connect june 13 pdf

7/28/2019 Connect June 13 PDF

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Connect

Published by the Baptist Union of Scotland, 48 Speirs Wharf, Glasgow, G4 9TH, [email protected]. Charity Registration No:SC004960

June 2013

At a time of austerity and

financial challenge in the nation,

it is a joy to report early

indications showing that giving to

the Scottish Baptist Fund is

stable and the new Resource

Grant Group has started its work

in releasing funds back into

churches.

Ministry Resource Fund

grants are given to churches tosupport new ministries. They are

designed to help us fulfil the

visionary concepts outlined in

"An Invitation to a Journey" and

applying churches go through a

process of interaction with

members of the national team

and members of neighbouring

Baptist Churches.

Churches receiving grants

must demonstrate commitment

to being intentionally relational

with our Baptist family locally and

nationally, reporting regularly onthe work they are doing so that we

can learn from the joys and the

disappointments.

They must be unashamedly

missional in their approach to

ministry, seeking to prioritise the

proclamation of the gospel in

word and action in the post that

funding is applied for.

Grant supported churches will

also be creatively rooted and be

expected to demonstrate their

commitment to ongoing

discipleship as we seek to live

together "under Christ's rule".

The churches who will now

receive grants include the

following:Erskine Baptist Church: This is

the 5th and final year that

Erskine have received 2500

towards the appointment of their

part-time pastor Peter Dick. Over

the last few years, the church has

developed its involvement with

the community, seeing the

church doors open most days of

Alva Baptist Church: Alva is a

small congregation that is

seeking to stimulate growth in

their church and impact their

community through the ministry

of 2 accredited ministers. This is

a model which is untested in

Scotland to our knowledge. A one

year grant of 5000 has been

given to this church.

Forres: The community of Forres

has undergone large social

change in the last few years with

the loss of the Royal Air Force

base. This has had a large impact

on the church. Forres have been

granted 15,000 over the next

three years to help finance the

new ministry of Jon MacKenzie

as the church seeks to respond to

the needs of this town.

Other churches already in receipt

of grants include: Adelaide Place,

particularly to support the

experimental work of chaplaincy

in the business community;

Peebles Baptist Church seeking

to establish self-funded fulltimeministry in the town; Brae

Ministry Resource FundGrants at Work

the week. The recent development

of a toddlers group has the church

filled to capacity. Through the

grants process, the church has

been encouraged to look into

ways of introducing those people

now on the fringe into the early

steps towards knowing and

believing in Christ.

Renfrew Baptist Church: A

growing, vibrant youngcongregation has received 9500

spread over three years for a

second full time worker to help

the church grow and serve some

of the youth needs in the area.

Stephen Crothers

- Associate Pastor at

Adelaide Place

Baptist Church, still a relatively

new church plant in Shetland;

Pitlochry, Calderwood and

Dedridge churches each receive

grants towards church workers

serving primarily within the local

community and South Leith

Baptist church receives a small

grant of 1500 to support theirworship and youth pastor.

Prism funding towards the

launch ofForfar Community

Church of 20,000 per year will

come to an end in the summer

when the Oyarzabal family move

on. But there is no shortage of

Toddlers at Erskine Baptist

Money Advice training

at Dedridge Baptist


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Be sure to follow us on Facebook and at www.scottishbaptist.org.uk

At the 2010 Assembly our family

of Scottish Baptist Churches

expressed a desire to move from

institutional forms of Church to

becoming a missional movement in

Scotland. The booklet An

Invitation to a Journey was

developed to help put shape to

that desire. Now, in addition to our

website's existing book review

section

(www.scottishbaptist.org.uk/

content/book-reviews), overseen

by Rev Dr Brian Talbot

([email protected]), we

have 'Three Forward'

(www.threeforward.org.uk) a blog

dedicated to book reviewsexploring the development of 'An

Invitation to a Journey'.

It is hoped that 'Three Forward'

will help ministers and church

leaders take their congregations

further on that journey by

providing information about books

and other media that will help to

challenge and shape a more

missional theology and praxis in

our churches. The blog has been

set up by Rev Norman Graham

([email protected]) so

if you have any books you havepersonally found useful in

exploring this theme, please

contact him directly with reviews.

More general reviews will continue

to be dealt with by Brian.Jim Purves

Three Forward- a New Blog

Sheddocksley BaptistCelebrates Coming of Age

This year Sheddocksley Baptist

Church celebrated its 21st Birthday

with a wonderful night of

fellowship and memories. There is

very much a sense of coming of age

as a church and we give thanks to

God for his faithfulness to us on the

ourney.

We have been effectively

supported by our Baptist Union to

develop our youth and community

work and Simon Dennis our

Assistant Pastor has spearheadedthis work. We have seen doors open

n the local schools and have run a

week of Prayer Spaces in two

secondary and three primary

schools. Simon oversees our two

church Interns who come under the

DNA programme and together they

have set up a weekly mentoring

group for boys in Northfield

Academy. There is favour with

young people at this time and we

would love to further develop our

local youth work. We have been

linking along with a small cluster of

churches across the nation with the

ONELIFE programme to train our

youth leaders and inspire our young

people.

We are thrilled to see significantencouragement amongst our Young

Adults this year and this is now a

large vibrant group in the church.

They are planning a weekend away

this June and are part way through

an Alpha course.

We have also facilitated an Alpha

course with the local Indian Tamil

community which is a very exciting

development. Once again we were

able to send a team out to India to

further strengthen our links with an

OM Dalit Eduation Project wherewe had the joy of opening a new

Assembly Hall which our

fellowship has financed.

The appointment of Simon has

also released our Senior Pastor

Stephen Hibbard to develop

additional community outreach

projects. This has enabled us to take

our Parish Nursing Project to the

next level and to the formation of

the Aberdeen City Befriending

Partnership, a collaboration with

five other charities working with

Grampian Health Board and the

City Council. This is challenging

territory as we work through the

administration and organisation but

it does open doors to the most

vulnerable elderly people in our

locality. This has also led to the

launch of a regular Lunch Club for

folks in the community which is

proving very popular.

We have also been reviewing our

vision for the next 5 years and look

forward to developing in the areas

of mentoring, youth work andstrengthening these new community

ventures as well as enabling people

to transition from being connected

to the church to being committed to

following Jesus.

Stephen Hibbard

Associate Pastor Iain Kennedy helps with the refurb at Renfrew The craft group at Peebles

new opportunities for us to support.

In partnership with Dundee Central we are committed to funding

ministry development in the new church plant in Carnoustie and haveoffered Hawick Baptist Church a grant to continue to build their

mission team.

At present we are granting 77,000 to churches, with several other

churches already queuing for their applications to be heard at the

September Resource Grant Committee.

Further to this, we are bringing on stream a new form of grant to

support new mission initiatives throughout the nation. These will be

primarily of a seedcorn nature, allowing churches to begin newministries that are outward looking such as Messy Church, food banks,

advice centres, etc.

These proposals were agreed by Council last week and the Mission

Initiative Fund criteria is now published on the web site.

Alan Donaldson


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Connect


June 2013

An appreciative client!

Dave Bookless

Events in our publications, website or social media are for info only and do not necessarily reflect involvement or endorsement by BUS staff.

The Forfar Files

Its been good to hear, month by

month, about the developments inForfar Community Church over

this past year and a half. A Prism

project, our support started when

Stephen, Julie, Nathan and

Matthew Oyarzabal moved to live

in the community and we prayed

about the sale/rental of their

property in Buckie as they settled

into life in Forfar.

Following on from this we heard

about the progression of the old

school building refubishment,

opening events in the completed

church building, the first baptismal

Ben Francis, church planter with Big Life and BMS Associate Team

Leader in India visited Scotland last week with his wife Gill and

daughter Abigail for a wee holiday.

In between visiting Stirling castle on our first really hot day this

year and Edinburgh Zoo (back to winter temps), they managed to

lead an inspiring seminar which encouraged and challenged us in

equal measure.

Telling stories from his own

faith journey and the

development of Big Life, we sat

enthralled at the way God had

used ordinary people to share the

gospel, leading to folk coming to

faith in amazing ways.

Many thanks to Hamish

Wishart and Cornton Baptist

Church for their generous

hospitality to BMS in hostingBen and Gills seminar. We were

blessed.

Judy White

Missed it?

Listen to the podcast at:

...fb.me/1JQtDc9x8

Ben, Gill and Abigail Visit Scotland

Paul arrived at Hillhead around

three years ago, a Nigerian asylum

seeker in his mid-teens, who was

bewildered by western culture andsought the safety and support of a

church community. Very soon

after he arrived, he asked for

Baptism, but it was clear, from

conversations, that he needed time

to acclimatise to life in Scotland

and test out his faith in a very

different context. Supported by

some of our African postgraduate

students and some of the older men

in our fellowship, Paul has worked

quietly to secure permanent leave

to remain in Britain and to attain a

place at university to studyengineering. As Pentecost

approached, we again began to talk

about Baptism and agreed that now

was a favourable time. Paul has

matured as person and in his

service and the joyfulMainly

Music ministry and its impactlocally on children and families.

Having been involved in this initial

development, we now announce

that Stephen, Julie Nathan and

Matthew are moving on from

Forfar and Stephens role as

Community Pastor at FCC.

Please continue to pray with

Stephen and his family during this

time of transition, as they say

their farewells in Forfar, and for

Oliver Vellacott and the

congregation at FCC.

Judy White

A New Startfor Paul

nuanced understanding of Christian

faith and so we agreed to go ahead.

The building situation at Hillhead

means that we have no usable,permanent baptistry, so we set

about hiring a portable one. A small

team of volunteers gave up half a

day of their time to assemble and fill

it the day before, and another team

emptied, dismantled and packed it

for return on the Sunday afternoon.

During the service we sang several

songs in Yoruba (Pauls first

language) as well as items chosen by

three other friends who we received

into membership on profession of

faith.

We at Hillhead feel very blessedto have young adults like Paul in our

church, and privileged to play our

part in the mission of Christ in this

part of Glasgow.Catriona Gorton

Sampling local history! Yearbook CorrectionRev Tim Powers telephone number in Cupar has one wrong digit

in the 2013 Yearbook. It should be 01334 656302.


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Connect June 2013

Published by the Baptist Union of Scotland 48 Speirs Wharf Glasgow G4 9TH admin@scottishbaptist org uk Charity Registration No:SC004960

Prayer Linkfor June

1 Baptist Youth Sports Day.

4The BUS Trustees meet this afternoon.5 Judy White attends a meeting of the

Mission Representatives Fellowship.

6 The National Team meets. Mo Gibbs has a

meeting with Andy Ashworth, of DNA.

7 - 9th Step OutTraining Weekend.

11 - 13th. The Pre-Accreditation and

Scottish Baptist Ministers Conferences take

place in St Andrews.

12 Mo Gibbs attends the National Prayer

Breakfast.

13 - 15th Alan Donaldson is guest speaker at

the Welsh Baptist Assembly.

14 John Greenshields begins a six week

period of sabbatical, to be followed by afurther six weeks nearer the end of the year.

16 Jim Purves preaches at the Anniversary

Services in Leslie Baptist Church and Alan

Donaldson in Newton Mearns Baptist Church.

17 Alan Donaldson visits Newton Mearns

Baptist this evening.

17-21 Christine Heron, President of the

Scottish Baptist Womens Fellowship

(SBWF) visits the ladies of Orkney.

19 The Joint Assembly Planning Group meets.

20 Alan Donaldson is a guest of the Scottish

Churches Rural Committee at the Royal

Highland Show this morning. This afternoon,

the National Team meets and, this evening,the College Committee meets.

22 Jim Purves is with Milestone Christian

Fellowship as Adam Oellermann is inducted

as their full-time pastor.

24 - 26th Jacqueline Primrose and Jim

Purves attend FBBI meetings in Birmingham.

Sunday 2nd

Please pray forRev Jim Meighan,

Chaplain at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow.

Rev Isobel Neal, Chaplain, Robin House,

Childrens Hospice. It has been a year of

change for chaplaincy and that, along with

other things, has brought its challenges. We

are in the middle of the recruitment process

for a new chaplain to work alongside me in

Robin House and I would value prayers for

the process, and for the person who isappointed, that we would work well as a

team. I would also value prayers for myself,

that I will have the physical, emotional and

spirtual energy to honour God in the work he

has called me to do.

Sunday 9th

Wigtown: Rev Stephen McGarva. Thank

you for praying for us. Although we are a

small fellowship in a very rural location we

are situated only 11 miles from where St

Ninian built the first Christian church inScotland (Whithorn) in the 4th Century, and

from where he travelled the length and

breadth of the nation taking the good news of

Jesus. We are also only a few hundred yeards

from the site where the Wigtown Martyrs

were drowned in 1685 for their faith in

Christ. Pray for us as we draw inspiration

from these brave local predecessors and also

make their faith known today in missional,

relational and creative ways.

Wishaw: Rev Colin Mackenzie.

Over the past 16 months the fellowship hashad to go through more than a dozen deaths

including two members of the church

leadership the latter being the treasurer.

This has been a blow to the fellowship, but

God is good and sustaining us. Pray for

enduring grace.

A Way AheadGroup has been formed and

is currently exploring some serious

considerations, including employing a youth

worker. Pray for clear guidance as we seek

Gods will at this time.

Sunday 16th

Abbeyhill, Edinburgh: Rev Gordy MacKay.

Gordy Mackay was ordained and inducted as

the Pastor of Abbeyhill on 23rd February

2013. Gordy's ministry since has been very

much appreciated. Julie his wife is expecting

a 2nd baby in September.

Please pray that the Pastor, Deacons and

all the Church folk may be clearly led in the

days ahead as to the ways God wants us to

move forward in His will to serve Him, to

help our people and help the community

around us in this part of Edinburgh. Manypeople round about need to know of the love

of Christ and hear of His great news. We

give God thanks and the glory for all He has

done and trust Him for all that is to come.

Thanks for praying for us.

Aberdeen Christian Fellowship: Pleasepray for the church and its pastor Rev Vijay

Pillai.

Sunday 23rd

Adelaide Place, Glasgow: Revs JackQuinn and Stephen Crothers. We are in an

exciting season at Adelaide Place Baptist

Church with lots of opportunities ahead.

Recently, we have begun a 2 year journey

with a Learning Community hosted and led

by Central in Edinburgh and an organisation

called 3DM. Our desire is to learn much

about reigniting a missional form of

discipleship as well as re-learning in many

ways what it means to participate in the

mission of God in city centre Glasgow.

There seem to be the usual challenges of

managing time in a busy fast paced city,

however, our big prayer point would be thatJack and I prioritise well during this season

and keep in step with what God's Spirit is

doing here.

Airdrie: Rev Ross Murphy. Please give

thanks to the Lord for his faithfulness to our

Fellowship for 170 years. Pray for us as we

adopt a mission statement encouraging us to

reach each generation of Airdrie with the

Gospel. Give thanks for unity within the

Fellowship and increasingly strong Gospel

partnership with other Churches.

Pray for our young people, and newattendees, give thanks to the Lord for their

connections with the Church and ask that we

would see more coming to faith in the Lord

Jesus Christ followed by baptism,

membership and fruitful service for Him.

Give thanks for our pastor's continued

good health (his last MRI scan showed no

change and he's now on 6 monthly scans).

Pray for Edwin Gunn who is currently

working two days a week for the church.

Sunday 30th

Alexandria (Vale of Leven): Rev Robert

Sharp.

Pray for our preparations for our children

and young people's summer club in July. We

have a group from America coming tosupport us, please pray for them as theyprepare to come.

Engagement Diaryfor June

Pray that some of our older members, whohave some challenges with their health wouldknow God's healing presence.Pray for the contact we have with youngpeople through SU in the local high school,that there would be more opportunities toconvey the gospel.

Pray the Out of School Club that uses thechurch would continue to grew in joy andnumbers.

Pray for the church leadership as they meetand deal with the challenges that go with

leading a church.

Alloa: Rev Jimmy King. Give thanks for the

faithfulness of the fellowship and the way

they support each other, for the relationships

built up through the recently wound up lunch

club, for opportunities afforded the pastor in

the local secondary school and for a number of

new people attending the services.

Please pray for the visit of a Step Outteam

in July and for the team from the church and

Ludgate Parish Church that will be working

with them running a holiday club. Pray, too,

for the many people in the fellowship

recovering from operations or confined to care

homes.

connect june 13 pdf

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