Dear Friends in Christ,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Happy Feast of the Ascension!
Here are this week’s announcements. Please see especially:

• Sponsor-a-Hymn (Fun and Fundraising)
• Food Ministry drivers needed (Helping Hands)
• Summer Service Camp (Christian Formation)
• Pentecost (Worship)
• Thy Kingdom Come ~ Nine Days of Prayer (Christian Practices)
  

+ + + + + + + +
WORSHIP
No Evening Prayer this Monday (Memorial Day). We’ll be back next week!

Pentecost, next Sunday, June 4! Wear red!
As we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit, we’ll hear the Gospel in a number of different languages, and renew our Baptismal Covenant. At the 10 am service we’ll start with a Pentecost procession with our Christian (Catholic) Community friends, starting in front of the Parish House. After worship we’ll join forces for a celebratory coffee hour. Check-out the sheet in the Narthex to tell us what you can bring!

FUN & FUNDRAISERS
Choir Room Piano/Sponsor-a-Hymn We are looking for a used baby grand or upright piano in good condition for the choir room for the long term (our current one no longer will hold its tuning). There will be associated costs: purchase (if a good piano is not donated) moving, tunings, and disposal of our current piano.
We are hoping to raise funds in a couple of ways: a “Pennies for a Piano” jar in the Narthex for pocket change.
There is also a “Sponsor-a-Hymn” poster in the Narthex; choose a date to dedicate a hymn in honor of a birthday, anniversary, baptismal anniversary, graduation, or other special event. You may choose the hymn in consultation with Alison, or sponsor a hymn that is already chosen for the day. The cost is $35 per Sunday for one hymn, and your dedication will be printed in the bulletin, and the person being remembered will be included in the prayers. All the money raised will go toward the piano fund. Please speak to Director of Music Alison Siener Brown if you have any questions. Thanks!

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Summer Service Camp, June 26-30; 9:00-11:30 am.
Kids age 5&6 - three days; Kids age 7 and older - five days. We’ll learn about different ways of serving in our community – feeding people, tending a “giving garden”, caring for the environment. We’ll have lots of hands-on projects, including two field trips.
Cost is $40. For more info, registration, and questions about younger children, pick up a flyer in the Narthex.

Bible Study – Wed, 10:15 am, in the Rath House. This week, 6/1, we are reading Esther, chapter 5. You are invited to join us! Use one of our Bibles or bring your own.

Nursery Care during worship continues during the summer months for children (through age 4) in the Undercroft of the Church.

HELPING HANDS
Make Sleeping Mats for Homeless - Wednesday, June 14 at 7:30 pm in the Parish House Lower Room. We make “plarn” (plastic bag yarn) out of used grocery and newspaper bags, and then crochet a 3’ x 6’ mat out of it to be distributed to the homeless through the Bridges feeding program. 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, once a month, as-needed.  We need someone with an SUV or larger car who can take 500 lbs of non-perishable food from the Community FoodBank of NJ in Hillside, 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!

STEWARDSHIP
Community Garden – on the back island of the parking lot has raised beds with plots (4x4, and 3x4) that are now ready for planting. Any interested gardeners – parishioners and neighbors, kids and families – are welcome to a plot. What should you plant? Flowers, herbs, vegetables, pollinator-friendly plants – whatever suits your fancy and your ability to tend a plot! You can take your produce home, or share it with Seniors in town through Long Hill Senior Center. To get started with a plot, speak to Jane Hayden, 770-855-3754.

What’s Going on in the Parking Lot? The area where we dug last December to lay new wiring for the lights has opened up a sink hole. The Vestry is having it repaired. In the meantime, the back end of the lot is blocked off so both drivers and walkers can be safe. Thanks for your cooperation!

DIOCESE OF NEWARK….AND BEYOND
Prayer for the Bishop’s Search - 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.
For more information about the Search or for other diocesan matters, check the Diocese of Newark website: www.dioceseofnewark.org

PARISH CALENDAR
5/29 Parish Office Closed – Memorial Day
5/31 Bible Study                        Rath House, 10:15 am
        Parish Life Meeting           Rath House, 7:00 pm           
6/1  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 Collect for Memorial Day
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the
living and the dead: We give thee thanks for all thy servants
who have laid down their lives in the service of our country.
Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence; and
give us such a lively sense of thy righteous will, that the work
which thou hast begun in them may be perfected;
through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for all those affected by the Manchester Bombing
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family, especially those who were injured, those whose lives                       
were cut short, and their families; take away the arrogance and hatred
which infects the hearts of those who plan evil; break down the walls that             
separate us; deliver us from the burden of desire for revenge;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ + + + + + +

Below is the introduction to Archbishop Justin’s prayers for “Thy Kingdom Come.” We are being invited to pray over the next nine days of Ascensiontide that more people – those we know, and those we don’t know – will come to know the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ. As I mentioned on Monday, I’ll be sending out the prayers for each day via e-mail. You can also go to the website: www.thykingdomcome.global; or to the Facebook page: “Thy Kingdom ComeUK.”
And here is a link to the video meditation by our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
 https://www.facebook.com/ThyKingdomComeUK/?fref=mentions.

Ascension blessings,
Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
+ + + + + + + +
Here are this week’s announcements. Please see especially:

• Sponsor-a-Hymn (Fun and Fundraising)
• Food Ministry drivers needed (Helping Hands)
• Summer Service Camp (Christian Formation)
• Ascension Day (Worship)

WORSHIP
Easter Season is filled with days of special focus as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the renewal of creation. Looking ahead we have:

Rogation Sunday – this Week: 5/21 – 10:00 am, when we bless the Church grounds and gardens, and give thanks to God for the goodness of Creation and God’s generosity and abundance.

Ascension Day, Thursday, 5/25 at 7:30 pm – African-themed Eucharist. On this major feast day we celebrate Christ’s return to the Father in heaven on the fortieth day after the resurrection. It is also a time to recognize our connections to Christians in other parts of the world. Last year we celebrated with a Celtic-themed service. This year we’ll use music, songs, and prayers in an intimate setting from a variety of African countries where the Anglican tradition has taken root. Come and celebrate!

Pentecost, 6/4 – celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit. We’ll hear the Gospel in a number of different languages, and renew our Baptismal Covenant. At the 10 am service we’ll start with a Pentecost procession with our Christian (Catholic) Community friends, starting in front of the Parish House. After worship we’ll join forces for a celebratory coffee hour. Check-out the sheet in the Narthex to tell us what you can bring!

Evening Prayer – Mondays, 6:00 pm in the Church –  a good time to stop in on your way home from work and have a peaceful half hour with God and others.

Early Morning Eucharist – Thursdays, 7:00 am in the Church, with healing prayer available for yourself or others. There’s an optional breakfast in the Rath House, afterward.

FUN & FUNDRAISERS
Prayer & a Party! We need some good Party People to be part of a Parish Life Brainstorming Session for our parish social events. Please put you name on the sheet in the Narthex if you can be a part of this group, or send an e-mail to allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.  

Choir Room Piano/Sponsor-a-Hymn - the choir room piano came to All Saints’ for free about 5 years ago. It has served us well, but now the piano won’t hold its tuning and needs increasing maintenance. Both of our choirs use the piano to learn their music as they prepare to lead worship, so it needs to be in tune. The piano also serves many students who use the choir room for their lessons and music classes.
We are looking for a used baby grand or upright piano in good condition, but there will be costs associated with bringing it to All Saints, including moving costs, tunings, and possibly disposal of our current piano. In order to get an instrument that will last a long time, we may even need to pay for it.
We are hoping to raise funds in a couple of ways: a “Pennies for a Piano” jar in the Narthex for pocket change; also, “Sponsor-a-Hymn”. There is a poster in the Narthex for this; choose a date to dedicate a hymn in honor of a birthday, anniversary, baptismal anniversary, graduation, or other special event. You may choose the hymn in consultation with Alison, or sponsor a hymn that is already chosen for the day. The cost is $35 per Sunday for one hymn, and your dedication will be printed in the bulletin, and the person being remembered or honored will be included in the prayers. All the money raised will go toward the piano fund. Please speak to Director of Music Alison Siener Brown if you have any questions. Thanks!

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Summer Service Camp, June 26-30, 9:00-11:30 am. For kids age 7 and older. We’ll learn about different ways of serving in our community – feeding people, tending a “giving garden”, caring for the environment. We’ll have lots of hands-on projects, including two field trips. Cost is $40. For more info, registration, and questions about younger children, pick up a flyer in the Narthex.

This Sunday, May 21 is the last day of Sunday School for the year. Thank you to our teachers and students. We will thank them at the Family Service on June 4 at 10 am. Nursery care will continue through the summer.

Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Beatitudes. Monday nights at 7:00 pm in the Rath House, through 6/19. Learn more 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. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.

Bible Study – Wed, 10:15 am, in the Rath House. This week, 5/17, we are reading Esther, chapter  4. The Book of Esther tells the story of Esther – part of the Jewish community in exile in Babylon – saved her people from extinction. You are invited to join us! Use one of our Bibles or bring your own.

HELPING HANDS
Our Twelve Baskets Food Pantry needs volunteer drivers on a Tuesday or Thursday morning, once a month, as-needed.  We need someone with an SUV or larger car who can take 500 lbs of non-perishable food from the Community FoodBank of NJ in Hillside, 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!

STEWARDSHIP
Community Garden – have you seen the Community Garden taking shape on the back island of the parking lot? We have four raised beds, and plots (4x4, and 3x4) that are now ready for planting for any interested gardeners – parishioners and neighbors. What should you plant? Flowers, herbs, or vegetables–whatever suits your fancy and your ability to tend a plot! You can take your produce home, or share it with Seniors in town through Long Hill Senior Center. Also, used coffee grounds make great mulch/fertilizer; the following local restaurants have agreed to save their coffee grounds for us: Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts in Valley Mall, Dunkin Donuts in Dewey Meadows Village, and the Millington Station Café. We’ll need a couple of volunteers to pick up coffee grounds for us. To get started with a plot, or for more information, speak to Jane Hayden, 770-855-3754.

What’s Going on in the Parking Lot? The area where we dug last December to lay new wiring for the lights has opened up a sink hole. The Vestry is having it repaired. In the meantime, the back end of the lot is blocked off so both drivers and walkers can be safe. Thanks for your cooperation!

DIOCESE OF NEWARK….AND BEYOND
Prayer for the Bishop’s Search - 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.

For more information about the Search or for other diocesan matters, check the Diocese of Newark website: www.dioceseofnewark.org

PARISH CALENDAR
5/22 Evening Prayer                  Church, 6:00 pm
5/22 Pilgrim Group                    Rath House, 7:00 pm
5/24 Bible Study                         Rath House, 10:15 am
5/25 Holy Eucharist                   Church, 7:00 am
        Small Saints’& Jr Choirs   Choir Room, 5:15 pm
        Ascension Day Worship     Church, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
A poem offered in honor of Rogation Sunday:

Morning Poem
Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange
 
sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again
 
and fasten themselves to the high branches ---
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands
 
of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails
 
for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it
 
the thorn
that is heavier than lead ---
if it's all you can do
to keep on trudging ---
 
there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted ---
 
each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,
 
whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.
~ from Dream Work (1986) by Mary Oliver © Mary Oliver
 
This is  the hymn “The spacious firmament on high”.  The words are by Joseph Addison, the music by Franz Josef Haydn, taken from his oratorio “The Creation.” It is sung by the York College Choir. https://youtu.be/9Tja6FIW69g
And here is a portion of the orignal oratorio ("The heavens are telling") where you can hear the musical theme that the hymn tune comes from. It is performed by the Choir of New College, Oxford; The Chorus and Orchestrstra of Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood (conductor): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4lSauxyFWo.  

Easter blessings,
Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Thank you to everyone who helped with Wednesday’s visiting hours and Thursdays’ funeral and reception for Tony Prasa. Both events were very large, and we could not have done it without our Adult Choir, Ushers, Altar Guild, Office Volunteers, Parking Lot Directors, the Thursday A.A. group that moved their meeting so the reception could be set up, and others who helped in many ways. Most importantly, the parish as a whole – through your prayers and presence – ministered to Carol Prasa and her family and friends with God’s love and grace. “Well done, good and faithful servants!”

Mother’s Day – at both our services on Sunday there will be carnations for each of us to take to either give to our mothers, or remember or honor them in ways that seem fitting to us. We hope you’ll join us for worship.

Coffee Hour on Mother’s Day is being hosted by the men of the parish. If you have a question about what to bring, or how you can help, call John McGrath (973)701-1663. Thanks!
+ + + + + + + +
Here are this week’s announcements. Please see especially:

• Sponsor-a-Hymn (Fun and Fundraising)
• Food Ministry drivers needed (Helping Hands)
• Discussion group on The Beatitudes (Christian Formation)
• Summer Service Camp (Christian Formation)

WORSHIP
Easter Season is filled with days of special focus as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the renewal of creation. Looking ahead we have:
Rogation Sunday, 5/21 – 10:00 am, when we bless the Church grounds and gardens, and give thanks to God for the goodness of Creation and God’s generosity and abundance.
Ascension Day, 5/25 – Thursday, 7:30 pm. This is the day we celebrate Christ’s return to the Father in heaven on the fortieth day after the resurrection. It is also a time to recognize our connections to Christians in other parts of the world. Last year we celebrated with a Celtic-themed service. This year we’ll use music, songs, and prayers in an intimate setting from a variety of African countries where the Anglican tradition has taken root. Come and celebrate!
Pentecost, 6/4 – celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit. We’ll hear the Gospel in a number of different languages, and renew our Baptismal Covenant. At the 10 am service we’ll start with a Pentecost procession with our Christian (Catholic) Community friends, starting in front of the Parish House. After worship we’ll join forces for a celebratory coffee hour. Check-out the sheet in the Narthex to tell us what you can bring!

Evening Prayer – Mondays, 6:00 pm in the Church –  a good time to stop in on your way home from work and have a peaceful half hour with God and others.

Early Morning Eucharist – Thursdays, 7:00 am in the Church, with healing prayer available for yourself or others. There’s an optional breakfast in the Rath House, afterward.

FUN & FUNDRAISERS
Prayer & a Party! We need some good Party People to be part of a Parish Life Brainstorming Session for our parish social events. Please put you name on the sheet in the Narthex if you can be a part of this group, or send an e-mail to allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.  

Choir Room Piano/Sponsor-a-Hymn - the choir room piano came to All Saints’ for free about 5 years ago. It has served us well, but now the piano won’t hold its tuning and needs increasing maintenance. Both of our choirs use the piano to learn their music as they prepare to lead worship, so it needs to be in tune. The piano also serves many students who use the choir room for their lessons and music classes.
We are looking for a used baby grand or upright piano in good condition, but there will be costs associated with bringing it to All Saints, including moving costs, tunings, and possibly disposal of our current piano. In order to get an instrument that will last a long time, we may even need to pay for it.
We are hoping to raise funds in a couple of ways: a “Pennies for a Piano” jar in the Narthex for pocket change; also, “Sponsor-a-Hymn”. There is a poster in the Narthex for this; choose a date to dedicate a hymn in honor of a birthday, anniversary, baptismal anniversary, graduation, or other special event. You may choose the hymn in consultation with Alison, or sponsor a hymn that is already chosen for the day. The cost is $35 per Sunday for one hymn, and your dedication will be printed in the bulletin, and the person being remembered or honored will be included in the prayers. All the money raised will go toward the piano fund. Please speak to Director of Music Alison Siener Brown if you have any questions. Thanks!

Cookbooks - our parish cookbook “All Saints’ Can Cook!” makes great gifts….for a birthday, a graduation, a housewarming gift for that young adult moving into his or her own apartment for the first time. Cost is $15. Please speak to Janice Lettieri or stop by the Parish Office to buy one.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Summer Service Camp, June 26-30, 9:00-11:30 am. For kids age 7 and older. We’ll learn about different ways of serving in our community – feeding people, tending a “giving garden”, caring for the environment. We’ll have lots of hands-on projects, including two field trips. Cost is $40. For more info, registration, and questions about younger children, pick up a flyer in the Narthex.

Sunday, May 21 is the last day of Sunday School for the year. Thank you to our teachers and students. We will thank them at the Family Service on June 4 at 10 am. Nursery care will continue through the summer.

Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Beatitudes. Monday nights at 7:00 pm in the Rath House, through 6/19. Learn more 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. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.

Bible Study – Wed, 10:15 am, in the Rath House. This week, 5/17, we are reading Esther, chapter 3. The Book of Esther tells the story of Esther – part of the Jewish community in exile in Babylon – saved her people from extinction. You are invited to join us! Use one of our Bibles or bring your own.

HELPING HANDS
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 500 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!

STEWARDSHIP
Community Garden – have you seen the Community Garden taking shape on the back island of the parking lot? We have four raised beds, and plots (4x4, and 3x4) that are now ready for planting for any interested gardeners – parishioners and neighbors. What should you plant? Flowers, herbs, or vegetables–whatever suits your fancy and your ability to tend a plot! You can take your produce home, or share it with Seniors in town through Long Hill Senior Center. Also, used coffee grounds make great mulch/fertilizer; the following local restaurants have agreed to save their coffee grounds for us: Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts in Valley Mall, Dunkin Donuts in Dewey Meadows Village, and the Millington Station Café. We’ll need a couple of volunteers to pick up coffee grounds for us. To get started with a plot, or for more information, speak to Jane Hayden, 770-855-3754.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Every so often the Church receives a letter, or an e-mail from someone whose life was touched by our parish community. Yesterday the following message came in on our Facebook page from Susan Olden, who now lives in the South:
“Wow! Some 50 years ago, my dad was custodian and our family was allowed to stay in the manse (rectory, which was then the Rath House). I believe a church elder maybe named Bob Cosgrove passed away unfortunately during my dad's tenure there. We would skate on a little ice pond across from the manse. My dad, Lewis Sliker, was made to feel very welcome. Always busy cleaning, stripping floors and buffing and keeping Sunday school chairs taken care of. We never had it so good. I remember my dad stripping the ivy from the front of the church, and the bees! Oh my! Lovely memories and wonderful neighbors, the Santonastassos, had all girls around my age, Joannie, Linda and Connie. I don't suppose there's anyone from that era that remembers us? Appx 1968-1970? Life was difficult growing up, my dad was sickly a lot and passed from lung cancer at only 48! [Living at All Saints’] was one of our more stable, happy times growing up. Thanks again.”

DIOCESE OF NEWARK….AND BEYOND
Prayer for the Bishop’s Search - 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.

PARISH CALENDAR
5/15 Evening Prayer                   Church, 6:00 pm
5/15 Pilgrim Group                     Rath House, 7:00 pm
5/16 Finance Committee             Rath House, 7:30 pm
5/17 Bible Study                          Rath House, 10:15 am
5/18 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 IV (aka Mystagogical Catechesis) – the following is an excerpt from a reflection called “The Eucharist and the Universe.” It was written by R.E. Charles Browne, an Irish Anglican priest (1906-1975) who ministered in both Belfast, Ireland and Manchester, England.

“There were stirrings of glory and stirrings of danger in the Upper Room. So there are at every Eucharist; the eucharistic food is the food for pilgrims. Our pilgrimage takes us into realms of life where we see that both desires for visible security, tangible realities, and a desperate clinging to what we understand are sinful. We know the point where we must abandon attempts at self-made security if we are to go on. Our pilgrimage brings us to fuller awareness that we are to think and pray and work as men [and women] whose most insignificant acts have consequences too wide to be measured by time or confined within the boundaries of a particular locality or of a particular group of people.

When the celebrant takes and blesses and breaks the bread, he [or she] is setting in motion a complexity of movements which go on and on affecting the whole existence of [humankind] and things until all comes to rest in the strange peace of God. Each communicant, of course, in co-operation with the celebrant, has his or her essential place in the cosmic, timeless acts. ‘I am Alpha and Omega, saith the Lord, the beginning and the end.’ Each Eucharist reminds us of our journey from God to God, and the eucharistic food is more than a remembrance that God sustains us throughout our journey; the eucharistic food is our sustenance.” ~ taken from Love’s Redeeming Work: The Anglican Quest for Holiness, compiled by Geoffrey Rowell, Kenneth Stevenson, and Rowan Williams; Oxford University Press, 2001
 
This is a link to the Eucharistic hymn “One Bread, One Body.” It is sung widely in the Roman Catholic Church, and it is in our hymnal supplement “Wonder, Love, and Praise.” These are students from the Newman Center at the University of California (Davis): https://youtu.be/jipjrqKViYE

Easter blessings,
Vicki+
 

Dear Friends in Christ,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! We are coming up to the Fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday, because the Scripture readings are focused on the theme of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
Our 10 am service this week is a Family Service – no Sunday School, but there will be Nursery Care. We will also commission Randy Gaulke as an ambassador of peace and understanding as he prepares to leave for six months in France as a tour guide on the World War I battlefields.
+ + + + + + + +
Here are this week’s announcements. Please see especially:

• Spring Grounds Clean-up (Stewardship)
• Children’s Eucharistic Instruction (Christian Formation)
• Food Ministry drivers needed (Helping Hands)
• Discussion group on The Beatitudes (Christian Formation)
• Summer Service Camp (Christian Formation)

STEWARDSHIP
Spring Grounds Clean-Up – This Sunday, May 7.  All Saints’ has scheduled a Spring Cleanup Day. It will begin after the services at 9:00 and 11:00. Sunday is a busy day, but all that is requested is one hour or one task. A list of the projects to be done has been developed. Some are easy and “clean” and some will require more effort. We’ll be raking under shrubs, pulling ivy off the Church and Parish House, pruning, clearing up brush, and getting the church grounds cleaned up for the spring and summer. If you see a need you can even do your own project to improve the appearance of the church grounds. Please bring your own leaf blower, weed whacker, loping shears, pole saw, rake, or any other appropriate tools. One hour or one task is all we ask. The more workers, the more we can accomplish. ***If you are not available on Sunday but would like to help, then pick your own project to be done at a convenient time. Questions? Contact Tom Day.

WORSHIP
Evening Prayer this Monday – 6:00 pm in the Church –  a good time to stop in on your way home from work and have a peaceful half hour with God and others.

Easter Season is filled with days of special focus as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the renewal of creation. Looking ahead we have:

• Rogation Sunday, 5/21 – 10:00 am, when we bless the Church grounds and gardens.
• Ascension Day, 5/25 – Thursday, 7:30 pm; this year we’ll use music and prayers from a variety of African countries where the Anglican tradition has taken root.
• Pentecost, 6/4 – the giving of the Holy Spirit. We’ll hear the Gospel in a number of different languages, and renew our Baptismal Covenant.

FUN & FUNDRAISERS
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.
Prayer & a Party! We need some good Party People to be part of a Parish Life Brainstorming Session for our parish social events. Please put you name on the sheet in the Narthex if you can be a part of this group, or send an e-mail to allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.                    

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.

Summer Service Camp, June 26-30, 9:00-11:30 am. For kids age 7 and older. We’ll learn about different ways of serving in our community – feeding people, tending a “giving garden”, caring for the environment. We’ll have lots of  hands-on projects, including two field trips. Cost is $40. For more info, registration, and questions about younger children, pick up a flyer in the Narthex.

Starts Monday - 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 - $10 each.

Bible Study – Wed, 10:15 am, in the Rath House. This week, 5/10, we are reading Esther, chapter 2. 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/

HELPING HANDS
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!

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.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Congratulations to our Long Hill FORCE Robotics teams who competed in the VEX IQ World Championships! The competition included 272 elementary school teams and 308 middle school teams from more than 30 countries. The Elementary School team, ranked 25th in their division and 76th worldwide for the skills and programming challenge. The Middle School team ranked of 67th in their division 97th worldwide for skills and programming. Last summer the team met here at All Saints’ to work on their skills and projects. Last month some of the students held a classical music concert in the church to raise funds for their travel to the competition.

The highlight of the event was the recognition bestowed upon Long Hill Coach Ilija Hadzic who received the VEX Mentor of the Year Award during the Opening Ceremonies. All Saints’ is glad to be able to support these students of our community!

DIOCESE OF NEWARK….AND BEYOND
Prayer for the Bishop’s Search - 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.

PARISH CALENDAR
5/8   Evening Prayer                   Church, 6:00 pm
5/8   Pilgrim Group                     Rath House, 7:00 pm
5/9   Finance Committee             Rath House, 7:30 pm
5/10 Bible Study                          Rath House, 10:15 am
         Plarn Sleeping Mats           Parish House, 7:30 pm
5/11 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 III (aka Mystagogical Catechesis) – It is sometimes said that the celebration of the Eucharist follows a four-fold pattern: taking, blessing, breaking, and giving. The priest takes the bread and wine offered by the congregation; blesses the elements in the words of the Eucharistic prayer, and by the power of the Holy Spirit; breaks the bread and pours out the wine; and then gives the Body and Blood of Christ to the People.

This four-fold pattern doesn’t just provide a map to the actions of the priest and congregation. It also describes the symbolic meaning of Jesus’ work on our behalf. It also shapes our efforts in service to the world in Jesus’ Name. God takes those things we offer – bread and wine, financial resources, our prayer, our strength, our time and attention; “ourselves, our souls, and bodies.” God accepts our offerings, however meager they may seem to us, however grudgingly we give them. All of this gets focused in the offering at the altar. And then God blesses the gifts we have given for use in his name and on his behalf. God accepts that which we offer, and calls it good, and then uses our gifts in ways that we might not be able to envisage or imagine – but always for the blessing of the world God has made, and the people who inhabit it.

While the priest outwardly breaks the bread (the large Host, or a whole loaf) the self-sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is made present to us. Time and space and dimension melt away, and we know that Christ’s earthly life and body was broken for us. And yet, if the Bread is not broken, the People cannot be fed. And continuing that image, it is when we become vulnerable and aware of our own brokenness that we are most open to God, and most available to have the Light of Christ shine through us. Finally, the Bread of Heaven and the Cup of Salvation are given, distributed, shared, among those who belong to the Body of Christ, the fellowship of believers, those who belong to the company of the baptized. We are given our daily bread; God sustains our life each day. And then we are called to give to others in ways large and small, as the Holy Spirit leads us.

All of this is embodied in each celebration of the Eucharistic, and every time one receives Communion. Our participation becomes not only a connection to Christ, a comfort and support, but also a formation in the pattern of Christ-like living: taking, blessing, breaking, giving. ~ VGM+

Here is a link to a new setting of the hymn text, “The King of love, my shepherd is.” The hymn (with different music) is in our Hymnal #345: https://youtu.be/Au3otElq6D4

Easter blessings,
Vicki+