From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai
The torrents of Water in the recent floods!
Worship at the Vicarage again this Sunday!
(My church email is not working! Please use iainbaxter.mail@gmail.com to contact me!)
Dear Friends,
We are all exhausted. Some of us are still recovering from the inundation of our homes, while others are burnt-out from helping friends and neighbours, or cleaning the church of its coating of polluted mud!
We are looking forward to the future and now hope to be back in church by Sunday 27th October. Meanwhile, we will once again gather for worship at the vicarage this week, where our Deacon Christa Crawford will preach on on wrestling with the goodness of God when one’s reality is a storm.
The good news is that our Choir Intensive for the children of the Youth Charity Foundation will go ahead next week! I had thought we would have to cancel, but Kaew and Peter have stepped up to shoulder the burden and make sure it happens! Life goes on – even after the flood!
We all need to get some rest, but God is good! Quite a few people have already donated to cover the cost of a new chair and, if you intend to, then please donate as soon as possible so we can order new furniture and get back to where we were – or indeed, move forward!
The readings for this Sunday will be from Job 38.1–7, 34-41, Hebrews 5:1-10, and Mark 10:35-45, and we will be singing the hymns God, Whose Almighty Word; Still; From Heaven You Came; and Now Thank We All Our God!
Use this link to join on Zoom on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Meeting ID: 548 801 501
Video of Last Sunday’s Service!
Video of last Sunday’s service at the vicarage will soon be available on the All Saints YouTube channel!
Choir Intensive
The Choir Intensive in 2022
This will now take place at the Youth Charity Foundation from Wednesday to Friday next week. Many thanks to Kaew, Peter, Keith, and Claudine, for making this possible. Keith is a choir director from the UK who has travelled to Thailand to lead the three-day workshop.
We had originally planned to hold the event at the vicarage and I had thought we would have to cancel as so many people are still in flood-recovery mode, but Kaew and Peter said they, along with Keith and Claudine, would make sure it could go ahead. Paddy will also be involved in welcoming Keith to Chiang Mai!
The children will be singing for us when we return to our building on Sunday 27th October!
All Saints Flood Appeal
The Church as we found it on the morning of Monday 9th October!
Last week, All Saints was a meter deep in flood water overturning the chairs and the fridge, and destroying everything not made from solid wood, metal, or plastic. The altar and lectern have survived, but all the office and kitchen cupboards, the wardrobe for our vestments, and the chairs, fridge, and microwave, have been condemned. We tried to clean the chairs but, even though we may have been able to make them look OK, the foam cushions would be breeding grounds for mold and bacteria and we have been told they must be disposed of. Happily, we have been able to wash our vestments and hangings and most have survived!
A great team have worked hard to clean and clear the church but almost everything will have to be thrown away!
We now need your help! We have to buy 50 new chairs at a cost of THB 790 (£20/$25) each. The total cost is therefore around THB 40,000 (£1,000/$1,500).
We would like you to buy one chair! (or more if you feel able!)
The proposed new chair!
If you have a Thai bank account you can transfer THB 790 (or an amount of your choosing) by scanning the QR code.
The payment is into the old church account which is in my name, but I do not have access to this account. The account can only be accessed with the authorization of two Church Council members and is fully secure.
Alternatively you can transfer money directly to the All Saints Foundation Bank Account as follows:
Bank: Kasikorn Bank
Account Name: All Saints Foundation
Account Number: 170-3-79007-7
SWIFT code: KASITHBK
Or if you are in the UK you can send your donation via the All Saints Chiang Mai Mission account:
Bank: The Coop Bank
Name: All Saints Chiang Mai Mission
Sort Code: 089299
Account Number: 65877142
You can also donate using your debit/credit card via my UK PayPal Account! (But this incurs higher charges!)
Donate by PayPal to the IainBaxterMinistry UK account.
Donate via PayPal here!
We have already been given a great second-hand fridge, but we will need to spend at least another THB 40,000 (£1,000/$1,500) replacing the lost cupboards, and yet more for a new sound system, so any extra “chair money” will be used to buy other things we need.
We are eager to resume worship at All Saints, but in the meantime we are worshipping in the vicarage!
Of course, there are many people who have lost so much in our community, but if we were to give away every penny we have or raise, it would not begin to meet the needs and we would be unable to function. I keep getting messages from Alcoholics Anonymous asking when they can use the building again and we are hoping that we can start an English Program in January, so our building is of use to the wider community too.
Please give what you can, and thank you for your kind generosity.
All Saints Book Group
Will not be meeting this week.
Chili Night Continues!
Chili Night next Tuesday
Every Tuesday everyone in Chiang Mai is invited to Chili Night in the Vicarage. Chili con Carne, rice, chips, ice-cream, and drinks are provided. Just come along! (But let me know in advance if you can!) All are welcome. Food is served at 6 p.m.
Please make a donation on THB 100 per person!
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can us our QR code!. 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 you,
Father Iain
All Saints' Chiang Mai 