13 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.

Unity Octave: 18th - 25th January

This year marks the Centenary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: in 1908 an American Minister, Paul Wattson, began the tradition of prayer for Christian Unity over the course of 8 days, from 18th - 25th January. The 2008 resources for worship originate in the United States, and are adapted and published here for CTBI.

We are reminded of the strength of prayer not only with brothers and sisters across the world, but of the prayers of all Christians over the past century.

Photo Coffee Morning - telling our story

Following a decision of the Church Council, a Coffee Morning is to be held on Saturday 26th January from 10.30 am to 12 noon to give an opportunity of compiling a record of the Dundee Methodist story, through photographs of events and people, past and recent. Avril has offered to coordinate this process and will bring the albums she has purchased and begun to fill. A warm invitation is given to EVERYONE to come - bring photographs (any size!), either to be placed in an album if you wish or just for others to look at and talk about. Volunteer help with setting out tables, making & serving of coffee would be welcome - please let Avril know if you can help with this.

Service & Mission résumé

On Wednesday evening, members discussed

• arrangements for the visit of Andree Ryan on Sunday 13th April to share her experience as an ecumenical Accompanist in Palestine, during worship and at a Faith Lunch after;
• Easter Offerings Appeal - envelopes to be handed out on Palm Sunday 16th March;
• request for new JMA collectors (and subscribers!) - ask Ian (JMA Secretary);
• brief financial reports on World Church and Home Missions funds;
• we now have a Circuit's Methodist Homes contact person - MH Sunday will be 8th June;
• chaplaincy work - David Firth gave an update;
• the sum of £1229.02 raised through Traidcraft sales in / through Marketgait - warm thanks are expressed to Margaret & Ian and (young!) assistants for this;
• ecumenical contacts including the City Centre Churches and Broughty Ferry Churches Group;
• support for NCH during the Christmas season - warm thanks expressed for donations.

Scottish Churches House

An Appeal to secure the viable future of the House, based on the Business Plan presented by the Interim Management Group to the ACTS Forum, is to be launched on January 16th - details available then.

Broughty Ferry Churches Group News

• The weekly Hunger Lunches for Christian Aid are resuming after the Christmas break; a warm welcome (and choice of soups!) can be found on Friday lunchtimes between 12 noon and 1 pm in the YMCA, Brook Street, Broughty Ferry.
• The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (see below) will be marked by “Coffee and Worship” next Saturday in the Baptist premises, St Vincent Street. Coffee will be served in the halls from 10 am, followed by an Ecumenical Act of Worship led by participants from member churches in the church at 11 am. All are welcome.
• The Pulpit Exchange, which in the past has usually taken place on the Sunday of the Week of Prayer / Unity Octave, will this year be on Trinity Sunday, 18th May.

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. See library area noticeboard.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to:

• those affected by the November cyclone in Bangladesh and those supporting the victims;
• SBS-funded project, Unlock Glasgow, to encourage non-readers to engage with the Bible, and its development for other communities;
• completion of 4 translation projects in Myanmar and continuing work on 19 others;
• completion and use of the Yapese Bible and Chamorro New Testament in Micronesia.

Prayer Points for this week

• The President of Conference visiting the Methodist Church in Italy to Wednesday; with the Vice-President in the Lincoln & Grimsby District next weekend;
• Connexional Strategy & Resources Committee, Tuesday;
• arrangements for resourcing training and mission work in Scotland from September;
• the worship life of the Circuit's congregations;
• projects in the Sheffield District, 'Live at Home' schemes and their communities (Methodist Homes Prayer Diary);
• 'Hope Rising' Festival, challenging climate change, in Exeter Cathedral, next Saturday (Christian Aid);
• Volta Physically Independent Group's work with disabled people in central Ghana ('Feed The Minds');
• Bible Society work in Peru;
• The Leprosy Mission's promotional work in Europe;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey;
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Lincoln (North) Circuit (Lincoln & Grimsby District), and in Dunbar (Edinburgh & Forth Circuit).

• 06 January 2008
• 20 January 2008

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