Dundee Methodist Church

4 January 2009

Next Sunday: 11 January 2009

11 am
Worship led by Mr Charles Richmond

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.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Churches House Prayer Network

Our prayerful support is invited this and every week, particularly at 9 am or anytime on Wednesday.

We are asked this week especially to pray for Carol Stobie and her family as they settle into their new surroundings and work in Dunblane.

Scottish Bible Society

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

  • outreach to refugees in Austria;
  • plans for travelling Bible Exhibition in France, also DVD of Luke in sign language and a Youth Bible;
  • distribution of 1,500 Bibles in prisons in Francophone Belgium;
  • BasisBible project in Germany - a translation in electronic format, aimed at computer-users.

Scottish Bible Society News

SBS has sent news of the projects mentioned in the Prayer Calendar during 2008; our on-going prayers are invited for

  • Peru (January) where Pastor Ricardo Cayhuana is coordinating the team revising the Ayacicho Quechua Bible, working to enhance the understanding of this Andean population living in “material and spiritual deprivation”.
  • India (March) where growing industry and call centres mean better living standards for some, but many Christian families remain too poor to afford a Bible. Christians are also affected by widespread violence in certain states.
  • Egypt (August) where worker Ramez Atallah points out the importance of early introduction of Scripture to young children as “a solid foundation for their whole life”. The new Bible World Centre is now operational and planning is under way for Cairo staff to use a travelling version this month (Jan 09) to try to “meet the needs of young people beyond the capital” (building on what has been successfully done in the Netherlands).
  • South Pacific (November) where the local Bible Society is keen to distribute illustrated Scripture materials to the growing under-18 age group to encourage reading skills and “help youngsters learn of Christ's love at an early age”. Since summer, materials have been printed in Fijian, Kiribati, Samoan, Solomon Islands Pijin, Tongan, and Tuvaluan. These colourful books are generating real interest and some items have sold out.
  • China (Dec 08 / Jan 09) where
    • the new Amity Press building was opened in Nanjing, continuing production for local needs and editions for Malawi and other countries;
    • during the Olympics, special Gospels & Bibles were offered at the Beijing Village & other venues;
    • an emergency distribution was made to victims of the Sichuan Earthquake : “a priest in Chengdu sent a moving message of thanks”;
    • newly-printed Bibles are available in the language of the West Lisu people in Yunnan province.

Forthcoming events

Date & timeVenueDetails
Thursday 22nd January, 7 pm Dundee University Tower Lecture Theatre (building 1 on Campus Map) “Muslim and Christian Perspectives” - “Sharia and Biblical law” with speakers Todd Thompson (Cambridge) and Hamza Sodagar (Qum, Iran). There is no entry fee and light refreshments will be served after. See poster on noticeboard or contact John Clark for further information: email johndrummondclark@googlemail.com or mobile 'phone 07919 242847.
Saturday 24th January 11 am to 5 pm St Cuthbert's Parish Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh Come and sing 'Creation' with John Rutter, arranged under the auspices of Friends of the Music of St Giles' Cathedral as part of a fund-raising programme to support a Tour to Canada and the USA. Scores will be available for use on the day at a nominal charge of £2. For Registration Form and copy of letter, see Vestibule table.
Wednesday 4th February 7.30 pm St Paul's Cathedral, 1 High Street, Dundee >“Talking Around Paul” - The second in the series of lectures in St Paul's Cathedral; Richard Holloway will speak on “Talking around Ethics”. Admission is free and refreshments will be served after.
The series forms part of a programme for “The Year of St Paul” - see www.stpaulscathedraldundee.org or phone (01382) 224486 for more information.
Friday 24th April, 7.30 pm St Paul's Cathedral, 1 High Street, Dundee >“Talking Around Paul” - The third in the series of lectures in St Paul's Cathedral; the Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell (Bishop of Reading) will speak on “Talking around Mission”. Admission is free and refreshments will be served after.
The series forms part of a programme for “The Year of St Paul” - see www.stpaulscathedraldundee.org or phone (01382) 224486 for more information.

Prayer Points for this week

  • the President & Vice-President of Conference at the Connexional Team New Year Service, Monday;
  • Connexional Leadership Forum, Tuesday - Wednesday;
  • New Kirk Broughty Ferry Church Pantomime on Saturday and Snowman Drive next Sunday;
  • work in the Leeds District (Methodist Homes);
  • on Epiphany (Tuesday), remembering gifts (Christian Aid);
  • Development of Upper Egypt Trust (DUET), working with rural village leaders (BibleLands);
  • The Leprosy Mission's work in North East India;
  • Bible Society work in China;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran and Iraq (WCC Prayer Calendar);
  • we remember fellow Methodists in Middlesbrough and Eston (Darlington District) and in Tranent (Edinburgh & Forth Circuit).