The most northerly church of the FIEC is Garthspool Evangelical Church in the Shetland Isles. It is situated 100 miles north of the Scottish mainland.
It was founded in 1914 as an outreach to the fishing community around Lerwick harbour and it will celebrate its centenary this autumn. Over the years it has been a centre of gospel witness on the island to locals, workers and holiday-makers alike.
Bringing Christians together
Despite smaller numbers, and in particular a lack of leading men, Garthspool is something of a hub for bringing Christians together. Its good relations with Christians around Shetland and its strategically timed 8.00pm Sunday evening service mean that the church can be a gathering point for those with an appetite for some extra Bible teaching.
Margaret Fraser, the church administrator, organises the speakers and chairmen from around the island and further afield. The bigger picture church-wise on Shetland is of a number of fellowships of various types (Brethren, UF, Baptist, Independent, etc.). Due to the scattered and rural nature of the island population these are often small and have very limited resources.
Challenges
Lerwick, with a population of 7,000 (the largest town by far), has 13 different churches. Is such a large number of small churches relative to the population sustainable or sensible for longer term gospel witness? But there is an ongoing schools’ work around the islands and the annual Shetland Youth Camp brings together over 200 young people. There is also an initiative to host some ‘9 Marks’ training later in the year.
The challenges are many but chief among them is reaching the population afresh with the gospel. This includes the many temporary workers brought to the islands by the oil and gas industry (Lerwick harbour is dominated by huge floating accommodation blocks). It is here especially that the potential for a church like Garthspool seems so strong; they are strategically placed on the main road along the harbour front, they’re committed to the gospel and, as noted, they’ve been something of a ‘rallying point’ for evangelicals over the years.
Their involvement with FIEC and links with a number of missionary workers overseas demonstrate that Garthspool is a church with a big vision for the gospel. The prayer of the Garthspool congregation is for new and committed members to take the work forward. There is also a real opportunity for the right leader, able to draw Christians together under the Word, to help revitalise the church to be a thriving centre for reaching the community around it – the reason it was founded in the first place.
