St George's-Tillydrone Dec 99/Jan 2000

There is still space in the Alexander Terrace Flat. We are urgently looking for a Christian couple or a Christian male to share the church flat. Rent: £75 per month. Please ask Shirley for details.

"This is the last .... of the millennium". How many times have we heard that already? And this is the last Church magazine of the Millennium! Here in St George's we hope and pray that the last service of 1999 and the first service of 2000 will be equally memorable. Perhaps in the midst of all the Christmas rush and the Millennium hype, you are yearning wistfully for a clear, simple word from God. It may not be the easiest of times for listening to God! He is ready to speak - and that's why we are delighted to be able to give a copy of Luke's Gospel, "Jesus the Healer" to each child in our two primary schools, to mark the 2000^th birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ.

By now most of you will know the Churches in Scotland's logo for the Millennium (displayed on the cover of this magazine). It features the Bible verse:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8). We hope to display it on our notice-board, and on our information leaflets. If someone were to ask us what it means, however, would we have an answer? Jesus Christ, God the Son, is eternal: he has always existed; He entered "time" when born of Mary; He lives today, reigning with God the Father and waiting to return in glory. He doesn't change in His love for our lost world.

In these days of changing circumstances for the Churches, wouldn't we love to see into the future? Will the Lord bless us with revival before our Saviour returns? We do know He urges us to "watch and pray". As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and the new Millennium, let's look away from uncertainties to the Lord God Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last (Rev 1:8). Wishing you all a peace-filled, joyous Christmas.

This session we have been glad to be involved again in taking Assemblies and classes. Tommy MacNeil has won the hearts of P1 in Donbank! Ezzy is regularly hailed across the street by the school children, and he was a leader at the SU Urban Camp at Culter in October, which four children from Tillydrone schools attended.

We support Miss Kennedy in her SU group at Donbank and Ezzy and Tommy are beginning an SU Group for P6&7 in St Machar Primary. In addition, Ezzy is playing a key role in the SU in St Machar Academy, where is also popular for his footballing and dramatic skills. He will be the speaker at their Christmas services in the Cathedral on Dec 21^st. We are looking forward to the children of Donbank School coming to the church for their Christmas service on Dec 22^nd, and to going to St Machar Primary for their service on the same day.

Our Sports Evening for young people on Thursday evenings is going well under the leadership of Tom Pickering, Ezzy and helpers.

The Girls' Brigade have their Dedication Service on Nov 28^th, and are very glad to have a good number of new girls in the company.

Hi, my name is Tommy MacNeil, and I have been the student assistant at Tillydrone since the end of September. Let me tell you a little about myself:

I am from Stornoway, which is in Lewis (Western Isles of Scotland), but I have been studying in Aberdeen for the past six years. This is my final year, which I am very pleased about. I am married to Donna, and I have two children, Joanne aged 5, and Matthew aged 3. My family were with me for the first four years in Aberdeen, but have remained in Lewis for the last two. The main reason for this is my daughters schooling. This can be difficult at times, but I do get home once a month.

I am 27 years old, and I became a Christian at 17. I initially had no time for the church or anything Christian, but I was shown genuine care by a group of Christians when I did not deserve it. This showed me the reality of the unconditional love that God has for us. This challenged me and I began to seek God for myself. It wasn’t easy for me, particularly because of peer pressure, but eventually God gave me the strength and the courage to stand up for Him. This was the hardest decision of my life, but it was also by far the best. I had left school at 15 with no qualifications and worked as a butcher for 6 years. I had a desire to serve God, but in no way could I see myself as a minister, therefore I looked at other forms of Christian work, especially youth work. After a year or two God very clearly told me it was the ministry He was calling me to, and so eventually I gave in. People ask me today why do I want to be a minister? The reason for me is quite simple. The change Jesus has made in my own life, since I came to know Him, is so good, I simply cannot keep quite about it. What He has done for me, I know He can do for others. There are many people who are hurting in our world and looking for answers, and I believe with all my heart that in the gospel we have the answer to life in all its fullness, although it is not always easy.

What has led me to St. George's? Normally we as students are told where to go for our placements, but I actually requested to go to Tillydrone. The reason for this was twofold. Firstly, God laid the church and the area on my heart, and secondly, I wanted the opportunity of working with Shirley Fraser, whom I had heard lots about. (All good of course.)

So far I have very much enjoyed my time at St. George's, and I look forward to working for you, and with you, until Easter next year.

Next June I finish in Aberdeen, and I will go back to Lewis where I will become a Reverend (scary thought!!!). I will be there for eighteen months, and after that period we as a family will go to whatever church God calls us to.

For us as a family it is one big adventure, and for me personally, my time with you at St. George's is a very important piece in the jigsaw that will prepare me for that adventure.

If I haven’t met you yet, then please say hello, and I look forward to God blessing us together in the coming days.

I was walking down life's highway a long time ago.
One day I saw a sign that read, "Heaven's Grocery Store".
As I got a little closer the door came open wide,
and when I came to myself I was standing inside.
I saw a host of Angels, they were standing everywhere.
One handed me a blanket and said, "My Child shop with care".
Everything a Christian needs is in that grocery store,
and all you can't carry, come back the next day for more.

First, I got some Patience, Love was in the same row.
Further down was Understanding, needed everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of Wisdom, a bag or two of Faith,
I just couldn't miss the Holy Ghost, it was all over the place.
I stopped to get some Strength and Courage to help me run this race,
but then my blanket was getting full, and I remembered I needed Grace.

I didn't forget Salvation, which like the others was free,
so I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me.
Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill,
for I thought I had everything to do my master's will.
As I went up the aisle, I saw Prayer and had to put it in,
for I knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful, they were on the last shelf.
Song and Praises were hanging near, so I just helped myself.

Then I said to the Angel, "How much do I owe"?
The Angel smiled and said, "Just take them everywhere you go."
Again, I politely asked "How much do I really owe?"
The Angel smiled again and said, "My Child, Jesus Paid Your Bill
A Long Time Ago."

Mission East Trust is a non-denominational Christian Organisation working in various parts of the world. Now they are campaigning to open a Christian Drug Detox Unit in Aberdeen. The site favoured is in Logie Gardens. They write:

"In the meantime, we openly invite anyone seeking help to contact us. This includes family and friends of those locked in drug abuse. We can offer Christian love, caring and support to anyone who is hurting for whatever reason. There are no fees, so no one need suffer alone any more. As Christians we can offer Christian advice and counselling. We believe that Jesus is the answer to all of life's problems. The evidence is that over 70% of so-called hopeless cases have found freedom through Christ Jesus.

Mission East Trust simply wishes to extend the love of God to any who will accept it. We acknowledge that not everyone want to take advantage of Christ's offer of true freedom. To that end we would support the idea that there also needs to be alternative treatment available for those who seek it. It is exciting to see the Church in Aberdeen coming together to fight this war against such an evil that affects in some way almost everyone in our community. The formation of the Aberdeen Interdenominational Drug Action Group is truly a welcome weapon of hope in this struggle. Mission East Trust intends to support this initiative wholeheartedly as Christians come together in winning the battle for the lives of our nation's young people."

Many of you will know that your faithful organist does not spend all his time tinkling the ivories and that before I became a student at the university here I took a “year out”. I worked as a volunteer student teacher at Bishop Moshi Secondary School in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania, East Africa. I had an amazing experience and a fantastic time, and I have kept in regular contact with the school. That all took place in 1996 and this summer I had the pleasure of returning there for one month to see old friends. I also did some research for my Religious Studies thesis, and I would like to share some of my impressions with you.

Tanzanians, and Africans in general, tend to have a very clear notion of God. He is a being of great spiritual power. Notions of a loving and saving God have come with Christianity. But for many Tanzanians, it was the idea that the Christian God possesses superior power to all the other gods that they knew that drew them into believing the Good News. I suppose it has a lot to do with the idea that God can heal: in a poor country such as this one, medical treatment is hard to come by and the witchdoctor or pure hope are their only alternatives.

Adherence to Christianity is sometimes rather superficial. For many, if any kind of trouble crops up it doesn’t take long for them to go back to the witchdoctor for help. The witchdoctor has always possessed a certain authority because of his status, which, in most Tanzanian tribes, was denoted by having the most cattle, many wives, etc. In reaction to the status of the witchdoctor, many religious leaders have attempted to ‘replace’ the witchdoctor by obtaining modern status symbols like flashy cars, smart suits and big houses and claiming that they are blessings from God. So spiritual power and financial power have become intertwined, and the message these people are sending out is “believe in God and you will be healthy and wealthy”. Whilst I am sure that these religious leaders who show off their material fortunes really believe that God has blessed them, what occurs in practice for members of their congregation is that a generation of greedy Christians is taking shape.

While it is very interesting from my academic point of view to study this feature of African Christianity, it is also sad to see people misinterpreting God’s Word. So I commend this situation to your prayers.

We rejoice with Edmond and Elizabeth Gatima in the birth of their daughter, Nancy (the name given by Edmond's parents in Burundi). Edmond will be assuming the responsibility of Leader of the Junior Church shortly.

Congratulations to Bert and Jessie McLeman on celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary on Nov 14^th!

Since the last issue of the magazine, sadly we have lost two of our members through death: Mrs Jessie Murray (formerly of Tedder Road) of Fairview Nursing Home and Mrs Wilma Hunter (formerly of Dominies Court) of Croft House Residential Home. We express our sympathy with all who will miss them, while thanking God for having known them.

On Dec 8^th, Paul and Mary Mumo with Malia will be flying our to Kenya. We look forward to seeing Paul again soon since he will be returning in January to finish his PhD. Mary has been leader of Junior Church, an elder and a loved member of St George's. We thank the Lord for giving us Mary, and thank her for all she has contributed to our life. Mary will celebrate her graduation (M.Th.) on Friday 26^th Nov with a party in the Church Hall.

Karel Matejka will also graduate (M.Th.) on that day, and his brother and sister are coming across from the Czech Republic (by car!) to share in the achievement.

On Sunday Dec 12^th, we will be ordaining two new elders: Marianna Chrystal and Edmond Gatima.

Cathie Aberdour, with Judy, has had dengue fever and a foot injury, but the intrepid pair went off to the Apurina people again, to do further correction on the Bible translation.

Rhona Cruickshank had a visitor from Aberdeen recently! She is well, and with Luise (her flatmate from Germany) she is already planning how to celebrate Christmas for the benefit of their students.

Jane Howitt in Latvia was delighted to have a visit from her minister and his wife. The visit of the Bible Bus from Norway went really well. Jane will be having a break in Scotland in January.

It was during the illness of Johnnie Rowand, the Session Clerk that Win first found herself taking on that role, and it was a natural step to appoint her in Johnnie's place after he died. During the past 8 or so years, Win has accepted the responsibility and carried out the duties faithfully, often in tandem with the Presidency of the Guild. Now Win feels it is time to draw back and we thank her for all her service on the Session, and wish her a good "retirement".

Contacts
If you wish to contact someone for further information, please e-mail George and we will provide you with contact details.

Church Telephone Directory
The church magazine in print includes a list of telephone numbers of contact persons within the church. We do not intend publishing this on our web site - however if you would like a copy, please e-mail George and we will gladly send you one.

From the editor...
Many of you submit articles which you have typed on computers. You then print them off and give them to me. I then type them in again. It would make my job much easier if you could give me the disks (in any PC format) and the paper. I'm quite happy to return disks later.

St George's-Tillydrone magazine is edited by Alan Duncan. The church web site is at http://www.ifb.co.uk/~tillybin/stgeorge. Submissions are welcome by email, on disk or on paper (in that order of preference). Contributions may be edited. Copy date for the next magazine is 23 January 2000. Thanks to Ray Hepburn and Dorothy Irvine for regular help with photocopying, folding etc. Web site mastered by George McLeod at Tillybin.

Services
Sun 12th Dec	11.15	Ordination of new elders
Sun 19th Dec	11.15	Christmas Celebration
Sun 19th Dec	6.30	Carols by Candlelight (followed by tea and Christmas pies)
Fri 24th Dec	7.30	Christmas Eve Carol Service (followed by tea and Christmas pies) Offering for those in need
Sat 25th Dec	11.15	Christmas Day Service (short)
Sun 26th Dec	11.15	Boxing Day Service (No evening service)
Sun 2nd Jan	11.15	Service to celebrate a new Millennium
Sun 2nd Jan	4.00	Torchlight procession to Castlegate (No evening service)
Sun 9th Jan	11.15	Morning service with Junior Church
Sun 9th Jan	6.30	Joint Communion Service to be held in High Hilton Church
Sun 13th Feb	6.00	Presbytery Service with the Moderator of the General Assembly, the Right Rev. John Cairns

Friendship Hour
2^nd Dec	Val and Tony Martin (TEAR Fund). Slides of Canada
9^th Dec	Video
16^th Dec	Party
13^th Jan	Tom Scott. Illustrated talk of work in Thailand
20^th Jan	Moira McCallum. "Holding out the Word of Life"
27^th Jan	Illustrated talk on the work of the Faith Mission in the North-East.

St George's-Tillydrone Church of Scotland