20 November 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.

Preaching Plans

Copies for the period December - February are now on the Vestibule table.

Worship Group résumé

At the meeting on Wednesday there was discussion on

• points communicated by the Church Stewards for consideration, anent the start of worship, layout of seats, and siting of IT equipment;
• Advent and Christmas - please note
• 'tricia will coordinate the Advent Candle Liturgy;
• “A Gift of Christmas” booklets to be purchased and placed for uplifting in the Church porch (NB also available as an e-book, see Methodist website);
• the Tree is to be collected, installed and decorated during the weekend of 9-10th December - help invited, timings to be notified;
• Action for Children (AfC) envelopes will be given out on Sunday 4th Dec for return on Sunday 18th Dec;
• NO extra Offering for AfC during worship on Sunday 25th December - just the usual Sunday one!;
• All-Age Worship - Sunday 18th December
• A Planning meeting for the Café Service on 29th January will be arranged with the Rev Jean Murrie;
• Next Worship Group (to consider Lent) - Wednesday 1st February at 7.30pm. All welcome.

“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.

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.”

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in November for work in Egypt. Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• need for more workers and supporters to help distribution of material in Cambodia;
• completion of the Lao Bible revision after 8 years' work in Laos, hope for a distribution centre in the capital despite government restrictions;
• recent publication of the Revised Vietnamese Bible, also translation projects in 4 minority languages;
• work to encourage cultural & economic change and the spread of Bible reading in Costa Rica during a time of recession.

“Alive & Active”, the SBS magazine's autumn issue, is now here. Jenny will distribute copies to those on the “order list”, but there are also extra copies on the Vestibule table.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• The General Secretary, Rev Martyn Atkins, and the Assistant Secretary of Conference, Rev Gareth Powell;
• Connexional Grants Committee, Monday & Tuesday;
• EMU Implementation Group inaugural meeting, Monday;
• preparation for and outcomes of the Open Circuit Meeting;
• projects in the Bristol District (Methodist Homes);
• The Leprosy Mission's promotional work in Scandinavia;
• preparation for the UN Conference on Climate Change in Durban from a week on Monday (Christian Aid);
• Mission Aviation Fellowship work in Democratic Republic of Congo;
• Nazareth School of Nursing (BibleLands);
• Bible Society work in Sri Lanka;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea (WCC Ecumenical Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in the Redhill and East Grinstead Circuit (South-East District) and all in St John's Dumfries Ecumenical Partnership (Glasgow Circuit).

• 13 November 2011
• 27 November 2011

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