Let’s Pray For Social Witness Pray for the residents and tenants in Willow Brook, Aaron House, Lawnfield House and Peacehaven, that they will be kept safe and well and understand the current restrictions. Pray for the ongoing work of staff in these very challenging days, and that they will feel the presence of God in their work and witness.​ Legacy Pray that those who continue to keenly feel the physical and emotional impact of the conflict would know God’s peace, and that those in political leadership would find a way forward that is compassionate and wise.

Frances on Friday  
Each one of us has been given a ‘name.’ Our parents may have thought long and hard before making a final decision.

When someone has cause to write my name on a document,often he or she will look inquiringly towards me and say, ‘ How do you spell Frances?’  Is it –es or –is at the end? I can never remember which is correct.’ 

I explain that for me it’s –es and then usually add, ‘There’s a way to remember the correct spelling. Think of the words ‘him’ and ‘her’… ‘i’ in the middle of ‘him’ and ‘e’ in the middle of ‘her.’ Then the usual reply is, ‘I’ll never get thatwrong again!’

Names in the Bible often represent the character orpersonality of someone, as in Jesus meaning ‘Saviour,’ and Peter meaning ‘Rock.’

In 1st Samuel 17:45 NIV, just before the battle begins between David and Goliath, David tells Goliath where his power is coming from.  David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’

David was saying to Goliath, ‘I’m not impressed by your weapons or by your great size, God is on my side and I come against you in His name.’
​
When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are submitting our will to His because He knows what is best. His is the name that is above every name, and it is in His name we bring our requests to God.
Our Song this week is ‘Jesus is the name we Honour.’ Let’s daily ‘give Him Honour and Praise.’
Frances.
 ​

Evolution!  It's a hot topic among scientists and believers alike! Dr. Denis Alexander, Emeritus Director of the Faraday Institute, joins Paul Hammond to discuss the topic! Listen now on UCB Player!  https://t.co/3qUA0uXYIu

BOOK Sketches Of Faith This beautiful, hardback and gold foiled book is the PERFECT Christmas gift. Containing the biographies of over 30 key Christians, it also contains a collection of stunning newly commissioned sketches to accompany each chapter. You can download the first chapter for free. http://bit.ly/SketchesVideo

Piecing Heaven "That prayer is most likely to pierce heaven which first pierces one's own heart." For the Puritans, prayer was neither casual nor dull. Their prayers were passionate affairs, from earnestly pleading for mercy to joyful praise. These rich expressions of deep Christian faith are a shining example of holy living. Ideal for personal study or as a present. http://bit.ly/PiercingHeavenPrayers…

Let’s Pray For Social Witness Pray for Adelaide House – residents and staff as they continue to work through a Covid-19 outbreak in the home. Give thanks for the patience of residents, dedication of staff and the understanding of families and friends. Vulnerable children and young people  Pray that a consultation on a plan developed in response to the challenges and risks facing children, young people and their families due to the Covid-19 pandemic would identify and support positive interventions.

I’m sure you will be in agreement that over the years each one of us has been in situations where we have felt the demands and pressures of life, but possibly we are encountering an even greater degree of stress and tension at the present time.  In any conversation there is one topic which keeps returning, that, of course, is the situation with Covid19. Each day we are searching for reassurance. We trust that someone we meet will provide words of encouragement, or impart some new information which brings a glimmer of hope that we will soon return to the way of life we once knew. Yes, we are weary and stressed.

But let’s turn to the offer of encouragement which Jesus makes in Matthew 11:28 NIV  ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’

The Hymn I have chosen today, ‘I heard the Voice of Jesus Say,’ has a message taken from this verse of Scripture, the words being ‘Come unto Me and Rest.’ As we move through the verses we advance from being ‘weary and worn and sad’ to our ‘Soul revived’ and then onward to the brightness of ‘this dark world’s Light.’ What a progression!

The quote below sums up our need to keep singing!

‘Christians have always been people who sing - because as Christians we have something to sing about! The wonder of God and the glory of the Gospel should move us to praise and worship - and one way we can do that is in song.’

Why not follow the lyrics and sing along?  

Frances.

Burnside At Home Burnside At Home Worship Service and the Beside The Burn Bible Studies are available as a Podcast on many platforms. Spotify, Anchor, Amazon and now it is also available on iTunes, either search for “Burnside At Home” or click the link below from an apple device and Subscribe for free https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/burnside-at-home/id1515313929​ Or for any device click here https://anchor.fm/burnside

Alexa Open Burnside Church If you have an Alexa enabled device remember you are now able to listen to the Burnside podcast by saying “Alexa Open Burnside Church” The latest Podcast will then begin to play. Friday to Monday you will hear Burnside At Home and Tuesday to Thursday you will hear Beside the Burn. You can also ask Alexa to pause or play a previous episode. To set Alexa up simply click on the link below and then click ENABLE. https://amzn.eu/0DpNsxK

Enabling those in later life to flourish The Faith in the Second Half seminar by Keswick Ministries ‘Enabling those in later life to flourish’ is now up on YouTube! Check out part 1 of the seminar on the ‘Theology of old age’ by Dr Garry Williams, &  the rest of the seminar here: https://keswickministries.org/past-teaching-and-training-content/

Christmas 2020 What will Christmas be like this year? Will it be a blessing in disguise to have a different Christmas? What if Having a different Christmas makes this year more meaningful? https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/holly-covid-christmas/

CARE NI (50 minute audio) With pressure growing to legalise assisted suicide in the UK, we think there's a better story to tell when it comes to suffering at the end of life. This weeks #CAREcast focuses on the dignity and value of human life right to its natural end. https://buff.ly/35Af5BT

Let’s Pray For Global mission worker in Zambia Diane Cusick works in Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Zambia. Give thanks that schools were allowed to open at the end of September. Pray for the teachers that Diane works with, particularly for their extra workload as they ensure their classrooms are clean and safe. Global mission worker in Zambia Pray for Diane as she works from home, encouraging and supporting ECD teachers around Zambia. Give thanks for the ways that she can stay connected with community. ​

Pray For And Love Your Neighbour Following Jesus will seat you at tables that make you squirm. A Challenging article about how we are to love our neighbours https://t.co/rYA1g21pEY

BLOCK QUOTE
Friends and Neighbours
One evening as Anna was returning from language, a lady got on the bus and alighted at the same stop. Separately they walked to the same house, got in the same lift, and discovered they were next door neighbours. P has since come to our door, laden with homemade fig jam, bags of pomegranates, limes, olives and olive oil all from the land that they own. Give thanks for these opportunities with neighbours, and pray for moments when we can share Christ.


We are also grateful to be part of the Sunday evening small group, which George and Luciana lead. Being able to participate and learn helps us understand the context in which other Christians are seeking to live their lives as followers of Jesus in Greek society.


Anna's focus on membercare ministry continues. Recently, she had the opportunity to speak via zoom to a group of Christian women in Portugal and Brazil on the topic of 'caring for your missionary'
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For your Prayers
We Thank God for  
        - the ability, so far, to still move about, meet in small groups and in one anothers' homes.
        - for the amazing response to the appeal to help rehouse refugees affected by the fire on Lesvos.
        - for our own financial support that the Lord continues to provide out of his amazing grace.
Please pray for 
        - resilience, and brain power, (our memories don't get any younger), in learning Greek
        - for health and safety as we travel regularly on the bus and metro
          Anna working through Level 1. Peter finishing Level 2.
        - God's clear direction, as we explore options for ministry involvement.
        - wisdom and discernment for a family from UK who are considering long term in Greece.
          They visited last week, met people and checked out local schools.
       -  Peter's continued involvement with Field Ministries Exec Team till the end of the year.

Christian Unions Ireland  The November Prayer Guide https://www.cui.ie/blog/238/prayer-diary-november-2020

Trypraying Many of you will be familiar with our involvement with Trypraying. They are getting ready for more opportunities of outreach next year and have sent the following prayer requests. trypraying__nov20_.pdf File Size: 1235 kb File Type: pdf Download File

EMF Prayer Letter A prayer letter from European Missionary Fellowship Also a Prayer Diary for November.

emf_2020_11_news.pdf File Size: 531 kb File Type: pdf Download File

Good King - Bad King Are you better with a Good King or a Bad King? With the Votes being counted in the US election, earlier this week Don Carson wrote the following on Sunday: “(1) A good king may do bad and stupid things. (2) A bad king may do good and important things. (3) It follows that one should never evaluate the morality of a leader simply on the basis of select good things or bad things they do.” Read the full article here -  https://t.co/mdF6MfJq5f

Jigsaw The times for yesterday’s Jigsaw​ of Mount Stewart. Janice 2:06 Derek 3:40 ​Jean 3:46 Tomorrow we have another puzzle but can you tell me Where Is It? Play the "Where Is It Wed" puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=352a5a78f7d0