From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai
Whose land is it anyway?
Dear Friends,
I recently heard of a conversation between a foreigner and a Thai. The foreigner was complaining that it was ridiculous that they couldn’t buy a house in Thailand. The Thai responded that the clue is in the name: “It’s called Thailand,” she said, “not Foreignland. Land can only belong to Thais!”
Psalm 24 says “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” The earth is Godsland, God’s kingdom! That is the message of our Old Testament and Gospel readings this week. The Kingdom of God was being usurped by its existing tenants, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they even rejected the authority of the Son of the Kingdom!
Do we really let God have God’s way in the world? Do we ask, in every situation from migration to climate change, to how we treat our neighbour, what would Jesus do? This is the challenge of the Christian life!
The readings for this Sunday will be from Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 3:4-14, and Matthew 21:33-46, and we will be singing the hymns Morning has Broken; Beauty for Brokenness; O Lord, the Clouds are Gathering; and To God be the Glory!
Use this link to join on Zoom this Sunday at 10:30 am
Meeting ID: 548 801 501
Last Week’s Sermon
Last week’s sermon, “By Whose Authority?”, is available here!
Baptisms and Confirmations
Do you want to be baptised or confirmed? We plan to offer the opportunity at our All Saints Day Celebration on Sunday 5th November! (This has moved from the previous week so some baptismal candidates can attend.)
If you are interested, let me know as soon as possible so we can start preparation classes!
What do I do?
At Chili Night on Tuesday
Someone asked me what I did with my time apart from the hour in church on Sunday. Well, here’s an outline of my week:
Monday is my day off and I try to avoid church work for the day. I usually manage to do so, apart from the occasional urgent email or phone call.
Tuesday is Chili Night, but first I begin planning for the next Sunday and tidying up from the last.
My day usually begins with two or three hours producing the weekly bulletin, adding the bible readings, and choosing the hymns. There is a Worship Leaders version, and a shorter Congregational version. The shorter edition is not just to save paper but also to ensure that people look up and listen, rather than look down and read everything. There is also a sheet for the Prayers of Intercession to be compiled, and I need to produce the music edition with the sheet music for our organist and those who want to sing parts. Sometimes there needs to be separate choral and organ copies.
Producing the Bulletins
Perhaps you are thinking that it would save time, and paper, to use hymn books and service books, but we choose our hymns from a large variety of sources – UK, US, and other – and we shape our liturgy to fit our particular context. Juggling books and page numbers can also be a barrier to children and non-native English speakers. (Plus our chairs have nowhere to put books!)
If I am preaching the following Sunday, I then begin to think about my sermon.
My next task is usually editing the video from the previous Sunday. If I am just including the sermon, then this can be done, including downloading video and audio files, editing, uploading to YouTube, and updating Facebook and the website, in around a couple of hours. However, if I want to include the whole service, as I did for the Harvest Festival, the editing alone can take six hours!
Harvest Edit
I often ask myself if the videos are worth the effort, but for some people they are their only connection with the church, and often new people come to All Saints after looking at the website and watching a few sermons and services.
Then, it being Tuesday, I begin getting things ready for Chili Night. Mum starts cooking in the morning and Paddy arrives at 3 p.m. to help. At about the same time I will begin setting up the tables and getting out the plates, dishes, and cutlery, etc. (If they haven’t got a class, the Maejo students arrive around 4 p.m. and help with this task!)
The Maejo Crew!
Chili Night itself begins at 6 p.m. and most people leave by eight! Glyn is a great help with washing up and the “Maejo Crew” help to tidy away!
I was going to outline my week – but Tuesday seems long enough so I’ll write more next week!
Planetarium Visit – Next Friday!
On Friday 13th October we plan to visit the planetarium located at the NARIT Astropark Observatory. We meet at 10.30am, tickets cost 30B/child and 50B/adult. The show is in English, starts at 11am and lasts 1 hour.
Directions to the NARIT Astropark Observatory can be found here!
Speak to Sandra to reserve seats. Many thanks for organising this event, Sandra!
Church Pool Day
The Centre of the Universe Pool
On Saturday 14th October, we will go to the Centre of the Universe Pool for the day. The cost to use the pool is THB 100 per person. Meet at the pool at midday.
We will buy lunch at the pool where most dishes are around THB 100. Later we will share a barbecue at the vicarage, which is nearby.
There will be a sign-up sheet at church this Sunday. Paddy and Adam are sorting the food for the barbecue and we will divide the cost between those attending.
Directions to the Centre of the Universe can be found here!
All Saints Foundation Banking
This is still ongoing – it is proving very complex, and we may try a different bank! Thanks again to Khun Tasnee and Khun Knot from YCF for all their hard work!
Events for your Diary
October 13th
Planetarium Visit
October 14th
Church Pool Day
November 5th
All Saints Day Celebration and Potluck
November 12th
Remembrance Sunday
November 19th
Transgender Day of Remembrance Service
December 3rd
Advent Sunday
December 9th
Festival of Christmas Carols
Chili Night continues!
Some of the group this week!
Chili Night continues at the usual time of 6 p.m. Come and join us at the vicarage as we share chili followed by ice cream!
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!
God bless,
Father Iain
All Saints' Chiang Mai 