Moray community church seeks gift donations to help make Christmas special

A new Moray church is teaming up with local partners and requesting donations of small gifts which will be used to help make their Christmas Kingdom Weekend on Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 December extra special.

Forres Community Church will set up events and activities including a Santa's Grotto which parents can take their children along to and where everyone will receive free presents.

The community centre which is involved with the Christmas Kingdom Weekend will also be celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Rev Stuart Finlayson, pioneer minister, said:

"We are currently scouring the community for donations to this amazing cause.

"The cost of living crisis is affecting us all and we want to be able to do this for free.

"We are then taking Santa round the town with his band, playing Christmas carols and hymns for all to hear.

"We have also planned to bless the parents by giving them cards with an invitation to know Jesus which can be scanned to take them to a YouTube video sharing the real truth of Christmas - that light comes into the darkness - that rescue can only come from outside of ourselves.

"On the Saturday night we are teaming up again with The Filling Station Moray and together we will host a family service of Word and Spirit with great music and healing ministry.

"We have been gifted the use of the church building of the Parish of Forres St Laurence, a beautiful setting for such an occasion.

"We are also inviting spiritually curious people to attend Discovery Group Taster Sessions on the Sunday - hosted by the FCC leadership team."

"The coming Kingdom Breakthrough weekend will be full of joy and blessing for our community and yet our aim is to always seek out those who are open to experiencing more about Jesus.

"We are praying that the Lord will give us eyes and ears to see and hear those who are ready for more.

"If we can take just a few people from a casual conversation to a meaningful one and then to a spiritual one we believe that Holy Spirit will be working out the rest and lives, as well as community, will be transformed for the better."

Forres Community Church was set up as a New Worshipping Community using the Presbytery Mission Initiative legislation aiming to engage those who have never been involved with a faith group before and is receiving some support from the Cairn Movement through its Give Us Scotland Programme which seeks to support pioneering ministry and church planting project.

Anyone wishing to help with the Christmas Kingdom Weekend or donate gifts can get in touch at forrescommunitychurch@gmail.com or Rev Stuart Finlayson at sfinlayson@churchofscotland.org.uk or by searching Forres Community Church on Facebook.