Monthly Archives: May 2020

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Pentecost Last Year!

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!
(Remember to update your Zoom –
it only takes a couple of minutes!)

Dear Friends,

When I returned to the U.K. in March I wasn’t really expecting to be still here at Pentecost!  But here we are!  After Pentecost we enter what is called “Ordinary Time” but this year it will be anything but ordinary!

It is perhaps hard to be all fired up and full of the Spirit when we are alone – after all, the disciples were “all together in one place” when the Holy Spirit came!  But we are where we are and God is with us, and think how exciting it will be when we can finally meet together again!

But right now, I am still in England, and in Chiang Mai it is 40°C in the shade.  Worship in person, with masks, no air-conditioning or fans, and no singing either, does not seem attractive!  Not to mention the increased risk of Covid-19 to the more elderly members of our congregation!  So, as agreed by all the All Saints Trustees, for now we will continue as we are – worshipping together from our homes around the world – for he is risen, and the Holy Spirit is coming!

We will virtually meet again this Sunday at 6 p.m. in Thailand, to worship together.  (7 a.m. in New York, midday in the U.K., and 1 p.m. in Europe and Egypt!)

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!

Some of last week’s gathering!

Last week’s service can be viewed here!

Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:3-13, and John 7:37-39, and we will be singing the hymns Come Down O Love Divine, Spirit of God Unseen as the Wind, O Breath of Life Come Sweeping Through Us, and O God of Burning Cleansing Flame!

Our service will consist of our usual Eucharistic worship!  All are welcome to join in the prayers and liturgy, to listen to the readings and sermon, and to receive virtual communion if they feel comfortable.

If you want to receive virtual communion then have a small piece of bread and a small glass of wine or grape juice prepared.

The words of this Sunday’s bulletin is pasted below at the end of this email, or you can download it as a pdf to view or print from this link.

You can then read and join in the liturgy if you wish.

Thursday Discussion Group

We will again meet at 8 p.m. Thai time this Thursday for our discussion group.  This week we will discuss how we show Christian love in the time of Covid-19.  Richard Rohr’s short meditation will be the springboard for our discussion and can be found here!  The link to the Zoom meeting is here!

Weekly Offering to All Saints

Although we are not meeting together face-to-face, the expenses of All Saints remain – indeed, they may increase as we seek to support those in need!

Although there is no basket being passed around in our service, you can still give your offering.  People in Thailand can transfer directly to the church bank account.  (Which is in my name, but managed by our treasurer, Don Williams.)  Thanks to all those who have already given – we are receiving approximately our normal monthly offering!

The details are:

Account Name: Iain Girvin Baxter
Bank: Krungsri Bank
Account Number: 7181-05586-5
SWIFT Code: AYUDTHBK

Those in the UK, or with UK banking, can donate via All Saints Chiang Mai Mission.  Their account details are:

Bank: Coop Bank
Account Name:  All Saints Chiang Mai Mission
Account Number: 65877142
Sort Code:  08-92-99

Alternatively, you can donate with PayPal or with any debit or credit card via the All Saints Website on the Donate Page.

Please email me if you would like a receipt.

Keeping in Touch

At this time of isolation it is important that we keep in touch with each other.  We have an All Saints church directory with a list of many people’s phone numbers, so if you would like a copy please email me, on iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com and I will send it to you.

Please feel free to share this email.  People may be feeling especially alone and vulnerable at this time.  Let them know that we are there for them and that God is with us!

God bless,

Father Iain

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Hymn:   
Come Down, O Love Divine

The Greeting

Grace, mercy and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
….

Responsory

As we wait in silence,                         
fill us with your Spirit.
As we listen to your word,
fill us with your Spirit.
As we worship you in majesty,
fill us with your Spirit.
As we long for your refreshing,
fill us with your Spirit.
As we long for your renewing,
fill us with your Spirit.
As we long for your equipping,
fill us with your Spirit.
As we long for your empowering,
fill us with your Spirit.

Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart.
We have not loved
our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy
forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with you,
our God.
Amen.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles                      
Acts 2:1-21

The Lord is here.
God’s Spirit is with us.

Prayer for Personal Renewal

Be with us, Spirit of God;
nothing can separate us from your love.
Breathe on us, breath of God;
fill us with your saving power.
Speak in us, wisdom of God;             
bring strength, healing, and peace.
Let us bless the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and bless God for ever.

Gloria:
Glory to God

The Collect

Psalm 104

The Second Reading:
1 Corinthians 12:3-13

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful people
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Alleluia.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.

The Gospel Reading:
John 7:37-39

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

The Creed
(From the New Zealand Anglican Prayer Book)

You, O God,
are supreme and holy.
You create our world
and give us life.
Your purpose over-arches
everything we do.
You have always been with us.
You are God.
You, O God,
are infinitely generous,
good beyond all measure.
You came to us
before we came to you.
You have revealed and proved
Your love for us
in Jesus Christ,
Who lived and died and rose again.
You are God.
Amen.

Hymn:
Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind

Prayers of Intercession

Response:     
Lord, come to bless us.
And fill us with your Spirit.

Let the fire of your divine love
descend upon us, O God,
to inspire and heal,
to renew and empower,
that the earth may be filled
with your glory,
and all creation
sing to you in praise,
through Jesus Christ
the Risen One,
in the power of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Peace

The peace of the Lord
be always with you!
And also with you!
Let us offer one another
a sign of peace.

Offering and Preparation of the Table

Hymn:
O Breath of Life,
Come Sweeping Through Us

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord is here.
God’s Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.
It is right to give
thanks and praise.
…. 

Therefore we join our voices with angels and archangels, and with all those in whom the Spirit dwells, to proclaim the glory of your name, for ever praising you and singing:

Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Hosts.
Heaven and earth
are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the Highest.
….

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.
….

The Lord’s Prayer

Being made one by the power of the Spirit,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray:
Our Father in heaven…

Breaking of the Bread

Jesus says, I am the bread of life,
whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
Lord, our hearts hunger for you;
give us this bread always.

Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.

Giving of Communion

Alleluia.
Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast.
Alleluia.

We share in the Body and Blood of Christ

Prayer after Communion

Faithful God,
who fulfilled the promises of Easter
by sending us your Holy Spirit
and opening to every race and nation
the way of life eternal:
open our lips by your Spirit,
that every tongue may tell of your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Hymn:
O God of Burning, Cleansing Flame          

Blessing of Light
….

And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.

Filled with the Spirit’s power,
go in the light and peace of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

(From my mum’s garden yesterday)

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!
(Remember to update your Zoom –
it only takes a couple of minutes!)

Dear Friends,

This week we will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.  This Thursday is Ascension Day, and in place of our weekly discussion I invite us all to watch this video of the service for Ascension Day 2018 from Wakefield Cathedral in the UK.

Wakefield is a northern former mining town, and its cathedral is not Westminster Abbey or Canterbury Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York!  It is a small cathedral with a volunteer choir – and it is good to watch and see what is possible – and good to worship too!

Click here to watch the video!

Life continues at All Saints, though virtually!  Ivan celebrated his 88th birthday on Tuesday, and a group from the Youth Charity Foundation travelled up to the villages to take food bought with our donations.

Food for a family!

The children of the Youth Charity Foundation are part of our community too, and we sent THB 32,000 from church funds and individual donations!

Donations can still be given – see the information below!

We worship a risen and ascended Christ.  That means that Jesus is with us everywhere – just as the Father and the Spirit are with us everywhere – for God is with us!  Jesus wasn’t just a good man and great teacher, he is God among us, still Immanuel!  Join us to celebrate this Sunday!

We will meet again this Sunday at 6 p.m. in Thailand, to worship together.  (7 a.m. in New York, midday in the U.K., and 1 p.m. in Europe and Egypt!)

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!

Last week’s reduced gathering!

If you missed it, and many did due to Zoom failure, last week’s service can be see here.  We will be singing three of the hymns again this week as so many missed singing last Sunday!

Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Daniel 7:9-14, Acts 1:1-11, and Luke 24:44-53, and we will be singing the hymns Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise, Love Divine, O Love that will not Let Me Go, and Christ Be Our Light!

Our service will consist of our usual Eucharistic worship!  All are welcome to join in the prayers and liturgy, to listen to the readings and sermon, and to receive virtual communion if they feel comfortable.

If you want to receive virtual communion then have a small piece of bread and a small glass of wine or grape juice prepared.

The words of this Sunday’s bulletin is pasted below at the end of this email, or you can download it as a pdf to view or print from this link.

You can then read and join in the liturgy if you wish.

Weekly Offering to All Saints

Although we are not meeting together face-to-face, the expenses of All Saints remain – indeed, they may increase as we seek to support those in need!

Although there is no basket being passed around in our service, you can still give your offering.  People in Thailand can transfer directly to the church bank account.  (Which is in my name, but managed by our treasurer, Don Williams.)  Thanks to all those who have already given – we are receiving approximately our normal monthly offering!

The details are:

Account Name: Iain Girvin Baxter
Bank: Krungsri Bank
Account Number: 7181-05586-5
SWIFT Code: AYUDTHBK

Those in the UK, or with UK banking, can donate via All Saints Chiang Mai Mission.  Their account details are:

Bank: Coop Bank
Account Name:  All Saints Chiang Mai Mission
Account Number: 65877142
Sort Code:  08-92-99

Alternatively, you can donate with PayPal or with any debit or credit card via the All Saints Website on the Donate Page.

Please email me if you would like a receipt.

Keeping in Touch

At this time of isolation it is important that we keep in touch with each other.  We have an All Saints church directory with a list of many people’s phone numbers, so if you would like a copy please email me, on iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com and I will send it to you.

Please feel free to share this email.  People may be feeling especially alone and vulnerable at this time.  Let them know that we are there for them and that God is with us!

God bless,

Father Iain

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Hymn:
Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise!

The Greeting

The Lord be with you!
And also with you!

Words of welcome

Christ yesterday and today,
the beginning and the end,

Alpha and Omega,
all time belongs to him, and all ages;
to him be glory and power,
through every age and for ever.
Amen.
….

Lord our God,
we have avoided your call.
Our love for you
is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early.
Have mercy on us;
deliver us from judgement;
bind up our wounds
and revive us;
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gloria – Mass of Gregory the Great

The Collect

The First Reading:
Daniel 7:9-14

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Psalm 47 

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be
World without end, Amen

The Second Reading:
Acts 1:1-11

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Gospel Reading

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Alleluia. 
He has defeated the powers of death.
Alleluia.
Jesus turns our sorrow into dancing.
Alleluia.
He has the words of eternal life.
Alleluia.

Hear the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.

The Gospel Reading:
Luke 24:44-53

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Sermon

The Apostles’ Creed            

I trust in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I trust in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived
by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
to judge the living and the dead.

I trust in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.  

Hymn:
Love Divine

Prayers of Intercession

Response:     
Lord, as you have entrusted us
with your work on earth,
make us worthy of that calling:
In your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Through the ascension
of your son, O God,
you brought Christ to all.
By the power of the Spirit,
raise us to life,
and seat us at the paschal feast,
that we may rejoice
in the gift of salvation
Jesus has won for us.  Amen.

The Peace

Then were they glad
when they saw the Lord.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

The peace of the risen Christ
be always with you
And also with you. Alleluia.

Offering and
Preparation of the Table

Hymn:
O Love that will not let me go

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord is here.
God’s Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.                          
It is right to give
thanks and praise.
….

And so, in the joy of this Passover,
earth and heaven
resound with gladness,
while angels and archangels
and the powers of all creation
sing for ever the hymn of your glory:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth
are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. 
….

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.

The Lord’s Prayer

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven…

Breaking of the Bread

Jesus says, I am the bread of life,
whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
Lord, our hearts hunger for you;
give us this bread always.

Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.

Giving of Communion

Alleluia. Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast.
Alleluia.

We share in the Body and Blood of Christ

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
you have raised our humanity in Christ
and have fed us with the bread of heaven:
mercifully grant that,
nourished with such spiritual blessings,
we may set our hearts
in the heavenly places;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Hymn:
Christ, Be Our Light

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Praise the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has given us new life and hope
by raising Jesus from the dead.

God has claimed us as his own.
He has brought us out of darkness.
He has made us light to the world.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
be among you
and remain with you always.
Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ.  Amen!

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Olive’s View of All Saints!

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!

Dear Friends,

This wonderful picture was drawn by Olive Degler, one of the youngest people at All Saints!  She was asked to draw a picture of her church and this is what she produced!  It shows that we are a worshiping community – centred on the Eucharist – although I’m not sure whose dog that is!  I am told the man sleeping on the left-hand side is Mark Crawford!!!

How do you see All Saints?  Last week we sang the hymn The Church’s One Foundation, that clearly states that the church’s foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.  In our Gospel reading this Sunday Jesus promises to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit. We worship a God with community at the centre of God’s being.

The children of the Youth Charity Foundation are part of our community too, and it is great that we have been able to send them over THB 30,000 from church funds and individual donations to help some of their families.

This video shows what they have bought. 

Donations can still be given – see the information below!

We will meet again this Sunday at 6 p.m. in Thailand, to worship together.  (7 a.m. in New York, midday in the U.K., and 1 p.m. in Europe and Egypt!)

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!

If you missed it, last week’s service can be see here.

Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Genesis 9:8-17, Acts 17:22-31, and John 14:15-21, and we will be singing the hymns Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty, Love Divine, O Love that will not Let Me Go, and Christ Be Our Light!

Our service will consist of our usual Eucharistic worship!  All are welcome to join in the prayers and liturgy, to listen to the readings and sermon, and to receive virtual communion if they feel comfortable.

If you want to receive virtual communion then have a small piece of bread and a small glass of wine or grape juice prepared.

The words of this Sunday’s bulletin is pasted below at the end of this email, or you can download it as a pdf to view or print from this link.

You can then read and join in the liturgy if you wish.

Caring for All – YCF Families

Most of the children at the Youth Charity Foundation come from poor hill-tribe villages.  Some are orphans, and others have families who are too poor or unable to care for them.

At this time of crisis, many of the children’s families are in severe financial difficulty.  Many make a small income by selling their produce in local markets, but now this is totally impossible and they are destitute.

We asked Khun Tasnee at YCF how we can help.  They have proposed that they journey to some of the children’s villages to provide food parcels for some of the families.  They have identified ten families who are especially in need and we will provide a food parcel worth THB 3,000 to each family.

YCF Kids in our Sunday Service

Some of the younger YCF girls

Older YCF girls preparing food

We will provide money for this project directly from church funds, as we commit to give 10% of our yearly surplus away, but any extra donations will mean we can do more and perhaps help on an ongoing basis.

Please give if you can!  You can use any of the methods detailed below and email me to say it is for the YCF Families.

You can read details of the individual families we are planning to help by clicking here.

Weekly Discussion Group

We will continue our discussion group this Thursday at 8 p.m.  Just click on this link to join.  The meeting ID is 829-4307-6518.  Today we will be discussing the ideas in Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation for the 6th May, A Community for All, which can be read here.  He writes of what a Christian community should really be like.  All are welcome to join – it is a chance just to be together!

Weekly Offering to All Saints

Although we are not meeting together face-to-face, the expenses of All Saints remain – indeed, they may increase as we seek to support those in need!

Although there is no basket being passed around in our service, you can still give your offering.  People in Thailand can transfer directly to the church bank account.  (Which is in my name, but managed by our treasurer, Don Williams.)  Thanks to all those who have already given – we are receiving approximately our normal monthly offering!

The details are:

Account Name: Iain Girvin Baxter
Bank: Krungsri Bank
Account Number: 7181-05586-5
SWIFT Code: AYUDTHBK

Those in the UK, or with UK banking, can donate via All Saints Chiang Mai Mission.  Their account details are:

Bank: Coop Bank
Account Name:  All Saints Chiang Mai Mission
Account Number: 65877142
Sort Code:  08-92-99

Alternatively, you can donate with PayPal or with any debit or credit card via the All Saints Website on the Donate Page.

Please email me if you would like a receipt.

Keeping in Touch

At this time of isolation it is important that we keep in touch with each other.  We have an All Saints church directory with a list of many people’s phone numbers, so if you would like a copy please email me, on iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com and I will send it to you.

Please feel free to share this email.  People may be feeling especially alone and vulnerable at this time.  Let them know that we are there for them and that God is with us!

God bless,

Father Iain

            .
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

The Greeting

The Lord be with you!
And also with you!

Words of welcome

Christ yesterday and today,
the beginning and the end,

Alpha and Omega,
all time belongs to him, and all ages;
to him be glory and power,
through every age and for ever.
Amen.
….

Lord our God,
we have avoided your call.
Our love for you
is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early.
Have mercy on us;
deliver us from judgement;
bind up our wounds
and revive us;
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gloria – Mass of Gregory the Great

The Collect

The First Reading:
Genesis 9:8-17

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Psalm 66

Bless our God, O you peoples;
make the voice
of his praise to be heard
Who holds our souls in life
and suffers not our feet to slip.
For you, O God, have proved us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.

Come and listen,
all you who fear God,
and I will tell you
what he has done for my soul.

I called out to him with my mouth
and his praise was on my tongue.
If I had nursed evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have heard me,
But in truth God has heard me;
he has heeded
the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
who has not rejected my prayer,
nor withheld
his loving mercy from me.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be
World without end, Amen

The Second Reading:
Acts 17:22-31

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Gospel Reading

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Alleluia. 
He has defeated the powers of death.
Alleluia.
Jesus turns our sorrow into dancing.
Alleluia.
He has the words of eternal life.
Alleluia.

Hear the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.

The Gospel Reading:
John 14:15-21

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Sermon

The Apostles’ Creed            

I trust in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I trust in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived
by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
to judge the living and the dead.

I trust in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.  

Hymn:
Love Divine

Prayers of Intercession

Response:     
Lord, it is in you we live
and move and have our being:
In your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Through the resurrection
of your son, O God,
you destroy the power of death.
By the power of the Spirit,
raise us to life,
and seat us at the paschal feast,
that we may rejoice
in the gift of salvation
Jesus has won for us.  Amen.

The Peace

Then were they glad
when they saw the Lord.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

The peace of the risen Christ
be always with you
And also with you. Alleluia.

Offering and
Preparation of the Table

Hymn:
O Love that will not let me go

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord is here.
God’s Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.                          
It is right to give
thanks and praise.
….

And so, in the joy of this Passover,
earth and heaven
resound with gladness,
while angels and archangels
and the powers of all creation
sing for ever the hymn of your glory:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth
are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. 
….

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.

The Lord’s Prayer

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven…

Breaking of the Bread

Jesus says, I am the bread of life,
whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
Lord, our hearts hunger for you;
give us this bread always.

Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.

Giving of Communion

Alleluia. Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast.
Alleluia.

We share in the Body and Blood of Christ

Prayer after Communion

God of Life,
who for our redemption
gave your only-begotten Son
to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
have delivered us
from the power of our enemy:
grant us so to die daily to sin,
that we may evermore
live with him
in the joy of his risen life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.

Hymn:
Christ, Be Our Light

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Praise the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has given us new life and hope
by raising Jesus from the dead.

God has claimed us as his own.
He has brought us out of darkness.
He has made us light to the world.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
be among you
and remain with you always.
Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ.  Amen!

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Kids of The Youth Charity Foundation

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!

Dear Friends,

Our Old Testament reading this week is from Genesis chapter eight and tells of the escape from lock-down of Noah and his family.  We haven’t been confined in an ark for seven months, but we have been severely constrained in our movements.

On Tuesday I drove the 40 miles to my house in Manchester, through the stunning scenery of the Peak District National Park.  It was great to get out of the city – and a reminder of what we are missing.

Part of my route to Manchester!

As restrictions ease, we will be looking on Sunday at what this means to us as Christians.

Meanwhile we have opportunity to help those in need via the Youth Charity Foundation, and you can read about that in Caring for All – YCF Families below!  Please give generously!

We will meet again this Sunday at 6 p.m. in Thailand, to worship together.  (7 a.m. in New York, midday in the U.K., and 1 p.m. in Europe and Egypt!)

Click here to join the Service this Sunday!

If you missed it, last week’s service can be see here.

Some of last week’s congregation!

Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Genesis 8:1-19, Acts 7:55-60, and John 14:1-14, and we will be singing the hymns All Creatures of our God and King, Blessed Assurance, Amazing Grace, and The Church’s One Foundation.

Our service will consist of our usual Eucharistic worship!  All are welcome to join in the prayers and liturgy, to listen to the readings and sermon, and to receive virtual communion if they feel comfortable.

If you want to receive virtual communion then have a small piece of bread and a small glass of wine or grape juice prepared.

The words of this Sunday’s bulletin is pasted below at the end of this email, or you can download it as a pdf to view or print from this link.

You can then read and join in the liturgy if you wish.

Caring for All – YCF Families

Most of the children at the Youth Charity Foundation come from poor hill-tribe villages.  Some are orphans, and others have families who are too poor or unable to care for them.

At this time of crisis, many of the children’s families are in severe financial difficulty.  Many make a small income by selling their produce in local markets, but now this is totally impossible and they are destitute.

We asked Khun Tasnee at YCF how we can help.  They have proposed that they journey to some of the children’s villages to provide food parcels for some of the families.  They have identified ten families who are especially in need.

YCF Kids in our Sunday Service

Bill Moeller writes:

These are the families YCF has identified as most needing assistance due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.  I recommend we provide these families with food assistance of Baht 1,000 each.  YCF staff will shop and put together the packages and make the deliveries. It will require a 3 day trip to each area.  The families are spread out.

K. Tasnee asked if we could pay for the fuel cost for the YCF vehicle. This will be a commitment to All Saints of 10,000 baht and fuel cost of approximately Baht 1,500.  I think it would be appropriate to give our congregation an opportunity to make a separate donation for this project if they would like too.

The YCF staff also came up with suggestions for a more permanent plan to relieve the poverty of some of the families.  We can discuss these at another time. I think they would be attractive projects for the congregation and the YCF to work together on.

Some of the younger YCF girls

Bill followed up:

I met again today with K. Tasnee.  We discussed the timing of the first delivery.  They will go next Wednesday to Chiang Rai. They will check to see if they need any special permission to travel.  We also discussed the difficulty of the journey to reach the recipients and decided that 1,000 Baht worth of food is too small for the difficulty and effort involved.   A Baht 1500. pack of groceries would be better.

I think with the church’s 10,000 baht plus some extra donations we can reach Baht 15,000. + 2,000 for fuel.   The optimal desired amount per family would be Baht 3000.  We settled on 1,500 as a doable amount with the hope we can generate some additional funds through special donations.  The optimal amount would be 30,000. + 2,000. for fuel.

Older YCF girls preparing food

We will provide money for this project directly from church funds, as we commit to give 10% of our yearly surplus away, but any extra donations will mean we can do more and perhaps help on an ongoing basis.

Please give if you can!  You can use any of the methods detailed below and email me to say it is for the YCF Families.

You can read details of the individual families we are planning to help by clicking here.

Weekly Discussion Group

We will continue our discussion group on Thursday at 8 p.m.  Just click on this link to join.  The meeting ID is 829-4307-6518.

This week we will be discussing the ideas in Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation for the 5th May which can be read here.  He writes of God showing us how to be a community.  All are welcome to join – it is a chance just to be together!

Weekly Offering to All Saints

Although we are not meeting together face-to-face, the expenses of All Saints remain – indeed, they may increase as we seek to support those in need!

Although there is no basket being passed around in our service, you can still give your offering.  People in Thailand can transfer directly to the church bank account.  (Which is in my name, but managed by our treasurer, Don Williams.)  Thanks to all those who have already given – we are receiving approximately our normal monthly offering!

The details are:

Account Name: Iain Girvin Baxter
Bank: Krungsri Bank
Account Number: 7181-05586-5
SWIFT Code: AYUDTHBK

Those in the UK, or with UK banking, can donate via All Saints Chiang Mai Mission.  Their account details are:

Bank: Coop Bank
Account Name:  All Saints Chiang Mai Mission
Account Number: 65877142
Sort Code:  08-92-99

Alternatively, you can donate with PayPal or with any debit or credit card via the All Saints Website on the Donate Page.

Please email Don on dbjkwms@gmail.com  if you would like a receipt.

Keeping in Touch

At this time of isolation it is important that we keep in touch with each other.  We have an All Saints church directory with a list of many people’s phone numbers, so if you would like a copy please email me, on iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com and I will send it to you.

Please feel free to share this email.  People may be feeling especially alone and vulnerable at this time.  Let them know that we are there for them and that God is with us!

God bless,

Father Iain

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Hymn:
All Creatures of our God and King

The Greeting

The Lord be with you!
And also with you!

Words of welcome

Christ yesterday and today,
the beginning and the end,

Alpha and Omega,
all time belongs to him, and all ages;
to him be glory and power,
through every age and for ever.
Amen.
….

Lord our God,
we have avoided your call.
Our love for you
is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early.
Have mercy on us;
deliver us from judgement;
bind up our wounds
and revive us;
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gloria – Mass of Gregory the Great

The Collect

The First Reading: Genesis 8:1-19

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Psalm 31

In you, O Lord,
have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

Incline your ear to me;
make haste to deliver me.
Be my strong rock,
a fortress to save me,
for you are my rock
and my stronghold;
guide me, and lead me
for your name’s sake.

Take me out of the net
that they have laid
secretly for me,
for you are my strength.

Into your hands
I commend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me,
O Lord God of truth.

‘My times are in your hand;
deliver me
from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
‘Make your face to shine
upon your servant,
and save me
for your mercy’s sake.’

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be
World without end, Amen

The Second Reading:
Acts 7:55-60

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Gospel Reading

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Alleluia. 
He has defeated the powers of death.
Alleluia.
Jesus turns our sorrow into dancing.
Alleluia.
He has the words of eternal life.
Alleluia.

Hear the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.

The Gospel Reading:
John 14:1-14

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Alleluia, Alleluia,
give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
give praise to his name!

Sermon

The Apostles’ Creed            

I trust in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I trust in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived
by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
to judge the living and the dead.

I trust in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.  

Hymn:
Blessed Assurance

Prayers of Intercession

Response:     
Lord, deepen our trust
in your loving purposes for us all:
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Through the resurrection
of your son, O God,
you destroy the power of death.
By the power of the Spirit,
raise us to life,
and seat us at the paschal feast,
that we may rejoice
in the gift of salvation
Jesus has won for us.  Amen.

The Peace

Then were they glad
when they saw the Lord.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

The peace of the risen Christ
be always with you
And also with you. Alleluia.

Offering and
Preparation of the Table

Hymn:
Amazing Grace

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord is here.
God’s Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.
It is right to give
thanks and praise.
….

And so, in the joy of this Passover,
earth and heaven
resound with gladness,
while angels and archangels
and the powers of all creation
sing for ever the hymn of your glory:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth
are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. 
….

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.

The Lord’s Prayer

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven…

Breaking of the Bread

Jesus says, I am the bread of life,
whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
Lord, our hearts hunger for you;
give us this bread always.

Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.

Giving of Communion

Alleluia. Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast.
Alleluia.

We share in the Body and Blood of Christ

Prayer after Communion

Eternal God,
whose Son Jesus Christ
is the way, the truth, and the life:
grant us to walk in his way,
to rejoice in his truth,
and to share his risen life;
who is alive and reigns,
now and for ever.
Amen.

Hymn:
The Church’s One Foundation

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Praise the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has given us new life and hope
by raising Jesus from the dead.

God has claimed us as his own.
He has brought us out of darkness.
He has made us light to the world.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
be among you
and remain with you always.
Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ.  Amen!