From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Philip baptises the Ethiopian Eunuch
Dear Friends,
As is true of almost all biblical figures, we don’t know what the Ethiopian Eunuch looked like. He encountered the Apostle Philip on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza and, after a short introduction to the Christian faith, was baptised.
The reason the story is included in the Book of Acts is that he was an outsider, a non-Jew, an African, and the type of person that would have been excluded from Temple worship even if he had been Jewish. Curiously, a large number of classical works of art depicting the encounter show him with a beard – probably the one characteristic we know he would not have had!
At All Saints, we love to proclaim that all are welcome, but is that true? If it’s not, how can we make more people feel that they too belong, and have a place in God’s house?
Our readings this Sunday will be Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, and John 15:1-8, and we will be singing the hymns O worship the King, Stand up stand up for Jesus, Lord I want to be a Christian, and Let us Build a House! The readings can be found via this link!
Building and Moving
All Saints has been in its current building for four years and we need to redecorate as things are starting to look tired!
Also, in that time our congregation has grown from an average of ten to an average of thirty on a Sunday morning and we are starting to need more space! One possibility is to include the church office as part of our sanctuary so that we can add thirty more chairs. We would then convert the outside storage area into a new office! But, that would be a temporary solution which would keep is going for a couple more years.
However, in the long term, we will need somewhere bigger. Before we start spending money on our existing building, we need to look around and see what else is available out there! Do you know a great building, or a great plot of land, that is just waiting for All Saints? Keep your eyes open and let us know!
Prayer and Thanksgiving!
Christine Hall writes from Washington DC:
Total knee replacement went well and I’m in my beautiful and spacious private room. Thank you to everyone for the messages, encouraging words, and prayers. I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and support from friends in my old and new
homes.
Please continue to hold Christine in your prayers!
David Burdoin is also in need of your prayers. He went to the hospital for a check-up on Tuesday and there is a possibility he has leukemia. Please hold him and Shem in your prayers at this worrying time!
Past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!
If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.
Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.
All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives! We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshiping with us,
God bless, and Happy Easter,
Iain