27 July 2008

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.

“Fifth Sunday Worship”

The next in our series of “café-style” services will be on Sunday 31st August when David Cowling has been appointed on the Plan to lead worship in Marketgait. Jenny Easson will act as 'convener' of a planning group to help David and ourselves in the necessary preparations.

ANYONE interested in contributing to this planning is asked to contact her with suggestions of days / times when they would be available to meet in Marketgait - daytime, evening, weekday, weekend …….. no special expertise is required, just an interest in worship! It is hoped that a meeting can be arranged in early August.

Church Website

You may have noticed that it is not always the same picture of our premises on the homepage of the church website. If you have any relevant picture you would like added to the selection, please contact Margaret.

DundeeforChrist

The latest edition (summer/autumn 2008) of the magazine 'Broadcast' is available on the Vestibule table.

Global Food Crisis

The Methodist Conference meeting in Scarborough passed Notice of Motion 103 'Response to the Global Food Crisis', in which

• “Recalling Notice of Motion 41, passed in 1985 in response to famine in Ethiopia and a global food crisis, Conference restates its commitment to sustainable and generous allocation of resources in response to a growing need for food provision and security”
• evidence was cited of the results of recent surveys;
• reminder given of the Bible's call to look upon the whole world as our neighbour and of ways in which churches have responded in the past;

“In light of these considerations, and the recent World Bank estimation that over 100 million extra people will go hungry (on top of the existing 850 million people already hungry), the Conference:

• Remembers that all Methodists are called to be good neighbours in the community, challenging injustice and using their resources to support the Church in its mission throughout the world.
• Challenges the Methodist people to ensure that their local church and Circuit provides suitable, long-term levels of financial support for relief and development agencies (such as the Methodist Relief and Development Fund and Christian Aid) that work to provide enduring, sustainable solutions for people living in the world's poorest communities.
• Calls on the Connexional Team to:
  1. work collaboratively with suitable agencies to ensure churches and circuits continue to be supported with information and resources to respond appropriately
  2. address the key structural drivers of the present global food crisis, namely climate change, slow progress in the alleviation of international debt, and the contribution of bio-fuel production to the decrease of grain exports of the world market.”

This NOM is brought to Methodists (and others) for our active consideration and response.

For the full version, see www.methodist.org.uk or ask one of our representatives to Conference for a sight of the relevant papers.

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in July for work in Papua New Guinea and in August for work in Egypt. See library area noticeboard for more information.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• publication in Tajikistan of a trial edition of the Gospels in Tajik, also Braille Scriptures and ongoing translations into Pamirian;
• display at 'Imagine', a 4-day youth festival in Inverurie, from Tuesday;
• opportunities for Scripture distribution in Afghanistan and in Iran;
• provision of Scriptures to poor children in Egypt;
• first publication of Bibles in Lubukusu and Pokot, new versions in Gikuyu and Kimiiru, in Kenya.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• The President of Conference's visit to Aotearoa-New Zealand and to Tonga;
• Methodist Ministers and families 'on the move';
• those in our Circuit's congregations seeking employment;
• projects in the Nottingham & Derby District (Methodist Homes);
• training of students for full-time ministry at Novi Sad Theological College, Serbia (Feed The Minds);
• The Leprosy Mission's work in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda;
• “deep poverty hidden behind tourist paradise” (Christian Aid);
• Bible Society work in Papua New Guinea and in Egypt;
• we pray with and for the peoples of the Caribbean - Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago;
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Hunstanton Circuit (East Anglia District) and in Stirling (Central Scotland Circuit).

• 20 July 2008
• 3 August 2008

© 2002—2008 Dundee Methodist Church Scottish Charity number: SC037954.