15th January 2023
By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 21 January 2023
Hello Everyone,
Can I begin by thanking you all for your prayers over the last few weeks while I have not been well, I am pleased to say that they have been answered and I am almost back to 100%, although after doing next to nothing for three weeks it is taking a little longer than I would like to be fully fit! The lesson I learnt from my experience is that I should have had the flu jab, and will definitely be doing so in future!
There are details of everything that is happening over the next few weeks below, so please do have a read and take note of all that is going on.
WARM SPACE
Before Christmas St Columba’s signed up with the Council to open as a warm space for people who needed somewhere safe and warm to go during the winter. We have not started this yet, but with the weather turning colder next week now seems to be the perfect time to do so. We have advertised that we are open on Tuesday afternoon from 2-4pm and on Wednesday from 12 noon to 4pm. Both of these sessions will make use of the Green Room in the Church Hall and on Wednesday we will offer soup as well as tea & coffee. We need volunteers to help with the sessions, which might just be sitting in the Green Room for an hour or two, or might involve making drinks and chatting with people who come in. There will be a SIGN UP SHEET in church tomorrow so if you are available at any of these times, even if it is just for an hour, please do put your name down. If we have lots of volunteers we may have a rota so people do not need to help every week.
Please note that we chose those times because there will already be, or have been, heating on in the Hall, and that some of the PCC’s charitable giving last year was set aside to fund projects to help with the cost of living crisis which we will use to help with the cost of heating.
THANK YOU if you are able to help with this important initiative.
SONGS OF PRAISE
We have planned a Songs of Praise service in two weeks time on Sunday 29th January at 5pm. In order to do this we need you to suggest songs that you would like to sing in the service, and that you would be prepared to introduce, saying why it is a favourite. You can do this either by replying to this email, or by speaking to Trevor or me, as soon as possible and definitely by next Sunday (22nd January) morning.
SUNDAY 15th JANUARY
This week sees the return of ENERGIZE groups for children and young people after the Christmas break, so please do encourage those you know to come along and join in. The service in St Columba’s tomorrow at 10.30am is HOLY COMMUNION, including a sermon by David Bavin on John 1.29-42. If you are not able to come to church then the service can be watched via the following Youtube link: https://youtu.be/tLVPtuBJUC8
PRAYER MEETING
This will meet again on Sunday at 6pm and everyone is very welcome to join us for an hour of prayer.
FELLOWSHIP GROUPS
I am pleased to announce that Fellowship Groups will be starting again this week. They will both be meeting on a WEDNESDAY, either in the morning from 10.30 to 12noon (after which you could join the Warm Space for an hour) or the evening from 7.30 to 9pm. The groups will be a simple Bible Study (more like the Advent Course on Wednesday morning) which will hopefully mean that different people can be involved in leading them each week. Please do come along, even if you have not been to one of these groups before you would be most welcome.
PRAYER REQUEST
I have received an urgent prayer request from Debbie & Jim Robb as follows:
“Please can I ask the church family to pray for our son James. He is in Northampton Hospital after suffering a bleed on the brain, a stroke. He is very poorly. At only 35yrs old this has been very unexpected. Any help from our Lord will be most valuable.”
Please do pray for James, and Debbie & Jim.
PUZZLES AND OTHER STUFF
Here is Steve’s Puzzles and Other Stuff, with thanks as ever to Steve for preparing these.
NEXT SUNDAY
There are two services next Sunday 22nd January. At St Leonard’s, Rockingham there is HOLY COMMUNION at 9am and at St Columba’s MORNING WORSHIP (with ENERGIZE groups) at 10.30am.
AND FINALLY…it’s PANTO TIME
We are delighted to once again host the Great Easton Little Theatre Company’s Pantomime, which this year is DICK WHITTINGTON. This will be happening in the Church Hall on Friday 3rd February at 7.30pm, Saturday 4th February at 3pm and Sunday 5th February also at 3pm. Tickets cost £7 for adults, £5 for children and £20 for a Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children) and are available either after services at St Columba’s, by phone to 01536 400225 or by email to gelttickets@gmail.com
I understand there are plenty of tickets for Friday evening and Sunday afternoon while Saturday afternoon is selling fast but there are tickets available. Do plan to come along, bring family and friends with you, and tell everyone you know.
May God bless you all in this coming week,
Ian
01536 400225
07903 644609