Dundee Methodist Church

21 June 2015

Next Sunday
28 June 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, or anxious or grieving for the loss of loved ones.
On the occasion of her last appointment in Marketgait, we express our appreciation and best wishes to the Rev Mary Patterson, assuring her, Adrian and all her family of our thoughts and prayers for her future ministry in the Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Circuit.

General Church Meeting

Today we will use our time together for worship, necessary business, and conversation on our life as a Methodist church community based on Marketgait.

Because of the General Church Meeting, there not be a Communion in June as indicated on the Plan; therefore an offering will be uplifted today for the work of Methodist Homes - envelopes are available to enable those who are able and wish to do so, to Gift Aid donations.

Methodist Prayer Handbook 2015-16

The new edition of the Handbook, Pilgrims on a Journey will be published in August and Pam Bostock is offering to place an order for all Circuit churches.

If you wish to be included in this order or suggest someone who would wish a copy, please sign the paper on the vestibule or let Jenny Easson know by Sunday 21st June when she will forward the Dundee order to Pam.

For bulk orders, the advertised cost is

  • Single copy in ordinary print - £3.35
  • Single copy in large print - £3.35

Food Bank thanks

Dundee Foodbank has sent a certificate acknowledging donations made by and through Dundee Methodists during 2014: our gifts of 213.5 kg (over 30 stones) provided food for 27 individuals.

Dundee Foodbank logo Recent donations of 75 kg will have provided 3 days of meals for 9 persons (calculated by the weight of a standard food parcel). See certificate and letter on noticeboard.

  • Thanks go to Liz Kay for acting as our link person.
  • Please place items in the large bucket on the upstairs landing - clean plastic bags are also welcome.

Methodist Conference 2015

Conference meets this year in Southport, in Presbyteral Session from Thursday and in Representative Session from Saturday to the following Thursday lunchtime. This year Scotland's representatives include the Rev Mary Patterson, Sandy Laurie, and Sue Marshall-Jennings. We assure them of our thoughts and prayers for their travel and all that is involved in “going to and being at Conference”.

The incoming President is the Rev Steve Wild (Chair of the Cornwall District) and the incoming Vice-President, Dr Jill Barber (Chester and Stoke District); they will be formally inducted at the start of the start of the Representative Session on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday's Conference Worship includes the formalities for Entry into Full Connexion and Ordination for Presbyters and Deacons, followed by Ordination Services later that day - the Rev Gordon Hay (Strathclyde Circuit) will be ordained in Southport that afternoon.

Among the items of business presented to Conference attention is being drawn to

  • “Courage, Cost and Hope”, the Report on the Past Cases Review (Monday);
  • issues of Connexionalism (Tuesday);
  • mission and heritage activities workshops (Tuesday);
  • discussion on fossil fuels and issues of ethical investment (Thursday);
  • the induction of the next Secretary of Conference, the Rev Gareth Powell. (Thursday).

Conference can be followed on-line (saved for closed sessions) through links on the Conference website, from Saturday onwards. There are also links to twitter and general Conference news and the Agenda

Climate Change Lobby

In a statement welcoming Pope Francis's Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si - On Care for Our Common Home, addressing issues of climate change, the President and Vice-President of Conference describe the Climate Change events they attended on Wednesday, together with and supported by All We Can (MRDF).

Ken Howcroft and Gil Dascombe report that

“Some 9,000 people of all faiths took part. Among the events, we each took part in one of the two ecumenical services held in St Margaret's Church and at the Emmanuel Centre (both Westminster), which had packed congregations. People of all ages were there. It was particularly good to see pupils from the Methodist School at Kent College, Canterbury taking part. They helped carry and hold up a huge model of a broken heart. A theme of the day was Speak up - for the Love Of…” (ie for the love of people, of the planet, and the love of God we need to change our behaviour as individuals and societies).

Ken & Gil signed the Declaration of Faith Leaders about this and urge everyone to think, pray and act.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support via the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in June for work in Nepal - remembering especially the effects of the recent devastating earthquake.

Our prayerful attention this week is drawn to

  • Bible Society staff, Christians in Iraq;
  • audio recording and production of the Tay and Nung Gospels in Vietnam, literacy teaching in the north of the country;
  • exhibitions, workshops, and weekly radio broadcast by the Bible Society in Estonia;
  • Bible Society in Israel's contacts with foreign workers and refugees, also the Bible Society bookshop, Exhibition, and Media Centre.

Prayer Points for this week

  • Methodist Conference in Southport from Thursday;
  • residents and staff in East Anglia (Methodist Homes);
  • work throughout the world (MAF);
  • women mobilising against conflict in Israel and Palestine (Embrace);
  • work in Mozambique, southern Africa, and Zimbabwe (The Leprosy Mission);
  • Bible Society work in Nepal;
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay (WCC);
  • we remember fellow Methodists in Rugby and Daventry (Northampton District) and in Milton, Glasgow (Strathclyde Circuit).