June 25 Newsletter
Global Voices, Local Stories, Gospel Values
By Rev Jenny Bland
June 2025
June often feels like the month when everything opens up - the flowers, skies with sunshine, conversations and possibilities. Here at All Saints, we’re welcoming that sense of openness in a very special way this year as two exhibitions come to our church space, inviting us to listen: one to the cries of creation, the other to the joy of community.
From the 7th to the 11th, our ECO Church team and Wild@AllSaints are hosting ‘Letters from the Global South’, a powerful national exhibition created by ‘Zero Hour’, the group behind the Climate & Nature (CAN) Bill. This campaign calls for stronger UK legislation to protect the natural world and ensure climate justice — especially for those already facing the devastating effects of environmental breakdown.
The exhibition offers a striking combination of clear, accessible climate science and something even more compelling: letters and drawings from children in parts of the world most affected by the climate crisis. These young voices speak of disappearing forests, failing crops, and rising seas, but also of deep hope, resilience, and care for the earth.
Their witness is prophetic, reminding us of the biblical call to ‘seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God’ (Micah 6:8).
For us as Christians, this ties in powerfully with the fifth Mark of Mission, ‘to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth’, something we were reminded of recently as we commissioned Nicola, Geoff and Juliet our Eco Leaders. Listening to these voices from the Global South is part of how we honour our calling to love our neighbour, not just the ones who literally live next door, but our neighbours across the globe and across generations.
Later on in June, from the 16th to the 19th, we turn our attention closer to home with an exhibition of historic Carnival photographs, celebrating our village’s long tradition of this joyful event. These images, many drawn from local archives, will remind us of our shared life over the years and hopefully get us excited for Carnival 2025 on 21st June! This exhibition too speaks to our faith. To celebrate community, to look with gratitude at what we’ve built together, to notice the joy of ordinary people - these are gospel things. Jesus told stories of parties and street processions, meals and music. He saw the image of God in everyday lives and local celebrations. This exhibition reminds us that the second Mark of Mission — ‘to teach, baptise and nurture new believers’ is often best lived out in community, in trust, in shared memory and shared joy.
So whether you’re drawn to global justice or local heritage, we invite you to come and spend time in church this month. Come and listen, learn, wonder, come and be changed or inspired. I hope both exhibitions will invite us to see the world a little more as God sees it—full of beauty, full of brokenness, and brimming with possibility.
Our Services this Month
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 term-time : 8:35am Morning Prayer
June Sunday Services
1st - 9am Holy Communion, 10am All Together, 6pm Evensong. 8th - 10am Holy Communion with JaM, children’s group.
15th - 10am Holy Communion with JaM, celebrating Trinity Sunday and Father’s Day. 22nd - 10am Taize style service with Holy Communion and JaM.
29th - 10am Church Under The Trees (outdoor church) with Holy Communion - bring a chair or blanket to sit on if you can.
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 Derek, our Treasurer
I am pleased to report that the regular giving from the church family has increased by around £7000 per annum over the past few months. Although we will have to see how expenditure pans out of the next few months, this gives us a better chance of paying as much of our Parish Share request as possible this year and in the future. A big thanks to all who have increased their giving. If you would like to know how to give regularly to the work All Saints or would still like to increase your regular giving, please do contact me, Derek Bish. treasurer.earlsbarton@outlook.com 07543400385
A message from Simon, our Lay Minister
The Prayer Course - 2 groups have completed 4 weeks of the Prayer Course, based around the Lord’s Prayer. It included very thought-provoking videos each time, and discussion where we learned a lot from each other about what can be helpful when we pray and what can be difficult. It’s very encouraging to hear others sharing their joys and distractions !
The Primary School
People with some time to spare, helping with individual children’s reading skills continues (so rewarding!). If
you’d like to join the team, contact Simon (07795 512091).
A message from Sarah, Our Children, Youth and Families worker
Messy church is a lovely outreach to our local community with around 35 people each time for stories, crafts, activities and food. Messy church will meet on the 29th June 2.30-4pm (all welcome!).
Youth group is hoping to have a wellbeing group over 6-8 weeks on Sunday evenings (starting June 15th). If anyone would like to help with that please Sarah know.
Please continue to pray for JaM on Sundays- for more lovely conversations and deepening of faith and for more families to attend.
We are very thankful to have been given the opportunity to begin Happiness club at Earls Barton Primary school- it has been a lovely opportunity to support a small group of pupils at the school and support their wellbeing.
Please pray for lots of families to come to the climate exhibition and wildlife family activity days and over the 7-8th June, and for the school and uniform groups coming to visit between 9-11th June. Please pray for good weather and people to be inspired to be better stewards of Gods creation.
Thanks to God (and all the team) for the wonderful welcome and support of local families/ carers with babies/toddlers in B1BS and BOBS.
A message from Margaret Bish
"Threads through the Bible" is an amazing display of 44 silk panels depicting Creation, the life of Jesus and Revelation. They are being shown at Ely Cathedral until June 29th. These large panels mostly 3 metres high add 2 metres wide are the work of artist Jacqui Parkinson which she created over 10 years. The panels are very detailed featuring colourful silk applique and machine embroidery. They are stunning and well worth a visit!
Fundraising News
A Message from Carol Moriarty:
I’m raising money for Friends of All Saints Church, Earls Barton because they help maintain the fabric and grounds of the church. Inside the church is a beautiful butterfly mural painted by Henry Bird in 1935. It’s possible that some of the butterflies depicted are now extinct eg the Large Tortoiseshell.
Outside the church the graveyard is cared for by a team of volunteer wildlife gardeners. I was a volunteer gardener there myself while the church worked towards its gold star Wildlife Trust Churchyard Conservation Award. The Churchyard has many nectar rich wild native flowers which attract all manner of pollinators including a newcomer this far North, the Toadflax Brocade moth.
I’m walking from All Saint's butterfly mural to Sywell Country Park’s butterfly garden. Sywell Country Park’s butterfly garden also has striking butterfly art work painted recently by a local artist.
I’m doing this walk on July 18th, the start of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count. (18th July to 10 August 2025).
The walk is 6K round trip and takes me about 1.5hrs but I’m hoping to be still and record butterflies during, before and after the walk so expecting to take longer.
I hope you are able to do the walk yourself over the summer and get to record lots of moths and butterflies for the Big Butterfly Count. Have you seen the humming bird hawk moth? This is another newcomer to our shores due to the warming climate, and flies in the daytime. The churchyard has all the right plants for it and it has been sighted in Earls Barton.
Please support Carol by donating through Just Giving:
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/allsaintsbutterflywalkeb? utm_medium=CR&utm_source=EM
Thank you for your support!
A message from Jean Haliday
Charity Coffee Morning,
Wednesday 18th June, 10am-noon, at 11 Harrowick Lane, in aid of Emmaus Village, Carlton. Coffee, tea, cakes, scones etc.
A tombola, and a few craft items for sale.
This Month’s Events
FAIRTRADE CAFÉ & SECONDHAND BOOKSALE on SATURDAY 14th JUNE as we provide refreshments for lots of plant swappers & many others too…. Enjoy chatting, browsing our products & secondhand books, & fresh coffee & yummy homemade cakes… Everyone welcome! Email: nicky_smithseb@yahoo.co.uk 07812 686944
ANNUAL PLANT SWAP & SALE
Saturday 14th June 10am- noon at All Saints Church Yard A great way to share excess plants and gain new ones.
Plants can be donated, swapped or just bought! So start sowing, thinning, cutting, and bring along on the day! (Valuation of plants will be at the organisers discretion) (need more info? – phone 07775 708771)
It’s EB Festival Time!
We’re very excited to be part of our annual village festival & especially as from 7th – 11th June, some of our team will be helping out with hosting the ‘Letters from the Global South’ exhibition (See separate item for more info). It’s good to know that choosing to buy more fairtrade products supports people in communities around the world to make sure they can care for the climate and work sustainably.
On 21st June, we’ll also be having a stall at the Carnival and sharing with the Co-op community lead so very much looking forward to that too.
Visit our shop any Saturday 10 – 1 to find tasty ethical grocery products, unusual cards & gifts, fabulous bamboo socks (Father’s Day) and much more & do join us for our next café:
Historical Exhibition
All Saints Church, in conjunction with the Carnival Committee, will display some of the ‘unseen’ images of the Carnival over the years.
Location: All Saints Church Date: 16th to 19th June Time: 10am to 4pm
Drop in any time they are open and have a look around at the pictures, as well as our beautiful church!
Do you have any old Carnival pictures that you’d be happy for us to include? Post them in the comments, or send them to earlsbartoncarnival@gmail.com
Climate & Nature
Wild@AllSaints & our ECO Church team are delighted that we have a national travelling exhibition about climate coming to All Saints in June. It's organised by 'Zero Hour' who have been campaigning for a while about the Climate & Nature' (CAN) bill, now due for debate in July.
The free exhibition is called 'Letters from the Global South' and consists of interesting & accessible scientific information about the changing climate, focusing on various countries of the world & also features letters and drawings from children from many of those countries who are most affected by climate change. Quiz sheets for various age groups will also be available. It will be hosted by All Saints church 7th - 11th June 10-4 daily (12 -4 on Sunday) but please check ASEB website as access may be limited at certain times when we have school groups visiting.
Alongside the exhibition we have a :
Wildlife Family Activity Weekend in All Saints churchyard
Saturday 7th 10 - 4pm & Sunday 8th 12 - 4pm with refreshments and activities for all ages everyone welcome & it’s free!
For more information: 07812 686944 or nicky_smithseb@yahoo.co.uk