NESS BANK
at the heart of the City of Inverness
Welcome to Ness Bank Parish Church, a Church of Scotland congregation.
We are a Presbyterian church and part of the Reformed tradition.
Ness Bank Church’s vision is to be a church without walls reaching out in faith to our parish and beyond with the light, the love, the hope and the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We serve Christ in many different ways at Ness Bank Church, but at the heart of all that we do week by week is our faith in Jesus Christ and central to that is our Sunday morning worship – come and see for yourself, you are assured of a warm welcome and you may just find it transforms your life.
Rev. Stuart Smith
Sunday 11 October 2026 at 11.00am.
The Service will be conducted by Mr Dugald MacPherson. Tea and coffee will be served after the service.
What's Happening ?
Donate to Ness Bank Church
It is now possible to donate to the Church directly from our website via the Ness Bank Church page on the Just Giving website. On the desktop site the "Donate" button is at the right side of the header, and on the mobile site click on the three horizontal bars at the top right of the home page to open the drop down menu with "Donate" at the bottom of the list.
Organist
We warmly welcome Louis Jones who is playing the organ today while Ian is on holiday.
Minister's Leave
Rev. Stuart Smith will be on leave from Monday 5 October until Wednesday 14 October inclusive. Mr Dugald MacPherson will lead worship on Sunday 11 October. Rev Scott McRoberts (Tel 01463 832601) will provide cover for funerals. Hospital visiting will be done by the Pastoral Care Team - contact Mrs Sheila Proudfoot, Tel. 237920.
Guild Work Party
The Work Party will meet on Wednesday 14 October at 10.30am in Room 1 and will welcome anyone wishing to join them.
Next Sunday (18 October)
The Service will be conducted by Rev Stuart Smith at 11.00am. Tea and coffee will be served after the service.
Ach an Eas
The monthly service at Ach an Eas will be held next Sunday 18 October at 3.00pm.
Ness Bank Newsletter
Items for the next Newsletter are welcome at any time, and at the latest by Sunday 18 October. Please send your articles to the editor at nessbmagazine@gmail.com, or if you prefer hard copy, hand them to Elspeth Smith, thank you.
The Leprosy Mission
The Leprosy Mission’s Inverness Area Fundraising Group is holding an Afternoon Tea on Saturday 24 October from 2.00-4.00pm at Midmills Church of Scotland (enter by garden path). Free parking at Crown School car park. Stalls include home baking, preserves, and Leprosy cards. Entry by donation.
Blythswood Praise Night
Blythswood Praise Night will take place on Saturday 24 October at 7.00pm in the Culduthel Christian Centre. Free entry with a chance to donate on the night. All welcome.
Ness Bank Leaders’ Group
The next meeting of the Leaders’ Group will be held on Wednesday 28 October at 7.30pm in Room 2.
Blythswood Boxes
Blythswood Shoe Boxes are now available in the vestibule. Please pick one up, fill it & return by 1 November. Leaflets on the boxes explain what’s required to go into them. Most boxes have a Christmas card inside, please write a wee message & pop it back in. If you don’t want to fill a box, please pop any donations into a bag and leave beside the collection point. There is also a donation box for financial contributions.
125th Anniversary of Our Church
I hope to have the limited edition prints available for pickup / delivery from either Sunday 25th October or 1st November. Geoff Thomson.
Retiring Collection – Harvest Thanksgiving
Last week’s collection raised a total of £589 for the work of Tearfund.
Highland Foodbank
The following items are requested for October:
Tins of Ham Tins of fruit Tinned meat- mince, stew etc
Juice (cartons & diluting) Milk (UHT) Washing up liquid
Crackers/Oatcakes Toiletries Carrier bag
2026 Flower Calendar
The 2026 Flower Calendar is now on the noticeboard in the vestibule. If you wish to donate flowers to the church please add your name to the date of your choice. A very big thank-you to all who donated to flowers in 2025. Anyone interested in joining our Flower Group will be most welcome. If you would like to help please telephone Finella Thomson on 01463 230155
Ness Bank Craft Group
The Crafties are taking a break on 13 October but will resume on Tuesday 20 October from 10.00am-12noon.
Inverness Foodstuff
Our drop in café at Ness Bank Church, 1 Ness Bank, Inverness IV2 4SF is open:
Summer opening hours (May to October): Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays 12 noon to 3pm.
Three-course lunch served from 1pm.
Inverness Foodstuff, in partnership with Highlife Highland, also provide lunches at Hilton Community Centre, Hilton Village, Oldtown Road, Inverness IV2 4HT on:
Wednesdays and Fridays between 12 noon and 2pm.
If you are struggling financially to buy food and would like to talk to someone please call us:
Telephone: 07552 303056
Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday: 10am to 1pm.
Baby and Toddler Group
The Group meets every Wednesday in the main hall from 9.30-11.30am during term time.
All parents and carers with children under 5 are welcome. The cost is £3.00 per family. For further information on the group, please contact Anne Sutherland tel 238238.
The Choir
Choir Practices are held every Thursday at 7.30pm in Room 1. New voices in all parts will be made most welcome.
Ness Bank has a long history of choral singing. In March 1902, it was reported that, "following the move to our new church the acoustics of the Church are exceptionally good and this tends to display the powers of the organ and choir to a great extent." The choir sings an anthem as part of the church service every second Sunday, and also on special occasions. We rehearse every Thursday in Room 1 at 7.30pm from the end of August until the June Communion and then have a break over the summer. Currently there are 14 members, spread fairly evenly across the four parts. New members are always welcome of course, so if you enjoy singing and can spare one and a half hours on a Thursday evening as well as attending church on Sunday morning, please think about coming along - you’ll be made very welcome. An ability to read music is of course an advantage, but if you have a good ear and enthusiasm to learn, you will be fine! Singing in a choir does of course have many benefits, both for physical health and mental well-being. Our rehearsals are relaxed and good-humoured, and have the added benefit of tea and cake at halftime.
For many years (42 to be precise) the choir has been under the skilled direction of Bridget Black, who has now taken well-earned retirement. I feel privileged to take over as choirmaster, and will strive to continue and advance the musical tradition of the church.
Contact Ian Livingstone on 07530 343811, or email ian.c.livingstone@btopenworld.com for further information.