From The Curate

 This Sunday at 3pm and Monday at 7.30pm we have a wonderful opportunity to hear about, and pray for, the church graft to St. Oswald’s. Thank you to all who have already been praying, and to those discerning possible involvement.

 Romans 4:17 reminds us that God “gives life to the dead and calls into being things that are not.” My prayer is that He would revive the faithful but small congregation at St. Oswald’s, raise up a graft team, and bring new life to many in the community.

 May I encourage you to pray that God would revitalise the church at St. Oswald’s - and be open to how God might use you, perhaps even as part of the graft team!

 With thanks for your partnership and prayers,

Simon Oatridge

From The Curate

Growing younger

Nationally the Church of England has three priorities – one is to grow a younger and more diverse congregation. All Saints is blessed with many wonderful children and young people and has many testimonies of God’s faithful work among this age range through the last few decades.

Within there are four schools – two primary (Ecclesall Infants and Clifford All Saints) and two secondary (High Storrs and Silverdale). Between them, they represent around 4000 children and this last week they restarted their new academic year. We have been in touch with them all to say that we are praying for them (please do!) and continue to develop our relationship with them in other ways. Our youth minister, Cam, supports the Christian Union at Silverdale and the clergy are covering assemblies in Clifford All Saints before we appoint a new Children and Families Minister.

One of the most exciting things happening is children and young people working out their faith among their peers in their schools. It is easy to forget to pray for the children and young people from All Saints and other churches as they witness to the love of God in their words and actions at school. Also, please do keep an eye out in church for young people visiting for the first time – there have been some in the last few months. It is a big deal to walk into church for the first time, and how we respond and welcome really matters.

Finally, if you want to find out more about how young people understand and respond to the Christian story, there’s some fascinating research recently out called Translating God read by clicking this link https://www.youthscape.co.uk/research/translating-god/home

Ben Lacey

From the Assistant Minister

In Matthew’s Gospel he records Jesus telling a parable about two men building houses. One built on sand, and his home was washed away. The other built on rock, and so his house survived the storm - the point for us today? All people must choose whether to build their lives on Christ, the bedrock for sure foundations in this life and the next, or to look elsewhere. In the Matthew passage, Jesus makes it clear that it is those who hear His words and do them who stay secure.

How do you keep the foundations of your life in good shape, to withstand the buffeting of the World and all it contains, as it hammers against the doors and windows of your life? How do you keep yourself spiritually strong and healthy as a Christian?

In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read that ”the word of God is living and active”. What thrilling and cheering encouragement for us this is. God speaks today with vitality and energy. And one way we hear Him and so maintain the foundations of our lives, is through our reading and study of the Scriptures. We have an opportunity together this Autumn to engage with the living and active Word of God, as we pick up our Bibles to study together on a Wednesday morning. We begin the term in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Our aim will be, with those early church Christians, to hear God’s Word to us and to respond. As Paul puts it “You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him...let your living spill over into thanksgiving.” (The Message Col 2.6-8: Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson).

Godfrey

From the Operations Manager

This Sunday we celebrate a long-awaited upgrade—our brand-new carpet is in, and it’s hole-free at last! I should have reminded you all to bring your slippers… and we’ll see who’s first to christen it with a cup of tea!

The carpet marks the latest milestone in a series of improvements over the past couple of years. After many visits from surveyors, stone specialists, plasterers, decorators, and other skilled folk, we’ve seen good progress. The walls have been freshly plastered and painted, and the stonework carefully cleaned. While a few small areas are still drying and awaiting their final touches, the transformation is already something to celebrate.

These changes are more than just cosmetic—they help create a space that is welcoming, beautiful, and worthy of the worship and community life that happens here.

We’re so thankful to everyone who gives faithfully each week—your generosity makes projects like this possible. The plastering, decorating, and new carpet have cost around £27,500, with the carpet being the largest expense.

With this in mind we’d like to invite you to ‘sponsor a tile!’ There are around 1,640 tiles in total, with each one costing around £7.50 to replace. Whether you sponsor one tile, ten or more, every little helps!

If this is something you’d like to help with, you can donate through the church office or via the donation page on our website. Thank you for your help making the building look lovely again!

With love and blessings

Jo

Holiday Club: From The Associate Vicar

This year at Holiday Club we have been diving into the goodness of God – exploring moments of Jesus’ life and stories that he told. As we have explored the waters, we heard of Jesus’ Baptism, his parable of the pearl and Peter the disciple walking on water. We heard of the goodness of God as Jesus washed his disciples’ feet before sharing his final meal with them. And finally we heard of God’s forgiveness for us through Jesus forgiving Peter by the side of the lake.

We have sung songs, created crafts, played sports and games and made so many memories. It has been a real highlight in the churches year together. Special thanks should go to Rosie Blackett who, though she has finished as children’s minister, was instrumental in the planning of this year’s spectacular event. Thanks as well go to everyone who made this week the special event that it has been.

Roland Slade

From the Vicar

Your prayers and support for this coming week are asked for as Holiday club commences. Thank you to the team of volunteers ably led by Roland, Cam and Simon. Our fellowship has a wonderful history of serving the local community by running this club – do pray for the week and for an inspiring set of activities run for children – hopefully one that attracts a person of God’s choosing to lead our children’s work on into the future. You have three more weeks to send to your friends and networks the profile and advert for the vacant role we have at this time.

Your prayers and support are also asked for these important up and coming Autumn dates. A full set of dates, signaling the direction of travel of our Church fellowship, will be available from the back of church this Sunday, but here as an appetiser are some fixtures for your diaries please ( a selection of one per month! )

27th September

Christian Aid quiz with pie and pea supper – supporting the world- wide church through education and giving.

11th October

Harvest Supper – supporting our own church through fellowship, with guest speaker Richard Boateng.

12th November

Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so……. I will be giving a lecture, open to other churches too, on Bible reading, to aid our reflection on the wider issues of the contemporary Church scene.

3rd – 6th December

Christmas experience – book the dates – we will need your help to run this again this year.

As I write, a number of our fellowship have entrusted myself or the staff team with various pastoral needs. This is a reminder to us all that pastoral information can be shared with us if you or those you know require any form of pastoral support. Do ask, the offer is there.

Yours in Christ’s service

Mark

Farewell from the Children's Minister

As I come to the end of my time as Children’s Minister at All Saints, Paul’s letter for the Philippians comes to mind: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you…"

I am so grateful for the love, friendship, encouragement and support I have received from so many of you over the last 10 years and for the opportunity to work for a church with Jesus at the heart of it. Thank you to the many of you who have prayed for our children’s ministry and to those who have served alongside me in our school’s work, Messy Church, Holiday Club, Light Party, Christian Unions, Open the Book, Toddlers, Uniformed Organisations, Christingle, Christmas Eve nativities, crèche, Sunday morning groups, 11am services and not forgetting Palm Sundays with the donkeys! Thank you too for those of you who helped me deliver youth work when we didn’t have a youth minister and Houseparty.

Much of what happens in our children’s ministry is unseen by most people, unless you are part of the team delivering it, but it has been known, seen and appreciated by me and most importantly by God and you have made an invaluable difference for His Kingdom.

Jesus is clear that we are to welcome children and to help them come to Him so for each and every one of you who has done that, I give thanks. Children are not simply part of the future church, they are the church now. If I could leave All Saints with one encouragement it is to get involved in some way with our brilliant children and their families. They are such a blessing to work with and have given me enormous joy. If you aren’t sure about working with children directly then why not help serve refreshments to the parents and carers at Toddlers, join the band, sound or visuals team for our 11am services, help prepare resources or speak words of encouragement to our overtired parents and carers who are doing their best to bring their children up in faith. There are so many ways that we can help children come to Jesus and know Him and I honestly believe you will be blessed if you do.

My final words of thanks must of course go to our loving Lord. The one who loves us so much that He died for us, the one for whom we do all these things and who so graciously uses us in the advancement of His Kingdom. “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!” Amen! (Revelation 5:13).

Rosie Blackett

From the Music Minister

Turn your eyes to the heavens

Our King will return for His own

Every knee will bow, every tongue will shout

“All glory to Jesus alone”

This final verse from the hymn ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’, recently sung at the 9:15 service, is a glorious summons for hope in the return of Christ. But it also contains the seeds of a theology of worship. Sunday by Sunday, each part of every worship service in its own way turns our gaze toward Christ and grows our faith in Him. Our sung worship particularly does that as it moves our emotions and affections towards God. As we sing, our hearts do indeed ‘bow’ and our tongues do indeed ‘shout’ glory and praise to Jesus, and we are moved afresh to live for Him alone. At least, that is the goal. And it is my goal.

As we approach another summer holiday season, it’s an opportunity for me to reflect on a year since I was appointed as Music Minister at All Saints. This Christ-centred place of music and worship is very much my longing for our church. It’s been a privilege to see it lived out this year through the servant-hearted efforts of our many musicians, and I wish to thank them for all their work. As we go into a quieter summer period, I’d love to ask you all to consider whether you’d like to get involved, perhaps singing in the choir, or serving on the sound desk. And of course, there is Christmas on the horizon – could you come and sing?

But if not, would you still join me in praying that the music and worship at All Saints would be increasingly Christ-centred, and would be used to draw people to Him.

George Parsons