Mark 14:22-24 (ESV) 22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
 This month in our Sunday services at Grace, our sermons have continued through the Gospel of Mark, and have reached the end of chapter 14. This has covered the institution of the Lord’s Supper and the importance of communion. We have followed Jesus through His arrest and seen Him before the High Priest. There is a real eagerness in the church to hear the word preached and be applied to life, which is really exciting. We have been praying that more women will come to our outreach ministries, since we have had quite a few men so far. It has been encouraging to see prayer answered with a lady that Cee has been in contact with for over a year, who introduced a friend who has just moved to Orkney. They are now meeting weekly to discover who God is and learn about the Gospel. They have both come to church, and we are praying that they cry out to God and are saved.   The 5-a-side football (soccer) that has been going for a few weeks now has been encouraging with 14 guys from the community turning up this week. They meet on Wednesday evenings on the Stromness football pitches. This is giving an opportunity to meet locals for a game or two and get to know them. We pray this will lead to gospel conversations and the guys who are coming will want to know more.  We have had a mission team from Valley Life Church in Arizona visit. Five members from the church were able to come and spend a week here with us, which was a real encouragement and blessing. They delivered leaflets for our summer kids’ club and family fun day in August, painted the church baptistry pool, and did some gardening. They joined our ministries and were able to explore Orkney on a sightseeing tour. We thank them for their time and help and look forward to seeing them again.  NORTH HUB Weekender The month finished with the 20 Schemes North Hub Weekender. This was held at Merkinch Free Church in Inverness. Miriam spoke at the ladies’ pre-con on discipleship in rural contexts, and Mez spoke at the main conference on Gideon from Judges 6. Silas, Matt, Jason, Matt, and Cee were all involved in the kids’ work. It was a busy, challenging, and encouraging time as we sought to learn more about serving the Lord in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. We had 12 guys from 3 different churches across America come back to Orkney for a couple of days with us. They were keen to see the work being done here and to get to know us more. We held an evening service on the Sunday after we all arrived back, so they were able to join in and worship the Lord with us. We were encouraged by their coming and spending time here, and are grateful for their prayers for us.   Matt and Cee Please stand with us in prayer. Matt and Cee still need funding to continue the ministry work here at Grace Church, Orkney. Please pray that the Lord provides. If you can support them in the work, please select them from the drop-down box at the top of the links below. GIVE From the USA https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/20schemesInc/British GIVE From the UK https://20schemes.infoodle.com/f/OnlineDonationsFormBritishWorkers PRAYER POINTS Pray for us as a church that we grow more and more like Christ and represent Him well in our community. Pray for the 2 ladies who have started meeting to learn about the Gospel, that they repent, believe, and are saved. Pray for fruit from the football ministry. Pray that members of the church can get alongside the guys in the community to tell them about the hope they have in Christ. Pray as homes in Stromness read the flyers for the summer kids club and family fun day. Pray they come along to these events and that we can serve them well and tell them about Jesus If you’d like to take a next step in supporting the ministry: PRAY | Join us in praying that the Lord blesses the work here and enables us to spread the Gospel in Stromness, Orkney, and that souls are saved for His glory. GIVE | Financially support this work so the least, last, and lost will hear the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. To give to the ministry as a financial offering from the U.K., please follow this link and select “Orkney” – 20schemes.info/orkneyukgive Or follow this link if you are in the USA and select “Orkney” -https://20schemes.info/orkneyusgive COME | Visit us in the UK to see firsthand the work God is doing on the ground, serving Christ in Scotland’s schemes and rural places. |