Merry Christmas to one and all!  Our next service will be a celebration of Epiphany on 5th January 2013!

May you and those you love have a blessed and happy Christmas.

See you in the New Year,

God bless,

Iain,     Priest-in-Charge,   All Saints, Chiang Mai

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas to one and all!

This Sunday will see our last service before Christmas, and we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus and all that his coming means for the world.  Next Monday I travel to the UK where I will be spending Christmas with my family.  I will miss many of you over the holiday season.

Our Services will recommence on Sunday 5th January when we will celebrate the Feast of Epiphany.  During the break, you may wish to join the Seven Fountains Retreat Center services.  They have worship in English on Christmas Eve at 6:30 pm and on Christmas Day at 9:30 am. More details can be found on their website at thesevenfountains.org.

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This week’s readings are Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14, and Luke 2:1-14, (15-20), and we will be singing the hymns O Come, All ye Faithful, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.  After the service we will share coffee and biscuits at the house.  Last week’s sermon can be heard on YouTube via the Audio-Visual page of the website.  All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the baby of Bethlehem in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshiping with us,

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Greetings of the Christmas season!

God bless,

Iain

From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!  We only have two services before Iain leaves for the UK for Christmas, so let’s make the most of our time to worship together!  This week we will be celebrating the Second Sunday of Advent and looking at the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and Mary’s response.  The following week, on 15th December, we will have our Christmas service – ten days early!

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Weekly worship will resume on 5th January with our service for Epiphany.

This week’s bible readings are Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13, and Luke 1:46b-55, and we will be singing the hymns O Come, O come Emmanuel, Angels We Have Heard on High, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent and It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.

After the service we will share coffee and biscuits at the house and may go for lunch at the Thai restaurant further up Pa Ton Road.  Last week’s sermon can be heard on YouTube via the Audio-Visual page of the website.  Directions can be found on the Where and When page of the All Saints website.  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,

Greetings of the Christmas season!

God bless,

Ken

From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

Last week’s offering, which was for the Philippines Disaster Appeal, was THB 5,140. This is more than four times our usual offering.  Iain has transferred £100 to the Disasters Emergency Committee Philippines Typhoon Appeal.  Thanks to all who gave generously to support our brothers and sisters in so much need!

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Last week’s sermon can be heard on YouTube via the Audio-Visual page of the website.

Iain will be away on Sundays 22nd and 29th December, and Haley and I will probably also be travelling, so there will be no services at All Saints on those days.  Services will restart on Sunday 5th January.

Meanwhile, we will enter the season of Advent on Sunday and will be lighting the first candle of our Advent Crown. This week’s readings are Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14 and Matthew 24:36-44, and we will sing the hymns O Come, O come Emmanuel, Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun, Sing We the King Who is Coming to Reign, and Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.

Thanks again, to all who gave so generously.

God bless,

Ken

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

I am writing to remind you that this Sunday’s offering will be given to support those who have suffered in the terrible situation in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan.  You may have already given, but if not, this gives us an opportunity, as a church, to give to those in need and to show solidarity with those who are suffering.

Please think prayerfully about what you would like to give this Sunday.

Hope to see you soon,

God bless,

Iain

From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday we had the pleasure of using our new matching chairs, and this Sunday is the last Sunday of the church year!  Loy Krathong is finished and Americans among us will celebrate Thanksgiving next Thursday.  Advent begins the following week.  After church on Sunday, we will have a meeting to discuss arrangements for worship over the Christmas season – Iain will be away on Sundays 22nd and 29th December.

Time is passing quickly, but it is great to see the congregation growing slowly and steadily.

This week’s readings are: Jeremiah 23:1-6, Colossians 1:11-20, and Luke 23:33-43, and we will be singing the hymns All Creatures of Our God and King, Christ whose Glory fills the Skies, Take My life, and Christ is Made the Sure Foundation.  After the service we will share coffee and biscuits at the house and maybe go for lunch at the Thai restaurant further up Pa Ton Road.

God bless,

Ken

From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

We had a great day last Saturday at the JJ Market Garden Fair.  Although we didn’t sell any Christmas cards at all, we had a good opportunity to meet new people and we gave away five bibles.  Thanks to Joel, Lindy, Darryl, William, Tarntip and Haley, for helping make this a success!  On Sunday, fourteen people attended worship, and we then enjoyed an excellent potluck lunch together – Tarntip’s curry was particularly appreciated.  We gathered afterwards for a group photo next to the new All Saints banner.  This should help people to find us.  Finally on Monday six of us went down to the Foreign Cemetery for the annual Remembrance Day Service organised by the Royal British Legion.

This week we have two events coming up: Firstly, everyone is invited to come to 18 Pa Tan Road on Friday night at 6pm to watch the Loi Krathong celebrations on the river.  We’re not sure exactly what will be happening this far up, but we are assured it should be fun to watch.  Then on Sunday we have our usual morning Eucharist at 11am, to which all are, of course, welcome!

This week’s scripture readings are: Malachi 4:1-2a, 2.Thessalonians 3:6-13, and Luke 21:5-19 , and we will be singing the hymns Holy, Holy, Holy, Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, Let Us Build a House, and Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.  Audio of last week’s sermon, and video from All Saints’ Day, can be found here on the Audio-Visual page of the website.

God bless,

Ken

From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai

 

Dear Friends,

We have lots happening this weekend at All Saints.

Firstly, this Saturday All Saints will have a stall at the JJ Market Garden Fair.  JJ Market is close to Tesco Lotus, just off the Superhighway. This is a great annual community event in aid of Lanna Care Net, the Royal British Legion, and other charities.  We will be there from 10am to 4pm and will have Bibles and other books for people to take away, and Christmas cards for sale.  This will be a good opportunity for people to hear about All Saints and for us to meet other expats. Thanks for all the people who have volunteered to staff the stall!

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Then on Sunday, William and Tarntip  will be back, and we will have our delayed potluck meal following the service!  Please bring delicious food to share! Christmas cards will also be on sale!

Finally, we plan to attend the Remembrance Day Ceremony held at the Foreign Cemetery on Monday 11th November.  This is organised by the Royal British Legion to commemorate all those who died in the two World Wars and subsequently.  We will meet at the cemetery at 10:30am.  (If you continue down the east bank of the river, past Duke’s, Rimping supermarket, and an army base, you will eventually see the Foreign Cemetery on your left.)

This week’s readings are taken from Job 19:23-27, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,13-17, and Luke 20:27-38, and we will be singing the hymns All People that on Earth do Dwell, There is a Day, The Lord’s My Shepherd, and Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken.

After the service we will have our potluck!  Directions can be found on the Where and When page.

God bless,

Ken

From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

We have a busy couple of weeks ahead at All Saints.

Firstly, November 1st is All Saints’ Day, and our liturgy on Sunday will be focusing on our patronal festival !

Then we have three special events next weekend.

Firstly, on Saturday 9th November, All Saints will have a stall at the JJ Market Garden Fair.  This is a great annual community event in aid of Lanna Care Net, the Royal British Legion, and other charities.  We will be there from 10am to 4pm and will have Bibles and other books for people to take away.  This will be a great opportunity for people to hear about All Saints and for us to meet other expats. Volunteers needed to staff the table!

The following day, Sunday 10th November, William and Tarntip  will be back, and we will have our delayed potluck meal following the service!  Please bring delicious food to share!

Finally, we plan to attend the Remembrance Day Ceremony held at the Foreign Cemetery on 11th November.  This is organised by the Royal British Legion to commemorate all those who died in the two World Wars and subsequently.  We will meet at the cemetery at 10:30am.  (If you continue down the east bank of the river, past Duke’s, Rimping supermarket, and an army base, you will eventually see the Foreign Cemetery on your left.)

This week’s readings are the passages for All Saints’ Day: Daniel 7:1-3,15-18, Ephesians 1:11-23, and Luke 6:20-31, and we will be singing the hymns For All the Saints, Sing with All the Saints in Glory, For the Bread which You have Broken, and O When the Saints Go Marching In!

After the service we will share coffee and biscuits at the house and go for lunch at the Thai restaurant further up Pa Ton Road. 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,

Ken

From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

William and Tarntip will be in Bangkok until Sunday 10th November, so our after-church Potluck is delayed until then! Meanwhile, a group of us enjoyed a meal at Nine@Niman last night.  For the last two weeks some of us have also shared Sunday lunch at a Thai restaurant further up Pa Ton Road, and we may do this again this week!

I’d like to give advanced notice of Remembrance Day. The Royal British Legion will be hosting a Remembrance Day Ceremony on Monday 11th November in The Chiang Mai Foreign Cemetery, beginning at 10:30am.  A group of us from All Saints plan to be there.  More details to follow later!

This weeks readings are from Sirach 35:12-17, 2 Tim 4:6-8,16-18, and Luke 18:9-14. You won’t find Sirach in most Bibles, as it’s part of the Old Testament Apocrypha, but it addresses this week’s theme of giving to God, and there is much we can learn from this passage.  This Sunday we will be singing the hymns Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Let us Break Bread Together, and Love Divine.

After the service we will share coffee and a bite to eat at the house, and then those who are interested will have lunch together at a local restaurant.  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,

Ken