St Andrew's Lhanbryd & Urquhart Parish Church

St Andrew’s Lhanbryd & Urquhart Parish Church

TO KNOW - TO LOVE - TO SERVE

We want to KNOW God more fully

to LOVE Him more intimately and to SERVE Him amongst our neighbours

Contents

MISSION STATEMENT ...... 3 INTRODUCTION ...... 3 WORSHIP ...... 4 CONSTITUTION & STRUCTURE ...... 7 CONGREGATIONAL ROLL ...... 7 STEWARDSHIP & CHURCH FINANCES ...... 7 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION ...... 8 PASTORAL CARE ...... 11 CHURCH ORGANISATIONS & ACTIVITIES ...... 11 OUTREACH ...... 14 SALU HISTORY ...... 17 THE PARISH & THE WIDER COMMUNITY ...... 18 THE BUILDINGS ...... 20 COMMUNICATION ...... 23 LOOKING TO THE FUTURE ...... 24 THE INVITATION ...... 25

MISSION STATEMENT

To know, to love to serve. We want to know God more fully, love Him more intimately and serve Him amongst our neighbours.

We seek to be – and believe that we are – a friendly and welcoming church, where members and visitors alike feel accepted and valued. As a congregation, we seek to support and care for our minister and manse family, mindful of the workload and challenges of the ministry today. We aim to work with our minister in a ‘Body of Christ’ model.

INTRODUCTION

St Andrew’s Lhanbryd & Urquhart Parish Church (SALU) became vacant after the call of Rev Andrew Robertson to Eaglesham Parish Church. Recently Rev Attie van Wyk has been with us on familiarisation placement. SALU is a rural church mid-way between Inverness and Aberdeen and 3 miles east of Elgin. SALU is a result of the successful union of two churches in 1988 - St Andrew’s Lhanbryd and Urquhart: we are one congregation with one Kirk Session and have two places of worship, St Andrew’s Lhanbryd Church and St Margaret’s Hall, Urquhart. Moray Presbytery has determined that this is an unrestricted call.

What’s in a name?

The spelling of Langbryde/Langbride/Lhanbride/Lhanbryd/Lhanbryde.

In 1791, Rev. William Leslie decided he liked ‘Lhanbryd’ for the parish name. No-one knows why, but he was the minister. It is now settled that the parish is ‘Lhanbryd’ and the village ‘Lhanbryde’.

WORSHIP

Worship is at the very heart of our church life. As well as the weekly service at 11 am every Sunday at St Andrew’s Lhanbryd church where attendance is regularly 80-100, a service is held at 7 pm on the last Sunday evening of the month in St Margaret’s Hall, Urquhart with 25-30 people attending. Communion is held regularly four times each year with other more informal Communions on an ad hoc basis. The audio system has recently been upgraded and plans have been agreed to install three 55” high-resolution screens to replace the current projector.

11 am services, although generally traditional in format, are open to different approaches. Additional services take place at particular times of year, mainly Easter, Christmas and during Christian Aid Week. In addition, Remembrance Day services take place every year at the war memorials in Urquhart and Lhanbryde.

Worship is enlightening, thought provoking and participatory; our pattern of worship is flexible and continually evolving. Members of the congregation expect to be involved and challenged. There is a worship support group that is actively involved in supporting the minister.

We have enjoyed cordial, informal links with Bellie & Speymouth Church in Fochabers. As well as pulpit exchanges, these have also involved joint services, including a Sunday morning service in the main marquee at the annual Speyfest event in Fochabers. During Holy Week we are regularly involved with Bellie church in Fochabers.

Church Services

• Sunday morning services are recorded on Podbean and uploaded to the Church website.

• The Order of Service and weekly Notices are also available weekly on the website.

• Recently our Sunday morning acts of worship have been live streamed then uploaded on to Facebook and YouTube.

• Monthly evening services during vacancy have been taken by members of the congregation where we have used Life Explored and Discipleship resources – numbers attending have regularly been 25-30 and the informal approach combining video clips, open discussion as well as singing has been widely enjoyed.

Music

We have a team of organists who work on a rota to lead the singing, along with our church choir. We also have a small Praise Group (with instrumentalists), which is led by one of our organists and has contributed to music at Christmas and Easter.

Children & Young People

Children & young people are an important part of our congregation although numbers are small. We recognise the importance both of their being a part of the regular Sunday worship but also of receiving an input appropriate for them. For part of the service they meet together in the halls as crèche & Young Church (primary age). They are also invited to take Communion with their parents.

Prayer

Every Sunday morning, as part of the 11am service, different members of the congregation take it in turns to lead intercessory prayer for our future, our community and the wider world.

The congregation makes entries into the Prayer book each week. This is then circulated after the service via email to those who wish the information, to encourage prayer for those mentioned.

All members are invited to attend the monthly morning church prayer gathering at 10am, before morning worship on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Recently we have gathered for prayer ‘virtually’ via Zoom, allowing us to continue to pray together as a body of God’s people.

In past 6 months we have started a Sunday morning Prayer Breakfast, (once every 3 months) where 30-35 people have gathered for contemplative and interactive prayer at various stations which have been set up by different members of the congregation using a variety of media.

CONSTITUTION & STRUCTURE

There are currently 38 active elders serving under a Unitary Constitution (implemented 12 years ago).

17 of our elders are male; 21 are female. 5 of our elders were on the Kirk Session prior to the union of St Andrews Lhanbryd with Urquhart in 1988. The most recent elders to join were admitted to the Kirk Session 3 years ago. On average, our elders have served for something over 19 years.

The Session comprises four working groups: Fellowship, Outreach, Stewardship/Finance and Worship Support. These groups meet on a regular basis and contribute to worship services.

Talkabout Sessions

The Session hosts regular Talkabout meetings, which aim to grow both the eldership and the congregation. Recent topics have included “What are spiritual gifts?” and “The future of SALU - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats;” “Sharing Your Faith;” “Fresh Expressions - What is Church?” and “Path of Renewal.” These are half or full day sessions and have proven popular and thought- and action-provoking.

National Church Representation

As a congregation we like to encourage our young people to attend the Church of Scotland’s National Youth Assembly. A number of young people therefore have attended the General Assembly as the Presbytery’s Youth representatives, which has allowed them to become involved with presbytery throughout the year. In addition some have become involved with the national councils of the church.

CONGREGATIONAL ROLL

The church roll is currently 303 members and 16 adherents. We have a regular attendance of approximately 90 every Sunday morning and 20 - 30 at our monthly Sunday evening services.

STEWARDSHIP & CHURCH FINANCES

Stewardship Campaigns

SALU has been involved in the National Stewardship Campaign. We have completed the Stewardship of Talents programme having built on the previous year’s successful Stewardship of Giving campaign. For a summary of the 14 months of the talents campaign see link.

Finances

Our Church is in a healthy position. Total receipts for 2019 amounted to £80,936 and payments were £77,861 resulting in a surplus of receipts over payments of £3,075.

Of total giving £32,531 was made through Gift Aid, which attracted a tax refund in 2019 of £9,056. (At the time of writing, these figures are provisional as they have yet to be formally approved.)

SALU is recognised as a Scottish Charity SC008850.

For Annual reports and accounts 2012-2018 see SALU website https://salucofs.wordpress.com/annual-reports/

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Creche, Young Church & TIC TACS

Young Church is aimed primarily at youngsters who are at primary school. Together in Christ, Together at Church (TIC TACS) has been for secondary school youngsters (this past year all our teens have moved away to study or work elsewhere). Each Sunday morning youngsters join the whole church family for the first part of the service and then go through to the hall for a time of exploring the Bible through games, stories, music, video and crafts. To assist parents, crèche helpers are available from 11 am to allow the youngest children to be cared for from the start of service. Like many churches we face the challenge of competing interests on Sunday mornings. We do not see a regular large group of youngsters, but seek to continue to encourage those families who do come.

A highlight for the teenagers has been their weekend away to Abernethy Christian Outdoor Centre at Nethybridge where they have had fun and enjoyed challenging themselves to do things they have not done before and to think about what Jesus means for them.

CONNECT

For some time the Young Church team had been discussing how to better engage with the young families in our church and community. From the “Talkabout” in autumn 2015, we developed the concept of an early Sunday morning café style session.

CONNECT café-style worship now runs twice a month in the church hall, starting with breakfast at 9.30 am. The morning is led by members of the congregation where emphasis is on an informal, relaxed environment with youngsters and adults learning and sharing together. CONNECT lasts an hour, allowing people to move on to the service at 11 am.

In CONNECT we have looked at different Bible characters and their relevance for today through film clips, readings, music, discussion and interactive prayer.

Conflicting demands on family life has meant we have not seen the same faces on each occasion, but the overall feedback has been positive.

Recent Feedback on CONNECT:

“Refreshing.”

“The sharing of time, stories and interactivity makes it real. I am not a passenger – this is important.”

“Great to meet in an informal setting to discuss aspects of our faith.”

House Groups

Evening and daytime house-groups led by SALU members have met for blocks of 6 weeks and have in past explored Steven Croft’s study guide “Experiencing God’s Love”.

Recently many in the congregation took part in The Community Bible Experience reading ‘The Story’ together, with 35 members meeting in groups to discuss what the words of Luke meant to them. This has been well received and we aim to continue this ‘Experience’ shortly.

Saturday Morning Discussion

In the past a Saturday Morning discussion group has also met to discuss contemporary topics and how to apply them. They have looked at ‘The End of Religion’ by Bruxy Cavey and Rob Bell’s ‘Everything is Spiritual’ podcast.

PASTORAL CARE

Pastoral care is delivered by the Elders who inform the minister of pastoral issues. The Elders are supported by members of the congregation who also visit. We also have a dedicated hospital visitor.

With an ageing congregation and declining numbers of young families attending, funerals are – not surprisingly – more common than baptisms. In the last three full years we have had 2 baptisms, 27 funerals and 3 weddings. Ten new members have joined the church in the same period.

Welcome Corner

We have a reputation for being a welcoming and caring church. However, as it is difficult to have a proper conversation in the narrow aisles as you come into the church, a Welcome Corner has been created at the back of the church. As well as a small seated area there is a table, which was made out of the pews removed to provide the additional space. This table is used for the visitors’ book, the prayer book, the flower distribution book and displays.

CHURCH ORGANISATIONS & ACTIVITIES

TOFM (Together On Friday Mornings)

This group of ladies from the congregation and community meets on Friday mornings, to share fun and laughter while exercising, studying, stitching a banner, reading poetry, cinema going or engaging in a wide range of other activities. Whatever the activity, coffee and chat always feature as does caring and sharing!

St Margaret’s Hall – Coffee & Chat Moderator’s visit to TOFM 11

The Guild

The Guild is a happy group of about 21 women who are very supportive of each other and are good team players. The Guild theme is followed and good use is made of the discussion topic. We support national Guild projects.

The Thrift Shop

The Thrift Shop is run in a garage adjacent to the manse and staffed by church volunteers. It opens Tuesday 10:00am - 11:30am, Thursday 1:30pm - 3:00pm. The Thrift Shop is often referred to as an Aladdin’s Cave and sells a variety of clothes, toys and household goods donated by the community. Fifty percent of money raised goes to Christian Aid, with the remainder supporting local charities.

Christmas Concert and Christmas Eve Walk

Our Christmas Concert involving singers and musicians from across the community is now an annual highlight during early December. Then on Christmas Eve there is a walk around the village of Urquhart to help keep the Christmas message alive. At the end of the walk and carol singing, we gather in St Margaret’s Hall for more carol singing and of course mincemeat pies, refreshments and fellowship. It has become a popular event attracting in excess of 100 people, many of whom do not attend church.

“Follow the star”

In from the cold on Christmas Eve

Flower-arranging Team

We have an enthusiastic team of ladies who arrange the flowers each week. After worship on Sunday the flowers are delivered to someone in the parish who is ill or just in need of cheering up.

A lesson from Marlene & Susan

Man-to-Man

This is an opportunity for men to enjoy fellowship informally over a beverage or two and put the world to right.

Cake and Eat It

A chance to enjoy each others’ company with film nights and invited guests.

OUTREACH

Children’s Worker

Although in Vacancy, we have gone ahead and appointed a part-time Children’s Worker to develop links with the young people in our community. Tim Still has set up a lunchtime ‘Xcelerate’ group at Lhanbryde Primary School and regularly around 15 P6 & P7 pupils come along to enjoy Bible-based activities together. An after-school club meeting in St Margaret’s Hall in Urquhart has also recently been established. Tim’s work is supported week-by-week by a team of volunteers from the congregation.

School Chaplaincy

We have good relationships with Lhanbryde Primary School where the Head Teacher is enthusiastic and supportive. Recently our minister on familiarisation Rev Attie van Wyk has taken school assemblies, been involved in a range of classes and shared in special school/community celebrations around Harvest and Christmas. “INTERACT” is a new initiative headed up by the Head Teacher and involves pupils with the church and the communities of Lhanbryde and Urquhart. A church elder is on this group too and they have organised a successful Harvest event and a Christmas Singalong with refreshments and donations to the local Food Bank.

We also share the chaplaincy at Milne’s High School, Fochabers.

Community BBQ

Over the past few years we have had a community BBQ every August in the grounds of St Margaret’s Hall in Urquhart. The inaugural BBQ saw the launch of a local defibrillator – a fundraising initiative by a member of the congregation, which was widely supported by the whole community.

Messy Church

In the past we have run Messy Church once a month in the community centre in Lhanbryde. Usually this was on a Sunday afternoon from 4 till 6 pm. The numbers coming along have fluctuated between 12 and 60, but on every occasion much creativity, fun and good food was enjoyed.

We have grown relationships with families in the community and value the contact that this brings with non-church people. Currently we are taking a break from running this but we are consulting and discussing options for the future.

Christian Aid

We have supported the work of Christian Aid for over 30 years and Christian Aid Week in May has become a very important time in our church life.

Organised by a small, dedicated group, events are very well supported both in church and in throughout the villages and district.

How many boats have made it Margaret? The “boat race” team at Burnside Burn

Souper Sunday

Our church continues to support the work of World Mission in their HIV programme by holding the annual service and lunch.

Supporting Partners

Two of our own young people Caelan Barnes and Kirsty Cumming are now working in different types of Christian ministry. Caelan is at present a ministry trainee based at The Free Church in St Andrews, building faith relationships with students studying there and Kirsty is also involved witnessing to students with the University & Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF), in the role of Projects and Events Staff Worker for the team in Scotland. They are both very grateful to the church for all their support, both financially and in prayer.

Street Pastors

Members of our congregation volunteer as Street Pastors and School Pastors in Elgin – listening, caring and helping people where they are, without judgement or prejudice. As a church we support them in prayer.

SALU HISTORY

The united charge of St Andrew’s Lhanbryd & Urquhart came into being in November 1988, following the departure of Rev David Lunan from St Andrews Lhanbryd and the retiral of Rev Stanley Forsyth from Urquhart.

Urquhart Church is first mentioned in a deed dated 1237. The original Parish Church was dedicated to St Margaret.

The first reference to a church in Lhanbryde was in 1225 - St Bride's Church in Walkers Crescent. This building became a ruin around 1783. At much the same time, the church at Kirkhill, in the Parish of St Andrews, was burned to the ground. These churches were replaced by the present building, and the parishes renamed St Andrew’s Lhanbryd.

Following the union of the two churches in 1988, the church and manse at Urquhart were sold, with St Margaret's Hall being retained as our place of worship in Urquhart. The church, formerly known as St Andrew’s Lhanbryd, then became the St Andrew’s Lhanbryd and Urquhart Parish Church.

For further info click below https://salucofs.wordpress.com/history/

THE PARISH & THE WIDER COMMUNITY

The Parish is to the east of Elgin, lying to the north and south of the A96. It is a pleasant rural parish, about 30 square miles in size, with agriculture the predominant industry. Many of the residents of our parish travel to work beyond its bounds to Elgin and other locations. A significant minority of our congregation live outside the parish.

Lhanbryde is the larger of the two villages within the parish, with about 3000 inhabitants. It has a mixture of private and council housing. Amenities include the village shop, Co-op, pharmacy, hairdresser, butcher, post office, a pub and the community centre. There is a primary school, within easy walking distance of the manse. The church has both formal and informal links with the busy and thriving community centre. Several of our members are involved in the Lhanbryde Community Challenge, with one elder attending the monthly management meetings. We have recently started a new initiative ‘Brydehart News’, with an editorial team from the church, from Lhanbryde and from Urquhart producing this joint community/church newsletter four times a year.

Urquhart, with a population of around 500, is about 2 miles to the north of Lhanbryde. It is a small village with a village hall. There are some newer housing developments as well as the original village.

Our church is not the only worship centre in the village, Moray Grace Fellowship meets in the Community Centre.

Parish Statistics: http://cos.churchofscotland.org.uk/church_finder/data/parish_profiles/352099.pdf

Our village volunteer gardeners Summer basket outside the manse

Views around Moray

Attractions of Moray

SALU is in the area of Moray which enjoys a mild microclimate and excellent natural beauty with a variety of beaches and forests within easy reach. There are many things to do in Moray including outdoor activities such as golf, mountain biking, watching dolphins, touring distilleries, visiting castles, fishing and exploring museums. The nearby county town of Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray and hosts the football team Elgin City.

There are good public transport links with bus services to Aberdeen and Inverness, railway stations at Elgin and Keith and easy access to Aberdeen and Inverness airports which now serve an expanding list of UK and international destinations.

The local Lhanbryde Primary School is a feeder school for Milne’s High School, Fochabers and Elgin Academy.

Lhanbryde village has a local store, butchers, pharmacy and Co-op and Elgin (3 miles from manse) has 24-hour supermarkets, Moray Leisure Centre with swimming pool and ice rink, new independent sports centre and gym (largest in North of Scotland), bowling alley, 3-screen cinema and Elgin Town Hall staging a range of music and theatre events. Elgin has a District General hospital, Dr Gray’s, and Moray College, which is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The websites listed below all give further information about the area: www.moray.gov.uk www.northern-scot.co.uk http://www.speyfest.com

THE BUILDINGS

The Church

Situated in a rural location a mile or so on the Elgin side of Lhanbryde village, the church is a traditionally styled building, dating from 1783. In addition to the sanctuary, the building comprises a large and a small hall, the “purple room” suitable for small groups (designed by teenagers), a modern kitchen with good facilities and two toilets, one of which has disabled access. The property is well maintained throughout, benefits from recent additions and refurbishment, and complies with all current statutory requirements. There are two large parking areas, one to the north and one to the south of the building; the latter having designated disabled parking spaces.

View from the balcony

Church bus bringing folk to morning service

Church bus linking community to Sunday service

St Margaret’s Hall

St Margaret’s Hall is located in Urquhart village. It is a multifunctional facility. In addition to the hall area itself, there is a small kitchen and a toilet with disabled access. It is a warm and homely place used for many small meetings such as TOFM, Christian Aid, a closed Tai Chi group and the After School Club. There is a grassed area adjacent to the building, which provides car parking space.

The Manse

The manse is a traditional stone-built detached house on the main street in Lhanbryde. It is a spacious family home. On the ground floor are 2 public rooms, a study, a fitted kitchen, a utility room and toilet with shower. Upstairs are 5 bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a small garden at the front and a large low-maintenance lawned garden to the rear. There are three outbuildings, including a single garage and a building adjacent to the manse which is used as the Thrift Shop. The manse meets the standards required by the Church of Scotland.

The location of the manse in Lhanbryde makes the minister accessible to the community. The manse is a tangible presence of the church within the village and is a focal point for contact and outreach.

COMMUNICATION

Church Magazine

Brydehart News is our joint community and church newsletter.

Bulletin

The weekly activities and forthcoming events are publicised in the following ways: • In the printed order of service • on the church website

Social Media

The church uses the following social media: • Church website https://salucofs.wordpress.com/ • Blogs to those signed up with email • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/salucofs • Twitter @salucofs

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

We are a congregation that pulls together and would welcome a minister whose fresh ideas could use our strength and talents to develop and encourage new avenues of worship and outreach in our predominantly rural parish.

We are open to new ideas. Before our minister left to take up his new charge in early 2016 we had been exploring our potential involvement with the Church of Scotland PATH OF RENEWAL initiative. As this is now open to churches in vacancy we renewed contact late in 2019 and are now involved as one of the congregations in the current PATH OF RENEWAL phase.

______Strengths • We are very welcoming, warm, supportive and caring to outsiders • Strong well run and supported groups within the congregation • A strong kirk session with a good mix & wide skill base • Our faith and commitment to God; desire to put God at the centre • Eagerness and enthusiasm in facing challenge and openness to new ideas • Willingness to use our personal gifts and talents ______Weaknesses • Geographical location of the church – too far from the village; too far from the school • Age spectrum: lack of young people generally – we need to connect with and attract the young folk in Lhanbryde & Urquhart • Narrow social spectrum within the congregation; need to engage with the whole community • Church aesthetics: non-flexible seating in sanctuary • Lack of helpers -some people becoming over-loaded

______Opportunities • Opportunity to attract new members from Urquhart, coffee mornings? Holiday club? Lunch Club? We have a physical presence in St Margaret’s Hall. • TOFM – has attracted non church-goers, some of whom now attend church • Opportunity to reach a wide demographic of people e.g. building on Messy Church outreach • Opportunity for greater involvement in our communities – practical work (see a need, meet a need) publicising who we are • Increased interaction with schools developing work of new Children’s Worker ______Threats • Conflicting demands on families on Sundays • Lack of connection with people in Urquhart • Society moving away from faith to a “shopping culture;” relevance of church to people • Ageing congregation – what will our church look like in 20 years time? • Lack of a base in Lhanbryde village

THE INVITATION

God has brought us to the stage where we have undertaken a period of self-reflection and have begun some new initiatives. We believe the Parish Profile demonstrates an exciting proposition and opportunity to lead and take forward the ministry of SALU supported by a congregation who are open to new horizons and challenges.

Are you the minister God is calling to SALU?

Have you found yourself saying as you have read our profile - “Yes! They sound like my kind of people! I could work with them! That’s my kind of vision for the church!”

Then we need to meet!

At a Kirk Session ‘Talkabout’ - we were praying and asking ourselves – “What are we looking for, hoping for, praying for, in our new minister?”

We want our new minister to be him or herself, and for us to be willing and open to giving him or her the space and the encouragement to lead us, perhaps in ways we had not considered or imagined, and to challenge us to step out in faith along new paths – to walk and work with us in a shared vision as we step out together with God.

We have what we imagine to be the common hopes of many congregations, which find expression in the qualities we would hope for in our new minister:

• A minister who will help us understand the Bible and how to apply it in our lives • An individual with good people skills and an enthusiasm for outreach to all within our local community, especially to families, schools and young people • Someone who is open to innovation • A person who has a deep pastoral care for people within our church and parish • A leader who will walk and work with us to shape our church for the future, including new initiatives in local communities

While we have compiled the list above, it may be of course that God is preparing someone very different as the right person to be our minister and we are open to hearing and following God’s leading.

Informal Visit & Enquiries

We appreciate you may wish to find out more or to make an informal visit to SALU before you consider making an application. We would be pleased to show you and your family the area, the church and the manse and can arrange a visit in confidence if required – please contact our Interim Moderator, Mrs Ann Bowie to discuss this.

Contact Details

Interim Moderator: Mrs Ann M C Bowie Ben Shiel 1 Gordon Street Fochabers Morayshire IV32 7DL

Tel: 01343 821476

Email: [email protected]

Applications and recommendations should be made to: Chair Nominating Committee: Fiona Cumming

Email: [email protected]