22 February 2015

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.

Lent and Easter Worship in Marketgait

The Worship Group agreed:

• the material for the Liturgy during Lent would be that prepared by Methodist Women in Britain (MWiB) on the theme “ The Tree of Life”; this is linked to the Easter Offering Appeal, traditionally made at this season to support the work of the church world-wide, for which envelopes will be distributed on Palm Sunday.
• the Easter Sunday Service, which will not this year include Holy Communion, would take the form of an “Easter Celebration in Hymns and Readings”. An invitation is given to everyone to bring on that day fresh daffodils to place in vases round the Church (rather than decorating a Cross as recently).

It was suggested that this would be an appropriate occasion for the dedication of the Vase to be purchased in memory of Jean McNab.

Broughty Ferry Churches Group; Lent

Methodists' support is warmly invited for any and / or all of these activities.

• Soup Lunches on Wednesdays (12.15pm to 1.30pm) to March 25th in the YMCA, Brook Street (opposite M&S), in support of Christian Aid. Soup & a filled roll, then tea or coffee will be provided, invited minimum donation of £3.
• Group meetings on Mondays (10.30am to 11.45am) and / or Tuesdays (7.30pm to 9pm) from 23rd/24th February to 23rd/24th March in St Mary's Episcopal Church, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry, using material from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland on the theme Walking and Praying with Christians the Middle East. This week's area of focus is Syria, using Biblical passages & background information, with time for shared thinking, personal reflection and prayer.

Visit of the Rev Nick Baker

Sue Marshall-Jennings and the Circuit Leadership Team are grateful for the assistance and support given during the visit by the Rev Nick Baker and his family last week. The process of purchasing a new Manse continues and the intention is to keep people as up to date on this as appropriate. Planning is also in hand for the Circuit Welcome Service in September - details to come in due course.

Preaching Plan: March - May 2015

The Plan for the next Quarter has been distributed to those on the email list. However if you have not received an expected copy, please advise David Easson: a recent computer repair removed emails and related data between 15th April 2014 and 28th January 2015, including the Plan database, and all names may not have been re-entered. There are some printed Plans on the glass vestibule table; if you wish a named copy of the Plan each quarter, also contact David.

Churches Mutual Credit Union

The CMCU has now been launched by the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church in Wales, and the Methodist Church, offering a range of savings and loan products. At this stage, within the Methodist Church, ministers, employees and trustees (i.e. Church Council members) and other members of their households are eligible to join. For more information, see the website.

Dundee Methodists and Food Banks - updates

• Our continued support for the Dundee Foodbank has again received thank from its organisers.
• Please place items in the large bucket on the upstairs landing - clean plastic bags are also welcome.
• Our thanks to Liz Kay - contact her for more information.

District Youth Weekend

This gathering for young people in Scotland Methodism is being planned for the weekend of 4th - 6th September at Dalguise, Perthshire. 2 subsidised places are available for each Circuit (offer open until Easter) and the District Advance Fund is also contributing towards the overall cost; a contribution of £25 is requested from or on behalf of each participant.

For more details contact

• Gary Williams (01413 323196)
• Hayley Gillies (01315 537877)

Please also let the Rev Mary Patterson know if you are interested so Circuit participation can be coordinated.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support via the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in February for work in the South Pacific.

Our prayerful attention this week is drawn to

• translation of the Bible, with partners WEC and SIL, into Chadian Arabic, a dialect spoken by 60% of Chadians both in the north and south;
• revision of the Romany Old Testament in Chile, also the 'Mensajeras en Acci_n' (Messengers in Action) project to provide resources and social assistance in poverty stricken areas and in hospitals:
• distribution in Cyprus of special pocket-size New Testament to those doing compulsory military service.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• the President of Conference at the Methodist Tri-Service Chaplains Conference to Wednesday, and in the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District next weekend;
• Christian and other faith communities throughout the Middle East;
• arrangements for changes in ministerial Stations;
• Fair Trade Fortnight from tomorrow (Christian Aid);
• work in Botswana, D R Congo, and Zambia (The Leprosy Mission);
• Bible Society work in the South Pacific;
• work in the Nottingham and Derby District (Methodist Homes);
• work in Kenya (MAF);
• volunteers planting olive trees in the West Bank (Embrace);
• we pray with and for the peoples of Germany and France (WCC);
• we remember fellow Methodists in Bude (Plymouth & Exeter District) and all in Granton Ecumenical Partnership (Methodist and URC) (Edinburgh & Forth Circuit).

• 15 February 2015
• 29 February 2015

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