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| Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3 | Issue 4 | Issue 5 |
Campaign Update
If this is the second issue of For Tomorrow you have received, welcome back! If for some reason you didn't get your copy of Issue 1, please contact any of the names at the back and we will send you one. Or pick one up at St Cuthbert's.
This is an exciting stage in our campaign when we are starting to see the first fruits of our planning efforts. You will see on the back page an advertisement for Visitor Team Leaders. These are the people who will recruit, train and offer support to the visitors who are going out in September and October. These are very important jobs, and we thank those who have come forward for them.
In this issue we introduce you to Gillian Paterson, who is our advisor from the Church of Scotland. Hopefully many of you will have the chance to meet Gillian over the coming months. Gillian has a huge level of experience and her advice and guidance have been invaluable in the early stages of our campaign.
Fittingly in this Easter month we explore the theme of gifts and giving - fundamental to the subjects of stewardship and Christian commitment.
| PRAYER FOR APRIL : Gracious God, Help us to learn from the past, to work in the present and to build for tomorrow. We thank You for Your gifts to us: voices to speak, ears to listen and hands to work. May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ help us to use these gifts wisely for the work of our community and for Your glory. Amen. |
On Gifts and Giving
| But to each of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is
why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the kingdom of God. Ephesians 4, 7-13 |
Paul's letter to the Ephesians contains many truths that apply to our Church today. Each of us has God-given talents, and ministry belongs to us all. The challenge for the institution of St Cuthbert's is to recognise the gifts in each one of us, to nurture them and to deploy them.
Often in the past this has meant trying to force people into jobs which needed filling. Individuals were forced into roles for which they weren't suitable and which they didn't enjoy. A more effective and creative way to deploy their gifts would be to encourage each individual to think in terms of their passions and enthusiasms, and then see how best they can be harnessed in the name of God and his Church. As you do that those gifts will grow and grow.
This is how we can build our church, not just from bricks and mortar but from skills, talents and passions.
It is no mean task to identify the gifts within each one of us, and it can often be outsiders who see things in you. Come the autumn you will be asked to think about your own gifts and how you would like to use them in the name of God. In the meantime, think about all the gifts you have received and thank God for them. And when the time comes, don't hide your light under a bushel - boast about your talents!
| MAKE A NOTE - For Tomorrow Is Coming in the Autumn | |
| Invitation Visits | 17th September to 5th October |
| Launch Service | Sunday 7th October |
| Special Service - Time | Sunday 14th October |
| Special Service - Abilities | Sunday 21st October |
| Special Service - Giving | Sunday 28th October |
| Response Visits | Monday 29th October to Friday 16th November |
| Thanksgiving Service | 18th November (with lunch) |
Letter From Gillian Paterson
It is good to have this opportunity to introduce myself to you all as I will be assisting the Planning Group throughout the For Tomorrow campaign. I have the privilege of working full time for the Stewardship Department of the Church of Scotland as their Stewardship Consultant for South East and Central Scotland. The area I cover ranges from Perth to the Borders and from St Andrews to Falkirk. It is a challenging and very fulfilling role, and the most exciting part is seeing all sorts of developments in Congregations.
This will apply to St Cuthbert's during the next year too! There are going to be Special Services later in the year, visits by fellow members to your home to share the message of For Tomorrow, and an opportunity for every member to consider their commitment to God. You will have a chance to air your views and opinions, plus you will be able to offer your time, abilities and money for the future development of St Cuthbert's.
Please support your planning group with your prayers as they prepare future publicity, recruit the visiting team and design material that will be issued to you later this year. I look forward to meeting you during the course of this year.
Please pray for:
The For Tomorrow planning group - for energy, wisdom and openness to God's leading;
The team leaders as they embark upon their training and start to recruit visitors;
Each and every member of St Cuthbert's, that God will be at work in us, to draw us nearer to Him, and help us to respond accordingly.
| SUGGESTIONS PLEASE! Would you like to be a visitor? Do you have any ideas about publicity? Know anyone who would like to get involved? Please speak to any of the Planning Group or the Ministers, or send any suggestions or comments to mailto:[email protected]. |
"The key to a fulfilling and happy live is to engage our talents at an optimal level." As a growing and healthy organisation, we are keen to ensure everyone feels they can engage their various and many talents to the degree which best suits them personally. To achieve this we simply visit people.We discuss their particular interests, skills, experience and other talents with them, and discover together how best to help them to engage their often formidable strengths, experience, time (and yes, sometimes money) To do this we need your help as a friendly, outgoing, and occasionally persuasive person who sees the best in folk! We need your help as a Visitors Leader You will be well trained by experts. Your role will be to help to recruit other visitors, and help to train them. You and your team will be amazed at how easy it is to make some of the things happen in people's lives they never thought possible! You might not be an elder, you may never have done anything like this before…you just have to want to make a difference and be very much yourself! Contact Ben Williams by telephone on: - 0131 226 2727 (during business hours), or drop him a line at: - 2 Randolph Cliff Edinburgh EH3 7TZ |
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