From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai
Dear Friends,
We have almost reached the Easter Season! This Sunday is Palm Sunday. Last year there were no face-to-face Easter services due to Covid, and I was stranded in the UK.
This year, to make up for last, we will have three All Saints services, on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.
I will be preaching on Palm Sunday, Father Rick Saint will be preaching on Good Friday, and Bishop Ron Langham will be preaching on Easter Sunday. It should be a blessed and exciting time!
We will also have our new choir singing for the first time this Sunday. Eighteen children from YCF have joined our choir and they are divided into two teams. Team One, consisting of nine children, will be singing on Palm Sunday this week, and Team Two, consisting of another nine, will be singing on Easter Sunday.
Four Choir Members
On Wednesday, Ratcha and I bought the “choir robes” for the children. They will consist of red T-shirts and shorts with a white surplice over the top. The surplices will have to wait, though, so for Palm Sunday and Easter they will be all in red!
Our scripture readings this week will be Mark 11:1-11, Philippians 2:5-11, and Mark 14:1-9, and we will be singing the hymns Hosanna Hosanna Hosanna in the Highest, All Glory Laud and Honour, Hosanna Loud Hosanna, Brother Sister Let me Serve You, and RideOn! Ride On in Majesty!
Video of last week’s service can soon be viewed via the Audio-Visual page of the church website!
Easter Services
Palm Sunday Service 28th March 10 am
– including parading of the palms
and our new children’s choir
Maundy Thursday Service 1st April 7 pm
– including foot washing ceremony
Good Friday Service 2nd April 7 pm
– a solemn Tenabrae service
Holy Saturday Ordination Service 3rd April 7pm
(This is not an official All Saints event, but it will be held in our building and all are welcome to attend.)
Easter Sunday Service 4th April 10 am
again with our new choir
– followed by potluck and Easter Egg hunt
Easter Ordinations – Saturday 3rd April
All Saints is a part of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, but in terms of denominational allegiance we stand alone. But we do embrace the traditional three-fold order of ministry, of bishop, priest, and deacon, and hither-to we have had the latter two present.
The bishop is the primary leader of a church in a local area. In the UK there are around a hundred Anglican churches for every bishop, in Hong Kong, there are ten churches for each bishop, in the Province of Alexandria, there are just a handful. It doesn’t really matter how many churches there are in an area, there should be a bishop to cover that region.
At All Saints, we will just have one bishop for one church.
Archbishop Ronald Langham, of the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Australia, has kindly agreed to ordain me as a bishop for All Saints and Chiang Mai. He will also ordain Pastor Mark Crawford as a priest. He will be here from Maundy Thursday until Easter Monday. This is not an official All Saints event, but Bishop Ron will be using our building.
What changes will you notice at All Saints? On the surface perhaps nothing, but it does mean that Mark will be able to consecrate the elements himself at the Eucharist, and I can offer future ordinations and confirmations. And equally importantly, we are now properly organised! Mark will still be known as Pastor Mark, or just Mark, and I will still be known as Father Iain, or just Iain.
We will not have an on-going formal relationship with the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Australia, but I hope we will remain good friends!
YCF Vacation
Each year the Youth Charity Foundation takes most of the children away on vacation. This year they will be going to the Cha’Am Christian Mission Home. It will be a great break for them by the sea.
Each child needs about THB 5,000 to cover the cost of the trip. They will be away for eight nights.
Budget for one person
1. Food 80 baht x 27 meals = 2160 baht
2. Accommodation 130 baht x 8 nights = 1040 baht
3. Travel = 500 baht
4. Health insurance = 500 baht
5. Snack and pocket money = 300 baht
6. Other = 500 baht.
Total = 5000 baht.
If you could sponsor a child, please contact me or our new treasurer, Arthur Mann
The trip will be from 1st – 8th May.
Any Old Phone?
Do you have an old smart phone that you no longer use? Maybe the camera is broken or the battery has gone bad. We need one for use in the church office so that we can have the church banking app on a dedicated phone which is kept in the safe. We could also use another phone for recording our services!
Let me know if you have one!
Wednesday Lunch
No lunch until after Easter – everyone is away!
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate online, or place your money in the basket during the service.
Thank you for your support and love for All Saints and all we are trying to do together.
God bless,
Father Iain
All Saints' Chiang Mai 