16th March 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 22 March 2025

Hello everyone,

I hope you are looking forward to St Columba’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, and to the Lunch afterwards. It is always good to reflect on what God has been doing in the church over the last year and to look forward to what He will do in the next year. It is also great to have fellowship together over a hot lunch, and big thank you to the Events Team for organising that, as well as the Quiz Night at the beginning of next month, details of that below. Also next month a group of over 30 from the church are going to Spring Harvest and there is lots of information about Spring Harvest below. I hope the children are looking forward to SHOWSTOPPERS, our EASTER HOLIDAY CLUB, and there are details about that below, including a meeting for all leaders.

SUNDAY 16th MARCH
We have just one service on Sunday but lots more going on, as follows:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. This service will be available on Youtube at this link: https://youtube.com/live/1gQgcSQiDEY?feature=share
The service is followed at about 12noon by the ANNUAL MEETING in the Church Hall, to which we hope everyone will be able to stay. After the meeting do stay for a HOT LUNCH. After lunch there will be a short PCC meeting to elect officers for the coming year, and to conduct any other necessary business.
And at 6pm we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s.

LENT 2025
We had a great start to our LENT GROUPS last Wednesday and these continue this coming Wednesday at 10.30am and 7.30pm in church. We are watching a video by Jeff Lucas “There are no strong people” based on the story of Samson. Everyone is welcome to these groups, so do come along, even if you were not able to be there last week. We hope these will lead to further Fellowship Groups gathering after Easter.

Also on the subject of Lent, the children’s Lent Countdown Calendar continues and this week’s theme for children is school, so they are encouraged to give for every day they go to school. Obviously that won’t work for most of us, so can I suggest we decide on an amount to give every time we shop! This includes online shopping as well as going to shops, and we should think in the broadest terms, so petrol stations, coffee shops, etc are all included. At the end of the week you multiply the amount you have decided to give (perhaps £1) by the number of times you went shopping, so five shops means you give £5 to your chosen charity (the church or one of the charities we support for example).

FILM AT THE SAVOY: Bonhoeffer (certificate 12A running time 132 minutes)
I went to see this film on Monday and would definitely recommend it, there was no question that Bonhoeffer’s faith informed all that he did. At times the film is a difficult watch, not least because it seems to me that the world in which we live is more like that of 1930’s Germany than at any time since the end of the second world war. On the same day I saw the film, in which Christian symbols were replaced in churches, I read of how some churches in China have been forced to replace Christian symbols with Communist texts or photos.
The film is being shown several days this next week at the Savoy, including the Silver Screen showing on Wednesday morning at 11.30am. The full list of days and times is:
Today, Saturday 15th March and tomorrow, Sunday 16th March, 20.15
Monday 17th, Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th March 14.20
and Wednesday 19th March 11.30

SPRING HARVEST 2025
There are FOUR pieces of information about Spring Harvest so please read carefully and take note of the relevant sections.
The first is for everyone, the second for those who are booked in, the third for those who would like to visit for a day, and the fourth for those who would like to watch online (although please note this is NOT the week we are at Skegness but the following week from Minehead).

1. CHARITY OF THE WEEK – Spring Harvest Bursary Fund
We have a group going to Spring Harvest again this year and many of us have attended over the years and been encouraged by the experience. People in our group have benefited from the Bursary Fund which contributes to the cost of people going to Spring Harvest and many others across the country are also blessed in this way. Please give thanks for the Fund, and for the generosity of people giving to it that makes these grants possible. Please also pray that everyone who is planning to attend Spring Harvest, especially those who have been helped by the Bursary Fund, will be able to go, and that no last minute problems stop anyone from attending. Also pray for the Spring Harvest Leadership Team and Speakers as they make decisions about the programme and teaching, and that Rick Warren is able to speak online – we heard earlier in the year that health concerns mean he is not able to travel to be with us in person.

2. MEETING FOR ALL THOSE GOING TO SPRING HARVEST
We have a meeting for all those going to Spring Harvest this year on THURSDAY 20th MARCH at 7.30pm in church. Please try to be there as we prepare for our time away. If anyone is thinking of going for a day, or two and staying off site, (see point 3 below) please come along as there will be useful information for you as well.

3. DAY VISITOR TICKETS for Skegness Tuesday 8th, Wednesday 9th or Thursday 10th April
You are strongly recommend to book these in advance as numbers are limited. If there are tickets available you can buy them at the gate but they may cost more than if you buy them in advance and purchases at the gate must be by card, not cash. Parking is Free and on site. It may not be possible to book your children into their programme if you do not buy tickets and register them in advance. If you are thinking of coming along for a day please do join us for the meeting on Thursday (see point 2 above)
Ticket prices for one day (8.30am – 11pm) are: Adults £50, Children 5-14 £38, Children 2-4 £30 and Under 2 Free.
To book tickets go to: https://ecevents.uk/sh25/days/Site/Register

4. SPRING HARVEST HOME
If you are not able to join us at Skegness then the next best thing is to watch Spring Harvest from Minehead ONLINE from Monday 14th to Friday 18th April (with recordings available to watch until 17th May). Tickets cost £24.95 until 7th April then go up in price to £29.95, they are available here:
https://ecevents.uk/shhome25/reg/Site/Register
Once you’ve bought your ticket, you’ll be sent the link to join with your unique code. Spring Harvest Home can be watched anywhere with WI-FI, in any browser, or cast to (some) TV’s.

SUNDAY 23rd MARCH
We have two services next Sunday, as follows:
9am HOLY COMMUNION at St Leonard’s, Rockingham. This will actually be the last 9am service as we are going to begin a trial after Easter of moving this service to 3pm, with the hope that we may attract some visitors to the Castle.
10.30am MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people who will be preparing for the Mothering Sunday All Age Service the following week.
Finally at 6pm we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s.

QUIZ NIGHT
The Events Group have arranged a QUIZ NIGHT for FRIDAY 4th APRIL at 7pm in the church hall. This was the most popular choice from the survey so it would be really good if it was well supported. Please book the date now and plan to be there. Bring your own snacks and drinks. Everyone is welcome, whether you come on your own or with a team.

CHILDREN’S EASTER HOLIDAY CLUB – Showstoppers!
We are holding an Easter Holiday Club from Monday 14th to Friday 18th April in church from 10am to 12 noon each day. This will be for Primary School children (Reception to Year 6) so if you know any children of that age do pass this on. There will be lots of different activities including music & drama, fun & games, art & craft, Bible stories and food! Every child who attends will need to be registered in advance by completing the Permission Form and returning it either by emailing it to ianpullinger@btinternet.com or at church and as there is a limited number of places please do this as soon as possible.

Please note that we will have a special launch service on Sunday 13th April so it would be great if all the children from church who are coming to the Club could be there. Then on Good Friday 18th April we are welcoming all parents, family and friends to the final hour from 11am when we will have a show and tell of all we have done during the week. And finally, on Easter Day, 20th April, there will be an opportunity for the children to conclude their week by learning that Jesus is alive!

All Holiday Club helpers are invited to a preparation meeting on Thursday 27th March at 9.30am in church.

May God bless you all in this coming week,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

9th March 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 15 March 2025

Hello everyone,

I am pleased to report that we had a good ALPHA AWAY DAY last Saturday and that the two Ash Wednesday services, which shared the same content but were otherwise very different, both went well. I hope you are now looking forward to the Lent Groups that start on Wednesday, and to St Columba’s Annual Meeting with Lunch on 16th March, and, for the children, the EASTER HOLIDAY CLUB. Details about all these, and more can be found below.

SUNDAY 9th MARCH
We have two services on Sunday as follows:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. This service will be available to watch here:
https://youtube.com/live/KN3OXu4mrf8?feature=share
3pm FAMILY SERVICE in Rockingham Village Hall.
And at 6pm we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s.

LENT 2025
Thank you to all those who came to the services on Ash Wednesday. I hope you will be able to join us for our LENT GROUPS meeting at 10.30am and 7.30pm in church on Wednesdays 12th, 19th, 26th March and 2nd April. We will be watching a video by Jeff Lucas “There are no strong people” based on the story of Samson. Everyone is welcome to these groups, which we hope will lead to further Fellowship Groups gathering after Easter.

Also on the subject of Lent, the children at our All Age service last week were all given a Lent Countdown Calendar. We can all join in with one of the activities which involves counting the number of times you do certain activities during the week and then multiplying that number by a fixed amount (say 10p) and giving the total amount to charity (the church or one of the charities we support for example). This week the challenge is to…count the number of times you flush the loo! So if you flush the loo 42 times in a week and you decide to give 10p a flush that would be £4.20 to charity!

FILM AT THE SAVOY: Bonhoeffer (certificate 12A running time 132 minutes)
I am pleased to say that this film is being shown every day for the next week, at a wide variety of different times, so do try and get along to the Savoy. While the film is an historical drama it is so relevant to the world we live in today and I do encourage people to watch it. It is described as follows:
“From the tumultuous backdrop of World War II, emerges the compelling true story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man of profound ideals caught in the crossfire of history. As the world teeters on the brink, Bonhoeffer, an advocate of love, grapples with a moral dilemma that transcends the ordinary. With stakes soaring to global proportions, ideals collide, convictions are tested, and a man’s legacy becomes a testament to the indomitable spirit of humanity.” This does not mention that Bonhoeffer’s ideals were based on his Christian faith, I hope that comes out clearly in the film.
Watch at the Savoy on the following days and times:
Friday 7th March 17.45
Saturday 8th March 12.30
Sunday 9th March 18.00
Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th March 15.00
Wednesday 12th March 20.20
Thursday 13th March 16.30

AFTERNOON TEA
The Ladies Afternoon Tea will be happening again on Friday 14th March at 3pm in the Church Hall. All ladies are most welcome to come along to share in tea or coffee, sandwiches, scones and cakes, and good conversation. Please note there will not be an Afternoon Tea in April because many people are away at Spring Harvest.

SUNDAY 16th MARCH
Next Sunday we have just one service, but lots more going on, as follows:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people.
This is followed at about 12noon by the ANNUAL MEETING in the Church Hall, to which we hope everyone will be able to stay. If anyone would like to put their name forward to be on the PCC please let me know. After the meeting we hope you will be able to stay for a HOT LUNCH – please make sure you have signed the sheet at the back of church or emailed ianpullinger@btinternet.com to say that you are coming to the lunch. After lunch there will be a short PCC meeting to elect officers for the coming year, and to conduct any other necessary business.
Finally at 6pm we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s.

SPRING HARVEST 2025
There will be a meeting for those going to Spring Harvest this year on THURSDAY 20th MARCH at 7.30pm in church. Please try to be there as we prepare for our time away. If anyone is thinking of going for a day, or two and staying off site, please come along as there will be useful information for you as well.

QUIZ NIGHT
The Events Group have arranged a QUIZ NIGHT for FRIDAY 4th APRIL at 7pm in the church hall. This was the most popular choice from the survey so it would be really good it was well supported. More details will be available next week but please book the date now and plan to be there. Everyone is welcome, whether you come on your own or with a team.

CHILDREN’S EASTER HOLIDAY CLUB – Showstoppers!
We are going to have an Easter Holiday Club from Monday 14th to Friday 18th April in church from 10am to 12 noon each day. This will be for Primary School children (Reception to Year 6) so if you know any children of that age do pass this on. There will be lots of different activities including music & drama, fun & games, art & craft, Bible stories and food! Every child who attends will need to be registered in advance by completing the Permission Form and returning it either by emailing to ianpullinger@btinternet.com or at church and as there is a limited number of places please do this as soon as possible.

Please note that we will have a special launch service on Sunday 13th April so it would be great if all the children from church who are coming to the Club could be there. Then on Good Friday 18th April we are welcoming all parents, family and friends to the final hour from 11am when we will have a show and tell of all we have done during the week. And finally, on Easter Day, 20th April, there will be an opportunity for the children to conclude their week by learning that Jesus is alive!

All helpers will be invited to a special preparation meeting, date and time to be advised.

CHARITY OF THE WEEK – Tim & Carol Derbyshire working with Hope from Above
We have received the latest Prayer Letter from Tim & Carol, so please do open this up to have a read and pray about the topics mentioned. We will also be praying for Tim & Carol at the Prayer Meeting on Sunday.

DIOCESAN SAFEGUARDING AUDIT
The diocese is having a Safeguarding audit as part of a national programme, commissioned by the Archbishop’s Council in response to the recommendations of the IICSA Enquiry, to conduct an independent and comprehensive audit of all Church of England dioceses and cathedrals.
A key part of this audit is hearing the voices of all those who worship and work in the Diocese including employees, clergy, parishioners, worshippers, volunteers and supporters. Everyone is welcome to share their views and experiences through the survey, which is anonymous and confidential. Responses will be received directly by the auditors not by the Diocese. What they are told will inform the Diocese-specific recommendations of the audit, all of which aim to improve and develop safeguarding practices across the Diocese.
I have been asked to complete the survey and to share the information with people in the parish to do the same. The link to the survey is here: https://ineqe.com/churchofengland/peterborough/

AND FINALLY
I hope to see you at one of the services on Sunday, at Lent Groups on Wednesday, and at the Annual Meeting next Sunday.

God bless you all,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

2nd March 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 8 March 2025

Hello everyone,

First of all can I thank all those who helped in any way with the service on Monday to celebrate Steve’s life. I think it was the joyous affair that he wanted, and wonderful to have 100 people in church to celebrate Steve’s life. There was certainly much joy in the Hall afterwards and good conversations with the many old friends of St Columba’s who gathered with us. Please do continue to remember Sue in your prayers.

I am looking forward to the ALPHA AWAY DAY today. Please pray for all those who will be taking part in the day as we think about the Holy Spirit. Also happening today is the worldwide gathering of Christians online, Gather 25, see below for how you can get involved.

And a notice for PCC members. We have decided that we will cancel the meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening as it is Shrove Tuesday, so PCC members can enjoy their pancakes!

GATHER 25 LIVE
Gather25 is an unprecedented 25-hour global broadcast event telling the inspiring stories of the global Church, by the global Church. It is happening on Saturday, 1st March 2025. The aim is to spend time sharing stories of what God is doing across the world, worshipping and praying together, as well as reminding us that we are part of a global church family.
Gather25 starts at 1am UK time on Saturday 1st March and continues for 25 hours until 2am on Sunday 2nd March. From 5pm-9.30pm the live broadcast is from Hackney Church in London. Find out more and go online to watch at gather25.com

SUNDAY 2nd MARCH
We have two services at St Columba’s as follows:
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP with lots of contributions from our younger members. This service will also be available to watch on Youtube via this link:
https://youtube.com/live/OeIFKS0hh8I?feature=share
and at 5pm HOLY COMMUNION which means there won’t be a Prayer Meeting this Sunday.

LENT 2025
Lent begins next week and we have two Holy Communion services on Ash Wednesday (5th March) at 10.30am and 7.30pm,
We will then have Lent Groups meeting at those times on Wednesdays 12th, 19th, 26th March and 2nd April when we will be watching a video by Jeff Lucas “There are no strong people” based on the story of Samson. Everyone is welcome to these groups, which we hope will lead to further Fellowship Groups gathering after Easter.

FILM AT THE SAVOY: Bonhoeffer (certificate 12A running time 132 minutes) – Friday 7th March 17.45
Thanks to Sheila for alerting me to this film, which is being being shown for one night only, unless lots of people book in advance so they add some more screenings. While it is a historical drama the film is so relevant to the world we live in today and I do encourage people to watch it. It is described as follows:
“From the tumultuous backdrop of World War II, emerges the compelling true story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man of profound ideals caught in the crossfire of history. As the world teeters on the brink, Bonhoeffer, an advocate of love, grapples with a moral dilemma that transcends the ordinary. With stakes soaring to global proportions, ideals collide, convictions are tested, and a man’s legacy becomes a testament to the indomitable spirit of humanity.”

NEXT SUNDAY
On Sunday 9th March we have two services as follows:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people.
3pm FAMILY SERVICE in Rockingham Village Hall.
And at 6pm we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s.

ST COLUMBA’S ANNUAL MEETINGS and LUNCH
Our Annual Meetings are on Sunday 16th March after the 10.30am service. We will meet in the Church Hall and after the meeting continue to enjoy time together with a hot lunch. There is a sign up sheet in church for the lunch to which everyone is welcome, as they are to the Meetings.

SPRING HARVEST 2025
There will be a meeting for those going to Spring Harvest this year on THURSDAY 20th MARCH at 7.30pm in church. Please try to be there as we prepare for our time away. If anyone is thinking of going out for a day, or two and staying off site, please come along as there will be useful information for you as well.

CHARITY OF THE WEEK – Rooted in Jesus
After a week in which we have remembered many old friends of St Columba’s it seemed appropriate that our charity this week should by Rooted in Jesus which is run by our former vicar Roger Morgan and his wife Alison.
Rooted in Jesus is a group course in Christian discipleship written for use in Africa. It is the only material of its kind written especially for the use of ordinary African Christians, rather than translated from material developed for the West – where people face different problems and challenges in their Christian lives. Since its beginning in 2002, Rooted in Jesus has been adopted by over 100 dioceses and denominations in 19 African countries. In 2010 we developed a companion Rooted in Jesus Junior programme for use in Sunday Schools, and that too is in wide use. The two courses have now been translated in whole or in part into 48 languages.

And on the subject of charities please do take a copy of the Prayer Letter from H&M which came out last week. We can’t share these online, but there are printed copies at the back of church.

I hope to see you at one of the services on Sunday, and on Ash Wednesday, but even if you can’t be with us, do think what you might do during Lent to help your faith to grow and to share God’s blessings.

God be with you all,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

23rd February 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 1 March 2025

Dear St Columba’s Church Family,

I have been made aware of the extent of our church family over the last week with messages coming in from former vicars and others following the news of Steve’s passing to the glory of heaven. I am pleased to say that Michael and Judy Eden will be with us on Monday, while Roger and Alison Morgan and Rod and Glenda Lee would very much like to have been here but send their apologies. I mentioned last week that with no living relatives it would be wonderful if the church could be filled with Steve’s church family on Monday to celebrate his life. All the details are below, including a livestream link because a couple of people have mentioned that they are unable to be there – please don’t muddle the two livestream links in this email.

Celebration of Steve Scholes’ Life – Monday 24th February at 1pm in church.
Steve asked that his funeral should be “a joyous affair” and with that in mind Sue has asked that people do not wear black. The service will be followed by refreshments in the Church Hall, to which everyone is welcome, and which will not only give people an opportunity to support Sue but also to meet some of those old friends of St Columba’s who will be here. Do feel free to join the refreshments even if you can’t be in church. The livestream link for this service is: https://youtube.com/live/Ui2T9K3LnKA?feature=share

SUNDAY SERVICES
On Sunday there will be a service of HOLY COMMUNION at 9am in St Leonard’s, Rockingham and at 10.30am MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people who will be preparing for our All Age Service on 2nd March. This service will also be available as a livestream via this link: https://youtube.com/live/2RKxMdJFlvg?feature=share
In the evening at 6pm we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s.

ELECTORAL ROLL
This is the last opportunity to join the new Church Electoral Roll (our membership list) before the Annual Meting in March because we have to publish the new Electoral Roll for two weeks before the meeting. It is possible to join later, but we would like to have everyone included now if possible. There are forms in church and we do ask you to complete these and hand them in before you leave. However for anyone who has not been in church over the last few weeks here is a form that can either be completed electronically and emailed back to me ianpullinger@btinternet.com or printed at home and delivered to church or the Vicarage BEFORE the end of February. Any questions about this please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com.

ST COLUMBA’S ANNUAL MEETINGS and LUNCH
As mentioned above our Annual Meetings are next month, actually on Sunday 16th March after the 10.30am service. We will meet in the Church Hall and after the meeting continue to enjoy time together with a hot lunch. There will be a sign up sheet in church for the lunch, and while everyone is welcome to the Meetings, you do need to be on the Electoral Roll to have a vote (see above).

NEXT SUNDAY
On Sunday 2nd March we have two services at St Columba’s as follows:
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP with lots of contributions form our younger members
and at 5pm HOLY COMMUNION which means there won’t be a Prayer Meeting next Sunday.

LENT 2025
Lent begins in a week and a half and we have two Holy Communion services on Ash Wednesday (5th March) at 10.30am and 7.30pm,
We will then have Lent Groups meeting at those times on Wednesdays 12th, 19th, 26th March and 2nd April when we will be watching a video by Jeff Lucas “There are no strong people” based on the story of Samson. Everyone is welcome to these groups, which we hope will lead to further Fellowship Groups gathering after Easter.

CHARITY OF THE WEEK – H&M with CMS
Many of you will remember the visit of H&M and their children a couple of years ago. Because of their location I am not able to include any details in this email, or attach their latest Prayer Letter. However the Prayer Letter is available in church, both to read, or to take a copy of, but please do not put any details on social media or online.

SPRING HARVEST 2025
There will be a meeting for those going to Spring Harvest this year on THURSDAY 20th MARCH at 7.30pm in church. Please try to be there as we prepare for our time away. If anyone is thinking of going out for a day, or two and staying off site, please come along as there will be useful information for you as well.

GATHER 25 LIVE
Gather25 is an unprecedented 25-hour global broadcast event telling the inspiring stories of the global Church, by the global Church. It is happening next Saturday, 1st March 2025. The aim is to spend time sharing stories of what God is doing across the world, worshipping and praying together, as well as reminding us that we are part of a global church family.
Gather25 starts at 1am UK time on Saturday 1st March and continues for 25 hours until 2am on Sunday 2nd March. From 5pm-9.30pm the live broadcast is from Hackney Church in London. Find out more and go online to watch at gather25.com

Every blessing to you all.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

16th February 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 22 February 2025

Dear St Columba’s Family,

Steve Scholes’ Funeral – Monday 24th February at 1pm in church.
Steve asked that his funeral should be “a joyous affair” and with that in mind Sue has asked that people do not wear black. Also, as I said last week, I would be grateful for any memories you have of Steve. Apart from Sue, Steve had no living relatives, so it would be wonderful if St Columba’s could be full of Steve’s church family for this service.

Jane Inwood’s Funeral
I mentioned last week that former church member, Jane Inwood (“Tall Jane” or “Jangly Jane” as some people knew her) has her funeral on Tuesday 18th February at 11am. This will be a simple Graveside ceremony at Shire Lodge which will be followed by an informal Celebration of her life in St Columba’s at 11.30, followed by refreshments. I would encourage all those who knew Jane to join us for this, when we will also welcome many of her former carers and friends from the local community.

SUNDAY SERVICES
On Sunday there will be a service of HOLY COMMUNION at 10.30am in St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. This will include the next sermon in our series looking at the Passion narrative in Luke’s gospel, this week thinking about the events in the Garden of Gethsemane from Luke 22 v39-53. This service will be available as a livestream by going to: https://youtube.com/live/VTuqEzytOeo?feature=share
In the evening we will have the PRAYER MEETING at 6pm, please use the side door of church.

ELECTORAL ROLL
Every six years we have to prepare a completely new Church Electoral Roll (our membership list) rather than simply revising the existing roll. This means that everyone who would like to be included on the Electoral Roll needs to complete a new application form. This will mean you have a vote at our Annual Meeting on 16th March (see below). To make this as easy as possible we will be handing out forms at services and giving people time to complete them during the service, so they can be collected in before you leave. However for anyone who has not been in church over the last few weeks here is a form that can either be completed electronically and sent back to me via email (ianpullinger@btinternet.com) or printed at home and delivered to church or the Vicarage BEFORE the end of February. Any questions about this please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com.

ST COLUMBA’S ANNUAL MEETINGS and LUNCH
As mentioned above our Annual Meetings will be on Sunday 16th March after the 10.30am service in the Church Hall and will be followed by a hot lunch. There will be a sign up sheet in church for the lunch, and while everyone is welcome to the Meetings, you do need to be on the Electoral Roll to have a vote (see above).

ONE LOVE SOCIAL CLUB
This group is run by Ann Rigby’s daughter Rachael, and involves about thirty people with special needs meeting every Friday from 6.30 to 8.30 at Stephenson Way Community Centre where they have lots of fun. Every week they do something different, this Friday it was a Valentine’s Disco, but they also do arts and crafts, games, singing, dancing etc. They have asked if we would be able to donate small raffle or tombola prizes for the group as these give so much pleasure.

NEXT SUNDAY
On Sunday 23rd February we have two services and a Prayer Meeting as follows:
9am HOLY COMMUNION at St Leonard’s, Rockingham.
10.30am MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people who will be preparing for our All Age Service on 2nd March.
6pm PRAYER MEETING at St Columba’s.

LENT 2025
Lent begins in two and a half weeks and we will have two Holy Communion services on Ash Wednesday (5th March) at 10.30am and 7.30pm,
We will then have Lent Groups meeting at those times on Wednesdays 12th, 19th, 26th March and 2nd April when we will be watching a video by Jeff Lucas “There are no strong people” based on the story of Samson. Everyone is welcome to these groups, which we hope will lead to further Fellowship Groups gathering after Easter.

CHARITY OF THE WEEK – World Vision
This week our highlighted charity is World Vision. They have a long history of taking action that transforms the world with a focus on helping the most vulnerable children, in the most difficult places, to overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. They have partnered with millions of children and families to find a way out of poverty, and we’re often among the first to help when a crisis strikes. As a Christian charity, we help children, of all faiths and none, in some of the world’s most dangerous places. We believe it takes a whole community to create happy and fulfilling childhoods. And we work together with communities so they’re empowered to do just that. Our integrated approach includes water, healthcare, education, child protection, and income generation. With the aim of allowing every child to fulfil their God-given potential. Across almost 100 countries, our impassioned community of supporters, volunteers and community leaders work together to transform children’s lives.
Find out more at: https://www.worldvision.org.uk/about/world-vision/

Every blessing to you all.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

9th February 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 15 February 2025

Dear St Columba’s Family,

I hope you have all heard the news that Steve Scholes died on Tuesday. This was not the answer we were expecting or hoping for to our prayer last week, although Steve is now fully healed and enjoying a resurrection body. Please continue to pray for Sue. There is no date as yet for Steve’s funeral, which will be in church, I expect to be able to give details next week. In the meantime if you have any memories of Steve please do send them to me, as some people have already done.

I have also heard this week of the death of our former church member, Jane Inwood (“Tall Jane” as some people knew her NOT Jane Simpkin who will be reading in church tomorrow). Jane Inwood moved to Northampton several years ago and suffered from kidney failure, which was treated with dialysis, but she stopped going for dialysis and died as a result. Her funeral will be a simple Graveside ceremony at Shire Lodge on Tuesday 18th February at 11am, but this will be followed by an informal Celebration of her life in St Columba’s at 11.30, followed by refreshments. I would encourage all those who knew Jane to join us for this, when we will also welcome many of her former carers and friends from the local community.

SUNDAY SERVICES
On Sunday there will be two services and a Prayer Meeting as follows:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. I will do my best to make sure the livestream happens again for this service, there was not even a recording of last week’s service I’m afraid. The link for tomorrow is:
https://youtube.com/live/N5duMkmzSV8?feature=share
3pm FAMILY SERVICE in Rockingham Village Hall.
6pm PRAYER MEETING at St Columba’s. This will be in the Office so please use the Side Door to enter the church.

ELECTORAL ROLL
Every six years we have to prepare a completely new Church Electoral Roll (our membership list) rather than simply revising the existing roll. This means that everyone who would like to be included on the Electoral Roll needs to complete a new application form. This will mean you have a vote at our Annual Meeting on 16th March (in the Hall after the 10.30 service and followed by a hot lunch). To make this as easy as possible we will be handing out forms at services and giving people time to complete them during the service, so they can be collected in before you leave. We will also contact anyone who is unable to be in church at the present time to make sure that they are included on the new Roll. Any questions about this please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com.

EVENTS GROUP
The Events Group are carrying out a survey asking the church family what events they would like the Events Group to organise. Please take some time to complete this survey and do support the events that are organised during the coming year.

AFTERNOON TEA
The Ladies Afternoon Tea will be happening on Friday 14th February at 3pm in the Church Hall. All ladies welcome for tea, sandwiches, scones, cakes and conversation.

NEXT SUNDAY
On Sunday 16th February there will be a service of HOLY COMMUNION at 10.30am in St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. In the evening we will have the PRAYER MEETING at 6pm.

CHARITY OF THE WEEK – Mercy Ships
The latest charity that St Columba’s support and that we are praying for this week is MERCY SHIPS, a faith-based international development organisation that deploys hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world, delivering vital, free healthcare to people in desperate need. Conditions requiring surgical treatment kill more people in low-income countries than HIV/Aids, TB and malaria combined. Globally, five billion people have no access to safe, affordable surgery when they need it. To achieve this, Mercy Ships delivers a customised five-year partnership model with every country it is invited to support. Relationships are built with the national government and ministry of health, so that the needs of each country are met. In this way, Mercy Ships doesn’t just address the immediate need on the ground, but also works to strengthen the country’s healthcare systems and drive policy change. The aim is to tackle the root causes of the problems rather than just the consequences. Find out more at: https://www.mercyships.org.uk/

Every blessing to you all.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

2nd February 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 10 February 2025

Hello everyone,

I hope you have had a good week and been blessed by reading Psalm 95. I heard of one couple who did not only read that Psalm but started reading all the Psalms, which is a really good thing to do, something I know Linda Coleman does each day.

And on the subject of daily Bible reading…

WORD FOR TODAY
I know many people have made use of the Word for Today daily Bible reading notes and as a result the supply in church were quickly taken last Sunday. Don’t worry if you missed out because there are two things you can do. If you go to https://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today you can either access the same material online, or order your own copy of the notes to be delivered to your home. This is a good idea for everyone who uses them, because it guarantees you will never miss out, and it leaves copies available in church for people who have not used them before. If you would like me to order a copy for you please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com.

And on the subject of reading…

CHURCH LIBRARY
I hope you all know that the books at the back of church near where the coffee is served are a library from which you are encouraged to borrow books. There is a huge range there so hopefully something for everyone, including biographies, Bible studies and commentaries, and books on a whole variety of Christian topics. Big thanks are owed to Sheila Pender for sorting the books so they are much tidier and easier to see now. Feel free to borrow books for as long as you like, and to pass them on to people who you think may find them helpful – the books are there to be used.
There are a number of Bibles as well which we are very happy to give away to anyone who needs one, or you may like to borrow a different version to see how you get on with that particular translation before buying a new Bible of your own.

And on the subject of Bible reading we always have Bible readings in our…

SUNDAY SERVICES
We have two services on Sunday, both at St Columba’s:
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP celebrating the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. We need lots of children to participate (with 12 Bible readings!) so it would be great to see as many children as possible, even if they did not come last week
5pm HEALING SERVICE – everyone is welcome to this service but especially anyone who needs of healing or who knows someone who does, which surely includes all of us. Because of this service there won’t be a prayer meeting on Sunday.

NEXT SUNDAY
On Sunday 9th February there will be two services and a Prayer Meeting as follows:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people.
3pm FAMILY SERVICE in Rockingham Village Hall.
6pm PRAYER MEETING at St Columba’s.

And during those services we will think about the…

ELECTORAL ROLL
Every six years we have to prepare a completely new Church Electoral Roll (our membership list) rather than simply revising the existing roll. This means that everyone who would like to be included on the Electoral Roll, and have a vote at our Annual Meeting in March, needs to complete a new application form. To make this as easy as possible we will be handing out forms at services and giving people time to complete them during the service, so they can be collected in before you leave. We will also contact anyone who is unable to be in church at the present time to make sure that they are included on the new Roll. Any questions about this please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com.

And on the subject of the Annual Meeting…

ST COLUMBA’S ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING
This will be in the Church Hall after the Morning Service on Sunday 16th March and will include a hot lunch. I know this is six weeks away but please make a note of the date now and plan to join us.

And on the subject of church events…

EVENTS GROUP
The Events Group met last week and decided they would carry out a survey asking the church family what events they would like the Events Group to organise. Please take some time to complete this survey and do support the events that are organised during the coming year.

And on the subject of church groups…

PCC
The PCC will be meeting on Tuesday at 7.30pm. This meeting will have a particular focus on praying for some of the challenges we face during the coming year. Full details will be sent to PCC members.

And on the subject of prayer…

Please pray for Steve Scholes who continues to experience severe breathing problems when doing anything more than walking a very short distance, and who collapsed last Saturday night. I am pleased to say Steve is up and about again, although still not able to walk far, in fact I was an answer to his prayer when I saw him on Wednesday afternoon. Hear the full story in church tomorrow. So far doctors and tests have not identified the cause of Steve’s breathing problems so please pray for a diagnosis and healing. While thinking about Steve can I say that the latest print edition of SCANS is available to pick up in church if you did not take one last week.

Also pray for HOPE FROM ABOVE who are our CHARITY OF THE WEEK and here is their latest Prayer Update to aid your prayers.

Every blessing to you all.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

26th January 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 1 February 2025

Good morning everyone,

I read during the week that “every morning of the year should see the people of every parish in England gathering to encourage one another with the words of Psalm 95…that at any rate was what the English reformers intended” but that was over 450 years ago! Having said that I thought it might be good if, rather than gathering, we all try and read Psalm 95 every morning for this coming week. It is a wonderful Psalm of praise, so a good balance to our more inward looking prayers saying thank you, sorry or please, but it is also a Psalm prayer asking, in the final section, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” which is a great prayer for us at the beginning of each day. You may like to share any thoughts you have after reading the Psalm with someone from church, so that sense of gathering is not lost, and if there is anything really exciting that God speaks we could all hear it next Sunday. So, in the words of Psalm 95v1 “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord”.

PRAYER NEWS
I have had an update on former church drummer Jeff Ison. His cancer has been diagnosed as very aggressive and he has appointments coming up to discuss possible treatment so please pray for Jeff and his wife Lynn.

ELECTORAL ROLL
Every six years we have to prepare a completely new Church Electoral Roll (our membership list) rather than simply revising the existing roll. This means that everyone who would like to be included on the Electoral Roll, and have a vote at our Annual Meeting in March, needs to complete a new application form. To make this as easy as possible we will be handing out forms at services and giving people time to complete them during the service, so they can be collected in before you leave. We will also contact anyone who is unable to be in church at the present time to make sure that they are included on the new Roll. Any questions about this please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com.

SUNDAY SERVICES
We have two services tomorrow:
9am HOLY COMMUNION at St Leonard’s, Rockingham
10.30am MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s, Corby with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people who will be preparing for the ALL AGE WORSHIP on 2nd February so it would be really helpful to have a good number of children there. This service will also be available as a livestream by going to this link: https://youtube.com/live/xl_jKBiHGUg
There will also be a PRAYER MEETING at St Columba’s at 6pm on Sunday evening. This is being held in the Church Office at the moment as that is the warmest place, so please enter by the side door to church.

FAILED LIVESTREAMS
We had a couple of livestreams that failed a few weeks ago and I have now uploaded these from the camera in case you would like to watch them:
The link for 29th December, when Linda was preaching on Matthew 2.13-23, is: https://youtu.be/H4OGunJ5Me4
The link for 5th January, our Epiphany themed All Age Worship, is: https://youtu.be/d8-fKl4oXkY

FUNERAL of Susan Adelosoye’s husband
We are hosting a Celebration of Life for Pa Samuel Morakinyo Adelosoye on Friday 31st January at 10.30am. It would be good if some people from St Columba’s were able to show their support for Susan by attending what is likely to be a long service.

PANTOMIME
This year’s panto PUSS IN BOOTS is at Great Easton Village Hall today and tomorrow at 3pm, but these performances may be sold out so do check on the contact details below if you were thinking of going. Tickets are available for Stenning Hall, Hallaton on Friday 31st January (7.30pm) and Sunday 2nd February (3pm). For ticket availability and purchases, please contact gelttickets@gmail.com or call 07771 967322.

SUNDAY 2nd February
We have two services next Sunday, both at St Columba’s:
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP celebrating the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.
5pm HEALING SERVICE – everyone is welcome to this service but especially anyone who is need of healing or who knows someone who is, which surely includes all of us. Because of this service there won’t be a prayer meeting next Sunday.

SCaNS
Steve is hoping to have a new print edition of SCaNS out tomorrow, or if not next week. He says: I really want to get the lead message into people’s hands and encourage them to give a copy to a non-Christian friend. The lady in the news who rejected a pardon by Trump, and the Holy Spirit, guided me into writing a piece about what happens when people reject or neglect God’s offer of a pardon and reminded me of a sermon on this by Billy Graham. There is also an interview with Riaan – the first in the return of Getting to Know You. There’s also a powerful story of an African tribesman who came to Christ, went back to his tribe to tell them – was beaten up and chucked out, went back twice more, same happened, went back again and they all came to Christ!!

Don’t forget to read Psalm 95 every morning this week!

Best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

19th January 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 25 January 2025

Hello everyone,

The prayer news is right up to date as I have just come off the phone from Jess, so please pray for her (see below). Details of Sunday’s service and Prayer Meeting, a mini SCANS, this year’s Panto, and even a last minute opportunity to join us at Spring Harvest are all to be found below.

PRAYER NEWS
Please pray for Jess Tosh who was taken into A&E on Thursday evening after possibly suffering a mini-stroke. She is waiting for an MRI scan so please pray for that to happen quickly and for Jess to recover well. Also continue to pray for former church drummer Jeff Ison, he is waiting for the results of biopsies following his operation last week which did not remove his cancer but did a by-pass. Please pray that the results are good and allow for further treatment and a full recovery.
Here is also a Prayer Update from Hope from Above for your prayers.

SPRING HARVEST
Thank you to all those who have paid their Spring Harvest balance. We have had a couple of cancellations which has left us with empty spaces in chalets which still need to be paid for, so if you might be interested in joining us at Skegness from 7th – 11th April do speak with Miriam or me as soon as possible.

CHARITY OF THE WEEK – Christian Concern
This week’s charity supported by St Columba’s is Christian Concern. They are passionate about bringing the love, justice, truth, freedom and hope of Jesus Christ to the heart of society. They believe that Jesus Christ is good news for society and as relevant today as he has ever been. But they also know that it’s becoming harder to be a Christian in the UK today. So, they work to make Jesus and his ways known, to protect the freedom to live and speak for him, and to empower Christians to be compassionate and courageous ambassadors. They do that by speaking and influencing, by challenging and protecting, and by mobilising and equipping. Find out more at https://christianconcern.com/about/

SUNDAY 19th JANUARY
There is a service of HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s on Sunday at 10.30am, with ENERGIZE groups. The service will also be available as a livestream here: https://youtube.com/live/MUTFXYr8dTs
There will also be a PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm.

ROY WILLIAMS FUNERAL
Pam William’s husband’s funeral will take place at Kettering Crematorium at 12.30 on Tuesday 21st January.

SUNDAY 26th JANUARY
We have two services next week as follows:
9am at St Leonard’s, Rockingham – HOLY COMMUNION
10.30am at St Columba’s – MORNING WORSHIP with ENERGIZE groups for children and young people.

PANTOMIME
There is not going to be a Panto at St Columba’s this year, but the show does go on and tickets are available for PUSS IN BOOTS at Great Easton Village Hall on Friday 24th January (7.30pm), Saturday 25th January (3pm) and Sunday 26th January (3pm) as well as at Stenning Hall, Hallaton on Friday 31st January (7.30pm) and Sunday 2nd February (3pm). To buy tickets for any of these performances please contact gelttickets@gmail.com or call 07771 967322.

mini SCANS
Here is the latest mini SCANS. Steve writes: Did you know that there are 52 countries where you can still be imprisoned or executed for owning a Bible or even part of one – and it’s only 500 years ago since this stopped in the UK. Late US President Jimmy Carter recently died aged 100 – so that makes it just 5-7 lifetimes ago – and so many people, even Christians, neglect reading God’s gift of His Word so miss out on hearing Him speak to them. Today there are at least 30,000 Christians in prison in North Korea. Do pray for them. One Christian, Ri Hyon-ok was allegedly publicly executed in Ryongchon on June 16, 2009, for giving out Bibles, while her husband and children were deported to the Hoeryong political prison camp.
Read about how Tyndale and Wycliffe dedicated their lives to translating the Bible into English. Then Joshua conquered Jericho by listening for and heeding God’s Word so it became the only city whose walls imploded when, having tiptoed around them for a week – their mighty shout brought them down. Some great pictures to marvel at – my favourite being the lake that hangs over an ocean… lots of puzzles – including more new ones such as a Roman numerals Sudoku and a crazy picture to spot things that are impossible or just plain crazy… and, how to draw a penguin.

May God bless you all during the next week,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

12th January 2025

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 18 January 2025

Hello everyone,

I hope you have coped with the cold weather this week, but if you or anyone you know is in need of anything please let me know. I hope you have also managed to settle back into the routine of life after the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Can I thank you for your prayers that enabled my voice to cope with all the services last Sunday, it is better than it was but still not completely back to normal so please keep praying, and for Miriam who is suffering with a cold.

On the subject of prayer, some of you were praying in the week for former church drummer Jeff Ison who had an emergency operation to remove a large cancer from his bowel and have a stoma inserted. After the operation on Thursday Jeff was able to drink and eat on Friday and things are looking much more hopeful but please continue to pray that he makes a full recovery and is restored to health. Also remember his wife Lynn in prayer, she was with us at both the Christmas Fayre in November and the Carol Service last month.

CHARITY OF THE WEEK
After a break for the holidays this feature is back, with a different charity supported by St Columba’s highlighted each week to encourage our prayers, in particular at the weekly Prayer Meeting which resumes tomorrow – see below.
This week’s charity is Christians Against Poverty (CAP) who have been providing free professional debt help through local churches across the UK since 1996 and sharing the gospel alongside their debt counselling work. They want to see an end to poverty in the UK, and so campaign, petition and produce research to influence government policy. Please pray for their work and in particular give thanks that, in the last year, 10,057 people were supported on their journey out of debt, 3,021 people became debt free and 103 people responded to Jesus for the first time.

SUNDAY 12th DECEMBER
There are two services tomorrow and the Prayer Meeting. The details are:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s with a sermon looking at Jesus’ Baptism, back to our baptism and at why we don’t have many baptisms at St Columba’s. This service will also see the return of ENERGIZE after the holidays and should be available as a livestream via this link (with apologies that last week’s service did not appear): https://youtube.com/live/_-iUQksOb1Q?feature=share
3pm FAMILY SERVICE in Rockingham Village Hall (where it will be lovely and warm!) Everyone is welcome to this service in which we will be considering several themes of the Epiphany season (Wise Men, Baptism and Jesus turning water into wine) in one service!
6pm PRAYER MEETING at St Columba’s. We look forward to welcoming back all those who regularly attend these hour long times of prayer, and to welcoming anyone who may be thinking of joining us – it will be a good investment of your time!

ST COLUMBA’S PCC on TUESDAY
The next meeting of St Columba’s PCC will be in church at 7.30 in Tuesday 14th January. Agendas will be sent out later but please do plan to be there.

SUNDAY 19th JANUARY
There is a service of HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s next Sunday at 10.30am, with ENERGIZE groups, and the PRAYER MEETING at 6pm.

ROY WILLIAMS FUNERAL
Pam William’s husband’s funeral will take place at Kettering Crematorium at 12.30 on Tuesday 21st January.

PANTOMIME
There is not going to be a Panto at St Columba’s this year, but the show does go on and tickets are available for PUSS IN BOOTS at Great Easton Village Hall on Friday 24th January (7.30pm), Saturday 25th January (3pm) and Sunday 26th January (3pm) as well as at Stenning Hall, Hallaton on Friday 31st January (7.30pm) and Sunday 2nd February (3pm). To buy tickets for any of these performances please contact gelttickets@gmail.com or call 07771 967322.

May God bless you all during the next week,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609