News from Tom Clark

(Orphir and Stenness Churches of Scotland)

Dear Christian Friends,

It is our 20th Anniversary this year of local church leaders and the wider Christian community praying together.

It was as a result of the Film Jesus being brought to our local cinema by a number of ministers and pastors of five denominations in October 1987 that the small prayer meeting that we were having as leaders was opened out to all Christians; and we moved into Room 1 of the Town Hall
At outset in 1987 many wondered about the "funny" meeting, taking place. Sometimes we now get requests for prayer from people in the Town Hall Cafe as we arrive to pray.

About seven or eight years ago after a visit from a Methodist South Korean Pastor, Joshua Paul a number of Churches have held an early morning Prayer Meeting.
This continues to this day and its amazing how God gives each of us 'divine appointments' and we have seen much answered prayer. A big one was prayer to get a Christian witness or even a Chaplain into Stromness Academy. At the last visit of the HMI this was corrected. So it took almost nineteen years of prayer but our God is faithful.

Four denominations (through fourteen people) were represented at the "Fire in the North" conference held in Shetland in August 2005. As a result the Lord laid it on my heart and another pastor to seek to go forward with "Healing Rooms; Orkney". Both of us had seen God heal in the past and were working quietly in our own Churches.

Steven Anderson [Healing Rooms Scotland - Ed.] and his wife Helen were invited up; and last July (2006) saw the first of our two "surgeries" openly advertised through the six churches involved; and over thirty people have been trained.

In November, 2006 we opened the second "surgery" and went public. Since then we have remained open on Tuesday evenings 8.00 - 10.00pm and Thursday afternoons from 12noon - 2.00pm.

There are many other prayer meetings; and a prayer chain ministry has been inexistence for many years to both pray for the sick and also link islands together.

The most recent prayer meeting is in the 'bunker' of the Orkney Islands Council offices every monday lunchtime.
Yes, the spiritual temperature in Orkney has been rising recently and so also has the evil one. But we are on the victory side and we give God all the glory.

For over three years six denominations form the Orkney Churches Together, (Church of Scotland,Baptist, Christian Growth Centre, Salvation Army, Christian Brethren and United Free Churches) have agreed "terms of association" under which we come together.
We meet as pastors once a month for prayer; and all our churches come together for a prayer evening bi-monthly.

Last year we had a big joint outreach event at the County Show in August where half the population of Orkney attend (10,000).
This year we are extending this to include the Stromness Shopping Week.

We are preparing for the Prayer Walk which will take place in all inhabited islands and culminate in a walk round Kirkwall and a rally in the Pickaquoy Centre on Tuesday, 10th April. 2007 (See also "Connecting Scotland" news - Ed.)

Ed notes:
Contact Tom Clark at
E-mail toml.clark@btopenworld.com
Internet: www.orphir.org.uk/church