4 December 2011

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.

Action for Children

December has traditionally been the month for inviting Dundee Methodist support of the work of Methodism's child-care arm. This year's opportunities for donations are through

• Communion Offering next Sunday
• envelopes (Gift-Aided) distributed from today for return during or after Sunday 18th December
• donations via Margaret (AfC contact) or David (Church Treasurer)

NB as Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, no separate AfC offering will be uplifted on Christmas Day.

Flower Rota 2012

Elaine writes

“I would like to thank everyone on the flower rota for this past year. I do have some vacant Sundays on the rota for 2012; if you would like to have one, please contact Elaine at 01382 224186.”

Warm thanks are expressed to Tom and Elaine, for their commitment to the “ministry of flowers”, and also to those arranging for the pastoral distribution after Sunday worship.

Same Sex Marriage and Ceremonies for Civil Partnerships

A formal reply is being prepared on behalf of the Methodist Church in Scotland in line with Connexional policy laid down by Conference. Individual comments are also welcome - see www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations. The closing date for submissions is Friday 9th December.

“The consultation asks if marriage in Scotland should be open to people of the same sex and through either a civil or religious ceremony, on the basis that a religious ceremony could only take place if the religious body and the religious celebrant were happy to carry it out.

Civil partnerships may not take place in religious premises and can only be registered by civil registrars. However there is nothing to stop a same sex couple receiving a religious blessing for their union. This has no legal effect but can provide a blessing to suit a couple's religious beliefs. It is up to religious organisations and their celebrants to decide whether they wish to offer such blessings.”

“The Fruitful Field”

The Methodist Connexional Ministries Committee has prepared this document which Conference commended for wide reading and consultation through the Church. Responses should be returned by Friday 23rd December.

“The Fruitful Field is a project about learning, formation, training, theological education, scholarship, research and development. It's about the future of the Methodist Church's connexional learning resources. It's about equipping the Church and its ministries, equipping the Methodist movement in all of its contexts and formational communities, and equipping God's people for discipleship and mission.”

Members of the District Policy Committee have printed copies and it is also accessible on the Methodist Church website at www.methodist.org.uk/fruitfulfield. It is important that consultation on this document is as wide as possible.

Methodist Prayer Handbook 2012-13

Contributions are invited by Tuesday 20th December for the new Prayer Handbook, entitled “Crossing the chasm”, in the form of prayers (max 120 words) or photographs. The theme seeks to explore ideas of reconciliation, living the peace of Christ in a broken world, and being drawn into God's programme of reconciliation within ourselves.

See www.methodist.org.uk for details.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in December for work in Rwanda.

Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• meeting of King James Bible Trust in London on Tuesday, towards the end of the Year of the Bible;
• increased opportunities for work in Egypt, especially through use of new media;
• meeting of SBS Board of Directors on Friday;
• completion of the audio New Testament in Maltese, also need for solutions to present funding problems;
• help of Greek Bible Society in free Scripture distribution in Cyprus, also work among immigrants.

The Christmas SBS Appeal is for support of work in Bethlehem,

“a town of danger, borders and checkpoints, where people live in an environment of instability, isolation, trauma, and poverty; a place where children have lost their childhood.” See library area noticeboard for details & how to support this Appeal.

BibleLands

Under the theme “Christmas Starts with Christ”, please note

• Carol-Singing World Record Attempt on Sunday 18th December at 7pm - across multiple locations.
  For information see www.christmasstarts.com/record
• Radio Broadcast from the Holy Land on Christmas Eve (Saturday 24th December) at 7pm on Premier Christian Radio (accessible on National DAB, Sky Digital 0123, Freeview 725, www.premier.org.uk)

Action for Children

“Thanks to You” booklet - some statistics:

• more than 80,000 of UK children are living in care;
• over 33% of care leavers say they ended up homeless the first year they left care;
• 50,000 children and young people look after someone with a mental health problem;
• 175,000 UK children are caring for parents or siblings, desperately trying to keep their families together and missing out on childhood;
• 68% of young carers are bullied at school.

AfC Projects in Dundee currently are:

• Dundee Youth Housing Service, Arthurstone Terr;
• Dundee Families Project, St Clement Terrace (the Appeal to set up a crèche is now c£4.4k short of its target of £20k);
• Alternative to Custody Service, Blackscroft;
• Arrest Referral Scheme (Tayside), Blackscroft.

It is intended that we learn more about these local projects and ways in which Dundee Methodists might support them, during the coming year.

Prayer Points for this week

• the President of Conference in Ethiopia to Wednesday;
• the Vice-President of Conference at the Parliamentary Fellowship, Westminster, on Tuesday;
• Connexional Stationing Matching Group, Monday-Tuesday;
• Christmas Gift and Carol Services in Broughty Ferry Churches;
• the Circuit's Preachers;
• projects, residents and staff in Cumbria (Methodist Homes);
• The Leprosy Mission's work in south India;
• future work in Afghanistan, especially by AWEC (Christian Aid);
• Mission Aviation Fellowship work in Kenya;
• St John Eye Hospital, Jerusalem (BibleLands);
• Bible Society work in Rwanda;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Liberia, and Sierra Leone (WCC Ecumenical Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Worthing Circuit (South-East District) and in Barrhead (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire Circuit).

• 27 November 2011
• 11 December 2011

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