Category: News

The Methodist financial year ends on 31st August.

If you have been keeping your collections whilst we have been meeting, it would be good to bank them before the end of the month. Please email editor@dundeemethodist.org.uk for details of how you can do this.

The British Methodist Youth Choir is now back up and running. Membership is open to those aged 14 – 27 (shortly to be increased to 30), and involves no auditions.

In the past, the choir has met on about 4 weekends a year at various locations within the Connexion, to rehearse, socialise and give a concert. Travelling expenses in excess of £10 have been reimbursed.

At the moment, with the coronavirus restrictions, we have no immediate plans to meet physically, but would do rehearsals virtually, in which we can play tracks, the different parts, and members can then practice and we can get to know each other.

When more restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so, we will attend host churches for a weekend, to rehearse and then perform on the Saturday evening, taking part in worship on the Sunday morning also. At the moment we have four invitations for such weekends, none in Scotland so far though!

Although virtual rehearsals aren’t ideal, at the moment it is a good way of choirs getting together and singing, and seems to work well for fellowship, the social elements of choirs and being able to sing with others.

You can get a flavour of past activities on the choir’s social media sites.

•  https://www.facebook.com/TheBMYC/
• https://twitter.com/bmyc?lang=en-gb
• https://www.instagram.com/thebmyc/?hl=en
• https://www.bmyc.info/ (the current website is under development and so doesn’t reflect the current status of the choir)
• https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBMYC

For more information, or if you would like to join, contact admin@bmyc.info

Action for Children has launched a new service to provide advice for parents of children aged 0 – 19. Parent Talk has online pages of advice, and the option of a free and confidential live chat with parenting staff. Chat online or request a call back when it’s convenient for you.

Action for Children unavoidably had to miss the Methodist Conference this year. We always enjoy meeting up with our Methodist friends and updating them on our work. We would still like to share what is happening through a webinar.   

Covid-19: Adapting to the changing needs of our children and families

 Date:    4 August 2020

Time:    3pm

Venue: Online. Registration required

 More than 4.2 million children were locked in poverty before Covid-19 hit the UK. It was clear how a pandemic would make things worse for families who were already struggling. So, Action for Children sprang into action.

In this webinar, Action for Children staff tell how the charity rapidly acted to ensure that we could continue to support our children, young people and families in spite of the pandemic.

Disadvantaged children and families were disproportionately affected by the multitude of challenges that Covid-19 brought e.g. closed schools, loss of income, dealing with existing health conditions. Adapting our services and fundraising activities quickly gave families a lifeline in extremely difficult times.

Click here to sign up for this webinar: https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/3WYD-6R7/covid-19-webinar

The Council, comprising Managing Trustees with other church Members also participating, took place by Zoom on Thursday afternoon.  We are asked to note the following:

Appointments

(1)  Acting on behalf of the “not-held” General Church Meeting, the present Church Stewards were continued in office.

(2)  The Treasurer (David) repeated his wish to demit office when this becomes possible, but agreed to continue in the current circumstances (identification of a successor is still wished).  He is working on a “job spec”.

(3)  Following the resignation of the Finance & Property Convener (Keith), a successor is required; meantime, the Church Council will take necessary decisions and the current Finance & Property persons will maintain their usual contact and deal with any necessary matters.

Worship

• It was agreed that the lengthy list of requirements for the opening of premises for public worship contained conditions that might be difficult to implement in our premises, certainly in the foreseeable future.
• It is not envisaged that Methodist Churches in Scotland will re-open before September.
• Government advice encourages continuing provision of online or broadcast worship for those unable to attend church premises; we noted that online worship had become more familiar to many during lockdown.
• The Chair of District has decided to cease his online services after July. We need to let people know the options for online and broadcast worship in August.
• The Rev Nik Wooller, as acting Superintendent, proposes to provide an online Circuit Act of Worship on Sundays from 6^th September.

Finance & Property – lengthy conversation took place on the state of our finances and of the premises; the pandemic has altered the picture in many respects and there remains considerable uncertainty in many aspects about future possibilities.

Pastoral – the Council remembered in prayer those who have died since its last meeting: May F, Arthur G and Arthur L.  Funerals had takeng place under restriction, so church friends could not attend; some later commemoration may be appropriate, and Nik Wooller suggested the possibility of arranging a Circuit Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance possibly round All Saints Day (1^st November).

Next meetings – no fixed arrangement was made; the Church Stewards & Minister will convene the Council if / when necessary but no later than the second half of September.

The latest issue of Connexion is entitled Singing a New Song.

Expressing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, issue 19 also demonstrates how local churches globally have prevailed during the COVID-19 lockdown constraints to sing a new song (Psalm 137), picked up by the new President’s and Vice-President’s Wesley-inspired theme for their time in office.