2 August 2009

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.

Rotas

Mary Foster, Senior Church Steward, would be pleased to hear from anyone willing to serve by helping count the offering, stewarding at the doors or making coffee after worship on Sundays. She is now preparing the rotas for 1st September, so please contact her promptly. Thanks are expressed on behalf of us all to those who serve on any or all of these “teams”.

Prayer Handbook

Mary Foster is ordering the 2009-10 edition; she asks those wishing to order a copy to sign the paper on the Vestibule table today or tell her as soon as possible.

Our Anniversary Celebrations

• To mark the 25th anniversary of “the march of Methodists from Ward Road to Marketgait” on 16th September 1984, the Rev Dr Malcolm Rothwell has been invited to lead worship on Sunday 13th September.
• This opportunity will also be taken to commemorate the 250th anniversary of John Wesley's first visit to Dundee in 1759.
• This may also be an appropriate occasion for Dundee Methodist to take as “Back to Church Sunday” which is commended to all churches by ACTS.

Please note the above - if you have suggestions for ways to celebrate, please contact Rev Mary Patterson, a Church Steward, or other members of the Church Council - soon!

Synod hosted by Circuit in Dundee: Saturday 19th September

The Scotland District Synod will meet in Central Baptist Church, Ward Road, and all offers of help will be gratefully received by Keith Pearson, as Senior Circuit Steward, or by 'tricia Laurie / Sue Marshall-Jennings for catering.

Stewards / Helpers are needed for

• assisting in Central Baptist Church thro' the day
• transport - parking / meeting/ “minibus shuttle”
• catering - lunch, 'coffee' before & after Synod
• possibly also at Marketgait, as a “Doors Open Day”.

Although hosting Synod is a Circuit responsibility, local Dundee folk are being particularly looked to on this occasion. As a good number of our Circuit people will be occupied in being members of Synod, this makes it all the more important to have a good response from others!

Please note the date NOW and contact Keith 'tricia or Sue to discuss how YOU can help!

Vacancy - Circuit Meeting Secretary

The Circuit Meeting is seeking a new Secretary for the year from 1 September 2009. Is this a post which you could consider filling?

As Secretary you would be a voting member of the Circuit Meeting. You would need to maintain a record of the membership of the Meeting and distribute the calling papers and other relevant documents before each meeting. Most of this can now be done electronically. You would keep minutes of each meeting. The Circuit Meeting normally meets twice yearly in March and September.

You would also be Secretary to and a member of the Circuit Leadership Team. The duties would be similar to those outlined above. The CLT meets roughly three weeks in advance of Circuit Meetings to prepare the business, but extra meetings are sometimes necessary to deal with matters which arise between Circuit Meetings.

When the Circuit has to consider whether or not to extend the invitation of a minister or a new minister is required, the CLT, augmented by a Steward from each church, acts as the Circuit Invitation Committee, so you would also be involved in that process.

Please would you consider this carefully and, if you feel that you may be able to help, contact the Superintendent Minister on 01382 223059.

Methodist Church in Fiji - urgent prayer request

“The British Methodist Church is calling on Christians to pray for the Methodist Church in Fiji following the arrests of seven Church leaders by Fiji's military government.

Earlier this week the church leaders, including the general secretary and two former presidents, were arrested and held for questioning in relation to the Church's annual Conference, scheduled in August ….. The Methodist Church is the largest faith group in Fiji and Church leaders have insisted that the Conference will take place regardless of the ban. The ministers were treated well, have now all been released on conditional bail and are required to surrender their travel documents.”

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in August for work in Brazil. See noticeboard for more information. Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• completion of Bible in contemporary Russian, due next year;
• reorganisation and construction of new office in Kiev for Bible Society work in Ukraine;
• funds for the publication of the new version of the Bible in Belarus;
• new Icelandic Bible translation to be published against background of recent economic turmoil;
• Saltire Theatre productions* next weekend on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

* 'The Hope Play' - story of Joseph; 'In The Beginning' - all-age show on creation

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• Members of the Connexional Team;
• projects in Lincoln & Grimsby District (Methodist Homes);
• projects and partners in Burkina Faso - Independence Day on Wednesday (Christian Aid);
• The Four Homes of Mercy in Bethany, the only residential Home of its kind in Gaza and the West Bank, caring for 90 people with disabilities (BibleLands);
• The Leprosy Mission's work in Bhutan, and Nepal;
• Bible Society work in Brazil;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Canada and the USA (WCC Prayer Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in Middlewich and Winsford (Chester and Stoke-on-Trent District), and in Findochty (North of Scotland Mission Circuit).

• 26 July 2009
• 9 August 2009

© 2002—2009 Dundee Methodist Church Scottish Charity number: SC037954.