Year: 2017

[insert page=’ministerial-cover-in-july’ display=’all’]

[insert page=’methodist-prayer-handbook-2017-18′ display=’all]

[insert page=’ourwork/methodist-clothes-bank’ display=’all’]

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.

Do you have curtains to spare?

Starter Packs are desperately in need of curtains or material. If anyone has spare curtains that they don’t need, these would be very much appreciated.

Cleaning and chair stacking

Caragh will be taking holiday this month, so cover is needed for her cleaning and chair-removal duties. Please assist in moving the chairs, if you are able, after worship throughout July.

Broughty Ferry Churches Group – Ferry Gala Week

The congregation of St James’, the “Lifeboat Church”, will hold a Songs of Praise today at 6.30pm, with particular invitation to friends in the Churches Group to a “Churches Together” service. Our support is invited.

Manse Open Day

Our new circuit minister, Nik Wooller, is arriving in Blairgowrie on Tuesday 1st August. There will be an opportunity for all circuit members to see the Blairgowrie manse on Saturday 29th July from 11:00 to 14:00. If you can’t manage at this time but would like to see the manse before it is occupied, please ring Sheila / Keith Pearson.

Safeguarding Training

Further training is now required for “all those who participated in the initial Safeguarding training 5 or more years ago”.

Sessions have been arranged as follows; all last from 2-4pm:

Please advise Marcia Mackenzie if you plan to attend one of these sessions. If you should be receiving this training, and none of these dates is suitable, please advise a Church Steward and/or contact Marcia Mackenzie; it is possible that an evening session can be arranged.

All are welcome – Safeguarding is the responsibility of each and every one of us.

Request for Prayers on ‘Mission’

‘Following on from the excellent District Prayer Diary that Jill Baker produced for us last year, I am hoping that we can have a similarly inspiring one this year. I invite you to submit prayers, meditations, stories and other reflections, particularly around ‘mission’. This may be something that your church is involved with – at home or abroad – or it may be thoughts around the need for mission and our call to discipleship. I look forward to hearing back, either directly on smj4409@hotmail.co.uk or via Fiona at District Office, by the end of July. Many thanks. Sue Marshall-Jennings’

Local response to the Grenfell Tower Fire

The tragedy that took place at Grenfell Tower on 14 June has touched many hearts across the world.

The London District Chairs, the then President and Vice-President of the Conference and the Conference itself have all shared their grief and their prayers.

But it has been the work on the ground that should really be highlighted: the amazing support of local volunteers, Notting Hill Methodist Church and the Revd Mike Long.

At one of the prayer vigils Mike said: “There are times when all the words we can say are not adequate and sometimes words fail us because no words can do justice to how we feel, or what we have seen or what has happened.”

Three tonnes of food were donated and many more tonnes of clothes and toiletries, which have all been shared or are in the middle of being processed. Further donations of goods are not required, but money for those affected is still greatly appreciated.

As well as being a base for donations, holding prayer vigils and organising community action, the church has extended its opening hours for prayer, reflection and practical assistance from 9.00 in the morning until 7.00 at night Monday-Saturday – a true hub for the local community.

Many candles were lit and Mike later spoke of the importance of lighting candles as a sign not only of grieving but also of a faith that dares to hope.

For updates and information on how you can help, see the church website.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support via the Bible-a-Month Partnership is invited in July for work in Argentina.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• Bible Society of Cameroon’s work with local churches to translate the Bible into Guidar;
• Bible Society of the Dominican Republic’s Bible distribution to children and young people;
• Bible Society of Egypt’s provision of 80,000 illustrated Bibles for children.

Prayer Points for this week

• the President of Conference’s visit to Uganda for All We Can from Saturday;
• the Vice-President of Conference in the Southampton District next weekend;
• Circuit preparations for the Rev Nik Wooller’s arrival;
• residents, staff and supporters in the Sheffield District (Methodist Homes);
• the Franciscan leaders of the Helen Keller School in Jerusalem (Embrace ME);
• South Africa – Tuesday is Nelson Mandela Day (Christian Aid);
• work in Papua New Guinea (MAF);
• Bible Society work in Argentina;
• work in north-east India (The Leprosy Mission);
• we pray with and for the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia (WCC);
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Leeds (North and East) Circuit (Leeds District, soon to form part of the new Yorkshire West District) and in Stirling (Central Scotland Circuit, soon to form part of the new Forth Valley Circuit).

Grenfell Tower Fund

As intimated orally last week, donations may be made today to the Relief Fund to aid victims of the devastating fire in London. An offering plate will be available by the door before and after worship; contributions will be sent, as requested, to the Methodist London District for collecting and processing.

Methodist Homes Envelopes

Envelopes for donations in support of the work of caring for older people through the Church’s Care Agency may be returned in the offering plate today.

Curtains wanted

[insert page=’curtains-wanted’ display=’content’]

Methodist ClothesBank

[insert page=’our-work/methodist-clothes-bank’ display=’content’]

Facilities’ Technician Holidays

Caragh will be taking the holiday to which she is entitled during July, so cover is needed for her cleaning and chair-removal duties. Help from those able to undertake moving furniture will be appreciated, between 3rd and 29th July.

Safeguarding Training

Further training is now required for “all those who participated in the initial Safeguarding training 5 or more years ago”.

Sessions have been arranged as follows; all last from 2-4pm:

Please advise Marcia Mackenzie if you plan to attend one of these sessions. If you should be receiving this training, and none of these dates is suitable, please advise a Church Steward and/or contact Marcia Mackenzie; it is possible that an evening session can be arranged.

All are welcome – Safeguarding is the responsibility of each and every one of us.

Methodist Prayer Handbook: 2017-18

It has been agreed that Pam Bostock will again send in a bulk order for this Handbook; please sign the list on the vestibule table if you wish to order a copy, or contact Jenny Easson. The cost for an ordinary print copy is £3.50 and for a large print copy £3.95 – the bulk order will be “post-free”.

Copies should arrive in the Circuit during August.

Eagles Wings seeking new premises

The Eagles Wings Group is going to have to move from its existing base in the next few months, and so they are seeking alternative premises. A brief summary of what they are looking for appears below.

If you are aware of any possibilities which might match their requirements, please contact Eagles Wings direct with any suggestions they might follow up.

“We currently operate from the old Elim church in Dudhope Crescent Road, but unfortunately have been told that we need to move out within the next 3 months. We have fairly specific needs – we need to be central, have a space big enough to hold approx 50 service users, a large kitchen, at least 2 offices and a parking space for our soup kitchen van.”

Broughty Ferry Gala Week

The congregation of St James’ will again be “opening their doors” during the Ferry Gala Week, 2nd – 9th July.

They will also hold a Songs of Praise each Sunday evening at 6.30pm, with particular invitation to friends in the Churches Group to a “Churches Together” service on Sunday 9th July.

Requests for favourite hymns should be made to the Pastoral Locum, Cathy Brodie by Friday 30th June either by e-mail cjb@cathy.org.uk or by post to St James, Fort Street, Broughty Ferry.

Scottish Bible Society

Our support via the Bible-a-Month Partnership is invited in June for work in Nepal and in July for work in Argentina.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• Bible Society in Romania’s work with local churches on trauma-healing programmes;
• children’s summer camps in Scotland;
• Bible Society of Serbia’s contacts with children through local churches, summer camps, hospitals, and drug addiction centres;
• Bible Society of Slovenia’s search for new premises with suitable office space.

Prayer Points for this week

• Methodist Conference, Birmingham, to Thursday;
• our Circuit friends in Arbroath looking for ways ahead;
• Methodist Ministers and Circuits preparing for changes after Stationing;
• residents, staff and supporters in the Northampton District (Methodist Homes);
• SKILD (Smart Kids with Individual Learning Difficulties) working in Lebanon (Embrace ME);
• work of PACS (Poorest Areas Civil Society) programme in 7 states in India (Christian Aid);
• the UK-based team (MAF);
• Bible Society work in Nepal and in Argentina;
• promotional work in Europe (The Leprosy Mission);
• we pray with and for the peoples of Kenya and Tanzania (WCC);
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Nidd Valley Circuit (Leeds District) and in Greenock (Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Circuit)