May 2007

• New contacts for the gospel have been made through last term’s events
• 20 Bibles have been gifted to S6 leavers in Plockton High
• Holiday Club plans are well under way for July and August
• It’s Your Move will be given to 81 P7s this term
• In July, Dave takes five senior pupils sailing in Latvia
• The next Prayer for Youth meetings take place around the district during the week of 21st - 24th May
• This month COOL meets with the Trustees to plan the next 12 months

give thanks for

• encouragement from Lewis of God’s grace
• all the young people who have attended COOL events this quarter
• assembly opportunities in our schools
• the provision of God’s Word amongst our youth
• upwards of 60 volunteers who will make the summer clubs happen

pray for

• God’s Spirit to touch the hearts of young people
• clear vision as we approach our bi-annual planning meeting
• young people you know sitting exams
• continued creativity and sensitivity in our planning
• safety in all the summer events

The year is marching on and as we look forward to more exciting summer events, we have a lot to be thankful for over the last few months. As we bring you an overview of all that is happening, we are also very conscious that any success is solely dependant on the work of the Holy Spirit and we continue to seek God on behalf of our communities.

Reports from the Isle of Lewis are that God is doing a work amongst the young people. Young people are standing for their faith and this has been noted in communions, the SU club and home Bible studies. Rev. Iain Campbell of Back Free Church writes, “It is interesting that interdenominational agencies were used of God, and the young people also realised the importance of professing faith in their churches. It is the nearest thing we have had to a revival in a long time, and I think the Spirit is still moving among the young people, although the main wave seems to have been past. Let’s hope more will follow!” Stornoway is a wee way from here, but there are many similarities in our ministries and it is interesting to note that we have many similar opportunities for young people in Skye and Lochcalsh. We pray that God will move...

At the end of March, almost thirty young people from Lochcarron, Lochalsh, Glenelg and Fort Augustus joined us for our weekend to Alltnacriche. The main event was paintballing which was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and the bruises seem to be all gone now! Malcolm Gardiner brought the teaching from the book of John and on the Sunday morning eleven of the group identified themselves with Christ.

The following week saw the return of the YFC Kick team. Despite not being able to offer transport and the Skye Feis being on the same week, over the week we saw twenty-eight young people joined in the training and games. We concluded once again with a dinner in Achmore village hall and this year Ross, a 19 year old from Kick, shared how God had brought him out of depression, healed a severely injured knee (his medical records state ‘Act of God’) and now brought him into sports ministry. I understand that a number of our guys have been repeating his stories to families and friends.

FN@D&Rs continues to hold at about eight each week, building on contacts through the youth café and COOL events. We are currently preparing for the summer holiday clubs in our discussions on the book of Acts, The last month has also seen all the local holiday clubs begin preparations for our Highland Gold! in Lochalsh, Kintail, Lochcarron and Skye, with support also for Shieldaig.

We have now completed our run through the story of the Bible in most of the primaries, concluding at Easter with another look at ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.’ We were especially pleased to be able to hold an Easter service for Applecross Primary School in the local church, to which 14 parents and relatives came, whilst local ministers were able to lead similar event for Plockton Primary.

Rev. Roddie Rankin and I led an Easter reflection on relationship with God for S1-3 in Plockton High which was very well received — the Rector is still talking about Roddie’s plate-smashing routine! At the start of this term the High School graciously gave us a school-leavers assembly with S5 and 6, at which we presented about twenty Daily New Testaments. Eight students also expressed an interest in joining a Vine Trust work party to Peru in 2008, so we are now investigating the possibility of repeating the excursion. The final event for the school-leavers was an S6 v ‘Duncan Ferguson’s Rest of the World’ football match. It was a privilege to be a part of the RotW team, and the final result (2-1 to the S6) was fair and remarkably close! (As I write, my knees are almost recovered.)

Further support has been given to Kyleakin and Glenelg youth clubs, which are now all but finished for the summer. We are looking forward to the prospect of the summer Bible study for the young teens in Glenelg. I have led some Brigade evenings reporting back from Peru 2006 and we are greatly looking forward to the baptism of one of our P7s at the beginning of June.

Looking to the future, we are about to book visits to the eighty-one P7s moving to Plockton and Portree this summer, to give out the ‘It’s Your Move’ books. Plans are now almost complete for our sailing holiday in the midst of our busy summer schedule, in the Gulf of Riga for five senior pupils. Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, we hope as many as possible will be joining us in one of the four ‘Prayer for Youth’ meetings in Lochcarron, Kyleakin, Kyle and Glenelg from Monday to Thursday of the week beginning May 21st. As we reflect on God’s grace in Stornoway, it is exciting that this term’s prayer meetings have all fallen in the same week. It seems to me that we have events, structures and people just about in place in our parishes, but we need to continue to call on God for His Spirit to touch those with whom we share Christ.