22 February 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.

Quiet Room

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

Sunday worship in Lent and Easter

• Use of symbols with liturgy each week – ’tricia will approach people to lead this (material supplied!)
• All-age Worship on Easter Sunday, otherwise our “normal pattern”
• Easter Sunday worship to include the “dressing of the Cross with flowers”, and Holy Communion
• Palm Sunday (4th April) - invitation from Meadowside St Paul’s to Lunch at 1 pm and “Songs of Praise” in City Square at 2 pm.

Midweek Worship / Study Groups

• City Centre Churches – Tuesdays at 7.30 pm in Meadowside St Paul’s, (map) using “A journey of the heart, a pilgrim’s guide to prayer” by Kate Hayes (£3.50 from Wesley Owen)
• Broughty Ferry Churches Group – worship at 7.30 pm, see news-sheet for details of location & theme each week.
• Holy Week & Easter Services in St Luke’s & Queen Street (map) at 7.30 pm (8 pm on Easter Sunday), theme –“Seven Aspects of The Cross”.
• A warm invitation is given to all to join in any / all of the above.

Flowers

Elaine would appreciate, as Flower Coordinator, to know what arrangements people gifting the flowers on a particular Sunday have made. Please contact her by the Wednesday night at the latest if any problems.

Our Project 2004 (supporting the Mary Slessor Appeal)

Following the Sunday morning gathering on 8th February before service it was agreed to hold another similar gathering at 10.15 am on Sunday 14th March.

Circuit News

The Circuit Meeting on 17th March will take important decisions about the basis of our Circuit life together from September. Following the Circuit Forum in January the Circuit Leadership Team prepared a paper “A Way Forward”, as the basis of the Circuit Meeting’s discussion and decision. Please look at the insert and pass any comments to Clare or ’tricia (elected reps), Keith (Steward) or other members of the Meeting – David Firth, Sandy, David E, Jenny E.

For more information, contact David Firth, Sandy, or Jenny (members of the Leadership Team).

Church Council Résumé

At its meeting on Thursday the Council considered the following:

• proposals for the Circuit Meeting (see above)
• a reassuring Finance report
• suggestions for Communion Offerings for July (The Gideons) and November (Galloway’s Society for the Blind: audio versions of the “Methodist Recorder”)
• Worship Group arrangements for Lent & Easter, Holy Communion meeting (25th March); “early singing” on the first Sunday of each month
• Pastoral report including ‘Safeguarding’ paper, Membership Policy
• Property matters, including consideration of Disability Act requirements for toilets
• Service & Mission, including “Project 2004” plans (see above)
• Dates:
• Church Council 28th April or 5th May (to be confirmed)
• General Church Meeting after worship Sunday 23rd May.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

NCH

February is designated as “furnishings” month in our request for surplus items for use by the Cowan Grove and Families projects. See Margaret for more details.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• The President and Vice-President of Conference in Scotland this week;
• The District’s financial and property officers;
• those facing and dealing with unemployment and related issues;
• production of a modern hymnbook in Bangala, Swahili and French for Democratic Republic of Congo (Feed The Minds);
• political leaders and those ‘lobbying’ them (Christian Aid);
• The Leprosy Mission’s work in Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia;
• Bible Society work in Slovenia;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden;
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Christchurch and Lymington Circuit (Southampton District), and our friends based in Montrose (Angus, Dundee & Perthshire Circuit).

• 15 February 2004
• 29 February 2004

© 2002—2003 Dundee Methodist Church.