Connect PDF Sept 12

7/29/2019 Connect PDF Sept 12

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Connect

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

September 2012

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As BUS Youth Development

Coordinator, leading into summer is

one of the busiest times of my year.

The summer itself is still hectic, but

it becomes more about meeting all

the young people taking time out of

their own summer to serve churches

across our Union. At the beginning

of July, as Step Outmissions

started, I saw a long summer ahead

of us. Yet all of a sudden here I am,

telling you all about it now its

finished. How quickly time flies

and how much there is to share!

The Olympics had the strapline

Inspire a Generation and that

simple thought sums up the

summer for me. There is an amazing

bunch of young people from many

different churches across our Union

who have taken time out to inspire

a generation about Jesus. They havedone that by running holiday clubs

and youth clubs, getting to know

young people, and sharing

something of Jesus love with them.

The young people taking part in

the Step Outprogramme have done

Inspiring a GenerationReflections onStep Out 2012

an amazing job of inspiring a

generation about Jesus. There were

forty people taking part this year,

varying in age from 14 to mid-

twenties. Quite a few who have

done Step Outbefore didnt join this

summer, for various reasons

including graduating and job hunting.

Please pray for these young people

as they move into the next stages of

what God has planned for them, for

a sense of His leading and guiding.

Many others joined the programme

again, giving up between one and

four weeks of their summer to go

around the country telling people

about Jesus. Excitingly there were a

large number of people joining Step

Outfor the first time. Its really

encouraging to see so many new

young people wanting to take part.

Training took place in June inInverkeithing Baptist. As there

were so many new people it was

slightly quieter than Im used to on

the Friday night ... but by Sunday

solid friendships had been formed

and it was no longer quiet! One of

the highlights was Alan Donaldson

coming to speak with the young

people about how far they were

willing to go to serve Jesus, sharing

something ofAn Invitation to a

Journey with them. Step Outis a

lived-out embodiment of what we

are reflecting on inAn Invitation To

A Journey, an embodiment of being

intentionally relational,

unashamedly missional, and

creatively rooted. It was great to

encourage the young people and

help them see themselves as part of

the whole family of Baptist

churches in the Union and what

were about.

We have a really gifted group of

young people within our churches

and it has been inspiring, to me at

least, to see them grow in their

discipleship and boldness in tellingpeople about Jesus. For some of the

young people, sharing their

testimonies, talking, or leading

things was a relatively new

experience in this kind of setting and

they all did brilliantly! Each of the

teams have daily devotions, which

different team members lead, and it

was both challenging and inspiring

to see how they were engaging with

the Bible, encouraging one another

to apply and live out what they

were reading.

We were able to work with 14

different churches in our Union,

with this being the first Step Out

for Ellon and Dunfermline West.

Each week was completely

different, and in each place it was

really exciting to see what God wasdoing. Id encourage you to pray

for the churches as they seek to

maintain connections with these

young people and their families and

continue building relationships with

them in a variety of ways.

The Step Outmaterial was

produced by young adults who are,

or have been, involved in Step Out.

There were many hours spent over

coffee discussing and planning

together, with people then going

away to work on specific things to

feed back into the group.

As well as prepared material the

teams would oftem share their own

testimonies too, sharing the

difference God makes in their lives

and challenging the young people to

think about following Jesus for

themselves. Messy games,

challenges, quizzes and other things

combined with the material made for

fun youth evenings.

Overall the summer was

amazing, and there has been much to

be thankful for. The reunionweekend is due to take place in

November when there will be

another opportunity for the young

people to get together and share

stories from the summer, build on

the friendships that have formed,

and look ahead to next year.

Mo Gibbs

If you have young people in your

church who might like to get

involved in Step Out next summer,

or Step Out is something your

church would like to consider, thenplease dont hesitate to get in touch

with me as Id really like to share

with you more about Step Out.

Were already looking ahead to

next year and continuing to inspire

a generation in Jesus name!

At the Training Weekend


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Connect September 2012


The town of Nairn has significantly grown in the

22 years since the inception of Nairns Baptist

Church. (In BU of Scotland since 1992). The

population is about 8,500 in the town ,12,000 if

one widens the boundaries to include nearby

rural villages. Government statistics suggest

growth will continue, rising to nearly 14,000 in

the next 20 years. Of note is that every age

demographic except the over 65s is in decline.

Nairn was served by nine `Protestant

churches and one RC but the small Brethren

church closed this year. As the towns

population gets older so too does the

congregation of most churches. Regular Sunday

attendance is estimated to have fallen from

around 660/670 to around 450/470 in just a few

years. The `younger in the town are

conspicuously, not, replacing the older folks.

All the more remarkable then that our small

Baptist Church has managed to grow, for the

first time in its history hitting (and now

exceeding) fifty members. Additionally, we have

40 more regular attenders and if everyone turns

out we number well over 100.

Even more remarkable is that our growth is

cross generational, attracting new folks, mostly

incomers, some with families, some couples,

some singles. God has blessed us, and we are

humbly grateful, as we are to our wider Baptist

family in the Baptist Union of Scotland for their

financial support, as we move from a place of

some financial interdependency to sustainable

financial independence, (we are almost a NET

contributor and hope to be soon).New ministries in the past few years include

following up a desire to be better disciples. Eight

groups meet for regular prayer and Bible study.

The latest (with their leaderships blessing), sees

members of the local URC joining a Baptist-led

study group. This type of study is a new

experience for some of the folks.

Walking Nairns promenade this morning I saw a salmon leap from the sea shore. Occasionally the dolphins chase the salmon and we

can see them leap too! Small flocks of Oyster Catchers fly close over the sands seeming to flick from black to white as they dart and

twist in different directions. The Black Isle glistens on the far shore line, some seven miles over the Moray Firth. Gods rich blessing in

His creation is so evident here. This certainly is a particularly beautiful part of Scotland!

A salt water baptism in Nairn!

Last month the 8 young people on our puppet

ministry team joined in a local effort to provide

nurturing and fun to a dozen kids from Belarus,

in Nairn with the Chernobyl Childrens Lifeline

Charity. In May we welcomed Dave, Polly and

Zack, the Kosovo BMS Action team, fantastic

young witnesses to the Christian faith and the

value of mission. They gained access to both

primary schools and Nairns senior Academy.

To say they were a great hit understates their

impact and achievement! Our pastor is part of

the chaplaincy team in two of the schools, one of

which has been the domain of just one church

minister until a recent retirement. We have great

hopes for reaching the young in all the schools of

Nairn. This is relatively new Kingdom work.

Perhaps the greatest change for us has been to

our constitution, going from closed membership

to one which recognises the faith and value in our

church community of those Christians not

baptised as believers by full immersion.Hopefully, at some point they will share our

view and come to a place of believers baptism.

In the meantime they can join the church as

`associate members and contribute vital roles in

the life of the church.

We value your prayers. Thank-you for your

support. Rev. Tim Power

Nairn - Growing Town, Growing Church.

Dates: Saturday 15th September 2012 (Introduction and Baptists Identity 1)

Saturday 6th October 2012 (Baptists Identity 2)

Saturday 10th November (Interpreting the Bible 1)

Saturday 8th December 2013 (Interpreting the Bible 2)Saturday 19th January 2013 (Mission 1)

Saturday 16th February 2013 (Mission 2)

Saturday 16th March 2013 (Discipling 1)

Saturday 20th April 2013 (Discipling 2)

Saturday 18th May 2013 (Leadership 1)

Saturday 15th June 2013 (Leadership 2)

Initiate will bedelivered as a pilotcourse in 2012-13, at

a reduced cost of

100, by Ian Birch andStuart Blythe

Venue: The Board Room,Baptist Union of Scotlandoffice, 48 Speirs Warf,

Glasgow, G4 9TH,

Time: 10.00am-4.00pm.

Tea and coffee will be provided

but participants should bring a

packed lunch with them.

Lunch break will be an

opportunity for shared

discussion and prayer.

Participants will receive a folder

and notes and will be expected

to do work in-between meetings,

keeping a learning Journal

which will be assessed.


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Connect


September 2012

An appreciative client!

Dave Bookless

PLEASE NOTE: The events advertised in our publications or on our website cover the wider Christian scene in Scotland and do not necessarily

reflect the involvement or endorsement of Baptist Union staff or any specific knowledge about content.

Notice

Board

Facing the UnthinkableThis seminar runs on Saturday 6th

October, 2012, 9.00am to 1.30pm

in Morningside Baptist Church,

now at 2 West Tollcross,

Edinburgh, EH3 9BP. The Seminar

is especially designed to equip

trustees, leaders and all those who

work with children and vulnerable

adults by covering all aspects of

safeguarding. It is interactive and

opportunity is given for delegates

to ask questions or raise issues of

concern on any area connected to

protection of the vulnerable andgood working practices. Cost is

19.50 per delegate, including a

workbook (value 5) There are two

special group offers: Small Group:

5 places for 75; Large Group: 15

places for 200 (payment for this

offer has to be received in full on

booking) but individual names are

not needed.

Please note that the events

are by ticket only. If you are

booking less than three days before

the event please phone to ensure

there is space and you receive all ofthe relevant information. Book

online at www.ccpas.co.uk/

training.html or contact Karen

Ledger on 0845 1204550, option 3,

on Mon, Tues, Thurs during school

hours or on [email protected]

Saturday, 11th August, was a big day at Larkhall Baptist Church with the

Ordination and Induction of Tom Vernon, their new Associate Pastor.

Scottish Church HistorySociety Conference

24 October, 2012, in Stirling Baptist

Church, from 9.30am- 4pm. Theme:

Scottish Church History - Lessons

from the Past, Lessons for the

Future.Registration and welcomefrom 9.30 to 10 am. The Keynote

Address is by Prof T M Devine on

The Puzzle of Sectarianism in

Modern Scottish History followed by

papers from scholars on the

conference theme,with time for

discussion. Cost: 10 including

lunch. For more details or to book,

contact Christine Lumsden on

[email protected]

Messy Church Training13th October, Edinburgh

Training is being given for Scottish

Messy Teams by Lucy Moore,

founder ofMessy Church. The day

of training costs 10 per person or

50 for a team. For more information

contact Reuben Addis on

[email protected]

Under Christs RuleThis booklet of 6 Bible Studies for

churches was launched at Assembly

2011 but is now also available as a

download on our website

(www.scottishbaptist.org.uk)If you browse it, like it and want

to use it in your church, we also have

hard copies available at 2 plus p&p.

Order from Roberta on

[email protected] or call

0141 423 6169.

A Big Day for Larkhall Baptist

The Forfar Files...

Hello from Forfar!

Work on the building is pushing

forward with some time needing

to be caught up. We are hoping

all the structural work will be

completed by the end of

September when we will have

opportunity to complete some

of the internal furnishings. We

have a target date of the end of

October to start the group

Mainly Music which is an

opportunity for those with

preschool children to come

together for a fun time of music

and friendship. The officialopening date for the buildings

will be Saturday November 10th

which will lead into an open

week where people from the

community can come along and

see what is happening. Part of

what we are planning is to link

the past use

of the

buildings as

part of a

school into

what is

happening

now with

the

displaying

of photos and the sharing of

memories. We continue to take

opportunities to share in the

community for example by helping

in a charity shop and being part of

the organising group of a local pre-school group Mums and Mites.

Prayer is high on the agenda as we

sense the depth of the battle that is

going on. We value your prayers as

we prepare over the coming couple

of months for the opening week for

the building. Stephen Oyarzabal

Yearbook CorrectionsUnder professions in the Church

List at Broughty Ferrys entry the

figure refers to the total members

added, not professions of faith.Also, Mr Isdale Anderson, 15b

Whinney Brae, Broughty Ferry,

Dundee, DD5 2HU 01382 736549

[email protected] is

now acting as Church Secretary.

In the BUS Accredited List, Rev

Howard Davids address should be

68 Balnakyle Road, Inverness, IV2

4BT, 01463 719144 and he served

at Grantown on Spey Baptist from

2002-2005. Please also note that the

following areAccreditedand not

Pre-Accredited ministers: Revs

Peter Carr, Douglas Craig, Peter

Foster, Andrew Giffen, Rae

Mackenzie, Stuart Murdoch, Ross

Murphy, Tim Power and Mark

Schenk.


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Connect September 2012

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

Prayer Linkfor September

Engagement Diaryfor September

1 Journeying Together weekend in Oban,

Fort William and Lochgilphead.

2 This evening, John Greenshields will be with

the Bathgate church as their Interim Pastor,Harry Sprange, celebrates 40 years in the

ministry.

4 Our Unions Council meets today.

5 Today and tomorrow, John Greenshields

attends the National Settlement Team and

College Consultation on Ministry in

Manchesster.

9 Judy White preaches in Kirktintilloch

Baptist, John Greenshields preaches in the

Lighthouse Church, Forres, Alan Donaldson is

at Linwood Baptist this morning and at

Morningside this evening as they celebrate

Racial Justice Sunday.

10 Alan Donaldson is at the CRBS for training.

11 The joint BUS/BMS Assembly Planning

group meets this morning.

13 Our Unions National Team meets this

afternoon. Judy White visits Aberdeen

Christian Fellowship.

14 John Greenshields is in Westray this

weekend for the Baptist Church re-

opening.after refurbishment.

15 Participants on the new BUS/Scottish

Baptist College Initiate course meet for the

first time today.

16 Alan Donaldson preaches at Pollok Baptist

Church in Glasgow.18 Alan Donaldson and Judy White attend the

Mission Forum today and tomorrow.

23 Judy White preaches in Cupar Baptist

today.

26 Alan Donaldson and Brian More attend the

EBF Council in Berlin.

27 The National Team meets today.

Sunday 2nd

Jim Meighan, Chaplain, Stobhill Hospital,Glasgow. David Middlemiss, Army Chaplain.

Please pray for these chaplains in their

demanding roles in different spheres of service.

Sunday 9th

Larkhall: Rev Stuart Wadsworth. On

Saturday 11th August, Tom Vernon was

Ordained and Inducted as Associate Pastor at

Larkhall. We would appreciate your prayers as

Tom and his wife Christine and family settle

into the town and the church and Tom

establishes his ministry working alongside

Stuart. We would also appreciate yourcontinued prayers for Ruth, Stuarts wife, and

for Hazel our former Worship Leader who are

both battling cancer. Thank you for your

prayers which are much appreciated.

Leith, Edinburgh. Please pray for the church

and its pastor, Rev Bill Cowie.

Sunday 16th

Lerwick: Rev Iain Morrison. The first year in

our new church building has gone very quickly.

It seems only yesterday when Alan Donaldson

was challenging us at the open ceremony to

give the building away. I am glad to reportthat is exactly what we have been doing, with

hundreds of people from many different non-

church organisations going through our new

building during the week. We no longer have a

mission on our doorstep, the mission is now

within our doorstep. Our ongoing burden is to

help these people find their way to Jesus and

to life eternal. With this in mind, we plan to do

the Contagious Christian Course for the whole

church this coming Autumn. Pray that we will

learn to become more contagious sharing our

faith and the community with our new building.

Give thanks that we have already been blessed

in our first year, with 3 baptism, 6 newmembers and 14 people doing anAlpha course.

Leslie: Rev James Faddes. Its been an

exciting and challenging year for our fellowship,

in terms of youth and community work, as well

as exploring what it means to be a healthy

church. Please pray that God would empower

us to go and make disciples who will seek the

kingdom of God in Leslie and beyond. Our

priority is to seek first the kingdom of God,

rather than simply sustaining religious

activities. We are encouraged and excited about

the year ahead!

Sunday 23rd

Leven: Rev Mark Pexton. We are encouraged

and thank God for new people beginning to

attend the church. We pray that they feel

welcome in our church family and that through

prayer and our fellowship the Holy Spirit will

work in their lives.

We thank God for those in the church who

have recently come to faith and are now wishing

to be baptised and become members. A number

of the above group attended theAlpha Course

and through the teaching and the Holy Spirit

they have committed their lives to Jesus Christ.

We are blessed by the numbers attending our

youth programmes, led by a very able youthworker, supported by a number of committed

young volunteers. We pray this will continue and

the young people of Leven will become aware of

our youth work and be led to sample it.

Please pray that as we look to expand our

involvement and outreach ministry in our

community - that as we present proposals to the

church there will be a sense of confirmation and

unity among us.

Linwood Baptist Church: Rev Robert Voysey.

We give thanks for God's continued blessings,

especially in this, Roberts sabbatical year, and

for the provision of speakers in his absence.Linwood has a mainly mature membership

with a healthy 40-50 at morning service and 15-

20 at evening service. We continue to enjoy a

very close family type fellowship.

See and Know is run for children up to two

years old, Sunbeams for two to six years,

Trailblazers from six to high school and Bible

class groups. We also continue to have an

informal prayer time on Tuesday mornings, a

midweek prayer meeting on Wednesday night, a

monthly Prayer Breakfast and monthly

Fellowship Lunch. Our praise band plays at both

morning and evening services.

We give thanks that we have enjoyed Robertsministry for the past 15 years and would ask

your prayers as he returns in September. Pray

too that we would continue to find other

openings to present the Lords work.

Sunday 30th

Lochgelly: Rev Jonathan Magee. We give

thanks for the sale of the manse - a financial

resource for the future. The church continues to

appreciate opportunities to be a witness in the

community, although with little manpower, by

partnering with community groups. The Pastor is

regularly involved in School chaplaincy work, but

is also invited to all "over 70s treats" to meet thelocal senior citizens and offer pastoral support.

Through our Parent and Toddler group we have

developed a good relationship with young adults,

and pray that, in time, we will see some attending

the church

We would value prayer forCoffee Mates, a

drop in for men, well supported by men outwith

the church. Pray that we might see more

Christian men coming to add to the witness. We

are aware that men, nationally, do not usually

attend organised events. As a small church, we

have more opportunity to witness to men on a

percentagebasis.

Pastoral opportunities in the communitycontinue to abound, including funerals and

counselling needs. The church is small but with

great opportunities. We have a great God who

has opened up doors, but pray that in time we

will be resourced with more manpower.

On a wider and even international perspective

God has opened up doors to share His love even

with those of other or no faiths through the

internet as well as the published books of the

Pastor. Please pray that speaking engagements in

secular groups that arose through this will see

Gods hand continuing to bless..

Lochgilphead: Rev Derek Gibson. We have

been very blessed by God in recent days,particularly during our 'Family Week' in July.

This gave us many opportunities to reach out

and serve people of all ages within the

community. At the heart of our church life is

building relationships with people and providing

opportunities for them to engage with the

Christian faith. A key aspect of this is Messy

Church, which we run once a month, and it has

been so encouraging to see a good number of

young families come on a regular basis. On 9th

September we are holding a cafe style church

service as ourBig Welcome initiative and would

welcome prayer for this.

We are seeking to extend the present churchbuilding quite significantly so as to provide 2

additional general purpose rooms and better

kitchen facilities. This is a huge financial

undertaking for the church so please pray for

God's provision and that the whole process will

go relatively smoothly.

Documents

Connect PDF Sept 12