AUG/SEPT 2015 ON THE MOVE In the day when I cried out, You
answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:
3 I suspect God must get really frustrated at how complicated we
make things sometimes. Dont get me wrong. We were created with
brains, and even if were never going to understand anything more
than a tiny fraction of the mysteries of God (because, well, hes
God and were not), Im all for us making the effort to do so as much
as we can. I admit that serious theology makes my head hurt, and
when faced with books by great Christian thinkers like Karl
theology makes my head hurt, and when faced with books by great
Christian thinkers like Karl Barth or Jrgen Moltmann I have to
struggle through each page several times before I even begin to
grasp what theyre saying. (Thats why Ive not read any Barth or
Moltmann since leaving college!) However, the work they do is
hugely important. But sometimes, God puts things in such simple
terms that we think: that cant be right! There must be more to it
than that! I came across the following sentence on a website this
week: In the Bible it says that its Gods kindness that leads people
to turn to him. That sounds far too simple, too basic, to be right.
And then I saw the reference pointing to a verse in Romans, and I
was quite sure that it couldnt be right I have to confess that I
usually find what Paul says in his letter to the Romans to be
really difficult to understand. But actually, Romans 2:4 says just
what the website suggested. Gods kindness is intended to lead you
to repentance, it says in the NIV. What could be more
straightforward? How much simpler could Gods plan get? Be kind.
Reveal God. Its stunningly simple. The Big Sunday Festival is
designed to do exactly that to show something of Gods kindness to
the community of Peebles. Sure,there are opportunities for people
to dig a bit deeper than that in the prayer tent, or the talk tent,
or in various other activities that are going on. But at its heart,
the Big Sunday Festival is about revealing Gods kindness (and other
unfashionably simple words, like love, and generosity, and fun).
Come and be a part of it! 3 PROMISED LAND Once I was dead to You
and I could not hear I was blind to the truth and was nowhere near
But then You gave me life and You gripped my soul With a love so
pure and You won't let go What a Savior, my redeemer, You have
freed me Helped me understand Through Your suffering, I'm forgiven
Pressing onward to The Promised Land Sent from His Father above,
Jesus walked this earth Knew His destiny as He read the word Not
shrinking back from the task He pursued His goal Came to ransom
lives and to make them whole What a Savior Now with the Spirit's
help I can journey on Knowing peace with God, my conviction's
strong Because of Jesus' blood I am now secure And because He lives
my hope is sure What a Savior You've bought me with a price, a
perfect sacrifice Now all I have I give to You My life no longer
mine, to live or die is Christ Bound now for Heaven What a Savior,
my redeemer, You have freed me Helped me understand Through Your
suffering, I'm forgiven Pressing onward to The Promised Land His
name is Jesus, risen Savior, He's our healer Death could not
withstand His name is Jesus, sent from Heaven To take us homeward
to The Promised Land Lou Fellingham, Promised Land 4 BUS PRAYER
DIARY. . . August 9thJohn Greenshields, Ministry Development
Coordinator, BUS Islay Baptist Church Johnstone Baptist ChurchKeiss
Baptist ChurchAugust 16thJacqueline Primrose, Convenor, BUS Kelso
Baptist Church Kilmarnock Baptist Church King's Park Baptist
ChurchAugust 23rdJim Purves, Mission & Ministry Advisor, BUS
Kirkintilloch Baptist Church Kirkwall Baptist Church Knightswood
Baptist ChurchAugust 30thLadywell Baptist Church Larbert Baptist
Church Largo Baptist ChurchSeptember 6thBaptist Union of Great
Britain Larkhall Baptist Church Leith Baptist Church Lerwick
Baptist ChurchSeptember 13thBaptist Union of Wales Leslie Baptist
Church Leven Baptist Church Linwood Baptist ChurchSeptember
20thIrish Baptist Networks Lochgelly Baptist Church Lochgilphead
Baptist Church Lossiemouth Baptist ChurchSeptember 27thScottish
Baptist College Maybole Baptist Church Milestone Christian
Fellowship Montrose Baptist Church 5 PBC PRAYER Continue to thank
and Praise God for who He is. Pray for Vision, Wisdom and
discernment regarding our church accommodationas we prepare for our
Vision Day on the third of October Listening to what He has to say
A new encounter with Him, personally and as a body. Continue to
pray for all who are bereaved, sick, and in hospital. Our children
who attend K.A.O.S. every Sunday, as their summer activities are
near ending, they will soon be divided up into their classes more
space is needed for the bigger children. BBQ at St. Josephs on 23rd
August, pray that new friendships will be formed and that all will
be safe. Thank and Praise God for Ann and David MacFarlane in Italy
for the help the church is giving to the refugees, when they get
word that a boat is arriving the church waits on the shore for them
giving water blankets and food. Pray these folks see Jesus in this
demonstration of His Love. 6 1CAN WE CHANGE THE WORLD? When I was
young I thought I could change the world, maybe a part of me still
thinks that is possible, but as I get older (and wiser) my focus
has turned to my local community and what difference I can make
closer to home.As a result of this I have recently taken on the
role of Programme Manager with Peeblesshire Youth Trust (PYT).
Peeblesshire Youth Trust is a local charity that works throughout
Tweeddale to provide support to children and young people who are
struggling with confidence and self-esteem. There are a number of
ways that we do this; through mentoring services, peer mentoring at
the High School, providing emergency goods to families, such as
clothes for children, and our Christmas Hamper programme that we
run every year. The main part of our work that I would like to
share with you here is our mentoring programme, designed to help
young people who are lacking in confidence and self-esteem, through
the difficult transition from primary to secondary school. We
provide mentors to work with such individuals to help them feel
more confident and to develop strategies for dealing with everyday
situations that they may face. As part of this process the young
people attend a course called Achieve Your Potential with their
adult mentors, where we do group activities and challenges that are
aimed to fostering that sense of wellbeing and confidence that they
may be lacking. All of our young people are referred to us by local
primary schools, and usually this occurs in Primary 6. We focus on
helping those kids that fly under the radar, the quiet ones at the
back of the class who are too nervous to raise their hands in class
and wont speak up when something is wrong. They dont have any
particular behavioural or 7 2educational needs that mean that they
get extra support in class, but still need that little extra help.
Head teachers can refer them to Peeblesshire Youth Trust and we
will work with them and their families to identify a suitable
mentor to work with that young person. Our mentors are fully
trained and are given on-going support by the team at PYT, they
meet with their mentee around once a month for coffee or an
activity organised by PYT. Through such on-going support,
encouragement and getting involved in activities, the work that we
do is incredibly rewarding, not just for the young person but for
our mentors, staff and Board of the organisation also. While this
work may not change the world, or even our country, we can make a
difference to our own community, and the young people within it. If
you would like to know more about the work of the charity or would
like to become a mentor then please do get in touch, you can email
me at [email protected], or phone 07957 383663
Scottish Charity No SCO403222 Rowan Court, Cavalry Park, Peebles,
EH45 9BU. T: 07957 383663www.peeblesshireyouthtrust.org 8
1MARILYNNE ROBINSON: ABSENCE OF MINDOn 15th August, Marilynne
Robinson will make her first appearance at the Edinburgh Book
Festival. If you were thinking of going along, then, unless youve
already purchased your ticket, youre too late, like me. All tickets
sold. If, however, youre wondering who she is, you can maybe take
some comfort from the fact that one of the most respected living
authors Pulitzer Prize winner, quoted by Barak Obama in his eulogy
for Clementa Pinkney, the pastor recently assassinated in South
Carolina is a Christian writing about faith, goodness and grace
with intellect and serious intent, and without sentimentality. Born
in 1943, Robinson did not publish her first major novel,
Housekeeping, until 1980.And another twenty-four years (!) were to
pass before the appearance of Gilead, the first in an unusual
trilogy that centres on the life of the Rev John Ames,
congregational minister in small town Iowa. Gilead is in the form
of a letter written in the mid 1950s by the dying Ames to the young
son unexpectedly born to him in later life, as a result of his
second marriage to the mysterious Lila. Home, published in 2008,
deals with the troubled life of Jack, son of Amess provocative
friend, the Presbyterian Rev. Boughton. While Lila, published only
last year, provides Lilas distinct and peculiar perspective on the
whole narrative. In addition to the beauty and conviction of her
fiction, there is considerable comfort to be taken from her
non-fiction. Her essays, in particular The Death of Adam, reveal an
enthusiasm for John Calvin, implied in her novels, but here made
plain in her determination to right what she perceives as the wrong
interpretation of his puritan theology. They also provide a
devastating critique of the way in which Darwinism was used first
to shrink humanity and then to excuse some of the worst excesses of
human behaviour.(And, if your political perspective is similar to
mine, you will take considerable comfort and not a little pleasure
in her long essay Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State, and
Nuclear Pollution (1989).Read it now and shame the Daily Mail!) 9
2Above all, however, there is comfort to be drawn from the ability
she demonstrates in another long essay, Absence of Mind (2010), to
tackle head on the strident atheism so prevalent in our culture,
from Dawkins to Stephen Fry.This is not an easy read, and
frequently you find yourself having to check the same sentence
several times over to make sure you have begun to understand its
full import.But this essay originally delivered as a series of
lectures powerfully asserts the flimsiness of the foundations of
the modern assumption that the science of Darwin, Marx, Freud etc.,
has long since taken us past the point where religion ceased to be
either relevant or credible. And in turn she seeks to remind us all
of the primacy of our own individual experience, lived through the
consciousness of our mind, and the promptings of our heart, where
the intuition that there is something more beats strongly, and
where, finally, Christ is to be encountered. John Dalrymple 10 The
Best of the Word Today, Bob Gass, UCB THIS YEAR PERSEVERE (3) We
will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 NIV)
Observe two more things about perseverance: (a) Perseverance means
stopping not because youre tired, but because the task is done.
Diplomat Robert Strauss quipped, Success is like wrestling a
1,000-pound gorilla. You dont quit when you are tired, you quit
when the gorilla is tired. When youre fresh, excited and energetic
you work at a task with vigor. Only when you become weary do you
need perserverance. The Apostle Paul recognized this: Let us not
become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up. Fatigue and discouragement are not
reasons to quit, they are reasons to draw closer to God, rely on
our character and keep going. We underestimate what it takes to
succeed. When we havent counted the cost, we approach challenges
with mere interest; whats required is total commitment! (2)
Perseverance doesnt demand more than we have, but all that we have.
Author Frank Tyger observed, In every triumph, there is a lot of
try. But perseverance means more than just trying or working hard.
Perseverance is an investment. Its a willingness to bind yourself
emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually to an idea,
purpose or task until it has been completed. Perseverance demands a
lot, but here is the good news: everything you give is an
investment in yourself. Each time you do the right thing seek God,
work hard, treat others with respect, learn and grow you invest in
yourself. To do these things every day takes perseverance, but if
you do them your success is guaranteed. 11 UPDATE FROM BARBARA My
lovely prayer friends We are like the persistent widow we will not
give up as we lift up darling Alena who is in surgery at this
moment for removal of the growths in her throat, yet again. This
will be the fifth operation this year. Please stand with us as we
trust our Almighty God for the doctors to remove all trace of these
growths, any rogue spores to shrivel and die in the name of Jesus
and that she walks in complete healing, a testimony to Gods amazing
love and grace. After these operations Alena rally's round and
continues with her daily routine of awaking at 4 am for physio
followed by school but it is a strain on her, the family and
obviously on the work these lovely dedicated people are doing at
Baby Life Rescue Centre.Love and blessings BarbaraA further e-mail
from Peter & Selpher was received after this correspondence
from Barbara: Alena had finished one month after her last operation
and she was doing very good, even we are so impressed as we saw she
was gaining weight,but late this week things changed and she was
struggling to breath especially when sleeping. The operation has
gone well, and she is still sleeping. The doctor removed two big
grow that were blocking her air way. Thank you very much for your
Love prayer and support. Love Peter & Selpher 12 DIACONATE
DISPATCHES In May, Wilma Wintours period on the Diaconate came to
end when she decided not to seek re-election. We are sad to see
Wilma step down but grateful for her prayerful dedication to her
role over the past number of years, and thankful for her continued
witness among us. In turn, in June, we were pleased to welcome
ex-policeman, and current mail delivery man, David Tidder, to the
Diaconate following the election. We trust God that He will honour
David in this new role. He has already made himself at home within
the group and has been preparing to deliver in this new post. So
the full list of Diaconate members now reads as follows: our
pastor, Ian Gray; Linda Bell; John Dalrymple; Christine Drummond;
Liz Keiro; and David Tidder. Most people will be aware that our
church Secretary, Christine, and our Treasurer, Liz, have
discharged their roles with commitment and distinction for many
years and that both of late have let it be known that they would be
pleased to be relieved of these responsibilities if suitable
opportunities arose. After discussion therefore, we have agreed
that John Dalrymple and David Tidder should begin a hand-over
process with Christine and Liz, respectively, and we will formally
recommend these office bearer changes to the church at the next
Members Meeting in October. With the Victoria Park Centre no longer
available to us, this is clearly a time of considerable uncertainty
for the church as we seek to establish a regular place to meet and
to worship. In this situation we are acutely aware of our
responsibility to provide leadership and opportunities for
collective discernment of Gods plans for our future. So we were
were encouraged that so many members and friends of the fellowship
joined us at the special meeting arranged after our worship service
on Sunday 9th August. Watch this space to keep up to date with our
movements as we go forward in this together. We are grateful for
your ongoing prayerful support for the work we undertake on behalf
of the whole church; typically, we meet on the first Monday of each
month to consider the business matters affecting the church, and
two weeks later for a time of prayer and bible study. Deacon Brodie
August, 2015 13 REGULAR EVENTS Sundays Prayer Meeting 10.30 AM
Morning Service 11.00 AM Vickys Tearoom 34 PM (second Sunday of the
month) Mondays Lunch n Chat 12 .00 PM (every five weeks) Tuesdays
Afternoon House Group 1.00 PM, Glensax Road Evening House Group
7.30 PM, Kingsmeadows Gardens Wednesdays Dovecot Court Service 3.00
PM, (PBC every two months watch calendar for details) Singing
Together 3.00 PM, Dovecot Court (Wed 3 June & 8 July)
Innerleithen House Group 7.30 PM, 9 Montgomery Square Prayer
meetings 7.30 pm, VPC (third Wednesday of the month) Thursdays West
Linton House Group 7.30, 8 Lyne Park (fortnightly) Diversity 7.30
PM, the Potters Caf (last Thursday of month) Fridays Kings Meadow
Work Parties 24 PM (see Bill for dates) Saturdays Prayer meetings
variable (watch out for details) Updates and last minute changes
are shown on the weekly Supplement please keep your eyes peeled!
1SUNDAY 9 AUGUST Childrens talk:Richard B KAOS:Bubbles: Christine,
Janlyn Splash: Jan, AN Other Teens:Stay in Prayer:Jackie
Flowers:Margaret C Stewards:Bill, Frank Teas:Frank Setup:David,
Janet, Ronnie SUNDAY 16 AUGUSTBIG SUNDAY FESTIVAL Service:the
Green, 11 am SUNDAY 23 AUGUST Childrens talk:Jacqueline
KAOS:Bubbles: Lorna, Emma Splash: Chris, A N Other Teens:Richard B
Prayer:Richard B Flowers:Moira Stewards:Stan, Vi Teas:Kenny
Setup:Bill, Janet, Jacqueline SUNDAY 30 AUGUST Childrens talk:Linda
KAOS:Bubbles: Pat, Carlyn Splash: Moira, AN Other Teens:Richard D
Prayer:John Flowers:Linda Stewards:Willie, Wilma, Jacqueline
Teas:Helen H Setup:David, Janet, Ronnie SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER
Childrens talk:Bill KAOS:Bubbles: Jennie, Elaine Splash: Bill, AN
Other Teens:Stay in 2 Prayer:Lorna Flowers:Helen C Stewards:Liz,
Carlyn Teas:Janlyn Commn Servers: Morag, Janet(Jacqueline laying)
Setup:Bill, Janet, Jacqueline SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER Childrens
talk:Lorna KAOS:Bubbles: Lorna, Janlyn Splash: Jan, AN Other
Teens:Jackie Prayer:Wilma Flowers:Helen H Stewards:Janet, Christine
Teas:Vi Setup:David, Janet, Ronnie SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER Childrens
talk:Christine KAOS:Bubbles: Christine, Emma Splash: Chris, A N
Other Teens:Stay in Prayer:Lindsey Flowers:Isobel Stewards:Bill,
Richard D Teas:Wilma Commn Servers:Moira, Ralph(Jacqueline laying)
Setup:Bill, Janet, Jacqueline SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER Childrens
talk:Richard B KAOS:Bubbles: Pat, Carlyn Splash: Moira, AN Other
Teens:Richard B Prayer:Richard D Flowers:Janet Stewards:Vi, Chris
Teas:Pat Setup:David, Janet, Ronnie Contacts Page Pastor: Ian K
Gray07881 518854 (day off: Monday)[email protected]
Secretary: Christine Drummond01721 722062 Treasurer: Liz Keiro01721
730217 Magazine Editor: Morag
[email protected] Church website:
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