PEEBLES BAPTIST CHURCH

He Has Risen
The message of Easter is not that Jesus is alive, it is so much more.

April 2013

The message of Easter is that Jesus has risen!

Colin Smith

You might at first glance think that the difference between Jesus is alive and Jesus is risen (as in Colin Smiths quote on the cover) is merely subtle wordplay. Think for a minute, though, and you realise that the difference is tremendously important. Of course I believe that Jesus is alive - but what does that really mean? The phrase could very easily become a mystical, other-worldly statement (and indeed has done exactly that for many people). Jesus lives on in spirit, through his teaching and moral character. Seriously? Is that it? Bleah. But to affirm that Jesus is risen suddenly moves us to the realm of history, of real life, of physical reality. A dead body goes missing, hardened soldiers run away terrified, disillusioned disciples become a force to change the world. Death, as in the end of life, the most awful thing we face, is no longer the end, because Jesus has defeated it - and life before death is changed forever as well! A quick mention of prayer. As Morag reminds us in her editorial on the next page, in March we were trying prayer with fasting. How did you get on with that? Did you find it challenging? Good! Please dont forget about fasting at the end of this month - its an excellent discipline to get into. But this months prayer special will be a half day of prayer, when we can all meet together (for all or part of the time) to bring our prayers to our Father. Details of when and where soon. From all at the Manse, we wish you a very joyful, exciting, hope filled Easter!

Ian

If youd like to know more about what our friends in the other Peebles churches are doing, you can find some of their own magazines online: Old Parish Church: topcopmag.wordpress.com St Peters: www.stpeterspeebles.org.uk/netmagazine.php St Josephs: www.stjosephschurch.org.uk/?Home%3A:Current_Newsletter

From the Editor

In January, we decided to mix up our prayer practice a bit hopefully so that the move away from the normal routine would stimulate our minds, but also so that we could develop a more meaningful approach to prayer. Our prayer method over the past month has been through fasting. Before that, Ian spent a Sunday morning focussing on what fasting is all about. If you would like to listen to this sermon, you can find a link to the audio file on the church website (www.peeblesbaptistchurch.org). Here are three short summary points:

Fasting makes us hungry. We take this basic, primal desire for food and declare to God that we want to hunger for him as we hunger for food turning our hunger into a meeting point with God. Fasting helps us to hear God more clearly, to get rid of some of the things that get in the way of this. Fasting helps us to be heard by God. It is not that God does not normally hear us, but that, when we fast, it lets God know we are serious about what we are praying for. Throughout the Bible, every time a nation prayed and fasted, God intervened.
It seems appropriate that weve been doing this in the month leading up to Easter, a particularly poignant time to stop and reflect, to listen to Gods voice and to think on his perfect sacrifice and on his ultimate authority, on his absolute forgiveness and his limitless grace. And what weve been looking at in our E1oo readings looks forward to this also: that God has a plan, no matter how much it may seem like he doesnt; that our broken relationships need to be reconciled; that we need to allow ourselves to grieve and to bring our heartache before God; and, ultimately, that we must forgive. Perhaps, this Easter, as we remember Gods amazing grace and forgiveness, we may be encouraged in our particularly difficult situations, our broken relationships, to bring them before God and to start taking the steps to truly forgiving also.

Dates
Wedn esd

iar d r u o for y
m

0a pril, 1 A 3 ay

s Deacon g meetin

Sun

pril A 4 1 day pril

15 A y a d n Mo

roup ens g M 30 pm . 7 , l i hurch C pr A y s 8 s 1 e day pm M 0 3 Thurs . 3 ervice l, i S r p m A s 0 Bapti day 2 r u t a S am ig Dig ril, 11 p B A 1 ay 2 Any 2-4pm Sund 100 s E m ion 6-30 p Quest

s Vicky m Tearoo ollege C s r e Bord who Ladies Lunch

Friday/Saturda y 26/27th April Brave: Clan Lothian even t at Gorebridge Pa rish Church

From 10am: turflifting $ rotavating in the Community garden

Sun 28 April 6.30 pm The Big Issue Stuart Blythe: Independence and the Politics of Jesus

Wed 3 April

pril Monday 29th A 7.30pm Peebles Churches tee Together commit meeting

From 10am: more turflifting $ rotavating in the Community garden

Wed 10 April

Peebles Big

Sat 20/Su

Dig weeken d Saturday - 1-3pm The Secret Garden Sunday 2-4pm The Kings Meadow

n 21 April

entre in Victoria Park C Peebles CAN open ople meeting to show pe the plans for their garden. Bill and o Lindsey plan to g love along, and would others to join them

Thurs 18th April

Diversity

The next Big Issue will be on Sunday 28 April, 6.30 pm at the Victoria Park Centre. This month we welcome Stuart Blythe of the Scottish Baptist College who will encourage us to consider the theological issues that might bear on the debate about Scottish independence. Fresh from our pottering session we are eager to decide what to do next please let Lindsey Gray or Morag Bramhall know if you have any suggestions! If you have not been to one yet, dont let that stop you joining in any future get-togethers.

Ladies who Lunch: The Ladies will be going to the Borders College this month to be served food from local aspiring chefs. Mens Group: The Mens Groups April meeting will be at 7.30 pm on Thursday 18 April at Franks house, when Tony Botham will be demonstrating his hobby of repairing clocks and watches. Please note that this time the meeting will be on the third (not the usual second) Thursday of the month. Messy Church will take place on Saturday 20th April at 3.30. Please keep praying for this project though. Also, volunteers are always needed! Small groups: Small groups meet every week on Tuesday (Peebles South) and Wednesday (Peebles North and Blythe Bridge) evenings at 7.30 pm. If you are not all ready part of a group and would like to be, please speak to Ian or one of the deacons. The Baptist Union of Scotland youth sports day is on June 1st, at Stirling University. It would be good to get as many under 25s as possible to take part in this it is always a lot of fun and full of laughs!

Sports Day:

New to PBC
Website
Our new-look website is now up and running! Dont worry, you can access the same information as before , but there is also a lot more available. You can listen to and download sermons, check the PBC calendar, find out about our various groups and opportunities to serve, access resources, read about whats been going on and more! There will also soon be a password protected members section where you will be able to find, for example, minutes of Church meetings and Deacons meetings. Please do check out the new website, and make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the home page to subscribe this will allow you to receive updates via email when something new is posted.

Any Questions?
On Sunday 17 March we had our first meeting, which went really well! The aim was to raise any questions that we may have encountered during our E100 readings and to help each other in our understanding of the passages. It is good to meet and discuss issues, and also to share about anything these readings may have impressed upon us. Our next meeting will be on Sunday 21 April at 6.30 pm, and consecutive meetings will be on the third Sunday of every month. These meeting are arranged for the evening just now, but if the afternoon would suit the majority better, please do speak to Ian. If you fancy visiting a garden on the Easter weekend, then the Redhall walled garden in Edinburgh is open from 125 pm on 31st March. There will be an Easter egg hunt, cream teas, plants for sale and activities for children. This garden is run by SAMH who are a charity dedicated to mental health in Scotland. The address is 97 Lanark Road, Edinburgh, EH14 2LZ, 0131 443 0946. Bus no 44 (Redhall View) will get you there.

Prayer Diary

Pray for the NHS, for all who contribute to the caring of people, also for the carers in the community who look after family members, Home carers and young carers Continue to pray for the folks who have recently moved from Dunwhinny to Dovecot Pray for all our Borders Churches that God will be glorified in all that they say and in all their events and activities. Continue to pray for Messy Church and that God would send more Leaders/helpers and meet their every need Pray for people in our fellowship who have been unable to join us in person for some time, in particular Bill Speirs and Margaret Mcleod.

Proverbs 3:5,6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not rely on what you think you know, Acknowledge Him in all your ways, And He will direct your paths. If you would like to keep up to date with the link churches we pray for, please check the Baptist Union of Scotland Website at www.scottishbaptist.org.uk/diary, or for a simple list at www.scottishbaptist.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/PLINK13.pdf

Getting to Know You

Hazel Hoggan
Can we have a brief history? I grew up in Peebles and was born at Tweedgreen, the then maternity hospital. I went to a house church with my mum, where I became a Christian at 14 years old. When I finished school, I moved to work in a brewers office in Dalkeith and then a Records department at Whites of Liberton. It was while I was living there that I married my husband. Tell us about your family. I have two daughters, Wilma and Jacqueline, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren, and they all live nearby. What brought you back to Peebles? After my husband suffered an awful injury in the mines, we were on the look out for new work and found an opportunity to run Barns Youth Hostel at Manor, shortly followed by my husband starting work on the estate forest. However, I always wanted to be a nurse since I was school-aged, and took the opportunity to work as an auxiliary nurse in Peebles for the last 7 years before I retired. What brought you to Peebles Baptist Church? After my husband passed away, I met Linda Bell at a lace making club. I remember thinking what a lovely person she was and noticing how she did not join in the gossip of the other women. I received an invitation through the door to go to a family service at the Baptist church. I assumed it must have been from Linda, and as I didn't want to refuse someone I admired so much, I went along I didnt realise that it had been the minister who posted it through! What made you stay? The minute I entered the church I just thought, this is me, Im home. I was even baptised here, the same day as Carlyn Macall. It was a difficult decision for me to make as I had already been Christened in the Church of Scotland. Do you have any roles in the church? I led a bible study at mine for 10 years, but now I go to Jacquelines house group. Im involved with catering, flowers, communion duties, stewarding a bit of everything!

KAOS (Kids Around On Sundays)

They run, skip, scooter or cycle in to the Victoria Park Centre; they love to make a loud and joyful noise with tambourines, shakers or cymbals; theyre always ready for fun; and, they might not always be little angels, but their presence with us on Sunday mornings is one of the delights of being at Peebles Baptist Church! The age-span of the group currently attending ranges from tiny tot to six years old. With such a spread, its essential to have a good ratio of grownups to children when they leave the service for their special time together, to ensure that each youngster is able to get as much as possible from the sessions, which are based on Scripture Unions LightLive material with songs, games and crafts as well as Bible stories. Currently Bill, Carlyn, Christine, Janlyn, Jenny, Kirstin, Moira, Pat, Rab and Wilma are on the rota to go through regularly with the children. Some folk are also waiting and praying for the opportunity to work with older kids, and others are willing to assist on an occasional basis. More helpers (willing to undergo Disclosure checks) would always be very welcome. Its been a wonderful answer to prayer to see the arrival in church of new people whove brought with them lots of experience, enthusiasm, and talent for working with youngsters. Its equally wonderful to see our group of children growing and learning. Please feel welcome to invite any young children you know to come and learn about Jesus. Several PBC folk have committed to continuing in prayer every day for the children. If youd like to share in the work, in this or any other way, please speak to Ian or one of the helpers listed above.

PBC Community Garden The Kings Meadow

Most of you will be aware that the church family has been talking about creating a garden on our land in the Victoria Park. This idea was discussed at the February Church Meeting, and has been growing some roots and shoots since then! A tree of ideas has been put in the church for us to put our written ideas on, and Bill, Rab, Ian and Lindsey met to think about the first stages, and Ian and Lindsey made some good contacts with Tweedgreen and Horizons who are also planning a garden in the centre of Peebles in a plot behind the Heart Foundation shop. We met with Graeme Lumb in the Bridge, who was helpful with ideas about funding and how to engage with the community. We also heard that an organisation called Peebles CAN was successful in getting funding from the Climate Challenge Fund to set up a market garden in the grounds of the Victoria Park Centre. They will be working with young people and folk who use the centre and Bill is in talks with Gary about how we can share some of our resources and work together all in all, lots of good conversations, and it seems like there is lots happening in the town. Did you notice the questionnaire that we sent out to local folk too? We had some good conversations with people who live opposite the site, and in the new building next to the site. They were keen on the idea and liked the idea of the area being used rather than being a wilderness area. The results from the questionnaire are being collated, and if you want to read what people said, just ask Ian for a summary. The planning group (Ian, Rab, Bill, Lindsey, but open to anyone who wants to get involved please join us!) have decided that this year we will

try out a small test plot of around 10m x 10m which would have an area of wildflowers, some simple seats, and 2 veg areas. Rab, who has experience with schools gardening, has drawn a plan which is easy and will look nice! Next to this small plot will be the tattie patch a popular idea so far! What might the overall purpose of this garden be? Well at its most basic level, it is a way to be stewards of our resources God gave PBC this land, and until he makes it clear that a building is the way forward, then it makes sense to be seen to be using the resource practically. Secondly, anyone who enjoys the great outdoors knows how easy it is to make relationships and talk with folk when out doing something. How wonderful it would be if we could have Sunday afternoon gardening sessions throughout the summer, with folk from the community free to join in friendships could be built up on many levels. Maybe you have some concerns about this garden maybe you feel enthusiastic and cant wait to get started. Either way, please bring your thoughts to the Lord and seek his will and his ways. We received a small financial gift from a friend in another church who heard about the project. This money will be used for hiring a turf stripper to get the patch ready. Please pray about the finances that God will bless the project with giving us what we need to go ahead. Dates coming up One important date is the weekend of 20-21st April. The Tweedgreen/ Horizons project are having an open afternoon on Saturday 20th, from 13pm in the Secret Garden, which is accessed down the lane from the Heart Foundation Shop to the Sunflower restaurant. When talking to Tweedgreen we decided to make a weekend of it, and we will have an open afternoon on Sunday 21st 2-4pm on our plot, when we can plant some tatties, have seed planting for kids, and serve tea and coffee and get to know people. Please get involved in this, as it needs people to be there to make it happen. This is the same day as a Believers Baptism in the morning, and one of our E100 Bible Reading discussion meetings in the evening, so please commit to supporting the church family this weekend! There will be a press release about the 2 projects, so please pray for Ian as he plans this and meets with Tweedgreen.

How to grow a garden

Plant three rows of PEAS Peas of mind Peas of heart Peas of soul

Plant four rows of SQUASH Squash gossip Squash indifference Squash grumbling Squash selfishness

Plant four rows of LETTUCE Lettuce be faithful Lettuce be kind Lettuce be patient Lettuce really love one another

No garden should be without TURNIPS Turnip for meetings Turnip to serve Turnip to help one another

Remember to plant some THYME Thyme for each other Thyme for family and friends Thyme for God

We received the following information from the Scottish Baptist College: Note to all Scottish Churches from the Office Bearers of the Scottish Baptist College We are writing to you as the Office Bearers of the College to inform you that after 11 years as Principal of the Scottish Baptist College, the Rev. Dr Jim Gordon will be stepping down from this role at the end of August 2013, but will, of course, continue to serve our churches in other ways. The College has gone from strength to strength under Jims leadership and we are grateful to him for his hard work and dedication to the College. With best wishes The Office Bearers Jim Gordon was at the Scottish Baptist College while Ian was training to be a minister there. Not only was he one of Ians lecturers, but he was an immensely positive and intellectual influence at the College and he is well respected by all. If you were at Ians induction celebration, you may remember Jim Gordon speaking there. We are very grateful to him, and of course to all those who taught and encouraged Ian while he was at the college.

We have a Believers Baptism service coming up on Sunday 21 April. Baptism is one of the things that Jesus commanded his followers to do. Its not a sign of having attained some deep level of spiritual maturity, but rather it is first thing were supposed to do when we start following Jesus, as an outward sign of our commitment to him. Its also a really exciting time for the whole church family! If you would like to be baptised, or if you want to know more about what baptism is and what is involved, please speak to Ian or one of the deacons. If youve already been baptised as a believer and would like to find out about becoming a member of Peebles Baptist Church, please also ask.

13 million people including 3.6 million children live in poverty in the UK. How concerned is the average churchgoer? The lies we tell ourselves: ending comfortable myths about poverty, a report published on 1 March 2013, by the Joint Public Issues Team (Baptist Union of Great Britain, Methodists, the United Reformed Church and, on this issue, the Church of Scotland) claims that most of us are wiling to tolerate the indefensible only because we have swallowed six superficially plausible myths about people living in poverty. These are: 1. They are lazy and dont want to work; 2. They are addicted to drink and drugs; 3. They are not really poor they just dont manage their money properly; 4. They are on the fiddle; 5. They have an easy life on benefits; and 6. They caused the deficit.

The report systematically disproves each of these commonly held beleifs, by testing against hard facts and figures as well as the lived experience of individual people. Perhaps even more shockingly, it marshals clear evidence of politicians in the major UK parties manipulating statistics to back up their own policies. A copy has been sent to every MP and MSP in the country, and the document has already made waves. The chief executive of a [secular] social enterprise company in the education sector wrote this1 about it: This is a document that needs to be read and championed. While many have felt uncomfortable about the deepening sentiment of us and them emerging from Government, few organisations have had the credibility or courage to produce a document that exposes the misrepresentation, the misinformation, the lies that have fed the split. The authors of the report remind the church that part of our calling as Christians is to seek after truth, and that means facing up to our own blindness as well as calling others to account. Its far from comfortable reading, but the report deserves to be read (it can be found at www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/ truthandliesaboutpoverty/). If you dont have internet access, please ask me for a hard copy. Thanks for reading, Christine

theschoolandfamilyworks.co.uk/marksblog/

Phone chargers and the sunshine gospel

Does your church struggle to reach out to its community? You can take inspiration from Kahokya Baptist Church, in western Uganda, which has found a practical way to meet the needs of its neighbours.
Study after sunset, funds raised for local development and lives won for Christ are just three of the positive impacts of a BMS-supported pilot solar project at Kahokya Baptist Church, Uganda. Seeking to have a positive impact in Kahokya, the church has identified a gift it can give the gift of light. A lack of electricity makes the daily struggle for those who live in Kahokya a remote village in the foothills of the Ruwenzori Mountains in Kasese District far more challenging. Children return from school after sunset and struggle to do their homework with kerosene lamps which are expensive, dim, unhealthy and dangerous or dont do their homework at all for lack of lighting, says BMS World Mission worker in Uganda, Gareth Shrubsole. But now things are different. Utilising solar power, the church is providing two lit rooms six evenings a week, enabling students to study after dark, through a

project led by Gareth. The church is also using the solar -powered electricity to run a phone-charging business, generating funds to keep the project running and to practically benefit the community in other ways. Kamalhe, Kahokya Baptist Churchs youth leader, says: This project is helping the youth for evening Bible study and revision, and the community for charging phones. Before this project we would walk to Kahokya Trading Centre to charge our phones which took 45 minutes each way. Then we would go back again a few hours later to collect it. Now we have more time. After months of extensive research and preparation, the team in Kahokya got the solar project up-and-running at the church in December. It was a real privilege to be able to physically bring light to a community that lacked it, Gareth says. Two months later, Kahokya Baptist Church have: * Provided 391 individual sessions of evening study for primary and secondary students, and lesson preparation for teachers. * Run Bible study sessions six times a week with an average of five to eight attendees a night. As well as practically serving the community, the phone charging business has given the church opportunities to build relationships with local people. As these relationships have deepened people have been drawn into the church. Kahokya Baptist Churchs Pastor, Baluku Mbalizwa, says that six adult members have joined the church through the project already, two of whom are new believers.

With the money raised as the phone-charging business continues, Kahokya Baptist Church also hopes to fund a much-needed rainwater collection tank, enabling villagers to get clean water without making a two-hour round-trip.

Electrician Amisi does some maintenance on the system wiring as Pastor Mbalizwa looks on This pilot project, though small in scale, is a great example of the impact the local church can have on its community. As such, the team would like to roll it out in 11 other remote Baptist churches serving communities without electricity in Kasese District. You can read other inspiring articles like this one on the BMS World Mission website (www.bmsworldmission.org), or in Engage magazine.

If you would like to find out more about the BMS World Mission, please visit the websites About us page (www.bmsworldmission.org/about-us). If you do not have access to the internet, please speak to Lindsey Gray.

Christian Aid week 1218 May 2013

Christian Aid has its roots in the aftermath of World War II, when British and Irish church leaders met, determined to do all that was possible to help European refugees who had lost everything. Their purpose was not to evangelize, but to alleviate suffering for ordinary people, no matter what their faith. In the years since, the organization has fought poverty, strengthened the poor, and turned hope into action. The core belief of Christian Aid is that poverty is an outrage against humanity. Poverty robs people of dignity, freedom and hope, and of power over their own lives. Christian Aid thus exists to help those in need regardless of religion, ethnicity or nationality. Christian Aid recognizes that it cannot eradicate poverty by itself, however. It therefore works with and through partners overseas: churches, ecumenical bodies, local NGOs and movements who have common values and competence in poverty eradication. It tackles poverty on many levels working on humanitarian relief, long-term development, specific advocacy issues and campaigns for change and influence. Information on many projects around the world can be found on the Christian Aid website (www.christianaid.org.uk). Christian Aid week in Peebles aims to raise money through various events, including a market stall, coffee morning and plant stall, and an art auction (18 May). We need home-baking for the coffee morning and market stall, seedlings/plants for the plant stall, and donations of art for the auction. If you are able to help in any way, please contact Helen Holt (01721 723735; helenholt.peebles@gmail.com;). A full programme of events will be released in May. We also need volunteers to deliver and collect envelopes door-to-door. New collectors are needed for, among other areas, The Loanings, Provost Melrose Place, Provost Walker Court, Eshiels, The Bridges and Venlaw Bank. If you dont like the thought of collecting money, why not soften the blow by offering everyone you collect from a chocolate? The money raised in this way accounts for well over half of the total, so it is a vital part of the fund-raising effort. (Contact Sue Isherwood on 01721 721252.)

April Services
Sunday 7 April Children: Christine Drummond and Janlyn Townley Communion Servers: Liz Donald and Fergus Brown Flowers: Margaret McLennan Stewards: Jenny Jacobs and Liz Donald Teas: Kenny Hamilton Transport and Setting up: Team 1 Sunday 14 April Children: Bill Jacobs, Carlyn McCall and Kirstin Gray Flowers: Linda Bell Stewards: Stan Henderson and Pat Hamilton Teas: Hazel Hoggan Transport and Setting up: Team 2 Transport Team 1 Margaret Cowan, Jackie Tidder, Frank Drummond Team 2 Lindsey Gray, Douglas McCall, Margaret Cowan Setting up Team 1 Callum Gray, David Tidder, Frank Drummond, Janet Smith, Team 2 Janet Smith, Bill Jacobs, Jacqueline Wilson

Services in Victoria Park Centre, unless otherwise indicated

Pastor: Ian Gray 07881 518854 pastor@peeblesbaptistchurch.org

Sunday 21 April (Believers Baptism and Church Lunch) Children: Jenny Jacobs, Pat Hamilton and Wilma Wintour Communion Servers: Christine Drummond and Carlyn McCall Flowers: Vi Brown Stewards: Kirstin Gray and Hazel Hoggan Teas: Stan Henderson Transport and Setting up: Team 1

Sunday 28 April Children: Rab Bramhall, Janlyn Townley and Christine Drummond Flowers: Helen Henderson Stewards: Frank Drummond and Wilma and Willie Wintour Teas: Janlyn Townley Transport and Setting up: Team 2

Laying Communion Table in April Carlyn McCall

Secretary: Christine Drummond 01721 722062 Treasurer: Liz Keiro 01721 730217 Website: http://peeblesbaptistchurch.org

Articles for the magazine

We would like the magazine to be as informative and relevant as possible. We aim to provide news about Peebles Baptist Church, its wider concerns and involvement, and Peebles Churches Together. If you have anything you feel you could provide a regular report about, or something you feel should be included in the magazine one month, a Christian book review, a report on an event etc., please do get in touch with us at magazine@peeblesbaptistchurch.org. All articles should be sent to this email address by the 12th of every month. If you do not have internet access or if you think you might have a problem meeting the deadline one month, please dont let that put you off. Speak to Morag Bramhall to see how best you can supply something. We would love to have you involved in this project and enhance our church community.

Eco Tip
Storing fruit with a bit of care can make it last longer and reduce waste. For example, bananas emit ethylene, which encourages fruit to ripen. So store them separately if you don't want your other fruit to soften, but put them next to an unripe avocado if you plan to make guacamole soon.

Pats Corner
Stevie opened the big bible that had been in the family for years. He was astonished by all the underlinings and notes written between the lines and in the margins. Suddenly something fell out from the pages. He picked up the object and noticed it was a dry leaf that had been pressed between the pages. Mum look what I have just found" called Stevie. What is it my son she said. Mum, Mum, he yelled very excited, I think I have found Adam's underwear!"