Weekly Notices

Notices 29th May 2011

‘... but we know better'

 

During the debate at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland concerning the ordination of those in same sex relationships one of the speakers - on the ‘winning' side - was unwittingly eloquent in presenting the root cause of the malaise in our national church. He tellingly declared...

‘We have to reject the stuff in the Bible about homosexuality, because we know better'

This is the root of the problem; the foolish and chillingly blasphemous affirmation of our ‘superior' knowledge. We know better than God. What must He make of all this?

We ought to grieve that our national church (does it any longer merit this description?) would be capable of affirming such folly and yet we must take great care.

Are we ever tempted to believe - if not declare - that ‘we know better'?

The Word of God commands us to ‘repent and believe' in Jesus... but ‘we know better'. The Word of God commands us to ‘take up our cross daily and follow Jesus' ... but ‘we know better'. The Word of God commands us to ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation' ... but ‘we know better'.

Careful.

David

Tea and Coffee: Tea, coffee and biscuits are served downstairs in the hall after the morning and evening services. Everyone is very welcome to come downstairs and join us for this.

Service times - As of the 5th June (next weekend) the service times will be 11:00am and 6:00pm.

 

Ladies Book Study - Monday 30th May, 7.15 at Linda's, studying Chapter 1, 2 and 3 on the new study  Respectable sins

 

General Assembly. The following is taken from the Free Church web site informing of the manner in which the Assembly dealt with petitions concerning the decision of the Plenary Assembly concerning sung praise and the decision not to apply the Barrier Act to said decision;

‘Last week the Free Church General Assembly decisively ratified the decision taken by last November's Plenary Assembly to allow the use of hymns and instruments at services. In response to overtures from several presbyteries and sessions asking the church's highest court to pass the decision back to presbyteries through the Barrier Act, the message was loud and clear - it would not be doing so. This Assembly has effectively drawn a line under the issue.'

 

Senior Citizen's Outing - The annual outing will take place on Thursday the 9th of June. Speak to Martha MacPherson for more information.

 

Ladies Meeting - All ladies from all generations are invited for puddings and coffee at the Church Hall on 17th June at 7:30pm. We will be welcoming Nancy Martin (Cassia's mum) who will be giving us a wee talk about a Bible Quilt (sounds intriguing). Do come along and enjoy a time of fellowship. For more information and to confirm attendance speak to Martha (marthamacpherson9@hotmail.com).    

 

EEFC Update We have a full team for Hejce Junior camp (16th - 23rd July). Thanks to you all for your support. The funds raised from the concert have really helped the team members with costs. We're running several training sessions for the team in preparation for the camp. Please keep the camp in your prayers. 

While the Hejce Junior team is full, several other camps are short of leaders. If you have any time to volunteer in July or August, please consider if you can help. Speak to Rob MacDonald (robmacdonald@blueyonder.co.uk) for details. It's a very worthwhile cause.

 

Baptism - The sacrament of baptism will be administered on Sunday the 19th of June.

 

Newsletter: All items for the summer edition to Julie by tomorrow please

Explore  (July- Sept 2011) It is now time to order the next issue of the Explore daily bible readings as the readings in the current issue of Explore finish at the end of June.  The next volume, which runs from the beginning of July to the end of September 2011, includes Bible readings on Galatians, John, Daniel and Psalms. The cost is £3.50 per copy, but it is well worth it as there are ninety-two dated and numbered daily Bible readings to help you understand clearly the message and challenge of the Word of God.

We will automatically reorder for those folks who purchased a copy of the
previous issue, but please send an email to bookstall@bafreechurch.org.uk
if you:

.       would like to order a copy (and did not do so last time)
.       wish to order additional (or less) copies for friends or relatives
.       do not wish reorder a copy of Explore

Order forms can also be found at the church entrance and on the wall
behind the bookstall. The final date for orders is Sunday 5th June and your copy can be collected from Sunday 12th June.

 

Sunday School Coffee Morning and Sale: The Sunday School will be hosting a 'Coffee Morning and Nearly New Sale' on Saturday the 18th June from 10am till 12 pm to raise funds for Dwelling Places in Kampala,  Uganda. Dwelling Places is a Christ centred organisation that exists to provide an escape from poverty for street children, abandoned babies, and high-risk slum families. We like to welcome you all to come along and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and home baking and to bring a friend!

If you have any good quality second hand toys, books, dvds that you would like to donate please hand them to Judy Laing. We would also welcome any donations of home baking. Thank you.

 

Live Sermons: The Bon Accord Sunday morning and evening services are also available live via the internet for those people who cannot come to church. You can find out more by visiting www.bafreechurch.org.uk and clicking on "Online Sermons" then "Live sermons" from the menu.

Ordering sermons: You can obtain a copy of a church sermon by doing any of the following:-

  • Order a CD from the Bon Accord website by following on-line instructions
  • Order a CD from the Bookstall
  • Speak to Norman Buchanan or any office bearer at the door
  • E-mail sermons@bafreechurch.org.uk with a request
  • Download a sermon in MP3 format from the Bon Accord website for free