Dear Friends,

It has been truly said that the heart of any rural community consists of the school, the shop and the church. And the Island of Coll is no exception. Take away any of these three ingredients and something is lost from the heart of the community's life. The school provides education for the young people of the community. The shop provides the essential goods to sustain the life of the community. And the church is there to provide for the spiritual needs of the community.

Coll Parish Church has stood sentinel on the hill above Arinagour, a distinctive landmark seen by all who approach the village, since 1907, when the building was completed and opened for worship. Although Christian worship and witness existed on the island long before that date, we are looking forward to celebrating the centenary of the present building in 2007.

To this end, a Centenary Restoration Fund has been established and a number of fund raising activities have already taken place. It is intended to restore the back wall of the church along with the tower, re-hang the church bell so that it will ring out once again over the village, and redecorate the interior of the building. This will complete a number of improvements that have been carried out over the past few years, including the installation of new windows and oil-fired central heating.

Coll Parish Church belongs to the whole island community, not just to those who profess the Christian Faith and attend worship services. It is an important part of our island's heritage, a fine building much admired by the many visitors to the island, and worthy of being preserved and maintained in good order for handing on to future generations of islanders.

The doors of Coll Parish Church are open at all times to welcome everyone. It is a place where people can find peace of heart and mind in the quietness of God's presence - a place where worship has been regularly offered to God for almost 100 years. Let us strive to make sure that those doors will always remain open. For this reason I warmly commend to your wholehearted support this special Centenary Appeal. Every little helps and anything you can give or do to support Coll Parish Church will be gratefully appreciated.

May God's gracious presence and blessing be with you.

Yours sincerely,
Rev. George G. Cringles
Minister of Coll linked with Connel