Neil MacMillan's Blog

On the Whisky Trail

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Mission in Moray (& Keith)

This past weekend, I left home and headed North. I was a bit shocked by the cold. Where did the sub-zero tempratures come from? Many a Scotsman will take a dram for a winter warmer, but being allergic to whisky I just turned up the electric blanket.

I worshipped with about 40 others in Elgin Free Church on Sunday morning. The church building in Elgin has had an excellent refurb, and is warm, welcoming and comfortable. In the afternoon, I made my first trip to Burghead to visit the minister and his wife, Jim and Anne Abernethy. You can read in the ‘News & Events’ section about recent progress there. In the evening I joined about 20 people for a service in Dufftown. The services here are a new outreach from Elgin Free Church.

The day was a real blessing to me. The psalms, the Scriptures, the preaching, the fellowship all helped to nourish and revive my mind and heart. Often, what I enjoy most on my journeys is meeting people with real gospel passion and a vision for mission, and I met people like that on Sunday; people who are dreaming dreams about how their church can thrive and grow.  Give thanks for a burst of growth in Burghead, pray for the continued progress of the work in Elgin, with Colin and Christine Morison seeking to complete the work of revitalisation and celebrate a new work in Dufftown. I have only seen Dufftown in the dark, so the one thing I know about it is that it has four distilleries. The work there is being driven forward by local people who are bold and eager to share the gospel. This has led to a few conversions in the community and I was really moved by one conversation I had with a newly converted couple, who are full of amazement at the gospel and the grace God has shown them.

Today I am off to Skye.  I am going to visit the Bracadale congregation. I believe this is where Talisker is to be found.