DORNOCH FIRTH: WHERE ARE WE NOW?

A lot of background work has been going on in the new Parish over the last few months. The new Kirk Session has met 4 times and the webpage and Facebook page have been amended to show the name of our new Parish, a logo has been agreed (as below) and new email addresses for the Session Clerk Team and the Treasurer have been completed.  Finance accounts have been merged and a committee structure is being developed so that everyone can play their part. The Electoral Roll has been completed. A Parish Profile is being prepared.

The Kirk Session voted at their meeting on the 22nd April to depart from the Church of Scotland’s position on Ministers in a Civil Partnership or Same Sex Marriage Act 1 2015.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Our next stage is to seek a new minister of Word and Sacrament.
A Nominating Committee of 13 will be appointed in the next few weeks and you are asked to give prayerful consideration around who might be suitable for this role.

The finalised Parish Profile will be circulated to the Kirk Session and to Presbytery for comments in the next few weeks. Once this is done an edict will be read to the congregation on 2 separate weeks, after which the Nominating Committee will be formed.
A Vision and Mission Statement is being prepared.

HOW WILL A NOMINATING COMMITTEE BE FORMED?

The Committee will be formed from representatives from all 3 former parishes. There has to be an odd number on the Committee, up to a maximum of 13. Candidates must be on our Electoral Roll, agree to stand and have a proposer and a seconder, who are also on the roll. There will be a Congregational Meeting held to elect representatives.

Rev. Alistair Drummond will take over as Interim Moderator on 3 June 2024

We hope this information sheet will be helpful in keeping you up to date in our procedure to appoint a new minister to Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland.

GIFT DAY FRIDAY 31st MAY 10.30am – 3pm in DORNOCH CATHEDRAL

Dornoch Cathedral is not only a place of worship and a sanctuary for many, it is much much more than that. Irrespective of whether or not you attend services, for many of you it’s where you were married, where your children were baptised and where you expect your funeral service to be. It’s a concert venue, it’s been a graduation venue for the UHI, it’s the place where the schools come to for their Christmas service, it’s the heart of the town.

For those of who are saying that it’s none of those things to them, keep reading….

The Cathedral is one of the main visitor attractions in the town. It attracts literally thousands of visitors annually. These thousands of visitors are the people who stay in your accommodation, eat in your cafes and restaurants, drink in your bars and buy goods and souvenirs from your shops.

If the Cathedral were not open as a place of worship it would be shut, end of story. Nobody would buy it or take it on as it is so expensive to run and, because it’s a grade A listed building, it would be almost impossible to get permission to alter or to get a change of use granted.

We are in the sad position of running on empty financially.

Does that threaten the future of the Cathedral? As a Church community no, it doesn’t, we have another building that we can use.

Does it threaten the Cathedral as a building, as a community resource, as a visitor attraction, as a concert venue? Yes, it most certainly does.

As you will know we have been without a permanent minister for some years now. We are now in a position to advertise for a permanent full time minister – except that the permission to do this is threatened by our financial position. Even if permission to advertise is upheld, it would be rare minister who would apply to a church in such a poor financial position.

Currently the Cathedral costs £394 PER DAY to keep open.

Our regular current income is £247 PER DAY.

We are looking at a shortfall of just over £53,000 for 2024.

Our new fundraising committee are working hard to narrow this gap but we need you to help.

Please consider coming along to Gift Day on Friday 31st May in the Cathedral, 10.30am to 3pm, and giving what you can. Teas, coffees, cakes and fellowship will be waiting for you.

If you can’t join us, you can give online by bank transfer to Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland, sort code 80-06-36, account number 06002380, reference Gift Day, or by sending a cheque made out to Dornoch Firth to Kim McCarthy, Gashagaich, Dornoch, IV25 3NH.

Or donate online here (please choose ‘Gift Day’ when you post your contribution – thanks.)

Donate

If a financial contribution isn’t possible, please consider helping us fundraise with either ideas, practical help or moral support – come along for a tea or coffee anyway, you will be most welcome.

Dornoch Firth News for June/July 2024

£1 for a packed Parish News. Read of our Easter & 800 Years celebrations. See Master Chef at Meikle. Get updated about the progress within the Kirk Session and all the news and pictures of the Jungle Book concert, BBs, as well as the visit we had from the Moderator, Sally Foster-Fulton. YES all for only £1 this Sunday.
Available at the Cathedral.

Saturday 18th May – The Jungle Book – with a modern twist.

The Dornoch Firth Church Youth Theatre group is performing the Jungle Book on Saturday 18th May in Dornoch’s West Church Hall with shows at 2:30 pm and 7:00 pm. All the well-known songs from the Disney original are there but the storyline is very different.

Loggers are tearing down the jungle at a staggering rate:
The animals – and the mancub Mowgli – must flee and seek help from the “man village”. Will help be forthcoming? Will the animals survive? Is there a future? Be there to find out! Entry is by donation.

 

Graham McCarthy

Visit by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland

The Moderator of the Church of Scotland visited the Cathedral and took part in some of the events to celebrate the building’s 800 years.

More pictures …