Dundee Methodist Church

19 June 2005

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 Responsibilities this week

Please note the following, which have been agreed / suggested to support Mary Patterson and her family:

  • Church Council on Wednesday to be chaired by Rev David Firth
  • Worship, including Communion, on Sunday 19th June to be conducted by the Rev Gerald Bostock
  • Pastoral concerns to be referred in the first instance to Jenny Easson (to Thurs) / Rev David Firth
  • Other Ministerial matters to be referred to Rev David Firth or consult a Church / Circuit Steward.

“Pray Without Ceasing”

This Initiative will be launched at Conference as a stimulus and encouragement to explore and develop the prayer life of the whole Methodist people. It is concerned with
  • celebrating prayer as a gift from God
  • affirming prayer that is already taking place
  • resourcing prayer by providing ideas and inspiration to help people pray in ways new to them

One strand is that, in addition to regular on-going prayer of many kinds, each District in the Connexion is asked to focus especially on one week – for the Scotland District that will be 11-18 August 2006 (way ahead next year!).

Our District Coordinator, Lorna Murray, is working with a small group of interested people who have already met once in Dunblane. A letter has been sent to each congregation asking for one named person to act as a “link” through whom news and information could be channelled.

This request will come to the Church Council on Wednesday – please consider prayerfully if YOU could be that link and contact a Member of the Church Council before then. More details after Conference (ask Sandy or Jenny who will both be there); also see website www.praywithoutceasing.org.uk

Church Council

If possible, papers should be with Moriamo for distribution in advance of Wednesday’s meeting.

Display Boards

A set of display boards has been purchased for use as appropriate - special events, commemorations, as worship aid, .... They are currently stored in the upstairs office.

G8 Create Art competition

Our City Centre colleagues at The Steeple Church are holding the above competition, generously sponsored by the Overgate. They invite participation from

  • all young people of school age to engage with the two main issues of “Africa” and “Climate Change”, by producing a piece of 2-dimensional artwork (eg painting, collage, computer-generated images, photos). Closing date for entries is Monday 27th June. See poster, also postcards on table, for details of categories prizes, etc; also www.thesteeplechurch.org.uk;
  • visitors to the public exhibition of selected entries in The Steeple and the Overgate, from Monday 4th July.

Meetings this week

Date & timeVenueDetails
Sunday 19th June, 6.30 pm Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station, Fisher Street (map) RNLI : the re-dedication for the Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station will take place to mark its 175th anniversary. The Rev Tom Robertson (former Minister at St James’) will be the Guest Preacher. Light refreshments will be served after in St James’ Parish Church Hall. All welcome.
Monday, 20th June, 7.30 pm Dundee Methodist Church, “L” Circuit Safeguarding Group
Wednesday, 22nd June, 7.30 pm Dundee Methodist Church, “L” Church Council

Support other Organisations

Royal National Institution for the Blind

A letter has received from the RNIB Community Fundraising Manager “looking for volunteers in (Marketgait) area to be part of (their) "successful Scottish Team" in providing services for people who are blind or visually impaired. Roles for volunteers include looking after “Sooty” collection boxes in various outlets, and organising ad-hoc fund-raising events.

See letter on library area noticeboard or contact Elma Magowan, RNIB, 7 Ladyburn Court, Irvine, KA11 2BH; tel 01294 215338; elma.magowan@rnib.org.uk

Make Poverty History

Wear the White Band (from Oxfam shops) to support demands for trade justice, debt cancellation, more and better aid.

Forthcoming events

Date & timeVenueDetails
Saturday 2nd July, from 11 am Edinburgh Make Poverty History rally, in connection with the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, including
  • International speakers, music, entertainment
  • ‘market stalls’, activities
  • human ‘white band’ round the city centre (12 noon / 1 pm / 2 pm)
Details on www.makepovertyhistory.org or from MRDF – phone 020 7467 5132. Download notes for Methodist Visitors, including map. (Word document 128K).
See Campaigner’s Guide (on Vestibule table) for advice.
“FACT! Even though the world’s poorest countries have already paid far more than they borrowed,they still pay over £30 million every day to the rich world in debt repayments.
Sunday 3rd July, 3 pm Dunblane Cathedral (map) Ecumenical Service, in connection with the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, organised by the Church and Society Network of ACTS. Details from Tom Moyes – phone 01786 823588

Prayer Points for this week

  • Ministerial and Diaconal Sessions of Conference, Thursday & Friday;
  • The President-designate, Rev Tom Stuckey, & Vice-President-designate, John Bell, taking office next Saturday;
  • the future of Scottish Churches House, Dunblane;
  • representatives to Conference from Scotland and Shetland;
  • Safeguarding procedures in our Circuit churches;
  • partners and projects in Sudan, especially the situation in Darfur (Christian Aid);
  • Books for Life programme providing material for ordinands and pastors (Feed The Minds);
  • The Leprosy Mission’s work in Mozambique, Southern Africa, and Zimbabwe;
  • Bible Society work in Rwanda and in Bulgaria;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast & Togo;
  • we remember fellow Methodists in the Kettering and Corby Circuit (Oxford & Leicester District), and in Anniesland (Glasgow Circuit).