Dundee Methodist Church

21 September 2003

We give the assurance of our thoughts and prayers to all who are unwell, awaiting or undergoing treatment, or anxious or grieving for the loss of loved ones.

Pastoral Committee

Please collect papers for Tuesday’s meeting from Jenny today.

Harvest Celebration – next Sunday

  • will use Methodist Relief & Development material on the theme “Out of Hunger – Harvest”
  • will be an all-age, participatory Act of Worship
  • will link with a “Family Harvest Faith Meal” afterwards – please bring food to share; samples of cooking from different cultures and / or ‘fair-trade’, will be especially welcome
  • will include a Traidcraft Stall and a Display, plus activities during the meal
  • will include opportunity to bring ‘Harvest Gifts’ - either fruit to share in the meal or monetary donations through MRDF envelopes distributed in advance.

Chairs

The rota for putting out the chairs for Sunday worship is now available from David E.

Ecumenical Worship

  • The monthly United Evening Services will resume next Sunday at 6.30 pm in Meadowside St Paul’s. The other congregations regularly involved are Dundee Congregational Church and the United Reformed Church.
  • Denise & Andy will be joining our friends at the Salvation Army for worship on Sunday 12th October at 10.45 am. If you wish to go with them, please meet in our porch at 10.30 am for the short walk across the road.

Use of premises

Norah reports that the NSF has now notified us of its termination of regular use of our premises, which will have an effect on our income. She is pleased to say that the Dundee Rep Community Company will be using our upstairs on Monday afternoons from now to mid–December. Please continue to commend our premises and give a warm welcome to potential user-groups when opportunity arises!

Meetings this week

Date & timeVenueDetails
Tuesday 23rd September, 7.30 pm Marketgait, downstairs Pastoral Committee
Friday 26th September, 7.30 pm Marketgait, “L” The Leprosy Mission: Swarthick Salins will give an update on “the scene at Velemegna Hospital, Bidar, South India”; all are invited.
Saturday 28th September, 10 am to 4 pm Marketgait, upstairs Circuit Pastoral Day, “WHO CARES”. Do still come, even if you have not returned an invitation! Advance notice, if possible, would help us with numbers for catering, chairs, etc.

Support other Organisations

NCH

  • September is designated as “curtains” month in our request for surplus items for use by the Cowan Grove and Families projects. See Margaret G for more details.
  • Margaret has left a copy of “Children Today Summer 2003” on the table at the top of the stairs – available for anyone to read.

EMMS International

Notice has been sent to us of 2 proposed ventures as follows:
  • 6th – 14th November : Bike Ride Mt-Carmel to Nazareth. To raise funds for the work of the Nazareth School of Nursing - jointly organized with BibleLands;
  • 20th – 28th March 2004 : Trek the Sinai Desert to raise funds for the Nazareth Hospital and the Bethany Christian Trust (working with vulnerable & homeless people in Edinburgh) – jointly organized with the Bethany Trust.
  • See posters / information from Joe Cooney – tel: 0131 313 3828; email: info@emms.org; website: www.emms.org.

Forthcoming events

Date & timeVenueDetails
Sunday 28th September, 6.30 pm Meadowside St Paul’s monthly United Evening Service
Wednesday 1st October, 10 am to 4 pm Riverside Church of Scotland, Perth Scottish Church Census Road Show, chair: Rev Jim Jones (Methodist).
The Scottish Church Census was carried out in May 2002, covering all churches in Scotland. The results have been prepared and an initial release of information given last May, with publication in book form “Turning the Tide - The Challenge Ahead”. It is important that this information is used to enable us all, as the Church, to engage with the communities we serve.
This meeting is one of a series to be held in Inverness, Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Registration is requested (fee - £20) by 15th September – see leaflet and letter on Vestibule table.
Sunday 12th October, 10.30 am Salvation Army Denise & Andy will be joining our friends at the Salvation Army for worship at 10.45 am. If you wish to go with them, please meet in our porch at 10.30 am for the short walk across the road.
Wednesday 22nd October – 2 pm to 9 pm Dundee University Chaplaincy Centre “Offering hope to the World”
‘Hope from Judaism, Christianity, Islam’ – Day Conference – booking fee £2 (evening meal at 5.30 pm in Tower pre-booked for £10). Details / booking form on noticeboard – or contact Ashley Cummins (Anglican Chaplain) at the Chaplaincy Centre - tel: 344158.
Friday 14th November St Luke’s & Queen Street Church, Broughty Ferry TLM Concert by the Fair City Singers - the Leprosy Mission.
13th – 18th April 2004 Scarborough - Southport - Torquay “Easter People 2004”.
Details / booking forms are on the Vestibule table for next year’s Event which will have the theme of “Destiny … is finding your place in God’s promises”. There is a Group Party Booking Scheme as well as provision for day visits by those in the vicinity.
NB If you wish to have a personal view, contact David or Beryl (Perth Methodist Church) who have been regular “Easter People” for a number of years.

Prayer Points for this week

  • the President & Vice-President of Conference at the Lib-Dem Party Conference in Brighton, Tuesday;
  • meetings of the Methodist Council Strategy & Resources Committee, Monday, and of the Methodist Ministers’ Pension Scheme Board & AGM, Thursday;
  • ‘pastoral care’ within and by our Circuit churches;
  • partners in Africa, especially in the Ivory Coast & Sierra Leone (Christian Aid);
  • development and use of the website of An-noor Publications in Lebanon to provide a forum for discussion of social issues (FTM Grant List);
  • Bible Society work in India;
  • The Leprosy Mission’s work in Indonesia, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela;
  • we remember fellow Methodists in the Shipley and Bingley Circuit (West Yorkshire District), and in Greenock (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire Circuit).