Dundee Methodist Church

26 July 2015

Next Sunday
2 August 2015

11 am
Worship led by the Rev Dr Gerald Bostock

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.

Gift Aid

A considerable sum has now been paid into the church bank account in respect of Gift Aid. Many thanks go to Mary Foster for her administration of our Gift Aid and also to all who have made contributions through Sunday offerings or Standing Orders, by means of “small donations” or through the Gift Appeal which fell in the latest complete tax year. Some (a little!) of this money will be passed on to three of our Methodist Connexional Funds ie Mission in Britain, the Fund for World Mission, and Easter Offerings, as the gift-aided donations to their collections are now dealt with via the Church claim.

Circuit Ministerial and Other Cover

Until Tuesday 1st September, the Rev John Butterfield will act as Superintendent of the Circuit and any matters requiring ministerial attention or administrative action / advice should be referred to him.

Rotas

Anyone who feels able to offer assistance by joining the door steward, counting or coffee teams (even on an infrequent basis) is asked to contact Paddy McFarlane who is now preparing the lists for September - November.

Visit of the President of Conference

The Rev Steve Wild will join in leading worship with our Chair of Synod in Scott Street, Perth, at 11 am on Sunday August 16th. In the afternoon there is to be a 'Picnic with the President' at Wallacestone Methodist Church, commencing at 3.30pm (arrival and meeting-time), with an Open Air Service at 4.30 pm followed by a picnic (bring your food / food to share).
There will be public worship in Marketgait as published on the Plan, but those who wish to do so are warmly invited to attend the Service in Perth, the Picnic in Wallacestone, or both!

Worship on Sunday 9th August

The Service on Sunday 9th August is to be a “Local Arrangement”. It will be based round favourite hymns, prayers and readings. Sue Marshall-Jennings will coordinate this: please let her know “your favourites” so they can be considered for inclusion.

Preaching Plan for September - November

This is now online and will soon be circulated by email, with some printed copies also available on the vestibule table. Please let David Easson know if you wish to receive a copy regularly, either by email or in print.

Dundee Open Doors Weekend

Copies of the brochure are now available, giving details of premises open during the weekend of September 19th and 20th - Marketgait is included therein. Our premises are to be open to the public between 10am & 2pm on the Saturday and between 12 noon (ie after worship) & 2pm on the Sunday, with displays by ourselves about “who we are what we do” and (hopefully) by our User Groups, with the serving of light refreshments.

Trip to Israel 2016

The Rev Brian Talbot of Broughty Ferry Baptist Church is planning to lead a party to Israel from Tuesday 29th March to Tuesday April 5th, visiting sites in the life of Jesus and some other Bible personalities. For further details, contact Brian via phone (01382) 779364; email briantalbot@hotmail.co.uk.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

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

  • interactive Bible World experience and new youth centre for teens in Lebanon;
  • appeal to support the Faith Comes by Hearing audio programme in Ethiopia;
  • completion of the Dan (Gio), Mann and Gola Bible translations in Liberia;
  • the people of Libya living with and under persecution and violence;
  • SBS personnel who visited Rwanda last year sharing the experience with others.

Dundee Food Bank

Dundee Foodbank logo Please continue to place items in the large bucket on the upstairs landing; clean plastic bags are also welcome. Liz Kay is our link person for this.

Hot Chocolate

Please also remember the request for donations of Hot Chocolate Tubs for the Project in The Steeple Church.

Forthcoming events

Date & timeVenueDetails
Saturday 31st October 2015, 10am (registration & coffee) to 3.15pm (departure). City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, Nicolson Square “Ecumenical Opportunities for Mission”; arranged by the Church of Scotland Ecumenical Relations Committee and ACTS.
Speakers include
  • Mr Mervyn McCullagh, Executive Officer, Irish Council of Churches, - ecumenism in Ireland;
  • Dr Marcus Pound, Assistant Director, Centre for Catholic Studies, Durham University, describing a Durham case study on receptive ecumenism - a project about local churches.
The programme will also include time for reflection on local contexts and sharing of stories; a light buffet lunch will be provided.
To book or for further details, contact Ros Milne, tel: 0131 225 5722 ext: 2370.

Prayer Points for this week

  • the Rev Ken Howcroft and Mrs Gill Dascombe, the former President and Vice-President of Conference;
  • Methodist Ministers “sitting down” ('retiring from active stationed ministry') and their families;
  • the Rev John Butterfield, resuming circuit ministry after his sabbatical and as our acting Superintendent;
  • residents, staff and projects in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne District (Methodist Homes);
  • transformation in maternal healthcare in Kenya - new clinics, community health workers and extra delivery kits (Christian Aid);
  • work with full complement of staff in Chad (MAF);
  • Salaam Centre and Zabaleen volunteers in Cairo seeking to prevent domestic abuse (Embrace);
  • work in Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda (The Leprosy Mission);
  • Bible Society work in Botswana;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of The Caribbean (WCC);
  • we remember fellow Methodists in the Leicester (West) Circuit (Northampton District) and all in the St John's Ecumenical Partnership, Dumfries (Strathclyde Circuit).