Sunday Service

Category: Sunday Service

6th March 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 6 March 2022

Hello again everyone,

As well as the dreadful news coming out of Ukraine there are some serious prayer requests from closer to home in this email so do keep reading and praying. On the subject of Ukraine can I say that tomorrow’s service will not be saying much about the situation there, but we will be praying for Ukraine in the HIA Prayer Meeting at 6pm tomorrow evening, so please do join us for that if you would like to. This week’s Steve’s Puzzles and Other Stuff (the 70th!) also includes details of the DEC Appeal for Ukraine, so do make use of that if you would like to support those in greatest need. I have to say it has been heart warming to see the pictures of people in Poland, Germany and other countries taking Ukrainian refugees into their homes – it is a shame that there is not a similar opportunity here.

SUMMER 2022 at ST COLUMBA’S

We are very much looking forward to this summer, not because it should be free from Covid worries but because there are two exciting events in which we hope to share the good news of Jesus beyond our church walls and into the local community, and to your family and friends, neighbours and colleagues. The first is a BIG JUBILEE LUNCH on Sunday 5th June when, as well as inviting members of the local community to join us for lunch,  we are planning a day filled with activity. The second is a weekend with Bishop John at the beginning of July when he will be speaking about his faith and inviting others to share that faith in a series of events. More details will follow but please start praying, and thinking who you might invite, now.

THIS WEEK’S SERVICE

The service in St Columba’s tomorrow at 10.30am is All Age Worship, with significant contributions from our children and young people. Everyone is welcome to attend in person, or you can watch the online version on youtube. There is a PDF version of the service here, but an interactive service like this does not reproduce so well in this format.

LENT GROUPS AT ST COLUMBA’S

I am looking forward to the start of our Lent Groups this week. They will both be meeting in St Columba’s, one on Tuesday morning at 10.30am (until about 12noon) and one on Wednesday evening at 7.30pm until about 9pm. There is also an option to join the Wednesday evening group by Zoom, but please let me know if you would like to do that so we can make sure you have the link. As well as listening to Bishop Donald’s talks on the Four Gospels we will spend some time discussing the points raised and also praying, especially for the exciting plans we have for the summer – see above. 

NEXT SUNDAY (13th March)Our service next Sunday will include our Annual Meeting with reports, prayers, sung worship and the latest sermon looking at the book of Ezra (chapter 3). Please do make every effort to be at the service to hear how God has blessed us in what was another difficult year. We will also have to elect churchwardens (I am pleased to say that Janet Taylor and John Lynch are both standing again) and four representatives for the PCC (details of nominations will be out next week). There will be activities for children during the service, but everyone will be together for the elections and reports. 

REVD NAT WHITE

I know some of you are aware that Nat is moving to a new post at Grange Park in Northampton, hoping to start before Easter. This post feels like it is a really good match for Nat’s skills and we pray that God will bless her and Pete in this new chapter of their lives. PRAYER NEWSAs mentioned above there are a number of people in need of our prayers at this time, in no particular order:

• Margaret Singh has suffered a really bad stroke and at the time of writing is unconscious in Northampton Hospital.
• Kate Montgomery has not fully recovered after having Covid and with her underlying condition would value our prayers.
• Paul Millen has had an especially stressful time at work and also has responsibilities for our HIA house.
• Trevor and Kath Wade are both in need of our prayers and God’s wisdom for medics caring for them.
• Carole Speirs friend Trish, who we have prayed for before, had a liver transplant on Monday and is recovering.
• More positively Sue Scholes coped with her appointments this week and there were encouraging results.
• I am also aware of a number of folk suffering with heavy colds, and Donna & Brad from Rockingham both have Covid.

Please pray for all the above. I hope to see many of you at church tomorrow, at the Lent Groups in the week and at our Annual Meeting in next Sunday’s service.

May God be with you,

Ian 

01536 400225

07903 644609

27th February 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 27 February 2022

Dear St Columba’s Family,
I am sure you were all as shocked as me at the events in Ukraine this week. It is one of those situations when we must truly say that the only thing we can do is pray, and so pray we must. I was pleased to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury on Radio 4 on Thursday morning, concluding his message with these words:
“Right at the end of his life, Jesus Christ, on the eve of his crucifixion, spoke to his disciples and he said something very memorable. ‘In the world you will have trouble, but do not be afraid, I have overcome the world.’For me and for many of faith, the great certainty in the world, the only certainty, is that we know that God does not change. Let us find our resolution, our peace, our certainty not by screwing up our courage, but in the knowledge of the eternal arms that hold us.
May God be with those who suffer today.”

Let us hold on to our faith and turn to the God who does not change, and in whose eternal arms we are held. And let us pray for peace in Ukraine today, and in our world tomorrow.

THIS WEEK’S SERVICE

There are Communion services on Sunday 27th February in St Leonard’s church Rockingham at 9am and in St Columba’s at 10.30am. William is preaching in both services which will be led by Kevin while I am with the children and young people preparing for next Sunday’s All Age Worship.For those who can’t make it to church tomorrow the service can be watched on youtube. There is also a PDF version of the service here.

LENT

This week sees the start of Lent and so I hope you will enjoy some pancakes on Tuesday! Lent is the season in which we are encouraged to make small sacrifices in order to devote more time to God. This may be by attending the Lent Course (see below) or reading more of the Bible, or reading a Christian book (there is a great selection in the library at the back of church so do have a look on your way in or out of church – there are no rules just take a book, read it, bring it back and take another…). 
I hope many of you will be able to join us at the very beginning of Lent for one of our Ash Wednesday Communion services. These will be at 10.30am in St Columba’s and 7.30pm in St Leonard’s in Rockingham. Please contact me if you would like to go the service at Rockingham but don’t have transport or know how to get there. 

LENT GROUPS

These will start on TUESDAY 8th March at 10.30am OR WEDNESDAY 9th MArch at 7.30pm in St Columba’s. These will be looking at Bishop Donald’s series of talks on the FOUR GOSPELS, one talk on each gospel with an introduction. It will also be possible to access the evening group by ZOOM but only if you ask in advance. Just to help with planning can you SIGN UP on the lists in church for either Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening or on Zoom – although you are most welcome in church even if you have not signed up.

SUNDAY 6th MARCH

Next Sunday’s service at 10.30am will be an ALL AGE SERVICE with input from our children and young people. Do come along and support them as they contribute to our worship.

PRAYER NEWS

Do join us for the HIA Prayer Meeting on Sunday evening at 6pm in church. We will, of course, be praying for the situation in Ukraine as well as hearing the latest news about our HIA house. Here is the latest Prayer Bulletin from Hope From Above in Australia.Please can you pray for Sue Scholes who has two hospital appointments on Monday and Tuesday this week.

AND FINALLY

There are no Puzzles etc this week but the latest edition of SPRING HARVEST NEWS is available and copies can be picked up in church, but we only have a small supply I’m afraid.
May God bless you all in these troubled times,

Ian

01536 400225

07903 644609 

20th February 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 20 February 2022

Hello everyone,

 I hope you all survived Storm Eunice. The church managed to avoid any damage which is good news. There is lots of news in this email about what’s coming up in Lent, including our Annual Meeting next month, so do keep reading. 

SCANS UPDATE

Big thanks to Steve for producing both an online puzzles and printed SCANS last week. There were a couple of mistakes in the printed SCANS so do have a look at “SCaNS 148 Corrections” for details of these (including the missing set of “down” questions for the crossword). Copies of this magazine can still be found in church and there is a NEW Online Puzzles and Other Stuff here. This includes a fun and challenging Hymn Quiz so do open it up and have a go!

SUNDAY’S SERVICES

We have two services in St Columba’s tomorrow, with MORNING WORSHIP at 10.30am and HOLY COMMUNION at 5pm. They will both include a sermon from Linda looking at the creation account from Genesis 2. Everyone is welcome to either or both. The 5pm service will have less people so is ideal for anyone who is still anxious about mixing with larger numbers. For those who can’t make it to church the service can be watched on youtube and there is a PDF version here.

HOPE INTO ACTION NEWS

Our Hope into Action house has been offered some really good quality furniture and white goods for free! This is an amazing gift, thank you Lord! All we have to do is go and pick it up from Oundle on the 25th February and bring it back to the house. We’ve been offered free use of a van for that day, so if you could be available next Friday at 10am to help us that would be great. It should only take a couple of hours to sort – have a chat with Ann Rigby, John Lynch or Kevin Montgomery. Kevin is happy to provide bacon/sausage baps to anyone who gets involved! The Prayer Meeting will happen at 6pm tomorrow, or immediately after the 5pm service if that has not quite finished at 6pm. If you come to the service you won’t have to wait!

NEXT SUNDAY

There is a Communion service at Rockingham at 9am and at St Columba’s at 10.30am. Our children and young people will be preparing for the next All Age service on 6th March, and following their wonderful efforts this month we look forward to what they will share with us then.. 

ASH WEDNESDAY (2nd March)

We have two services to mark the beginning of Lent. They will be identical except that the one in the morning at 10.30am will be in St Columba’s and the one in the evening at 7.30pm will be at Rockingham. Do try and come along to one or other of these to mark the beginning of this special season in the church year. 

LENT GROUPS

The following week we are going to start LENT GROUPS in St Columba’s on either TUESDAY morning (10.30) or WEDNESDAY evening (7.30). These will be looking at Bishop Donald’s series of talks on the FOUR GOSPELS, one talk on each gospel with an introduction. It will also be possible to access the evening group by ZOOM but only if you ask in advance. Just to help with planning can you SIGN UP on the lists in church for either Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening or online. (PCC members please note the days are the opposite way round from what was discussed at our last meeting) 

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

We are going to hold our Annual Meeting in the Morning Service on Sunday 13th March. Please can I ask that anyone who has a report about what they did in 2021, and I realise this is a lot less than we would normally have because of the pandemic, can send that report to me by Sunday 6th March. We also have four people whose term on the PCC has come to an end (I will be asking them if they would like to stand again) and we would also welcome anyone else wanting to serve the church in this way. If that is you please ask me for a Nomination Form. Names can also be added to the Electoral Roll, but all those who are already on the Roll don’t have to take any action. After all those notices I hope you all have a good week. 

God bless, Ian 

01536 400225

07903 644609

13th February 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 13 February 2022

Hello again everyone,

Another week has gone and I hope you have experienced some of God’s blessing during the course of it. I was certainly blessed by a few days away and I hope to pass some of that blessing on to you with my sermon on Ezra chapter 2. As I explained last month this is one of those lists of names in the Old Testament that we all love to hate (Riaan is doing the Bible reading this week and said that there were some tricky names in the reading – even after most of them were taken out!). I discovered some exciting things, more than I imagined in fact, so there is no space in the service for a testimony from one of you to say how God has worked in your life. I thought this would show how the same God who helped the people listed in Ezra 2 is still helping people today! If you would like to share in this way on another occasion please do let me know. Do try and read the whole of Ezra chapter 2 if you have time before the service tomorrow, and if you like pick out a name from the list!

The service in church tomorrow at 10.30am is Holy Communion. There is also a Communion service that can be watched on youtube. I should say that while the reading, sermon, prayers and songs are all the same as we will have in church, the Communion is a film from last year, but using all the same words that we will use in church. Having been away this saved a little time. This can be watched online or a PDF version of the whole service is available here.

NEXT SUNDAY

On Sunday 20th February we have two services. At 10.30 there will be a Morning Worship service and at 5pm a service of Holy Communion. Everyone is welcome to either or both. The sermon will be the same in both services. The 5pm service is quieter so it is a good place for anyone who is still reluctant to mix with too many people.

CHARITY NEWS

I have a couple of thank you’s to pass on, first from Janet in behalf of the CHILDREN’S SOCIETY. Our collecting boxes raised £269.63 last year and the Christingle service raised a further £113.23. Thank you so much if you contributed to either total. We have also been advised that the CLOTHING BANK in our Car Park collected 3520kg of clothing last year. This supports the work of PLANET AID, providing support for education, health, training and environmental programmes aimed at the relief of poverty in India and Africa. Again thanks to all who contributed and if you are clearing out your wardrobe do make use of the clothing bank.

ROCK – MEN’S GROUP

The next meeting of the Men’s Group is on Wednesday this week, 16th February, at 7.30pm in church.More details from Riaan or Kevin, One of the aims of the group aim is to encourage each other and as such everyone is welcome and their input valued so we can learn from one another’s experience, but, to achieve this, we need men to attend. We are also looking at social events, but again, as Riaan says…no bodies, no fun!

SCANS AND PUZZLES, ETC

Do look out for a new PRINT edition of SCANS in church tomorrow.Available here is the latest PUZZLES AND OTHER STUFF which includes a very challenging poem written down by Steve after prompting from the Lord.

With best wishes to all,

Ian

01536 400225

07903 644609

6th February 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 6 February 2022

Hello everyone,

I am delighted to say that tomorrow in church at 10.30 we have a service of ALL AGE WORSHIP, with lots of involvement by the children and young people. I hope you will be there to join in, but if you can’t there is a version of the service online. Obviously it is impossible to reproduce the interactivity of a live service in a pre-recorded form, but it does feature some of the children and young people who were filmed last Sunday morning. There is also a PDF of the service here. 

The PCC met on Wednesday and decided that it was still sensible to maintain some Covid safety measures at the present time, while infections are still high. As a result we do encourage everyone to wear a FACE COVERING in church, we will keep the seats spaced out and will also continue to distribute Holy Communion by dipping the bread in the wine. All these are subject to review when the situation improves. We also decided that as both face coverings and social distancing are not possible while serving coffee we will not resume after service refreshments just yet. PCC also received the accounts for 2021 and while I don’t want to say everything James our treasurer will share at our Annual Meeting it is great to report that, in another difficult year when the church was closed for worship for 3 months and our Lettings income only half its pre-pandemic levels, we still managed to make a small surplus. This is primarily because of the generous and sacrificial giving of so many of you, for which I must take this opportunity to say THANK YOU. There will, as I say, be full details of our accounts at the Annual Meeting. PCC was also delighted to hear that work has continued to improve the Church Hall, with new windows being installed this week in the toilets, kitchen and Green Room. We hope to improve the church toilets as well, but need to do some more work to do before we have permission to do that work. If anyone would like to make a donation to help make that happen please speak to me or James, or simply put an envelope in the collection basket marked “Building Project”.

I do have some sad news to pass on to those who have not yet heard. Ges McCluskey passed away early last Sunday morning, at home with Maureen. Please do uphold Maureen in your prayers. Another matter for prayer is that the from the end of this month St Columba’s will no longer be open as a Foodbank distribution point on Wednesday mornings. We must give thanks for the huge number of people who have been helped with food parcels since the Foodbank first opened here, and for all the volunteers who have made that possible, and for all the donations of food that have been made. And we must continue to pray for the ongoing work of the Foodbank, based solely at St Peter and St Andrew on Beanfield Avenue, especially given the anticipated increase in demand following the energy price rises later this year.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. The Food bank will continue to operate from St P&A and volunteers from St Columba’s are being invited to join the team there.

2. Donations to the Foodbank will still be collected at St Columba’s, so please do bring your donations to church as usual.

3. There will be an emergency supply at St Columba’s just in case someone turns up and cannot get to St P&A. 

PRAYER MEETINGThe Hope into Action Prayer Meeting will be happening in church at 6pm again tomorrow, so do come along, especially as we now have a potential tenant for the house and the work is progressing to transform it into a home. Also do look out for details of a work party to help with the garden.

And finally a special MINI Scans prepared by Steve, linked to the 70th Anniversary of the Queen’s Accession to the throne in 1952.

Best wishes Ian

PS Please note I am away this coming week so if you need to contact someone from church please give Kevin a ring on 07512 822422.

30th January 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 30 January 2022

Dear St Columba’s Family,

I hope you and your families are all keeping well as the Covid rules are relaxed. In common with many businesses I think we should continue to wear face coverings at church (and at the Panto – see below) in order to protect those who are most vulnerable. We should see this as an act of love rather than a rule.

PANTO TIME

The performances of “Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood” on Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 3.30pm are both sold out BUT we do expect there to be a few last minute cancellations, so if you don’t have a ticket and would like to turn up and see if there is any space please feel free to do so. Alternatively there is talk of an outdoor performance later in the year so you may like to wait for that.

SUNDAY’S SERVICE

We have a HOLY COMMUNION service at 10.30am tomorrow and everyone is welcome. The children and young people will be preparing for next week’s ALL AGE SERVICE, which will be the first time since March 2020 we have been able to involve them in this way. Since then we have, of course, started our online services and so the children will be filming part of the online service for 6th February. There is a PDF of the service here. If you are watching/reading the service at home remember to have some bread and wine or fruit juice available for Communion.

There will not be a HOPE INTO ACTION Prayer Meeting tomorrow evening as many of us will just have finished at the Panto. The Prayer Meeting will return next Sunday.

SPRING HARVEST

For those who are booked to go to Minehead from Monday 18th April – Friday 22nd April, tomorrow is the deadline for any outstanding payments. If there is anyone who is not booked in who would like to join us please do speak to Miriam (we can’t guarantee accommodation but will do our best to find room for you).

Here are this week’s “Puzzles and Other Stuff” from Steve. I am pleased to report that Sue Scholes did not have a detached retina, so thank you to everyone who prayed. She is still under investigation for low pressure in her eye so please continue to pray. Also please keep praying for Richard, Cathy and Rachael Smith as well as for Maureen and Ges McCluskey. Ges spent this last week in hospital but is now back home with Maureen but he is on end of life care.

I hope to see many of you in church tomorrow and at the Panto. 

Best wishes to all,

Ian

01536 400225

07903 644609

23rd January 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 23 January 2022

Hello everyone, 

This week we have been told that the Covid rules are being relaxed and that from next Thursday face coverings will no longer be mandatory. We continued to encourage people to wear face coverings last autumn when they were not mandatory and I think this may be wise for the time being. The PCC will be discussing whether the time is now right to commence serving coffee after church and I would ask that if you have any views about that you speak with me or a PCC member. Obviously if we are to have coffee we will need people to serve it so please also think if this is something you could do when it happens.  

PRAYER NEWS

I am pleased to report that last week’s prayer request for Sheila’s daughter was answered with the appointment moving forward to 22nd February. Sadly the news is not so good of Richard Smith a former member of St Columba’s aged 40ish. Richard’s prognosis is poor and he is currently in hospital being tube fed. To make matters worse there are visiting restrictions on his wife Cathy and daughter Racheal. Riaan and Mandy are visiting Cathy today so will have up to date news on Sunday but please do remember Richard, Cathy and Racheal in your prayers.  

SUNDAY SERVICES

Tomorrow there is a 9am Communion service at Rockingham and a 10.30am Sunday Worship service (with the same sermon) at St Columba’s. This will include ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. For those who cannot get to to church the service is available online and the PDF version is here.  

LIVING IN LOVE AND FAITH (LLF)

Some people may have heard of this Project from the Church of England which is described as follows: “The hope is for people in Church of England churches across the country to use the LLF resources to study and pray together. The resources are designed to encourage and enable engagement and learning in a variety of settings. This church-wide learning together, listening to one another, and listening to God is part of discerning a way forward for the Church of England in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. The purpose of the resources is to enable the Church of England churches across the country to participate in a process of learning and praying together as part of discerning a way forward in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.”There is going to be a Discussion Group in Corby, for 6 weeks starting on THURSDAY 27th JANUARY from 7.30-9pm at St Peter & St Andrew’s. Full details are here on the LLF Discussion Group document. If you would like to attend please email fr_anthony@icloud.com to make sure there are supplies of booklets and cake! I think it is important that churches like St Columba’s, where the Bible is taken seriously, are engaged in these discussions and would encourage people to attend.  

PANTOMIME – ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD

Tickets for BOTH Saturday and Sunday afternoon are now SOLD OUT. However it is possible for adults to attend on Friday evening at 7.30pm. Entrance will be by donation rather than ticket. If any adults want to swap from Saturday/Sunday to Friday please let me know as this will free up tickets for children and families to attend the afternoon performances. If you would like to come on  Saturday or Sunday afternoon do let me know and we can then contact you if there are any returns.  

AND FINALLY

Please find here Steve’s latest offering of Puzzles and Other Stuff. It includes a quiz on London, and as someone who thought they knew London quite well I must say I didn’t do as well as I expected. By a strange but happy coincidence there is a London reference in Kevin’s sermon tomorrow.

Best wishes to all, 

Ian 

01536 400225

07903 644609

16th January 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 16 January 2022

Hello Everyone,

I hope you have all had a good week. There is a lot in this week’s email so please do have a good read and make a note of anything that applies especially to you.

PRAYER REQUEST

Sheila has asked for prayer for her daughter Maria who has just had a letter changing an appointment she’s waited months for, from Feb 1st to June 20th. This is for her shoulder which she can barely move and is in a lot of pain. She can’t do the physio for it as it sets off the neck/nerve condition. Please pray that when she rings the secretary on Monday, she can get it brought back again. Thank you.

SUNDAY SERVICES

Tomorrow we have two almost identical Holy Communion services in church, at 10.30am and 5pm.  You are welcome to either or indeed both. For those who can’t make it to church there is a youtube version of the service available. A PDF version is available here.

ENERGIZE

One difference between the services is that there will be ENERGIZE groups for children and young people during the 10.30 service but not at 5pm. Please pray for the ENERGIZE groups and their leaders as tomorrow will be the first time since March 2020 they will have had three age based groups meeting. It is great that so many children and young people have been along to church over recent weeks, but if you know anyone else who may be interested in joining them tomorrow would be a good day to start.

HOPE INTO ACTION PRAYER MEETINGThis will follow the 5pm service, so should start at about 6pm. Do come along if you are able to join us in prayer for our HIA house and the many other needs at this time.

ROCK MEN’S GROUP – 19th January 7:30pm

Our first men’s meeting of 2022 is coming up this week, so do join us in the church this Wednesday at 7:30pm for a great evening together, we’ll be looking at God as Father and how we can live knowing who we are as men in the light of that relationship with our Father God, we’ll be  worshipping and praying together and also talking about the next few month’s of the men’s ministry, including our first men’s breakfast and other social activities as well. If you’re able to make it let Kevin know, so he can bring enough biscuits/cake – but even if you haven’t let us know do feel free to come along if you’re available on the day.

ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD Pantomime

This is happening at 3.30pm (sorry last week’s email said 3pm) on Sunday 30th January (Saturday’s performance is sold out!). Tickets cost £8 for adults, £4 for children or £20 for a family ticket (2 children). Tickets will be available after both services in church tomorrow or by contacting me either by reply to this email or by phone (see numbers below). 

HOPE FROM ABOVE

The latest Prayer Bulletin from Hope from Above in Australia is here.

SPRING HARVEST

For those who are booked to go to Minehead from Monday 18th April – Friday 22nd April, this is a reminder that any outstanding payments need to be given to Miriam by Sunday 30th January please. Any problems with this or any other questions, please speak to Miriam. Also if there is anyone who is not booked in who would now like to join us please do speak to Miriam (we can’t guarantee accommodation but will try and fit you in).

PUZZLES AND OTHER STUFF

Steve has once again produced some interesting puzzles and informative articles, including a look at the Katherine of Aragon Festival at Peterborough Cathedral. You can grab that here.

May God be with you all in this coming week,

Ian

01536 400225

07903 644609

9th January 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 9 January 2022

Hello Everyone, 

May I wish all those I have not yet been in contact with in 2022 a very blessed New Year. I know the year has not started well for everyone and several people have had Covid, including Kevin’s wife Kate and daughter Rebekah – please pray for healing for them and protection for Kevin. If there is anyone else who is in need of prayer please do let me know.

Our service tomorrow takes a look at the Baptism of Christ, and includes an opportunity to renew our own Baptism promises. The service is in church at 10.30 and everyone is welcome. For those who can’t make it the service is available online. Please note this online service is not yet complete so don’t look at it until later this evening or tomorrow. There is a PDF available and this is complete. 

ENERGIZE 

Tomorrow also sees the return of Energize after the Christmas Holiday, and following the magnificent Nativity they produced lastmonth. They will be enjoying a “Back to Energize” Party tomorrow and this will be a great time for any new children to go along for the first time. From next week there will be the usual age groups and at the end of the month the children and young people will be involved in preparing for the All Age service at the beginning of February. 

HOPE INTO ACTION 

The Prayer Meeting will take place once again tomorrow evening at 6pm in church and everyone is welcome. This will be a good opportunity to find out what has been happening at the house over the holidays as well as praying for some wider concerns in the life of the church. 

PCC Please note that we have decided not to have a PCC meeting this coming Tuesday as there was no urgent business and it is only three weeks until the next scheduled meeting on Wednesday 2nd February.

NEXT SUNDAY 

We will be having two services next Sunday, at 10.30am and 5pm, and both will be Holy Communion. The 5pm service will be much quieter and so anyone who is trying to keep away from crowds will find this especially suitable.

ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD

You will be pleased to know that our Panto is still going ahead on the weekend on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th January “OH YES IT IS!” with performances at 3pm both days. The Saturday performance is now SOLD OUT but there are lots of seats available on Sunday, and if there is sufficient demand there could be an extra performance on Friday evening. Tickets can be bought after services in church or by phoning me on 01536 400225.

CHILDREN’S SOCIETY

If anyone has a Children’s Society Collecting Box please bring it to church and give to Janet who will then count all the money, along with the collection from our Christingle Service which also supports the Children’s Society. Any extra donations would be most welcome, especially as the numbers at Christingle were down this year and so the collection will inevitably be smaller. Steve is taking a well deserved break this week so no puzzles, although there are still a few copies of the Christmas Magazine available in church if you missed out on one. Please do get in touch if you need prayer or any practical help or just a chat. 

God bless you all, 

Ian 

01536 400225

07903 644609

2nd January 2022

By Kevin Montgomery in Sunday Service on 2 January 2022

Happy New Year!

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

We are at the start of a brand new year, the Wise Men are arriving to visit Jesus, it is Epiphany! There is lots to celebrate in this event, Jesus recognised by the Magi as someone worthy of worship, they travelled to find him, they gave him gifts and they worshipped him. Today’s sermon goes into a little more detail on all of this – but what a great example to follow, we come to worship him!

In many ways we do not know what this year to come will look like, many of us have probably been listening carefully to the news and waiting on pronouncements from Government ministers on possible restrictions or indeed lockdowns, as I write this on New Year’s day it looks like there won’t be any more restrictions in the short term but rest assured we will continue to do all we can to keep everyone safe and healthy and at the same time continue to meet together for fellowship and to worship God.

I wonder how many of you have already looked back to 2021 and reflected on all that happened, it’s been a very mixed year for many, some things good, some not so good but looking back always helps me to see God in my life and in the situations I’ve been in and encountered. Sometimes it’s only looking back that we see how much he was with us, rejoicing with us in the good times, comforting in the sad times. I continue to pray for his presence with me and with all of us as we move into 2022.

We have our service tomorrow at 10:30am here at St Columba, but a quick reminder that there is no Hope into Action prayer meeting this week. It will be back on the 9th January at its normal time of 6pm.

A printed version of tomorrow’s service is also available here.

Speaking of gifts as I did earlier, an unexpected one for this week popped into my emails earlier today and I am happy to pass that gift on to you with a Mini-SCaNS from Steve.

I hope to be able to wish you a Happy New Year in church tomorrow, but if I don’t see you – or don’t get the chance, once again – Happy New Year and may you know God’s presence, blessing and favour this 2022.
If anyone needs prayer or indeed to chat, or anything else do get in touch.

With every blessing

Kevin

Curate, St Columba