- Video: Presbytery of Buchan – some congregational stories:
(Crimond and Lonmay represented by Mr Tim Barker)
https://youtu.be/k-GhD1vh_Gk
Lonmay Newsletter 24
Welcome to this edition of the Lonmay Newsletter.
It is fantastic news to share that, God Willing, next Sunday 30 August, we are able to meet at 12 noon for a service. Your district Elder will be updating you with all the details, so I will not duplicate them here. There are three points to share with you:
- It is quite understandable and acceptable that some people feel unable to attend at this stage due to the continuing impact of the virus.
- It is also understandable and acceptable that some people feel that they would rather wait until ‘normal’ service can be resumed.
- To those who are contemplating coming to church please be assured that the working party have and will continue to do all in their power to follow the government and Church of Scotland regulations and guidelines to provide a safe environment in which to worship the Lord. There will be changes but these have been made to meet the requirements and should not detract from drawing near to the Lord in worship and prayer.
At a recent Kirk Session following the agreement to seek re-opening of the Church the following was raised:
- The ‘Thought for Sunday’ will continue on the same basis.
- The Lonmay News will cease to be weekly but will be used to update people on important news.
Tim will produce the texts and ‘Thought for Sunday’ and will pass to David who will place them on the Lonmay Church Web site.
It has been a very long five months of ‘lockdown’, and your support, prayers and encouragement during this period has been really appreciated. Please continue to pray as we move into the next stage and ask the Lord to continue to lead and guide decisions which have to be made.
Just to let you know that Sunday School will NOT be re-opening on 30 August due to new regulations from the government and Church of Scotland.
Blessings.
Crimond and Lonmay Thought for Sunday 20 October 2024
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29 v 11
A warm welcome to the latest edition of Thought for Sunday.
There are many times in our lives when we face uncertain futures. It may be at home, work, relationships, finance or other issues. They are challenging times, and hard to face. Perhaps we fear the worse, or hope that they will go away without any action on our part. Yet the issues are real and cannot be ignored. What can we do to make sense of the problem and seek ways to resolve them?
Jeremiah was in a similar situation in our verse today. He did what he knew he had to do – turn to the Lord. As he took this action, God spoke to him in this famous verse. God had plans for Jeremiah that ensure his future, giving him hope. Jeremiah had a tough life being a Prophet of God. He was dismissed, threatened and even imprisoned for telling the people the message from God. They wanted to ignore the message and hoped that they could silence Jeremiah. Of course, God’s message could never be silenced and the people suffered humiliation at captivity and removal from their homeland. However, God had a message of reassurance for them through Jeremiah.
That same message is for us today. We may suffer ridicule at the hands of those who wish to silence the Gospel message, but for those who know and love Him, we have this amazing promise.
God has a perfect plan for each one of us, a plan to prosper and not harm, and one to give us hope and a future. A word of clarification the word ‘prosper’ is not about making us financially rich, but to prosper in our service for the Lord. We will know His Hand of leading and guiding, and while we hold tightly to His Hand, we will not be harmed and our hope is in the living Jesus, and with Him we have a certain future both here on earth and in being with Him in heaven in due course. Let us take this wonderful promise and apply it in all our thinking, actions and words.