It is a source of praise and thankfulness to the Most High to see your building to this stage of completion. We are encouraged by the Lord’s faithfulness to us in these days. We must stand for the old ways; in so doing the resounding of the singing of the Psalms of David, and the proclamation of the unadulterated word in these days of apostasy will be blessed, and our smallness is not to be despised for it is His work (Zec. 4:10).
I have now updated the website. I have been very busy during the holiday period and although I had taken many pictures, it was only today I put them on the website. I went to the church site today and took the latest picutres of the outside. I hope to go to the church at the beginning of the week to get up-to-date photos of the inside.
It is wonderful to see the building on so far. We thought we would have heard of a date for opening already.
It would be good just to be in the building, and do not worry too much about elders’ pews or precentor’s box – I’m sure that these things matter little on the great scale of giving worship to the Most High.
I was delighted to visit this beautiful building yesterday.
The building is commodious and has all the modern facilities one would expect. Mrs Macleod and the senior elder, Angus, gave an interesting account of what had taken place over the past months, and it was encouraging to hear an account from those who have such a keen interest in the Lord’s cause in this particular place.
May the Lord bless the proclamation of the word in the years ahead. Reformed, Biblical preaching; faithfulness in worship, practice and discipline; maintaining the old ways which our Free Church fathers and fore-fathers could recognise, adhere to, and delight in – the Lord God shall surely own for Himself.
Congratulations on the completion of a beautiful, functional building. May the minister, office bearers and congregation know much of the Lord’s blessing in the work and worship there.
Dear Alasdair, thank you for your update, I could hear your voice as I read, (always a good indicator of a good newsy read!). We were so sorry to miss the induction. On a personal note, the 8th January 1968 saw one of the most devastating winds to hit Glasgow, and I too slept right through it, it was my first night in the nursing home at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and I was also in a ‘back’ room! What a shock to wake up and see the sides of tenements down and roofs exposed. SO we share some experiences too, but the greatest experience we share is to be united in Christ. I look forward to you sharing more of your island life with us in future. Wishing you and the family every blessing. Remember it’s not so far to FARR! With love Isobel
Good to read your thoughts on your first month in the Gospel ministry. May you, your family, and congregation know much encouragement in the days ahead b
Good to read this Alasdair,will look forward to your updates.Your weather looked as if it was improving over the weekend. Hope to catch up with you soon,in the meantime though I wish you, family, congregation and those you are witnessing to the Lords richest blessing.
Snizort and the Lords people there hold a very special place in my heart. I always come away from there with much more than I ever went with, both Spiritual and Temporal.
Thank You, Rev Murray and Rev MA Macleod and yourself for your encouraging and seeking sermons . I do not think we thank Ministers enough for thier labours for us.
I pray that the Lord would continue to bless and uphold Snizort in all its differing circumstances
We so enjoyed a rich blessing from both Rev Alan Murray and Rev Alisdair Macleod through the preaching of the Word.
I can honestly say that the sense of peace and presence of the Lord was palpable at the table and behind it.
Keep us in your prayers.
Rev Smith has become a close friend of mine during his time in Australia and I will certainly be praying for the congregation and his ministry. Mr Smith is a wise, gracious, discerning man who I’m sure will provide a great deal of encouragement to the congregation and will be well received by the young people.
It was with sad hearts that we farewell-ed our very dear Pastor Iain Smith and his dear wife Mary, from Hobart, Tasmania. Although sad, we know this is the Lord’s doing and we rejoice with the folk of Harris that they might know of the Lord’s doing for them what He did for us twelve years ago, His “Exceedingly abundantly above all we could have asked or thought”. As a result, we feel a special kinship with you folk there and assure you of our prayerful remembrance as you discover what our gracious God has in store for you in days to come.
From the Hobart congregation of the Southern Presbyterian Church, Tasmania.
We do wish Pastor and Mrs. Smith all the very best as they approach taking of this new charge. We trust that the Lord will bless Pastors Smith’s gospel ministry as He did for us here in Hobart. May the congregation enjoy many more years of Pastor Smith’s intriguing light on God’s Word. May our Lord bless you all as both congregation and minister get to know each other.
I was surprised to read that you were able to return home to point half way through the recent North Uist FCC Communion. I would have thought as Junior Minister you would have conducted the Evening Service on the Sabbath of the North Uist FCC Communion. At least when you got back to your family in Point you STILL had the Sabbath off. I know in the church I belong to the FP Church of Scotland, if there are 2 visiting ministers assisting at a Communion, they both do an equal number of services between Thursday and Monday Morning or Evening if that is the case.
In our own congregation, that is our practice; to have 2 ministers throughout the weekend. But I suppose in some smaller congregations it is easier just to have 1 assisting minister over the Sabbath itself. Every blessing to you.
What it means if there is only one visiting minister over the weekend Saturday – Monday of a Communion Season the minister of the congregation is expected to do a service, Whereas if there are two vising ministers over the WHOLE weekend, the minister of the congregation doesn’t have to do very much at all and is able to rest his voice especially if he has been preaching week in and week out.
Thanks, David. Actually I don’t believe this is right: I think Mr Gracie took both the Sabbath services, and also the Monday thanksgiving before returning home – the local minister was not required to preach. Personally, both as a host of communions, and also as a visiting minister, my preference is for sharing the duties between 2 ministers over the whole weekend, as this makes the duties more manageable, and also lends a helpful continuity to the whole weekend. It did feel strange to help to prepare a congregation for the Supper, and then return home without participating; and similarly, when I have been the main minister assisting, it is very tiring to have to preach again in the evening after conducting the entirety of a Communion Sabbath morning service. But all this said, we have to be realistic in the modern world about the fewness of ministers, and the smallness of congregations, and reach sensible decisions accordingly. I know that in the FP Church in recent years, there has been a move towards communions with just 1 assistant, which in a previous generation would have been unthinkable, and yet now I suppose is just sheer necessity. But the most pressing need is still for the presence of the Lord at the services.
When there is ONLY one visiting minister at a Communion, the home minister or in the case of vacant congregations the Interim Moderator ie the minister looking after the congregation does a couple of services during the communion. Some places especially in the mainland Highlands only have one service on the Thursday & and Friday Evenings and Monday either Morning or Evening which helps if only one visiting minister is available to assist. The only place I know of where 2 services take place on the Thursday, Friday and Monday of a Communion is Glasgow. Other places have 2 services Thursday and Friday and one on a Monday. What is needed is more ministers to fill vacant congregations.
Just as well the North Uist FCC communion was NOT held last weekend 25 September 2016 Mr MacLeod, as I doubt you would have been able to get off North Uist after a ferry hit the wall as it approached Lochmaddy earlier this week. Hope you are all well.
I was just listening to the Communion sermons done in your Congregation by your Father (Rev W MacLeod Knightswood and Rev C Smith Bracadale) and I noticed the sermon from the Friday of the Communion HAS NOT been put on this webpage. Why was that?
Thanks for your comment, David. From memory, I think we forgot to record this service. It was a good communion, particularly the Sabbath morning service was a very blessed occasion.
Hi David, Thanks for your feedback. I didn’t get the Friday sermon recorded on my own recorder but another of our Elders has it. He gave me a copy on CD but I’m having trouble trying to extract it. It looks like I will have to go down to his home and get a copy direct from his computer. He’s working late shift all this week so I’m not likely to get a copy till next week. I also hope to get the Monday sermon uploaded this week. Regards, Calum
Hi Calum. I see the Friday Sermon from the last Communion Season in Knock/Point FCC has STILL not been downloaded onto the website sadly. Hopefully ALL the sermons from the next Communion will be able to be downloaded DV
I’m sorry, David, I haven’t been able to get the Fri sermon. I’m very disappointed as, no doubt, you are. I’m not quite sure what’s gone wrong but we just have to accept that these things happen from time to time. It’s such a pity because Rev W Macleod preached a very challenging sermon on Matthew 7:21-23.
Not too worry Mr MacLeod. Hopefully the sermons from the communion seasons in Knock and Point Free Church Continuing in 2017, WILL ALL manage to be put on to this website DV.
Although I am NOT in the FCC myself, I know plenty of people who are in the FCC especially on the mainland.
Thank you for the helpful explanations of customs and context. I came to this site to check what I had learned from local Lewis people and from some reading about Lewis funerals. My husband Jim and I (Americans now finishing a two year academic assignment in Cambridge for our church-related university in the US) enjoyed an early fall mid-term break in 2016 on the Isle of Lewis, living in a quiet rental house on the ocean/hiking/driving among you, learning a few local words and pronunciations, going a little beyond mere tourism. Jim is an experienced Lutheran pastor and theology/philosophy professor, a veteran of parish life, campus ministries, who has conducted many funerals, naturally. Without your separation of the genders, confessional Lutherans too in many corners of our vineyard, matter of factly involve close family symbolically filling the grave, usually with flowers or something symbolic. I teach literature and writing; your explanation of the large funeral gatherings but brevity of words nicely witnesses to the concentrated power of short, well-crafted expression, like poetry. We Lutherans invoke the power of poetry and faith in songs and hymns too. At a -great-grandmother’s funeral, one of our young grand-daughters played a simple recorder as a respectful and cross-generational participation and sharing of the rites of faith. Thanks again….In His Service, and many blessings to your parish members and church servants, Susan Bachman
I’m glad you, your wife and family were able to enjoy a few days in Glasgow before and after the recent Scottish Reformation Conference in Edinburgh Mr MacLeod.
Hope your upcoming communion goes well too in Knock Free Church Continuing DV.
It was nice to finally hear the sermons from your recent communion in Knock FCC. the only quiry I have is was there 1 table or 2 tables done? The reason I ask is that it mentions “table addresses not clear”. I only heard the table address by Rev D Fraser Rtd. Did Rev R Ross do a table address too?
Thanks, David, and glad you were able to listen to the messages. There is only one table served in Point, but addressed both before and after the elements were served. These two addresses were both given by Mr Fraser as senior assisting minister. Every blessing.
Although I have NOT as yet listened to ALL the sermons, I did listen to Mr Fraser on Sabbath Morning, and as had been mentioned the table address is barely audible.
I was sorry that the Thanksgiving Service was NOT recorded nor do any of the sermons appear to have any psalm singing on them.
Hope you enjoy your trip to Edinburgh for the FCC Assembly due to start on Monday 22 May 2017 DV.
Hi David, and thanks for your comments. Yes, we had a very good General Assembly with Our minister, our Elder, William Macleod, and myself from the congregation down in Edinburgh. All business was conducted in a gracious manner with some very edifying, encouraging and challenging addresses from the delegates from other churches.
The way the table addresses are edited I can understand how it’s perhaps difficult to discern where one ends and the other begins if your not familiar with the custom in our church. If you listen again, you’ll hear Mr Fraser giving the Warrant for the Sacrament, then there’s a little pause as he gives the bread and wine to our minister. It cuts there and starts again at the post-table address. The reason it’s so faint is that the ministers are remote from the recorder’s microphone when serving the Table. I’ve tried to make it as audible as I can without distorting the sound too much. I hope this explanation helps.
We don’t put the psalm singing on (although we could) as we find that the sermon on it’s own is about 30 – 40 minutes which is what we believe most people are interested in and willing to listen to.
It all depends on what you mean by a “recognized psalm tune”. Presumably, you mean those tunes that are in one of the common Psalters in use today.
We are not aware of the inclusion of Lochbroom in any of the common Psalters available at present although that may change as time goes on. There are, actually, a number of tunes in common use that aren’t in any of the common Psalters – “Bays of Harris”, “Ardross” and “Gairloch” spring to mind as examples.
Their not currently being in a Psalter doesn’t invalidate their use so long as they are in the appropriate meter.
It is a source of praise and thankfulness to the Most High to see your building to this stage of completion. We are encouraged by the Lord’s faithfulness to us in these days. We must stand for the old ways; in so doing the resounding of the singing of the Psalms of David, and the proclamation of the unadulterated word in these days of apostasy will be blessed, and our smallness is not to be despised for it is His work (Zec. 4:10).
Are there any more recent photographs?
Rev Kemp
I have now updated the website. I have been very busy during the holiday period and although I had taken many pictures, it was only today I put them on the website. I went to the church site today and took the latest picutres of the outside. I hope to go to the church at the beginning of the week to get up-to-date photos of the inside.
Sincere condolences to Minister&Mrs Clark and family on their recent bereavement.
Dear all,
It is wonderful to see the building on so far. We thought we would have heard of a date for opening already.
It would be good just to be in the building, and do not worry too much about elders’ pews or precentor’s box – I’m sure that these things matter little on the great scale of giving worship to the Most High.
Best wishes,
RAK
I was delighted to visit this beautiful building yesterday.
The building is commodious and has all the modern facilities one would expect. Mrs Macleod and the senior elder, Angus, gave an interesting account of what had taken place over the past months, and it was encouraging to hear an account from those who have such a keen interest in the Lord’s cause in this particular place.
May the Lord bless the proclamation of the word in the years ahead. Reformed, Biblical preaching; faithfulness in worship, practice and discipline; maintaining the old ways which our Free Church fathers and fore-fathers could recognise, adhere to, and delight in – the Lord God shall surely own for Himself.
May He receive all the glory!
Every blessing in your new building
This is a lovely new building. I rejoice in the Lord with you.
Congratulations on the completion of a beautiful, functional building. May the minister, office bearers and congregation know much of the Lord’s blessing in the work and worship there.
We have to follow God’s Word, our ONLY sure Hope and the ONLY Truth.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105
Good to read of such Alasdair. May The Lord be pleased to give many years of faithful & fruitful labour. Every blessing in the work!
Dear Alasdair, thank you for your update, I could hear your voice as I read, (always a good indicator of a good newsy read!). We were so sorry to miss the induction. On a personal note, the 8th January 1968 saw one of the most devastating winds to hit Glasgow, and I too slept right through it, it was my first night in the nursing home at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and I was also in a ‘back’ room! What a shock to wake up and see the sides of tenements down and roofs exposed. SO we share some experiences too, but the greatest experience we share is to be united in Christ. I look forward to you sharing more of your island life with us in future. Wishing you and the family every blessing. Remember it’s not so far to FARR! With love Isobel
Good to read your thoughts on your first month in the Gospel ministry. May you, your family, and congregation know much encouragement in the days ahead b
Good to read this Alasdair,will look forward to your updates.Your weather looked as if it was improving over the weekend. Hope to catch up with you soon,in the meantime though I wish you, family, congregation and those you are witnessing to the Lords richest blessing.
Snizort and the Lords people there hold a very special place in my heart. I always come away from there with much more than I ever went with, both Spiritual and Temporal.
Thank You, Rev Murray and Rev MA Macleod and yourself for your encouraging and seeking sermons . I do not think we thank Ministers enough for thier labours for us.
I pray that the Lord would continue to bless and uphold Snizort in all its differing circumstances
We so enjoyed a rich blessing from both Rev Alan Murray and Rev Alisdair Macleod through the preaching of the Word.
I can honestly say that the sense of peace and presence of the Lord was palpable at the table and behind it.
Keep us in your prayers.
Rev Smith has become a close friend of mine during his time in Australia and I will certainly be praying for the congregation and his ministry. Mr Smith is a wise, gracious, discerning man who I’m sure will provide a great deal of encouragement to the congregation and will be well received by the young people.
It was with sad hearts that we farewell-ed our very dear Pastor Iain Smith and his dear wife Mary, from Hobart, Tasmania. Although sad, we know this is the Lord’s doing and we rejoice with the folk of Harris that they might know of the Lord’s doing for them what He did for us twelve years ago, His “Exceedingly abundantly above all we could have asked or thought”. As a result, we feel a special kinship with you folk there and assure you of our prayerful remembrance as you discover what our gracious God has in store for you in days to come.
From the Hobart congregation of the Southern Presbyterian Church, Tasmania.
We do wish Pastor and Mrs. Smith all the very best as they approach taking of this new charge. We trust that the Lord will bless Pastors Smith’s gospel ministry as He did for us here in Hobart. May the congregation enjoy many more years of Pastor Smith’s intriguing light on God’s Word. May our Lord bless you all as both congregation and minister get to know each other.
I was surprised to read that you were able to return home to point half way through the recent North Uist FCC Communion. I would have thought as Junior Minister you would have conducted the Evening Service on the Sabbath of the North Uist FCC Communion. At least when you got back to your family in Point you STILL had the Sabbath off. I know in the church I belong to the FP Church of Scotland, if there are 2 visiting ministers assisting at a Communion, they both do an equal number of services between Thursday and Monday Morning or Evening if that is the case.
Thanks for your comment, David.
In our own congregation, that is our practice; to have 2 ministers throughout the weekend. But I suppose in some smaller congregations it is easier just to have 1 assisting minister over the Sabbath itself. Every blessing to you.
What it means if there is only one visiting minister over the weekend Saturday – Monday of a Communion Season the minister of the congregation is expected to do a service, Whereas if there are two vising ministers over the WHOLE weekend, the minister of the congregation doesn’t have to do very much at all and is able to rest his voice especially if he has been preaching week in and week out.
Thanks, David. Actually I don’t believe this is right: I think Mr Gracie took both the Sabbath services, and also the Monday thanksgiving before returning home – the local minister was not required to preach. Personally, both as a host of communions, and also as a visiting minister, my preference is for sharing the duties between 2 ministers over the whole weekend, as this makes the duties more manageable, and also lends a helpful continuity to the whole weekend. It did feel strange to help to prepare a congregation for the Supper, and then return home without participating; and similarly, when I have been the main minister assisting, it is very tiring to have to preach again in the evening after conducting the entirety of a Communion Sabbath morning service. But all this said, we have to be realistic in the modern world about the fewness of ministers, and the smallness of congregations, and reach sensible decisions accordingly. I know that in the FP Church in recent years, there has been a move towards communions with just 1 assistant, which in a previous generation would have been unthinkable, and yet now I suppose is just sheer necessity. But the most pressing need is still for the presence of the Lord at the services.
When there is ONLY one visiting minister at a Communion, the home minister or in the case of vacant congregations the Interim Moderator ie the minister looking after the congregation does a couple of services during the communion. Some places especially in the mainland Highlands only have one service on the Thursday & and Friday Evenings and Monday either Morning or Evening which helps if only one visiting minister is available to assist. The only place I know of where 2 services take place on the Thursday, Friday and Monday of a Communion is Glasgow. Other places have 2 services Thursday and Friday and one on a Monday. What is needed is more ministers to fill vacant congregations.
Amen to you Rev MacLeod
Glad you enjoyed your visit to North Uist Free Church Continuing Congregation.
Just as well the North Uist FCC communion was NOT held last weekend 25 September 2016 Mr MacLeod, as I doubt you would have been able to get off North Uist after a ferry hit the wall as it approached Lochmaddy earlier this week. Hope you are all well.
How time flies. I hope in the year or so since you were inducted, the congregation has grown.
Dear Mr MacLeod.
Hope ALL goes well DV with your communion in Point FCC. Hope both Revs W MacLeod (Your father) + Calum Smith Bracadale get on well too whilst there.
Thanks for your kind message, David, we had a blessed weekend.
Sincerely hope Rev W MacLeod Knightswood gets back to Glasgow in time to attend the Presbyter Meeting in Knightswood FCC this evening DV.
I thought the sermons from your recent communion would have been able to be listened to online by now via this website.
I was just listening to the Communion sermons done in your Congregation by your Father (Rev W MacLeod Knightswood and Rev C Smith Bracadale) and I noticed the sermon from the Friday of the Communion HAS NOT been put on this webpage. Why was that?
Thanks for your comment, David. From memory, I think we forgot to record this service. It was a good communion, particularly the Sabbath morning service was a very blessed occasion.
Hi David, Thanks for your feedback. I didn’t get the Friday sermon recorded on my own recorder but another of our Elders has it. He gave me a copy on CD but I’m having trouble trying to extract it. It looks like I will have to go down to his home and get a copy direct from his computer. He’s working late shift all this week so I’m not likely to get a copy till next week. I also hope to get the Monday sermon uploaded this week. Regards, Calum
Thank you Calum for your prompt reply. I look forward to being able to listen to them whenever you manage to put them online DV.
Hi Calum. I see the Friday Sermon from the last Communion Season in Knock/Point FCC has STILL not been downloaded onto the website sadly. Hopefully ALL the sermons from the next Communion will be able to be downloaded DV
I’m sorry, David, I haven’t been able to get the Fri sermon. I’m very disappointed as, no doubt, you are. I’m not quite sure what’s gone wrong but we just have to accept that these things happen from time to time. It’s such a pity because Rev W Macleod preached a very challenging sermon on Matthew 7:21-23.
Not too worry Mr MacLeod. Hopefully the sermons from the communion seasons in Knock and Point Free Church Continuing in 2017, WILL ALL manage to be put on to this website DV.
Although I am NOT in the FCC myself, I know plenty of people who are in the FCC especially on the mainland.
David
Thank you for the helpful explanations of customs and context. I came to this site to check what I had learned from local Lewis people and from some reading about Lewis funerals. My husband Jim and I (Americans now finishing a two year academic assignment in Cambridge for our church-related university in the US) enjoyed an early fall mid-term break in 2016 on the Isle of Lewis, living in a quiet rental house on the ocean/hiking/driving among you, learning a few local words and pronunciations, going a little beyond mere tourism. Jim is an experienced Lutheran pastor and theology/philosophy professor, a veteran of parish life, campus ministries, who has conducted many funerals, naturally. Without your separation of the genders, confessional Lutherans too in many corners of our vineyard, matter of factly involve close family symbolically filling the grave, usually with flowers or something symbolic. I teach literature and writing; your explanation of the large funeral gatherings but brevity of words nicely witnesses to the concentrated power of short, well-crafted expression, like poetry. We Lutherans invoke the power of poetry and faith in songs and hymns too. At a -great-grandmother’s funeral, one of our young grand-daughters played a simple recorder as a respectful and cross-generational participation and sharing of the rites of faith. Thanks again….In His Service, and many blessings to your parish members and church servants, Susan Bachman
I’m glad you, your wife and family were able to enjoy a few days in Glasgow before and after the recent Scottish Reformation Conference in Edinburgh Mr MacLeod.
Hope your upcoming communion goes well too in Knock Free Church Continuing DV.
It was nice to finally hear the sermons from your recent communion in Knock FCC. the only quiry I have is was there 1 table or 2 tables done? The reason I ask is that it mentions “table addresses not clear”. I only heard the table address by Rev D Fraser Rtd. Did Rev R Ross do a table address too?
Thanks, David, and glad you were able to listen to the messages. There is only one table served in Point, but addressed both before and after the elements were served. These two addresses were both given by Mr Fraser as senior assisting minister. Every blessing.
Good Afternoon Mr MacLeod.
Although I have NOT as yet listened to ALL the sermons, I did listen to Mr Fraser on Sabbath Morning, and as had been mentioned the table address is barely audible.
I was sorry that the Thanksgiving Service was NOT recorded nor do any of the sermons appear to have any psalm singing on them.
Hope you enjoy your trip to Edinburgh for the FCC Assembly due to start on Monday 22 May 2017 DV.
Hi David, and thanks for your comments. Yes, we had a very good General Assembly with Our minister, our Elder, William Macleod, and myself from the congregation down in Edinburgh. All business was conducted in a gracious manner with some very edifying, encouraging and challenging addresses from the delegates from other churches.
The way the table addresses are edited I can understand how it’s perhaps difficult to discern where one ends and the other begins if your not familiar with the custom in our church. If you listen again, you’ll hear Mr Fraser giving the Warrant for the Sacrament, then there’s a little pause as he gives the bread and wine to our minister. It cuts there and starts again at the post-table address. The reason it’s so faint is that the ministers are remote from the recorder’s microphone when serving the Table. I’ve tried to make it as audible as I can without distorting the sound too much. I hope this explanation helps.
We don’t put the psalm singing on (although we could) as we find that the sermon on it’s own is about 30 – 40 minutes which is what we believe most people are interested in and willing to listen to.
Blessings,
Calum
Very nice pictures.
Todd K. USA
I present the psalms but the tune Loch Broom is new to me. Is this a recognized psalm tune?
Hello Ewen.
It all depends on what you mean by a “recognized psalm tune”. Presumably, you mean those tunes that are in one of the common Psalters in use today.
We are not aware of the inclusion of Lochbroom in any of the common Psalters available at present although that may change as time goes on. There are, actually, a number of tunes in common use that aren’t in any of the common Psalters – “Bays of Harris”, “Ardross” and “Gairloch” spring to mind as examples.
Their not currently being in a Psalter doesn’t invalidate their use so long as they are in the appropriate meter.
I hope that clarifies your query.
Every Blessing.
Site Admin.
An excellent book review
Hope all goes well for you all as a family when you all move to the mainland shortly. DV