From the Minister’s Desk

Dear Friends,

July arrives and, if Scotland permits, brings with it the warmth of long evenings and the particular brightness that comes when the northern sky refuses to fully darken. Whatever the weather outside your window as you read these words, I pray that there is a warmth within your heart, for you are known, you are loved, and you are remembered.

This month I find myself returning again and again to the image of summer as the Bible uses it, not merely as a season of sunshine but as a picture of readiness and purpose. In the book of Proverbs, wisdom looks to the ant who gathers in summer, preparing for what is to come. There is something deeply instructive here, not about anxious busyness, but about intentional living.

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." — Jeremiah 8:20

That sobering verse from Jeremiah was a cry of lament from a people who had let the season of opportunity slip by. It is not written to alarm us but to awaken us to the beauty of the present moment, to the people around us who need a kind word, to the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit that we too easily defer to a more convenient time.

How, then, shall we use this July? I want to encourage each of you, whether you are with us in the pews on a Sunday morning or whether you are reading this at home, to consider one simple, deliberate act of grace each week this month. It need not be dramatic. A card written to a neighbour. A phone call to someone who has been on your mind. A moment of prayer for our town, our coastline, our fishing community, our farms. Small seeds, faithfully sown in summer, bear fruit we cannot yet imagine.

To those of you who are unable to join us in person — whether through ill health, distance, or circumstances that keep you at home — please know that our fellowship reaches beyond our walls. You are not on the margins of this congregation; you are at its very heart. We bring this newsletter to your door because we want to bring something of ourselves with it.

Our doors remain open every Sunday at 11:00am. If you are visiting Caithness this summer, or if you have been meaning to come along for a while, July is a wonderful time to begin. Come as you are. You will be warmly welcomed.

In Christ’s service and with genuine affection,
Rev. CLEOPAS TAKAVADA (mobile 07778220452)
Minister, East Caithness Church

Faith & Reflection — The God of All Seasons

There is a passage in Ecclesiastes that most of us know by heart, even if we cannot always name its source: "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." These words were likely composed by someone who had lived long enough to see the great wheel of life turn many times through grief and gladness, through harvest and hardship and who had come, at last, to a kind of peaceful trust.

Summer in Caithness has its own particular character. The haar rolls in off the Moray Firth. The fields around Wick and Lybster take on that vivid green that seems almost unreal. Tourists make their way to Duncansby Head and Whaligoe Steps, marvelling at cliffs we perhaps take for granted. And yet, even for those of us who have known this landscape all our lives, there are moments when its sheer beauty breaks through our familiarity and we are, briefly, undone with gratitude.

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." — Psalm 118:24

Creation itself is a form of scripture. The psalmists knew this. When David wrote of lying down in green pastures and being led beside still waters, he was not writing romantic poetry, he was writing theology. God, he was saying, meets us in the material world. The smell of the sea, the cry of the kittiwake, the light on the Pentland Firth at midsummer: these are not distractions from worship but invitations into it.

This month, we encourage you to spend some time outdoors in prayerful attention. You need not travel far. A garden, a doorstep, a window facing the sky, all of these are enough. Notice what is growing. Notice what has already passed. And in that noticing, turn to the One who makes all things new.

Pastoral Care — You Are Not Forgotten

One of the quietest ministries of any church is the ministry of remembrance, the deliberate, loving act of holding people in mind when they are no longer able to hold a place in the routine of congregational life.

We are very aware that for some of our readers, this newsletter arrives as one of the primary connections you have with your church family. Perhaps you are living with long-term illness. Perhaps the years have made travel difficult. Perhaps you are caring for a loved one and your world has necessarily grown smaller. Whatever your circumstances, we want you to know that you are not a footnote to this church, you are part of its story.

Our pastoral team continues to make home visits throughout July and August. If you would like a visit, or if you know of someone who would benefit from one, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer another person is simply to show up.

"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfil the law of Christ." — Galatians 6:2

We also want to mention that our telephone prayer chain remains active. If you have a prayer request for yourself, for a family member, for any situation weighing on your heart, you are invited to share it with us through the minister. These requests are held in complete confidence and carried before God by members of our prayer ministry team each day.

A reminder, too, that Communion is brought to those at home who wish to receive it. Please speak to the Minister or any elder if you would like to arrange this. The Lord’s Table has no walls.

Church Diary — July 2026

Regular Services

• Sunday Gathered Worship: First three Sundays in two places: Lybster 10:30am-11:30am, Wick, Argyle Square Church 12noon-1pm.
• Joint Service and Holy Communion: Sunday the 26th of July in Wick, Argyle Square Church. (There will be no gathered worship service in Lybster.)
• Sunday School: Every Sunday during gathered worship service in Wick, Argyle Square Church.

Special Events This Month

• Sunday 26th of July: Blessing of the Fleet Service in Argyle Square Church from 6:30pm-7:30pm.

In the Community — Salt and Light

East Caithness is a community with deep roots, in the land, in the sea, and in a long tradition of faith that has shaped this coastline for generations. We are proud to be part of that story, and we take seriously our calling to serve not only our congregation but our wider neighbours.

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." — Matthew 5:16

We are, in the end, a community shaped by grace, recipients of a love we did not earn and cannot fully comprehend. Our witness in Caithness is not first and foremost about programmes or events, but about the quality of our presence: whether people feel welcomed, seen, and cared for when they encounter us.

To every person reading this newsletter whether you are a regular churchgoer, occasional visitor, or someone who has simply received it through their letterbox and is reading it out of curiosity, we extend the same welcome. You matter to us. You matter to God who gave us His Son Jesus Christ.