Author: Justin Dyche

8th October 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 14 October 2023

Hello everyone,

First of all can I say a big thank you to everyone who helped make last Sunday’s Harvest celebration such a success, including all the children who took part in the service, and especially the Events Team who put on a wonderful Lunch. Sadly a number of them have gone down with Covid this week, so please pray for them to make a full recovery. Also thanks to everyone who donated to the FOOD BANK, we donated a wonderful 189kg last week alone! Don’t forget that you can bring donations for the Food Bank to church any Sunday, and leave them at the back behind the table with the offering basket.

On the subject of giving the PCC agreed the following charitable donations at our meeting on Tuesday:
CMS for M&H £1500 plus an additional £387
Hope From Above for Tim & Carol £1500
Hope Into Action (for the house we look after) £645
It’s Your Move books for Year 6 children at Studfall, Woodnewton and Rockingham £675
Homestart £506
Christians Against Poverty £208
Spring Harvest Bursary Fund £268
Rooted in Jesus (Mathetes Trust) £90
Toilet Twinning £238
Tearfund £268
World Vision £238
Barnabas Fund £268
Word for Today £208
As we said at the meeting what a privilege to be able to support so many good causes both locally, nationally and around the world. We do pray for some of these at our 6pm Prayer Meetings so do come along if you would like to find out more about them.

SUNDAY 8th OCTOBER
We have two services and a prayer meeting on Sunday:
HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am, but don’t forget to try and arrive early to join in the sung worship from 10.15. This service will include the next sermon in our series on Philippians, as well as ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. If you are not able to be in church you can watch this service here: https://youtube.com/live/u_blBWQDXsc?feature=share
In the afternoon we have the HARVEST FAMILY SERVICE at St Leonard’s, Rockingham at 3pm.
And at 6pm there is the PRAYER MEETING at St Columba’s.

PAUL KERENSA in KETTERING
Also on Sunday you can go and see Paul Kerensa at the Kettering Arts Centre (St Andrew’s Church) at 7pm performing his one man show “The First Religious Broadcast: Re-staged”. I saw this at Spring Harvest and can assure you it is more entertaining than it might sound! Although it is not a comedy (Paul has written for shows like Miranda and Not Going Out) it is an interesting look back to one man’s efforts to broadcast his church service in July 1922! Tickets cost £12 (with concessions at £8). Do look at the flyer for more details.

HOMEGROUPS
More of our new groups will be starting this week and I pray that God will bless all those people who have signed up to be part of one.

DEANERY SYNOD
This gathering of people from Church of England parishes in and around Corby will be happening on WEDNESDAY 11th OCTOBER at Weston by Welland church and will include both Holy Communion and an opportunity to hear from our Archdeacon Alison Booker. We have three elected members of the Synod (David, Steve, and William) but the meetings are open to everyone.

AFTERNOON TEA
This Friday the ladies Afternoon Tea will be happening in the Church Hall at 3pm on Friday. All ladies are welcome for tea, sandwiches, cake and good conversation.

MURDER MYSTERY EVENING
This is also happening next Friday in the Church Hall from 7.30pm. As well as discovering whodunnit you will be able to enjoy a meal. Tickets are available for £12 each from James or Louisa. This is suitable for adults and teenage children but probably not younger children. It is also a good opportunity to invite friends along.

NEXT SUNDAY
There is a service of MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s on Sunday 15th October at 10.30am with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people.

HOPE FROM ABOVE
Please see the latest Prayer Update from Hope From Above in Australia. Do have a read and pray for this work.

May God bless you all in the coming week,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

1st October 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 7 October 2023

Hello everyone,

I hope you are looking forward to our Harvest Festival on Sunday with an All Age service at St Columba’s at 10.30am followed by Lunch. All the details are below so do keep reading.

I do however have some other exciting news. The new Bishop of Peterborough was announced this week, Rt Revd Debbie Sellin, currently Bishop of Southampton, will be installed at a service in Peterborough Cathedral in early 2024. There are more details about Bishop Debbie in the new print edition of SCaNS (out tomorrow – see below for more details) or you can read a longer article by going to this link:
https://peterboroughdiocese.cmail19.com/t/y-e-pukhuc-dlhrthxhy-p/
where you can also watch an interview with her.
I do not know her but from what I can tell it seems Bishop Debbie is from an evangelical church background and will therefore be a good supporter of churches like St Columba’s. We look forward to getting to know her in the years to come.

HARVEST FESTIVAL
As mentioned above our Harvest All Age service is at 10.30am on Sunday, but please could all children and young people aim to be in church for 10.15 so we can make sure you are ready for the part you have to play in the service. It is good if everyone can be in church at this time to join in the opening worship, which is a good opportunity to focus your mind on God, sing God’s praise and learn new songs.
For those who are not able to join us the service can be watched on youtube by going to this link: https://youtube.com/live/661CYjnciYs?feature=share
Thank you to those people who provided Bible verses about God’s provision for the service, if anyone else has a verse please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com giving me the details, thank you.

If you are able to bring a donation for the FOOD BANK that would be wonderful. We will collect these during the service so please don’t put them at the back of church as you normally do. The items most needed at the moment are: SOUP, TINNED MEAT, TINNED FISH, TINNED FRUIT, RICE PUDDING, CUSTARD, BISCUITS, LONG GRAIN RICE, COFFEE, LONG LIFE JUICE, REGULAR TAMPONS, SHOWER GEL, and TOOTHPASTE – Thank you.

If you have brought an apple pie or crumble for the lunch please drop that off in the Hall before the service. After the service do stay in church for coffee and then move over to the Hall between 12 and 12.15 ready for lunch. Thanks to our Events Team for organising and cooking the lunch.

PRAYER MEETING
We will be meeting at 6pm on Sunday evening in St Columba’s for prayer and everyone is welcome to join us.

PCC
St Columba’s PCC will be meeting on Tuesday to consider the church’s Charitable Giving for this year. If you have any suggestions about deserving local causes or Christian charities working nationally or internationally please do let me or another PCC member know. We will also be finalising a survey of church members that will be going out in October with this year’s Stewardship Review.

HOME GROUPS
Some of our NEW Home Groups will be starting this week, on Wednesday morning, Thursday afternoon and evening, other groups will be starting in the next couple of weeks on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. I think I have spoken with almost everyone about the groups, but if you have not heard which group you are in please do get in touch with me.

NEXT SUNDAY
On Sunday 8th October we have two services as follows:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people.
3pm HARVEST FAMILY SERVICE at St Leonard’s, Rockingham.

AFTERNOON TEA
The next Ladies Afternoon Tea will be on Friday 13th October at 3pm in the Church Hall. Do make a note of the date and plan to come along.

MURDER MYSTERY EVENING
On Friday 13th October at 7.30pm in the Church Hall we have another Murder Mystery Evening. This will include a meal and tickets are available for £12 each from James or Louisa. This is suitable for adults and teenage children but probably not younger children. It is also a good opportunity to invite friends along.

SCaNS
As mentioned above there is a new print edition of SCaNS available in church on Sunday. Steve tells me this includes a summary of the news about the new bishop as well as photos from Kevin’s induction. The lead article is an amusing/challenging article by a lady coping with her husband’s dementia. It’s rather good – a mixture of laughs and tears, with lessons for us all.

Steve has also produced (or should that be re-produced) an A4 sheet “My Personal Prayer Diary” where you can record your prayers and God’s answers. This is something I mentioned in my sermon the other week as we often forget to thank God for His answers to our prayers, this is a way to remember. The sheets are available to pick up at the back of church.

May God bless us all as we celebrate Harvest this weekend,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 64460

24th September 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 30 September 2023

Hello again everyone,

I hope you have had a good week. There is lots of news below about our services tomorrow, Home Groups, Harvest, Films at the cinema, News from Carol & Tim Derbyshire and a couple of requests for your help. So do grab yourself a coffee and have a read.

SUNDAY 24th SEPTEMBER
There are three services to choose from this Sunday:
9am HOLY COMMUNION at St Leonard’s, Rockingham
10.30am MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s, Corby. This service will include the latest in our sermon series from Philippians looking at chapter 2 verses 1-11, one of the great passages in the Bible. There will be ENERGIZE groups for children and young people and the service will be available to watch on Youtube via this link: https://youtube.com/live/UeyMDIgzA2s?feature=share
6pm HEALING SERVICE at St Columba’s, Corby. Everyone is welcome to this service, especially those who need healing themselves or know someone who does, but do come along and support these people and share in the fellowship of prayer, singing and reflecting on God’s goodness.

Because of the Healing Service there will be no Prayer Meeting this week but we will be back again next Sunday at 6pm.

HOMEGROUPS
I have been in touch with some of you with details about the new Homegroups, and I will be speaking with others at church tomorrow. Most groups will begin in the first week of October, which will soon be with us!

HARVEST FESTIVAL
On Sunday 1st October we will be celebrating HARVEST at St Columba’s with an ALL AGE service at 10.30am. I would be really grateful if YOU could send me (by emailing ianpullinger@btinternet.com, by text or by phone – numbers below) a Bible verse about God’s provision. This will help you prepare to celebrate Harvest. We will also have our usual collection for CORBY FOOD BANK. The items they most need at the moment are:
SOUP, TINNED MEAT, TINNED FISH, TINNED FRUIT, RICE PUDDING & CUSTARD, BISCUITS, LONG GRAIN RICE, COFFEE, LONG LIFE JUICE,
REGULAR TAMPONS, SHOWER GEL, TOOTHPASTE.
After the service there will be a HARVEST LUNCH in the Church Hall. More details of the lunch will be available at church tomorrow.

MOVIE NEWS
Some of you will have seen the film “Sound of Freedom” about child abduction and rescue in South America that has been on at the cinema for the last few weeks. This is still being shown this week on Saturday (today), Sunday (tomorrow), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all at 14.45.
Another film being shown next week is “Surprised by Oxford”. This is the true story of Carolyn Drake a headstrong American student who wins a scholarship to study for a PhD at Oxford. Whilst there she discovers the writings of C.S. Lewis; and her life and lifestyle are transformed.
I have been encouraged to encourage everyone aged 12+ in our church, especially parents and teenage children, to watch this film. It is only being shown on Wednesday at 20.05 and next Saturday (30th September) at 15.00, although if demand is high I am sure more showings will be scheduled.

SNIPPETS FROM THE SHIRES
Here is the latest Prayer Letter from Carol & Tim Derbyshire who work with Hope From Above in Australia, although, as you will read in the letter, their plans are changing. Do have a read and pray for them.

CHARITABLE GIVING
Mention of Carol & Tim reminds me to say that at our PCC meeting on 3rd October we will be discussing where St Columba’s spends our budget of £7000 (approximately 10% of our income) for charitable giving. If you have any suggestions of either local charities or Christian charities working in this country or worldwide please pass them to a PCC member or reply to this email with as much information as possible about the charity.

God bless you all,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

27th August 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 2 September 2023

Hello everyone,

It does not seem possible that the summer holidays are coming to an end, some of our young people are already back at school and others will be returning in a week or so. With this in mind we will be having a BACK TO SCHOOL WITH GOD service next Sunday (3rd September), aimed not just at children and young people returning to, or starting at, school but all those who work in schools as well. If you know anyone who fits into any of these groups do invite them to join us at St Columba’s for that service.

It was good to be in Long Buckby on Wednesday for Kevin’s licensing service and to meet some of the people there who he will be serving. Here are a couple of photos of this occasion, one of Kevin giving out notices during the service, and the other of him celebrating afterwards with Michael. If you have any photos of the occasion please send them to me or Steve for publication in a future SCaNS.

On the subject of SCaNS here is the latest mini SCaNS with lots to keep you challenged, entertained and stimulated over the Bank Holiday weekend.

At our next PCC meeting we will be discussing our church services and asking questions such as: what do people find helpful, and what not so helpful; what would they like more, or less, of; is the pattern of services right (usually two Communion services, one All Age and one Morning Worship each month); how can we make the services more accessible to those who don’t regularly come to church while at the same time meeting the needs of those who come week by week. If you have any thoughts about these or any other issues to do with our Services please speak with a PCC member (their names and photos are at the back of church by the coffee table) or email ianpullinger@btinternet.com.

PCC members please note that this meeting will now be on Tuesday 5th September (not Wednesday 6th) so that Janet can attend. I will be sending the agenda out next week.

Sunday 27th August
There are two services tomorrow as follows:
9am HOLY COMMUNION at St Leonard’s, Rockingham
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s, Corby. This service will have resources available for children and will be livestreamed on youtube by going to the following link:
https://youtube.com/live/SsQuwQWrPGc?feature=share

There won’t be a Prayer Meeting this Sunday but we will gather again at 6pm on Sunday 3rd September.

HOME GROUPS
Thank you to all those people who have signed up to be part of the Homegroups that we are starting next month. If you have not yet done so please either make use of the sheet in church or email ianpullinger@btinternet.com saying if and when (daytime or evening and a preferred day if you have one) you would like to attend and if you would consider hosting and/or leading a group.

NEXT SUNDAY 3rd September
As mentioned above we have our special BACK TO SCHOOL WITH GOD Service next Sunday morning at 10.30am in St Columba’s. Do come along to support and pray for our children and young people, as well as for our schools and those who work in them.

BRIAN HUNTER
Last week I mentioned that Brian Hunter had passed away and that there would be a Celebration of his life in St Columba’s on Monday 4th September. Please note the time of that service was incorrect, it is actually at 12.30 followed by refreshments in the Hall.

With best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

20th August 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 26 August 2023

Hello Everyone,

I am sending an email out early this week because it includes an invitation which, ideally, I need a response to before Sunday, so please see below about the Women’s World Cup Final.

However sadly before that I must ask for your prayers for our Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan. Shamaila sent me some distressing pictures of an attack on a church which took place on Wednesday. Apparently many churches have been burnt and Christians’ houses looted, so please keep the Christians in prayer, asking for protection and faithfulness in the face of persecution.

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL
It can’t have escaped your notice that the Women’s World Cup Final, England v Spain, is happening on Sunday morning at 11am. Let me say first of all that this will not impact our worship which will happen as usual on Sunday at 10.30 (see below). However for those who would like to see the match in full AND attend church we will be recording all the action at the Vicarage and inviting anyone who would like to join us to come and watch the match AFTER church. We will provide drinks and snacks, which is why we need a response – if you are likely to join us please let us know as soon as possible.

For this plan to work we do need EVERYONE in church to observe a social media silence during and after the service so that no news from Sydney reaches us before we sit down to watch the match.

Any questions – please do ask.

SUNDAY AT CHURCH
The service at St Columba’s on Sunday morning at 10.30 is ALL AGE WORSHIP. This will be available to watch on Youtube by going to this link:
https://youtube.com/live/-YKK0cEZVEs?feature=share

We will also have our regular PRAYER MEETING at 6pm on Sunday evening when we will be especially remembering the Church in Pakistan.

HOMEGROUPS
There will be a sign up sheet in church on Sunday for anyone who would like to be involved in the NEW Homegroups that we hope will start in September. You can indicate that you would like to attend a group, host a group in your home or lead a group (either in your home or someone else’s). Obviously until we have seen who is volunteering to host we can’t say where the groups will be, but I hope there will be a mix of daytime and evening groups in different parts of town, and beyond, something for everyone in fact. If you are not in church please reply to this email saying if you would like to attend/host/lead a group.

Because these groups are being set up there will be no Fellowship Groups in church over the next couple of weeks.

KEVIN’S LICENSING IN LONG BUCKBY
This is happening on Wednesday 23rd August and I will have tickets for the minibus to distribute on Sunday to those who signed up. These cost £15 each and the bus will be leaving from church at 6.15pm, returning between 10 and 10.30pm. If you did not sign up but would like to go and need transport please let me know as soon as possible.

If you are not able to be there please pray for Kevin as he begins his ministry in Long Buckby, West Haddon, Watford and Winwick.

NEXT SUNDAY
We have two services of HOLY COMMUNION on Sunday 27th August:
9am at St Leonard’s, Rockingham
10.30 at St Columba’s, Corby. This service will have activities for children and be available as a livestream.

AND FINALLY
Some sad news for those of you who remember Brian Hunter. He passed away recently and there will be a service to celebrate his life on Monday 4th September at 1pm in St Columba’s, followed by refreshments in the Hall. The service will be led by Damian Carr from Hope Church.

May God bless you all,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

13th August 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 19 August 2023

Hello everyone,

I hope you have enjoyed the glimpse of summer we have had over the last couple of days! As we complain about the rain and rejoice in the sun we should remember all those who are suffering the terrible effects of forest fires. We should not only pray for them in their present suffering, but also reflect on what we can do, in action, by campaigning and through prayer, to combat climate change. We may think this is too much for us, but it is not too much for God.

PRAYER REQUEST
Steve Scholes has asked if we can pray for Sue.
“Sue is suffering unbearable pain, especially in her back and side because of her fibromyalgia. I have to help her out of chairs and have taken over some of the things she normally does. At least God answered my prayer that she would sleep better last night [Wednesday]. The ‘gold standard’ tablets for fibromyalgia Sue’s been prescribed are “potentially harmful for the kidneys” according to the internet so she’s not taking them because we’re both afraid of further damage to her kidneys and the need for dialysis. The paracetamol and tramadol tablets do nothing for her.” Steve concluded his message saying “please can we ask (beg?) God for mercy and pain relief for Sue.”

HOMEGROUPS
In September we hope that homegroups will be able to start again, meeting both during the day and in the evening. In order for this to happen we need people who are:
a) willing to host a group in their home
b) willing to lead a group (these could be the same as hosts but don’t have to be). You don’t need to be qualified in any way to do this, if you would like to discuss what is involved please do speak with me.
c) willing to attend the groups!
At Fellowship Groups last week I encouraged everyone to think and pray about the first two of these, and I now extend that invitation to everyone – could you help the church in one of these ways? If so, or you would like to talk about it, do let me know. If you would like to attend a group you can either let me know by emailing me (ianpullinger@btinternet.com), or sign up from next Sunday (20th August).

RIDE & STRIDE
The annual Sponsored Ride & Stride event to raise money for our church and the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust takes place on Saturday 9th September. We need people who would like to take part, cycling or walking, as well as to be in the church to welcome riders and striders from other churches. Please speak to James Ireland if you would like to be involved. And don’t forget, not only does half the sponsor money come to St Columba’s but by taking part we make ourselves eligible for a grant from the Trust.

SUNDAY’S SERVICES
10.30am at St Columba’s – MORNING WORSHIP led by William with sermon from Linda and Activity Sheets for children. I am sorry that there won’t be a livestream of this service as the new broadband connection has still not been installed and the old system relies on my phone which I will have with me in Southampton!
3pm at St Leonard’s, Rockingham – FAMILY SERVICE led by David.
6pm at St Columba’s – PRAYER MEETING

FELLOWSHIP GROUPS
The last in the present series on Amos is taking place on Wednesday at 10.30am and 7.30pm.

SUNDAY 20th AUGUST
10.30am at St Columba’s – ALL AGE WORSHIP
6pm at St Columba’s – PRAYER MEETING

MISSION NEWS
There is a new Prayer Letter from H&M at the back of church. Please do read this as it is not possible to distribute copies by email.
Here is the latest bulletin from HOPE FROM ABOVE.

AND FINALLY
An apology to anyone who has been using their OPEN DOORS Women’s World Cup Wall Chart to follow the football. There was a mix up in the Last 16 match numbers. England v Nigeria should have been Match 5 leading to a Quarter Final on Saturday against Colombia. What is interesting is that England’s last three matches have all been against countries highlighted for prayer: China, Nigeria and Colombia. So perhaps it is best to stick to praying – it’s much more simple!

I will be away over the weekend but please do email ianpullinger@btinternet.com and I will respond when I am back in Corby next week.

God bless you,

Ian

6th August 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 12 August 2023

Hello Everyone,

First of all I must apologise to anyone who was watching last week’s livestream which cut off half way through David’s sermon. I hope that this was an isolated problem and all will be well this week. We are still using the old equipment so this is not an issue with anything new. On the subject of livestream a big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the livestream fund, which has now raised enough money to cover our capital costs and the first year’s broadband connection. We are still waiting for Openreach to connect broadband to the church, when they do we will be ready to install the new equipment.

Sunday 6th August
We have an All Age service at St Columba’s on Sunday, looking at the Transfiguration of Jesus in an interactive way, so, even though it is the school holidays, children (and everyone else) will be most welcome to join us. If you are not able to be there this week’s live stream link is:
https://youtube.com/live/zL4avenopwI?feature=share

Our Prayer Meeting will also be happening on Sunday at 6pm in St Columba’s.

Fellowship Groups
These will meet again in St Columba’s on Wednesday at 10.30am and 7.30pm to look at Amos chapters 7 and 8 – we would love to see you there.

Afternoon Tea
The Ladies’ Afternoon Tea meets on Friday 11th August at 3pm in the Church Hall – all ladies welcome for tea, sandwiches, cake and conversation.

Next Sunday 13th August
We have two services next Sunday as follows:
Morning Worship at 10.30am at St Columba’s, led by William with a sermon by Linda
Family Service at Rockingham at 3pm led by David.

Kevin’s Licensing
It is not too late to sign up to attend Kevin’s Licensing service in Long Buckby on Wednesday 23rd August. Please sign up by emailing ianpullinger@btinternet.com or on the list at the back of church.

Carers Coffee Morning
Mary Craig has asked me to mention that there is a coffee morning for Carers at the Autumn Centre on Friday 25th August from 9.30 – 10.30 and all carers are welcome. More details from Mary.

And finally, here is the latest Puzzles and Other Stuff. Steve says there are stories of folk who have had encounters with angels, 11 puzzles and quizzes including one based on the first aid of 1815, a new type of crossword and lots of fascinating facts and pictures. Do have a look.

God be with you,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

30th July 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 5 August 2023

Hello again everyone,

I hope you have all had a good week. I was able to attend the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust Celebration Evening at Rockingham Castle on Wednesday, with James & Louisa, and Trevor and Donna from Rockingham. It was both an enjoyable evening and an encouragement to hear how some of the money we have raised by taking part in the Ride & Stride has been spent. I was pleased to hear that a number of local churches have benefited from grants, and James discovered that, while St Columba’s may not be as historic as some other churches, we are eligible to apply for a grant. This gives an extra incentive to get ready for this year’s Ride & Stride on Saturday 9th September – look out for more details about that.

Women’s Football World Cup!
Have you been following this, or do you know someone who has? OPEN DOORS have produced a wall chart with a difference, as well as having space to record all the results in the matches from group stages to the final, it highlights the five countries, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, Colombia and Morocco, on the World Watch List, these are countries where Christians experience extreme or very high levels of persecution. We are encouraged to pray for these countries on the days they are playing, for example for China on Tuesday 1st August when they play England. There are prayer requests on the wall chart. We ordered copies for the young people but have some spare, so do pick one up from church on Sunday and don’t forget to pray.

Kevin’s Licensing Service at Long Buckby on Wednesday 23rd August at 7.30pm
If you would like to go to this service please let me know, either by emailing ianpullinger@btinternet.com, or by using the sign up sheet in church. We need to know if you would like to go on the minibus and/or if you would be prepared to drive (if so how many passengers you could take, if any). This is because the minibus will not be able to take everyone who wants to go so we will need some people to drive their car.

Sunday’s Service
This Sunday we have a celebration of Holy Communion at St Columba’s at 10.30am, with David preaching about Mary, the sister of Martha. There are no children’s groups as it is the summer holidays, but there will be Activity Sheets available for those who would like them. If you are not able to be in church then you can watch the service here: https://youtube.com/live/6fd2NqLCeFk?feature=share (Editor’s note: Unfortunately due to technical difficulties this recording stopped part-way through.)

Prayer Meeting
We have our regular 6pm gathering for prayer in St Columba’s on Sunday – do come along if you have any special prayer request, for you or for someone else, or simply to enjoy an hour of fellowship and prayer.

Fellowship Groups
We continue our study of Amos on Wednesday, at either 10.30am or 7.30pm in St Columba’s. This week we look at chapters 5 and 6. Everyone is welcome and you don’t have to have been to any of the previous weeks to join us.

Next Sunday
There is a service of All Age Worship at St Columba’s on Sunday 6th August at 10.30am and our Prayer Meeting at 6pm

SCaNS
The latest printed edition of SCaNS is still available in church. During the summer Steve will not be producing Puzzles & Other Stuff every week, however there is plenty of reading material to inspire you and your prayers – see below.

Hope From Above Newsletter
Here is the latest newsletter from Hope From Above, which includes the story of how Tim Derbyshire, who we support, came to serve with them.

Hope Into Action Newsletter
Hope Into Action, who we support with a house in Corby, have also published their latest newsletter this week and you can read that here:
https://mailchi.mp/0b616f480202/january-2023-newsletter-5995957?e=200ea690ee

And finally a reminder about…Shoeboxes
A few weeks back I mentioned that James & Louisa sometimes spot suitable presents during the year, perhaps while away on holiday. If you would like to spread your buying for a shoebox it might help to start buying now. Also James plans to organise a shoebox packing time at which any suitable gift can be brought along, you don’t have to fill a whole box, individual gifts can be put together to make up boxes, so if you see something you think is suitable (small toys, games, etc) do buy it and put it in a safe place!

God bless you all in this coming week,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

9th July 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 15 July 2023

Hello everyone,

Welcome to this week’s email (and sorry it is rather late) in which we begin our goodbyes to Kevin and his family.

This morning I read these words from James 1.12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” I thought what a good description of Kevin that is. He has persevered under trial from day one when they moved to Corby and Kate went into hospital, never mind the fact that we were living under Covid restrictions at the time, and there have been other setbacks along the way, but in all of this Kevin’s love for the Lord has shone through. He can indeed look forward to receiving the crown of life that the Lord has promised.

Look out for details below of what is happening tomorrow as we say goodbye to Kevin, Kate and their family.

The description of one who perseveres through trials may also be applied to Steve Scholes, who has endured many problems in recent years, not least with his and Sue’s health, but he too has persevered. The evidence for this is that he has produced 100 editions of Puzzles and Other Stuff for us to enjoy, along with mini-SCaNS and printed SCaNS. Do look at the 100th edition of Puzzles and Other Stuff.

Sunday 9th July
At 10.30am we have a service of HOLY COMMUNION with Kevin preaching and presiding. This will be Kevin’s last service at St Columba’s, and there will be ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. For those who are unable to be in church the service will be available to watch via this link:
https://youtube.com/live/t-LU_dqthfU?feature=share

After the service there will be a LUNCH in the Church Hall to which everyone is invited. This will also include some people speaking about Kevin’s time with us, and a presentation. If you have not yet contributed to Kevin’s leaving gift please do bring your gift to church tomorrow and place it in the box provided or use the Card Reader (but please make sure it is set to Kevin’s Gift).

Then at 3pm Kevin will be leading a FAMILY SERVICE at St Leonard’s, Rockingham, and everyone is welcome to join him there.

In the evening there will be the usual PRAYER MEETING at 6pm in which we will be praying for Kevin (although he may not be there if he has not finished packing boxes ready to move on Monday!)

Fellowship Groups
We will have Fellowship Groups again this week on Wednesday, at 10.30am and 7.30pm so do come along and enjoy some time to study the Bible, pray, and, as the name suggests, enjoy fellowship with one another.

Jesus Revolution FILM
Having mentioned this for the last two weeks I understand it is the SILVER SCREEN showing on Wednesday 12th July. This is for over 50’s and the price of £4.50 includes FREE tea and coffee so do go along and enjoy this true story, if you are not at Fellowship Group.

Next Sunday
We have another special service next Sunday morning at St Columba’s when we welcome a speaker from Tearfund to tell us more about their work. This will be at 10.30am as usual and will include ENERGIZE groups.

Please note that work on refurbishing the church toilets is continuing, and while there are now three toilets in place it will be easier to use the Hall toilets during the service.

With best wishes

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

2nd July 2023

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 8 July 2023

Hello Everyone,

Sunday 2nd July
We have a service of ALL AGE WORSHIP at 10.30am at St Columba’s with lots of participation by the children. If you are unable to join us you will be able to watch the service via this link: https://youtube.com/live/D9ZDs0VJrZ8?feature=share
In the evening we have our usual PRAYER MEETING at 6pm – do come along and join us if you can.

FILM “Jesus Revolution”
I don’t know how many of you made it to see this film last week but the screenings were obviously popular because it is being shown again this week. I would thoroughly recommend it to everyone, although it is 12A so not suitable for young children. The screenings this week are on:
Sun. 2nd July at 8.30pm;
Mon. 3rd July at 1.15pm;
Tues. 4th July at 2.30pm;
Thurs. 6th July at 1.15pm
The film is described as follows: “In the 1970s, young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) is searching for all the right things in all the wrong places: until he meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie-street-preacher. Together with Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), they open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to an unexpected revival of radical and newfound love, leading to what TIME Magazine dubbed a Jesus Revolution.”

Fellowship Groups
For various reasons we won’t be having Fellowship Groups again this week.

Next Sunday
10.30am at St Columba’s, Corby for Holy Communion – Kevin is presiding and preaching at this and has chosen the reading and songs.
Lunch in St Columba’s Hall between the two services (12 – 2.30). If you can help with the catering please speak to Miriam (we are cooking a meal not having a bring & share so please check what we need).
3pm at St Leonard’s, Rockingham for a Family Service.

Also, the latest news from Tim & Carol Derbyshire in Australia is here. If you would like to read more about the work of Hope From Above please go to this link: https://hfa.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9e0b92324bbbd9d5b480162&id=b034bc05e5&e=5106e36ee9

May God bless you all in this coming week.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609