7.00pm Rev Dr Martin (Chunky) Young CONDOLENCES Our sincere condolences to Forbes Mckay and family on the death of Doug.

Transcription

1 DAILY LECTIONARY READINGS 5th August am Rev Dr Martin (Chunky) Young 9.30am Rev Dr Martin (Chunky) Young Monday: Acts 13:44 52 Tuesday: Acts 14:1 18 Wednesday: Acts 14:19 28 Thursday: Acts 15:1 11 Friday: Acts 15:12 21 Saturday: Acts 15: pm Rev Stephen van Schalkwyk 12th August am Rev Stephen van Schalkwyk 9.30am Rev Stephen van Schalkwyk Click here to follow us on facebook. 7.00pm Rev Dr Martin (Chunky) Young CONDOLENCES Our sincere condolences to Forbes Mckay and family on the death of Doug.

2

3

4 We have recently acquired some new books for the library. Donna Wyckoff Wheeler has reviewed some of them for us four very different books with a common thread. Here are her reviews. When Faith Fails: The search for God, the search for meaning, as told through the writings of four authors and four genres. Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church. Yancey Philip Philip Yancey spent his formative years in 1960s Georgia, inhabiting and internalizing what he describes as a religiously fundamentalist and hermetically sealed view of the world. One church he attended proudly claimed a corner on God s truth, which included preaching and practicing blatant racism. His eventual reaction against the practices and teachings of this church in particular and fundamentalist religion in general nearly caused him to abandon the Christian faith altogether. Soul Survivor tells of Yancey s personal faith journey and the influence of unlikely mentors who helped his faith survive the church. He encountered some of these mentors in person, others only through their writings. From John Donne to Annie Dillard, from Frederick Buechner to Leo Tolstoy, from Dr Paul Brand to Dr C Everett Koop, Yancey found new inspiration and models for a life enhancing faith. Heritage of Lancaster County. Beverly Lewis. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House, This volume contains three sequential novels dealing with the life of a young girl, Katie, growing up in an Amish community in eastern Pennsylvania. Katie had often struggled with her religion s strict rules, but at 19 she is ready to put her rebellion behind her and walk the straight and narrow and accepts baptism and thus full entry into the life of the church and community. But she never feels she quite fits and soon discovers something that makes her doubt many of the practices and teachings of her Amish faith. Written as mystery, the trilogy gives insight into a way of life devoid of modern conveniences that is still practiced among Amish communities in the US today. While the enthusiastic born again discourse at some points in the novels may not be to everyone s taste, the story does explain some of the differences between Amish and Mennonite practices and beliefs as it follows the plot line through Katie s struggles of faith lost and found.

5 The Shack. William P. Young. Los Angeles: Windblown, Willie, the narrator of this story, admits that Mack s accident, subsequent coma, and memory may have introduced some factual errors and faulty remembrances of what actually happened. What we can be certain actually happened is that Mack s experiences forced him into asking the faith questions many of us have asked when faced with loss, illness or other trauma: Where was God...? ; Why did God let...? ; How can I continue to believe when...? Mack s faith journey and the answers he finds for himself should not be read as a prescription for your own belief or a road map for your own spiritual journey. This book is perhaps best read, as the jacket cover suggests, as a modern Christian faith journey allegory, much like John Bunyan s Pilgrim s Progress. Each of us must struggle with our faith questions for ourselves, but we can find inspiration in Mack s struggle, as we can find it in Jacob s wrestling in the night, as we find it in Jesus striving in the wilderness to define the nature of God and faith. Mack s personal journey may jar us out of some of our own long held but often unrecognised traditions of beliefs. This book may inspire you, also, to new ways of opening yourself to finding answers in your own on going faith journey. The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness. Karen Armstrong. New York: Anchor Books, Karen Armstrong is best known to most of us for her extensive scholarly writings about religion, such as The History of God; Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet; Islam: A short History; and The Great Transformation. Before she was a prolific religious historian however, Armstrong was a Catholic nun for seven years. Her experiences in the convent effectively destroyed her beliefs, but she was then left with the vacuum in her life caused by this destruction. The Spiral Staircase is the gripping autobiography of Armstrong s own faith journey as well as life journey into new awareness and meaning of God and spirituality. Reviews by Donna Wyckoff Wheeler, PhD BISCUIT CLUB GUIDE DOGS ASSOCIATION Please join us at biscuit club when the South African Guide Dogs Association will be talking about the wonderful work that the association does. If you require transport, please contact the church office and we will do our best to help. Date: Wednesday, 8th August 2012 Time: 9.45am Venue: St Columba s Church Upstairs hall

6 MINISTERS: THE REV DR MARTIN YOUNG THE REV STEPHEN VAN SCHALKWYK THE REV PROF HANSIE WOLMARANS ORGANIST: KEVIN KRAAK: ORGAN SCHOLAR: NICK REDELINGHUYS COUNSELLING CENTRE: SARAH TAYLOR / NICCI HUTTON Monday 6th 13h00 Bridge Tuesday 7th 17h30 18h00 Wednesday 8th 09h45 18h30 Thursday 9th 11h00 16h30 17h00 19h30 Path Session Meeting Biscuit Club Wednesday Night Live Thusano Outreach Meeting Pastoral Meeting Choir Practice Friday 10th 09h00 Staff Meeting Sunday 12th 08h00 Rev Stephen van Schalkwyk 09h30 Rev Stephen van Schalkwyk Sunday School, Alchemist Group 18h45 AA meeting in the Jones Hall 19h00 Rev Dr Martin (Chunky) Young PANTRY Please remember the pantry when you are grocery shopping: Tin large and small pilchards, tuna, sweetcorn, peas & small tomato sauce. Click here to download the Challenge The Church Choir Our church choir is open to new membership, and Kevin is always pleased to hear from prospective choristers. If you would like to join the choir please speak to Kevin after service or contact him at Kevin.kraak@yahoo.co.uk. Alternatively you can contact the choir chairman, Richard Gush on June 2012 Edition

7 26 August 2012 Barnyard 7 Wonders of the World 05 September 2012 St. Columba s Lecture 12 October 2012 Springtime in Paris 16 October 2012 World Food Day 21 October 2012 World Food Sunday October 2012 Santa Shoe Box Project 11 November 2012 Remembrance Sunday 18 November 2012 All Saints Day 29 November 2012 Thusano Prize giving 30 November to 2 December 2012 Christmas Market

8 Andrew Macnae Gavin De Lange Joy Taylor Heather Esterhuizen Roger Wentzel Gert Jordaan Patricia Llewellyn Leanne Miller Denise Sissons Susan Stricker William Swan Lorraine Garratt Judith Stewart Vivienne Harrison Albert Jacobsen Robert Bertram Graham Du Bourg Brenda Pyke Stephen Stewart Douglas Howie Sandra Caister Kevin Kraak John Booth

9 WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE PERSPECTIVES ON GOD Does it still make sense in the 21 st century to believe in God? Traditionally God is seen as all knowing, loving and all powerful. Many people are disillusioned with God, because it is difficult to understand why such a God would allow ugly things to happen. The devil as God s opponent is often used to explain why there is evil, but this seems to undermine God s supremacy. Furthermore, a number of influential scientists conclude that there is no need for God to explain the cosmos and human existence. The series, Perspectives on God will explore these problems. In typical St Columba s fashion, the series is not propagandistic in nature. Both sides of the argument will be examined and people will be allowed to make up their own minds. We meet Wednesday evenings at 18h30 in the church hall for some refreshments. The talks take place in the church from 19h00 20h00. Everybody is welcome. On Wednesday evening the 8 th August 2012, Hansie Wolmarans will give a talk on, Why do people believe in God? ST COLUMBA S INVITES YOU TO THE 7 WONDERS PRODUCTION AT THE BARNYARD When: 26 th August 2012 Where: The Barnyard Cresta Time: 2.00pm Tickets: R per person For bookings please contact Elvina at the church office Tel: or Elvina@stcolumbas.org.za The 7 Wonders is a Tribute to Elvis Presley, Carlos Santana, Bryan Adams, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Bob Marley and Chris de Burgh, 7 of the greatest pop icons of all time. These artists have dominated the charts to such a degree, and made such an impact on the music industry, that it is essential to stage a special tribute! The show features an 11 piece cast who whisk us away through a repertoire that was made in Rock and Roll Heaven. Get ready to experience the hottest rock and pop stars on earth as they rock the universe!