SUNDAY 12 JULY 2020 Divisional Envoy Ian McPhee
It doesn’t seem like five years have elapsed since Captain Callum and Capt, Emma arrived on The Island. And yet, it is time to say goodbye. It seems unfair in a way that as a Corps, we have not been able to gather together to express our collective thanks for their dedication and hard work
It is human nature to remember people by their qualities and their endeavours. Callum and Emma were instrumental in resurrecting our band. They were the driving force behind the Baby Bank. They negotiated and secured the Emergency Vehicle. They turned around our Corps finances, making us less dependent on Mission Support. They increased awareness of the Salvation Army throughout the Western Isles; They were supportive of the fledgeling Salvation Army resurgence in Skye and much more. In thanking them, we should also thank the other people involved in the various projects. At times we tend to overlook the hard work and problems they faced along the way. If we contributed to problems, perhaps by not coming forward to help or by expressing destructive rather than constructive criticism; just as Callum and Emma will reflect on their time here, we must do the same. On behalf of us all, I pass on to Callum, Emma and Isla the words of Numbers 6: 24-26 and 2 Thessalonians 3: 16 –
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.’ On your behalf, I extend the warm hand of friendship (with the social distancing of course) to our new Officers, Lt. Christopher and Lt Faith Thompson. If you have not yet had the opportunity to watch their commissioning as Officers at William Booth College on the 11th of this month, it is still available using the Facebook link mentioned later in this publication.
The Salvation Army Stornoway Corps 59 Bayhead Stornoway HS1 2DZ
“We exist to worship God, to support each other and to serve our community. ” REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 214779 AND IN SCOTLAND: SC009359
Temporary Corp Officer Divisional Envoy Ian McPhee John.McPhee@salvationarmy.org.uk
Telephone: 01851 703875 Mobile: 07493 880058
Mobile:
07493
880058 :
Something to listen to...
Sunday meetings at 11:00am and 6:00pm. Music broadcast all week. Listen online at www.fortressradio.online
It is always exciting to receive new officers, and again we are blessed with brand new officers. We must offer them our support and prayers at this time. In addition to Stornoway Corps being their first Salvation Army posting, they will also experience a completely different lifestyle on the Island. And, to make it even more challenging, they arrive amid the Coronavirus epidemic. It will take them both time to adjust, so we must be there for them. They will arrive in a fortnight. At the time of writing there is no firm date for the resumption of our Sunday Morning meetings but I am sure Christopher and Faith would like to hear from you before then, so please give them a call or drop in at the Hall. In the meantime, in the words of Romans 10:15 and 2 Timothy 4:2
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things! “ Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
Recorded as part of the Centenary Congress in 1965, this LP features a number of Salvation Army songs that have become a part of our worship. Listen here: https://www.regalzonophone .com/Albums/A-Century-ofSalvation-Song-1965
.1 Corinthians 10: 1-11 .When I was working for the Civil Service, based in Edinburgh, a few us
were in the staff canteen at lunchtime. One of my colleagues was flying to Italy the following day on holiday. It was his very first time on an aircraft, and he was extremely nervous. The man sitting next to me, who was renowned for his lack of sensitivity told him; “try and get a seat close to the black box, if the plane goes down it’s the first thing they look for.” We all had a good laugh about it, well, all that is except for the person who was flying out the following day. These days we are all familiar with the purpose of a black box. We hear, sadly all too frequent references to it on the television and news alerts on our phones. The correct term for the black box is a data recorder. As the name suggests, data recorders gather information and store it. All commercial aircraft regardless of size, and also smaller ones used by the emergency services have them fitted. An aircraft usually has two black boxes. One box is called a Flight Data Recorder. The device monitors how the aircraft is performing by gathering data on, for example, the speed and the altitude. The other black box is called a Cockpit Voice Recorder. This device records all the conversation taking place within the cockpit of the aircraft. Actually, the term black box is slightly misleading as they are orange to make them easier to locate. They can withstand impact, they are waterproof and resist high temperatures. They also transmit a radio signal to aid retrieval. When an aircraft crashes, the information stored in the black boxes are analysed to try to establish the reason for the crash. The findings can then help prevent similar accidents happening again in the future. It is about learning from previous mistakes. I often watch the Scottish Government daily updates on the Coronavirus on television. After the update, there is a question and answer session between reporters and representatives of the Scottish Government. Frequently reporters will quiz the representatives from the Government, usually including the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon about things that have not gone as well as expected in the fight against COVID-19. The Scottish Government’s usual response is that a review will take place after the epidemic so that lessons can be learned. The link between the two examples is the need to learn from previous mistakes to prevent them from happening again. This practice is a life lesson for all Christians. I am sure that even Captain Callum and Captain Emma, despite all the positive things they have achieved while with us, will reflect on any mistakes they think they may have made with a view to handling similar situations differently in the future. In this morning’s Bible reading, the Apostle Paul mentions the epic journey made by the Israelites when they escaped from the clutches of the Egyptian Pharaoh and made their way to the promised land of Canaan. The three hundred and the forty-mile trip took them forty years. This was an average of only eight and a half miles a year. Clearly, things had gone wrong during the journey, and Paul was reflecting on them. Paul mentioned that the Israelites had defied God, they also worshipped idols, engaged in sexual immorality, and they moaned and complained about everything. God was not pleased with them and made sure they trudged about, backwards and forward, through the inhospitable landscape until every person who left Egypt was dead. In verse eleven from our Bible reading, Paul says,
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” Paul is explaining to us that we must learn from previous mistakes. We should not read through the Bible, in particular, the Old Testament and think, “hey, this historical stuff is interesting, but it is 2020, and times have changed.” The purpose of the Old Testament stories – stories that have survived for thousands and thousands of years, is not only to provide us with a documented history of Israel. The Bible stories are also to serve as examples of how things have gone wrong, why things went wrong and to allow us to learn from previous mistakes. They should; in fact, they must serve as a warning to us all in 2020, direct from ancient times. They tell us how we should be living our lives. We have the Ten Commandments. We have guidance in the Bible. We also have laws created by National and Local Government. The Bible says that we must obey them all. But I think there is some basic common sense which can be applied by all Christians in times of doubt. If what you are doing doesn’t feel right, then chances are it’s the Holy Spirit within you telling you that it isn’t right. There will be more about the Holy Spirit next time. Someday we will all have our black boxes opened by God. As he glances through the data, he will tell us how well we have done in life, or otherwise. Please make sure the life you lead is the one God wants us all to lead.
Dear Father God,
(Margaret Macaskill C.S.)
In these times of change and uncertainty we thank you for your constant love and faithfulness. We thank you that in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we can feel your loving arms around us and your guiding hand upon us. We would ask your blessing upon Emma, Callum and Isla, as they prepare to move. May your love surround them and your strength be in them as they face new situations We would pray also for your presence to be with Faith and Christopher as they shortly begin their first appointment here. May they find real joy and peace in your presence. .
Please be with us all, dear Father, and keep us safe until we are able to meet in your house once again but may we never forget that your presence and your love surrounds us, wherever we are. In your precious name we offer this prayer, knowing that you hear us and will answer. Amen. S.A. Songbook 662 1. My Hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand,
(Edward Mote) 2. When darkness seems to veil His face,.
3. His oath, His covenant and blood,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
Support me in the ‘whelming flood;; When all around my soul gives way,
In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.
He then is all my hope and stay..
Chorus
Chorus
All other ground is sinking sand.
Music—cut and paste the link— https://www.smallchurchmusic.com/2011/MP3/MP3-MyHopeIsBuilt-Bradbury-SBand-128-CAM.mp3
S.A. Songbook 979 1. Soldiers of Christ arise,,
( Charles Wesley) 2 Leave no unguarded place,
3 . That, having all things done, And all your conflicts past;
And put your armour on
No weakness of the soul;
Strong in the strength which God supplies,;
Take every virtue, every grace,
Ye may o’ercome through Christ alone,
And fortify the whole.
And stand complete at last.
To keep your armour bright,
From strength to strength go on,
Through His eternal Song Strong in the Lord of Hosts,
Wrestle and fight and pray,
And in his mighty powers;
Attend with constant care;
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts,
Still walking in your captains sight,
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And watching unto prayer
And win the well fought day.
Is more than conqueror
Music cut and paste the link—https://www.smallchurchmusic.com/2014/MP3/MP3-FreedpmAndLife-Strength-SBand-128-CAM.mp3
Something to watch… Did you miss Lt, Christopher and Lt. Faith’s commissioning on Saturday 11th of July ? If so, it can still be viewed on You Tube. The commissioning meeting can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/salvationarmyvideo If you want to watch again Capt. Callum and Capt. Emma’s commissioning, and celebration of sending meetings from 2015. they can also still be viewed here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lmG1zZ9Eis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5AQPBEFa_0
If the blue links do not work, please cut and paste them onto the address bar of your computer.
In the late 19th Century ,in a town in the English Midlands where they made pottery lived a man who was unable to read or write and was leading a very bad life. One day he received Jesus at a Salvation Army meeting, and gave clear evidence that he was trully converted. One Sunday morning he came home after the meeting very miserable. “What’is the matter with you, I thought you said you had been converted? His wife asked. “I am,” he replied, “but I’m so miserable today because everyone had red jerseys on except me. His wife said she would knit him one in time for the following week’s meeting. She was true to her word and the following week her husband went to the Salvation Army proudly wearing his new red jersey. He came home from the meeting just as miserable as last time. He told his wife that everybody had some lovely white letters on their red jerseys, but he had none. His wife wondered what she could do about it as she could not read either. The following day she noticed that a shop across the street had put up a new banner above the window. She decided to copy the letters exactly as they appeared on the banner, and sew them onto her husband’s jumper. The next Sunday he came home from the meeting beaming with smiles. He said that everybody told him he had the best jersey of anyone there. The words his wife had sewed on his jersey was, ’Under New Management.’ and that was nothing less than the absolute truth. Once Jesus take’s control of a person’s heart and their life, all things become new. Titus 3:5 says - “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”