‘ The wise men built his house upon the rock … the rain came down and the flood came up …’.
The Rev Vittoria Hancock of St Thomas Church , Aboyne and St Kentigern , Church , Ballater writes :
As you will be aware , Ballater was badly hit by flooding on the 30th December . Almost 500 properties in the Ballater area were flooded to some extent , with further flooding since . The impact of this is immense .
In the 42 households that make up the congregation at St Kentigern ’ s , Ballater , 29 have been affected by the flooding , 20 directly with water entering part of their homes or businesses , the others because they are now hosting family or friends in their homes , or have close family affected by the flooding whom they are helping . In the St Thomas ’ congregation , more households and businesses have been affected in Aboyne and Tarland , with some of our congregational members having to be evacuated from sheltered housing and nursing homes , as well as others who have had homes flooded .
This is representative of the community as a whole . In Ballater , over 20 businesses and community facilities have been damaged . In Aboyne , the supermarket , post office , sheltered housing and care home have been affected , alongside other properties .
During the past two weeks , a song has been echoing in my head ‘ the wise men built his house upon the rock … the rain came down and the flood came up …’. The communities I am proud to serve have shown that they are truly wise , built upon firm foundations . Despite the devastation and destruction , the sadness , and the shock , the people here have worked together to serve all . In their love , support , and understanding ; in their practicality and sheer grit ; in their consideration for others – they have demonstrated what it means to be community . The council , the voluntary organisations , the emergency services , the multitude of volunteers have all been working together with this community .
Please remember us in your prayers both now and in the weeks to come .
For news of activities and events across the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church , check out the diocesan websites including :
Glasgow & Galloway www . glasgow . anglican . org
StOM Page 13