For Sunday 12th October 2025, Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Friends,

In the light of recent events the Kensington & Chelsea Faith Communities Partnership have asked us to share the following joint statement:

“We, the members of the Kensington & Chelsea Faith Communities Partnership – representing around 70 places of worship and faith groups – are deeply shocked and saddened by the attack on a synagogue in Manchester. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who were killed and injured. We stand with the Jewish community across the UK and here in our borough, including our neighbours and friends at Holland Park Synagogue, a valued member of our Partnership.

At times of grief, the voice and leadership of faith communities matter. We reaffirm our shared responsibility – as leaders, congregations and people of faith – to build bridges between communities, to deepen understanding, and to nurture trust. Acts of violence seek to divide us; our response must be to stand together, reject hatred in all its forms, and protect the dignity and safety of all who live, work and worship here

The Kensington & Chelsea Faith Communities Partnership exists to foster practical cooperation and stronger relationships between faiths. Through our regular dialogue, shared visits and learning, and joint community initiatives, we bring people together to listen, support and act for the common good. In the days ahead, we will continue working with our partners across the Council and community to offer support to those affected, to reassure local congregations, and to maintain open channels of communication so that compassion and solidarity guide our borough’s response.

We extend our condolences to all who are mourning, our prayers for those who are recovering, and our commitment to do our part – in word and deed – to sustain peace, mutual respect and hope.”

The Kensington & Chelsea Faith Communities Partnership Steering Group ended their letter: “Let us continue to pray for a successful outcome for the talks going on at the moment to release the hostages, and to bring an end to the hostilities, fighting and suffering in both Israel and Gaza.”

Angus

THIS SUNDAY: Hymns, Music & Readings for Sunday, 12th October 2025, Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Hymn 200 Christ is made the sure foundation (Westminster Abbey)
Hymn 184 Sing to the Lord a joyful song (Gonfalon Royal)
Hymn 187 There’s a wideness in God’s mercy (All for Jesus)
Hymn 182 Now thank we all our God (Nun Danket)

Anthem: Benedictus – John Ireland (1879-1962)
Anthem: I got me flowers (Five Mystical Songs) – Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Old Testament Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-15c
New Testament Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Gospel Reading: Luke 17:11-19
Reader: Iain Beveridge
Revd William McLaren leads worship at St Andrew’s, Newcastle for their celebration of holy communion.

THIS SUNDAY: Congregational Prayer Group, 10.15am -10.30am, London Scottish Chapel Join others to pray for the continuing life and work of St Columba’s.

THIS SUNDAY: Morning Service followed by Coffee/tea in the Upper Hall & Congregational Talk, Sunday 12th October, 12.15pm, Dr Grahams Homes. In advance of the Songs of Praise celebrating 125th Anniversary of Dr Grahams Homes (see Newsletter below), Amanda Grant will give a congregational talk, following morning service, 12.30pm Upper Hall. She has just returned from the anniversary celebrations in Kalimpong. All welcome.

Prisons Week 2025, 12^th – 18^th October
For 50 years, Prisons Week has encouraged Christians everywhere to pray for prisoners and their families, victims of crime and their communities and those working or volunteering in the criminal justice system. The organisers of Prisons Week suggest: “Please pray each day during Prisons Week, but also ask yourself if there is one thing that you as an individual, or as a church, can do to help any of the people for whom you are praying.”

New Church Magazine
With thanks to the Editor, Susan Pym and her contributors, the excellent October/November issue of the church magazine is now available via the bookstall, £1.50.
Pick up a copy for yourself and consider one for a friend or neighbour. Help spread the St Columba’s story.

Harvest Appeal 2025 – Thank you – www.theupperroom.org.uk
Thank you so much for once again supporting The Upper Room (UR4 Meals) charity. Your generous Harvest donations will certainly help the charity maintain their supplies towards the thousands of meals a year they provide for the homeless and disadvantaged people. The charity have collected the Harvest donations and will be putting them to very good use. The Upper Room provide such a valuable service to those in need. Thank you for your continuing support for UR4 Meals. Mission Committee!

St Columba’s member
A Service of Thanksgiving for St Columba’s member Alison Scheurer-Dewar will be held at St Columba’s, Pont Street on Friday 17th October at 2.00pm. Rest eternal grant unto them and let light perpetual shine upon them.

NEXT WEEK: Friends of St Columba’s Visit, Saturday 18 October – Dr Johnson’s House & Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Rendezvous 11am at 17 Gough Square, EC4A 3DE | Adult: £10.00 | Tube: Blackfriars or Chancery Lane We begin our programme with a visit to Dr Johnson’s House, an 18th-century townhouse tucked just off Fleet Street, where Samuel Johnson lived and worked while compiling his pioneering Dictionary of the English Language. One of the few surviving buildings of its kind in the City of London, the house offers insight into the life and mind of one of English literature’s most influential—and idiosyncratic—figures.

NEXT WEEK: And on Saturday 18th October Crown Court host a “Come & Sing” for Fauré’s Requiem & “A New Song” by James MacMillan, led by Thomas Allery, Director of Music at Temple Church, accompanied by Benedict Lewis-Smith. Book via Eventbrite »

NEXT SUNDAY: Morning Service & Sunday School followed by Congregational Lunch in the Lower Hall

NEXT SUNDAY: Sounds of St Columba’s, Sunday 19^th October, 1.30pm, Upper Hall
Vernal Duo: Katy Taylor (flute) & Yiyao Li (piano) “Flights of Fantasy: Music for Flute and Piano”, Music by Handel, Gaubert and Faure.
Join us for this free recital and pick up a full year programme from the book stall.

UPCOMING: Sunday 26^th October, Macmillan Coffee Morning after service If you would like to bake a cake(s), or biscuits, scones, shortbread, meringues – either bring it to the Entrance Vestibule before the service on Sunday 26^th October, or leave it with the Church Office before Sunday 26^th October. That would be very much appreciated. Please label cake packaging with what type of cake it is. Cakes etc. can then be purchased after the service. All money raised goes to MacMillan Cancer Support.

UPCOMING: St Columba’s Book Club: Monday 10^th November Next book choice, “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Neapolitano, a novel inspired in part by Little Women. After that we shall be reading “Free – Coming of Age at the End of History” by Lea Ypi, which promises to be very interesting, as are all our choices. For details of how to join the book club, please contact the church office.

St Andrew’s Book Festival 2025
The St Andrew’s Book Festival team are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale with St Columba’s being one of the main venue. Events include Nicola Sturgeon, Val McDermid and Irvine Welsh. On Friday 28 November one of Scotland’s true national treasures, broadcaster and author Sally Magnusson,will speak at a special literary lunch celebrating her spellbinding new novel The Shapeshifter’s Daughter. Book now to avoid disappointment as some of the events’ tickets are already going fast! Book now to avoid disappointment.

See https://www.standrewsbookfestival.org/ for full programme and tickets

Scots in London October newsletter.
For a variety of events and activities of interest see https://mailchi.mp/scotsinlondon.org/scots-in-london-october-newsletter2025. Scots in London is an umbrella organisation for Scottish cultural societies, sports clubs, alumni groups, charities, churches and the Scottish military in London. Its mission is to promote Scottish culture and heritage, co-ordinate and communicate events, support Scottish charities in the capital, and contribute to the life of the city where we live. While proud of our shared nationality, we endeavour to be international in outlook.

UPCOMING: Tuesday 21^st October, 2pm, Dr Graham’s Homes 125^th Birthday Songs of Praise at St Columba’s, Pont Street (events@drgrahamshomes.co.uk)
There is an open invitation to attend this special anniversary service, followed by refreshments in the library.

Dr Graham’s Homes was founded in September 1900 in Kalimpong, West Bengal in the Himalayas by Rev John Anderson Graham, a Church of Scotland missionary. The School was built on the “cottage homes” model which are family style houses named after benefactors, with “auntys” looking after the children. Originally aimed to educate and give vocational training to impoverished Anglo-Indian children; over time it became a wider community school. By the 1920’s it housed nearly 600 children and had grown into a near self-sufficient village with a church, hospital, farm, and workshops.

The UK charity arm (DGH UK) currently sponsors over 100 children in need, mostly from the streets of Kolkata, through fundraising and individual sponsors, some of whom have lifelong connection with their sponsored children. Today it continues as a boarding and day school on a large hillside campus at Kalimpong. The new Chairman of the Board of Management was a sponsored child from the age of two. He is now a world renowned neurosurgeon based in Shillong, near Kalimpong.

There are records of Dr Graham visiting St Columba’s during his visits to London. St Columba’s is the London home for all the DGH UK events, hosting an annual curry lunch for several years.
For further information see www.drgrahamshomes.co.uk

RESTART LIVES annual Winter Resource Fair is coming up – taking place on Friday 14 November.

Calling our supporters at St Columba’s
At this time of the year, temperatures drop and the weather can become more challenging for our homeless guests. Please help us provide essential kit and keep homeless people safe and warm and help make their rough sleeping conditions a little more bearable. We’d gratefully receive items such as hats, gloves, scarves, warm socks (those would need to be brand new) or rucksacks (second hand accepted but in good condition only). Thank you so much in advance. We expect 50-100 guests at this Fair and will do all we can to meet demand. Thank you to the church as well for helping us collect and store donations for this event and hosting the space so that we can distribute essentials and support guests to make it through the Winter safely.
Donations will need to be brought in the church office between Sunday 26^th October to Sunday 9^th November.
You can also donate directly on https://www.restartlives.org/donate (please make sure that you mention this is for the Resource Fair so donations can be allocated accordingly).

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. If you experience any issue with livestream on the day, please email livestream@stcolumbas.org.uk (please note that this address will only be monitored on Sundays).

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.

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.

Office Hours –
The church office is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
E-mail: office@stcolumbas.org.uk
Website: www.stcolumbas.org.uk
Facebook: @stcolumbaschurchpontstreet.
Twitter: @LondonKirkPastoral
Emergency Number (out of office hours): 07591926271

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