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 by Rev Jerry Taylor, minister of Thurso & North Coast Free Church.
Thurso & North Coast Free Church recently held an outdoor service in Skerray, a rural coastal community just off the NC500 between Bettyhill and Tongue.
At the service, Professor Emeritus John Angus MacLeod spoke on the Great Commission from Matthew 28 as we looked back with thanks at the gospel witness in times past – the tin church in the community serving as a base for many decades – and forward in anticipation of what the Lord Jesus will do in Skerray and the surrounding communities in the future. The Minister, Rev. Jerry Taylor prayed at the service, as did Mr Angus Mackay, a Deacon in the congregation and a resident of nearby Bettyhill.
The congregation sang Psalm 23 in both the traditional and modern versions, signifying both God’s faithfulness in the past and His continued presence with us.
Everyone then enjoyed an afternoon tea party in the Skerray hall. It was a blessed afternoon with a good mix of those who regularly meet for worship in Bettyhill and Thurso and local residents, some of whom had stories to tell of past attendance at the Skerray Sunday school. There were fond memories of the time of Rev. Andrew Fraser and his wife, Margaret – Andrew was the last Free Church minister based in Skerray. The younger generation was also present, again emphasising the ongoing witness of the unchanging gospel.
The tin church building in Skerray is no longer in a condition to be used, and so the plot is to be sold. Thurso & North Coast Free Church has been engaging positively with the local community safeguarding the location of the community war memorial. It is written into the terms of sale that all proceeds will be used to fund gospel ministry in Skerray and Bettyhill, where the congregation re-opened a building for worship in 2023 and is committed to increasing the frequency of services and meetings. The congregation is thankful that the previous sale of the Skerray manse has already borne gospel fruit in allowing them to call a minister for Thurso & North Coast in 2022, and dearly wants to continue to serve the people of Skerray with the gospel not only from Bettyhill but also with events in Skerray through the course of the year. We crave the prayers of the church as we press on in these endeavours.