Glenorchy and Innishael linked with Strathfillan

Many thanks to the community for the welcome, support and friendship we have been shown during just over five years here. We take away many good memories. As we move to Mull, we look forward to the challenges of a different form of ministry.
The minister may be moving but the church is still here, supported by an Interim Moderator and a Locum Minister, both well known to many of you. We pray for God’s continued blessing on the parishes and all who live and visit in this area.
Liz & Martyn Gibson

Locum Minister – Rev John Shedden 01838 200535 for any pastoral requirements
Interim Moderator – Mr Donald MacKinnon 01631 562135 for anything regarding the vacancy

Through a Facebook link I found out that Travelling Tales were looking for bloggers for six weeks of trying lower carbon transport options. So I sent off a short proposal and am delighted to have been accepted.
The plan is that once I’m based on Mull fulltime I’ll blog for that first six weeks. That is likely to include a fair bit of walking, some cycling, some car use (in my low emissions car which is now 5 years old), some shared car use, at least two different ferries, and possibly the train.  Should be finished hiring vans for the removal by then.
I would love to try an electric bike if anyone would like to lend me one for the duration! Or if you know where I could hire one cheaply and reasonably locally do let me know.

I’ll be pretty busy over the next three weeks finishing up in the parishes, saying goodbyes (not looking forward to that bit), etc. but I’m looking forward to blogging more, both for Travelling Tales and with a new blog for our new venture.  Will keep you posted …

Friday 7th June 7.30pm at St Conan’s.

Sunday 5th May

St Conan’s Kirk, Lochawe 9.00

Glenorchy Parish Church, Dalmally 10.00

Crianlarich Church 11.30

Theme: Science & Religion

ALL WELCOME

Middle of Scotland Science Festival

MoSSFest

Crianlarich May 4 & 5

A new science festival in Crianlarich from the British Science Association, West Scotland

All events are Free!

Crianlarich Village Hall

Sat & Sun 10am-4pm

Science Fun

Hands-on science | the Energy Show |Cosmic Way Roadshow |Sungazing

Films|Planetarium shows and much more.

Crianlarich Parish Church

Sat & Sun10-4pm

Art meets Science Exhibitions and Film

Chips with Flair | Cosmic Way exhibition | Who has STEM Cells? | Unity Principle

Film:Torque- Energy and Wind Turbines explored in Music and Dance (Sun 12.45)

Station Tea Rooms

Sat & Sun10-4pm

CTR Wilson and The Cosmic Way

Find out more about Scotland’s only Nobel Prize winner in Physics

..try some Cosmic Snacks too!

Crianlarich Hotel

Sat 5 – 10pm

An evening of entertaining Science

Star Wars IV – a new hope, a special film screening and Science of Star Wars Talk, 5pm

Fun Quiz with a Science theme, 8pm

Crianlarich Youth Hostel

Sat from 10pm

Watching the Night Sky

Stargazing with University of Glasgow Astronomers

Check the website and twitter for latest information           @mossfest       tinyurl.com/bsa-wsbranch

Five wonderful people with well over 100 years of serving the church between them. They look very happy. I’m sure they’ll still be involved in lots of ways!

Thanks to all of them for all they have done.

P6 and 7 at Dalmally Primary School contributed to a growing jigsaw for Save the Children’s campaign.  You can still add your own piece.  As it tours the country it is getting bigger.  I’ll let you know if it comes this way.  This was what the kids here did:

Then just to show I’ll do what I ask others to do, there was my own!

Last but certainly not least there was this beautiful one from Andrea:

How about creating your own now?

I’m looking to replace the old website because Tim the webmaster has moved on. Huge thanks to him for getting the parishes started in the online world. There will now be a blog / site for each parish although much of the content will be the same. Hopefully others will be willing to get involved with the admin. It’s not the minister’s church, it’s the parish church!

I’ve importedcontent from the old website but it will be awhile before it is fully updated and photos are replaced.

We are having two separate sites so each parish name gets properly used and events in each place will get more prominence.  I hope people will read both sites.  There will often be links between the two.

You can visit our linked parish here: Strathfillan Parish

“You will know them by their fruits”.  Reminds me of the billboard proclaiming that God wants spiritual fruit not religious nuts.  The photos here were all taken in this country but I’ve been amazed to discover how many times trees get mentioned in the Bible.  I’m reflecting on a few of them in tomorrow’s services.  Fruit trees appear in the Genesis story of creation – along with plants the first vegetation to appear on dry land, crucially containing seed. So the importance of seed was recognised all those years ago.  To those of us used to buying seed in packets, and to those who take out patents on seeds, a bit more reflection wouldn’t go amiss.

In the book of Judges there’s a parable of trees looking to choose a king but each recognising that  their own unique gifts are more important than lording it over the other trees.  So the olive knows how important its oil is, the fruits of the fig are delicious, the vine produces wine which cheers gods and mortals.  Finally the bramble agrees to be king –  a mixed blessing which made the original listeners realise they hadn’t acted with the best of motives.

Trees are fascinating.  They can be tiny and fragile, or huge and imposing.  They can cling on in unlikely places, and the strongest looking once blown down in a gale can turn out to have surprisingly shallow roots.  Lots of scope for parallels with human life.  I’m tempted to suggest we all go outside tomorrow and choose a tree to look at or sit under.  But I guess I’ll not go that far so I’d better go and write a bit more for the morning.   Spiritual fruit, not religious nuts – better not get the seeds mixed up.