I was entertained this week by a church member recollecting the baptism of her child – many years ago and in a neighbouring church of St Columba’s. The vicar had removed his spectacles prior to the baptism at the large marble font – symbolically placed near the entrance to the church at the west door. Just at the key moment, the child’s mother, while handing over the infant, dislodged the clerical spectacles from their resting place – propelling them into the depths of the font. Opps! Happily, the baptism was completed, and the vicar appears to have maintained a sense of humour.
Hopefully, such mishaps will be avoided on Sunday, when we welcome three young lives – Beau, Hamish and Arlo – for their baptisms. Thanks to the kindness of a church member, each newly baptised child receives the gift of the book, “99 Prayers for Children”. It is a reminder of a day of welcome and a small encouragement to make prayers part of home and family life. Earlier in the week in another congregational conversation, I was told about the memory of a parent who always said bedtime prayers with his child. “He loved to pray.” Clearly, those small moments shared between parent and child, were still precious, decades later.
I hope you can join us this Sunday in person, or online. As well as welcoming the newly baptised, it is a celebration of Harvest, marked by the collection of foodstuffs for the Upper Room charity. This Sunday also offers Sunday School activities (11am), short service of holy communion (12.15pm), congregational lunch (12.15pm), craft group (1.30pm) and evening service (5pm). Please do come and be a part of these things. May it truly be a day “that the Lord has made – and may we be glad in it.”
Angus
Live Streaming of Worship
Services can be watched via the church website, https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/live-stream. Reminder: If you do not wish to appear on the live-stream please choose a seat in the rear half of the sanctuary. 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 phone in to join the Sunday service. Those interested should follow:
Step 1: At 10.40am call phone number 0208 080 6591.
Step 2: You will be prompted to enter a meeting ID. Please type (using your telephone keypad) 884 4746 5645
Step 3: You will then be asked for a participant number – simply press the #.
Step 4: You will be asked to enter the password. Enter 838727
Step 5: Enjoy the service! You will hear the organ music from 10.50am.
THIS SUNDAY: Hymns, Music & Readings for Sunday, 6th October 2024, Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Harvest Festival and Baptisms
Hymn 233 Come, you thankful people, come (St George’s Windsor)
Hymn 266 God whose farm is all creation (Shipston)
Hymn 336 Christ is our light! The bright and morning star (Highland Cathedral)
Hymn 229 We plough he fields and scatter (Wir Pflugen)
Anthem: Thou visitest the earth (Greene 1695-1755)
Musical Interlude: Cantate domino (Pitoni 1657-1743)
Old Testament Reading:Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Gospel Reading: Mark 10:2-16
Reader: Susan Pym
Details on the many ways you can support St Columba’s can be found here https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/giving/supporting-st-columbas 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.
St Columba’s members
We are sorry to announce the death of St Columba’s member Hannah Napier. A Rest eternal grant unto her and let light perpetual shine upon her. A Service of Thanksgiving for St Columba’s member Ian Aitchison will be held at St Columba’s, Pont Street at 2pm, on Friday 18th October 2024.
THIS SATURDAY: Harvest Church Decoration Saturday 5 October 1.30 – 3pm.
Flower Guild members will be decorating the church for Harvest on Saturday 5 October from 1.30 – 3pm, followed by tea and cake. Newcomers with or without any experience are very welcome to join us either to help, watch or just enjoy tea! We are also seeking volunteers to take away vegetables following the service to make soup which will then be used in the Night Shelter. For more information please contact Patricia; palymac2002@yahoo.co.uk
THIS SUNDAY: Harvest Festival Morning Service, Sunday School and Baptisms, 11am, Sunday 6th October.
A day to celebrate the gifts of the Harvest and welcome three families bringing their children for baptism. Special welcome to the baptismal family and friends of Beau Henry Nicodemus Rastall Brown, Hamish Gabriel Benjamin Cumming & Arlo Sebastian Lammin-Hassan who will join us on Sunday for their special day.
Harvest Appeal 2024 – The Upper Room (UR4 Meals)
Harvest is approaching and we will be collecting again for The Upper Room (UR4 Meals). The charity provides thousands of meals a year to the homeless and disadvantaged people. UR4 Meals provides around 160 meals and take away meals each day. Your food donations will contribute to such a valuable meal service.
We will be collecting: ground black and white pepper, vegetable stock cubes, sunflower or vegetable oil, tinned chopped tomatoes, pasta (preferably penne), rice (preferably basmati), spaghetti, biscuits, instant coffee, tea bags (not loose tea).
Collection point: Upper Vestibule by the Harvest Display Board, on Sundays 22nd, 29th September and 6th October (culminating at the Harvest Festival Service).
Thank you in advance, UR4 Meals!
THIS SUNDAY: St Columba’s Craft Group, Kirk Session Room, 1.30pm-3.30pm
Many of us are knitters and crocheters of varying levels of experience; others are embroiderers spinners and patchworkers, so whatever your interest is you will find a welcome with us. For more details contact Susan Pym or Fiona Lang via the church office.
NEXT WEEK: Midweek Prayers, Wednesday 9th October, 1pm, London Scottish Chapel
NEXT SUNDAY: Sunday 13th October, Macmillan Coffee Morning after service
NEXT SUNDAY: Sunday 13th October, 1pm, Lower Hall
We are delighted that RSCDS will bring back Scottish Country Dancing for children. The class will take place once a month on Sunday afternoons (3rd Sunday of the month) taught by Rose Kreloff. Children should be at least primary school aged (typically 4-12) but dancers in their early teens also welcome. Please book into the class by emailing classes@rscdslondon.org.uk advising your child’s name and age, to help to prepare the class.
UPCOMING: New Members’ Conference & Service, Wednesday 16th October & Sunday 24th November.
If you would like to learn more about what becoming a member of St Columba’s would involve, you are warmly invited to an evening of food and discussion on Wednesday 16th October 2024, 7.00pm. For those who would then like to become members there will be a Service of Welcome on Sunday 24th November – which is the day we celebrate Christ the King. For more information speak to either of the ministers and please sign up via the Church Office.
IONA COMMUNITY RETREAT 2025
Are you feeling in need of going ‘On Retreat’? St Columba’s Nurture Committee has been looking at Retreat Weeks offered by The Iona Community for 2025. We suggest either Columba Week from 7th to 13th June 2025, following St Columba’s footsteps on Iona; or The Celtic Wheel from 25th to 31st October, exploring the spiritual gifts of this post-harvest time.
Details of these and other Retreats can be found on www.iona.org.uk/visit-and-stay/iona-abbey stay, and select the 2025 Programme.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Kate Macnish on kate.macnish@btinternet.com for further details and to register your interest so that we can get an idea of numbers.
UPCOMING: St Columba’s Book Club, Monday 28th October
The Book Club met on Monday 9 September when we discussed Tracey Chevalier’s A Single Thread. Everyone enjoyed Lilias Gillies’ choice very much and felt it gave an insight to the predicament of the many women whose lives were altered by the terrible death toll of WW1. Our next meeting will be on Monday 28 October when we shall be discussing Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.
For those of you who like to read ahead, we shall be reading The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina. The date for that discussion will be fixed at our next meeting. The meeting will be by Zoom The meeting will be by Zoom and new members are welcome. For details, please contact the Church Office.
UPCOMING: SCOTSCARE CEILIDH, Saturday 16th November 2024, Lower Hall 7pm – 10.30pm
ScotsCare are excited to announce that they will be hosting their first ever Ceilidh on Saturday 16th November at St Columba’s Church, from 7.00 to 10.30pm (doors open from 6.30pm). The ScotsCare St. Andrew’s Festival Ceilidh will have live entertainment provided by the Craigievar Ceilidh Band and London Scottish Pipes and Drums. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun! We will have a caller to guide dancers, step by step so everyone can join in regardless of experience. Tickets include light bites, and a bar will be available to purchase drinks. All profits from the evening will go back into ScotsCare’s services. We look forward to seeing you on what a festive and memorable evening will be. Tickets are £20 each and can be bought via this link:
www.scotscare.com/project/scotscare-ceilidh/.
The first 50 tickets only are available at an early bird price of £17.50 (until the end of September).
Glass Door’s Night Shelter
Glass Door Night shelter at St Columba’s will start on Sunday 10th November in the Upper Hall. We always need volunteers to run the shelters and ensure the best possible experience for guests. Register your interest with Stef at the Church office office@stcolumbas.org.uk
RESTART’s Annual Sleep Out, Friday 6th December 2024, outside St Columba’s Church.
Every year the staff, volunteers and supporters of Restart Lives spend one night outside. Although there is much that separates the experience of the controlled environment of the Sleepout from that of a person living life on the streets, we hope the event will help all those who participate to imagine what London’s homeless have to contend with.
We can only accommodate 80 sleepers at this event, so if you would like to reserve your spot, don’t delay and sign up now.
ST ANDREW’S BOOK FESTIVAL: 25th November to 1st December 2024, various venues
The box office is now open for the inaugural St Andrew’s Book Festival in London. The 25th of November to the 1st of December 2024.Seven days celebrating all things literary, featuring a star-studded line up of authors, riveting discussions, and exclusive book signings. Whether you’re an avid reader or a budding writer, this festival is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the world of books and creativity. Check out the website for a full author A to Z listing and book tickets from here: https://www.standrewsbookfestival.org/
There is an excellent article on the Church of Scotland website promoting the Book Festival, with special reference to the visit of guest preacher, Revd Neil Glover to the Festival Service at St Columba’s on Sunday 1st December. Enjoy the message and pass on the word!
Minister joins Scottish literary stars at book festival | The Church of Scotland
Office Hours
The church office is open from 9am to 5pm, 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