Church Magazine - 166 - April-May 1998
Dear Friends - Minister's Letter
Forthcoming Services
Church Coffee Morning
The Guild
A trip to Yemen
Friendship Hour
Friendship Hour Outing
Open Door - Points for Prayer
E-quotes
In Brief - News of People
Church News
Events
Hayverings
Easter. I wonder what the word brings to mind. Some may think of longer days, spring flowers and holidays. The commercial world grasps the opportunity to market Easter eggs and other gifts. As I write, I hear word of the children of our Junior Church preparing for Easter, with the theme: He is Alive. They know what Easter means! Yet so many in our country have little or no idea of the meaning and significance of our Christian festival.
Recently, I heard someone commenting that the church can gain good media coverage for its celebrations at Christmas and Harvest, but Easter is different; “people do not want to think of death and all that sort of thing”. When the apostle Paul wanted to summarise the heart of the Christian message, notice what he selected: “I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the scriptures; that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).
As we read the Gospels, we notice how the last week of Jesus’ life seems to take up a remarkably large proportion of the accounts. More than that, we see the Lord Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem, despite knowing what would happen to him. “I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21). “No-one takes my life away from me. I give it up of my own free will” (John 10:18. He knew he had come into the world for that very purpose: to die in our place, so that we could be reconciled to God. When Christians share that understanding of the death of Jesus Christ, they make the same discovery as Paul, who wrote: “We proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23,24).
At Easter, we celebrate the power of God used to raise Christ from death. It is not just the children who want to sing for joy at such news! Let’s pray that such Easter joy will be evident in our services in St George’s and throughout our city.
Happy Easter.
With loving prayer,
Shirley A. Fraser
Forthcoming services in St George’s
| Sun 5 April | 11.15 am | Palm Sunday Service |
| Thu 9 April | 7.30 pm | Holy Week Service with Communion |
| Fri 10 April | 7.30 pm | Good Friday Service. Rev John Tallach, APC. |
| Sat 11 April | 3.00 pm | Service for those who have been bereaved |
| Sun 12 April | 9.00 am | Easter Day Service at the Mound, Seaton Park followed by breakfast in the Church hall |
| 11.15 am | All Age Service | |
| 6.30 pm | Easter Praise Evening (short service) |
The Praise Celebration Trust will again be having an Easter Praise Celebration in the Beach Ballroom on Sun 12th April, starting at 7.30 pm. Admission is by ticket.
|
At: Langstane Kirk, Union Street, Aberdeen |
Once again we
ask you to note the date of this year’s Coffee Morning and, if possible,
come along and support this fund-raising event. We hope that by changing
the venue of our annual sale, we will raise more much-needed revenue for
our church. However, we can only do this with your help. A sale is only
as good as the items it has on offer.
We are looking for goods to sell such as Bric-a-Brac, Fancy goods, Books, Home baking and produce. Perhaps someone has the skill to make toffee - always a good seller. If you have something to contribute, please contact your elder or, alternatively ring me when arrangements will be made for uplift.
Once again, thank you for your help.
Win Armstrong
Session Clerk
We are coming to the end of another Guild session in which the numbers have held up well. We are grateful to those speakers who have come along to inform and entertain. Our last meeting is our AGM on April 6th and our minister, Shirley will tell us of her recent sojourn in the Yemen.
My thanks go to all members who have taken part with good grace and who have been a tremendous support over the past months.
Win Armstrong
President
Does “Yemen”
strike a chord for any reader? Queen of Sheba country? “The Barren Rocks
of Aden” and “Mad Mitch”? Coffee? Until I knew I would be visiting Yemen,
I knew very little about the country, although I used to pray for the Church
of Scotland Mission there in the 1960’s. Little did I ever imagine I would
be able to retrace the footsteps of Ion Keith-Falconer from Keith Hall,
and the servants of God who took up his mantle to make Christ known to
the Arab peoples.
On February 7th I arrived in Aden’s airport and was met by Tom Hamblin, the Lay Chaplain at Christ Church (Anglican). Eight days in Yemen was all too short a time, and yet I probably saw more of God’s working than many have in eight years. He is indeed at work, turning people to Himself. After the Civil War in the South in 1994, there was so much to be done. Christ Church was re-consecrated last October, and the Clinic adjacent to it provides much needed medical care in the name of Christ. Quietly, the Gospel is shared, and received. God is building His Church of “Living Stones”, people of many nationalities who crowd in to that port. I had the privilege of preaching in Christ Church, Aden, and also handing over a plaque for the church, commemorating Ion Keith Falconer (1857-1887) and his pioneer work as the first missionary to South Arabia, commissioned by the Free Church of Scotland.
Inland, in what was formerly North Yemen, I was able to visit Jibla, where the southern Baptists have a hospital, the base for my friend Cathy from Scotland. Set in Magnificent mountainous country, with fertile terraced hillsides, Jibla is breathtakingly beautiful. And God is a work in that old town and neighbouring Ibb too.
My third destination was the capital, Sanaa. If only the situation in the city had been less tense (because of the Iraqi crisis), how much more I might have seen. However, I was able to worship with folk in the International Fellowship and attend a Ladies’ Bible Study, as well as meet several key leaders of groups working for the Lord in the country. I kept thinking of Christ’s words to the church in Philadelphia: “I have opened a door in front of you which no-one can close”. There is an open door for Christian service again. Pray that there will be those who are ready and willing to go through it, whatever the risk or personal cost.
Thank you to those of you who prayed for me on my trip - invite me to come and tell you more about it sometime!
Shirley A. Fraser
May 7th Story Time
May 14th Slides of the Holy Land (Part 2)
May 21st Divinity Student? (Scott Cameron)
May 28th Video: Majesty and Glory
June 4th Story Time
June 11th Annette Neave. Adventures in Chile
June 18th No meeting. Crieff Holiday.
June 25th No meeting. Outing to Stonehaven and Banchory
HELP!! Transport required for Friendship Hour for 7th May and 4th June. Please see Mary Ross for list of those requiring lifts. Thanks.
Our outing this year is to Stonehaven and Banchory on Thursday 25th June. The coach will leave St George’s at 2pm and we will have around 1 hour in Stonehaven for afternoon tea, and then travel on to Banchory. We will have our high tea at Banchory Golf Range (Inchmarlo) at 5.30 pm. We hope to be home at approximately 7-7.30 pm. Anyone who wishes to join us will be made very welcome. See Mary Ross for more details.
Give thanks for
the Prayer and Gift Weekend and for the encouragement of those who came
along and shared in the prayer times.Muriel Collie
This magazine
is read by friends around the World. Here are some comments that George
McLeod has received by e-mail.
From: Karen Olsen
Dear George, My name is Karen Olsen. My daughter Kristi is leading the
mission team from Seattle that will be visiting you very soon. I was sitting
here in my dining room tonight and decided to see if I could find out anything
about Tillydrone on the World Wide Web. Your web site was the first one
mentioned when I did a search. How small the world is becoming. I am enjoying
reading your information on your web site. I see you mentioned Tony Stephen
and the Seattle Mission team. Have a good week and tell my children hello.
They probably won't be surprised that I found you. *smile*
Love and prayers for you all this week. Karen Olsen
From: DAVE SOO
Hello, I found your web site on the church of Scotland web site, Tillydrone
Church is very close to my heart, Several years ago I came to Tillydrone
as part of a mission from St Andrews Church Bo'ness, when Stewart Jeffrey
was Minister, we had a wonderful week and we met some very nice people.
Regards Dave Whiteman.
From: Mike & Jane Fucella
Dear George, Thank you for your message and pointing out the newsletter on the Web. Please also thank Shirley for her Christmas newsletter just received. Please pass on our greetings to all at Tillydrone. The church here will be celebrating Christmas all day on Dec. 21st - people arrive early morning and there are events until one or two the next morning! we are planning a more Western style celebration at home with some American and Scottish friends on the 25th, and on the 26th we will do a 13 hour drive to the beach for a week! I can't wait. Love to all and may you all know the wonder of the new born King this Christmas. Jane, Mike and Rachel Fucella
From: Neil Smith
Thank you for your E-mail. I had a quick visit to your Web Pages - very
good. I am the pastor of the Oasis Christian Fellowship at the Bridge of
Don and congratulate you on your contemporary approach to the presentation
of God's Good News. May God richly reward you and bless you all,
Best Regards, Neil Smith
More e-quotes at a future date.
Shirley Fraser enjoyed a lovely visit with Noel and Catherine Evans in New Malden en route for Heathrow airport and Yemen. They hope to be back in Aberdeen on April 18th for another visit.
We welcome Edmond
Gatima’s wife, Elizabeth, who has been able to join him from Uganda
for a few months.
We also welcome into membership of St George’s, Ian Cameron, who comes from these parts but who was “exiled” in Edinburgh for a number of years.
Ian and Fay Kirby who have been in Kyrgyzstan, are back safely in Scotland, visiting Fay’s family in Benbecula first and then coming to Aberdeen from April to June. We hope to have them taking part in one of our services.
Cathie Aberdour’s Wycliffe partner, Judy King, has had to have a knee replacement and this has set back their return to Brazil.
Jane Howitt was also unable to return to Latvia in February because of being under the weather health-wise, but looks forward to moving in to her new flat on March 17th.
Mike Fucella was involved in a road accident, and is experiencing pressure from the other man involved. Pray for Mike, Jane and Rachel as they prepare to hand over to Thai leaders.
Rhona Cruickshank
had a lovely break, visiting friends and sharing in a conference in Thailand.
Now she is back in language study, asking us to pray that she’ll keep rats
out of her room, and make friends with local people.
At the Annual Stated Meeting of the congregation on Tuesday 10th March, we were happy to re-elect the following to the Congregational Board: Agnes and Billy Rae and Sheila Sutherland and to welcome as new members: Ian Cameron, Pam Ewen, Ray Hepburn, Dot Irvine and Kenny Williamson. Our guest speaker, Rev. Peter Dickson of High Hilton Church brought a challenging message from John 3: 22-36.
We have also re-arranged the pastoral care in a few of the districts. Bill and Muriel Gordon have taken over from Cathie McLeod; Vi Gauld has part of Fiona Fairhurst’s district and Pam Ewen has taken on Doreen Homer’s.
| We are hoping to have a week of Christian Outreach to Children later this year (Provisional Dates: Sept 14 - 18). Hopefully this will launch us into a weekly children’s event this autumn. If you feel able to lend your support to this venture please come to a meeting after the evening service on 26th April. |
Operation Mobilisation are planning a Family Christian Festival this summer at Balmedie Country Park. The event will take place on Saturday August 22nd and the founder of OM, George Verwer will be present. Attractions during the day include a Bargain Book Table and Mission Displays etc and there will be an evening programme to include a Barbecue for Teens and Twenties.
If there's one place I don't enjoy being, it's the Bon Accord Centre (shopping mall) on a Saturday afternoon. Especially if I'm at all tired or Not In The Mood. To move at all in that place, a gauntlet has to be run and if you can do it without being barged by a member of the All Blacks, then you're in the wrong place. Well, that's Saturday; what about Sunday? How do you feel as you make your way from the door of the Church to your seat and back again after the serviec. Acts 2:43-47, tells us of a Church in which I doubt you could have gotten far, without meeting, not a cold shoulder, but a friendly smile. I hope when you come to St george's, whether it's for the first, or the one hundred and first time, that you feel welcome and I hope you also felt you could take the time to help those around you, young and old, feel a welcome part of the Family of God.
Andy Hay
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 22nd March 1998. Thanks to Ray Hepburn, Dorothy Irvine and Jackie Hamilton, for regular help with photocopying, folding etc. Web site mastered by George McLeod at Tillybin.
Hayverings