25 July 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.

Sudan Appeal

The opportunity to support this is continued through a retiring collection after worship today. It has now been decided to send our money in through MRDF in response to a request from the President of Conference.

Methodist Conference 2006

You may recall considerable excitement when Scotland hosted the Provincial Youth Weekend in Edinburgh some years ago. In two years’ time the Methodist Conference, to be hosted by the “North Area” will be held in Edinburgh – the first time ever in Scotland. Our Synod’s representative on the planning group is Brian Baker (Methodist in Stirling, former Warden of Scottish Churches House, Dunblane). The (residential) venue is to be Heriot Watt University and it is intended that there will be a strong Scotland presence, with as much involvement of our widespread District as possible. Please note this now - well in advance! - and prayerfully remember all involved in making arrangements (already well under way). To hear more about this year’s Conference - residential in Loughborough - ask the Rev Mary Patterson.

“Quiet Room”

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

“Come as You Are” – study material

The recent Church Council agreed to a proposal that this material be considered as a basis for a series of gatherings, starting in the autumn, to help deepen our fellowship, especially in a time of change of Ministerial Pastoral Charge for Dundee.

It is hoped that a small group may be formed to look into the most effective way of taking this forward – if you are interested, please talk to David Firth, Mary Patterson, or Jenny E. The Pastoral Committee will discuss this at its meeting in August.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our attention is drawn in particular this week to

• Bibleworld Experience in Edinburgh being used by summer camps and holiday clubs
• Distribution of Scriptures by the Bible Society in Tunisia
• Prevention of distribution by civil conflict in Serbia and Montenegro
• Presentations at the Buckie Convention
• Growing membership among Christian youth organisations in Norway.

Seven Arches Trust

“An ecumenical imitative to help the Churches of Broughty Ferry and Monifieth to reach out with the message of Jesus to young people”. After preliminary discussions, supported by, among others, the Broughty Ferry Churches Group, the above Trust has been established and recognised as a registered Charity by the Inland Revenue (Scottish Charity No SC 035234). Help is now requested in prayer, publicity, fund-raising and general support. Once funding is in place, it is intended to seek a Youth Worker to work with young people, through local schools (already contacted), local congregations, and other activities. For further information, contact David E (one of our reps on the Broughty Ferry Churches Group) or the Trust’s Hon Secretary, William Clark (533696).

Feed The Minds

An ecumenical literacy agency of which the Methodist Church is a member. It is now working with SPCK in support of partners and projects in the fields of literacy and numeracy world-wide.

“Reading, writing and numeracy are a passport to freedom from poverty”

Some facts:

• literacy skills save lives by giving people access to information on
  • disease prevention
  • farming and commerce
  • health and nutrition
  • basic human rights
  • education and work opportunities
• literacy also makes the Bible accessible so people can discover and grow in the Christian faith
• 2/3 of illiterate adults world-wide are women
• there are 1.2 billion poor people in the world; there are 1.2 billion illiterate adults and children in the world; coincidence?

Our prayerful support is invited for those preparing for and undertaking the following events

• FireWalk Challenge, Bradford – Wed 8th September
• Cycle for Sight – 10th to 12th September
• Book Fair, York – 20th to 24th September.

More details about FTM from FTM, 1 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4AQ, tel: 08451 21 21 02 www.feedtheminds.org

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• staff in Methodist Church House, London, and Property Office, Manchester;
• Margaret Brown, Scotland District Administrator, based in Scottish Churches House, Dunblane;
• Church Stewards in our Circuit congregations;
• Trade Justice Campaign’s preparations to lobby Party Conferences and the 2005 G8 Summit (Christian Aid);
• Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh’s work, especially for women’s empowerment through literacy programmes (Feed The Minds);
• The Leprosy Mission’s work in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda;
• Bible Society work in East Timor and in Scotland;
• we pray with and for the peoples of the United States of America;
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Barnsley Circuit (Sheffield District), and in Shettleston (Glasgow Circuit).

• 18 July 2004
• 01 August 2004

© 2002—2003 Dundee Methodist Church.