Category: News

Friends,

I am glad we have had a Book of Condolences & Appreciations available at St Columba’s in recent days. People have obviously appreciated the opportunity to commit their thoughts to paper. Among numerous comments that applaud the late Queen’s sense of duty and seventy years of service, a couple of comments offer perspectives from beyond our shores. One wrote as a national of a Commonwealth country:

“Thank you for the role you played in the Commonwealth and peace and stability in the United Kingdom. The people of my country are mourning, and we sympathise with the direct family. Your legacy shall live on, and we shall live to tell our children and generations to come of your selfless dedication to duty, until the end. Her Majesty will be greatly missed. You were an example to us all.”

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Recent photo of St Columba’s sanctuary, taken by Pat, our electrician, while installing new lights in the chancel area.

Friends,

On Wednesday morning Hill House School returned to St Columba’s for their first School Assembly of the new academic year. It was lovely to have the sanctuary full of young boys and girls, their teachers and some family members. They were curious about the scaffolding that has been in the church this week. It has been erected to change the lightbulbs in some of the highest, least accessible parts of the building. The new lights make a wonderful difference. One of the school staff said: “It shows someone loves this building.” I thought that was a lovely remark, and it definitely pleased Michael and Pat, who undertook the work.

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Friends,

My Bible reading notes this week have been focusing on rivers in the Bible and I often think that those who grow up beside water, be it the sea or a river, always want to get back to the water. The house in which I grew up was called Glenside and the Skipness Burn flowed through the glen and eventually into Kilbrannan Sound. Not one of the world’s great rivers but still quite impressive as it came crashing down the hill after a heavy rainfall. The Bible begins and ends with two rivers – in the book of Genesis the first flows out of Eden to nourish the earth so that it can be cultivated by the first of God’s children, in Revelation the second flows from the throne of God to fill our hearts and souls with life and love. In between we can see the live-giving properties of water, both physical and spiritual, and learn how God’s care for his people extends to all parts of our lives.

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Dear Friends,

I have long been interested in the area of Inter-Faith relations and the question of how we as Christians relate to other world religions. When I was a student and visited Jerusalem for the first time it was fascinating to learn of the significance of that city for the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Later, I was chaplain at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) where we had students from all over the world and every religious tradition from Southern Baptist to Zoroastrian.

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Dear Friends,

In the years following the Second World War, when most people travelling between the United States and Great Britain still sailed the Atlantic, a young Texan called Jerry Briscoe was coming to study at the London School of Economics. Unfortunately, there was heavy fog and his ship was not able to land but had to spend the night moored outside Liverpool harbour.  To pass the time a group of students including Jerry and I think George Soros, who later became very famous in the financial world, put a message in a bottle and threw it into the sea.

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Dear Friends,

David’s summer placement here at St. Columba’s is drawing to a close and this is his last Sunday with us.

It has been a pleasure getting to know him and I’m sure that everyone has been impressed by the energy and commitment with which he has embraced life in London.

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Last week, my family and I enjoyed the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, watching the Rugby 7s. I have always loved these games, with my first memory of them being Yvonne Murray winning Gold for Scotland in Victoria, Canada in 1994. I was also lucky enough to be a volunteer driver when the Games came to Glasgow in 2014.

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Friends,

Thanks to the presence of our candidate for ministry, David McKee, currently on summer attachment at St Columba’s, there is increased activity/conversation between St Columba’s, Pont Street and St Paul’s Cathedral. Last Monday, Reverend Paula Hollingsworth, Chaplain at St Paul’s Cathedral visited St Columba’s. Her parents were married here in 1959. Her main responsibility, as Chaplain at St Paul’s, is to offer pastoral support to the Cathedral community and to visitors. David will spend time in the coming days at St Paul’s to see and understand that ministry at first hand. It should be a fascinating insight.

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Dear Friends,

One of my favourite places in Jerusalem is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives. A beautiful little Russian church, it was built in 1888 by Tsar Alexander the Third and his brothers in memory of their mother, the Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna. The dedication of the church was attended by the Tsar’s younger brother Grand Duke Sergei and his wife, Elizabeth, (Ella), a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

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Friends,

Recent days at St Columba’s have seen several gatherings of children in our sanctuary; two class visits (Year 5, Christ Church Primary School & Year 2, Knightsbridge School) and two end of term Graduation Assemblies, (Knightsbridge School & Hill House School.) The place has echoed to the sound of young voices, youthful music makers and tearful and proud parents!

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Dear Friends,

It was a pleasure to welcome a lively group of Year 2 pupils from Knightsbridge School to the church this week. They come from a variety of backgrounds and have been studying world religions including Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. We may think that St. Columba’s is a comparatively plain, presbyterian building but the children were fascinated by the various symbols which adorn our sanctuary – the Agnus Dei or Lamb of God carved on the Communion Table, the eagle on lectern, the dove represented on the rose window above the chancel and of course the cross.

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Friends,

I write this reflection having just returned from my study visit to Israel. I am functioning, but the tiredness from travel and long queues at both Tel Aviv and Amsterdam Airports is still with me! Nonetheless, it is nice to be back home: except of course I am not at home in Scotland, but very much feel at home with you all here in London.

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Friends,

In a week where public transit has been in the news, I came across this reminiscence about an underground journey – not in London, but Glasgow. It comes from Elizabeth Templeton (8 June 1945 – 11 April 2015), Scottish theologian and educationalist. (Quoted in The Small Owl Calling, Peter Millar.)

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Friends,

After two celebratory Sundays – Pentecost & Jubilee festivities, followed by Trinity  Sunday & St Columba’s Day – the weekend ahead seems somewhat calmer – though it does offer another congregational lunch after service. It does not however,  signal any special moment in the Church calendar. Indeed, the Sundays ahead are  sometimes labelled as Ordinary Time.  

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Friends,

The Platinum Jubilee celebrations were a marvellous opportunity for people all over the United Kingdom to come together and socialise in a way that has not been possible for over two years. Here at St. Columba’s, we must thank all those who worked so hard to organise a wonderful “street party” in the Lower Hall. It was a great occasion, and everyone had a lovely afternoon. All of you will have your own favourite memories of the Jubilee not least the wonderful music at the Service of Thanksgiving in St. Paul’s Cathedral – but I suspect that many people will also treasure the image of The Queen having tea with Paddington Bear!

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