18 January 2009

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.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity : 18th -25th January

The theme for this year's Unity Octave is “Reconcile Your People”, using material rooted in the experience of the churches in Korea. “In their context of division, they have turned for inspiration to the prophet Ezekiel who also lived in a tragically divided nation and longed for the unity of his people.” (ACTS)

For this year's Week of Prayer a group of representatives from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and the National Council of Churches in Korea chose as a basis the vision of Ezekiel 37. The material has been adapted for use here by CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland).

Broughty Ferry Churches Group marks the Octave by the annual Pulpit Exchange; the Rev Mary Patterson is preaching in St Mary's Episcopal Church and Sheila Cooper joins us from Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church.

Service of Welcome for the new Dundee Congregational Minister

The Session and Members of Dundee Congregational Church have sent an invitation to our Minister(s) and representatives to a Service of Welcome for their new Minister, Rev Andria Benzie BD, at 3 pm on Saturday 31st January. It would be good for there to be Methodist lay as well as clergy representation on this occasion - if you hope to attend please advise a Church Steward or the Rev David Firth so that numbers may be given for catering purposes, as soon as possible.

“Sing a New Song”

Comments are invited by 31st January on the list for the new hymnbook. See recent Methodist Recorder Supplement or www.methodist.org.uk/newhymnbook.

Action for Children Scotland

Money raised in Dundee during December by Communion and Christmas Day Offerings, and donations in envelopes amounted to £247.25, of which £142 was Gift-Aided (a larger percentage than last year).

Meeting postponed

Please note that the Finance & Property Committee scheduled for Wednesday 21st January has been postponed.

British Methodist Support to Christians in North Korea

The Fund for World Mission is to grant £5,000 to help the Church in North Korea fund a food production company.

Steve Pearce (Partnership Coordinator for Asia & the Pacific) said “Christianity is treated as a 'bad element' in this socialist country. Christians have been beaten, arrested, tortured, or killed because of their religious beliefs, but local sources estimate Christians to be at least 200,000, maybe many more, and many of them are imprisoned for their faith. Raids are made regularly, both in North Korea and China, to arrest refugees and those helping them.”

The British Methodist Church and the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification and Development on the Korean Peninsula have been developing common projects with church representatives from North & South Korea, North America and Europe. (News Release: 12th January 2009)

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in January for work in China. See library area noticeboard for more information. Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• the new inter-confessional translations of the Bible in Portugal and in Spain;
• launch of two new versions in Italy - a 'common language' Bible and a new official Roman Catholic Bible;
• 'Deep Impact' national training conference next weekend for all involved in youth work across Scotland;
• Travelling Bible exhibition and 'Pauline Year' celebration in Greece.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• the President & Vice-President of Conference in the Newcastle District this weekend;
• World Leprosy Day and Holocaust Memorial Day next Sunday;
• Rev Susan Sutherland (Barnhill St Margaret's) and Caroline Stobie (Scottish Churches House, Dunblane) and their families;
• work in the Liverpool District (Methodist Homes);
• Christian Aid's 41 sponsoring churches (Christian Aid);
• Refuge Egypt's work for refugees from Sudan (BibleLands);
• The Leprosy Mission's work in China, Korea, & Laos;
• Bible Society work in China;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, & Morocco (WCC Prayer Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in Callington & Gunnislake (Cornwall District) and in Kirkcaldy (Edinburgh & Forth Circuit).

• 11 January 2009
• 25 January 2009

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