Thank you for your support, in so many ways, for recent events at All Saints. There was a great effort for our APCM and our Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. It was especially heartening to see some new faces and invited guests.
As you will be aware many of our messages are recorded and uploaded on the website and if you wanted to catch up fully on news and ideas shared at the APCM then here is the link for the recorded video of the evening https://youtu.be/O0NluJrjz5Q
Please use this in conjunction with our “Celebration 2021 leaflet”, it shows some of the amazing work of our members and gives us hope as we journey together into a new phase in the life of All Saints with new staff joining us. I am particularly interested to see how we respond to the challenge presented at our APCM of who we will sit with, how we will serve and what can we see?
Yours in Christ,
Mark Brown
From the Vicarage
Come Holy Spirit! The day of Pentecost happened in the past but its reality can be felt now in prayer. We pray come Holy Spirit upon our outreach occasions for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. We pray come Holy Spirit as we reflect upon how to carry forward our desire to serve God’s purposes following on from our APCM. We pray come Holy Spirit as we welcome new ministers into our midst.
We pray come Holy Spirit as we intercede together (Thursday June 16th 7.30 in church). We Pray come Holy Spirit as many in our communities and wanting to reconnect with church after the rigours of Covid. How good to be part of a Christian community where gifts are shared. Pray therefore also for yourself. Come Holy Spirit and aliven God’s gifts in me!
Yours in Christ,
Mark Brown
From the Children's Minister
In our children’s ministry, we have been celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee. Last Sunday, we had our Jubilee Messy Church, where we thought about the Queen’s witness, praised Jesus for being the King of Kings and thought about how we become royalty because of Him. During our Baby and Toddler groups, we had Jubilee crafts and snacks and handed out copies of the Thy Kingdom Come Cheeky Pandas book about the Queen’s life of faithfulness and God’s love and faithfulness to us. We gave the same books out to the younger children at Clifford All Saints School and did an assembly about Queen Elizabeth II being friends with Jesus and how we can all be friends with Jesus too.
Next Sunday (5th June), we are looking forward to our All Age 11am service followed by a picnic and the dedication of a Jubilee tree, planted by some of the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers. We do hope you will bring your lunch and something to sit on and come and join us as we celebrate both the Queen’s Jubilee and Pentecost. It would be wonderful to have the whole church family together for this. If it rains we can always picnic inside!
Looking ahead, we would really like to be able to put on a Holiday Club this year. To do this, we need your help. Do let us know as soon as possible if you can volunteer your time between Monday 15th August - Friday 19th August. It is a wonderful opportunity to help children know Jesus.
From the Vicarage
On Sunday, we celebrate All Saint’s commitment to world mission.
Designating one Sunday a year for this purpose keeps in mind that throughout the year, we have a constant prayer and aspiration that “God who so loved the world” in mission is featured week in week out: we do this in prayers for our mission partners. We do this financially to support God’s work away from our Parish. We do this strategically and our mission support group reflects on how best to allocate our commitments and profile them to us. We do this through our open hearts as we seek to learn and be inspired by those who share Christ in other contexts that we can more readily share ourselves as missionaries in our own setting.
Yours in Christ
Mark Brown
From the Vicarage
Our Annual meeting is on the 25th May.
Do come along if you can, it will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate last year and look ahead to the next year. I intend to keep these meetings as one of the main ways the direction and tone of our churches life is set so if you are able with your diaries to make it a priority please do.
Thank you to Steph, Julia Newton and Sarah Leighton for their work in compiling the essential paperwork but in the main it will be a chance to reflect upon how we are doing as a church and look forward together.
We will aim to record the meeting on video camera for those who cannot attend so you can catch up later.
Yours in Christ
Mark Brown
From the Vicarage
Dear Friends,
Prayer: How important this is for a healthy and happy church. So please note these two fixtures below which are, amongst many, stimulating the life of prayer across the Parish. If you cannot make it please don’t panic or worry but offer some prayers in the name of the Lord for what we are seeking to do. I am so glad many of you have found the so-called rule of life helpful and the daily thoughts from Deuteronomy. So good to see increasing numbers at our early morning Wednesday 8:45am meeting. Rosie, Steph and I also meet in church on Monday at 8:45am – the offer is there!
Healing service
The next one is next Sunday 15th May and then again on 17th July. The format, which I will unpack in detail on the evening, is to provide a comfortable and secure place for ourselves and visitors to be prayed for with the anointing of oil. There will be at least 5 or more stations around the church and then, to a background of quiet music, requests for prayer can be made at the stations for yourselves or others. I have found that there is great value in receiving prayer and this is especially appreciated by those who might not be part of our membership. The publicity is through you and your own thoughtful invitation to them by word of mouth.
Church prayer meeting
Our next one is on the 16th of June at 7:30. Numbers have varied but there is normally a very good turnout for teaching, fellowship, sharing of church family news and of course prayer. The format differs but it is a chance to hear first hand what is happening at ASE and intercede for the Lord’s work. I have been encouraged to see new faces; you are of course always welcome. These termly gatherings are going to be a regular features and will, in my view, undergird all we seek to do. Those in any form of leadership should see this as essential part of their involvement.
Thank you for your prayers and support for the team with its many changes. It is really appreciated but may I say formally, I am always happy to meet and pray with you for any particular personal concern.
Yours in His service
Mark Brown
From the Vicarage
Easter faith and for living and sharing
Dear friends,
Before we look forward to the many occasions to be prompted to share and live our Easter faith that the family of All Saints is providing for its members and local community in the future, let me pause and look back to the wonderful time of celebrations enjoyed by many to celebrate our Easter faith. Buns, Bonfires, Beasts of burden (the donkey), blessings through connections and meditations, bring and share eucharists, bouquets of flowers, bumper choirs, service sheets and video clips - the list of brilliant teams and volunteers goes on. Simply and sincerely to say thank you to the many who worked so hard. Christ is Risen and always will be and we are so grateful that many of our members worked hard with their various teams. On behalf of the staff team and PCC can I say thank you!
Fall forward is one of my favourite phrases. ‘So, if things don’t go well and we need to fall forward, is the message clear?’ If we have been given much, then going forward with Easter joy and conviction will surely give us even greater momentum going into the future. So please don’t miss out. Pray, think, invite, share, and join with these many goodies for us and our community and friends to come to. Raise a hand and let us know if you would like to help but of course please pray for the teams working on these things.
Going forward these post Easter events are for you and others to share and be encouraged to live out our Easter faith. In addition to the informal socials being hosted in the Vicarage garden and the signature events in the boxes below, I am always open to attend any informal garden parties or happenings you are privately hosting either just be present as your Vicar or to commend Christ in word and prayer. ( I really like doing these sorts of things so the offer is there!! )
Yours in His service
The Revd Canon Mark Brown
Upcoming Signature Events
ASCENSION DAY SERVICE, 7:30pm Thursday 26 May
Mark is leading a service of Praise which Alistair is speaking at with members of St Gabriel’s joining us to pray together for our local community and mission partnership.
EVENSONG FOR OUR QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE, 6pm on Sunday 5 June
HEALING SERVICE at 6pm on 15 May and 17 July A safe space to receive prayer with the anointing of oil – a reflective time which Mark is leading with a trusted team to pray for yourself and any invited guests. More details to follow verbally in the church notices about the relaxed, informal format of these services so you can feel safe to invite others along too.
REVD ROLAND SLADE LICENSING SERVICE You are invited to the Licensing Service of our new Associate Vicar Revd Roland Slade on Wednesday 29 June at 7:30pm in Church. If you are planning on attending please sign up via the featured events page of the website or by calling the office to book your place
From the Operations Manager
A lot has happened since my last ‘from the’ and I am delighted to now be able to share the news of some new team members!
Firstly, Tani Ogbe joined us this week as Elaine’s maternity leave cover. Tani will be with us for 13 months supporting Mark and the office team and is currently working with Elaine to hand over the role before Elaine leaves us at the end of the month.
Secondly, Catherine Abbott will join the team from Monday as our new Church Administrator and will be working Monday-Friday in the Church office.
Please pray for our new team members as they settle in to their roles and for Elaine as she prepares for the arrival of her baby.
Welcome to Catherine and Tani!
