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Inverness Cathedral News News and Events in and around Inverness Cathedral for January 2020, including an update on the Cathedral property maintenance and on-going work | From the Provost’s Pen | News from Inspires- Winter Jacket Bank and Holiday Lunches and more | Round up of Advent & Christmas Services | Details of Social & Fundraising Events | And more… INVERNESS CATHEDRAL NEWS January 2020 Edition #1 From the Provost’s Pen… A Happy New Year and a Happy New Decade! I wonder how many of you can remember what you were doing 10 years ago as the last decade arrived? How about 20 years ago? That may well be easier as it was the turn of the century as well. I can remember being here in Inverness with an excited 4 year old as we watched the river light up as part of the Millenium celebrations here in the City- just at the time it was declared that Inverness would be a city and not a town! That same excited 4 year old is now a little older and still loves New Year! We enjoyed the party in the Northern Meeting Park once again this year with live music to accompany our meal with friends and family before heading out to take in the bells with the other 15,000 people who make Inverness part of their celebrations. The arrival of the New Year is often seen and often anticipated as a time of hope, the looking for something new and different and we are reminded of this in the arrival of the Magi, as they come to adore the Christ Child, and yet generally we mark this time of the year with the removal of all things that shows hope, such as Christmas decorations, cards and nativity sets. It’s as if the Magi have barely arrived and we pack them back up into their boxes and hide them away in the loft for one more year. A New Year also brings change…for many people in many different ways; ways in which at the beginning of the year we don’t always yet know about. 2020 is looking on a country and worldwide scale to offer much in the way of change, and whilst we know these changes are on the way we don’t yet know what the outcomes of this change will be or what exactly it means for our everyday life. For the life of the church some of these changes offer a unique and at times, a challenge to us to be people of faith who can make a difference. Bishop Mark in his New Year message set a challenge to us in respect of the climate crisis and our response as both individuals and as a church, as well as a challenge to be people who can make a difference to those who find themselves marginalised and on the edges of society. And in responding to such a challenge can mean that we need to find ways of changing what we do and why we do things. Change is not necessarily a bad thing if it ensures that the lives of others are changed for the better and we find new and different ways of living out our faith. Some changes happen as a result of changing times and legislation, such as affect the running of a charity for example. As a Cathedral church we shall see some such changes in 2020. As we seek to be a Cathedral which is open, welcoming and prayerful for all people we need to look to what God is doing and encouraging us to do in our small part of the Kingdom of God. It was noted a number of years ago, at a Congregational Meeting, that the Cathedral needs to ensure that it is a place that seeks to worship God and to offer a modern and contemporary way in which this happens and so in 2020 we will continue to work for this and for the building up of God’s Kingdom and the sharing of God’s love in this place, through us so that others might come to know this same love. 1 This month we hold our Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday 19th January after the 11am service and this is an opportunity to come along and to hear the review of the year past and the look to the future of the Cathedral, it’s life and witness in the congregations and the wider community and as Mother Church of the Diocese of Moray, Ross & Caithness. Details will be available from the Additional Congregational Meetings we held in 2019 for those who weren’t there. One other immediate change you will notice is that we are moving to having a smaller weekly notice sheet, which will contain the weekly information of services and events, and a larger monthly Cathedral News, which will contain details of upcoming events and news from around the Cathedral and the wider community. Please do send in items to be included (subject to editorial approval), so that the Cathedral News reflects the whole community. It is an exciting time in the life of the Church and the Cathedral, and amidst all the changing times we can be assured that, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ (Hebrews 13:8). May the year 2020 hold many blessings for us all and may we be a blessing to all we meet in the year ahead. With blessings Provost Sarah 2 Services & Events from Sunday 12th January 2020 | 1st Sunday after Epiphany | | Daily Prayer: Festivals | Sunday 12th January 08:15 Eucharist The Baptism of Christ (Epiphany I) 09:15 Sung Eucharist 11:00 Choral Eucharist 17:30 Gaelic Eucharist Monday 13th January 09:30 Morning Prayer Kentigern (Mungo)603; Hilary 367; 12:15 Eucharist George Fox 1691 16:30 Evening Prayer Tuesday 14th January 09:30 Morning Prayer 17:15 Evening Prayer 17:30 Eucharist Wednesday 15th January 08:30 Morning Prayer 08:45 Eucharist 17:00 Evening Prayer 09:30 Morning Prayer Thursday 16th January 10:15 Eucharist #Thursdays in Black 11:00 Chatty Crafters in the Café 16:30 Evening Prayer 09:30 Morning Prayer Friday 17th January 12:00 Eucharist Antony of Egypt, 356 16:30 Evening Prayer Saturday 18th January Week of Christian Unity begins until 17:00 Healing Service & Eucharist 25/01/2020 th 08:15 Eucharist Sunday 19 January 09:15 Sung Eucharist Epiphany II Week of Christian Unity 11:00 Choral Eucharist 17:30 Sung Evening Prayer 3 Sunday Readings Year C Date First Reading Second Gospel Reading 12th January Is 42.1-9 Acts 10.34-43 Mt 3.13-17 Baptism of the Lord Proper 1 19th January Is 49.1-7 1 C 1.1-9 Jn 1.29-42 Epiphany 2 Proper 2 26th January Is 9.1-4 1 C 1.10-18 Mt 4.12-23 Epiphany 3 Proper 3 2nd February Mic 6.1-8 1 C 1.18-31 Mt 5.1-12 Epiphany 4 Proper 4 9th February Is 58.1-9a,(9b-12) 1 C 2.1-12,(13- Mt 5.13-20 Epiphany 5 16) Proper 5 16th February Dt 30.15-20 1 C 3.1-9 Mt 5.21-37 Epiphany 6 Proper 6 23rd February Lev 19.1-2,9-18 1 C 3.10-11,16-23 Mt 5.38-48 Epiphany 7 Proper 7 1st March Is 49.8-16a I C 4.1-5 Mt 6.24-34 Epiphany 8 Proper 8 8th March Dt 11.8-21,26-28 Ro 1.16-17,3.22b- Mt 7.21-29 Epiphany 9 28 (29-31) Proper 9 15th March Ex 24.12-18 2 P 1.16-21 Mt 17.1-9 Sunday before Lent 22nd March Gen 2.15-17; Ro 5.12-19 Mt 4.1-11 Lent 1 3.1-7 4 For your prayers for this week: (from the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer) Sun 12th January For the congregations of St. Andrew, Fortrose; St. John the Evangelist, Arpafeelie; St. Regulus, Cromarty. Mel Langille, Moira Grigor and Lay Readers: Gail Sanderson, Patsy Thompson, Dorothy Williams. Mon 13th January For the Episcopal Institute Management Committee meeting today. Tue 14th January For those working outdoors in bad weather. Wed 15th January For the people and leaders of India. Thu 16th January For politicians in London and Edinburgh. Fri 17th January For those working to counteract climate change. Sat 18th January For those living with a disability. For your Bible Readings: (from Daily Prayer Readings) Sun 12th January Is 42.1-9 Eph 2.1-10 Lk 3.15-22 Mon 13th January Gen 1.1-2.3 Heb 1.1-14 Jn 1.1-18 Tue 14th January Gen 2.4-9(10-15), Heb 2.1-10 Jn 1.19-28 16-25 Wed 15th January Gen 3.1-24 Heb 2.11-18 Jn 1.(29-34), 35- 42 Thu 15th January Gen 4.1-26 Heb 3.1-11 Jn 1.43-51 Fri 16th January Gen 6.1-8 Heb 3.12-19 Jn 2.1-12 Sat 17th January Gen 6.9-22 Heb 4.1-13 Jn 2.13-22 Do please also take a copy of the Cathedral Cycle of Prayer, available at the West Doors Welcome Table 5 Notices: • Annual Congregational Meeting- will take place on Sunday 19th Janaury 2020 after the 11am service (beginning at approx. 12.30 in the Cathedral, so we can use the sound system). There will be some Vestry Vacancies- if you are interested in serving the Cathedral in this capacity then please do indicate in the first instance to the Vestry Secretary.
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