All Saints’ Church

Dear Neighbours,

Even now, when I read the story of The Good Samaritan, I am reminded that I am not here to simply encourage people to come to church, but to meet them at their point of need.

Do you remember the parable too? It is a wonderful wake up call to pompous religious people who believe that they are so pure and so perfect that they should neither touch or be touched by others. A beaten man is left at the roadside. Religious people walk on by, but a Samaritan, a despised outsider, tends and feeds him and also provides him with hospitality.
Jesus shames his religious listeners by challenging them,”which one of these do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Like the prophets before him and the whistleblowers after him, Jesus tried to paint a picture of a world where there is no “them and us”, where we love our neighbours as ourselves, and the only power worth having, and giving, is the power of love. This power enabled him to whisper the words of forgiveness to those who hated him for challenging their worldview, and for nailing him to the cross.

Unlike the lambs in the fields or the daffodils in our gardens, the Easter stories do not speak of a natural life cycle. Easter speaks about an unforgettable love that triumphs over evil and hatred. This is resurrection.
Once upon a time the church was central to the lives of people and the villages they served.
What can the church today do to make a difference to you? How can we care for our neighbours, those in need, the marginalised, the forgotten, the sick or the grieving?
Whether you are nine or ninety, please be in touch to ask for help or to suggest how the church can better serve you and your community.

Wishing you many blessings this Easter. Vicki