Weekly Announcements

Reflection from The Vicar … Jesus said, ‘you are the salt of the earth.’  Just think about how salt works.  If we cook without salt, our food can taste insipid.  It only takes a little salt to bring out the full flavour of food.  Too much salt and the taste of the food is overpowered and it isn’t good for us either.  If you watch cookery programmes you will see how the professionals tell us that we need to season our food to bring out the full flavour.  It is the same with our faith.  Too little and we are inactive as Christians, too much and it can overpower us and to others, it seems as if the only thing we have to talk about is God.  Jesus didn’t say you could be the salt of the earth, or you could bring light to the world.  He said you are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the world.  Why?  Not because of any quality we may possess, but because of the love God has given each of us and he wants us to share that love with those we come into contact with every day.  Wherever we go, may we bring the light and flavour of our faith with us and may it shine through us. 

Thought for the month of July – Thy will be done … in the Church of Ireland most of our services follow a set format.  One of the great strengths of worshipping in this way is the participants feel at ease with the familiar words and rhythms of the liturgy.  But if this form of worship has a drawback, it could be that from time to time, we lose the impact of the words on us.  For example, Sunday by Sunday we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘thy will be done.’  But what if God really wants you or me to get involved with him in bringing this petition to fulfilment?  Then there is a price to pay which is greater than mere lip service.  These can be dangerous words if we really mean them.  So today, when we say our prayers and ask God for his will to be done, bear in mind that he may just have something in mind for us to do to help him fulfil his plans.

2025 Flower List (July–December) – The Flower List for July to December 2025 is now available for parishioners who wish to donate towards the church flowers on a particular Sunday – whether in memory of a loved one or to mark a special anniversary.

You can find the list in the foyer of the Parish Centre or simply speak to one of the churchwardens.

Extra Mile Bucket update: We’re delighted to share that £589.95 has been raised in just over a month since the launch of the new Extra Mile project in support of ShelterBox.  This generous amount is enough to fund one standard ShelterBox kit, which provides emergency shelter and essential tools for a family affected by disaster, helping them survive and begin to rebuild their lives.  ShelterBox teams are currently working in both Myanmar and Thailand to deliver emergency shelter to some of the hardest-hit regions.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far to the Extra Mile collection for ShelterBox.  Your support is making a real difference.

FIRE DAMAGE REPAIR FUND – there is a GoFundMe link available on the Parish Facebook page [https://www.gofundme.com/f/all-saints-parish-church-antrim-repair-fund] for anyone wishing to donate to this fund.  As an alternative, if you are a tax paying parishioner, we can claim Gift Aid if you make your donation through the Fabric Fund.  Please speak to Brian Neill for more information.

SMARTIE TUBE APPEAL – we are continuing to support the students who are studying to be future clergymen in the Church of Zambia.  The fees for one student are £600 per year and we are committed to sponsoring 2 students for the next few years.  Please keep on saving your 20p pieces …. or even £1 coins.

OASIS FOOD BANK – please consider donating an item or two to support the local food bank project.  This is a marvellous way of showing God’s love in a practical way.  Please leave items in the box in the Parish Centre [eg pasta, tinned soups, tinned vegetables, cereal, toiletries, etc]