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Home , Church of Scotland, Invergordon

ST. ’S SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH INVERGORDON

Church History St. Ninian’s was built by the Admiralty in 1916 to serve the spiritual needs of the large numbers of Navy personnel based in the during the First World War. The original church, built of wood and corrugated iron, was replaced in 1988 by a modern stone building, although we retained the old roof trusses and stained glass window above the altar. We have a good hall and kitchen available for social and community events and a small lady chapel for weekday services. This year we have had two commemorative events – one based around the Battle of Jutland which involved over 200 people from the navy, cadet groups and the local community. The second in June was to mark the first service in the church, when we had a concert and a Songs of Praise accompanied by an orchestra composed of talented local young people. Community The church serves the communities of Invergordon, and the surrounding areas. Invergordon is situated on the , about 25 miles north of and Alness is just 3 miles west along the coast. Both communities grew rapidly in the 1970’s due to the boom in oil construction work and the development of an aluminium smelter. Large numbers of people moved into the area in a short period of time to take up

St Ninian's Invergordon. Profile 2016 1 of 1 employment, many from the of and further afield. The smelter closed in 1982.

Invergordon is the main port for the Firth and the Highlands with a large amount of oil related work and cruise traffic. It is estimated that over 100,000 people will go through the port next year. The present population of the area served by the church is over 12.000. Employment opportunities have suffered from the ups and downs of the oil industry. Significant numbers are employed at the local distillery, in manufacturing and light industries and call centres and there are developments related to the renewables industry. The area is also within commuting distance of Inverness, about half an hour by road. Nearly 30% are employed in manufacturing or construction and 15% in health, 12.5% in business administration and support and 5.1% professional scientific and technical posts. (Source Business Register and Employment survey 2013). The area has some of the highest rates of unemployment in and parts of Alness and Invergordon have been identified as areas of multiple deprivation. Over 30% of housing stock is owned by Council or Housing Association, but nearly 60% is owner occupied. Local Facilities There are a large number of families with young children living locally; each town has an Academy and several primary schools as well as youth centres, leisure centres and community centres. Invergordon has a hospital catering mainly for older people with chronic conditions. There are residential and nursing homes in Alness and Invergordon and health centres in both towns served by the same medical team. Invergordon has 3 churches: St. Ninian’s, the Church of Scotland and St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. There is a large Free Church congregation serving both communities, 2 Church of Scotland congregations and a Baptist Church in Alness as well as other faith groups. There are a number of voluntary agencies based locally who provide support to various groups; Home Start, who support families with children under 5, Calman Trust who provide support and training for young people aged 16-25 who are at risk of ,

St Ninian's Invergordon. Profile 2016 2 of 2 Birchwood Highland who support people with poor mental health, Key Housing who support adults with learning difficulties and a day centre for adults with learning difficulties as well. These voluntary agencies are facing increasing financial pressures due to Government cuts, while the need for their services increases. Congregation Members of St. Ninian’s reflect the local population including those who are native to the area and those who have chosen to make their home here over many years. A number live in the surrounding areas rather than the towns. We have a number of frail elderly people and a majority of the congregation are retired. We have always been known as a friendly welcoming and outward looking congregation who care for each other and are involved in the local community in a number of ways. We see our mission as valuing each individual for who they are as a loved Child of God, and doing what we can to show that love in our community. Examples of this are individuals involved in running the local foodbank, working for the local Housing Association, volunteering at the local Hospice, meeting and greeting people off the cruise liners that come to the port, helping young people learn to cook, working in the local charity shops etc. Our church hall is available to community groups; the local AA group meet there each week as well as Guides. We ran a Parent and Toddler group for many years but this has recently closed. The hall has also been let for baby massage, slimming groups and Chest Heart and Stroke Association. We run a monthly group called Tea, Tales and Treats for older people in the community who are isolated, providing transport on a minibus and also involving some folk from the local residential home. It is an opportunity for folk to come together, enjoy a blether and some fun, reminisce, sometimes sing or play games, and then have afternoon tea. This is very popular and we receive referrals from social services as well as inviting individuals we know who might benefit. We have had young people from Invergordon Academy and the local primary school come along to this group as well. There is a long history of Lay Ministry dating back to the 1990’s when a number of people participated in a Diocesan Lay Ministry Course. At that time we sold our Rectory and since then have had a number of different arrangements sharing priests with other Episcopal churches. There is a strong sense that we have had a great deal of change and need stability, although we have been and remain well supported by retired clergy who live in the area. However we have learned to take responsibility for many things ourselves. We have a rota for Reading, Intercessions, greeting people, flower arranging and providing teas and coffees after the service. We produce a monthly magazine which is compiled by a member of the congregation at present working in Baku! Contributions are sent by email and a number of people receive an electronic version. The same person also produces our weekly pew sheet for the Sunday service. Our Lay conducts a monthly service in the local residential home, accompanied by a member of the congregation, she also takes a service from the reserved in Alness once a month and takes Home Communion to those unable to get to church. The congregational roll consists of approximately 40 people. Our Sunday service is presently held at 10.30am and average attendance is about 20. We do not have an organist and music is provided through a sound system and CD's, which

St Ninian's Invergordon. Profile 2016 3 of 3 works well most of the time – although we have the occasional glitch and are quite good at singing unaccompanied! In addition a said is held each Wednesday morning at 10am (conducted by one of the retired clergy) and fortnightly services are held in a Community Centre in Alness on a Tuesday afternoon. (attendance between 8-10). We are active members of the Ross Inter Church group, which meets on a monthly basis moving around the churches, sometimes for joint services and at other times for discussion or with a speaker. Our Lay Minister has been the chair of this group for the past 3 years, but this position has now passed to a member of the Roman Catholic church. Over the past twenty years the congregation at St. Ninian's has had 6 priests for varying lengths of time and a number of years when we have been without a Priest-in-Charge. All of the clergy have left due to personal reasons and have stated that they felt very comfortable with the church and the community in which we live. We have worked alongside all of them and learned to care for each other as well as continuing to reach out to the community in which we live. We have very much appreciated the support we have received from retired clergy and feel we have benefitted from the variety of styles and perspectives they have given us.

Administration and Finance Our Vestry, comprising 8 people at present, including the Priest -in-Charge, meets bimonthly and takes responsibility for the majority of day to day tasks. We are due to have a Quinquennial survey completed this year; we are not aware of any significant problems with the building. Any minor repairs are normally carried out by a member of the congregation who is a qualified engineer. The present financial arrangement is that we pay a third of a stipend to the for use as needed. We also pay travel expenses for our priest and a significant sum to Provincial and Diocesan Quota. We have reserves of £87,000 from the sale of the Rectory, which are held in a designated fund and can only be used with the agreement of the congregation and the . We also have reserves of £38,000 in an unrestricted fund, but our expenses have exceeded our income in recent years. Our Treasurer is a qualified accountant and presents regular reports to the Vestry and annual accounts are examined by an Independent Examiner and then submitted to the Office of the Scottish Charity register. A copy of accounts for the past year is attached.

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