PBC Magazine Feb/Mar 15

8/9/2019 PBC Magazine Feb/Mar 15

1/20

Proverbs 3: 5,6 (NLT)

LOOKING FORWARD…


2/20

What would make it to your list of all-time favouriteTV programmes? One that regularly tops the list of

polls (even now, 11 years after the show finished)

is Only Fools and Horses, with Del-Boy and Rodney

of Trotters Independent Trading.

Even if it does make your shortlist, I doubt that

many of you would be as enthusiastic about it as

Darren Williams from Bristol, who has just spent

£4,000 having his whole back tattooed as a tribute

to the show.

Is Darren simply a devoted fan, or is his passion taking him – to put it

mildly – a step too far?

Personally I’m not sure I’d be queuing up at the nearest tattoo parlour

for the sake of Only Fools and Horses – or even for Star Trek which would

(yes, I confess it) be my own rather geeky favourite. But it does raise the

question: how far am I willing to go in showing my support for what

matters to me?

In a climate where to stand up for what we believe about God can all too

easily daub us with the label of “Fanatic”, I find myself wanting to avoid

doing anything that might be misunderstood, or might make me stand

out inappropriately.

And yet the Bible is full of people who seem to have a different set of

priorities. Think of King David, who danced so exuberantly before the

Lord that his wife heaped derision on his head; or Daniel who defied the

king by refusing to eat any meat; or Peter who, being offered his freedom

in return for keeping quiet, responds that he cannot help himself but

speak of what he sees the Lord doing. Here were people who showedtheir passionate devotion in ways that were misunderstood, and open to

ridicule.

We often claim to be concerned that we do not make the Christian gospel

look “weird”; and yet I suspect that what makes people outside thechurch more dubious about our claims is the reluctance of most Christians to simply name the name of Christ in the public square. Jesus

didn’t seem to worry about appearing strange – on the contrary, hespoke bluntly about God’s message to the people, and called his

followers to live distinctive lives of witness and service.


3/20

Happy New Year everyone! It already feels like we

have been in this new year for quite a while, but this

is the first PBC magazine of 2015.

You will notice some changes this month, but theyare just a result of me changing the programme I am

using to create the magazine. Further changes will be

taking place as we begin to implement the feedback from the

questionnaires we included with the last magazine from the next issue

onwards – thanks to everyone who responded! However, please don’t

think that was your only chance to feed back on the magazine. We would

love to hear if you have any ideas or thoughts on the magazine whenever

you may have them! Please just email me at the magazine address,[email protected] and copy it to Ian at

[email protected] , or if you don’t have access to a

computer or the internet just catch me (and/or Ian) on a Sunday

morning.

And, while I am empowering you to be involved in how our church

magazine is shaped, let me encourage you also to be involved in the

content. Our congregation is growing and there are a number ofdifferent groups that meet regularly – lots of information and news to be

shared among a large group of people. If you have some news to share, a

report of a church event, a review of the material you have been

following at house group, a Christian book or Christian music, an update

on a church group you attend or anything else that you think could be

included in the magazine, please either email them to the address above

or pass them to me in person at church. It would be great to have a

magazine that is relevant to our church and about the people in ourchurch.

Morag

If Darren will spend £4,000 and a lot of

time (and pain) on a tattoo for his love of

Del Boy, what am I prepared to do to

show others my love forJesus?


4/20

BUS Prayer Diary. . .

February 1st

Carol Campbell (Healthcare Lead Chaplain, Clyde Area)

Bathgate Baptist Church

Bearsden Baptist Church Bellshill Baptist Church

February 8th

John Craib (Chaplain, HMP Low Moss) Bo'ness

Bourtreehill

Baptist Church

Brae Baptist Church

February 15th

Philip Craven (Chaplain, Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock)

Bridge of Don Baptist Church

Bristo Baptist Church

Broughty Ferry Baptist Church

February 22nd

Broxburn Baptist Church

Buckhaven Baptist Church

Buckie Baptist Church

March 1st

Leslie Edge (Chaplain, Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice)

Burra Isle Baptist Church

Calderwood Baptist Church

Cambuslang Baptist Church

March 8th

Ron Flett (City Centre Chaplain, Aberdeen) Campbeltown

Community Church

Canonmills Baptist Church

Carbrain Baptist Church

March 15th

George Hunter (P/T Chaplain, Auchenlochan) Carluke Baptist Church

Carnoustie Baptist Church

Castlehill Baptist Church


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March 22nd

Cliff Jackson (Lead Chaplain, Auchlochan) Castlemilk

Community Church

Cathcart Baptist Church

Central, Edinburgh

March 29th

John Jamieson (Army Chaplain)

Gordon Jones (Chaplain, Royal Alexandria Hospital)

City Gates, Edinburgh

Cleland Baptist Church

Coastline Community Church

Coatbridge Baptist Church

Is praying together important for us as a church? If so, can we do it

better, given that attendance at church prayer meetings is generally low?

Towards the end of last year, homegroups were asked to think about the

arrangements for our prayer meetings. Following that, we had a

discussion at the last members' meeting about whether praying togetheris important, why we do it, and what could be done to encourage people

to join in. We're still working through the responses from that

discussion, but several points came out very clearly. Overwhelmingly

people agreed that corporate prayer is really important - for our

spiritual development, as an act of worship, and as a means of both

bringing our needs to God and to listen for his plans for us. Secondly,

people felt that a particular focus in prayer meetings is really helpful.

Thirdly, many people made the point that Saturday mornings areactually a really difficult time for families to come out, as it's one of the

few times when they can all be together.

We are in the process of thinking

through how we can best put those

suggestions into practice - watch thisspace for developments!


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Prayer Points

Remember Viv MacLennan, who is very frail, and his wife,

Margaret.

Remember Willy, who has found it difficult to go out over thesecolder months. Pray that the Spring will bring some warmer

weather and good health.

Jim Munroe has been receiving palliative care in the Margaret

Kerr unit at the BGH. Remember him and his wife, Carolyn, and

sons, Euan, Neil and Callum. Pray that Jim would be free of pain

and that the whole family would know God’s peace.

Helen Cloppin is moving house, Tuesday 10 February. Pray thatthe move would go smoothly and be a positive experience.

Give thanks for the members meeting, which was very positive

and encouraging. Pray that God would be kept at the head of all

things as we strive to meet with enthusiasm and willingness the

action points discussed (detailed in pages 6–8)

Pray for more helpers with the children’s work. We are very

grateful to all those who help already, and that we have so manychildren. However, with so many children, we need more able-

bodied helpers.

Give thanks for the children who come to church, and ask that

God will hold them close to him, that they would grow to know

His Word and that they would know Him.

The accommodation arrangements continue to be uncertain, but

discussions have come to a pause for now. Pray for the recommitment service on Sunday 22 March, that it

would be well attended and that God would move powerfully

among us.

Our morning service on Sunday 22 March will be a special

recommitment service for the whole church family, with Jim

McGillivray from East Mains Baptist Church coming to speak. This

will be a really important time for the church, so please make everyeffort to be there.


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What is God’s vision for Peebles Baptist

Church in 2015?

That was one of the key discussions at

t he January Church Members’ Meeting,following an all-day meeting of the

leadership team the week before.Having looked at what we felt were the

gifts and resources that we have in PBC,

we thought about our “utopian ideal” of

what the church would look like if we

really let God have his way with us:

A community of people whose

lives invite questions

Good News people

Jesus at the centre of everything

The body of Christ

Fearless, bold

Feeling blessed

Expecting conversions: not limiting God

Equipped for persecution With a core commitment to prayer

People knowing they are doing what God wants them to do

Able to take risks and embrace change (and learn from failure)

Free from cliques

At the heart of the community, available to local people in a

reliable way

Growing, to include:

o more families with children and teenagers

o more single-parents

o more men

That’s all very well so far – but also very theoretical. What would that

mean in practice? We’ve already started a lot of exciting and important

things to reflect our love for one another and for the community we live

in, such as the King’s Meadow, Pulse, and the new KAOS groups to namebut a few – but in terms of new and developing things, what concrete


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plans and targets would that give rise to for the coming year?

We came up with 20 specific points for 2015 – they’re listed here in

rough date order:

Immediately

1. We have clear priorities emerging from the Leadership Team Away

Day on 21st January; and Church Meeting on 28th January.

First three months: foundational

2. We will urgently rekindle our expectation that people long known to

us can/will come to faith, by spending time with God, both

personally and corporately, seeking the renewal of our hearts and

minds.

3. We will hold a recommitment/re-dedication/covenant

service/event for whole church in March (?) with outside

facilitation/assistance.

4. We will recognise our fear and, through commitment to prayer

which doesn’t limit God, we will learn to be fearless.

April - June

5. We will encourage and facilitate each other in Bible reading.

6. The Leadership Team will review the Church’s approach to

responsibility and oversight across the various areas of ministry;

and report back to the Church meeting with recommendations in

May.

7. We will have a “Celebrate Recovery” group up and running within

the church by June, to serve people affected by addictions.

July - September

8. We will obtain clarity about our access to Victoria Park Centre by

August. Working with other groups and agencies as appropriate, we

will achieve this by taking the lead role in presenting a compelling

case, in keeping with its priorities, to the new “arm’s length” body

which will manage the Centre from April onwards.9. We will have a “Vision Day” in September, for the whole Church

family, to build each other up and to seek inspiration and guidance


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from God for the year to come.

10. We will have a revised and updated Church Constitution by

September.

11. We will intentionally develop and implement improved support

systems for new Christians.

12.

We will hold a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages

of “closed” and “open” approaches to Church membership.

By the end of the year

13. The number of house groups will have increased to six; and there

will be a more systematic and shared approach across all groups.

14.

The number of members will have risen to fifty.15. There will have been five baptisms.

16. Five people not known to us at the start of the year will have come

to faith by means of connections made in a number of ways,

including:

a. a course for new explorers, starting in February

b. events at Easter

c.

the big Sunday event on 16th August17. We will be considering ways by which we might be able to employ a

Youth Worker.

18. We will have approximately 90 people attending Sunday services

as a result of steady growth (and having found more seating!)

19. Financial giving will have increased to make good the shortfall

created by this year’s reduced amount of BU grant funding.

20.

We will have adopted a motto verse of scripture for 2016.

This is necessarily a slightly abbreviated version of the discussion – if

you’d like to find out more, please do speak to a member of the

Leadership Team.


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Christmas Party

It seems so long ago now, but many of us enjoyed a

superb, entertainment-filled Christmas party on the 29th

of December. Not only was there a huge banquet spread

before us, but we enjoyed intervals of musicalentertainment; the men’s chorus, the ukulele quartet and

a solo performance from Helen.

The men’s group had not long been to a recording studio

as one of their recent outings, where they recorded their

versions of 10,000 reasons, Days of Elijah, My Lighthouse

and Lion of Judah. (If you would like to listen to the CD,

see Frank or one of the guys – photos on the website!)Fresh from their musical recording adventure, they took

to the “stage” at our Christmas party to perform a very

entertaining version of Mary’s’ Boy Child. Thanks guys!

We also enjoyed a special performance by a quartet

(Linda Bell, Margaret Cowan and Christine and Frank

Drummond) from a recently formed ukulele band (name

suggestions welcome!). The familiar tune of Da Doo RonRon was played beautifuly, but, thanks to the lyrical

masterminds of Liz and Linda, the verses that were sung

were unique and all about our minister!


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Helen Cloppin bravely took to the stage also,

singing for us a beautiful rendition of Wind

Beneath my Wings.

As well as the brilliant entertainment for the

adults, the children enjoyed a lovely party put onby the young members of the Doran clan! The

children all had such a good time, we are very

grateful to Meghan, Orla and Caleb for giving up

their party to help at another! Well done.

With Spring just around the corner, the King’s Meadow Community

Garden will soon be bursting into life again. With the new growth in

the church too over the last year, we’re hoping that there may be

some new volunteers keen to get involved. The main aim is to growrelationships and be good news in the community, and if this

appeals to you, please speak to Bill or Lindsey.


12/20

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Burns Quiz Night and Supper

Thanks to Liz and Linda who hosted a superb

Burn’s supper on Saturday 31 January.

To work up our appetite’s, Liz hosted a general

knowledge quiz. The atmosphere was tense, as

the teams huddled together, whispering their

answers and speedily jotting it down on their answer

sheets. . . Actually, it was quite the opposite! There was a lively hum

around the room of good-humoured chat and debating, and instead of

low, short whispers, some teams seemed quite willing to whisper

loud enough to help other’s out a little – but was it the right answer!Never mind that, how come Douglas was the one receiving all the

good fortune (according to Liz’s sporadic anecdotes)?

Anyway, I can’t even remember the name of the team that won –

probably Frank’s. But someone did win, and we were given

permission to tuck in. The food was so delicious; every last ounce was

polished up – main and desert! Thanks to all those who prepared ourhaggis, ‘neaps and tatties, and not forgetting Jennie’s famous clootie

dumpling and a refreshing fruit salad. There were also a number of

willing washers and dryers and tidier uppers!

Well done everyone!


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6 easy ways you can start 2015

praying for BMS and supporting

their work around the world

1. Visit

http://www.bmsworldmission.org/prayer

guide and download the January-March

prayer guide

2. Check out weekly prayer requests using

the BMS prayer blog

http://www.bmsworldmission.org/news-

blogs/blogs/prayer

3. Join with people in a 2 year "Project

Cyrus" prayer focus for North Korea

http://www.bmsworldmission.org/suppor

t-us/pray-with-us/project-cyrus

4. Commit to pray reqularly for our mission partners, and follow their

lives on the BMS website – Sara McArthur in Peru, Andy and Jutta Cowie

in Haiti, and Ann and David MacFarlane in Italy

5. Save the date in your diaries - on Sunday 21st June, Andy and Jutta

will be joining us in worship for our morning service at PBC. They will

preach at the service, and it would be great if we can have a church lunch

that day to offer hospitality.

6. Remember our monthly "Thirsty" small change collections on the first

Sunday of each month

If anyone does not have access to the internet, and would like any of the

resources printed out, please see Lindsey or Ian.

http://www.bmsworldmission.org/prayerguidehttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/prayerguidehttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/prayerguidehttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/news-blogs/blogs/prayerhttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/news-blogs/blogs/prayerhttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/news-blogs/blogs/prayerhttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/support-us/pray-with-us/project-cyrushttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/support-us/pray-with-us/project-cyrushttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/support-us/pray-with-us/project-cyrushttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/support-us/pray-with-us/project-cyrushttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/support-us/pray-with-us/project-cyrushttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/news-blogs/blogs/prayerhttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/news-blogs/blogs/prayerhttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/prayerguidehttp://www.bmsworldmission.org/prayerguide


14/20

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Dumfries Baptist Church Building Project

From this… To this???

No, Dumfries Baptist Church isn’t really planning to leave its Newall

Terrace building (erected in 1881, and believed to have been based on

the design of Spurgeon’s London Tabernacle) to worship in a field!For a number of years, the Sunday morning congregation has been too

large to squeeze into the old Victorian building pictured above, and

services have had to be held in the High School.

The vision for a new home, to serve God and meet needs in the local

community, began to take root in the fellowship. Much prayer and lots of

fundraising effort allowed the church to purchase, in 2012, a three-acresite in Georgetown, the largest housing estate in Dumfries. The second

photograph shows a very happy church event held shortly after the

dedication of this ground.

Just over a year ago, planning consent was granted for the building of a

complex to include a café, a sports hall and changing facilities, and an

outdoor sports pitch – along with a church at its heart. The anticipated

cost of building is £3.5 million.A significant proportion of this has already been raised, but church folk

are under no illusions about the scale of the task ahead. As senior pastor

Alistair Purss puts it,

“ Getting a large group of people engaged and enthused throughout

the process of fulfilling the vision so far has not been

straightforward. I dare say our process and journey has not been

perfect, but we learn as we go – not many of us have done thisbefore. We want to do it better with God's help… So, we move

forward trusting in our great God because nothing is impossible

with Him.”


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Dear all,

It was really good to have had Judy here for almost a month over

Christmas and New Year. She returned back to the States a few days ago.

Also last weekend I had Jason & Andrea Murfitt and their daughter Lucy

staying with me. This is the English couple from Cornwall who have

made visits to the Apurina. Jason spoke at my church on Sunday and

showed a video of the Apurina. It was quite emotional to see all my

Apurina friends in this way. It's now been almost 3 years since I was last

with them. Jason and Andrea have been on furlough and return to Brazil

shortly. They aim to continue their visits to the Apurina along with the

American couple Brad and Melissa. Do value prayer for these two

couples and their future contacts with the Apurina. Thanks for your

continued prayers,

In Him,

Cathie

If you have internet access, you can find lots more information, including

an exciting “fly through video” of how the new church might look, on the

Dumfries Baptist Church website at :

http://dbchurch.weebly.com/gillbrae-rd-project.html

The vision of a church serving as a hub for its local community ischerished by many of us in Peebles Baptist Church too – so let’s get

behind our Dumfries brothers and sisters, to pray and encourage them

in whatever ways we can.


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If you have a smartphone…

Maybe you’ve never promised to pray for someone, and forgotten to do

it? Or perhaps you’re already disciplined and well organised enough to

pray through the church contact list, and for our Link Missionaries, on a

regular basis?

If, on the other hand, you’re like me and need all the help you can get

even to scratch the surface of prayer, you might find it helpful to install

the PrayerMate app (free) on your smartphone.

PrayerMate is a fairly easy to use “prayer organiser”, into which youenter the names of people, organisations, events (and other categories)

you want to pray for. Thereafter, each time you open the app, a selection

of your topics will show up as “index cards”. You can determine the level

of detail you want to include on each “card” and the frequency with

which individual people or items will re-appear. Very helpfully,

PrayerMate also enables you to link in automatically to regular prayer

updates from a wide selection of Christian organisations, including BMS

and Tearfund. If you wish, you can set an audible reminder for praying at

specific times of day.

Another Christian discipline I’ve found very difficult in the past has beenreading through the Bible in a year. I’ve managed it only once, without

using a commentary (using a Bible and a commentary together every day

seemed just too cumbersome). But I really struggled with whole chunks,

especially in the Old Testament.

This year I’ve discovered the “Bible in One Year” app. Every day there’s amanageable passage from either Psalms or Proverbs, another from the

New Testament, and one from the Old Testament, with a shortcommentary from Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, which I think will be

particularly helpful when we reach the difficult bits! All you have to do is

to open the app, and the day’s commentary and readings are there, ready

to go. If you miss some days, the automatic tracker makes it easy to go

back and catch up at a convenient time.

Mobile phones can be problematic – but they can also be a real blessing!Please do share any recommendations in future Magazines.

Christine


17/20

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Regular Events

Sundays

Prayer Meeting – 10.30 AM

Morning Service – 11.00 AM Vicky’s Tearoom – 3–4 PM (third Sunday of the month)

Mondays

Lunch ‘n’ Chat – 12 .00 PM (first Sunday of the month)

Tuesdays

Afternoon House Group – 1.00 PM, Glensax Road

Evening House Group – 7.30 PM, Kingsmeadows Gardens

Wednesdays

Dovecot Court Service – 3.00 PM, (fortnightly)

Singing Together – 2.00 PM, Dovecot Court (first Wednesday)

Innerleithen House Group – 7.30 PM, 9 Montgomery Square

Thursdays West Linton House Group – 7.30 PM, 8 Lyne Park (fortnightly)

Fridays

King’s Meadow Work Parties – 2–4 PM (see Bill for dates over

winter)

Saturdays Prayer Breakfasts – 8.00 AM (second Saturday of the month)

Messy church – 3–5 PM (~fourth Saturday of the month)

Updates and last minute changes are shown on the weekly

Supplement – please keep your eyes peeled!


18/20

SUNDAY 8 FEBRUARY Children’s talk: Bill Jacobs

KAOS Bubbles: Jennie Jacobs, Morag Bramhall

KAOS Splash: Jan Gordon, Christine Drummond

Teens: Richard Dewhurst

Flowers: Margaret McLennanStewards: Bill Jacobs, Jacqueline Wilson

Teas: Douglas McCall

Setup: David, Frank, Janet

SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY Children’s talk: Bill Jacobs

KAOS Bubbles: Lorna Doran, Emma Dalrymple

KAOS Splash: Bill Jacobs, Charles TullochTeens: Help with KAOS

Flowers: Wilma Wintour

Stewards: Vi Brown, Margaret Cowan

Teas: Frank Drummond

Setup: Bill, Jacqueline, Janet

Comm’n Servers: Jennie Jacobs, Christine Drummond (JW laying)

SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY Children’s talk: Christine Drummond

KAOS Bubbles: Moira Dalrymple, Carlyn McCall

KAOS Splash: Chris Dewhurst, A.N. Other

Teens: Stay in service

Flowers: Margaret Johnstone

Stewards: Stan Henderson, Liz Keiro

Teas: Hazel Hoggan


SUNDAY 1 M ARCH Children’s talk: Rab Bramhall

KAOS Bubbles: Christine Drummond, Elaine Taylor

KAOS Splash: Lindsey Gray, Janlyn Townley

Teens: Rab Bramhall

Flowers: Janet Smith

Stewards: Willie & Wilma Wintour, Janet SmithTeas: Kenny Hamilton


Comm’n Servers: Linda Bell, John Dalrymple (LG laying)


19/20

SUNDAY 8 M ARCH Children’s talk: Jacqueline Wilson

KAOS Bubbles: Jennie Jacobs, Morag Bramhall

KAOS Splash: Jan Gordon, Christine Drummond

Teens: Richard Dewhurst

Flowers: Helen CraigStewards: Gordon Craig, Bill Jacobs

Teas: Helen Henderson


SUNDAY 15 M ARCH Children’s talk: Linda Bell

KAOS Bubbles: Lorna Doran, Emma Dalrymple

KAOS Splash: Bill Jacobs, Charles TullochTeens: Help with KAOS

Flowers: Isobel Clifford

Stewards: Jennie Jacobs, Vi Brown

Teas: Janlyn Townley


Comm’n Servers: Lindsey Gray, Liz Keiro (LG laying)

SUNDAY 22 M ARCH – SPECIAL SERVICE Children’s talk: Charles Tulloch

KAOS Bubbles: Moira Dalrymple, Carlyn McCall

KAOS Splash: Chris Dewhurst, A.N. Other

Teens: Stay in service

Flowers: Linda Bell

Stewards: Christine Drummond, Stan Henderson

Teas: Vi Brown


SUNDAY 29 M ARCH – P ALM SUNDAY Children’s talk: Bill JacobsKAOS Bubbles: Christine Drummond, Elaine Taylor

KAOS Splash: Bill Jacobs, Janlyn Townley

Teens: Rab Bramhall

Flowers: Vi Brown

Stewards: Carlyn McCall, Willie & Wilma WintourTeas: Linda Bell



20/20

Contacts Page

Pastor:

Ian K Gray 07881 518854(day off: Monday) [email protected]

Secretary:

Christine Drummond 01721 722062

Treasurer:

Liz Keiro 01721 730217

Magazine Editor: Morag Bramhall [email protected]

Church website: http://peeblesbaptistchurch.org

PracticalHelp Leave a

message:01721788592

Prayer Contact

Fergus & Vi:01721720931

Visiting Contact

John & Moira:01899229343

PastorYou can still

call Ian:

07881 518854

Leave a message via email

([email protected])

or answering machine (01721 788592)

To request or offer jobs and skills,driving, equipment loan etc

Contact Fergus & Vi Brown with all

prayer requests (01721 720931)

Confidential requests to PULSE

prayer group

"Public" requests to church

members

Contact John & Moira Dalrymple

(01899 229343) with requests for

visits from the pastoral team

PULSE pastoral visiting group will

complement "normal" visiting

Alternatively, or in an emergency, you can

always call Ian Gray on 07881 518854

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PBC Magazine Feb/Mar 15

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