St J’s Diary & Notices: w/c Sunday, 17/09/2023
And, as always, if you need us, you can contact
- The Rector on 01387 254126 / 07487 653069 / rector@stjohnsdumfries.org
- The Church Office on 07754 596140 / pastadmin@stjohnsdumfries.org
Please note, the Church Office will be closed on Monday, 18/09/2023.
Annual General Meeting:
The Annual General Meeting will take place on the 1st October. As usual it will be held within the context of the 11am service. There will be a bring and share lunch and the formal meeting will follow. Forms for nominations to the elected vacancies are at the back of the church. The AGM papers will be in church next week. If you prefer to receive them by email, please sign the sheet at the back of the church. You only need to give your name, assuming we have your up to date email address. If you will NOT be able to attend the AGM, and would like your apologies noted, there is a sheet to sign for this as well.
Outings:
Next trip is on Saturday, 23/09/2023. The current proposal is that it will be to Bowness-on- Windermere. There, we can board the Windermere Lake Cruises Yellow Cruise for Lakeside Pier. (This part is optional; you can remain in Bowness if you want). At Lakeside Pier is the Lakes Aquarium and various other attractions. The round trip cruise (£17.30) takes 90 minutes, or we can stop off & visit the Aquarium etc and return by a later boat to B on W and thence back to Dumfries. Bus (assuming a minimum of 10 travelling) – £15. Mid-September weather is often nice, but, remember, this is the Lake District. Bring oil skins, Kendal Mint Cake etc., even if not planning to fall off the boat…David
PS: Note: at the time of drafting these notices, it doesn’t look as if we have enough people to run this trip; I’ll let those know who have already signed up, towards the end of next week, should the trip not be going ahead. Meantime, seats available at all prices!
Other Dates for your Diary:
- Friday, 06/10/2023: Beetle Drive
- Friday, 19/01/2024: Burns Supper
- Thursday, 14/03/2024 Pamper Session
- Saturday, 16/03/2024 Men’s Breakfast
MU:
- The first lunchtime meeting of Mothers’ Union’s new programme will take place this Thursday 21st September 2023, when there will be a talk by Mrs Ann Frain – Bell about The Sumner Family. It is amazing to have a local connection with Mary Sumner, the founder of Mothers’ Union.
- Despite its name, MU is an inclusive organisation, supporting families and projects around the world. Anyone is welcome to come along – you do not have to be a mother, married, or even female! We will gather in the Hall from 12.30, with prayers at 12.45 and lunch at 1pm. Please bring a sandwich lunch, and soup, tea / coffee and cake will be provided. MU members look forward to welcoming you!
- Watch out for MU Prayer space which is held on the second Thursday of the month, via Zoom, at 12noon and 8pm. You’ve (probably) just missed Peace & Reconciliation this week, but forthcoming sessions include Faith in Action (12 Oct), Gender Justice (9 Nov) and God With Us (14 Dec). Details on the poster on the lit noticeboard, and also the St J’s website. The Church Office (pastadmin@stjohnsdumfries.,org) can provide Zoom joining details. The invitation to join in ‘Prayer Space’ is not just for MU members…(see above)
We are hoping to have special flower arrangements in the window bays in the church at Harvest, particularly celebrating the theme of ‘Gifts’. If you would like to contribute towards the cost of the flowers, provide some kind of gift, or would like to take on decorating a bay yourself, please speak to Carolynne or Janice.
Activities are resuming after the summer break. Keep an eye on the Diary, week by week, but, at present, the expectation is that Short Mat Bowling will resume, in the Hall, on Tuesday, 26/09/2023; the Quiz Nights will resume on Friday, 29/09/2023, both at 7.30pm, and the pattern of Evensong and Contemporary Services have resumed, with the Contemporary Service last week, and Evensong this Sunday. See posters.
Quartz says…
- Simon is going back to Uni! Only to visit for the day though. We will have a stall at the Freshers’ Fair on Tuesday the 12th of September to welcome new students both under and postgraduate to the Crichton Campus.
- CLC: This is the Quartz house group, we meet every second Monday. More info is on the website. [www.wordsmithcrafts.co.uk]. Next planned meeting time is Monday 18/09/2023 at 19.30. On the 05/10/2023, we are planning to meet at Tatyana’s! Please get in touch if you need directions.
- Forest Church: We will continue to meet at the Crichton on the 3rd Sunday in the Month. Next planned meeting time is September the 17th at 14.00.
- Magazine: A Quartz review is being written for the Autumn/Winter St Johns Magazine. You can still read the last one in the current magazine which can be downloaded from the St John’s website or picked up in the building.
- The Blog: This site is maintained by Wordsmith Crafts CIC. Sometimes the content comes from people who have sent things in. There is the capacity to let other people post blogs directly too, and these will be tagged with their name. This expands the use of the site to encourage discussion, even for those who cannot physically meet in one place often. If you would like to contribute, or recommend someone, please get in touch.
- An invitation: Would you like to become more involved in Quartz? We will be publishing a list of ideas for projects. If you are inspired and would like to contribute an idea have a quick search on the website for similar things to compare it with what Quartz has done in the past – then send your idea in. Once the list is published, we will be trying to find people to help make them happen! Involvement in one activity does not commit you to being involved in any others (unless you want to be). If you are willing to be more involved in the planning and selection of ideas let us know.
9,300 Postcards for 9,300 Children: see the lit noticeboard (or visit https://findothers.com/tools/postcards-for-refugee-children) for details of this, and why you might want to support it.
Dumfries Academy tell us…We would be extremely grateful if you could share details about our Fairtrade Coffee Morning with your congregation. It is being held on Saturday, 30th of September, 10am – 12:00 pm at St George’s Church Hall. All the money raised will help pupils to finance a life changing trip to Kenya in 2024. Entry costs £5 for adult and children can attend for free!
There will be live musical performances by pupils throughout the morning, a raffle and a selection of stalls selling home-baking, second-hand books and home-made jewellery.
It promises to be a good day!
