Photo by Susan Pym
Friends,
Last weekend offered a concentrated burst of congregational life. On Friday evening our elders met as your Kirk Session, undertaking their trustee role, to consider the consistently broad agenda of concerns that face them – from how to keep the building safe, warm and accessible, to which initiatives, within or beyond the congregation we support, to how we show care for each other and how we worship together. At the same time ReStart were hosting the regular Friday night drop-in meal in the Lower Hall.
On Saturday evening the Lower Hall was venue for a wonderful Burns Supper with one hundred and twenty guests, enjoying an evening of excellent food, entertainment and company. Then on Sunday, morning service – described by one attendee, as “an event” – combined the Pipes & Drums of the London Scottish Regiment (commemorating the 80th anniversary of Pte George Mitchell’s award of the Victoria Cross) and our celebration of communion. We trialled a new way of sharing the bread and wine – the congregation received the elements in the pews – and thanks to the good planning and assistance of many, it seemed to go very well.
Doing anything new or different is rarely hitch-free. We have recently installed a new sound and camera system in the sanctuary. Its dual aim is to enhance audibility for those in the sanctuary, and sight and sound for those watching via the livestream. Unfortunately, this weekend, for the live streamers, there was a reported, frustrating loss of sound quality. We are working to correct that. New communion and new cameras also raise questions about how we make those watching at home, feel fully included in the communion service.
Photo by Susan Pym
It is surely good that new things happen. Even tried and tested ways of doing things require to evolve, and with it will come some disruption. Each week at the Wednesday morning Hill House School assembly, held in the St Columba’s sanctuary, staff, pupils and parents recite the prayer, which might also inspire us:
O God give us courage. Courage to try new things and not be afraid of making mistakes. Courage to work with all our strength and know that it is not the beginning but the continuing until it is completely finished that yields the true glory, through Christ the Lord our God. Amen.
See you on Sunday,
Angus
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. The words for the hymns and readings will be on the website.
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.
Reminder: If you do not wish to appear on the live-stream please choose a seat in the rear half of the sanctuary.
Please note that the Evening Services on the 1st of the month are not live streamed as they are held in the London Scottish Chapel.
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 the organ music from 10.50am.
Hymns, Music & Readings for Sunday 4th February 2024, Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, 11am & 5pm
Hymn 103 Fill your hearts with joy and gladness (Rhuddlan)
Hymn 631 A little child the Saviour came (Commandments)
Hymn 122 Let all the world in every corner sing (Luckington)
Hymn 184 Sing to the Lord a joyful song (Gonfalon Royal)
Anthem: Hodie beata virgo, Byrd
Musical Interlude: Maria das jungfraulein, Eccard
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:29-39
Reader: Sheila Nicoll
THIS SUNDAY: 5pm, Evening Service: Readings & Music for Candlemas: Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. (London Scottish Chapel)
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.
THIS SUNDAY: Welcome to newly baptised
Special welcome this week to the family and friends of Elle Jane Richards who comes for baptism this Sunday.
THIS SUNDAY: Sunday School
Sunday School happens on 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. As always, a big thank you to our volunteers who enable these activities.
THIS SUNDAY: Scottish Country Dancing for Children, 4th February, 1pm, Sunday School Room.
With the support of RSCDS, we are delighted to offer the children a Scottish Country Dancing class.
Classes will take place once a month after Sunday School starting from Sunday 4th February. Rose Kreloff will teach the first class, she is an RSCDS London member who teaches regularly in London and the Southeast. Children are encouraged to bring their packed lunch, but remember there is also congregational lunch on offer, following morning service. For the opening session, we request one parent or carer per family to be present.
THIS SUNDAY: Congregational Lunch, Lower Hall
£4.00 per lunch – an exceptional value for a two course meal. Big thanks to all our catering teams who provide for us on congregational lunch Sundays. Coffee are served every Sunday as usual in the Upper Hall – donations for coffee most welcome. Future Dates are Sunday 18th February and 3rd March.
THIS SUNDAY: St Columba’s Craft Group, Library, 1.30pm to 3.30pm
This is a great opportunity to pick up tips and new techniques from our talented and experienced members. All welcome. For further information please contact Fiona Lang or Susan Pym through the church office.
UPCOMING: Ash Wednesday, 14th February & the Season of Lent
To mark the beginning of Lent there will be a short service of holy communion on Wednesday 14th February at 1pm, in the London Scottish Chapel.
UPCOMING: “Let Me Go There”: Lent Study.
The book selected for our Lent Study is “Let Me Go There” by Paula Gooder, Theologian in Residence for the Bible Society. Arranged as a series of engaging and profound biblical reflections the book is an invitation to experience Lent, not as a season of restriction, but of wide-open spaciousness, in which to learn new lessons, to grow in faith, and to give God the chance to meet us in new ways.
A morning and evening group is offered. Wednesday evenings (7.15 – 8.15pm) and Thursday mornings (10.30 – 11.30am.) Sign up via the church office to receive zoom invite. Attendees asked to provide their own book copy.
UPCOMING: Saturday 2nd March, “Embody Lent” London Scottish Chapel, 10.30 – 12noon
Revd Pauline Steenbergen author of the newly published Embody Lent, (Wild Goose Publications, Iona Community, £10.99, available on their website) is offering a free session of Christian spirituality, via her yoga practice. Pauline gave two well-received sessions at the Festival of Silence at St Columba’s last November. The session will be held in the London Scottish Chapel, 10.30am – 12noon on Saturday 2nd March. Twelve places available. Please sign up via the church office, indicating whether you would prefer chair/mat yoga.
Pauline’s book intersects Yoga and Christian Spirituality in an illustrated 8 session course; involving movement, breath awareness, biblical reflection and ways into silent prayer. It is a resource for individuals, pairs or groups and there are options for chair yoga only, if necessary. Pauline is a Spiritual Director and a Church of Scotland minister living in Carlisle in the Presbytery of South-west Scotland; she is currently an ecumenical pioneer minister in the Diocese of Carlisle and a Yoga Scotland teacher, with classes in Cumbria, SW Scotland and weekly on Zoom.
NEXT WEEK: St Columba’s Quiz Night, Saturday 10th February:
Come and test your general knowledge at the St Columba’s 17th Annual Quiz. Saturday, 10th February 6.30 pm for 7 pm start. Tickets £6 per person will be on sale after 11am service on Sunday 4th February. After that, please email rosa@stephensomerville.co.uk or the Church office. You could join The Choir, Tennis Club, The Magnificent Seven, Reeling Together and The Lanark Collective, who are all immortalised on the Quiz shields in the Lower Hall.
NEXT SUNDAY: Congregational Prayer Group: Sunday 11th February, 10.15 – 10.30am
Come and join us for 15 minutes to pray for our church, our community, our nation and our world …everyone is welcome and our prayers, both spoken and silent do make a difference.
UPCOMING: Sounds of St Columba’s, Sunday 18th February
Join us for a recital in the Upper Hall from 1.30pm, details to be confirmed soon.
UPCOMING: Scots in London Ceilidh Evening: Saturday 9 March 2024, Lower Hall, 7pm – 10:30pm
Join for an evening filled with Highland Dancing to a live Ceilidh Band plus a range of live entertainment from the London Scottish Pipes and Drums, the London Gaelic Choir and the Burns Club of London. There will also be the opportunity to join in with a community sing along. No previous dance experience is required, just enthusiasm, as there will be a caller to lead guests through all the moves step-by-step. A light supper is included in the ticket price, and there will be a bar available to purchase drinks.
The evening will start at 7pm (doors open 6:30pm) and tickets are £20.To book tickets please visit: http://tinyurl.com/29jyxj6z
Office Hours
The church office is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
E-mail: office@stcolumbas.org.uk
Website: www.stcolumbas.org.uk
Facebook: @stcolumbas churchpontstreet.
Twitter: @LondonKirk
Pastoral Emergency Number (out of office hours): 07591926271