7 June 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.

Methodist Emergency Appeal for Sri Lanka

As intimated last week there will be a Retiring Offering for the Methodist Church Sri Lanka Appeal - if you are unprepared for it this week, the plate will be available next week as well.

The Fund for World Mission in assisting partner churches in Sri Lanka, where an official announcement of the end of almost 30 years of civil war has recently been made.

The Methodist Church in GB has sent £35,000 to local churches to assist with the ever-growing humanitarian crisis: the demand continues to grow.

Donations may be made to The Fundraising Coordinator, FWM, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR, quoting ref. SR59. See also www.justgiving.com/mcfworldmission.

There is information from www.methodist.org.uk on display in Marketgait today.

Circuit Preaching Plans for June-August

Now on the Vestibule table; please take / distribute as appropriate.

General Church Meeting - Preparation!

Please note that this year's General Church Meeting will take place in the context of worship on Sunday 21st June. Rev Mary Patterson has requested that we have an advance read through of the follow-up Paper from the Circuit Day on 25th April. The Paper, which is for consideration by all the Circuit's congregations, has the title 'Taking forward Circuit Thinking Day', and copies are available today; please take one home to read prayerfully. If you wish to receive a copy electronically, please let Mary or the Eassons know.

Suggestion for Series of 'Small Group' meetings

Are you interested in joining a new weekly small group for Bible study, prayer and worship? If so please contact Tom or Jenny. Tom is taking up a suggestion made at the Circuit Meeting about our creating opportunities to talk more informally than when we meet for worship or business meetings. This would give us all a way to get to know each other better, as well as helping us grow our faith.

'Talking of the Trinity': A New Publication from ACTS

This booklet has been prepared by the ACTS Faith Study Network and can be ordered (at £2.50 each plus P+P) from Tom Moyes at ACTS, Inglewood House. Alloa FK10 2HU; tel 01259 216980; to download, see http://www.acts-scotland.org/images/publications/trinitypublicationweb.pdf.

Church Membership Conversation

Rev Mary Patterson has arranged a series of evenings for conversation and exploration about Church Membership in Methodism on Thursdays 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th July. Anyone interested in becoming a Member or in refreshing their understanding of Membership is asked to contact Mary so that a venue and time can be agreed.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in June for work in Tanzania, especially in the north-west area of Kagera, which has been badly hit by AIDS / HIV. See library area noticeboard for more information. Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• special events during 'Year of the Bible' in Hungary, also continuing work on revision of 1990 Protestant translation of the Bible;
• development of regional depots in Timisoara & Cluj-Napoca, Romania, for distribution of material in increasingly varied formats;
• new illustrated Bible and work on 3 more youth titles in Serbia and Montenegro, also launch of the Four Gospels in Romani.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• The President & Vice-President of Conference at the Irish Conference to Tuesday;
• United Free Church of Scotland General Assembly, Perth;
• Scottish Episcopal Church General Synod, Edinburgh;
• Scotland District representatives preparing for Conference in Wolverhampton in July;
• Montrose General Church Meeting this morning;
• Perth Church Council, tomorrow;
• projects and supporters in Wales (Methodist Homes);
• communities in the Caribbean and Central America regularly hit by Atlantic hurricanes (Christian Aid);
• Bible Society work in Tanzania;
• Cedar Home in Beirut, providing for 30 resident girls and education costs of 30 more (BibleLands);
• The Leprosy Mission's leaders and members of decision-making structures;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Angola and Mozambique (WCC Prayer Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in Stoke-on-Trent circuits (Chester and Stoke-on-Trent District), and in Castlehill & Wishaw (Lanarkshire Circuit).

• 31 May 2009
• 14 June 2009

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