09 December 2007

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.

Advent and Christmas Worship

Our observing of Advent / Christmas this year includes

• the customary lighting of Advent candles, with accompanying Litany, during morning worship;
• a Faith lunch after worship on the first 3 Sundays in December, during which there will be conversation together on “the trappings of Christmas”: the topic will be introduced by the host each week (this Sunday Jenny, next Sunday 'tricia & Sandy) from material produced by “Alternativity” - everyone is welcome, please bring food to share (drinks provided).

Christmas Tags

Clare Small reminds us that gifts tags are available on the Vestibule table: proceeds to Church funds.

Flower Rota

There are some vacant Sundays for 2008. If you feel you could help with this, please contact Elaine.”

“Momentum”

The Autumn / Winter edition of this Methodist magazine is on-line (www.methodistchurch.org) and has also been included with a recent “Methodist Recorder”; copies are also available now in Marketgait from the Vestibule table.

Weekly offering envelopes for 2008

"New users - please let me know you would like envelopes. Old users - please let me know if you do not wish to continue. If you can Gift Aid and have not signed a form, I have forms.”

Cliff (Envelope & Gift Aid Secretary)

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

• Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in December for work in Azerbaijan. See library area noticeboard for more details.
• Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to:
  • new opportunities in Nepal as political changes take place, also work on the New Revised Version;
  • distribution work in Bangladesh, especially after the recent cyclone disaster and 'in spite of our unstable political situation';
  • translation and checking work in Mongolia;
  • impact of the Pao Common Language New Testament and Children's Bible in Myanmar.
• News from Palestine ('calendar-a-month' April 06):
  • Our prayerful support is especially requested for the family, friends, & colleagues of Rami Ayyad, manager of the Bible Society shop in Gaza City, who was kidnapped and murdered, following earlier damage to the premises and threats to staff. We are asked to remember his pregnant wife, Pauline, and their two small children; also other Bible Society staff temporarily in the West Bank “for rest”, and the people of Gaza whom they - and Rami - sought to serve.
• Updates on 2007 'calendar-a-month' countries:
  • Armenia (January) : 10-year old Shahane appreciated her illustrated Bible - “I love to read my Bible. It annoys me when I don't understand a certain part, and then I read it over and over until I have grasped the meaning of the story.”
  • Nepal (September) : 2.8 million Scripture items were distributed in 2004-6; in March 2007 official registration was granted to the Bible Society after 3 attempts in 11 years, thus giving greater freedom for its work.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• The President and Vice-President of Conference at Cliff College Christmas Dinner, Wednesday;
• members of the ACTS Forum and of the Scottish Churches House Interim Management Group;
• Supernumerary Ministers in Scotland and their families;
• “Rudolph Scamper”, Arbroath Methodist Church, Friday;
• projects in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne District, tenants in sheltered housing (Methodist Homes Prayer Diary);
• work for “justice and new life” (Christian Aid);
• material produced by the Presbyterian Central Mission of Africa, and its use in Kenya ('Feed The Minds');
• Bible Society work in Azerbaijan;
• The Leprosy Mission's work in partnership with other agencies, churches, and governments;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal;
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Scunthorpe Circuit (Lincoln & Grimsby District), and our friends in Montrose (Angus, Dundee & Perthshire Circuit).

• 02 December 2007
• 16 December 2007

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