Church Magazine - 167 June/July 1998
Dear Friends - Minister's Letter
Forthcoming Services
A Land Rover for Kenya
The God Experiment
Africa needs a modern-day Joseph!
Open Door - Points for Prayer
30th Anniversary Banner
Forthcoming Events
In Brief - News of People
Does signing petitions make any difference? A number of months ago, we were signing the Jubilee 2000 Petition, calling for the cancellation of unpayable debts owed by the world's poorest nations. On Sat 16th May, that petition was handed in to the meeting of the G8 leaders (of the world's wealthiest nations) in Birmingham. Perhaps you saw the pictures of the human chain giving the same visual message that day.
In the previous week, I had the opportunity of attending a TEAR Fund Conference in South Wales, examining the Jubilee them from the Old Testament (Leviticus 25) and considering ways in which its principles can be worked out in our complex world.
"The doctor looked up and saw a woman with her two boys, One was 13 years old, the other 3. Both were ill. The diagnosis was simple and the prescription straightforward. Another routine case. Some time later he saw her again and asked after the children. Her face flushed. The older child was doing well, but the younger was dead. Unable to afford treatment for both children, she had made an impossibly painful choice. The oldest received the medicine, the youngest, she had to watch die. This true story from Zambia highlights the devastating impact of Third World debt. Zambia has to spend far more on debt repayments than it spends on health and education. Most of the aid Zambia receives returns immediately in debt repayments. Zambia was once the richest country in Black Africa - now it has £2.8 billion of debt".*
Mary Mumo is from Zambia. Willie and Rebecca Philip and I have been there. I find that it is so easy to become emotionally anaesthetised. How do the pictures of the children in famine-stricken Sudan affect us?
Signing a petition is fine, but our concern must be followed through till we see change happening. In economic terms, we are campaigning for a new start for the world's poorest countries, for that is the message of hope in the concept of Jubilee. But spiritually speaking it is different! We don't need to campaign for a new start. It is available for us to take up anytime, such are the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ who has already cancelled our unpayable spiritual debts (Colossians 2:14,15). That really is good news to be shared!
With loving prayer,
Shirley A. Fraser
*Quoted from TEAR Fund's Briefing. Feb 1997
Forthcoming Services in St George's
June 21st 11.15am Guest Preacher: Rev Jim Philip
June 28th 11.15 am All age service with Junior Church Prize Giving
Aug 30th 11.15 am Guest Preacher: Rev Stewart Jeffrey
Sept 6th 11.15 am 30th Anniversary of St George's. Guest Preacher:
Rev Andrew Stevenson (former Session Clerk)
Summer Sunday Club will meet each Sunday from July 5th to August
30th.
Our Elders Paul
and Mary Mumo will be returning to Kenya next year. Their role in teaching
at Scott Theological College involves training pastors and teachers for
the Kenyan Church, and also requires them to travel extensively in order
to help local church situations. Some of these are remote and therefore
hard to reach without an off-road vehicle.
For this reason, Paul has been trying to find a suitable vehicle to buy in this country and to ship it out to Kenya with their belongings when they return. Recently they were able to find a Land Rover in good condition, and at a reasonable price of £3400, which they hope to purchase for the college's use.
We are hoping to be able to raise this money, along with the £1000 or so it will cost to ship it to Kenya. Already there have been a number of donations towards this from people who have known about the need, and we are sure that the Lord will provide the rest to enable this worthy project to be fulfilled. We commend this to your prayer and consideration.
Anyone wanting further details, or to contribute, please contact Willie Philip.
Thanks, Willie
The start of St. George's 2nd ALPHA course also saw the timely start of the 2nd series of Gifford Lectures at King's College. Timely? Well one was an introduction to the basics of Christianity, whilst the other aimed to promote and diffuse the study of natural theology, that is the knowledge of God. This seemed like a good opportunity for me to go and build on what I was learning in ALPHA, plus the advertisements assured me no degrees were required to understand the lectures!
The lecturer was
Professor Russell Stannard, a retired atomic physicist of some renown.
He is also a grandfather of many and has written the 'Uncle Albert' books
in order to explain quantum physics to children....take it from me, they
are great for non-physicist adults as well!
The basic premise of the series was to approach theology as a science - exploring ways in which we experience, or experiment with, God in order to find evidence for Him.
Evidence was sought by examining God's interactions with us and the world at both a personal and a physical level. Interaction at the physical level included His influence on the world through the way in which He set it up in the first place, that is, through the laws of nature and physics. Interaction at the personal level included the miracle stories; His answers to prayers both personal and intercessory; that He gives us free-will so we are empowered to either accept or reject Him - God does not want to coerce us into loving Him, He wants our love to be given freely; and that He allows suffering and death as a vehicle for the expression of self-sacrificial acts of love, for example, marriage (!) and more importantly the death of His son Jesus.
A real scientific experiment, 'The Prayer Experiment', is currently underway in the USA. It is looking at the effectiveness of intercessory prayer for the sick and involves a group of coronary bypass patients, half of whom will be prayed for and half of whom will not. These patients will be followed up in 2-3 years time to see what effect prayer had on their recovery.
The series certainly stimulated thought for me and made me realise just how great God is. The God experiment is something Prof Stannard says everyone should try - start to pray regularly, start to try to follow some of the teachings of the Bible, and you could be surprised by the results!
The book of the series will be published next year by Faber under the title 'The God Experiment'
Sarah Sunderland
Africa needs a modern-day Joseph!
"Joseph the son of Jacob was an excellent politician!". So said one of the speakers for the Afro-Caribbean Christian Fellowship speaking on the topic of 'The Christian and Politics in a post-modern world'. The story is told of how Joseph having been sold by his brothers to Egypt (Genesis 37:12-47:25) rose to be the highest administrator for Pharaoh. Joseph was an ordinary boy and a shepherd's son. Who would have thought he would play such an important role in saving Egypt from famine.
The Dream
Pharaoh had a
dream, but did not know its meaning. He needed someone to interpret the
dream for him. The workers of Pharaoh could not tell the meaning of the
dream, perhaps because they were too close to him. Sometimes one may need
an objective interpretation of the policies that are made by politicians.
Those very close to the ruler may lack the insight to his dreams. The politicians
work is to dream, and often these dreams are not clear to them. In Pharaoh's
case Joseph was able to interpret the dream.
The Interpretation of the Dream
As we pray for the cancellation of the third world debt, we need a Joseph to interpret this dream. What does it really mean to cancel the debt? Does this mean there will be no more debts? Does it mean that poverty will be removed or even minimised in Africa? There is need for a Joseph to tell the rulers of Africa what all this means and what implication this has for the developing countries. This Joseph may be an African or even an outsider all that is needed is someone to interpret the dream.
The Implementation of the Dream
Joseph did not only interpret Pharaoh's dream, but he also gave the necessary steps to make the dream work. The policy makers do not necessarily know how to translate the policy into a course of action. Pharaoh did not seem to know what to do. Nevertheless, Joseph told him exactly what was to be done (Genesis 41:33-36). If Africa and other developing countries are to move forward, a person like Joseph will be needed. Such a person will not only interpret a politician's dream but also give ways of implementing it.
The Administration of the Dream
Pharaoh was convinced that Joseph was the right man to administer the course of action that he prescribed for Egypt. For his part, Joseph, took this as a great honour to serve the people of Egypt and did not exploit them. The Egyptians were happy with his administration and were saved from starvation (Genesis 47:13-26). This is what we should pray for Africa. We should pray for God to raise people who will interpret the politicians dream, give a course of action and when appointed to implement the policies, to do so with a zeal to serve the people. Let us pray that the politicians will be willing to listen to experts, in order that dreams will be interpreted correctly. Many politicians are blindly making wrong decisions because they have closed their ears to the right people. There are many people who will pretend to understand the implications of a dream, whereas they have no idea the harm they are causing their particular countries. These people are driven by the power of greed and if we do pray for a 'Joseph', the cancellation of debts in the year 2000 will not bring much difference.
Conclusion
There is a need for a 'Pharaoh' in the debt ridden countries, someone who is able to dream and see the real magnitude of what is happening. However, without a 'Joseph', the dreams will not avail much. Let us therefore pray for both a 'Pharaoh' and a 'Joseph' for Africa.
Paul Mumo
"Do not
be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil 4:6
Muriel Collie and Shirley Fraser
As many of you know,
St George's Tillydrone is 30 years old this year and we will be celebrating
this anniversary on Sept 6th, 1998. To mark this event we are hoping to
create a new banner for the church which will celebrate the last 30 years
of the life of our church. To help us, I have asked Carol Marples, a fabric
artist based in Edinburgh to lead a banner workshop on June 20th (2-5 pm
in the church). From preliminary discussions with Carol and our own people,
we have settled on a tree as being the central image on the banner. The
image will reflect various biblical themes including the tree of life,
the true vine, the tree being planted by the water, the tree in final chapter
of Revelation etc. We hope that having created the basic design, St George's
members past and present will make leaves to add to the tree. In this way
the banner will reflect the diversity which is such a strength of St George's.
If you would like to participate in this creative venture please speak
to Alan Duncan.
Alan Duncan
Sat 15th Aug
Mission Aviation Fellowship will be holding their Flying Day from
11:00am to 4:00 pm. The event will take place at Shempston Farm Airstrip,
Duffus (near Elgin). There will be an opportunity for some to fly with
MAF and for others to visit Merchandise Stalls, meet MAF pilots, see a
MAF Aircraft, watch Video Presentations, enter Competitions etc. Admission
is free. Bring the Family and Friends for an enjoyable day. Speak to George
McLeod for more details and directions to the Airstrip.Congratulations to Ruth Foster who has been training to be a teacher at Moray House College on her appointment to the staff of Dollar Academy. Also to Charles Alford on his appointment to the chemistry teaching staff in Robert Gordon's College.
Ron McDowell will be licensed to preach on Fri 19th June in his home church, First Rathfriland, in Ulster. He will spend at least 2 more years in his full time assistantship in Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church in Belfast. It is a pity that the St George's folk can't cross the sea to be with Ron and his cousin Eddie on their special evening!
Jane Howitt
in Riga in Latvia keeps in touch regularly and is keeping better. The SU
Bible Reading Notes are in real demand, and in May, Jane met up with other
writers of these. She asks us to pray for that the quality of these notes
will improve and that they may be more widely distributed. SU summer camps
take place in Saldus at the beginning of July - prayer required.
Mike and Jane Fucella (with Rachel) in Thailand are looking forward to the arrival of a pastor for the church in Sivilai, Pastor Pytoon. There has been real growth in the Church. It has been extraordinarily hot lately, and there has been a lot of illness. Mike himself has been in hospital in Bangkok with haemorrhagic fever. Pray for his full recovery. Jane will start teaching Rachel herself on 1st June and asks that she would be able to make this a priority.
Ian and Fay Kirby, Kyrgyzstan, came to speak in St George's on May 17th whilst staying in Aberdeen for 3 months. On their return to Bishkek, Ian and Fay look forward to teaching in a Bible School, with Ian lecturing in Computing part time. Fay has been very involved in the foundation of a Christian School, which still needs a teacher.
Diana Frost in Jakarta, Indonesia will be home for the month of July. This will be a welcome break and a chance to spend time with her father after these extremely troubled times in that city.
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 18 July 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.