Prayer

Sunday 5th

Drumchapel: Rev Gordon Thomson. Give thanks to God for those that have accepted Him in faith over the past year, including a number of children through our AWANA club and our Youth group. Pray also for the number of different people coming into the church as passing visitors and the opportunity for them to hear the gospel.
Please pray for our outreach work, including AWANA, Youth Work, Door to Door, and Open Air, which will be starting up shortly again with our new equipment.
      This year sees our 50th Anniversary and we will have a number of activities and guest speakers. Pray that God would be exalted in everything we do and give thanks for His faithfulness toward us.
Please continue to pray for Gordon, Janice, Bethany and Holly, that the Lord would continue to strengthen and encourage them in their service for Him in Drumchapel.
      This year also sees the start of our services being transmitted live on Sundays. Pray that many would come to faith through hearing God's word on the internet. Access is through the church website; Drumchapel Baptist Church - LIVE!!!!!
As a fellowship we have so much to be thankful for so let us praise His name.

Dumbarton: Rev Brian Mulraine. With a busy though very meaningful festive season behind us we are at present undergoing something of a building survey, so please pray that, regardless of the findings, we will be open to discern God’s leading and daring in asking and imagining how He might have us move forward in relation to the building becoming more ‘fit-for-purpose.’
The ‘drop-in’ lounge at the church, Oasis, has been running for several years now but has never really reached its potential. We are hoping to revisit this work in the months ahead, in some attempt to ‘revive’ it in some way. Please pray especially that those who have remained so faithful in serving through this work might be enthused anew and that others may join them - bringing with them a renewed sense of purpose and connection to the town.
      We are also about to embark on our 3rd Spring Alpha, with an ‘eye’ on the neighbourhood around the church building this year. Please pray that our neighbours will not just be interested but surprisingly awakened to the possibility that Alpha may be the very thing to help them explore the issues of life, death and much more. Pray too for our well established Alpha team as they reassemble and work together during the demanding months ahead.
      Finally a word of encouragement for us all perhaps; these past few years we’ve been building on the use of the ‘rota,’ dreaded by some, as a means of creating opportunities for as many members of the church family as possible to get involved in our life together. We are finding this to be a great resource for us. We’ve found people are more willing to commit themselves when they’re only required to do something around once every couple of months. So, rejoice with us as we now find that almost everyone in the church family is involved in some part of the church life and we are finding people are much more connected, in touch with each other, as a result.
      If I can take the liberty of spiritualising an old adage, ‘many hands make ‘light’ work.’

Sunday 12th

Dumfries: Rev Alistair Purss. We have experienced steady growth in people coming to faith, baptisms, membership and Christian service, in and through the life of the church, during 2011. We give God thanks for this and recognise that He is the one who makes things grow (1 Cor 3:7).
     We continue to worship at Dumfries High School on a Sunday morning and in our own building (which is increasingly being used for community outreach initiatives through the week) in the evening. Our plan is to make some alterations to our existing building to create a reception and church office area to create a hub for the weekly ministries to build around.
The search for a piece of land on which to build a new church centre continues and we trust that God will provide the right opportunity at the right time…this year would be great!
      We have agreed, and are beginning to develop, a new leadership structure to help to lead and facilitate our growing church and its ministry and we are also considering how to develop and increase our staff team.
Our vision is to Worship God, Equip God’s People and Serve God’s World throughout 2012.

Duncan Street, Edinburgh: Pastor Mark Schenk. Please pray that in all we do, we would do all to the glory of God. Pray that we'd be faithful in preaching the Word, faithful in prayer, faithful in proclaiming the Gospel, faithful in living the Gospel, faithful in discipleship, and faithful in loving, shepherding and building up the brothers & sisters. Pray that we would daily be overwhelmed by the grace that saved us and sustains us.

Sunday 19th

Dundee Central: Revs J Turrent & A Morrison. Praise God for the establishing of an eldership in Central to support the church in future ministry. Praise God for the church plant in Carnoustie, at ‘The Bridge’, which has now constituted with 25 members and an average attendance well in excess of that number. The opportunities for the Gospel are massive in that town.
Pray for us at Central as we develop a new discipleship model for the church this year. Pray for wisdom and God’s provision in people and finance as we consider appointing a pastor in Carnoustie and future planting plans in Lochee. Please also pray for our protection and encouragement - the Enemy really doesn’t like the foregoing!

Dunfermline West: Rev Douglas Whyte. We thank God for a return to a good spirit of unity in the ranks and for a successful, CEF-led, Holiday Club, back in October, that saw some 17 children attend. We are encouraged to press on with our weekly Good News Club that now has five secondary school girls coming along regularly to form the Youth Group section of the Club. We are hoping to have a Step-Out team with us in the summer. The School Chaplaincy and the Women`s Group are also points for praise.
      Please pray for the special strength required for a small church to maximise the opportunities that are there.

Sunday 26th

Dunoon. One old Christian classic is entitled Blessings out of Buffetings, an apt summary of life at Dunoon Baptist Church over this last year.
      Through a lengthy vacancy we have been well served both in pulpit supply and pastorally.
We owe a particular debt of gratitude to Rev. Hugh McConnachie who has assisted with pastoral visitation (and is greatly loved and appreciated by all the fellowship), and as Chairman of our Vacancy Committee.
In June we lost our longest serving member, May McNeil, after a short illness, May was very well known in Baptist circles throughout the country. Her passing reminds us of the wonderful blessings we receive from our older folks, especially when they continue to be such a vibrant part of the church, and such an encouragement to all age groups: church is family!
While we have experienced frustrations we have also seen some miraculous answers to prayer.
Praise God for growth and encouragement, and pray for more of the same as we look to find and do His will.

Dunrossness: Rev Dr Ian Thomson. We thank God for growing attendances at worship and for significant growth in our children's work, with the recent formation of a group set up specifically for our pre-teens and early teenagers. A number of those who attend this group already have a real faith in Jesus, and are trying to live that out in sometimes difficult circumstances at their schools. Please pray for them!
      As our attendances grow, the average age of the Church family is getting lower, but increasing numbers at worship are not yet reflected in baptisms or membership. This is of concern to many of us, and we would ask for prayer that believers not yet baptised would recognise the significance of that step, and that others, baptised as believers in other churches, would want to commit fully to the family of believers here by 'joining' the church.