Introduction

The congregation of St Peter’s & St Andrew’s has a continuing vision to be a body of believers moving in love and in the power of the Spirit to bring the gospel and presence of Jesus Christ to our community. We have a desire to see the lost saved, the sick healed and the oppressed set free and to be a refuge and place of safety where the broken, the wounded and the hurting can find love, acceptance and care. Above all, it is our wish to see Jesus take his rightful place at the centre of personal, family and community life.

  If this vision is to be fully realised, we recognise that we need to be a praying, worshipping, Christ centred church, united by God’s love, where people can meet with Jesus and know the life-changing power of that love; a church where services are challenging, joyful and uplifting and where everyone of all ages feels welcome. A church where God’s love and forgiveness can be seen in the lives of his people and where the needs of others are more important than our own.

 The nominating committee is seeking to call the inPidual who shares that vision. A Spirit filled pastor who loves the Lord with heart and soul and strength; who will earnestly seek and apply God’s will for our congregation; who will preach the word of God in and out of season to the saved and to the lost; who is comfortable with contemporary and traditional worship styles and who will be able to encourage us forward into renewal whilst maintaining unity between members from both traditional and charismatic backgrounds.

 Our minister for the last fifteen years built on the Biblical preaching and pastoring of his predecessor (who is still associated with the congregation) and sought throughout his ministry here to bring people to a greater knowledge and understanding of God and his ways. Through his preaching and teaching, believers were encouraged to develop a closer relationship with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; to ask for and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and to move and operate in the gifts of the Spirit.

 The fruits of that ministry can be seen in all aspects of the life of the congregation perhaps most visibly in the development of the Sunday evening service, the emergence of the praise group and in the number of members with experience of preaching and conducting worship both in our own church and in churches throughout the county. Others, through following the leading of the Holy Spirit have been called into and encouraged to develop ministries of prayer, prophesy and counselling and a number of members have undertaken (and continue to undertake) formal training in these fields.

 It is true to say that ours is a congregation that has seen significant changes both in the style and content of its worship over the last fifteen years and as would no doubt be the case in any similar congregation, not all of these changes have been immediately and wholeheartedly welcomed in all quarters. It is important therefore that our new minister be led by the Spirit in all of his thoughts as regards the future direction of the congregation and be able to show patience, love and compassion to all people whatever their church background or level of spiritual maturity.

 In drafting this profile, the nominating committee has attempted to the best of their ability to present potential applicants with a full and clear picture of our congregation, where we are and where we hope to be, but of course it is not within the scope of this document, nor is it within the remit of the nominating committee to suggest ways in which all of the stated aims might be achieved. That said however, it is appropriate to mention that the Kirk Session have recently been discussing the need to review the present arrangements for pastoral care and visitation and has also been considering how we as a congregation might develop and expand our outreach into the community.

 These are things that we would expect will be addressed whether or not a new minister has been appointed but it would be hoped that our new minister will agree that it is from such basic considerations as these that our overall vision will grow.

 In closing, and in case any potential applicant reading this document feels that the Charge is too great for one person to undertake, the committee would like to make it clear that our new minister will find us to be a congregation which believes in the priesthood of all believers and within which he or she will find a significant number willing and able to use their God given gifts and talents to support and share in the ministry of their pastor.

 St Peter's and St Andrew's Church is presently in deferred linkage with Olrig Church in the village of Castletown approximately five miles east of Thurso. Olrig Church is presently served by its own minister, but in terms of a Presbytery Plan, the new minister of St Peter's and St Andrew's will, on the demission or retiral of the present minister become minister of the linked charge.

A separate Parish profile relating to Olrig Parish is annexed.

Location and General Information

The town of Thurso situated on the far north coast of Scotland, is, along with the slightly smaller town of Wick, twenty miles to the south-east, one of the two main towns in the former county of Caithness.

 The town enjoys full banking, professional and medical services and is well served by the usual multiple retail stores (Co-op, Somerfield, Lidl, Woolworths) as well as by a wide range of local shops and services.

 Educationally, the town is served by three Primary Schools, a Secondary School, and a College of Further Education (Part of The University of Highlands and Islands).

 For leisure and entertainment, Thurso boasts, amongst other things, a modern entertainment complex with cinema, restaurant and bowling alley, a library and art gallery, a swimming pool with fitness suite, squash courts and an eighteen hole golf course (one of three within a twenty mile radius). The area as a whole has long been world renowned for the quality of its fishing and in recent years, the town has also established itself as a popular destination for surfers.:

 Thurso presently has a population of approximately 9,000.

 There are regular daily bus and rail services south and Wick airport is approximately twenty miles away. Inverness is approximately two and a quarter hours drive.

 The town itself, having long been associated with the nearby Dounreay Nuclear Power Station is currently enjoying an upturn in commercial activity due in part to decommissioning work at Dounreay but also as a result of the expansion of Scrabster Harbour and of the local Business Park.

 The foregoing general information is provided so as to give an overview of the town of Thurso and its surrounding area. More detailed information can be obtained if required by informal contact with either the Interim Moderator or the Clerk to the Nominating Committee whose contact details can be found on the last page of this document.:

 Potential applicants will also find the Caithness Community website (www.caithness.org) to be an excellent source of information.

The Parish

 With the town of Thurso having expanded to such an extent over the last fifty years or so, and with the tendency nowadays for worshippers to choose the Church they wish to attend regardless of where they live, the original parish boundaries within the town have become more or less meaningless. Similarly, population statistics for inPidual parishes are equally irrelevant but it would be reasonable to say that the town’s current population of a little under 9,000 is shared more or less equally between the combined parishes of St Peter’s and St Andrew’s and the parish of Thurso West.

 From a total nominal parish population of 4,466, the congregation of St Peter’s & St Andrew’s as at December 2004 comprised 243 members and 175 adherents.

 In addition to the two Church of Scotland congregations, the town is also served by The Church of St Peter and the Holy Rood (Scottish Episcopal), Thurso Baptist Church, Thurso Free Church and St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church.

The Church

 St Peter's Church, situated on a prominent site in the centre of the town, (the congregation merged with that of the nearby St Andrew's Church in 1968 to form the present joint congregation), was opened for worship on the first Sunday of 1833. Contemporary reports state that the congregation of the day had commissioned their builders to erect "A neat and plain church with a tower or spire to contain 1800 sitters and well adapted to hearing the minister."

 The interior of the building is simply laid out with the pulpit and communion table at the centre. It is doubtful whether the building was ever capable of seating as many worshippers as were originally envisaged but in any event various renovations over the years have reduced the capacity to its present level of around six hundred. Since 1989, the building has been undergoing full structural and decorative restoration and the only works that now remain to be completed are the installation of a new heating system and the redecoration of the sanctuary as a whole.

 On a historical note, it is thought that the founder of the Boys Brigade, Sir William Smith, who was born at nearby Pennyland Farm, may have worshipped here as a boy.

Services

 Sunday services are held at 11.00am and 6.30pm.

 The Sunday morning service leans towards the traditional pattern although some more modern elements have been introduced over the course of the last few years. Part of each morning’s worship is normally led by the congregation’s own Praise Group and approximately once a month, the congregation are led in their worship by ‘Body and Soul’, a group of girls from within the congregation who have been led to worship God through dance.

 The Minister is also supported by the members of a trained ministry team who remain in the church after the close of the service to pray with any members of the congregation who may have specific needs.

 The Sunday evening service is altogether more contemporary and open ended in format and is generally led by the Minister assisted by the Praise Group. The later part of the evening service tends to be a time of praise and worship during which the ministry team is again available to pray for inPidual’s needs.

 In addition to the two Sunday services, a congregational prayer meeting is held on Wednesday evenings in the church hall and a weekly ladies’ meeting is held on Tuesday mornings.

Communion

 The Lord’s Supper is observed eight times a year, on the first Sunday morning of March, June, September and December and on the last Sunday evening of April, July, October and January.

Sunday School/Youth Group

 The Sunday School and Youth Group meet on Sunday mornings at 10:00

 Although there has been, over the last two or three years a steady fall in the numbers attending the Sunday School, there are encouraging signs that this trend has been halted, even reversed, and at present, the roll stands at approximately twenty five.

 The Youth Group (as distinct from the Tuesday evening Youth Group referred to later) is made up of approximately six – eight members of Secondary School age who have been meeting with their own leaders independent of the Sunday School for the last two and a half years.

Organisations

 The Church Guild is particularly active within the congregation and is well represented in terms of membership. The Guild which of course has for some time now welcomed men into its ranks meets every second Monday during the session.

 The church also has an active, lively and steadily growing youth group who meet on Tuesday evenings either in the newly refurbished hall or in their own room situated off the balcony of the main church. Members of the youth group are encouraged to play a part in the life of the congregation as a whole and a number actively do so as members of the Praise Group and Ministry team or by helping in the Sunday School.

 Body & Soul is a group made up of young girls aged between 7 and 17 who have been called to worship the Lord, and to lead others in their worship through the medium of dance. The group has been running for about five years and the girls, under the supervision of three adult and one teenage leaders, regularly take part in Sunday morning services. The group meets for practice and Bible study on Thursday evenings.

Pastoral Care

Pastoral care within the congregation has been identified by the Nomination Committee as an area in which improvements could be made, and reference to this has already been made under the heading ‘The Charge’. For potential applicant’s information however, pastoral care has typically been the responsibility of the minister assisted by elders in their designated areas and by other members of the congregation.

The Alpha Course

 The congregation is convinced of the effectiveness of the Alpha Course as an evangelistic tool and to date has run four adult and two youth courses. The courses are run by properly trained members of the congregation under the overall supervision of two experienced leaders.

Lighthouse Youth Project

The Lighthouse Youth Project is a registered charity set up two years ago by three members of the congregation for the purpose of outreach to the young people of Thurso. To date, the activities of the Project have included beach barbecues, surfing lessons, art and music workshops and sports nights in the High School Games Hall.

 The Project has recently made a contribution to the Church to meet the cost of redecorating and carpeting the Church Hall, which is now used to provide a regular weekend drop in centre/café for the youth of the town.

Summer Holiday Club

 For the last four years, the congregation has, along with other churches in the town, supported ‘The Light Factory’, a holiday club largely organised by Thurso Baptist Church and run for one week during the school summer holidays. Since its inception in 2001,’The Light Factory’ has increased steadily in numbers attending and is now well established as an attraction for Primary School age children in the town.

The Manse

The Manse is a substantial 1920’s town house situated in a desirable residential area of the town and less than five minutes walk from the Church.

The property, which is currently in the process of being substantially upgraded to coincide with the present vacancy, comprises, on the ground floor, two public rooms, study, kitchen and toilet and, on the upper floor, four bedrooms and bathroom. There is a detached garage alongside the property and a generously sized mature garden to the front.

Further Information

For further information or informal enquiries please contact:

Rev Paul R Read (Interim Moderator)
The New Manse
Reay
Caithness
Scotland
KW14 7RE

Tel. 01847 811441

e-mail. minister@northcoastparishchurch.org

Formal applications with CV and the names and addresses of two referees should be sent to the Clerk to the Nominations Committee:

Mr Charles Rigg
'Dunedin'
11 Ormlie Hill
Thurso
Caithness
KW14 7DY

Tel. 01847 892817

e-mail: charlieanddenise@tiscali.co.uk

Annexation: The Parish of Olrig

General

The village of Castletown is situated at the southern end of Dunnet Bay, some five miles east of Thurso. The village has it’s own primary school with nursery, playgroup and out of school care group and apart from these, its main facilities are a medical centre, a bank and small number of local shops.

Leisure groups and organisations in the village include Rainbow and Brownie Guide and Beaver and Cub Scout Packs, Army Cadets, WRI, Indoor Bowling Club, Badminton Club, Football Club, Line Dancing Club, Heritage Society and Bee Keepers Association.

The daily Thurso – Inverness bus service passes through the village.

Olrig Church is situated on the main road through the village and dates from around 1910. It has a seating capacity of approximately 220.

Within the Church itself are a small hall and vestry and in the grounds is a separate large hall with kitchen and toilets and a stage area. This larger hall is used by the Sunday School.

The manse is also situated in the grounds of the Church.

Services

The Sunday morning service is held at 10.45am and the worship is traditional in style.

Olrig Parish Church presently has 39 members and 43 adherents. The average Sunday morning attendance is around 30.

Communion

The Lord’s Supper is observed twice a year, at the end of May and at the end of November.

Organisations

Olrig Guild presently has twelve members who meet monthly on Wednesday afternoons throughout the session.

In addition to Olrig Parish Church, the village is also served by The Free Church of Scotland and over a number of years, close links have been established between the two congregations. The congregations hold a monthly joint churches coffee morning and a fortnightly joint Bible study group which meets in members homes during the school term.