CHRISTIAN VIEWPOINT: Church-goers near Loch Ness unite in uncomplicated trust in Jesus
Loch Ness Minster Family Service, reads the sign. The word ‘minster’ conjures mental pictures of high-vaulted ceilings, light cascading through intricate stained glass, the sweet singing of choristers. A Holy place.
Today I’m in a God-crafted minster comprising the loch itself, hills and trees and birdsong, people praising God near the water’s edge surrounded by loveliness. Another Holy place. It’s a family service: everyone is welcome, and children especially so.
Every summer, folk from four local churches meet regularly on Marion and Dennis Grant’s land, just north of Invermoriston - the idea came during the Covid months of 2020, when churches were closed but people still wanted to worship together.
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The churches involved are Urqhuart and Glenmoriston Church of Scotland, Urqhuart and Fort Augustus Free Church, St Ninian’s Episcopal Church, and Kiltarlity Church of Scotland. The monthly ‘minster’ services - the next one is on August 4 at 3pm - are just one of the ways these churches work together.
Today Sean Ankers, the local Free Church minister leads the service. Sean is young, well-attuned to contemporary culture. He runs a youth club and has been chaplain to the local shinty team.
He speaks about God’s promises. The promise of constant connection with a God in whom we can trust implicitly. The promise of a path to follow (I love Sean’s analogy of snow poles in wintry weather on high-level roads. You may not be able to see the road, but you can head for the next pole. Similarly, God leads us one step at a time).
And the promise of rest in the security of God’s love. “Your life is valued by God, full stop,” Sean assures us. “God tells you ‘I love you’.” We can turn from all our striving for significance and find rest and security in that divine love.
Sean is delighted to hear some of the kids in the audience giggling quietly as they colour-in. It’s a reminder of the children who came to Jesus - trusting, open, ready to hear what he had to say. We too can come as we are, with the same simplicity, the same humbleness of heart.
There are significant differences in the practices, and some of the doctrines of the denominations represented. That’s why Dennis tells me: “These churches will never be united at the top, but they can be at the bottom.” It is Jesus, and our uncomplicated trust in him which unites us.
There are heavy showers during the service. It’s pouring when we reach the line in a hymn - “some glad day the sun will shine in splendour” - which anticipates a moment when everyone will see the beauty of Jesus’s love. As we sing, sunshine breaks through, bathing us in light. Co-incidence? Or…
