Ujwal Rai, a pastor in the Church of North India, was with us over the weekend of the 12-14th September. He came along to the Film Night in Yetholm to see Conclave and spoke at Morebattle Kirk on Sunday morning, before people gathered in Yetholm on Sunday afternoon for a discussion. He also visited Rev Ian Clark who for many years taught in Calcutta and was there at the birth of the Church of North India.
Pastor Ujwal ministers to seven congregations in Sikkim, which is sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas. He doesn’t have a car, so relies on lifts to get him around – and walking! He is Stewardship co-ordinator and is in charge of Religious Education in the diocese, but in what little spare time he has, he enjoys fishing.
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After our linkage with Kelso Old & Sprouston parish it has been decided that whenever the month has a fifth Sunday that service will be a joint service. The first such gathering took place in Yetholm kirk on Sunday 28th October and was very well attended. It was great to see so many people - even though some of our metropolitan visitors found parking difficult in the narrow streets of Kirk Yetholm! The next such service will be on the 30th of November (at 11.00am) and will be in Kelso.

On the evening of Sunday 24th of August Cheviot Churches held a Songs of Praise on the village green in Kirk Yetholm. The photograph above shows people gathering before the event. We were blessed with pleasant weather and were joined by several visitors who were passing through the area, including a party from the USA.

On Thursday 14th August we were very pleased to host a party of pilgrims from Sweden who were walking the St Cuthbert's Way. They stayed in the church overnight. The photograph shows their pastor, along with our own minister. As you can see from the pastor's bronzed skin the weather had been sunny!

As advertised in the last edition of The Cheviot, a public meeting was held at Linton Kirk on 4th June 2025 to discuss the possibility of preparing a bid to buy Linton Church from the Church of Scotland Trustees. Linton kirk has been designated a category ‘B’ building in the current Presbytery plan and hence proposed for sale in 2025.

Approximately 30 local people registered their support for this initiative, most of whom attended on 4th June.

Rev. Colin Johnston (Cheviot Churches & Kelso Old) welcomed all who attended and explained the reason why Church of Scotland proposes to sell Linton Kirk, (see Spring Edition of the Cheviot).

Simon Oldham (Treasurer, Linton Kirk Heritage Appeal - LKHA) explained the origin of LKHA, a registered charity established in 1984 and devoted to the preservation and maintenance of Linton Kirk. LKHA has existing funds originally donated to provide a maintenance fund for Linton Kirk building. LKHA trustees are proposing to explore the possibility of purchasing Linton Kirk and maintaining it is a public asset.

Those attending the meeting were generally supportive of this bid with general recognition that Linton Kirk is an historic and special place of worship to which many local people have a close connection.
   A range of possible uses for Linton Kirk was discussed including:
1.    As a place of worship – occasional services with Cheviot Churches
2.    Weddings, baptisms and funerals
3.    Concerts
4.    Visitor attraction with information materials about the history of Linton Kirk, war memorials, gravestones, stained glass windows, Tympanum stone (the Linton Worm) etc
Linton Kirk records a 900-year birthday celebration in 2027. This date is based on earliest recorded minister of Linton Kirk in 1127 AD. Linton Kirk Heritage Appeal is hopeful that this special building can be kept as a church for public use in 2027 and into the future.
Those attending the meeting shared a wide range of ideas and advice to support this initiative.

The recorded action points of the meeting were: 
1.    Write to Church of Scotland to confirm interest in offering as a community purchase bid and to obtain a copy of title deeds.
2.    Establish email contact group to inform Linton Kirk supporters of progress with the bid.
3.    Appeal for new LKHA trustee volunteers to broaden the existing trustee group.
4.    Write to original LKHA donors to advise purchase bid plans and establish support and communication going forward.  

Anyone who wants to be added to the supporters contact list for this initiative and who hasn’t yet contacted LKHA, please contact Simon Oldham ([email protected] / 07778 772351).

On Sunday 8th Yetholm kirk was packed for the service welcoming the new Bari Gadgi and Bari Manushi - and the start of Yetholm's Festival Week. We wish Billy Zabrocki and Emma Freeland-Cook well in the year ahead as they carry out their duties as representatives of our village.

Folowing votes in Kelso Old Parish Church and Cheviot Churches on the proposed linkage, the following votes were recorded:

Cheviot Churches 
53 voted for the linkage
6 voted against
1 abstention

Kelso Old
27 voted for the linkage
1 voted against

There was a good turnout tonight for Christian Stejskal's dramatic performance The Upper Room in Yetholm kirk. Interspersed with wonderful violin solos and illuminated by Christian's enigmatic photographs, we were taken through the final few hours of the life of Jesus, as taken from various Gospels, though ending before the crucifixion. The final, whispered verse was from Mark: "A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind ..." and we, like Jesus, were left alone to face the darkness ahead.
   For those who couldn't make it a brief extract can be seen below:

Christian after the performance:

The 2025 World Day of Prayer Service was prepared by the WDP Committee of the Cook Islands with the theme based on Psalm 139:14 " I Made You Wonderful" It began with greeting Kia orana ! the phrase in the Maori language which means more than just hello. It means: May you live long and may you live well. May you shine like the sun. May you dance with the waves. Around 35 gathered In the Yetholm Kirk at 2 pm on Friday the 7th March enjoying a very lively and wonderful service raising some £165 for the charity.

We are delighted that Rita Purves' astonishing service as organist at Morebattle kirk for 75 years has featured on the BBC News website. The news item, with several photos, can be read by clicking HERE. Rita has lived in and around Morebattle for most of her life, and first took a seat at the village's church organ in 1949. She recently received a "local hero" award - given out to mark the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament - from Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP Rachael Hamilton. Rita, who started aged just 13, has now been part of thousands of services at churches in the area over the years.