*St Columba’s, Pont Street, December 2015
Friends,
I imagine many of you will watch the funeral service for Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh this Saturday. Earlier this week I wrote on behalf of Scots in London, (of which St Columba’s is a founding member) to its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal to say how saddened we were to hear of the death of her father, and to know that we were holding her and all members of the Royal family in our thoughts and prayers at this time.
Remembering a special day, when Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh met many members of St Columba’s and St Andrew’s, Newcastle at the 60th Anniversary Service of the “new” St Columba’s, in December 2015, I shared one specific memory. There was a lovely concluding moment to their visit. Our two local preparatory schools, Hill House and Knightsbridge School, each provided a “guard of honour.” As the Queen and the Duke were exiting the building the two groups of schoolchildren gave a raucous three cheers. The Duke made a great pantomime of being deafened, clutching his ears theatrically – to the huge delight and amusement of his young audience.
As the Royal family gather on Saturday, I trust they will be blessed by the gathering of loved ones and the shared stories and fond memories that will arise.
See you on Sunday,
Angus.
*The Duke of Edinburgh with St Columba’s member, Duncan Lang
Live Streaming of Worship
Services can be watched via the church website, https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/live stream. To access the live stream from the homepage (front page) click the Menu button in the top right-hand side of the page and scroll down and click on “Live Stream”. This will bring up the live stream to the church. The act of worship of approximately 60 minutes, includes include prayers, a sermon and music. (Note: This will not be public worship that everyone can attend, but an offering of prayer and praise, on behalf of us all.) The words for the hymns will be on the website.
We believe it is really important to continue to live-stream the Morning Service under its current format i.e. for the benefit of those joining worship from afar or those as yet unable to make the journey to Pont Street. For those without internet, the Dial-In facility continues. Many people comment that they do have a sense of worshipping together, even if invisible to each other. While current regulation forbids singing in the pews, the live stream strongly recommends singing in the sitting room!
Dial into Sunday Service
If you are aware of church members or friends who do not have access to internet please inform them that they can now phone in to join the Sunday service. No visuals clearly, but at least they can hear the service.
Those interested should follow:
Step 1: At 10.40am call phone number 0203 051 2874.
Step 2: You will be prompted to enter a meeting ID. Please type (using your telephone keypad) 266 883 5072#
Step 3: You will then be asked for a participant number – simply press the #.
Step 4: Enjoy the service! You will hear Ben’s organ music from 10.50am.
Hymns, Music & Readings, 3rd Sunday of Easter:
Hymn 478 Behold the amazing gift of love (St Stephen Newington)
Hymn 417 Now the green blade riseth (Noel Nouvelet)
Hymn 430 Christ has risen while earth slumbers (615 Abbot’s Leigh)
New Testament Readings: Acts 3: 12-19 & 1 John 3:1-7
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:36b-48
Anthem: Nunc dimittis (Gibbons)
Organ Postlude: Chorale Prelude on Dundee (Parry)
Office Hours
Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. The Church Office is currently being manned from home.
Contact details;
Tel: 020 7584 2321
E-mail: office@stcolumbas.org.uk
Website: www.stcolumbas.org.uk
Facebook: @stcolumbaschurchpontstreet
Twitter: @LondonKirk
Pastoral Emergency Number (out of office hours): 07591926271
Private Prayer
If you wish to come into the sanctuary for prayer during the week, please contact the Office to arrange a suitable time.
Lent Appeal 2021 – Play for Progress – www.playforprogress.org
Mission Committee would like to thank everyone so much for donating to the Lent Appeal. A total of £9,538.75 inc Gift Aid has been raised so far, the closing date for the Appeal was this week. For information, a very generous donation of £3k was sent direct to Play for Progress and specifically requested for use re. Lent Appeal. Plus £6,538.75 (inc Gift Aid) of donations which were raised at church for the Lent Appeal, making a total of £9,538.75 inc. Gift Aid. Should any further donations be received, Mission Committee will update everyone.
The money raised will certainly help Play for Progress continue with the incredibly valuable work they do to help the unaccompanied minor refugees and asylum seekers recover from trauma and isolation by providing therapeutic support through the creative arts, education, advocacy work and general support.
Maintaining Community and Supporting Each Other
Everybody can play a part in maintaining contact with others via telephone, e-mail or letter, especially those who are particularly vulnerable. Our Elders are encouraged to make contact with those in their districts, and church members are welcome to contact the church office to request a contact from their elder or the Minister.
Congregational Offerings
Details on the many ways you can support St Columba’s can be found here https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/giving/supporting-st-columbas
Would anyone wishing to contribute to St Andrew’s, Newcastle please contact the Session Clerk on standrewssessionclerk@gmail.com for bank details or other means of donating.
Go wild In Barnes!
The Youth Committee and Sunday School team has organised a bushcraft activity on 25 April from 13:30 to 15:30 at Barn Elms Playing Fields, Barnes. The activity will be a fun-filled couple of hours of den building, fire making and roasting marshmallows for children aged four years and older. We are limited to 15 children due to the government COVID guidelines so please email gary@thewallis.com to sign-up. Please note that this is not a drop off activity and parents will be required to remain on site for the duration of the activity.
St Columba’s Quiz
Due to the COVID 19 restrictions we were not able to get together for the annual St Columba’s Quiz. So, this year we have taken the quiz online. The quiz is available on the website here https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/community-life/quiz-2021 – for the answers please email the Church Office.
Historic Chapels Trust
One of our elders, Jean Stevenson, is a trustee of the Historic Chapels Trust, and has drawn our attention to a number of evening lectures which members of the congregation might find of interest. They can be accessed via the link here http://www.hct.org.uk/
On 23 April “Equiano’s Daughter: A glimpse of dissenting England” begins with Henry Bromley (1798-1878) a congregational minister from North London, but goes on to introduce us to his family and his first wife Joanna, who was the daughter of Olaudah Equiano, who was born in Benin, enslaved in the New World and became a free man in the England of Clarkson and Wilberforce.
Scotscare Sheltered Housing
Scotscare, the charity for Scots in London currently has sheltered housing vacancies available at Rothesay Court, Grove Park, London. The accommodation provides supported living for Scots over 55, or over 50 living with a disability. Allocations are made on a priority system ensuring those most in need receive the housing they require. If you know someone or you yourself are interested in the accommodation please contact Scotscare directly on 0800 652 2989 or
email info@scotscare.com to find out more.
*Hills of Arran, Revd Jane Taylor