Last Sunday’s retiring offerings in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee Philippines Typhoon Appeal raised a total of £511.10.  Thank you all for your generosity.

Norma McGoldrick successfully completed this 100km, 6-day trek across Jordan to Ancient Petra, and would like to thank everyone who contributed to the Accord Hospice in Paisley.

The group raised over £40,000, which was a greatly appreciated by the hospice.

Carol singing for Christian Aid

Friday 20 December 7 – 8 pm

This year we have made sure that our slot in Trafalgar Square is not on a Saturday, so we very much hope not to be disrupted by a flashmob of Santas, as happened last year.  However, we have been advised that there will be no platform by the Christmas tree and no sound system, as the powers that be are seeking to return to a more traditional form of carol singing.  This will mean that making ourselves heard will be a bit of a challenge!  So we will need even more singers than usual to try to rise above the noise of traffic and emergency service sirens!

We will also need lots of collectors to go round the Square shaking a bucket and encouraging people to give money for Christian Aid, so if singing isn’t your strong point, you will still be needed.  Please come along and help us to raise money for this very worthwhile cause.

Choir Christmas Concert

Friday 13 December 7.30 pm

 This year the choir will be joined by the Colomb Street Five Wind Quintet, who have given a number of successful lunchtime concerts in the church.  There will be a mix of music for choir and instrumentalists, and familiar carols for everyone to join in.  There will be seasonal refreshments at the interval, and a retiring collection for charity.  Do come along and support the choir and enjoy singing your favourite carols.

The Minister is running a short series of Bible study sessions for Advent on the following Wednesdays: 4, 11 and 18 December, from 6.15 – 7.15 pm in the vestry.  Do come along and join Philip for these sessions.  It doesn’t matter if you can’t commit to attending them all: just come when you can.  You will be most welcome.

This year’s Christmas Market takes place on Saturday 23 November from 11.30 to 3.30.  This is your chance to get all those essential items for Christmas: candles, gifts, preserves, stocking fillers, and of course, tablet and home baking.  There will be competitions and games and activities for the children.  Tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits and ploughman’s lunches will be available throughout the day.

If you have any new unwanted gifts that would be suitable for any of the stalls, these will be very welcome.  Any offers of home baking for the teas or the cake stall will also be greatly appreciated (please see Janet Dowswell or Margaret Ross).

The Kirk Session has agreed that the proceeds of this year’s Market, together with money raised at the retiring offerings at both quarterly communion services on 1 December, will form Crown Court’s contribution towards the funding of a new Borderline project.  This is a one-year pilot scheme for the appointment of an Outreach Worker for Scottish clients to be based at The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields.  Research carried out by Borderline has shown that the majority of the charity’s clients are found within the Westminster area, and that a high proportion are amongst the group considered to be the most entrenched or hard to move on rough sleepers in London.  Joint working with The Connection is considered to be mutually beneficial.  Your support will be greatly appreciated.

More information on the project will be available from the representative of Borderline on 17 November.

The Highlands and Islands Society of London St Andrew’s Ceilidh Dance will be held on Saturday 23 November at The London Welsh Centre from 7.30 to 11 pm.  Further details are available on the Highlands and Islands Society of London’s website.

Borderline – A Caledonian Christmas Concert will be held on Thursday 5 December at 7 pm at St Columba’s Church, Pont Street.

The evening will start with a drinks reception at 7 pm, followed by a concert of Scottish music and entertainment at 7.30 pm.  Among the performers will be Jennifer Port, the award-winning clarsach player and singer.

Tickets are available, price £15, from www.borderline-uk.org, or by sending a cheque for the number of tickets required to Borderline, 22 City Road, London EC1Y 2AJ.  A representative from Borderline will be in church on Sunday 17 November to sell tickets.

Further details are available on the Borderline website and on their Facebook page.