The Methodist Church in Scotland

Author: Wesley

  • Call to Prayer 1st November 2020

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    CALL TO PRAYER: SUNDAY 1st November 2020 Prayer @ 7pm

    As we enter into the season of Remembrance, we are especially conscious of those whose lives have shaped our lives, but who are no longer with us. In one sense, their absence serves to highlight the significance of all that they have given to us. Equally, we recall those who have shaped the life of our Church and of our community and the faith that they have passed on to our generation. The hymn writer captures well the thanksgiving of the Church at this time:

    For all the saints, who from their labours rest,
    Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
    Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
    Alleluia, Alleluia!

    The vision unveiled in the Book of Revelation sees the ‘great multitude…from every nation’ gathered before the throne of God ‘and before the Lamb’. For those who have endured, the Lamb ‘will be their shepherd…and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’. (Revelation 7: 9-17) Our faith invites us to embrace that vision and, in turn, to share the vision with others. In this season of Remembrance, we share the promise of the enduring presence and healing of God. We pray:

    Living God,
    We come to your presence
    And we are conscious that we do not come alone.
    We come in the company of the saints of God
    And the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Living God,
    We come to your presence
    And we remember those who have given life and nurture to us.
    We remember those who are no longer with us
    And we give thanks for their lives.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Living God,
    We come to your presence
    And we pray for those who have suffered loss at this time.
    We ask that they will know the presence
    Of the One who will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Living God,
    We come to your presence
    And hear again the promise of your enduring presence.
    We ask for ourselves, and for others,
    That we might know the promise of healing of God.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Living God,
    We come to your presence
    And we recall the hymns of faith that echo in our hearts.
    We lift up our hearts and anticipate the praise of heaven;
    Offered to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Signed by:
    Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
    Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
    Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
    Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
    Rev. Lindsey Sanderson, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
    Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
    Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
    Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
    Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
    Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
    Rev. Claire Fender, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
    Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
    Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
    Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)

  • Call to Prayer 25th October 2020

    Prayer @ 7pm

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    The question asked of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is simple: ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ (22: 36) It is a part of a series of questions asked of Jesus and the purpose of the questions is to ‘entrap him’. (22: 15) At this point we might ask: How many commandments are there in the Law of Moses? In an ancient tradition, the answer is 613 and in the 12th Century a great Rabbi of the time set out the 613 commandments in detail. In other words: Answering the question that Jesus is asked is potentially difficult and complex. How do we make sense of so many laws and regulations? The answer that Jesus gives takes us to the heart of the commandments: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ (22: 37-39) In his summary, Jesus says: Everything hangs on these two commandments. (22: 40)

    In a society necessarily shaped by law and regulation, the answering of questions in relation to them can at times seem potentially difficult and complex. In the midst of the complexity, we hear again the commandments to love God and neighbour and affirm that everything hangs on these two as our indispensable guide. We pray:

    Lord our God,
    We turn to you,
    As the One who has spoken in times past,
    And ask that that you would speak to us in times present.

    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord our God,
    In our response,
    We listen for your Word
    And the call to love you with heart and soul and mind.

    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord our God,
    In the living out of our response,
    We offer all that we are,
    Knowing you have given all through Christ our Lord.

    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord our God,
    We turn to you,
    As the One who has made us in your image,
    And who makes our neighbour in that same image.

    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord our God,
    In our response,
    We journey with our neighbour
    And seek to love them as you command.

    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord our God,
    In the living out of our response,
    We stand together with our neighbour,
    Knowing you stand together with us through Christ our Lord.

    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Signed by:

    • Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
    • Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
    • Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
    • Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
    • Rev. Lindsey Sanderson, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
    • Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
    • Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
    • Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
    • Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
    • Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
    • Rev. Claire Fender, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
    • Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
    • Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
    • Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)

     

  • Methodist Podcasts

    Each week, the Methodist Church produces a podcast of Methodist news. See the list; there are opportunities to subscribe or listen to a podcast of your choosing.

    The podcast for 15th October includes a report from Methodist Council, prisons week, Anthony Reddie and eating disorders.

  • Call to Prayer Sunday 18th October 2020

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    Does God go with us? That is a question we might well ask at this time. Does God go with us as we journey through the latest stage of the challenge that we face personally and as a community? Does God go with us in the uncertainty of the times in which we live? If so, how do we know?

    Moses led the people out of Egypt and, during the subsequent journey in the wilderness, it seems that the persistent questions asked of him by the people of Israel can be summed up as follows:

    Does God go with us? If so, how do we know? In reply, the response of the Lord is this: ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest… and I know you by name.’ In return, Moses asks that he might see the glory of the Lord. In reply, the Lord offers to put him in ‘a cleft of the rock’ as a place of safety (Exodus 33: 14, 17, 22).

    The words of a traditional hymn capture the image:

    Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
    Let me hide myself in Thee.

    Does God go with us? Yes, even on the hardest journey. If so, how do we know? We know because the Lord leads us to the place of safety.”

    We pray:

    Lord, lead us
    To the place where you are known
    And to the assurance of your presence.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord, lead us
    To the place of rest
    And to the promise of renewal.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord, lead us
    To the place where the people made in your image gather
    And their voices are heard.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord, lead us
    To the place where we are called by our name
    And find acceptance in your sight.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord, lead us
    To the place where we are protected
    And our safety is assured.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Lord, lead us
    To the place where your glory is revealed
    And our lives are transformed in Christ.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Signed by:

    • Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
    • Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
    • Rt. Rev. Kevin Pearson, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
    • Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
    • Rev. Lindsey Sanderson, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
    • Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
    • Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
    • Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
    • Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
    • Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
    • Rev. Jim Ritchie, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
    • Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
    • Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
    • Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)

  • Scotland’s faith leaders call for social security reforms to ease pressure of poverty

    As Challenge Poverty Week draws to a close, Scotland’s faith leaders have issued a joint statement calling on the UK and Scottish Governments to make changes to the social security system to stem the rising tide of poverty.

    In the statement, issued today, senior representatives from Scotland’s major faith groups urged both Westminster and Holyrood to take action “that would reflect the care, compassion and support shown by people across the country into changes that would make a real difference to families and individuals living in the grip of poverty.”
    They call for specific reforms to the social security system to “boost the incomes of those most in need”.

    The signatories included The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Chief Imam of Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Galloway, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Sensei at Cloud Water Zen Centre (Buddhist community), Chair of the Methodist Church in Scotland, Moderator-Elect of the National Synod of Scotland of the United Reformed Church and the representative of Sikhs in Scotland on the Scottish Religious Leaders Forum.

    The leaders urge the UK Government to end the Benefit Cap and the two-child limit and retain the temporary increase in the Universal Credit basic allowance.
    This comes as last month 50 children’s charities, food bank providers, housing organisations, benefit and debt advisors, disability groups, and others wrote to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, urging him not to withdraw this essential lifeline. Modelling by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that scrapping the temporary increase would drive 700,000 more people into poverty across the UK, while a further 500,000 of those already living in poverty would be living below 50 per cent of the poverty line.
    The statement also calls on the Scottish Government to “play its role” by increasing the Carers Allowance Supplement. It goes on, “This would recognise that carers are often locked into poverty, and in response to the additional financial pressures placed on them by the pandemic.”
    “By boosting the incomes of people struggling to stay afloat, our Governments can relieve the pressure and stress that so many are now experiencing. We encourage those in power to listen to people who are affected by poverty now and take the steps we need to begin to redesign our social security to provide the support that everyone one needs.”

    Responding to the statement, Peter Kelly, Director of Poverty Alliance said:
    “The pandemic has shown us how much we want to look after each other. But it’s also highlighted the gaps in our system of social protection.
    “This intervention from Scotland’s faith leaders is a welcome contribution to the mounting calls on both the UK and Scottish Governments to fix our social security system so it acts as a lifeline to help people stay afloat.
    “Even before the Covid-19 crisis, one in five people in Scotland were living in poverty. Without urgent action, this can only be expected to get worse.”

    Faith leaders’ statement

  • Challenge Poverty Week 2020: Statement from Scotland’s Faith Leaders

    The response to the coronavirus pandemic highlighted much of what is best in our society. At its outset, we saw an outpouring of compassion and care for one another. Communities, neighbours, and families worked together to try and ensure that those most in need have not been left behind. All levels of government recognised the economic and social effects the pandemic would have, and quickly put in place measures to cushion some of its worst impacts.

    During Challenge Poverty Week we are reminded that there is still much to do to help all those who are living with the constant pressure of poverty, and that despite the care and support that has been shown over the last six months we know that further action is needed to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives.

    We are calling on both the UK Government and Scottish Government to take action that would reflect the care, compassion and support shown by people across the country into changes that would make a real difference to families and individuals living in the grip of poverty.

    By ending the Benefit Cap and the two child limit the UK Government will boost the incomes of families most in need. They should also retain the increase in the Universal Credit basic allowance, maintaining the financial support that will still be needed for many as our economy recovers.

    The Scottish Government can play its role by increasing the Carers Allowance Supplement. This would recognise that carers are often locked into poverty, and in response to the additional financial pressures placed on them by the pandemic.
    By boosting the incomes of people struggling to stay afloat, our Governments can relieve the pressure and stress that so many are now experiencing. We encourage those in power to listen to people who are affected by poverty now and take the steps we need to begin to redesign our social security to provide the support that everyone one needs.

    Signed by:

    • The Right Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
    • Imam Razawi, Chief Imam and Director General, Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society
    • The Right Rev William Nolan, Bishop of Galloway
    • Sensei Karl Kaliski, Cloud Water Zen Centre (Buddhist community)
    • The Most Revd Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
    • Ravinder Kaur Nijjar, Sikhs in Scotland, Member of Scottish Religious Leaders Forum
    • The Revd Mark Slaney, Chair Scotland District & Shetland District, Methodist Church in Scotland
    • Revd Paul Whittle, Moderator-Elect of the National Synod of Scotland of the United Reformed Church

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  • More videos from Synod

    You can now view the Conference report back, Action for Children and MHA videos played to the Synod in September 2020.

    All are on the District YouTube channel.

  • Reset the Debt – Churches call for action to help people forced into debt by COVID-19

    reset the debt logoA campaign calling for debt cancellation for people who have been swept into unavoidable debt in recent months is launched today by a group of four denominations representing two-thirds of a million Christians and ecumenical charity, Church Action on Poverty.

    The Baptist Union of Great Britain, Church Action on Poverty, The Church of Scotland, The Methodist Church and The United Reformed Church call for the Government to create a Jubilee Fund to provide grants to pay off and cancel unavoidable debt accrued by the poorest households during the lockdown period, giving them a more stable platform from which to face the difficult winter ahead.

    Register for the free webinar on Thursday 15th October 2020 5.30pm to 6.30pm.

    Read more about the campaign.

     

  • Call to Prayer Sunday 11th October 2020

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    Among the many challenges our society faces at this time is that of finding the appropriate words to describe and express that which needs to be described and expressed. As we have discovered, that is a far more difficult challenge than might have been anticipated.

    In seeking to describe and express the spiritual challenges of this time, we turn to Scripture and discover that Scripture speaks to us and for us. This is especially so of the Book of Psalms. Augustine, a Christian writer who lived in North Africa in the 5th Century writes: ‘If the psalm prays, you pray. If the psalm laments, you lament. If the psalm exalts, you rejoice. If it hopes, you hope. If it fears, you fear. Everything written here is a mirror for us.’

    At this time, the 23rd Psalm ‘is a mirror for us’: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ The imagery speaks to us and for us. It evokes a memory embedded in our spiritual consciousness that resonates with every part of who we are.

    Whatever paths we take, even to the ‘darkest valley’, the Lord leads us so that we ‘fear no evil’. In our journey, personally and collectively, the Psalm speaks to us and for us.”

    We pray:

    Good shepherd,
    Speak to us and for us.
    Speak to us in the midst of us these times
    And, in the words of the Psalmist, speak for us.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Good shepherd,
    Speak to us at the break of day
    And in the evening.
    Speak to us the words that resonate in the depths of our hearts
    Even as human words fall silent.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Good shepherd,
    Journey with us,
    Even to dark valleys.
    Go before us
    And lead us safe home.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Good shepherd,
    We confess that we fear the times
    And that our souls are troubled.
    Lead us to still waters
    And restore our souls.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Good shepherd,
    Surely you are with us
    And your presence there to comfort.
    Comfort us when we are anxious
    And strengthen us when we are weak.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Good shepherd,
    In these present times,
    May your goodness and mercy be with us.
    In times to come,
    May we recall that goodness and mercy has surely followed us.
    Lord, in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    Signed by:

    • Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
    • Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
    • Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
    • Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
    • Rev. Lindsey Sanderson, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
    • Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
    • Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
    • Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
    • Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
    • Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
    • Rev. Jim Ritchie, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
    • Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
    • Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
    • Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)

  • British Methodist Youth Choir – virtual rehearsal

    The British Methodist Youth Choir are having their first virtual rehearsal on the 16th October at 7.00pm. More information and sign up.