Bristo Magazine

Vision for Change ~ November 2010

2010-11-03T02:02:00.000-07:00

A H O U S E O F P R A Y E R
A corner of the Prayer Room set up in the lower
lounge for 24 hours of prayer in September (see article 2)

FROM THE EDITOR

2010-11-03T01:57:00.001-07:00

While walking along the bank of a river in Hungary recently, I saw a hairy caterpillar crossing the path. Some time, probably sooner rather than later, it will feel the urge to pupate, during which season it will be transformed into a beautiful moth or butterfly. Instead of being confined to walking on the ground, it will be able to fly through the air. It will feed on different food, live a totally different kind of life.

Are we still stuck in old ways that keep us ‘confined to the ground’, or can we catch God’s vision that He has to transform us, both as individuals and as His church, so that we can change our
ways of doing things, see things from a heavenly perspective, soar with God on eagles’ wings?

God wants to take us into new territory, do new things with us, give us a new vision. We can’t be caterpillars all the time. Let God change us as we seek to discern His vision for change.

Robert Mill

FROM BILL CLARK, INTERIM MODERATOR

2010-11-03T01:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It has been for me a privilege to spend some time with the Bristo deacons as we have thought, prayed and discussed together during these past weeks the health and f u t u r e o f t h e fellowship here. It quickly became clear how important the building is when t h i n k i n g a b o u t anything to do with the future of the church at Bristo. It got me thinking back over my ministry, to the part buildings have played. In Bradford we grappled with the costs involved in maintaining an old building. In Alness I was clerk of works while a new building was erected and I arrived in Dedridge to be pastor in a church where a brand new building had just been completed one year previously. It seems we simply cannot get on without buildings!

Leaving you to contemplate that issue, let me say something about the church as building. The idea of the church as ‘the building of God’ is rooted in the Ta b e r n a c l e a n d Temple of the Old Testament covenant, but now that Christ has come and is now our only high priest, the old sacrificial system has been abolished. Christ has become the fulfilment of tabernacle and temple yet people still talk of the church as a material building. Yet a building is no longer the temple or house of God. It is God’s people who are now called God’s Building. There are no more holy places, only holy people. It seems that God deliberately chose a tabernacle, as the symbol of His presence among his people, because of its mobility! God’s people moved when He moved and the tabernacle was easily carried with them. From the start then God intended that his dwelling should be among his p eople (Exodus 25:8). On the other hand the temple was not God’s idea but David’s, he allowed a temple to be built as a concession in the same way as he allowed them to appoint a king.

What then does it mean for the people of God to be God’s building?

• The Church must be centred on Christ (Matthew 16:18); He is the a r c h i t e c t a n d builder and it is to Him that each local church must take its direction.

• The Church must be founded on Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). It is possible to build a sizeable s u p e r s t r u c t u r e wi thout taking enough care to the foundations. This must refer to a p e r s o n a l relationship with Christ.

• The Church is held together by Christ (1 Peter 2:4 ff).

• The Church is sustained and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16).

• The Church is made of human stones (1 Peter 2).

Note this: The Church is still under construction (Phil. 1:12-14; 2 Cor. 5: 1-15).

Buildings under construction can look a mess. Thus, we as the living stones which make up the building of God are not the finished product.

What does this picture say to us? Let me answer that question by posing some more.

1. Are our lives shaped so that the vice of Christ is the voice we listen to individually and together?

2. Amid the other sessions we may give, do people who come among us see
that Christ is central t o o u r l i v e s together?

3. If the church is filled with God’s Holy Spirit, then the presence of the
Lord will be evident to all. Is this true of this fellowship? If not what do we
need to do?

4. If the building is s t i l l u n d e r construction, in other words we are
not the finished article and we understand this to be true, how will this understanding affect how we behave toward one another?

5. Forgiveness and love are the cement which hold the stones together. Are
we noted for this? Is forgiving love above everything that which makes us
a church?

What a responsibility! What a privilege! We are the people of God! God’s temple! Let us live what we are day by day as we move into the future, for the future belongs to
Him!

Bill Clark

2 4 H O U R S O F P R A Y E R

2010-11-03T01:48:00.000-07:00

Over 24 hours, from 9.30 a.m. on Saturday 18 September until 9.30
a.m. on the Sunday, the church was soaked in prayer even during the
middle of the night. A dedicated Prayer Room was set up in the lower
lounge and filled with scripture verses and other aids to prayer, as well
as art work on the theme of the Fruit of the Spirit by members of the IT
Club.

A total of thirty people signed up to pray in the Prayer Room for a
minimum of one hour, although on the day two folk were prevented
from turning up at their appointed
hours due to traffic congestion!
Nevertheless there was a
continuous chain of prayer over the
twenty-four hours. Some of those
present testified to the power of
God’s presence that filled the room.

Here are some responses from those
that took part:

Isaiah 43: 16a, 18-19, 20d-21: This
is what the Lord says – Forget the
former things, do not dwell on the
past. See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up, do you not
perceive it? I am making a way in
the desert and streams in the wasteland ... to give drink to my people,
my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my
praise.
***

I am a small piece in a wonderful big picture but though I am small I
am important in completing this beautiful picture and the Lord is
shaping and perfecting and honing me so
that I may enhance and fit perfectly into
His Kingdom. I am a child of God and a
disciple of Jesus Christ and filled with
energy by the Holy Spirit.

***

I didn’t attempt the jigsaw, but it did
make me think about how I am a small
part of God’s plan for the world. Too
often, especially as I struggle to make
time for God in a busy day, I am guilty of
seeing time with God as something which
has to be fitted into my plans.

***

I love the idea of the prayer room, and
have to say that one hour flies by. At
home I find too many distractions
whereas here I could focus 100% on the
Lord and was inspired by the different stimuli that were in the room. It
was a very uplifting experience. God didn’t speak to me in a vision or
anything else but he taught me how to be free in worship, how to come
out of restrictions that don’t allow me to live life to the full in Christ.

So thank you Lord for your freedom.

* NEXT 24 HOURS OF PRAYER: 09:30 27/11/10 — 09:30 28/11/10 *

F R OM T H E T R E A S U R E R

2010-11-03T01:47:00.002-07:00

Less of a report this month, more like a few comments.

We're pretty much on target for both income and expenditure. Our only
worry is that the Church boiler annual service is just about due ...
depending on the diagnosis, this could get expensive, and it’s likely
that if extensive repairs are required we will have to dip, again, into
our reserves, or partake in some serious fundraising! Currently
preparing our latest Gift Aid claim which should give us enough extra
money to see us through Christmas, and through the donations we send
to Lom to support their winter soup kitchen.

On the subject of Lom. We agreed at the last Church meeting again to
support, fully, the winter soup kitchen. £3500 is a not insignificant
sum .... it represents roughly 7% or our annual Sunday offerings .... it
roughly equates to a single month of bills we have to pay out at
Bristo .... stipend, income tax, council tax, utility bills ... all essential, if
not particularly worthy things. But for Lom £3500 gives the Church
the ability to feed and support over 100 people each day for four
months over the cold winter. It’s also interesting to note that even
though the Church at Lom has so little, they don’t keep the money we
send to spend on themselves, but choose to use it to help other people.
Many of us at Bristo have helped on the Care Van. I suspect being out
of a job, or being homeless here in Edinburgh, is a very different
proposition to being in a similar situation in Lom. The cause is one
we’ve supported for several years, and willingly wish to support.
Now for the appeal bit .... Last year we sent out £3500, and held
several appeals and gave out envelopes etc, but we only received £800
specifically given to Lom. This meant we had to draw the remainder
from our reserves. This year, however, we should get off to a really good start. We now have one of the finest Wind Bands in Scotland, the Central Band of the Royal British Legion Scotland, rehearsing in our premises, and they’re putting on a concert for Bristo (see below for details).

Please consider though if you can find some Please consider though if you can find some extra to your regular offering. I’ll get some labelled envelopes made up and these will be left inside the sanctuary. Any money given, and any Gift Aid we can
claim from these donations will go straight to Lom.

Thank you,
Paul Watson

FUNDRAISING CONCERT FOR LOM

2010-11-03T01:47:00.001-07:00

On Friday 3 December at 7.30 p.m. the Central Band of the Royal
British Legion Scotland, who practise weekly in our church, will give a
concert in the sanctuary. Tickets are £5 and available from Brian Wilson.

Refreshments will be provided and there will be some sale tables.
You are encouraged to think about what you could sell—home baking,
unwanted books or CDs, home made crafts—whatever you have or do,
think about having a stall in the Crush Hall to raise money for Lom. All
proceeds will go towards the winter soup kitchen of the Lom Church in
Bulgaria so please come along and give your support.

Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that
keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 29: 18 21st Century KJV

BRISTO ARCHIVES EXHIBITION : AN EXPLANATION

2010-11-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

In the August issue there was an article about some of our archives
exhibited in the sanctuary. Perhaps I should explain why it was there
and also take the opportunity to flesh out some of the details.
On 14 July I was asked to lead a party of about twenty from the New
Orleans Baptist Seminary, Louisiana, on a tour of Baptist historical
sites in Edinburgh and Leith. While I have often taken small groups on
walking tours down the Royal Mile and thereabouts, this was the first
time I had such a large party. Fortunately they had hired a minibus and
we had a local driver. What I had not taken into account, however, was
the weather, pouring rain, road works with the resulting traffic
diversions, and the Queen was in residence at Holyrood, so the
approach to that section of the Canongate was closed for security
reasons. Another problem was, as a non-driver, I was not fully aware
of one-way streets or pedestrianised sections in planning our itinerary.
Despite these setbacks, we covered a lot of ground, including some
general Edinburgh history, with the whole tour lasting over four hours.
I thought Bristo would make a good stopping off point, given our
history as the original Scotch Baptist Church. I chose the items on
show to give a brief portrait of Bristo over the years.

The picture on the front of the August issue showed the laying of the
foundation stone of our present building on 25 October 1933. Of the
two men officiating, on the right is Percival Waugh, our last lay pastor
who served in that capacity from 1903 to 1923, although remaining a
member of the church. This laying of the foundation, or memorial,
stone was his final public service for Bristo. He died in 1934, aged
eighty. The other, on the left, is Bailie John McMichael, the senior
deacon. (For the non-Scots among us a bailie was a member of the
town council who presided over the burgh court, equivalent to a
magistrate in England). Between these two men is George Yuille, who
had been pastor of Stirling Baptist Church, his only charge, from 1870
to 1913 and Secretary of the Baptist Union of Scotland from 1880 to
1919. (Yes, the dates did overlap!) He also served as the BU president
from 1902-03, the only serving Secretary to have held that honour.
George Yuille’s last public appearance was to dedicate the new Bristo
building on Wednesday 20 February 1935. (See p.15 of the August
issue). Yuille died on 18 December that year, aged ninety. While
Bailie McMichael had been present at these opening services, he died
suddenly on the following day, having served the church for sixty
years, forty-five of which were as a deacon. His death must have cast a
shadow over the first Sunday services in the new church.

The love feast, the accounts for which had been displayed, had a very
practical purpose. It took place between the morning service at 11 a.m.
and the weekly communion service at 2.30 p.m., which was at that
time for members (baptised as believers) only. In the days before cars
and buses, it was impossible for those who lived a considerable
distance from the church to get home between these services. So the
love feast met their bodily needs as well as giving the opportunity for
fellowship and exchanging news of members who may have been ill.
The accounts also give the historian a great deal of information on the
ordinary household diet from the late eighteenth to late nineteenth
centuries.

We finished our tour with a visit to Archibald McLean’s grave in St.
Cuthbert’s churchyard. Go down the main path to the church from
Lothian Road, just before the watchtower on the corner, and his
gravestone is on the right side almost diagonally opposite David
Dickson’s memorial fresco on the wall of the church. The badly worn
inscription is now barely legible but I was able to decipher it:

Died 21 December AD 1812 Aged 79 years

Mr Archd. M’Lean who was one of the original pastors of the first
Baptist church in Edinburgh and who devoted the great endowments
of which he was possessed to the work of the ministry, with unwearied
assiduity and zeal for the period of fortyfive years when he fell asleep
in Jesus. But although dead he yet speaketh in the many valuable
writings he has bequeathed to the community.

To his Died 21 December AD 1812 Aged 79 years
Mr Archd. M’Lean who was one of the original pastors of the first
Baptist church in Edinburgh and who devoted the great endowments
of which he was possessed to the work of the ministry, with unwearied
assiduity and zeal for the period of fortyfive years when he fell asleep
in Jesus. But although dead he yet speaketh in the many valuable
writings he has bequeathed to the community.
To his memory this stone is erected with sentiments of the highest
respect and affection by the ministers of the church over which he so
long and so earnestly presided.
His remains are interred one hundred feet to the south-east of this
stone.

In the next issue I will tell you something about the Mutual
Improvement Society.

(A question, mainly for the children: Why do we see watchtowers in
many of our old graveyards? Let me have your answers when you get
this magazine)

Christine Lumsden

T H E C H U R C H O F MY D R E AMS

2010-11-03T01:45:00.002-07:00

I dream of a church that really worships God. A church that is not
content with singing hymns and songs and criticising the peripherals of
worship, but realises that worship affects the mind, the conscience, the
emotions and the will. I dream of a church that takes God’s word
seriously, not just studying it to learn it but to do it. I dream of a church
that wants to pray and has discovered prayer is not me bringing God into
my world to solve my problems but prayer is taking me into God’s
world to serve His purposes.

I dream of a church filled with God’s Holy Spirit, no longer dependent
on its own energy and enthusiasm but knowing something of the vibrant
reality of the risen life of the Lord Jesus made available to us by His
Spirit. That what Jesus made possible on the cross of Calvary the Holy
Spirit wants to make actual as I live on earth. A Spirit filled church.
I dream of a church family orientated that does not see young people as
church of tomorrow but as church of today, that does not see old people
as church of yesterday but as the church of today because we are all one
in Christ Jesus our Lord. I dream of a church that next to worshipping
God has evangelism as its highest priority.

I dream of a church not so turned in that it can no longer be
outgoing. I dream of a church that has a serving heart, not
concerned with what it can get but what it can give.

I dream of a church liberated from the shackles of traditions that are no
longer valid. We honour the past by learning from it, not living in it.
I dream of a church liberated from self centredness, now free to serve
God, the world and one another. That’s my dream. What is yours?

Bill Clark

A S S EMB L Y R E P O R T

2010-11-03T01:45:00.001-07:00

This year’s Assembly of the Baptist Union and Baptist Missionary
Society in Scotland took place at the Vine Church in Dunfermline
from Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 October. The Vine Church is a
converted warehouse with a large sanctuary (bigger than Bristo’s!), a
big cafe area and excellent hall accommodation. A great venue for
what turned out to be a very inspiring Assembly. Bristo’s delegates
were Robert and Andrea Mill.

The theme for the Assembly was Communities of Conviction. Opening
and closing keynote addresses were given by Rev. Alan Donaldson,
the recently appointed General Director of the Union. Five other talks
on aspects of the Assembly’s theme were given by Marc Owen, on
Discipleship; Ian Randall, on Religious Freedom; Parush Parushev
(IBTS Prague) who gave two talks on Communities of Discernment
and Interdependence and Diversity; and Stuart Blythe, on Mission. Ian
Randall (author of the book “Communities of Conviction” whose title
was borrowed for the Assembly) also gave several shorter
enlightening talks that highlighted key events in Baptist history since
the beginnings of the denomination in Europe in the 16th century.
Formal business took up a mere half day, a great contrast from
Assemblies that I attended in the 1980s! What was transacted was
nonetheless serious and likely to result in big changes for the Union.
Financially the Union, like so many other organisations, is
experiencing the effects of the credit crunch and low interest rates.
Income in financial year 2009/10 was approximately £586,000
compared with about £653,000 in 2008/09. The fall was largely
accounted by a big decrease in contributions from associations and
individuals, from £71.6k to only £10k, and a halving of bank interest
from £60.5k to £31.1k. The Union is facing a much bigger shortfall in
2010/11. To alleviate this, it put its current headquarters (14 Aytoun
Road in Glasgow) on the market in September with a view to
purchasing or leasing more modern office accommodation that will
allow open-plan working. It is also cutting back on staff, with the
Structure Review Group proposing to merge the present Mission and
Ministry Departments, currently headed respectively by Rev. Andy
Scarcliffe and Rev. Andrew Rollinson , and to cut some administrative
posts.

Interconnectedness, touched on by Parush Parushev in the first of his
two talks, was a major feature of the Assembly. In his keynote address
Rev. Alan Donaldson likened the Union to a bicycle wheel. Just as a
bicycle wheel has many spokes and if too many of these break the
wheel becomes unsafe, the Union is made up of many fellowships all
of whom are valuable. And in the local church every person plays an
equally important part. Interconnectedness was demonstrated by our
Bible readings being given over phone links from places such as
Afghanistan, South America, the Middle East and Asia where BMS
personnel serve; by a live link to the BMS Action Team serving in
Kolkata, India; and by Assembly breaking up several times to discuss
aspects of business or the theme in small groups.

Bathgate Baptist Church was welcomed into the Union. This recently
formed church, with Rev. Harry Sprange as its interim pastor, has three
-quarters of its membership under the age of 30.

Robert Mill

R E A D Y F O R C H A N G E ?

2010-11-03T01:44:00.000-07:00

I have been challenged and stimulated recently by a book by Tom
Wright, ‘Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision,’ published by
SPCK. Wright was until recently Bishop of Durham and is now
Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the
University of St Andrews. His scholarly treatment of the doctrine of
justification has provoked a great deal of theological debate in recent
years, as, along with other scholars such as J. D. G. Dunn and E. P.
Sanders, he has challenged some of the assumptions that underlie the
standard interpretations in Reformed and evangelical traditions of
Paul’s epistles to the Galatians and Romans, where the apostle
proclaims and defends the gospel in view of the unbelief and
opposition of the Jews of his time. This challenge to traditional
interpretations of Paul on the part of Wright and others has become
known as the ‘new perspective’ on Paul.

According to those of the new perspective, based on their research into
Second Temple Judaism, the real issue that Paul had with the
unbelieving Jews was not that they did not understand grace and that
they were trying to earn their salvation by their own good works. Jews
of Paul’s time – that of Second Temple Judaism – recognised the grace
that lay behind the covenant with Abraham, knowing that no individual
Jew could earn a place in Abraham’s posterity, although continuance
in the blessings of the covenant was seen as conditioned on obeying
the law. The real point of contention with Paul’s gospel lay with its
proclamation of the crucial role of Jesus as God’s Messiah in fulfilling
the law and ending the need for a separate specifically Jewish identity
for the true people of God. Paul is now proclaiming that what identifies
God’s family and separates them from those outside, under the new
covenant, is no longer the ‘boundary markers’ of circumcision and ‘the
works of the law’, but faith in the Messiah who unites Jew and Gentile
in one body.

The problem of the old perspective on Paul, it is claimed, is that
Protestant interpreters have read the issues that concerned 16th century
Reformers in their controversy with medieval Catholicism into Paul’s
letters, loading them with meanings and implications that were not
intended. The old Protestant emphasis has been on how the individual
guilty sinner can find release from the burden of personal sin, and this
is the lens through which Paul’s words have been focused. The new
perspective sees the issue in Galatians and Romans as that of the
identity of the true covenant community and how it is to be recognised
now that God’s purpose for both Israel and the world are fulfilled
through the revealed lordship of Christ. Wright believes that Paul
regards justification – the status of being declared righteous by God –
more as a matter of God’s recognition of who is now included in the
covenant community than as something happening to get you in, on
the level of an individual transaction with God.

Whether we need to revise our traditional views of justification by
faith in the light of the new perspective or whether in fact the new
perspective has ‘got it right’ is a matter of ongoing debate. A case can
be made for saying that the old and new perspectives with a bit of
tweaking are not incompatible but can be made to complement each
other. In any case, since these reflections are supposed to be some kind
of response to the theme of ‘vision for change’ you may be wondering
how my attempt to sum up this piece of modern theology is
appropriate or relevant.

First of all, by way of an answer, I suggest that simply at the mundane
level of how we form our views of what the Bible is saying, the ‘new
perspective’ makes for an interesting case study. When we are
compelled to revise our opinions on some topic, you could say that our
‘vision’ itself is changed and that we should prepare for the practical
implications. Unless we are willing to embrace the new vision, our
way of thinking will remain stuck, and our lives too will be in a rut.

But then, supposing you have embraced some ‘new perspective’ which
on closer examination is found to contain some error or overstatement,
are you prepared to humble yourself, admit as much and seek a better
approximation of the truth, perhaps some middle ground?
Secondly, the subtitle of Tom Wright’s book, ‘God’s Plan and Paul’s
Vision’, is richly suggestive. Before Paul could have a vision worth
following, God first had a plan. God was sovereign; this was shown in
the fact that, although Paul was not what we’d consider ready-made
material for the vision that met him on the road to Damascus, and
which came to consume his life, God met him anyway, not on the basis
of his personal wishes, which would never have naturally stumbled on
what God had in mind, but on the basis of his plan for him born in
eternity without his consultation. Paul was a reluctant visionary.
But there is someone else who was crucial to the story of God’s plan -
and Paul’s vision - long before it became a matter of current day
theological reflection. The Apostle Peter, whose faith journey preceded
that of Saul of Tarsus, needed to see the same vision three times before
he could grasp that God was doing a new thing in opening a door of
faith to the Gentiles. At a time when Paul was beginning to take his
place as a leader in the church, Peter proved himself to be a slow
learner and backslider from the vision God had given him, when,
fearing the disapproval of the circumcision party, he withdrew from
fellowship meals with the Gentiles.

The change that God brought through vision to Peter and Paul was so
revolutionary that it went against the grain of both men and faced them
with a real crisis. Perhaps this is true to human nature. Doesn’t it take
the wind of the Spirit to stir us up from our cosy little nests to confront
some greater vision, with all the uncomfortable challenges that come
with it?

Brian Barclay

ME D I T A T I O N

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'Listen to my voice, says the Lord
Be My servant
Go where I send you
Do what I ask of you
I will give you the words to say
I will prepare the way for you
I sent you My only Son, Jesus Christ
As an example for you
He did everything I asked of Him
He spoke the words I put in His mouth
He went where I sent Him
The perfect servant '

These words came to me late one night whilst, after reading the Bible, I
waited on the Lord, waited for Him to speak. These words resounded in
my head so much I had to write them down. I felt it was not only a
message for myself but for the whole church. We have to seek God’s
vision for the church.

Jeanette Lumsden

COMING EVENTS

2010-11-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

24 HOURS OF PRAYER
Beginning Saturday 27 November at 9.30 a.m. here in Bristo. Format
will be similar to the one in September (see article 2). More
details and sign-up form later.

TREASURE HUNTING TRAINING
There is a training session in street evangelism planned at Whiteinch
Church, Glasgow on Sunday 14th November from 1-5 p.m. Having
done this at Mission School it can be recommended!

HEALING ON THE STREETS
You may have seen the Healing on the Streets teams on Princes Street
at the Waterloo Statue or on the Royal Mile near St Giles. If you
would like to get involved in this ministry the next training sessions
are Friday 19 November, 7.30-10 p.m. (registration and refreshments
from 6.30 p.m.) and Saturday 20 November, 9 a.m.-12 noon followed
by going out on the streets 1-3 p.m. (bring your own lunch). It is
necessary to attend both sessions. Cost is £5 which includes training
manual but not lunch.

LIGHT AND LIFE EVENT AND TRAINING
The next Light and Life event in Edinburgh will take place on Monday
22 November, 8-10 p.m., MacDonald Roxburgh Hotel. These
events are primarily aimed at non-Christians, many of whom come to
know Jesus at them.
If you would like to take part in the next one, the training session is
on Thursday 11 November at Wellsprings, 71 Whitehill Street,
Newcraighall EH21 8QZ, also 8-10 p.m. Please send an email to
Eleanor Thomson b3ely@hotmail.co.uk , indicating which area you'd
like to help out in, i.e. Welcome; Personal Prophecy (Spiritual
Readings); Healing; Personality Styles; Dream Interpretation;
Prophetic Art; Massage; Music etc.

A DAY TO CHANGE THE NATION
Saturday 27 November, 3--10 p.m. The Vine Church, Garvock Hill,
Dunfermline KY11 4JU
Saturday 27th November is a day for all the people of God in Scotland
to come together to worship, be inspired and to pray for our nation.
The event is run by a number of organisations in Scotland, including:
The Scotland Trust, Evangelical Alliance, The Big If, Alpha Scotland,
Pray for Scotland, CARE, Parliamentary Prayer for Scotland, Healing
Rooms, INVEST and CLAN Gathering. Speakers and worship leaders
include Tommy MacNeil, Alan McWilliam, Kenny Borthwick, Fred
Drummond, Jim Ritchie and The One Band. There will be two
sessions, from 3-5 p.m. and 7.30 –10 p.m., with dinner available
locally in the Vine Cafe or other eating places in Dunfermline in
between. Admission free; an offering will be taken.

ALPHA SCOTLAND VISION DAY
Saturday 5th February 2011 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Assembly
Hall, Edinburgh. The cost for the day including lunch is £14.50 (£13
plus £1.50 booking fee). The day will feature Nicky Gumbel, worship
leader Ben Cantelon and other speakers: Paul Cowley - Caring for Ex-
Offenders; Iain Gordon - Bethany Christian Trust; and Nicky &; Sila
Lee - The Marriage Course. Tickets from http://purashop.co.uk/Shop/Products/159535/Home/Tickets/Alpha_Scotland_Vision_Day_2011/Alpha_Scotland_Vision_Day_2011_Adult.aspx. Book now, last
year’s was a sell-out!

The final word

2010-11-03T01:37:00.000-07:00

The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in
power, and you will prophesy with them; and you
will be changed into a different person.

1 Samuel 10: 6 NIV

Midsummer 2010

2010-07-01T07:51:00.001-07:00

From the Editor

2010-07-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

The title, or ‘theme’, at the top of the first page of this issue of the Magazine is “The Spirit at Work”. Reading through it you may think at first that there are no articles about that in this issue. But you’d be wrong!

We have articles about the Spirit at work in individual people’s lives. Two people were baptised in May and three in June; one of them (Cheryl, baptised in May) gives her testimony of how the Spirit has been working in her life.

A large part of this issue is devoted to the annual reports given at the church AGM on 26th May.

These all portray how the Spirit is working in the corporate life of the church, from young people’s activities to work amongst internationals and work among the homeless. Our pastor Jim Purves also provides his annual “Review of the Year” in which he outlines how the Spirit is working among the congregation.

Yes, the Spirit is at work among us! Pray that God will continue to do amazing things.

Robert Mill

Pastor's Report

2010-07-01T07:40:00.001-07:00

I want to begin by saying what a privilege it is to serve as pastor of a congregation such as Bristo and to thank those who have served as deacons and whose term has now ended. The last fifteen and a half years have passed quickly and change has been constant and encouraging. How matters have moved on from when, on arriving, I found we had only one deacon! I am delighted that we now have an expanded group of deacons to serve the congregation during this very important stage in our congregational life. We thank Barbara for her period of diaconal duty now completed, and pray God’s wisdom and guidance for those now elected for a term of three years to serve with Paul and Sam – Andrea, Brian Wilson, Craig, David Polland, Daniel, Matt and Robert. I very much look forward to working with this team in pursuing service to our Lord Jesus Christ through our congregation’s life and ministry in coming days.

This last year has been an exciting and challenging one in the life of Bristo, seeing the further development of ministry and shaping of expressions for the way ahead. Two special features of this have been the growth in ministry among internationals and initiatives concerning the Bristo buildings.

A year ago we had two interns, David Purves and Tanya Alexeeva, whose leading of the Monday Night Badminton Club had transitioned it into an International meeting, now known as iFriends. This international flavour to Bristo was enhanced by the growing ministry of the team that runs the Tuesday afternoon Home from Home. Last summer, the arrival of David Nemeshegyi and Pedro Gonzalez to join Tanya as interns enhanced our international ministry. David has brought his Biblical skills to add to the preaching team and leadership within Cell Group, Pedro willingly assisting Brian Wilson in refurbishing the sanctuary and also joining with Tanya and Agnes Nemeshegyi in participating in the Praise Band. It has been good to have these folks with us, and we are blessed that some will still be with us after finishing their intern year.

With regard to our plans for building redevelopment, progress has been facilitated by good team work among the deacons and among members of the Property Group. Planning and practical tasks all concerned. We are especially appreciative of help rendered from those outside our congregation, including personnel from Scottish Churches Housing Action, 3D Reid Architects and Phil Myerscough. Presently, our main building is being marketed as part of this process, and we look to the Lord to lead us as to how we might better use our resources for ministry and mission in the coming months and years. Our involvement in the Care Van has been an important part of this, and now we will seek to develop other ways in which we can bring Christian presence and witness into needy areas of the city. The vision of a Community House is before us, and invites further exploration in the months ahead.

The ministry of the members is a key focus in the mission of any Baptist congregation, and I praise God for the way people at Bristo serve both outwith and within the church in many and varied ways. Within our own internal ministries, I want to thank Matt Baines and his team for his ongoing leadership and ministry of the work with teenagers within and associated with the congregation, in the It Club on Friday nights, and also Ryan Gladwin for assisting both in preaching and in much appreciated pastoral support to folk while I have been absent on teaching and holiday trips abroad. Linda Watson and her Sunday school team have been faithful in serving the children and in arranging catalyst activities in the two Bar-B-Q’s we have had, with others planned in coming months. Brian, Stuart and others have done sterling work within the fabric of the building, and Leszek has worked hard and well on the gardens outside. I have also to give thanks to all who participate in ministries, such as expressed through the praise band and preaching team, and indeed in many other less conspicuous yet equally important ministries, expressed in various tasks and duties faithfully executed and performed.

But what of the future? I believe this is the most exciting time I have witnessed during my ministry as pastor of Bristo. We have many people within our congregation keen to serve the Kingdom of God, a large and able diaconate, and before us in the next months more baptisms and applications for membership than ever before. There are areas we need to develop in. We need to look at how we might further embrace our growing ministry among internationals, to look at fresh ways of developing children and family ministry, and to prayerfully seek what other areas the Lord would enable us to develop outreach and missional activity in. As I look forward to my sabbatical leave in the autumn, I am delighted to have the pastoral ministry covered by Bill Clark as interim moderator and chair of deacons’ meetings, with Tima Cheprasov serving as interim pastor in my absence. I have asked Bill to lead the diaconate through a time of reflection, in my absence, on what structures and styles of stipendiary ministry will best serve the continued moulding and development of the Bristo Congregation in the Lord’s service in the coming years.

This is a season for carefully plotting a path forward in the footsteps of Jesus. A season for planning to move forward with boldness and focus. Being aware that we have an enemy who seeks to debilitate and destroy, whilst giving thanks for a Lord who has overcome the enemy and who will protect and enable us as we move forward in God’s purposes. Let us focus on the character of Christ’s ministry and persevere along His path. And remember that the resurrected Christ will visit with the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit as we prayerfully seek to serve and follow in His name.

I thank all who have given support and help to me as pastor in this past year, and pray that God may continue to bless and enable this congregation in what lies ahead.

Jim Purves

Baptisms

2010-07-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

On Sunday 30th May we had a beautiful baptism celebration of Jess Tait and Cao Yuan (Cheryl). The church was packed as many friends and family members came to enjoy that moment with our sisters. Both of them shared their testimonies where they told us about how they experienced God and how He has changed their lives. Through the baptisms they participated in Jesus’ death and resurrection and showed their commitment to follow Jesus. Jim also reminded us once again in his sermon that being a Christian is not about believing in Jesus but about following Him, being His disciple. It was a lovely and uplifting experience altogether.

Lucy Kurtyka

On Sunday 27th June we had another baptismal service. This time three young men, Tokede, Olubukola Olumuyiwa (‘Buki’), Richard Allison and Tafadzwa Msengezi (‘Taz’), were baptised. Each was interviewed by Matt Baines, who through the ‘Journey’ materials for young people had been influential in leading two of them (Richard and Taz) to the point where they felt they were ready for baptism. All three gave moving testimonies of how God had been working in their lives. Buki is a student from Nigeria who discovered Bristo while travelling from home to college, as a result of seeing our “Jesus is the missing peace” sign on the front of the building. Richard and Taz are of course the sons of members of our fellowship, Jim and Linda Allison and Hosana Bankhead respectively. Pray for all three young men as God continues to work in their lives now that they have taken the important step of surrendering their lives to Him.

Robert Mill

Wedding

2010-07-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

Michelle Casey and Andrew McNeill were married in Bristo on Saturday 1 May by Rev. Jim Purves. Andrew is Jeanette Lumsden’s son. We congratulate the happy couple and wish them well for the future.

Memorial Service

2010-07-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

A memorial service was held in Bristo on Saturday 8 May for the life of Elizabeth O’semaye Onifade, who passed away on 30 March. Elizabeth was the mother of Daniel Onifade. The service, which was attended by a large number of Bristo members and relatives and friends of Daniel’s family, was conducted by our minister assisted by three African pastors. We extend our sympathy to Daniel, Ute and the family.

Cherly's testimony

2010-07-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

When I told my first Christian friend, Jo, that I wanted to know more about God, I never thought that it would change my whole life thereafter.

I joined her Bible study group. The first passage we read was Genesis. A story of how people became separated from God because of sin. That made sense, for I knew that no one is holy. But then it talked about love. What is that? I had no idea. I have never been taught what love is. I left home at the age of 14 to study in a key school, where I was isolated because I was not a good student. I was also not so attached to my family; on the contrary, I was tired mediating between my parents after their divorce. Relationships were pointless, and they never lasted. I rejected those who cared about me, refusing to have close relationships with people. I didn’t want to love or be loved. Keeping a distance with people made me feel safe. Someone once said to me, “when people walk by you, they could feel some force pushing them away”.

I believed that to love would equate with sorrow, until one day I had severe depression. If you have seen anyone suffering depression, you’ll know what kind of life I had at that time. Oh I am phrasing it wrongly: it shouldn’t be called LIFE, it was more like surviving. Convinced that I was a failure and no one in this world loved me, I found my life worthless. Feeling completely lost and abandoned by the whole world, I couldn’t find a reason to live. My teachers and classmates worried about me, but no one could do anything, even the therapist I went to see. He could only give me medicines and talk to me. By then I had studied the Bible for some time, but didn’t know that I could turn to God. I liked the words in the Bible, but this God was just so against my knowledge. Somehow, during that time I was not interested in anything at all, but the Bible was still attracting me. It was the only thing that could make me feel calm.

When Jo heard of my situation, she wrote to me asking what had happened. I thought that was just “British politeness”. But when I told her how I felt about life, she replied very patiently. She encouraged me that whether rich or poor, successful or not, I am valuable and special in God’s eyes. She explained that it is in knowing God’s love and knowing she’s living for Him, that gives her meaning, purpose and hope. That’s really a strange way to comfort people, but it did help me. For the first time in my life I had a desire to be loved. Although I couldn’t see or feel God’s love, I felt the love flowing from her. I realized that love is something wonderful, it soothes, comforts, and brings hope. Why is her life so different? Is it because of the God she believes in? Can He make my life like hers?

I tried to pray to God, not knowing if He actually exists. But every time I prayed to Him, I felt a great peace deep in my heart. When I had an illness or problems I asked Him to help me, and amazingly He answered my every prayer. He did help me. I couldn’t see Him with my eyes, but I did see Him and felt His love with my heart. He is real. He cares about me; He takes away my worries and solves the problems I had. He’s the one that I’ve been looking for all those years. I decided to accept Him as the Lord of my life.

It was a hard decision for me and I have struggled for some time, but it has proved to be a correct decision. Once I asked God to enter my life, I received so much peace and joy from Him. His love filled a hole in my heart and made me alive. The questions I had about meaning of life stopped haunting my mind. I’m not saying that God told me the answer directly, but that they are no longer questions for me: I am now complete. And what is more wonderful, His love brings not only satisfaction to my heart, but also changes to my life. He breaks the walls around my heart and melts my apathy. I became more gentle, kind and joyful. I was afraid to love others because of the fear of getting hurt, but now to love is not as frightening. I am willing to love others because God loves me first. I am willing to forgive those who hurt me because God forgives me, a sinner. He taught me how to love by showing me what true love is. When I look back, I know that He made me new. His unchanging love is still changing me.

So today here I stand, giving thanks to Him for finding me and accepting me as His child; for accompanying me through ups and downs in my life. I know that there are still rough patches and dark times in my life ahead, but He will never leave me. His endless love, grace and mercy will be with me all the way. Finally, this might be a weird way to put it, but I want to say that God loves me, and I’ll love Him back. I will follow Him all the days of my life, live for Him and glorify His name.

I’d like to end this testimony with one of my favourite verses: Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!

Cao Yuan (Cheryl)

deacons' elections

2010-07-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

The following were elected as deacons as a result of the recent ballot and were appointed to serve for three years from the AGM on 26 May 2010 :

· Matt Baines
· Andrea Mill
· Robert Mill
· Daniel Onifade
· David Polland
· Craig Smith
· Brian Wilson

Andrea, Craig and Robert were re-elected; the others were new appointments although David has previously served on the diaconate. Pray for them as they begin their new terms of service with the continuing deacons Sam Kawamura and Paul Watson.

We also give thanks for the service of Barbara Toal on the diaconate over the past three years.

Robert Mill

EXPRESSIONS WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN

2010-07-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Emotions play a huge role in our everyday life, and no doubt our life would be a dull and insipid experience without them. However many of us find it very difficult to identify and express our emotions. Therefore the expression workshop for women organised by Andrea Mill on Saturday 8 May was a fantastic opportunity to experience the world of emotions. We not only had a chance to identify different emotions but also could explore how we can express our feelings in a healthy way. It was a very interesting experience as there were women of different ages and backgrounds and each one of them had something unique and valuable to share. We were free to express our thoughts or concerns out loud in front of the whole group or when working in pairs.

The participants I had a chance to talk to found the workshop a very interesting and enjoyable experience. They really enjoyed the fact that they could openly discuss and share their thoughts concerning emotions and also that we looked at them from God’s perspective. Yet another participant said that after the workshop she is able to express her feelings at least for herself even though she still might not be able to express them to others, which is a step forward for her.

I believe that after that workshop we are all amazed by the fact that it is a liberating experience to be able to talk freely about our emotions and also that it brings people together more. After all we live in the world were people wear masks and superficiality is daily life so let us break that ‘rule’ and be real and true and honest about our emotions, a God-given part of our personality.

Lucy Kurtyka

Fishing Trip

2010-07-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

On the 5th of June iFriends (International Club) and people from Bristo Baptist Church went fishing at Markle fishery at East Linton. It ended up with a fish party that we had in the church on Monday, two days after the trip. Mahboob from Kashmir, who loves fishing and does it quite regularly, and I were responsible for the event.

In the beginning it was quite hard to gather people because many of us had never fished before and didn’t know what to expect. A few weeks before the trip we got an email from Mahboob with instructions on what to do and what to take with us. All we had to do was to follow the instructions and pray for the weather. After many weeks of planning and preparation, finally we did it!!!

The weather was absolutely wonderful! Leszek, our Polish friend who goes to Bristo, said: “The weather was really sunny. Even after a couple of days my skin was still red and white around my eyes because I had had my sunglasses on! Brian was laughing at me and calling me a panda.” I myself had sunburn as well, as I didn’t use any sun protection for a while. Fortunately the majority of the people who went with us were more sensible than me.

We had 15 people all together! Most of them went fishing for the first time in their life, but we all worked as one team! Leszek said: “It was a really amazing fishing trip. I was surprised that people from different countries, religions and cultural backgrounds can have such good fun all together helping each other. For example Mahboob, who was helping everyone especially the children David and Michael, treated them like his own sons. I caught only one fish but it was enough to make me happy. I will never forget this trip.” It was amazing indeed! Even an old fisherman whom we had never met before was helping us with fishing rods and sharing his own experience and special tricks. People were chatting, sharing their food and catching fish.
When I asked Diego from Spain to share his opinion about the fishing in one sentence he replied: “Awesome!!!” He also said that the fishing day was a good experience and the weather let us enjoy the nature. And I agree with him! Awesome is the right description of the fishing day we had!!!

Unfortunately not everyone caught a fish that day. One of them was Richard, from Scotland. In spite of that he still enjoyed the time. He said: “I’ve never been fishing before so this was a new experience for me, and I loved it a lot. It was also a great opportunity to spend time with others from the church, and also those who come to the International Club. I didn’t catch any fish, unfortunately, but in the whole group we caught more than enough fish which we shared later!”
After the fishing we all decided to have a fish party at church, at our club. As we didn’t know how many people would be coming, I was a bit worried about the food for everyone. Miraculously it was more than enough food. Almost everyone brought something. The food was absolutely delicious!!! As everyone who went fishing with us is really special and was helpful in different situations they each got a gold (plastic J) medal and a wee handmade card. It was amazing to see that these little things made people happier and a little bit more special.

I’m really thankful to God for giving us perfect weather and giving us free time to enjoy His creation, protecting us from accidents and helping me and Mahboob to organise the event and find the right number of people, giving us a chance to catch some fish and to cook a tasty meal on Monday, helping us to work as one person and making our friendship stronger and for many, many other things He does for us!

Tanya

Property Group

2010-07-01T07:16:00.001-07:00

The members of the Bristo Property Group over the past year have been Stuart Rendle, Brian Wilson, Robert Mill and Craig Smith. We were also delighted to be joined in the few months of 2010 by Leszek Kurtyka who looks after the Church gardens.
The team meet monthly, and have been together for a number of years now. We have good relationships and work well with each other. This is a group of folk who love the Lord, who are also pro-active and happy to take ownership of tasks; willing also to see them through to the finish.
2009 - 2010 has been a good year for the Property team, with quite a number of jobs dealt with and completed. These include:
· replacement of the Manse boiler (which was 25 years old)
· arranging for signage to go up onto the notice boards at the front of the church. Many thanks to Caroline Connell for her eye catching designs
· improving the fire safety signage around the church and liaising with the Arch school to arrange fire drills
· repair work to the plumbing in both the Gents toilet and the Baptistry
· implementing the various requirements of this year’s follow-up Health and Safety inspection
There are also a few items that are on-going, one of which is the Church garden. This is kept very tidy and well tended by Leszek, and it has attracted very positive feedback from people within the church.

Craig Smith

Praise Band

2010-07-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

This year we have been blessed with many musicians and this allowed some of us some time off from the rota. I am genuinely pleased with the musicianship of people involved and the work and commitment these people put into the Sunday services. We have had a practice morning once in this past year where we learned many new songs and fellowshipped together; with some good organisation this could become a regular feature. Recently we had a look at the sound desk and fixed a few problems so we are looking forward to an improved aural experience for the band and the congregation.

This coming year, we are going to be losing Agnes, Pedro, Tanya (the interns) and Richard going off to university. This will create a vacuum in the band but I do believe we would be able to find people in the congregation that would fill the gap. We are always looking for new people to play/sing and also we are looking for people to operate the PowerPoint during the service. Please let us know if you are willing to volunteer, training will be given. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved and ask the members of the congregation to do likewise for their hard work. Thank you.

Sam Kawamura

Sunday School

2010-07-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Sveta and Tanya continue to teach the younger age class with David, Eva and Lennox. This class continues to use the ‘Go Teach’ material which has proved very successful with this age group. Lucy and Linda lead the older class with Cyrus, Michael and Tafadzwa, using Scripture Union ‘Light’ material. Michael moved up to the older class just after the Easter Holiday. Both classes include a time of prayer, which the children participate in after discussing prayer requests.

We have continued to explore ways in which the children can take a more active part in morning services and they took part in Christmas and Easter dramas, along with adult actors.
We had barbecues at Yellowcraig and Vogrie Country Park last summer. These were well attended and similar events are planned for June and August this year.

The Sunday-School will break on 27th June (last session) and resume on 22nd August. The crèche will continue to run throughout the summer holiday, when required.

Please continue to pray for the Sunday School and those working with young people in the church.

Linda Watson

Bethany Report

2010-07-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

The people at Bristo were this year involved again in both the Bethany Care Shelter and the Bethany Care Van.

Bristo is one of a large number of churches that actively support the Care Shelter. We are also one of the larger contributors to the service in that we provided the church as a venue for ten nights during its months of operation, between November and April. On two of those nights ‘Team Bristo’ provided the food, which we cooked on the premises, catering for between 40 – 50 people. We provided a main course and dessert, and served the food to exceptionally hungry service users.

Both of these nights were fun and full of fellowship as we cooked, served and then tidied up.
It’s worth noting that this service took on a particular importance to the service users this year after the closure of the Council’s Cowgate night centre this winter. After its closure the numbers coming to the Care Shelter increased fairly significantly.

Bristo also continues to contribute a team to man the Care Van every month, to serve rolls, soups, teas and coffees to service users as part of a consistent Christian witness on the streets.
Some people might be surprised to know that not all the users of the service are homeless. These are people who were homeless at some stage in the past, but who continue to come to the van to continue with relationships they’d had previously on the streets.
Although this is a fairly low-key ministry, the beauty of it is that it meets the basic needs of homeless people at the point of their need, and it does it on a consistent basis.

Our thanks go to Bethany and also Edinburgh City Mission (who partner with Bethany to provide the Care Van) for giving Bristo the opportunity to minister to the poor and vulnerable in Edinburgh and so align ourselves more fully with the heart of our Lord.

Craig Smith

YOUNG PEOPLE’S MINISTRIES

2010-07-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Encounter

Encounter was a cell group for our older teenagers. Over the previous years, attendance had steadily declined. As of 2009’s AGM we had a core group of four members. Of those four, one child has since stopped attending church at Bristo, and of the remaining three we would usually see only two at the most on any given Sunday evening. When Encounter took a break over the Summer holidays, it was decided in dialogue with these three that we would not resume the group in the autumn. It was not an easy decision - Encounter was an enjoyable and positive group - but we agreed that it had run its course. Each of those remaining teenagers, Adam, Lena and Richard, are committed to attendance and participation in the life of the Church. Richard now attends the Tuesday evening Cell group and the new ‘Journey’ course.

‘Journey’ for Teens

‘Journey’ is a catechetical course written by our Pastor, Jim Purves, for people who are looking to find out what it means to walk in the way of Jesus Christ. It explores such questions as “why are we here?”, “what gives life meaning?”, “what is baptism about?” and “is church membership important?” I have been developing these materials for use with our teenagers. This has been catalysed by Tafadzwa, a young man with a strong desire to be baptised and Richard, who is in the process of seeking God’s will for his life. It has been a pleasure to meet with these young men to study the bible, discuss the big questions of life and faith and pray together.

Café Church

Last December we embarked upon a joint initiative with the youth of Granton Baptist Church. ‘TFT’ Café Church meets on ‘The First Thursday’ of every month in Costa Coffee in Stockbridge. There young people between the ages of 14 to 25 years of age, discuss relevant topics from Christian point of view. It is intended as a space for young people to invite their non-Christian friends to, especially those who would not go near a church building. Of particular benefit to our group is the opportunity to meet Christians from another church and background. Attendance was low at first and has grown in increments. Tanya and Richard have been regular participants, while many of the teens from the IT club have started coming.

When asked what he thought of Café Church, Richard said that he likes mixing with people from other churches as well those who don’t go to any church, the discussion and of course, the hot chocolate!

Please pray that the teens from IT club would attend more regularly and invite other non-Christians.

Matt Baines

IT Club

2010-07-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

He has showed you, O humanity, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 (NIV, adapted)

The themes of Micah - God’s concern for justice, mercy and humility - have been core to the times we have shared with the young people at IT club this year. Topics covered have included human trafficking, fair, trade, war, peace and social justice. Discussions have been wide-ranging, deep and often quite personal as the young people would bring their personal frustrations and concerns relating to the topics. It has been a great privilege to see the young people really getting involved in discussion and responding in ways both creative and practical. I personally hope to see more development in the area of social action with this group in the future.

Special events and trips have included cinema trips, bowling, nature trails, meals out and a Narnia themed Christmas Party. The highlight of last Summer was a Photo Safari competition, that took us on a journey of discovery around the Old Town. We really enjoyed having David and Agnes Nemeshegyi acting as our special guest judges for the competition. We have also enjoyed sharing in a walk up Arthur’s Seat and film nights with the ‘iFriends’ group and others from the church family.

We have a core group of ten teenagers in the club, mainly girls in year 5 at high school. It has been good to see Francesco, one of the teen-aged school-leavers, take on more responsibility in the group since the summer. Our coaches this year have been Tanya Alexeeva, James Trimble, Pedro Gonzalez, Adam Connell, Richard Allison and Matt Baines.

We have also received support on occasion from Sveta Barclay as well as Sally and Sam Kawamura. We are very grateful as a group for their availability and friendship. We were sad to have seen Katy Cracknell and David Purves leave us in the Autumn, but pleased to receive correspondence from Katy - as well as a stuffed toy wombat! - and to see David upon his visits. This summer we will be sad to see Tanya and Pedro leave us. We will miss all their hard work and friendly faces.

We would be grateful for your prayers as we seek the way forward for it club. Big changes are on the horizon. I will be looking for new adults to join us as coaches on a regular basis. Most of the group will be finishing high school in the coming year. Pray that this will be a fruitful year and that the teens will continue to take on deepening levels of responsibility in the group, and that they will be challenged to respond in increasingly deeper ways to the call to follow Jesus. Pray for wisdom for the adults in the group to lead the group forward in the most God-honouring way possible.

Matt Baines

iFriends

2010-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

What is iFriends ?

iFriends (International Club) is a club that is based in Bristo Baptist Church. There is a mixture of Christians from Bristo and people who come to Edinburgh to study or to find a job. It is a sports club where people have a chance to enjoy some exercise, have a nice chat with people from different countries, learn about different cultures and share your own. In addition we have the chance to introduce people to Christ through our fellowship and giving a good example of Christianity.

A Short History

When I came to Bristo in the beginning of January 2009, “iFriends” did not exist. There was a badminton club which was run by David, Adam and other people from Bristo who played there on Mondays. At that time we no longer had many people after the summer.

We were thinking how to change this situation and finally found the solution! We started inviting people from “Home from Home” to play badminton with us. These people started coming every Monday and they invited their friends. When we became good friends we started going to the countryside together, celebrating each other’s birthdays and having goodbye parties as well as making international evenings. We had some traditional meals, music, photos and souvenirs.

One day we decided to change the name of our club because we didn’t play only badminton. At first we had very many different ideas. Then we decided that ‘iFriends’ was the most suitable name for us. Today we have a huge number of friends from different countries.

What we did over the past year

Over the past year we have had a good number of people who come to the club almost every Monday. As we progressed, we formed a team of interns, people from Bristo and international people from the club who do all the setting up, preparations and planning. Diego with other friends from the club started working on our own website, that we are trying to improve just now.

We play badminton, table tennis, pool and other games that are in the church building. We also had so much fun having a trip to Loch Lomond. “It Club” and “iFriends” had a walk in Holyrood Park which was also very enjoyable and exciting! On Saturdays (about once a month) we watch a film and that is a good opportunity for Christians who are not able to come on Mondays to have fellowship with people from the club.

We had four international evenings (Iranian, Russian, Indian and Scottish) that were organized by Bahareh, Tanya, Janu and Brian respectively. In these events we had an opportunity to learn something new from each others’ cultures. We also had Christmas and Easter parties that gave us a chance to share Bible stories and have much fun playing games and eating traditional food for these days!

Almost every Monday or every second Monday we end up having a birthday cake celebrating our iFriends’ birthdays. They were very touched by that even when they expected it! We also play some music and do some art and many other things that are interesting for everyone. Before the end of my internship we had a fishing trip which is going to be on the 5th of June 2010 (see separate article).

The fruit

Going to “iFriends” gives the chance for fellowship between people from the club and church people and everyone participating has become very good friends. We have also seen an increasing openness to Christ among our friends. They sometimes ask us to pray for them and often share their problems and happiness with us. Some of them even started going to church occasionally.

Future plans

I am planning to ask the church and “It club” about having a “Day of Art”. In my opinion, we have many people in our church who are very talented and I am sure that they have something they could amaze us with. I have not decided the date of this occasion yet, but it will be approximately at the end of June. Before I go back to Russia I would like to discuss the future of the club with its members.
Thanks
I am really thankful to God that I have had a chance to serve Him through this ministry. Many thanks to Jim Purves and Bristo Baptist Church deacons for inviting and supporting me here. Special thanks to the Purves family who became my Scottish family. Also thanks to the following: to the team of interns David, Agy, Pedro and David Purves (who helped a lot before he went to Oxford) for their hard work and help; to Brian Wilson who hardly ever missed Monday night (!); to Richard for his excellent work and Matt for helping us to organize some special events together with “It Club”. Finally thanks to people like Cheryl, Adam, Leszek, Lucy, Ivor, Bahareh, Mahboob, Diego, Sveta, Brian and Lena for coming regularly and many other people who became a big part of “iFriends”!!!
The way forward
Generally speaking I am really happy with everything we do in the international club. There may be small improvements to be made but in my opinion the only real issue is how to find new people who are going to organize everything after I go back to Russia. We also need to find somebody who can help Diego in working on the website.

Tanya Alexeeva

PRAYER POINTS

2010-07-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

· Pray for the new deacons’ court (for list of deacons see p. 12), that they would be given wisdom to work in harmony to discern God’s will for the congregation
· Pray for those recently baptised — Jess Tait, Cao Yuan, Richard Allison, Buki and Tafadzwa Msengezi — and for the congregation to support them in their spiritual growth
· Give thanks for the work of the interns, Tanya Alexeeva, Pedro Gonzalez and David Nemeshegyi, and that God would bless them as they return to their home countries of Russia, Argentina and Hungary
· Pray for the work among internationals, particularly the future direction of our International Club iFriends begun by Tanya and others
· Our work among young people, particularly Sunday School leaders and pupils and the IT Club for teenagers
· Continue to pray for wisdom concerning the future of the building
· Pray for Christian events and witness in the forthcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival
· Christian life, discipleship and witness in an ‘age of austerity’ in the Western world
· The work of Bethany Christian Trust and other agencies working among homeless and deprived people
· Our ongoing relationship with the church in Lom, Bulgaria

deacons' elections

2010-04-29T02:54:00.000-07:00

Please note that Sunday 2nd May is the final date for nominating folk to the deacons' court. Anyone who is a member can be nominated by any other 2 members for 3 years of service as a deacon. Hand in nominations (with the nominee's permission!) on Sunday morning or evening, to be passed on to our secretary. As only Sam and Paul continue in office, please pray and think about who is suited for sharing in this responsibility in being a member of the group that, together with the pastor, coordinates what's needs to be attended to in the congregation's ongoing life and mission.

EASTER 2010

2010-04-05T04:35:00.000-07:00

FROM THE EDITOR

2010-04-05T04:33:00.000-07:00

Recently on a Tuesday evening I had a nasty fall while walking to catch my bus home after work. Amazingly however I got off with just a few scratches and a sore right hand. The following evening was cell group and I got there early. Next to arrive were our relative newcomers David and Eunice. David shook my hand in welcome and because it was a very strong firm handshake I yelled in pain ! David was very apologetic and I apologised too because he wasn’t to know the hand had been injured the previous day.

However, God always works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8: 28). As the evening went on I realised that my previously sore right hand was sore no longer! God must have worked through David’s handshake to put right whatever had been hurt in the fall!
Whatever you are going through at the moment, no matter how difficult or painful, expect God to work in you through it with His refiner’s fire.

Robert Mill

FROM THE PASTOR

2010-04-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to His purpose
Romans 8:28 NKJV.

Each year, Easter becomes more and more central to me, in my understanding of the Christian life. By ‘Easter’ I mean the whole season leading up to the recalling of Good Friday and the celebration of Easter Sunday. Why is this?

For one thing, it is the focus of the Gospels, described by one theologian as ‘extended passion stories with short introductions regarding the life of Christ’. The Gospels focus on Easter. When we see how nearly half of each of the Gospel accounts is given over to the last week of Jesus’ life on earth, we can see that from the very outset of the church, this period in the life of Jesus was focal.

This focus also tells us something about where the emphasis of early Christian teaching lay. As Richard Bauckham points out in his recent book, Jesus and the God of Israel, it is in the face of a struggling Jesus that the true divine identity is revealed. What does God feel? Look at Jesus. What does God do about suffering? Look at Jesus. What does the future hold for men and women? Look at Jesus.

It is when people are caught in the midst of adversity and difficulty that we begin to see what their character is really like. So it is with God. The New Testament message is that when we look at Jesus Christ, we meet with the full divine identity of God. There is no looking over the shoulder of Jesus to see what God is really like, hiding behind Him in some remote heaven. Jesus Christ is Immanuel: God with us.

And this is the immensity of what we are both called to participate in and also to celebrate in and through our living. To know God is to be drawn into a participative harmony and closeness with Jesus Christ. To receive the Spirit of God is to be energised for a deeper and truer participation and harmonisation with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. To enter salvation is to be drawn into oneness with Jesus Christ in the process of enduring the pain and suffering that comes with ownership of what He stands for, holding on to the hope that we will one day fully share in what He has become. Passing through the Cross into the victory of resurrection.

In declaring the revelation of God in the face of the suffering Christ, we acknowledge the revelation of this self-emptying God who comes to us and the whole world out of love. In celebrating His love for us we affirm the truthfulness of what He has for every man, woman and child in this world, worked out in the passion of Christ and met with in our own personal experience. Easter is the spectacle of God’s faithfulness worked out in the flesh and blood of a man who represents each and every one of us.

In His love,
Jim

TREASURER’S REPORT

2010-04-05T04:28:00.000-07:00

It’s almost the end of another financial year at Bristo. The next four weeks are going to be busy. I have to make sure everything that needs to be paid this financial year is paid, and paid out from our accounts before the 31st March. I also need to keep a track of, confirm and record any monies due to us this financial year, but not yet paid, so that I can record it properly on our accounts ... Then finally - and this is no small task! - I have to prepare the first draft of the accounts to present to the Deacons, and to the inspector.

Church accounts are quite difficult to track and monitor. There is no guarantee week to week how much money will come in to the weekly offering. Expenditure is slightly easier to monitor. Each month there are bills we have to pay, minister’s stipend, tax/NI, bills, council tax etc. Then there are one-off bills, insurance, BU General Fund etc. The rest of the payments are for specific things done throughout the year to support the church work, including sundries (paper towels, loo-rolls etc), piano-tuning, licensing costs, office materials and all sorts of other things. The way I track this through the year is through the budget. We try to work out how much we need to spend each year, then I work out how much we need each week to meet this target, then I track each week how much we are spending and try to marry the two sets of figures together. It really only comes together at the end of each year when everything is in, and everything has been spent, but at least I can track how things are going and see if we are overspending on anything.

So how have we done this year? Income is a little down on last year, but not enormously so. What we haven’t done very well with is our special appeal to Lom. We send £3500 to Lom each year to support their winter soup kitchen. This year we raised £1100 for the Lom appeal, so the remainder of the money has been sent from church funds (there is still time to give to the appeal though!)

Expenditure wise we’ve kept pretty much to budget. The only significant overspend was £7500 on repairs and refurbishment when we budgeted to spend £5000. This year we had to spend a little more money on safety work in the church, and with the building being so old, it’s difficult to estimate the knock-on effects of having repairs made to the church. The refurbishment costs also include all the work done to refurbish the sanctuary.

The full and final accounts will hopefully be ready early in April, so if anyone wants further details please get in touch.

Election of Deacons

2010-04-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

Our annual election of deacons is due to take place at the end of May. Appointment as a deacon lasts for three years with effect from the Annual General Meeting, unless foreshortened by decision of the members. Of the present deacons, Robert and Andrea Mill, Craig Smith and Barbara Toal complete their current 3-year term, while Paul Watson has completed two years and Sam Kawamura has completed one year. It is open to those in full membership of Bristo Baptist Church to consider prayerfully any addition to the diaconate.

This note outlines the responsibilities of members and deacons and sets out the procedures to be followed and the timetable for this year’s election.

Duties of Deacons
The deacons are responsible to the church for the day to day running of its affairs, seeking to guide the church as collectively we discern the Lord’s will as a congregation. They co-ordinate reports, bring recommendations to the church and implement its decisions. The deacons are also ex officio trustees of Bristo Baptist Church and so carry certain responsibilities under the charity laws. Above all, as the name (diakonos) suggests, deacons are servants of Jesus Christ and of this congregation, supporting the pastor in his spiritual leadership.

Qualities of Deacons
We read in Acts 6: 1-6 how the early church chose the first deacons. They were men of good report, full of faith, of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom. In 1Timothy 3: 8-13 Paul advises Timothy of the qualities he should look for in deacons. They should be reverent, holding the mystery of faith with a clear conscience, tested and found blameless. In other words they should be mature in faith, ready to listen to God and to the people they serve, seeking to encourage and care for others in service, and leading lives honouring to God.

Nominations
Nomination for election to the office of deacon should be submitted in writing to any of the present deacons, together with the names and signatures of two referees, the candidate’s express agreement having been obtained previously. Candidates, proposers and seconders should all be full members of Bristo Baptist Church. Nominations should be submitted not later than 6.30 p.m. on Sunday 2 May. Ballot papers will be distributed to members who participate in morning or evening worship on either Sunday 9 or Sunday 16 May. Arrangements will be made to issue ballot papers to the housebound or those prevented by illness from attending.

Procedure
Ballot papers should be returned no later than the evening service on Sunday 23 May. For appointment as a deacon of Bristo Baptist Church not less than 2/3 of the total votes cast must be in the candidate’s favour. Two of the continuing deacons will act as scrutineers and Dr Purves will give private confidential intimation to the candidates before the result of the election is announced at the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 26 May.

The election of deacons is one of the most important responsibilities we have as church members and we each have a role to play. During the next few weeks may we all prayerfully consider the following questions:

Is God calling me to this task?
Whom has the Lord laid on my heart to nominate for this service?
Let us all in humility draw near to God and seek His will as together we go forward in the power of the Holy Spirit that we may through love serve one another. (Galatians 5: 13).

Diary dates

2010-04-05T04:22:00.000-07:00

Some events happening in our church and in our area over coming weeks:

Sunday 18 April - church meeting to update on redevelopment plans, together with church lunch, after morning service
Monday 19th April - Deacons' meeting
Sunday 2 May 6.30 p.m. - last day for nominations to the diaconate (for more details see pp. 6-7 this issue)
Saturday 8 May - Expression Workshop for women (see p. 9)
Wednesday 26 May 7.30 p.m. - Church Annual General Meeting
Sunday 30 May - Baptismal service

Friday 23 - Sunday 25 April
Mini CLAN Gathering for Lothian Region: Dalkeith High School. Speakers include Andrea Wigglesworth and Nigel di Castiglione. Details on CLAN web site www.new-wine-scotland.org
Saturday 8 May
CLAN Day Conference with Bob Johnson at Holy Trinity Church, Wester Hailes, 10 a.m.—4 p.m. Theme: “Courageous Faith”. Cost £10 (includes lunch). Booking form available on CLAN web site.

EXPRESSION WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN

2010-04-05T04:17:00.000-07:00

There will be a workshop for women on Saturday 8 May to explore emotions, how we express or suppress them, what the Bible says about them and to look at how we can learn to express feelings in a healthy way. This is a good opportunity to invite non-Christian friends along. No charge but an offering will be taken for the Dalit women in India. Offers of help greatly appreciated. To reserve a place e-mail andrea.mill@blueyonder.co.uk 07974 824236.

Congratulations

2010-04-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

Our oldest member, Arthur Brown, was 96 in January. Your editor Dr Robert Mill celebrated his 60th birthday with a ceilidh in the Bristo upper hall on Friday 5 February, and his wife Andrea graduated with Merit from her Certificate of Christian Counselling at Waverley Abbey (Farnham, Surrey) in January.

Births & Deaths

2010-04-05T04:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Daniela Benjamin and Jason Sutherland on the birth of their second daughter, Kaitlyn, on Friday 22 January. A sister to Johanna and half-sister to Lennox.

We express our sympathy to Brian Barclay, Sveta and Lena on the recent loss of Brian's father; Tom Ponton on the death of his brother Jeffrey on February 16th; Tanya Alekseeva whose aunt and grandmother were killed in a car accident on 28 March; Daniel Onifade and family, on the sudden death of Daniel’s mum on 30th March. To these folk we extend our love and prayers at this time.

BOOKS AND MUSIC

2010-04-05T04:10:00.000-07:00

Most of us have Christian books and many of us buy worship music. We probably have lots lying around the house that could bring blessing to others by offering it to the church to build up a library for people to borrow from. We already have some books but the existing library would benefit from updating.

So if you would like to organise books or set up a music library or both then please speak to one of the deacons.

FRIENDSHIP CLUB

2010-04-05T04:03:00.000-07:00

Some folk are considering starting a group that will offer a couple of hours per week to reach out to those outside the church of any age, who would appreciate some company. Edinburgh has a reputation for being a lonely city and there is real need especially, but not exclusively, amongst older people. The group will probably meet during the afternoon on a weekday but it will depend on who is available to help before we decide which day of the week.

So if you could spare a few hours on a regular or casual basis then please get in touch with andrea.mill@blueyonder.co.uk 07974 824236.

PUBLICITY GROUP AND MAGAZINE TEAM

2010-04-05T03:54:00.000-07:00

We are taking a fresh look at how we communicate with people not in our church to let them know what we are about. So we are considering setting up a small group of people of mixed ages with ideas, creativity and technical ability to review the media we have and to design what we need to build the Bristo of the future. Everything from the website to the noticeboards outside and leaflets inside, social networking etc. No-one is too young or too old!

We also require additional people on the Magazine team, for planning and putting the magazine together, getting others to write contributions and also to occasionally contribute themselves..
If you feel led to offer help in one of these areas please contact robert.mill@blueyonder.co.uk

Baptist Assembly in Scotland 2010

2010-04-05T03:52:00.000-07:00

This year’s Baptist Assembly will be held in Dunfermline at the Vine Venue from Thursday 28–Saturday 30 October. The theme will be ‘Communities of Conviction’ and will involve an exploration of the key convictions that shape our Baptist life and witness, both here in Scotland and globally. Our speakers include: Rev Dr Ian Randall, formerly Director of Research at Spurgeon’s College, a highly respected historian and author of a book entitled ‘Communities of Conviction’; Rev Dr Stuart Blythe, a lecturer at the Scottish Baptist College and Rev D. Marc Owen, the Church Life Secretary for the Baptist Union of Wales. Our new General Director, Rev Alan Donaldson, will also be giving a keynote address.

The theme will be explored through Bible Study, break out groups and through telling good stories of what God is doing both in our churches and in our global partnership with BMS. So please make a special effort to join us and book early.

Assembly is a wonderful opportunity for Baptists across Scotland to come together to discern and discuss, to be inspired and resourced, to worship and to fellowship. This year there will be some significant opportunities for us to discern the will of God in areas affecting our common life together. Please think about who the key people are in your church fellowship and encourage them to be delegates. Please come and join us, and encourage others to do the same.

Reflections from Andrea

2010-04-05T03:41:00.000-07:00

Andrea Mill was recently asked by the Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers’ Association to write an entry for their blog exploring an aspect of the theme of “Worship”. This is her blog that was published on the SBLPA web site on February 12th.

What are your expectations when you come to church? A cosy social gathering? Healing? A powerful encounter with God? Prophecy? A good sing?
Previous generations would not have dreamt of coming to church late. The norm would have been to be present 15 to 20 minutes before the start of the service to sit with heads bowed as preparation for coming onto the Lord’s presence. But things have changed even in my life time. Now it is more the norm for most to arrive in the few minutes before the church service is about to start and there are always some who come in 5, 10, 15 minutes or more late (but perhaps that is just my church?!).
Before I start sounding like one of those “grumpy old women”, let me explain where I am coming from!
I understand that lives are busy and sometimes things happen to cause lateness, but something has happened in the hearts of many Christians to change the priority of coming to meet with God in the overall scheme of things, so that we tend to rush into His presence without taking time to prepare for our meeting with Him.
Anyone in business appreciates the importance of preparation to get the most out of a business meeting so why should a meeting with the King of Kings be different?
Look at the preparation laid down in the Old Testament for people to purify themselves before going to the tent of meeting and even more stringent rules for the priests.
I am not one to advocate getting stuck in the past, but as Christians we must be on our guard about being infected by the culture around us. We must make an effort to live lives that are different. Our lives must speak of where our priorities lie.
What is more important, an extra 20-30 minutes in bed or 20-30 minutes reading the Bible and opening our hearts towards the Lord? If we rush to church in a bad temper with those we live with because we have not allowed enough time to get everyone up and out, it can be half an hour or so before we have come to the place where we are ready to meet with God. By then half the service is gone and we have missed a golden opportunity to go deeper with Him.
Brothers and sisters, I challenge and encourage you to make it a priority in the coming weeks to take time either before you leave for church or by getting to church earlier to pray and prepare your heart to enter the holy of holies. If we rush from the things of the world it takes time to refocus our thoughts on the heavenly realms. So ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit BEFORE going to church. Ask God to give you something to give to someone else. Ask for Him to draw close to you and meet your deepest need.
Ask and you shall receive. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Enter his courts with thanksgiving and expect a powerful encounter. You won’t regret it!

WOMEN WALKING WITH GOD CONFERENCE
Janis White and I met up with Lorraine Polland and about 1200 other women for this conference on the evening of 5th March and all day on Saturday 6th. There was great worship from Lou Fellingham and teaching from Proverbs about wisdom, but the most interesting part was a talk by Debra Greene about Redeeming our Communities. She has organised prayer meetings for thousands of people to come together to pray for a particular topic. For example, prayer for the police force brought hundreds of non-Christian police to the meeting as well as other local authority figures. She is from Manchester, which used to be called ‘Gun-chester’ until they got together to pray for a reduction in gun crime. Her message is that we (you and I) can make a difference to our local communities by asking what the needs are from different organisations involved with the community, social work, police, education, health etc and organising people to pray into action what needs to be done. She will come to Edinburgh if we want her to get involved. But we don’t need to wait. Never underestimate the power of prayer. All the infinite resources of heaven are at our disposal if we take the time to engage in partnership with God to bring about what is on His heart. The conference was inspiring and is on again next year but the real work starts with us, if we care about what God cares about. Let’s keep on praying ……..

SBLPA conference 13 March 2010
This was my first attendance at the Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers’ Association conference and I left feeling energised and encouraged from having spent a day with fellow lay preachers and time with the Lord.
The day consisted of the AGM (a very small part!), two teaching sessions by Edwin Gunn either side of an excellent three-course lunch, finishing with communion. Edwin’s theme for the teaching was the Word and the Spirit; the first session focussing on the Word and the second on the Spirit. He quoted the following to emphasise the need for balance between both:
“The Word without the Spirit is wood and stubble, The Spirit without the Word is froth and bubble.”
The content of his presentations are available on the SLBPA web site so there is no need for me to reproduce the essence of the teaching, but it reminded me of how easy it can be to let things slip, how easy it is for the devil to get in little by little in our churches and in our own lives: a bit less Bible-reading here: a bit less prayer there: forgetting to ask for the Spirit to come: forgetting that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. And before we know it there are all sorts of problems that we are trying to sort out in our own strength. So it is important to maintain a healthy balance between the Word and the Spirit.
It was also good to network with other lay preachers and to hear what the Lord is doing in other parts of the country. When I put my name forward to be a lay preacher I had not bargained for becoming part of the whole organisation of SBLPA with an AGM etc. However, I now appreciate the benefits of coming together to encourage one another and to promote excellence in preaching the word of God. It is an awesome privilege and one that none of us should take lightly.
This was my second Saturday in a row at a conference having attended the Women Walking with God conference the weekend before (see opposite). It was interesting to note what a difference it made to my preaching and power in ministry both Sundays having spent the whole Saturday with the Lord. I’m sure there must be a sermon in that somewhere!!

Editorial - Autumn 2009 Bristo Magazine

2009-10-24T13:00:00.001-07:00

This issue of the Magazine has been an unusually long time in coming. My apologies for that! Maybe it’s appropriate though, since the theme for this issue is Firstfruits.

Fruit, wine and vegetables all take time to mature or ripen before they are really good quality and ready to eat or drink. An unripe, immature fruit or vegetable may be hard compared with the luscious, juicy ripe state. It may even be harmful or poisonous whereas when ripe it is good to eat.

Christian lives also take time to ripen and mature. For fruit, vegetables and wine, just the right amounts of rain and sunshine are both needed. Apparently this year’s French wine vintages are going to be the best for over 60 years because there has been just the right amount of rain and sun. Similarly we need the right amount of ‘Son-shine’ from Jesus and the right amount of the Spirit’s refreshing ‘rain’.

May you know the firstfruits of the Spirit this autumn.

Robert Mill

FROM THE PASTOR

2009-10-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Family,

This edition, our theme is ‘Firstfruits’. There’s an apple tree in the back garden of the manse, the house we live in. It’s just outside my mum’s room, and she gets a lot of pleasure watching birds come to eat the fruit, now that they are ripe. This year the crop is the biggest I’ve seen. And one thing that’s impressed me is that, despite the seasonal winds pushing and pulling the branches, most of the fruit stays in position, ripening all the time.

And it makes me think how the Bible talks of Christian disciples being the firstfruit of the Kingdom of God. The big passage on this is Romans 8. So when I think of the apple tree and the lives of Christians, I see a few things in common.

First of all, how long it takes to ripen! Not just a single season or a few short months. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Sun, rain, wind. Our Christian lives are like this. Being a Christian is about being on a journey. It’s about movement, not just a moment. Jesus told us to go and make disciples, not simply invite people to decide to believe. That involves us changing, as well as others coming to change among us. Growing. Maturing. Ripening. Which one of us can claim to be fully ripened yet? It’s a journey that continues until the Lord plucks us from this life.

Secondly, why do apples stay on the tree? Because they need the energy and to be fed from the tree. And this is why we need church. If we are cut off prematurely, we stop growing. Become stunted. And drop off to rot.

But thirdly - how lovely and tasty is a ripened apple! It’s worth waiting for. For all to enjoy. So this is my prayer for you, my friend: may God continue to ripen and mature you on the branch. May you survive the seasons and the storms. And may the fragrance of your fruitfulness in your continued maturing be a blessing to all who come to taste you as a firstfruit of the Kingdom of God.

In His love,
Jim

David Nemeshegyi

2009-10-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

I turned 32 this year. Both Agnes and I were brought up in Baptist families in Hungary. This background had its advantages and disadvantages at the time but retrospectively we think the former far outweighed the latter. I was the second child in the family and had four sisters and three brothers. We lived in Fót, a small town just outside Budapest. Agi is from Kondoros which is in the south-eastern part of Hungary.

We went to the local Baptist church. With a membership of around 70, it was a relatively small congregation, with a characteristic combination of small town values and a fairly conservative Baptist setting. In this church I was baptised at the age of 14. I was blessed to have a youth pastor who constantly challenged us by his personal example to gain a deeper understanding of God and the Bible and to apply this in our everyday lives.

My previous experience:
After high school I trained as a nurse at college. In 1999, the last year of my studies I felt a strong attraction towards ministry, mainly by the influence of the life and example of my aforementioned youth pastor. However, I haven’t gone straight to seminary but decided to do national service - which was compulsory back then. In those days there were two options: you either joined the army and did the military training or you worked for a charity agency. Joining the army provided an excellent opportunity to witness in a non-Christian environment and proved to be a useful experience. In 2000 I started my training at the Baptist seminary in Budapest. Beside classes we had placements in churches each year, where we were involved in youth work, visiting the sick and preaching. More recently, I worked as a care assistant in Newark, Nottinghamshire whilst studying part-time at IBTS in Prague.

Why we have come to Bristo Baptist and what we would like to be involved in:
Margaret (died 1093), mother of King David I of Scotland, was of Hungarian origin and a friend of mine in Newark suggested that upon arrival in Edinburgh I should reclaim the throne for Hungary. On a more serious note, I got to know the work of Bristo Baptist Church through Jim Purves whom I met in Prague. Agnes and I felt drawn to Bristo because of the conscious effort people make here to understand what God is calling them to in His Kingdom. We want to be fellow seekers of this vision, by fellowship, study and participation. If I was asked to mention one area of church work I am especially interested in, it would be the ministry towards the elderly. This attraction comes mainly from a sermon I heard in April 1999 in my church, based on Leviticus 19: 32. I believe it is very important to uphold this divine instruction, with the full weight of authority of the Lord behind it, to treat the aged population with respect and dignity. I need not speak about how timely this ancient legislation is in our society.

Hobbies:
Both Agi and I like to walk in the countryside, to marvel about the beauty of the created world. In addition to that, football is a long-standing passion of mine. Here in Scotland many will remember the 1960 European Cup Final at Hampden Park between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt. That night a magnificent display from Ferenc Puskás secured the fifth European title for the Spanish side. Puskás was also the leader of the Magical Magyars, feared all over the world in the early fifties. Along with many Hungarians I still wait for the resurrection of those glory days.

David Nemeshegyi

Pedro González

2009-10-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

My name is Pedro Gonzalez. I am 23 years old; I was born and grew up in a farm in the middle of the mountains in the south of Argentina, in El Bolsón, a little town on the border with Chile.

I come from a big family; we are 11 children, 6 boys and five girls. They are not Christians, but have very good values: I grew up seeing my Mom helping poor people, I lived among the poor. I was a poor child, but with one big difference, I was educated for my family. I never liked this kind of life, living around the suffering, I always wanted a different life. But that was not possible, because I started to participate in a Christian community, I have to confess that it was for a girl. But that was the first step toward Jesus life. And when I started to read about Him, my life changed! My paradigm changed, my outlook of the life changed; it changed for the Jesus paradigm, the same of my Mom has; love your neighbour as yourself. It was there when I could understand my Mom, and love the life that I had. A real life, dedicated to God’s kingdom and his justice.

The last year I realised that I belong to my home town, and I want to spend the rest of my life serving God there. Trying to help the poor to get education, as I got it.

Today I am in Edinburgh trying to still grow up in the God kingdom ethics, and trying to help Bristo Baptist Church in the extension of that kingdom.
Pedro González

TREASURER’S REPORT

2009-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

It doesn’t seem like it’s been many weeks since I last had to write a magazine article. It’s now right in the middle of the year, and it’s fairly difficult to know what to say. At the best of times it’s very difficult to make money sound interesting, depressing maybe as yet again Banking starts to hit the headlines .... particularly difficult now as our church savings aren’t bringing in very much interest (if any at all!).

Our agreed budget means we need to have an average weekly income of about £1100. We’re currently averaging around £920 per week including hall rental. Our expenditure is fairly much to target. We’ve slightly overspent on building repairs; from past experience when dealing with an older building it is very difficult to accurately estimate for any repair work, and one piece of work tends to lead to another piece of work. We’re over budget by about £1000; however, all the work we planned to do has been done, and we’ve under spent on other areas of our budget so the overall impact is not too bad. Many of you will notice the work that’s been done in the sanctuary. We’re trying to make all work done cost neutral. The refurbishment work is being paid for through the sale of pews and benches.

If anyone has any questions on our budget / expenditure please ask me, or drop me an email and I can give you any more details. I don’t really want to fill the magazine with pages of numbers, just to give a general idea of where we are and how we’re doing.

In the next few weeks we’ll be announcing our Christmas appeal. Our aim is to send £3500 to Lom to support their winter soup kitchen. For the last two years we’ve managed to successfully raise this sum of money ... and we hope to manage to do the same again this year. We’ve had visitors from Lom this year and our contacts there are very special to us (see p. 15). I will be sending out the appeal letter soon—meanwhile please pray about what you can give sacrificially to this.

Paul Watson

CHURCH BARBECUE—VOGRIE COUNTRY PARK

2009-10-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Twenty-eight of us met for a barbecue at Vogrie Country Park, near Pathhead, Midlothian on 19th September. The barbecue site we had booked was in the middle of a small wood (which made David very happy) and had an adjacent field for ball games as well as a shelter, just in case!
We all had a great afternoon relaxing, playing football, chatting and exploring the park. It was great to meet some new people from the International Club as well as catch up with others we had not seen for a while.

Linda Watson

HEALING TESTIMONY

2009-10-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

This year I started doing a Christian Counselling Course at Waverley Abbey (see the front cover for a picture of its grounds) and as a result have had to have some personal counselling. My father died when I was two and my mother when I was six and then my sister and I were raised by my aunt and uncle - two completely different environments - the first very loving and affirming - the second more critical and undemonstrative.
Through the counselling I became aware of just what a big impact my father’s death had on me. I had always felt relatively untouched by their deaths but now realise how I came to shut down emotionally and have always kept people at a distance.
This year the Lord has healed me of a lot from my past but at CLAN He went much deeper. The first night Kenny Borthwick spoke about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and being empowered as a result. I began to wonder if I had been “baptised” or just “filled” so the next day started praying for it. On Monday morning as we started to worship I felt the Holy Spirit come upon me and the Lord say “This is your baptism of the Holy Spirit. Your father gave you to me before he died. I have always held you in my arms and have always loved you. I have always been your Father.” Then I felt warmth around my heart and the love of God fill me and wave after wave of His love wash over me. It was a deeply moving experience that has changed me and I now realise how I had been keeping God at a distance too.
I knew in my head that He loves me but now I feel it in my heart. As a worship leader I have sung the songs about love for many years but now I totally get what they are about - the words have so much more meaning and emotional impact.
After being filled with God’s love I felt Him say that I was being empowered to preach healing into His church. I already am a lay preacher (on the Baptist Union list) but my heart goes out to all those who are broken and holding back from receiving what God has for them in Christ through the Holy Spirit. I work as a LighterLife Counsellor, which is secular, but very healing for those with weight problems. I see how our past affects us and how many people turn to food or drink (or other things) as a coping strategy and Christians are not exempt from this. I sense the Lord is calling me to those in the church so they are better placed to reach out to others. I long to see the church become freed from its past to be the expression of God’s love and compassion in this land. But I believe that before we can “go”, first we must “come” to the Lord to receive some measure of healing ourselves on our journey with Him.
Andrea Mill

CHRISTIAN WORKER STUDY PROGRAMME

2009-10-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

The Christian Worker programme is run by the Baptist Union of Scotland.
The Christian Worker certificate is achieved by following a 2 year structured programme and an optional third year of study can be undertaken to obtain the Christian Worker Diploma.
I completed the Christian Worker Certificate in 2001 and then took some time out before completing the Diploma year in 2005. Since last year I’ve been involved in helping to plan the course.
I originally enrolled on the course because I felt the need for some more structured Bible study than I’d been managing on my own! I really enjoyed doing the course and meeting other students at the study days. I’d be happy to talk to anyone who’d like to know more about this. Basic details for the course starting in October are as follows:
Year 1: October 2009 – June 2010
The programme commenced this year with a study day on 10th October in Dedridge Baptist Church. In each of the two years a second study day takes place in the spring to enable students to meet and discuss with the tutors and each other what has been studied throughout the winter.
All home assignments are completed by early summer each year. Preparing for the assignments involves reading from the Bible and set books and manuals, supplied as part of the course.
The cost for the first year of the course is £110, which can be paid in instalments throughout the year. Course fees include all set texts.
Approximately five hours a week are needed to do the course, although this will vary depending on the individual. If you have not studied for a while a little extra time might be needed to get up to speed.
For further details or course application forms contact George Petrie (01506 856274, george@gmpetrie.plus.com) or talk to me (0131 669 8156, jonahhams@btinternet.com)
Linda Watson

THANKS FROM LOM

2009-10-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters
We, the church board of the Baptist Church in Lom, are writing this letter to thank you for all you have done for us and our ministry during the years of partnership. As we wrote two months ago we’ve been facing some serious financial problems but thank the Lord, He used our brothers and sisters from the partnership churches in Clevedon and Beuford to help us manage the situation. Hope you all are doing well and have your needs met.
We also want to thank you for the financial support for the soup kitchen for poor people that we do every year. It starts in November but as it takes almost a month for the money to get to our bank account we would like to ask you to send it a bit earlier so we may have about two weeks to organize our work before Nov. 1st. (talking about shopping some things in advance).
Thank you very much. May the Lord bless you abundantly and keep you close to His heart.
Blessings,
Bethlehem Baptist Church - Lom

BETHANY SPONSORED WALK

2009-10-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

The Bethany Christian Trust website said, “Come and join us on Bethany’s sponsored walk around beautiful Loch Leven at Kinross. Loch Leven is a Scottish National Heritage site boasting incredible scenery and a treasure-trove of wildlife in its natural setting. Make a difference in the lives of homeless people and enjoy a stunning day out at the same time.” So on Saturday September 12th, about 14 people from Bristo Baptist Church did. The Watson and Gladwin families plus Pedro tackled the 4.5 mile walk while the rest of us enjoyed a leisurely 11.5 mile stroll.

It was an amazingly beautiful day and there were apparently over 200 people out supporting the walk, while dozens of hang glider and paraglider enthusiasts observed us from above the local hill – even the sun paid us a visit! I was left wishing I had brought some sun cream (balding heads and plus 20 degrees sunshine don’t mix well!). Yet ultimately I felt glad that I was able to do something, anything, that could support the invaluable work of Bethany among the homeless and marginalised in Edinburgh.

As a church we support Bethany in many ways – hosting the winter night shelter, providing clothes, soup and helping hands for the Care Van, donating Christmas presents – yet one visit to their website, reveals so many more ways in which we could help and reminds us of the reasons why. Beneath the surface of our affluent, ‘well-to-do’ city, there is a lot of need and many hurting people. Please keep Bethany in your prayers, and visit http://www.bethanychristiantrust.com/ to see what you can do to help.
Who knows, maybe you could join us on next year’s sponsored walk!
Matt Baines

TRANSFORMATION

2009-10-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

I am sad
I feel hurt
And lonely
I withdraw
I surround myself with a cocoon
of smiles and words that say
I’m fine – keep your distance

I lie on my bed
I read my Bible
And pray
I am surrounded by a cocoon
of the Father’s love
I tell Him how I feel
And cry
I feel waves of merciful love wash over me
I feel safe

I rise up
A smiling butterfly
Ready to face the world
To love and be loved
To give and receive
To hurt and to heal
Safe knowing the Father’s arms of love
Are always waiting to pick me up
And transform me

Andrea Mill

July / August 2009

2009-07-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Lom team visiting the evening service

From the Editor

2009-07-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

“... Three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea ... I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, ... in danger in the city, in danger in the country ... I have often gone without sleep ... have often gone without food ...” (2 Cor. 11: 25-28 NIV, excerpts)

If there’s anyone who knew what it’s like to endure trials of all kinds for the sake of Christ and the gospel, it was Paul. It’s a rare Christian (at least here in Edinburgh) who is faced with trials similar to those Paul had to endure — but consider those Christians in other countries who face persecution and similar dangers. We, however, all do have to endure trials of various kinds. Trials of family life and relationships. Trials in the workplace. Trials because we have no work. Trials of illness, pain, disability and suffering. And many others.

Do we feel joy in our heart when we face the trials of life? James tells us that we must “consider it pure joy” because our trials test our faith and develop perseverance. Are you ready to be tested?

Robert Mill

From the Pastor

2009-07-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Family,

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2.1).

‘No pain, no gain’. My mum hates it when I say this to her! And I understand why. She suffers from severe, chronic rheumatoid arthritis. It can be really, really sore for her to move at times. Yet it is also so necessary. For unless she keeps exercising and making the effort to do so, she will stiffen and become ever less mobile. I can understand this a little, in the physical sense. But I see it even more clearly when applied to our Christian life.

It seems to me that there are two stages to becoming a Christian – perhaps even two flavours – sweet and sour. They are integrally woven into one another and we can’t have one without the other too. On the one hand, there is the sheer wonder of what Jesus has done for us, in taking our sins and sickness into Himself, experiencing the consequences on the Cross of Calvary, and freeing us from the bonds of the devil, disease and death. All He has done for us that causes us to stand back in wonder and adoration as mere spectators to the marvellous mercy of God. But on the other hand, there is the way that He draws us into His own experience of living for the Kingdom of God. The way that we are, through our baptism, brought to see that we are to be united with Him in His death and thereafter in the power of His resurrection. There is this call to purposeful participation in the life of Jesus Christ, owning His sense of self-identity and Father’s child, taking to ourselves His commitment to expressing of earth the presence and purposes of the Kingdom of God. Pursuing the Nazareth Manifesto, outworked in our culture and context.

And so while there is a time and place to sit back and wonder at the sheer grace of God, there is also a place for getting up and getting on with the challenge. Enduring trials. Pressing on towards the goal. Committing all things to God in prayer and pressing on to win the victor’s prize. It is this that matures and develops us as God’s children.

Over this summer period, I pray that you find times to enjoy holy hedonism: simply relishing and relaxing in the sheer grace, love and mercy of God. But I also pray that, in such times, God speaks to you and shows you afresh the narrow path that you and I have been called to pursue.

That, realizing who and what we are because of Jesus Christ, you can focus and grow into the person God wants you to be. That together we might forge ahead and see the expansion of the Kingdom of God in and through our life and witness together, as the congregation of Bristo Baptist Church.

In His love,

Jim

Treasurer's Report

2009-07-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

First of all I’d like to thank you all for voting me for a second term as Deacon and Treasurer. I very much appreciate the confidence shown in me in allowing me to continue to serve the Church in this dual role.

I recently presented last year’s accounts at the church AGM. Knowing we had substantial repair and maintenance work to be carried out on the church and manse we set ourselves quite an aggressive budget, and we met most of our targets for income. However there are problems in maintaining older buildings, and one piece of maintenance work can often reveal other problems which require immediate attention, resulting in us overspending our budget by just over £6000. All this overspend was made on capital building and repair works.
This year’s budget is set to be equally challenging, though with less money being set aside for repairs and maintenance, there should be more money available to use in other church work. Last year we postponed making a gift to the BMS. This year we hope to be able to give a more generous gift.
In summary:

Income actual 08/09 budget 09/10

Church Offerings etc. 52633 50000
Tax Refund 9638 8000
from Fair Trust (in lieu of rent) 2400 2400
from Fair Trust (bills) 1934 2000
use of Halls 5640 8000

Total 72245 70400

And for special offerings we proposed again to support the LOM winter soup kitchen, and a further love gift to LOM, along with gifts to BMS and Bethany.

Income actual 08/09 budget 09/10

LOM - winter kitchen 3500 3500
BMS 0 1000
Bethany 10 500
LOM - gift with mission trip 1673 1500
General Mission 40 0

Total 5223 6500

Paul Watson

Barbecued Cell Groups!

2009-07-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

On the evening of Wednesday 1st July a barbecue took place at the home of Robert and Andrea Mill, mainly for those who attend the two Wednesday evening Bristo cell groups and the Thursday morning one. Several folk from the Monday international club also came along, as well as other friends, relatives and neighbours. The weather, which had been wet earlier, was kind and warm, there was plenty of good food and drink and a great time was had by everyone.

Beach Picnic

2009-07-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

This event took place on Saturday, 20th June 2009 at Yellowcraigs beach near Dirleton in East Lothian. One of the main ideas behind it was to give an opportunity for the teachers and Sunday school children to get to know each other better and spend time together outside the classroom environment; however, everyone else was welcome. First there was a barbecue; we had a great variety of food as everyone contributed. Then there was time to simply chill out, play badminton, have a chat, enjoy the sea and finally play football and baseball on the beach.

Altogether, it was a great time in which we could enjoy the day spent together as a family and make everyone else who came along feel welcome.

Lucyna Kurtyka

healingspacebristo

2009-07-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

As Christians together, it is our privilege to know and experience the call to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ. Now, this takes many forms. At a personal level, it is rooted in a real relationship with God expressed in faith, repentance, prayer and reading the Bible. In the way we seek to deal with people. And beyond that, in our life of worshipping and sharing in the body of Christ, the church. Here at Bristo that is outworked in giving aid to the poor and homeless (the Bethany van and shelters), the stranger in our midst (Home From Home), welcome to the foreigner (International Club). In many other ways. And in healingspacebristo.

The ministry of healingspacebristo has begun, and there has been a touching of people’s lives through it. Where we have opportunity to pray and minister to one another in many ways, this new ministry is designed for those normally outside the church. It provides an opportunity for people to come to a room in our building where they can experience an environment of peace and be focussed in on the presence and the love of God. The basic time for prayer and quietness comes on a Thursday, from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. This is deliberately calculated to coincide with the end of a normal, working day.

A number of people have come along. But as with all evangelistic endeavours, it requires profiling and making people aware of the availability of this ministry. You can help by telling people you know. Especially those who do not already have an active, church connection.

Leaflets, to tell people about this, are available in the Crush Hall. More details can be had also on the dedicated website, http://healingspacebristo.blogspot.com/

Please be in prayer for this ministry, that the Lord uses it for the blessings of many. If you feel that you would like to be more involved, please speak to either Jim or Ryan.

Jim Purves

Sunday School

2009-07-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

There have been a number of changes in the Sunday School and crèche during the last twelve months. It is almost a year since I took over from Jennifer as Children’s Work Co-ordinator and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jennifer for all the work she has done in this role. Although she is no longer directly involved with the Sunday School, Jennifer continues to support this work as an appointed Independent Person who is available for children to speak to if they have any concerns. Thank you also to Alice who continues to handle the paperwork required to obtain disclosures for those working with children, to ensure that we comply with child protection law.

Johanna was born to Daniela and Jason in October 2008 and Lucas to Natalia and Ryan in March this year. Natalia has now taken over the crèche rota and we would welcome volunteers to be part of the crèche team. The crèche has not been required for a number of months as the babies have mostly remained in services with their parents; however it is envisaged that there will be a need for this as Johanna and Lucas grow older.

We said goodbye to Doreen and Joshua in August 2008, and also to Curt earlier this year. We wish them all well and thank them for their work with the children.

In January we welcomed Tanya into the Sunday School team. Tanya has been teaching the primary class (Eva, Lennox, David and Michael) alternate weeks with Sveta. Lucy is leading the secondary-school age class (Cyrus, Duval, Tafadzwa, Caroline and Marvin) alternate weeks with Linda.

We have recently been exploring ways in which the children can take a more active part in morning services and the children learned two new songs which they taught to the rest of the church on Easter Sunday and at Pentecost.

Our most recent highlight was the Sunday-School picnic at Yellowcraigs on 20th June, which is described by Lucy elsewhere in this magazine. We are planning another event like this for mid-September. As with the trip to Yellowcraigs, this will be an event for the whole church and we hope that many of you will be able to come along and join us.
The Sunday School will be taking a break for six weeks after 5th July to coincide with the school Summer-holidays, resuming on 23rd August. Activities will be organised for the younger children during the service for some of the holiday weeks.

Please continue to pray for the Sunday School and those working with young people in the church.

Linda Watson

2009-07-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

It Club

It Club meets on Friday evenings between 7:45 and 9:45. It is a youth club for young people in their teens, with other young people in their twenties and thirties acting as coaches.
A few of our teenagers have moved on since last June, but we have also had the pleasure of getting to know at least five new members too. More and more the It Club is becoming a youth group which is about being together and sharing life together, rather than activities and lesson plans. We focus our efforts on coming alongside the young people and befriending them, sharing their concerns and interests. In our weekly times of discussion and devotion (‘sharing times’) we seek to explore the Christian life together as individuals who are all on a journey seeking to follow Jesus whether in high school, college, university, full time work or wherever!
In January we started developing guidelines for our ‘sharing times’ with the Bristo theme of ‘Journey’ in mind. Our aim was to incorporate the ideas of ‘developing’, ‘liberating’ and ‘anticipating’ into each session. The result has been ‘Meet Pete’, a series of Bible studies designed by our group of coaches, following the life journey of Simon Peter after he met Jesus. During the course of this series the group has reflected together on how these themes interact with our lives today.

Highlights of the It Club calendar have included:

· An Australian Christmas Party!
· Our Russian evening
· An Easter Special. This was a first for us, including a short service put on by the group, followed by Egg painting, Egg rolling and a fellowship meal (with an omelet of course!)
· trips to Laser Quest, Murrayfield Ice Rink and MegaBowl

We have noticed positive effects on It Club members from outwith the church family over recent months, including young people expressing:

· changes in perspective;
· appreciation at being provoked to think about ‘God stuff’;
· increased interest in the Bible
· enthusiasm for prayer and discussion

Encounter

Encounter is a small group for 14 – 19 year olds meeting during the evening service on Sundays. It is distinguished from It Club, by being an environment primarily of Bible study, discussion, meditation and prayer. Recently we have been following the Bible passages set by the Sunday services.

Last year we reported a steady drop in attendance at Encounter. Numbers this year have continued to dwindle to an average of 2.5 per meeting! In response to this seeming crisis of attendance, we reviewed our approach to Encounter. In doing so, we realized that we still find value in providing even such a small group of young people with an environment where they can find guidance and support at this key point in their young lives.

After running Encounter with just David Purves and Matt acting as coaches during the autumn, we were glad to welcome Tanya who presence has greatly enhanced the group. In particular we appreciate her developing friendship with Lena.

Coaches

A ‘coach’ is an adult who provides guidance and support for the young people in Encounter and It Club. Becoming a coach means making a commitment to friendship with the young people; to listen, to encourage, to advise and to inspire them towards growth in Christ.
I want to note that Adam in particular has shown growth as both a young adult and a helper in the It Club. He is reliably punctual and faithful in his commitments.

David Purves has been a real asset as an intern helping with the youth work this year due to his willingness and his commitment as well as his faithful friendship to Adam in particular. David will be leaving us this autumn to pursue his theology degree.

Katy Cracknell has also been a real asset to the group over the short time she has been with us. Her enthusiastic service and ability to relate well (especially to the teenage girls) has been greatly appreciated. Katy left at the end of June to pursue a teaching qualification back home in Australia.

Special mention also goes to Sveta Kostrikina Barclay, whose continued willingness to step in and help on occasions when we need cover or extra support is always appreciated.
We will miss both David and Katy this autumn. Please join us in thanking them for their service and in prayer for their continued growth and development in the paths God is calling them to in Christ.

Please also pray that as a congregation we will have the wisdom to discern those adults whom God will provide to meet the needs in It Club and Encounter in the coming year. We are always looking out for female coaches. There are 15 teenagers attending It Club as it continues to grow, and over half of these are young girls. Ask the Lord of the Harvest that he will send workers into his harvest field. The field is his, the fruit is his and the labour is too!

Matt Baines

Property Group Report

2009-07-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Bristo Property Group, which comprises Stuart Rendle, Brian Wilson, Robert Mill and Craig Smith, meets regularly once a month to discuss and progress items of maintenance on the Bristo building.

Over the year the group has organised and overseen the following tasks:
· Repair of the Manse chimneys
· Replacement of the Flat Combi boiler which was around 25 years old
· Repair of and upgrade to the plumbing feeding in and out of the Baptistry
· Arranged for regular annual testing of electrical appliances within Bristo
· Actioned recommendations following a Health and Safety inspection of the kitchens by Edinburgh Council
· Clearing out unused junk, organising cupboards and compiling inventories of equipment (carried out by Brian Wilson)

Craig Smith

Care Van Report

2009-07-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Bristo Care Van team goes out regularly on the first Saturday of each month to serve rolls and teas / coffees / soups to the people on the streets around the city centre.

Looking back it’s possible to see a number of trends over the years: for instance over the last two years there has been a significant presence, off and on, of Eastern Europeans coming to the van. We at Bristo are blessed in having a multilingual congregation, and it’s been great to have folk in the team able to speak to these people in their own languages.

Another trend which I’ve only recently become aware of is how much more, compared to any previous time, service users have voiced appreciation about the work of the van; and I believe that this appreciation is as much to do with the regularity and dependability of the service being offered, as it is the service itself.

As an example, on the last Bristo van, in July, a service user’s son came and thanked us for effectively being a lifeline to his father over his period on the streets. Again there was this underlying sense that he meant ‘my dad depended on you every day and you didn’t let him down’.

I believe this faithfulness and consistency of witness is an important part of what the Lord calls his church to.

I think I speak for the whole Bristo team in saying that it is a privilege being involved in this work of God in Edinburgh.

Craig Smith

Can we SIMPLIFY our lives?

2009-07-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

For some years now we as a church have had much teaching based around the Nazareth Manifesto (Luke 4: 18, 19) and similar passages. But, just how much are we putting this into our corporate church life and into our personal lives?

In the current issue of IDEA Magazine published by the Evangelical Alliance, there is a challenging article titled “Choosing to spend less”. It gives details of one church’s journey along the road the Nazareth Manifesto is calling them to follow. It’s Southampton Vineyard, and they even refer to the passage as the Nazareth Manifesto on their website (http://www.southamptonvineyard.org.uk/Jubilee2009.htm). They are challenging their members to simplify their lives from clutter. They are suggesting that their members voluntarily give up, for a month at a time, such things as TV, the internet, and supermarket shopping, and using only public transport instead of private. Those are just some ideas and no doubt you can think of others.

In February, as part of a ‘Jubilee 2009’ series of activities, they chose to spend less in order to identify with the poor. They decided to live as if receiving benefits for a whole month. In so doing they discovered what it really meant to live simply, ethically and generously. They signed up to donate leftover money to a selection of local and international charities. As a result over £23,000 was raised, over and above regular giving to the church, and this was given away.

Southampton Vineyard’s example has challenged the Evangelical Alliance to encourage churches and individuals to take place in Simplify, which is a practical outworking of the Alliance’s Square Mile campaign. Simplify asks us to take a fresh look at our lifestyles, priorities and purchases, at the stuff we collect and what the word need really means. At the same time, it prompts us to be generous and practically show our solidarity with people who are all too familiar with need.
The initiative, part of the Evangelical Alliance’s Life Beyond Debt campaign, aims to stimulate Christians across the UK to live on the same amount of money they would receive if they were on benefits for one month, giving any excess money to charity.

We in Bristo try to take the Nazareth Manifesto seriously. Can we, therefore, rise to this challenge from the Evangelical Alliance? More details will be available from the Alliance in October. Meanwhile, read the article in IDEA and click on ‘Simplify’ in the Campaigns section of the Alliance web site and read what’s there at present. And then start praying and thinking about what we can do. Perhaps we too can ‘simplify’ our lives by spending less and giving more to those on the Father heart of God.

Robert Mill

Back from Africa MERCY

2009-07-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here is Pamela’s last despatch from the Africa Mercy ship, sent von 24 June. As you will see, she is now back in the UK.—Editor
Thank you everyone for thinking of me my whole time here on the ship. It has been more than helpful to know this. At first I was unsure how I would settle into this environment but after being here longer and thanks to the grace of God, I have made a few amazing friends. Jane has been such a great friend and I am going to miss her so, so much. It’s not often you go on a mission trip and find someone who is a farmer and knows what a Deutz Fahr is!! [It’s a kind of tractor -- Ed.] Becky is another girl I will miss so much, from Somerset and the craic we have had was fantastic... we can hardly look at each other without laughing or finding something hilarious in our everyday surroundings and she has had many a drama in which we can laugh about now.
As I’m down to my final week, I am trying to get myself ready for leaving. It will soon be me walking down the gangway next Sunday night and doing the usual leaving ritual.
I had a lazy weekend past as we had a heavy night on Friday, we had a patient for VVF who the surgeons worked with for 9 hours. I scrubbed in around 4.30 p.m., we worked till 7 but the surgeons were having real difficulty with closing the fistula, long story short, but the surgeons had to leave to get their flight, they left no time to spare at all. They were devastated they could not fix her and we were all emotional. Doctor Jose came in and assessed the situation again and so we worked till 10.30 p.m. trying to fix her. Much to our delight Dr Jose did a great job and we recovered her and she is doing well. Everyone worked hard and we thought that the patient was leaking urine into her abdomen and so we thought we were in a losing battle on that one. But as we discovered her urethras which take urine to the bladder from the kidneys were still intact and functioning but the hole in the bladder was difficult to retrieve and fix. It was managed and we left that night feeling very satisfied. Knocked me for six the next day though and I spent most of it, lying around the ship not doing very much.
Today we had the great opportunity to do the VVF screening with the new surgeons who have arrived. It took me around 40 minutes to get a history from the patient as it had to be translated up to 3 times before we could understand each other. Successful day though all in all and we look forward to seeing these ladies come in to us in the next two weeks (oh I will only be here for one of them.. ) but hopefully having them healed! After that I found two playmates and we played footie together.
Margreet and I are having our goodbye dinner tomorrow night and altogether we have thirty people coming. It’s really nice to know that people are coming and spending the evening with us, or maybe it’s just that they will be celebrating the fact that we are going! I feel as though I have a lot to do before I come home, my list is getting longer and I wanted it to be a stress free week oh well!
For most of you, I will see you next week! and for the others I will see you soon after that, with a trip to the weegie land and Manchester in the next coming month I’m sure I will cover most bases.
Very sad to be leaving here but I really look forward to seeing you all again.

Pamela Graham

Bristo Magazine May / June 2009

2009-05-21T04:56:00.001-07:00

We had the privilege of welcoming a team from our sister church in Lom, Bulgaria, for a week. We have been partnered with this congregation for seven years, and have had teams go to Lom from Bristo every year. The pastor and his wife, Stoicho and Yura, visited with two deacons from the church, Rosa and Goritsa. They visited around some of our Cell Groups and met people at our International Club, as well as preaching and sharing at our Sunday services. We hope to have a team go to Lom again in the early part of 2010.

From the editor

2009-05-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Keeping pace. As some of you probably know I have always been a fast walker. When I was younger my parents and I would go on walks together. Especially as they grew older, Dad and especially Mum found it hard to keep up. So, even though we may have started out walking together side by side, I would end up many yards in front of Dad and Mum would be many yards behind him. What started out as a family walk together would end up as individuals walking alone most of the time, though every so often we would stop and let the others catch up.
This illustrates how our walk with God, our journey with Him, should not be. We cannot be relational if we are always journeying at different speeds because we end up either falling behind or running on too far ahead. Paul wrote, “let us keep in step with the Spirit”. So we mustn’t go on ahead of Him, nor fall behind. Let us keep pace to have a better, more relational journey.

Robert Mill

From the pastor

2009-05-21T04:51:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5.25)

Isn’t it ironic that, despite all the technological advances, life gets busier and busier? We fill the time we save on some activities by adding extra ones to our schedules. And get more stressed in the process! There’s lessons to learn from this. For one thing, we live in an ‘information overload’ society: we can see that most people don’t want information constantly pushed at them. They have too much. But quality relationships are less, and people are more isolated and lonely than ever.

What are the implications of this for us as Christians, both in our own lives and as church together? Well, we all need to recognise that sharing the Gospel these days is not so much about sharing information as it is about sharing ourselves. Relationships matter. This is true for us in being church together as well as in relationships with family, colleagues, neighbours and friends. We need to find time for people. And then we’ll find that people will begin to have time for Jesus.
But because of the pressures of competing interests and demands, we also need to plan the use of our time and energy. To do this, we should try and develop a sense of perspective of what it is that really matters for us, and also what we should persevere with. In an ‘instant’ society, it’s too easy to give up when we don’t get quick results. And that doesn’t fit with Christian living that prioritises relationships. Relational building takes a lot of time and energy; but when that leads to positive change in the lives of others, then it is worth it. So prioritising and persevering are really important.

As we come into summer, take time to reappraise what you’re about. Look at relationships. Get into step with Jesus. And find time for developing friendships, old and new.

In His love,
Jim

Treasurer's Report

2009-05-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing ever seems to run completely smoothly. Last year’s accounts are still a work in progress, though I now finally have access to all the bank statements I need to confirm all our income and expenditure for last year, both to meet requirements of exactly what to include in the accounts, and to meet the requirements of our accounts inspector. I’ve also managed to file all the Tax returns to HMRC for last year, so this is a big weight off my shoulders.
The diaconate has discussed a preliminary budget, and that needs to be refined into a proper proposal to be presented to the church AGM. The main difference between this year’s and last year’s budget is that we’re not proposing to have to spend nearly £20,000 on building repairs and maintenance. We’ll have to spend a bit more on some bills (in particular gas bills are expected to rise again!), but if we manage to keep our weekly offerings on the same level as last year (nearly £1400 per week including special offerings) this should allow us to start to replace some of our reserves that we’ve eaten into over the last three years through doing essential building maintenance. Once we get back into the black then we can start to consider how best to invest in the kind of work we wish to support as a church, rather than spending on things we have to do just to keep going.
In a couple of months in my magazine article I’ll present the budget and give an indication of how well we’re progressing this year.
As many of you will realise I’m standing for re-election as a Deacon this year, and I’m looking forward, if re-elected, to continuing in service as Deacon and Treasurer. The learning curve for being treasurer has been steep ... and continues, particularly because regulations change all the time ... but I think, at last I’m getting close to understanding the role, and how I need to record things to make the reporting easier.
Paul Watson

Births - congratulations!

2009-05-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Natalia Gladwin on the birth of their son Lucas on Monday 23rd March 2009 - a baby sister for Eva.
Jim & Linda Allison’s daughter Laura and her husband John-Paul on the birth of their daughter Rachael (pictured) on 18 April, a second grandchild for Jim and Linda.
Also belated congratulations to Sharon Tate on the birth of her daughter Zara in February, second grandchild for Jess.

Sheila Knight

2009-05-21T04:45:00.000-07:00

Sheila Knight passed away on Palm Sunday, 5th April 2009 after a prolonged period of illness. Sheila and her husband Alan used to be active members of Bristo and although latterly they have been members of Granton Baptist Sheila nevertheless enjoyed coming to our evening services, albeit with great difficulty towards the end. Sheila was Bristo’s Sunday School Superintendent for some years. She is survived by her husband Alan, her two daughters Susan and Sally and their families. We extend our sympathy to all of them.

News from Baptist Union & Evangelical Alliance

2009-05-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

The Evangelical Alliance has appointed a new General Director, Steve Clifford, who took up his post in April. He is a gifted leader and visionary with a passion for mission through the local church. He has also served the Alliance as a Council and Board member for a few years so is well known in the organisation. You can read an interview with Steve in the March/April issue of Idea available by the notice board.
Rev Bill Slack, General Director of the Baptist Union of Scotland, has accepted a unanimous call to the pastorate of the Culduthel Church in Inverness and will take up that appointment at the end of June. Bill has led the Union for fourteen years during a period of considerable change and has also represented Scottish Baptists in the European Baptist Federation and Baptist World Alliance. Our prayers and good wishes go with Bill and his wife, Vivienne, as they begin this new ministry.
This year’s Baptist Union Assembly will take place from Thursday 29 October to Saturday 31 October in Queen’s Park Baptist Church Glasgow. The theme is Punching Holes in the Darkness. Among the speakers is Rev Dr David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance. Further information is available from the website www.baptistassemblyinscotland.org
Christine Lumsden

Book Review

2009-05-21T04:43:00.000-07:00

Giving Hope and a Future: Bethany Christian Trust The first 25 years by Anne E Berry (Christian Focus 2009)
It hardly seems possible to those of us who remember its beginnings that ‘Bethany’ is 25 years old. To mark this significant anniversary Anne Berry, wife of the Trust’s founder, Rev Alan Berry, has recorded its history. As one might expect, the book is written from an insider’s point of view. We learn of the personal struggles in the early days as Alan faced up to God’s call for him to concentrate full-time on work among the homeless, which hitherto he had combined with his pastorate in South Leith. A knock on the door or a telephone call from someone seeking his help to find accommodation sparked the whole process which is now a complex enterprise. From the immediate area of the church Bethany has extended beyond the city boundary to the Lothians and Fife.
The story is told on the basis of Bethany’s ‘Seven Levels of Care’ from street work, specialist ministries, training for employment and education. Failures as well as successes are recorded, sorrows as well as joys. Throughout, however, we are aware of the work of the Holy Spirit as lives are changed. It is also a story of complete trust in the Lord who provides for their needs to an unimaginable degree. This is an inspiration and a challenge to us. As Anne writes in her introduction to the book:
God has done some wonderful things. But principally this is the story of what can happen when an extraordinary God shares an idea with ordinary people who decide to act upon it. In a different context therefore IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU. (p. 10)
Copies are available from Bethany’s new offices at 65 Bonnington Road Leith.
Christine Lumsden

Reflections on a journey

2009-05-21T04:41:00.000-07:00

God sees each of us as precious and unique individuals, so no one journey will be exactly the same as another. As I look back on thirty years as a committed believer, I can now see more clearly the subtle ways in which the Lord has touched my life and led me closer and closer to the ultimate perfection we are promised. I hasten to add that I cannot recognise in me much of this perfection at present, but we have to stand on God’s promises for everything that we hope for, and trust that it is happening and will happen.
When I was a new Christian I was completely blown over by the change it made in my life. So many things that had just been words and ideas suddenly became real. The world was in heightened colour and I had for the first time a real purpose in my life. For quite a long period I lived for signs, wonders, divine encounters, miracles. When I look back now or read old diaries I wonder how much of it all was imagination.
I was fortunate to be living in the Middle East at the time, a society where belief in God is normal and dreams and visions relatively commonplace. There was very little to do outside of work – with limited access to films and books or any of the often pointless activities which fill our time nowadays. My main social life was with other evangelical Christians and my local friends, also mainly Christians. Actually, I was afraid to move too far from Christians, as I knew myself to be a person who naturally flits from one thing to another. (I still do as far as worldly interests are concerned). As I had dropped most other things I had begun, I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to keep this new way of life up.
I think that what kept me going for the first ten years was my almost addictive enthusiasm for the Bible. I now believe strongly that to follow Jesus one must know something of the mind of God. King Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1 :7). One so often finds oneself in situations where there may not be a specific Bible passage to lead one in the right path, and in this case spiritual discernment is necessary. The Lord gave me the time at a crucial stage in my Christian path to prayerfully study the Scripture on a daily basis without the pressure of time that we all feel now. I put the emphasis on “prayerfully”, as we are dealing with a holy God who must be approached with reverence. God also sent me many people, some of whom I have almost forgotten, to keep me on the right path and strengthen my weak faith. I particularly thank Him for the Indians, Ethiopians and, yes, Americans, in an expatriate environment where the British Christians were few and far between. For example, an Armenian Christian said to me once, “Have you heard about being crucified with Christ?” I said that I had, but didn’t really understand it, so she gave me a photocopy from a book by Watchman Nee, who was an inspiration for me for many years afterwards. (It is still a difficult concept, I feel).
However, now I look back over the years I see that at that early stage I was, in the words of our pastor Jim, a bit of a Christian consumer. One could see it as a way of filling my time in an exciting and social way. I did my best to help people and do “good works”, but Jesus was more God than Man to me, and I cannot remember the churches I attended stressing anything other than getting people converted by convincing them to “commit their lives to Jesus”. I started to rethink this long before coming to Bristo, as my reading of the Bible suggested to me that there was something wrong in the teaching we were receiving. As a rather intellectual person, one of the things that God showed me over this time was that the Holy Spirit can lead any of us to the truth through the Word. Natural intellect is not the point here – rather it is the childlike approach and the worshipful openness of the seeker.

Only since retiring have I really understood that God wants to mould us into people who model the life of Jesus, so that we express the Father’s character and purpose. As the prophet Micah said, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6: 8). I probably missed this earlier because it was always my inclination in my old worldly life to fight for justice and help the poor, but in a political and abstract rather than “hands-on” way. As I get older, however, and have access to fewer people, I struggle with this, especially when our pastor keeps telling us that being a Christian is all about relationships. Relationships are very hard to establish in our post-modern post-Christian society, especially for a natural loner like myself who spent much of my life abroad.
I must admit that the early excitement and freshness has never really. returned, but I am much more rooted now in my faith and certain of the presence of God in my life. I believe that at all stages the Lord meets us where we are, and provides all we need according to the level of our vulnerability. When I was a young Christian he shook me up considerably because my defences needed to be broken down. He gave me many gifts such as answers to prayer, divine appointments and amazing Christians at every early step. He allowed me a long breathing space before seriously testing me. Now, after many subsequent twists and turns, I know that all I have is the Lord, and without him I would be utterly lost. I have a feeling in my bones, as it were, that he is there. I know that he is constantly with me and that if this were not so, there would be no purpose in life for me.
I believe strongly that there can be no happiness for a follower of Jesus – we only have to look around us to see the present condition of a world that God created and at its creation proclaimed to be good. We would be completely hard-hearted if we blocked out the decay and suffering around us. There are very few references to happiness in the Bible (but cf. Ecclesiastes 2: 26), and no one has a right to it. However, “joy in the Lord” should be always with us, and I think I can say that from the day I first encountered Jesus I have experienced a deep contentment that I could never have received otherwise, and certainly did not receive from anything available in the world.
Gill Schärer

News from Joshus & Doreen

2009-05-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

Good day! It has been a while so I thought it good to send you a quick update about Doreen and I, because now that graduation is coming up, we are looking to get involved with churches in the western US. But as of right now we do not have any certain plans because Doreen has some classes to finish that get over at the end of July, so we will be at Joplin a little longer. We are expecting our first child into our family this Nov-Dec. We are very excited about that and about discovering future plans. We miss you a lot, and often catch ourselves reminiscing about the time we spent with the church family there. It was such a great year to grow and learn, and we are so thankful to have been there.
We love you guys,
Joshua Williamson

More News from Africa Mercy

2009-05-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

Here are Pamela Graham’s latest emails from the Mercy Ship Africa Mercy in Benin. She received a needle stick injury on 2nd April; her two emails about that, dated 2 and 27 April, follow her more general one below.
18 April
Things are going fine here, after the initial shock to the system of this alien environment I have settled in. General routine begins with breakfast at 6.30, devotions at 7.30 and work at 8. Normal working day seems to be from 8 till when you get finished, and on call around twice a week. The weather is still very hot and sunny with a few days of rain but the rainy season is due to start any time now and so our days of the sun are now numbered.
I’ve made my way round most of the theatres now, which includes eyes, general, VVF, max facs and ortho. Ortho is interesting here, many bowed legs and club feet. So easy to fix, well, it looks so easy, we’ve been putting in 8 plates onto the lateral (outside) side of the femoral condyles which stop growth on that side, this lets the bone grow on the medial (inside) side. Over a period of a year the leg will straighten out. It already looks great by the time they leave theatre. Lots of club feet too, and it seems like a simple enough operation, I’m not saying I could do it, but the outcome is amazing for what happens under the knife and the children wake up with a completely new life ahead. The surgeons seems to enjoy teaching, you just don’t get the chance to write everything down, it is so evident though that surgery is only a part of the massive need here.
There are set meal times on board so if you miss it ... you’ve had it. It also means that if you choose to lie on Saturday and Sunday morning you don’t get anything to eat until your evening meal and for me this is too long! You can buy snacks from the ship’s shop which is not open at the weekend so you have to be prepared if you know there is a chance you might sleep in, you have to get food to keep you going. The only problem is the supplies in the shop are all American, namely biscuits and the rubbish stuff they call candy and I’m trying to stay away from it. Biscuits and a jumbo pack of M & M’s chocolate for breakfast ... eh thanks but I’ll pass. One problem I am encountering, the peanut butter here is good and I’m eating too much and becoming ‘cuddly’ as one of the anaesthetists like to call it, in other words, fat! Resistance is futile, please pray.
We had to abandon a VVF repair a few weeks ago which was the first time I have been in an op where we have decided to do that. The tear in the bladder wall was too high to repair and we stood for hours before it was decided nothing more could be done. We are hoping to refer the lady to another surgeon who can repair the fistula abdominally which will depend on when they happen to come along. I was quite upset by that, just to think that this lady would wake up to be told that it didn’t work. She probably had to move heaven and earth to get to the ship in the first place and probably as her last chance of hope. This is definitely the area where I feel most for the patients, this condition has been such an eye opener and there are so many factors that would have to change to make these stillborn babies live, and for the mothers to deliver safely but ultimately what would save this disaster is a simple Caesarean section.
The doctor who has been serving here on the ship for VVF has worked in Ethiopia for years dealing with the dilemma there. One of the major problems there is that the terrain is so treacherous with valleys and steep hills, that it makes it almost impossible for a woman to get herself to the hospital, and most of the time they are solely responsible for getting themselves there as the husbands don’t really see it as their job, or particularly care. We were seeing to a woman who had suffered with leaking urine for five years and she was the same age as me. When the doctor
investigated he found a stone sitting in her birth canal. I may have told this story before but it has been one of the biggest things so far. If you don’t like medical stories don’t read the next sentence. When we took out the stone it was in fact the baby’s skull which had been there from five years ago. The lady in question did eventually have a Caesarean section but because it was still born they took the baby out of the womb in parts and left the head in there. Quite disturbing.
I live in a very varied and cultured environment but with only two Northern Irish folk we are thin on the ground. There are over 40 nationalities serving on board I’m told. The predominant nationality is definitely American. The next most predominant would be Dutch. I have spoken with people from Ireland, UK, Norway, Sweden (whom I really like), Holland, Germany, Austria, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada and America to name a few. There are also African people serving on board from Togo, Nigeria and Ghana and lots of other places.
There is quite a varied schedule with things happening most evenings. Aerobics on a Monday night, in house teaching on Wednesday and option for bible study on Daniel in the evenings; Thursday night is the main community meeting with ice cream served after while Friday and Saturday nights are usually chill out nights with whatever going on. You can go out to eat at the restaurants in the area. I have been to a few and have been impressed, except for the bicycle chicken which I have been served on a few occasions, which had less meat on it than a budgie’s leg.
Starbucks is usually open most evenings although I have decided not to partake in Starbucks or to over-indulge in the goodies. I need a reminder of where I am and when you have all these indulgences around you just become de-sensitised to your surroundings. I don’t feel good when some of the day volunteers (people from Benin who come in to help on ship, translating) walk around and see all the ‘stuff’ we have here when they have to go back to their homes in the city which are predominantly shacks. There is something wrong with that in my head and although its not a big sacrifice it is a reminder of the purpose and point of why I am here.
It is difficult to get your head around the fact I am still living in my western culture on this ship and yet outside on the dock is poverty like I have never seen it. I went to a stilt village the first week I was here and was shocked by what I saw, it’s hard to describe, these children have a fascination with pens, all they wanted were pens or chewing gum and I didn’t have either. These shacks for houses hovered on stilts in water. The water was about 3 feet deep but they went everywhere in the village in canoes, like a Venice except it wasn’t like Venice at all! I’m sure the water was typhoid rich and I really didn’t fancy falling out of the boat. There was nothing there but shacks on stilts in the middle of nowhere, secluded from civilisation.
Had to move the ship at the weekend to refuel. We successfully took on 700 tonnes of oil and moved back to our original dock space this morning. As I didn’t get to sail with the ship this has been my first experience and it was great. All very formal and structured. The gangway was lifted last and we knew we were on our way shortly after that. The tug boat came and pulled us out from both sides and guided us out of the tight space and soon we were sailing to the other side of the dock. The tug then literally nose pushes the ship into the side. Very interesting and we tie up.
Been having a few good days of riddle telling which started in theatre with Dr Parker, we told riddles for a few hours which has now spread to midship and I’m still hearing them. Gets the mind working and sometimes there is only so much you can do on a ship!

2 April
So despite praying against needle stick injuries, you have guessed it. I got one today and didn’t think anything of it as it didn’t pierce my glove. but, have found out some horrible news about the patient that I cannot bring myself to say it but I will let you come up with the answer. I have had blood taken and have started anti-retroviral drugs but I’m really scared and all I want to do is come home.
I will see the doc in the morning and he can tell me the outcome. People tell me the rate of getting it is slim but they also said the chance of any of these children having it was slim and one of them does and look what happened.
27 April
I want to thank you for praying for me as I think it has been the only thing that has kept me calm through this situation.
Most recent news is that I will go for another blood test either this week or in two weeks’ time. They are questioning if it should be 4 or 6 weeks after the event. It’s to give more of an idea of what is going on in my blood, although I won’t be able to tell much until at least three months. If anything was going to be there it should show by three months. So, hopefully I will get this three month blood test a few days before I come home, around the 25th June. I’m hoping they will do it for me here and not send me home to get it which would be a nightmare trying to explain it at the Health Centre, especially the one I am registered with, who don’t do communication that well.
I had a bad day on Friday and have decided I cannot scrub anymore, it’s not worth the fear. I am circulating in the OR and even that can bring anxiety on. I was thinking about trying to find something else to do for the next two months, some admin things, however there doesn’t seem to be a space for that just now and we are so short of OR nurses that it would seem wrong to escape the responsibility.
There has been another nurse who has got one also. She is 72 years old, long since retired and devastated also. The medication is tough on her also but she is still on it, whereas I came off my mine. Needle- sticks have never happened on the ship before apparently, but since arriving in Benin there have 18 incidents and we have only been here for 9 weeks. It’s scary. Benin is very dark, it’s the home of voodoo. People practise Christianity and voodoo very interchangeably.
Wanted to keep you posted and if you could remember me in the next while.
Thank you sincerely everyone
Pamela Graham

STEPPING OUT - Bristo Magazine Easter 2009

2009-03-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

Johanna, daughter of Daniella and Jason, was dedicated in Bristo on Sunday 8th March (pictured left, dressed for the occasion). Pray for her as she steps out in life.

Both daughters of David and Pat Paton (now in Rothesay) have had babies in recent weeks, most recently Emma Jane, born to Jane on 11th February.

Finally, in the Mill household, Crystal gave birth to five kittens on Wednesday 11th March, her second litter! Pictured at right, one-and-a-half days old.

From the Editor

2009-03-13T04:25:00.000-07:00

Stepping out. Into the unknown. Away from our comfort zone. It’s something that takes most of us a bit of courage. Courage that many of us don’t have—or, more correctly, don’t realise that we have.

In this issue you’ll read a long piece from one of our number, Pamela, who has left her comfort zone and stepped out on to the Mercy Ship, Africa Mercy, to literally bring healing to people and recovery of sight to the blind (Luke 4:19).

There’s also an announcement regarding the forthcoming election of deacons. Not something just to be dismissed, but to be prayed over. Maybe God is calling you, if you are a member, to step out in faith and consider being part of the leadership team?

We all need to step out sometimes. Stepping out into the outdoors means you breathe in God’s fresh air, enjoy new experiences. It’s the same in our Christian lives. Step out now!

Robert Mill

Pastor's Letter

2009-03-13T04:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Death & Resurrection

Spring is upon us! This is an exciting time of year, when fresh earth, growth and anticipation of summer fills our senses. And it also an important time for us as a congregation. We are part of the living body of Christ on earth. We are enabled and sustained by the Spirit of God. We have a growing ministry team, with new interns to come this summer, as well as new Cell groups. We are touching and reaching out to the lives of more people. God is at work among us.
It is fitting that in this season of Lent, as we approach Easter, we are reminded that our Christian life is a journey. A journey moving forward, into new and unfamiliar territory. Stepping out!

This is clearly seen in our initiatives in redeveloping our building premises to make our facilities fit for purpose and our future witness in the Gospel. Over the last 15 years, and especially in recent months, my own perception of what we need has grown steadily clearer. The developing vision of being a baptistic baptist church, which we are growing in, has been a major factor. I am now fully persuaded that our present building and its design is no longer fit for purpose in pursuing this vision. What we need is a simple facility where we can centralise congregational activities, administration and ministry base. Which can serve Cell groups committed to Christ-like ministry all over Edinburgh and beyond.

As you will see from elsewhere in this magazine, the advice we have received in pursuing the path for redevelopment of our buildings is that we seek to determine their market value. I fully welcome this. And indeed, if it means that we sell and take time to move elsewhere, then so be it. We, at Bristo, have done this before! And this may well be the way that the Lord is leading us in now.

What matters is not the style or location of the buildings we use, but what we use them for. A place to gather for congregational activity that reaches out in a Jesus-way. A place where we can grow as a congregation that is Christ-centred, Christ serving and Christ-following. Reaching out to touch the poor and the foreigner in our midst. Offering people the touch of God’s Peace and an invitation to a different way and vision of living. More emphasis on being sincerely ‘Saviour following’ than simply ‘Seeker friendly’! These are the things that matter.

So let us step out. There will be those who are scared. There will be those who want to go back to old securities, no matter how useless. There will be those who have no vision at all! But let those who see Christ’s way lead in the path forward, inviting and encouraging the others along. Confident that God is with those who follow the difficult and costly way of self-sacrifice in the name of Jesus Christ.

In His love,

Jim

Treasurer's Report

2009-03-13T04:16:00.000-07:00

It’s nearly the end of the financial year for us at Bristo. I’m quite busy now making sure that everything that has to come out of our accounts in this financial year is paid, and with enough time for the cheque to clear. I’ve also got to ensure all the documentation is in place to allow me to complete the accounts, and to satisfy the auditor ... and for this year this means chasing up a few missing bank statements from one of our bank accounts. I then have to prepare to file the Employers Tax Return, and do all the things necessary to keep the Inland Revenue happy ... though I must say they’re a lot easier to deal with than I expected, and their online software to help me file a return is excellent.

It can’t be a treasurer’s report without a few numbers ... so I’d like to give an indication of how much a month it currently costs to “run a church” ...

What we need to spend money on each month

Ministers Stipend and other costs (pension, tax etc)
2460

Energy costs (church and church flat, not the manse)
521

Council Tax for manse (2838 / 12)
236

Insurance (3706/12)
308

Telephone (and Broadband internet)
80

Sundries / Extras
125

Subscriptions—Baptist Union of Scotland, Evangelical Alliance etc (3039/12)
253

TOTAL
3983

As you can see we need to raise almost £1000 each week to cover our essential costs ... This year we have met, and exceeded our budgeted target. We have unfortunately overspent and have had to eat into our general reserves again, but the overspend has primarily been on additional essential repair work, with the manse needing more work (including the collapse of a plaster ceiling) and other things being done in the church (the heating pumps failing in church – remember that very cold Sunday). If we can keep repairs and maintenance costs down next year, and if we can keep our income at the same level, then this should give us the opportunity to recover some of the extra money we have spent over the last few years.

Thanks for reading this,
Paul Watson

HEALING SPACE

2009-03-13T04:14:00.000-07:00

We commence a new area of ministry, which we are offering to members of the public, beginning after Easter. Please remember this in your prayers. Information leaflets for church members to distribute will be made available after Easter. More details on http://healingspacebristo.blogspot.com/

Meeting Point

2009-03-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Thursday morning cell group feel led to reach out to older people and are praying about starting something in September. A questionnaire has been circulated to gather ideas as to what sort of thing we might do. We are thinking along the lines of a weekly daytime meeting point in the church for social, craft, quiz, musical activities etc. Please pray about whether you can help as there are not enough of us to start something alone. We would also welcome suggestions as to what we would fill a need in the community and draw people in. Please contact Rosemary Mitchell (312 6584) or Andrea Mill (476 3938) if you have ideas or can help.

Andrea Mill

CHURCH PREMISES DEVELOPMENT

2009-03-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

There has been little further activity since we had an outline sketch from 3D Architects showing one possible redesign of the church site incorporating a new church centre, private flats and socially affordable flats. The deacons agreed in December that the church development group should test the feasibility of this option as well as looking at the viability of selling the whole site and moving somewhere else.

3D offered to check out the views of the planning department and we have been waiting for them to have a meeting. It finally took place towards the end of February and the planners were not in favour of us either demolishing and rebuilding as per the outline plan or selling the site. Although this appears to be a huge obstacle they are open to further discussions but it is likely that negotiations will take a long time and require a lot of effort from us and 3D.

The next step is for the church development group to meet with the architects to consider the way forward and there will be further communication once that meeting has taken place.

In the meantime, please do keep praying as we need to discern the will of God together. It is not about getting what any one person wants and there are bound to be disagreements along the way. So please keep talking and feeding questions and comments to the deacons. The devil will seek to divide us over this so we must be on our guard and ensure that we have healthy discussions out in the open as we lovingly work out as the body of Christ how our buildings can serve the purposes of the Lord in the 21st century.

Andrea Mill

Annual election of church deacons

2009-03-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

We are coming to a point in the year when we ask for nominations, from among the members of the church, for election as deacons. Deacons serve the church as an executive group, handling the ongoing running and maintenance of the congregation’s fabric and buildings, and financial responsibilities. They also work with the pastor in providing an environment for testing and exploring how we might better serve God together as a whole congregation.

The term ‘deacon’ comes from the New Testament. It means ‘a servant’. Because of our understanding of Christian life as a life of service. Those elected as deacons to the congregation should be from among those members who have demonstrated their willingness to serve and also to work as part of a team. They should be people who are serious about being disciples. Their lives should demonstrate sincerity in seeking to walk the path of holiness to Christ. They should be people who are team players, committed to being Christ-centred, to communal discerning of God’s will and to encouraging others, as well as seeking themselves, towards growing into mature Christian disciples.

One of our deacons, Christine Lumsden, will be standing down at this summer’s AGM, after many years of continuous service. We thank her sincerely for her service. Now, we need to elect new deacons to add to those who presently serve. Please find out more from or give nominations for election to myself or any of the present deacons. Deacons serve for three years. Anyone in full membership can nominate another in full membership, who is regularly attending and committed to the life and witness of the Bristo congregation. Nominations must also be seconded by another full member.

Please think and pray. All nominations should be in by Sunday 3rd May, proposed and seconded by members with the explicit approval of the nominee. Ballot papers issued 10th May for return by 31st May.

Jim Purves

Pamela Graham on Mercy Ship

2009-03-13T03:54:00.000-07:00

Pamela Graham, who was part of the Bristo fellowship until a few months ago, has just started a short-term period of service on the Mercy Ship, Africa Mercy, which docked in Benin on 11th February and will remain there for ten months. Africa Mercy, a former rail ferry, is the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship and was deployed in 2007. It has six operating theatres and is capable of about 7000 surgical interventions per year. Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide. Since 1978, volunteers serving with Mercy Ships have had an impact on the lives of millions of people in the world’s poorest nations. Here Pamela gives her first impressions (taken from a couple of emails).

Well, I arrived on the ship late on Sunday night (1st March). The ship itself sailed from Tenerife to Benin in late January and arrived here mid Feb. It will stay here until Dec 10th when it will return to Tenerife. This particular outreach they are concentrating on accomplishing over 3000 cataract surgeries, among others. I have already seen such an extent of eye injuries that just would not be present in the UK. I started in theatre today. Most medical staff come and go on a regular basis due to work contract commitments however I will be here for four months and I hope this will give me time to get settled and know the place pretty well.
The basis of the ship is to reach out to the poorest of the poor. Currently Benin ranks 163rd poorest nation out of 177 according to the human poverty index. It isn’t evangelical in manner but aims to reach out by example, letting the people see the love of Jesus in action. Already we have helped so many people in the short time of being here and there are many more to do the same for.

Since I have only been here only a few days I haven’t even got off the ship yet but by looking out I can instantly see the deprivation here. Benin’s cultural and religious beliefs lie mostly with Muslim however there is a large impact of sorcery and witchcraft here also. During devotions this morning we touched a little bit on that in mentioning that the reality of it shouldn’t let us give the enemy power, so I go in grace!

It is great being here, although in many ways it is just like a westernised hospital, it was founded in the U.S and volunteers are mostly North American. The delicacies in the shop are American candy and we all know it’s rubbish. So in many ways, it has the same stresses and strains of our own hospitals which I am disappointed about but I hope that I will be able to rise above this and enjoy the time serving in the way I have been equipped and that He will use my experience and character to its very best. It is my hope that I will be able to build strong relationships here and get as much from the experience as I can or wherever it is God wants to take me or show me in this time.

Here is my first instalment of my life for the next four months. arrived safely in Benin last Sunday night, there is little time difference so I’m really glad I didn’t have jet lag on top of motion sickness. Have had it for a while now as the ship is rocking quite a bit. Apparently the wall at the dock is not a solid wall right down and so the sea sweeps in underneath hence rocking us. I have since got a transdermal patch for the sickness and it is working wonders!

Had orientation on Monday by the OR staff which went well and then started on Tuesday morning in OR 5 which is eyes. The aim of the outreach here in Benin this year is to reach a target of 3000 cataract surgeries by the time they leave. The doctors, Dr Glenn Strauss and Dr Ralph Crew, both from Texas, have been getting through them like a steam train!

Yesterday I went into max facs [maxillo-facial surgery] which was amazing, we removed a massive mandibular tumour. They removed the entire jaw but left the condyles which the titanium plate attached to and proceeded to attach all the muscles around the plate to stabilise and ensure the tongue was secured otherwise it would slip back as there is nothing to hold it in place when the airway would become obstructed which is the biggest concern for these type of patients. This patient’s biggest concern was that she may not be able to afford the trip back down to Cotonou for follow-up and so will return to her home not knowing the possible complications. There are apparently many people running around north Benin with their titanium plates on show as the skin around the jaw has shrunk back to its original state and the plate has protruded through the skin. Although I hear it doesn’t bother many people, they even decorate the jaw with earrings and such like to make it pretty!! Infection must not exist in Benin!

Cataracts are also very prevalent; however, we see these patients when they already cannot see. A few of us got to see the post op eye patients yesterday after their surgery 24 hours earlier. When the patch is removed they have a sight test. It’s great to see these people reading a letter chart so easily whereas the day before they were almost blind. It really is amazing and just to be a part of that is such a privilege. The disturbing thing is that normally patients such as these have no access to medical care and go blind, so the family will disregard them and stop feeding them, hence death by starvation. It happens a lot here I am told. They are seen as a non-productive person in the family and so the family can’t afford to keep them. But praise Him as He has helped many families travel a long distance to get their loved ones to a doctor.

Also had the chance to go to the ward today where a VVF [vesicovaginal fistula] patient was being discharged. They are usually very emotional and joyous events. It’s a very common complaint here. Due to the lack of obstetric care, a lot of women during labour rupture the birth canal and the bladder, forming a fistula. From here, they have no control over their bladder causing incontinence. The consequences are complete eradication from society; it is very distressing and many women consider suicide as their only cure. These women range from 13 upwards. From childbearing age they get married off and pregnant resulting in a still-birth in most cases and this horrific ordeal afterwards. There was a documentary we watched which was really helpful. A lot of girls from age 2 have to carry large water vessels which means they have stunted growth and their pelvis does not grow so that in pregnancy the baby cannot fit through the pelvis causing this rupturing. It really does ruin lives, being completely extradited means they live on the streets and, due to the heat, they carry the smell of urine around with them. They cannot go out of their homes if they have this condition and again are seen as a non productive person in the family; it’s even portrayed as a curse in some places. One girl who had VVF had been seen by a doctor a long time ago. As he could not help her, he wrote a note and told her to carry it with her. On it, it said “Please cure this woman”. This lady in question had been waiting at the bus stop for 6 years to get enough money to see another doctor. You will be pleased to hear that she continues to improve now. One of the gynae docs headed up to north Benin a few days ago to find VVF patients and bring them to the ship. He successfully found 19 patients and brought them all down here to Cotonou last evening. They were meant to stay in a hotel close by; however, they were not allowed in as they ‘smelled’ and so Dr Hosea stayed in the van with all of the women overnight to ensure their safety and support. The humbleness of many of the people serving here is incredible, for what they could be getting in our western society, they have committed to living and working on a ship for in some cases as much as 22 years.

Watching the VVF ceremony was incredible; as a symbol of the new life they are about to begin there is a celebration. Members of the family come into the ward, along with all the nurses. There are speeches and thank yous and also the odd clinical bit of post op instruction which I will paraphrase for you (“Remember now, no mama papa business for at least six months”) to which everyone laughed. These women are so elated in such a huge shift in lifestyle and acceptance and they are sent out with a new set of clothes to symbolise their new life. There is some singing and dancing and sheer delight for all involved. Seeing how distressed these patients are, most of them never knew it could be remedied and when they see that a lot of other women are in the same position it must help with the emotional healing as they often feel so isolated.

Benin is the home of Voodoo and it is well practised here from what I believe. It has however been great to take these people in under our care and pray with them before commencing any surgery. Dr Gary Parker (resident surgeon) has lived on the ship for 22 years and it is most humbling watching the genuine compassion he has for his patients.
Dr James McDaniel (ortho surgeon) and I met for the first time on Tuesday and he is about 70 years old! He was so welcoming and pleased to have us, he is a very jolly, grandfather figure with such integrity and cares as much for his crew as he does his patients.

I have found only one fellow county person since being here, a girl from County Down, however I’ve got Weegies here too! So I get the best of both worlds! It’s good to have them as the rest of the crew are from all over the world, mostly Canada, America and of course Texans! I am hoping not to embarrass myself by mimicking them but you know, for me it's really hard to do that!!
It is hard to communicate with the patients as it always is in the operating theatre; however I have adopted a patient and I get to befriend them visiting them during their whole stay on board. The resources we have are excellent under the circumstances. It really is a community on board with events happening every evening but with so many people it’s difficult to get to know people properly as there is a core of long term servers and then short term and then me in the middle who is neither a short term or a long term server. I am still ready for this challenge though and I believe it’s just a great place for me to be right now... and I’m ready to jump into all aspects of ship life. Been practising my French too ... not bad! can get my way around hold a small conversation, chuffed with that for now. It really does come flooding back when you are in the environment. Still got a long way to go but time is something I do have.

Just taking one day at a time absorbing as much as I can, recognising that none of us here is perfect, but it’s great knowing that God will use me here, flaws and all. I’m praying I get everything out of this trip He wants to show me. As my first week is almost over and I’m a little more familiar with my surroundings I can begin to get into a proper routine I hope. Yesterday evening after dinner I headed up to deck 7, I took Big Chris Tomlin with me and book in tow in 30 degree heat. It will always be one of those memories I will retain. I came across a verse today which penetrated deep. To those who know me well you’ll know how much this would mean (yes you know who you are ;) -- Philippians 4 : 5.

God uses this ship purposefully and to see the remarkable differences it can have on broken hearts and lives it’s almost overwhelming. I think I should stop now. I went to the main city market today which was such an experience. We had people following us everywhere, I would say it was very polite of them to walk us round however I think they did have ulterior motives, not to rob us but hoping we would give some cash their direction. Going to a stilt village tomorrow which is an entire village sitting on top of the ocean, having to go by boat. Living quarters for a lot of people is a tin hut on the beach or a shack for want of a better word but that’s exactly what it is.

One final thought ... as I boarded the plane, a gentleman sat beside and we chatted for 3-4 hours; what was so exciting is that he is a public health official for U.S.A.I.D. He was on his way there to discuss the mortality rates in infants up to 5 years. The aim is to research this and put systems and support networks in place to eradicate this problem as much as possible. It gave me a lot of insight and it was thoroughly interesting ... so I have made contact now with someone who said he would be willing to help if I got involved in such a career! Amazing!
I could even say more however I can save that for now. I trust this email finds everyone well and the next instalment next month I will cut shorter I promise!
I would appreciate prayer for physical endurance, that I would be bold enough to take on new challenges without fear of negative outcomes and finally keeping me safe in the operating room with the risk of injury from instruments and the subsequent rate of HIV/AIDS present.

Ciao for now! Pamela

Welcome to Bristo Baptist Church!

2009-01-15T03:07:00.000-08:00

pictured: our ministry interns, Tanya & David

Tanya Alexeeva arrived in Edinburgh in the late evening of Saturday 10th January and spent her first Sunday in Bristo the following day. Tanya is from Voronezh in southern Russia. Her father is the pastor of the church in Voronezh from which Tima Cheprasov and Yulia Cheprasova joined us two years ago. Tanya has never been to Scotland before and while she is here she will spend part of her time learning English at the Arch language school in our church buildings. Tanya, may you be blessed richly while you are at Bristo!

FROM THE EDITOR

2009-01-15T02:52:00.000-08:00

It took me days to get going on this editorial. Why? I procrastinated.

What’s that got to do with breaking free? Well, procrastination is just one of many things that can act like chains or shackles and bind a person, as though they were in prison.
When Christians talk of being set free they often mean from addiction to drugs or alcohol. But many other things can bind us from whose power we need to be liberated. Fears of many kinds. Anxiety. Compulsive shopping (a shopaholic pensioner died this month, literally buried alive under a pile of new suitcases in a house completely full of items she’d bought, many unopened). Lying. Perfectionism (another of my failings). Eating disorders. Unforgiveness. A sense of being unworthy. The list goes on.

Jesus is the Liberator. He comes to set you free. Let him into your life. Let his Holy Spirit work deeply in you until you break free from every yoke. Once I got going I wrote this in less than ten minutes! Give thanks to the Lord.

Robert Mill

FROM THE PASTOR

2009-01-15T02:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Family,

Back to normal in a New Year? I hope not! God wonderfully gives us fresh challenges to creatively develop as those called to reflect and express God’s presence and purpose to those around us. Life constantly changes, the culture and context in which we live and work taking on new forms and expressions, good and bad.

Our job is to demonstrate the liberating power of the Gospel to enable people to break out from the things that hold us back. To move forward, ever anticipating the fullness of the Kingdom of God finding expression upon the earth.

In this coming year, there are areas to clearly develop in our congregation. As we look to enlist and draw people into our journey in following Christ, we have to make sure that we are not simply inviting them into a ghetto of religiosity, new or old. What matters is the presence of the DNA of Christ’s life and ministry. Lives that are intent on purposefully participating in Him.
There are three practical areas which I believe need to be intentionally developed in our lives as witnesses to Christ. We will be focusing on these and implementing ministries to express them:

1. good news for the poor
2. healing and deliverance
3. peace making

This is a clear path for us to follow. Let us pray for wisdom in discerning how to walk it. It is an exciting journey for us to embark on together.

In His love,

Jim

TESTIMONY

2009-01-15T02:45:00.000-08:00

I would like to share a simple testimony how I became a Christian … First, I would like to tell you one of my favourite verses:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me” Psalm 23 : 4

This verse has given me great strength and courage to be able to gain my life back and I am free from worries since November 27 2005, the day I became a born-again Christian at ACBC (Arlington Chinese Baptist Church), Texas.

Before October of 2004 I thought I was the happiest and luckiest woman in the whole world. My life was perfect, fascinating … (now that I realize after reading Ecclesiastes chapter 1: 1-2 --- “ pleasures of meaningless, chasing after wind…” I didn’t know what poverty was nor would I care about ‘love yourself, love your neighbours’ ... well my good life ended on 13th October 2004.

Everything was taken away from me - I lost my highly paid job. I became very ill and suffered from serious depression and anxiety and I was suicidal - then I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis … then, worse came in January 2005. We had to relocate to Texas, the worst state in US that we never wanted to go to and it’s a bible belt - too holy to us - not for us – we had always hated Texas but we had no choice. We managed to live there for 3 and a half years. I am excited to count down the time that I am going home next week and I can’t wait to see my home ACBC (Arlington Chinese Baptist Church) where God’s brought me to -- It’s all mighty God’s plan to bring me there to get to know Him and Jesus, our saviour, who has taught me love and caring, forgiving, faith, humility, obedience and much more … Since my husband Charles had tried everything to treat my depression and anxiety but did not seem to help. One day, in March 2005 after our second month in Texas I asked him if it’s OK for me to go to church, it might help … he agreed but he told me seriously that if I became a Christian it would cause us a divorce. In April I found ACBC; since then I participated in every Sunday school and service and church activities, fellowship… I had doubt and curiosity about finding God and what Jesus did for us… it took me a long time to know very little, still I don’t know much but I am willing to learn … more.

In November, I was ready for baptism on Thanksgiving Day because I found that it’s significant and it’s my favourite festival. I was so worried and scared that I might have to choose either Jesus Christ or my husband, it became a serious issue . I thought about that since God is full of kindness and love He definitely wouldn’t separate a couple? how am I going to resolve this issue -- oh God for the first time, my first prayer for help “God help me and teach me and give me courage to tell Charles”. Surprisingly just a minute before I was ready to tell Charles, my fear was gone - I said, “honey, I have something to announce - I am going to get baptized this Thursday on Thanksgiving day and you are invited to come to the ceremony”. Guess what Charles said to me? “Oh ya you are, umhhh congratulations, but I don’t go to church, well I could do a splash over your head in the shower room at home for you … hahaha!” That was the response from my husband …

I am so grateful that God’s with me. Often I know that and I can feel it and its blessing and nothing is greater than that ever since I have begun my Christian life - the greatest gift is given to me “ joy and peace at heart”. I have learned a lot God’s word by participating in Bible study, fellowship, prayer meetings, knowing that one of our big assignments is to serve and spread God’s word and do what the words say. I am willing to do what the words say and give help to the needy with all my heart, my soul and strength. I have learned that “giving is better than receiving” in that I have received a lot already.

Christina Nicoll

TREASURER’S REPORT

2009-01-15T02:22:00.000-08:00

A few new year numbers just to give you an idea of what this year’s church finances look like as we enter the final quarter of the year ...
Income wise we’re doing very well. This year we’d very much like to continue our support of both Bethany and the BMS by sending a meaningful gift of money. If you’d like to contribute to either the Bethany or the BMS then please could you place a marked donation into the offering.

General Income

Source Budget Year to date
Church Offerings etc. 50000 40789
Tax Refund 7400 9856
From Fair (in lieu of rent) 2400 1800
From Fair (bills) 1200 1164
Use of Halls 10000 3700
Total 71000 57309

Special Offerings Income

LOM - winter kitchen 4500 4285
BMS 500 0
Bethany 500 65
General Mission 0 40
Total 6000 4390

Expenditure wise, with the exception of the building repairs and refurbishment, everything is under budget. Using the small hall for the morning services reduces our gas bill by almost 50% which has been very good news. Repairs and refurbishments this year again have been expensive, with additional repairs to the manse roof and a collapsed plaster ceiling, and plenty of work done on the church building, including the unexpected (and essential because that Sunday morning was absolutely freezing!) boiler repairs. It’s likely that we’ll overspend on the general account this year, but only due to the building work. Next year there are no forecast large scale works, so we should be able to top up our funds again.

Expenditure

Item Budget Actual to date

Employment 30975 23417
Supply 300 50
Energy 9000 5044
Insurance 3250 2964
Refurbishment 1500 6277
Furniture & Equipment 500 688
Garden 300 0
Repairs 14000 14810
Tuning 150 65
Council Tax 2600 2323
Phone 1265 1044
Office 300 25
Subscriptions 3000 3039
Children &Y P 800 107
Outreach/Publicity 300 66
Literature & Copyright 138 121
Care Van 200 203
Fellowship 300 0
Sundries 1500 1445
Fees 350 400
Total 70728 62088

Wishing you all the best for the New Year,

Paul Watson

THE CALL TO PURSUE SOCIAL JUSTICE — AN INVITATION

2009-01-15T02:11:00.000-08:00

The very thing!!

All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. - Galatians 2:10

This verse presents us with quite a challenge. Paul has just been recognised by some of the other apostles as commissioned to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Instead of giving him detailed doctrinal instruction and a pre-packaged programme of how to evangelise, they seem to put trust in Christ’s ability to lead him forward, and offer him this simple request … continue to remember the poor.

Whether this meant the poor members of the church community in Jerusalem or any poor they were to come into contact with, the challenge is the same. The early believers were challenged to live out being good news to the poor according to Jesus’ teaching. (Luke 4:16-19). At Bristo we have felt consistently challenged to put this into effect and are looking to explore further ways of putting Jesus’ teaching into practise.

An Invitation

Recently some of our members have gone out on the street in the city centre to offer friendship, advice and support to homeless people. This has resulted in sharing coffees and food, being able to offer basic clothing and advice and shared busking to earn money to get a roof for the night… as well as friendship - itself perhaps one of the most vital aspects to getting through difficult times. We see multiple routes forward, whether that is the sharing of meals at the church base or provision of basic clothing needs in cold weather.

We are just setting off, however, and would like to invite any other of our members who are interested in pursuing this route or in developing others - participation in the ECM basics bank for example - to join us in wrestling with issues of social justice and love expressed in action. Other possibilities exist, such as volunteering at hostels and we are keen to discuss what we can best do together as community. Please do not be put off by what sound like scary ventures!! We can offer basic training on a number of related issues including mental health and drugs awareness so will be able to equip ourselves as we move forward.

Please contact me if you are interested: davidpurves@gmail.com

David Purves (intern)

EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE IDEA MAGAZINE

2009-01-15T02:09:00.000-08:00

The latest issue (Jan/Feb 2009) of IDEA is available by the notice board. Of particular relevance to us, given the increasingly international makeup of our fellowship, is the article Who is your neighbour? (pp. 21-24) which focuses on the experience of some Alliance members as they seek to help immigrants and asylum seekers. The Alliance is also looking for personal stories, ideas on how we can help the newcomers and resources which may help them. Information is available from their Don’t be a Stranger website (www.nostrangers.org.uk ).

Christine Lumsden

2009-01-15T02:06:00.000-08:00

Angel Encounters by Cindy Mackenzie (Ambassador Publications ISBN 978-1-84030-201-1 £6.99, available from Wesley Owen)

This little book, less than ninety pages, tells the personal stories of people who have been helped by angels in dangerous situations, while others have experienced angelic visitations as they were dying. The angels come in many guises, for example, a lorry driver or a council workman, but those whose stories Cindy tells, including her own, are convinced that angels were sent by God in times of crisis or great need. The circumstances of the encounters confirm this interpretation. Every person whose experience she relates is a friend or relative. Cindy lets each tell of the encounter simply in his or her own words so we have the immediacy of personal contact which authenticates their testimony.

Cindy and her husband, Colin, are well known to Scottish Baptists through their charity SAM Chernobyl Relief (formerly Servants Aloft Ministries) and she has also visited Croatia many times. The experiences of those caught up in that country’s civil wars are the most frightening, as one might expect, but throughout the book God’s loving, protective care for His children is evident.

While Angel Encounters reminds us how God can break in to our every day lives in unexpected ways, the book can also be used to encourage those who are seeking the Lord or facing difficult situations.

Christine Lumsden

MAGAZINE COPY DATES 2009

2009-01-15T01:29:00.000-08:00

Here are the proposed copy dates for the Magazine for 2009. Please put them in your diary now although be aware that they may occasionally have to be changed at short notice.

March / April issue: 22 February
May / June issue: 26 April
July / August issue: 28 June
September / October issue: 30 August
November / December issue: 25 October
January / February 2010 27 December

I welcome copy from anyone and everyone in the fellowship. The Magazine is part of the ministry of the church and aims to reflect its life and the lives of those who are part of the fellowship. Therefore, if you run an activity, or a cell group, then it would be good to have a report on it from time to time in the Magazine. If you are creative, I welcome poems or meditations. In the current issue we have both of those plus a book review and a testimony. That is good and how I would like to see the Magazine being used. Therefore please consider this invitation carefully. As we journey with God together, developing our relationship with Him, it would be great if people would share their experiences via the Magazine. Thank you.

Robert Mill, Editor

REST IN THE LORD

2009-01-15T01:27:00.000-08:00

Psalm 37: 5, 7 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. Rest in the Lord (Be still before the Lord) and wait patiently for Him.
King David wrote this as a teaching psalm to remind the people of Israel what their faith was all about, to trust in the Lord and to enjoy Him. If we do this, God will give us what we need most of all, Himself. Every, day amidst his travails in the jungles of Africa, David Livingstone, the great nineteenth-century missionary explorer committed himself to God through this psalm, seeking His strength to carry on. It is only as we are still and quiet before God that we can hear His voice as He reaches out to us.
But the psalmist’s knowledge of God was only partial. The full revelation was given in Jesus Christ. He invites us to come to Him for rest.

Matthew 11: 28-29 Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.
Jesus does not extend this invitation to the strong, but to the weary and burdened. He calls them to Himself. The “yoke” of Jesus, in contrast to the burden of the law made by the scribes and Pharisees, is “easy” because in Him we have true rest for the soul. Jesus took the burden of our sin on the Cross and did what the law could not do, offer us forgiveness when we come to Him in repentance. Through His death and resurrection He invites us to a new life where we find rest for our souls.

Christine Lumsden