Dear Friends in Christ,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! The Easter season continues, and right now the world around us is displaying the glory of God in all its springtime beauty. Give thanks for the goodness of Creation all around us.
+ + + + + + + +
Here are this week’s announcements. Please see especially:

• Cookbooks on Sale (Fun & Fundraisers)
• Children’s Eucharistic Instruction (Christian Formation)
• Food Ministry drivers needed (Helping Hands)
• Discussion group on The Beatitudes (Christian Formation)
• Spring Grounds Clean-up (Stewardship)

 
IN MEMORIUM
Helen Ehrlich, April 19, 1926 - March3, 2017.  Helen was a long time member of All Saints’ Church before she moved to Massachusetts six years ago. She was buried today at a family cemetery in Manasquan, after her ashes were blessed at the altar of All Saints’ Memorial Garden. Helen’s family will worship with us tomorrow at 10 am. Her son Keith will give a brief reflection on his mother’s faith and ministry. May Helen rest in the Peace of Christ, and rise in the glory of God.

FUN & FUNDRAISERS
Thanks to Jackie Sullivan and everyone who made our community-wide Fish & Chips dinner on Thursday so successful! We served 200 dinners and had lots of diners new to All Saints’.

Cookbooks for Mother’s Day – our parish cookbook “All Saints’ Can Cook!” makes great Mother’s Day gifts. Cost is $15. Please speak to Janice Lettieri or stop by the Parish Office to buy one.

We are looking for “a few good men” to host Coffee Hour on Mother’s Day, May 14. If you can help out, please speak to John McGrath. Thanks.

Parish Life refers to the social events and parties that we have here at All Saints’, just because we enjoy being together and spending time with one another. We are looking to evaluate and refresh some of our current events and explore some new ones – all ideas are welcome! If you are interested in being part of a Parish Life Brainstorming Session (and would be willing to help with at least one of the events we decide on) please send an e-mail to allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. When we have the names of interested people then we can send around an email to find a time to meet. Thanks; remember, All Saints’ informal tag line is “Prayer and a Party”!

HELPING HANDS
Make Sleeping Mats for Homeless Wednesday, May 10 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.

Our Twelve Baskets Food Pantry needs volunteer drivers on a Tuesday or Thursday morning, about once a month, on an as-needed basis – preferably someone with an SUV or larger car who can take 200 lbs of non-perishable food. We need to pick up the food we order from the Community FoodBank of NJ in Hillside, and transport it back to All Saints’. From there, we sort the food and deliver it to the various places it’s needed, including the food pantry we support in Dover. If you can assist with this, or have questions, please speak to Barbara Barbeau. Thanks!

WORSHIP
No Evening Prayer, this Monday, May 1. We’ll be back the following Monday, May 8 at 6 pm in the Church.
Thursday Eucharist and Healing Prayer, 7:00 am, followed by an optional light breakfast in the Rath House.
Both of these times are great mid-week opportunities to stop in, slow down and connect with God and other parishioners!

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Children’s Eucharistic Instruction – May 8, 15, 22. Second Graders are invited to participate in this Communion Class with Mother Vicki on three Monday afternoons from 4-5:15 pm in the Rath House. This is an important milestone in children’s Christian education. On Pentecost (June 4) the kids in this class will be recognized for having been through this instruction. For some of them this will be their first Communion; for others, they will be learning more about this practice of faith they have already been doing. Please send an e-mail to allsaints_rector@hotmail.com to register or ask questions. If you want your child to participate but the time of the class is not good for you, please be in touch and we can try to work something else out.

New Topic for this Group - Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Beatitudes. Monday nights at 7:00 pm in the Rath House, starting 5/8 and running for 6 weeks.  This discussion group is a great way to learn about these central teachings of Jesus, and how we can put them into practice in our lives. You are welcome to drop-in when you can or come every week. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex to order a book.

Bible Study – Wed, 10:15 am, in the Rath House. This week, 5/3, we are starting a new study – Esther. In this Old Testament book, we’ll be reading through the story of Queen Esther, who saved the Jews of Persia from destruction in the fifth century BCE. Her story is the basis of the Jewish festival of Purim. You are invited to join us! Use one of our Bibles or bring your own.

Crossroads, our diocesan camp & retreat center (Episcopal/Lutheran) in Port Murray, NJ, has programs for kids’ summer camp, family camp, and some year round retreats and programs. New brochures are in the Narthex. Take a look! http://crossroadsretreat.com/

COMMUNICATIONS
Email Changes – Verizon is getting out of the e-mail business. That means the addresses for the allsaints_rector account and the allsaints_admin account will change from Verizon to Hotmail. The Rector account has already been set up and is fully functional. Please send email messages to Vicki+ at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. The Admin account for Susie is coming soon. The general parish mailbox continues to be allstsmill@hotmail.com. Thanks for making the change!

Connect with us on Facebook at “All Saints' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Millington.” And sign up for our weekly parish e-letter “This Week @All Saints’” by sending an e-mail to allstsmll@hotmail.com.

STEWARDSHIP
Spring Grounds Clean-Up – Next Sunday, May 7 after the 10 am service. Wear your gardening clothes to church, bring a rake, clippers, gloves, etc. We’ll be raking under shrubs, pruning, clearing up brush, and getting the church grounds cleaned up for the spring and summer. Put your name on the sign -up sheet in the Narthex. Questions? Speak to Tom Day.

DIOCESE OF NEWARK….AND BEYOND
Bishop’s Search – in February Bishop Beckwith announced his decision to retire in September 2018. The Standing Committee of the diocesan is charged with overseeing the search process and election of our new bishop. In preparation for that work, our own District 3 met last Sunday afternoon and nominated one clergy and one lay person to serve on either the Search Committee or the Transition Committee. They are the Rev. Susan Saucedo Sica (St. Gregory’s, Parsippany) and Ms. Joan Slepian (Church of the Redeemer, Morristown). We’ll keep you updated about the search process; you can check the Standing Committee’s page on the diocesan website here: http://dioceseofnewark.org/bishop-search . The Standing Committee has asked the diocese to be in prayer throughout this time. We’ll begin using this prayer in our Sunday worship in May. Here is the text for your own use: Gracious God, we, your people in the Diocese of Newark, give you thanks and praise for your work among us and through us, generation to generation. Lead us in the months ahead as we prayerfully search for our next Bishop. Raise up for us a steadfast steward who will embrace our broad and blessed diversity and uphold the apostolic heritage of your Church. Guide us to a faithful witness who speaks the Gospel truth in love and joy, and intimately knows your Word and world. Direct us, your disciples, in our discernment so our faith may increase and our works glorify your Name. All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Newark “Alumna” Consecrated Bishop in Indiana – on April 29, the Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows was consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis. A native of Staten Island, NY, Jennifer served for several years as the Assistant Rector of St. Peter’s, Morristown. She is the first African-American woman to become a diocesan bishop. Here’s a link to an article at Episcopal News Service: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2017/04/28/episcopal-church-ready-to-make-history-with-jennifer-baskerville-burrows/ . Jennifer is a great blessing to the Church. Congratulations to her, her husband and their son, and to the good people of the Diocese of Indianapolis!

PARISH CALENDAR
5/3 Bible Study                       Rath House, 10:15 am
5/4 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
Eucharistic Learning & Formation II (aka Mystagogical Catechesis) – The sacrament of Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper) is a sacrament of unity. It connects us to Christ, to one another, and to all Christians throughout the world and history. That unity comes of course through our focused commitment to following Jesus, but even more by  God’s own action in first giving God’s own self for us – and so the invitation to Communion is always God’s invitation.

As I mentioned last week, we have six Eucharistic prayers in our Prayer Book, as well as three others in the Enriching Our Worship supplement (which we use during the Season after Epiphany). Additionally, each national church in the Anglican Communion has its own variants of the Eucharistic prayer. On an historical note – our first American Book of Common Prayer took its Eucharistic prayer from the Scottish Church, not from the English!

What are the elements that go into this prayer – The Great Thanksgiving - that consecrates the bread and wine which we have received as gifts of God’s creative goodness, which we then offer back to God? They are as follows (some of the technical language is in Greek or Latin – your vocabulary words for the week!):

• The Dialogue (the Sursum Corda), in which celebrant and People begin their thanks praise to God.
• The Proper Preface (“proper” to the church season, day, or theme) which outlines some of God’s great and saving work in Creation, in scriptural history, and in Christ’s Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.
• The Sanctus and Benedictus (Holy, holy, holy…) is the angels’ song from the book of Isaiah. This reminds us that we come into God’s presence along with the angels, the Communion of Saints, and all the host of heaven.
• The Words of Institution are the words that Jesus said at the Last Supper when giving the bread and wine of the Passover meal to this disciples: “This is my Body….this is my Blood.”
• The Anamnesis (a Greek word meaning “memorial”) calls to mind Jesus’ saving work in particular, and bids us to participate in it by being aware that it is both eternal and continually present. Part of this is the Memorial Acclamation, which in Prayer A is “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”
• The Oblation (Latin for “offering”) in which we offer to God the bread and wine in the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
• The Epiclesis (Greek for “invocation”) in which w invoke the Holy Spirit to descend upon the gifts and sanctify them to be the Body and Blood of Jesus.
• And finally, a statement of hope about the fulfillment of God’s kingdom and reign, a doxology, and the congregational assent of the Great Amen.

Do you need to know this structure, or be able to name the different parts? No, but next time we pray one of the Eucharistic prayers, see if one or more of these elements stand out to you. ~ VGM+
Here is a link to the Eucharistic hymn written by Charles Wesley “Glory, love, and praise, and honor” (#300 in our hymnal), sung by the Choir of Men and Boys of St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue: https://youtu.be/sRmyhixExTs   

Easter blessings,
Vicki+
 
 

Dear Friends in Christ,
A very happy Easter to you! Easter is not just a day, or even a week, but an entire season – eight weeks long – in which we celebrate the joy and the mystery of our Risen Lord and our own redemption and renewal. It is completely appropriate to keep saying “Happy Easter” to folks all the way until Pentecost, this year on June 4. Of course, you may get an odd look from people who think Easter was over and done with last Sunday. But, at the very least, continuing to offer other Christians a joyful Easter greeting is a way to keep this vital reality in the forefront of our minds. Lent lasts 40 days, but Easter lasts 50! Keep celebrating!
+ + + + + + + +
Here are this week’s announcements. Please see especially:

• Argyle Fish & Chips (Fun & Fundraisers)
• Children’s Eucharistic Instruction (Christian Formation)
• E-mail Changes (Communications)

FUN & FUNDRAISERS
Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, this Thursday, 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, making desserts & drinks, clean-up. There is a sign-up poster in the Narthex. Take a flyer and give it to your neighbors! Tickets will be on sale after Church this Sunday: $18 for adults/$9 for kids. Jackie Sullivan is the person to see with questions or to volunteer.

Cookbooks for Mother’s Day – our parish cookbook “All Saints’ Can Cook!” makes great Mother’s Day gifts. Cost is $15. Please speak to Janice Lettieri or stop by the Parish Office to buy one.

Parish Life refers to the social events and parties that we have here at All Saints’, just because we enjoy being together and spending time with one another. We are looking to evaluate and refresh some of our current events and explore some new ones – all ideas are welcome! If you are interested in being part of a Parish Life Brainstorming Session (and would be willing to help with at least one of the events we decide on) please send an e-mail to allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. When we have the names of interested people then we can send around an email to find a time to meet. Thanks; remember, All Saints’ informal tag line is “Prayer and a Party”!

HELPING HANDS
Make Sleeping Mats for Homeless Wednesday, May 10 at 7:30 pm in the Lower Room of the Parish House. 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. Here’s an interesting phone message related to our Plarn efforts that we received in the parish office: “Bill Gilroy a student at Stevens Institute called and asked if we would like some Plarn balls. His group decided to make plarn balls for their service project after seeing a video on Facebook of a group. https://www.facebook.com/jrodecap/videos/vb.508551462/10153899874191463/?type=2&theater. Unfortunately, they wanted to donate them locally in UNION CITY—which they later realized was in Tennessee, not NJ! Having lots of plarn and no recipient--- they searched around and found that we were Plarning and gave us a call! We saved them a trip to Millington --- our friend, Josephine Infante-Meehan was in Hoboken and was willing to meet Bill and picked up 2 huge bags of Plarn! The group plans to make more for us. You just never know... life is fun that way.” Questions? Speak to Susie Harris.

WORSHIP
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church resumes this week, April 24.  
Thursday Eucharist and Healing Prayer, 7:00 am, followed by an optional light breakfast in the Rath House.
Both of these times are great mid-week opportunities to stop in, slow down and connect with God and other parishioners!
 
Thank you to our Choirs, Bell ringers, Altar guild, Acolytes, LEMs and Lectors, Ushers, and Office Volunteers for making our Holy Week and Easer services so beautiful and moving!

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Children’s Eucharistic Instruction – May 8, 15, 22. Second Graders are invited to participate in this Communion Class with Mother Vicki on three Monday afternoons from 4-5:15 pm in the Rath House. This is an important milestone in children’s Christian education. On Pentecost (June 4) the kids in this class will be recognized for having been through this instruction. For some of them this will be their first Communion; for others, they will be learning more about this practice of faith they have already been doing. Please send an e-mail to allsaints_rector@hotmail.com to register or ask questions. If you want your child to participate but the time of the class is not good for you, please be in touch and we can try to work something else out.

Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Commandments. This is our current segment of the Pilgrim Course. It meets Monday nights at 7:00 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. You are welcome to drop-in when you can or come every week.

Bible Study – Wed, 10:15 am, in the Rath House. This week, 4/26, we’ll spend time looking at the Apocrypha – the “extra” books that come between the Old and New Testaments. You are invited to join us!

COMMUNICATIONS
Email Changes – Verizon is getting out of the e-mail business. That means the addresses for the allsaints_rector account and the allsaints_admin account will change from Verizon to Hotmail. The Rector account has already been set up and is fully functional. Please send email messages to Vicki+ at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. The Admin account for Susie is coming soon. The general parish mailbox continues to be allstsmill@hotmail.com. Thanks for making the change!

Connect with us on Facebook at “All Saints' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Millington.” And sign up for our weekly parish e-letter “This Week @All Saints’” by sending an e-mail to allstsmll@hotmail.com.

STEWARDSHIP
A big Thank You to Eagle Scout Candidate Zachary Londono for his Eagle project – beautifying the patio area next to the Parish House. He and his crew put in a brick walkway from the recycling and trash sheds to the sidewalk so we can more easily roll out the trash bins, and reversed the order of the bins so the recycling is more tucked away. He included some brick pads for barbecue grills, and filled in the whole area with pea gravel. Looks good!

Parish House Lower Room Carpeting – parishioner Sean Ragiel recently installed reclaimed carpet squares from his business, Carpet Cycle, on the floor of the Lower Room. It looks great, is much quieter and warmer, and the tiles can be switched out when needed. Thank you, Sean and your team!

Spring Grounds Clean-Up – Sunday, May 7 after the 10 am service. Wear your gardening clothes to church, bring a rake, clippers, gloves, etc. We’ll be raking under shrubs, pruning, clearing up brush, and getting the church grounds cleaned up for the spring and summer. Put your name on the sign -up sheet in the Narthex. Questions? Speak to Tom Day.

PARISH CALENDAR
4/24 Evening Prayer                 Church, 6:00 pm
         Pilgrim Group                    Rath House, 7:00 pm
4/25 Vestry                                 Chimney Rock Inn, 6:30 pm
4/26 Bible Study                         Rath House, 10:15 am
4/27 Holy Eucharist                   Church, 7:00 am        
         Fish & Chips                       Parish Hall, 5:30-7:30 pm
         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
Eucharistic Learning & Formation (aka Mystagogical Catechesis) – in the early centuries of the Church when most of those being baptized were adult converts to Christianity, it was the practice for those who were learning the faith and preparing for baptism at Easter, to be present with the worshiping community up until the start of the Eucharistic prayer. At that point the catechumens (learners, inquirers) would go out to another room to receive instruction from the deacons. When the time came for baptism at the Easter Vigil, after three years of preparation – like an apprenticeship – the new Christian would be baptized by full immersion, and then given a new white robe to wear, signifying New Life in Christ. The alb that I wear under the Eucharistic chasuble is a descendant of that baptismal robe – like a christening gown for adults! It signifies that I stand at the altar first as a baptized person, and second as a priest.
After the baptism took place the new Christian would be led into the assembly of the faithful, taking his or her place for the first time at a full celebration of the Eucharist, hearing the words and chants of the prayer, and receiving Communion for the first time. In the weeks after baptism, the catechumens’ instruction continued – this time on the subject of mystagogical catechesis, learning not only the words, but the meaning and theology of the mystery of the Eucharist and living a life of faith in Christ. This about took place during the Easter season.
Easter is a good time for all of us to engage in a little mystagogical catechesis – learning more (both theologically and devotionally) about this central act of worship and mystery of our faith – especially as it applies to our daily life of following Jesus. A good place to start is to take out the Book of Common Prayer and read through the four Eucharistic Prayers of Rite II. They are found on the following pages: Prayer A, page 361; Prayer B, page 367; Prayer C, page 369; Prayer D, page 372. You can also do the same for the Rite I Prayers on pages 333, and 340. Say them out loud to yourself. Are there images or phrases that stand out to you? Resonate with you? Puzzle you? You might want to jot these down, use these particular words for prayer and meditation. Talk about your insights and your wonderings with someone close to you – family, parishioners, or others. How do these words describe the reality of Jesus giving himself for us and to us?
I’ll have more to say about this in the weeks ahead, but this is a good starting point. And remember, the Eucharist and Christian life is a mystery in the sense that we will never understand it fully, never come to the end of our exploration of it, and yet, through the consecrated bread and wine the Real Presence of Christ is given to us, so that we may become more like him. ~ VGM+

Here is a link to the early American composer William Billing’s “Easter Anthem” sung by the Hastings College Choir: https://youtu.be/pyRhy6NjINA . And another version sung in true Sacred Harp style at a Sacred Harp singing in Ireland: https://youtu.be/mWsBOsr_l5s

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Easter blessings,
Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
We are entering the Triduum (Three Days, in Latin), the mostly holy days of the Christian Year: from Maundy Thursday, through Good Friday  and Holy Saturday, to Easter. Our worship, reflection, and spiritual practice on these days are the foundation for everything we do throughout the rest of the year and our life of faith. I pray these days will be a time of awareness, reflection, devotion, and ultimately blessing for you and those you love. Reach out and invite a friend, neighbor, family member to come to worship with you, and be renewed in your love for the Lord.
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:

• Holy Week Events
• Argyle Fish & Chips (Events)

HOLY WEEK
Maundy Thursday Agapé Meal, April 13, 6:00 pm. 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. No desserts, please. Hope to see you there!

Maundy Thursday Worship, including Foot Washing, 7:30 pm
Our commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with the disciples includes foot washing. 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, pouring water over the person’s foot and drying it with a towel. 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.

Good Friday - two services: 12 noon intergenerational Stations of the Cross, for kids and adults, & 7:30 pm Good Friday Liturgy, simple music, readings, prayers, and the veneration o the Cross.

Holy Saturday Kids’ Service and Ribbon Banner Making – April 15, 10 am.  Join us for a simple and brief service in the Church before we go downstairs to make ribbon banners for the parking lot. Kids and adults of all ages can help.  Note - there will be no Easter Egg Hunt as there were no RSVPs for this event.
 
The Great Vigil of Easter, Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 pm. We begin in the Memorial Garden – lighting the New Fire (symbol of Christ’s Resurrection) and then process by candlelight into the Church. As the service progresses the lights come up, until we finally reach the Easter acclamation and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. The First Party of Easter follows. 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.

Easter Day – Festival Worship at 8 am & 10 am, with music at both services.

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. There is a sign-up poster in the Narthex. Tickets will be on sale after Church this Sunday: $18 for adults/$9 for kids. Jackie Sullivan is the person to see with questions or to volunteer.
 
WORSHIP
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church will not meet on April 17.  
Thursday  Eucharist and Healing Prayer, 7:00 am, April 20

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: will meet again Monday night, April 24 at 7 pm in the Rath House.
Bible Study  - We’ve finished the Book of Acts, and we’ll pick up with a new topic on 4/26. Come for friendship, fellowship, and learning.

PARISH CALENDAR
On Easter Monday-Wednesday (April17-19) the Parish Office will be closed for the clergy and staff's Easter sabbath.
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Worship is the practice of spending intentional time with God in the company of others. We offer to God “our selves, our souls, and bodies” in thanksgiving for all God has done for us. In worship we focus on God and keep our hearts open in a listening, receptive way, waiting to “hear” whatever the Lord might say to us – comfort, guidance, challenge, wisdom, encouragement, strength, insight. As we gather, we know we are not alone in our endeavor of following Jesus – we draw strength from one another’s prayers and presence, and we remember that we worship with that unseen “cloud of witnesses”, the Communion of Saints. From our worship we are sent out as Jesus’ representatives, to do the Lord’s work in the world, filled with God’s light, and life, and love.

Here is a link to the last movement of JS Bach’s Easter Oratorio, sung in German. The English translation is below. https://youtu.be/s9ijFHovZCk
“Praise and thanks
remain, Lord, your hymn of praise.
Hell and devil are conquered,
its gates are destroyed.
Rejoice, you rescued tongues,
so that you are heard in heaven.
Open, o heavens, your magnificent drawbridges,
the Lion of Judah approaches in triumph!”
 
And here is a link to a different chorus and orchestra performing the entire Easter Oratorio: https://youtu.be/tWcpB15Ta2w
 
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week in which we enter into the mystery of Jesus love for us and all the world expressed in his Passion. Palm Sunday always feels a little chaotic, jarring – because we begin with the Hosannas and parade of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and end with the dramatic reading of the Passion narrative. But that is just about right…how quickly the crowds shift their tone, from shouting hooray for Jesus to calling for his crucifixion. There is always some of each in all of us: giving the Lord praise, and turning our backs on him. I pray that each of you will find a new depth of faith and praise this Holy Week as you make time to participate in our worship and practices as we follow Jesus’ final earthly days before his Resurrection.
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:

• Holy Week Events
  
• Argyle Fish & Chips (Events)
  
• Easter Flowers (Worship)
  

HOLY WEEK
Palm Sunday Worship - 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 our bagpiper, Bill McEvoy.

Maundy Thursday Agapé Meal, April 13, 6:00 pm. 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. No desserts, please. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. Hope to see you there!

Maundy Thursday Worship, including Foot Washing, 7:30 pm
Our commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with the disciples includes foot washing. 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, pouring water over the person’s foot and drying it with a towel. 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.

Good Friday - two services: 12 noon intergenerational Stations of the Cross, for kids and adults, & 7:30 pm Good Friday Liturgy, simple music, readings, prayers, and the veneration o the Cross.

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 Great Vigil of Easter, Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 pm. We begin in the Memorial Garden – lighting the New Fire (symbol of Christ’s Resurrection) and then process by candlelight into the Church. As the service progresses the lights come up, until we finally reach the Easter acclamation and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. The First Party of Easter follows. 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.

Easter Day – Worship at 8 am & 10 am, with music at both services.

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.

There is no Thursday 7:00 am Eucharist this week, April 13.

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. There is a sign-up poster in the Narthex. Tickets will be on sale after Church this Sunday: $18 for adults/$9 for kids. Jackie Sullivan is the person to see with questions or to volunteer.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: will meet Monday night, April 10 at 7 pm in the Rath House.
No Bible Study for the next two weeks, 4/12 & 4/19. We’ve finished the Book of Acts, and we’ll pick up with a new topic on 4/26. Come for friendship, fellowship, and learning.

DIOCESAN NEWS
As you may know, Bishop Beckwith has announced his retirement for September 2018. This means that our diocesan Standing Committee has been working hard to make preparations for the search and election of our new bishop. There will be two committees made up of lay and clergy from each district: the Search/Nominating Committee, and the Transition Committee (helping the new bishop and his or her family with their arrival and settling in). In order to find good representation from across the diocese on these groups, the Standing Committee has asked each district (we are District 3) to meet to nominate 1 lay and 1 clergy person from each district to have his or her name put into a pool of people from which the Standing Committee will select members of the Search/Nominating and Transition Committees. Here is the link to further information: http://dioceseofnewark.org/content/standing-committee-calls-districts-nominate-committee-members.
In order to do that, each parish is asked to send one clergy person and one lay person to the District meeting on Sunday, April 23 at 5 pm at St. Gregory's in Parsipanny, and the district nominations to the committees will come from the people at that meeting.

• If you are interested in being considered for one of those committees, please speak to me, and plan on attending that 4/23 meeting.
• If you don’t want to be considered for Search or Transition, but are willing to represent All Saints’ on 4/23 to choose nominees, please speak to me. We need one lay person to represent us. Thanks. - VGM+

PARISH CALENDAR
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Blessing of Palms – The practice of blessing palm branches and making some sort of procession at the beginning of worship on Palm Sunday comes from the description in the Gospels of the crowds strewing branches of palm along the route Jesus’s followed into Jerusalem – a first century form of “rolling out the red carpet.”
At the time of the Reformation in the 16th century the reforming religious leaders were very leary about blessing anything – other than the bread and wine of the Eucharist, water in Baptism, or people in various stages of life. So in Protestant churches palm processions fell out of practice. In the mid-19th century, under the influence of the High Church Oxford Movement, blessing palms and holding special processions began to be recovered, and became wide spread in the American Episcopal Church after 1960.
What do we do with our palms? On Palm Sunday, of course, we carry them in our Palm Procession, and it is appropriate to wave them when we sing or say “Hosanna” (which means hooray). After that, keeping a palm cross in your Bible or Prayer Book, or in a place where would meditate and pray is always appropriate. Or you can tuck a few palm branches behind the corner of a picture that has a spiritual meaning for you, or even keep a small arrangement of dried palm throughout the year. The reason to do this is to remind you of Jesus’ kingship and Messiahship. Traditionally, dried palms are then collected and burned on Shrove Tuesday to make the ashes used on Ash Wednesday – a reminder that all earthly power and glory eventually turn to dust and ash.
What reminds you that Jesus is King and Messiah? How does this compare with earthly power and glamor?

This is a link to Jessye Norman singing “Ride on, King Jesus”: https://youtu.be/hUC-0g6C7rA

Blessings, Vicki+