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ST COLUMBA’S, PONT STREET
NEW MEMBERS’ SERVICE OF WELCOME
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, SUNDAY 14TH JUNE 2026, 11AM
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 63 All people that on the earth do dwell (Old Hundreth)
All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell,
come ye before him and rejoice.
Know that the Lord is God indeed;
without our aid he did us make;
we are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.
Oh, enter then his gates with praise,
approach with joy his courts unto:
praise, laud, and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.
For why? the Lord our God is good,
his mercy is for ever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.
Call to Prayer
Prayers of Approach & Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory for ever,
Amen.
Admission of New Members:
Matthew Boyd, Robert Cagungao, Christophe Ho, Archie Morrison & Sumudu Pagoda
Do you believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
and do you confess Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord?
I do.
Do you promise to join regularly with your fellow Christians in worship on the Lord’s Day?
I do.
Do you promise to be faithful in reading the Bible and in prayer?
I do.
Do you promise to give a fitting proportion of your time, talents, and money for the Church’s work in the world?
I do.
Do you promise, depending on the grace of God, to profess
publicly your loyalty to Jesus Christ, to serve him in your daily work, and to walk in his ways all the days of your life?
I do.
Declaration and Blessing
Hymn 642 Ye that know the Lord is gracious (Abbot’s Leigh)
{During the singing of the hymn representatives of the Kirk Session offer the right hand of fellowship to the new members}
Ye that know the Lord is gracious,
ye for whom a corner stone
stands, of God elect and precious,
laid that ye may build thereon,
see that on that sure foundation
ye a living temple raise,
towers that may tell forth salvation,
walls that may re-echo praise.
Living stones, by God appointed
each to an allotted place,
kings and priests, by God anointed,
shall ye not declare his grace?
Ye, a royal generation,
tell the tidings of your birth,
tidings of a new creation
to an old and weary earth.
Tell the praise of him who called you
out of darkness into light,
broke the fetters that enthralled you,
gave you freedom, peace and sight:
tell the tale of sins forgiven,
strength renewed and hope restored,
till the earth, in tune with heaven,
praise and magnify the Lord!
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 18:1-15 & 21:1-7
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?’ The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’ But Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. He said, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’
The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now Sarah said, ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ And she said, ‘Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’
Anthem: Let thy merciful ears Mudd (c 1619-1667)
Let thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open unto the prayers of thy humble
servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such
things as shall please thee; thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gospel Reading Matthew 9:35-10:8
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
Hymn 595 O Breath of life, come sweeping through us (Sunset)
O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,
revive your Church with life and power;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,
and fit your Church to meet this hour.
O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
till humbly we confess our need:
then in your tenderness remake us,
revive, restore; for this we plead.
O Breath of Love, come breathe within us,
renewing thought and will and heart:
come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
revive your Church in every part.
Revive us, Lord! is zeal abating
while harvest fields are vast and white?
Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting,
equip your Church to spread the light.
Sermon
Anthem: Give unto the Lord (Psalm 29) Elgar (1857-1934)
Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thundereth;
It is the Lord that ruleth the sea.
The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty;
The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars,
Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire,
The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness
And strippeth the forests bare.
In His temple doth every one speak of His glory.
The Lord sitteth above the water-flood;
And the Lord remaineth a King for ever.
The Lord shall give strength unto His people;
The Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace.
Dedication of our Offerings
{If able, please stand as the offering is brought forward and the
congregation sings}
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (CH4 807, Old 100th)
Prayer of Dedication:
Minister: Father, Son, and Spirit Holy,
we give you thanks and praise:
Congregation: We dedicate to you
our thoughts, our words, our gifts, our deeds,
the working of our hands,
the thinking of our minds,
the loving of our hearts. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession
Intimations
Hymn 680 You are called to tell the story (Regent Square)
You are called to tell the story,
Passing words of life along,
Then to blend your voice with others,
As you sing the sacred song.
Christ be known in all our singing,
Filling all with songs of love.
You are called to teach the rhythm
Of the dance that never ends,
Then to move within the circle,
Hand in hand with strangers, friends,
Christ be known in all our dancing,
Touching all with hands of love.
You are called to set the table,
Blessing bread as Jesus blessed,
Then to come with thirst and hunger,
Needing care like all the rest,
Christ be known in all our sharing,
Feeding all with signs of love.
May the One whose love is broader
Than the measure of all space
Give us words to sing the story,
Move among us in this place,
Christ be known in all our living,
Filling all with gifts of love.
Benediction & Choral Amen
Organ Postlude: Imperial March by Elgar.
Retiring Offering
(It is possible to donate via the website. All offerings towards the ongoing life of St Columba’s are very gratefully received. Thank you.
Meet our New Members
Matthew Boyd is 28, lives in Streatham and works in government/public affairs. He was born and grew up in Brussels, where he
attended St Andrew’s Church of Scotland with his father. He enjoys history and reading, as well as cycle racing and keeping up with Spurs. Matthew looks forward to becoming a more active member of the congregation.
Robert Cagungao “I am happy to join this community and hope to contribute wherever God leads me.”
Christopher Ho “I am truly delighted to join St Columba’s. May God guide us toward peace, balance, order and purity. Through the apostolic teachings of the Bible, we discover the value of life and explore its meaning, helping more people who are going through difficult times to find their way out of the darkness.”
Archie Morrison hails from south London, but with Scottish roots, demonstrated by visits north of the border to see Rangers in action. Currently working in security, Archie was baptised at St Columba’s on Easter morning this year.
Sumudu Pagoda I am very grateful to be part of the church
family at St Columba’s Church of Scotland. I have been
attending St Columba’s Church since July 2023. I currently live in London and work as a Safeguarding Manager at a foreign
exchange trading company in Central London. I come from a
military background and proudly served as a Lady Officer in the Sri Lankan Air Force, which helped shape my values of discipline,
service, and compassion. Faith, kindness, and service are values that are very important to me, and I truly appreciate being part of such a welcoming and supportive Christian community.
