From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai
Dear Friends,
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It does not seem a minute since we were wishing each other “Happy New Year”, but Lent is almost upon us and this Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. We will also have a pancake-potluck in anticipation of Shrove Tuesday. In England, this is marked by eating pancakes, tossing pancakes, and competitions such as pancake races, where competitors run round a course while tossing a pancake! This Sunday, we will provide the pancakes and you can bring your choice of toppings to share!
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Ash Wednesday
Then on Ash Wednesday we will have a special service to mark the beginning of Lent. This will be on 18th February, beginning at 7pm. The liturgy will include the imposition of ashes as we come before God in repentance and thanksgiving.
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Further ahead comes Easter. And we would like our Easter music to include the inauguration of our new organ! Over the last few weeks, Harvey and I have been experimenting with building a church organ using the Hauptwerk computer software. It will allow us to play a replica of the organ of St. Anne’s, Moseley, in England.
Testing the Prototype!
This week the Salomonssons had a go on our prototype, one playing the manuals, and the other the pedals via a third keyboard! To build the basic organ will cost us about THB30,000, including about THB23,000 to buy a computer to run the software. This will include a touch screen to control the organ stops. However, the computer will also do double service for the church office.
Two handed – the Great and the Swell manuals!
The remainder of the money will be used to build the organ box, and later the foot pedals! You can hear our test with Praise ye The Lord here! We are opening a special “organ fund” for anyone who would like to give towards this project. We also need organists! We should hopefully have three or four people who would be happy to play at least once a month.
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Meanwhile, this Sunday our readings for the Feast of the Transfiguration are 2 Kings 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, and Mark 9:2-9, and we will be singing the hymns All People that on Earth do Dwell, Transfiguration Hymn, Break Thou the Bread of Life, and Love Divine all Loves Excelling. You can find the readings via this link. Our sermon will be entitled Amazing Jesus!
All Saints' Chiang Mai 