BUS 2014

January Prayer Link

Sunday 5th

Neil Allison, Army Chaplain. Please give thanks

for a wonderfully supportive family over the past

years. Pray for us as we prepare for our daughter

Stephanie’s wedding in the summer and for

guidance regarding future ministry.

Abbeyhill, Edinburgh: Rev Gordy Mackay. Prayer: a

small group from within the church are considering

how we might be more intentionally involved in

our local community. Pray for guidance as they

bring their plans to the church. Thanksgiving: it

was wonderful to witness one of our youth group

commit their life to following Christ recently

Aberdeen Christian Fellowship: Rev Vijay Pillai.

Adelaide Place, Glasgow. Signifi cant change

within the last 6 months has created the need for

re-visiting our vision and purpose. This is an exciting

opportunity and our prayer is around unity within

God’s purposes. We give thanks to God for recent

growth in our young adult and student population

- an important demographic - and are seeking

God’s wisdom in how best to disciple this strategic

generation.

Sunday 12th

Marylee Anderson, Chaplain, Aberdeen University.

Students will be facing exams in the next couple

of weeks and I will see more students through the

doors of the chaplaincy with exam stress. Prayers

for these students would be appreciated and for

wisdom balancing chaplaincy, family and church!

I give thanks for a new year ahead and the many

students and staff who I see on a regular basis.

Airdrie: Rev Ross Murphy. Please give thanks for

those who have been baptised and welcomed into

membership recently, and pray for those who will

be considering joining them in the coming weeks.

Please pray for the Lord’s leading as we look to

how we can best develop our outreach into the

community with the Gospel.

Alexandria (Vale of Leven) Rev Rob Sharp. Please

pray for our pastor Rob,,off since mid -May with a

stroke, and for the church as it looks to the future.

Rob has only recently returned on a monthly basis.

Give thanks for good Sunday preaching (SBLPA

mostly ) and interest in Bible Studies mid week.

Alloa: Rev Jimmy King. Give thanks for a successful

Step Out mission, aided by helpers from our church

and Ludgate Parish Church (which also uses our

premises for a soup kitchen while a drop in centre

is being built at its own.) Pray for continuation of

this youth work. Give thanks for this work and for

co-operation between the two fellowships. Pray for

our pastor as he works with other chaplains in Alloa

Academy and give thanks for continuing open

doors. Pray for the fellowship and for the pastor as

he goes on Sabbatical in the spring.

Sunday 19th

Graham Bell, Chaplain HMP Glenochil. I give thanks

for the opportunity and privilege to minster to the

prisoners and to share something of the heart and

Gospel of God with those who wouldn’t normally go

to church. Please pray for wisdom, inspiration and

fruitfulness – to know how best to be effective and

faithful to what Christ has called me to.

Alness: Rev Ian Macinnes. Some of our fellowship

have lost loved ones in recent months. We had the

real privilege of looking back over lives lived for

Christ, and were challenged in our own witness and

daily walk, while supporting each other in prayer.

Good links with local schools continue; Primary

one visited our Christmas lunch club and sang -

the fi rst time some of the children had been inside

a church. Pray this visit may be built on in future.

Give thanks for The Vine Coffee Stop, a new Friday

morning venture offering friendship evangelism.

Valuable links have been made in a short time.

As another year ends, we are thankful for God’s

faithfulness.

Alva: Revs David Fraser and Daniel Sturgeon. Please

join us in celebrating and praising God for rich times

of corporate prayer and for recent baptisms and

other elements of growth that we are seeing in

the fellowship. Pray for us as we plan a community

outreach in a local pub and, God willing, run a

discipleship course there and a kids club in the

church - simultaneously - so families can get out for

a meal AND discuss questions of life and eternity.

Ardbeg, Rothesay: Rev Ron Rye. Opening doors on

Bute have blessed us: we’ve had 12 new people

in our congregation in the last year, with one new

profession of faith, We’ve re-established our Sunday

BUS 2014

Queen’s Baton Relay

1st Sierra Leone;

3rd Ghana;

5th Nigeria;

8th Cameroon;

11th Kenya;

14th Uganda;

15th Rwanda;

18th United Republic of Tanzania;

21st Seychelles;

24th Malawi;

26th Zambia;

28th Namibia

Peter Dick - forecasting with faith - preparing

2014/15 budgets and presenting to Jan Council

Alan Donaldson - our Council meeting on 21st

January and for those considering applying for

the role of Scottish Baptist College Principal. I look

forward to meeting fellow Baptist leaders at the

Fellowship of Baptists in Britain and Ireland as well

as progressing plans for the 2014 Assembly.

Yvonne Faddes - more young people to come

and be part of Step Out 2014 and that the prep

for the summer will continue to go well.

School and now arrange activities for those new to

our congregation. God is good and we bless Him!

Pray for further opportunity to reach out with the

Gospel on our island. We want to walk with God

into this community and grow for the Kingdom!

Sunday 26th

Nick Blair, Chaplain, Merchiston Castle School,

Edinburgh. Please pray for continuing freshness

of spirit in my work here. Praise God that, this past

year, over 100 boys attended our Lent study; pray

for preparations for 2014’s Study. On a personal

note, my parents in Northern Ireland are quite

unwell and I often travel to visit them. Please

remember this situation in your prayers.

Arran: Rev Vince Jennings. We start an Alpha

Course in January; pray for us as we invite contacts

to come along, also for the team involved in

leading and hospitality. We give thanks for the

numbers attending Lunchbox where they enjoy

food, fellowship and speakers who share their

interests and a gentle gospel message.

Ayr: Revs Mark Bentham and Rosie Walker.

We continue to engage with our immediate

community: the Fort and Town Centre areas of Ayr.

Pray for us. Whilst helping in God's mission Satan is

not far away: internally & externally. We continue to

care for marginalized people and rejoice that we

get gospel opportunities in serving them.

Barnton, Edinburgh: Rev Keith Short. Pray as our

church takes the month of January to seek God

together and build community. Thanks for start of

new Alpha course in the Olde Inn. The pub asked us

to hold a carol service (in the bar) on 23 December

and hand out Alpha invitations.

Pray too for ...

John Greenshields - my return from sabbatical.

January promises to be a full month: catching

up on a work backlog, attending the National

Settlement Team, overseeing the next Pre-

accredited Ministers’ Conference (pray for guest

speaker Ken Russell) and preaching engagements

too. Prayer is much appreciated.

Jacqueline Primrose - the Fellowship of Baptists

in Britain and Ireland (FBBI) meeting I will attend

with Alan and Jim at the start of January and for

planning for next year’s Assembly. Pray we will

build on good relationships with others. Pray too

for our Council meeting on 21st Jan, that we will

listen to God and each other and discern what

God is saying to us. Pray also for the team going

to Kolkata on 24th Jan, that we will be a blessing to

others and honour God in all we say and do.

Jim Purves - God’s wisdom and blessing for FBBI

meeting and Assembly Planning in Birmingham;

our pre-accredited ministers meeting in Pitlochry

(where sessions, led by Dr Ken Russell, will focus

on dealing with and managing confl ict); BUS

Council in Glasgow and intensive teaching at IBTS

in Amsterdam, along with Derek Murray and Stuart

Blythe, rector-elect of IBTS. Pray the Lord’s blessing

on the induction of Philip Eggleston to Nairn Baptist

church; and our Regional pastors, assisting in

networking with colleagues across our nation.

Judy White - New year, new opportunities. Pray for

wisdom in diary planning, including holiday and rest

times, for 2014. I’m thankful for God’s faithfulness

this past year and look forward with expectation to

all 2014 may hold as we respond to God’s leading

as Church together. Travel to Didcot 15-17th and

Kolkata 24th -6th Feb.