For Sunday 4th August, Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Dear Friends,
St. Columba's is unusual - we all know that - but unusual in that it is one of only a handful of Church of Scotland churches to celebrate the Lord's Supper weekly. I'm told that this came about because a previous minister rightly thought that there should be provision for those members who travel a distance to church and might not always be present at the quarterly communions. Some churches celebrate the sacrament monthly while others maintain the tradition with which I grew up of a twice yearly celebration, preceded by a preparatory service on Friday evening and followed by a thanksgiving service on Sunday afternoon. It was a radical step when our minister introduced an additional celebration on Easter Day! Members of other denominations often ask why we celebrate the Lord's Supper so infrequently - is it because we don't think Communion is important? But of course nothing could be further from the truth and the answer lies deep in the history of the church.
Prior to the Reformation, although the priest celebrated Mass daily, the laity generally only received communion on Easter day so one of the objectives of the reformers was to give the sacrament back to the people. Calvin said that it should be weekly and John Knox that it should be at least monthly. The problem with this very commendable idea was twofold - firstly, people had been used to communion once a year and church people as we know are often resistant to change, and secondly, there was a shortage of ministers. The Scots Confession of 1560 was clear that in the interests of good order an ordained minister should lead worship at Communion. Many of those who had been monks and priests before the reformation went off to train for ministry in the reformed church so there was a dearth of clergy in the parishes. Services were taken by Readers who led a service of the Word up to the point where the sacrament would be celebrated, not unlike our morning service today. So the tradition arose of infrequent celebrations, with the Communion Season of preparatory and thanksgiving services - not because the reformers had a low view of communion but actually because they had a very high view of the sacrament. In fact in the eighteenth and nineteenth century the laity received communion more frequently than we sometimes imagine; although each parish may have had communion twice a year people often travelled to neighbouring parishes for their communion season. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries there was a desire to recover the place of the sacrament in the regular worship of the Church of Scotland, not least thanks to the influence of the Scottish Church Society and the Church Service Society and later the Iona Community.
Now this is a very short version of the story and a real historian would tell it much better but it is something to keep in mind when we remember last Sunday's gospel lesson, the feeding of the 5000, looking forward as it does to the Last Supper and our gospel lesson this week in which Jesus tells his disciples"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (St. John 6:35).
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, 4th August 2024, Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Hymn 50 The praises of the Lord our God (Psalm 78) (Caithness)
Hymn 688 By cool Siloam's shady rill (Belmont)
Hymn 655 For your generous providing (Holy Manna)
Hymn 642 Ye that know the Lord is gracious (Abbot's Leigh)
Anthem: Jesu, the very thought of thee (Lole)
Musical Interlude: Ave Maria (Arcadelt)
Old Testament Reading: 2 Samuel 11:26 -12:13a
Gospel Reading: John 6: 1-21
Reader: Ruth Kattumuri
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 & Baptisms followed by Congregational Lunch in Lower Hall
Special welcome to the baptismal family and friends of Ralph Ali Ross-Williams who will join us on Sunday for his special day.
NEXT WEEK: Midweek Prayers, Wednesday 7th August, 1pm, London Scottish Chapel
Hot off the Press, Church Magazine, August – September 2024 Now available via the Bookstall for £1.50
Pick up a copy with its stunning front cover, from the bookstall. Then pick up another to give to a friend! Thanks once again to our Editor, Susan Pym and her team of contributors.
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.
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