Presbytery Meetings (D.V.)
Skye: At Portree on 6th February at 11 a.m.
Outer Isles: At Stornoway on 13th February at 12 noon.
Northern: At Dingwall on 20th February at 2 p.m.
Southern: At Glasgow on 20th February at 6 p.m.
Zimbabwe: At Bulawayo on 13th March at 2 p.m.
Western: At Laide on 13th March at 6 p.m.
Perth and Stirling Communions
The Kirk Session has decided that Communions will be held in Stirling on the 1st Sabbath in June and in Perth on the 4th Sabbath in August. The Communions in Perth on the 1st Sabbath in March and in Stirling on the 4th Sabbath in October are cancelled.
Broadford Communion
It has now been agreed by the Kirk Session that the annual Communion in Broadford will be held on the 2nd Sabbath of May and not on the 3rd Sabbath of October.
Visit to Eastern Europe
It is hoped God willing, to visit Eastern Europe in April and May of this year. On the previous visit, which was April of last year, 1000 Russian Bibles were delivered to two Russians who met us at Cop in South East Russia, and they transported the Bibles by train to their Baptist church in Kiev. Prior to this we delivered to a pastor in the Eastern part of Hungary; Bibles, medicines and clothing for Romanian refugees. Here also and elsewhere, we left Bibles and Reformed books for Hungarians and Czechoslovakians. Transport for this trip, was provided at very little cost by an Inverness Garage.
For our next visit it is planned to carry 2000 Bibles to Russia, and provisions for Christians in need. Mr Edward Ross, Lochcarron, has promised to supply transport and to assist during the trip. The cost of the 1000 Bibles on the previous trip was £2,100, plus of course many other expenses involved in such work. I trust there will ever be a readiness to contribute towards the cost of this essential and urgent work.
God’s providence is in certain aspects a deep mystery: who would have thought that in Eastern Europe, those under communist tyrannies would be so readily freed from these oppressive powers? It would be exceedingly sad if those people having been delivered from one tyranny should fall into another. Rome and other satanic powers are continually on the move, and it is clear from the present crisis in Eastern Europe that Rome is alert and making many gains. There is then an increasing need to send the Word of God into these countries.
(Rev.) D. A. Ross
Induction at Inverness
The Induction of Rev. Donald Boyd to the pastorate of the Inverness Congregation took place in the Inverness Church on Friday 8th December, 1989. A large Congregation from different parts of the Church attended the Induction. Ministers of the Church from other Presbyteries who attended the Induction were associated with the Northern Presbytery. After the Edict had been returned as served and proclamation made three times at the Church door, public worship was conducted by Rev. D. B. Macleod who preached from the portions in 2 Corinthians 2: 16 and 3: 5 “And who is sufficient for these things?” and “our sufficiency is of God”. After public worship was ended, the Clerk gave a narrative of the proceedings in the Call to Rev. Donald Boyd. Thereafter the usual questions were put to Mr Boyd and the Formula was signed by him. The Moderator, Rev. J. A. MacDonald, then engaged in prayer and afterwards did, in the name of the Presbytery and by the authority of the great Head of the Church, solemnly induct Rev. Donald Boyd to the charge of the Inverness Congregation. The minister was then suitably addressed by Rev. A. F. MacKay and the Congregation by the Moderator. The following ministers from other Presbyteries were then invited to address the people — Rev. D. MacLean from the Southern Presbytery, Rev. F. MacDonald from the Skye Presbytery, Rev. J. MacLeod from the Outer Isles Presbytery and Rev. Neil Ross from the Western Presbytery. They all expressed their good wishes to Rev. Donald Boyd and their desire that his ministry in his new Congregation would be blessed of the Lord. Similar messages of good will had been sent in by Rev. L. MacLeod, Greenock; Rev. Alex MacPherson, London; Rev. James Tallach, Raasay, and also from the friends in New Zealand and in Chesley, Canada. The Clerk referred to the passing away that evening of Mr James Grant, an elder in the Congregation and expressed the sympathy of the Court with the Congregation in the great loss they had sustained in his removal, and with the family in their bereavement. After the conclusion of the Induction by the singing of Psalm 126 and the benediction, the Congregation had the opportunity of meeting their new Pastor at the Church door. The ladies of the Congregation had prepared refreshments in the Hall of the Church for those who had come to the Induction and these were gratefully partaken of by many present. Rev. A. F. MacKay later thanked the ladies of the Congregation for the provision they had made and wished them the Lord’s blessing. We trust that the ministry now begun in the Congregation will be fruitful to the ingathering of many souls into Christ’s Kingdom and to the edifying of the people of God.
D. B. Macleod, Clerk of Presbytery