KILTARLITY AND KIRKHILL INVERNESS PRESBYTERY
Parish Profile
2021
We are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus to do the good things he has planned (Ephesians 2:10)
PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Contents
Our Mission Statement ………………………………… 3 Our Aims ……………………………………………….. 3 Our Minister ……………………………………………. 3 Our Area ………………………………………………… 5 Our Activities …………………………………………… 7 Our Finance ………………………………………...... 12 Our Properties ………………………………………….. 13 Our Community ………………………………….……… 16 Our Recent History …………………………... ………… 19
Further information
Correspondence to the Clerk to the Nominating Committee: Nicky Guthrie 01463 741324 email: [email protected]
Informal enquiries to the Convener of the Nominating Committee: Iain Clyne 07795 064635 email: [email protected]
The Interim Moderator is: Rev. Seoras Mackenzie 01463 231487 email: [email protected]
Applications
Applications for the position of Minister are invited and should be sent to the Clerk to the Nominating Committee along with a CV, a supporting statement based on this Parish Profile and details of two referees.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Our Mission Statement
To lead people into a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ by loving people, cultivating community, and inspiring hope
Our Aims
• Reach-Up: Together loving and worshipping our Lord Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul and strength • Reach-Out: To be involved with all ages of the local community, with love and hope, encouraging them at whatever stage of faith they are at • Reach-In: Becoming more Christlike in our thoughts, words and deeds, encouraging one another in Bible study, prayer and times of informal fellowship together
We Would Like Our Minister…
• To encourage and inspire church members to use their gifts in service • To lead worship effectively • To teach biblical truth with relevance and application to today’s issues • To give pastoral care with warmth, sympathy, and spiritual understanding • To join us in exploring our response in ministry to the current social changes in our society • To create an encouraging environment in which young people can thrive • To engage proactively with the local community and non-church goers
We Can Offer Our New Minister…
• A team of Elders who see your appointment as a chance to review where we are at and identify new opportunities and initiatives in ministry • Active groups of willing and committed volunteers who help run the variety of activities across the parish such as children’s work, youth work and pastoral care • Recognition of your own family life and respect for your holidays, time off each week and opportunities for study leave • Help and support as you set up your home here in Kiltarlity and Kirkhill
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Current Struggles
• We have recently formed a union and are currently trying to find our feet as one church • To hold in tension the differing preferences across our congregation with regard to church style
Would you pray about coming to be our minister?
The charge is Reviewable Tenure and the church is administered in accordance with the terms of the Unitary constitution.
You are very welcome to join us on any Sunday at 10:45am via our Zoom service. Please see the Kiltarlity and Kirkhill Church website or Facebook page for access details.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Our Area
Kiltarlity and Kirkhill is a parish within the Presbytery of Inverness. The parish is rural in nature with farming, forestry, crofts, and a variety of other small industries within the parish boundaries.
Approximate parish boundary
• The village of Kirkhill lies on the south side of the Beauly Firth and to the north of the A862. • The neighbouring village of Kiltarlity lies about four miles further on, south of the A862, and off to the west of the A833. • Kirkhill is 8 miles and Kiltarlity is 12 miles from the centre of Inverness. • Both villages are also within a few miles of Beauly which is a growing village and has all the amenities needed for day-to-day life: shops, doctor’s surgeries, opticians, places to eat out, etc.
Both villages have shared in the growth of Inverness over the past 20 years, as people realise the advantages of living in a rural environment which is also just a few miles from a thriving city.
In Kiltarlity, a development of 92 homes on the old sawmill site was recently completed. New residents have come from both within the village and outside it. This has had a positive effect for the local primary school’s roll (currently 117), the village post office/café and local bus services. In addition, every August the neighbouring Belladrum estate holds the largest camping and outdoor music festival in Scotland, the well-known Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (https://tartanheartfestival.co.uk/). v6 March 2021 Page 5 of 19 www.kiltarlityandkirkhill.org.uk
PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Kirkhill is a fast-growing community with three recent housing developments and a further scheme of 100 houses planned. It is within easy commuting distance of Inverness. Kirkhill’s population is around 700 and the planned housing scheme would result in a 50% increase in residents. The primary school was built in 1996 and has a current roll of 160 pupils but this is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. The Community Centre is used for various clubs and sports throughout the week and is the venue for the Post Office two mornings a week.
As one of Europe’s fastest growing cities, employment opportunities in Inverness have been expanding in depth and breadth, attracting more people to live here. In recent years the city has been developing its position as a central player in the life sciences sector. Inverness also has a flourishing tourism sector, with its proximity to Loch Ness and the Cairngorms National Park drawing around a million visitors to the area each year. This expansion has a positive impact for the areas surrounding Inverness, as people seek to live close to their employment yet in a rural location. It also provides leisure and entertainment opportunities for communities such as Kiltarlity and Kirkhill.
The two churches are in the villages of Kiltarlity and Kirkhill, but the parish encompasses the smaller hamlets of Bunchrew, Lentran, Inchmore, Cabrich, Foxhole, Loaneckheim, etc.
Key statistics for the Parish of Kiltarlity and Kirkhill
Kiltarlity Kirkhill
Total Population 1,692 1,825
School Roll 117 160
Communicant Members 112
Adherents 34
Sunday Club/Youth around 20 Outreach clubs – Messy 50-60 across the various church/Friday club/Young Life outreach activities Elders 12
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Our Activities
The two churches have recently become a union of one church – Kiltarlity and Kirkhill. This union took place during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
During the pandemic, we have been able to draw on the technical experts within our congregation to broadcast a service live each Sunday over Zoom. These services have been well attended by both Kiltarlity and Kirkhill (and other) members and a prayer meeting has been added before the service. In September, Kiltarlity Church reopened with a socially distanced service on a Sunday which is streamed live over Zoom. We intend to continue the Zoom services in tandem with socially distanced services in buildings for as long as public health requirements necessitate it.
The joint Zoom services have offered us the opportunity to come together as a united church and we look forward to developing this relationship as a united congregation over the next few years.
NB. The details of our activities below are obviously based on how we operated before the pandemic.
Services
• There is currently a service in each building every Sunday. Before the breakout of the pandemic, the service in Kirkhill Church was at 10am and the one in Kiltarlity Church was at 11:30am. There was a time for fellowship with tea and coffee and biscuits (even home baking on occasion – the parishes have many excellent home bakers!) after both services. During the pandemic, and following the Union, we have been holding a joint service via Zoom at 10.45am each Sunday, with great success. We would like to explore with a new minister whether we should continue this practice after the pandemic. • Communion services are typically held twice a year in each church, on different dates. Communion is sometimes also celebrated at other times during the year, including at joint services. • A joint Candles and Carols service is held at Kirkhill Church on the Sunday evening prior to Christmas. • Christmas Eve Watchnight services are held in each Church. • Annual Elder led services are held for Souper Sunday in aid of the Church of Scotland’s HIV / AIDS programme. • There are regular weekly prayer meetings.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
• Bible discussion groups also run, usually at a member’s house. Alpha courses have also been run for both adults and teens – at separate times. • There are Remembrance Services at both churches in November.
Music
• There is a team of two who lead the music at both services. Kiltarlity has a Dulsanell Single Manual Pipe organ and Kirkhill has a two manual full pedal board Allen Digital Computer organ and a Yamaha grand piano. Guitars and keyboards are also used to complement the style of praise being sung. • The sound and AV systems have recently been updated in both church buildings. We now broadcast hymns and the readings on TV screens around the church. Hymn books are of course still available for those who prefer them. We have a hearing loop system in both churches.
Young People
• There are Sunday Clubs at both church services, offering children from 5 to 16 years of age an opportunity to connect with God through Bible teaching, worship and prayer using age appropriate activities. For the under 5’s there is a play mat area in both churches. We also provide ‘busy bags’ if a child prefers to stay with their parent/carer during the service. • Teenagers either stay in the service or have a separate discussion group meeting during church. There is also an informal monthly discussion group for teenagers usually on a Sunday afternoon. • A monthly Messy Church is held in the grounds of Kirkhill Church attended by up to 30 children accompanied by one or both parents. v6 March 2021 Page 8 of 19 www.kiltarlityandkirkhill.org.uk
PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
• The Kiltarlity Sunday Club and youth group produce a Christmas play each year, joining up with the outreach Friday children’s club, which is greatly enjoyed by family and other church members. • Each primary school holds their Christmas Carol Service at their respective churches in the final week of term leading up to Christmas. Tomnacross Primary School also uses the church for its end-of-term Easter service and other services and assemblies. • Along with Kiltarlity Free Church, the church’s congregation supports the Young Life worker who is resident in Kiltarlity and provides clubs for the youth of both villages, amongst other outreach work.
Pastoral Care Team We have a pastoral care team who provide support for the welfare of our congregation and the wider community. This is through our various groups such as the Tuesday morning coffee meetings, fellowship, specific contacts via phone or visits from our pastoral visitors, and collecting prescriptions.
Outreach Activities
• The church maintains an excellent relationship with both primary schools. At the invitation of both Head Teachers our team of volunteers present Bible stories regularly at school assemblies through the ‘Open the Book’ programme. • A recent innovation, coinciding with the change in Highland schools to a 4½ day week with Friday afternoon off, is the Friday children’s club held in Kiltarlity Church. The club welcomes children of primary school age from 12:15 until 3:30pm during term-time and offers craft and games. It aims to help parents who otherwise might struggle to find childcare for that time. It also makes good use of the location of our building, which is next to the primary school, as children are brought straight over by our volunteer childcare workers. v6 March 2021 Page 9 of 19 www.kiltarlityandkirkhill.org.uk
PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
• Messy Church has been running in the sanctuary and grounds of Kirkhill Church for the last few years on the third Sunday of the month. It has proved to be an enjoyable way for families to participate who might not otherwise attend our regular Sunday services.
• Kirkhill Guild meets October through to March at Kirkhill Church. • A weekly coffee morning, with home baking, takes place at Kirkhill Church. It is open to the whole community and attracts not only people from both parishes, but also from further afield from Beauly and Inverness. • We hold ladies’ nights through the year where we enjoy crafts together. The evenings have been used to support local charities such as the ‘Highlands Supports Refugees’ project, when they were looking for people to mend clothes, as well as other charities such as the Elsie Normington Foundation. • We have a church website at www.kiltarlityandkirkhill.org.uk • A quarterly newsletter, The Anchor, is distributed from each church and other community outlets. Current and past copies can also be viewed on the website. • We have been promoting the ‘Try Praying’ programme throughout the parish. • Children’s holiday clubs and Fun Days have been run most summers since 2009.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Finance
Kiltarlity and Kirkhill have carried out a number of significant projects on their church buildings and manse in the last few years to ensure that the buildings are sound for many decades to come. Details of the projects are given under the ‘Our Properties’ section.
Our main sources of income are weekly offerings and investment income. However, when required for large projects (such as the replacement of Kiltarlity church roof in 2013), we have been successful in putting together large fundraising projects which involve the whole community.
We support a number of other charities through special collections. Each year a special collection is made for Christian Aid week and Poppy Scotland. We also have a collection box for the Highland Foodbank. We have also supported the local charities, Blythswood Care, the Vine Trust, Mama Hope and The Highlands Supports Refugees, with special collections, special events nights and active promotion of their work.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Our Properties
Kiltarlity Church
The present building of Kiltarlity Church has been a place of worship since 1829. It replaced an existing building, erected in 1763, on the same site at Tomnacross. It is built on an elevated position, surrounded by a graveyard, on the outskirts of the village opposite the primary school.
• There are traditional pews in the sanctuary area, and in a three-sided balcony.
• There is a good-sized Sunday Club room upstairs in the building, along with a vestry and entrance hall with a toilet and kitchen area at ground floor level. • In 2013 we replaced the roof. • A new kitchen was installed in 2014 to ensure we can provide catering for our social events. • The Sunday Club room was recently redecorated and refurnished with help from Sunday Club members so as to provide an enjoyable space in which our young people can learn and relax. • A new AV system has been installed and, more recently, we have installed broadband which provides us the flexibility of offering a mix of online and in-person services during the pandemic. For the future it will provide an excellent opportunity for our Sunday Club to diversify their offering for young people. • We have removed the balustrades at the front of the church to make the area more open and welcoming. It also means that when young people are acting or reading out there, they are more visible.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Kirkhill Church
The building of the present church in Kirkhill was completed in the spring of 1792 when it opened for worship. The building used materials taken from the demolition of a previous church built in the 13th century. Major refurbishment was undertaken in 2011. A new carpeted floor was laid in the main sanctuary and Guild Room areas, and upholstered chairs installed to replace the pews. New electric radiant heating in the sanctuary area, a disabled toilet, and a new fitted kitchen were included in the refurbishment. Cat5 cables are installed throughout the church for IT equipment. A sound desk has been built at the rear of the sanctuary with computer, monitor and sound mixer. The LED screens and radio mics are controlled from this desk.
• Since that work was done, the Church has become a multi-purpose building that is now available to the church and community groups throughout the week and is not just used once a week on a Sunday.
• Visitors and the congregation have commented that the refurbishment has made the church more welcoming, warmer, and more comfortable.
• The Guild Room is at the west end of the church, and the Vestry, kitchen and disabled toilet are at the east end of the church.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
The Manse
The Manse is situated behind Kirkhill Church and has its own driveway down to the main road running in front of the church. It was built in 1975 and has recently had new double-glazing units fitted to all the doors and windows, and a new roof with improved loft insulation.
• It has an oil-fired boiler for central heating and hot water.
• There are four double bedrooms.
• The ground floor consists of a central hallway, lounge with a log burning stove, a recently fitted kitchen, boiler room, utility room, study, a bedroom and a new toilet and a shower.
• There is a washing machine, dishwasher, electric cooker and refrigerator in the kitchen and utility areas.
• Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a good-sized family bathroom with a separate shower.
• There is a single garage and a coal / log / garden store.
• There is ample car parking and a safe space surrounding the building with a fenced-in area at the rear of the property.
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Our Community
Kiltarlity Village
A large number of Kiltarlity people live in the countryside on crofts or in recently built homes. Crofting has declined in importance, but the rural population has been maintained by the building of many new houses both by local families and people who have moved to live in this very beautiful area.
Kiltarlity has: -
• a Post Office and shop including a coffee shop selling excellent home- made baking. • a well-used village hall. • two playgrounds. • three churches – the Church of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland, and the Roman Catholic Church at Eskadale. • many clubs and organisations, perhaps the oldest and best known of these being the Lovat Shinty Club. Some of the other clubs on offer include: the SWRI, a community choir, a gardening club, a whist club, a badminton club, a toddler group and Beaver Scouts.
Kiltarlity Main Street
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Kirkhill Village
Kirkhill and Bunchrew, which make up the Kirkhill parish, are the two settlements that form the nuclei of small crofting hamlets that line the south side of the Beauly Firth. The area has long been the stronghold of the Lord Lovats who originally had a castle near Kirkhill, and within the graveyard at Wardlaw Cemetery, about ¼ mile from Kirkhill Church, there is Wardlaw Mausoleum, which from 1632 has been their burial place.
The parish has: -
• The Old North Inn – a hotel and restaurant. • Achnagairn House – a luxury wedding venue with associated self- catering lodges and a restaurant, Table Manors. • One church – Church of Scotland. • A modern community centre and attached multi-use games area (MUGA) with an all-weather surface and flood lighting. The centre is used by a great variety of clubs and organisations including the SWRI, indoor bowling, various children’s clubs and sports clubs. • The community centre also houses the post office, which is open for two mornings a week.
Schools
• Both villages have their own primary schools and nurseries. • Secondary school pupils travel by school bus to Charleston Academy in Inverness.
Surrounding Area
The village of Beauly is just 4 miles from the Manse in Kirkhill and lies in the parish of Kilmorack and Erchless which has a Church of Scotland in the village, along with a Catholic Church. The ruined church of a Valliscaulian priory, one of three founded in Scotland in about 1230, is situated in the village.
Beauly is centred on a square and has an excellent variety of local shops and amenities. These include: an award winning baker, a butcher, a greengrocer, a large Co-operative store, a beauty salon, gift shops, a delicatessen and coffee shop, four hairdressers, a car retailer/ garage, an Indian restaurant, three hotels, a number of guest houses, a fish and chip shop, a Chinese takeaway, a country tailor and outfitters (Campbell’s), an antique shop, a picture framer, an optician, a Boots the chemist, a general hardware store, a petrol station with a laundry and post office, a library, a meeting hall, two v6 March 2021 Page 17 of 19 www.kiltarlityandkirkhill.org.uk
PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH medical practices, a fire station, and there is also a farm shop just half a mile outside the village.
Thirteen miles away from Kiltarlity and Kirkhill is the small town of Dingwall where there are, amongst other amenities, supermarkets, a swimming pool, and the Highland Theological College.
The city of Inverness with its many shopping and business facilities along with leisure attractions lies to the east of both villages (8 miles from Kirkhill and 12 miles from Kiltarlity).
There are bus services from Kiltarlity and Kirkhill to Beauly, Dingwall and Inverness, a railway station at Beauly and Inverness and an international airport 8 miles to the east of Inverness
The stunning countryside of Strathglass, Strathconon, and the Great Glen with lochs, rivers, and mountains, as well as the coast with its beaches, are all at hand, waiting to be enjoyed and explored.
Kirkhill Community Centre
View of Beauly Firth from Kirkhill
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PARISH PROFILE for KILTARLITY and KIRKHILL PARISH
Our Recent History
The parishes of Kiltarlity and Kirkhill were linked in 1982. The most recent minister of the linkage was Jonathan Humphrey who left in September 2018. Recently, the linked churches worked enthusiastically together to develop a number of joint initiatives, including a joint ‘café church’ on the first Sunday of the month alternating between Kiltarlity and Kirkhill. There was also a Praise event held in the evening of the third Sunday of the month, as well as joint services at particular festivals such as Easter. We also worked jointly on Alpha courses, a parish magazine and holiday clubs.
Then most recently, as part of implementing the Local Church Review (five- year action plan), a working group was set up to explore a union of the linked congregations. After several meetings, Presbytery and both congregations agreed to a Union and to continue with worship in both buildings. This was then formalised in July 2020. Having spent a lot of energy negotiating the future of our church buildings, our united congregation is now focused on building our church together.
More information about the earlier history of both churches is available on our website at www.kiltarlityandkirkhill.org.uk.
For more information about the vacancy and for application
requirements, please see the details on page 1
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