“Geneva College already provides some contraceptive health coverage for its employees, but it is opposed to being mandated to cover birth-control methods that include embryo-killing drugs, officials at the Beaver Falls school said Tuesday.

In announcing it had joined with the Alliance Defense Fund, a national coalition of about 2,000 Christian attorneys, in filing a federal lawsuit against the new national health care plan’s provisions on “preventive services,” Geneva officials said it was not about the contraceptives for them, it was about what they called ‘abortion-causing drugs.’”

Press Release

A couple of weeks ago The Ulster Groundhopper visited the Riverside Stadium, Drumahoe. Steelo celebration spot around 11.40 (another spot 5.40). Delayed reaction due to the unlikely nature of the goal! Young Hamilton beside me was texting and completely missed it! The crowd was particularly poor that day.

More info about ‘What is Ground Hopping?’ can be found on their website, including:

Having watched football at both Premier League and Non League level I wholeheartedly sit in the Non League corner when it comes to deciding which is the more enjoyable experience, despite remaining a die hard fan of a Premier League club. At a Premier League ground you see the greatest stars in the world, from a distance but you’re not part of it. You’re no longer a fan but a spectator. One of the thousands of faceless spectators at the game. Every aspect of the event is corporate and you are merely another paying customer. And a family of four may spend £200 before the day is over.

Earlier in the season Stute also featured in the Ground Hop of Limavady – Stute’s first goal in the 2-0 win (around the 14 minute mark) is one of the ones you think at the time “I wish there was a camera here!”

(Pic: Jon Maginn at the RPCNA Synod in June)

Renwick FC failed to overcome the RP Ministers XI for the second year in a row last Wednesday, with the sixth annual Jonny McCollum cup ending in a goalless draw at the Ozone. It was the third time Renwick have failed to overcome the motley crew, and means that Renwick are yet to win the cup this decade.

One year on from their famous victory, the transfers of legendary goalkeeper Lytle to FC Nantes and the loan signing of Peter Loughridge to the Scottish RPC Ministers XI had left the ministers in a weakened position. Stalwarts PMo, Aggers and Prof Bill Wilson were joined by the 2011 RTC intake (except Pual who was working on his Hebrew) and guest ministers Rev McCavery and Rev Dr McKelvey. Last year’s goal scoring hero Reuben Agnew also returned. As did Tim McCollum, another veteran of last year’s implausible victory. Due to a kit clash the Ministers turned out in the iconic Outer Fenn kits, which made their debut in the inaugural Jonny McCollum Cup. Mark complained that his number 9 shirt had been shrunk since he last pulled it on, and bizarrely, Cream Bun played the whole match wearing nothing but a skin-tight thermal top. Before kick-off Nigel led us in the traditional pre-match prayer, despite Renwick’s attempts to do away with the practice.

As a spectacle, the match was a mixed affair. Renwick started brightly and played to their strengths, with tidy passing and sharp runs off the ball. Though they threatened down the flanks several times in the opening exchanges, they were unable to provide any real fire-power in the final third, where Aggers and Mark were giving very little away. C Robert came closest for Renwick and perhaps should have at least hit the target when the ball dropped to him 12 yards out. While the Ministers were relatively untroubled in terms of clear shots at goal, they too were unable to exert much pressure on Renwick keeper J McCullough. Nathan, Nigel and Mark all had speculative efforts from corners but none troubled the keeper. As the game progressed the Minister’s organisation at set plays began to cause confusion and panic in the Renwick defence. The qatal and shalom balls in particular being executed to great effect. In contrast, Royston sent the Wellhausen ball straight into touch, right where it belongs. Cream Bun’s guided missiles also caused moments of worry in the student’s defence, and the students had B Hanna to thank for confidently dealing with many of these. With several substitutes to choose from, the Ministers’ in-game rotation policy tended to slow the game down, and perhaps disrupted Renwick’s game. Slowing the pace is a traditional tactic of the Ministers, yet perhaps the strangest incident of the first half was Joel’s warning for time wasting in the opening 10 minutes. Late in the half Ben Hanna Captain had a clear header from a corner blocked before skying the rebound, (which he apparently thought he had beaten the keeper with). But they were unable to break the deadlock, and cut a frustrated group when P Fallows slyly indicated the close of the half.

With Steelo urging on the nahars play got underway in the second half. Renwick once again threatened several times early on. Though the ministers held firm and tried to counter-attack (despite their ever decreasing pace and increasing tendency to hack the ball away), B Hanna and Spaniard R Abella were giving nothing away in their danger area. Renwick manfully persevered in trying to play the Barca way, building from the back, but they rarely made inroads to the sturdily guarded nether regions of the minsters’ defence of orthodoxy. With tension building, a few tasty tackles were handed out by both sides, and both had strong shouts for penalties waved away by referee and match sponsor Jonny McCollum. All day the students struggled to cope with playing in a man’s world and did plenty of whining about challenges. This even continued after the game when, with disgust, it was noted that one Renwick player even had scrapes down their leg! Who would have thought that in the modern era a player might carry some physical marks after a football match?

The minister’s probably had the better of the second half chances, and definitely finished the game the stronger side. An incisive pass played in Steelo with the sort of chance which he would have shinned/toe-poked/butted into the net back in his heyday, but he couldn’t latch onto it on this occasion. Phil had a quality free-kick palmed away by J McCullough, who recovered before Mark could drive it home. Cream Bun, master of hitting a ball hard in the right general direction, pinged one from 30 yards only for a slight deflection to push it off the far post and away. At the other end M Hawthorne, non-Rev P Murphy and P Aicken all had chances, but the clerics’ presuppositional defence proved too strong for the Renwick attack and we never really got to see if it was Royston or Maik in nets.

For the last five minutes, Mark went upfront for the Reverends, and B Hanna did likewise for Renwick. Mark’s presence had an instant impact and perhaps this could have been the game-changer if the ministers had made the switch earlier. With literally the last kick of the game Phil latched onto a loose ball and lobbed it beyond J McCullough. Fourteen ministers, would-be ministers, friends of ministers and brothers of ministers watched with bated breath, ready to go delirious with the victory, only to watch his effort bounce off the top corner of the woodwork. Moments later, in a moment of great poignancy, Jonny McCollum blew time on the Jonny McCollum cup. Eager to avoid further embarrassment Renwick declined the option of non-binding penalties. Emma Dunwoody, photographer extraordinaire for the afternoon, snapped the team picture.

Outstanding performers were B Hanna and P Aicken for the young lads. However the plaudits go to the Ministers, for whom the draw is as good as a victory. Aggers was outstanding as usual and pastors Mark and Andy put in great shifts also. Cream Bun and Pmo both deserve mentions for fine performances. But the man of the match accolade goes to Nathan. A tireless shift in the centre of the park involved plenty of tracking midfield runners and covering both flanks, where Renwick were particularly threatening. Credit also goes to Phil for his insight and tactical nous in his first year having over managerial duties from the exiled Peter Loughridge.

By and by the day was, in essence, another victory for the Clerics. If Renwick are like England – joyless and underachieving – the Ministers are like Man United – over achieving in recent years despite limited players.

The Jonny McCollum Cup is shelved for another year, but much to the annoyance of Renwick FC, it bears the name of the Ministers XI for the second year running.

Teams:

Minsiters XI (4-2-Peti-3): J. Loughridge – J. McCollum, N. Agnew, M. McCavery, J. Blair – A. McKelvey, N. Hawthorne, P. Baijko – P. Dunwoody, P. Moffett, S. Steele. Subs: R. Agnew, N. Wilson, T. McCollum.

Renwick (4-3-3): J. McCullough – L. Campbell, R. Abella, B. Hanna, A. McCollum – M. Hawthorne, G. Blackwell, I. Buchanan – P. Murphy, R. Cromie, P. Aicken. Subs: P. Fallows, A. Morrison, D. Lynch, P. Neilly

Photos to come when Ben gets back from Dubai!

Related posts: Battle Lines Drawn for Annual Epic

The 2012 encounter between Renwick and the Ministers looks set to be the most exciting in the six year history of the fixture. Back when Joel Loughridge, along with Philip Dunwoody, Jonny McCollum, Stephen Steele and several other would-be clerics turned out for Renwick, they thumped the RP ministers two years in a row. Hammerings were the order of the day in this fixture. The ministers couldn’t believe the fact that they held on for a draw in 2009 but 2010 saw the Revs raise their game remarkably only for their fitness to cost them the match. Then that memorable first victory arrived last year, Renwick’s greatest ever player manager, Philip Dunwoody, slotting home the winner with 3 minutes to go.

Most of the RTC class of 2011 have tasted victory in this fixture before, being part of the legendary Renwick teams and last year’s heroic men of the cloth. Loughridge said “Some of us have won this match several times before, we’re not under any pressure this year”. Another former Renwick player who will be turning out on the opposing side this year, Stephen Steele, added: “We may not have much match fitness, and we haven’t really played football for a year or more now but the odds are still fairly good for one going in off my knee.”

Professor WNS “Bill” Wilson himself added: “Those who are in goal are not the same as those who fly up the right wing”.

Ministers’ manager Dunwoody is keeping his formation, line-up, tactics and Systematic Theology Research Project a closely guarded secret this year, but he did hint that there might be a few surprises in the Ministers’ starting XI. “Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes got me thinking”, he said. Fascinating stuff. Such talk also begs the question as to whether any of Shaftesbury’s clergy will feature.

A year has passed since McCullough and Hanna became the first manager and captain to do the impossible and fail the only test that really matters. But they managed to weather that storm. One year on no win, no matter how big, can erase the painful memories. There can be no talk of revenge, only the restoration of the natural order. The Revs will simply be happy to know that last year they tasted glory. As the Saw Docs sang: “To win just once – that would be enough”. Job done.

- Woodland PCA
- Aisquith Presbyterian (283 sermons including series on Numbers, Genesis, Galatians and 2 Peter)
- At the Castle
- The Gospel Coalition
- SermonAudio (at present features a 2010 Pastors’ conference and a 2011 Reformation Conference)

Related links:
Dale Ralph Davis on the OT, Church Life and Discipline (SWS)
Dale Ralph Davis on Preaching Christ in the OT (TGC)
SWS Linkblog: Dale Ralph Davis

Nearly at Ullapool…Walker wasn’t in his car park!

Ferry excited!

Prince Wills flew past

Stornoways – as Parthee would say

Finding a random monument

Wide roads!

Trying to avoid sheep on the road to the youth hostel – they don’t seem to believe in fences!

Full Set

St Kilda next!

The list of 2012 teams is below. Application forms should be in congregations by now and there are a few applications in already!

Two series of audio lectures worth checking out are David Murray on Christian Leadership and Pastoral Ministry.

Lots of practical wisdom, as well as anecdotes from actual ministry (including why he prefers the brief, simple, down to earth prayer meetings of America to the ‘wearisome’ ones he sometimes experienced in Scotland). Particular highlights of the Pastoral Ministry one were maybe The Pastor’s Study and The Pastor’s Visiting.

He also has series on Preaching Christ from the Old Testament and Old Testament Introduction.

That imposes certain demands and pressures on us, on some more than others. For some, we face the desire to ‘do Christmas properly,’ a desire that might need to be toned down or put aside, at least for the day itself. However, for others it is the pressure of making it a real ‘family day,’ as if the family of God should take second place (Mark 3.32-35, anyone?). Such pressure will be painful, especially if many or all of the family are unconverted. But is this an opportunity to show where your priorities lie? It may be the sense of a lazy day, when you get up late and just mooch around, the temptation to minimise or even do away with the public and private exercises of worship. It may be the pressure, especially with young children, to flood the day with gifts and treats, and – even if you do seek to be in church – the forms take precedence while the substance is washed away on a tide of weariness, carelessness and greed. It may be that Christmas trumps Christ altogether, as services of worship and private devotions give way to the fact that, “It’s Christmas, after all.” Indeed, ironically, where in most years saccharine nativity scenes and pappy Christmas sermons rule, this may be the very year when some decide to give church a miss altogether.

However, if we are believers in God and followers of Christ and indwelt by the Spirit, worshippers of the Most High in all his majesty, might, and mercy, then Christmas must give way to Christ. Our attachment to the Lord Jesus must take precedence over all cultural and other pressures. Let the day be, before it is anything else, the Lord’s day. Plan and prepare around that priority, and let that which does not fit within such a framework give place. Indeed, a fairly simple solution might be to postpone or promote the occasion by one day.”

Jeremy Walker Christ or Christmas? (via Strob).

“Here we are approaching the time of year where everyone pays lip service to the central facts of the Bible’s religion, singing carols that speak of the great miracle of the incarnation and the grand purpose of redemption that focused on the birth of the God-man, the Mediator Jesus Christ. Yet how many people will forego church-going on December 25th to indulge in presents, eating and watching television? Is that the sign of a deeply religious community? In one of the great perversions of doctrine, we have succeeded in masking the truth of the incarnation by a festival of self-indulgence; the very truth being celebrated – that of a rich God who made himself poor – has been turned on its head as we worship at the altar of materialism.”

Ian D Campbell, Are we religious enough on the Isle of Lewis?

On the Christmas theme, Ian D has a good post entitled The Season to be Jolly. He begins:

“The secularists tell us that the reason we have a desire to brighten up our houses at this time of year with fancy coloured lights inside and out is nothing to do with celebrating the incarnation; it is simply a way of helping us survive the darkness of winter. We need something to lift our spirits, and what better than decorations and winter wonderland scenes to lift flagging hearts?

The problem is that it doesn’t seem to be working; the festive season, apparently, is the most likely time of year to experience depression, and the suicide rate is often much higher during December than at any other time of the year. For many people, Christmas is not merry, and the New Year not very happy.

The reasons for this are not hard to find. While most people revel in the company of family and friends, there are those who are isolated and lonely, and who keep little company of any kind over the year. They imagine the family occasions of others to be much more than they actually are, and that everyone else is much happier than they are themselves.” (read the rest)