Church Newsletter May 2026
Easter to Pentecost!
Primroses, daffodils, blossom, fresh green leaves, WARMTH - isn't spring great? New life all around us. This time of year is also central to Christian faith: Easter (April 5th), Ascension (May 14th ), Pentecost (May 24th). What really happened, 2000ish years ago? Serious atheists - including Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Keira Knightley (!) - very nearly all admit that Jesus existed. Roman historian Josephus said he was a preacher, put to death by Pontius Pilate. His followers, utterly downcast after his crucifixion, suddenly found new confidence and belief. What happened to his body after he was crucified (a particularly gruesome Roman death penalty)?
A follower - Joseph of Arimathea - asked to take the body and put it in his own tomb, witnessed by Mary and some other women followers (the men were in hiding!). But on Easter morning, the tomb was empty ... the stone rolled away, the graveclothes lying inside, the body gone. So what happened to it?
Did the Romans remove it? If so, why didn't they later produce it, to crush the new religion? Did his friends steal it to fake a resurrection? To live and die for something they knew was a lie? Was Jesus not really dead? And fit enough post-crucifixion to get up and roll away a massive stone ?! Did the women go to the wrong tomb? They'd seen his body put there!
Jesus HAD said he would defeat death. So, lacking any other credible explanation, what came next? Well, he's recorded as appearing to the Disciples, to the women, to 2 friends walking to Emmaus, and beside Lake Galilee. He could be touched, he could eat - but he could also appear and disappear suddenly. His followers were convinced enough to spend their lives spreading the Good News. After 40 days he finally left the earth (the Ascension), and 10 days later the Holy Spirit came to empower the fearful disciples (Pentecost).
I do respectfully ask you, as you look at all the new life of Spring all around us, to take a look into the new life of faith. All Saints' or the Methodists would welcome you to 'taste and see' !
Simon Elvin (Reader at All Saints')
What's on at All Saints Church?
Every Day
We are open every day 10am - 4pm* for everyone in our parish to make use of their parish church. So pop in, have a look around, make time to pray, read from the Bible or enjoy a pit stop with your little ones as they play with the toys. We're open for you. *Subject to occasional offices (weddings, funerals, baptisms) and special events/circumstances.
Midweek Worship
Every Wednesday - 9:30am Holy Communion. On the first Wednesday of the month there is a short service of Holy Communion in the Church Hall at 3pm followed by refreshments - everyone is welcome, we often have new people joining us.
Monday to Wednesday : 8:35am Morning Prayer
May Sunday Services
3rd May: 10:00am All Together Intergenerational service, 6:00pm Evensong
10th May: 10:00am with Holy Communion
17th May: 10:00am with Holy Communion
NB. Messy Church is happening at the Methodist Church between 14:30 & 16:00
24th May: 10:00am with Holy Communion
31st May: 10:00am with Holy Communion
Everyone is welcome to join us for our services and we warmly encourage children. We have an area with books and toys for families and a toilet a short walk away in our Church Hall. Refreshments are served and friendship and fellowship encouraged after every Sunday 10am service in the Church Hall.
A message from Amanda Mayne
Children's Society box total this year £659.00 Well done everyone.
And I have, some Christmas Trees booked in already! Please reserve a place for your tree or there will be no room at the Inn!
May 2026 Fairtrade News
How can we Christians make the biggest impact for Fairtrade? The best place to start is with the food & drink we buy & consume every day. Tea and coffee are great examples where we can easily switch to a fairtrade product & have an impact every time we brew on the wellbeing of those that grow & harvest these favourite daily treats. Of course there are many food products too such as fruit, nuts, olive oil & chocolate and it’s great that many of our UK supermarkets offer a good range of fairtrade products now so it’s getting easier to make the right choices. We consumers have the power to make a difference! Proverbs 11:1 God hates cheating in the marketplace; he loves it when business is aboveboard.(The Message) And you can see lots of fairtrade food & drink products in one place by visiting our little fairtrade shop on Saturdays between 10 -1. We’re of course very happy for you to buy crafts, gifts and cards from us too as even though we may not buy these items quite so often, it’s good to know our purchases are still making life better for those that make the products.
Mend & Repair Events: We’re pleased to running these bimonthly again this year & would be delighted to help if we can with clothing, fabric & electrical repairs & more. Our next one will be at our café on May 9th. We have a new mender on our team so may have even more things we can help fix! FAIRTRADE & REPAIR CAFÉ plus BOOKSALE on SATURDAY 9TH May 10 – 1pm Our shop will be open for browsing & buying including some beautiful new greeting cards for all occasions! So enjoy chatting, browsing our products & secondhand books, & fresh coffee & yummy homemade cakes… Everyone welcome!
Email: nicky_smithseb@yahoo.co.uk 07812 686944
