Category Archives: Uncategorized

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

A child alone!

Dear Friends,

The world is being rocked by images of children separated from their parents on the US/Mexican border.  Whoever is responsible, and whatever the cause, few disagree that this must stop.  Christian leaders from across the political and theological spectrum have spoken out!

We at All Saints are far away and we may ask what can we do?  Well we can pray, and we can write, and we can remember all the children in our world who suffer from loss of parents, war, famine, abuse, and all the other scourges of the world.  And we can keep on working to make the world a better place.  We will be praying this Sunday!

Our scripture readings this week will be Job 38:1-11, 2 Corinthians 5:6-17, and Mark 4:35-41, and we will be singing the hymns Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun, A Mighty Fortress, When Jesus Went to Egypt, and All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!  The third hymn focuses on the plight of those children held in detention facilities.  The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

Serving the World

Some people have rightly asked what we are doing at All Saints to be of service to those around us.  Well, we are doing a lot.  The people of All Saints are working or volunteering in more than half a dozen NGOs and charities, including relief organisations, orphanages, groups working with old people and with children, combating human trafficking, advancing human rights, and others.  There are many opportunities if you would like to get involved.

I would like to make a list of all the organisations with which we are involved.  Please let me know any groups that you are involved with and I will make a list which we can put on our website.  We won’t list the names of those working with each group, but just the organisations!

All Saints Hymnal

I am currently compiling the All Saints Hymnal.  If you have any favourite hymns you would like us to include, please email me at  iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com.  A few people have responded, but keep the ideas coming!  You can view our current list of music and details of when we have sung each hymn here!

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.  All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

God’s wonderful Creation!

Dear Friends,

After a week of rain, it’s wonderful when the sun comes out!  But it is the rain which makes Thailand such a green and beautiful country.  God has created a wonderful world for us to live in.  We need to be a thankful people!  Join us as we give thanks at All Saints this week!

Our readings this week will be Ezekiel 17:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17, and Mark 4:26-34, and we will be singing the hymns All Creatures of our God and King, For the Fruit of All Creation, We Plow the Fields and Scatter, and How Great Thou Art!

The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

All Saints Hymnal

I am currently compiling the All Saints Hymnal.  If you have any favourite hymns you would like us to include, please email me at  iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com.  A few people have responded, but keep the ideas coming!  You can view our current list of music and details of when we have sung each hymn here!

Memorial for David Burdoin

It has been suggested that it would be good to commission a new altar in memory of David.  He was one of our church trustees and the Eucharist was deeply meaningful to him.   Our current altar is only an ordinary metal-legged table.  We would like something made of wood which could bear a plaque in David’s memory.  We could have something beautiful carved here in Chiang Mai!  Please see Richard our treasurer.  We have collected THB 4,050 so far.

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Is lying always wrong?

Dear Friends,

This week’s readings look at lying!  First we see Adam and Eve lying in the Garden of Eden, and then we see Jesus being accused of being crazy and demon-possessed and talking about “blaspheming the Holy Spirit”!  What’s it all about?

Our readings this week will be Genesis 3:8-15, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1, and Mark 3:20-35, and we will be singing the hymns Now Thank We All Our God, Open My Eyes that I may See, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart,and Great is Thy Faithfulness.  The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

All Saints Hymnal

I am currently compiling the All Saints Hymnal.  If you have any favourite hymns you would like us to include, please email me at  iain@AllSaintsChiangMai.com.  You can view our current list of music and details of when we have sung each hymn here!

Trustees Meeting

The All Saints Trustees will be meeting on Thursday 7th June at 6pm.  We have lots of important things to discuss including ideas for our building.  I hope to be able to give more details to everyone in the coming weeks.

Memorial for David Burdoin

It has been suggested that it would be good to commission a new altar in memory of David.  He was one of our church trustees and the Eucharist was deeply meaningful to him.  Our current altar is only an ordinary metal-legged table.  We would like something made of wood which could bear a plaque in David’s memory.  We could have something beautiful carved here in Chiang Mai!  Please see Richard our treasurer.  We have collected THB 4,050 so far.

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

How strong is your foundation?

Dear Friends,

This week’s Gospel reading contains the famous passage about the wise man building his house upon the rock, and the foolish man building his house upon the sand!  The important thing is the foundation – a part of the building which is usually not seen.  Metaphorically, we can apply this to our lives: what is our foundation?  Jesus said that if we hear is words and act on them, then we are building a strong foundation for our lives!  This will be the theme of our worship this Sunday.

Our readings this week will be Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28, Romans 1:16-17, 3:22-31, and Matthew 7:21-29, and we will be singing the hymns Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, Let us Build a House, For the Bread Which You Have Broken, and Christ is made the Sure Foundation!  The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

Memorial for David Burdoin

It has been suggested that it would be good to commission a new altar in memory of David.  He was one of our church trustees and the Eucharist was deeply meaningful to him.   Our current altar is only an ordinary metal-legged table.  We would like something made of wood which could bear a plaque in David’s memory.  We could have something beautiful carved here in Chiang Mai!  Please see Richard our treasurer.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Last Week’s Pentecost Peace!

Dear Friends,

The Trinity is not a doctrine for those who like their religion easy!  Many years ago, I remember a ten year old girl saying to me: “Some people say Jesus is God’s Son, but others say he is God!  How is that?  Who is right?”

You will be glad to know that I am not going to try to explain the Trinity here – nor will I try on Sunday!  There are some things that are too big for our tiny minds to understand!  However, there is much we can learn from the Trinity, not least that God is love and at the heart of God is an internal loving relationship.

Remember the words from 1 John, which I quoted last Sunday, as did a rather more famous preacher, Bishop Michael Curry at a recent royal wedding:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:7-8

We are all called to love one another, for at the heart of God is a loving relationship!

Our readings this 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!  The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

Memorial for David Burdoin

It has been suggested that it would be good to commission a new altar in memory of David.  He was one of our church trustees and the Eucharist was deeply meaningful to him.

Our current altar is only an ordinary metal-legged table.  We would like something made of wood which could bear a plaque in David’s memory.  We could have something beautiful carved here in Chiang Mai!  Please see Richard our treasurer.

Christine Hall

Christine’s recovery from her knee operation is taking time and she is still in some pain.  Please hold her in your prayers!

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

This week is Pentecost Sunday!
Potluck this Week!

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Dear Friends,

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.
God is with us as we see the fulfilment of the prophecy from Joel:
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In this we see that God’s love, and the power to be in relationship with God, is not confined to a select few but is offered and available to all!

This is the Good News of the Gospel: God is for us all!

Our readings this Sunday will be Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:22-27, and John 15:26-27, 16:4-15, 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!  The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

Pentecost Sunday Potluck

Our service will be followed by a Potluck.  Please bring food to share!

The Funeral of Allen David Burdoin

We gave David a wonderful send off!  He would have loved to see how much so many people valued him so highly.  Thank you to all who took part, and all who shared their thoughts of this wonderful man.  He is home with the Lord now and at peace.  Please continue to hold Shem in your prayers.

Video of the funeral can be seen by clicking here.

It has been suggested that it would be good to  commission a new altar in memory of David.  He was one of our church trustees and the Eucharist was deeply meaningful to him.  Our current altar is only an ordinary metal-legged table.  We would like something made of wood which could bear a plaque in David’s memory.
There will be a plate at the back of the church, or please see Richard our treasurer.

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

This Thursday is Ascension Day!  We will celebrate on Sunday!

Dear Friends,

It is with deep sadness that I have to announce the death of one of our most loved members, David Burdoin.  As most of you know, he had leukemia and this quickly allowed pneumonia to develop.  He died at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, with his husband, Shem, by his side.

David’s funeral will be on Monday 14th May at 2 p.m. at All Saints, followed by the committal at McKean Hospital Crematorium at 3:30 p.m.  There will be a reception to follow back at the church.  He is home with the Lord now and at peace.  Please continue to hold Shem in your prayers.

This Sunday we will celebrate the Ascension of Christ as we mark the last Sunday of the Easter Season.  Even as we share the sadness of a loved one passing, we also share the joy of the resurrection and the promise that there is more.  If God is for us, who can be against us?

Our readings this Sunday will be Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, and Luke 24:44-53, and we will be singing the hymns Immortal Invisible God only Wise, Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise, Give me Jesus, and Lift High the Cross!

The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

Pentecost Sunday

Sunday is 20th May is Pentecost Sunday.  Our service will be followed by a Potluck.  Please talk to Emily to discuss what to bring!

Building and Moving

Exciting possibilities in the pipeline – watch this space!

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

 

Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these?

Dear Friends,

This week, our reading from the Book of Acts continues the theme of radical inclusion.  Last week we saw the Ethiopian Eunuch receiving baptism.  This week we see a whole groups of Gentiles, the Italian Centurion Cornelius, and a group of his relatives and close friends, all being baptised.  The doors to the Kingdom are opening!  As we celebrate God’s love, we will remember again that All are Welcome!

Our readings this Sunday will be Acts 10:44-48, 1 John 5:1-6, and John 15:9-17, and we will be singing the hymns All People that on Earth do Dwell, From Heaven You Came, One Bread One Body, and For All the Saints!  The readings can be found via this link and past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

Prayer needed!

Christine Hall

Please continue to hold Christine in your prayers!  She is now in rehab following her knee operation, but says the pain seems unrelenting.

David and Shem

David Burdoin received the result of his bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday, and he has acute myeloid leukaemia.  The prognosis is not good and only palliative care can be offered.  Shem is flying back to Chiang Mai on Sunday so he can be here.

Please pray for David and Shem, and especially that Shem would have no problems with immigration in the Philippines or in Thailand as he travels back.

Selena Chase

Also, please pray for Selena, Ken and Emily’s daughter.  She is recovering in hospital but now needs a small operation.

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshipping with us,

God bless,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

Philip baptises the Ethiopian Eunuch

Dear Friends,

As is true of almost all biblical figures, we don’t know what the Ethiopian Eunuch looked like.  He encountered the Apostle Philip on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza and, after a short introduction to the Christian faith, was baptised.

The reason the story is included in the Book of Acts is that he was an outsider, a non-Jew, an African, and the type of person that would have been excluded from Temple worship even if he had been Jewish.   Curiously, a large number of classical works of art depicting the encounter show him with a beard – probably the one characteristic we know he would not have had!

At All Saints, we love to proclaim that all are welcome, but is that true?  If it’s not, how can we make more people feel that they too belong, and have a place in God’s house?

Our readings this Sunday will be Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, and John 15:1-8, and we will be singing the hymns O worship the King, Stand up stand up for Jesus, Lord I want to be a Christian, and Let us Build a House!  The readings can be found via this link!

Building and Moving

All Saints has been in its current building for four years and we need to redecorate as things are starting to look tired!

Also, in that time our congregation has grown from an average of ten to an average of thirty on a Sunday morning and we are starting to need more space! One possibility is to include the church office as part of our sanctuary so that we can add thirty more chairs.  We would then convert the outside storage area into a new office!  But, that would be a temporary solution which would keep is going for a couple more years.


However, in the long term, we will need somewhere bigger.  Before we start spending money on our existing building, we need to look around and see what else is available out there!  Do you know a great building, or a great plot of land, that is just waiting for All Saints?  Keep your eyes open and let us know!

Prayer and Thanksgiving!

Christine Hall writes from Washington DC:

Total knee replacement went well and I’m in my beautiful and spacious private room. Thank you to everyone for the messages, encouraging words, and prayers. I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and support from friends in my old  and new  homes.

Please continue to hold Christine in your prayers!

David Burdoin is also in need of your prayers.  He went to the hospital for a check-up on Tuesday and there is a possibility he has leukemia.  Please hold him and Shem in your prayers at this worrying time!

Past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

 If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshiping with us,

God bless, and Happy Easter,

Iain

From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai

We are all the sheep of God’s pasture!

Dear Friends,

This week we continue our reading from the First Letter of John where he writes about how we should love one another.  We will also say the Twenty-Third Psalm, The Lord’s my Shepherd, and in our Gospel reading Jesus declares that he is the Good Shepherd.  Being part of one flock means that we should care for and love one another.  It’s as simple as that – at least in theory – but really loving is always a challenge!  It is my prayer that we should become more and more people of love!

Our readings this Sunday will be Acts 4:5-12, 1 John 3:16-24, and John 10:11-18, and we will be singing the hymns Christ is Alive, They’ll know we are Christians by our love, The world needs love, and The King of Love My Shepherd Is!  The readings can be found via this link!

Past services can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!

 If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.  All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshiping with us,

God bless, and Happy Easter,

Iain