British Churchman....goes to the bathroom

“As for the British Churchman he goes to Church as he goes to the bathroom, with minimal fuss and with no explanation if he can help it” Ronald Blyth.

(The silent Conspiracy...!)

Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland are to work together in a Covenant.

“There is one religion, though there are 100 versions of it” George Bernard Shaw.

I am encouraged by the news of both the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland are to work together in a Covenant. Rather than argue over technicalities the notion of actually working together has taken precedence. Well done, both organisations.

Now then, who will be next to join forces for a specific work? Whether one is Presbyterian or Independent/Congregationalist in terms of Local Church Government, and there are pluses and minuses on both sides, it would be encouraging for grass roots church-goers to see work carried out by several Churches at local and national level. I would be interested in hearing of such work.

I see men as trees walking!

I was reminded of the story of the blind man healed by Jesus, he said " I see men as trees walking".

I see trees like men walking -!

Scottish Kirk 9 th century

Scottish Kirk 9th century
Margaret, Queen of Malcolm the Second, a saintly young lady, took on a personal challenge to change Scotland to a similar English practice of religion creating a regular diocesan episcopacy.

The story...Part Five

continued...


Christianity came to Scotland early with "Bishop" Ninian returning from Rome around 397 to Strathclyde to establish a monastery. From the "Candida Casa" monastery he moved northward through the great glens reaching Caithness and Sutherland, some say even reaching Orkney, he and Kentigern (Mungo) creating pockets of followers. It was Colmba of Iona who united the scattered clans into a Church and nation. By 563 Colmba had moved from Ireland and set up a base on Iona for the spreading of the Christian word to the peoples of the mainland, thus creating Monastic lines for 200 years.

Wild goats, we are all like wild goats!

Can you imagine there are still wild goats in the Highlands of Scotlands?

There are and you daren't go near them. They can be dangerous.

Can you pin point where this photography was taken?

We can give thanks for a diversity of animals in our country.

The wild goat seldom seen, has a interesting nature. We can be wild as well, not wanting to be tethered to a spot or under the jurisdiction of someone else, be it partner, spouse or God.

Message on the Church door - not by John Knox

It was an interesting notice that I saw on the front door of a Church yesterday.
I was curious as I looked peering from the distance. What would it say? Was it to do with the new covenant between the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland?




As we walked closer it was obviously a short message concerning the church ... closed ?... moved?.... cancelled?.... Christ return ...





And as I got closer and read it I thought, it was probably a temporary notice!

"We've aye dun it this way!"

Kildonan

During the year of 1818, a nugget of gold weighing around ten pennyweights was discovered in the river Helmsdale, North East Scotland.
Robert Gilchrist 1869 came from Australia to look for gold. He never found any - and we have never heard of him.

What matters the most?

The story

On the departure of the Romans from Scotland and the North of England, the remnant- Picts, Scots, Britons and Angles claimed a Christian faith. But for early missionaries it was a hard task to correct deep seated traditions and pagan practices. It was hard times for those missionaries -no doubt they heard the phrase "we've aye dun it this way!" The human behaviour is difficult to change and right or wrong practices are so difficult to change.

Two Churches open doors in Inverness on Easter Sunday

Inverness is a fast growing city. On Easter Sunday two churches had their first services in their new church Building, namely Holm Evangelical (Culduthel Christian Centre) pictured below and Inverness Pentecostal Church of God.


To view the article in the paper, please click on the following link
article

To see what has been happening at Holm Evangelical Church click on the following link
Holm Evangelical

Highland Theological College Teaching Weekend God and the Nations

Highland Theological College are having their annual teaching this weekend April 21st -23rd at the Inshes Church of Scotland, Inverness (next to Inshes Retail park). The main theme is "Is God and the nations and if you have an interest in mission then this is a theme you will want to explore". The Themes, Times & speakers are:

cch
7:30-9pm God and the Nations from the Beginning - Hector Morrison

Saturday 22nd
10am-11:15am Psalms 96: The Nations Call to Praise - Jamie Grant
11:45-1pm Christ Crucified for the Nations - Nick Needham
2:30pm-4pm Salvation: Individual or Corporate? - Andrew McGowan
7:30pm-9pm Jesus and The Nations - Mike Bird

Sunday 23rd
2pm-3:30pm The Nations in the City - Hector Morrison

All the speakers are lecturers at the Highland Theological College and can view their profile on the following link:
HTC Staff

To engage!

What we are about!

To engage and mobilise the Christians -

Where they are in the Highlands.

Increase Highland Christian worship and praise.

To be a catalyst for Churches to move on and develop towards maturity.

Some solutions .....

Hyperspace presence

Varied entry
Restricted secure level
User friendly
Constantly updated forum
Platform for encouragement


Physical presence

Church services
Presentations
Church reviews
Mini concerts
1/2 week road shows


Church

Report
Formation groups
Fresh plans

Challenges

Challenges


CARD!

C- culture
A - age differential
R -resources
D -distance

Solutions?

Hi-land P-raise ...about

Vision

A Highland community engaged in worship and praise and the Church developing into maturity.

Mission

To act as a revival catalyst to the Church in developing worship and praise in an appropriate way relative to the Highlands.
January 2006

In the valley

Ullapool, Ross shire, North Scotland

Yesterday we took a trip to Ullapool for the day. We had good weather between the showers. The magnificent views and mountains are awesome.

The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday always has that sense of hanging around. We are neither in the grip of the terror of the Friday nor celebrating the resurrection. The time 2000 years ago was spent by God in an alien area of separation. Would that this community would celebrate more fully the Easter Sunday not on the diary date but all the year.

The story .... Part Four

Furthermore, omissions have had to be made to allow this blog to be of a certain size and because your interested bit, is missing, or small, does not relate to the impact it had to the Church in Scotland. This blog is not meant to be a specific academic history book of the Church in Scotland but a walk through the life of the Church to aid a future conclusion. Please forgive the fact that the contents do not completely run chronologically but where possible I have tried to be aware of the time line. Deviations are to link subjects or to try and reduce complications.

Results & lessons
Down through the centuries we see calls for reform in community and church life. In Church history these calls have resulted from:

• Change resulting in malpractice
• Wrong emphasis
• Domineering individuals
• Control freaks!
• Loss of Godly practice
  

From whatever walk of life you come from ask yourself these questions as you read.
Did the Scottish people learn from this situation?

Would they (The Scottish Church) do it differently if the opportunity came around again?

What are the real conditions for a growing Church?

How will it be manifested in these days?

What can the Church do in its situation to speed the process of a lively community in my area that groans for the full revelation of God and His coming?

Finally, at the moment, I suppose the question then comes round- what can I do to move things forward? To the researcher dig deeper. To the Christian with a heart for revival and a maturing Church I hope you find this of help and are inspired to follow those who dared to reach out with religion. If you do take the next step - then do something!

As I pen this in the Highlands of Scotland and remember Katherine Stewart penning “The Croft in the Hill” all those years ago, it would be wonderful if the Church in Scotland was revitalised starting here!

New book: The Conspiracy of Silence

New book:- The Conspiracy of Silence...

Here is the possible cover for my next book on the Church in Scotland. If you are interested in a copy, please be in touch. The publishing date is somewhere out in the future. In the meantime let us debate the situation of the Church life in the Scottish community.

Bird flu, wood cuttings, and news of today .....

Bird Flu and Wood cutting

Nothing like an hour or so cutting wood to get the right perspective in life. There is something about the petrol exhausts and the constant burr of noise to dull the senses. I am reminded of a rock concert. There is wood cut for another few weeks. The shavings for the chickens. We are outwith the inclusion zone of Fife by a long way.

It's warmer today. We have had a lot of rain these last 10 days.

Sunday travel by ferry-Leverburgh news

So its back again to haunt the newspapers and media.

I hope that the Christian witness is higher on the agenda than a Christian Standard.

The story....Part three

The requirements for a developing church will be seen as you read on but in the meantime let me tell you what to expect from the pages before you go deeper. A look at the Church and its parts that have had an impact in Scotland. One thing is true the Church will only grow if God blesses it. A whistle stop tour of some denominations to ascertain a little understanding of why they were the way they were and are what they are and what might happen. A glimpse of what might be? And a note of certain conditions that might speed the work of the Church in Scotland in an age where the relevance seems to have been kicked out of touch!

If I prompt you to read further, debate, and If I inspire you to do something more concrete then, great. However these snapshots of histories and comments are to help you affirm your understanding and if you are new to Church life, provide a document that might serve to cover some of the questions about where the church is and where it is or might go in the future. I cannot take any responsibility for errors, and any offence that one individual or corporate group might have from reading this book, is not my intention.

Changing seasons

Thought you might like to see the weather of a few weeks ago.

The story....Part two

What to expect
I have seen many Independent constitutions over the years and one thing that sticks out is the wording in these constitutions tells us of the fears of the founders and how they would write into the founding documents a safeguard for the organisation or more strongly a case for allowing or more specifically not allowing certain things to take place with in the constituted organisation.
One thing about history is clear, soon after any research one can discover that many people were fervent for a cause! Something that is not so clear in human nature these days is that drive for the cause. We are keen to defend the rights of ailing animals, so they will not suffer yet we have other more pressing needs that seem to be deflected or ignored. The Church in the nation and its catalytic place in turning the nation to worship.

I would urge you to look at the Church, and in particular the Church in Scotland and to conclude your findings in the light of my thoughts.

Sir John Sinclair Statistical Account
Don't expect a summary as concise or detailed as Sir John's account from the late 18 century. This record has greatly been of benefit to historians giving a detailed local snapshot of the area and including the church. It would be an enormous task too try and emulate the information collecting and documenting in these days even if the locals were to cooperate with the answers and provide the information.
One thing is true the Church will only grow if God blesses the work, and the people respond to the calling to integrate with the nation's people. The lessons of being set apart from the world is a spiritual walk not a call for us all to become monks.

Renovare

During June 2005 I attended the Renovare International Conference. Their website is:

http://www.renovare.org/ And in the UK http://www.renovare.info/index.html

I will try and get these on the links.

The story....Part one

The Church in Scotland

If you are like me you have come to history not for history's sake and memorising dates and events, but rather digging deep to find out what was the reason for certain events. What was the driver to move people or organisations to move in a certain direction in relation to the Church or indeed their Church? Then a book will help you. Would you like the story concerning Scotland ?

Ben Bhraggie

Monument to the Duke of Sutherland.

A business man in Sheepfarming or possibly a nonfriendly landlord?

Church in the nation

The nation's mission - “we have seen more co-operation between rival football fans!”.
Is the Churches' point lost, out of touch, or left in the dressing room of the nation.
Is the nation needing more a hop, step, and jump.
The playing field is ready, the crowd awaits ...... but we can't see a team in the dugout.
The time is now, and it is right, it is ripe, it is redress, it is revival.
It is time to be perfecting, it is time to be precise, it is time to be peacemaking of heart and soul of the Church in this nation, it is time to be passionate.
Making poverty history is a just cause! - losing a nation is as worthy.
The Scottish Church collective is a mixed bag of ineffectual rubble from “fallout” over many centuries. In this post-modernist era what happens now?
Is this Grand Canyon of gulf too big? Has the history of the Church in Scotland anything to teach us?

Will revival of the spiritual nation come from the North?
Historians can tell us what happened technically or conceptually, they may tell us about key characters who were influential down through the years but can they provide a key that will unlock the spiritual revival of Scotland and the UK.
There has been a silence for too long regarding the Church and its message! Of its witness there has been a silence for various reasons, there has been a silence regarding the hope to be secured. Now is the time to bury the hatchet, now is the time for factions to come together for a real cause, now is the time to facilitate prayerful revival.
Why has there been such a silence;
The message - of its repair and hope by so many?
The Church – collective, to bring the news of goodness to the country?
The individual – to gossip a story of their life - spiritual?
Intentionally or unintentionally there is surely "a conspiracy of silence" requiring redress. A silence stronger than the alleged Presbyterian coyness.
A silence stronger than the stubbornness of folded arms while the spiritual poverty worsens.

Golspie shoreline

The coast of Golspie Sutherland, A cloudless sky in February 2006.

Dornoch cathedral

Dornoch Cathedral why is it only famous as the site of Madonna's wedding of a few years ago. Is there nothing left of the Church in Scotland?

Beginnings

Despite the date this is the first posting for HilandPraise.