Graham Taylor

Click here to read the 29th November Midweek Letter – “Mission”

6th December – Wednesday

10am Said Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher Mtr Fiona Jack

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8th December – Friday

Three upcoming concerts at All Saints!

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10th December, The Second Sunday of Advent

11am Sung Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher Mtr Fiona Jack

Traditionally, at All Saints, we decorate the church with Poinsettia plants (Flor de Pascua) in the lead up to Christmas. Please bring along a plant if you are able to.

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13th December – Wednesday

10am Said Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher Mtr Fiona Jack

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14th December – Thursday

6pm Christmas Carol Service – Schools from the British Community will be participating this year.
Followed with refreshments and mince pies.

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17th December – The Third Sunday of Advent

11am Sung Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher Mtr Fiona Jack

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20th December – Wednesday

10am Said Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher Mtr Fiona Jack

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22nd December – Friday

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ADVANCE NOTICE – CHRISTMAS SERVICES at ALL SAINTS CHURCH

24th December – The Fourth Sunday of Advent

11am Sung Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher Mtr Fiona Jack

25th December – CHRISTMAS DAY

11am Christmas Day Sung Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher Mtr Fiona Jack

29th November – “Mission”

Whilst ‘laid up’ for the past week or so with the dreaded COVID virus I was thinking of the Global Church and its overall mission. Having visited many churches around the world whilst I was working and in my travels of exploration, leisure and relaxation I find there are many ‘flavours’ of Christianity. Some people doctrine one way, and some do it another. We have Methodist, Catholic, Baptist, Holiness, and many others I hear now we even have Non-Denominational. We have these churches who shout, those who don’t Those who clap and those that don’t. All seemingly believe in operating in their own way, but in all these different types of worship, the mission is still the same. It does not matter what church you attend, the majority of the sermons or messages are focused around the same character. Jesus. The preaching may be different, one may find unusual at times, but the mission is still the same.

Well, what is this mission? I hear people ask. This mission is trying to make people aware of the immeasurable amount of joy and comfort you find in serving God. Since I heard my first preacher, as a small child in a Welsh congregational chapel, preach, I have heard many more, but they have all had the same general goal and mission, and that is to save some lost soul. The messages may have been different, but all these preachers are preparing the way for the coming of Christ. So you see no matter what denomination you are, the mission is still the same.

As modern-day Christians our mission is still the same as those old Christians because we still see so much evil in the world around us. Since the beginning of time evil has existed. And just because it is 2023, nothing much seems to have changed, sadly. Which is why as Christians we should be determined to pursue the mission of the Church with determination.

I want to briefly show you exactly how much the mission has remained the same. The Bible (the first chapter of St. John’s Gospel) says that John was sent to pave the way for Jesus. Now John was a strange looking and acting person, not like any other preacher. He wore camel skin and ate locusts and honey – now that’s strange. I feel that our ministry team, here at all Saints, would look odd following this example!

However John did not have a very deep message, and he did not have any training, but what he had was the Holy Spirit. He did not have a very extensive vocabulary, but it was something about how he said what he said, the Holy Spirit would sprinkle the anointing over those words and people would come running to the water saying “Baptize me”. John was sent, the Bible says for a purpose, and John had a mission.

The Bible says that John came to bear witness of the light. His mission was to let the people know that Jesus was coming. The Bible says he came to make people aware of the light, and I want you to know that we as Christians have been sent to tell unbelievers about the light. Because had it not been for somebody showing us the light we still would in the darkness of sin.

Just like John was different from any other preacher or prophets, but his mission was the same as theirs, and that is to offer unbelievers a chance to step into the light. It does not matter who you are, or where you are, if you are a Christian your mission is the same as every other Christian. You may be Rev. Fa. Mtr, Dr. Mr. Mrs. so and so the mission is still the same. We have maybe become too consumed in titles and with the size of our sanctuary, but I tell you that the labels do not measure you are. Too many of us try to be too profound and too prolific of preaching and that’s all-good but we mustn’t lose sight of the mission.

Because the mission is still the same.

All churches need to remember the mission, because I don’t care how big your church is, if you don’t fulfil the mission then you won’t prosper. Because you can be Baptist or Holiness; Catholic or Methodist, but the mission is still the same. Our mission is to fight evil where we see it, and to win at all cost. No matter what trial comes.
All people are welcome join our mission or talk to us in our historic church in Puerto de la Cruz.

Peter Lockyer
Reader

 

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2nd April – Palm Sunday

11:00am Palm Procession & Sung Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher: the Revd Richard Frost

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5th April – the Wednesday in Holy Week

10:00am Holy Communion – Celebrant & Preacher The Revd Richard Frost
11:00am Bible Study

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6th April – Maundy Thursday

7:00pm – The Eucharist of the Last Supper – Celebrant & Preacher: the Revd Richard Frost

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7th April – Good Friday

2:00pm – Stations of the Cross –  a Service of Reflection – led by the Revd Richard Frost

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9th April – EASTER DAY

11am – Blessing of the Paschal Candle & Sung Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher, the Revd Richard Frost

followed by Parish Easter Lunch