St Andrews Church, Auchterarder

15/06/2026

St Andrews Church is a Christian congregation of the United Free Church of Scotland.

15/06/2026

I love a good movie valediction 🎬. From Humphrey Bogart’s poignant “here’s looking at you, kid” (Casablanca), to the 🦈 dolphins’ cheeky farewell “so long, and thanks for all the fish 🐟” (Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy), or the unforgettable “I’ll be back!” from the Terminator, Arnie Schwarzenegger. My personal favourite, though, will always be the “tears in the rain” soliloquy from Blade Runner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU7Ga7qTLDU

This week at St Andrews we’re looking at a goodbye that’s a bit less Hollywood and a bit more timeless. After a lifetime of leading and serving his people, Joshua knows it is time. His parting message needs to comfort, encourage, admonish, and leave a lasting legacy.

Join us this Sunday, as we consider what he told them.

21st June, at 10:30am. St Andrews Church, High St, Auchterarder PH3 1BN; or Zoom 💻 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7209731710.

St Andrews Church is a Christian congregation of the United Free Church of Scotland.

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

How easily a misunderstanding can lead to suspicion 🤔, which can lead to enmity and then to hostility, followed by a pre-emptive strike, and eventually a bloodbath.

3000 years ago, like today, the Middle East was a volatile region, with conflicting territory claims and lots of suspicion. So when three large, powerful tribes built a huge, ostentatious altar 🗿 near the border with several other large, powerful tribes, it was immediately seen as provocative, and could easily have triggered a needless war⚠️.

But these people, for all their differences, recognised what they had in common – loyalty to the God of the Israelites. So: envoys were sent, talks began and, eventually, a resolution was agreed. Nobody died that day.

Churchill famously said that jaw-jaw is better than war-war. He was right, but he wasn’t the first to realise it. Join us this week as we look at the story of Joshua and the bloody conflict that so nearly could have been.

This Sunday, 14th June, at 10:30am. St Andrews Church, High St, Auchterarder PH3 1BN; or Zoom 💻 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7209731710.

31/05/2026

From the time of hunter gatherers, through ancient civilisations, 🏛️ to the present, sharing food 🥖together has been a fundamental human tradition, spanning cultures and epochs. Far beyond the practical consumption of calories, it cuts across social divides, building trust, cohesion and social identity. In fact, the word “companion” comes from the Latin cm panis meaning “bread sharer”.

The early Christian church ✝️ comprised members from groups that would normally barely meet, let alone eat together; they spanned fundamental boundaries of gender, race, culture and social class. Their shared communion meals painted a dramatic picture of a new way of living together: a true brotherhood of man, based on justice, love and equality. At the same time, communion was a powerful remembrance of Jesus’ death and resurrection – the liberating, sacrificial act that gave birth to this radical community.

2000 years later we still come, just as we are, to remember and to share.

Join us for communion this Sunday, 7th June, at 10:30am. St Andrews Church, High St, Auchterarder PH3 1BN; or Zoom 💻 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7209731710.

St Andrews Church is a Christian congregation of the United Free Church of Scotland.

25/05/2026

To modern readers, some of the Old Testament regulations can look somewhat bizzaire: obscure dietary restrictions 🦞, prescribed ways of (not) cutting a man’s beard 🧔‍♂️, eclectic prohibitions on certain fabric blends, and so on. Well, context is everything they say…

And underlying the details are principles that have never been improved on: the first law that applied equally to everyone; the first legal system to value human life above property; and, the Cities of Refuge 🏢 – places where someone who had killed accidentally could have sanctuary until they got a fair trial. A safeguard against a lynch mob in the heat of the moment, and a proof that justice and mercy can both be served.

This week at St Andrews we’re looking at how Cities of Refuge began, and what they teach us about God’s nature.

Join us. Sunday, 31st May, at 10:30am. St Andrews Church, High St, Auchterarder PH3 1BN; or Zoom 💻 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7209731710.

25/05/2026

18/05/2026

In our service this week at St Andrews, we meet (OK, not literally) a man who, at 85👴, could say with all confidence that he’d had a wonderful and fruitful life. Regrets? Well, he never mentioned any. And life was about to get even better! After 45 years of patient waiting ⏳and faithful living, he and his family were about to receive something long-promised.

His name was Caleb: authentic, obedient, and living life to the full. We can learn a lot from this guy!

Join us this Sunday, 24th May, at 10:30am. St Andrews Church, High St, Auchterarder PH3 1BN; or Zoom 💻 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7209731710.