APRIL/MAY 2015

IN FAITH

Luke 24: 5f6 (NIV)

I wonder if youve ever put yourself in the shoes of Aladdin, the young man with a penchant for rubbing dirty old lamps with his sleeve. If you were suddenly confronted with a Genie offering you three wishes, what would you choose?

If you missed our service of recommittment and renewal on Sunday 22nd March, it would be well worth listening to Jim McGillivrays sermon on the

church website. Actually, even if you didnt miss it, it would be worth listening again, as we move forward into Gods plans for the coming year.

(Incidentally, if youre an iTunes user you can now find our sermons there as well follow the links on the church website, or search for Peebles Baptist Church in iTunes to subscribe to the podcast.)

Central to Jims message was the question that Jesus asked Bartimaeus, the blind man he encountered on the way to Jerusalem (read the full story in Mark 10). Bartimaeus was sitting begging by the roadside; he heard that Jesus was passing by, and began to shout for Jesus to have mercy on him. Jesus stopped, and said to Bartimaeus What do you want me to do for you?

The most obvious reaction to that might be: what a stupid question! But what do you want me to do for you is actually one of the most important questions God ever asks us, and probably the one to which we most frequently give the wrong answer. We ask for all the wrong things in life. Just a few verses before this story in Mark, two of the disciples (James and John) have been asked exactly the same thing by Jesus and it turns out they wanted to be the top dogs in Jesus new kingdom (v35ff). Other people in that chapter wanted to outsmart and trap Jesus (the Pharisees in verse 2), or eternal security at no-cost (the rich young man in verse 17).

God is asking us, both as individuals and as a church, what do you want me to do for you? What an opportunity and what a huge responsibility to get the answer right! Unlike Aladdin, we only get one answer. But Aladdins genie has got nothing on what our God can do.

Prayer Update

Over the last couple of months, weve been discussing how we might raise the profile of prayer in the church. Weve been keen to encourage more people to come to church prayer meetings, and also find ways to help people explore praying on their own on a regular basis. This has been given an added emphasis for those who heard Jim McGillivrays sermon at our service of renewal on March 22nd (and if you missed that or you want to hear it again, its available on the church website).

From the responses weve had, we know that many people find Saturday mornings a difficult time to gather to pray. That said, for other people Saturdays are a great time and for others, the idea of a traditional prayer meeting just isnt very attractive.

For that reason well be trying a mixture of a few different approaches. In March, we had the first of our new mid-week prayer meetings, starting with some worship and a short reflection before dividing into groups for prayer on specific topics. That meeting was based around Romans 12:1-2, with prayer focussed on renewal of our hearts, minds, and (church) body. Well be having more of those mid-week prayer meetings in the future, but we dont want to disrupt house groups by doing so every month.

So well not lose Saturday mornings completely for those early birds who value a chance to start the weekend with prayer and a bite to eat, the prayer breakfasts will be scheduled on an occasional basis (to complement the group praying regularly at the Kings Meadow on Saturday mornings see Wilma if you want to find out more about that).

Something else youll see, especially over the warmer months of the summer, is organised prayer walks. These are an opportunity to go in small groups around different areas of the town, praying for people and places that come to mind along the way.

Prayer changes things!

Mission update: New mission partners bound for Bangladesh We now have a total of 4 mission partners around the globe:

Anne and David in Italy Sara in Peru Andy and Jutta in Haiti (due to visit us in Peebles to speak

on Sunday 21st June put it in your diaries) And now, newly linked to us, Ally, Abi, Lachlan and Bethia

who are currently in Birmingham at the BMS training centre, but who will be going to Bangladesh later in the year.

You can follow Ally and Abis blog at www.allyandabi.wordpress.com and if you enter your email address, you will get email updates every now and then when they write in the blog. Here is a wee bit about them, and a photo so you can start praying for them now!

From the BMS summary of their People with BMS section on their website:

Once they have completed their training, Abi and Ally will be moving to Bangladesh later in 2015. Ally will be seconded to a partner organisation. He will be using his engineering and team leadership skills in a local business, whilst Abi will be using her knowledge of communication development to impact their community.

Ally is a mechanical engineer and Abi has worked for over nine years as a specialist speech and language therapist for children with additional support needs.

Abi and Ally met at university in Edinburgh and are married with a three year old son, Lachlan, and new baby, Bethia.

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BUS Prayer Diary. . .

April 6th Jim Meighan (Chaplain, NHS Glasgow, North & East) Collydean Baptist Church Colonsay Baptist Church Cornton Baptist Church

April 13th David Middlemiss (Army Chaplain) Cowal Baptist Church Cowdenbeath Baptist Church Crieff Baptist Church

April 20th Stuart Murdoch (Chaplain, Strathcarron Hospice) Crookston Baptist Church Crown Terrace Baptist Church Culduthel Christian Centre

April 27th Culloden Baptist Church Cupar Baptist Church Dalbeattie Baptist Church

May 3rd Al Nicoll (RAF Chaplain) Dalkeith Baptist Church Dedridge Baptist Church Dennistoun Baptist Church

May 10th Adam Plenderleith (Chaplain, Glasgow Royal Infirmary) Denny Baptist Church Dingwall Baptist Church Drumchapel Baptist Church

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May 17th Jack Quinn (Workplace Chaplaincy Scotland) Dumbarton Baptist Church Dumfries Baptist Church Duncan Street Baptist Church

May 24th Jim Simpson (Chaplain, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen) Dundee Central Baptist Church Dunfermline West Baptist Church Dunoon Baptist Church

May 31st David Vogan (Chaplain, Nethervale Care Home, Auchlochan) Dunrossness Baptist Church East Mains Baptist Church Easterhouse Baptist Church

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Community Garden update Spring has sprung, and the water tank is filling up.

Well done to Bill and Jason (who lives in one of the houses next to the garden) for installing a water tank next to the shed. Some guttering has been used to channel rainwater from the shed to the tank, and it is proving to be a very efficient system.

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Ok, so the garden is not looking at its best yet this year, and so pretty soon we will be giving out dates when we will be able to meet at the garden and do some tidying, digging, weeding, planting etc.

More people are really needed! Would you like to come along on a Friday afternoon to help Bill with the garden? Just have a chat with him to find out times.

Look out for dates in the church notice sheets and announced from the front for when we will be at the garden doing some of the projects, but things planned for this spring include:

Finish the paths Plant potatoes, peas, beans and other veg Plant flowers Get seating organised re-varnish the bench Build compost bins out of old pallets

Please pray for the garden and the outreach opportunity it gives to us.

Here is a wee recipe for the garden that may also be a good one for our church life:

Plant 3 rows of peas peas of mind, peas of heart, peas of soul

Plant 4 rows of squash squash gossip, squash indifference, squash grumbling, squash selfishness

Plant 4 rows of lettuce lettuce be faithful, lettuce be kind, lettuce be patient, lettuce love one another

No garden should be without turnips turnip for meetings, turnip to serve, turnip to help one another

Remember to plant some thyme thyme for each other, thyme for family and friends, thyme for God.

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The Best of the Word Today, Bob Gass, UCB We will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 NIV) Perseverence means:

(1) Succeeding because youre determined to, not because youre entitled to.

Achievers dont sit back and wait for success because they think the world owes them. No, if youre wise youll ask God for direction, stand firm on the Word He has given you, go forward and refuse to quit. You must adopt the attitude of the man who said, We are determined to win. Well fight them until hell freezes over, and, if we have to, well fight them on ice. Recalling the trials he had faced, Paul said: I started, and Im going to finish. Ive worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at deaths door And thats not the half of it (2 Corinthians 11:2328 TM). One word describes Paul relentless.

(2) Recognizing that life is not one long race, but many short ones in succession.

Each task has its own challenges, and each day its own events. You have to get out of bed the next morning and run again, but it is never exactly the same race. To be successful, you must keep plugging away. Its said that Columbus faced incredible difficulties while sailing west in search of a passage to Asia. He encountered storms, experienced hunger, deprivation and extreme discouragement. The crews of his three ships were near mutiny. But his account of the journey says the same thing over and over: Today, we sailed on. And his perseverance paid off. He didnt discover a fast route to the spice-rich Indies; instead he found a new continent. The scriptural key to success is running the race each day (see Hebrews 12:12). So, this year, persevere.

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Twenty for 15 update Responding to a request at the last Church Members Meeting for regular updates on the progress of our Twenty for 15 plans, here is the first in what should be articles in each edition of the magazine.

The plans outlined in the last magazine were broken down by rough date order; some are very specific and easy to measure, others not quite so much.

Nevertheless, heres where we are so far:

1. (We have clear priorities emerging from the Leadership Team Away Day on 21st January; and Church Meeting on 28th January.) Done the Twenty for 15 plans have been discussed and published, together with some of the underlying vision for what we believe the church needs to become, and steps that need to be taken.

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.) To an extent this is an ongoing challenge, but a specific focus of the last month (including the midweek prayer meeting in March) has been precisely to seek the renewal of our hearts and minds. Question: to what extent do we feel that are expectations are being rekindled?

3. (We will hold a recommitment/re-dedication/covenant service/event for whole church in March (?) with outside facilitation/assistance.) This was the special service on March 22nd, with significant input from Jim McGillivray.

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4. (We will recognise our fear and, through commitment to prayer which doesnt limit God, we will learn to be fearless.) A hard one to measure, and very much an ongoing challenge; nevertheless the commitment to prayer has to remain a high priority.

6. (The Leadership Team will review the Churchs approach to responsibility and oversight across the various areas of ministry; and report back to the Church meeting with recommendations in May.) The Leadership Team spent an afternoon with Jim McGillivray hearing about the changes that have been put in place in East Mains Baptist to improve lines of responsibility and accountability, and move towards greater delegation and effectiveness across our ministries. This has the potential to lead to exciting and significant change.

7. (We will have a Celebrate Recovery group up and running within the church by June, to serve people affected by addictions.) Planning, discussion and investigation of Celebrate Recovery is underway with a small team led by Jennie Jacobs.

10. (We will have a revised and updated Church Constitution by September.) With significant input from Johns experience in this area, the Leadership Team has been working on a new constitution, and plan to distribute a draft for discussion this month.

14. (The number of members will have risen to fifty.) Membership now stands at 42, with another membership application in the pipeline.

Were making good progress, but none of this is intended to suggest complacency! As Paul says in Philippians 3:12, not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

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The return of the Big Sunday Festival August 17th 2014 the weather forecast was just awful; remember?! However, God's big day had been in the planning for months and He wasn't going to let a little thing like rain and wind stop it! And what a day it was. We set out to offer a day of blessings, God's gifts to the community to enable His kingdom to shine and to share the vast love He has for us.

1000 burgers later, the threatened rain did eventually pour but it didn't dampen our spirits as we rounded off a day of remarkable witness to His glory, with Amie Aitken entertaining (transferred from stage to tea tent!) with soulful music and testimonials. The grace of that day continued in

people's memories far longer than a day and I believe seeds were sown that God will use to cause great trees to grow, much as the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32). Even the smallest seed can grow magnificent!

To build upon the seeds sown, the steering group have agreed to repeat the festival this Summer, Sunday 16th August, learning from the experience of last year's festival (thank you for all the really helpful feedback) and listening close for God's direction of how it should evolve this year. We will have many of the same elements that were so successful but with a greater focus on community involvement using local musical talent and entertainment, and centre games that will (hopefully!) get everyone involved together

having fun and deepening relationships. We have some exciting new ideas for sharing the gospel, alongside the prayer tent and healing rooms tent, that may provide an opportunity for people to explore faith in a sensitive and non-threatening way, and we will have the same range of activities and food on offer. All with the core value of Everything Free with no catch!

The one difference this year, is that we have no budget for the festival. Last year was exceptional in that a large donation had been made. This year we need to do

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Deacons report: what do the Deacons do? Deacons have different roles in other denominations, and even across Baptist churches here in Scotland youll find their responsibilities vary. But the word itself is derived from the Greek for servant, so, at its heart, the deacons job involves attending to the needs of others, and also includes an essential accountability to others.

The deacons in Peebles Baptist (at present, Linda Bell, John Dalrymple, Christine Drummond, Liz Keiro and Wilma Wintour, plus Ian as the minister) are servants, under God, of this Church family, and answerable to Him and to the Church membership for the way in which we carry out our duties.

At the deacons Away Day in January (away in the comfortable, but not exactly exotic, location of The Bridge in Tweeddale meeting room!) we agreed to improve accountability

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a lot of praying, not just for the success of the festival in fulfilling His will for it, but in very practical terms for the money to finance it. We will be cutting down on some of the more expensive attractions like the bands and the inflatables, but still need to pay for food, marketing, marquees and some of the entertainment. At the moment the pot is (almost) empty! Please keep praying for God to provide the funding that is needed, for us to be able to discern His vision for the 2015 BSF clearly and for us to be united in our following of His guidance and will, as we seek His blessings on our community.

The steering group needs your support, prayers and practical help. If you can volunteer again or for the first time, there is a role for you. Have you gifts you could use to contribute to the festival? Nearer the time, we will distribute volunteer sign up sheets again and let you know the range of help that will be needed. For now, we have a few key coordinator roles that are vacant: Media Liaison, Food Coordinator and Stewards Coordinator. If you think you may be able to help with these roles, or indeed have any ideas or feedback to give please contact Sue Thurston (Project Coordinator) on 725103 or 07811 978124, or email at eucharisteo@btinternet.com

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by including an update on the Deacons doings in every edition of the Magazine. This will be in addition to the Minutes of Meetings, which, despite technical problems, we still fully intend to post on the Church Members page on the website.

The deacons normally meet from 7:30pm until about 10pm, on the first Monday of each month. (In April we wont be meeting until the 13th.) The Agenda for a typical Deacons Meeting includes an opening Bible reading and prayer time; some sharing of information about pastoral situations (all of which remain confidential within the diaconate); some discussion of financial matters; any updates on accommodation issues; and planning for forthcoming events. Since drawing up the Twenty for 2015 document at the Away Day (see the previous Magazine, or ask a deacon!) were also including, at each meeting, a review of progress towards these objectives.

One major piece of work at the moment (which has largely fallen on Johns very capable shoulders) is the consideration of possible changes to the Churchs Constitution; clearly, an extremely important matter, which will be discussed in detail at Members Meetings.

Ill try to include more specific information on individual items in the next Magazine, but this month, theres news to share about two non-routine Deacons meetings. The first of these (actually the first of a planned series of six meetings, to be held at monthly intervals) had the sole purpose of allowing the Deacons to read and reflect on Gods Word together, using a booklet prepared by Rev Dr Stuart Blyth (formerly of the Scottish, and now of the European, Baptist College). All of us really treasure this opportunity.

The second special meeting recently was on the afternoon of 22 March, when we had the privilege of hearing from Rev Jim McGillivray about a very different model of church leadership, which has been working very well in his large East Kilbride congregation. This was a fascinating, quite mind-stretching session, and the deacons have committed to praying, thinking through and further discussing (partly by email) some of the ideas Jim left with us. Some of which will probably appear in subsequent Magazines

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Regular Events Sundays

Prayer Meeting 10.30 AM Morning Service 11.00 AM Vickys Tearoom 34 PM (second Sunday of the month)

Mondays Lunch n Chat 12 .00 PM (every five weeks)

Tuesdays Afternoon House Group 1.00 PM, Glensax Road Evening House Group 7.30 PM, Kingsmeadows Gardens

Wednesdays Dovecot Court Service 3.00 PM, (PBC every two months

watch calendar for details) Singing Together 2.00 PM, Dovecot Court (first

Wednesday) Innerleithen House Group 7.30 PM, 9 Montgomery

Square Prayer meetings 7.30 pm, VPC (third Wednesday of the

month)

Thursdays West Linton House Group 7.30 PM, 8 Lyne Park

(fortnightly)

Fridays Kings Meadow Work Parties 24 PM (see Bill for dates)

Saturdays Prayer meetings variable (watch out for details) Messy church 35 PM (~fourth Saturday of the month)

Updates and last minute changes are shown on the weekly Supplement please keep your eyes peeled!

On Good Friday, there will be a communion service at

the Victoria Park Centre at 7pm

SUNDAY 6 APRIL Childrens talk: Christine Drummond KAOS Bubbles: Jennie Jacobs, Morag Bramhall KAOS Splash: Lindsey Gray, Christine Drummond Teens: Richard Dewhurst Flowers: Sheila Stewards: Richard Dewhurst, Jennie Jacobs Teas: Wilma Setup: David, Frank, Janet SUNDAY 13 APRIL EASTER SERVICE Childrens talk: Richard Bramhall KAOS Bubbles: Lorna Doran, Emma Dalrymple KAOS Splash: Jan Gordon, Charles Tulloch Teens: Help with KAOS Flowers: Moira Stewards: Chris Dewhurst, Ronnie Teas: Lindsey Setup: Bill, Jacqueline, Janet SUNDAY 20 APRIL Childrens talk: Jacqueline Wilson KAOS Bubbles: Moira Dalrymple, Carlyn McCall KAOS Splash: Chris Dewhurst, A.N. Other Teens: Stay in service Flowers: Margaret Cowan Stewards: Lindsey Gray, Carlyn McCall Teas: Pat Setup: David, Frank, Janet Commn Servers: Fergus Brown, Morag Bramhall (Vi laying) SUNDAY 27 APRIL Childrens talk: Linda Bell KAOS Bubbles: Christine Drummond, Elaine Taylor KAOS Splash: Bill Jacobs, Janlyn Townley Teens: Richard Bramhall Flowers: Christine Stewards: Frank Drummond, Hazel Hoggan Teas: Ronnie Setup: Bill, Jacqueline, Janet May dates still in progress

Contacts Page

Pastor: Ian K Gray 07881 518854 (day off: Monday) pastor@peeblesbaptistchurch.org

Secretary: Christine Drummond 01721 722062

Treasurer: Liz Keiro 01721 730217

Magazine Editor: Morag Bramhall magazine@peeblesbaptistchurch.org

Church website: http://peeblesbaptistchurch.org

Practical Help Leave a

message: 01721

788592

Prayer

Contact Fergus & Vi:

01721 720931

Visiting

Contact John & Moira:

01899 229343

Pastor

You can still call Ian: 07881

518854

x Leave a message via email (help@peeblessbaptistchurch.org) or answering machine (01721 788592)

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

x Contact Fergus & Vi Brown with all prayer requests (01721 720931)

x Confidential requests to PULSE prayer group

x "Public" requests to church members via text message

x Contact John & Moira Dalrymple (01899 229343) with requests for visits from the pastoral team

x PULSE pastoral visiting group will complement "normal" visiting

x Alternatively, or in an emergency, you can always call Ian Gray on 07881 518854