Baptism

At St. Columba’s Church we baptise children as well as adults. All Presbyterian churches offer baptism for young children, even to small babies. The Church of Scotland is no exception. This is because we believe that the special relationship that God has with believing adults, called a ‘Covenant,’ also extends to the children of those believing adults. The sign of that special relationship, water baptism, should therefore also be given to the children of those believing parents.

That is an incredibly brief summary of an incredibly complex theological subject! Not all Christian churches agree with us, but we think that this stance is not in conflict with the Bible in any way.

When we baptise children or adults, we baptise with water. Water, used every day for cleansing, stands for the cleansing effect on our lives of the death of Jesus on the cross, when blood poured from his wounded and dying body in a way that cleansed us from the mess of our moral lapses and failures.

Because of this, we ‘sprinkle’ adults and children with water when we baptise them. We do this because we believe the method of baptism is far less important than the significance attached to it.

Until recently, the Church of Scotland asked that at least one of the parents bringing a baby or small child should be a member of the church, or intended to become a member of the church. The laws of the Church of Scotland have been relaxed. For a fuller explanation, please visit the Church of Scotland website.

  Communion

Holy Communion, or Celebration of the Lord’s Supper, takes place at six morning services in the year, and at the last evening service of every month.

Every service at the church is open to everyone who wants to come, but we usually ask people to take bread and wine in Communion only if they know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that any believer, from any branch of the Christian church, is welcome to take Communion at St. Columba’s.

Children are allowed to take Communion too. The Church of Scotland is happy for children to take Communion if they are baptised (‘christened’) and are being brought up in a Christian home. They must be at an age where they have some understanding of what the bread and wine represent. This means that there is no strict age qualification. The only criterion is about the capacity to comprehend what Communion signifies.

If you would like to know more about Communion, or would like your child to take Communion, please click here.

Weddings

Planning on getting married? If you are, congratulations! We are very pleased for you, and wish you much happiness as well as God’s blessings for the future.

Marriage is a big step and a lifelong commitment. It is, as the wedding ceremony says, not to be entered into lightly. It is a time of great joy and anticipation, and there is a lot of preparation that has to take place before the big day.

If you are thinking about getting married at St. Columba’s Church, please contact the minister as soon as you start to make your plans. Our minister will want to meet you and your ‘intended’ as soon as possible to help you plan the service and to offer you a programme of marriage preparation. It’s strange, isn’t it, that we prepare thoroughly for many things in life yet never think that marriage is something we could prepare for. Yet it is.

So, please contact us if we can help you in any way. By the way, you don’t have to be a member of St. Columba’s Church to get married here. Nor do you have to come along for a number of weeks in order to ‘qualify.’

We look forward to hearing from you.

Funerals

A bereavement is a time of shock and grief, bewilderment and heartbreak. We can be overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions as we try to take in the loss of someone precious to us. At St. Columba’s Church, we want to help you in any way we can. Our minister will be happy to come and visit you, offering care and support. If you would like us to conduct a funeral service, our minister will visit you to discuss and plan the service.

You do not need to be a member of the church in order for our minister to lead a funeral service on your behalf. We regard it as a privilege to be in a position to help you at a time when your feelings are at their most raw and tender. There is no charge or fee for the services of our minister, and our guarantee is that we will look after your needs compassionately and diligently.

If you would like the help of St. Columba’s Church with a funeral service, please ask your funeral director to contact our minister as you begin to make the necessary arrangements. We will then be in touch with you soon thereafter.

If you are experiencing great difficulty in coming to terms with a bereavement, please contact us and we will be glad to meet you or speak to you. If we are not able to help you, we will be happy to suggest other agencies that might be able to help you more effectively.

If you would like us to help you with regard to a funeral or bereavement, or some other loss that has caused you great pain, please contact the minister.