Dundee Methodist Church

13 December 2015

Next Sunday
20 December 2015
Advent 4

11 am
All-Age Worship, led by the Rev Grahame Lockhart
6 pm
Christmas Service & Nativity Play, Salem United Reform Church

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 today

A reminder that Nick has requested that contributions to the Communion Offering be made on arrival before the start of formal worship, with dedication during the Service.

Christmas Cards

  • Janet has made a donation to Motor Neurone Scotland in lieu of sending personal cards; she expresses her Christmas greetings and best wishes to all Dundee and Methodist friends.
  • The “Christmas Card Box” is now available for posting of cards to church friends - distribution at Christmas!

Cumbria 2015 Flood Appeal

A letter from the Connexional Team invites the Methodist people to consider donations in support of the Cumbria 2015 Flood Appeal. In discussion between the Minister, Senior Church Steward and Treasurer, it has been agreed that a Retiring Offering Plate will be available in Marketgait next Sunday for such contributions.

The Chair of the Cumbria District, the Rev Richard Teal, recalls with gratitude Methodism's response in 2009 to the previous flood disaster, and says that “the devastation this time is worse than before”. He recommends that donations be channelled through the Cumbria 2015 Flood Appeal set up by the Cumbria Community Foundation.

  • Online donation, please visit their JustGiving page.
  • By text message, send FLUD15 £xx to 70070
  • Send cheques payable to: Cumbria Community Foundation and send by post to
    CCF, Dovenby Hall, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 0PN.

Please state that your donation is in response to the Methodist Church Appeal, as this will enable us to track the total raised.

Prayer from the Rev Richard Teal. for those affected by recent floods:

Creator God, we remember at this time all those whose homes and communities have been damaged by flooding in Cumbria.
In the name of Jesus we give thanks for the courage and dedication of the emergency services who have come to the help and rescue of all in need.
We celebrate the kindness of neighbours in caring for the most vulnerable.
Lastly, we ask in the power of your healing Spirit to rebuild not just the physical communities which are coping with many problems today but also to give us a sense of trust in your goodness through the kindnesses of one another, in Your Holy Name.
Amen

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.

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.

Support other Organisations

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

  • translation projects in Vietnam where there are nearly 100 minority languages and dialects;
  • access to Braille Bibles in Uganda where there are over 1 million people who are blind;
  • distribution of the 2016 “Bible-a-Month” calendars and other prayer support material.

During this year, Bible-a-Month Partners have enabled Bibles to be made available to more than 40,000 people world-wide. The focus for July was on work in Botswana where the Bakgalagari people received copies of the first version of the Scriptures in Shekgalagari with the publication of a New Testament in that language.

SBS has sent a Bible-a-Month small desk-top calendar for 2016, which will be placed in the upstairs office. The usual wall calendar has now been requested to enable a different page to be displayed on the library area noticeboard each month also, as for many years.

Thanks are conveyed to us from the SBS for all donations and prayer support by Bible-a-Month Partners.

Prayer Points for this week

  • the Conference Secretariat, the Connexional Team;
  • the Circuit's stationed and Supernumerary Ministers;
  • work on the Isle of Man (Methodist Homes);
  • Positive Living Centre, Metta Development Foundation in Burma (Christian Aid);
  • Christian Medical Fellowship convoys to remote Egyptian villages (Embrace);
  • work in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and southern Africa (The Leprosy Mission);
  • work in Tanzania (MAF);
  • Bible Society work in Colombia;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Benin, CÔte d'Ivoire, and Togo (WCC);
  • we remember fellow Methodists in the Derby Circuit (Nottingham and Derby District) and our Circuit friends based at Scott Street, Perth (Angus, Dundee and Perthshire Circuit).