Death of Rev. John Nicolson, Tain
It is with deep regret that we record as we go to press, the passing away of the Rev. John Nicolson, Tain, on the 24th August 1977, after a serious illness. During the last few weeks of his life, though suffering much pain, he was wonderfully upheld in his mind and this continued to the end. The closing scene of his life was one which those who were present will long remember. We believe that he has now entered to the joy of his Lord.
The funeral to Tain cemetery took place on Friday, 26th August and was attended by fifteen ministers of the Church, as well as by ministers of other Churches in the area. At the worship in the Church the first four verses of the 40th Psalm were sung in accordance with the previously expressed wishes of Mr Nicolson.
Our sympathy goes out to Mrs Nicolson, Mr Nicolson’s sisters and other relatives in their sore bereavement; also the Tain and Fearn congregation now bereft of a Pastor. May they be sustained by the God of all comfort.
Dominions and Overseas Fund Collection
By Synod appointment, the Collection for this Fund is due to be taken in the month of September, D.V.
The Committee is most grateful to our loyal people for their past generosity and it is hoped that this appeal will evoke a similar response. This would encourage all involved in the work of sending the gospel to people overseas.
“The silver is mine and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:18). Donald Campbell, Convener
Committee Meetings (D.V.)
The following Committee Meetings will be held at Inverness Church on Tuesday, 4th October and Wednesday, 5th October:
Tuesday, 4th October
- 10 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. — Publications.
- 11.30 a.m. – 1 p.m. — Religion and Morals.
- 2.30 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. — Finance.
- 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. — Jewish and Foreign Missions.
- 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. — Welfare of Youth.
- 9 p.m. – 10 p.m. — Home of Rest.
Wednesday, 5th October
- 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. — Church Extension.
- 11 a.m. – 12 noon — Church Magazines.
Presbytery Meetings (D.V.)
Skye: At Portree on 4th October at 11 a.m.
Western: At Laide on 4th October at 12 noon.
Evacuation of Mbuma Hospital
At its meeting on 26th July the Jewish and Foreign Missions’ Committee had before it a full report of the circumstances at Mbuma, Rhodesia which required the Staff there to withdraw to Ingwenya on Friday, 24th June. The staff concerned are the Misses C. A. Turner, J. Cox, N. van Saane and Mr N. Murray.
It is evident that the “law and order” situation in Rhodesia continues to deteriorate as Terrorist Gangs are present in many areas of the country. In particular, these gangs have become established in the area around Mbuma and the Hospital received a threat by letter and was visited at night by an armed “freedom fighter”. This resulted in a withdrawal from post of most of the African nurses and advice from the District Commissioner that the safety of the Europeans could not be guaranteed. In early July a European forrester was, in fact, shot, and his body mutilated, only six miles from Mbuma.
With regret, therefore, the Foreign Missions Committees have confirmed that Mbuma Hospital be closed and several decisions were taken to endeavour to ease the lot of our Mission Staff at Ingwenya and Bulawayo. One feature of the situation is that it is considered that our African Staff is less subject to molestation by the Terrorists in the absence of Europeans in their midst, and it is a matter for much thankfulness at this time that churches and schools remain open throughout the Mission, manned by Africans. Rev. P. Mzamo remains at Mbuma and the school there is open. I am sure that our praying people will desire to remember our staff, African and European at this time in the work of the Rhodesian Mission. May all be preserved in safety, and may it be the Lord’s will that more peaceful times will soon return to these parts of the earth!
Alex. Murray,
Clerk to the Jewish and Foreign Missions’ Committee
Outer Isles Protest against Cardinal Gray’s Visit to Assembly
The Outer Isles Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland convened this day, Tuesday, 5th July 1977, herewith solemnly protest against the invitation and reception given for the first time in history to the Roman Catholic Cardinal G. J. Gray to address the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
The Presbytery holds to the faithful testimony against Popery in the National Covenant of 1638 and 1639, and notified by the Act of Parliament in 1640, and which was subscribed by the barons, nobles, burgesses, ministers and canons.
The National Covenant inter alia states: “We detest and refuse the usurped authority of the Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God, upon the kirk, the civil magistrates, and consciences of men . . . his erroneous doctrine against the sufficiency of the written Word . . . the nature, number, and use of the holy sacraments; his five bastard sacraments, with all his rites, ceremonies and false doctrines added to the ministration of the true sacraments without the Word of God . . . his devilish mass; his blasphemous priesthood; his profane sacrifice for the sins of the dead and the living; his canonization of men; calling upon angels and saints departed; his purgatory, prayers for the dead, etc. etc. . . .” The Mass is the greatest blasphemy against the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work that Satan ever invented. The sacrifice of Christ being of infinite value and efficacy does not need to and cannot be repeated. The Word of God declares that “after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever he sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12), and again, “Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more” (Romans 6:9).
The early fathers of the Church did not believe in the Mass. Augustine about the year 400 A.D. in his commentary says: “Jesus told his disciples, ‘Understand in a spiritual sense that which I say unto you. You do not eat my flesh which you see, nor drink my blood that will be shed by those who crucify me. This commemoration, though observed visibly, is to be understood spiritually'” (Enarrations in Psalmos 98.9).
In the light of what the Word of God says concerning the Harlot of Rome, that she is “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus”, the fact that Cardinal Gray received a “tumultuous welcome” by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, is proof of the appalling apostacy which prevails in our land.
Our prayer and desire is that our beloved fellow countrymen, and all others who are under the “strong delusion” of Popery, and under the blasphemy of Modernism so rampant in the pulpits of our day, would be turned to Christ, the one Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 11:5).
Conscientious Objection to Sabbath Employment
Last year Rev. R. R. Sinclair as Clerk of Synod wrote to the Department of Employment asking what the position was, from the Labour Ministry point of view, of persons who had conscientious objections to working on the Sabbath day. The following reply was received:
“Dear Reverend Sinclair,
The answer to your question is that everything depends on the contract of employment agreed between the employer and employee. The terms of a contract of employment are legally binding, whether the contract is written down or is simply a verbal agreement. Therefore an employee who accepted a contract of employment which stipulated that he must work on ‘Sundays’ would be in breach of contract for refusing to do so, and could face dismissal and, possibly, a court action for breach of contract.
On the other hand an employee whose contract did not require him to work on ‘Sundays’ could make a complaint of unfair dismissal to an industrial tribunal if he was dismissed for refusing to do so. If the tribunal found that dismissal was unfair they could order the employer to re-employ the dismissed employee or they could order the employer to pay financial compensation.
It is, of course, always open to a person who has religious or other objections to ‘Sunday’ work to refuse any offer of employment which entails working on that day.
If you know of a particular case where this problem has arisen or a person whom you wish to advise, you may like to know that a booklet on the unfair dismissal provisions called “Dismissal — Employees’ Rights”, and a guide to the Contracts of Employment Act can be obtained from your local employment office or unemployment benefit office.
Yours sincerely,
D. A. J. Lord.”
Welfare of Youth Committee — Announcements
The attention of all concerned is drawn to the fact that the new Convener of this Committee is the Rev. Duncan MacLean. Any correspondence intended for the Convener should therefore now be sent to Mr MacLean at the F.P. Manse, North Tolsta, Isle of Lewis.
Another matter to which we would refer concerns the books issued as awards for the 1976 Scripture and Catechism Exercises. When these books were distributed, the Committee made it clear that, if a book were unsuitable for any reason, we would willingly replace it. In accordance with this arrangement, one or two books were returned and were replaced. However we gathered, from remarks which were not made to us until a public meeting of Synod, that exception was taken by some to ‘Great Adventures of the Bible’. We therefore intimate again that, if this award is thought to be unsuitable, it can be returned to the F.P. Manse, Kinlochbervie, where arrangements for a replacement will be made.
As indicated in our Report to the Synod, we are as a Committee concerned to make our work with the youth of our church as effective as possible. We would therefore invite comment from any responsible source about the work we do, or suggestions as to any possible extensions to our activities. Any letters written in response to this appeal should be sent to Rev. D. MacLean in time for the meeting of the Committee at the beginning of October.
J.T.