Dear Friends in the Northwest
This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the ecclesial year. This weekend, there will be a service on Saturday in Kinlochbervie and services on Sunday in Ullapool and Lochinver. After the services at Kinlochbervie and Lochinver, we will briefly review the congregation’s accounts for 2023-24 – these have been sent to members of those congregations. Next Sunday is Advent Sunday and the beginning of a new church year.
The Annual Congregational Meeting of St Mary’s Ullapool will take place on Advent Sunday, 1st December, after our usual service. Papers for this meeting have been circulated. This year, Joy Garnett is stepping down as Lay Representative and we thank her for her service in this capacity. Two members of the Vestry have reached the end of their three-year term, John Pryde and Clare Brown, and we also thank them for their service. This means that we will need to elect a new Lay Representative for the congregation and two Vestry members; Clare Brown is willing to stand for re-election. Please give your prayerful consideration to who might best fill these roles, including whether any of these positions is one in which you might be able to serve the church. A nomination form is available at the back of the church. If you are part of St Mary’s congregation, please try to attend this important meeting.
Also on Advent Sunday, we will have a service of sung Evensong at the ‘winter’ time of 3.00 p.m. in St Mary’s. If you would like to stay on after the morning service and meeting until Evensong, soup and rolls will be available at lunchtime.
As usual during Advent, we will have an Advent Course which, this year, will be looking at the Canticles of Luke – the songs associated with the Christmas story which are recorded in Luke’s Gospel and still used in worship today. The course will be held in St Mary’s at 11.40 a.m. on Wednesdays 4th, 11th and 18th December. If you are unable to attend but would like the notes sent to you, please let me know.
With love and prayers
Rev’d Clare
Please click the link below for this week’s reflection