Rev Carol Anne Porter Intimation

Notice is hereby given that Clèir Eilean Ì has received a Call from the congregation of Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland addressed to Rev Carol Anne Porter to be their new minister.  This Call has been sustained as a regular Call, has been accepted by her.

The Presbytery, having judged the said Rev Carol Anne Porter qualified for this charge, has resolved to proceed to her induction on Saturday, 14 June 2025 at 2.00pm, at Dornoch Cathedral.

The only circumstance in which this would not occur is if an objection occurs which may reasonably impede it.

Notice is given that if any member of the congregations of Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland has objection to the life or doctrine of the said Rev Carol Anne Porter you should intimate your objection at the earliest opportunity to the Presbytery Clerk.  If you do this, you will also need to submit to the Presbytery Clerk appropriate evidence to substantiate your objection.

The Presbytery is to meet at Dornoch Cathedral on 14 June 2025 at 1.45pm. If an objection is not notified in advance but is first brought at that meeting the objector must satisfy the Presbytery that there was no earlier opportunity to bring the objection to the attention of the Presbytery Clerk.

Unless a substantiated objection is made which is then upheld, the Presbytery shall proceed to induction of the said Carol Anne Porter without further delay.

By order of the Presbytery,

 

W Stewart Shaw DL

Presbytery Clerk (pro tem)

Dornoch Firth Parish Newsletter Ready for Sunday

The Dornoch Firth Parish Newsletter is ready @ £1.50 on Sunday 25th May.

This is a bumper edition with articles on The Chosen, Holy Week thoughts, Tent for Lent Guild, Tower opening and update from groups, Care Homes, VE Day Celebrations and Dates for diary in June & July.

Music in the Cathedral: Dreams of Peace & Freedom

Friday 20th June | 7.30pm

A song cycle by Sue Casson, to celebrate 75 years of the European Convention on Human Rights. Performed by the family of David Maxwell Fyfe. David has a special connection to Dornoch. His mother, Isabel, was born and grew up at Torrdarroch and he often visited his grandparents there. Stories of injustices against his family during the late Highland Clearance of Skibo fired his life-long commitment to justice and human rights. When he became enobled, he chose the name Lord Kilmuir of Creich to honour his family roots. He was made Freeman of Dornoch in 1955. Join us for this unique musical experience where David’s words weave with musical settings of poets that inspired him and archive film to tell the fascinating story of the birth of modern human rights through his eyes. A living commemoration of a living law, this beautiful song cycle shows how the seeds of ECHR grew in the wasteland of the evidence of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, where David was a prosecutor, to blossom into 75 years of peace. ‘A magnificent work about freedom, democracy and liberty’ Musical Talk —- All proceeds to go to Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland.
Tickets: £10 (Adult); £5 (Child) can be purchased after Sunday morning services from 18th May and from History Links website https://www.historylinks.org.uk/events/Peace-and-Freedom-20-June-2025

Cathedral Bells will ring for VE Day celebrations in Dornoch

On the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, Dornoch will host a wreath-laying ceremony at the War Memorial at 9am on the morning of Thursday 8th May. Later that evening, the town’s bells will be rung at 6:30pm from the Cathedral, St Finnbarr’s and the primary school.

 

Lily Casson and Robert Blackmore with a projection of their great grandparents, Sylvia and David Maxwell Fyfe

May 10th ‘Classics for Strings’ Concert in the Cathedral

Come and enjoy a memorable evening with D James Ross conducting “Classics for Strings” in Dornoch Cathedral and with the guest soprano Hasmik Harutyunyan.

Doors open at 7.30pm for 8pm – admission at the door adults £10 and £7.50 for children (16 & under).

Please come along and enjoy this concert and support our fund raising plans for 2025 and help us maintaining our 800 year magnificent of place of worship which is a prominent feature of Dornoch’s history, heritage and religion.

Concert in Dornoch Cathedral

The Chosen

In February, some of us began watching ‘The Chosen’, a new multi-season drama about the life of Jesus, some at home but most together in the West Church Hall.

We begun with Season 1, Episode 1, I have called you by name. And we worked out that if we watched the second episode, Season 1, Episode 2, Shabbat, and keep watching each week through Lent, we will have watched the entire first season. This means making The Chosen our Lent discipline, meeting mostly on Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings (there may be one exception to allow hall bookings already taking place to happen smoothly but this will be confirmed).

If you haven’t made the showing of the first two episodes, you can watch on your preferred device either by searching the App Store for ‘The Chosen’ or going to your preferred search engine and typing in ‘thechosentv’.

We’ll watch the second episode this coming Wednesday (26th) in the West Church Hall at 6.30pm. Teas will be available from 6pm. There will be a second showing for those who prefer mornings on Thursday morning at 11am. Teas will be available from 10.30am.

When we get to Lent, we’ll change the timings at little as follows:
Wednesday nights from 5th March:
Film begins at 6.30pm, Refreshments and Discussion from 7pm

Thursday mornings from 6th March
Film begins at 11am, Refreshments and Discussion from 12noon

Please feel free to be flexible in how you engage with the series. If you prefer to watch at home and come for the discussion please do. If you want to watch the film and go that’s okay too. And obviously, if you’re an ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ kind of person, come for the whole shebang!

Carol Anne Porter (Rev)

Image © The Chosen

The Closing Service for Creich Church

The Closing Service for Creich Church is ready for you to watch via Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland Facebook page.

If you are not a Facebook user you can see it on the Worship Page as most services are presented there.

Or you can just watch it here…

SUBSCRIBING TO THE CALL

Notice is hereby given that the congregation of Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland has elected Reverend Carol Anne Porter to be our new minister and a Call to the said Reverend Carol Anne Porter has been prepared. This Call will lie in Dornoch Cathedral (in the Crossing) between the hours of 10am and 4pm or whenever the Cathedral is open.

Also:

  • In Ardgay Village Hall on Sunday 19th day of January 2025 between the hours of 10.30am and 12 noon.
  • In Creich Church on Sunday 26th day of January 2025 between the hours of 2pm and 4pm
  • In the West Church Hall, Dornoch on Sundays 19th and 26th January from 10.30am until 12 noon

During that time any person whose name is on the Electoral Register of the congregation may sign the Call in person or by means of a mandate. If a mandate is to be used, the relevant form may be obtained from one of the Session Clerks. A paper of Concurrence will also be available for signature by any person who is connected with the congregation but whose name is not on the Electoral Register of the congregation.
Children are also welcome to add their names to this paper.

Alistair Drummond

Reverend Alistair Drummond
Interim Moderator

DECLARATION OF ELECTION RESULT

Following yesterday’s service (12/1/25) when Rev Carol Anne Porter preached as our sole nominee I am pleased to share the following;

DECLARATION OF ELECTION RESULT – Section 24(6)
I hereby declare the results of the voting for the election and appointment of a minister to the vacant charge of Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland to be as follows.
FOR Electing Rev. Carol Anne Porter : 111
AGAINST Electing Rev. Carol Anne Porter: 5

Therefore, Rev. Carol Anne Porter has accordingly been elected and appointed as the new minister subject to the approval of Presbytery.

I am delighted to say that before the close of the congregational meeting at which the results of voting were announced, Rev. Carol Anne Porter gave her verbal acceptance of the call based on the election result.

Rev. Alistair John Drummond, Interim Moderator

Cathedral Tower Open Monday 30 December

Come and enjoy Dornoch at night from a height. Cathedral Tower Open Monday 30 December From 6.30pm to 8pm with £5 adults, £3 Secondary age children, primary children free but ratio of 1 adult per 2 children for safety regulations.