Dundee Methodist Church

16 January 2011

Next Sunday
23 January 2011
Unity Octave

11 am
Worship, including the Sacrament of Holy Communion, conducted by the Rev Benson Chongo
Communion Offering for The Benevolence Fund

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.

Ministerial Pastoral Cover

The Rev Mary Patterson is not available this week. Contact Jenny (Pastoral Secretary) or Keith (Senior Circuit Steward) in case of urgent need.

Giving to the Church

David (Treasurer) and Cliff (Gift Aid Secretary) can provide details of methods of giving regularly and effectively.

Stewarding Rotas

Alan, our Senior Church Steward, requests our help in compiling rotas for stewarding and other duties from March 2011.

The rotas cover Sundays on duty for Church Stewards, Door Stewards, “volunteer” assistance with counting the offering after worship, and serving coffee after worship.

Anyone willing to join one or more of the “teams” indicated above is asked to contact Alan or any other Church Steward as soon as possible. New volunteers would be very welcome as some teams have become smaller over the past year.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: 18-25 January

Our support is warmly invited by Broughty Ferry Churches Group for their marking of the Week, through Coffee-and-Worship on Saturday in the Baptist Church premises, St Vincent Street, Broughty Ferry. Coffee will be served from 10am in the Halls, to be followed by worship in the Church at 11am.

This year's theme is “All Things in Common” with material prepared by an ecumenical group in Jerusalem adapted for local use by national bodies around the world.

Methodist participation in the Pulpit Exchange which, in past years has been arranged to coincide with the Unity Octave, will this year be on February 20th when the Rev Dr Brian Talbot (Broughty Baptist Church) will lead worship in Marketgait and Jenny Easson will lead worship there.

Café-style worship: Sunday 30/1/11

Following Thursday's Worship Group planning meeting, please note the following requests :

  • to mark Homelessness Sunday, there will again be an extra offering plate on each table for donations in support of Scottish Churches Housing Action;
  • if a favourite Bible passage comes to your mind, please bring this with you, in the version you prefer, for sharing during “table conversation”;
  • if possible, please bring a Bible which may have special meaning for you, for showing to others.

Jenni Whittle who will lead the service has made the latter two requests to fit the theme of “The Bible”.

Scottish Churches House, Dunblane

Following this week's meetings of the ACTS Members and of the ACTS Trustees, a statement has been issued by the Trustees, to the following effect:

  • regretfully, it has been decided that the present business operations of the House will cease with effect from 15th August this year;
  • enquiries and tenders are invited by Friday 8th April from organisations who might wish to lease the SCH property on a care and maintenance basis.

This continues to be a period of considerable concern and activity, for those who would wish the House to remain open on some viable basis, rather than for the property to be put on the market. Our prayerful support is invited for all working to achieve a satisfactory outcome in the current circumstances.

Holy Land Pilgrimage Tour

The Scotland Methodist District Office draws our attention to the fact that there are still 4 places on a Tour of the Holy Land led by the Rev Ken Morgan (North of Scotland Mission Circuit Superintendent), from Monday 23rd May to Thursday 2nd June. Details from Ken (01224 313940) or the Methodist Office (DistAdmin@scottishchurcheshouse.org; 01786 820295).

Haiti Earthquake: a Year on from 12.01.2010

The President and the Secretary of the Methodist Church in Haiti, Rev Paul Gesner and Marco Depestre, are to visit the UK and Ireland from February 24th to March 8th.

Please pick up one of the leaflets on the Vestibule table, indicating how £393,000 from MRDF has so far been spent. Also see www.methodistchurch.org.uk for more details.

Year of the Bible 2011

Bible Translation History: answers to last week's questions

1525: William Tyndale produced the first printed translation of the New Testament in English.

1539: The official Great Bible of 1539, intended for reading aloud in churches, re-used much of Tyndale's work.

1557: The Geneva (Calvinist) New Testament in English was published.

1560: The complete Geneva Bible was published.

1568: The official Bishops' Bible issued (in England); Geneva Bible still widely used.

1601: On 16th May, a meeting of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland took place in the Parish Church of Burntisland, Fife, attended by King James VI. It was at this meeting that the proposal to have a new translation of the Bible was first discussed.

Meetings this week

Date & timeVenueDetails
Thursday 20th January 2011, 7.30 pm Dundee Methodist Church, “B” Finance & Property Committee
Friday 21st January, 12 noon - 1 pm YMCA 151 Brook Street, Broughty Ferry (opposite “M&S Food”) (map) Broughty Ferry Churches Group Christian Aid lunch. Soup - a good selection each week - is served with bread & cheese, followed by coffee for £2, in support of this ecumenical aid, relief and development charity. The lunches last year raised over £2,000 for Christian Aid. A warm welcome is given to all to come and share food and fellowship regularly or from time to time.
Saturday 22nd January, 10 am Broughty Baptist Church, 86 St Vincent Street, Broughty Ferry Broughty Baptist Church, 86 St Vincent Street (map) Coffee-and-Worship with Broughty Ferry Churches Group to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Coffee will be served from 10am in the Halls, to be followed by worship in the Church at 11am.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited for work in January in India. See noticeboard for more information.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

  • the forthcoming presidential elections in Benin;
  • SBS Director Elaine Duncan's travels to Brazil as a mentor in a United Bible Societies programme;
  • achievement of funding for the Faith Comes by Hearing audio project in Niger;
  • celebrations of the Year of the Bible in Nigeria coinciding with the 50th anniversary of independence;
  • “Deep Impact” Scottish youth workers' conference next weekend.

Prayer Points for this week

  • the President of Conference in the Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire District next weekend;
  • Connexional Working Party, Thursday - Friday;
  • ecumenical partners and relationships, nationally and locally;
  • the Rev Benson and Mrs Christine Chongo adjusting to life and ministry in Scotland;
  • residents and staff in the Northampton District (Methodist Homes);
  • Beit El Nour's work among troubled young people in Lebanon (BibleLands);
  • The Leprosy Mission's work in China, Korea, and Laos;
  • Cross Border Malaria Initiative programme in Zambia (Christian Aid);
  • Bible Society work in India;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia (WCC Ecumenical Calendar);
  • we remember fellow Methodists in the Birmingham (Asbury) Circuit (Birmingham District) and in New Stevenston (Lanarkshire Circuit).