4 March 2012

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.

Important plea for help: Hosting of Synod

The Superintendent Minister, Rev Mary Patterson, has sent the following to the Church Stewards, anent our Circuit's hosting of Synod sessions on Friday 27th April in Perth and Saturday 28th April in Dundee:

Dear Church Stewards,

As you will be aware, this Circuit is responsible for hosting District Synod on Saturday 28th April. We meet in Dundee at the Central Baptist Church premises in Ward Road. In order to make sure the day runs smoothly a large number of people are required and I am hoping that between now and nearer the time, you will be able to gather names of folk who will be willing to give a day, or part of a day to helping at Synod.

We require people to greet folks as they arrive at the Church; perhaps some to be at the railway station to guide those arriving by train (we are hoping to have transport there to take them up to the church); one or two hardy folk to steward the car park at Dundee High School; we need people ready to supervise a creche if required; kitchen staff to provide tea / coffee.

Your help in this is vital and Synod can prove to be an enjoyable and interesting day, especially for those who have not been before so please do encourage your congregations to give this serious thought so that we can give a good welcome as a Circuit to the Scotland Synod.

Thank you. Mary

The Dundee Stewards in turn request OUR help!!

Contact Alan, Liz, Chi Tak, Tom, or Jenny to offer or for more details.

Ecumenical Lent Groups

During the season of Lent, study groups are meeting as below. A warm welcome is given to everyone to share fellowship and thinking through the group, every week or as other commitments permit.

• Dundee City Centre Churches: on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm in Meadowside St Paul's Church Halls using the York Courses, entitled “Handing on the Torch”. This week's study will be led by our own Tom Penman.
• Broughty Ferry Churches Group: on Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm. The Group will meet this week in the St Margaret's Barnhill Hall (Guthrie Terrace) , and be led by Barnhill St Margaret's and St Mary's representatives on the theme of “Action”. This uses the CTBI material based on a poem of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, under the title “The Way to Freedom”. This will also be the theme of broadcast services on Sundays & weekdays on BBC Radio 4 and BBC local radio.

Holy Week arrangements

• City Centre Churches
  • Maundy Thursday Service in the URC Church, Salem Lane
  • We await confirmation of a Good Friday Service in Meadowside St Paul's Church
  • There will be a Walk of Witness in Dundee City Centre on Good Friday morning, coordinated by the Rev Mary Patterson.
• Broughty Ferry
  • During Holy Week (from Monday 2 April) there will be Services every day in Broughty Ferry Churches (details soon).
  • On Good Friday morning, the now annual Distribution of Hot Cross Buns will take place (arrangements to be notified). There will be no Christian Aid Lunch on Good Friday (6th April).

Celebrate Age Network (CAN): Consultative Conference

Invitations are being sent “to all churches in the Dundee area” to invite representatives to join a community conference on the theme “Reshaping Care for Older People - Changing the Way We Care”. The Scottish Government has asked the Dundee Partnership to formulate a plan for delivery of services for older people, over the next 10 years, and this Conference is being organised to ascertain the views of the wider public.

The Conference will take place in Central Baptist Church, Ward Road, Dundee, on Thursday 15th March from 1.30pm to 4.30pm. If you are interested in attending, please indicate this to the Minister or Jenny Easson (Pastoral Secretary) so booking can be made.

Meetings this week

Support other Organisations

Scottish Bible Society

Our support through the Bible-a-Month Club is invited in March for work in Papua New Guinea. Our prayerful attention is drawn this week to

• launch of website and Facebook page in Sierra Leone to attract the interest of internet users;
• completion of the Kpelle and Kissi Bible translation projects in Liberia, also a hoped-for prompt start on the Gola translation project.

Forthcoming events

Prayer Points for this week

• < The President and Vice-President of Conference in Sheffield this week;
• Connexional Law and Polity Committee, Tuesday;
• members of the Circuit Leadership Team and of the District Policy Committee and the outcomes of each meeting;
• The Wesley History Society and 'heritage people' helping to “tell our story”;
• residents and staff in the Manchester and Stockport District (Methodist Homes);
• The Leprosy Mission's work in south east India;
• UN International Women's Day on Friday (Christian Aid);
• Mission Aviation Fellowship's work in South Sudan;
• Helen Keller Centre, Jerusalem (BibleLands);
• Bible Society work in Papua New Guinea;
• we pray with and for the peoples of Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, and San Marino (WCC Ecumenical Calendar);
• we remember fellow Methodists in Sutton (The London District) and in Portessie (North of Scotland Mission Circuit).

• 26 February 2012
• 11 March 2012

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