From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai
Dear Friends,
This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday when we remember victims of war throughout the world. War is always a failure – a failure of diplomacy, a failure of negotiations, politics, and statecraft. Sometimes it may seem inevitable but it always means lives lost, health destroyed, the creation of orphans and widows and hope destroyed. That is why Isaiah’s vision of the last days includes the line:
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
That is the Christian hope for the future, a future of peace and justice for all. Our world, right now, is not how we would want it to be, but we have a hope, a hope based in God revealed to us in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Our scripture readings for Remembrance Sunday will be Isaiah 2:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Matthew 25:1-13, and our hymns will be O God our help in Ages Past, Abide with Me, Will Your Anchor Hold, and The Day Thou gavest Lord is Ended!
Last week’s All Saints Day service can be viewed here!
Lots of things are coming up in November and December, so please read below!
November Services
This Sunday we will mark Remembrance Sunday, when we remember those killed in war. We will also join the wider Chiang Mai community on November 11th at the Foreign Cemetery to mark Remembrance Day.
Then on November 22nd we will be joined by people from MPlus and the Young Pride Club to mark the Transgender Day of Remembrance, when we remember the hundreds of Trans people from around the world who were killed in 2020.
Both services signify how we reach out in our concerns to those beyond the walls of All Saints.
The Christmas Season
Advent Sunday
Celebrations for Advent and Christmas begin on 29th November when we will mark Advent Sunday. This will be followed by decorating the church for Christmas and a potluck lunch.
Thammapratheep Christmas Bazaar
We will join with Thammapratheep Church on 5th December from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. for their Christmas Bazaar. There will be Christmas decorations, food, desserts, secondhand items, cards, etc. for sale. Clarice will be selling her jams and chutneys, and the Youth Charity Foundation will be selling their cards.
Festival of Christmas Carols
On Saturday 19th December we will hold our Festival of Christmas Carols at Thammapratheep Church. We will be led by Lannacapella and some of the children from the Youth Charity Foundation.
The service begins at 7 p.m.
Thammapratheep Christmas Eve Service
There will be a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Thammapratheep Church on December 24th beginning at 7.30 pm. It usually lasts for around one and a half hours.
Refreshments will be served after the service for everybody. All Saints people are invited to participate and there will be English translation throughout the service.
Christmas Eve Midnight Mass
On Christmas Eve, Thursday 24th December, we will have our Midnight Mass beginning at 11:30 p.m. This is always a beautiful, peaceful service, and usually attended by a lot of visitors. It is a wonderful way to begin Christmas.
Christmas Day Eucharist
On Christmas Day we will have our Morning Worship at 10 a.m. followed by lunch! Please join us if you can! More information to follow!
All Saints Mission Statement
Last week, Mark Crawford, Chris Tananone, Tarntip Aldis, and I, met to begin developing our Mission Statement. We will meet again next week to develop our Vision Statement. Both processes depend on your feedback – both from the survey which was taken over the last two weeks and from individual conversations.
Chris suggested that our Mission Statement should be based on the words which appear on our bulletins and website: An inclusive, liturgical community for all people!
The three suggestions are:
All Saints is an inclusive, liturgical community for all people!
All Saints is an inclusive, Christ-centred, liturgical community for all people!
All Saints is an inclusive, God-centred, liturgical community for all people!
Which do you prefer? Share your choice with Mark, Chris, Tarntip, or me! We want to decide this together! There is still time to give your feedback.
All Saints’ Wednesday Lunch
The Wednesday Lunch last week
This is a weekly event! Yesterday, a group from All Saints again gathered for lunch! Why not join next week? (You don’t need to be a member of the Gymkhana Club to attend!) We will be meeting at the Gymkhana Club at midday every Wednesday!
My News
My visa application is now in the mail!!!
Please pray that this will be successful. Once I have my visa I can apply for a Certificate of Entry and then I can return!
I hope to be back in January. Until then I am continuing to work for All Saints: maintaining the website and Facebook page, writing the weekly emails, producing the bulletins, posters, and other publicity, choosing the hymns, and working with Mark and the Trustees to keep things going and plan our programmes, and, of course, praying for you all!
I am also helping out at my mum’s church, Carterknowle Methodist, and preaching there three times each month. They have a huge building, but fewer people than All Saints, and would value your prayers too, as they don’t currently have a minister.
The UK has now entered lockdown again, so worship in the UK will be virtual for at least the next four weeks. Please pray for us!
Click here to watch me leading and preaching last Sunday!
So, whether you are worshipping face-to-face or watching online we will all worship God together and give thanks for all of God’s many blessings!
God bless,
Father Iain
All Saints' Chiang Mai 