12 July 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.

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 date and anniversaries - if you have suggestions for appropriate ways to celebrate, please let Rev Mary Patterson, a Church Steward, or other members of the Church Council know in good time.

News from Conference

Conference has taken the following decisions -see www.methodist.org.uk

• Methodist Church will bar members from joining BNP
  • Conference has agreed that no member of the Church can also be a member of a political party whose constitution, aims or objectives promote racism.
  • This specifically includes, but is not solely limited to, the British National Party (BNP).
  • People who speak on behalf of the Methodist Church will also be barred from membership of such parties.
  • The Church will now undertake the legal work required to put this into practice and report back to the Methodist Conference in July 2010.
• Church calls on all to repent of climate change sin
  • The Methodist Church is urging Christians to repent of the sins that contribute to climate change. A report received by Conference encourages people to acknowledge their complicity in systems that exploit creation and prey on the powerless.
  • The Church also wants to empower Christians to make positive lifestyle changes, in line with the report's title “Hope in God's Future”. The report outlines plans to reduce the Church's carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050, in line with the target set by the UK Government. The Government is criticised in the report for its failure to outline how these tough targets can be achieved.
  • Bishop Michael Baroi of the Church of Bangladesh urged the British Church to prioritise this work. He said, "By 2050, two thirds of my country will go under water and about 30 million people will be displaced and have no place of their own to live on this planet Earth, if we do not deal with this issue of global warming and climate change urgently and seriously".
• Church elects new President-designate and Vice-President-designate
  • Rev Alison Tomlin has been elected President-designate of the Methodist Conference for 2010-2011, and Deacon Eunice Attwood, Vice-President-designate.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

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

• communication with young people by Bible Societies and churches in the Americas;
• staff travelling throughout the Asia-Pacific region, covering an area from Iran to Polynesia;
• recent New Testament for Tokelauans, used in their island home (north of Samoa) and in New Zealand;
• BibleWorld SBS Studios at CLAN Gathering in St Andrews to July 24th.

The Leprosy Mission Scotland

The Leprosy Mission Scotland is celebrating its 135th year in 2009 and asks for particular prayer support this year in the face of continuing and new challenges. The work of TLMS is supported by individuals in many places and through area committees based in Aberdeen, Cupar, Dundee, Forfar, Glasgow South, Edinburgh, Inverness, Penicuik, and Stirling.

For further information contact Suite 2, Earlsgate Lodge, Livilands Lane, Stirling, FK8 2BG. tel: 01786 449266; email: contactus@tlmscotland.org.uk; website: www.tlmscotland.org.uk

Prayer Points for this week

• Rev David Gamble, President of Conference, and Dr Richard Vautrey, Vice-President of Conference, as they commence their year of office;
• ecumenical relationships in Scotland through 'EMU' - conversations and cooperation between Episcopal, Methodist, and United Reformed Churches;
• 'Membership Exploration Group' meetings for the Circuit and Young People's Get-together in Dundee;
• projects and supporters in Darlington (Methodist Homes);
• lobbying of the IMF and World Bank anent global trade conditions (Christian Aid);
• The Salaam Centre for Medico-Social Relief in Cairo serving the 'Zabaleen community of rubbish-pickers' (BibleLands);
• The Leprosy Mission's work in North-east India;
• Bible Society work in Bulgaria;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama (WCC Prayer Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in Englesea Brook, Biddulph and Mow Cop (Chester and Stoke-on-Trent District), and in Aberdeen (North of Scotland Mission Circuit).

• 5 July 2009
• 19 July 2009

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