Dundee Methodist Church

2 April 2017

Next Sunday
9 April 2017
Palm Sunday

11 am
Worship led by Jenny Easson
Retiring Offering for All We Can

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.

All We Can

The Worship Consultation agreed that, following our use of All We Can's Lenten material, there should be an opportunity for donations though a retiring offering plate next week, Palm Sunday. Envelopes, with Gift Aid provision, are available from today from the vestibule table.

Lent Readings

This year our Circuit's churches have been encouraged to use the booklet of daily reflections produced by “All We Can”. Download a low resolution copy, or sign up for daily resources by email.

Lent Study Groups

Broughty Ferry Churches Group gives a warm invitation to

Both the Monday and Wednesday groups share experiences and explore questions raised by material published by CTBI, entitled 'Returning Home: Christian Faith in Encounter with Other Faiths'.

Meadowside St Pauls also have sent an invitation to their Lenten Group in the church halls on Tuesdays at 7.15pm, using 40Acts material.

Methodist ClothesBank

Mondays 10am -12 noon (i/c Liz)

Thursdays 1pm - 3pm (i/c Sue)

Volunteers please contact Sue or Liz

More clothing is still needed; please have a good spring clean of your wardrobes. Anything is welcome. We will

  • keep good adult clothing for the clothesbank;
  • send good clothing for children and teenagers to “Togs from Tots to Teens”;
  • recycle clothes that are not suitable for either; we can raise money in this way.

Please take a collecting bag from the table at the top of the stairs or ask a helper for one.

Meeting with other churches

Rev Nick Baker writes:

As part of ongoing conversations and developing relationships with the other churches in Dundee I recently met with Revds Alan McGougan and Andria Randall. Alan is the minister of the URC church and Andria the minister of the Congregational Church in Dundee.

We discussed a wide range of things including what is happening in the life of our churches, the ways in which we serve the city, and the way forward recognising the challenges we all face in terms of ministry, people, and buildings. As such we thought it would be a good idea for a couple of representatives and the ministers from each church to meet and reflect on this together, exploring options for working together.

I am writing because I want to keep you informed of these and invite you to share any thoughts if you wish. Jenny Easson and Sue Marshall-Jennings have agreed to attend the meeting on Wednesday 26th April with myself to represent Dundee Methodist Church. No decisions are being made, but rather an opportunity for us to meet and listen to one another seeking God's guidance.

If any of you do have any thoughts about this or the future direction of the church I should be grateful if you would communicate this to Sue, Jenny or myself prior to the meeting.

The General Church meeting at the beginning of June will give us the opportunity to discuss together what was shared at the meeting on April 26th but if you have any particular questions I will do my best to answer them.

Methodist Women in Britain

The Rev Jenny Jackie Bellfield was to have been the speaker at the forthcoming Fellowship Day, but has been asked to represent UK Methodism at that time in the US. The Rev Sally Binyin, Methodist Minister connected with the Bread Church in Liverpool, will now speak at the Fellowship Day.

Copies of the latest MWiB district newsletter are now available on the vestibule table.

Meetings this week

Date & timeVenueDetails
Monday 3rd April, 10.15am - c.11.45am St Mary's, Queen Street Broughty Ferry Lenten Study Group
Tuesday 4th April, 12noon - 2pm Dundee Methodist Church, upstairs City Centre Ministers, upstairs
Tuesday 4th April, 7.15pm Meadowside St Pauls church halls Lenten Study Group, using 40Acts material.
Wednesday 5th April, 7.30pm St James' Church halls Fort Street (by Lifeboat shed), Broughty Ferry Lenten Study Group

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support via the Bible-a-Month Partnership is invited in April for work in China.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

  • United Bible Societies China Partnership seeking to meet the huge demand for Bibles;
  • Bible Society of Angola's translation of the Bible into the Kimbundu language;
  • production of Bible stories in Sign Language by the Argentine Bible Society;
  • promotion of Bibleworld Books literacy project in churches in Scotland.

Forthcoming events

Date & timeVenueDetails
Saturday, 29th April, 10.30am to 3.30pm Dundee Methodist Church “Living Word” - a day of fellowship and study.
The Circuit preachers have invited Bob Bartindale, the Connexion's Ministry Development Officer, to visit Scotland and lead them and others in exploring our engagement with the Bible for use in worship.
Bob will also explain some of his responsibilities and have opportunity to learn of the challenges and opportunities for Methodists in Scotland.
A warm invitation is given to all Preachers, Worship Leaders and people concerned with worship (perhaps in Local Arrangements). Please bring food for picnic lunch - soup and beverages available.
More details from Keith Pearson (Preachers' Secretary)
Saturday, 13th May, 11am to 3pm City of Edinburgh Methodist Church (Nicolson Square) Methodist Women in Britain District Fellowship Day. The Speaker will now be the Rev Sally Binyin, a Methodist Minister connected with The Bread Church in Liverpool, since the Rev is then to be in the USA representing British Methodism.

Prayer Points for this week

  • the President of Conference in the Bolton and Rochdale District next weekend;
  • Methodist Council until tomorrow, Monday;
  • continuing refurbishment work at Scott Street, Perth;
  • work in the Chester and Stoke-on-Trent District (Methodist Homes);
  • Princess Basma Centre's campaign for the rights of Palestinian children with disabilities (Embrace ME);
  • workers in Ethiopia (Christian Aid);
  • Bible Society work in China;
  • work in India (The Leprosy Mission)
  • work in Uganda (MAF);
  • we pray with and for the peoples of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia (WCC);
  • we remember fellow Methodists in the Barton and Brigg Circuit (Lincolnshire District) and in Anniesland Glasgow (Strathclyde Circuit).