From the Vicarage - 19th Sept 2021

Today is Beth’s last Sunday with us at All Saints Ecclesall before she leaves to take on her new role at St Mark’s Broomhill. We thank God especially today for Beth’s ministry in our midst and for the role that she, Laurence, Joshua and Ana have played in the ministry of our church. As our preacher this morning and sharing testimony this evening in the context of Holy Communion we have plenty of opportunity to share in worship and thanksgiving together. We will be praying for a blessed time of thanksgiving and for Beth’s licensing service on 27 Sept at St Mark’s for the start of her new ministry.

We are firming up our faith by offering two opportunities to young people and adults to be confirmed. One at All Saints Totley with Bishop Sophie as we join together with other churches in the Deanery on Monday 11 October at 7:30pm. The other is at our own Parish Church with Bishop Pete on Sunday 7 November at 6pm. This of course follows on from our Young People’s house party, which I am leading.

If you are interested in finding out more about what it means to be confirmed (if you have not done so already!) then please have a word with me. I have set aside noon in church on each of the next couple of Sundays (19/26 Sept) to be free to have a conversation with me if you are interested. Do let the office know if you think this might apply to you or simply come along and we can have a chat!

We are in a new season. Now if I had a pound for each person that said that!! I plan to add some salt to this seasoning soon with news of some enhanced video work to enable us to be agile in this hybrid world of living with COVID, spell out exactly how our public acts of worship will be enhanced and enable through a church meeting a conversation on plans for the future. As I mentioned to our recent PCC meeting I am always happy to receive short and crisp reflections on future staffing or strategy. An essay might not pass the filter but first off the block and indeed the only response was most heartening in a few lines. Thank you. May your kingdom come and your will be done.

This of course should not just be the Lord’s Prayer but all of ours.

With thanksgiving for your partnership in the Gospel,

Mark

Update on our in person services

16/07/2021

We know that there are lots of discussions taking place about the upcoming changes in restrictions. We want our church family to feel assured that we are looking at how we respond to these changes in a way that both encourages people back to church, but also recognises that there will be many who do not feel ready or comfortable to join us.

What will services look like?

We appreciate that coming back in to church with increased capacities may cause concern amongst our church family. Revd Mark Brown has put together a video to detail what to expect if you feel able to come along to a service in person.

Will I still need to book for services?

After Monday 19th July 2021, we will be no longer requiring bookings for services. We do understand that many people will feel differently about the easing of restrictions and we encourage anyone who would feel more comfortable at a quieter service to attend the 8am Holy Communion. If you want to talk to one of our staff team about attending church, please do contact the church office.

Can I still watch the services online?

All of our services will continue to be livestreamed for August. We will then review the situation again for September onwards.

I feel comfortable to get involved, what can I do?

There are many ways that people can be involved in church, and we will continue to listen to ensure that we make changes that are realistic and well resourced. So many activities rely on volunteers and in the coming weeks we will be asking people to sign up to different areas that they can serve. It is likely that over the summer months you may not see many big changes as we begin the process of organising rotas for the autumn season.

From the Vicarage - June 2021

Our loss is Bluebell children’s hospices gain!

We will be saying farewell to our esteemed, loved and able Operations Manager Rachel, when this summer she moves to take up a significant and important position within the charity sector.

Rachel has been my foremost friend and aid in my early days of understanding how things might get done at All Saints and I am personally very grateful for her thoughtfulness and kindness. Do please pray for her and those she will be supporting in her new and important role. I am in conversation with the wardens and others about how best to carry on Rachel’s important work within the All Saints family and we would value your prayers too.

Thank you Rachel indeed – here are some fitting and well deserved tributes for your work and presence in our midst.

“It has been a joy to work and minister with Rachel these past four years.  She has done a wonderful job in keeping the operations of the church going, often behind the scenes.  We have had a lot of fun working together and there has been lots of laughter.  Most of all, it has been a real blessing to work with a friend who encourages you in your faith everyday.  We will miss her very much.”

Revd Dan Christian

“Rachel has brought a whole range of expertise to the life of All Saints .Church family life changes & goes through “ seasons” just like family life does & Rachel has been instrumental in helping  us steer our way  . Much of what she has been involved in is not directly seen by all the church family but Rachel gets things done & makes things happens!

Perhaps one of Rachel’s greatest gifts has been the care & commitment she has shown to her Operations Team supporting & encouraging them through many ups and downs . Our loss is Bluebell Hospice's gain.”

Alison Fletcher
Churchwarden

“It has been such a joy to work with Rachel. She has brought practical and visionary gifts which have helped us to develop our organisation, but she has also brought a lot of laughter into the office and also a steady reliance on God. We will really miss her and wish her well for this next season.”

Revd Beth Keith

“No one can fully appreciate all that you have done and all that you have brought during your nearly 5 years as Operations Manager at All Saints. Thank you for your wisdom, discernment and the way that you have supported the mission and ministry of All Saints. I loved working with you, Rachel, during my time as senior churchwarden and I am forever thankful for you and your support during this time. You will be missed and I pray that God will bless you as you move into your new role.”

 Sarah Leighton

An update from Mark

Dear Friends,

As our Church family approaches the APCM - One heart, many voices united we serve, I wanted to extend our thoughts further afield. What happens here locally is of course very important and I hope and pray our APCM will give time for thanksgiving on our past year and give some pointers for our life together for the next year.

We are part of a wider community, the Diocese and indeed the national Church. So here is a simple signpost with some good material that answers questions that are rightly and increasingly asked of myself and the team here.

The Diocese - what is its new model of ministry with Oversight Ministers and Focal Ministers?

Here is a great a very simple explanation - enjoy!

When can we sing? When can we get back to normal for congregational gathering? (and many other supplementary questions!!! )

The Church of England has a set of rules that we are obliged to follow - we do keep an eye on them but so too can you. It saves a question and indeed you might get the fuller answer you need. Do please continue to pray for those juggling complex issues and seeking to simplify them for others. The team here are as fully up to date as we can be and are ready to be as adventurous and as adaptable as possible.

View the guidance from the Church of England here.

Offering to help with volunteering for teams and rotas and new ways of doing things would be a really great gift to receive so we can be more adaptable and serviceable in sharing with others. If you feel you can help then please get in touch.

And finally

We are part of the one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church local, regional and national and we are also members one of another. Please never hesitate to reach out to us if we can help you feel more connected. I am pleased we are re-doubling our efforts to be accessible and welcoming to visitors and those returning to our building even now for the first time.

Yours in Christs service,

Mark Brown

Waiting for the Spirit

So our time between Ascension and Pentecost encourages this sense of expectancy.

For our prayers together, as a Church family, may I outline some areas where together we are seeking to share the Lord's love among those we live.

Our Youth Minister
Our advert is out soon, we wait on the Spirit to see who He is calling to be with us to encourage this vital work.

Our APCM
Where we will be looking back and in the main looking forward to what God might be calling us to do and be together. Will the Spirit create a willing hearing and participation? We will have to wait and see and in prayer ask Him to come with expectancy.

Our open churchyard week
In keeping with significant national profile will there be a local stirring to visit our wide open space for stimulus and conversation. This will be great fun for us but it is aimed at passers by and members of the public who regularly benefit from our wonderful grounds

Our lives together
Will the Spirit move His people to be active and caring in drawing others back to our Church building? Will the anticipation of loosened voices to sing soon lead to a willingness to help and serve our many ministries. The Spirit is waiting for volunteers to fall upon and bring His own special joy? We would love to see a good Spirit storm on this. I am reminded of our recent hailstorm, may we actively wait for the Spirit to so move.

With my thanks for supporting us in prayer in these and in so many other ways.

Mark

Covid-19: humans, animals and the pandemic - An article from Transforming Ministry Magazine

How does reflecting on Scripture help us to understand our current situation? Geoff Snell brings insights from his professional background to bear on this question

Geoff Snell has had the following article printed in The Transforming Ministry Magazine.

Update regarding church services

Mark Brown give us an update regarding church services, new events and how you can get involved.

From the Vicarage - May 2021

In conversation

Well I do hope this will continue to be a blessing and I am grateful for the feedback for this relatively new initiative. However I wanted to share about times I have been most frequently in conversation with others. It is happening with such rapidity and frequency that it seems worth passing on. It is not surprising perhaps therefore to note that really good conversations seem to happen in the open air – invites into the home are restricted so it is those chance and increasingly frequent conversations that happen when we are out and about.

Fresh air faith is of course really good for you!

Maybe it is because I live next door, but some great conversations happen with people I meet in the huge churchyard and estates grounds, All Saints is blessed to care for. Sometimes people see a dog collar (and a dog!) and that prompts a chat, and at other times I simply say ‘Hello – I live next door I am the Vicar!’

Good conversations in a good space and it is always heartening to know just how much the space is valued and appreciated by members of the public. We want to make a serious fuss and have some fun extending the invitation to enjoy the churchyard to a wider audience during the first early weeks of June, it is a national campaign called Caring for God’s acre. Keep an eye on the news and if you are intrigued, let us know and we will put you in touch with the small team planning some open air, green goodies for you to commend to members of the local community who all seem to enjoy a good conversation in the open air!

The Revd Canon Mark Brown