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16th June 2024

16th June 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 22 June 2024

Hello again,

I am pleased to say that Kath Wade is much better than this time last week and may even be discharged from hospital this weekend. Thank you for all who prayed for Kath, Trevor and their family – please give thanks to God for answering prayer and continue to pray for a complete recovery.

Less encouraging is the news we heard on Tuesday at a Finance Committee meeting where our Treasurer, James, reported that as things stand, almost half way through the year, we look as if our income will be almost £12,345 less than our expenditure. This is a significant amount and a situation that we felt needed to be addressed immediately and so we have a 1,2,3,4,5 point strategy. These five points will be revealed over the next five weeks, both in these emails and in Sunday services, beginning today with:

  1. PRAYER – please can everyone connected with St Columba’s pray about this situation, if possible at 12.34 for 5 minutes (12,345 the amount of our shortfall). Obviously if you can’t pray at 12.34 please try and find another five minutes in your day to bring this situation to the Lord and to ask what your response might be…
  2. will be revealed next week.

SUNDAY 16th JUNE
We have just the one service on Sunday: 10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people.
There will also be a PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm on Sunday when one of the topics will no doubt be our financial challenge.

UNSUNG HERO film at Savoy Cinema this week
This film tells the true story of David Smallbone who, when his music company collapses, moves his family from Australia to the States, searching for a brighter future. Struggling to make ends meet, the couple soon realize the talents of their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in contemporary Christian music.
You can watch it on the following days and times:
Saturday 8.40pm
Sunday 8.10pm
Monday 2.30pm and 8.40pm
Tuesday 2.30pm
Wednesday 11.30am (silver screen), 2.30pm and 8.40pm
Thursday 2.30pm and 8.40pm

SUNDAY 23rd JUNE
There are two services next Sunday:
9am HOLY COMMUNION at St Leonard’s, Rockingham
10.30am MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s.
Tim and Carol Derbyshire will be with us for both these services, sharing why they are in the UK for an extended period of time, the difference Jesus makes to our world view, the need to proclaim the gospel to others and the importance of prayer, which fits in very well with our Year of Prayer.

VICARAGE TEA PARTY
We will also have a VICARAGE TEA PARTY on Sunday 23rd starting at 3pm. As well as enjoying cakes and drinks, conversation and games, there will be the opportunity to meet with Tim & Carol and find out more about their work. We will move this to the Church Hall if the weather is not looking good so one way or another it will go ahead.

GENERAL ELECTION
Don’t forget to pray about the General Election. The CARE Prayer Diary continues and can be found on CARE’s General Election website engaGE24:
https://care.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4cac2598c12e2df2b412ce6f4&id=b8b701c040&e=06fd42ddb3
where you can also find an interactive quiz that helps you identify which party best reflects your priorities. This will have been updated following the launch of the Party manifestos this week.

One other point about the election. Don’t forget that you need PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION to vote. A list of acceptable documents is on your Poll Card and includes Passport, Driving Licence and Older Person’s Bus Pass. If you don’t have any of the listed documents you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate before 5pm on 26th June. If you need help with this please ask me and I can arrange this.

MINI SCANS 42
Please find here the latest mini SCaNS. Steve writes: “This is linked to the forthcoming Olympics and the last war with two amazing stories. One of a friendship that developed between black athlete Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics and German athlete Lutz Long who would be sent off to war as the enemy three years later. Ironic, really, because the US was still anti-black and segregated, and Luz was your classic blond German. Despite his achievements as a national hero, Owens was still a black man in a deeply divided and racially segregated United States. He faced discrimination and aggression when he returned home. Even as a gold-winning Olympic athlete, he wasn’t allowed to ride in the front of a bus. President Roosevelt never publicly acknowledged Owens’ triumphs—or the triumphs of any of the 18 African Americans who competed at the Berlin Olympics. Luz disagreed with Hitler’s policies and became Owens’ close friend. Though separated after the Games, Owens and Luz wrote to each other regularly. I have included his very moving final letter, when he knew he was likely to die in battle. From it, it is clear that Luz had found God simply through Owen’s simple witness of kneeling to pray at the games, and no doubt their letters. Then there are another two amazing old ladies (!) (I seem to be collecting them) who helped Jewish refugees escape Hitler in a very imaginative way – one of whom wrote 125 Mills and Boon romances! Lots of other puzzles and fun things to enjoy.”
Thank you Steve.

God bless you all,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

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