A Weekend in the Highlands

I had a wonderful adventure in the Highlands of Scotland this past week-
end, one that I am still savoring. Stewart, a friend, invited me to travel
to two ordinations and inductions of two mutul friends. Stewart is a tad
younger than I am who sensed the Lord calling him to leave a success-
ful professional career as an engineer to enter the ministry in the Church
of Scotland. This past year as I was doing my familiarization Placement
at Cupar Old Parish Church, I attended four conferences where Stewart
was also present as part of his minsterial training.

I appreciated that Stewart invited me go with him to the services for
two colleagues who had also been at the four conferences. Stewart trav-
elled north from his home near Edinburgh, to where I live, to Cupar, in
the Kingdom of Fife, in the eastern part of Scotland. Then we went west
through the southern portion of the Highlands. I enjoyed the beauty of
the Highlands, often with summits obscured by low clouds and a few
higher peaks already crowned with snow.

Our first destination was the small village of Taynuilt in Argyll, just elev-
en miles east of Oban, a a significant ferry port on the western shore of
the Scottish mainland. We were given Scottish hospitality by Evelyn,
Stewart's eighty-something aunt. We enjoyed soup and filled rolls be
fore we went to the ordination and induction service, and the induction
social after that. Our friend Robert was ordained into the Church of Scot-
land, and inducted to ministry to three small congregations in the area.
Robert is single, in his early 40s, and a former chef and mail carrier. He
has the amazing ability to laugh easily and heartily and is quick to hug.
Robert brings considerable love and energy to the three congregations in
his charge. He has a lot to offer them and will be quite a blessing to them.
Then the large crowd crammed into the small community hall for the in-
duction social gathering. I was treated to a wonderful spread of finger
food, Scottish songs and music, and short speeches. It was quite an after-
noon.

Evelyn prepared a chicken dinner for us afterwards. Evelyn and her late
husband had lived in the house since 1964 and raised their family there.
The house had a nice homey feel to it and gave evidence of Evelyn's hus-
band's handiwork. She was quite a gracious hostess and we had long talks
over meals, washing dishes, and resting in the sitting room. Many fami-
lies I have met in Scotland have sons and daughters or other relatives
who have emigrated to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the USA. Eve-
lyn has two daughters and their families down under in Australia. She
has been there ten times to be with them.

After a good sleep, Evelyn, Stewart, and I went to the 11:30 service at
the church in Taynuilt, just a short walk away from Evelyn's home. It
is sometimes the custom that a friend of a newly ordained minister
preach on the first Sunday in the charge of a new minister. Robert
asked his recent ministry supervisor to 'preach him in.' Robert's friend
preached him in at the other service at 10:00 and then they rushed to
Taynuilt for the 11:30 service. The church was packed with friends and
others wishing Robert well, but the size of the congregation will proba-
bly be substantially smaller next Sunday.

After church and a hearty lunch Stewart and I went to another friend's
ordination and induction as an assistant minister at a large church near
Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. On the way we stopped off at the
shore of Loch Lomond to view the wind-tossed waves. The ordination
and induction was quite an affair. The large congregation could really
sing out and it was amazing to listen to the singing. Various ministers
were decked out in all their finest clergy garb. All I can say is that I hope
I won't have to dress up like that.

Then it was back home to Cupar, arriving after 10pm. I enjoyed talking
and sharing with Stewart. He's a fine pastor. It was nice to explore other
parts of Scotland with someone who knew where they were going. It was
also good to see different expressions of the life and mistry of the Church
of Scotland.

Blessings to you and yours,