Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are the worship links and announcements for the week ahead. Please take a look; we want everyone to be “in the loop” about All Saints’… even while we are physically apart.
Registration link to sign up for all our in-person services and our Rummage Shoppe times. It’s one spot with clearly marked events and services.  https://reopen.church/r/bloP83YN.   Rummage Shopping Times

• Sunday 8 am, 10 am, 5 pm bulletins, and Zoom info
• Rector “away” at Clergy Conference
• Stewardship: Pledge Reminders
• All Saints’ Day: Communion & Necrology
• Food Pantry Update
• Music

Sunday Worship
1. Sunday 8 am Rite 1 Morning Prayer, Outdoors In-person in the Memorial Garden  and Sunday 5 pm Rite 2 Evening Prayer on the Church Side Lawn (weather permitting). Reservations are required; see link above. Bring a lawn chair, the copy of the service leaflet (attached to this e-mail or on the website www.allsaintsmillington.org) or your own Book of Common Prayer; wear your mask.
2. Sunday 10 am Service of the Word – online via Zoom. If you would like to join us for this service, please send an e-mail to allstsmill@hotmail.com for the log-in information.
3. Here are the guidelines for attending in-person services, please them before making a reservation for the first time: http://www.allsaintsmillington.org/uploads/1/2/5/1/1251925/outdoor_worship_at_all_saints_gudelines.pdf .

Rector Attending Clergy Conference this Week. Bishop Hughes has asked all the clergy of our diocese to participate in this year’s (mostly) virtual Clergy Conference – worship, speakers, in-person small-group outdoor meetings with the Bishop, time for reading, reflection, rest, and getting outdoors. Mother Vicki will not be doing regularly parish work on Monday-Wednesday this week but is available if there is a pastoral emergency.

Music – our dedicated and talented parish musicians continue to exercise their ministry and glorify God each week through the creativity, hard work, and leadership of Director of Music Alison Siener Brown. The Adult Choir meets each week on Zoom for fellowship and rehearsal, and records choir anthems for us to use in our Sunday on-line worship. Different members of the choir serve as the cantor to lead hymns and chant the psalm. You can always listen to the Sunday service on our website if you are not able to be on Zoom. And now the Junior Choir is meeting in-person for outdoor handbell choir rehearsals. Music is such an important part of our worship and our life here at All Saints’. We are grateful for the many ways our musicians have continued to offer their time and talent to God and to our parish family.

All Saints’ Rummage Shoppe: Sales Times – Friday, 10/16 2:30-4:30 pm. Tell your friends. Come see all the wonderful treasures that are available! Reserve a 30-minute shopping time at the link at the top of the newsletter. Items are also being sold on-line here: https://www.facebook.com/AllSaintsRummageShoppe/
This is an on-going fund-raiser for All Saints’ ministries. The Shoppe will operate until the middle of December, so now is a good time to look for Christmas gifts! Thank you to our Rummage Team for their creativity and resourcefulness!

Bible Study will not meet this week. Our study and discussion of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians – Ch. 1 (second half), will meet again on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 10:15-11:30 am. We’d love to have you join us – no prior Bible study experience is necessary. You don’t even need to own a Bible! If you would like to participate in this Zoom meeting or want more information, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.    

All Saints Day: Sunday, November 1st. We will celebrate our parish feast day and this this very important day in the Church year with two outdoor, in-person celebrations of Holy Eucharist, at 8 & 10 am. We have all been missing seeing one another in person and worshiping together. This will be a wonderful opportunity to gather as a parish. Please plan to attend. The 10 am service will be live-streamed for those who need to remain at home.

All Saints’ Day Necrology – at both of our services on November 1st we’ll remember our loved ones and those of our parish who have died and gone before us in the faith. You are invited to submit the names of those you would like included in the prayers on that day. Please send names to our Parish Administrator Susie Harris by Oct. 27: allsaints_church@hotmail.com.

Food Ministry – Did you know? Our food pantry currently serves close to 150 people each month! That includes families and individuals in town, formerly homeless Vets in the Valley Brook apartments, and even the CSJB convent in Mendham. We’ve even been able to share our resources with the pop-up pantry at St. Bernard’s in Bernardsville. Our team of volunteers extends beyond our own congregation, and we are always happy to welcome new volunteers to this ministry. Your prayers and donations help to make all this possible; thank you!

Stewardship: Pledge Reminders – this is a very challenging time - for us as a parish, and for some of you personally. About $30,000 of our budgeted income comes from Parish House use rentals and fundraisers (Rummage Sale, Fish & Chips). This year that income has been drastically reduced because of the pandemic. Our income is now lagging substantially in comparison to our expenses. Parishioners’ pledges and donations are the backbone of our financial support, and this year they are more important than ever. Many of you have stayed current with your pledge; thank you! Some of you have been able to give more than you pledged; thank you! If you need to get caught up on your pledge, or you are unsure of your pledge status, or you need to make an adjustment, please send an e-mail to Parish Administrator Susie Harris, allsaints_church@hotmail.com. Thank you for your partnership in doing God’s work here at All Saints’ and in our wider community. We couldn’t do it without you!

Christian Practices: St Luke the Physician
Luke was a physician who travelled and worked with St. Paul. He wrote the Gospel f Luke and the Book of Acts as a two-volume account of Jesus’ ministry and the life of the earliest Christians. His Gospel of full of accounts of Jesus’ healing ministry, as well as some of the most well-known and well-loved parables, such as the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). You can read further about Luke here: https://episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/luke-evangelist-saint
The Collect for St. Luke
Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,

Save the Date: Sunday, November 1st – All Saints’ Day. This is our parish feast day and we will celebrate this very important day in our parish and in the Church year with two outdoor, in-person celebrations of Holy Eucharist, at 8 & 10 am. I know we have all been missing seeing one another in person and worshiping together. This will be a wonderful opportunity to gather as a parish. More information and details of safety precautions will be coming soon, but please plan to attend. The 10 am service will be llivestreamed for those who need to remain at home.


The preacher for our 10 am Zoom service this week is the Rev. Shawn Carty. Thank you, Father Shawn!

Here is the registration link for all our in-person services and our Rummage Shoppe times. It’s one spot with clearly marked events and services to sign up for: https://reopen.church/r/bloP83YN.   And please take a look at the rest of our announcements.

• Rummage Shopping Times
• Sunday 8 am, 10 am, 5 pm bulletins, and Zoom info
• Bible Study – new topic
• All Saints’ Day Necrology

 
Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 10:15-11:30 am. On October 14 we are starting a new topic: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, written near the end of Paul’s life to a community he loved and knew well. We meet via Zoom. We’d love to have you join us – no prior Bible study experience is necessary. You don’t even need to own a Bible! If you would like to participate or want more information, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.    

Sunday Worship
1. Sunday 8 am Rite 1 Morning Prayer, Outdoors In-person in the Memorial Garden & 5 pm Rite 2 Evening Prayer on the Church Side Lawn (weather permitting). Reservations are required; see link above. Bring a lawn chair, the copy of the service leaflet (attached to this e-mail or on the website www.allsaintsmillington.org) or your own Book of Common Prayer; wear your mask.
2. Sunday 10 am Service of the Word – online via Zoom. We'd love to have you join us. For the log-in credentials, please email allstsmill@hotmail.com.

3. Here are the guidelines for attending in-person services, please them before making a reservation for the first time: http://www.allsaintsmillington.org/uploads/1/2/5/1/1251925/outdoor_worship_at_all_saints_gudelines.pdf .

Mind Your Mask - Important reminders for in-person worship and gatherings!
Wear your mask and have it cover both your nose and mouth.
Don’t remove it when you are speaking – that defeats the purpose of wearing a mask.
Stay at least 6 feet away from anyone you don’t live with.
If someone says Mind Your Mask, they are respectfully asking you to adjust your mask.
Doing these things will help to keep you, your families, our parishioners, and our community safe. Thank you!

All Saints’ Rummage Shoppe Sales Times – Friday, 10/9 2:30-4:30 pm; Saturday, 10/10 9:00-11:30 am. Tell your friends. Come see all the wonderful treasures that are available! Reserve a 30-minute shopping time at the link at the top of the newsletter. Items are also being sold on-line here: https://www.facebook.com/AllSaintsRummageShoppe/ This is an on-going fund-raiser for All Saints’ ministries. Thank you to our Rummage Team for their creativity and resourcefulness!

All Saints’ Day Necrology – at both of our services on November 1st we’ll remember our loved ones and those of our parish who have died and gone before us in the faith. You are invited to submit the names of those you would like included in the prayers on that day. Please send names to our Parish Administrator Susie Harris by Oct. 27: allsaints_church@hotmail.com.

Food Ministry – our Twelve Baskets food pantry serves families and individuals in the Long Hill Township area in several different ways. If you know a person or a family who is struggling to make ends meet and can use food assistance, please have them call the parish office 908-647-0067x4 and leave a secure message.

Christian Practices: Wisdom
It might seem odd to call wisdom a spiritual practice. I think most of us assume that a person is either wise or they are not. Or at the very least, we think that wisdom comes with age, and there is nothing we can do to hurry it along. Well, some people do seem for inherently wise than others, and age can indeed bring wisdom, if we incorporate what we learn over the years.

But is we look at Scripture, we see that the word “wisdom” appears nearly 350 times in the Bible. The Book of Proverbs puts it best: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10) “Fear” means awe or reverence, rather than being frightened. So as Christians we are asked to ground our wisdom in awe and reverence for God.

The wisdom the Bible talks about is not just being humanly wise about daily living, or relationships, or even the ways of the world – but it includes all of those. Spiritual wisdom is connected to God’s ways and God’s guidance. It is a gift from God that can (and should be) developed through prayer, listening, learning, and reflecting on experience.

God’s gift of wisdom is not given to us as an end in itself but is given so that we can better be God’s agents and representatives in the world, fulfilling God’s purposes. We can learn to  cultivate God’s wisdom in our lives as disciples in all aspects of what we do.

A Collect for Guidance
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~BCP, p. 832

Blessings, Vicki+

Dear Friends in Christ,
This is the registration link for all our in-person services and our Rummage Shoppe times. It’s one spot with clearly marked events and services to sign up for: https://reopen.church/r/bloP83YN.   And please take a look at our announcements.

• Rummage Shopping Times
• Sunday 8 am, 10 am, 5 pm bulletins, and Zoom info
• Blessing of the Animals
• October Birthday and Anniversary Prayers
• All Saints’ Day Services

Blessing of the Animals – our annual service in honor of St. Francis is Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 pm. This year it will be held in the church parking lot to give us more room to spread out and will include a Celebration of Creation. It will take the place of our regular 5 pm Evening Prayer service. Bring your pet (on a leash or in a carrier for their comfort; humans need to wear masks)– or a photo of your pet. Register for the service (see link above), print out a copy of the service leaflet attached, and come celebrate the goodness of God’s creation!

All Saints’ Rummage Shoppe Sales Times – Friday, 10/2 2:30-4:30 pm; Saturday, 10/3 9:00-11:30 am. Tell your friends. Come see all the wonderful treasures that are available! Reserve a 30-minute shopping time at the link at the top of the newsletter. Items are also being sold on-line here: https://www.facebook.com/AllSaintsRummageShoppe/ This is an on-going fund-raiser for All Saints’ ministries. Thank you to our Rummage Team for their creativity and resourcefulness!

Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 10:15 am. We are studying parts of the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament – a central part of our worship and prayer life. We meet via Zoom. If you would like to participate or want more information, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. 

Food Ministry – our Twelve Baskets food pantry serves families and individuals in the Long Hill Township area in several different ways. If you know a person or a family who is struggling to make ends meet and can use food assistance, please have them call the parish office 908-647-0067x4 and leave a secure message.

Mind Your Mask - Important reminders for in-person worship and gatherings!
Please remember to wear your mask and have it cover both your nose and mouth.
Don’t remove it when you are speaking – that defeats the purpose of wearing a mask. Here’s a helpful phrase to remind yourself or someone else: Mind Your Mask (with thanks to the London Underground for inspiration – Mind the Gap). If someone says that to you, they are respectfully asking you to adjust your mask.
Stay at least 6 feet away from anyone you don’t live with, no matter how glad you are to see them.
Doing these things will help to keep you, your families, our parishioners, and our community safe. Thank you!

Other Sunday Worship
1. Sunday 8 am Rite 1 Morning Prayer, Outdoors In-person in the Memorial Garden (weather permitting). Reservations are required; see link above. Bring a lawn chair, the copy of the service leaflet (attached to this e-mail or on the website www.allsaintsmillington.org) or your own Book of Common Prayer; wear your mask.

2. Here are the guidelines for attending in-person services, please them before making a reservation for the first time: http://www.allsaintsmillington.org/uploads/1/2/5/1/1251925/outdoor_worship_at_all_saints_gudelines.pdf . Our outdoor services will continue to adapt and evolve as we evaluate the experience. 

3. Sunday 10 am Service of the Word – online via Zoom.  What’s the Service of the Word and how is it different from Morning Prayer? The Service of the Word is the first part of Holy Eucharist – hymns, readings, sung Gloria, the Nicene Creed, Prayers of the People, sung Psalm, sermon, confession and absolution, and the Peace. All of this is like our regular pre-COVID in-person service, but without Communion. We’ll be using the Service of the Word for our 10 am worship throughout the month of October. To join us, please send an e-mail to allstsmill@hotmail.com for the Zoom credentials.

Birthday and Anniversary Prayers for the month of October will be offered at all three services this week – for you or anyone in your family.

Save the Date: Sunday, November 1st – All Saints’ Day. This is our parish feast day and we will celebrate this very important day in our parish and in the Church year with two outdoor, in-person celebrations of Holy Eucharist, at 8 & 10 am. More information and details of safety precautions will be coming soon, but please plan to attend. The 10 am service will be live-streamed for those who need to remain at home.

Christian Practices: Creation Care
God has given us a beautiful world to live in and care for – that’s the meaning of the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2. And God always intended us to live in harmony and wise stewardship with all of the life God created.

Back in April when much of the world was in a very strict lock-down due to the pandemic we had many examples of ways that human activity has affected the Earth. Skies quickly became clear of air pollution as cars were not being driven. The water in the canals of Venice became blue, rather than grey, and the dolphins returned to them. Wild goats from the Welsh mountains came down into villages and towns and roamed the streets. The surface of the Earth measurable shook less as trucks, cars, and busses were off the road. Of course, the stilling of human activity could not last, but it gave us a clear picture of some of the ways we affect the world around us.

In recent years Christians of all traditions, as well as many other religious groups, have focused increasingly on caring for creation as an article of faith. Not only are we to be good stewards of the beauty and diversity of life that God has given us, but we know that using God’s resources equitably are part of the purpose of divine justice.

These ideas and concerns are not new; the Psalms, in particular, are full of praise for God’s creation and the right use of its abundance. Since the 13th century we have had the example of St. Francis (among others) who exemplified humble kinship with all creatures and people, especially the poor.

As we are entering the season of financial stewardship and our annual pledge drive, let us remember that our call to be good stewards of all God’s gifts and resources includes our use and care for creation.

The Collect for the Feast of St. Francis
Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ~ Lesser Feasts and Fasts

Blessings, Vicki+