3 July 2016

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.

Children in worship

On Sundays in July and August children may use the table at the rear of the worship area; material will be supplied for quiet activities. There will be no rota of adults to oversee children at the table or provide activities downstairs. Adults who bring children will be responsible for them throughout worship; if they wish, they may use the chairs at the head of the stairs for “quiet story telling”.

Methodist Homes

Envelopes are still available on the vestibule table for donations; please return via the offering plate in coming weeks.

Prayer Handbook 2016-17: orders

The new Prayer Handbook, “Freedoms to Share”, will be published on 1st August and Pam Bostock has again offered to place a bulk Circuit order. Standard print copies are priced £3.50, large print are £3.95 (P&P free for more than 10 copies). Please sign the sheet on the vestibule table or let Jenny Easson know by 10th July if you wish to order a copy.

Scotland District Prayer Diary

As part of a proposal to expand and develop the District Prayer List with a general “One Mission” focus, Jill Baker (Glasgow, District “One Mission” rep to the Connexion) has sent a request for prayer material for possible inclusion in an expanded Diary. This material might relate to local church activities, mission / outreach, overseas links, etc, possibly with photographs. Deadline - Sunday 31st July.

Part time job for 16 -23 year old with YMCA in Edinburgh

See the advert for details. Closing date is 13th July 2016.

Appointment of part-time presbyter in Circuit

Following proposals and discussions in the District and Circuit, the Connexion has agreed to fund a 5-year post from 1st September 2017; in addition to part-time duties as a Presbyter in this Circuit, the postholder will work with fellowship groups and Methodists in the District distant from a Methodist society.

Our Circuit Invitation Committee now requires to draw up a profile for agreement by the September Circuit Meeting and use in the Stationing process for 2017.

It is important that the 5 congregations in the Circuit are all involved in the thinking underpinning the profile, so all members are invited to comment, during July, on the following aspects, in particular:

• expectations about the Presbyter's “Circuit role” in areas such as
  • pastoral charge,
  • preaching,
  • in-put / effect of experience from their other area of responsibility
• relationship with the Superintendent and other office-holders in the Circuit
• manse provision
• balance between being “prescriptive” and “flexible”

The Circuit Invitation Committee will be meeting, in due course, with Church Stewards to consider the views of the Circuit's people on these and possibly other Circuit-related aspects of this appointment.

Dundee Church Stewards plan to meet later in July to consider this (and also General Church Meeting items); our representatives to the Circuit Meeting (Lorna & 'tricia) and other members of the Circuit Meeting similarly have an interest in hearing comments.

Printed copies of an extract from the Rev Nick Baker's letter to the Stewards are available on the vestibule table with information / suggestions on the various aspects to be considered; contact Jenny Easson for an electronic version.

The letter concludes

“Finally, I ask for your prayers at this time.

I encourage you to reflect together and pray about the next steps.

In a period of uncertainty for the whole country it is more important than ever that we are prepared to offer the gift of peace and reconciliation amongst our communities…..

Nick”.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

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

• Living Word Tournaments of outreach through football and netball in Albania;
• Bible Society in Austria's distribution of children's Bibles in many languages to thousands of refugees arriving in the country.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• Methodist Conference, London, until Thursday;
• relationships with partner churches and other members of the wider faith community;
• the Circuit Invitation Committee and its work;
• continuing outcomes from the EU Referendum result;
• Bible Society work in the Dominican Republic;
• the Isle of Man Government's policies on aid and development - Tynwald Day is today (Christian Aid);
• residents and staff in the Bristol District (Methodist Homes);
• work in Indonesia (MAF);
• Habitat for Humanity's provision of housing in Egypt (Embrace);
• promoters and supporters (The Leprosy Mission);
• we pray with and for the peoples of Bolivia, Chile and Peru (WCC);
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Newcastle West Circuit (Newcastle upon Tyne District) and in Paisley (Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Circuit).

• 26 June 2016
• 10 July 2016

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