The Living Well Project is a charity set up in 2010, with the aim of supporting isolated and vulnerable people in the community of North Aberdeen.

They offer a Befriending Service where volunteers are matched on a one-to-one basis, with an older person. They also run the Living Well Cafés which provide social support for those affected by memory loss and dementia, their families and carers. One of these Cafés is held at Ferryhill Church although is sadly not currently taking place due to Covid-19 restrictions.

As many of you may know, core funding for The Living Well Project was withdrawn from 31 March 2021. They are continuing to seek alternative sources of funding but meanwhile Linda and Jeanette have decided to embark upon a challenge to raise funds! 

The ladies, along with a team of Occupational Therapists from ARI, are planning to do a continual ‘dawn till dusk’ climb (well, 7 am till 7 pm!) up and down Brimmond Hill on Saturday 5 June and would so appreciate if you could lend your support to this worthwhile cause. 

They have set up a JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/brimmondchallenge where you can pledge money to The Living Well Project.  Alternatively, you can donate in cash or by cheque if that’s easier for you. 

For more information about the challenge and the charity itself, please visit www.thelivingwellproject.org.uk

This week is Christian Aid Week when we remember the work that Christian Aid is involved in throughout the year, giving thanks for that work and offering our support.

Pictured is Rose Katanu Jonathan whose story we will hear about on Sunday in the morning service. She says:

Because of climate change, I worry a lot about food. I pray to God that the rainfall will become normal like it used to be.

The focus for this year's Christian Aid Week is the climate crisis, recognising that it hurts us all. But people living in poverty fight the worst of it every day.

From drought to flooding, climate change robs people of control over their lives. Extreme weather means people like Rose are struggling to survive without a reliable source of water.

Your gift could help a community build an earth dam, so when the rains do come, they will have the water they need to live. A reliable source of water will help families withstand long drought or relentless rainstorms.

Every gift. Every challenge can change lives. While we would ordinarily have a special collection this Sunday for Christian Aid, this year we would ask you to support Christian Aid directly using the link below:

Together we stop this climate crisis.

Easter is going to be rather different again this year. To capture some of the excitement and fun of Easter morning, we have created packs that will be available for families to use to explore the Easter Story. These can be used at any time, but if you would like to join us with your own egg hunts on Easter morning then please join the Riverside Churches live streamed Easter Day service on Sunday 4 April at 11 a.m. when we will also be using our own pack. We can do the Easter Egg hunt together!

You can pick up the packs from the church on Wednesday 31 March at the same time that we will be having the Instant Neighbour Food dropoffs (1-2 and 7-8 p.m.) and also on Saturday 3 April between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

If you are looking to explore the Easter Story with your family or on your own, you can do so during this week while taking a stroll around Duthie Park. Rev Julia Pizzuto-Pomaco at South Holburn Parish Church has created an Easter Story Painted Stone Hunt for you.

You can find instructions to follow here: Download Guide.

If you would also like to add your own decorated stones you are welcome to do so. You could take a picture of it and send to Julia at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or add to the church's Facebook page.

Today (Friday 5 March) marks the World Day of Prayer and this year will be different from any we have ever known. All over the world, people will be worshipping as usual but in unusual ways.

This year's service comes from the Christian women of Vanuatu - a group of 82 islands (65 inhabited) in the South Pacific Ocean - on the theme of 'Build a strong foundation'.

We share with you the recorded service here - 

Are you missing a craft project?

We are looking for daffodils: knitted, crocheted or felt, however you would like to make them, preferably with stalks. This is a project for Easter, looking forward to brighter days and happier times. You can find many patterns on the Internet by googling ‘daffodil patterns’; here are some examples:

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/downloads.ashx?Token=bbbdc243-5cfc-4316-ad97-885b84478c91 

https://moaracrochet.com/crochet-flowers-2/

http://www.makermagpie.com/blog/2015/3/26/daffodil-sewing-pattern

The church is open on Wednesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. or 7 to 8 p.m. if you wish to pick up a printed copy of these patterns, and if you have some ready, you can drop off your flowers at these times too. If you have empty jam jars, stand your daffodils in bunches, if not, add them to the jars available at the church. Extra empty jars would be very welcome.

Happy crafting!

While the work in the church is completed we will again join with South Holburn for our Sunday fellowship on 7th February at 1 p.m. The Zoom details are as follows:-

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88606167910?pwd=MnMwbVFTWk5FYXgzWTlTbjlkQ1pBUT09

Meeting ID: 886 0616 7910, and password: 264769

Alternatively you can call 0131 460 1196 to dial in to the conversation (you will need a note of the meeting ID and password above).

If you would like to participate in the virtual choir that is preparing a number of Christmas songs and carols, please check this post on Peter's Blog for lots more information.

Last year over 10,000 gifts were distributed to children and young people in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire through the Giving Tree to families unable to buy Christmas presents for their children. Due to the devastating effect of Covid-19 it is anticipated that this year there will be a greater need in the area.

Ferryhill Parish Church is supporting the 30th annual Giving Tree present appeal and gift tags will be available for selection on Wednesdays when the Church is open for Instant Neighbour food donations between 1-2pm and 7-8pm. Gifts should be purchased and then returned to the church on any Wednesday during the above times before Friday 4 December.

Further information can be found at http://www.instantneighbour.co.uk/giving-tree-appeal including gift suggestions. Gifts should not be wrapped but can be placed in a gift bag. All gifts must be new and have their gift tag securely attached so that the age and gender or specific child they are for is clearly identifiable.

Let’s bring the joy of Christmas into these strange times!

What a fantastic response from so many of you! Thank you for your generosity to our Riverside Churches Harvest 1,000 Can Appeal. We have now had more than 2,000 cans and jars donated as part of this appeal throughout October. These donations are greatly appreciated by Instant Neighbour's Foodbank and will make a real different to people over the months to come. £125 of financial donation has been spent on more cans, and there is a remaining £250 that has also been donated to assist Instant Neighbour.

Thanks again everyone who participated!

Note that we will continue to have the church open on Wednesdays at Ferryhill Parish Church (1-2 p.m. and 7-8 p.m.) ongoing into the winter for continuing donations to the foodbank.

As the Scottish Government moves us through the different phases of response to the pandemic, churches have the opportunity to reopen sanctuaries for public worship. We are working though the processes required in terms of risk assessments to reopen the sanctuary and now we are seeking some feedback from you on how we can best bring worship to you over the next months.
There are many things to consider as we put into effect physical distancing, hygiene and cleaning, and safety requirements as part of an ongoing Covid-19 Risk Assessment checklist. All of this means that public worship services at Ferryhill Church, when we do go ahead, will look and feel very different to what we’re all used to.
Over the next few months we intend to continue our online worship with a livestreamed 11 a.m. service each Sunday. However we are also considering opening the church, and are seeking some input from you on the form of the worship that we offer.
Clicking on this link will take you to a survey which asks a few questions about your thoughts and preferences for worship at the current time. This will help with our planning for the next few months.

*UPDATE* - the survey has now closed, thank you for your participation.