Sunday Service

Category: Sunday Service

1st September 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 10 September 2024

Hello everyone,

I am sending this message out early in order to promote tomorrow’s INTERNATIONAL FOOD FAIR  from 12 noon to 4pm. This event offers so much:

• an opportunity to sample food from around the world, with dishes from Italy, Pakistan, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe as well as English cakes and desserts. The food will have been prepared by people from our church family and it would be really encouraging for them to see friends from church sampling their food.
• a great chance to meet together with friends from church and to invite family and friends to join you – who can refuse a good meal and with a selection of countries there is sure to be something for everyone.
• an opportunity for us to welcome in people from the community, especially passers by who will hopefully be able to smell the food which will be served outside the church if the weather is good, or in the Hall if not.

And all this for just £10 (to enjoy food from all five countries) or £2.50 if you only want to sample one. Do please support this event which a lot of time and effort has gone into organising and which now needs you to come along and make it a great success. Tickets will be on sale on the day so just turn up and don’t forget to invite your friends and family.

Sunday 1st September
We have two services at St Columba’s on Sunday as follows,
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP with a Back to School theme so do come along, either if you are about to go back to school (or if you already have) or to pray and support our children and young people who are going back to school.
This service will be available to watch here: https://youtube.com/live/FLCvgvlCg9U?feature=share
6pm HOLY COMMUNION after a break in August we have our evening Communion again. This service is for everyone and offers a slightly quieter alternative to our morning services. Because of this service there won’t be a Prayer Meeting on Sunday.

Ride and Stride – Saturday 14th September
The annual sponsored cycle ride is happening on Saturday 14th September. We are looking for people who would be prepared to join a group of cyclists riding in the morning to a selection of village churches around Corby, and who would be willing to collect sponsor money. This money is divided between St Columba’s and the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust. If you would like to sponsor us there will be a Sponsor Form available in church. If you would like to cycle please speak to me or James Ireland who can give you more details and a sponsor form. We will also need people to sit in St Columba’s during the day on 14th September and there will be a sign up sheet in church for that on Sunday.

Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir
Anyone who watched Britain’s Got Talent may remember this choir who reached the final. They will be singing at Weston-by-Welland church on Saturday 14th September at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults but children are free. Tickets should be purchased in advance by calling Daniel on 07967 089101 or Margaret on 07884 242014.

Alpha
We are hoping to run an Alpha course in the autumn and would be interested to know who might be interested in joining it. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward. More details will be available soon but for now please do let me know if you, or someone you know, would be interested in joining an Alpha course this autumn.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October
We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

Sunday 8th September
We have just one service next Sunday at St Columba’s:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION with the first in a new series of sermons for our Year of Prayer looking at the Lord’s Prayer.
There will also be the Prayer Meeting at 6pm in St Columba’s next Sunday.

And finally here is the latest Puzzles from Steve who writes: Two stories from the stage – one of my own and a hilarious one when the stage crew got their own back with a trampoline on an annoying opera singer. There’s the mind-boggling tale of a Canadian reporter struggling to broadcast the meeting of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) with a Mr & Mrs King and Mr & Mrs Queen without going nuts or getting tongue-tied!! A quiz about Northamptonshire, and true stories about three famous actors who are Christians: Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey and Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson. There other funnies and lots of different quizzes and puzzles including one asking how well do you know Corby and Northamptonshire, and a picture I came across during a clear-out of our Men’s Group 1999.

God bless you all in the coming week.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

25th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 10 September 2024

Hello everyone,

This time next week we will be about to open the doors for our International Food Fair on 31st August from 12 noon to 4pm. This event offers so much:

• an opportunity to sample food from around the world, with dishes from Italy, Pakistan, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe. The food will have been prepared by people from our church family and it would be really encouraging for them to see friends from church sampling their food.
• a great chance to meet together with friends from church and to invite family and friends to join you – who can refuse a good meal and with a selection of countries there is sure to be something for everyone.
• an opportunity for us to welcome in people from the community, especially passers by who will hopefully be able to smell the food which will be served outside the church if the weather is good, or in the Hall if it is anything like today.

And all this for just £10 (to enjoy food from all five countries) or £2.50 if you only want to sample one. Do please support this event which a lot of time and effort has gone into organising and which now needs you to come along and make it a great success. Tickets will be on sale after church tomorrow, or you can reply to this email to book a ticket, or simply turn up on the day (but pre-booking will help with numbers for cooking).

Sunday 25th August
On Sunday we have HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am (no 9am service at St Leonard’s) which will include activities for children at the back of church. This service will include the latest sermon in our Year of Prayer series and is available as a livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/VoGa99cZteY?feature=share
There will also be the PRAYER MEETING at 6pm at St Columba’s.

Ride and Stride – Saturday 14th September
The annual sponsored cycle ride is happening on Saturday 14th September. We are looking for people who would be prepared to join a group of cyclists riding in the morning to a selection of village churches around Corby, and who would be willing to collect sponsor money. This money is divided between St Columba’s and the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust. If you would like to sponsor us there will be a Sponsor Form available in church. If you would like to cycle please speak to me or James Ireland who can give you more details and a sponsor form. We will also need people to sit in St Columba’s during the day on 14th September and there will be a sign up sheet for that soon.

Alpha
We are hoping to run an Alpha course in the autumn and would be interested to know who might be interested in joining it. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward. More details will be available soon but for now please do let me know if you, or someone you know, would be interested in joining an Alpha course this autumn.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October
We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

Sunday 1st September
We have two services at St Columba’s next Sunday as follows,
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP with a Back to School theme so do come along, either if you are about to go back to school (or if you already have) or to pray and support our children and young people who are going back to school.
6pm HOLY COMMUNION after a break in August we have our evening Communion again. This service is for everyone and offers a slightly quieter alternative to our morning services. Because of this service there won’t be a Prayer Meeting next Sunday.

God bless you all in the coming week.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

18th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 24 August 2024

Hello everyone,

There is lots of information in this email about events coming up, especially the International Food Fair on 31st August which promises to be an exciting day but does need YOU to come along and bring your family and friends to a fun afternoon of food from across the world – more details and lots more below.

Sunday 18th August
Just one service on Sunday, ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. This will feature activities for children and is available as a livestream here: https://youtube.com/live/V1-8XlbIXXw?feature=share
There will also be the PRAYER MEETING at 6pm at St Columba’s.

Flowers Arrangers
Val Berridge has taken the lead arranging the flowers in church for many years and we are very grateful to her for all that she has contributed to making the church a more beautiful place to worship our wonderful God, using the beauty of God’s creation. Val has now indicated that she would like to take a step back from this role and we are proposing a rota of people to arrange the flowers. This would normally involve arranging the flowers one week and making sure they still look good the following week, before the next person comes in to repeat that process. In this way if we had six people you would only need to arrange flowers about once every three months. If you would like to be included on the rota please do let me know, this week if possible. If you want to know more about what is involved do ask Val, Miriam or Margaret Smith.

International Food Fair – Saturday 31st August
This exciting event is happening in just two weeks time from 12 noon to 4pm on 31st August, hopefully on the church lawn or in the Hall if it is wet. There will be food from Pakistan, Italy, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe and you can sample one dish for £2.50 or all five for £10. Do plan to come along (I would suggest not having any breakfast that morning) and invite friends and family to join you for what promises to be a fun and satisfying day. Tickets are being sold after church and more details are available from Riaan.

Ride and Stride – Saturday 14th September
The annual sponsored cycle ride is happening on Saturday 14th September. At this point we are looking for people who would be prepared to join a group of cyclists riding in the morning to a selection of village churches around Corby, and who would be willing to collect sponsor money. This money is divided between St Columba’s and the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust, and there will be a Sponsor Form available in church if you want to sponsor the group. If you would like to cycle please speak to James Ireland who can give you more details and a sponsor form. We will also need people to sit in St Columba’s during the day on 14th September and there will be a sign up sheet for that soon.

Alpha
We are hoping to run an Alpha course in the autumn and would be interested to know who might be interested in joining it. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward. More details will be available soon but for now please do let me know if you, or someone you know, would be interested in joining an Alpha course this autumn.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October
We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

Sunday 25th August
Next Sunday we have HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am (no 9am service at St Leonard’s) which will include activities for children at the back of church.

Finally here is the latest mini SCANS. Steve writes: “In this issue you can read a story about an Iranian pastor imprisoned for 7 years and the amazing reflection he wrote on coping with persecution. His words are deeply moving and challenging – do read them and meditate on them. Then there’s an extract from “A brush with God” – one of my favourite outreach sermons which I last preached in 2013. It includes amusing anecdotes (feel free to borrow them!) but focuses on Jesus’ challenge. “Who do YOU say that I am?” – and what difference should that make to your life? There’s lots of puzzles (including some brand new ones) and some funnies.” Then Steve adds “Do give me some feedback. It can be lonely here in the scribe’s garret” please pass your thanks for SCANS to Steve at scansmag@btinternet.com

God bless you all in the coming week.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

11th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 17 August 2024

Hello everyone,

I begin with a quick reminder that it is the churchyard work party this morning – if you planned to go and had forgotten it is not too late and you would be very welcome!
This page has details of our services tomorrow and next week and also includes news of some very exciting events coming up, the International Food Fair on 31st August and a Riding Lights Theatre production at St Columba’s in October, so do keep reading.

Sunday 11th August
We have a service of HOLY COMMUNION in St Columba’s at 10.30am. There will be children’s activities at the back of church. The service will also be available to watch by going to this link: https://youtube.com/live/0-DZ4DT0sDA?feature=share
There is no Family Service at Rockingham in the afternoon but the PRAYER MEETING will be happening at St Columba’s at 6pm as usual.

Sunday 18th August
Again just the one service next Sunday, ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. This will feature plenty of activities for children.

Flowers Arrangers
Val Berridge has taken the lead arranging the flowers in church for many years and we are very grateful to her for all that she has contributed to making the church a more beautiful place to worship our wonderful God, using the beauty of God’s creation. Val has now indicated that she would like to take a step back from this role and we are proposing a rota of people to arrange the flowers. This would normally involve arranging the flowers one week and making sure they still look good the following week, before the next person comes in to repeat that process. In this way if we had six people you would only need to arrange flowers about once every three months. If you would like to be involved please do let me know, if you want to know more about what is involved do ask Val or Margaret Smith.

International Food Fair
This exciting event is happening on Saturday 31st August from 12 noon to 4pm, hopefully on the church lawn or in the Hall if it is wet. There will be food from Pakistan, Italy, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe and you can sample one dish for £2.50 or all five for £10. Do plan to come along (I would suggest not having any breakfast that morning) and invite friends and family to join you for what promises to be a fun and satisfying day. Tickets are being sold after church and more details are available from Riaan.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s
Please put the date of 15th October in your diary as we are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

I hope to see many of you in church tomorrow but if you are not able to be there do make sure to come along to the Food Fair.

God bless,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

4th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 10 August 2024

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the Olympics. Many of you will know that Miriam and I, with Jo, Ruth, Will & Alfie spent a few days in Paris and I have to say it was a wonderful time. I thought there was a feel of heaven about the way that people from so many different nations mingled together and enjoyed the spectacle. How sad then to come back to this country and hear of riots inspired by mis-information and a deep dislike of anyone who is different. As Christians we must stand against such views, and make sure that our community is a safe place for everyone.

Sunday 4th August
Tomorrow we have just one service an Olympic themed ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. As this is an All Age service there will be children’s activities included in the service. The service will be available as a livestream here: https://youtube.com/live/JXiDIi5XYYI?feature=share
There will be a PRAYER MEETING in church at 6pm.

Afternoon Tea
The next Ladies Afternoon Tea in the Church Hall will be on Friday 9th August at 3pm.

Churchyard Work Party
Please note we are having another work party to tidy up the church grounds on Saturday 10th August starting at 10am. If you can give a couple of hours that morning you would be very welcome – many hands make light work!

Easyfundraising
Good news, we raised £5.54 in free donations last month through people signing up to easyfundraising. The church receives a donation when people who have registered make their usual online purchases through many household names, including M&S, Travelodge, eBay and 8000 others! You can register to be part of this, which costs you nothing, you pay the same price and the donation comes from the supplier, by going to:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/st-columba-corby

Radiators!
I realise that you may not be thinking about heating after the temperatures we have had this week, but there are 2 oil filled electric radiators available if anyone would like them – please reply to his email.

Next Sunday
There will be a service of HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am with activities for children at the back of church.
There is no service at Rockingham next Sunday.

And Also
Please find here the latest Prayer Update from Hope From Above and a Puzzles and Other Stuff from Steve who writes: this is simply a collection of fun things. We have the King cancelling America’s independence because of the mess they are making of their present elections situation… a lass whose husband needs a reboot having been upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 software to Husband 1.0… the TRUE story of how we used to have our own metric decimal system of weights and measures way back from the time of King Alf the Great until it was messed up by the French Norman invaders who had the nerve to go metric at the time of the French Revolution! And lots of puzzles and funnies. ALSO – the tale of when St Columba’s featured on the popular TV programme Noel’s House Party when Terry and I set up Michael Eden (then Vicar) to be gotchered at home, and we got the whole congregation on the show in the Hall with Mr.Blobby and much gunge! I still have a full recording of the show and behind the scenes footage we could show sometime. Why do I mention this? Because the Beeb are running back editions of the show on BBC4 at 7pm on Saturdays starting today (3rd August). Who know, maybe they’ll pick our edition! Also – I’m sure some will be pleased to hear that Michael officiated at youngest daughter (Anna’s) wedding last week.

God bless you all,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

28th July 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 3 August 2024

Hello everyone,

I hope you enjoyed our Confirmation service last Sunday, it was a joy to share that day with Brigiter, John, Sandra, Michelle, Bruce, Demi, Andy and Monique who were all confirmed and Susan who was welcomed into the Church of England. I am sorry that I failed to press the button to start the livestream, however, because the testimonies were so powerful, we have recorded them separately and they are available to watch using the link below.

After the excitement of the Confirmation there is still plenty happening in the life of the church as detailed below.

Confirmation Testimonies
Do click on the link below to watch Michelle, Sandra, Demi and John’s testimonies. These are just as they were read out in the services over the last two weeks, but were filmed in church during this past week.
https://youtu.be/2Cl0hlZyqec

Sunday 28th July
We have two services on Sunday, although they will be very similar, both led by William with a sermon by David, so there is a choice of time and location rather than content.
The service at St Leonard’s, Rockingham is at 9am and at St Columba’s at 10.30am.
Please note there will be activities for children at the back of St Columba’s but as we are in the summer holidays and the ENERGIZE leaders are taking a well deserved break there will be no supervision so parents/carers will need to be with their children.
The St Columba’s service will also be available as a livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/GNxeq2OwNYQ?feature=share
There will be the usual PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm

Sunday 4th August
We have just one service next Sunday, ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. As this is an All Age service there will be children’s activities included in the service.

Afternoon Tea
The next Ladies Afternoon Tea in the Church Hall will be on Friday 9th August at 3pm.

Churchyard Work Party
Please note we are having another work party to tidy up the church grounds on Saturday 10th August starting at 10am. If you can give a couple of hours that morning you would be very welcome – many hands make light work!

1,2,3,4,5 Church Finance Update
Again can I say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has responded to this appeal in any way. Don’t forget you can still speak to the FINANCE FIVE if you have any questions about any aspect of financial giving to St Columba’s. They are: James Ireland, John Lynch, Margaret Smith, Janet Taylor and me. If we don’t know the answer to your question we can ask someone who does (James!).

Safeguarding Training
Training in person and with a facilitator on Microsoft Teams for Basic Awareness, Foundation and Domestic Abuse, will be available next month. Full details were in last week’s email and you can book a place via this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/safeguarding-training-2391149?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb
If you are not sure which courses you need to complete please speak with Susan Fleming our Safeguarding Officer.

God bless you all,

Ian

21st July 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 26 July 2024

Good morning everyone,

Sunday promises to be another exciting day with our Confirmation Service at St Columba’s in the morning followed by a Celebration Lunch in the Church Hall, and this week the day can’t be spoiled by football! We can however round it off with an hour of prayer at our Prayer Meeting. On the subject of prayer some of us have been praying for Aidan Coleman this week who fell and landed on his hip replacement which has caused much pain and he is still not able to move his hip without pain so has no mobility. He was admitted to hospital on Tuesday and is still there, waiting for the results of a CT scan to determine the cause and for rehab to get him moving again – please pray for Aidan.

SUNDAY 21st JULY – Service and Lunch
We are very much looking forward to our CONFIRMATION SERVICE at St Columba’s on Sunday with Demi, Brigiter, John, Sandra, Michelle, Bruce, Monique and Andy McGinnis, who is new to church, all being confirmed, and Susan Adelosoye being welcomed into the Church of England. We begin with worship from 10.15 with the service starting at 10.30am. Please come along, early if possible because the candidates and their supporters will be sitting at the front so there may not be quite as much space as usual, and to support these members of our church family and to be encouraged as we listen to testimony from some of them. After the service there will be COFFEE as usual at the back of church before we have a CELEBRATION LUNCH in the Church Hall. The food will be provided so do come along even if you have not signed up.
Please note there will be activities for children at the back of church but as we are in the summer holidays and the ENERGIZE leaders are taking a well deserved break there will be no supervision so parents/carers will need to be with their children.

PRAYER MEETING
In the evening we have our regular PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm.

SUNDAY 28th JULY
We have two services next Sunday, although they will be very similar, both led by William with a sermon by David, so there is a choice of time not content:
The service at St Leonard’s, Rockingham is at 9am and at St Columba’s at 10.30am.

1,2,3,4,5 CHURCH FINANCE UPDATE
All I want to say is many, many thanks to everyone who has responded to this appeal in any way and don’t forget you can still speak to the FINANCE FIVE if you have any questions about and aspect of financial giving to St Columba’s. They are: James Ireland, John Lynch, Margaret Smith, Janet Taylor and me. If we don’t know the answer to your question we can ask someone who does (James!).

SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Training in person and with a facilitator on Microsoft Teams for Basic Awareness, Foundation and Domestic Abuse, will be available next month. Full details were in last week’s post and you can book a place via this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/safeguarding-training-2391149?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb
If you are not sure which courses you need to complete please speak with Susan Fleming our Safeguarding Officer.

mini SCaNS 43
Please find here mini SCANS 43 about which Steve writes: The current mag has a fascinating story of how Nelson Mandela dealt with the former Warden of the prison he had been kept in for 27 years (abusing and torturing him) when they met in a restaurant after he became President. There’s also a story about my own experiences of trusting God when he calls you to do the unexpected, linked with John Bunyan’s story. Lots of puzzles and funnies, many relating to the Olympics – and some exam howlers!

Churchyard Work Party
Please make a note of Saturday 10th August when we are having another work party to tidy up the church grounds. If you have any time to give that morning you would be very welcome – many hands make light work!

And finally
I have been asked to promote Chinfest which is happening today at S&L Football Club from 1pm to 10pm to help raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention in memory of Tracey Chinnock. All money raised will go to local charities and organisations that support mental health including MIND Northamptonshire and Youth Works. Tickets cost £7.50 for adults and £3 for children with under 5’s going free.

Best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

14th July 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 20 July 2024

Good morning everyone,

Sunday promises to be an exciting day…with Baptism Services at St Columba’s in the morning and St Leonard’s in the afternoon, and that is all before the football! Please keep reading for full details of what’s happening over the next couple of weeks, the fifth and final point in our 1,2,3,4,5 Appeal, news about in person Safeguarding training for anyone who needs to update that, the latest Snippets from Tim & Carol Derbyshire and news of the Rockingham Dog Show!

SUNDAY 14th JULY
We have two services on Sunday.
In St Columba’s at 10.30am we have a service with BAPTISM by IMMERSION for Michelle Doran. This will be a good witness to those who are not regularly in church so why not invite someone along. This service will be available as a livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/BaZowZOdL4w?feature=share
In St Leonard’s Rockingham at 3pm we have a FAMILY SERVICE which also includes a baptism.
In the evening we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm.

1,2,3,4,5 CHURCH FINANCE UPDATE
We continue to address the prediction that our church income looks as if it will be almost £12,345 less than our expenditure with a 1,2,3,4,5 point strategy.

1. PRAYER – please can everyone connected with St Columba’s pray about this situation, if possible at 12.34 for 5 minutes. 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. GIVE WHAT YOU CAN NOW – and can I say a huge THANK YOU for all the extra gifts we have received over the past three weeks, if you have not yet given it is never too late, see point 4 below.
3. GIFT AID – if we as a church family give just £9876 AND it is all gift aided, the church will receive £12345 because of the tax refunded by the government, so no cost to you. You do have to pay Income Tax to be able to claim Gift Aid so not everyone will be eligible but if you do pay Income Tax PLEASE make sure that your donations to the church are GIFT AIDED.
4. 1,2,3,4,5 WAYS TO GIVE – these are:
   (i) Parish Giving Scheme – direct debit based scheme with an option for automatic inflation based increases each year (you don’t have to do this and can opt out). Good because you give if you are in church or not, we receive Gift Aid monthly, and auto increase facility means giving can go up each year.
   (ii) Envelopes – these can be used with cash or cheques which are placed in the basket in church. Again they are good because you can put money in the envelope even if you are not in church, but there is obviously no auto-increase so the real value of giving can decline over time.
   (iii) Bank Transfer – just ask for church bank details and set up a regular or one-off payment. Good because you can do it anywhere, including when you are not in church, but not so good because you have to remember to do it, as well as to increase from time to time if you are able.
   (iv) Card Reader – you choose an amount to give and tap on the machine. One disadvantage is that the technology has sometimes let us down, another is that you have to be in church to give, but you can easily make up for weeks you were not in church by increasing your donation.
   (v) Cash or Cheque in the basket – this is how many donations used to be made but with people using less cash and cheques as well as transferring to other giving methods it is in decline. The disadvantages are that you have to be in church to give and it is easier to give £10 than increase to £12.34
   Our final point is actually a source of help with any of the above:
5. INTRODUCING THE FINANCE FIVE
   The members of the Finance Committee are available to answer any questions you may have about giving or to help you set up a Direct Debit in the Parish Giving Scheme or to claim Gift Aid. They may ask if you have any questions, so don’t be alarmed if they speak with you after one of our services.
   The FINANCE FIVE are: James Ireland, John Lynch, Margaret Smith, Janet Taylor and me. If we don’t know the answer to your question we can ask someone who does (James!).
   Thank you once again to everyone who has already responded to this appeal.

SUNDAY 21st JULY – Service and Lunch
This is the date of the CONFIRMATION SERVICE for a number of people from St Columba’s at 10.30am. Please come along and support these members of our church family who are being confirmed. After the service there will be a LUNCH in the Church Hall to celebrate. The food will be provided so do plan to come along and join the Confirmation candidates in celebration. There is a SIGN UP sheet available in church to give an idea of numbers for the lunch, or you can reply to this email to say you will be there.

ROCKINGHAM COMPANION DOG SHOW
Unfortunately this clashes with our Confirmation Lunch but if you are interested it is in Rockingham Village Hall from 1pm next Sunday. There are Pedigree and Novelty classes. Judging commences at 2pm.

SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Amie Freeman from the Diocesan Safeguarding Team will be delivering six training sessions during August 2024 for Basic Awareness, Foundation and Domestic Abuse, one of each in person and one via Microsoft Teams. This will be the last opportunity for many months to attend in person training so if you need to complete any of these courses and online training is not your thing do make the most of these opportunities. The details are:
Basic Awareness
5th August 2024 2-4pm IN PERSON @ Bouverie Court
5th August 2024 6-8pm Online via Teams
Foundations
12th August 2024 2-4pm IN PERSON @ Bouverie Court
12th August 2024 6-8pm Online via Teams
Domestic Abuse
19th August 2024 2-4pm IN PERSON @ Bouverie Court
19th August 2024 6-8pm Online via Teams
To book a space please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/safeguarding-training-2391149?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

SNIPPETS FROM THE SHIRES
It was good to have Tim and Carol with us last month and they have written another Prayer Letter following their trip to Germany. This is here for you to read and pray.

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the latest PRINT edition of SCaNS if you were not in church last Sunday.

Best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

7th July 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 13 July 2024

Hello everyone,

The General Election has happened and we must all now pray for our new government, whichever way we voted I’m sure we would agree they need our prayers. Please also pray this weekend for the Church of England’s General Synod as they meet in York with important decisions to be made that could have an impact on the future of the Church and therefore on us.

1,2,3,4,5 CHURCH FINANCE UPDATE
We continue to address the prediction that our church income looks as if it will be almost £12,345 less than our expenditure with a 1,2,3,4,5 point strategy. The first three points are:

1. PRAYER – please can everyone connected with St Columba’s pray about this situation, if possible at 12.34 for 5 minutes. 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. GIVE WHAT YOU CAN NOW – because everyone’s circumstances are different it is impossible to say what you should give. One off gifts of £123.45 would help, but even better would be increases in weekly/monthly giving, perhaps 12.345% more! Can I say a huge THANK YOU for all the extra gifts we have received over the past three weeks.
3. GIFT AID – because of this the target is less than we thought! In fact if we as a church family give just £9876 AND it is all gift aided, the church will receive £12345 because of the tax refunded by the government, so no cost to you. You do have to pay Income Tax to be able to claim Gift Aid so not everyone will be eligible but if you do pay Income Tax PLEASE make sure that your donations to the church are GIFT AIDED.
   Today I can reveal the fourth point:
4. 1,2,3,4,5 WAYS TO GIVE – there really are 1,2,3,4,5 ways to give to the church, but some are better for us than others, mostly because of either their regularity (if you give £10 every week we receive £520 in a year, but if you only give £10 three weeks out of four we only receive £390), or because it is not easy to change the amount you give (so you continue giving £10 a week for ten years, but because of inflation, instead of covering £10 of costs it will only cover £7.57).
   The five ways to give are:
   (i) Parish Giving Scheme – direct debit based scheme with an option for automatic inflation based increases each year (you don’t have to do this and can opt out). Good because you give if you are in church or not, we receive Gift Aid monthly, and auto increase facility means giving can go up each year.
   (ii) Envelopes – these can be used with cash or cheques which are placed in the basket in church. Again they are good because you can put money in the envelope even if you are not in church, but there is obviously no auto-increase so the real value of giving can decline over time.
   (iii) Bank Transfer – just ask for church bank details and set up a regular or one-off payment. Good because you can do it anywhere, including when you are not in church, but not so good because you have to remember to do it, as well as to increase from time to time if you are able.
   (iv) Card Reader – you choose an amount to give and tap on the machine. One disadvantage is that the technology has sometimes let us down, another is that you have to be in church to give, but you can easily make up for weeks you were not in church by increasing your donation.
   (v) Cash or Cheque in the basket – this is how many donations used to be made but with people using less cash and cheques as well as transferring to other giving methods it is in decline. The disadvantages are that you have to be in church to give and it is easier to give £10 than increase to £12.34
   Please ask for more details of any of these five ways to give.
   The final point in our 1,2,3,4,5 point strategy will be revealed next week.

SUNDAY 7th JULY
There are two services at St Columba’s on Sunday:
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP with activities for children. This service will also be available as a livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/xnp-GZttArA?feature=share
6pm HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s, a quieter service to which everyone is welcome, and an option for anyone who is not able to join us in the morning. Because of this service there will be no Prayer Meeting this week.

LADIES AFTERNOON TEA
Next Friday, 12th July, we have the next Afternoon Tea for ladies in St Columba’s Church Hall at 3pm. Do come along and join in the conversation and enjoy tea, sandwiches and cakes, and hear the latest episode of Linda’s story of faith.

SUNDAY 14th JULY
We have two services next Sunday.
In St Columba’s at 10.30am we have a service with BAPTISM by IMMERSION for Michelle Doran. This will be a good witness to those who are not regularly in church so why not invite someone along.
In St Leonard’s Rockingham at 3pm we have a FAMILY SERVICE.
There will also be a PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm.

SUNDAY 21st JULY – Service and Lunch
This is the date of the CONFIRMATION SERVICE for a number of people from St Columba’s at 10.30am. Please come along and support these members of our church family who are being confirmed. After the service there will be a LUNCH in the Church Hall to celebrate. The food will be provided so do plan to come along and join the Confirmation candidates in celebration. There is a SIGN UP sheet available in church to give an idea of numbers for the lunch, or you can email ianpullinger@btinternet.com to say you will be there.

SCaNS
There is a new PRINT edition of SCaNS, no 162 a 28th birthday issue, available in church so please pick one up on Sunday or when you are next in church. It includes the story of the Hebrides Revival which started in 1949 following prayer by some more little old ladies!

Best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

30th June 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 7 July 2024

Dear Friends,

It was wonderful to see so many of you in our garden last Sunday for the Vicarage Tea Party. Thank you so much for being there and sharing that special time together. We managed a few games of croquet and finished by having our Prayer Meeting in the garden as well.

1,2,3,4,5 CHURCH FINANCE UPDATE
We continue to address the prediction that our church income looks as if it will be almost £12,345 less than our expenditure with a 1,2,3,4,5 point strategy. The first two points are:

1. PRAYER – please can everyone connected with St Columba’s pray about this situation, if possible at 12.34 for 5 minutes. 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. GIVE WHAT YOU CAN NOW – because everyone’s circumstances are different it is impossible to say what you should give. One off gifts of £123.45 would help, but even better would be increases in weekly/monthly giving, perhaps 12.345% more!
   Can I say a huge THANK YOU for all the extra gifts we have received over the past two weeks, responding to these first two points.
   Today I can reveal the third point:
3. This is GOOD NEWS – the target is less than we thought! The reason for this is because of GIFT AID. If we as a church family give just £9876 AND it is all gift aided, the church will receive £12345 because of the tax refunded by the government, so no cost to you. You do have to pay Income Tax to be able to claim Gift Aid so not everyone will be eligible but if you do pay Income Tax PLEASE make sure that your donations to the church are GIFT AIDED. If you have questions about Gift Aid please do ask, in fact point 5, which will be revealed in a couple of weeks, will tell you how to find answers to ALL your questions about giving to St Columba’s.
   The fourth point will be revealed next week.

SUNDAY 30th JUNE|
There is just one service on Sunday:
10.30am MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s with ENERGIZE groups. There will be a Livestream of this service available at the following link:
https://youtube.com/live/BQY5Xi3s4Sc?feature=share
We will once again have the PRAYER MEETING in church at 6pm.

GENERAL ELECTION
Please keep praying about the General Election and for the new government who will be elected. When you vote in person don’t forget you need to take photographic identification with you. A list of acceptable forms of ID is on the back of your Poll Card. Please note expired documents (eg Passports) are acceptable as long as the photo is still a good likeness.

SUNDAY 7th JULY
There are two services next Sunday:
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s
6pm HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s, so no Prayer Meeting next week.

LOOKING AHEAD
We have two special services coming up in July. On 14th July we have a BAPTISM by IMMERSION for Michelle Doran which will be very exciting. Then on Sunday 21st July we have a CONFIRMATION SERVICE for a number of people all from St Columba’s at 10.30am so please come along and support all those members of our church family who are being confirmed. After the service there will be a LUNCH in the Church Hall to celebrate. The food will be provided so do plan to come along and join the Confirmation candidates in celebration. There will be a SIGN UP sheet available in church so we have an idea of numbers for the lunch, or you can reply to this email to say you will be there.

Best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609