The week ahead at Hilton Church
Thursday 30th April Book Group meets in the small hall at 7.30pm
Friday 1st May 10.00am -11.30am Hilton Family Support Baby and Toddler Group (in the big hall at the rear entrace) £2 per family, per session. Please email kasia.mccubbin@hiltonfamily.support to arrange to take your children
Sunday 3rd May 9.30am- 10.00am Prayer Gathering in the small hall, with particular focus on children, young people and families in the Hilton commiunity. 10.30am Sunday worship in the church and broadcast live on the church Facebook page.
Hilton Parish Church
Sunday 26 April 2026
A worship service was held at 10.30am in the church on Sunday 26 April. The service was simultaneously broadcast on the Church Facebook page. For the next four weeks you can catch up here.
The Bible passage was 1 Kings 19:1-18 David Sim led the service and preached the first of a series of sermons on God’s Surprising Love.
Based on the experiences of Elijah in the Bible passage we read today, and with reference to difficult times in his own life, David spoke movingly about the love of God which reaches out to us even when we are at the end of our tether. You can listen on the catch up – the sermon begins at 37:50 in on the video, and you can read the whole sermon here. And you can read the story of another encounter with the Whisper of God here.
Here’s the sensitive prayer with which David began the service:
Lord God, we gather today in your presence and we simply want to tell you that we love you.
You have been faithful to your people from the very beginning of time. You’ve been faithful to us in our own lives too, often when we’re unaware of how you’re working. We thank you that you’ve never walked away from us, even if we felt we were at our lowest point.
We think of the people in this church and in our community. You’ve met us in our darkest hours, when we felt empty and had nothing left to give. You fed us and gave us strength. When we felt completely alone and thought that no one could hear us, you were there in the quiet.
You’re amazing, God.
We do not just praise you for what you can do for us, but for who you are. You are kind and merciful, even when we make mistakes. You are patient with us, even when we’re stubborn.
We are so grateful that we can come here today because Jesus showed us the way back to you.
But Father, we want to be honest with you. Our hearts are often closed off. We build walls round ourselves to try and stay safe, but those walls just end up keeping you out. We get trapped by our own fears and our own worries. We get stuck in our own small ways of thinking, imagining that things can never change or that you are too far away to help. We confess we often shut you out when we should be running towards you.
We ask you now to make our hearts bigger. As we come together in worship, please make room in us for your Holy Spirit to move and breathe.
You want to live right here with us, in the middle of our daily mess, in the centre of our community, and in the heart of our families.
Together we say ‘yes’ to that. We invite you in.
Holy Spirit, help us to listen for you. Help us to recognise your voice when you’re speaking. Whether you speak through the Bible, through a friend, or through that quiet gentle whisper, in our own spirits, please make us ready to listen.
We give this time to you. We hand over our plans and our worries.
Let your presence fill this room.
Read here the whole of David’s sermon of which the following is an extract:
Here are links to websites which Duncan has recommended we explore:
The Bible Project
The Bible Society
The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity
Here’s a link to the latest newsletter from Hilton Family Support – click below
Highland Foodbank asks for our help
Inverness ‘Warm Spaces’
A number of venues across Inverness have opened their doors through the week to offer a warm welcome and bring people together in the local community. Enjoy some Highland hospitality and make new friends. Additional support is also available at some venues.
Here’s a link to a list of these ‘Warm Spaces’ with the times they are available.
Hilton Parish Church works very closely with Hilton Family Support, helping to make a difference in the local community. Click the links below to explore.
Click here for the latest Hilton Family Support Newsletter.
Click here to donate to Hilton Family Support
Giving to Hilton Parish Church
If you would like to give towards the work of Hilton Parish Church, here are a few ways in which you can do it.
(1) The most beneficial way of giving would be through a monthly standing order which would enable the congregation to have a regular and predictable monthly income:
Sort Code: 80-91-26
Account No: 00444375
Account Name: HILTON CHURCH
(2) You can also give through the Give.net link below
(3) Free Will Offering Envelopes – we are conscious that many may wish to continue with this scheme putting money aside each week, and we look forward to receiving these offerings when the crisis comes to an end.
(4) If you would like to give offerings through cheque, these can be made payable to Hilton Church and posted to: Hilton Parish Church, 4 Tomatin Road, Inverness, IV2 4UA
Please note that if you are a tax payer Gift Aid is applicable for all of the above and this can increase our income by 25%. If possible, please complete a Gift Aid declaration (available here or from the church office) and return it to the church office.
We thank you for your support of the ministry of Hilton Church.
Our latest Facebook posts
Here's the story of someone else passing through an experience like Elijah's. It's from the Inverness Courier, issue dated 27th March.
Inverness Choral Society have been practising for their April performance of ‘Elijah’, by Mendelssohn. It’s at the Drumossie Hotel on 19th April. Choir, soloists and musicians combine to tell the story of the ancient biblical prophet of the Lord God.
A key scene describes Elijah’s dramatic confrontation with the priests of the rival god Baal. Which God can send down fire to ignite the wood beneath a sacrifice? Only Elijah’s Lord, it emerges. This story is still surprisingly relevant.
Paul Kingsnorth, a deep-thinking and gifted writer has been engaged for decades in a confrontation the threat to humanity which he calls ‘the Machine’. Five years ago, he converted to Christianity, and faith has sharpened his critique.
He identifies ‘the Machine’ as a tendency dating back to the Industrial Revolution and reaching its zenith in the internet. He believes individuals are becoming cogs in the wheels of a system driven by market forces, efficiency and control which devalues ‘rooted human communities, wild nature, human nature, human freedom…beauty, faith and all the older and truer values.’
This ‘Machine’ is the 21st-century Baal against which Kingsnorth has waged a spiritual battle, culminating in his recent book ‘Against the Machine.’
After his confrontation with the priests of Baal and its aftermath, Elijah collapses into depression. He feels, wrongly, that no-one else remains faithful to the Lord God. He is numb, lethargic and longs for death.
Something similar happened to Paul Kingsnorth back in October. After years of overwork, he writes of ‘deep fatigue’, ‘burnout’, ‘brain fog’, ‘physical exhaustion’, It seems as though, in opposing the Machine, he has somehow been sucked into it.
Elijah recovers, cared for by an angel, who, in Mendelssohn’s work sings ‘O rest in the Lord’. He is sent to Mount Horeb where God speaks to him, not in storm or earthquake, but in a still, small voice.
As Paul Kingsnorth slowly learns again to rest, he too is blessed by the kindness of God, perhaps by angels, certainly by focussing on the loveliness of everyday things. Things like ‘the mottled brown cat’, ‘my favourite robin’, the prospect of honey from his hives. Peace and beauty.
‘When you are knocked into silence everything begins anew’, he writes, telling us ‘I have never felt closer to Christ than I have these past three months.’
The ancient story of Elijah and the contemporary experience of Paul Kingsnorth, invite us to take a stand against the Baals, ‘the Machine’, against anything which ensnares and diminishes us as human beings, sucking the vitality from us, leaving confusion and emptiness. And unequivocally for beauty and goodness, love and truth.
I suspect Paul Kingsnorth could echo Elijah’s words near the end of Mendelssohn’s work: ‘For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed; but Thy kindness shall not depart from me.’
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Read he whole of David Sim's sermon on God's gentleness to those who suffer like the anguished, burned-out Elijah:
hiltonchurch.org.uk/2026/04/sunday-service-26-april-2026/24/
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
We're back for another Peep session on Tuesday.
This week we'll be looking generally at how we can help our wee ones develop.
All with wee ones aged 0-3 welcome, hope to see you there!
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Get in touch
Contact Details
Hilton Church is at 4 Tomatin Road, Inverness IV2 4UA
Tel:
01463 233310
email:
office@hiltonchurch.org.uk
The Care Team
The Care Team’s role is to provide help and support in various ways for people of all ages in the congregation. These could be a home or hospital visit, a meal in time of crisis, or a listening ear.
If you, or anyone you know needs help in this way, please contact
Church Office: 01463 233310
The week ahead at Hilton Church
Thursday 30th April Book Group meets in the small hall at 7.30pm
Friday 1st May 10.00am -11.30am Hilton Family Support Baby and Toddler Group (in the big hall at the rear entrace) £2 per family, per session. Please email kasia.mccubbin@hiltonfamily.support to arrange to take your children
Sunday 3rd May 9.30am- 10.00am Prayer Gathering in the small hall, with particular focus on children, young people and families in the Hilton commiunity. 10.30am Sunday worship in the church and broadcast live on the church Facebook page.
Hilton Parish Church
Sunday 26 April 2026
A worship service was held at 10.30am in the church on Sunday 26 April. The service was simultaneously broadcast on the Church Facebook page. For the next four weeks you can catch up here.
The Bible passage was 1 Kings 19:1-18 David Sim led the service and preached the first of a series of sermons on God’s Surprising Love.
Based on the experiences of Elijah in the Bible passage we read today, and with reference to difficult times in his own life, David spoke movingly about the love of God which reaches out to us even when we are at the end of our tether. You can listen on the catch up – the sermon begins at 37:50 in on the video, and you can read the whole sermon here. And you can read the story of another encounter with the Whisper of God here.
Here’s the sensitive prayer with which David began the service:
Lord God, we gather today in your presence and we simply want to tell you that we love you.
You have been faithful to your people from the very beginning of time. You’ve been faithful to us in our own lives too, often when we’re unaware of how you’re working. We thank you that you’ve never walked away from us, even if we felt we were at our lowest point.
We think of the people in this church and in our community. You’ve met us in our darkest hours, when we felt empty and had nothing left to give. You fed us and gave us strength. When we felt completely alone and thought that no one could hear us, you were there in the quiet.
You’re amazing, God.
We do not just praise you for what you can do for us, but for who you are. You are kind and merciful, even when we make mistakes. You are patient with us, even when we’re stubborn.
We are so grateful that we can come here today because Jesus showed us the way back to you.
But Father, we want to be honest with you. Our hearts are often closed off. We build walls round ourselves to try and stay safe, but those walls just end up keeping you out. We get trapped by our own fears and our own worries. We get stuck in our own small ways of thinking, imagining that things can never change or that you are too far away to help. We confess we often shut you out when we should be running towards you.
We ask you now to make our hearts bigger. As we come together in worship, please make room in us for your Holy Spirit to move and breathe.
You want to live right here with us, in the middle of our daily mess, in the centre of our community, and in the heart of our families.
Together we say ‘yes’ to that. We invite you in.
Holy Spirit, help us to listen for you. Help us to recognise your voice when you’re speaking. Whether you speak through the Bible, through a friend, or through that quiet gentle whisper, in our own spirits, please make us ready to listen.
We give this time to you. We hand over our plans and our worries.
Let your presence fill this room.
Read here the whole of David’s sermon of which the following is an extract:
Inverness Warm Spaces
A number of venues across Inverness have opened their doors through the week to offer a warm welcome and bring people together in the local community. Enjoy some Highland hospitality and make new friends. Additional support is also available at some venues.
Here’s a link to a list of these ‘Warm Spaces’ with the times they are available.
Here’s a link to the latest newsletter from Hilton Family Support – click below
Highland Foodbank asks for our help
Hilton Parish Church works very closely with Hilton Family Support, helping to make a difference in the local community. Click the links below to explore.
Click here for the latest Hilton Family Support Newsletter.
Click here to donate to Hilton Family Support
Giving to Hilton Parish Church
If you would like to give towards the work of Hilton Parish Church, here are a few ways in which you can do it.
(1) The most beneficial way of giving would be through a monthly standing order which would enable the congregation to have a regular and predictable monthly income:
Sort Code: 80-91-26
Account No: 00444375
Account Name: HILTON CHURCH
(2) You can also give through the Give.net link below
(3) Free Will Offering Envelopes – we are conscious that many may wish to continue with this scheme putting money aside each week, and we look forward to receiving these offerings when the crisis comes to an end.
(4) If you would like to give offerings through cheque, these can be made payable to Hilton Church and posted to: Hilton Parish Church, 4 Tomatin Road, Inverness, IV2 4UA
Please note that if you are a tax payer Gift Aid is applicable for all of the above and this can increase our income by 25%. If possible, please complete a Gift Aid declaration (available here or from the church office) and return it to the church office.
We thank you for your support of the ministry of Hilton Church.
Our latest Facebook posts
Here's the story of someone else passing through an experience like Elijah's. It's from the Inverness Courier, issue dated 27th March.
Inverness Choral Society have been practising for their April performance of ‘Elijah’, by Mendelssohn. It’s at the Drumossie Hotel on 19th April. Choir, soloists and musicians combine to tell the story of the ancient biblical prophet of the Lord God.
A key scene describes Elijah’s dramatic confrontation with the priests of the rival god Baal. Which God can send down fire to ignite the wood beneath a sacrifice? Only Elijah’s Lord, it emerges. This story is still surprisingly relevant.
Paul Kingsnorth, a deep-thinking and gifted writer has been engaged for decades in a confrontation the threat to humanity which he calls ‘the Machine’. Five years ago, he converted to Christianity, and faith has sharpened his critique.
He identifies ‘the Machine’ as a tendency dating back to the Industrial Revolution and reaching its zenith in the internet. He believes individuals are becoming cogs in the wheels of a system driven by market forces, efficiency and control which devalues ‘rooted human communities, wild nature, human nature, human freedom…beauty, faith and all the older and truer values.’
This ‘Machine’ is the 21st-century Baal against which Kingsnorth has waged a spiritual battle, culminating in his recent book ‘Against the Machine.’
After his confrontation with the priests of Baal and its aftermath, Elijah collapses into depression. He feels, wrongly, that no-one else remains faithful to the Lord God. He is numb, lethargic and longs for death.
Something similar happened to Paul Kingsnorth back in October. After years of overwork, he writes of ‘deep fatigue’, ‘burnout’, ‘brain fog’, ‘physical exhaustion’, It seems as though, in opposing the Machine, he has somehow been sucked into it.
Elijah recovers, cared for by an angel, who, in Mendelssohn’s work sings ‘O rest in the Lord’. He is sent to Mount Horeb where God speaks to him, not in storm or earthquake, but in a still, small voice.
As Paul Kingsnorth slowly learns again to rest, he too is blessed by the kindness of God, perhaps by angels, certainly by focussing on the loveliness of everyday things. Things like ‘the mottled brown cat’, ‘my favourite robin’, the prospect of honey from his hives. Peace and beauty.
‘When you are knocked into silence everything begins anew’, he writes, telling us ‘I have never felt closer to Christ than I have these past three months.’
The ancient story of Elijah and the contemporary experience of Paul Kingsnorth, invite us to take a stand against the Baals, ‘the Machine’, against anything which ensnares and diminishes us as human beings, sucking the vitality from us, leaving confusion and emptiness. And unequivocally for beauty and goodness, love and truth.
I suspect Paul Kingsnorth could echo Elijah’s words near the end of Mendelssohn’s work: ‘For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed; but Thy kindness shall not depart from me.’
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Read he whole of David Sim's sermon on God's gentleness to those who suffer like the anguished, burned-out Elijah:
hiltonchurch.org.uk/2026/04/sunday-service-26-april-2026/24/
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Get in touch
Contact Details
Hilton Church is at 4 Tomatin Road, Inverness IV2 4UA
Church Office: 01463 233310
email:
office@hiltonchurch.org.uk
The Care Team
The Care Team’s role is to provide help and support in various ways for people of all ages in the congregation. These could be a home or hospital visit, a meal in time of crisis, or a listening ear.
If you, or anyone you know needs help in this way, please contact
Church Office: 01463 233310