Scots Kirk Paris

09/05/2026

Dear Friends,
We look forward to welcoming you for , at 11am at the Scots Kirk Paris, 17 rue Bayard.
The service will be led bt Rev Doug Gay. Doug will be preaching a sermon entitled "God is not far from you…"; our readings are Acts 17: 22-31 and John 14: 15-21.
Service will be followed by fellowship around tea/coffee and biscuits.
Blessings 🙏

25/04/2026

Dear Friends,

We look forward to welcoming you for , at 11am at the Scots Kirk Paris, 17 rue Bayard, Paris 8th.

This week, we will be saying goodbye to Alistair and Judi because yes, the end of April has come round already! On this, their last Sunday, we return to John's Gospel, the story of Thomas and the gift of the Holy Spirit and peace. What did Thomas need and what is the nature of peace? Our Bible readings are Acts 2:43 - 47 and John 20:19 - 26.

Mother Theresa said that "peace begins with a smile" - there are always plenty of those at SKP on a Sunday morning and this week will be no exception! 😊

Service will be followed by tea/coffee and biscuits.

Blessings 🙏

Bernardo Strozzi, 1620
The Incredulity of St Thomas,
Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico

18/04/2026

Dear Friends,

We look forward to welcoming you for and on morning at 11am, at the Scots Kirk Paris, 17 rue Bayard (Paris 8th). As Rev Alistair says, "we reflect on Luke's account of the and the much loved story of the disciples on the Emmaus road (Luke 24: 13-35). Their words "we had hoped" are words that surely speak to all of us at some point in our lives"

will be following by tea/coffee and biscuits.

Blessings 🙏

The Road to Emmaus (1877) by Robert Zund
St. Gallen Museum of Art, Switwerland

11/04/2026

Dear Friends,

You are welcome to join us for at 11am at the Scots Kirk Paris, 17 rue Bayard.

will be led by Rev Alistair Bennet. Here is a message from him:

"Having been twice to the Scot's Kirk in Paris with the International Presbytery, it's a delight for Judi and I to return for the month of April. It must have been encouraging for all of us to see the church well attended on Easter Sunday and to be able to welcome visitors from Canada, the USA and elsewhere. I realise that this Sunday may be quieter with the Paris marathon taking place but we look forward to seeing you all again as we celebrate the Easter Season.

We will be looking at Matthew's account of the resurrection and its timely message for today's world. You will find this at Matthew 28: 1-10.

I hope you can join us and that your journey in is not too problematic!

Best wishes

Alistair"

🙏 Blessings

The Calling of Saint Matthew, by Caravaggio (199-1600)
Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.

05/04/2026

Dear Friends,

Christ is risen!

is the high point of the year and you are warmly invited to join us for , at 11am, 17 rue Bayard - Paris, celebrating the of and the promise of new life.

The service will be led by Rev. Alistair Bennet who is currently with us with his wife Judi. Alistair was the minister of Christ Church, Warwick in Bermuda before retiring to North Berwick in Scotland.

There will be a simple bread and cheese lunch afterwards to which all are welcome. Contributions of cheese and/or fruit would be appreciated.

Wounds That Heal - by Stephen Seamands:
"Blood once dripped from thorn-crowned head,
As soldiers mocked the love they dread.
His hands were pierced, His side was torn,
But through His pain, new life was born.

The cross stood tall on Calvary's hill,
A place of death, a place of will.
He gave Himself — no one took His breath,
He chose the cross, He walked through death.

No crown of gold, no throne of pride,
But still He reigns, now glorified.
The wounds they meant to bring Him shame
Became the fire that bears His name.

He rose not with a whisper small,
But with the voice that shook the wall.
Grave clothes folded, death undone,
The Father smiled upon His Son.

And every scar upon His skin
Speaks louder than the curse of sin.
The wounds remain — not to condemn,
But to remind: He died for them."

Amen 🙏

"Christ Appearing to His Disciples After the Resurrection" by William Blake (1795)
Yale Center for British Art, Yale Art Gallery Collection, Purchased 1929

29/03/2026

Dear Friends,

You are invited to join with us for at the Scots Kirk Paris 17 Rue Bayard at 11am. We hope you will be able to be with us.

The Service will be led by Rev Gillean Maclean. A message from her:

"(...) This Sunday, Sunday and the celebration of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, closes the door on the period of and ushers in

We all know the events of that week well, at least we think we do and yet each year when I read through the passion narratives, I find something new to contemplate.

I would urge you in the days following Palm Sunday to read through the events of Holy Week and travel the road to freedom with our Saviour Jesus and his friends. Travel with them through the horror and darkness of to the light and hope of that morning.

The Iona Community’s song writing duo Graham Maule and John Bell, have written a hymn of that name. Here is the last verse;

Travelling the Road to Freedom, I am the way, I’ll take you there.
Choose to come on the journey or choose to criticise and stare.
Earth’s mesmerising evil only a trav’ler can repair.
Travelling the Road to Freedom, I am the way, I’ll take you there.

It may seem that the world has entered a darker time as we approach this Easter Day, but the hope of that first Easter shines a light through all of that to a better and brighter time ahead.

As we travel back to our home in Inverness we will take with us such good memories of our time with the people of the Scots Kirk Paris.

We will continue to remember you in our prayers in your search for a minister and as you continue to offer a wonderful Christian welcome to all those who find their way to Rue Bayard on a Sunday morning.

Blessings on your weekend and the week to follow." 🙏

The Church of Scotland seeks to inspire the people of Scotland and beyond with the Good News of Jesus Christ through worshiping and serving communities.

21/03/2026

Dear Friends,

You are invited to join with us for this Sunday 22nd March at the Scots Kirk Paris, 17 Rue Bayard at 11am.

will be led by Rev Gillean Maclean. A meesage from Gillean:

" After the service this week, you are invited to come to the Manse at 10 Rue Thimonnier for a ‘picnic’. In our many walks in some of the lovely parks that has to offer we see people sharing picnics all the time. On sunny afternoons, they gather with friends and family, sitting on the grass or around a bench chatting, enjoying the sunshine, laughing and talking and sharing a simple meal.

A picnic is something we have always enjoyed as a family and as the family grew and moved away, we would plan an annual picnic (in Scotland always with a wet weather alternative). It was a chance to come together and catch up with everyone’s news. A picnic is not a formal meal but more about time to spend together, sharing food and trading experiences.

This Sunday however we will be inside rather than in the park, but the concept is the same. It’s a chance to strengthen relationships with those we don’t know very well and a time of hospitality to catch up on news with those we do know. For us it is also a chance for us to say ‘thank you’ for the friendship and the warm welcome you have offered us both, this year and last. It has been a great pleasure for us to serve in this way in our retirement, and we look forward to being with you next week for , our fifth and final service before we return to Scotland.

If you are able, please bring along something to share, sweet or savoury and we will provide the rest. It is also a chance for you to come along and see where the ministers and locums of the have made their home while in Paris!

This week in worship we will be looking at a time of crisis in Jesus’ ministry during a sad time for him and some of his most treasured friends.

is one of the greatest gifts of and a huge part of the ministry of our international congregations across Europe and beyond. One of my favourite poets, Robert Frost, wrote about the importance of making time to spend with friends so I will close with this short poem of his:

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit. "

Blessings 🙏

Robert Frost,
Source: article "Robert Frost Biography: Life, Poems & Legacy of a Literary Icon" by Madhumitha Srinivasan, June 25, 2025
https://litfind.bookscape.com/non-fiction/arts-hobbies/robert-frost-biography-life-poems-legacy-of-a-literary-icon/

14/03/2026

Dear Friends

You are invited to join with us for this Sunday 15th March at the Scots Kirk Paris 17 Rue Bayard at 11am. The will be led by our locum Minister Rev Gillean Maclean

You are also invited to remain after the service (if you have time) for the annual congregational meeting, an important event in our SKP calendar.

The will be followed by tea/coffee and biscuits, time for fellowship!

Rev Gillean Maclean has been thinking a lot about winning and losing. "As proud Scots we were delighted at our recent Rugby wins and we enjoyed cheering on our athletes at the Winter Olympics in Italy. Now we have the Para Olympics to enjoy!

All of those taking part surely deserve a medal for their perseverance and their hard work but of course someone has to be the final winner. For every winner there are many who, in the eyes of the world, are losers.

This week in Church we will be hearing the story of a man born blind who was miraculously healed by Jesus. The other side to this miracle is that after his healing the man must adjust to no longer relying on the charity of others.

Nowadays miracles happen every day in our Hospitals and Clinics and we must give thanks for the many gifts that human ingenuity and technology has given us. But these miracles too have another side to them. The same human ingenuity that has brought us the power to heal, has also brought us the power to kill and destroy

We have been told that the most recent war in the Middle East will be quickly won and the threat to our security will soon be over. I pray that will be the case.

But I wonder if there is ever a winner in any war. One side or another will undoubtedly prevail, but the cost is so high in terms of human misery that the real winners will always be the peacemakers.

Let us hope and pray in the days to come that win or lose, all sides in this most recent conflict might learn to live in peace. I will leave you with the words of this spiritual as sung by Pete Seeger.

“I’m going to lay down my sword and shield

Down by the riverside, I ain’t gonna study war no more.”

Blessings 🙏

El Greco, (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), Christ healing the Blind.
The Metropolitan Museum, New York (USA)

01/02/2026

A new event organised by the The Caledonian Society Of France: a Conference on famous comics. Want to know more about the Broons, Beano, the Dandy... ? It will be Saturday, 14th of February at 11am, at the Scots Kirk Paris, 17 rue Bayard.
Looking forward to seeing you! 😊

REMINDER: Samedi 14 février 2026 à 11:00
DC Thomson est le plus grand éditeur de BD e Grande-Bretagne et historiquement dans le Commonwealth. Les artistes écossais qui travaillaient pour DC Thomson travaillaient également en France et c’est pourquoi des BD écossaises ont été reprises en France, comme les « comics trips » dans les journaux. Venez découvrir ou vous laisser transporter dans le monde de la BD écossaise qui a su étendre son rayonnement en France et en Europe

01/02/2026

Dear Friends,

We look forward to welcoming you for at 11am at the Scots Kirk Paris, 17 rue Bayard.
Service will be followed by tea, coffee and biscuits 🫖☕️🍪
Peace be with you🙏

On the Hills of Scotland, Winter by Charles Jones (1836–1902)
Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery.

25/01/2026

Dear Friends,

WE look forward to welcoming you for at 11am , at Scots Kirk Paris 17 rue Bayard, Paris 8th.

Rev. Ken McFayden will once again be taking our service. We thank Ken for agreeing to come out of retirement temporarily and for being such an inspiration to us.

This Sunday is also , when Scots the world over will be celebrating 's national poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). Here are a few words from him for us to ponder:

"O thou great, unknown Power! Thou Almighty God, who hast lighted up reason in my breast and blessed me with immortality! I have frequently wandered from that order and regularity necessary for the perfection of thy works, yet thou hast never left me nor forsaken me".

Wishing you all a time of friendship and fellowship at Scots Kirk Paris on Sunday. 🙏

Robert Burns (1759-1796) after Alexander Nasmyth
Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh