Connect
Making Hope Strong again Connecting people to the Light at Peebles BC
November 2017
Making Hope Strong again Only a few years ago the concept of hope was a strong force in our world. Barack Obama’s book The Audacity Of Hope set the agenda for his presidency in the USA - a vision for justice in race-relations, access to health-care and much more. Here in Europe governments enthusiastically offered hope for reconciliation and integration of formerly divided peoples, for significantly reducing world poverty and ending modern-day slavery. More recently hope seems to have become a weaker, thinner, more desperate concept. We now hope that Brexit will be less damaging than many are predicting, that war with North Korea will be averted and that fanatical terrorists will be caught before they strike. Hope is less of a vision and more a cry of anguish, a tug on the emergency cord as a last resort. Our Baptist Assembly this autumn is listening to Messages Of Hope from across Scotland. These are not the desperate words of a network of churches saying, ‘At a time when a record number of people claim they have no religion, we’ve just got to hope for the best.’ Rather, we are communities seized by the hope that God’s kingdom is coming. This is a ‘sure and certain hope’ that the end of history is the rule of Christ in every heart and every relationship. It is a visionary perspective. It leads us to seek first (and foremost) that kingdom and celebrate every sign of it here and now. So let’s join in the flow of God’s Spirit and make this our prayer and our ambition: Your kingdom come.
Rev Martin Hodson
Ministry Development Coordinator
Connecting people to the Light at Peebles BC
Halloween is a challenging time of year for many Christians. It’s an event which has so many disturbing spiritual overtones, quite apart from the concerns about children going from door to strangers’ door at night? How do we respond to this increasingly normalised event in a positive way; a way that is Good News in our community? Peebles Baptist Church uses Scripture Union materials to run a Light Party – “a positive alternative to Halloween”, for the children in the town. The “superhero” themed party is aimed at primary school age kids, and includes crafts, games, apple dooking, and a Christian illusionist, as well as snacks and drinks. There’s a café area for parents too. Publicised on Facebook and in local media, the response has been really encouraging; many parents with little or no formal church connection have enthusiastically signed up to something that is seen as safe, engaging, and well organised. It’s been another great opportunity to get the other churches in town involved too, with links being forged between the children’s work teams.
Mission Initiative Group Where is the Spirit blowing? What are the signs that this is the Spirit of God at work? What are the lessons God wants us to learn and share around? These are the questions that the members of our Union’s Mission Initiative Group ask together. Aware and alert people, looking and listening, gather with National Team members at intervals through the year. Together, rehearsing and reviewing mission initiatives that are taking place among and beyond our churches, looking for convictions and practices that we all can learn from. Effective mission is born when humble hearts seek the sovereign Saviour. Where prayerful cries of longing, to see lost souls saved, are matched with an attentiveness as to how the Holy Spirit would direct and enable us. The Mission Initiative Groups assists the National Team in looking to profile good practice, identifying initiatives that we can support and undertake together, using combined resources shared within our Union. The group also seeks to encourage missional thinking through occasional gatherings and conferences that report, encourage and develop initiatives in mission. The chair of MIG is Glenn Innes (glenn@thebridgeaberdeen.com).
Find out more on our website at www.scottishbaptist.com/our-union/mission-initiative For more stories of Mission Initiative please see p16 of the Assembly papers: www.scottishbaptist.com/assembly
Growth Amidst Decline:
A Mission Initiative Group Conference With speakers: Peter Brierley and Alan Donaldson Tuesday 16th January 2018 Stirling Baptist Church 10am – 3pm Examining the 2016 Scottish Church Census, Peter Brierley will unpack the findings of his research in conversation with Baptist Union of Scotland General Director, Alan Donaldson. Conference attendees will be encouraged to reflect together on future implications for Scottish Baptist mission and ministry. Free tickets can be ordered via Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/growth-amidst-decline-a-bus-mission-initiativegroup-conference-tickets-39220478507
As this month’s Connect was being prepared, we were also preparing for Assembly 2017. In the run up to the Assembly, we have received many short videos giving us reason for hope in our nation at this time. These videos can be viewed on our youtube channel: www.youtube.com/c/Scottishbaptists Why not ask your church messengers who were at the Assembly this year about the stories of hope they heard during their trip to Motherwell!
Prayer Link November November 5th
• Saltcoats (South Beach) Baptist Church • Sanquhar (St Ninians) Baptist Church • Selkirk Baptist Church • Sheddocksley Baptist Church
November 12th
• Shettleston Baptist Church • Shotts Baptist Church • South Leith Baptist Church • Southside Christian Fellowship
November 19th
• Springburn Baptist Church • St Andrews Baptist Church • St Mary’s Community Church
November 26th
• St Ninians Community Church • Stenhouse Baptist Church • Stirling Baptist Church • Stonehaven Baptist Church Saltcoats (South Beach) BC We are refreshing our evening services by introducing a 4 weekly cycle; a time to learn - preaching & teaching; a time to celebrate - praise & worship; a time to reflect - communion and; a time to discuss - topical subjects. These changes are a result of our participation in LEAD Academy. We would value your prayers as we seek ways to be more responsive to a diverse age range within our fellowship.
Stirling Baptist Church We have just come through a challenging year as a church and it’s encouraging to be reminded that each challenge can be seen as an opportunity. There is the opportunity for us to re-focus and seek God’s face in total dependence, but also there is the opportunity for God, to speak to us - to break us, to heal us, to lead us. Over the Summer many in our church have been encountering God in a fresh way, we have been encouraged and challenged through listening to God’s voice. As we make big important decision please can you pray; That God would take us as a church into a deeper intimacy with Him. In this season that God would continue to show us how to love each other more. We ask you to pray for God’s protection over what He is doing in our church and we ask you to pray that God would clearly show us how to be an effective witnessing community here in the heart of Stirling. Selkirk Baptist Church It feels like autumn outside! Families leaving the Borders… others moving in… changing demographics. Long-standing ministries under review… others at their sell by date. Pray for our discernment and boldness, and our renewed vision to connect our neighbour to Jesus. Meanwhile, faithful servants serve generously. Testimonies of all the Lord is doing, bless us. Shared gospel readings reinvigorate our faith. And we’re clear about God’s love for us and our neighbours!
St Andrews Baptist Church We have an almost entirely new staff team with two pastoral apprentices, a new youth and children’s worker (job share) and a new appointment of a parttime International Outreach Worker (to further our work on the fruit farms with migrant workers and international students). Please pray too for the Search Committee as they begin to seek a new pastor. (Andrew is planning to retire next summer). The church is in good heart; with a challenge to develop ‘ministry teams’ and keep looking outwards to the needs of the community around us. Pray for a new Alpha course, a new cohort of students at our Awake discipleship programme, and growth in our home groups. We continue to think about new premises.
Sanquhar (St Ninians) BC Praise God for the new sense of closeness we all feel now that we have moved out of the church and into the hall. It is working wonderfully. Pray for Poppy as she seeks to teach the children at her mission, that she would continue to be inspired. Pray for Andy and his work among the homeless and the poor. Keep him safe from false accusations. Pray for me that a vacancy would soon materialise to enable me to live locally rather than travelling hundreds of miles each week-end. Thank God for all His goodness to us as we seek to do His will and preach His Word and praise His Name.
Shettleston BC Praise point; we give thanks to God that one of our regular attenders has come forward to seek baptism and membership of the church. Also that our pastor has successfully completed three years preaccreditation and been accepted by the Union as a fully accredited minister. Prayer point; please pray for the leadership team and the fellowship as we seek ways of engaging in a more proactive way with the local community so they might come along and join with us in worship. Stonehaven Baptist Church Give thanks for strengthened fellowship and unity, and in particular the arrival of a new person who is a gifted musician. For the willingness of (almost) everyone to roll their sleeves up and also for the faithfulness of lay preachers each Sunday. Please pray for our ministries as they start up again, especially Mainly Music and The Zone, and for guidance as we plan to move forward, and that we will always do so in accordance with God’s plans for us.
Stenhouse Baptist Church It’s been a year of transition as Central Church have ‘replanted’ a new group into our congregation. We are excited about this new expression of God’s family bearing fruit in the community of Stenhouse. In August we ordained our new pastor Thomas Dean with his wife Claudia. Pray for them as they look to lead the church in the power of the Spirit into making new disciples in the community.
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