The Orkney Islands number over 50 although only a small number are populated. Having arrived just after the St Magnus Celebrations (Arts Festival in the cathedral of the same name) and during the Jazz Festival, I realised that there is always something to celebrate in Orkney.
My main reason for visiting was to represent Pray for Scotland and to support the “Love Orkney” celebration, held this time, in the community centre in the parish of Finstown on the Saturday evening. It is planned to have these celebrations in all the parishes of the mainland and also when possible on some of the outer islands. This way there will be worship, praise and a presence of God in each of these places with a crying out to our Heavenly Father to touch the Islands once again in a new wave of revival.
It was also possible to hold a Lighthouses of Prayer training opportunity on the Saturday morning which drew some new and some old faces as we considered how this vision might be spread across the Islands and also be networked in support of the Love Orkney vision.
Sunday took me to Stromness to worship there in the morning and also back again in the evening to speak to a group of men as we considered what it means to be “Son’s of God”. All in all this was a short trip but did allow me to get a feel for the vision of those involved, across different churches, who carry in their hearts a desire to see God move again, in power, in this beautiful place.
Derek Jardine