English |
Kenneth Street Church |
Rev Angus Macrae |
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6.30pm - English |
Kenneth Street Church |
Rev Angus Macrae |
The services will be livestreamed, God willing, as follows:-
English Services - YouTube (Channel name - Stornoway Free Church)
Gaelic Services - YouTube (Channel name - Free Church Seminary Stornoway).
There will be a fellowship in the M.A. Hall following the Lord’s Day evening service, at which the two visiting ministers will be interviewed.
The Christian Institute - Appeal to respond to the Scottish Government’s ‘conversion practices’ consultation.
As many of you will know, on 9th January the Scottish Government published its extreme proposals for a new law to ban so-called conversion practices.
Groups like Stonewall and the Humanist Society are encouraging their supporters to respond to the public consultation on the proposals.
They want a ‘conversion practices’ law that would force Christians to endorse LGBT ideology. So it’s absolutely crucial that the Scottish Government hears from Christians.
Please respond to the consultation as soon as you are able to. For your assistance, the Christian Institute has produced a very helpful overview of the proposals and its guide, which identifies key questions and provides an online response form, can be found on their website:
https://www.christian.org.uk/campaign/broad-conversion-therapy-ban/
The consultation closes on 2nd April at midnight.
We would like to ask you to do three things:
- Pray that the proposals would be widely recognised as unworkable and that the Scottish Government would be forced to abandon its plans altogether.
- Respond to the consultation.
- Take the time to explain to your church and Christian friends why it’s so important that they respond to the consultation.
