From the Operations Manager

As you will now know, I will be leaving All Saints at the end of November (22nd to be precise), I am sure I will include a few words in the notices closer to the time but I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has made my three years here so wonderful.

Getting the opportunity to work for the Church is something I wish everyone could have the chance to do. I have found it to be a safe space to grow and flourish, surrounded by people who genuinely want the best for you and who want to see you succeed. People who aren’t just interested in your output but also what fills you up and are committed to taking care of you as a whole person.

I couldn’t be leaving to do what I am going to do (Estates Operations Manager for Young Lives V Cancer) if it wasn’t for the multitude of lessons I have learnt here so thank you for the opportunities I have had and connections I have made.

I am very much looking forward to the Church Weekend on the 12th and 13th October as a chance for me to spend some time with the many friends I have made during my stint as All Saints Operations Manager, please don’t forget to book for your events, activities and food before Tuesday!

From the Youth Minister

September marks the start of a new year of youth ministry. It has been wonderful restarting Abide, Encounter groups and our schools work. I look forward to the development and new opportunities on the near horizon.

I would love to specifically draw your attention to our monthly youth services. They are the first 6pm service of the month. It's been great to see our young people take an active part in leadership at these services. We would really value your presence there, supporting our emerging generation of leaders, and a chance to worship God all together.

Cam Catto

From the Associate Vicar

In just a month I will be travelling to northern Tanzania to visit the Diocese of Kilimanjaro (7th – 15th October). Some people may know that I spent a year teaching in a university in central Tanzania in 2011 and also visited projects associated with the sponsorship charity ‘Compassion’ in north-east Tanzania in 2019.

The link with our parish and the Diocese of Kilimanjaro has been a successful one for many years and a number of you will have visited already. It was mediated by the Tearfund charity but around a year ago Tearfund said they would be need to restructure and would not be able to mediate the link for us. They encouraged us to continue the link, and this is something we have been keen to do.

The aim of this visit is to establish a meaningful and ongoing relationship with Christians and projects in the diocese. I will spend time at a training conference for reducing poverty in rural areas, meet the Bishop and his staff, worship on a Sunday and many other things yet to be determined! There is a hope that this might lead to members of the congregation visiting in the near future – for those who are might be interested, look out for evening event I will run on my return. Do pray for Roland on his travels, for the people that he will meet and the ongoing relationship that the parish has in Tanzania.

From the Curate

For many of us, September is a time of new beginnings. Children begin a new year at school, our older youth begin university soon. For some, our regular work or social routines return after pausing briefly over the summer. In our church life together, many of our activities begin again: Monday drop in, Thursday Open Door, our range of small groups, and toddlers - to name but a few.

In our 9.15 and 11am services over the next four weeks, we will hear the remarkable Old Testament story of Ruth, whose own new beginnings involved a new country, new family, and new faith. She, like us, would have known the joys and challenges of new beginnings: the sense of uncertainty, anxiety, and excitement. In her own new beginnings, she declares one of the great affirmations of faith in found Scripture: ‘your people will be my people, and your God my God’ (Ruth 1.16).

As the chapters unfold, God’s steadfast love and providential guiding lead to redemption and blessing not only for Ruth, but for the whole world – including us. If you would like to explore more as our sermon series begins, this is a brilliant 7 minute video produced by the Bible Project Book of Ruth Summary | Watch an Overview Video (bibleproject.com)

From The Wardens

As the end of summer approaches and the more regular rhythm of life resumes it is a time to look forward and plan for the next phase in the life of All Saints. We were sad to lose Sue Gill from the warden team but thank her for all she has given over many years with love, diplomacy and great kindness. We will miss her but are very grateful that Richard Blyth has offered to return to the team in her place. This has to be formally approved by the church membership and thus a short extraordinary church meeting will be held on Sunday 29th September towards the end of the 9.15 service to ensure that this reappointment has the support of the church members and complies with the necessary rules and regulations surrounding the appointment of churchwardens.

All Saints is a vibrant, growing church with many opportunities for us to grow in our faith and invite others to hear the message of the Gospel. However, all organisations, however successful, need to review their strategy from time to time. Over recent months we have reworked our Purpose, Aims and Values and we hope you have had sight of this document which has been available in the welcome area over the summer. We are now working on a new strategy and action plan to build on what is already working well and looking for innovative ways to support and grow our church family. As part of this an anonymous questionnaire will become available to all members of the congregation to complete in September that seeks your views on the many aspects of church life at All Saints and the level of interest and support for some possible new initiatives that are being considered. Do please complete this questionnaire so we can get a clearer idea of the make-up of our church family and your opinions and needs so that, as wardens, we can work with the staff team and PCC to provide a church that both supports its congregation and is caring, relevant and welcoming to the wider community both within Ecclesall and beyond.

As Paul says in Philippians: Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Finally, the team of stewards and welcomers that is essential to the smooth running of our services has diminished in numbers over recent months. We need more volunteers for these roles. If you feel you could possibly help and want to know more about either role, do please speak to one of the warden team. We need you!

Rob Coleman, Richard Blyth, Lynne Bradey, Alan Storey

From The Treasurer

How have you spent August?  Enjoyed a holiday? Like me, taken pleasure in being in your garden? Completed the summer “to do” list? What was on your list? Clearing out the loft? Catching up on reading the books you have bought? Did the list feature a review of household finances?

If considering your contribution to church finances didn’t feature on your prayer or action list for August, may I encourage you to add this to your autumn list as we head towards our stewardship appeal in October; “Seek the Lord, Serve the Church, Play your Part”.

As Treasurer, I’ve spent time in August forecasting potential financial requirements for 2025 and beyond.  Mark’s “from the Vicar” summer letter gives a good flavour of our wonderfully varied and full life at All Saints. However, new activities and increases in staff and energy costs mean demands on our finances continue to grow! In contrast, the number of households in the pledged giving scheme and the level of regular giving has fallen over the summer. No Treasurer likes this scenario!

Please do join me in praying for a generous response to the stewardship appeal and for new commitments to be made in the weeks ahead.  As our Lord blesses us so generously, may we as His disciples give generously in response as we seek to love and serve Him and our neighbours.

Julia Newton 

From The Children's Minister

I am writing this three days into Holiday Club week and am full of thanksgiving for the answers to prayers we have had.  I am also excited to see how God is going to continue to be at work in these young lives over the next couple of days.  By the end of the week we will have had 136 children, 17 young people and over 40 volunteers coming together to worship, explore stories about Jesus, pray and have fun!

This year our theme is based on Psalm 34 v 8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him”.  Each day we have explored a part of Jesus’ ministry through food, learning more about who Jesus is, how much He loves us and what difference we can make in the world if we offer back what we have to Him.  We have learnt some new worship songs and look forward to sharing these and all we have been doing at our 11am service on Sunday 18th August and during our picnic.

None of this week would have been possible without our incredible volunteers and so I want finish to say a huge thank you to each of them for giving their time, gifts, energy and talents to serve in this way.  Do keep them and all those who were at our Holiday Club in your prayers.

Rosie

From the Assistant Minister

Walking through the town last week towards the new, huge marquee, in bright warm Keswick morning sunshine, joining the thousands who were gathering just for that one meeting (12,000 gather over the three weeks of the Convention), I was reminded of the thrill of my first visit to the Keswick Convention years ago. I remember the streets literally filling with Christians, all streaming towards the same place, the tent for the evening meeting. The sound of hymns and songs being sung inside the tent filled the air all around.  It was wonderful, speaking to all of us something of that picture we find in various places in the Bible, of the New Jerusalem, the restored Mount Zion, where all who believe will gather, in praise and wonder - " ...you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem...and to God, the judge of all...and to Jesus, the mediator of  a new covenant..”(Hebrews 12.22-24).

Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of this amazing Christian gathering, first held in the Vicarage Garden in Keswick, at which even for that initial event, three or four hundred people attended.  Countless thousands from all over the World have followed them. The emphasis which was first embraced in 1875 is there still – the faithful exposition of the Scriptures, carefully applied to our lives. These days there is a staggering range of seminars, topics and activities on offer, and children's and youth work, and specialist sessions for Christians in the Arts and more. 50,000 Christian books were sold to conventioners over the 3 weeks this year.

From the very start this has been an ecumenical event – with Christians from various denominations joining together in praise and song and the study of God’s Word.  Long ago the Convention took as its motto “All one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3.28) and this is lived out each year as people from churches all over the UK and abroad gather in this Lakeland town. The words are emblazoned on the outside of the marquee so all passing on the main road into Keswick can see this bold statement of Christian fellowship.

“After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God’...” (Rev 19.1).

How about Keswick next year?   https://keswickministries.org/2025-convention-transformed/

With you in God’s service

Godfrey