Heathmont

July 12, 2009 (click on pics for larger image)

It was a delight to have the congregation of one of my chaplains on my "to do" list. Andrew Venn has been a tremendous support to me over a number of years and has gone out of his way to give me time and counsel during my moderatorial year. It was also great that one of my daughters Eilidh was able to come with the usual entourage of me, Alison and Duncan, and Andrew and Marilyn's daughter Isobel also joined us after lunch, making for a very pleasant family afternoon.

Heathmont is a small congregation, but one with a bright future as there are a number of young couple and families who are deeply committed to the Lord, his church and to outreach into the local community. The music was uplifting and joyful, the conduct of worship warm and welcoming, the fellowship genuine and personal.

There were a couple of interesting features in the worship service. One was that early on in the service, Marilyn handed out a "show bag" for the kids, which is a great idea for a congregation that can't sustain a Sunday school every week. It was part education and part entertainment, to keep the children occupied during the service.

The other was that we had a break in the middle of the service to gather folk into small groups for prayer. The group I joined had an interesting mix of overseas migrants, older local people and young adults. Sharing was open and caring and prayer was sincere and articulate.

After church we had a time of fellowship over tea / coffee and Andrew gave Duncan and me both an opportunity to report on our Moderatorial year, and especially our trip overseas. Duncan enjoyed sharing with the congregation his recollections of big cats (not Geelong!) and other animals on Safari in the Masai Mara Reserve, Kenya.

The Venns then took us back to their home for lunch. I've heard so many stories of the renovations that have been undertaken since they moved in that it was great to finally see it all... and how good it looks, what a lovely family home.