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

From The American

Dear adoptive church family,

I wanted to take this last opportunity to sincerely thank you all for how warmly you all have invited me into the rhythms of your community life this past year. Thanks to that welcome, this has been a really blessed time for me to both learn patterns of ministry and discern my own call. As I go home to New Mexico and continue my ordination process I hope to bring a bit of All Saints back with me. I've been inspired by the fact that you all are not just a church in this area, but a church for this area. Parish ministry means that we get to be the local embassy for the Kingdom of Heaven. This mindset has been evident in how our space and ministries serve not just ourselves but invite people in to encounter the reality of our king. So, keep up the good work of being a light on Ecclesall hill and I will try and do the same on the other side of the world.

In Christ,

your extremely grateful ministry trainee,

John “The American” Davis.

From the Curate

The call to ordination is one that I have carried with me for many years. One of the hardest things along the way has been whether God was actually calling me to this. Was it really his voice drawing me into full-time ministry in the Church of England, or not? Alongside prayer, worship, time and reading scripture, one of the most important things that helped me work this all out, was sharing this sense of call with others – with fellow sisters and brothers in the church, my family and friends.

I don’t know if you can relate? Maybe it is a day-to-day thing - sensing God’s still small voice prompting you to pray for someone, or God reminding you of his faithfulness by prompting you to stop and be silent for a moment. Maybe it is something bigger – a sense that you want to start giving some time, or skills, or money to God’s work here on earth. Whatever it is, it can be hard to discern if the sense is from God. But don’t let these Holy-Spirit-Prompts pass you by. Instead, let’s share these prompts with one another and bring them before God in prayer. And, in the end, respond! For me, it was a wise member of All Saints Ecclesall who prayed for and with me and helped me discern whether God might be calling me. Having shared some of the journey with me, he reminded me that though God calls, he will never force us to follow; he invites us to make the decision. His will does not bypass our will, but instead we offer our will, our desire and our dreams to him, that he might bring them in to line with his.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

Ben Lacey

From the Vicar

Dear Friends

“We will support them….”

Ordinations are to be celebrated. Men and women offer themselves for various public ministries in the life of the Church of God. This comes after sustained reflection, prayer and training. It is not a step to be undertaken lightly. We are privileged to have been used by God at All Saints, to see many men and women sent for training who are now set in place within the Church of England for their ministries. In our own day at the Cathedral this weekend, we remember the Lacey and Holme families as they support Ben and Stephen respectively. One of the most moving lines in the Cathedral service – said in 42 dioceses up and down our country is from the assembled congregation who are asked by the Bishop “Will you support them…?” Public ministry today is under even more scrutiny and in addition the complexities of pastoral needs seems not to get easier, alongside of course the nagging suspicion that someone with a dog collar really should know the answer to every question!

Do pray for each ordained person that the Lord’s grace and goodness will flow from their lives. I shall be making a small presentation with some appropriate words for the occasion to Ben and Stephen at the evening service on July 6th at 6pm - do join us then or remember us in prayer if you cannot be there. Public ministers are there in the main to represent the ministry of all so might I conclude this brief commendation to pray that all our ordained staff are there to support your calling and ministry. Each of us has a calling to follow Christ. Each of us has been given gifts by God to use and each of us need each other. Such a vision for the church, if realised and acted upon, would see a rekindling of an often used phrase of yester year, “every member ministry”. Thank you indeed for your own ministry. If I or the ordained team can be of support and encouragement to your own ministry, then do please ask.

Mark

From the Vicar

Dear Friends,

I am so thrilled to be hosting what has become an annual event at All Saints in the summer time, a service of Confirmation. I can easily and happily call Bishop Richard Blackburn a friend of the parish owing to his supportive work as chair of the board of Whirlow trustees, our valued partner in God’s work in these parts. Richard and I shall be leading the service together and I trust we can count on your presence and attendance.

Above all, pray for the candidates who are taking a public step of faith. Some will be known to us, others will soon become our friends in the faith as they are welcomed into our midst. Confirmation simply means that the Holy Spirit of God himself confirms the faith we have in Jesus. I have found over the years these are not empty words but demonstrate that faith in Jesus affects our day-to-day lives. We thank God that a good number are showing evidence that faith affects life day by day. A reminder to us all that the Lord is indeed our helper in all things.

Yours in His service,

Mark

Ps. Do pray for Ben Lacey, our new curate, and Steve Holme, in your prayers. They are both due to embark on a retreat of prayer and study at Cliffe College in preparation for their ordinations at the Cathedral next weekend - Steve on Saturday 5th July in the afternoon and Ben on Sunday 6th July in the morning. We’ll have the opportunity to pray with them and celebrate their journey during our Youth Service at the 6pm service on July 13th.

From the Mission Support Group

On Mission Sunday we are exploring the 4th of the marks of mission, namely ‘To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation’. I've always felt that this is one of the harder aspects of our mission to engage with, as the boundaries of what to focus on and who to work with may be less straightforward. Some do this by getting involved in politics, others through their work and career, or by supporting 3rd sector organisations or engaging with church programmes.

As Amos (chap 5, verse 24) says ‘let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream’.

It is our hope and desire that this mission Sunday will give us an opportunity to improve our understanding of justice, the kingdom of heaven, spiritual warfare and how to engage with our society.

But as well as improving our understanding and inspiring our action, we are aware that there are many within the congregations who like to engage more directly with social justice issues. If you feel you might like to meet with others to explore this please mention it to me or Roland so that we can consider how we might deepen and strengthen this vital element of our mission work.

Simon Musgrave

Chair of the Mission Support Group

From the Operations Manager

As we journey through life together, one of the most meaningful ways we live out our faith is through service. Volunteering isn’t just about filling a rota—it’s about being part of something bigger. It’s about community, compassion, and offering our time and gifts to God’s work.

While putting together the recent Ministry and Mission Update, I was struck by the many ways the All Saints family gives their time—welcoming at the door, serving refreshments, strimming grass, making the building look lovely, helping on the sound desk, or simply offering a listening ear. Every act of service matters.

But we can’t do what we do without people. Right now, we have some gaps and would love your help. Whether you enjoy baking, admin, chatting, music, computing, updating databases, taking photos, shopping, or even snow clearing (yes, we’re planning ahead!)—there’s a place for you.

Training and support are always available, and you’ll be part of a warm, welcoming team.

If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, now’s a great time. Do get in touch—or take a look at the Ministry and Mission Update for inspiration!

With every blessing,

Jo Evans