26 October The media over the weekend carried stories about the impact of the pandemic on the health, particularly the mental health, of NHS staff. Although it wasn’t specifically mentioned, it seems not unreasonable to assume that the health of care workers, teachers and other ‘key workers’ has been similarly affected – through long hours […]

We pray for families.   This week we heard from Jason Leitch, the Scottish Government Public Health Adviser that we should prepare for a digital Christmas. When we consider the pressures that families across our nation have been under with many parents losing income and possibly facing the reality of losing employment; the fact that

Church of Scotland in Dumbarton

Online Memorial Service

We will upload an online Memorial Service to our YouTube Channel on Sunday 1 November (All Saints’ Day) at around 11am

If you would like to watch it log on to https://youtu.be/tici4pHNSbY

Or search ‘Church of Scotland in Dumbarton’

24 October United Nations Day 75 years ago today the United Nations came into existence. The world was emerging from years of bitter warfare, which had also witnessed systematic genocide and cruelty. There were immediate issues about rebuilding the broken world, and establishing peace; there were longer term issues of ensuring that the ‘human rights’

  23 October Yesterday Jason Leitch said openly that Christmas this year will not be the same as we have been used to. Politicians and the media reacted vociferously. Maybe they feel they have to. But with current levels of infection, past experience of the way in which ‘spikes’ can occur, and seeing the UK

22 October At the start of the pandemic in the Spring there was a definite sense that ‘we are all in this together’. Does that sense of unity across and within the nations of Britain still exist? Is there full co-operation between the different authorities within Britain and its constituent parts? Is there party politics

21 October Trafalgar Day The anniversary of the naval battle against the combined French and Spanish navies has long been commemorated by the Royal Navy. The details may not particularly concern us now – especially as France and Spain are now allies – but it gives us a focus to think about those who serve

20 October World Statistics Day Do you ever listen to a group of politicians, ‘experts’, ‘scientists’, campaigners or the like arguing over something (Covid-19, general health, climate change, unemployment, poverty or whatever) and as your eyes glaze over with confusion, think’ “But you aren’t comparing like with like, it’s apples versus pears.” Sometimes you feel