From the Churchwardens: April 2020

‘And once again I look upon the Cross where you died,

I’m humbled by your mercy, and I’m broken inside.

Once again I thank you, once again I pour our my heart.’

The Cross of Jesus is and always has been at the centre of our faith. It is the symbol we bear and it is the crux of everything we are as Christians. Once again, this month we walk together in remembrance of the journey of Christ to the cross and yet I am sure this year will feel different. With the spread of the Covid-19 virus and with the country in ‘lockdown’, we will not be celebrating Easter as we normally do. There will be no Palm Sunday donkeys; reminding us of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There will be no Maundy Thursday Agape/Passover meal; as we reflect on the last supper and roots of our faith in Jesus’ Jewish identity. There will be no Good Friday service, march, reflection, or even hot cross buns, and we won’t be able to meet on the most joyful Sunday of the year, celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and the hope of New Life.

Yet, even without being able to gather in these ways, once again we can look at the cross where Christ died and maybe this year, a unique perspective on it might resonate with us.

One of the most famous saying Jesus declares on the cross is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Is it often called the ‘Cry of Dereliction’. Jesus quotes from Psalm 22 and if you read the entirety of that Psalm it resounds with loneliness of the Cross. These words are so powerful because Jesus, God’s Son, is experiencing separation from his Father for the first time. This is not just a cry of anguish or pain, it is a cry of isolation as the Trinity, the very essence of God, is separated. It is through the lens of enforced isolation that this perspective on the cross becomes so important. Christ on the cross takes the consequences of the sinful world in which we live and is isolated

from his Father by dying on the Cross. As the Romans intended it to be, the Cross becomes the ultimate symbol of isolation, the place where God himself dies. The Cross is the place where Jesus experiences and understands the truest sense of ‘alone-ness’. Once again, I look at the Cross and maybe this time, I find the God who understands the isolation of those living through a pandemic.

But that is not the end of the story, Friday is always intricately linked to Sunday. The Cross can never be separated from the resurrection. We live, through Christ’s sacrifice, in the hope of Easter. It is this hope that we can hold on to through our isolation from each other. A hope which doesn’t diminish the pain and the difficulty of our sufferings, but which points to a brighter future. A hope which acknowledges the costs and sacrifices laid down, and gives them value by declaring that they were worth something. A hope which uses the isolation of God on the Cross to promise us that in his love, we are never alone. Once again I look at the Cross where you died and once again I am thankful that you meet us in our broken isolation and declare, ‘I am with you’.

There may not be any donkeys this year, but there is still the celebration of Palm Sunday that we follow ‘the Servant King’. There may not be a ‘Bring and Share meal’, but we will be in communion together as we remember the Last Supper in our own homes. There may not be Hot Cross Buns in the halls, but there is still the Cross – reminding that Christ has taken true isolation away from us. There may not be an Easter service, but there is hope, always and forever, that even through the toughest times God is bringing us into his brighter future.

                                                                 Dan Christian

You can read the full copy of the ‘From The Churchwarden’s as a PDF by clicking on this link.

Coronavirus Update- 25.03.20

In light of the Government guidance around non-essential contact, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued advice that all church buildings are closed.

What does this mean for All Saints?

Following the instruction from the government, our church building is closed for the foreseeable future. We have also closed our church halls and the groups that use it are not meeting. In the coming days we will be sending out information about how we will still continue to ‘be church’ and support each other, especially the most vulnerable among us whilst we are not physically able to meet. This would include online services and access to study material.

At the moment, if you need to get in touch with us we recommend you emailing us. If you don’t have an email for a specific person then please email office@allsaintsecclesall.org.uk and we will ensure that it is passed on. You can also call us and leave an answerphone message on 0114 2687574. These messages will be picked up daily from Monday-Friday.

We are encouraging our Small Groups to keep in touch with one another and identify how they can support one another in a way that works for them. Please do check in with the other members of your small group. If you know of anyone who is not a part of a group, and who may be isolated, if you can reach out to them to offer support that would make a huge difference.

What about weddings and funerals?

The Church of England have issued clear guidance regarding weddings and funerals.

In the case of weddings, it recommends that the numbers attending the ceremony should be limited to the legal minimum of five people: the priest, the bride and groom and two witnesses.

Funerals may now only happen at the Crematorium or at the graveside. Only immediate family members can attend (if the crematorium allows) – that is, spouse or partner, parents and children, keeping their distance in the prescribed way.

What does this mean for the Church Halls?

Our church halls are closed and will remain closed until we receive updated information from the government.

Is the church office still open?

We are still functioning, but remotely. This means that it may take a little longer for you to get a response. Our post is still being checked on a regular basis.

We appreciate that this is a challenging and worrying time for many people, we want our church family, and our wider community to know that we are with you and we will remain with you throughout this time. We will provide updates as they are available.

God Bless,

All Saints, Ecclesall

From the Churchwardens March 2020

The pancakes are all eaten, and we’ve entered Lent. These six weeks leading up to Easter are a time of earnest obedience and preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. From its start last week on Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter Sunday, Lent has been a traditional time for fasting or giving something up. Just as we carefully prepare for events in our personal lives, as a wedding, or birthday, Lent invites us to make our hearts and minds ready for Easter and to recommit ourselves to follow Christ.

This year we are joining with the Church of England’s Lent focus, caring for God’s creation. We will be exploring the urgent need for us to value and protect the abundance God has created. We have three great guest speakers lined up for our evening services. Each week we’ll be looking at a different aspect of the creation story in Genesis 1. Jo Chamberlain (National Environment Officer for the Church of England) is speaking on 8th March on the theme of water. On 15th March Catherine Stevenson will be talking about how to make realistic and practical changes at home to be more environmentally aware. And on 29th March Sarah Robinson (Asst Director of Hope for the Future) will be sharing from her experience of being involved in campaigning for political action on climate change. Do consider coming to our 6pm services during Lent even if you do not normally come along on Sunday evenings.

Do join with us for our 40 day challenge. Pick up a booklet from church, or even better, sign up for the app. Perhaps you could try out a small group or read our Lent book by Ruth Valerio. Why not take the opportunity to connect with the beauty of God’s Creation on the women’s walk in the peaks (Angels in Dirty Boots) on 21st March. Or encourage clothing sustainability by coming to the clothes swap on 26th March, or the Proms for All and All for Prom event on 5th April. More details about each of these are on the website, in the notice sheet, or at the back of church. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Gen 1.31.

Lent Blog: How can we as Christian's respond to the climate emergency?

On Wednesday we enter the season of Lent, with a focus this year on ‘Caring for God’s Earth’, we asked the Church of England’s National Environment Officer, Jo Chamberlain how we as Christians should, and can respond to the climate emergency.

On Wednesday of the February session of General Synod 2020, the Church of England voted to reduce its carbon emissions year on year until it reaches net zero emissions by 2030. There was a clear majority support for this measure, but there were some in the chamber who felt this should not be a priority for the Church.

When Jesus was asked what our priorities should be, he said to love God and to love other people. I don’t believe it is possible to do either of those things without making care for creation a fundamental part of our Christian lives.

The world in which we live is God’s creation, his gift to us. The first people were placed in a garden and asked to till and to keep it. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. We are entrusted to be the guardians, not of the whole galaxy, but of the earth. If we are to worship God and show our love for him, then we will tend and care for the beautiful creation he has given us.

The Pope reminds us that the world is our common home. The book of James tells us that when we love other people it is not enough to be concerned for their spiritual wellbeing. We need to be concerned for their material wellbeing too. When lives are taken and homes and livelihoods are destroyed by fire, floods, storms and drought, and when these events are increasing in frequency and ferocity by the rapidly heating global climate, then action on the climate crisis has to be a priority.

These stripes represent the annual global temperatures since 1850 https://showyourstripes.info #showyourstripes Ed Hawkins, Uni of Reading. For information going back further see this blog http://www.climate-lab-book.ac.uk/2020/2019-years/#more-5708

So how can we as Christians respond? It seems right that our first response should turn us to God – prayer, or lament, or reconnecting with God in the beauty of creation. We are all acutely aware that this is a ‘bigger-than-self’ problem, but this shouldn’t leave us overwhelmed into inaction. We are not acting alone, we are co-workers with the Holy Spirit in the redemption of the earth. So what can we do?

Energy makes up a huge proportion of our carbon emissions. Switch to a renewable energy provider, and choose one which directly funds renewable energy generation, as this is the best way to make sure your bills invest in and grow the sector. I’d suggest Good Energy, Ecotricity and Bulb.

Eat less meat and dairy. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture make up about 10% of the UK’s total, and meat production is the biggest component. Other things like eating locally and in season will help, but keeping red meat to an occasional treat will help even more.

Don’t fly. There, I said it! Even a short return trip to Europe emits more greenhouse gases than someone from Sierra Leone produces in a year. You can (and should!) make lots of cleaner, greener transport choices – walk, cycle, train, electric car – but that one flight will outweigh them all.

Contact your MP. We need systemic change too. In Olivia Blake, most of you at All Saints have an MP who is new to Westminster and likely does not yet have a big portfolio. Now is the time to make sure the environment and tackling the climate crisis is the top of her agenda.

Consider your response as a church. How will All Saints reach net zero? Even if you can’t make it to the evening service in Lent, you can still read the Lent book, or join in the daily #LiveLent reflections. And join in the Diocese’s environment conference on May 9th for more practical help on how to respond.

Live Lent 2020: Caring for God's Creation

This year, we will take part in the Church of England’s #LiveLent campaign, which focuses on Caring for God’s Earth. Over the coming weeks we will be sending out more information about how we can engage in this, and how we as Christians can respond to the climate emergency by making changes within our own lives.

You can follow the campaign through the Church of England App and social media, which can be accessed by clicking on this link.

From the Churchwardens February 2020

Be Amazed!

So, here we are in February already! The lights, the decorations and the Christmas celebrations are all behind us. The Epiphany kings have come and gone with the Star. Settling back into ‘routine’ again in early January can be something of a relief. All is dark, all is quiet, even drab and dreary, but February beckons. When we look, we can see green shoots thrusting through the brown rotting leaves and the delicate heads of Snowdrops daring to appear. These signs of new life and hope that have lain hidden are now out in the open. The bulbs planted in faith months ago have flowered! It never ceases to amaze! It’s easy to take this as an analogy of our situation in a Vacancy, as we await a ‘green light’ from the Diocese allowing us to advertise for a new incumbent. As Alison Fletcher and Michael Gordon, our Parish representatives, so carefully explained in their letter which they read out at all the services during one week in January, what we can do for now is ‘to commit to praying during this season of waiting’ and to trust ‘that it will be a very hopeful and positive time, as opposed to one of frustration.’ We need to prepare to be amazed! ‘Jesus was Amazed’ at the Centurion’s faith! Alistair highlighted this in one of the recent 6pm service series ‘Stories of the Faith’. Looking at different aspects of faith displayed by lesser known New Testament characters, combined with testimonies from within our congregation of how their faith has impacted on their lives, is both uplifting and inspiring to hear just now. It reflects on how we need to be willing to be open and receptive to hearing from God, in all the ways that are possible. Answers and help may come from the least expected sources and lead in the most unexpected directions, if we are willing to be amazed.

Prayer for Unity

On 31st January 2020, the UK will leave the European Union. We wish to extend an open invitation to everyone to pop in and join us at All Saints in an act of unity. The church will be open from 10am-12pm and then from 6pm-8pm for prayer, a chat, a cup of tea and a piece of cake. Feel free to bring neighbours, colleagues and friends. On this day we ask our church family to pray for each other, especially for our church family members from other European countries. We remember our political leaders, that they may find common ground and negotiate in friendship, and for out country to be united, not divided. There will a prayer station near the cross across the whole weekend to allow people an opportunity to offer these prayers to God.

Vacancy Update January 2020

Firstly please let us introduce ourselves - Michael Gordon & Alison Fletcher . We are up here this morning / evening as your parish representatives involved in the process of selecting our next incumbent/vicar and importantly representing you . We are speaking at all the services today , to the youth this evening & at the 10.30 service on Wednesday morning . We want everyone to hear the same information so we’ve decided to read from a script to save us from waffling or missing parts out!

Most of you will know that we said farewell to Gary Wilton our previous Vicar back in June last year however our vacancy did not officially start until early September - after Gary’s notice period . Within the Church of England there is a formal process to go through when selecting a Vicar and we would like to briefly outline the process, explain where we are up to & what will happen next . The ‘ From the Wardens’ monthly updates have mentioned some of the information already but we feel it’s important we recap at this stage. We want to say at the outset that if you have any questions as a result of anything we say , we will be around after the service so do feel free to come and ask us then.

Back in July the PCC elected the two of us to take on the role of parish representatives and it also set up a group of 8 people to prepare three draft documents to be used in the selection process . The documents covered an outline of the parish, known as the parish profile , a role description and very importantly a person specification outlining the sort of person we want as our next Vicar. The group met a number of times over the summer and after consultation with the church family throughout August , took the draft documents to a PCC meeting in September where they were considered , tweaked and then approved . We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who contributed to that process during August - we had lots of contributions which helped us compile the final documents. The next formal meeting happened in early December when the PCC met with the Archdeacon , Malcolm Chamberlain- who was representing the Bishop . There were other guests at the meeting - John Hawley who is to be the the patron for this process, who is a retired Archdeacon and will be on the interview panel ,together with the Rev Toby Hole the Area Dean. At the meeting all three documents were looked at again and we were pleasantly surprised when the Archdeacon and the other visitors were happy with what we had produced with only a few minor alterations. So that meant that as a church we were now ready to move ahead to the next stage to agree the details of the selection process and advertise the vacancy. However the Archdeacon made it clear at that meeting that the Diocese was not yet ready to proceed with the appointment process.

So to bring you right up to date we are now waiting for the Bishop to allow us to advertise for a new Vicar. You may quite reasonably ask ......Why the wait? Our understanding is this. As you will all know we are part of the Diocese of Sheffield and like many other Dioceses it has found itself with a number of competing demands for its limited budget. In recent times there has been a 12 month moratorium when there were no Vicar appointments at all and so many churches across the Diocese with a vacancy have found themselves not able to appoint a new Vicar. They are still waiting. However since mid October the moratorium has been lifted and things have eased a little. The Diocese is hopeful there may be a small number of appointments during 2020. Whilst we are not 100% certain All Saints will be one of the churches able to advertise their vacancy during this year , we remain fairly confident that we will be able to but .........we simply don’t know when. That decision is out of our hands and with the Bishop. So we are ‘waiting ‘ which is a very Biblical theme and we have recently celebrated Advent - the season of waiting. We are meeting with the archdeacon Malcolm Chamberlain on January 22nd to try to ensure that the waiting period is no longer than necessary.

In a moment we will be leading us all in a prayer and our plea to the church family on behalf of the PCC is that you will commit to praying with us during this season of waiting.

Thank you Prayer Father God, We want to start by saying thank you for all your good gifts, to us, as individuals, and as a body of believers here at All Saints. Thank you for your faithfulness over the years and the generosity of your provision. Thank you that we do not need to fear in the face of uncertainty. You are the creator God who forms wonderful things out of dust from your unlimited resources. We pray that you will have your creative way with us as individuals and as a church. Be close to those here at All Saints who are working hard in the life of the church during these months of vacancy. Would you watch over them and give them energy, peace and inspiration. Give wisdom to those in the Diocese who will be involved in decision making in the coming months. For those required to re-imagine be at the centre of their thinking. For us as we engage with the diocesan representatives would you give us clarity of thought and a sense of your direction as we proceed through the appointment process. And finally would you be at work, preparing, calling and guiding your servant, in readiness to serve you in this place. We ask these prayers in Jesus name. Amen.