Dear Friends in Christ,  
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
This Sunday, June 20th, will be our first in-person, indoor Sunday service. I hope that you will feel comfortable gathering with us for worship. Here is the information you will need. I look forward to seeing you!

• Sunday Worship – In-Person (and live-streamed)

• Funeral for Bonnie Stocker McGrath – June 26
• Rummage Sale
• Parish History Research Group
• Christian Practices

+ + + + + + +  
Sunday Worship – June 20th. The bulletins are attached to use at home ,or print out or read in your phone or tablet in Church.
8 am in in-person in the Memorial Garden for the summer.

• Sign-in at the welcome table on the day.
• Bring a folding chair; we will sit six feet distanced.
• Print out the attached order of service; or read it on your tablet or phone.
• Masks are now optional for outdoor worship without singing. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask – for your health, or for the health and care of others, please do so.
• If the weather is bad, we will move indoors.

10 am in the Church in-person – and live-streamed to Zoom at the same time.

• Limited, distanced seating.
• Masks are required inside the building.
• Communion and hymn-singing.
• Register here: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN. Sign up and sit as a family or a “pod” or write “Sit alone” on the sign-up app if you prefer. Check in with the ushers.
• The live stream will be posted later to YouTube. 
• If you need the Zoom link, please e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com for log-in.

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All Saints’ Announcements 
Sunday Refreshments after the 10am service resumes this week, outdoors (weather permitting). There will be a sign-up sheet to host each week. Something simple and easy to serve without people crowding around the table - iced tea, lemonade, cookies, etc.

Funeral for Bonnie Stocker McGrath is Saturday, June 26, at 2pm. Seating capacity is limited. Register in advance here: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN. If you need to sit alone, please write that in the reservation app, otherwise you may be seated with someone outside your “pod”. Masks will be required inside the building at all times as well as during the service. If you are not able to attend in person – because of distance, or health concerns, or space limitations, please feel free to attend via  Zoom. Send an email to allstsmill@hotmail.comn for the log-in information. If you are not able to sign-up or have questions, call the parish office or send us an e-mail. 

Look for the tents!! The All Saints’ Annual Rummage Sale will be held in person and outside on Saturday October 2nd this year. We are looking for volunteers to donate, haul, price, and sell rummage. We are looking for volunteers to make and sell baked goods. We are looking for volunteers to set up and clean up. This is an “all hands on deck” event and our biggest fundraiser of the year!! Donations of clean, usable items will begin being accepted on Sunday August 1st. If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Celeste.

Parking Lot Lights Gratitude - thank you Ted Kestler, Roger Kosempel, and Bill Smullen for all the work to get our parking lot lights back up and running after the failure of an underground wire about 30+ total hours of volunteer power! 

Parish History Research Group - Bishop Hughes has called together a committee to look into the racial history of our diocese in order to better understand what was happening at key moments in our diocesan life. She has also invited parishes to investigate their own history. Carol Berry has taken on this task here at All Saints’ for our own learning and understanding. If anyone is interested in being part of this project, please speak with Carol.

Bible Study will not meet this Wednesday. We will pick up next week on 6/30 with Ruth, Chapter 2. To participate in this Zoom class, e-mail Mother Vicki: allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.

Join us on Thursday at 11am for “Office Angels” Zoom. All are welcome to join us and chat, email us if you would like the Zoom login: allsaints_church@hotmail.com

Parish Schedule this Week 
Compline - Daily, 9:30pm; Facebook Live 
Office Angels - Thursday, 11 am; Zoom 
Funeral for Bonnie Stocker - Saturday, 2pm; in-person & Zoom
Parish Office - Monday & Thursday, 10am-5pm
 
Christian Practices ~ Prayer (2)
From the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer
Q. What are the principal kinds of prayer?
A.The principal kinds of prayer are adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penitence, oblation, intercession, and petition.

Q. What is adoration?
A. Adoration is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God, asking nothing but to enjoy God's presence

Q. Why do we praise God?
A.We praise God, not to obtain anything, but because God's Being draws praise from us.

There are many different kinds of prayer – in some senses, as many different ways of praying as there are people in the world. And yet, there are some core types of prayer that the Church has come to understand over the centuries.

The two highlighted here – adoration and praise – are very closely related to each other. Adoration is often a wordless stance before God. At All Saints’ I often find myself standing or sitting or kneeling in the Church in the late afternoon when the sun pours through the Resurrection window behind the altar, bathed in golden afternoon sunshine. And I find myself wanting to simply “be” in God’s presence. Perhaps you have felt that same sense of adoration?

Praise is more active. We sing hymns, we say prayers, perhaps we say “praise God!”; King David even danced for joy before the Ark of the Lord as it was being carried into the Temple for the first time. Our praise of God is always because of who God is; not because of our own deserving.

When do you find yourself being drawn into wordless adoration or active praise?

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,  
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Here is the information for worship this Sunday, 5/30, links, bulletins, and announcements.

• Trinity Sunday Worship

• Clean-up Thank You
• Storm Results
• Funerals for Joyce Kulzer & Bonnie Stocker McGrath
• Indoor Worship
• Christian Practices

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Sunday Worship – Trinity Sunday, May 30th
The Rev. Shawn Carty preaching; the bulletins are attached
8 am in the Memorial Garden – Holy Eucharist

• Reserve a spot on the sign-up app website here: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN and check in at the welcome table.          You can also just sign-in at the welcome table on the day.
• Bring a folding chair.
• Print out the attached order of service; or read it on your tablet or phone.
• Wear a mask. For this interim time, we will continue to wear masks and keep six feet of distance – not for your health, but for the health and care of others.

10 am on Zoom - Service of the Word. Please email allstsmill@hotmail.com for the log-in credentials.
+ + + + + + +  

All Saints’ Announcements 
Thank You to everyone who came out on Saturday to help with parish work day. We got a lot done and cleaned up and have a big pile of lumber and brush in the parking lot still to get rid of. We also discovered that we have more property in the wooded area than we thought! We began to daydream about some ways we could use the woods for a peaceful, reflective space – a labyrinth? A prayer path with Stations of Creation?

Wednesday Night Storm – the severe thunderstorm and winds seem to have included a microburst. It took down a tree and some very large branches behind the Rath House, two trees in the parking lot across from our garage, and a number of very large limbs in our woods. Thankfully, the only damage was to a gutter on the back of the Rath House and one of the parking lot lights. Bill Smullen came first thing in the morning to cut up some of the trees. And our neighbor Max Wasserman (a high school junior) cut up a great deal more! As of this writing we are waiting to see of the town can take some of the brush because it is in the town easement in the parking lot, and the storm water drainage ditch behind the Rath House. Thank you, Bill and Max!

Funeral Services

• For Joyce Kulzer will be Thursday, June 10 in the morning (time not yet decided).          
• For Bonnie Stocker McGrath will be Saturday, June 26 at 2 pm.

Parishioners are invited and welcome to attend. Seating will be limited; you will need to sign up on the rsvp.church app. Plan in advance to sign-up and sit with a “friend group” or “pod” to maximize our seating capacity. An e-mail will go out once the service is posted and open on the app. All our indoor worship guidelines and practices will apply (see below). This way of holding funerals is different from what we are used to. Thank you for your understanding.

The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, May 31 for the staff Memorial Day holiday.

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15am. We are continuing to read and discuss Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” - Matthew 5-7. This week’s passage is Matthew 7:1-15. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki.

Office Angels - drop in for conversation and fellowship with our office staff and clergy from the comfort of your own home on Zoom, Thursdays at 11am. Please email Parish Administrator Susie Harris for the log in: allsaints_church@hotmail.com.

Our 10 am service will continue on Zoom until June 20 (the end of the choir/program year.) This will give us time to experiment with how we’ll do “hybrid” - in-person and on-line. On June 20 we’ll start having in-person indoor worship in the church at 10 am. 8 am continues in-person outdoors.
Here are some things we know about our indoor worship parameters - as per the updated diocesan guidelines and the structure of our own church building:

• We will be at 50 % capacity for any service. That means we will use every other pew, leaving us 17 pews to work with.
• Everyone will need to wear a mask in church for the following reasons -1) the governor’s indoor mask mandate is still in place 2) we want to protect unvaccinated children and people who may be immunocompromised for whom vaccines are less effective 3) our diocesan guidelines currently require it.
• We will be able to sing hymns on a limited basis as long as everyone is wearing masks - singing produces more aerosols.
• We will use our ventilation sanitizing system.
• You will need to register ahead of time for indoor worship.
• If you normally come to church by yourself and are willing to sit in a pew with someone else, please contact a friend or two and register for the service together and sit together - otherwise every individual person (not part of a household) will sit by themselves in a pew, limiting our overall attendance.
• Communion will be bread only for the congregation.
• The service will be 45-minutes long.
• Outdoor refreshments may be served after the service.
• Updated diocesan guidelines are here; look at the overview on page 2. We are currently in the Yellow zone: https://dioceseofnewark.org/sites/default/files/resources/Journey%20Forward%20Guidelines%203.0%202021.05.19.pdf. Morris County daily virus levels are here: https://covidactnow.org/us/new_jersey-nj/county/morris_county/?s=1853770

This will take a lot of trial and error! We will need to be nimble and stay flexible, as we find the right balance between safety, personal responsibility, and our need to resume in-person worship, while we all stay connected on-line.
No matter what, All Saints’ will continue to be a faith community where everyone is welcome for worship. How we manage that for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people (young children, people who medically can’t be vaccinated, immunocompromised people whose vaccination doesn’t protect them all fully as others’ do, etc.) will be a process that will continue to need some revision along the way. As always, please continue to exercise patience, faithfulness, and generosity of spirit with one another. Please pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as we move ahead into God’s future for us.
+ + + + + + +
Parish Schedule this Week 
Memorial Day - office closed; staff holiday
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm. Please call before you come. 
Sunday Worship In Person - 8:00 am in person; Memorial Garden
Sunday Worship On-Line – 10:00 am; via Zoom (posted later to YouTube and our website)
+ + + + + + + 
Christian Practices ~ Ministry: Lay People
Q. Who are the ministers of the Church?
A. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.
Q. What is the ministry of the laity?
A. The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given to them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.
                              ~ From the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer

When we think about ministers in the Church we often think about ordained people; that is certainly the popular idea. But that is not the way God and the Church understands it!

When a person is baptized, they are called, equipped, and sent out to do God’s work in the world – ministry. That ministry can be official or unofficial; it can be done in Church, but is most often done outside of the worshipping community. Ministry can be a volunteer position, or it can be something you are paid for.

But ministry works best when the gifts and talents that God gave you are put to good use for the benefit of others. When you do that, it makes God happy.

The Season after Pentecost we are currently in is the time we particularly think about our ministry and service in the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Here are some questions to ponder:

• What ministry are you currently doing?
• How do you feel or see God’s presence in what you do?
• Are there other ways or different ways that your gifts could be a blessing to others?
• What might Christ be calling you to do?

 
Blessings, Vicki+
 

Dear Friends in Christ,  
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Here is the information for worship this Sunday, 5/23, bulletins, and announcements.

• Pentecost Worship: 8 & 10 am Outdoors in-person – Holy Eucharist
• Parish Work/ Clean-up Day

• Bible Study
• Stewardship – Thank You
• Indoor Worship
• Christian Practices – Pentecost

+ + + + + + +  
Sunday Worship In-Person – Pentecost, May 23rd
8 am in the Memorial Garden – spoken service
10 am in the Parking Lot & Facebook Live (you don’t have to be on Facebook to see this) https://www.facebook.com/allsaintsmillington/  All Saints’ Handbell Choir will play an anthem live, and we’ll sing hymns! At both services we’ll renew our baptismal vows, as we do at each of the four baptismal feast days throughout the year.
The bulletins are attached. What do you need to do?

• Reserve a spot on the sign-up app website here: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN and check in at the welcome table. You can also just sign-in at the welcome table on the day.
• Bring a folding chair.
• Print out the order of service on our home page; or read it on your tablet or phone.
  
• Wear a mask. For this interim time, we will continue to wear masks and keep six feet of distance – not for your health, but for the health and care of others.

Please plan to come and celebrate this important feast day - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - with your fellow Saints. And wear something red!
+ + + + + + + 
Parish Work Day, May 22 from 8:30 am-Noon. We need your help! Over that last 18 months we have accumulated lots of brush and branches on our property that need to be cleared out as we are preparing to gather in person more fully. Bring gloves, tarps, loppers/pruners, hand saws, and masks. All ages are welcome and encouraged to come and be part of this effort. Sign up here so we know we can count on you:  ttps://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN.  Come when you can; leave when you need to.

Thank you to all who have been continuing to fulfill your pledges and other donations. Your support for All Saints’ has been absolutely crucial throughout the past fourteen months! As always, if you prefer to make those contributions by mail or check to the office, or in the offering plate at in-person services, you are welcome to do so. You may also use our “virtual offering plate” - the heart and cross icon on the homepage of our website for on-line giving, www.allsaintsmillington.org. We depend on the donations of our members and friends to fund God’s mission and ministries. Thank you!

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15am. During Easter season we are reading and discussing Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” - Matthew 5-7. This week’s passage is Matthew 6:25-34. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki.

Office Angels - drop in for conversation and fellowship with our office staff and clergy from the comfort of your own home on Zoom, Thursdays at 11am. Please email Parish Administrator Susie Harris for the log in: allsaints_church@hotmail.com.

Indoor Worship - Our 10 am service for May 30, June 6, and June 13 will continue on Zoom for the end of the choir/program year. During this time we’ll be experimenting with how we’ll do “hybrid” - in-person and on-line. On June 20 we’ll start having in-person indoor worship in the church at 10 am. 8 am continues in-person outdoors.
Here are some things we know about our indoor worship parameters - as per the updated diocesan guidelines and the structure of our own church building:

• We will be at 50 % capacity for any service. That means we will use every other pew, leaving us 17 pews to work with.
• Everyone will need to wear a mask in church for the following reasons -1) the governor’s indoor mask mandate is still in place 2) we want to protect unvaccinated children and people who may be immunocompromised for whom vaccines are less effective 3) our diocesan guidelines currently require it.
• We will be able to sing hymns on a limited basis as long as everyone is wearing masks - singing produces more aerosols.
• We will use our ventilation sanitizing system.
• You will need to register ahead of time for indoor worship.
• If you normally come to church by yourself and are willing to sit in a pew with someone else, please contact a friend or two and register for the service together and sit together - otherwise every individual person (not part of a household) will sit by themselves in a pew, limiting our overall attendance.
• Communion will be bread only for the congregation.
• The service will be 45-minutes long.
• Outdoor refreshments may be served after the service.
• Updated diocesan guidelines are here; look at the overview on page 2. We are currently in the Yellow zone: https://dioceseofnewark.org/sites/default/files/resources/Journey%20Forward%20Guidelines%203.0%202021.05.19.pdf. Morris County daily virus levels are here: https://covidactnow.org/us/new_jersey-nj/county/morris_county/?s=1853770

This will take a lot of trial and error! We will need to be nimble and stay flexible, as we find the right balance between safety, personal responsibility, and our need to resume in-person worship, while we all stay connected on-line.
No matter what, All Saints’ will continue to be a faith community where everyone is welcome for worship. How we manage that for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people (young children, people who medically can’t be vaccinated, immunocompromised people whose vaccination doesn’t protect them all fully as others’ do, etc.) will be a process that will continue to need some revision along the way. As always, please continue to exercise patience, faithfulness, and generosity of spirit with one another. Please pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as we move ahead into God’s future for us.
+ + + + + + +
Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship In Person - 8:00 am in person; Memorial Garden
Sunday Worship In Person – 10:00 am; Parking Lot and streamed to Facebook Live. (posted later to YouTube and our website)
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm. Please call before you come. 
+ + + + + + + 
Christian Practices ~ Pentecost: The Holy Spirit
From the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer
Q. How is the Holy Spirit revealed in the New Covenant (New Testament)?
A. The Holy Spirit is revealed as the Lord who leads us into all truth and enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ.

Q. How do we recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
A. We recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and are brought into love and harmony with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation.

The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth and enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ. We see that likeness and the Spirit’s activity as we are able to let Jesus direct more and more areas and aspects of our lives. A real marker or gauge of that spiritual growth is being in love and harmony with our neighbors, ourselves, with all creation, and – of course – with God.

This Pentecost as we are gathering for worship, some of us will be in-person and receiving Communion for the first time in fourteen months. I hope and pray that will be a meaningful and valuable time for you. Not only will you connect with God, but we’ll also connect with one another.

Pentecost is a time we pray for the renewal of the Church. This year that will have a strong resonance. We pray for the renewal and strength of faith for each person. We also pray for the renewal and strength of our parish so that we may continue to love and serve the Lord Jesus as agents of his goodness and blessing.

Pentecost Joy, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,  
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Here is the information for worship this Sunday, 5/16, bulletins, and announcements.

• Seventh Sunday of Easter Worship: 8 am Outdoors in-person – Holy Eucharist
• Sixth Sunday of Easter Worship: 10 am on Zoom
• Parish Work/ Clean-up Day

• Bible Study
• Pentecost: In-Person Outdoors at both 8 am & 10 am
• Christian Practices – Baptism (3)

+ + + + + + +  
Sunday Worship – Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 16th – 8 am, Holy Eucharist in the Memorial Garden. The bulletin is on the home page. What do you need to do?

• Reserve a spot on the sign-up app website here: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN.
• Bring a folding chair.
• Print out the attached order of service; or read it on your tablet or phone.
• Wear a mask.
• Sign in at the welcome table at the Memorial Garden gate closest to the parking lot.

For this interim time, we will continue to wear masks and keep six feet of distance – not for your health, but for the health and care of others.

Sunday Worship – Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 16th – 10 am, Service of the Word online.
The bulletin is on our home page. Please email allstsmill@hotmail.com for the Zoom log-in.
+ + + + + + + 
Parish Work Day, May 22 from 8:30 am-Noon. We need your help! Over that last 18 months we have accumulated lots of brush and branches on our property that need to be cleared out as we are preparing to gather in person more fully. Bring gloves, tarps, loppers/pruners, hand saws, and masks. All ages are welcome and encouraged to come and be part of this effort. Sign up here so we know we can count on you:  ttps://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN.  Come when you can; leave when you need to.

Next Week! Pentecost: In-Person, Outdoor Worship Sunday, May 23 at 10am - Holy Eucharist in the parking lot. Our handbell choir will play an anthem live! Bring your own chair, wear a mask, print out the bulletin at home or use your phone or tablet. Reserve a spot here:  https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN. We will also live stream this service. Please plan to come and celebrate this important feast day - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - with your fellow Saints. And wear something red!

Our 10 am service will continue on Zoom through the end of the choir/program year (June 13). After that we will be experimenting with how we’ll do “hybrid” - in-person and on-line. This will take a lot of trial and error! We will need to be nimble and stay flexible, as we find the right balance between safety, personal responsibility, and our need to resume in-person worship, while we stay connected on-line. Please pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as we move ahead into God’s future for us.

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15am. During Easter season we are reading and discussing Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” - Matthew 5-7. This week’s passage is Matthew 6:15-34. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki.

Office Angels - drop in for conversation and fellowship with our office staff and clergy from the comfort of your own home on Zoom, Thursdays at 1am. Please email Parish Administrator Susie Harris for the log in: allsaints_church@hotmail.com.
+ + + + + + +
The CDC, State of New Jersey, and the Diocese of Newark – as you probably know, the CDC made an abrupt announcement this week about fully vaccinated people and mask-wearing. While it is very welcome, it does not provide a lot of guidance for church situations where we have a “mixed” population. Governor Murphy has said that in New Jersey masks should continue to be worn indoors and combined with distancing where possible, until his staff has a chance to review the details. This is no surprise, given the fact that New Jersey has had the highest per capita death toll from COVID of any state in the nation; and northern NJ bore the brunt of this more than the southern part of the state.

Thanks be to God the virus levels have dropped so quickly with so many people are getting vaccinated!

The diocesan Journey Forward Team met this week to make revisions and modifications to our gathering guidelines now that so many counties have moved into the yellow level of risk https://covidactnow.org/us/new_jersey-nj/?s=1835753.
An important part of those updates will include guidance on singing in Church – for a soloist, for a small choir, and for the congregation. Congregational singing will be the last to be added. Our own Alison Siener Brown was asked to be one of the four musicians consulting on singing safety! Now the new CDC recommendations will need to be reviewed to see if there are adjustments needed in the diocesan guidelines.

No matter what, All Saints’ will continue to be a faith community where everyone is welcome for worship. How we manage that for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people (young children, people who medically can’t be vaccinated, etc.) will be a process that will continue to need some revision along the way. As always, please continue to exercise patience, faithfulness, and generosity of spirit with one another.
+ + + + + + +
Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship In Person- 8:00 am in person, Memorial Garden
Sunday Worship on Zoom – 10:00 am; Zoom (posted later to YouTube and our website)
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Vestry - 7:15 pm; on Zoom
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Work/Clean-Up Day - Sat, 8:30 am-12 noon.
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm. Please call before you come. 
+ + + + + + + 
Christian Practices ~ Holy Baptism (4)
Our Christian identity begins with Baptism, with being joined to Christ in this sacrament of initiation. It is the foundation of our faith, our salvation, our growing in grace by Word and Sacrament.
Here is the fourth reflection on Baptism in this Easter season.

From the Catechism (in the Book of Common Prayer)
Q. Why then are infants baptized?
A. Infants are baptized so that they can share citizenship in
the Covenant, membership in Christ, and redemption by God.

Q. How are the promises for infants made and carried out?
A.Promises are made for them by their parents and
sponsors, who guarantee that the infants will be
brought up within the Church, to know Christ and be
able to follow him.

In some Christian groups Baptism doesn’t happen until a person can choose that faith and make a commitment for themselves. There is some real value in that.

But in the Episcopal Church we baptize babies, children, teens, and adults. When we baptize babies, it reminds us that God’s love and grace and mercy come to us even before we can ask for it.

On the other hand, that leaves the church community with a very large responsibility. We promise to “do all in our power to support this person in their life in Christ.” That means that we, the people of All Saints’ Church, have a job to do. We have a role in forming that child in faith as he or she grows up.

We carry out this responsibility by praying for the child; modelling trust in God; encouraging them through our own example of worship, learning, and service; sharing our own experiences of God and faith; supporting the child in his or her ministries; and taking on the role of a mentor.

There is an old saying: “Faith is more caught than taught.” Children learn from the adults around them; the quality of Christian faith they see is the quality of faith they will develop.
What a privilege and responsibility!

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,  
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Here is the information for worship this Sunday, 5/9, bulletins, and announcements.

• Sixth Sunday of Easter Worship: 8 am Outdoors in-person
• Sixth Sunday of Easter Worship: 10 am on Zoom
• Parish Work/ Clean-up Day
• Ascension Day Evening Prayer

• Bible Study
• Pentecost
• Christian Practices – Baptism (3)

+ + + + + + +  
Sunday Worship – Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 9th – 8 am, Holy Eucharist in the Memorial Garden. The bulletin is attached. What do you need to do?

• Reserve a spot on the sign-up app website here: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN.
• Bring a folding chair.
• Print out the attached order of service; or read it on your tablet or phone.
• Wear a mask.
• Sign in at the welcome table at the Memorial Garden gate closest to the parking lot.

For this interim time, we will continue to wear masks and keep six feet of distance – not for your health, but for the health and care of others.

Sunday Worship – Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 9th – 10 am, Service of the Word online. Sister Monica Clare will be the preacher at this service. The bulletin is on the home page. Please email allstsmill@hotmail.com for the Zoom log-in.
+ + + + + + +  
All Saints’ Announcements
Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15am. During Easter season we are reading and discussing Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” - Matthew 5-7. This week’s passage is Matthew 6:1-15. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki.

Office Angels - drop in for conversation and fellowship with our office staff and clergy from the comfort of your own home on Zoom, Thursdays at 1am. Please email Parish Administrator Susie Harris for the log in: allsaints_church@hotmail.com.

Ascension Day - this Thursday, 6:30 pm - a simple 20 minute service of Evening Prayer in the Memorial Garden. This service will be in-person and live-streamed to Facebook. Sign up here: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN. Bring a chair, a Book of Common Prayer, and wear a mask!

Parish Work Day/Clean-Up Day, May 22 from 8:30 am-Noon. We need your help! Over that last 18 months we have accumulated lots of brush and branches on our property that need to be cleared out as we are preparing to gather in person more fully. Bring gloves, tarps, loppers/pruners, hand saws, and masks. All ages are welcome and encouraged to come and be part of this effort. Sign up here so we know we can count on you: https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN Come when you can; leave when you need to.

Pentecost: In-Person Outdoor Worship Sunday, May 23 at 10am - Holy Eucharist in the parking lot. Bring your own chair, wear a mask, print out the bulletin at home or use your phone or tablet. Reserve a spot here:  https://rsvp.church/r/bloP83YN. We will also live stream this service. Please plan to come and celebrate this important feast day - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - with your fellow Saints. And wear something red!

We are keeping a close eye on the developing CDC guidelines for gathering in groups of unrelated people indoors, as well as on the levels of infection and virus spread in Morris County - all of which is changing rapidly as more people become fully vaccinated.
The diocesan Journey Forward guidelines are being revised, and the Vestry will follow them in our indoor re-gathering plan. Because new information is coming so quickly, we will need to be nimble and stay flexible, as we find the right balance between safety, personal responsibility, and our need to resume in-person worship even as we keep our on-line option and parishioners connected!

Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship In-Person- 8:00 am in person, Memorial Garden
Sunday Worship on Zoom – 10:00 am; Zoom (posted later to YouTube and our website)
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Finance Committee - 7:15 pm; on Zoom
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Ascension Day Evening Prayer - Thu, 6:30 pm; Memorial Garden & Facebook Live
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm. Please call before you come.
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Christian Practices ~ Holy Baptism (3)
A church community gathers around font and altar, Baptism and Eucharist; inspired, instructed, challenged, and comforted by God speaking to us in the Scriptures. This understanding is central for us as we move into God’s future, taking interim steps to gathering fully in person for worship and fellowship. This is how we are formed and supported as Jesus’ disciples.
Here is the third reflection on Baptism in this Easter season.
From the Catechism
Q. What is required of us at Baptism?
A.It is required that we renounce Satan, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Baptism asks us to turn away from values, ideas, behavior, habits of thought that separate us from God, that lead to sin. “Sin” means separation; it also means “missing the mark.” Repentance – turning away from those things and turning towards God – is a way of life, an on-going pattern of renewal for a Christian.

And in turning towards God, we align ourselves with Jesus as our Lord and Savior; as the One whose opinion, direction, and love matter most; as the One who is able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. In Baptism we abandon ourselves to Christ.

Thought to ponder: What might you need to turn away from this week? And how will you turn once again towards Christ?

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
There are two very important things to read in this e-mail. The first item is the information for Bishop Hughes’ visit with us on Sunday – using a different Zoom link than we usually have!

The second item is information about our worship here at All Saints’ – where we have been, where we are now, and what we are aiming for in the near future. This will be a little involved, so please do read it carefully. The chart shows the level of COVID cases in Morris County since the start of the pandemic.

Other announcements will come after these two items.
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BISHOP’S VISITATION THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday: please join the Zoom at 9:55 am. It is hosted by the diocese, so there will be a “waiting room” when you sign on and someone will let you in. The service will be live-streamed to the diocesan website, but only those speaking will have their pictures appear on the public video. Bishop Hughes will preside and preach.

Following the service there will be a brief 5-minute break and then the Bishop will host a guided conversation with parishioners about our experiences over the last year. Bishop Hughes is really looking forward to hearing from you. Everyone who wants to will have a chance to speak, but no one must speak! The coffee hour portion will not be livestreamed or recorded, just as with our regular coffee hour. After that, Bishop Hughes and the Vestry and Clergy will meet for a separate conversation.
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WORSHIP AT ALL SAINTS’
As you all know, this last fourteen months have been very challenging on many different levels. While none of us wanted to deal with a pandemic, we have come this far by God’s grace and mercy. We have all been affected in different ways and to different degrees, and many of us are now feeling very depleted and diminished – emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, financially – even as we may have also grown in our faith and trust in Christ.

Guiding Principals have informed our decisions since last March and will continue to do so. They are:

• To keep our parishioners and staff as safe and healthy as possible in light of the best scientific and medical information at the time, including the current CDC guidance.
• To follow the Journey Forward guidelines for worship and gathering published by our Diocese of Newark (here: https://dioceseofnewark.org/covid-19/journey-forward ) and tied to the COVID case levels in our region as found on the COVID Act Now website (here: https://covidactnow.org/us/new_jersey-nj/?s=1774695 ).
• To continue our worship of God and be a Christian community of worship, learning, praise, and service as best we can in these circumstances.

Where We Have Been – in a brief review:

• March-June 2020: all worship was on Facebook Live or pre-recorded video, and print resources emailed to you. Nightly Compline on Facebook was added. All meetings and fellowship, choirs and adult formation were on Zoom. Over this period a number of different people “found” us on-line and joined us in a variety of ways.
• July 2020: we shifted Sunday worship to Zoom. This gave us greater interactivity and the ability for parishioners to exercise their ministries as readers, intercessors, preachers, singers, and instrumentalists.
• August-November 2020: we added in-person outdoor Evening Prayer at 5 pm and Morning Prayer at 8 am. We held the Blessing of the Animals and All Saints’ Day Eucharist out in the parking lot.
• In the summer the virus levels were low and spreading slowly. On average in Morris County there were 1 or 2 new cases daily per 100,000 people. Cases began to rise steadily in October from medium to high levels (35 cases per 100,000).
• November 2020: we installed ultra-violet sanitizing lights in the air-conditioning system of the church to improve the safety of our ventilation. We met with Diocesan Property Manager Jim Caputo to evaluate our general safety protocols. We also measured the seating distance in the church. Our pews are small and our aisles are narrow. To create the CDC required 6 feet of distance between unrelated people/households we can only use 11 pews.
• December 2020: Bishop Hughes restricted any in-person gatherings (indoors or outside) due to high and rising COVID case levels in the diocese.
• Winter 2020: Case levels in Morris County hit a high of 65 daily cases per 100,000 residents. That came down some in February and spiked again in mid-March. Today's graph for Morris County for the COVID Act Now tracker is at the top of this e-letter. All counties in New Jersey are still “red” in the five-level scale.
  

Where We Are Now – we have entered a tumultuous and even more confusing time than before (if that is possible!):

• 38% of eligible people in the county have been fully vaccinated as of today.
• All Saints’ Staff is not yet fully vaccinated. Even with full vaccination status we know that two people in the parish have had breakthrough infections – one of them was Fr. Shawn and his was asymptomatic, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t contagious when he was live-streaming services with us in the church.
• April 2021: Holy Week services were held via Zoom and Facebook Live, and our joyous Easter Day service was a fully-produced video. Bishop Hughes’ visitation with us was scheduled for April 25; all of her visitations are currently conducted on Zoom. It made no sense to change anything until after April.
• Different faith traditions and congregations have made different choices about when and how to worship in person. Some of those choices have been governed by the size of their worship space and the availability of staff and volunteers. For example, St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church in Stirling has a very large space, but they have limited their attendance to 150 people per service. First Presbyterian Church of Stirling (right across the street) has been doing combined pre-recorded services with Meyersville Presbyterian; they held their first outdoor service this past Sunday. St Mark’s in Basking Ridge has been worshipping in-person on a limited basis for months. St. Bernard’s in Bernardsville is just now starting very limited in-person worship twice a month. Both of these churches are in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey which has different guidelines from us.
• Bishop Hughes has issued revised guidelines which allow parish Vestries to decide if they are ready to move ahead in the safest manner possible – outdoors currently being the best way to gather because we are still in the critical red zone with infection levels.
• At the Vestry meeting this week we made the decision to start the weekly 8:00am service of Holy Eucharist in the Memorial Garden on Sunday, May 2nd. You will need to sign up in advance, wear a mask, and bring your own chair. Details will be sent early next week. There is no music or livestreaming at this service and limited set-up required.
• At the Vestry meeting we also made the decision to hold our Pentecost celebration of Holy Eucharist at 10:00 am in the parking lot on Sunday, May 24th.  You will need to sign up in advance, wear a mask, and bring your own chair. There will be music and livestreaming at this service and the set-up needs lots of volunteers. The first three Sundays in May the 10:00 am service will be on Zoom, and I will preside from the Church (not from home).

What We Are Aiming for in the Near Future – recognizing that that summer months will bring lots of trial and error, experimentation and learning; and that the conditions and virus levels may change at unpredictable rates:

• Looking towards a regular schedule of 10:00 am outdoor services during the summer months – but not yet defining what that schedule is.
• Recruiting Teams of volunteers to set up and take down the worship, sound system, and music equipment, and run the livestreaming.
• Continue all appropriate COVID protocols.
• Continue to allow those who can’t come in person for whatever reason to be part of worship through livestreaming.
• Continue to have parishioners exercise their liturgical ministries.
• Take steps to plan and practice our ability to gather safely indoors, developing services that work both for in-person and livestreamed experience. We hope and pray that September will bring both low virus levels and relaxed CDC guidance about distancing indoors.

I realize that this has been a great deal of information. Please take time to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it”, as the Prayer Book says. My metaphor for this current time is that we are in a rowboat at sea. The shore is visible, and we are rowing hard for it. But now we are in the surf and it is more choppy and turbulent that we had anticipated; however we can’t just hovercraft up out of the boat and onto the beach. We have to go through all these steps. As worship details get worked out, we will get that information to you.

I know this is hard, and we are all so weary and fed-up. But please rely on God for patience, wisdom, and understanding. Please participate to the extent you are able, even if it is not exactly what you want. And please continue to keep one another and the parish in prayer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
On Sunday: At the Bishop's request, the loose plate offering will be directed to the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund. During the food emergency caused by the pandemic, the funds collected will be given to the food ministries profiled in The VOICE Online newsletter.  

In addition, those interested in donating online in support of diocesan food ministries may click on the DONATE button at the top of the diocesan website home page (http://dioceseofnewark.org) and choose Area of Greatest Need: Food Pantries. 
For more about the increased need our parish food ministries are meeting, please see issues of The VOICE Online https://dioceseofnewark.org/publications/voice-online-archive.

Narnia Book Group: The Silver Chair, Chapters 15 & 16 - will take a break this week and continue next Sunday, May 2. This group meets on Zoom Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm. To join, please email Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. 

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15am. During Easter season we are reading and discussing Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” - Matthew 5-7. This week’s passage is Matthew 5: 21-48. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki.

Office Angels - drop in for conversation and fellowship with our office staff and clergy from the comfort of your own home on Zoom, Thursdays at 11:00 am. Please email Parish Administrator Susie Harris for the log in: allsaints_church@hotmail.com.
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Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship & Bishop’s Visitation – 10:00 am; Zoom, posted later to YouTube and our website 
Narnia Book Group - will not meet this week
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (usual hours). Please call before you come. 

Christian Practices
Two prayers for this current season
Holy God, whose presence is known in the structures we build, and also in their collapse; establish in us a community of hope, not to contain your mystery, but to be led beyond security into your sacred space, through Jesus Christ. Amen. (by Janet Morley)

O Almighty God, we have come to seek the Living among the living and to follow Christ as he goes before us to Galilee and into joys eternal. Let the hope of his Resurrection shine in our praises, as it leads us into more faithful witness and more joyful service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns in glory everlasting. Amen.

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,  
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Easter lasts fifty days, until Pentecost. Keep celebrating!
Here are the announcements:

• Narnia Book Group 
• Regional Ministry Network Meeting 
• Bible Study
• Bishop’s Visitation
• Music Ministry Invitation
• Christian Practices – Baptism (1)

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NEXT WEEK: Bishop’s Visitation - on Sunday, April 25 Bishop Carlye Hughes will make her first official visitation to All Saints’ at our 10am Zoom service, followed by a conversation with her at coffee hour. A Zoom visitation will be a novelty for us, but Bishop Hughes has been doing them this way for a year and is now expert at it! She will preach and lead worship. She will then meet with the Vestry after coffee hour. Please plan to be with us next week.

Sunday - Narnia Book Group: The Silver Chair, Chapters 13 & 14 - this group meets on Zoom Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm. To join, please email Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. 

Regional Ministry Network Meeting: Tuesday, April 20, 6:30-8:30 pm on Zoom - This spring Bishop Hughes is hosting informational and conversational meetings for each of the eight Regional Ministry Networks of the Diocese of Newark and you are all invited.

These meetings are an opportunity not only to hear from Bishop Hughes, but also to have some conversation in smaller break-out groups with people from other parishes in our region and talk with them about joys and challenges we may have in common – particularly in this time of pandemic.

Our Regional Ministry Network is the Harriet Tubman group (South West part of the Diocese). This includes the following churches: St. Peter's, Morristown; Christ Church, Budd Lake; Messiah, Chester; St. John's Church / La Iglesia de San Juan, Dover; St. James', Hackettstown; St. Luke and St. Mary, Hope and Belvidere; St. Mark's, Mendham; All Saints', Millington; Redeemer, Morristown; St. Peter's, Mount Arlington; St. Luke's, Phillipsburg; St. Dunstan's, Succasunna; St. Peter's, Washington.
Registration is not required. For the Zoom link please e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com. 

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15am. During Easter season we are reading and discussing Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” - Matthew 5-7. This week’s passage is Matthew 5:13-20.  It’s a great way to get started with Bible study and Scripture reading and conversation. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki.

All Saints’ Music Ministry (adults and children) always welcome new members - anyone who loves to sing or play an instrument. For more information contact Alison Siener Brown at asienerbrown@gmail.com. 

The Voice, our diocesan newsletter, is linked below.
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Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship – 10:00 am; Zoom, posted later to YouTube and our website 
Narnia Book Group - Sun, 4:00 pm; Zoom
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Regional Ministry Network Meeting – Tues, 6:30 pm; Zoom
Vestry - Tuesday 7:15 pm; Zoom
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (usual hours).  
Please call ahead if you need to do in-person parish business.

Christian Practices ~ Holy Baptism (1)
In my sermon last week (Easter 2, April 11) I spoke about the need for All Saints’ parish (any Christian church, really) to be a community faith in Christ that is gathered around font and altar, Baptism and Eucharist, and in conversation with the Scriptures. This is particularly important as we look ahead to gathering in person once again for worship and fellowship; however gradually that will take place.

We need to make sure our fundamentals and our foundation are strong if we are going to be the Christian community that God wants us to be. In this Easter season I will be offering a reflection on Baptism each week, referring to the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer (page 858). These reflections are meant to be a springboard and an invitation to your own thinking, wondering, and praying – not the last word “from on high”! I hope they will be an opportunity for blessing and grace; perhaps even “spark joy”.                ~ VGM+

From the Catechism
Q. What is Holy Baptism?
A.  Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ’s Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.

Baptism is our starting point for life as Christian people. It is the way we mark a formal commitment to living in the Way of Jesus, an initiation into being a member of the Body of Christ.

But this initiation and membership is not like joining a social club or a service organization or a sports league. It is much more like becoming part of family that is brand-new to us.

In baptism we are adopted as God’s children and given a new identity – that of “Christian”. In some cultures, newly-baptized people even take on the name of a saint or Biblical character to express their new identity.

The meaning, purpose, and nature of our new Christian identity is revealed and grows over time as we open ourselves to God’s grace working in us and among us as a community.

Thought to ponder: How is your experience of being part of this family of Christ (All Saints’ or the Church in general) similar to your experience of your family of birth or choice? How is it different? How do you experience God’s love in each?

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are the week’s announcements.

• First Sunday in Lent Worship  
• Narnia Book Group 
• Lenten Book Group
• Year-in-Review Meeting – date correction
• Lent Reflection: Day 3

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Sunday Worship – First Sunday in Lent, February 21st  –10 am 
Service of the Word, followed by Coffee Hour.  
This service is on Zoom and the service bulletin is on our home page. You are welcome to join us. Please e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com for the log-in credentials.
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Date Correction! Parish Meeting: Year in Review - Feb 28, 10:45 am (during coffee hour time). Join us to hear presentations form our Vestry and other ministry leaders. This is not an official Annual Meeting. NJ state statutes govern Episcopal churches in legal matters. Our diocesan Chancellor’s reading of the statute is that we can’t have an official Annual Meeting unless we are able to meet in person. But we can gather on Zoom and hear updates about our ministries and finances from 2020. Please join us for worship and this Year in Review meeting on Feb. 28

Narnia Book Group: The Silver Chair, Chapters 1 & 2 - this group will meet on Zoom Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm starting on 2/21 and continuing for eight sessions (skipping Easter Day). The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. The group is open to anyone; you don’t have to have read the previous Narnia books, or been part of the group before. To sign up, please email Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. 

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15 am. This week we’ll start our Lenten series. We’ll look at the Gospel reading for the Sunday to come (either from Mark or John) and also at the Collect (theme prayer) for the day and look at the way the Gospel and the Collect connect with each other.  That means that we’ll be reading material for the First Sunday in Lent. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki.

Book Study - Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubled Times by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Wednesdays in Lent at 7:00 pm, starting Feb 24. This study is being shared by St. Peter’s, Livingston,St. Gregory’s, Parsippany, and All Saints’. This week we’ll be discussing the Introduction, Chapters 1 & 2. Join this Zoom group by sending an e-mail to allsints_rector@hotmail.com.
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Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship & Coffee Hour – 10:00 am; Zoom, posted later to YouTube and our website 
Narnia Book Group - Sun, 4:00 pm; Zoom
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Lenten Book Group - Wed, 7:00 pm; Zoom
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (usual hours).  
Please call ahead if you need to do in-person parish business.
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Lent: Day 3
Learn – in the Way of Love the practice of “learn” is fundamentally about reading, studying, learning from, and absorbing the Scriptures. The center of that learning is Jesus’ story and his teachings.

The Bible was written long ago and over centuries, recording the experience that people in ancient Israel and the first-century followers of Jesus had with God. In many ways they had a different experience of life and asked different questions of the world than we do. That can make entering into the Bible’s story challenging.

But the Church’s witness for the last 2000 years is that the Holy Spirit can and does speak to us through the pages of Scripture, especially when we come to them in a curious, open-hearted, prayerful way.

We have resources to help us do this. The Forward Day by Day devotional lists the Bible readings for the day and then gives a brief reflection about some aspect of those readings. A contemporary translation like The Message can be helpful because it is more conversational in style than the translation we usually hear on Sundays. A book with the major stories from the Bible like The Path (https://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2418/the-path.aspx) can help us get the broad outline of how the smaller stories go together.

And in this liturgical year when Mark is our primary gospel we can take in Jesus’ like and teachings by reading Mark from start to finish. It’s 16 chapters long, and you could read it in about an hour. Of course, you might want to break it up and take time to savor each chapter but reading it straight through at one sitting has its benefits.
The important thing is that if we don’t make the time and effort to read and learn from Scripture, we cut ourselves off from one of the primary ways God has chosen to communicate with us. It’s hard to follow Jesus if we don’t know his story and his teachings and make them our own.

Finally, here is a 3-minute video about the practice of Learn: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/way-of-love/learn/

May you be blessed in your journey with learning from the Scriptures this Lent.
Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,  
Here are the announcements and the information for Sunday’s worship.  
For our offertory this week the combined choirs (adults and children) have recorded a virtual choir anthem that you will all want to hear. It’s an “Alleluia” – on this last Sunday before alleluias are omitted from our worship during Lent.  

Our choirs meet for rehearsal and fellowship every week on Zoom. And then each singer individually records his or her part on an audio file which Alison edits together, along with the accompaniment and the visual portion of the video. All of this is a very different set of skills than singing together in a live ensemble. We are so blessed that our choirs and Director of Music have learned how to do this and have offered their hearts and voices to enrich our worship during this pandemic time. Thank you, all! 

• Last Sunday after Epiphany Worship   
• Narnia Book Group  
• Parish Office News  
• Ash Wednesday  
• Christian Practices  
• Lenten Book Group 
• Year-in-Review Meeting 

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Sunday Worship – Last Sunday after the Epiphany Feb. 7th –10 am  
Service of the Word, followed by Coffee Hour.   
The bulletin is on the home page and you may send an e-mail to allstsmill@hotmail.com to get the Zoom credentials.
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Announcements  
Ash Wednesday Worship ​will be held on Zoom this Wednesday, February 17 at 7:30 pm. The link and service leaflet will be sent Monday. The most important aspect of Ash Wednesday is the start of our spiritual preparation for Easter. What about ashes? Small containers of blessed ashes ​may​ be picked up in the church Bell Tower. You may impose ashes on yourself or on other members of your household during the service. But please note​ - ​ashes are optional in the liturgy, and always have been. If you can’t attend the service on-line you can pray the service on your own with the service leaflet or in the Prayer Book. “The Invitation to a Holy Lent” on page 264 is good for reading and meditating on at the start of this season of spiritual preparation. 

Parish Office News​ – All Saints’ has signed-up with a church management software program called Breeze. This allows us to have a database of our parishioners and visitors, which we did not have before. It is also a donor management program which tracks pledges and donations and creates easily-produced giving statements​.​ Breeze also has some ​communications and scheduling features ​that we are starting to use for different ministry and volunteer reminders. If you get an e-mail from All Saints’ and it has the extension ​@breezechms.com, please don’t ignore it! ​In fact, please set your e-mail program to recognize messages from Breeze. You’ll be hearing more about this new tool for our parish ministry as we get more adept at it. 

Narnia Book Group: The Silver Chair - ​this group will meet on Zoom Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm starting on 2/21 and continuing for eight sessions (skipping Easter Day). ​The Silver Chair​ by C.S. Lewis is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. The group is open to anyone; you don’t have to have read the previous Narnia books, or been part of the group before. To sign up, please email Mother Vicki at ​allsaints_rector@hotmail.com​. 

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15 am. ​This week we’ll start our ​Lenten series. We’ll look at the Gospel reading for the Sunday to come (either from Mark or John) and at the Collect (theme prayer) for the day and the way they connect with each other. To participate in this Zoom class​ or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki. 

Lenten Book Study ​​– ​​“Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubled Times” ​​by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.​ The book is available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. Wednesdays at 7:00 pm, starting Feb 24. This study is being shared by ​St. Peter’s, Livingston, St. Paul’s, Chatham, St. Gregory’s, Parsippany, and All Saints’. The clergy of these different churches will take turns facilitating the discussion each week. At the first session we’ll discuss the Introduction and Chapters 1 & 2. Please e-mail  allstsmill@hotmail.com for the Zoom link.

Parish Meeting: Year in Review - Feb 21, 10:45 am (during coffee hour time.) Join us to hear presentations from our Vestry and other ministry leaders. This is not an official Annual Meeting. NJ state statutes govern Episcopal churches in legal matters. Our diocesan Chancellor’s reading of the statute is that we can’t have an official Annual Meeting unless we are able to meet in person. But we can gather on Zoom and hear updates about our ministries and finances from 2020. Please join us for worship and this Year in Review meeting on Feb. 21. 
+ + + + + + +  The Parish Office is generally staffed Mondays and Thursdays but with limited contact for the public. Please call ahead if you need to do in-person parish business.  

Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship & Coffee Hour ​– 10:00 am; Zoom, posted later to YouTube and our website 
Compline​ - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Vestry ​- Tue, 7:15 pm; Zoom 
Bible Study​ - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Ash Wednesday Service – Wed, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels​ - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir​ – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir​ - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office​ - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (usual hours). 
Please call ahead if you need to do in-person parish business.
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Christian Practices: Love
Sunday is St. Valentine’s Day, a day we focus on our love for others – especially those we love romantically, or those in our family. But when we think about God’s love, Christian love, it takes us in a different direction.

In the New Testament there is a particular word for God’s love that is different from other words for love in Greek. It is agapē – unconditional, sacrificial love that involves an attitude of heart and will, even more than it does emotion. It’s God’s love that is self-giving, because that is God’s nature. The deepest and truest expression of God’s love was Jesus’ sacrifice of himself for us on the Cross.

In the Gospel of John Jesus told the disciples that non-believers will know that they are his disciples by the love they have for one another (John 13:35). Some of you may know the 1960s hymn “They’ll Know We are Christians by Our Love.” (https://youtu.be/3EBShVUTH0U)It’s a very simple song, but it states the message clearly: everything we do as Christians is to be infused with God’s love for us, our love for God and one another, and God’s love for the world through us. That is the way the world will recognize that we are Christ-followers.

Loving in God’s way is not about being nice, but it is about kindness and compassion. It is about caring for the good of the other, the neighbor, the stranger, as much as it is about caring for the good of people we like or are close to. God’s love is strong and can sometimes lead us into places of confrontation and controversy – not for their own sake, but for truth and integrity and human dignity.

Bishop Curry’s book “Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubled Times” explores what it means to be practitioners of God’s love in the midst of turmoil. Whether you read the book and join in the discussion of it (see above) or take it in on your own, I hope you will think and pray about how you can learn to love more deeply, truly, and in a Christ-like way. Lent is a good time to do this.

Blessings, Vicki+ 

Dear Friends in Christ, 
Here are the announcements and the links for Sunday’s worship.  
You will notice that there are quite a number of new names that have been added to our Sunday prayers in this week’s service bulletin. There has been a lot of illness and death in our extended parish family – some COVID-related, but most not. Please be gentle with yourselves and with one another and keep each other in prayer. 

• Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Worship  
• Narnia Book Group 
• Parish Office News 
• Stewardship 

• Ash Wednesday 
• Christian Practices 
• Lenten Opportunities 
• In-Person Worship Timing 

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Sunday Worship – Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Feb. 7th –10 am 
Service of the Word, followed by Coffee Hour.  
Please e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com for the Zoom log-in. The service bulletin is on our home page.
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Announcements 
Parish Office News – All Saints’ has signed-up with a church management software program called Breeze. This allows us to have a database of our parishioners and visitors, which we did not have before. All of our previous records were on Word documents and required multiple updating for new e-mails addresses, phone numbers, etc. The new system is also a donor management program which tracks pledges and donations and creates easily produced giving statements. It doesn’t replace our QuickBooks accounting system but works in tandem with it. Breeze also has some communications and scheduling features that we are learning to use. You’ll be hearing more about this new tool for our parish ministry as we get more adept at it. 

Ash Wednesday Worship will be held on Zoom on February 17 at 7:30 pm. The link will be sent next week. How will we do Ash Wednesday this year? 

• The most important aspect of the day is the start of our spiritual preparation for Easter. Please read and meditate on the Invitation to a holy Lent at the bottom of page 264 in the Prayer Book. Please note - ashes are optional (and always have been). 
• Small containers of blessed ashes may be picked up in the church Bell Tower starting Feb. 12. You may impose ashes on yourself or on other members of your household during the service.  
• You may also read the service on your own, starting on page 264 of the Prayer Book, or using the service leaflet that will be e-mailed to you.  
• If you can’t get to church to pick up ashes, you can make your own from palms (if you have them) or use wood ash from your fireplace or fire pit.  

 Candlemas – the video from this prayer service for the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple is posted to the home page of our website. The reflection starts at minute 7:01. It’s about waiting with hope – even in the midst of our pandemic journey. Take a listen!   

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15 am. Our current study is Ephesians in the New Testament. This week we will read and discuss Ch. 6 to finish the book.  
The following week we’ll start our Lenten series. We’ll look at the Gospel reading for the Sunday to come (either from Mark or John) and also at the Collect (theme prayer) for the day and look at the way the Gospel and the Collect connect with each other. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com .   

Narnia Book Group: The Silver Chair - this group will meet on Zoom Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm starting on 2/21 and continuing for eight sessions (skipping Easter Day). The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. The group is open to anyone; you don’t have to have read the previous Narnia books, or been part of the group before. To sign up, please email Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. 

Stewardship – Please remember that you can fulfill your pledge by setting up auto-pay with your bank or by electronic fund transfer (EFT) through the secure giving portal on our website. If you are interested in making a gift of appreciated stock, please call David Thursfield. Until we can have the safe and full use of our buildings for both worship and building use rental our parish income will be challenging, so your timely, heartfelt and generous support will be essential. Thank you!
 
Opportunities Around our Diocese - Lenten and Otherwise 
There are several opportunities for prayer, study and conversation between now and Easter. Here are several that may interest you: 
Book Study - Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubled Times by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Wednesday evenings during Lent on Zoom with St. Peter’s, Livingston, St. Paul’s, Chatham, St. Gregory’s, Parsippany, and All Saints’ starting Feb. 24 at 7:00 pm. Here is the description of the book from the Amazon page. Please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com if you would like to participate.  

“As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Bishop Michael Curry's life illustrates massive changes in our times. Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more important, how to go a whole lot further. 

The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. This book will lead readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity.” 

Daily Morning Prayer with the Rev. Susan Sica at St. Gregory’s; Monday-Saturday; 8:30-9:00 AM on Zoom. E-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com for the log-in.

Convent Corner: Centering Prayer, Thursdays 7:15-8:15 pm on Zoom - the Community of St. John Baptist Centering Prayer Group has been meeting for many years and is one of its most popular ministries. Guests can gather on Zoom. Please e-mail Sister Monica Clare at srmc@csjb.org if you are interested in joining. A description of this silent contemplative practice can be found here.

Faith Groups - learn more about this new opportunity in our diocese by reading the material on our diocesan website here: Faith Groups. It’s not just for Lent. If you are interested in starting or being part of a Faith Group here at All Saints, please let Mother Vicki know. 
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When Will Churches in the Diocese of Newark Open for In-Person Worship? 
At present Bishop Hughes has still not lifted the restrictions on in-person worship. Our diocesan guidelines are tied to the metrics of the CovidActNow website https://covidactnow.org/us/new_jersey-nj/?s=1578518 .  As long as Morris County is red or dark red (which all of NJ currently is) we will remain fully on-line.  

This may seem confusing because different denominations have made differing decisions about what is safest for their parishioners. For instance, both St. Vincent’s and the Shrine of St. Joseph are holding in-person worship under limited conditions. First Presbyterian in Stirling and Meyersville Presbyterian are fully on-line.  

Adding to the variety of worship decisions is the fact that All Saints’ is part of the Diocese of Newark, which includes Morris County. Other nearby Episcopal churches in Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, and New Providence are in the Diocese of New Jersey, which has a different set of guidelines and has left more decision-making up to the parishes. Currently St. Mark’s in Basking Ridge is doing a hybrid of in-person and on-line. St. Bernard’s in Bernardsville is only on-line. 

Once we are able to proceed cautiously with worshipping in-person we will still need to be quite limited in our gatherings because of the need for distancing. We have measured out the minimum of at least 6 feet distance between our pews which are small and close together, with narrow aisles. The measurements give us 10 of our 36 pews to use at any given service. If 10 families of four or five people each register for a service, we can have 45 people. If 10 individuals from different households register for a service, we will have a congregation of only 10 people for that service.  

We will also continue to need to wear masks and will not be able to sing together in person until public health officials tell us it is safe and prudent to do so. We know that once we can be fully back in-person we will continue to live-stream our services for those who are at a distance or can’t attend for some other reason.  

The process of moving from fully on-line to fully in-person will take time, work, and patience once the public health conditions and the Bishop allow.  

The full diocesan guidelines can be found here; in particular, look at the quick color-coded overview page: https://dioceseofnewark.org/sites/default/files/resources/Journey%20Forward%20Guidelines%202.0%202020.12.14.pdf 
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Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship & Coffee Hour – 10:00 am; Zoom, posted later to YouTube and our website 
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Finance Committee - Tue, 7:15 pm; Zoom 
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (usual hours).  
Please call ahead if you need to do in-person parish business. 
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Christian Practices: Intercession 
Intercession is the practice of praying for someone else – for their well-being, guidance, encouragement in faith, healing, whatever the concern may be.  We most often think about this in connection with people we know and love, but as Christians we are also called to pray for the good of the world, or at least our neighborhood or community, however the Holy Spirit leads us. 

How do we intercede and pray for others? God certainly knows the needs of others and knows what is on our hearts and minds even before we can form the words of our prayer. We do well to trust God even when we don’t know “the right thing” to pray, or what the best outcome might be for a person or situation. 

Equally, it is important for us to spend time with our intercessions, to visualize the person or concern for which we are praying, to sit with them (metaphorically) in the light of God’s love. Perhaps the Spirit will give us some wisdom or insight that will help us to pray more directly or effectively. Perhaps that insight will lead us to speak with the person we are praying for in a way that is helpful to them. 

If we are praying for something beyond an individual or family, try to picture the situation from the perspective of the Kingdom of God – where God’s wholeness, goodness, purpose, and right relationships are a reality. Another term for this is what Martin Luther King, jr called “The Beloved Community.” This type of prayer is not about giving God a list of tasks, it is about envision and inviting God’s best for God’s world. 

For whom do you feel called or moved to pray this week? 

Blessings, Vicki+