Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are the announcements for the week.

Prayer List/Prayer Chain - it is our privilege to pray for the concerns of our parishioners, our community, and those who ask us for prayer. Those on our parish Prayer List are prayed for daily by name at our on-line Compline service. We also pray for those most recent or pressing requests in our Sunday service. To add someone to the prayer List, please send an e-mail to Mother Vicki allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. Our Prayer Chain is a group of parishioners who exercise a ministry of intercessory prayer on an emergency basis when needed. Kathy Bousquet is our Prayer Chain leader. If you have an immediate request or would like to be part of the Prayer Chain, please contact Kathy. 

Statements of Contribution for 2020 were mailed to you via US Postal Service on Friday. Please look your statements over. If you have a question, or did not receive one, please e-mail allsaints_stewardship@hotmail.com. Thank you for all your support in 2020 - every donation was crucial!

Vestry meeting this week on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7:15 pm on Zoom.

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15 am. Our current study Ephesians in the New Testament. This week we will read and discuss Ch.2:11-Ch.3. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.  

“Office Angels” (our office volunteers in non-COVID times) meet for conversation and fellowship on Thursday mornings at 11 am on Zoom. We’d love to have you join the conversation. Email Parish Administrator Susie Harris for the link: allsaints_church@hotmail.com 

Adult Choir is on Thursdays at 7:30 pm - check-in, fellowship, and learning music for our next virtual choir anthem project. Even in these virtual circumstances we welcome anyone who loves to sing! Contact Alison Siener Brown asienerbrown@gmail.com for the Zoom credentials. 

Pledging for 2021 - You can use our new on-line pledge form on our website www.allsaintsmillington.org. You can also 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. You can also use our “virtual offering plate” - the heart and cross icon on the homepage of our website - for on-line giving. Thank you!

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.
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Christian Practices: The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
This is an ecumenical Christian effort that was established in 1908. It starts on January 18 (The Feast of the Confession of St. Peter) and ends on January 25 (The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul). This week was chosen because Peter’s apostolic ministry was primarily to Jews, although he also embraced the inclusion of Gentiles; and Paul’s apostolic ministry was to Gentiles, after he had been called from his fierce defense of Judaism.

The purpose of the week is to reflect the words of John 17:21, “they may be one so that the world may believe”. While all of the various Christian bodies have differences of practice and variations of belief, we are all united by faith, prayer, and baptism in Christ. The more we can be united in our practice of following Christ, the stronger our witness to the world will be.

In the United States this year, this Week of Prayer falls at a very appropriate moment. Monday is not only the Confession of Peter, but it is also the day we set aside to mark and honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. On Wednesday we will inaugurate our 46th President Joseph R. Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community where all people are valued, respected, and drawn together in peace by their common humanity has its roots in the Christian idea of the Body of Christ. Our secular American values of equity of opportunity and equality before the law, commitment to the common good of our neighbors and communities, and the flourishing of every individual embrace very similar ideas.

While we pray for unity in the Body of Christ this week, let us also pray for the peace, safety, and well-being of all in our country.
Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are the announcements and the links for Sunday’s worship.

• First Sunday after Epiphany Worship & Renewal of Vows (scroll to next section)
• Bible Study
• Chalk Blessing Kits
• Stewardship
• Choir

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Sunday Worship – First Sunday after the Epiphany: Baptism of our Lord, January 10th –10 am
Service of the Word and Renewal of Baptismal Vows, followed by Coffee Hour. Please have a small bowl of water near you to use during the service. The service leaflet is on the home page. Please e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com for the Zoom credentials.

And if you have not yet seen the Epiphany worship video, you can watch it here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KD5c7JNeAYk
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Finance Committee meets Tuesday, January 12 at 7:15 pm on Zoom.

Chalk Blessing Kits for Epiphany are available to be picked up in the Bell Tower of the Church, including instructions. Bless your house and all who come and go to it in this New Year.

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15 am. We are starting a new series for the next five weeks, the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament. This week we will read and discuss Chapters 1 and 2:1-10. If you have been thinking about starting Bible study in the New Year, this is a great way to start! No experience is needed. You don’t even have to have a Bible because we’ll send you the reading ahead of time. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.  

“Office Angels” (our office volunteers in non-COVID times) meet for conversation and fellowship on Thursday mornings at 11 am on Zoom. We’d love to have you join the conversation. Email Parish Administrator Susie Harris for the link: allsaints_church@hotmail.com 

Adult Choir resumes this Thursday at 7:30 pm - check-in, fellowship, and learning music for our next virtual choir anthem project. Even in these virtual circumstances we welcome anyone who loves to sing! Contact Alison Siener Brown asienerbrown@gmail.com for the Zoom credentials. 

Thank you to everyone who made a pledge for 2021. If you have not yet done so, please be in touch with Mother Vicki. You can use our new on-line pledge form on our website www.allsaintsmillington.org, or you can simply send an e-mail with your pledge commitment to allsaints_church@hotmail.com. You can also fulfill your pledge by setting up auto-pay with your bank or by setting up one-time or recurring electronic fund transfer (EFT) through the secure giving portal on our website. We are also able to receive gifts of appreciated stock as pledge payment. If you are interested in that 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!

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.
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Baptismal Covenant Promise - 3
Presider         Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
People             I will, with God’s help.

As we prepare to renew our baptismal vows this coming Sunday, consider the question and answer above.

This promise is about letting other people know – through your words and actions – the saving love of God, how God has made a difference in your life.

This is one of those vows that makes some people a little skittish, because we often don’t want to come across in a preachy or judgmental way; at least, that’s what we tell ourselves. We certainly don’t want to make ourselves or another person feel uncomfortable.

But maybe the reason we have trouble with this part of our covenant is that we are not sure we have the words to talk about what difference our faith has made in our lives. We are not confident that we have anything to offer to another person.

And yet, we are more than happy to share other kinds of good news: a new job, the birth of a baby, recovery from surgery. We know how to share the right amount of detail, and the level of feeling in how we share that news.

When it comes to faith, what we are being asked to share is that part of our experience in following Jesus that gives us hope, or peace, or joy, our quiet confidence. You don’t have to stand on a street corner to do this, or ring door bells. But when you have a friend or family member who is struggling or confused or hurting you can say what has been true for you. Give them the option to seek hope with God; offer to pray for them or with them. If they don’t respond, it takes nothing away from your faith and you may have planted a seed that God will water and grow later.

Our actions, too, can proclaim the Gospel when we act in ways that are consistent with Jesus’ teaching and character.
And we can begin each day by asking God to use you to be a blessing and a messenger of Good News and God’s love to another.

Blessings, Vicki+