Parish News Round-up

Thursday January 23 2020

Our regular round-up of news received from churches

Send items of parish news to magazine@lifeandwork.org or Life and Work, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN. All submissions will also be considered for the magazine, but we are unable to print everything we receive.
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Wormit and Balmerino Guild in Fife held a Scottish afternoon on January 20 focusing on the life and writing of ‘Poet McGonagall’. Generally associated with Dundee, William Topaz McGonagall also wrote about Wormit and Newport.

Members and friends entertained with music, recitation and songs. Probably McGonagall’s best-known poem, The Tay Bridge Disaster was read by David Winch and Viv Rough. The Guild enjoyed afternoon tea with haggis bites and oatcakes.

A large crowd gathered outside Manish church on the rocky east coast of the Isle of Harris, awaiting the arrival of a small boat. On board were seven precentors from different congregations and denominations in Harris and from the Lochs area of Lewis, people involved in the Pròiseact Bàta nan Salm; those on board were singing a Gaelic psalm and the evening was a celebration of those days when folk would come to the communion weekend services at Manish in boats from Berneray, Scalpay and other parts of Harris as well as points further north.

The local congregation (Manish-Scarista, which is currently in vacancy) had envisaged that  the event could be an opportunity for outreach and had invited those with no church background as well as those eager to participate in a once familiar and much-loved practice. Throughout the evening the various precentors led the singing of the Gaelic psalms, with the words displayed in both Gaelic and English.

In between the psalms and prayers there were episodes from the history of the Manish church building, which was erected by the Free Church after a fundraising campaign by John Morrison, known locally as Gobha na Hearadh, the Harris Blacksmith.

Five new elders have been ordained at Cramond Kirk, Edinburgh. From left: John Glencross, Gill Massie, Catherine Crawford, Dorcus McLeod and Fiona Vennelle.

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