news

This is the
churches' news-sheet
for
July 2009

from the manse

As a 15 year old and 'Senior' Patrol Leader in the Boy Scouts, (as they were then known!) I knew all that there was to know about tents! Give me and my patrol a 'Niger' or a 'Bell' tent and we'd have it erected and tea over the camp fire before you could say Baden Powell! Such was the inflated ego of adolescence. It was of no surprise to me then, to be asked to go as part of an advance party to set up a campsite in Arran for Scripture Union. Ex-Army Bell tents, some which I suspect had seen service at Alamein, and even a marquee put me in my element! Paul went to see them and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.(Acts 18.3)

Now of course, the leaders of this camp were committed Christians and although I was committed to 'God and the Queen' and to 'keep the Scout Law', I wasn't exactly a 'Holy Joe'. For me and my mates at the time, and in the words of Psalm 106, it was a case of They murmured in their tents and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord

As the camp progressed and choruses echoed around the campsite along with fun activities, something happened to me which, even to this day I cannot fully explain. One evening, staring out over a moonlit Firth of Clyde, I made a commitment to God. That immature, but first step would result much later in my becoming a member of my home church, an Elder, a Divinity student and ultimately to my being Ordained as a Minister of the Church of Scotland.

This month, Burghead Guild are sponsoring at some expense (hint!), a group of students, all members of the Scripture Union, who will provide a Holiday Club and Youth Café for youngsters in the town for a week of fun-filled mission and evangelism. It is my dearest hope and prayer, that some of those attending may even look out over the Moray Firth one evening and make a Commitment. God willing, one day they may even end up writing this newsletter! Yours aye, Duncan

parish register

Deaths
We extend our condolences to members of the families:
17th June Mrs C (Rena) Stewart, Glenisla Home, Keith (formerly 15 Forteath Street, Burghead)
19th June Mrs J Knowles, 26 Granary Street, Burghead
27th June Mr M Cormie, 2 Mackenzie Place, Burghead

the search summer mission a reminder

We are running a summer mission for everyone in burghead between 19th and 26th July in the Community Hall.

Planned event are:

• Monday to Friday:-- a morning holiday club for 5 to 12 year olds
• Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday:-- an evening café for the 12 to 18 year olds
• Sunday:-- Family and children's service in church at 11.30

There are lists on the Guild notice board in the church hall. Please put your name against anything you could provide, or see Ruth Wyllie, Sheila Farquhar or Margaret Mackenzie.

Blythswood

The monthly collection will be on Tuesday, 21st July. Please ensure that no bags are left until the day or the night before the collection.

Who's who in the Bible by Brian Millar

Amos (meaning burden or burden bearer) A sheep herder named Amos stands at a unique juncture in the history of ancient Israel. He was the first of the great classical prophets, those who contributed their words in writing to the Scriptures of Israel. Earlier major prophets such as Elijah and Elisha were known for their deeds rather than their messages, but Amos began the tradition of writing prophets, a succession of courageous voices that has defined the word 'prophet' to the present.

Some time shortly before the middle of the eight century B.C., perhaps about 760, Amos became convinced that God had called him to leave the southern kingdom of Judah and travel north to the centre of the kingdom of Israel. There he was to condemn the people for their social injustices, corruption and shallow religion and to warn them of coming destruction. Following his divine call, he went to Samaria, Bethel, and perhaps other cities, into a society that was to all outward appearances prosperous, peaceful, and militarily strong. He soon became a thorn in the side of the leaders of that society at a time when everyone else seemed to agree that all was well. Who was this prophet who tried to burst Israel's bubble of self-deception?

Amos is known through his prophetic message, and the few facts about his early life given in the book that bears his name seem like meagre clues in a detective story- just two brief statements about who he was. In the first verse of his book he is identified as one 'who was among the shepherds of Tekoa' , a village six miles south of Bethlehem. Later he states 'I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees' . These descriptions have often led to the conclusion that Amos was a menial labourer who herded sheep and cattle part of the year and supplemented his income during certain seasons as a farm worker in sycamore groves. The image of Amos as a poor shepherd, cowhand, and tender of sycamore trees seems to fit in well with his strong interest in the plight of the poor in Israel and with his attacks on the rich, luxury-loving city dwellers of northern Israel. Several elements of this portrayal of the prophet cause problems, however. Shepherds and farm labourers in that era would typically have been illiterate, but the prophecies of Amos are cast in beautiful and often fiery language that calls upon a wide variety of types of literature and employs a rich poetic tongue. His oracles show a broad knowledge of the history of both Judah and Israel as well as kingdoms and empires that surround them -- scarcely what one might expect of a farm hand. Moreover, the word 'shepherd ' is not the common Hebrew word for that type of work but a rare word that occurs in only one other passage, 2 Kings 3:4, where it identifies a royal sheep rancher. On the basis of these clues, many scholars have concluded that before he became a prophet, Amos may well have owned groves of sycamore fig trees that provided his cattle with fodder. Thus is was likely a relatively prosperous and well educated man to whom the call of God came.