Dear Friends in Christ,
As Lent progresses, and we get closer to Holy Week, there are a variety of services, events, and experiences designed to help you enter more fully into Christ’s gift to us in his death and resurrection. Please take a look at the announcements below:
 
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:

• Dinner for Vets (Helping Hands)
• Argyle Fish & Chips (Events)
• Piano Concert for Robotics Team (Around the Neighborhood)
• Easter Flowers (Christian Formation)
  

And some sad news...This week we learned that former parishioner Helen Erlich died earlier in this month of March. Helen had moved from New Jersey to Massachusetts a number of years ago, having been a parishioner at All Saints’ for thirty years. Although Helen had a number of health issues, and lived with very low vision, she died in her own apartment, ready to walk to dinner in her retirement community at the age of 91. Helen served as an usher and a Deputy to Diocesan Convention. She was also a very active member of the Wednesday Bible Study group, and a great lover of music. Members of Helen’s family will be here at All Saints’ on Sunday, April 23 at the 10 am service when we will include a short memorial to her life in our worship.
May she rest in the Peace of Christ, and rise in the glory of God.
 
HELPING HANDS
Dinner for Vets from Lyons and our Long Hill Community, Saturday, April 1st at 5:30 pm in the Lower Room of the Parish House. These dinners are part of our connecting with what God s doing in our neighborhood and wider community. Not only do we aim to offer Vets the hospitality of a meal, but the hospitality of listening – to their stories, concerns, experiences, point of view. Want to help? Speak to Kerrie Stepko.


Sleeping Mats for Homeless Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall. We crochet mats out of “plarn” (plastic bag yarn). The mats are distributed in NYC and Newark through the Bridges program in Summit. Friends and neighbors are invited to be part of the effort and fellowship Questions? Speak to Susie Harris.
 
Thanks to everyone who volunteered at Family Promise Homeless Shelter, Monday night. Your efforts are helping struggling families experience the love of God as they get back on their feet.
 
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
This Sunday: Concert for Long Hill Robotics Team, April 2 at 4 pm at All Saints’. CMS 7th Grade pianist Sophia Chen will play Beethoven, Bach, Chopin and Schumann. The concert will raise money through free-will offerings for the Robotics Team’s travel to Kentucky and Nebraska for international competition. All are welcome! The concert will be followed by a reception, so an RSVP is appreciated to go.LH.robotics@gmail.com.

HOLY WEEK
Palm Sunday is Next Week, April 9 - Palm Procession at 8 am, starting in front of the Church door; and at 10 am, starting in front of the Parish House door, led by the bagpiper.
 
Maundy Thursday Agapé Meal, April 13, 6:00 pm
Agapé is the Greek word for God’s love – and the way we share it in community. We’ll gather for a simple pot-luck meal, as Jesus and his disciples did, before our Maundy Thursday worship. We’ll be sharing this meal with the Christian (Catholic) Community in the Parish House Lower Room. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. Hope to see you there!

Foot Washing at Maundy Thursday Worship, 7:30 pm
This action is a symbol of the loving service to others that Jesus calls us to – basic, humble, prayerful, vulnerable. It is part of Maundy Thursday worship in churches all over the world. During the singing of a chant, the congregation is invited to come forward, have one foot washed, and then wash the foot of the person who comes after them. This care for one another is deeply moving. Wearing shoes and socks that are easily removable makes this easier.

Prayer Watch, anytime Maundy Thursday night, 8:30 pm to 12 am.
Come and keep watch in the Church with Jesus for thirty minutes on the night of his trials in the Garden of Gethsemane (Altar of Repose with the Reserved Sacrament). Although this is a time for personal prayer and meditation, it is something done on the part of our whole parish community, even if you haven’t been able to attend worship earlier. The watch will conclude at midnight.  Sign up for a half hour prayer time on the sheet in the Narthex.
 
Holy Saturday Kids’ Service, Easter Egg Hunt and Ribbon Banner Making – April 15, 10 am.  Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.  And we need donations of candy for the eggs, volunteers to provide refreshments, and older kids and adults to make the ribbon banners
Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex and let us know if your kids will participate and how you can help. Thanks.
 
The First Party of Easter follows the Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 15, in the Narthex. We need some simple refreshments to continue the best service of the year! Take a look at the sign-up sheet for what we need.

WORSHIP
Easter Flowers - If you would like to make a donation for Easter flowers in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a particular blessing, please use the envelopes that were mailed home, or that are found in the pew. Please be sure to include the names of the people being remembered or honored; they will appear in all the Easter bulletins. The deadline for the names is April 10.
 
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church during Lent. Stop in on your way home from work and have a peaceful half hour with God and others.

EVENTS
Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, April 27 – 5:30-7:30 pm. This is our spring fund-raiser, and we’ll need a variety of help: setting up tables, decorating, selling tickets, making up plates, serving, working the door, helping with publicity, making desserts & drinks, clean-up. A sign-up poster will be up in the Narthex soon. Jackie Sullivan is the person to see with questions or to volunteer.
 
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey:
The Commandments. Monday nights at 7 pm in the Rath House. This discussion group is a great way to learn about the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ teaching about them, and putting our faith into daily action.

Bible Study – Wed., 10:15 am, in the Rath House. We are reading through the Book of Acts; this week, 4/5, we’ll discuss Chapter 28.  Come for friendship, fellowship, and learning.
 
Coloring Insert – We’ve had two different coloring inserts in the last month for your reflection and meditation. Please return your return your colored-in page(s) in the collection plate. We’ll post a collection of them on a board in the Narthex. It’s a way to pray and learn from each other’s thoughts, hopes, and prayers. Extra copies are available in the Narthex.

PARISH CALENDAR
4/3 Evening Prayer                  Church, 6:00 pm
      Pilgrim Group                    Rath House, 7:00 pm
4/5 Bible Study                         Rath House, 10:15 am
4/6 Holy Eucharist                   Church, 7:00 am
      Small Saints’& Jr Choirs   Choir Room, 5:15 pm
      Adult Choir                         Choir Room, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Forgiveness – “In English the verb forgive comes from the Latin perdonare, which means to give thoroughly and wholeheartedly. To forgive is to wholeheartedly give it up. It’s an offering, and act of oblation.” ~ Brother Curtis Almquist, SSJE.
Forgiveness is a daily Christian practice. As we examine our attitudes, action, and speech we discover the places where we have fallen short of acting according to God’s good purposes. The Greek word in the New Testament for this is hamartia, missing the mark. Sometimes our sin becomes visible by the way we treat others. Sometimes our sin is known to God alone. Either way, we need to have the courage and the humility to ask God’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of those we may have wronged. And we also need to extend forgiveness to others when it is asked of us.

Often, that is the hardest thing to do. We can find a certain satisfaction in hanging onto resentments, in nursing grudges, in thinking that our hurt is bigger and more important than God’s love and grace. Lent is a powerful time for us to meditate on and practice forgiveness. As we contemplate Jesus’ death on the Cross, we remember that it was done for us, on our behalf, to forgive our sins and the sins of all humanity. Receiving God’s forgiveness is a letting go, a giving up of those hard knots and painful sores that so often stand in the way of fully being God’s person, God’s image-bearer in the world. Receiving forgiveness is an act of trust, humility, and vulnerability – a reminder that we are wholly dependent on God’s grace and mercy.

Where do YOU need to ask forgiveness – from God or others? Where do you need to offer forgiveness? What may be stopping you? How would you describe your feeling after you have received forgiveness – at Peace? Lighter? Clean? Settled? Right with God?

This is a recording of  the Kyrie from J.S. Bach’s Mass in b minor, performed by The Gewandhausorchester of Leipzig, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt: https://youtu.be/cRqsdRwnqJc

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,

A very heartfelt thanks to all of you who supported and participated in the calling hours for Louis Berry Thursday evening, or in the funeral service and reception Friday. The love and care you showed Carol and her family, to visitors to our church, and to one another was inspiring – Christian community fully alive and active. Despite the sadness, I hope that you caught some of the joy and deep faith of the events, and felt renewed and enlivened by them.

And thank you to everyone who participated on our Mid-Lent, Simnel Cake Bake-off at Coffee Hour today. It was so hard to choose among all the yummy cakes, but when the votes came in the winner was Jackie Sullivan. Congratulations, Jackie! Her prize: a reserved parking spot with her name on it for Easter Sunday! If you’d like to know a little more about the history of Simnel Cake on Mid-Let, take a look here: http://fullhomelydivinity.org/ and click on the March 26 date on the calendar at the left of the page. This website is full of old-fashioned traditions and customs of English country parish life for each season of the year.
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:

• Dinner for Vets (Helping Hands)
• Argyle Fish & Chips (Events)
• Piano concert for Robotics Team (Around the Neighborhood)
• The Road to Character Book Group (Christian Formation)

HELPING HANDS
Dinner for Vets from Lyons, Saturday, April 1st at 5:30 pm. Many hands are needed to make this as successful as our last event. There is a sign-up sheet in the church Narthex listing the areas where volunteers are needed:  set-up, food dishes, servers, clean-up, etc. Set up and food drop off will be at 4:00 pm on Saturday. Dishes needed: sides, salads, desserts. Please bring all hot dishes in a half pan that will fit on the sterno trays. If you don't have pans, we will be happy to provide them. Our main dishes will be venison stew and roasted pork loin. Questions? Speak to Kerrie Stepko.

Family Promise Homeless Shelter, Monday, March 27 is our turn to serve at the shelter program when it is here in town at Trinity House of the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling. Please pray for the families in the shelter and our shelter ministers.

Sleeping Mats for Homeless Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall. We crochet mats out of “plarn” (plastic bag yarn). The mats are distributed in NYC and Newark through the Bridges program in Summit. Friends and neighbors are invited to be part of the effort and fellowship Questions? Speak to Susie Harris.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Concert for Long Hill Robotics Team, Sunday, April 2, 4 pm at All Saints’. CMS 7th Grade pianist Sophia Chen will play Beethoven, Bach, Chopin and Schumann. The concert will raise money through free-will offerings for the Robotics Team’s travel to Kentucky and Nebraska for international competition. All are welcome! The concert will be followed by a reception, so an RSVP is appreciated to go.LH.robotics@gmail.com.

HOLY WEEK
Maundy Thursday Agapé Meal, April 13, 6:00 pm
Agapé is the Greek word for God’s love – and the way we share it in community. We’ll gather for a simple pot-luck meal, as Jesus and his disciples did, before our Maundy Thursday worship. We’ll be sharing this meal with the Christian (Catholic) Community in the Parish House Lower Room. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. Hope to see you there!

Foot Washing at Maundy Thursday Worship, 7:30 pm
This action is a symbol of the loving service to others that Jesus calls us to – basic, humble, prayerful, vulnerable. It is part of Maundy Thursday worship in churches all over the world. During the singing of a chant, the congregation is invited to come forward, have one foot washed, and then wash the foot of the person who comes after them. This care for one another is deeply moving. Wearing shoes and socks that are easily removable makes this easier.

Prayer Watch, anytime Maundy Thursday night, 8:30 pm to 12 am.
Come and keep watch in the Church with Jesus for thirty minutes on the night of his trials in the Garden of Gethsemane (Altar of Repose with the Reserved Sacrament). Although this is a time for personal prayer and meditation, it is something done on the part of our whole parish community, even if you haven’t been able to attend worship earlier. The watch will conclude at midnight.  Sign up for a half hour prayer time on the sheet in the Narthex.

WORSHIP
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church during Lent. Stop in on your way home from work and have a peaceful half hour with God and others.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
 “The Road to Character” Book Discussion, Wed. 3/29 & 4/5. Join us for this 2-part discussion of David Brooks’ important book (available through the library or Amazon). It highlights a variety of different notable people and the way they developed traits such as honesty, goodness, altruism, loyalty and faith.7:30- 9 pm in the Rath House. Sign-up on the sheet in the Narthex.

Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey:
The Commandments. Monday nights at 7 pm in the Rath House. This discussion group is a great way to learn about the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ teaching about them, and putting our faith into daily action.

Bible Study – Wed., 10:15 am, in the Rath House. We are reading through the Book of Acts; this week, 3/29, we’ll discuss Chapter 27. Newcomers welcome!

EVENTS
Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, April 27 – 5:30-7:30 pm. This is our spring fund-raiser, and we’ll need a variety of help: setting up tables, decorating, selling tickets, making up plates, serving, working the door, helping with publicity, making desserts & drinks, clean-up. A sign-up poster will be up in the Narthex soon. Jackie Sullivan is the person to see with questions or to volunteer.

PARISH CALENDAR
3/27 Evening Prayer                   Church, 6:00 pm
         Pilgrim Group                    Rath House, 7:00 pm
3/29 Bible Study                          Rath House, 10:15 am
        Book Discussion Group      Rath House, 7:30 pm
3/23 Holy Eucharist                    Church, 7:00 am
        Small Saints’& Jr Choirs    Choir Room, 5:15 pm
        Adult Choir                          Choir Room, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Reconciliation is an important Christian practice. It is fundamentally about joining God’s movement to heal and bring people into relationship across differences. While we may think of reconciliation in a personal, private way that finds its expression in an act of private Confession (see the Prayer Book, p. 447), Reconciliation as a practice and way of living life is much broader. There is a Rwandan proverb that says: "To go fast, walk alone.  To go far, walk together."  And the authors Emanuel Katangole and Chris Rice say: "When we learn how to slow down to make room for walking together across divides, we become more Christian."
With whom do you need to be reconciled in this season of Lent? What stands in your way? What action or attitude do you need to take? How can God help you with this, as you follow in Jesus’ Way?

Here is a recording of “The Peace of God” by John Rutter, sung by the Vogliam Cantare choir, and recorded at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore: https://youtu.be/vtnJiIMpTjE

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
I hope and pray that as the season of Lent unfolds, you are able to see some changes in yourself and your connectedness to God. It doesn’t have to be an overwhelming change, but a sense of clarity or peace, or being energized; a sense of being loved to your depths, a desire for further prayer and Scripture reading, a feeling that there are some relationships or personal business you need to attend to make right. When we begin to follow through on these changes we will draw closer to God.

“Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks,*so longeth my soul after thee, O God” Psalm 42:1. (Note - a "hart" is a type of deer)
 
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:

• Family Promise Homeless Shelter (Helping Hands)
• Mid-Lent Simnel Cake Bake-Off (Events)
• Evening Prayer (Worship)
• The Road to Character Book Group (Christian Formation)

EVENTS
Mid-Lent Coffee Hour Bake-Off: Simnel Cake. Attention all bakers!
For our Coffee Hour on 3/26 we are holding a bake-off, using recipes for Simnel Cake, the traditional English cake for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (aka Mid-Lent, Refreshment Sunday, Laetare Sunday, Mothering Sunday). Recipes and more info are available in the Narthex, along with a sign-up sheet to let us know you will be part of the fun. The congregation will be the judges during coffee hour. Ladies and gentlemen, start your ovens!

Save the Date! Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, April 27 – 5:30-7:30 pm.

LENT
 “The Road to Character” Book Discussion, Wed. 3/29 & 4/5. Join us for this 2-part discussion of David Brooks’ important book (available through the library or Amazon). It highlights a variety of different notable people and the way they developed traits such as honesty, goodness, altruism, loyalty and faith.7:30- 9 pm in the Rath House. Sign-up on the sheet in the Narthex.

Confessions in Lent – in the Episcopal Church there is a saying about private confession: “All may, some should, none must.” If making a private confession during Lent is part of your spiritual practice, or if you feel this would be helpful to you, please contact Mother Vicki to arrange an appointment.

HOLY WEEK
Maundy Thursday Agapé Meal, April 13, 6:00 pm
Agapé is the Greek word for God’s love – and the way we share it in community. We’ll gather for a simple pot-luck meal, as Jesus and his disciples did, before our Maundy Thursday worship. We’ll be sharing this meal with the Christian (Catholic) Community in the Parish House Lower Room. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. Hope to see you there!

Foot Washing at Maundy Thursday Worship, 7:30 pm
This action is a symbol of the loving service to others that Jesus calls us to – basic, humble, prayerful, vulnerable. It is part of Maundy Thursday worship in churches all over the world. During the singing of a chant, the congregation is invited to come forward, have one foot washed, and then wash the foot of the person who comes after them. This care for one another is deeply moving. Wearing shoes and socks that are easily removable makes this easier.

Prayer Watch, anytime Maundy Thursday night, 8:30 pm to 12 am.
Come and keep watch in the Church with Jesus for thirty minutes on the night of his trials in the Garden of Gethsemane (Altar of Repose with the Reserved Sacrament). Although this is a time for personal prayer and meditation, it is something done on the part of our whole parish community, even if you haven’t been able to attend worship earlier. The watch will conclude at midnight.  Sign up for a half hour prayer time on the sheet in the Narthex.

WORSHIP
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church during Lent. Stop in on your way home from work and have a peaceful half hour with God and others.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey:
The Commandments. Monday nights at 7 pm, six sessions, starting tomorrow in the Rath House. This discussion group is a great way to learn about the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ teaching about them, and putting our faith into daily action.

Bible Study – Wed., 10:15 am, in the Rath House. We are reading through the Book of Acts; this week, 3/22, we’ll discuss Chapter 26. Newcomers welcome!

Coloring Insert – in last week’s bulletin there was a meditation page for you to color, think and pray about. Here’s what we asked you to do: take the page home; fill in the blanks/answer the questions; color it as you please; bring it back to church and drop it in the collection plate. Here’s what we will do with them: when you return your colored-in page (unsigned), we’ll post a collection of them on a board in the Narthex. It’s a way to learn from each other’s thoughts, hopes, and prayers. Extra copies are available in the Narthex.

HELPING HANDS
Family Promise Homeless Shelter, Monday, March 27 is our turn to serve at the shelter program when it is here in town at Trinity House of the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling. Your volunteer efforts will help support these families as they are getting back on their feet.  Questions? Speak to coordinators Afsaneh Thursfield 908-839-8158 & Kathy Pfeil 973-349-7089.

Sleeping Mats for Homeless Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall. We crochet mats out of “plarn” (plastic bag yarn). The mats are distributed in NYC and Newark through the Bridges program in Summit. Friends and neighbors are invited to be part of the effort and fellowship Questions? Speak to Susie Harris.

Winter Soup is available to take home after Church on Sundays during coffee hour ($5 quart/$3 pint – frozen). It is also available to take to sick or shut-in parishioners. If you buy soup, please write your name on the sheet posted on the Parish Hall fridge, and leave your payment into the box in the freezer. Thanks.

COMMUNICATIONS
 “This Week@All Saints’” is our parish e-letter. Each Thursday a short e-mail is sent with a link to the newsletter  page on our parish website. Please be sure to take a look. And if you are not already receiving our parish e-mail, please send a request to allstsmill@hotmail.com.

Connect with us on Facebook at “All Saints' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Millington.”

PARISH CALENDAR
3/19 Guiding Team meeting     Parish House, 11:30 am
3/20 Evening Prayer                   Church, 6:00 pm
         Pilgrim Group                     Rath House, 7:00 pm
3/21 Vestry                                   Rath House, 7:30 pm  
3/22 Bible Study                          Rath House, 10:15 am
3/23 Holy Eucharist                    Church, 7:00 am
        Small Saints’& Jr Choirs   Choir Room, 5:15 pm
        Adult Choir                          Choir Room, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
A fundamental practice in the Christian life is listening – listening to God, listening to others, listening to the Scriptures. When we listen we are not just trying to acquire information, or even knowledge. Nor we do we listen so we can argue our own point or refute what the other person is saying. True listening is a form of hospitality. Sometimes it takes patience and restraint. In our fact-based, fast-paced world we often miss the underlying message – like a melody playing quietly in another room, and it is only when we become still and quiet inside that we can really take in what we are hearing. Listening also involves imagination – letting ourselves be drawn by the Holy Spirit to a new idea or image or gut feeling. Why should we bother with all this listening? Because this is how we learn to recognize the presence of God in our daily lives and in our encounters with other people and with Scripture.
So here is a question for you to ponder and listen to: What do you hope for in this season of Lent?

Here is a recording of “Like as the hart” by Herbert Howells, sung by the Worcester Cathedral Choir: https://youtu.be/-IUtkFRDX6M.

And the photo above is from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy. It's a fifth century a.d. mosaic, depicting the harts lying by the stream.

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
Spring Forward! The time changes to Daylight Savings this Saturday night. Please remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed so we can see you in church on Sunday morning!

Lent is the time when most Christians want to engage in some further spiritual practice or discipline. Private Confession is a practice that is especially appropriate during the Lenten season. In the Episcopal Church there is a saying about private confession: “All may, some should, none must.” If making a private confession during Lent is part of your spiritual practice, or if you feel this would be helpful to you, please contact Mother Vicki to arrange an appointment.

Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:

• Family Promise Homeless Shelter (Helping Hands)
• Mid-Lent Simnel Cake Bake-Off (Events)
• Evening Prayer (Worship)
• Cook Book Correction (Communications)
  

EVENTS
Mid-Lent Coffee Hour Bake-Off: Simnel Cake. Attention all bakers! For our Coffee Hour on 3/26 we are holding a bake-off, using recipes for Simnel Cake, the traditional English cake for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (aka Mid-Lent, Refreshment Sunday, Laetare Sunday, Mothering Sunday). Recipes and more info are available in the Narthex, along with a sign-up sheet to let us know you will be part of the fun. The congregation will be the judges during coffee hour. Ladies and gentlemen, start your ovens!

Save the Date! Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, April 27 – 5:30-7:30 pm.

LENT
Last Call: Pathways of Faith Coloring Evening, Wed. 3/15 – using a Biblically-themed coloring book published by Forward Movement, we’ll spend a reflective evening in the Church – 7:30 – 9 pm.*

Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Commandments. Monday nights at 7 pm, six sessions,in the Rath House. This discussion group is a great way to learn about the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ teaching about them, and putting our faith into daily action.*

“The Road to Character” Book Discussion, Wed. 3/29, 4/5. Join us for this 2-part discussion of David Brooks’ important book (available through the library or Amazon). It highlights a variety of different notable people and the way they developed traits such as honesty, goodness, altruism, loyalty and faith.7:30- 9 pm in the Rath House.*
*There are sign-up sheets for these events in the Narthex.

WORSHIP
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church during Lent. Stop in on your way home from work and have a peaceful half hour with God and others.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Coloring Insert – in your bulletin this Sunday there will be a meditation page for you to color, and some questions for you to think and pray about. Here’s what you can do with it: take the page home; fill in the blanks/answer the questions; color it as you please; bring it back to church and drop it in the collection plate; feel free to make a copy first and put it on your bathroom mirror, fridge, bulletin board, etc. Here’s what we will do with them: when you return your colored-in page (unsigned), we’ll post a collection of them on a board in the Narthex. It’s a way to learn from each other’s thoughts, hopes, and prayers.

Bible Study – Wed. at 10:15 am, in the Rath House. We are reading through the Book of Acts; this week, 3/15, we’ll discuss Chapter 25. Newcomers welcome!

HELPING HANDS
Family Promise Homeless Shelter, Monday, March 27 is our turn to serve at the shelter program when it is here in town at Trinity House of the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling. We need volunteers to cook and deliver portions of the dinner, act as greeters, and sleep overnight to be on duty. There will be 15 guests in the program next week, and the menu is Ham & Macaroni and Cheese, Vegetable, Starch, Chicken Nuggets (or anything more child friendly), Salad, Dessert-- Cookies, Cupcakes or Dessert Bars, Fruit. Your efforts will help support these families as they are getting back on their feet.  Questions? Speak to coordinators Afsaneh Thursfield & Kathy Pfeil, or e-mail the parish office.

Our Next Night to Make Sleeping Mats for Homeless is Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall. We crochet mats out of “plarn” (plastic bag yarn). The mats are distributed in NYC and Newark through the Bridges program in Summit. Friends and neighbors are invited to be part of the effort and fellowship Questions? Speak to Susie Harris.

Winter Soup is available to take home after Church on Sundays during coffee hour ($5 quart/$3 pint – frozen). It is also available to take to sick or shut-in parishioners. If you buy soup, please write your name on the sheet posted on the Parish Hall fridge, and leave your payment into the box in the freezer. Thanks.

Twelve Baskets Food Ministry - We have received a $500 cash donation for our food ministry from Shop-Rite as part of their Partners in Caring program. This is in addition to their donation to our Community FoodBank account. Thank you, Shop-Rite for your support and recognition of our work to address hunger in our community!

COMMUNICATIONS
Cook Book Correction We’ve discovered a missing item form our parish cook book. Under the “Breads” section, Sue Traub’s recipe for Irish Soda Bread needs two (2) eggs. Please make this correction in your book. We’re sorry for any inconvenience. But even more important...try out the recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s delicious!

“This Week@All Saints’” is our parish e-letter. Each Thursday a short e-mail is sent with a link to the newsletter  page on our parish website. Please be sure to take a look. And if you are not already receiving our parish e-mail, please send a request to allstsmill@hotmail.com.

Connect with us on Facebook at “All Saints' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Millington.” Why have we added “Anglican” to our FB name? Bishop Beckwith is encouraging all parishes to include this so Christians from other parts of the Anglican Communion where the term Episcopal is not familiar can find us when they come to our diocese.

PARISH CALENDAR  
3/13 Evening Prayer                 Church, 6:00 pm
         Pilgrim Group                    Rath House, 7:00 pm
3/14 Finance Committee          Rath House, 7:30 pm  
3/15 Bible Study                         Rath House, 10:15 am
        Coloring Evening               Church, 7:30 pm
3/16 Holy Eucharist                   Church, 7:00 am
        Small Saints’& Jr Choirs   Choir Room, 5:15 pm
        Adult Choir                          Choir Room, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Confession: Public & Private “In our relationship with God we are always responding. God is wooing us, luring us, loving us into a more beloved relationship. How God will break through to us will oftentimes be through something that is broken within us. Our break will be God’s “break,” God’s breakthrough, God’s point of entry into our lives.
Any awareness of a need to confess our sin is already an act of preparation, God’s preparatory work in our souls. If you are sensing a need to make a confession of sin – and the fact that you are reading this suggests that, perhaps, you are – then trust that this is already a response to God’s initiative, and that is good news. God’s invitation is for you to be reconciled to God, to your own self, and to others. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a powerful means of grace available to you.” ~ Brother Curtis Almquist, SSJE (Society of St. John the Evangelist, an Episcopal men’s order in Cambridge, MA). Here’s a link to the full article: http://ssje.org/ssje/2014/01/17/reconciliation-preparing-for-the-sacrament-br-curtis-almquist/

And a link to a setting of the Kyrie (Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy) from the Requiem by Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986), sung by the British chamber choir Ecclesia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHoKnEbujTc :

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
Lent has begun. In addition to those who attended our services yesterday, on Ash Wednesday, we had about a dozen people stop by during their lunch hour for “Ashes As Needed” experiment – a few simple prayers and imposition of ashes as individuals came and went. Some were parishioners, some neighbors, some just saw the sign and came in...a good beginning to this important season. I hope that the start of your Lent has been a good connection with God.
In our Gospel passage this Sunday we will hear about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. We will also begin both services with the Great Litany, as we shift into the Rite I version of our worship, reconnecting with our Anglican roots. For some, the Great Litany is a trial to be endured; for others, it is a cleansing of the spiritual palate, knowing that there is no human condition unknown to our good, loving, and just God. Either way, the Litany is one of those spiritual practices that, when entered into in the right spirit and by God’s grace, leaves us better than we were before.
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:

• Celtic Heart Concert (Christian Formation)
• Mid-Lent Simnel Cake Bake-Off (Events)
• Family Worship & Scout Sunday (Worship)

EVENTS
Mid-Lent Coffee Hour Bake-Off: Simnel Cake. Attention all bakers!
For our Coffee Hour on 3/26 we are holding a bake-off, using recipes for Simnel Cake, the traditional English cake for the  Fourth Sunday in Lent (aka Mid-Lent, Refreshment Sunday, Laetare Sunday, Mothering Sunday). Recipes and more info are available in the Narthex, along with a sign-up sheet to let us know you will be part of the fun. The congregation will be the judges during coffee hour. Ladies and gentlemen, start your ovens!

Thanks to Kerrie Stepko, Barbara Barbeau, Steve Kowalik, Camille & Kenny Yates, and our some of our parish youth for a wonderful Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. We were joined by members of the Christian Community. A good time was had by all!

Save the Date! Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, April 27 – 5:30-7:30 pm.

LENT
Lenten Daily Prayer in Virtual Community – all the details are in the brochure in the Narthex – also a reading schedule for the Gospel of Matthew during Lent. Sign up for this on the sheet in the Narthex, and/or send an email to allstsmill@hotmail.com.

Lenten Devotional Booklets – this year we have a variety of booklets from Forward Movement and from Episcopal Relief and Development. Please take one for your Lenten preparation.

Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Commandments. Monday nights at 7 pm, six sessions, starting 3/6. A foundation for our love and duty to God and neighbor, the Ten Commandments are the topic of this six-week series. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex or e-mail to reserve a book ($10) and let us know if you’ll come for a simple soup supper at 6:30 pm.

Pathways of Faith Coloring Evening, Wed. 3/15 – using a Biblically-themed coloring book published by forward Movement, we’ll spend a reflective evening in the Church – 7:30 – 9 pm.

“The Road to Character” Book Discussion, Wed. 3/29, 4/5. Join us for this 2-part discussion of David Brooks’ important book (available through the library or Amazon). It highlights a variety of different notable people and the way they developed traits such as honesty, goodness, altruism, loyalty, courage, and faith.7:30- 9 pm in the Rath House.
There are sign-up sheets for these events in the Narthex.

WORSHIP
This Sunday: Scout Sunday – at the 10 am service we will recognize all Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and their leaders. Scouts should wear their uniforms to Church. All Saints’ is the chartering organization for BSA Troop 56 and Cub Pack 56; we are also the host site for the monthly LHT Girl Scout Leader meetings, as well as many Den and Troop gatherings. If you know a Scout family, invite them to Church that day. All are welcome!

Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church during Lent. Stop in on your way home from work.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
This Sunday: The Celtic Heart @ All Saints’
Irish singer/songwriter Carmel Boyle returns to New Jersey to share her spiritual tradition with original spiritual songs, stories and rituals inspired by the Celtic tradition. Her mystic voice touches the heart and opens it to prayer and healing. There are two opportunities to hear Carmel.
Concert ~ The Singing Heart
Sunday, Mar. 5, 7:30 pm –9 pm: Goodwill offering
A night of song and spirit; bring a friend and be refreshed at the start of Lent ~ in the Church.
Retreat Day ~ The Open Heart
Wednesday, Mar. 8, 9:15 am– 2:30 pm: $50/hot lunch
Be enriched by Carmel’s unique presentation of the Celtic Christian Tradition that offers inspirational and creative ways of prayer. Broaden your spiritual life by connecting with this ancient tradition ~ in the Parish House.
To register for the retreat call Pat Hughes: 908-608-3160.
Carmel comes to us through the kindness of Sacred Thread Ministries and the Christian Community.

Bible Study – Wed. at 10:15 am, in the Rath House. We are reading through the Book of Acts; this week, 3/8, we’ll discuss Chapter 24. Newcomers welcome!

HELPING HANDS
Our Next Night to Make Sleeping Mats for Homeless is March 8th at 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall. We make “plarn” (plastic bag yarn) out of used grocery and newspaper bags, and then crochet a 3’ x 6’ mat out of it. Friends and neighbors are invited to be part of the effort and fellowship Questions? Speak to Susie Harris.

Winter Soup is available to take home after Church on Sundays during coffee hour ($5 quart/$3 pint – frozen). It is also available to take to sick or shut-in parishioners. If you buy soup, please write your name on the sheet posted on the Parish Hall fridge, and leave your payment into the box in the freezer. Thanks.

Twelve Baskets Food Ministry - Please remember to check out the Food Pantry donation display in the side hallway in Church. Pick an envelope with the type of food you would like to contribute; put cash or a check in the envelope; put the envelope in the offering plate to help purchase food from the Community FoodBank for distribution in our community and at the food pantry in Dover. Thank you!

COMMUNICATIONS
“This Week@All Saints’”, our parish e-letter, has a new format. Each Thursday a short e-mail will be sent out with a link to the matching page on our parish website. This is an attractive, easy-to-read presentation. It also is more time efficient for our staff. Please be sure to take a look. And if you are not already receiving our parish e-mail, please send a request to allstsmill@hotmail.com.

Connect with us on Facebook at “All Saints' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Millington.” Why have we added “Anglican” to our FB name? Bishop Beckwith is encouraging all parishes to include this so Christians from other parts of the Anglican Communion where the term Episcopal is not familiar can find us when they come to our diocese.

STEWARDSHIP
2016 Year-end Statements of Contribution for tax preparation have been mailed home. Thanks for your support of God’s mission through All Saints’!

DIOCESAN NEWS
Bishop Beckwith Announces his Retirement and Calls for the Election of a New Bishop. After 10 years of service in the Diocese of Newark, Bishop Beckwith has decided it is time to retire, in part so that he and his wife Marilyn can enjoy their new grandson. The process of calling a new bishop takes 18 months, so the Bishop’s retirement date will be after September 22, 2018. As the Standing Committee of the Diocese (the body charged with this work) organizes the work of this search, we will be called into prayer. In the meantime, read the article on the diocesan website: http://dioceseofnewark.org/content/bishop-beckwith-calls-election-next-bishop-newark

PARISH CALENDAR
3/5   Celtic Heart Concert            Church, 7:30 pm
3/6   Evening Prayer                     Church, 6:00 pm
        Pilgrim Group                       Rath House, 7:00 pm
3/8   Bible Study                            Rath House, 10:15 am
        Plarn Mat Making                Parish Hall, 7:30 pm
3/9   Holy Eucharist                     Church, 7:00 am
        Small Saints’& Jr Choirs     Choir Room, 5:15 pm
        Adult Choir                           Choir Room, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
The Daily Examen - St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order in the 16th century, included in his Spiritual Exercises a prayer called "the Examen," which derives from the Latin word for examination...There are many versions of the Examen today, but all have five steps. Here is a simple rendering of some key elements:
1. Place yourself in God's presence. Give thanks for God's great love for you.
2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life.
3. Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time.
4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away? What are you grateful for?
5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God's plan. Be specific, and conclude with the Lord’s Prayer.

The heart of the Examen is the third part: reviewing your day.
"Think of it as a movie playing in your head," writes James Martin, S.J., in The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. "Push the play button and run through your day, from start to finish, from your rising in the morning to preparing to go to bed at night. Notice what made you happy, what made you stressed, what confused you, what helped you be more loving. Recall everything: sights, sounds, feelings, tastes, textures, conversations. Thoughts, words, and deeds, as Ignatius says. Each moment offers a window to where God has been in your day."

And remember that no experience is too trivial for spiritual investigation.
"Nothing in our lives is so insignificant that it doesn't deserve God's attention," notes Jim Manney in A Simple Life-Changing Prayer, a book about the Examen. "In fact, the mundane and the humdrum parts of our lives give depth and texture to our relationships with God. Washing the windows and cooking dinner are as much a part of the relationship as graduation day. If it's part of our human experience, God is in it." ~ from http://jesuits.org/spirituality?PAGE=DTN-20130520125910

And a link to a Latin setting of the hymn “Adoro devote” – in our hymnal as “Humbly I adore thee” # 314: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhpweXFNZow

Blessings, Vicki+