This year, our focus is on Thanksgiving and Prayer, giving thanks to God for all that he has done among us in the last 5 years and praying for the next 5 years.
The following piece has been written about Stornoway Free Church.
The youth provision during the morning service at Stornoway Free Church used to cater for children from birth to S2 who all met in the generous sized hall adjacent to the church building. Crèche for babies and toddlers, Tweenies for nursery children, Sunday School for Primary 1-7 and Bible Class for Secondary 1-2. Over time, the way the space in the hall was managed had to adapt to suit the changing and diverse needs of such a wide age-range. The younger classes like to make noise! The older classes like quiet discussion. It was a squash!
Last year, rumours were afoot that the S2 pupils were not happy at the prospect of their Bible Class days coming to an end. The expectation was when they finished S2, they would attend the morning service with their families, however, the worry was that many of them might opt to stay at home instead. An anonymous survey was issued to the S2 pupils to ask if they would prefer to attend church or remain in Bible Class when they were in S3, and the unanimous result was to remain in Bible Class. So, a creative solution was required to generate more space.
After much discussion, a suggestion was made to ask one of the deacons if the Bible Class could meet at his hotel, a thirty-second walk from church. He gracefully obliged, resulting in the current set-up. We give God thanks this novel provision and pray that it will continue to be blessed to the group of more than 20 young people who regularly attend. Having a dedicated, quiet space for Bible Class enables them to focus on the Bible passage, have small group discussion and hear the teachers! We are so encouraged by their enthusiasm to learn and invite their friends along. An annual residential weekend away is a particular highlight, as well as more frequent sports nights. Please pray that each of them would follow Jesus wholeheartedly and that they would feel at home in the congregation.
Numbers are not everything and the younger classes are smaller at present. However, as God enables us, we will continue to see how we can best meet the needs of all children who walk through our door. All are welcome. All are valued. All need to hear of Jesus’ love. Please pray that we continue to think-outside-the-box as we continue to serve. The gospel never changes but our approaches can.