From the Mission Support Group

We often refer back to the five marks of mission as a fundamental and inspiring reference point for our work on the mission support group. The five marks are:

1. to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

2. to teach, baptise and nurture new believers

3. to respond to human need by loving service

4. to seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation

5. to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

The fourth one is a bit of a mouthful, and the one that is, perhaps, the hardest to get our head around. Still, that won’t stop us trying and so at this year’s mission weekend we are hoping to explore it a little further.

It is a topic that can, most directly, stray into politics and even conflict with the rulers and authorities in the world. We need to be ‘wise as serpents and harmless as doves’. Christians have a great tradition of campaigning for justice. Examples include education, prison reform, debt relief, abolition of slavery and sanctuary for asylum seekers. Often these initiatives become part of the state or legal provision and we celebrate these freedoms and improvements in our and others lives. However, we are currently seeing a backlash against many of these hard-won freedoms. Confusingly, it sometimes seems to be informed by a Christian narrative.

We can go back to Micah 6:8 which is often used to inform our call in this aspect of our mission: ‘what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? So, our prayer is that we can understand and respond to this call in our lives individually and collectively as we explore this vital mark of our mission and testimony.

Simon Musgrave

From the Curate

As we approach Lent, I wanted to highlight our recommended book for this season: Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become like Him, Do as He Did by John Mark Comer. Some of you may know his earlier best-seller, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. This Lent, we are invited to return to the basics of our faith, reflecting on what it means to listen to and learn from Jesus.

We have the opportunity to read this book, follow our Lent sermon series at various services, and participate in weekly activities throughout Lent, starting with our Ash Wednesday Service on 5th March at 7:30pm. Imagine if, over Lent, we all become spiritually renewed and more like Christ – what a difference this could make in our community and our witness to others.

The book is available at church for £16.99. If you’d like to reserve a copy, contact Lesley Snell on 07910 419 363 or click here to email. Alternatively, you can purchase it independently: Amazon Link, Waterstones Link

Simon Oatridge

From the Youth Minister

As a youth team, we have been very encouraged and excited by the launch of our youth prayer and worship nights. We had our first one on Saturday the 8th  February in the evening and saw far more young people than expected from All Saints, St Luke's and St Chad's churches. We ate some ice cream and played a couple of games but spent the majority of the evening in sung worship, and going around prayer stations. There was also an encouraging talk by Joy Catto, the youth and children's leaders at St Luke's. We hope to continue what we have started and make these a termly event!

Thank you

Cam

From the Vicar

Dear friends,

A date for all your diaries to unite as a Parish:

Ash Wednesday March 5th 7:30 to 8:30pm “Can you not watch with me for an hour?”

A time for our Lenten journey of resources to be explained and framed by some timeless principles of Christian growth and renewal. We will use worked examples of how this can happen in practice. The Bible and the life of Jesus will be our guide, along with illustrations of how things can change with God’s help will be shared. There will be a gathering of wisdom from the past, contemporary applications from how the saints of today live disciplined lives, along with an eye to some of the challenges that will face Christians in the future. There will be the offer too of a short service of the imposition of ashes. A time to unite and gather together as a church family at the start of our Lenten journey. This is an event for everyone in the parish. Our recent questionnaire returns highlighted a desire for times for us all to gather – this is one of them offered. There will be others too but especially so to launch our aspiration to see 150 of our members commit to sharing Lent together in time of renewal and reflection. Full details will follow with specially produced resources soon, and the whole program will be launched on Ash Wednesday evening. I have specifically asked all of our staff, PCC and lay leaders to be there but it is open to everyone to share together. I have been thrilled to see 100 people for last year’s lecture in November and many gather for our church away at home. This is the next significant milestone for our parish’s life. Diarize the date please for yourself and encourage others to come along. The evening will have value in its own right but will also launch our Lenten journey of five weeks seeking the Lord and his renewal for our lives.

I will be praying for your attendance as you can pray for me as I speak.

Yours in his service,

Mark

From the Operations Manager

As I near the end of my first month at All Saints, I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome! Reconnecting with old friends and making new ones has certainly been the highlight of my first few weeks.

I'm steadily getting up to speed with the dizzying variety of activities at All Saints! This includes moving forward with estate projects, including repairs to the guttering and water hopper in the Mother’s Union Chapel, which should be completed soon. Re-plastering plans are also underway now that the AV system work is done. Once that's finished, we'll start decorating and installing the new carpet. So, please bear with the current holey carpet a bit longer!

I'm gradually meeting the many groups and volunteers who keep All Saints running. If we haven't met yet, you're still on my list. For those I have met, I've been impressed by the dedication and variety of activities. However, we always need more help. There are countless opportunities to get involved, whether from home or hands-on at church, regular or adhoc. If you're unsure where your skills fit in, feel free to reach out for a chat. I truly believe there is something for everyone, every little really does help!

Looking forward to getting to know you all better in the coming weeks and months.

Many thanks

Jo Evans

From the Wardens

Throughout the years, All Saints Ecclesall has been blessed by members of the congregation who have given their time and talents to take on the role of warden. At the next APCM in May, we will be looking to appoint two new deputy wardens. It is an interesting, varied and important role that provides an opportunity to work with the PCC, the ministry and operations teams to ensure the church is well run, is outward looking and provides a range of opportunities for the current congregation and new attenders to grow in faith and establish a transforming relationship with Jesus.

We are praying that there are members of the congregation interested in the role. If this could be you, speak to one of the current wardens. A conversation costs nothing and commits nobody. The advantage of having “senior” and “deputy” wardens means that nobody is thrown into the role unprepared. Appointees will be guided by the senior wardens to learn the role and contribute their own specific skill set and gifts of the Spirit to serve the Lord Jesus.

As you prayerfully consider whether the role might be for you, you might reflect on Philippians 2:3-4:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

From the Associate Vicar

In our morning services in church we are delving into the meaning of our faith with a sermon series looking at the creed. Over the early centuries there were a few creeds formed. They happened when Christians came together and worked out all the things that they could agree on and were central to the faith the professed. They became important because the church was wide and diverse but these words along with scripture were something that held everyone together in the faith.

They have been used to teach the faith – did you have to memorize it when you were confirmed? They give a sense of togetherness as we all stand up and say it with all the other saints around the world and through the ages. I also think they are aspirational statements for those who want to believe or want to hold on to hope when it feels far off. Statements like the creed hold a community of faith wherever we are on our own personal journey of faith.

Famously Leo Tolstoy was excommunicated from the Orthodox church when he admitted he struggled with saying a line of the creed in good conscience. His church couldn’t cope with doubt but I hope we wouldn’t ever be like that. Faith is to be worked out in the context of the church family. I encourage us all as we say these ancient words to fix our eyes on God – to want faith - and to thank God for the gift of faith in our lives.

Roland

From the Assistant Minister

“To God’s holy people…the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” * - this greeting from the Apostle Paul to the Church at Ephesus is a wonderfully encouraging word also to us, in these early days of the New Year.

On Wednesday mornings in January and February we are gathering at 11:30a.m. to study together in Paul’s Letter to this young church fellowship, set in the port city of Ephesus, on the west coast of Aisa. In the Letter we ill learn of the new life in Christ, of our witness to Christ in the face of challenge and unbelief and of the new society of church fellowship, which flows from our shared faith.

Pick up a flyer in the Welcome Area for more details. If you cannot manage all the dates, just come when you are able. Each session can stand alone as an opportunity for fellowship, study and growth in your knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do join us if you can.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” **

Godfrey

*Ephesians 1:1-2 – Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

*Ephesians 6:10