In Chiang Mai the pollution continues – we are still waiting for the resurrection of our beautiful city – it is hard to believe that soon the rains will come and the skies will be blue once again! Meanwhile, on the world stage, we see a very tentative ceasefire in the Persian Gulf – can we really believe it will hold?
This is the Second Sunday of Easter and we will be looking at the story of doubting Thomas. Sometimes it is hard to believe what we haven’t yet seen, yet how can we doubt God’s love when we remember all that God has done for us? Join us this Sunday at All Saints.
The readings for the Second Sunday of Easter will be from Acts 2:14, 22-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9, and John 20:19-31, and we will be singing the hymns Alleluia! Sing to Jesus; The Day of Resurrection; Hail the Day; and All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
All are welcome to join! We will meet at Siri Wattana Market and walk down to the moat together. Come prepared to get wet!!!
No Chili Night until August!
To coincide with my sabbatical, and also as a lot of people are away, Chili Night will be on hold, returning in August.
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
This Friday we remember how Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice – showing that God’s love has no limits! Then on Sunday we will celebrate the joy of the resurrection.
Jesus came to reconcile us to God and to one another – to bring healing and wholeness and life in all its fullness. This will be the theme of our worship on Easter Sunday! We should be a happy, rejoicing people, even in the midst of challenge and suffering!
We have the hope that things will get better and we work for that day!
For Good Friday our Tenebrae Service will have readings from Matthew 26:17-29, Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 15:1-15, Mark 15:16-32, Matthew 27:45-54, Isaiah 52:13 – 53:5, and Matthew 27:62-66. We will sing the hymns When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; O Sacred Head, Now Wounded; How deep the Father’s love for us; My Song is Love Unknown; Were You There When They Crucified My Lord; and O Love that Will Not Let Me Go!
The readings for Easter Sunday will be from Acts 10:34-43, 1 Corinthians 15:19-26, and John 20:1-18, and we will be singing the hymns Jesus Christ is Risen Today; The Day of Resurrection; Christ is Alive; and Thine Be the Glory!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Good Friday – 7:00 p.m. Friday 3rd April Easter Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 5th April
Easter Potluck! – This Sunday!
Our Easter Sunday service will be followed by a special Easter Potluck at the vicarage! This will include an Easter Egg hunt and other Easter goodies!
My Sabbatical
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease nearly two years ago and I am still generally healthy. However, it is a degenerative disease and my condition will inevitably deteriorate. While I am still well I would like to do more travelling and other activities – including more exercise to ensure I remain healthy for as long as possible.
With this in mind, I am considering going part-time.
In order to explore this, I am planning to take a three month “sabbatical” after Easter. Mark will take on a full-time role and I will work part-time for the period to see how this goes. We are working out the arrangements together.
No Chili Night until August!
To coincide with my sabbatical, and also as a lot of people are away, Chili Night will be on hold, returning in August.
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
This Friday we remember how Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice – showing that God’s love has no limits! Then on Sunday we will celebrate the joy of the resurrection.
Jesus came to reconcile us to God and to one another – to bring healing and wholeness and life in all its fullness. This will be the theme of our worship on Easter Sunday! We should be a happy, rejoicing people, even in the midst of challenge and suffering!
We have the hope that things will get better and we work for that day!
For Good Friday our Tenebrae Service will have readings from Matthew 26:17-29, Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 15:1-15, Mark 15:16-32, Matthew 27:45-54, Isaiah 52:13 – 53:5, and Matthew 27:62-66. We will sing the hymns When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; O Sacred Head, Now Wounded; How deep the Father’s love for us; My Song is Love Unknown; Were You There When They Crucified My Lord; and O Love that Will Not Let Me Go!
The readings for Easter Sunday will be from Acts 10:34-43, 1 Corinthians 15:19-26, and John 20:1-18, and we will be singing the hymns Jesus Christ is Risen Today; The Day of Resurrection; Christ is Alive; and Thine Be the Glory!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Good Friday – 7:00 p.m. Friday 3rd April Easter Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 5th April
Easter Potluck! – This Sunday!
Our Easter Sunday service will be followed by a special Easter Potluck at the vicarage! This will include an Easter Egg hunt and other Easter goodies!
My Sabbatical
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease nearly two years ago and I am still generally healthy. However, it is a degenerative disease and my condition will inevitably deteriorate. While I am still well I would like to do more travelling and other activities – including more exercise to ensure I remain healthy for as long as possible.
With this in mind, I am considering going part-time.
In order to explore this, I am planning to take a three month “sabbatical” after Easter. Mark will take on a full-time role and I will work part-time for the period to see how this goes. We are working out the arrangements together.
No Chili Night until August!
To coincide with my sabbatical, and also as a lot of people are away, Chili Night will be on hold, returning in August.
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
This Sunday we will celebrate Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the “King of the Jews” – then on Good Friday we will see him crucified and once again proclaimed as “King of the Jews” – this time by Pilate! How quickly things can change in less than a week!
We live in equally uncertain times – will the war be over by Easter, or will the Middle East and the world be in the midst of a spectacular disaster? We have no way of knowing! All we can do is trust in God and pray for wisdom and restraint from all those involved.
The readings for Palm Sunday will be from Matthew 21:1-11, Philippians 2:5-11, and Matthew 26:14-29, and we will be singing the hymns Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest; All Glory, Laud and Honour; Hosanna, Loud Hosanna; Above All; and Ride On! Ride On in Majesty!
For Good Friday our Tenebrae Service will have readings from Matthew 26:17-29, Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 15:1-15, Mark 15:16-32, Matthew 27:45-54, Isaiah 52:13 – 53:5, and Matthew 27:62-66. We will sing the hymns When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; O Sacred Head, Now Wounded; How deep the Father’s love for us; My Song is Love Unknown; Were You There When They Crucified My Lord; and O Love that Will Not Let Me Go!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
This week Mum and I were in Huahin with the Youth Charity Foundation. Last Sunday eleven children were baptised and the whole week was a great success!
Staying by the Sea
After the Baptism
Lunch together
Gathered by the Sea
Easter Services!
Palm Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 29th March Good Friday – 7:00 p.m. Friday 3rd April Easter Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 5th April
Easter Potluck!– Next Sunday
Our Easter Sunday service will be followed by a special Easter Potluck at the vicarage! This will include an Easter Egg hunt and other Easter goodies!
What’s Happening to Trans People in the USA?
Are you concerned but not really sure of all the facts. Feel free to join this internet broadcast.
Monday 30th March at 8 am in Thailand!
No Chili Night next Week!
There will be no Chili Night next Tuesday, 31st March. It will return on Tuesday 7th April!
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
Everything in the world seems to be going wrong with wars in Europe and the Middle East, and fear of war elsewhere! We need a new start – a metaphorical resurrection, maybe! However, our Old Testament and Gospel readings this Sunday speak of real resurrection! Firstly we read about the dry bones in Ezekiel being clothed with flesh and receiving God-breathed new life! Then we hear about the raising of Lazarus from the dead!
We Christians are a resurrection people! We have new life to share with the world! This is the Good News of Jesus!
The readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent will be from Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:6-11, and John 11:1-6, 17-27, 38-45, and we will be singing the hymns All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name; Days of Elijah; One Bread, One Body; and Alleluia, Sing to Jesus!
. YouTube Live
We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Mum and I are in Huahin with the Youth Charity Foundation from 19th to 27th March. They make the trip every three years or so.
For many of the children it will be the first time they have seen the sea. Please continue to pray for the safety of all involved!
Easter Services – Coming Up!
Palm Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 29th March Good Friday – 7:00 p.m. Friday 3rd April Easter Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 5th April
Easter Potluck!
Our Easter Sunday service will be followed by a special Easter Potluck at the vicarage! This will include an Easter Egg hunt and other Easter goodies!
No Chili Night next Week!
There will be no Chili Night next Tuesday, 24th March. It will return on Tuesday 7th April!
. Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he writes: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” He means that one day we will really see clearly, really know God, really be our true selves. But for now our sight is imperfect, we don’t really understand.
In this week’s Gospel reading we hear of a man born blind whose sight is restored by Jesus. But the story is not told as a miracle to show Jesus’ power, or even compassion, but to show thetrue sight of the man who sees who Jesus is! The Pharisees and learned people can’t see it, but this despised and undervalued human being can!
Do we see Jesus is our lives? Do we really see the work of God among us? Let us pray that we receive a new vision of our God!
The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent will be from 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, and John 9:1-17, 35-41, and we will be singing the hymns Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, Amazing Grace, Break Thou the Bread of Life, and Born in Song!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Mum and I plan to travel down to Huahin with the Youth Charity Foundation from 19th to 27th March. They make the trip every three years or so.
For many of the children it will be the first time they have seen the sea. Please pray for the safety of all involved!
Easter Services – Coming Up!
Palm Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 29th March Good Friday – 7:00 p.m. Friday 3rd April Easter Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 5th April
Easter Potluck!
Our Easter Sunday service will be followed by a special Easter Potluck at the vicarage! This will include an Easter Egg hunt and other Easter goodies!
Tuesday Chili Night Continues!
Chili Night continues next Tuesday, 17th March, and then will take a week’s break – returning on Tuesday 31st March!
. Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
Last Saturday transACTIONrefuge went on a hike. Nine of us drove up to the Montha Than Waterfall and went on a short hike – ending up at the waterfall where the bravest went for a swim. The waterfall was the highlight of the walk and everyone was happy to see it! Why? Because water gives life! Just contrast the bare desert mountains of the Middle East with the lush green mountains of Thailand to see this truth!
In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus encounters a woman at an ancient Samarian well. He offers her “living water”. That is what the Christian life is all about: the opportunity to be continually filled with living water! Sometimes we feel dry and barren too, but that water is available if we just allow God to open the flood gates!
The readings for the Third Sunday of Lent will be from Exodus 17:1-7, Romans 5:1-11, and John 4:5-26, 39-42, and we will be singing the hymns Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise; Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing; In the Morning when I Rise; and In Christ alone my hope is Found!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Please pray for Mark and Christa at this time! This is the latest news on their situation:
Christa writes:
A quick update on our visa process.
This morning, Mark received his visa approval — which we are incredibly grateful for.
I am still waiting on one final document before I can submit my own application. As soon as it arrives, we’ll move forward with the next step. Please keep us in mind and in your prayers as we wait for the document to come through. We’re hoping it arrives quickly and without complication so we can return to Thailand soon.
Thank you again for making this process possible. Your generosity has allowed us to take these steps with peace instead of panic.
We’re hopeful and trusting that the remaining pieces will fall into place. We’ll keep you posted. .
YCF Trip to Huahin
Leading Worship by the Sea!
Mum and I plan to travel down to Huahin with the Youth Charity Foundation from 19th to 27th March. They make the trip every three years or so.
For many of the children it will be the first time they have seen the sea. Please pray for the safety of all involved! .
Easter Services – Coming Up!
Palm Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 29th March Good Friday – 7:00 p.m. Friday 3rd April Easter Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Sunday 5th April .
Easter Potluck!
Our Easter Sunday service will be followed by a special Easter Potluck at the vicarage! This will include an Easter Egg hunt and other Easter goodies! .
Tuesday Chili Night Continues!
Chili Night continues this Tuesday! Every week 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 THB 100 donation.
.
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
The Kingdom of God – God’s people worshipping together!
Dear Friends,
This week we continue our observance of Lent as we look at the story of Nicodemus who came to Jesus with compliments. Jesus responded “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
What does it mean to see God’s kingdom, and even more to enter it?
The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent will be from Genesis 12:1-4, Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, and John 3:1-17, and we will be singing the hymns The God of Abraham Praise; O Jesus, I have Promised; Let us Break Bread Together; and What a Friend We Have in Jesus!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Please pray for Mark and Christa at this time! This is the latest news on their situation:
Christa writes:
We did it.
Because of you, our $10,000 goal has been fully funded—and exceeded. We cannot adequately express our gratitude. Your generosity enables us to move forward in seeking permission to return to Thailand. But your support means even more than that. Mark shares how:
“Yesterday, a mother called me asking for help relocating to safety. She is a refugee fleeing war and sexual violence, now also surviving domestic abuse and abandonment. She has nothing except two small children — one of whom is sick and requires ongoing medical care.
On the worst day of her life, I was able to be present, listen carefully, and help her begin to see options again. And because of your financial support and prayers, you were there for her too.
It was as if she walked into a room full of caring, capable people from around the world asking, ‘How can we help?’
Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Through your kindness, more love has entered her story.”
On a personal level, Mark’s mom recently suffered a massive stroke after weeks of hospitalization for a broken hip. His 81-year-old father cannot live independently without her. Being able to return and care for them during this season matters deeply to us.
Please continue to pray for our visas to be approved, for this refugee mother and her children, and for Mark’s parents.
Your presence with us in this season means more than we can say.
This campaign officially closes tonight. We will share final totals once all gifts have been processed. If you feel led to support our ongoing care of people like this refugee mother, the giving links will remain open. But please know: the visa goal has been met and exceeded.
Thank you for standing with us.
.
transACTIONrefuge Volunteer Orientation – Last Saturday!
We had a great meeting last Saturday with around twelve people in attendance.
This who missed it can view the recording of the event – message me if you would like to be sent the link.
Whether you have already volunteered to help new-comers to Chiang Mai, would like to do so, or just want to find out more, please ask to see this valuable information which explains what is needed, and outlines the do’s and don’t’s of helping. .
transACTIONrefuge Hike – This Saturday!
This is a short hike of a couple of miles, suitable for most ability levels!
Patrick is a Thai tour guide who loves to get people out in nature. He is also a great resource on local flora and fauna.
We will have 3 cars that can hold at least 10 hikers in addition to the drivers. Please bring a sack lunch so we can picnic at the half way point. Recommended items to bring: • sunscreen/hat • bug spray • footwear with good grip • plenty of water
Further details for this hike will emailed out next week.
Cost: 100 baht for National Park entrance for foreigners. If you can’t afford the cost please let us know. Several of our members have offered to sponsor anyone who could not otherwise participate.
.
Tuesday Chili Night Continues!
Chili Night continues this Tuesday! Every week 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 THB 100 donation.
.
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
Last Year’s Reflections on the Stations of the Cross
Dear Friends,
What are you going to give up for Lent? Chocolate? Facebook? Social Media? How about giving up striving, giving up stress, giving up worrying?
Jesus said:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?
Yes, we need to plan, yes, we need to make sensible provision – but even then the best laid plans of mice and men can come tumbling down! (Just read below about Mark and Christa’s situation to witness this!)
Trust is the key – if we trust God with our lives then we need not worry for we know that, ultimately, all is safe in God’s hands!
The readings for the First Sunday of Lent will be from Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-17, and Matthew 4:1-11, and we will be singing the hymns When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; Forty Days and Forty Nights; Bless the Lord oh my Soul; and God is Love!
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Please pray for Mark and Christa at this time! They left on Thursday!
Christa writes:
Mark and I must leave Thailand to apply for new ones — and unless we complete that process, we won’t be allowed to return.
But we cannot complete the process without your help.
Thailand has been our home for 25 years. For a quarter century, we’ve walked alongside children, women, and men finding freedom from trafficking, exploitation, and harm. There is still more work to do.
This is not an expulsion. It’s a deadline.
Our original visa pathway unexpectedly fell through at the last minute. Now, to obtain new visas, we must meet two significant financial requirements — both beyond what we can manage alone.
The first is a $50,000 capital requirement — and incredibly, that has already been provided without us asking. We are profoundly grateful.
The second is $10,000 to cover visa fees, international airfare, and basic living expenses while we remain outside Thailand during the 20-day processing period. Without raising this $10,000 by Friday, we cannot complete the process — and we will not be allowed to return.
If you’re able to help, any amount moves us closer. If giving isn’t possible, sharing this post expands the circle. The tax-deductible donation link is in the comments. We’ll post updates as this unfolds.
Thank you for standing with us. Your prayers, encouragement, and generosity make it possible for us to remain where we are called to serve.
If you have a Thai bank account you can also donate via the All Saints bank account which is in my name, or give cash on Sunday. Email Adam, our treasurer, on adamsensamaust@gmail.com to designate your gift.
All Saints Chiang Mai Mission Meeting
All Saints Chiang Mai Mission is the UK charity which helps to channel international donations to All Saints and the Youth Charity Foundation. It also seeks to hold both organisations to account by ensuring that we adhere to international standards of governance and safeguarding. Our board consists of members and former members of All Saints and other interested friends.
We will have our regular meeting online this Saturday.
Please hold us in your prayers.
transACTIONrefuge Volunteer Orientation – This Saturday!
We have a Volunteer Orientation meeting this Saturday, 21st February, at the vicarage at 2 p.m.
Whether you have already volunteered to help new-comers to Chiang Mai, would like to do so, or just want to find out more, please come.
The meeting will explain what is needed and outline the do’s and don’t’s of helping. It will also be a chance to get to know other volunteers.
transACTIONrefuge Hike
Patrick is a Thai tour guide who loves to get people out in nature. He is also a great resource on local flora and fauna. Details: Saturday, February 28th 9:00 AM – meet to carpool to the hike here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tLSCuKCpqSjhwTDX6
We will have 3 cars that can hold at least 10 hikers in addition to the drivers. Please bring a sack lunch so we can picnic at the half way point. Recommended items to bring: • sunscreen/hat • bug spray • footwear with good grip • plenty of water
Further details for this hike will emailed out next week.
Cost: 100 baht for National Park entrance for foreigners. If you can’t afford the cost please let us know. Several of our members have offered to sponsor anyone who could not otherwise participate.
Tuesday Chili Night—Returns Next Week!
Chili Night will return next week on Tuesday 24th at 6 p.m.
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
Jesus was assigned human at birth when he was actually God inside – actually he was both, for the scriptures attest that Jesus was fully man and fully God – God with us!
Christ’s true nature was revealed at the transfiguration when the disciples caught a glimpse of Jesus’ true self!
Lent is almost upon us, we will celebrate “Pancake Sunday” this week, but on the Sunday before Lent the Gospel reading is always the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. Before his all-too-human temptations and death on the cross are remembered, we remember Jesus shining with the glory of God!
That is what the Transfiguration is about – it is the revelation of who Jesus really is – the Son of God! And Moses and Elijah appear to testify about this on behalf of the Law and the Prophets.
What about us? How do we see Jesus? And are we prepared to reveal who we really are too? Do we even know who that is? If we believe, then we are children of God, and that knowledge is at least a start!
The readings this week will be Exodus 24:12-18, 2 Peter 1:16-21, and Matthew 17:1-9, and we will be singing the hymns Praise to the Lord, Transfiguration Hymn; You laid aside Your Majesty; and Christ be our Light! Our choir will be singing Transfiguration and The Lord Bless You and Keep You.
Then on Wednesday we will have two services to mark Ash Wednesday: firstly a short service at 8:30 a.m. and then our usual Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. Both services will include the imposition of ashes.
At our 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday service we will sing the hymns Abide with Me, O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go, and The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended.
YouTube Live We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
Our next potluck will be at the vicarage this Sunday. This will be our Pancake Potluck heralding the beginning of Lent. Our choir will be joining us for worship, but unfortunately cannot attend the potluck so we will plan the number of pancakes accordingly! .
All Saints Annual General Meeting – Last Sunday
This was held following the morning service last Sunday, 8th February.
The meeting received reports, approved the budget for 2026, and elected a new Church Council for the next year. Four people were elected for the elected positions on the Church Council. They are:
Paddy Davis Barbara Franklin Elsa King Charlotte Sensamaust
In addition, I, as vicar, remain an ex-officio member, and Christa Crawford will replace Mark Crawford in one of the two other clergy positions. Helen Catton has been co-opted to fill the other clergy position in the absence of another clerical candidate.
In response to my vicar’s report, there was a discussion regarding the future of the All Saints Foundation:
This is now working smoothly due to the hard work of our administrator, Gai. However, it is not providing the solution we had hoped for. Although it has enabled us to have a bank account in the name of All Saints, it has not increased our transparency or allowed us to obtain volunteer visas for our clergy. It is costing around THB 200,000 a year to maintain which amounts to around 20% of our annual budget. We are also struggling to fulfil the requirement to benefit “Thai people” other than in our work with YCF, and they are a separate foundation.
Additionally, two of the foundation board members wish to resign and this could take 12 to 18 months to facilitate and find suitable willing replacements.
Considerable expense was incurred in setting up the foundation and many people, especially Khun Tasnee, invested a great deal of time into the project. However, continuing as we are is not viable. The three options are:
1) Continuing with a restructured foundation and initiating a project to support Thai people. 2) Putting the foundation into a “deep freeze” so that it can be revived in the future. 3) Closing the foundation.
Option One is possible but would involve more work and would continue to cost us THB 200,000 per year.
It seems Option Two is not possible as the foundation can be closed down by the authorities if it is perceived as no longer active – and we would still need to provide monthly reports and accounts so the costs would still be significant for no purpose whatsoever.
Option Three is a drastic step and should we want a foundation in the future we would again incur costs. Some costs will also accrue from winding-up the organisation.
The new Church Council will consider the way forward at its next meeting and should they decide on Option Three we will have to call an Extraordinary General Meeting to ratify the decision and amend the All Saints Constitution accordingly.
Other points raised at the meeting:
– Suggestion for council going forward: Have quarterly reporting on church council meetings email to congregants.
– Formalize or set boundaries for community outreach work to keep it sustainable for All Saints Church leadership.
– AGM expressed great appreciation for the work of the outgoing Council Chair, Sarah Sensamaust.
– Community Responsibilities: Arthur and Phyllis continue as altar fabric people. Coffee and snack hosting: By month? Elsa: Volunteer Coordinator to organize the community ministries (altar guild, potluck, coffee hosting, organize clean up after potluck, basket for donations for people who don’t bring money) James will help document the processes and systems guide Chris and Christa to take potluck organization and shoulder tapping. Newsletters and/or weekly bulletin to include helpers, attendance, offering, etc.
Finance and Budget reporting: Adam – Do a better job advertising space for rent/fee (about 300/hour) – Consider raising cost for existing group space rental (500/session) – Budget accepted and approved for 2026. .
Ash Wednesday Service
On Wednesday we will have two services to mark Ash Wednesday: firstly a short service at 8:30 a.m. and then our usual Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. Both services will include the imposition of ashes. Christa will be leading this year’s service as mum and I have been invited to Chiang Rai to celebrate the Lahu New Year. All Welcome! .
Tuesday Chili Night—One Week Break!
There will be no Chili Night next week, Tuesday 17th February. It will return the following week on Tuesday 24th at 6 p.m. .
transACTIONrefuge Volunteer Orientation
On Saturday 21st February we will have a Volunteer Orientation meeting at the vicarage at 2 p.m.
Whether you have already volunteered to help new-comers to Chiang Mai, would like to do so, or just want to find out more, please come.
The meeting will explain what is needed and outline the do’s and don’t’s of helping. It will also be a chance to get to know other volunteers. .
transACTIONrefuge Hike
We are planning a hike on Saturday 28th February. More details to follow! All welcome!
.
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use 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 God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!