Dundee Methodist Church

6 December 2015

Next Sunday
13 December 2015
Advent 3

11 am
Worship, including Holy Communion, conducted by the Rev Nick Baker
Communion Offering for Action for Children Scotland

We give the assurance of our thoughts and prayers to all who are unwell, awaiting or undergoing treatment, anxious, or grieving for the loss of loved ones.

Communion Offering next Sunday

A reminder that Nick has requested that contributions to the Communion Offing be made on arrival before the start of formal worship; they will be dedicated with the General Fund offering during the Service.

It is a long-standing custom in Dundee to allocate the December Communion Offering to Action for Children Scotland and also to uplift an offering for Action for Children Scotland during a Christmas Day Service.

The Christmas Tree

Next weekend is the time to put up and decorate the Marketgait Christmas Tree in the worship area. The tree will be assembled during Friday and all those wishing to help with decoration are invited to gather upstairs on Saturday at c 10.30am - refreshments are usually provided to fortify workers during their labours! There is laughter and conversation too, so please come and join in!

Preaching Plan

The Plan for December to February has now been distributed by email and a number of printed copies placed on the vestibule table. If you wish to receive a copy either by email or on paper, please let David Easson know.

International Bible Reading Association

IBRA devotional and study material can be ordered through Heather. Please sign the paper on the vestibule table or contact Heather direct.

The Methodist understanding of marriage

The Methodist Church is currently engaged in conversations to determine whether it is appropriate at this stage to revisit the Methodist understanding of marriage. Any further thoughts following on from the conversation during last week's Café Service, may be passed on to Andrew and Belinda Letby who, in February, are to compile a summary on the basis of all contributions in the Scotland District.

Such further input may be passed on, via the Minister, any Pastoral Visitor or Synod members, or directly to Andrew or Belinda as below. All contributions are treated as non-attributable and / or confidential.

Information on this process, relevant documents and resource material are accessible on the Scottish Methodist website. Please ask if you cannot access this yourself and wish further information.

Statements on Syria

Following the vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday to support military action against Daesh in Syria, the President and Vice-President of Conference have issued this Statement:

"The acts of intolerance and hatred carried out in the name of ISIS are wholly abhorrent.

As Methodist people we join with others across Britain and the world to pray for the victims of these ongoing terrorist acts. It is clear that measures must be taken to overcome this evil. In doing so we must remain firm to our own values.

Our Response must not be driven by anger or fear, but compassion and longing for peace.

A strategy that protects civilians is required to achieve these aims - not simply aerial bombardment.

Our understanding must be informed by listening to the voices of Syrians themselves including Christian and other minorities who have suffered greatly.

We continue to pray for all those affected by terrorism and also for our politicians as they consider how the UK might best use its influence in this situation."

(The Revd Steve Wild and Dr Jill Barber, President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference)

A Statement has also been made by the Joint Public Issues Team of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church in Great Britain, and the United Reformed Church.

Meetings this week

Date & timeVenueDetails
Tuesday 8th December 2015, 7pm Perth Methodist Church Circuit Preachers' Meeting
Friday 11th December 2015, afternoon Dundee Methodist Church Christmas Tree assembly
Saturday 12th December 2015, 10.30am Dundee Methodist Church Christmas Tree decoration; refreshments are usually provided to fortify workers during their labours! There is laughter and conversation too, so please come and join in!
Sunday 13th December 2015, 7.30pm Caird Hall Dundee Choral Union - £15, students £5, school pupils free - Saint-Saens “Christmas Oratorio”, Charpentier “Midnight Mass” and Bach “Magnificat”.

Support other Organisations

Dewhurst Cotton Reels - latest news

Beryl Cowling now advises that among the most recent tranche of reels she sent to Touchstone in Bradford were some “missing numbers”: warm thanks were received, so please keep looking!

Scottish Bible Society

Our support via the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in December for work in Colombia. Our prayerful attention this week is drawn to

  • publication of the Chinese Study Bible by the Bible Society in Taiwan;
  • distribution of Bibles to soldiers and military personnel in army units by the Ukrainian Bible Society;
  • meeting of the SBS Board on Tuesday;
  • maintenance & servicing of the Bibleworld Mobile vehicle for continuing use next year;

Prayer Points for this week

  • The President of Conference in Southampton and on the Isle of Wight next weekend;
  • Connexional Audit Committee, Wednesday;
  • worship in the Circuit's churches during Advent;
  • residents & staff in Cumbria (Methodist Homes);
  • well-baby clinics in Gaza (Embrace);
  • partnerships with other agencies (The Leprosy Mission);
  • combat against malaria (Christian Aid);
  • work in Madagascar (MAF);
  • Bible Society work in Colombia;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal (WCC);
  • we remember fellow Methodists in the Alfreton Circuit (Nottingham and Derby District) and all based at Marketgait Dundee (Angus, Dundee and Perthshire Circuit).