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| Minister's Update We are passing through crucial times for the Free Church in general and for our own congregation in particular. Not only is there a hugely important
Court case hanging over us this year, but also we have to decide how we
are going to manage change. For many these issues have got tangled up.
They think that because the Court case will revolve around the Constitution
of the Free Church, we cannot change anything. Of course that is nonsense.
At one level we must continue as normal. We must sell redundant buildings
and build new ones. We must link congregations where necessary and plant
new ones. We must practise the New Testament teaching concerning the role
of women in the Church. We must seek and obtain degree validation for
the Free Church College. We must produce new versions of the Psalms in
the vulgar tongue. Of course, most of those who left the Free Church in 2000 were against most of those things – including degree validation, Sing Psalms, modern translations of the Bible, church planting and Free Church Camps. This sometimes makes some of us look over our shoulders at them and worry if we are acting in an “unconstitutional” way! This is wholly unnecessary. None of these things is prohibited by our Constitution! In fact the very reverse. For instance, the Confession teaches us that the Scriptures should be translated into “the vulgar tongue”. However, this still leaves us with the problem of how to manage change. Strange though it may seem, I can understand those who are wary of change. You see I am well over 50 now! For instance, at one level I would much prefer to sing Psalm 116 in the familiar Scottish Psalter version. It has resonances and associations for me that the new version can never have. The new version can never remind me of my father singing Psalm 116 to the tune Ericstane. But the Church doesn’t exist for me. The Church exists to be the witness of Jesus Christ to a lost world. The student from China and the homeless from Edinburgh don’t have my associations with Psalm 116. What matters to them is if they can understand the words and if they can sing the tune. At one level, I would much prefer to stick to conducting two traditional Sunday services – that involves much less thought and effort from me! But I know that if I am going to connect with the unchurched, the interested inquirer and the unbeliever, I must do guest services and Christianity Explored courses, and I must be ready to innovate and try new approaches to preaching the gospel (Jesus didn’t always use the same approach!). Sometimes these will fail, but he who never made a mistake, never made anything. Sometimes we are so afraid of making a mistake, we never change anything or try anything new. Let it be my epitaph: He was never afraid of making a mistake! Not all change is good. But when the Church is being ineffective or declining, change is necessary. Let us seek to ensure that the changes are Biblical and effective. And let us not be afraid! Alex MacDonald |
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| Assistant Minister's Update Tomorrow (February 16), I begin my induction as a part time prison Chaplain. I look forward to getting back into a routine at prison and would appreciate your continued prayers. I have been very encouraged by our new course, Christianity Applied. We have had five out of the seven sessions and these times have been enjoyed by many. This is a follow-on course from Christianity Explored, but you don’t need to attend the first to benefit from the second. This course provides an open forum to ask questions and to find out more about what being a Christian is really all about. If you haven’t come along yet, there is still time. Please come along on Thursday February 19th and 26th at 6.30pm. For those who cannot attend, could I ask you to set aside some time between 6.30 and 8.30 on a Thursday evening to pray for this meeting – prayer support is absolutely essential! On the subject of prayer, can I encourage everyone who is committed to the congregation of Buccleuch to make prayer a priority? In each newssheet and newsletter, there are plenty of activities and ministries within the congregation, but unless the Lord blesses these endeavours, our labour will be in vain. Prayer is both private and corporate. Our main meeting for prayer is on Wednesday nights at 7.30pm in the church hall. On the second Wednesday of the month, we meet in homes for Bible Study and prayer and every Saturday morning there is a prayer breakfast in the hall. Do you want to join with fellow believers in seeking God’s blessing for the congregation and our community? Are you making prayer a priority? See you on Wednesday night or Saturday morning! Bob Akroyd |
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| News Baptism Farewell New Arrival |
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Recovering at Home Night Shelter |
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| New Psalm
Book Launch The meeting will be chaired by Rev Alex MacDonald, Moderator of the Presbytery of Edinburgh and Perth. The main speaker will be Professor John L Mackay of the Free Church College. Professor Donald Macdonald, Convener of the Psalmody Committee, and Mr Evan Macdonald, vitally involved in the project for many years, will speak respectively on the development of the Sing Psalms project, and on the musical aspects of this new version. Dr Donald Mackay will lead a small group of singers who will present some of the less well-known tunes in the Sing Psalms collection. There will, of course, be an opportunity for congregational participation, focusing on better-known tunes. An exhibition, featuring many different aspects of psalmody as well as this particular project, is being prepared. All the different items, produced by the Church over the years, in order to encourage the praise of God through psalm singing, will be on display along with the exhibition—psalters, manuals, cassettes and videos. Refreshments will be served at the close of the meeting in the church hall. The books themselves have been
available since the beginning of February. The sales of the words only
edition were very encouraging, the combined 1650/Sing Psalms version being
already into its second printing. Now that the music editions are available,
the Committee are publicising Sing Psalms as widely as possible, and are
encouraged by considerable interest from outside both the Free Church
and Scotland. John M MacPherson |
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WFM Project Details of this year's Women For Mission Project "Secure the Future!", based in South Africa, were given in the June-July 2003 Monthly Record, and are reproduced below. We will start fund raising for this with effect from Sunday 14th March. Donations may be made by placing a gift in an enveloped marked "WFM Fund" in the plate on the way into church. Our objective is to raise £250 by the time of the General Assembly in May. Progress towards this target will be reported in the weekly news sheet. Secure the Future That is what we would all like to be able to do for ourselves and perhaps even more for our families - the rising generation. In Britain we are blessed in living with a certain amount of security in terms of healthcare. This, however, is not the case in every country. This year South Africa is to be the subject of the W M Project. The problem of HIV/AIDS in the countries of Africa is often brought to our attention through reports in our media and we see heart-rending pictures of some of the victims. The Free Church of South Africa is not unaffected by this tragedy and, while not working directly in this field, they co-operate with those who do. The money raised will be divided between care for children affected and education to promote a lifestyle which will honour the Lord. Part of the money will go to support the work of Scripture Union. They have a very impressive education programme which they take into schools throughout the country. S.U. workers are very well received in the schools and provide excellent Biblically based material. The money we raise will be used in schools in the East London/King William's Town area, where our missionaries work. The rest of the money will go to the Children's Home in King William's Town. The home has opened a Baby Unit to help with the problem of babies who are orphaned or abandoned because of AIDS. Many of the babies are HIV positive when they are born but this is often due to antibodies and they do not develop full-blown AIDS. However, four babies have died there and the staff found that a very difficult experience. They would like to be able to equip the home with more beds for the babies as they grow out of their cots and have asked us to provide beds and bed linen, clothes and toys. Morag Christie and Angela Reid regularly visit the home to spend time with the children, giving them a little individual care and love. They are very burdened for the children and the staff who are doing a heroic job under great financial restraints. A recent newspaper article in East London (The Daily Dispatch 12.4.03) reported that at least 260 children are abandoned every month in the Eastern Cape province and child welfare experts predict that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The WFM committee once again look forward to seeing the creative ways our supporters have of raising money to "Secure the Future" for those in extreme need in South Africa. The friends whom we hope to help are also very encouraged by our interest and particularly by the knowledge that we will be praying for them. |
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| Noticeboard Deacons’ Court Kirk Session Guest Service Prayer Breakfast Missionary meeting The Doulos AGM Supper Evening Funds collected on the evening will be sent to support the work in Moyobamba and the SEL. Scotland's efforts at the 1978 World Cup will not be discussed, although if we can find a poster of Peru's then free kick specialist, Teófilo Cubillas, this will be put on display. If you are able to contribute food, please contact Catherine Thomson, Antonio Lopez, Anna Macdonald or Mary Macmillan. If you would like to try making something with a Peruvian flavour, a selection of relatively simple to follow Peruvian recipes are available to choose from - again, just speak to Catherine or one of the team. Please come at 7:00 pm, with a view to starting the meal at 7:30pm. Precentor’s Training Day Home Bible Study |
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| Wonderfully Made The series entitled ‘Wonderfully
Made’ will be suspended for some months and a series on people who
have contributed to witnessing for Christ, especially in Scotland, will
commence. Patrick Hamilton was the son of Sir Patrick Hamilton of Kincavel and Stanehouse and Catherine Stewart, born ‘in the diocese of Glasgow’. On his mother’s side he was a great grandson of King James II. James V, although just a baby, came to the throne after his father’s death at the battle of Flodden in 1513 and the country was ruled by the Queen Mother as regent and councillors, including a very powerful churchman, James Beaton who was Archbishop of Glasgow. It was intended that Patrick would become a priest and, while still a young man, was made the Abbot of Fearn in Easter Ross. He would not have to perform religious duties - a priest would do these for him, but the income from the church and lands would be his, giving him financial support for his studies. The country at this time was Roman Catholic in its religious loyalty and had not experienced the spiritual awakening of the Reformation. However, he went to Paris to study in the university there and graduated as Master of Arts in 1520 before going on to the University of Louvain where a college had been founded by the humanist scholar, Erasmus, for the study of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Almost certainly he came in contact at that time with the ideas of Luther and other reformers which had been stirring the academic world of the time. He came to the University of St. Andrews in 1523 and was received into the Faculty of Arts in October 1524 as Abbot of Fearn, in the diocese of Ross. There seems to be no clear record of what he was doing during the next two years, but it seems that he was discovering for himself the power of revealed truth. Archbishop James Beaton, now archbishop of St. Andrews, suspected Hamilton of heresy and decreed that he should be summoned and accused. Hamilton fled to the continent early in 1527. After a brief stay in Wittemberg where he may well have seen Martin Luther and Philip Melancthon, he went on to Marburg where a new Protestant university was opened on 30th May, 1527 and Patrick enrolled on that very day. While there he set out a series of statements outlining Biblical teaching with boldness and precision. John Knox was later so impressed with them that he included them in his History of the Reformation in Scotland. In the autumn of 1527, he returned to Scotland and was married shortly afterward to a lady of noble rank. His preaching made many converts for he showed the errors that had crept into the Christian religion and denounced the corruption of the Roman Church. As one writer put it, “A great following he had both for his learning and courteous behaviour to all sorts of people”. In February of the following year, he was invited to St. Andrews and discussed his views with leading churchmen, one of whom, Alexander Campbell, seems to have led him on by expressing sympathy with his views. From his room one evening he was taken to the Castle, kept there overnight, tried in the morning, condemned and burned to death early in the afternoon. His winning character, his eagerness to find the truth, his courage and his early death at the age of twenty-four make him one of the most interesting figures in the religious history of Scotland during the Sixteenth Century. George Buchanan described him as ‘a young man of the greatest genius, and most singular erudition’. His martyrdom gave a distinct impulse to the doctrines for which he suffered. The letters PH in the cobbles of the North Street pavement mark the spot where he is thought to have died. |
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