CHURCH OF SCOTLAND: OLD HIGH ST STEPHEN'S

Funeral of the Reverend Douglas Clyne, 7 January 2009

Old High Church, Inverness

Scripture Readings

from the New Revised Standard Version

Matthew 4.12-25

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

'Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,

on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

the people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death

light has dawned.'

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake- for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

John 14.1-7,25-27

Jesus said,

'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.' Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'

'I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid'.

Address: The Rev Peter W Nimmo

In more ways than one this is a homecoming for Douglas Clyne, for Douglas was born and brought up in Inverness. He was born the youngest of 4 brothers in the family home in Innes Street, very close to this building. His father was a Communist, who of course disapproved of religion, but his mother made sure that he was baptized by the local Methodist minister. Shortly after his birth the family moved to the new housing area of Hilton, in which the Episcopal congregation of St John's were very active, and he attended their Sunday School. His primary education was at the Crown School; after he came to work with us in Old High St Stephen's he joked to me once about how he had often walked past all the big posh houses in the Crown on the way to school, never thinking that one day he would visiting some of those houses as a Minister! He later attended Inverness High School, before going to work for the then County Council and studying accountancy.

In a children's talk at Old High St Stephen's Douglas once told how a simple thing had changed his life- his mother bought him a piano. He took lessons, and became a proficient musician, and music remained a great love of his throughout his life- in fact I was sitting with him and Annette just a couple of months ago listening to Handel's Messiah at the Eden Court. His musicianship led to him being appointed organist at St Mary's in Dalneigh, and his interest in and involvement with the Church grew. He had been in the Boys' Brigade in Hilton and became an officer in Dalneigh, beginning a long association with that organisation. He helped to lead Sunday School in the new Church of Scotland at Hilton, where he played the piano. Eventually all this crystallised into a conviction that he should offer himself for the Ministry of Word and Sacrament.

One of his fellow Sunday School teachers at Hilton was Annette, whom he had already known from school days, as she lived just around the corner. They were married in 1963 at Dalneigh, the beginning of a marriage which would last for over 40 years. It was shortly after their marriage that Douglas told Annette that he wanted to train for the Ministry, a revelation which was not entirely unexpected to Annette! He attended the first ever Selection School for the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Church of Scotland, and after qualifying for university began studies at Aberdeen. It was whilst living in Aberdeen that their son Tim was born. Family life was very important to Douglas, even with the pressures which parish ministry brings. Clearly Annette was a great support to him in his ministry, and his family a joy; for example, he was just delighted recently when Tim and Jane came to stay at Christmas with his beloved grandchildren Emily and Alistair.

After a Probationary Period at Mastrick, Douglas was ordained and inducted to Fraserburgh Old Parish Church on 16 May 1973, his only charge, which he would serve for 31 years. It's appropriate that we should hear about that remarkable ministry from someone who saw it at first hand, and so I would ask Allan Morrice, an elder at Fraserburgh Old, to come at speak to us now.

tribute by Mr Allan Morrice:

I first met Douglas over 30 years ago, when I became a church member. On joining the church I was given the opportunity to help with any of the Church activities or Youth organisations. I then enrolled as a BB Officer with the 1st Fraserburgh company. The late Alistair Sinclair was the captain at that time. Douglas was a great BB man, and in his youth, served as a BB Officer in Inverness, on leaving the company he received a Bible, which he greatly treasured. Douglas was a great support to Alistair as captain, and to every Officer and helper. His drive and enthusiasm encouraged everyone, and he was always there to support, help, and advise you, in anyway he could.

I have spoken of the BB, But Douglas was an inspiration to every organisation, and every activity in the church, i.e. Bible class, Sunday school, Girls Brigade, the Guides/Brownies, the Guild, Men's Fellowship, Lunch club etc, etc. Douglas had a great gift of relating to children and teenagers, and could communicate with them well. The family services were great fun, Douglas always came up with new ideas, to get across his message to them. He has this Christmas Waistcoat, which is very sparkly and flash, a bit of fun. I understand he wore it again recently, at one of the Christmas services, this past year.

As I mentioned, Douglas was always coming up with new ideas, some good, some not so good! Especially for the volunteers! But somehow he always managed to get people to volunteer to help? One Palm Sunday service, Douglas decided to have a procession with the Sunday school children, and a donkey! Entering the Church, at the beginning of the service. I was allocated the task of bringing the donkey into the Church! At the door I was struggling to keep the Donkey under control, then it was time for the procession, Robin Watt, one of the older boys from the bible class led the donkey into the Church, to be greeted by the Sunday school children lined up either side of the isle waving coloured paper to represent palm branches! On seeing this, the donkey reared up, and was threatening to take off! At that point I was frantically waving to the children to stop waving the papers, the donkey then calmed down, and the procession continued to the chancel area, and the rest of the service went without a hitch.

Answering his call to the ministry, Douglas carried out God's work endlessly, in every way, always there for anyone who needed him. A talented, gifted preacher, and with Annette by his side Fraserburgh Old Parish grew into a large and lively congregation, with one of the largest Sunday schools/Bible class, youth organisations in the Church of Scotland.

Douglas worked hard, and had a determination to carry out the Lords work to the best of his ability. His vision and enthusiasm, which inspired everyone to do their best, saw the completion of the church centre in 1993. A great asset to the church, and to the wider community. He was chaplain to the RNLI in Fraserburgh, and to the local schools, and also to the Fraserburgh Branch of the Royal British Legion, and led the service of remembrance, every year. A great leader, and organiser, Douglas led many a pilgrimage to the Holy land, and brought the Bible to life to everyone who was lucky enough to be with him. In 1994 he organised a youth pilgrimage, to the holy land. This came about after Douglas had held a meeting with the Kirk Session in 1992 with the objective of tackling the youth decline in the church, of somehow bridging the gap between bible class, and full church membership. A new youth organisation was formed, the "Covenanters" aimed at teenagers, with the object of bringing them to full church membership, and enabling them to sit at the Lords table. I volunteered to lead the group, and was greatly supported and encouraged by Douglas. The youth Pilgrimage was undertaken to help achieve this aim. There were many other trips organised to many different places, to London, Edinburgh, Youth exchange visit to Monongahela, Pittsburgh USA, and to Iona to name just a few. Douglas saw his work with the young people as very important, and really worked hard at making the church appealing to them and bringing Jesus into their lives.

His pastoral care for bereaved families was always compassionate and caring, and comforting.

Douglas was a talented musician, and loved music. He led the choir, and played the organ, and prepared all the music for the Sunday services. He also formed the hand bell ringing group.

A great people person, Douglas could speak to anyone at any level, and put them at ease. At weddings, Douglas would often read out a poem which he had written about the bride and groom, giving a unique touch to the occasion, and greatly appreciated by family and friends. At my son's wedding he even learned some Japanese phrases, no mean feat! Douglas was great at motivating people, always helping and encouraging, The Christmas bazaar, Christmas mail, Sunday school picnics, Garden Fete, social events i.e. organised walks, concerts, meals etc, were all things that Douglas would help organise, and would be there supporting everyone, in his own friendly way.

I was Douglas and Annette's elder for approximately 10 years, up to, Douglas's retirement, in 2004, and through my youth work and eldership I got to know Douglas well, and over the years, we have had many an adventure together, from Hill walking, to Sailing, Youth Events/Trips, and many more, too numerous to mention. I couldn't have wished for a better friend. Douglas was compassionate, understanding, caring, and good fun, he touched the life's of many people, Everyone who new Douglas would have their own story to tell, through his Ministry he helped so many people, in so many ways, he will be greatly missed, and fondly remembered by everyone who knew him.

Rev Peter W Nimmo:

Thank you, Allan, for that generous tribute, which give us a glimpse of what he meant to people in the local community of Fraserburgh.

Douglas retired in 2004, and he and Annette came to live in Nairn, to be closer to family. He spent some time away from Ministry as he and Annette created their lovely home and garden. But those who knew Douglas realised that it would not be long before he got involved once more, and soon he was taking services for ministers on holiday and providing pastoral care to vacant congregations. It so happened that we in Old High St Stephen's were looking for a Pastoral Assistant to work alongside me, mainly to visit the sick and housebound. Douglas had joined Inverness Presbytery and Christine Mackenzie, our Presbytery Elder, suggested I go to see him. He was happy to take on the job, and in the middle of 2006 he started work with us. Douglas fitted in very happily to our congregation- he was just what we needed. His visiting was greatly appreciated, even by the people in the big houses! There were some who could remember him growing up as a wee boy in Inverness, and he could swap memories of the town in days gone by.

In January 2007 I became ill, and was off work for a year. During that time Douglas stepped in, taking on more hours as he took on the pastoral care of the entire congregation and led our worship Sunday by Sunday. Just when he thought he had chaired his last Kirk Session meeting, Inverness Presbytery appointed him Interim Moderator. He didn't just make sure things were 'ticking over', he got involved with other things above and beyond the call of duty, such as the Highland 2007 arts programme, with concerts and artists-in-residence, and a very successful stewardship campaign. In early 2008, as I gradually returned to work, he and I very much worked as a team, and he helped to make my return, which could have been a difficult process, a positive experience for both the congregation and me. God had brought the right man the to right place at the right time, just as had happened in Fraserburgh in 1973. And so his sudden death has come as a terrible blow to us in Old High St Stephen's, as it has been to so many others.

Allan has spoken of Douglas's love of the Holy Land. Douglas conducted two pilgrimages whilst he was with us in Inverness, and had another planned in October this year, and two trips to the passion play in Oberammagau in 2010. I had promised to go with him in October, and it is a great sadness to me that if I do travel to the Holy Land it will be without my good friend Douglas. Douglas loved those holy places, with their history and the memories of Christ's ministry which they brought back. But he also loved the people of the Israel and Palestine. This year would have been the 25th year that Douglas would have visited the Holy Land; he took over 30 groups to Israel and Palestine. He also did a period of study leave in Jerusalem, and was actually at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount when Israeli troops were sent into the site, triggering the Intifada, the Palestinian uprising. Unlike many westerners he chose to stay in Israel- in fact, Annette flew out to join him. When he died news was beginning to break about the most recent conflict in the region, the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Douglas's son Tim commented to me that 'he knew injustice when he saw it', and Douglas often spoke to me about the injustices he had seen on his travels in that area. Yet he was able to make friends with Israeli and Arab, with Jew and Christian and Muslim; he respected those of other faiths just as he was respected by them also as a man of God.

In Fraserburgh, Douglas served a community in which fishing and the sea played an important role, and when he walked the shores of Lake Galilee, he must often have thought of the time when Jesus walked that same shores, and called his first followers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew, and James and John the sons of Zebedee. Like them, Douglas had heard the call, 'Follow me'; and like them he responded, and gave his life to the service of Christ and his Church. That is not an easy commitment, yet Douglas faced the challenges of his ministry with humour, energy and determination. He mostly enjoyed being a fishermen of people, because he enjoyed being with people- parishioners, family, friends, colleagues. Ours is an age in which many people struggle to make meaning for their lives: Douglas's faith provided that meaning and motivation, as it has done for so many millions before him.

Many a time, at services like this, Douglas would have read the words of Jesus about there being a place kept for us in our father's house. Now we claim that promise for him. And for those of us who are left, bereft and in shock at our loss, there is another promise, the promise of the Holy Spirit of Christ, who offers us peace like none other. For Annette and Tim and the family, my prayer is that which Christ prayed for his disciples just before his death: 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid'. Amen.