In this week’s Gospel reading Jesus is asked “Who is my neighbour?” and he responds with the story of the Good Samaritan. As foreigners living in Thailand, how should we answer that question and what are the implications for our lives?
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be taken from Deuteronomy 30:8-14, Colossians 1:1-14, and Luke 10:25-37, and we will be singing the hymns Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun; When I needed a Neighbour; Brother, Sister, Let me Serve You; and God, Whose Almighty Word!
Join us for a screening of “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture,” a new documentary film that traces the origins of the Christian anti-gay movement back to a particularly consequential translation of the Bible in 1946. Deeply researched and movingly told, this film sheds light on the complex history of Christian homophobia and the questionable scriptural foundation upon which it was built.
Bring a friend and join us to watch, discuss, and eat lots of popcorn.
Snacks are provided, and entry is free, although we recommend a donation of 250฿ to support All Saints Chiang Mai, the first (only?) affirming church in Chiang Mai.
6:00 PM on Monday, 21 July, at the Mennonite Central Committee.
RSVP to Clay or Christa or by QR Code.
Chili Night Continues Next Week!
Chili Night returned last 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 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 week the children of YCF were working hard gathering their rice harvest. In this week’s Gospel Reading, Jesus says to the disciples:
“‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”
What did he mean? Was this about “saving souls”, gathering people in from the “wrath to come”? Or is it about gathering a community of people who actually follow the teaching of Jesus? A community who will transform society with Jesus’ message of love?
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Isaiah 66:10-14, Galatians 6:1-16, and Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, and we will be singing the hymns Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah; I will offer up my life; King of Kings, Majesty; and Go forth and tell!
A few of us took part in Maejo Pride last Sunday afternoon. This was a very local event hosted by Maejo University and it was good to see local high schools taking part. Good to see the Officer Cadets carrying Pride and Trans flags!
Army Cadets at Pride
On the Stage
Chili Night Continues Next Week!
Chili Night returned last 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 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!
I’m just back from France – where I used my Irish passport which entitles me to live and work in France as an EU citizen. One of the “triumphs” of the vote for Brexit was the ending of “Freedom of Movement” – as if that was a good thing! Of course, people were only concerned to stop the freedom of movement of foreigners – not their own freedom of movement!
This week’s New Testament reading declares how we are called to freedom: freedom to be ourselves, and freedom to make a positive difference in the world. We are called in our freedom to exercise the the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14, Galatians 5:1,13-25, and Luke 9:51-62, and we will be singing the hymns O Worship the King, God is Love, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, and Now Thank We All Our God!
Chili Night will return on Tuesday 1st July! 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 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!
After the three seasons of Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, the church colour changes back to green all the way until the start of Advent!
But, it is not called Ordinary Time because everything is ordinary, or even boring!!! Ordinary comes from the root ordinal meaning counting, and it is called Ordinary Time because we now count the weeks since the Feast of Trinity!
God is with us – so how can anything be ordinary – let alone boring? Let us open our hearts to God’s love and see God working in our world once more!
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be 1 Kings 19:1-15, Galatians 3:23-29, and Luke 8:26-39, and we will be singing the hymns Now Thank We All Our God, Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart, You laid aside Your Majesty, and When we walk with the Lord!
There is no Chili Night this week. It will return on Tuesday 1st July!
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!
I am still away, but meanwhile, a whole team of people are doing a great job with three preachers standing in for me!
It’s appropriate that three persons are doing the preaching while I am away, as this Sunday is Trinity Sunday – when we speak of God in three persons (although it doesn’t mean quite the same thing!)
God is one, but is not a lonely, solitary, God. God is a God of love and community and we are called to be a community of love too!
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Romans 5:1-5, and John 16:12-15, and we will be singing the hymns Holy, Holy, Holy; Father we love you; Mothering God; and Tell Out My Soul!
There is no Chili Night this week. It will return on Tuesday 1st July!
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 the Feast of Pentecost – often called the birthday of the church. It is the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples giving them courage to go out into all the world and preach the gospel of God’s love!
We too need the boldness of the Holy Spirit to speak out when we are afraid and feel we must remain silent. We must speak the truth tempered in love, but we must speak-out, non the less.
The readings for this Pentecost Sunday will be from Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, and John 14:8-17, 25-27, and we will be singing the hymns Come Down, O Love Divine; Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind; Colours of Day (Light Up the Fire); and O God of Burning, Cleansing Flame!
Last weekend, Christa, Clay, and I took part in the first Inclusive Church Asia Connect conference which was held in Bangkok. It was an international event gathering over seventy Christian LGBT community leaders and allies in East and Southeast Asia.
Our Banner at Pride
We had a wonderful time meeting like-minded people from the region and Christa and Clay were able to march in Bangkok Pride together. It was a great opportunity to reach out to other inclusive Christians and churches in Asia at an amazing and encouraging event.
I hope to share videos of some of the sessions when they become available.
Friends from around the World
Christa at Pride
Chili Night is on Vacation!
There is no Chili Night this week. It will return on Tuesday 1st July!
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!
Love is at the centre of the Christian faith, and this Sunday, as well as celebrating the Ascension – this Thursday is Ascension Day – we will be focusing on that love once again!
How do we show and grow in love for one another, and how can we show love to the world?
Christa and I, along with our intern, Clay, will be down in Bangkok this weekend for the Inclusive Church Conference. This will be a great opportunity to share what All Saints is doing with like-minded Christians throughout Asia. Mark is staying behind and will be leading worship this Sunday. Then mum and I will be off to France for three weeks – we’ll be back on Sunday 29th June!
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Acts 1:1-11, Revelation 22:12-21, John 17:20-26, and we will be singing the hymns Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise; Blest Be the Tie That Binds; Bind Us Together, Lord; and Love Divine, all Loves Excelling! Use this link to join on Zoom on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Meeting ID: 548 801 501
All Saints had its best Pride ever with a special service at All Saints and a very active booth at the Thapae Gate. 33 people marched behind the Christians at Pride and transACTIONrefuge banners, while around six remained at the booth to greet passers-by. We were joined at the booth by some people from The Loving Community Church, a bi-lingual Thai/English congregation moving towards inclusiveness. Non-church people also joined under the transACTIONrefuge group.
Thanks to all who made this year’s event so special – especially to Christa who brought in the Loving Community people, and Adam and Sarah who organised the T-shirts and stickers!
transACTIONrefuge Banner
Helen and Christa
Marching Together
Elsa and her daughter and son-in-law
Our Thapae Gate Booth
Clay and Maureen staffing the Booth
T-Shirts for Sale!
Clay, Elsa, and Mark
New Baby
Great news!!!! Annah and Aneesh have a new baby boy – Eshan Walter!
Please hold the whole family in your prayers!
Reaching Out to the World
Church Council member, Barbara Franklin, represented All Saints in a visit to University Christian Church in San Diego on Sunday May 18. She shared her great visit with the Council meeting on Tuesday:
“University Christian Church’s warm welcome was palpable the moment I approached the rainbow doors and found the whole congregation drinking coffee and talking together before the service began. It was a vibrant service full of music and a politically engaged sermon.
Afterwards, I had a long, good talk with Pastor Caleb Lines (whose Easter sermon “Jesus is Woke” first caught my attention on TikTok last month) and his two assistants, Diego and Marishela. There is a lot of overlap in what we care about. UCC welcomes LGBTQ asylum seekers from many countries at the Mexican border, and they heard with interest about our work both with Myanmar refugees and with TransACTIONrefuge.
They suggested we be “sister churches.” What that would mean is still to be defined, but it seems a relationship worth pursuing. We can meet Diego when he comes to a meeting in Chiang Mai in October and pastor Caleb in Bangkok in December.”
Pastor Caleb and Barbara
Elsa King also reported sharing information with her Colorado Church, Saint Ambrose Episcopal, and Barbara with her San Diego home church, Good Samaritan, where a member is on an Episcopal LGBTQ task force.
God willing, we will be able to do even more good work as we join in partnership with like-minded churches around the world!
Inclusive Church Conference
This weekend, Christa, Clay, and I will be attending this first international event gathering community leaders and allies in East and Southeast Asia. It will focus on building an ongoing support network for communities, exploring opportunities to facilitate resources sharing, learning from stories and ministry experiences, and witnessing God’s love and unity in Christ. This will give us the opportunity to reach out to other inclusive Christians and churches in Asia, and perhaps help to raise support for some of All Saint’s work in Chiang Mai
Chili Night – On Vacation!
Chili Night will return in July!
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 week we signal our support for the gay and trans members of All Saints and the wider LGBTQ community. Things may be going dark in many parts of the world, but we have the light of Christ to lighten our darkness.
In my sermon this Sunday I will be looking at the hidden LGBT people in the Bible: they’re actually hiding in plain sight if you know where to look, but the English translations throw them into a scriptural closet. Queer people occur throughout the scriptures – some are approved of, others not so, just like any other people. All can serve God, and sometimes fail, just as we can!
Join us in our special Pride Worship Service at All Saints at our usual time of 10:30 am, and then march with us or come and sit at our booth at the Thapae Gate! More details below!
Our scripture readings for this Pride Sunday will be 1 Samuel 18, 20, 2 Samuel 1; 1 John 4:7-21; and Matthew 8:5-10,13; and we will be singing the hymns Stand up Stand Up for Jesus; Lord, We make this Cry for freedom; Beauty for Brokenness; and Let Us Build a House!
All Saints is a church. So why do we march in Pride? Isn’t pride a sin? Well, it’s not that sort of pride. The word pride as in gay pride first came into use in black pride. African Americans were taught to work hard and keep their heads down – being “uppity” was not only discouraged, it was down-right dangerous. The only response when being racially abused was not to retaliate, to walk away, otherwise you would end up the loser. Black Pride arose in opposition to this – it was about standing up to be counted, about saying I am not ashamed to be who I am. In this context pride is the opposite of shame!
And so, in 1970 in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the first Gay Pride marches took place. LGBT people were saying I am not ashamed to be who I am! Father Gene marched in New York in those early days and he will tell how people were abused and spat upon as they walked.
Fifty years later, Pride parades have become colourful family affairs with lavish corporate sponsorship and cross-party political support, but maybe not for much longer. Many big companies have withdrawn their support and political parties have turned hostile. Some countries, such as Hungary, have banned Pride altogether, while in others, such as the US, you can be sure that faces are being filmed and identities logged for future sanctions. In the UK, the big three parades, Manchester, Brighton, and London, have banned all political parties from taking part because of their active hostility and denial of rights and healthcare for trans people. Once again, it takes courage to stand up and be counted!
(If you doubt how bad the situation is in America, then read this long but insightful article: “Why I am leaving the US”!)
That is why All Saints will be marching in Chiang Mai Pride – to show that, gay or straight, cis or trans, we love one another as Jesus commanded us! Please join us if you can!
This year Chiang Mai Pride takes place this Sunday, 25th May. All Saints will have a special service at 10:30 a.m. that morning, and then will take part in the parade, which begins at 5 p.m., marching behind our “Christians at Pride” banner. We will also have our campervan-booth at the Thapae Gate where the march will end.
Chiang Mai Pride 2025, May 25, 2025 , 1 PM–9:30 PM
Start: Buddhist Center → End: Thapae Gate
13:00 Registration Opens 16:30 Line-up 17:20 Flash mob 17:30 Parade starts 19:30 Stage activities: Cabaret show, Community speeches, Sex worker performance, Network launch, Equal marriage ceremony, Candlelight memorial, and Open-air cinema & booths!
Maejo Pride is on 29th June and All Saints will be involved there too!
All Saints Pride T-Shirts
Adam and Sarah have designed these fantastic T-shirts for Chiang Mai Pride. They will be available in white, blue, or pink, in sizes S, M, L, and XL. (I am wearing a white M and pink S above.)
The cost will be THB 250 with profits helping to support All Saints. You can collect your order this Sunday and they will also be on sale after church and at our booth at Chiang Mai Pride!
All Saints’ First Intern
Tomorrow night, All Saints will welcome Clay Wackerman – a student from Harvard Divinity School – who will be joining us as a summer intern. He will be shadowing Gene, Mark, Christa, and I, as he explores his calling into Christian ministry. You will be able to meet him this Sunday!
Clay Wackerman is an aspiring Episcopal priest from the United States. Upon graduating college, he spent a year teaching elementary school English in Chanthaburi, Thailand, where he gained a deep appreciation for Thai culture and cuisine.
After his time in Thailand, he spent the following year at an Episcopal Benedictine Monastery in New York, immersing himself in the monastic life of work and prayer. After these two transformative experiences, he now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he is pursuing his Masters of Divinity degree at the Harvard Divinity School.
In his spare time, he enjoys reading, hiking, playing guitar, and trying to keep up his Thai language skills. He’s incredibly excited to return to Thailand this summer to serve as an intern All Saints Chiang Mai. He’s looking forward to meeting you all soon.
Pray for Annah and Aneesh
Annah’s baby is due to be delivered by caesarian section on Sunday, but her mum is seriously ill with cancer and may not make it until then.
Please hold the whole family in your prayers!
Pray for Penny!
Many of you will know Penny from the Lannacapella Choir, Women in the Word, and Chili Night. Last Wednesday she had a fall and on Monday she had her shoulder replaced in Ram Hospital. All went well and she returned home on Wednesday!
Please continue to hold her in your prayers!
Inclusive Church Conference
At the end of May, Christa and I will be attending this first international event gathering community leaders and allies in East and Southeast Asia. It will focus on building an ongoing support network for communities, exploring opportunities to facilitate resources sharing, learning from stories and ministry experiences, and witnessing God’s love and unity in Christ. This will give us the opportunity to reach out to other inclusive Christians and churches in Asia, and perhaps help to raise support for some of All Saint’s work in Chiang Mai
We have obtained the Thai resident discount so it is costing THB 2,000 each rather than $150, and we are also sponsoring a Thai pastor’s conference fee. Flights are also around THB 2,000 return. If anyone would like to contribute to the costs of our participation, please see Christa or me, or speak to Adam, who is our new church treasurer!
Chili Night!
See you again next Tuesday for the final Chili Night until July!
Once again 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 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! God bless you,
Jesus gave us a “new” commandment: Love One Another! That doesn’t seem very new! The new part probably comes in the next sentence; Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. That is what’s new – Jesus’ way of loving – the love that gives all!
We are only human, we often fail, but we are called to love one another and that means in action as well as in words. This is our calling. This is what we seek to do!
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6, and John 13:31-35, and we will be singing the hymns Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise; Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love; Low in the Grave; and Christ is made the Sure Foundation!
All Saints is a church. So why do we march in Pride? Isn’t pride a sin? Well, it’s not that sort of pride. The word pride as in gay pride first came into use in black pride. African Americans were taught to work hard and keep their heads down – being “uppity” was not only discouraged, it was down-right dangerous. The only response when being racially abused was not to retaliate, to walk away, otherwise you would end up the loser. Black Pride arose in opposition to this – it was about standing up to be counted, about saying I am not ashamed to be who I am. In this context pride is the opposite of shame!
And so, in 1970 in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the first Gay Pride marches took place. LGBT people were saying I am not ashamed to be who I am! Father Gene marched in New York in those early days and he will tell how people were abused and spat upon as they walked.
Fifty years later, Pride parades have become colourful family affairs with lavish corporate sponsorship and cross-party political support, but maybe not for much longer. Many big companies have withdrawn their support and political parties have turned hostile. Some countries, such as Hungary, have banned Pride altogether, while in others, such as the US, you can be sure that faces are being filmed and identities logged for future sanctions. In the UK, the big three parades, Manchester, Brighton, and London, have banned all political parties from taking part because of their active hostility and denial of rights and healthcare for trans people. Once again, it takes courage to stand up and be counted!
(If you doubt how bad the situation is in America, then read this long but insightful article: “Why I am leaving the US”!)
That is why All Saints will be marching in Chiang Mai Pride – to show that, gay or straight, cis or trans, we love one another as Jesus commanded us! Please join us if you can!
This year Chiang Mai Pride takes place on Sunday 25th May. All Saints will have a special service at 10:30 a.m. that morning, and then will take part in the parade, which begins at 5 p.m., marching behind our “Christians at Pride” banner. We will also have our campervan-booth at the Thapae Gate where the march will end.
Chiang Mai Pride 2025, May 25, 2025 , 1 PM–9:30 PM
Start: Buddhist Center → End: Thapae Gate
13:00 Registration Opens 16:30 Line-up 17:20 Flash mob 17:30 Parade starts 19:30 Stage activities: Cabaret show, Community speeches, Sex worker performance, Network launch, Equal marriage ceremony, Candlelight memorial, and Open-air cinema & booths!
Maejo Pride is on 29th June and All Saints will be involved there too!
All Saints Pride T-Shirts
Adam and Sarah have designed these fantastic T-shirts for Chiang Mai Pride. They will be available in white, blue, or pink, in sizes S, M, L, and XL. (I am wearing a white M and pink S above.)
The cost will be THB 250 with profits helping to support All Saints. You can try on and order this Sunday, and they will be ready for collection on Sunday 25th! They will also be on sale at our booth at Chiang Mai Pride!
All Saints’ First Intern
On Friday 23rd May, All Saints will welcome Clay Wackerman – a student from Harvard Divinity School – who will be joining us as a summer intern. He will be shadowing Gene, Mark, Christa, and I, as he explores his calling into Christian ministry. You will be able to meet him on Sunday 25th!
Inclusive Church Conference
At the end of May, Christa and I will be attending this first international event gathering community leaders and allies in East and Southeast Asia. It will focus on building an ongoing support network for communities, exploring opportunities to facilitate resources sharing, learning from stories and ministry experiences, and witnessing God’s love and unity in Christ. This will give us the opportunity to reach out to other inclusive Christians and churches in Asia, and perhaps help to raise support for some of All Saint’s work in Chiang Mai
We have obtained the Thai resident discount so it is costing THB 2,000 each rather than $150, and we are also sponsoring a Thai pastor’s conference fee. Flights are also around THB 2,000 return. If anyone would like to contribute to the costs of our participation, please see Christa or me, or speak to Adam, who is our new church treasurer!
Urgent – Church Finances!
All Saints now has a working Foundation, which is a firm footing for the future, and we came through the flood due to the generous giving of members and friends. But we have a problem: we need an average collection of around THB 10,000 to cover our regular outgoings, but the regular offering is usually around THB 4,000 – and half of that comes from two people! Last week’s offering was THB 4,110
Generally, we need each adult present to give an average of THB 500 per week. Of course, some people have very little money, so others need to give more!
There is a biblical tradition of giving a tithe – 10% of your income to God! Jesus calls us to give all! Please consider your weekly income – work out how much a tenth is, and then reflect on what you are giving to All Saints. We are not asking for 10%, but are you giving only 1%, 2%, or 3% – do you spend more on a meal out, than you give to support all the good things that All Saints is doing?
I’m sure we have been at fault in failing to share the needs of All Saints clearly – but our bank balance has been falling steadily since Covid. We will struggle to pay the rent and salary bill next month unless our income increases. Most of our offering goes to cover the salaries of our Congregational Pastor, our Organist, our Administrator, and our Cleaner – they are all part-time, but each one provides a vital function in the life of our church!
Please consider your giving – you can give more beginning next Sunday, or you can give each week and right now in the following ways:
You can donate via the All Saints Foundation:
Bank: Kasikorn Bank Account Name: All Saints Foundation Account Number: 170-3-79007-7 SWIFT code: KASITHBK
You can use the QR code for the church account in my name.
If you have a UK bank account, you can donate via the All Saints Chiang Mai Mission UK account:
Bank: Coop Bank Account Name: All Saints Chiang Mai Mission Account Number: 65877142 Sort Code: 08-92-99
Or other international donors can give via PayPal to the IainBaxterMinistry UK account using a debit or credit card.
One-off donations will be gratefully received, but most of all we need you to consider your regular weekly giving.
Thanks and God bless you!
Chili Night is Back!
See you again next Tuesday! Once again 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 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! God bless you,
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…
Dear Friends,
Our Gospel reading this week reminds us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that we are safe in his arms- even if we’re going through tough times! This message of love is the heart of the gospel and we have good news to share!
Our scripture readings for this Sunday will be Acts 9:36-43, Revelation 7:9-17, and John 10:22-30, and we will be singing the hymns Jesus Christ is Risen Today; The Lord’s my shepherd (And I will trust in You alone), The Lord’s my shepherd, and The King of love my Shepherd is!
This year Chiang Mai Pride takes place on Sunday 25th May. All Saints will have a special service at 10:30 a.m. that morning and then will take part in the parade, which begins at 4 p.m., marching behind our “Christians at Pride” banner. We will also have our campervan-booth at the Thapae Gate where the march will end.
Maejo Pride is on 29th June and All Saints will be involved there too!
Inclusive Church Conference
At the end of May, Christa and I will be attending this first international event gathering community leaders and allies in East and Southeast Asia. It will focus on building an ongoing support network for communities, exploring opportunities to facilitate resources sharing, learning from stories and ministry experiences, and witnessing God’s love and unity in Christ. This will give us the opportunity to reach out to other inclusive Christians and churches in Asia, and perhaps help to raise support for some of All Saint’s work in Chiang Mai
We have obtained the Thai resident discount so it is costing THB 2,000 each rather than $150, and we are also sponsoring a Thai pastors conference fee. Flights are also around THB 2,000 return. If anyone would like to contribute to the costs of our participation, please see Christa or me, or speak to Adam, who is our new church treasurer!
Urgent – Church Finances!
All Saints now has a working Foundation, which is a firm footing for the future, and we came through the flood due to the generous giving of members and friends. But… we have a problem: we need a weekly collection each Sunday of around THB 10,000 to cover our regular outgoings, but the regular offering is usually around THB 3,000 – and half of that comes from two people! Last week’s offering was THB 4,340
Generally, we need each adult present to give an average of THB 500 per week. Of course, some people have very little money, so others need to give more!
There is a biblical tradition of giving a tithe – 10% of your income to God! Jesus calls us to give all! Please consider your weekly income – work out how much a tenth is, and then reflect on what you are giving to All Saints. We are not asking for 10%, but are you giving only 1%, 2%, or 3% – do you spend more on a meal out, than you give to support all the good things that All Saints is doing?
I’m sure we have been at fault in failing to share the needs of All Saints clearly – but our bank balance has been falling steadily since Covid. We will struggle to pay the rent and salary bill next month unless our income increases. Most of our offering goes to cover the salaries of our Congregational Pastor, our Organist, our Administrator, and our Cleaner – they are all part-time, but each one provides a vital function in the life of our church!
Please consider your giving – you can give more beginning next Sunday, or you can give each week and right now in the following ways:
You can donate via the All Saints Foundation:
Bank: Kasikorn Bank Account Name: All Saints Foundation Account Number: 170-3-79007-7 SWIFT code: KASITHBK
You can use the QR code for the church account in my name.
If you have a UK bank account, you can donate via the All Saints Chiang Mai Mission UK account:
Bank: Coop Bank Account Name: All Saints Chiang Mai Mission Account Number: 65877142 Sort Code: 08-92-99
Or other international donors can give via PayPal to the IainBaxterMinistry UK account using a debit or credit card.
One-off donations will be gratefully received, but most of all we need you to consider your regular weekly giving.
Thanks and God bless you!
Chili Night is Back!
See you again next Tuesday! Once again 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 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! God bless you,
All Saints' Chiang Mai 