For Sunday 25th August, Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Friends,
Every now and again I say that I'm going to give up social media, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I sometimes find myself drawn into pointless arguments about politics, the Church, the constitution or whatever, with people who are not interested in any point of view but their own and certainly don't want to have a reasoned discussion. But having said that Facebook is a good way of maintaining contact with cousins and old friends and although I might not be 'phoning or writing to them every week, thanks to Facebook I know what they and their children are doing. Later than everyone else I've also been persuaded to join Whatsapp which is another useful way to keep in touch. One of the people I enjoy following on Twitter is Eduard Habsbsing, Hungarian ambassador to the Vatican. He recently invited his followers to post photographs of the church in which they were baptised and many responded with beautiful pictures of churches all over the world. Unfortunately I did not have a good picture of St. Ninians Old Parish Church in Stirling which I could contribute but as it is the church where my parents were married, where I was baptised and where many of my family are buried in the churchyard it is a place for which I have great affection.
Of course, the Church is not a building or even a collection of buildings, however beautiful, but the people of God, of all denominations, all over the world. I can say this because I began my ministry leading worship every Sunday in a small community hall in the east end of Greenock. To be honest I liked the idea that people who had been playing Bingo there on Saturday evening returned to worship God on Sunday morning. But buildings are important. The parish church at the heart of the community makes a statement - "this is the house of God in this place" and while it is not the job of the church to be museum keepers it troubles me that with all the changes currently taking place in the Church of Scotland we are in danger of losing so many historic buildings which have been at the heart of Scottish towns and villages for generations, which speak of the faith that has been handed on to us and often of our continuity with the pre-reformation church. Modern church buildings also have precious associations and memories of loved ones who worshipped with us in days gone by and who shared their faith with us. When a church building closes people often feel that their community has been deserted by the institutional church. Instead of closing buildings we should find imaginative ways of using them 7 days a week, as is already happening in many communities across Scotland.
This week our Old Lesson from 1 Kings chapter 8 tells the story of the Dedication of the Temple by King Solomon, a building which spoke of God's presence with the people of Israel. Significantly it was also to be a place where foreigners, those from distant lands were to be welcome (1 Kings 8: 41). Let us pray that all our churches would likewise be places of welcome and hospitality - God's house in this place.
William
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 Morning Worship Sunday, 18th August 2024, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Hymn 52 How lovely is thy dwelling place (Psalm 84) (Harrington (retirement))
Hymn 739 The Church's one foundation (Aurelia)
Hymn 498 Angel voices ever singing (Angel voices)
Hymn 111 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty! (Nicaea)
Anthem: O Praise the Lord (Batten)
Musical Interlude: Sicut Cervus (Palestrina)
Old Testament Reading: 1 Kings,8: 1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43
New Testament Reading: Ephesians 6: 10-20
Gospel Reading: John 6: 56-69
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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for bank details or other means of donating.
THIS SUNDAY: Morning Worship followed by Coffee and Tea in the Upper Hall
NEXT WEEK: Midweek Prayers, Wednesday 28th August, 1pm, London Scottish Chapel
Church Member:
We are sorry to announce the death of Reverend Marion Dodd, former member and elder of St Columba’s Church on 30th July 2024. Marion’s funeral will be held at Melrose Parish Church, Weirhill, Melrose ,TD6 9LJ on Tuesday 27 August at 1.00pm. The service will be livestreamed on this link.
“Rest eternal grant unto her and let light perpetual shine upon her.”
Memorial Service:
A memorial service for the late Revd Dr Cameron Hunter Langlands, member of the Presbytery of England & the Channel Islands, will be held on the 6th of September 2024 at 1pm at the Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham BR3 3BX. Reception to follow at the Museum of the Mind. If you would like to attend please let Revd Ian MacDonald (Head Chaplain) know This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NEXT WEEK: St Columba’s choir singer, Oscar Simms, is directing a play around dementia awareness. There will be 3 performances in Camden at the end of August, each dedicated to fundraising as follows:
Friday 30th August 7:00pm in aid of The National Brain Appeal
Saturday 31st August 2:30pm in aid of The Alzheimer’s Society
Saturday 31st August 6:30pm in aid of The British Heart Foundation
You can book your tickets via this link.
NEXT SUNDAY: St Columba’s Craft Group, 1.30pm-3.30pm, Kirk Session Room.
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.
UPCOMING: St Columba’s Book Club, Monday 9th September
The Group met last Monday to discuss The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd. Unusually there was no disagreement about this choice which was universally liked. It was difficult to believe it was a work of fiction. Our next meeting will be by Zoom on 9 September, when we shall be discussing A Single Thread by Tracey Chevalier. The book after that one will be Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn. New members to the book club are welcome, for more information please contact the church office.
UPCOMING: Sounds of St Columba’s Programme.
Some dates to put in your diary as our director of music Benedict Lewis-Smith has booked a great programme for the coming months.
- Sunday 15th September 2024 – Jonathan Radford, Saxophone Recital
- Sunday 20th October 2024 – Ruby Skilbeck, Soprano and Liz Hayley, Piano Recital
- Sunday 17th November 2024 – Choir of St Columba’s, Requiem by Duruflé
- Sunday 16th February 2025 – Choir of Imperial College
- Sunday 16th March 2025 – Emily Sun, Violin and Caterina Grewe, Piano Recital
UPCOMING: Congregational Outing to St Columba’s Tennis Club, Sunday 22nd September, 2.00 – 4.00pm
Come and enjoy an afternoon of activity at our very own tennis club. We have two courts booked for those feeling active, with club coach on hand . Alternatively just enjoy an afternoon at a hidden gem of west London. The club is a ten minute walk from Acton Town tube. We will provide tea and cake during the afternoon.
https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/StColumbasTennisClub
News from the GKexperience
We received the following news from Calum Johnston, youth worker with the GKe. “To let you know that we have had another very successful residential season here at GK. This included our first ever foreign residential to Italy, (supported by the Murray J Napier Fund), Mountain Biking in Aviemore, a girls road trip around Scotland and a trip to the Isle of Mull staying at the Camas Centre. I was just looking ahead to what is coming after the summer and got very excited at the thought of being able to return to St Columbas! Please pass on my best wishes to the rest of the congregation.” The young people of GKexperience will be bringing staying at St Columba’s 22nd – 24th November. It will be a real pleasure to welcome them back.
https://www.thegkexperience.org.uk/
Glass Door's annual Sleep Out, Friday, 4 October 2024.
Participants give up their bed for one night to give someone a chance to find a pathway out of homelessness. Find out more and sign up at www.glassdoor.org.uk/sleep-out
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
ScotsCare Podcast, Series 2
ScotsCare is back with series 2 of its podcast, where in each episode a well-known guest chats about how their Scottish background influenced the person they’ve become today, life journeys and how being Scottish relates to their interactions with the world. The charity supports Scots away from home in London with a range of services. The series has already aired episodes with football legend Pat Nevin (Chelsea, Everton and Scotland), bestselling cookbook author The Hebridean Baker and comedy actress Michelle Gomez (Green Wing, Doctor Who) with more to come. The series will be released in three blocks over the course of the next year. Tune in on all regular podcast platforms and the ScotsCare website www.scotscare.com. Missed series 1? It’s available on podcast platforms and the website, with guests such as broadcaster and singer Isla St. Clair, Star Wars and Andor actor, Duncan Pow and celebrity chef Tony Singh MBE, to name a few.
Scots in London presents the St Andrew’s Book Festival
Scots in London’s most ambitious collaboration to date is the St Andrew’s Book Festival (25th November – 1st December 2024.) St Columba’s is one of the three venues hosting a superb array of authors – both household names and new writers. Sir Alexander McCall Smith and Judy Murray are among headline speakers. Look out in the coming weeks for ways to get involved including volunteering. We are delighted to report that the new Scots in London St Andrew’s Book Festival is now live! Please head over to www.standrewsbookfestival.org to have a look around or if you are interested in Friends and other memberships with exciting benefits options.
There is a full A-Z listing of our authors and I think you will agree that this is a stellar line-up for our inaugural Festival.
You can also access the Festival first newsletter on this link.
For more information about Scots in London, please follow this link. You can join their newsletter here to be informed about their latest news, events and opportunities as well as their member organisations. The August Scots in London Newsletter is published at https://mailchi.mp/6ab0f4bf731f/scots-in-london-july-newsletter
Office Hours
The church office is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.stcolumbas.org.uk
Facebook: @stcolumbas churchpontstreet.
Twitter: @LondonKirk
Pastoral Emergency Number (out of office hours): 07591926271