Dear Member of All Saints,
This is the time of year when we start to anticipate the blessings that we look forward to with the coming of Easter and spring. We are reminded of new life both spiritual and seasonal, and our Heavenly Father’s goodness with His provision of salvation through the willing sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. Therefore, the Government’s planned phased lifting of lockdown couldn’t be better timed.
Those responsible for the provision of our worship services have been working hard planning and preparing for a gradual return to in-person services. We are so blessed to have John Benson, and many others, too numerous to mention by name, doing this on our behalf.
If the current government plans continue unchanged there will be opportunities for people to come into All Saints for some services prior to and over Easter :-
Sunday 28th March, 9am Morning Praise – Please don’t forget that the clocks go forward one hour from 2am that day.
Good Friday 2nd April, 10.45am Service of Meditation. Easter Sunday 4th April, 9am Morning Praise (This will not include Holy Communion). Consideration is also being given to either live-streaming this service or recording it for broadcasting part of it later in the day.
In addition to the above services the Easter Sunday 10.45 All Age Worship service will be broadcast live on Zoom for members of the church family to view.
Are you able to help? The Tech Team is looking to recruit new members. No technical knowledge is required, just a willingness to learn. Training will be given. Also, age is not a barrier – teenage years and upwards- all are welcome. If you would like to help please contact the office and they will put you in touch with Paul Barnfather.
There is another good reason for planning to get up and out and about on Easter Sunday – the Easter outreach – the details of which were shared with us in the service last Sunday and in the notice sheet. You may find an Easter goody bag on a tree or fence near you. Also, it’s not too late to either help or to contribute to the cost. The suggested donation is £10. Christina will be happy to give more details about the type of help still needed.
Continuing with the theme of Easter, many of us will quite rightly be looking forward to engaging in fellowship that comes from being able to meet together for worship. However, it would be easy to overlook the blessings of the fellowship we’ve enjoyed since March last year and especially during the periods of lockdown.
The word in Greek translated fellowship is koinonia. It has a variety of meanings all connected to the concept of fellowship and they all remind us how blessed we are to have one another as Christian family members. An expression that occurs frequently “…. one another” reveals the idea of true fellowship with each other. Some of the exhortations to “…. one another” are:-
Help Accept Pray for Submit to
Love Forgive Wait for Watch over
Warn Comfort Build up Live in peace with
Teach Encourage Bear with Confess your sins to
We are encouraged in Galatians 6: 9-10 to “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
May we all experience God’s richest blessings as we each continue to give and receive fellowship within our All Saints family.
John Chester and Andy Creeth, Church Wardens