Peebles Baptist Church Newsletter - Summer 2013

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PBC NewsPeebles Baptist Church Newsletter Summer 2013 www.peeblesbaptistchurch.org

We Ploughthe Fields

and Scatter!

Community Garden yields

its rst crop of tattiesThe Kings Meadow Community

Garden, which was launched this

Spring, has produced its first crop of

new potatoes. The plan for the fu-

ture is to pass some of our potatoes

and other produce on to the Peebles-

shire Foodbank, which launches

later in August (see back page).

However, this first crop of potatoes

have been distributed to many of the

houses surrounding the Kings

Meadow. One resident has already

cooked her share of the crop, and

declared them to be delicious!

The Kings Meadow can be

found behind the Victoria Park Cen-

tre and in front of Cleland Avenue,

on land owned by Peebles Baptist

Church. The land was purchased

several years ago with the intention

of building a new church facility

there, to replace the original Bap-

tist Church building in the Old

Town. In the meantime, however,

the church wanted to do something

with the land that would be of use

to the surrounding community.

The environmental benefits of

community gardening are clear,

but it's the benefits to the commu-

nity as a whole that makes this pro-

ject so exciting for us, said Ian

Gray, pastor of the Baptist Church.

As weve talked to people around

the area about this idea, weve

been encouraged by the positive

response weve had people really

want to get involved.

Since the gardens inception in

the Spring, people have been busy

removing turf, cultivating the soil,

spreading new topsoil, building

several raised beds, and planting not

just potatoes but also leeks, squashes

and wild flowers (and of course wa-

tering them all through the hot sum-

mer weve enjoyed!) Theres lots

more space still to be developed,

and the planning team is keen to

make the garden accessible to as

many people in the community as

possible.

Meanwhile, our neighbouring

garden projects (Peebles Communi-

ty Action Network at the Victoria

Park Centre, and further into town

Tweed Green and New Horizons

Borders in the Secret Garden) are

also continuing to flourish, and the

Kings Meadow team hope to share

resources with them.

If youd like to get involved, or

if you have any old tools you no

longer need that youd be willing

to donate, please contact us - the

garden needs your help! If youre

on the Internet, you can read more

about the latest developments by

going to the Kings Meadows

Blog:

peeblesbaptistchurch.org/garden


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More than

a sing-songDr Jane Bentleys work is all

about making people feel better

using music.

Research evidence confirms that

singing is good for emotional, psy-

chological AND physical health.

Jane has lots of experience on NHS

wards, in nursing homes, day centres

and in community groups; shes

coming back to Peebles, to St.

Josephs Neighbourhood Centre on

3rd September, to lead a workshop

about how older adults especially

those with dementia can benefitfrom music. If her previous visit here

(to the Eastgate theatre in early July)

is anything to go by, this workshop

will be informative, practical and

great fun!

Jane is coming at the invitation of

the Baptist Church, which already

runs two community singing ses-

sions for older people each month.

For more information, or to book a

place at the workshop, please contact

Christine Drummond on 07958

084056 or [email protected].

We are very grateful to Alzheimer

Scotland Borders Service, whose financial

support from local fundraising has helped

make it possible to provide the workshop

free of charge to participants.

Last of the Summer...Sausages!

Whatever else we

might do, theres one

thing thats particularly

close to the hearts ofthose at Peebles Baptist

Church - and thats eat-

ing together! Once a

month all through the

summer, PBC has been

enjoying a barbecue

after its Sunday morn-

ing service. The barbe-

cues are free and open

to all - and even if itsraining (as it did torrentially in July!) we still go ahead, eating indoors in

the Victoria Park Centre if necessary.

Theres just one more barbecue scheduled for this summer, on the day

of the Big Welcome (see opposite) - Sunday August 25th. That also hap-

pens to be Back to School with God Sunday - the day when we (along

with many of the churches around Peeblesshire) will be having a special

all-age service to pray for and support the whole school community -

children, teachers and support staff. The theme this year is Dig Down

Deep, taken from Jesus parable about two builders.

So if you or your children are going back to school in August, or if

you know someone who is, or even if you just

fancy a sausage and a burger (or a vegetable

kebab), why not join us on the 25th? The ser-

vice starts at 11am, with the barbecue at about

12.30. We might be outside the Victoria Park

Centre, or we might be on our ground at the

Kings Meadow - just look out for the big red

and white Gazebo and pitch in!

RUNNING OUT OF HOPE?For most people today, hope is something that is

by definition optimistic and uncertain. Many of the

things people put their hope in turn out to be hopeless.

But the the Bible talks about a hope that is steadfast

and certain - what does that mean, in a society where

change is the only certainty?

On Sunday mornings through much of August andSeptember we are running a teaching series called

Hope, throughout which well be discovering how

hope is central to the Christian faith, and exploring what

Jesus being the hope of the world really means.


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Youre invited to

Sunday 25th August, 11am - with free BBQ!

2013 KAOS

PICNICKAOS stands for Kids

Around On Sundays - PBCs group for young-

er children. On Saturday September 21st, KAOS will be

going for a picnic to Biggar, and for a visit to the Purves Puppet

Theatre to see Pips and Panda meet the Tooth-Fairy - a show for the

under sevens.

Each Sunday at church we have a KAOS group, plus a childrens talk

as part of our lively, family-friendly worship. Why not come along and

give us a try?

Messy Church is for families

who want to meet Jesus but find it

hard to go to church on a Sunday.

Its a once-a-month time of creativi-

ty, worship and eating together. Its

not just for kids, but for mums,

dads, grandparents, friends and car-

ers too. Messy Church is on Satur-

day afternoons towards the end of

each month, from 3.305.30pm inthe Victoria Park Centre,

Kingsmeadows Road, Peebles. The

focus of activities will be for fami-

lies with primary aged children, but

all are very welcome.

Messy Church is organised by

Peebles Churches Together. You

can find out more, including dates

of future Messy Church events, at

the Messy Church Facebook page -just do a search for Messy Church

Peebles.

The next Messy Church is on

Saturday August 31st

, at 3.30pm

MAKING A SPLASH IN THE RIVER TWEEDThink of baptism, and the chances are you might be im-

agining a baby being sprinkled with water in a font. But Bap-

tists do it slightly differently!

On September 15th, we will be holding a service of believers

baptism in the River Tweed! Believers baptism is, as the name

suggests, for people who are old enough to decide for them-selves that they want to follow Jesus Christ, and make a public

declaration of that fact by being fully immersed in water. In

many countries around the world, people risk being shunned

by their families, sacked from their jobs, thrown into prison or

even worse, by declaring their faith in Jesus in this way.

Baptism in Scotland might not be quite so dangerous as that, but its still quite a bold thing to do! Of course its

very exciting for the church family, and there will be food afterwards. If youd like to come along to see what its

all about, youd be very welcome!

If the weather is really bad we may have to hold the baptism indoors. The precise venue including any last minute changes willbe posted on the church website (peeblesbaptistchurch.org) - please check there for the latest updates.


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PBC is one of several churches and other organisations

involved in the new Foodbank. Chair of the trustees, Jim

Benton-Evans of St Peters Episcopal Church, writes:

The Foodbank officially opens its doors at 10am on August 20th, at the

Leckie Bakehall. We have already been issuing emergency parcels, at the

rate of about two a week, since Christmas. We have now secured a

foodstore and a distribution point and are now, bar one or two loose

ends, ready to open. We have been greatly encouraged by the level ofinterest in and support for the Foodbank. Our appeal for volunteers has

been successful with many wishing to offer help within their community to those facing hardship. Volunteers have

expressed interest in a range of areas including collecting food, helping to sort food, distributing food parcels and

praying for those who use the service. Our first volunteer training event will take place on the evening of Monday

12th August in St Peter's Church (next to the Post Office). We welcome anybody else wishing to get involved to fill

out a volunteer application form available from Katie Buckingham at [email protected].

The recent food collection at Tesco on 4th & 5th July was a huge success. There

were teams of volunteers taking slots in groups of two, explaining to shoppers the

purpose of the collection and asking if they would be willing to donate one or more

items from a list displayed prominently (and also given out in the form of aleaflet). The reaction of shoppers was overwhelmingly positive, with only a very

small number questioning either the need for a Foodbank in Peeblesshire or the

collection itself. Many trolleys were filled with donated food for example on the

Saturday afternoon alone 3 trolleys were filled in as many hours. Tesco staff were

very supportive and helpful, and Tesco themselves will match the food collected by

30%. Thanks are due to all who helped out, either by standing and speaking to

shoppers or by donating food. Further regular food collections are planned and

there will be plenty of opportunity to get involved with these.

If you have any questions about the Foodbank, or are interested in volunteering,

please email Katie Buckingham as detailed above, or call Rev Jim Benton-Evanson 07702 842727 or Ian Gray on 07881 518854.

Milk(UHTorpowdered)Sugar(500g)Fru

itJuice(carton)SoupPastaSaucesSpongePudding(Tinned)Tomatoes(Tinned)CerealsRicePudding(Tinned)TeaBags/instantcoffeeInstantMashPotatoRice/Pasta

TinnedMeat/FishTinnedFruitJamBiscuitsorsnackbars

YES, THERE ARE BAPTISTS IN PEEBLES!Its amazing how often we hear people express surprise that theres a Baptist Church in Peebles - especially

given that weve been here since 1889! Granted that we dont have a building of our own at the moment; we

meet at the Victoria Park Centre, just along the Kingsmeadows Road on the south side of the river.

Peebles Baptist Church is a group of people who love Jesus, and want to share his love with our community. We

are a growing congregation, enjoying good relationships

with the other churches in Peebles. Our meetings are

informal, welcoming and family-friendly. We have activi-

ties for children, families, men and women

- you can find out more by visiting our

website atpeeblesbaptistchurch.org, or

call the pastor, Ian Gray, on 07881

518854. If you prefer, you can email Ian

at [email protected].

Peebles Baptist Church is a memberof Peebles Churches Together, as well

as the Baptist Union of Scotland, and is

registered in Scotland as charity number

SCO07561.

Peebles ChurchesTogether

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Peebles Baptist Church Newsletter - Summer 2013