19 December 2010

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.

Christmas Day

The Christmas Day Service at 11 am next Saturday will be a reflective Act of Worship led by Jenny Easson. As is our long-standing custom, an offering will be uplifted for Action for Children Scotland. All are warmly welcome.

Christmas Celebrations

The Christmas Tree in Marketgait, as in recent years, has been purchased in support of the “Caring Christmas Trees” run by the Bethany Christian Trust to generate funds for their pilot Care Shelter in Dundee. See card at foot of Lectern for more details and / or www.bethanychristiantrust.com.

Broughty Ferry Churches Group

Weekly Christian Aid lunches on a Friday have now ceased until Friday 14th January, when it is hoped that weather conditions will not lead to cancellations as in the last two weeks of this session!

Preaching Plans

Plans, giving details of Public Worship in the Circuit's five churches for December 2010 - February 2011 are on the glass-topped Vestibule table. Please note the following:

• The date on the cover is incorrect, ie unaltered by the printers from the last Plan
• Changes to those leading worship have recently been made as follows:
• Jan 9th in Dundee, to Charles Richmond
• Jan 16th in Arbroath, to Marcia Mackenzie
• Feb 20th in Dundee, to Rev Dr Brian Talbot (Broughty Ferry Baptist: Pulpit Exchange with Jenny Easson)
• Feb 27th in Perth, to David Cowling., and in Montrose, to Marcia Mackenzie

Flower Rota

Elaine writes:

“I would like to thank everyone on the Flower Rota for this past year and I wish you all a Happy Christmas.”

Our thanks are returned to Elaine and Tom for their commitment to the “ministry of flowers”, and also to those who, under the continuing guidance of Jean, distribute the flowers after worship, as a sign of our pastoral care.

Recommended watching this week

“The Nativity” - BBC1 - 7pm: Monday to Thursday.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Churches House Prayer Network

Prayers are invited this week for all who work in and for the House as they celebrate Christmas with family and friends.

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited for work in December in Burkina Faso. See noticeboard for more information.

• opening of the 50th Bible House in Peru, thereby creating the country's largest bookshop chain, also Read the Bible campaign encouraging Bible ownership and use;
• projects helping rehabilitation centres, poor schools and kindergartens in Chile, also translation work on the Romani Old Testament;
• fundraising, distribution to Catholics, the Agape programme and work with prisoners, displaced people and those at risk, in Colombia.

SBS Updates and News from 2010 Bible-a-Month projects:

• Kazakhstan (featured in January): the Bible Society's ministry continues to make significant progress, especially with work among poor families, particularly those affected by drug addiction issues: “recently more than 2,300 residents of children's homes in the Almaty area received their own Bible.”
• Vietnam (August): church growth continues at an amazing rate, eg one group alone added 8,000 to its members last year. A Pastor simply says “Having Bibles allows us better to reach out to new believers”, such as a 28-year old investment analyst from a Buddhist family.
• Burkina Faso (December): although life may seem uneventful - “no riots or street violence here” - interruption from power cuts does cause frustration which could be overcome by installation of an electricity generator, if extra funds were to hand.

SBS request:

“As you read, watch or listen to daily news of conflict and cataclysms, of terrorist outrages, trapped miners and tsunamis, remember that behind each situation there is a Bible Society (often directly affected) - from Congo to Chile, Iraq to Indonesia. Pray for staff seeking to respond and for those who receive God's Word of hope through such efforts.”

Prayer Points for this week

• The President of Conference's Reflection Space, Mon-Wed;
• The Chairs of the two Methodist Synods in Scotland, Revs Lily Twist and Jeremy Dare, and their families;
• those on duty rotas over Christmas, especially if known to us;
• our Circuit's worship & celebrations during Christmastide;
• residents and staff in the Manchester & Stockport District (Methodist Homes);
• The Swedish International Relief Association (SIRA) School's work among children with leaning difficulties in Bethlehem (BibleLands);
• people affected by leprosy (TLM);
• refugees on the Thailand-Burma border & the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) (Christian Aid); also also Pam Green in Chiang Mai
• Bible Society work in Burkina Faso;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Ghana, and Nigeria (WCC Ecumenical Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in the West Bromwich Circuit (Birmingham District) and Barrhead (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire Circuit).

• 12 December 2010
• 26 December 2010

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