Gwydyr Rd, Crieff, UK, PH7 4BS

Dear Friends,
Evangelism in Scotland
On Sabbath at our Edinburgh church, I met a Scottish woman who was there for the first time.  She had been invited to church after meeting members of the outreach team on Princes Street.   I commend this approach that gives out literature and builds friendships with people an am glad to hear that the team has been invited to other SM churches to share their approach.  The same morning a young couple came to church for the first time because a father had just found out our church and just sent them some DVDs.  The Holy Spirit is using the new media in a powerful way to reach out to his people.
Evangelism is essential for a healthy church and gives us the opportunity of working with the Holy Spirit to draw all people to him.  At our last SM Executive we discussed the importance of evangelism in our local churches.  We almost doubled the SM evangelism budget for 2011 over 2010.  Pastor Jimmy Botha (as church growth sponsor) and I have agreed that the SM will support local eligible outreach budgets with matching funds.   It is not money that is holding us back from reaching people, and it is up to all of us to share God’s love for the lost.
Last week we also agreed to finance an internet advertising campaign using the www.freebible.org.uk web site.  The amazing news is that over just the last week, we have 3 new contacts in Scotland, one in each of our 3 largest cities.  Please pray with me that this will be one of the more successful ways of reaching people for evangelistic outreach in Scotland.  Please tell your friends about this site if you think they are interested in getting a free Bible.  Unfortunately, at present, this offer is not open to those who are members or already attend church.
You might be pleased to know that the recent SM Exec also approved the ‘Simple Church’ approach as another option for evangelism in the Scottish Mission.  There is a great article about it on the front of the latest Messenger and you can find out more by going to www.simplechurch.org
Other news:
The Dunfermline Church is still looking for a church that they can call their own.  After a year of searching, they thought they had found the ideal property.  Unfortunately SM Executive received legal advice that said that the proposed new building had the possibility of not being a sound investment.  Please pray with me that God will lead the Dunfermline members as they again seek to follow God’s guidance for them.
The Scottish Mission Executive voted seven delegates for the BUC session this summer.  The lay members are: Lawrence Pollard (Glasgow), Virginia Dube (Paisley), Martin Bell (Crieff), Owen Anderson (Edinburgh), Efraim Zakarias (Dundee).  The ministers are: Pastor Lorance Johnson and Pastor Jimmy Botha.  Feel free to contact these people with your ideas for how we can improve our church.

Pastor Bernie