Monthly Archives: May 2021

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Back in Church!

BACK IN CHURCH AGAIN AT 10 AM

Dear Friends,

It was wonderful to be back in church again last week.  In 2020 we missed both Easter and Pentecost, this year we were able to worship in person in both festivals – although online in between. God is everywhere so why does it matter where we worship?  Well, the message of Christmas is all about Jesus being incarnate, in the flesh.  We are incarnate beings and so it is good for us to be together in person!

Our God is not a lonely God!  That is part of what the Trinity teaches us – that God is in relationship even within God’s self.  The scriptures are the account of God seeking relationship with those heshe has created and we are called to be in deep, strong, relationship with God and with one another.

So.. let us meet together and rejoice!

However, the pandemic is not over, and there are still those amongst us who must for a little while longer continue to self-isolate.  They can join us too on Zoom and we will livestream our service this Sunday.

Use this link to join this Sunday on Zoom at 10 a.m.
Meeting ID: 548 801 501

Last week, we were joined virtually by the All Saints Choristers who sang the Gloria, Sanctus, and during Communion.  We will hear them again this Sunday!

You can watch the recording here!

And you can watch last week’s service here!

Our scripture readings for this Trinity Sunday will be Isaiah 6:1-8, Romans 8:12-17, and John 3:1-17, and we will be singing the hymns Holy Holy Holy, We All Believe in One True God, Mothering God, and Tell Out My Soul!

It’s wonderful that we can again be together in person and share the good news that Christ is risen and that God’s love for us, and the world, never ends!

Last week’s service is available here!

People to Pray for…

Please continue to pray for Bill Moeller and Warren Funnell.  Bill has been diagnosed with liver cancer and is in particular need of our prayers at this time.  Please pass on any messages you have for Bill via Gene or me.
 Also, please pray for those older people in our congregation who are feeling shut-in and isolated as they stay home because of the increase in Covid-19 in Chiang Mai.

Wednesday Lunch – Restarts!

Our weekly lunch at the Gymkhana Club will recommence next week. We will meet at midday on the terrace.  You don’t have to be a member and all are welcome!

 Meeting Time

For seven years All Saints main service was at 11 a.m.  Last August, we began meeting with the doors open due to Covid. The service was then moved to 10 a.m. as it was cooler.   With first the pollution and then the heat, we have retreated back into the air-conditioning, and some people have requested that the service move back to 11 a.m.

What do you think?  Speak to me or a Church Council member!

Weekly Offering to All Saints

You can still donate in person or online.  Thank you for your support and love for All Saints and all we are trying to do together.  God has shown that he is mighty and we are in his hands!

Come Holy Spirit!  Hallelujah!

God bless,

Father Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

BACK IN CHURCH AT 10 AM

Dear Friends,

The first thing to say is that – thanks be to God – we will be back with face-to-face worship in the church at 10 a.m. this Sunday! It will also be Don’s last Sunday so we will share lunch together at Green O’Clock following the service to wish him farewell.

Our 10 a.m. service will also be live on Zoom for those who do not wish to attend in person, and there will be a “hosted viewing” at 6 p.m. for those who wish to join then.

Use this link to join this Sunday at 10 a.m. or watch again at 6 p.m..
Meeting ID: 548 801 501

The All Saints Choristers will be singing for us on video!

The top picture shows the Day of Pentecost, but it is perhaps a surprising image to many of us as it shows Mary in the centre.  “Was Mary even there?” was my first reaction.  How often do we imagine a group of men gathered in that upper room? So I checked the scriptures.  Acts Two begins “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”  But who were they?  We need to look back a chapter to find out!

Acts 1:13 lists the disciples gathered together, and then verse fourteen says “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”  So, not only was Mary present, but so were the other “women” – although even this picture does not show them!

How often is our view of what God is doing shaped by our social conditioning and pre-suppositions?  Let’s keep our minds open to the movement of God’s Spirit!!!  Pentecost is a time of excitement and a time for us to renew our vision of God’s almighty power!

Our scripture readings for this Pentecost Sunday will be Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:22-27, and John 15:26-27, 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!

It’s wonderful that we can again be together in person and share the good news that Christ is risen and that God’s love for us, and the world, never ends!

Last week’s service is available here!

People to Pray for…

Please continue to pray for Bill Moeller and Warren Funnell.  Bill has been diagnosed with liver cancer and is in particular need of our prayers at this time.

Also, please pray for those older people in our congregation who are feeling shut-in and isolated as they stay home because of the increase in Covid-19 in Chiang Mai.

Relief for Burma

Two weeks ago, Katie shared some of the needs of the people displaced by the fighting in Burma.  Many have had to flee their homes with only what they could carry, and are clustered along the border.

You can see that appeal here!

The All Saints Church Council has decided that the church should give THB 10,000 to support this work, and individuals are invited to add to the total themselves.

You can give by bank transfer to

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

The account is in my name but is controlled by our Treasurer, Arthur Mann, and I have no control over it to ensure transparency.  Please email Arthur at arthurmann@mcc.org to ensure your gift is correctly allocated.

You can also donate by PayPal via the All Saints website here!  Again, email Arthur so he knows to allocate the money correctly.

Meeting Time

For seven years All Saints main service was at 11 a.m.  Last August, we began meeting with the doors open due to Covid. The service was then moved to 10 a.m. as it was cooler.   With first the pollution and then the heat, we have retreated back into the air-conditioning, and some people have requested that the service move back to 11 a.m.

What do you think?  Speak to me or a Church Council member!

Weekly Offering to All Saints

You can still donate in person or online.  Thank you for your support and love for All Saints and all we are trying to do together.  God has shown that he is mighty and we are in his hands!

Come Holy Spirit!  Hallelujah!

God bless,

Father Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Ready to lead worship last Sunday

Dear Friends,

Our Sunday Eucharist this week will again be at 6 p.m. Thai time.  (Midday in the UK, 1 p.m. in Europe, and 7 a.m. on the US East Coast.)  Last week, Mark, Gene, and I, were in the church (with Christa who did the technical bit), and readers from around the world took part on Zoom, as did the rest of the congregation.

Use this link to join this Sunday at 6 p.m.
Meeting ID: 548 801 501

This Sunday is Ascension Sunday and Mark will be preaching to us as I lead the worship.

What does the Ascension mean to you?  Anything?  Or is it just an odd passage at the end of the Gospels and the beginning of Acts? The Ascension tells us that Jesus is with us for ever!  He didn’t just rise from the dead but later die again as Lazarus did.  Instead he is both at God’s right hand interceding for us, and with us in the world as we live our daily lives.

This is Good News too!

Our scripture readings for the Ascension Sunday will be Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, and Luke 24:44-53, and we will be singing the hymns Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise, At the Name of Jesus, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, and Christ Be Our Light!

The liturgy can be downloaded here!

Although we can’t be together in person, we still share the good news that Christ is risen and that God’s love for us, and the world, never ends!

Last week’s service is available here!

People to Pray for…

Please continue to pray for Bill Moeller and Warren Funnell.

Also, please pray for those older people in our congregation who are feeling shut-in and isolated as they stay home because of the increase in Covid-19 in Chiang Mai.

Weekly Offering to All Saints

You can still donate online.  Thank you for your support and love for All Saints and all we are trying to do together.  God has shown that he is mighty and we are in his hands!

He is Risen!  Hallelujah!

God bless,

Father Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Some of the worshippers last Sunday!

Dear Friends,

Our Sunday Eucharist this week will be at 6 p.m. Thai time.  (Midday in the UK, 1 p.m. in Europe, and 7 a.m. on the US East Coast.)  This will mean more friends will be able to join us from around the world! Mark, Gene, and I, will be in the church, and readers will take part on Zoom, as will the rest of the congregation.

Although figures are necessarily approximate, the current outbreak in Chiang Mai seems to be declining so we can hope that we will again be able to worship face to face soon.

Email iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com for the Zoom link.

This week we will be focusing on God’s love for us, and the command to love one another.

Our scripture readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter will be Acts 10:44-48, 1 John 5:1-6, and John 15:9-17, and we will be singing the hymns Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, We are One in the Spirit, Brother Sister Let me Serve You, and Love Divine!

The liturgy can be downloaded here!

Although we can’t be together in person, we still share the good news that Christ is risen and that God’s love for us, and the world, never ends!

Last week’s service is available here!

People to Pray for…

Thanks for those who prayed for my mum’s cataract operation on Thursday.  All went well.

Please continue to pray for Bill Moeller and Warren Funnell.

Also, please pray for those older people in our congregation who are feeling shut-in and isolated as they stay home because of the increase in Covid-19 in Chiang Mai.

Weekly Offering to All Saints

You can still donate online.  Thank you for your support and love for All Saints and all we are trying to do together.  God has shown that he is mighty and we are in his hands!

He is Risen!  Hallelujah!

God bless,

Father Iain