Category: News

Stationing

The Circuit Invitation Committee, jointly appointed by all the present Scotland Circuits, is delighted that following a Stationing Matching Visit on 14th-16th November we extended an invitation to the Revd David Bidnell who was equally delighted to accept it.

This appointment will include pastoral charge of the following Methodist Churches: Arbroath, East of Scotland (Blairgowrie, Dundee, Perth) and Montrose.

We look forward to welcoming David and Fiona to the newly formed Scotland Circuit in September 2025.  All subject to the affirmation of the Methodist Conference next summer.

Offerings

In addition to offerings for the work of the Methodist Church, from 15th December, there will be a second plate for donations towards community outreach by St Luke’s Episcopal Church, Downfield. Their Food Bank is now closed, following withdrawal of external funding; however, it has been agreed that Dundee Methodists be invited to support the continuing Clothes Bank and associated café, especially given its provision of “a warm cosy space in winter”.

Sunday 8th December 2024

On Sunday 8th December, as in recent years, there will be a United Service for the East of Scotland Church’s 3 congregations in Perth; this will be followed by a Christmas Lunch. Please contact Jenny, Liz or Lorna  before 1st December if you would like to go to this meal. A donation of £7 per head is requested.

Pastoral letter from Andrew Baker

Dear Friends,                                                                                  Advent 2024

Greetings.

Advent’s message of hope and anticipation comes to us fresh each year – as we catch something of the wonder of the God who is so committed to the world that he became one of us, one with us, one for us. How astonishing and breath-taking is that! Save us from any dullness which feels like a grind through these days of a light shining in the darkness. The Advent hope of the light crashing into the darkness is a powerful one in these times, where so many of us are prone to despair. It is the hope that God has not given up on us and will not give up on us – that the Christ who came to Palestine over 2000 years ago comes to this generation with hope and will (one day) return in glory so that love wins. Extraordinary hope indeed, but one which we declare with confidence as we have caught something of its truth in our experience. God has drawn close to us – even in the most chilling and threatening of times.

So, our advent theme is prompted by the encouragement from the Methodist Church to “hush the noise . . . and hear the angels sing”. We shall be using the materials for this theme during Advent in the services and we are encouraged to take part in the Advent studies which will be on zoom.

We live with a sense of hope in these challenging times. You remain in my prayers and thoughts in the coming weeks – and I look forward to sharing in worship with you during this time.

Peace be the journey – through Advent to Christmas and beyond to Epiphany and Candlemas!

Andrew

                                                                               

Criminally Exploited Children

In March, Action for Children published the findings of the Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children, an extensive UK-wide review of exploitation, led by Alexis Jay CBE. Here is our first follow-up report to the Review, ‘I don’t want to go down that road’.

This report examines the shocking extent of the harms caused to exploited children across the country and the response of local agencies.

We make three recommendations for immediate change at a government level to ensure criminally exploited young people are effectively safeguarded and supported:

  1. Investment in targeted exploitation prevention and support services for exploited young people.
  2. Exploitation recognised as a distinct form of child abuse.
  3. A welfare-first approach in the management of offences committed by exploited children.

The report was featured in Channel 4 news on Thursday, 31 October. You can watch the feature here.

Disasters Emergency Committee Middle East Humanitarian Appeal

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is launching a Middle East Humanitarian Appeal to raise urgent funds for people whose lives are being devastated by conflict.

Over the past year, conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives across the region, and millions have fled their homes in search of safety. Right now, millions of people across Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care.

In Gaza, the scale of need is overwhelming, with thousands of people already dying of hunger and disease, as well as injuries caused by the conflict. Food and clean water are desperately scarce and ninety percent of the population have been displaced, often multiple times.

In Lebanon, more than a million people have had to leave their homes in recent weeks. Shelters are overwhelmed, and hospitals are struggling to treat the thousands of people injured.

In the West Bank, vital water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure has been damaged by ongoing violence and families have been displaced from their homes.

DEC member charities are coordinating closely with each other and with local partners to provide lifesaving food, water, shelter, medicine and more.

In Israel, tens of thousands of people have been displaced and are living with the trauma of the conflict. The DEC is monitoring the evolving situation and a number of DEC charities are ready to expand their response to include Israel if significant unmet humanitarian needs are identified.

For more information and to make your donation, please visit the DEC website. You can give through that website, or through https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/dec-middle-east-humanitarian-appeal, where you can read about Christian Aid’s work there.

The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas where there is significant unmet humanitarian need. Despite extraordinary challenges and risks, 14 DEC member charities are responding right now in Gaza and Lebanon and 8 in the West Bank, including British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children.

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “Millions of people, including many thousands of children, are dealing with almost unimaginable trauma. Many have been displaced multiple times and have no homes to return to. Now food and medical care is scarce and families face devastating choices to survive.

“DEC member charities are responding right now in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, providing lifesaving food, water, shelter and medicine – this humanitarian support is a vital lifeline for millions of people in overwhelming need of assistance. But our member charities urgently need more funds to meet the huge levels of need. We are asking people to please donate now to save lives.”

Rachael Cummings, Humanitarian Director at Save the Children, who is just back from Gaza, said: “What we are seeing right now is a humanitarian catastrophe on an entirely new level. There is nowhere safe for children and families to go.

“The rate that people’s health is deteriorating is extraordinary. Previously healthy communities are just wasting away. We are seeing increases in children with diarrhoea, jaundice, respiratory conditions – which are all illnesses that, when combined with extreme hunger, can kill a child in days.

“Children have also had their education completely disrupted for over a year and will bear the brunt of this conflict for years to come.

“We are doing all we can to respond to children’s needs and are urging the UK public to donate to the DEC appeal, so we are able to deliver the vital aid that children and their families, who have lived through this brutal conflict, so desperately need.”

The UK Government will match the first £10million of donations from the British public to the DEC’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal to provide vital humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict.

Anneliese Dodds, Minister of State for Development, said: “The suffering of civilians impacted by the conflict across the Middle East is intolerable. Humanitarian support is urgently needed for the most vulnerable people. Charities play a crucial role in providing help to those most affected, and need your support.

“That is why we are matching public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal to provide urgent humanitarian assistance up to £10m. This will be used to provide life-saving aid including medical supplies, shelter and clean water to those who need it most.”

For more information, please visit the DEC website. You can give through that website, or through https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/dec-middle-east-humanitarian-appeal, where you can read about Christian Aid’s work there.

About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.

All 15 of the DEC’s members are either responding or planning to respond in the Middle East and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners.

Moving the Dial: Developing Practices of Justice

All We Can have produced this resource to help churches explore and embody the ‘Practices of Justice’ from the Methodist Church’s Justice-Seeking Church strategy.

This is not to encourage churches to start lots of new initiatives, but to help congregations ‘move the dial’ towards better ways of doing justice in what they are already doing. The sessions feature games, prayer activities, videos, and practical suggestions around the areas of Being With Not For, Humility in Community, Self-Awareness and the Use of Power, Transformation, and Prayer.

Local Arrangement October 27th

This will be the occasion of a visit from Kathryn Campbell of the Learning Network, when she can share exploration and discussion of “all age / inter-generational worship” and what that means for us locally.  It is a chance to hear about the experiences of others and of material available, with time to think about our own sharing in and of worship more generally.

Kathryn and Jenny are in contact about a zoom meeting to “brief her” on our situation; any further details will be in the email and News-sheet for 27th October.