News, views, and other stories
(October 2008)

The Next Scottish Baptist History Project event will take place on Saturday 15th November at Adelaides, Adelaides Place Baptist Church, Glasgow. It will include a talk on James Haldane & his open air preaching, An opportunity to learn from & be encouraged by the past and wil inspire you to serve him a new in the future!

Preparing for a Remembrance Service?

Peter Heaton & Philip Magee (Active members, both of Dingwall Baptist Church.)

It is come up for that time of year where you may have got that phone call from a church asking you to preach the Sunday morning, the 9th November (the nearest Sunday to the remembrance) and for a split second you may just want to cry out: I’m a lay preacher get me out of taking that remembrance service. But then we think again as any Sunday service we are asked. We should open to God using us. I am thankful for Peter Heaton (Dingwall) who since meeting him a couple of years ago has helped me through his insight and Christian testimony understand the remembrance service and what it means to him. Peter shares:

“A War siren…A Frightening sound of war that we have not heard in this beautiful land for 63 years – 11th hour, 11th day 11th month 1918 1st world war. On such a day we do not gather to celebrate war. I feel that there are some of our younger generations mistake our actions on this. For a long time after WW2 remembrance day was always on the 11th of November and I can remember that almost all stopped for the 2 minute silence. But there are those who would have entirely dropped the idea but no, it was left entirely, by and large to the church, to carry on the act of remembrance. We live in a world that does not want to lose whether it is rights, way of life religious freedom, Social identity, wealth – we do not want to loose it. So we live in a world that is constantly at war…Paul said that nothing in this life could be compared to knowing Jesus.”

Peter led our Remembrance service last year at Dingwall Baptist church and was able to share from his own personal experience of war. Since that WWII there has probably not been a year where there hasn’t been a war somewhere. So for some of your congregation it will bring back memories of those they love who may have lost their life or been injured.

If you are asked to preach at such a service make sure to ask if they normally have observe a two minute silence at 11? Or will the service start later if there is another service due to take place in the town beforehand? Will they expect you to follow that theme in the sermon? As you to seek to reassure, comfort, bring hope, our prayer should be that we would help people recognise that they can learn from the past. Here are some suggested hymns you may want to use and a prayer, as you seek to pray as a corporate group

Hymns:

(By no means exhaustive!)

• All I once held dear
• God is our strength & refuge ( to the Dambusters tune)
• Let there be love shared among us
• Lord for the years, your love has kept and guided
• Morning has broken
• O Lord the clouds are gathering

Suggested Prayer:

(Peter Heaton)

Almighty God,

We come today to remember and to learn

To remember the lessons of the past,

The cost of war.

The price of peace,

The scope of human depravity,

The extent of human self sacrifice.

Remind us all we owe – lest we forget..

We thank you today for all those who have had the courage to stand up for convictions, come what may.

Forgive us when we fail to learn the lessons of the past

& when we forgot the debt we owe.

Let there be peace in your world where now there is war, and grant the time will come when the nations will live together in a common fellowship if humankind.

Amen

Focus on Prison Minisry - Broken Chains

Nigel John, Southside Christian Fellowship

Hi, I'm Nigel Johns from Southside Christian fellowship, Ayr. The following is a testimony from the States I read this week entitled "Comming home " ( spelling unchanged as It's from the persons heart taken from the website called"United Christian Faith Ministries" ( or UCFM )

"My wife's nephew was released from prison this mourning his parents told the parole board that he could stay there until he screws up again. His name is Ramon Gonzales, he and his brother have been in different prisons since they were 13 years old. His older brother was realeased 3 mounts ago and is on his way back to prison. They both had an attitude that no one matters except themselves, women,drugs and stealing is there life style. Ramon came and knocked the front door his mother and father answered the door with antipation of the same-o-same old ,it's only a matter of time and he'll be back in prison. They opened the door and the first words out of Ramons month was prise the lord I'm forgiven (He was holding a Bible some one visting the prison gave him) His parents (born again Christians) didnot know what to say or do. Ramon said "Mother The old me has died and never to be remembered again I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and no one not even Satin himself can change this". His parents started to cry and praising God for this miracle. He asked if he could go to church with them Wensday night. This is a massage to who ever came to the prison and shared the forgiveness and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with Raymon, All I can say in tears is THANK YOU. I don't know who you are but my God knows you, through your prayers and leadership God took a piece of dead flash and turned it into a loving person saved under the Lordship of Jesus. again all my thanks for you have done in the life of Raymon Gonzales age32".

Planting and watering is our function in the prison ministry. The seed is God's Word, the men coming in to Bowhouse prison Kilmarnock, are the ground we work with. As voluntary chaplains, we support Colin Cuthbert the prison chaplain, with the various christian courses that are run through the week. Prison Alpha has been quite succesful,with more than a dozen men receiving certificates on satisfactory completion.We have recently commenced an "Overcomers" course for men interested in discipleship. For the others there is a Gospel debate each wednesday afternoon which I help to run.Please pray Grace & boldness for God's workers, & changed hearts as men hear and believe.

Alec Muir is an evangelist from Stevenston, N. Ayrshire. He directs a drop-in ministry called "Broken Chains"(mending the broken links in society). One of these centres is located in Holy Trinity church, Ayr, where my wife Ann & I assist Alec & the team on Sundays 3.30-5.30. We serve a hot meal, live music & the good news of Jesus. Many of the people who attend are homeless, addicted to alcahol,drugs, or sometimes just needing some friendly banter. Often Alec has been able to find addicts a placement in Christian rehab, either in Scotland, England or Wales to assist them in finding faith & freedom. My prayer would be for Broken Chains to become useful in resettling ex-offenders as they return to the community As a halfway house between street & church, that we may become a means of releasing evangelists into troubled communities. And, God willing, that this model of ministry may be replicated and used in our towns & cities across Scotland and beyond.