St Andrews Baptist Church Weekly Bulletin
Sunday 5 October 2025: Harvest Sunday
A warm welcome to all who are worshipping with us this Sunday—whether you are with us in person or online.
For Sunday service information, see below. You can access our services through our website (www.standrewsbaptist.org.uk)
This Sunday:
10am: The talk during our Harvest Sunday service will be on “The Lord’s Harvest”, based on Matthew 9:35-38.
There will be a Special Offering on Harvest Sunday, 5 October 2025 which will support Genesis Acaye. You can find out more about Genesis on the BMS website: https://bmsworldmission.org/gacaye
Hot Chocolate: during the morning service. A new youth group for primary 7 and secondary age. Contact Emily Howat for more details.
6:30pm: Angus Ross will be preaching on “Exemplifying: Paul and Barnabas”.
Impact (S3–S6) Youth Groups: 6:30-8pm. For details or to sign up, parents email impact@cornerstonestandrews.org.
CHURCH ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK:
Home Groups this week. See a leader after the services or email homegroups@standrewsbaptist.org.uk
Tuesday:
Elders’ meeting: 7:30pm
Wednesday:
tots+: 9:30-11am in the Room Downstairs (for babies and pre-school children with their grown-up). For further information please speak to Jane Harrison or contact totsplus@standrewsbaptist.org.uk
Balnacarron Service: 2:30pm.
Friday:
Admin in-office hours: 1-4pm.
Saturday:
Prayer meeting: 9am on Zoom.
Next Sunday:
10am: Abi Ngunga will be preaching on “Revelation from God through vision 4”, based on Zechariah 3:1-10. This service will be followed bby the wedding of Amy and Derek.
6:30pm: Tamara Knudson will be preaching on “Exemplifying: Elizabeth and Mary”.
NOTICES:
Transport Ministry: If you are struggling to get to church, or to healthcare appointments, email transport@standrewsbaptist.org.uk or leave a message on 07388 616629. The coordinator will get in touch with you, and we will do our best to help you where we can.
Harvest Sunday, 5 October: We are celebrating the harvest on Sunday 5 October and therefore if you are able to bring fruit and vegetables to help decorate the church that would be super. Some of the Micah group will be in church from 10:30-12:30 on Saturday 4 October or you can bring your offering on Sunday 5th October. Many thanks.
Pastor Abi is away from Monday 29 September to Wednesday 8 October. During this time Pastor Paul Grinyer is covering for him for any emergency pastoral care. Non- urgent pastoral care continues to be available through the pastoral care team pastoralcare@standrewsbaptist.org.uk. Alternatively, you may contact an elder or your pastoral visitor.
Wedding of Derek and Amy: Sunday 12 October after the morning service. If you can contribute to the church family celebration please speak to Jane Harrison or email jane@standrewsbaptist.org.uk
Find out more about being a deacon: The Church Annual Meeting includes election, or re-election, of deacons who serve in many practical ways, often behind the scenes. If you want to know more about what is involved and consider whether this an area of service for you, please speak to David Harrison or any other deacon to find out more.
We are excited to enter into a new year of working with our young people! From now until Christmas, the “children’s moment” during our services will be focusing on “What if…” questions. “What if…” questions are questions that can spark creativity and prompt deeper thinking and allow us to explore fundamental aspects of faith. We hope that you gain as much from them as the young people! We look forward to sharing more about what we’re doing at Beacon Kids and creche as the weeks go by!
Update from Crèche and Beacon Kids: The new session of Crèche and Beacon Kids is well underway! We are so grateful for the families that entrust their children to us each week. This semester we are thinking about the attributes of God and what that means for us if we want to follow Jesus in his mission. In crèche it’s been a joy to see our 2-4 year olds learn about God through stories and crafts. So far, our 5-8 year olds have been thinking about being faithful and trustworthy. Our “older” young people are learning about God’s attributes and will be looking at Paul’s letters – this was a bit of the Bible that they said they didn’t know so much about. If you would like to be part of the amazing team that has the privilege of nurturing faith and curiosity in our young people then please speak to, or contact, Margaret Sutherland (margaret@standrewsbaptist.org.uk) for more information!
James Gregory Public Lecture: Monday 6 October, 5:15pm in the Booth Lecture Theatre, Medical Science Building. Dr Gareth C Japhet speaking on “Breaking Down Barriers in a Divided World”. Admission free. More information from www.jamesgregory.org.uk
Calling all families and children! Save the Date: Glow Party, Sunday 26 October, 3:30-5:30pm in Holy Trinity Church. Join us as we celebrate Jesus and the light that He brings! Tickets to book your place will be available soon. Keep an eye on social media or speak to Margaret (margaret@standrewsbaptist.org.uk) or Jenny.
PRAYER ITEMS FOR THIS WEEK:Prayer points for 30-day prayer challenge for Israel-Gaza
Let’s pray with the BMS world mission for 30 days for the safety and peace of people caught up in Israel-Gaza war. Take just five minutes of quiet each day. Why not open and close each day with the words below?
Opening prayer:
Lord… we hear the news about the land called ‘Holy’ each and every day and we feel so helpless. We don’t know where to go to find even a hope that things can get better. So give us strength as we take these few moments, as we pray in the certainty that you love us intimately, that you see our hearts and also our tears, that you know our thoughts, that you hear our spoken words and those that we feel only able to utter silently.
Today we pray very specifically for…
Closing prayer:
Lord, strengthen us, hear us, help us keep faithful: as we cry out for an end to the war, and a recognition that we have to work with and not against one another. Particularly may this be true in communities in Israel and in Palestine and within governments. Lord, bring peace urgently, we pray.
SUNDAY: We pray for BMS World Mission’s Director for Mission, Arthur Brown. We pray you would give him wisdom in directing BMS to speak and pray into situations of desperate need. Pray for BMS partners to be encouraged in their collaboration with Arthur and help him to listen well to their needs.
MONDAY: We pray for peace and safety for Israeli people as well as those suffering in Gaza. We pray that churches in Israel would be seen as beacons of light for people experiencing fear or worry, those who are living with generational trauma or who feel helpless in seeing a way through the conflict.
TUESDAY: For those working with and for UN agencies throughout Gaza. For their personal safety. For them to have strength to keep going when they are exhausted. For wisdom for UN team leaders. For an enduring ability to work with the local population and to serve.
WEDNESDAY: We pray for so many suffering from the psychological effects of this war. For soldiers, for their families, for those displaced many times. For those who have lost hope. For those who are just scared. For children, and men and women who have seen and experienced things that no-one ever should. We pray too against the spirit of future revenge.
THURSDAY: We pray for our Government. For Keir Starmer, and for David Lammy and Hamish Falconer in the Foreign Office. For them to be courageous even when under intense personal and political pressure. For the UK to find a way to be leading and not following in a determination to resolve this. For ears to listen and a bravery to act. For a solution not just to ending the war in Israel-Gaza, but for a longer-term solution.
FRIDAY: We pray for students at BMS World Mission partner Bethlehem Bible College to know your peace and presence in the storm they are living through. Might they know the Lord of the universe who holds them in his hands and have confidence in the one who calmed the waves.
SATURDAY: We pray for the southern Gazan town of Rafah. For people simply trapped. For those evacuated to beach tent camps. For those without food. For them not to lose hope. For those who can no longer afford food. For those scared every day for their own safety.
We pray for ourselves. For a determination to listen to the news and not allow it to become normalised. For a wisdom in searching out others who we can join with along this path. For a strength to speak out. For an ability to listen carefully when others present a different viewpoint and to know how to respond with courage and love. For a heart that speaks to our neighbours of what we know and what we would long for, and the sense of which doors to push open.
We thank God for the entire community of BMS supporters. For our dialogue and engagement with this issue. For praying along with this 30-day challenge. For continuing to stand hand-in-hand with those suffering around the world. And for our continued longing for a world where all are free from the threat of violence.
The morning service starts at 10am, in-person and online, and includes crèche and Beacons Kids’ provision. The evening service starts at 6:30pm.
Items for the bulletin: Items for the bulletin should be emailed to bulletin@standrewsbaptist.org.uk (or leave a message on the church answer machine, 01334 472285) (by Wednesday 6pm)
www.standrewsbaptist.org.uk
ST ANDREWS BAPTIST CHURCH SCIO
is a registered charity in Scotland (SC053674).