Connect August 2017

Connect Reach out and Trypraying

Eden in Drumchapel

August 2017

Reach out and Trypraying In part three of the founding statement of our Union of churches, the ‘Declaration of Principle’, it says that ‘… it is the duty of every disciple to bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world.’ This is the story of a lady from one of our churches in the borders as she used a Trypraying booklet as an aid to connect a friend to Jesus. She contacted David Hart, the Trypraying Development Coordinator, about her experience and he recounts her story below.

Last year, Janet, got in touch to say that the husband of a very good friend was dying of cancer. She had come to faith in the 1970s but her husband had turned against the faith. Now into his 80’s Janet felt prompted to send him a trypraying booklet not expecting any response. He knew people were praying for him, but he offered no response!

A few months later however, the wife told Janet excitedly that he had read the booklet twice and that they were now reading John’s Gospel together. She said, “This has continued every day since then. He now says he is at peace and wants to die. We are now praying for the ultimate healing”.

Just last month Janet sent us this update. “He died 2 weeks ago. He had had visits from his local vicar and before Easter he and his wife received communion together and later was anointed with oil.

Amongst other things he said to his wife at the end: “Thank you for bringing me back to the Lord” and “See you in paradise”. The trypraying booklet was undoubtedly a milestone on his journey back to the Lord after rejecting the faith for 35 years.

Many of our churches use resources such as Trypraying as helpful tools to connect with people and share their faith. As David Hart says, “God may be calling you to change careers, enter into a season of prayer, go to university, get involved with the worship group, but it will never remove the need to be reaching out. Every season in life is a season of reaching out. The trypraying booklet is a wonderful aid to sharing your faith in a non-threatening way. It’s an appropriate tool that you can use at anytime, anywhere with anyone. And even when it’s not the right thing to offer in the moment, it still serves as a tangible reminder that you are willing to get into conversations.

In Acts 1: 8 Jesus said. “… you will be my witnesses…”. And a witness is simply someone who passes on what they have personally become aware of. We can make sharing our life in Jesus something awkward and difficult, or we can just share what – and Who – we love. We can be witnesses.”

More information on the Trypraying initiative can be found on their website: www.trypraying. co.uk

Eden in Drumchapel Over the past five months we have been involved in building a team of workers led by Marcos Quinteros. Marcos has had extensive experience in building community as he planted a church in a social deprived area of Bolivia. He was involved in building a centre where the locals came together and met with Christ. Truly incarnational and intentional with his faith.

He has built a team of seven including himself and his wife, Gwen, who is about to take on joint leadership on the team in September this year.

The team has built activities in the community by taking over the lunch club on Friday’s between 11-2pm where up to 30 non-Christian’s come to fellowship together. The plans are to extend this, and incorporate a ten minute light gospel section. The aim is to get the local community not just coming along, but taking part alongside the Christian workers.

The team has taken responsibility for the Remembrance garden, which is a direct link to the community as they remember loved ones they have lost.

The garden is a tangible resource that brings the church into their lives, and now over 70 families are connected. We have plans to extend the garden and are currently in the process of gaining more ground to the back of the church.

The garden has been a great success, and as a result we are planning further developments that enable us to reach into this community. We are praying for a café at the side of the church, and an extension to the church hall to make a large games hall so that we can have teen events within the church. The café could be used to teach residents how to cook and organise their budgets, also it could be developed into a ‘room for life’ which would be a project to teach adults parenting skills and communication skills.

This Easter the team ran a football club which was sponsored by a local business man for the development of football skills. There were two age groups, 7-10 and 11-14.

This is a precursor to a planned outreach starting in the Autumn, when it is envisaged that a team will be formed to take part in a league. This is one youth event run by the Eden team and will dovetail into a wider youth work that is starting in August. Preparations are being made with the Christian youth within the Church and other local churches to be the catalyst for working with the unsaved youth in Drumchapel.

The team has been actively involved in food distribution to poor families within Drumchapel.

This takes effect through an evening’s distribution of Greggs food, affectionately known as ‘the bun run’ and also distribution of foods stuffs to those families in greatest need.

Once we have the land at the back of the church we are keen to progress a community garden, which will be on the lines of Urban Farming. This will be a project that involves locals and also develops the use of the produce to teach cooking skills and other organisational skills.

It is through these activities that relationships are being formed and the love of Jesus is being shown. There have been several people come to Christ through this direct involvement in their lives. The team is now running a Bible study twice a week and discipling new Christians.

The team has also been involved with community gardening and have done several grass cutting days helping local residents with their gardens. This has resulted in a couple coming to Church.

Prayer Link August August 7th • Ivy Young, Ministry Administrator, BUS • Islay Baptist Church • Johnstone Baptist Church • Kelso Baptist Church • Kilmarnock Baptist Church

Islay Baptist Church prayer link We are so thankful that we can have a Scripture Union Summer Beach Mission here on Islay each year. We thank the Lord for those who give up their time to come to Islay to do things that we would otherwise not be able to achieve. Each year we have about 100 children who attend. Please pray that the Word sown so faithfully will reap a rich harvest.

Please pray that the small church here on Islay will grow and that there will be believers to carry on the witness here to future generations.

August 13th • Jenny

Wilson, General Director’s PA, BUS • King’s Park Baptist Church • Kirkintilloch Baptist Church • Kirkwall Baptist Church

August 20th • Beatrice Anderson, Finance Administrator, BUS • Knightswood Baptist Church • Ladywell Baptist Church • Larbert Baptist Church

August 27th • Lynn Scott, Administrator, BUS • Largo Baptist Church • Larkhall Baptist Church • Leith Baptist Church

Ivy Young, Ministry Administrator, BUS Give thanks for God’s faithfulness and sustaining grace. Please pray for me as I make preparations for the Board of Ministry meeting end of August and Assembly preparations through September. Please pray that God would grant me health, strength and wisdom during this busy season.

Jenny Wilson, PA to the General Director, BUS Please do pray for me as I help to organise the Assembly over the next couple of months.

Please pray for God’s guidance and wisdom as I make final preparations and liaise with the venue, our speakers and exhibitors. I pray that God would be glorified as we come together for our annual Assembly and that His name would be lifted high.

Larkhall BC Please pray for guidance regarding a second full time worker with emphasis on work in the community. We are giving thanks that after a two year battle, a missionary family in membership with us has been given permission to stay in Scotland - please join us in giving thanks.

Kirkintilloch Baptist Church Please give thanks for increased connection with our community. Pray that we would be sensitive to what God is doing in Kirkintilloch and that our ministries would develop appropriately as we try to demonstrate God’s love.

Pray for us as growing disciples as we read through the New Testament together as a whole Church.

Please pray too for the Kirkintilloch Canal Festival (19th & 20th August). We will be taking activities and Church outside as we celebrate together with the whole town. Pray for safety, fun and that Jesus would be seen in all we do.

Kirkwall Baptist Church, Orkney We are grateful for your prayers - thank you to God for new people moving into the church, for stable leadership, and for a good sense of unity.

Please pray for us as seek what God wants us to do now, and as we plan extensive renovations to our sanctuary. Pray most of all for conversions and baptisms - we want to see people introduced to Jesus.

Kilmarnock We give praise to God for 6 young people who were baptised last Easter and were welcomed into membership this year following our membership classes. We also give thanks that 2 teenage girls are preparing for baptism this year, please pray that this will be a witness to their families.

Please pray for our community engagement, especially the impact of our congregation volunteering at the recent Kilmarnock 10KM Run. Pray that followup will be fruitful and that the Christian literature distributed would encourage people to seek Jesus. Pray also for the litter picking we will be doing in the community as we seek to add value to our neighbourhood and opportunities to share Jesus. Please pray for more volunteers to help out at our youth drop-in we host and run in collaboration with Kay Park Parish.

Knightswood Please give thanks with us for the great things the Lord is doing among us and for everything to be grateful for in our church life.

Please pray for the leadership as they go through the LEAD Academy programme.

Pray too for the church as we look to the Lord to refresh our vision and plans, and then pray and work together for his glory.

Leith BC Please pray for our church BBQ outreach that we will hold in August at a Park near the church. Pray for those who are bringing family and friends to it. We are starting an after school club with SU Scotland at Wardie Primary School, please pray for the leader’s planning and for the children, that they may be drawn to Jesus as they participate in it. Pray also for our Sunday School (teachers and children) and our weekly Toddler Group.

Ladywell Baptist Church Give thanks that God continues to bless us as a fellowship; for the faithfulness of his people; for all the organisations and leaders; for the children who attend a midweek ministry ‘The Joy Club’; the on-going work of our Youth Pastor; for the continued openings that the Pastor and Youth pastor have in some of the local schools; for the recent children’s mission.

Please pray for a mother (Linda) who is seriously ill and undergoing treatment in America, that God will heal, and that she, her husband and 2 young sons would continue to know the peace of God; pray that the children who attend the Sunday School and Mid-week Clubs would come to faith in the Lord.

Kelso We give thanks to God for His faithfulness to our small congregation. We pray that more families would move into the borders area to add to our numbers. We would ask for prayer for the work of Kelso BC week by week.

Larbert Please give thanks for: recent additions to our membership; two recent professions of faith; the recent baptisms held in June; open doors into local schools and opportunities to partner with Scripture Union.

Please pray for additional help for the departments and organisations within the fellowship, the changes and ‘tweaks’ to our church life that we are going to be making (courtesy of Lead Academy) And for the consolidation of our recent spiritual and numerical growth.

Johnstone Give thanks for the committed members that we have who have shown real dedication through some hard times. As the church begins to turn to a more incarnational mission approach that it will begin to impact the surrounding community and that this approach will bear fruit. We will also be launching an Alpha course in September and prayer that those in need within the community will be drawn to come and explore the reality of the Gospel of Jesus with us.

With a predominantly elderly membership please pray that we see growth with some younger people coming along to take up the vision for the future growth of Gods kingdom in Johnstone Castle and the surrounding area.

#BUShope Hope, Baptist Union of Scotland, 48 Speirs Wharf, Glasgow, G4 9TH. Videos – BUShope2017@gmail.com

Registered Scottish Charity SCO04960