Dear Friends in Christ,
We are in the midst of summer and many of us are traveling, spending time at the Shore, and relaxing. And this is the time that Mother Vicki’s takes her vacation, after serving as the Chaplain for the Royal School of Church Music summer course at Wilkes Barre, PA (aka choir camp). The course runs from July 23-29. During that time Vicki will be able to be in touch by cell phone and e-mail. From July30-August 26 Vicki will be on vacation.

During this time pastoral emergencies will be covered by:
7/23-7/29 - The Rev. Beth Rauen Sciaino, 973-615-4778 (St. Bernard’s, Bernardsville)
7/30-8/26 – The Rev. Shawn Carty, 208-471-0244 (St. Marguerite’s Retreat House, Mendham)
For any other concerns, please call the Parish Office. The Sunday worship schedule for that five weeks can be found below in the Worship section.

Here are the week’s announcements. In particular please see:

• This Sunday: Summer Choir (Worship)
• The Sunday: Blessings for Young Adults going to College, Work, Gap Year (Worship)
  
• Rummage Sale Set-up Help (Fun & Fundraising)
• Summer Projects (Buildings & Grounds)

FUN & FUNDRAISING
Rummage Sale Set-up Sat. Aug 4@3 pm! We need your help to set up tables in the Parish Hall and move some things that have already been donated. The First Sunday of Rummage is Aug. 5. If you can assist sign up on the poster in the Narthex. Please tell your friends and neighbors that we will happily receive their rummage on or after August 5! Questions? Speak to Kimberly Celeste.

Reminder from the Finance Committee – While you are traveling or away from Sunday worship this summer, please remember our parish expenses continue! You may always mail in or drop off your pledge contributions during the week. Or you can initiate a direct payment from your bank. Please speak with Barbara Barbeau if you would like information about this. Thank you. All of your support is needed and appreciated.

WORSHIP
This Sunday: Come join the fun and sing in the All Saints' Summer Choir! Two different opportunities: July 22 & August 19! No experience is needed. You are welcome whether you sing in choir during the rest of the year or not. Meet in the choir room at 9:15 am to learn the anthem and then help lead worship at 10:00. Please talk to Alison Siener Brown for more information.

This Sunday: Blessings for College and Post-High School Students – is a young adult in your family going off to college, work, or a gap year at the end of the summer? Folks age 18-22 are invited to come July 22 at 10 am and receive a blessing for study, work, or travel.

Summer Worship Schedule – while the Rector is away at choir camp this week serving as Chaplain, and then in August during her vacation, Sunday worship for both 8 and 10 am will be as follows:
7/29 – Holy Eucharist, the Rev. Sheelagh Clarke
8/5 –   Holy Eucharist, the Rev. Sheelagh Clarke
8/12 – Morning Prayer, led by LEMs
8/19 – Morning Prayer, led by LEMs
8/26 – Holy Eucharist, the Rev. Sheelagh Clarke
Sheelagh is the Interim Coordinator for Youth & Young Adults for our Diocese. Please give her a warm welcome!

Save the Date: Sunday, November 11 at 4:00 pm for a “Service of Peace and Remembrance: the Centennial of the End of World War I.”

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Lunchtime Recital by our own Alison Siener Brown at Grace Church, Madison on Wednesday, August 8 at 12:15 pm. Alison will present both organ and handbell solo works. Lunch will be available in Grace Hall following the recital. Come and show Alison your support….and enjoy some wonderful music!

PARISH LIFE
Ladies Night Out: Planning Ahead! Tuesday, August 28, 7:30 pm. Stop by the Stirling Hotel (outdoor area) for conversation, catching up after the summer, and a cool beverage. Bring a friend, too! No need to sign up.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Forward Day-by-Day – the daily devotional (Learn and Pray in The Way of Love categories) for the new quarter Aug-October is here in both pocket-sized and large print. Take one with you!

The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life. This is the outline for a Rule of Life for Episcopalians (and anyone else!) that was launched at General Convention. There are materials and resources on the table in the Narthex to take home. You are invited think and pray about how you might like to shape this to make it your own, within each of the seven categories. At the end of the summer we’ll have opportunity to gather and learn more about how to do this.

Looking ahead.....
Bible Study is on hiatus for the summer. We start again on Wednesday 9/5 at 10:15 am in the Rath House, when we start reading through the Gospel of Mark.
Sunday School for PreK4 through Middle School begins on 9/9.
Confirmation Class for students in Grades 8 & 9 will begin in the fall.

Narnia Comes to All Saints’: Family/Intergenerational Formation starts in October. Bring your imagination, creativity, and curiosity to faith in Jesus as a child, an adult, or a family in this home-based effort. We’ll use C.S. Lewis’ book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as our starting point. Look for more information to come.

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
Summer Projects: Emergency Egress Lighting for Church and Parish House will be installed by an electrician due to a state fire safety code before the township September deadline.

And looking ahead…. the windows in All Saints’ are unique and beautiful, most of them dating from 1906, but they are really showing their age. The windows on the south (parking-lot) side have wavy leading from years of expansion and contraction. Some of the glass is cracked and broken; some of the wooden frames need repair as well as repainting (the last paint job was in 2008). Some windows have protective coverings, but they are not properly ventilated and cause condensation, further deteriorating paint and wood, including the large window behind the organ. 

The largest concern is the stained-glass altar window. It is very wavy, and some of the stabilizing horizontal rods have been pushed out of place by heat-induced expansion and contraction of the leading and no longer do their job. If left unattended, pieces of the colored glass could begin to fall out and break. Here is what we know about the window so far. It was given by Thomas G. Clynes in memory of his wife Edith Seamans Clynes. She died of complications from the birth of their second son in 1917 at the age of 32. They lived on Long Hill Road, and Thomas continued to live there with his second wife, the two boys, and a daughter until his death in 1941.  The window was installed for Christmas Day 1919, and was dedicated and blessed (along with the rest of the Chancel) by Bishop Lines on June 6, 1920 – so the window will have its centennial in 18 months.

The Vestry is actively investigating how best to care for, restore, and pay for the work on these windows. We’ll keep you updated on the process.

DIOCESAN NEWS
Big Doings for our Diocese this fall!
9/8 – Farewell Celebration to Bishop Beckwith and his wife Marilyn Olsen.
9/22 – Consecration of our new Bishop Carlye J. Hughes.
Please look for the flyer on the Narthex table for more info about both these events and ways to participate!

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
A Prayer for Guidance in Our Calling
"Lord God, You have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out in good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"
~The Very Rev. Eric Milner-White (1884-1963), Dean of York Cathedral, creator of the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.

Blessings, Vicki+

 Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are the week’s announcements. In particular please see:

• Wednesday Walkabouts (Around the Neighborhood)
• Summer Projects (Buildings & Grounds)
• Summer Choir (Worship)
• Young Adult College, Work, Gap Year Blessings (Worship)
• The Way of Love (Christian Formation)

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Last Wednesday Walkabout: July 18 – Getting to know the neighborhoods that All Saints’ serves. We’ll meet at 41 Mountain Boulevard in Warren. Then we’ll walk that neighborhood for about 45 minutes and finish up with dinner at Ye’s Asian (Vietnamese) Bistro.  Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex or send an e-mail to the Parish Office to let us know you’ll be there.

Lunchtime Recital by our own Alison Siener Brown at Grace Church, Madison on Wednesday, August 8 at 12:15 pm. Alison will present both organ and handbell solo works. Lunch will be available in Grace Hall following the recital. Come and show Alison your support….and enjoy some wonderful music!

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
Summer Projects

• Solar Shade for Organ Window was installed this week. The shade will protect the organ and prevent further damage to the wooden supports holding the pipes. It can be raised and lowered as needed for acoustics.
• Emergency Egress Lighting for Church and Parish House will be installed by an electrician due to a state fire safety code before the township September deadline.

And looking ahead…. the windows in All Saints’ are unique and beautiful, most of them dating from 1906, but they are really showing their age. The windows on the south (parking-lot) side have wavy leading from years of expansion and contraction. Some of the glass is cracked and broken; some of the wooden frames need repair as well as repainting (the last paint job was in 2008). Some windows have protective coverings, but they are not properly ventilated and cause condensation, further deteriorating paint and wood, including the large window behind the organ. 

The largest concern is the stained-glass altar window. It is very wavy, and some of the stabilizing horizontal rods have been pushed out of place by heat-induced expansion and contraction of the leading and no longer do their job. If left unattended, pieces of the colored glass could begin to fall out and break. Here is what we know about the window so far. It was given by Thomas G. Clynes in memory of his wife Edith Seamans Clynes. She died of complications from the birth of their second son in 1917 at the age of 32. They lived on Long Hill Road, and Thomas continued to live there with his second wife, the two boys, and a daughter until his death in 1941.  The window was installed for Christmas Day 1919, and was dedicated and blessed (along with the rest of the Chancel) by Bishop Lines on June 6, 1920 – so the window will have its centennial in 18 months.

The Vestry is actively investigating how best to care for, restore, and pay for the work on these windows. We’ll keep you updated on the process.

PARISH LIFE
Summer Refreshments are available after the 10 am service on the Parish House lawn. Please join us for a cool drink and conversation.

Ladies Night Out: Planning Ahead! Tuesday, August 28, 7:30 pm. Stop by the Stirling Hotel (outdoor area) for conversation, catching up after the summer, and a cool beverage. Bring a friend, too! No need to sign up.

FUN & FUNDRAISING
Results from Ice Cream Night – Thanks to everyone who came out to Ava’s in Basking Ridge on June 29. We raised $153…and we had some great ice cream and fellowship!

Reminder from the Finance Committee – While you are traveling or away from Sunday worship this summer, please remember our parish expenses continue! You may always mail in or drop off your pledge contributions during the week. Or you can initiate a direct payment from your bank. Please speak with Barbara Barbeau if you would like information about this. Thank you. All of your support is needed and appreciated.

Rummage Sale! We need help on Aug. 4 to set up tables in the Parish Hall so we can begin accepting rummage Aug. 5, the First Sunday of Rummage.  If you can assist, sign up on the poster in the Narthex. What do we take? Good, usable, clean rummage: furniture, housewares, tools, toys, holiday items, yard & garden, art work, kids’ books, small electronics, boutique, office supplies, sporting goods, etc. What don’t we take?  Cribs, large appliances, large sofas, entertainment centers, tube TVs. Tell your friends and neighbors! This sale is our most visible community event, and our largest fund-raiser: September 29! Check the poster in the narthex to see how you can help. Questions? Speak to Kimberly Celeste.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Bible Study Wednesday, July 18 at 10:15 am in the Rath House. This week we’ll read and discuss Galatians chapter 5 & 6. Last meeting of the summer. Hope to see you there!

The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life. This is the Rule of Life that Presiding Bishop Curry and the General Convention introduced last week. There are materials and resources on the table in the Narthex. Please take the home with you. You are welcome to start thinking and praying now about how you might like to shape your own Rule of Life. At the end of the summer we’ll have some opportunities to gather and learn more about how to do this. Here is the link to the digital resources supporting The Way of Love: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/explore-way-love And here is the link to the sermon Bishop Curry preached introducing this Rule of Life: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/general-convention-2018-media-hub . The sermon is the one that says “Opening Sermon.”

Forward Day by Day – the copies of Forward Day by Day, the quarterly devotional guide, for August-October are here and can be picked up in the Narthex. There are both pocket-sized and large print editions.

WORSHIP
Come join the fun and sing in the All Saints' Summer Choir! Two different opportunities: July 22 & August 19! No experience is needed. You are welcome whether you sing in choir during the rest of the year or not. Meet in the choir room at 9:15 am to learn the anthem and then help lead worship at 10:00. Please talk to Alison Siener Brown for more information.

Blessings for College and Post-High School Students – is a young adult in your family going off to college, work, or a gap year at the end of the summer? Folks age 18-22 are invited to come July 22 at 10 am and receive a blessing for study, work, or travel.
Save the Date: Sunday, November 11 at 4:00 pm for a “Service of Peace and Remembrance: the Centennial of the End of World War I.”

EPISCOPAL CHURCH NEWS
The General Convention (GC) of the Episcopal Church finished on Friday, July 13. Bishop Beckwith and our diocesan deputies will be making a full report later in the summer; watch the diocesan website for when that might be happening. In the meantime, check Episcopal News Service for coverage: www.episcopalnewsservice.org.

PARISH CALENDAR
7/18  Bible Study                Rath House, 10:15 am   
         Wed Walkabout         41 Mountain Ave., Warren, 6:30 pm
7/19  Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am  
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
A Rule of Life: What Do You Seek?
A Rule of Life is “an intentional pattern of spiritual disciplines that provides structure and direction for growth in holiness”, in becoming the people God wants us to be. A Rule of Life is not something new; it’s as old as Christian faith. Christians have written and followed Rules of Life for themselves as individuals and as communities for centuries. The most famous Rule is that of St. Benedict, upon which a great deal of Western monastic life is based. The religious community in our diocese, the Community of St. John Baptist, has its own Rule of Life. Now our Episcopal Church has created a Rule of Life and invited all Episcopalians (and others) to engage with it, adapting it according to each of our own needs and circumstances: The Way of Love.On the website describing this Rule of Life is a section called “What Do You Seek?” which is the ancient question Christian communities ask of visitors and those who aspire to join them. It’s an important question for all of us. Here is the material from that section:

Early in his ministry, Jesus of Nazareth was surrounded by crowds. He turned and asked, “What do you seek?” (John 1:38). For more than a thousand years, monastics have greeted pilgrims knocking on their doors by asking: “What do you seek?”
Today, each of us can pause with the same question. As much as the world has changed, the fundamental human hopes and yearnings that draw us to faith may not be so different. For many…
We seek love
To know God’s love, to love and be loved by others, and to love ourselves.
We seek freedom
From the many forces - sin, fear, oppression, and division - that pull us from living as God created us to be: dignified, whole, and free.
We seek abundant life 
Overflowing with joy, peace, generosity, and delight. Where there is enough for all because we all share with abandon. A life of meaning, given back to God and lived for others.
We seek Jesus
The Way of Jesus is the Way of Love,
and that way has the power to change lives and change the world.

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are the week’s announcements. In particular please see:

• Wednesday Walkabouts (Around the Neighborhood)
• Summer Projects (Buildings & Grounds)
• Summer Choir (Worship)
• Young Adult College, Work, Gap Year Blessings (Worship)
• Fishing Trip (Parish Life)
• Bible Study (Christian Formation)

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Wednesday Walkabouts: July 11 – Gillette (meet and then have dinner at Chimney Rock) How well do you know the neighborhoods that All Saints’ serves? No matter how often you drive through a place, you never see it the same way as when you walk it. This summer we’ll have evening Walkabouts in parish neighborhoods at 6:30 pm. Each walk will last about 45 minutes, with a meal at a local restaurant afterwards to share fellowship and talk about what we have seen and learned. Details are on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex.
July 11 – Gillette (meet and then have dinner at Chimney Rock)
July 18 – Warrenville Center (meet at 41 Mountain Boulevard and then dinner at Ye’s Asian Bistro)

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
Summer Projects

• Playground Wood Chips: we’ve had a donation of wood chips that need to be spread on our playground. If you can give Tom Day a hand with this, please speak with him.
• Solar Shade for Organ Window: will be installed in the next week. The wooden frame holding the wooden organ pipes that faces the large window in the front of the Church is cracked, due to 20 years of sun and heat exposure. The shade will protect the organ and prevent further damage. It can be raised and lowered as needed for acoustics.
• Emergency Egress Lighting for Church and Parish House: a state safety requirement in case of fire. This will be installed by an electrician before the township September deadline. Both the shade and the lighting will be paid for from our Legacy/Capital Funds.

Snow Plowing Overage - Thank you to everyone for their generosity. We're $429.22 away from our full goal – 93% complete! Our overage bill that we paid in April was $5,923.75. If you can assist us with making up the snow plowing overage and haven’t yet done so, please make a check out to “All Saints’ Church” and put “Snow 2018” in the memo line. Or you may use the PayPal portal on our website. Thank you!

PARISH LIFE
Summer Refreshments are available after the 10 am service on the Parish House lawn. Please join us for a cool drink and conversation.

Summer Fishing Trip – would you be interested in a day of fishing at the Shore? Steve Kowalik is willing to organize an outing on a boat this summer. Please put your name on the sheet in the Narthex if you would like more information, and Steve will be in touch with you.

Ladies Night Out: Planning Ahead! Tuesday, August 28, 7:30 pm. Stop by the Stirling Hotel (outdoor area) for conversation, catching up after the summer, and a cool beverage. Bring a friend, too! No need to sign up.

FUN & FUNDRAISING
Reminder from the Finance Committee – While you are traveling or away from Sunday worship this summer, please remember our parish expenses continue! You may always mail in or drop off your pledge contributions during the week. Or you can initiate a direct payment from your bank. Please speak with Barbara Barbeau if you would like information about this. Thank you. All of your support is needed and appreciated.

Rummage Sale! We need help on Aug. 4 to set up tables in the Parish Hall so we can begin accepting rummage Aug. 5, the First Sunday of Rummage.  If you can assist, sign up on the poster in the Narthex. What do we take? Good, usable, clean rummage: furniture, housewares, tools, toys, holiday items, yard & garden, art work, kids’ books, small electronics, boutique, office supplies, sporting goods, etc. What don’t we take?  Cribs, large appliances, large sofas, entertainment centers, tube TVs. Tell your friends and neighbors! This sale is our most visible community event, and our largest fund-raiser: September 29! Check the poster in the narthex to see how you can help. Questions? Speak to Kimberly Celeste.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Bible Study Wednesdays at 10:15 am in the Rath House. This week we’ll read and discuss Galatians chapter 4. Bible study is for everyone, whether you own a Bible or have ever read it, or not! Hope to see you there!

WORSHIP
Come join the fun and sing in the All Saints' Summer Choir! Two different opportunities: July 22 & August 19! No experience is needed. You are welcome whether you sing in choir during the rest of the year or not. Meet in the choir room at 9:15 am to learn the anthem and then help lead worship at 10:00. Please talk to Alison Siener Brown for more information.

Blessings for College and Post-High School Students – is a young adult in your family going off to college, work, or a gap year at the end of the summer? Folks age 18-22 are invited to come July 22 at 10 am and receive a blessing for study, work, or travel.
Hymn Sing: During the summer, in place of an instrumental prelude we’ll have a simple hymn sing – the first verse of some of our favorite hymns, starting this week. If you have a request, please be ready with the hymn number!

EPSCOPAL CHURCH NEWS
The General Convention (GC) of the Episcopal Church is meeting in Austin, TX 7/5-7/13. It gathers all the Bishops, and 8 deputies from every diocese (4 lay and 4 clergy) elected by our diocesan convention. It also gathers representatives of many other Church-wide groups and staff, including our own Lisa Webb who works for the Episcopal Office of Communications. GC meets every three years to pray and study Scripture together, worship, discuss matters of importance to the Church, to consider our response to social concerns, and to set a budget and mission priorities.

Some of those priorities from 2015 included evangelism, racial reconciliation and justice, and creation care. Those initiatives will continue. While there are many different resolutions to be considered – offered from dioceses across the church – some of the major conversations will include: whether it is time for a revision of the Prayer Book (the last one was forty years ago) and if so, how it should be done; a review of the trial-use marriage service for same-sex couples; a response to the #MeToo movement, especially as it applies to sexual harassment experienced within the Church.

Of particular interest for us in our diocese will be the affirmation of the election of our new Bishop Carlye Hughes. (Look at the sign-up sheet in the Narthex for a bus to her consecration 9/22). When a bishop election happens within 60 days of a GC, the convention as a whole votes to affirm, rather than having the Standing Committees of all dioceses vote separately.

To follow GC news “straight from the horses’ mouth” (as opposed to the secular press who don’t always understand Church issues) go to www.episcopalnewsservice.org. Please pray for GC, for our Bishop Beckwith and deputies, and for all in attendance – including Lisa! – that they may be filled with the wisdom, love, and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

PARISH CALENDAR
7/10  Finance Committee    Rath House, 7:30 pm
7/11  Bible Study                 Rath House, 10:15 am  
         Wed Walkabout         Chimney Rock, 6:30 pm
7/12  Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am 
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Prayer and Evangelism
A simple way to be a partner in God’s mission in telling the Good News of Jesus is to pray in the morning and ask God to show you a natural opportunity during the day to share the love of God with another person – and the words to say that are authentic to you. Here is a brief video of Bishop Skip Adams of South Carolina while he’s at General Convention telling a story about a conversation he had the day before with an Uber driver in Austin, TX. https://youtu.be/P6inebgZ_BU
And remember, the definition of evangelism in the Episcopal Church is: “the spiritual practice of seeking, naming, and celebrating the loving presence of Jesus in the stories of all people...and then inviting them to more.” How did Bishop Adams name and celebrate Jesus’ presence in the Uber driver’s story? In what ways did he invite her to more?

Blessings, Vicki+