I am learning that life here in the Shetland Islands after two weeks here is ever unpredictable! I rushed out of the hotel on Saturday night about 11pm with my camera to capture the simmer dim as they call it here. Unbelievable pink skies and calm on the water. Two weeks in the winter coat is still in the case!
I am also learning every day that things that are advertised to happen may not necessarily happen or can be changed. It is very laid back here!! My service on July 3rd was an evening and is now a morning, and my morning service on July 10th is now an afternoon and my afternoon service is now an evening! Yesterday afternoon I looked at the Circuit plan and took a drive out to a remote chapel at Gruting, where it told me there was a 3pm service.
The chapel took some finding!! I arrived at 2.55pm and no one was there. Around me were some sheep and a goat but no people. The chapel was locked, no sign of any service happening. I hung around for about 20 minutes until I decided they had obviously decided to cancel the service with no expectation this mad visiting minister might drive 20 miles to be with them! I had a fun time getting away as Mr Goat and my sheep friends found my being there very interesting and came to say hello!!
I managed on the way back from my not happening service to find a chapel I preached in here 20 years ago - Culswick Methodist Chapel is the smallest and most remote chapel here. There is absolutely nothing round it at all. It is in a field which you get to up a stone track. I was pleased to see the church was open. I checked when it last had a service - 5th June - the money from the offertory that Sunday was still in the plate on the communion table. I was glad to be able to sit in the quietness of a very remote place for a while and feel its peace. I have questions though what churches like Gruting and Culswick are for - holding occasional services, no one living near them, cancelling them when the three or four folk who come can't come. Are they just part of history or are they still signposts to the presence of God? What makes the tiny numbers who go there still go there and where do they come from? I would imagine those who come come through some family connection and want to keep "their chapel" open. I hope to try Gruting another Sunday afternoon to see what dropping in feels like. I may next time ring the steward to check the service is on!!
It was really good yesterday to lead worship in a bigger church with folk sharing the worship leading with me. Adam Clarke Memorial Church has a congregation of around 60 - including visitors yesterday from Ghana, Swansea, the Wirral and Norway! They were a very happy friendly bunch who made me very welcome. There was a superb worship band who led part of the service for us and we used a hymn from Singing the Faith they had learnt for me. Am getting my head round four different hymn books here! The church's main mission it seems to me is to tourists. Through the week, some huge liners come to the port for the day full of tourists who come off the liner in a little boat and then are put on shuttle buses to come to the town and wander around with maps. The church opens every time there is a large ship or holiday cruise in town. We are told in the headlines on the local radio which ship is coming and where it is from. Apparently the other night, the Danish royal yacht was here before setting off to the Faroe Islands! Lerwick Methodist Church seems to me to be a very close fellowship and fun to be part of. The Chair of the District retires next week and I've been invited to his farewell meal and service. The Chair of the Scotland District will look after Shetland from September to save Methodism money as the Chair has to go to meetings off the island and it costs a fortune to keep going away. The manager of the hotel I am staying in told me Nicola Sturgeon was staying the other week and there was a huge lobby to her to get North Link Ferries to reduce their prices.
From September there will be a Superintendent Minister on Shetland.
I am also enjoying still discovering other bits of community outside church and what makes life tick here... There was a huge midsummer carnival on Saturday with floats surrounded by men dressed as vikings shouting a lot. Last night I was glad to be at another fiddler's concert - a really talented group who play regularly at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
The group was called Hjaltibonhoga - translated as "Shetland - my spiritual home."
I am very much seeing that deep spirituality here in remote places, in tiny chapels, in supportive and close community as people enjoy being here. It's interesting to read about the referendum up here. There are some Brexit posters largely about protecting our fish - but mostly the local press is going for remain - largely because Shetland does not really see itself as part of Scotland, but more a part of Europe. Thursday will be interesting!
It's been another good week. Three to go... Am so chilled out and relaxed - returning to a busy diary might be a bit of a challenge!!!
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