30 Northumberland Square | North Shields | NE30 1PW
Weekly Update #70 1st August 2021
From the Minister A New Sport?
So, apart from starting with the same letter, what do surfing, sport climbing, softball and skate boarding have in common? Answer: they all feature as sports in the delayed 2020 Olympics, taking place in Tokyo this year. Softball has been in and out of the Olympics over the years, though the others are new, and I’m probably not the only one surprised to find out skate boarding is a sport. Sadly tug of war, present at every Olympics between 1900 and 1920 has not (yet) made it back. I was wondering about starting a campaign for a new sport to be included in the Olympics: church chair moving. It would fit nicely between boxing and canoeing, alphabetically at least. Church chair moving has been present as long as there have been churches and chairs, though in recent times it has been taken to new heights as congregations across the land have had to make major shifts in seating to accommodate people safely. Going forward, I wonder if we will be as flexible as the International Olympic Committee in deciding what to include or not in new patterns of chair moving? Trevor Image by Dele Oke from Pixabay
Prayer
O God who gives us life, work, sport, and leisure,
Watch over all competing in sports,
Giving them courage and confidence to do their best.
And watch over all who take pleasure in spectating.
Give them joy and a sense of awe at what
Your created beings can achieve.
Amen.
WORSHIP FOR SUNDAY 1st August 10.30 a.m. Service at St Columba’s United Reformed Church
Led by the Reverend Trevor Jamison
10 .30 a.m. Service at Saint Columba’s United Reformed Church – now singing the hymns, and seating capacity increased to fortyfrom this Sunday
Book your seat by contacting Alison Drew between 9.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon. on Friday immediately prior to the service.
Radio Radio 4 8.10 a.m. Television BBC 2 Songs of Praise 1.15 p.m. On-lineURC audio service https://devotions.urc.org.uk/ 10.00 a.m. DISCLAIMER: tv and radio schedules can change, so check the timings are correct!
Bible readings for This Week
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a King David is confronted about his misdeeds
Psalm 51:1-12 A prayer seeking God’s pardon for wrongdoing
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Bread rains down from heaven
Psalm 78:23-29 Remembering when ‘mortals ate the bread of angels’
Ephesians 4: 11 – 16 Gifts for building up the body of Christ
John 6:24-35 Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life’
This week, and in the following two weeks, the Revised Common Lectionary features chapter six of John’s Gospel and connects Jesus with bread. This week, Jesus’s declaration, ‘I am the bread of life’ (v.35) comes after a discussion about his feeding five thousand and how that relates to God feeding the Israelites with manna – bread from heaven (Exodus 16). The bread given to the Israelites and to the five thousand was good, says Jesus, but perishable, but he is now offering himself as ‘true bread from heaven’ (32), as food that sustains us for ever.
We are sorry to have to share the news of the death of one of our members, Vera Hall. Our prayers and sympathies go out to her family and friends. Vera’s funeral service will take place at Tynemouth Crematorium on Monday, August 9th at 3.00 p.m. The service will be conducted by the Reverend Trevor Jamison.
Financial Appeals to Support Partner Church in Mozambique and Christian Aid
We have received appeals to support Northern Synod’s partner church, the Presbyterian Church in Mozambique, which is facing great challenges arising from violence in that country, and also the work of Christian Aid, whose fund raising has been significantly impacted by Covid restrictions.
At Saint Columba’s we are having a collection, to be split 50/50 between these two causes. A collection plate will be available at church on Sundays 1st and 8th of August for those who wish to make a donation there. Alternatively, for further information, and to donate directly to the Synod appeal, go to https://www.urc-northernsynod.org/urc-news/mozambique-appeal/?portfolioCats=35 To donate directly to Christian Aid got to https://www.christianaid.org.uk/
St John’s Church in Percy Main has recently set up a Baby Bank, to help provide new parents that may be struggling with clothing, Moses baskets, and other daily essentials. After donation, all of the clothing is laundered before being passed on. All of the mattresses for the baskets are brand new.
If you become aware of anyone who might benefit from the support, or have any good quality clothing or baby items to donate, the Baby Bank team would love to hear from you. You can contact them via the office at St John’s on 0191 267 1819 or [email protected]. They’re also on Facebook at fb.com/StJohnsBabyBank.
St Columba’s Coffee and Conversation
on Saturdays at 10.00 a.m.
Please note: Coffee and Conversation will be taking a break in August
Meet friends for conversation and company, online or by phone
So, apart from starting with the same letter, what do surfing, sport climbing, softball and skate boarding have in common? Answer: they all feature as sports in the delayed 2020 Olympics, taking place in Tokyo this year. Softball has been in and out of the Olympics over the years, though the others are new, and I’m probably not the only one surprised to find out skate boarding is a sport. Sadly tug of war, present at every Olympics between 1900 and 1920 has not (yet) made it back. I was wondering about starting a campaign for a new sport to be included in the Olympics: church chair moving. It would fit nicely between boxing and canoeing, alphabetically at least. Church chair moving has been present as long as there have been churches and chairs, though in recent times it has been taken to new heights as congregations across the land have had to make major shifts in seating to accommodate people safely. Going forward, I wonder if we will be as flexible as the International Olympic Committee in deciding what to include or not in new patterns of chair moving?
This week, and in the following two weeks, the Revised Common Lectionary features chapter six of John’s Gospel and connects Jesus with bread. This week, Jesus’s declaration, ‘I am the bread of life’ (v.35) comes after a discussion about his feeding five thousand and how that relates to God feeding the Israelites with manna – bread from heaven (Exodus 16). The bread given to the Israelites and to the five thousand was good, says Jesus, but perishable, but he is now offering himself as ‘true bread from heaven’ (32), as food that sustains us for ever.
We have received appeals to support Northern Synod’s partner church, the Presbyterian Church in Mozambique, which is facing great challenges arising from violence in that country, and also the work of Christian Aid, whose fund raising has been significantly impacted by Covid restrictions.
St John’s Church in Percy Main has recently set up a Baby Bank, to help provide new parents that may be struggling with clothing, Moses baskets, and other daily essentials. After donation, all of the clothing is laundered before being passed on. All of the mattresses for the baskets are brand new.