From the Minister’s Desk

Dear Friends,

I wrote to you in August about the harvest that is not yet in but is visibly, unmistakably on its way. I did not know, as I wrote those words, quite how literally I would see that promise fulfilled before the month was out. On the 30th of August, at the North Baths, I had the very great joy of witnessing three baptisms, that of Patricia Newlands, and of my own daughters, Honour and Glory. I will say more of that day below, but I did not want to begin this month’s letter without first simply giving thanks to God, in whose hands every harvest, however small, however quiet, however long in the growing, at last comes home.

September always feels to me like a hinge in the year. The nights draw in, the schools fill again with the noise of children, and something in us instinctively turns from the loose, sunlit rhythms of summer toward a more settled purpose. The Bible knows this rhythm too. The prophet Joel speaks of the early and the latter rain, each given in its proper season, each necessary for what the earth is to yield. If July and August were, in their way, months of sowing and of first fruits, September asks us to consider what settled, ongoing faithfulness might look like as the year moves on.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." — Philippians 1:6

This month’s newsletter is fuller than most, because August gave us more than the usual amount to give thanks for. I hope you will read both of the articles below not simply as reports of events past, but as an invitation into what God continues to do among us, in the waters of baptism, and in the laughter of more than sixty children gathered for a week to hear the story of Jesus.

For those of you unable to be with us, whether at the North Baths that Sunday or in Argyle Square during Holiday Club week, please know that your prayers were no less a part of these harvests than the hands that were present. Nothing offered in love, even from a distance, is ever wasted ground.

In Christ’s service and with genuine affection,
REV. CLEOPAS TAKAVADA (MOBILE 07778220452)
MINISTER, EAST CAITHNESS CHURCH

Holiday Club 2026 — Over Sixty Voices, One Story

From the 10th to the 16th of August, Argyle Square Church in Wick was, for a week, a wonderfully loud and joyful place to be. Our Holiday Club welcomed more than sixty children through its doors, far more than we had dared to hope for when planning began earlier in the year, and for five days the church rang with singing, craft, games, and, at its heart, the story of Jesus.

It is worth pausing to say plainly what a gift it is to have over sixty children choose, or have chosen for them by parents and carers, to spend a week of their summer holidays with us. Some came from families already part of our congregation. Many did not. Some had never set foot inside a church before that week. All of them left, we pray, having heard something of the love of God in a way that was fun, warm, and entirely age-appropriate to where they are in life.

Each day built on the story of salvation, told simply enough for the youngest children present and honestly enough that the oldest were not talked down to. By the end of the week, our leaders tell me, children who had arrived on Monday unsure of anyone’s name were leaving on Friday with new friends, new songs, and, in more than one case, new questions to take home to their parents about who Jesus is and why He matters.

"But Jesus said, suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." — Matthew 19:14

Jesus said those words to disciples who thought children were, at best, a distraction from more important business. He corrected them firmly. Children are not the church of tomorrow, waiting in the wings until they are old enough to matter. They are, in Jesus’ own words, already citizens of the kingdom of heaven, already welcome at His side, already capable of receiving Him. Holiday Club is, at its best, simply our small attempt to do what Jesus did, to make room, rather than obstacles, for children to come to Him.

None of this happens without a great deal of quiet, unseen labour: leaders who gave up a week of their own summer, volunteers who baked, set up chairs, ran registration desks, and prayed. But this week belonged, most of all, to the parents and carers who trusted us with their children for five days. Thank you. Thank you for driving them to Argyle Square each morning, for packing lunches, for asking what they had learned each evening, and for allowing your children to connect not only with new friends but with God Himself through the story of His Son.

That trust is not something we take lightly, and we hope it was repaid many times over in the joy your children brought home with them.

If your child attended Holiday Club and you would like to know more about our ongoing children’s and youth activities, including Sunday School during gathered worship in Wick, please do speak to any of our leaders. The conversations begun in August need not end with the summer.

Break Out for Summer — A Week of Fun, Friendship and Faith

This year, during our Holiday Club Week, we tried something a little different for our High School teenagers. We called it “Break Out for Summer”, and we were delighted to see around ten teenagers register and take part. The aim was simple: to create a relaxed space where young people could come together, have fun, enjoy good food and friendship, and also have an opportunity to think about some of the bigger questions of life and faith.

During the week, there were plenty of games, laughter and opportunities simply to spend time together. We shared food around the table, enjoyed fellowship, and watched films that helped us explore the story of salvation through Jesus Christ.

For us as a church, it was encouraging to see young people from our community coming through the doors and discovering that church can be a place where they are welcomed, valued and listened to.

More Than a Holiday Club

While “Break Out for Summer” was part of our Holiday Club Week, we hope that it can become the beginning of something rather than simply the end of a week.

Teenagers are at an important stage of life. They are asking questions about identity, friendships, relationships, purpose, the future and what they believe. The church should be willing to create spaces where those questions can be explored honestly and without pressure.

We would therefore love to see the teenagers’ meetings continue beyond the summer.

Our hope is to develop a regular gathering where young people can continue to meet, have fun, eat together, build friendships, explore the Christian faith and discover what it means to know Jesus Christ.

We are grateful to every teenager who came along during “Break Out for Summer”, and to everyone who helped make the week possible.

The break may be over, but we hope this is only the beginning.

If you are a teenager, or the parent or carer of a teenager, and you would be interested in being part of future gatherings, please get in touch with East Caithness Church. Watch this space for details of our next Break Out!

East Caithness Church
Knowing Christ; Sharing the hope

A New Beginning — Reflections on Our Baptism Service

On Sunday the 30th of August, under a wide Caithness sky, we gathered at the North Baths to witness something that words struggle to hold entirely: three people publicly declaring, in the oldest language the church has, that they belong now to Jesus Christ. Patricia Newlands, and my own daughters Honour, aged fifteen, and Glory, aged twelve, were baptised that morning, and I confess that as their minister and, in two cases, as their father, I have rarely felt so undone with gratitude.

It would be easy to speak only of the joy of the day, and there was joy in abundance. But baptism has never, in scripture, been simply a happy occasion. It is preceded by something harder and more honest: repentance. In the book of Acts, we read of Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, preached to a crowd that had, only weeks before, called for the crucifixion of Jesus. When they heard Peter’s words, we are told they were "pricked in their heart," and asked him and the other apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." — Acts 2:38

This is the pattern our three candidates followed. Baptism was never presented to them, nor is it ever presented from this pulpit, as a mere ceremony or a family tradition to be observed. It is the outward sign of an inward turning, a decision to lay down the old way of living, however comfortable or familiar, and to take up a new life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Patricia, Honour, and Glory each came to those waters not because they were told to, but because each had, in her own way and in her own time, reached the place where Peter’s first hearers stood: convicted of sin, and asking what she should do about it.

Peter’s answer to the crowd did not end with individual repentance. He went on to say, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." There is a beautiful truth tucked into that verse for a father watching his own daughters baptised: the promise of God is not confined to one generation reaching for it alone, but is passed on, offered afresh, taken up again by sons and daughters who make it their own rather than merely inheriting it as custom.

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." — Acts 2:41

Three souls is a smaller number than three thousand, but the principle is the same. Every baptism, however modest the gathering, is heaven’s business. It is the church, however small a parish on however remote a coastline, being added to, one repentant heart at a time.

I want to thank every one of you who prayed for Patricia, Honour, and Glory in the weeks leading up to the 30th, and every one of you who stood, sat, or simply stood at a distance from the shore that day to witness it. If you find yourself, this September, at the place where the crowd in Acts once stood, convicted, uncertain, asking "what shall I do?", please come and speak to me. The waters of the North Baths are not the only waters available to you. The invitation Peter gave two thousand years ago remains open today.

A Caring Church at Your Door

You may already know the people who deliver our church newsletter to your door each month. They are familiar faces in our communities, people who faithfully walk the streets of Wick, Lybster, Dunbeath and Watten, bringing you news from East Caithness Church.

We are delighted to let you know that these newsletter distributors are now also part of our Pastoral Care Team. This means that the person who brings the newsletter to your door is also someone you can contact when you, or someone you know, may need care or support from the church.

What does this mean?

Pastoral care is simply the church’s way of caring for people and walking alongside them through life. Life brings many different circumstances. There are times of joy and celebration, but also times of illness, loneliness, bereavement, difficulty, worry or crisis. Sometimes people simply need someone to listen, pray with them, visit them or help them find the right support.

Our Pastoral Care Team is here to help make sure that no one in our community is forgotten or left to face difficult times alone.

If you are seriously ill, have been admitted to hospital, have lost someone you love, are experiencing a difficult situation, are feeling lonely, or would simply appreciate a visit or a conversation, please feel free to speak to your local newsletter distributor. They can listen, pray with you if you wish, and, where appropriate, put you in touch with the minister or another member of the church who can provide further pastoral or practical support.

You don’t have to be a church member

This ministry is not only for people who attend church. East Caithness Church is here to serve the whole community. You do not have to be a member of the church, or even a regular churchgoer, to ask for pastoral care.

If you or someone you know needs the care of the church, please speak to your local pastoral care team member. They will treat what you share with respect and confidentiality and will know when to involve the minister or another appropriate person.

A church that notices

Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd — the one who knows his sheep, cares for them and does not abandon them. That is the kind of church we want East Caithness Church to be: a church that notices, a church that listens, a church that cares, and a church that walks alongside people.

Our pastoral care team will help us extend that care across our wide and scattered parish. The newsletter they bring to your door is therefore more than information about church activities. It is also a reminder that the church is here for you.

So, the next time someone from East Caithness Church brings the newsletter to your door, remember: They are not simply delivering a newsletter. They are one of the people through whom the church is reaching out in care and friendship.

If you need us, please don’t hesitate to speak to them.

East Caithness Church
Knowing Christ; Sharing the hope

Church Diary — September 2026

Regular Services

• Sunday Gathered Worship: First three Sundays in two places: Lybster 10:30am–11:30am, Wick, Argyle Square Church 12noon–1pm. (Sundays: 6th, 13th, 20th September).
• Joint Service and Holy Communion: Sunday the 27th of September in Wick, Argyle Square Church. (There will be no gathered worship service in Lybster that day.)
• Sunday School: Every Sunday during gathered worship service in Wick, Argyle Square Church.

Special Events This Month

• Sunday 6th September: Public Profession of faith during the service in Argyle Square Church.