29 August 2004

We give the assurance of our thoughts and prayers to all who are unwell, awaiting or undergoing treatment, or anxious or grieving for the loss of loved ones.

Pastoral Care

• Under the Circuit Team Ministry, from September 1st, the Rev Mary Patterson will have primary responsibility for pastoral care of Methodists based in Arbroath, Dundee, and Montrose, whilst the Rev David Firth, who remains the Circuit Superintendent, will assume primary pastoral responsibility for Methodists based in Blairgowrie and Perth.
• Mary therefore takes pastoral charge of Dundee, though ‘common sense and team working’ will apply for emergencies, holidays, or special circumstances.
• The recent Pastoral Committee recommended that Jenny E (Pastoral Secretary) be the “pastoral contact person” for Dundee; this nomination will come to the Church Council for ratification. Jenny should therefore be kept informed of pastoral concerns so she can liaise appropriately with the Ministry Team.
• Mary & Jenny have had an initial conversation to consider the best way(s) of providing pastoral care for Dundee folk and for supporting Mary in her ministry, and they plan to meet soon to think about it further. The next meeting of the Pastoral Committee (Monday 18th October) will also have opportunity to reflect on this.
• We will all need to “think differently” at times and take on board the need to plan ahead, especially for fixing dates in Ministers’ diaries.
• A leaflet will be distributed shortly outlining the “Team Ministry” approach & allocation of Ministerial responsibilities.

Link Club

Last Tuesday all at the Club expressed love and gratitude to Chris who retired after many years as “tea lady”. At a “wee tea party”, a presentation cup and saucer, bouquet of flowers, and card were given to Chris by Club members, as a small token of thanks for all she has done for the Club since its beginning, nearly 20 years ago. She will, of course, be warmly welcomed should she pop in for a game of dominoes or to give advice on Knitting!.

Club Helpers would be pleased to hear from anyone who feels able to come in during sessions on a Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning to help them with “the tea” (cup of tea, coffee and biscuits) – please contact Lorna: thanks.

Harvest

The recent Focus on Worship agreed that this year’s Harvest worship on Sunday 26th September is the culmination of work in advance at two workshops:

• after worship on Sunday 19th September
• Saturday 25th September

It is hoped that as many people as possible will contribute to Harvest worship – through workshops, contributing resources & items … Please note this now – more details to come – ’tricia is acting as overall coordinator.

Preaching Plans

Free copies of the circuit plan for September – November are on the Vestibule table.

“Quiet Room”

The downstairs back room is being prepared as a place forquiet reflection & personal prayer before worship on Sundays.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

In September, the Bible-a-Month Club invites our support for work in Uganda, where new easy-reading graded Scripture booklets provide both a literacy tool and an introduction to the Scriptures. In the eastern province of Kapchorwa, there are plans to distribute ‘easy readers’ in the Kupsapiny language as part of a national literacy campaign; the government has intimated its intention of using these as resource material in schools. See library notice-board for more details.

Our prayerful attention is also drawn this week to

• freighting of Scripture round the world from production to distribution point – factors affecting this include heavy duties, extensive paperwork, legal charges, unforeseen obstacles
• international meeting this week in Glasgow, of Societies publishing in English
• work in Estonia, including modern translation of the Old Testament and lobbying for the inclusion of Religious Studies in the school curriculum
• translation work in Finland: New Testament into Olonets language, Psalms into Northern Sami, and re-print of Luke’s Gospel into Finnish Romani
• funding for specially-designed New Testament for visually-impaired people in Latvia.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• the President of Conference in the Manchester District this week;
• Methodist Ministers and families coming to Scotland;
• the development of “Team Ministry” in our Circuit;
• staff at Inter-Church House (London HQ) during its refurbishment (Christian Aid);
• establishment of a library in the University of Sibiu, Romania (Feed The Minds);
• The Leprosy Mission’s Regional Field Offices in Asia and in Africa;
• Bible Society work in Scotland and in Uganda;
• we pray with and for the peoples of the Caribbean Islands, French Guyana, Guyana, and Suriname;
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Chesterfield Circuit (Sheffield District), and in Greenock (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire Circuit).

• 22 August 2004
• 05 September 2004

© 2002—2003 Dundee Methodist Church.