Dundee Methodist Church

27 April 2014

Next Sunday
4 May 2014

10.45 am
'early singing' - Heather Dean
11 am
Worship led by Mr Keith Pearson

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.

Easter Offering Appeal

As is customary, envelopes in aid of the annual Appeal in support of the mission of the church worldwide are available. Please return them in coming weeks via the offering plate. This year's theme is “Risk the Path He Trod”, focussing on the fact that “Christian mission has always involved risk. For risk is at the heart of the Christian gospel”.

Today's preacher

We offer a warm welcome to Mr Laurent Vernet of the Edinburgh & Forth circuit, as he leads our worship today, as part of the current seeking of ways to “cross circuit boundaries” for mutual support and enrichment.

Laurent, a native of France, has lived for many years in Edinburgh, where he has been a member based in Nicolson Square. Some may recall that he has previously shared worship with us when we heard from an Edinburgh inter-faith working group about their trip to assist with the provision of houses in Kyrgyzstan through Habitat for Humanity.

“A Life More Ordinary”

ENABLE Scotland, of which the Link Club is a Special Interest Branch, has joined with Radio Scotland to produce a series of 4 programmes. Each will tell the story of an ENABLE member's life, focussing on the thread of progress for people who have a learning disability.

The broadcasts will be on Radio Scotland at 1.30pm on Thursdays, repeated the following Sunday at 6am, then available on BBC iPlayer for the next 7 days.

The series starts this Thursday (May 1st) and each lasts just under half-an-hour.

Dundee Methodists and Food Banks

We support the Dundee Foodbank by bringing in any of the suggested items from the Shopping List (on the table on the upstairs landing) and placing them in the large blue Bucket provided nearby. An explanatory slip is also available. There is also need for plastic carrier bags of suitable size; please place any spares by the Bucket. Monetary donations are also welcome. Contact Liz Kay for further information.

Meetings this week

Date & timeVenueDetails
Sunday 27th April 2014, 7pm Dundee West Church Samuel Chorus Concert; programme includes Haydn's Heiligmesse. Donations at door.
Monday 28th April 2014, 6pm Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education, 124 Blackness Road, DD1 5PE ' What's in a Metaphor? Rhetoric, poetics and meaning in pre-modern Qur'an Interpretation' lecture by Dr Shuruq Naguib, Lancaster University. The lecture is free, but registration is required - email openlectures@almcollege.org.uk.
Wednesday 30th April 2014, 10am to 11.30am Blairgowrie Methodist Church Coffee Morning
Wednesday 30th April 2014, 6.30pm Dundee Methodist Church, back room Finance and Property Committee
Wednesday 30th April 2014, 7.30pm Dundee Methodist Church, L-shaped room Church Council
Thursday 1st May 2014, 6pm Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education, 124 Blackness Road, DD1 5PE ' 'The Science and Technology of Exploration' lecture by Prof David Bradley, Abertay University. The lecture is free, but registration is required - email openlectures@almcollege.org.uk.
Friday 2nd May 2014, 12 noon to 1pm YMCA 151 Brook Street, Broughty Ferry (opposite “M&S Food”) (map) . A choice of soups is offered, with bread and cheese, followed by tea or coffee, for which a minimum donation of £2 is requested. A warm welcome is extended to all to partake of the Soup Lunch and join in the warm table fellowship throughout the autumn and spring.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support via the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in April for work in Vietnam and in May for work in South Sudan.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

  • work of the National Bible Society of Ireland and Bible Society work in Wales;
  • survivors of attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army in South Sudan, also the Scripture-based trauma healing programme;
  • More Than Gold programme planning team's work for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Forthcoming events

Date & timeVenueDetails
Saturday 10th May 2014, 10.30am (refreshments) to 4pm St Matthew's Church of Scotland, Tay Street Perth PH1 5TE “Touching Places” The Scotland Methodist District Holiness and Risk Team is arranging this event to help our thinking about
  • what makes a place special?
  • how do we develop the Church as 'a touching place'?
  • how do we explore places and spaces?
  • how do we connect to our communities through 'touching places'?

The event is free; lunch provided.
Please register by Friday 28th April if possible, via the booking form on vestibule table or forwardable online from District Office or Synod members, or contact the District Administrator, Fiona Inglis, in the Office Old Churches House, Kirk Street, Dunblane FK15 0AJ, tel: 01786 820295,e-mail: fiona@methodistchurch.plus.com.
Monday & Tuesday 16 - 17th June 2014 St John's College, Durham “Formation for the Future” Conference and Celebration run by the Methodist Study Centre in Durham. The keynote speakers at the conference are to be Prof James Dunn (Lightfoot Professor of Divinity Emeritus, Durham University), Rev Prof David Wilkinson (Principal, St John's College), and Prof Mike Higton (Chair of Common Awards in Theology, Ministry and Mission).
Booking forms and information is on the vestibule table, or contact www.dur.ac.uk/wsc.online.
Immediately following the conference there will be a Service of Thanksgiving for the life and work of the Wesley Study Centre, at 3pm in Elvet Methodist Church. The Preacher at the Thanksgiving Service will be the President of Conference, the Rev Ruth Gee.
The Centre was affected by the outcome of the “Fruitful Field” training review and Conference decisions. There will be a reception after the service to launch the new Wesley Study Centre - all welcome to join us in the Church Hall to hear more.

Prayer Points for this week

  • The Vice-President of Conference in Shetland next weekend;
  • Connexional Strategy and Resources Committee, Thursday;
  • outcomes of Scotland District's Synod decisions;
  • the worship life of our Circuit's congregations;
  • “Think and Do” Life School providing young women in rural Egypt with literacy and numeracy skills (Embrace);
  • aircraft support for World Vision and for The Leprosy Mission working in Timor Leste (former East Timor) (MAF);
  • projects, residents & staff in the Leeds District (Methodist Homes);
  • advocacy partner INESC in Brazil, Iraqi parliamentary elections on Wednesday, World Press Freedom Day on Saturday (Christian Aid);
  • programmes and their coordinators (The Leprosy Mission);
  • Bible Society work in Vietnam and in South Sudan;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia (WCC);
  • we remember Methodists in Wimborne (Southampton District) and in Kilsyth (Glasgow Circuit).