06 January 2008

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.

Donations to NCH

Collections during December for NCH amounted to £308.20; the money has not been sent off yet so any further contributions can still be made.

Weekly offering envelopes for 2008

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

Thanks are expressed..

to all who contributed to our marking of Advent & Christmas - through

1. participation in worship;
2. provision of decorations (with “special mention” to the Link Club for craftwork decorations and the “Happy Christmas” greeting), the Tree and the window display;
3. bringing of mince-pies & other “goodies” to eat.

Broughty Ferry Churches Group

The “Tree for Life” exhibition of decorated Christmas Trees held in December has raised over £2,500 for Cancer Relief.

The ten Trees, individually decorated by the 8 BFCG Member Churches in the Ferry and by 2 'Ferry Traders', were much appreciated by all who came to view them.

The Exhibition aimed to illustrate to the local community the working together of its different churches; it also enabled members of the BFCG Churches to get to know each other on a wider basis through the involvement of more of the churches' members, in the serving of refreshments and the stewarding each day.

Change to Preaching Plan

Please note that the service in Dundee on January 27th will be led by Jenny Easson in place of Julya Walsh. This has been agreed to enable Julya to attend an important meeting in Blairgowrie after worship that Sunday.

Coffee Money

This (normally) given to “Home” or “Overseas” Missions, to use former titles. The following information comes from 2007 Reports:

1. Mission in Britain - The following activities come under the umbrella of God's mission in Britain:
   • Evangelism training and resources
   • Planting new congregations
   • Prisons and Industrial chaplaincy
   • Chaplaincy in Further and Higher Education Institutions
   • Media relations
   • Mission in rural areas
   • Cliff College
   • Mission Alongside the Poor (& in Scotland the Scottish Churches Community Trust)
   • Grants to local churches and circuits
   • Public issues
   • Support for children's and youth work
   • Political and parliamentary affairs.
2. Fund for World Mission - The Fund for World Mission supports many programmes:
   • Mission partners after a period of training are invite to serve for periods of time by partner churches in the Caribbean, South & Central America, Africa, the Pacific, Asia, and Europe.
   • Experience Exchange Programme offers opportunities to spend 6 - 12 months sharing mission in another part of the world, learning from a new culture and experiencing the church there.
   • World Church in Britain Partnership, in association with other churches throughout the world, brings overseas Ministers to serve in 5-year Circuit appointments in Britain, with the aim of enriching the life and faith of the British Church.
   • Nationals in Mission appointments, with salaries paid by FWM, encourage and support local people in key mission projects in their own countries.
   • General Grants for World Church Partners are given to enable partner churches to fund their own priorities for the work of the Kingdom.
   • Special Projects result from grants to help fund project requests from partner churches; these may range from education projects to emergency relief and mission work.
   • Scholarship and Leadership Training (SALT) Programme funds future partner church leaders to study in a cross culture setting.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in January for work in Peru where population movement and language changes require a revision of the popular Ayacucho Quechua Bible published 21 years ago. See library area noticeboard for more details.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to:

• development of the Bible Society's work in Japan;
• completion of the revised Nepali Bible in a land where peace is much sought;
• production of a new Gospel for distribution after Bibleworld visits by children;
• preparations for Scripture distribution and promotion during the Olympic Games in China.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• Orthodox Celebrations of Christmas this week;
• The President and Vice-President of Conference at the Connexional Leadership Team New Year Service tomorrow and the CLT meeting on Tuesday;
• Stationing Matching Group meeting, Wednesday;
• District representatives to Connexional Committees;
• Montrose Church Council, Tuesday;
• projects in the Plymouth & Exeter District, the bereaved and those leaving legacies(Methodist Homes Prayer Diary);
• partners in and the people of Kyrgyzstan (Christian Aid);
• Narowal Development Programme's work with illiterate women and girls in rural Pakistan ('Feed The Minds');
• Bible Society work in Peru;
• The Leprosy Mission's work in North-east India: Assam, Bihar, Jharkand, Nagaland, West Bengal;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, and Iraq;
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Lincoln (South) Circuit (Lincoln & Grimsby District), and in Cockenzie (Edinburgh & Forth Circ

• 30 December 2007
• 13 January 2008

© 2002—2007 Dundee Methodist Church.