On Sunday, Oct. 30, the fifth Sunday of the month, we will have Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m. and Morning Prayer at 10:00 a.m. with Deacon Beth officiating and preaching. Children in 5th grade and younger are invited to come to Church in costume for Trunk or Treat (read more below).
Next week from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday, Deacon Beth will be away at the annual Clergy Conference with Bishop Beckwith in Shawnee, PA. If you have a pastoral emergency during that time, please call her cell phone, 973-615-4778. The Wednesday service and Bible Study is cancelled for Oct. 26.
J2A Service Project – This Sunday, Oct. 23, after the 10:00 a.m. service All Saints’ high schoolers will cook enchiladas to donate to the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program (SHIP) in Somerville. After being frozen and donated, the meals will be reheated and distributed to people in need via SHIP’s mobile food unit. Please RSVP to Beth if you intend to help so that she can estimate how much we’ll be able to cook. The high schoolers will be able to enjoy Beth’s grandfather’s TexMex enchiladas for lunch as we cook them in the Parish House kitchen.
Small Saints’ “Trunk or Treat” happens after church on Sunday, Oct. 30. All kids in Grade 5 and younger are invited to wear their Halloween costumes or dress up as a Bible character for the 10 am service. We will “trunk or treat” during coffee hour. Families of Trunk of Treaters should bring a bag of candy or treats to hand out from the trunk of their car. (Other parishioners can too!) The kids will gather in the Parish House while the cars are getting set up, and then have a parade around the outside the Church before Trunk or Treating in the parking lot. If the weather isn’t great, we’ll set up in the lower level of the Parish House. Questions? Speak with Marlene Gebauer.
A Concert of Sacred Music will be given on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 5:00 p.m. in the Church. This recital will feature Jody Doktor, soloist, and Shea Velloso, organist. Free admission, all are welcome, invite your friends!
The next opportunity for All Saints’ to participate in the Interfaith Hospitality Network for Homeless Families at St. Joseph’s Shrine is Friday, Nov. 4. Please consider volunteering for one of the several ways of helping the families that will be staying at the Shrine. We specifically need one female volunteer and one male volunteer to stay overnight, from 9:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m., as well as someone to relieve the overnight volunteers and be present from 6:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. There is a sign-up sheet and information about this ministry on the table in the Narthex. For questions and clarification, speak with Steve Liesch.
Fall Clean-Up – Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9:00 am to 3:00 p.m. We will be cleaning out closets and the basement, as well as the gutters on the Parish House. We only have two clean-up days a year, we need your help! Plan to lend just an hour of your time and energy and we will get a great deal done. If you would like a project (or see something you would like to do) on your own schedule, speak to Tom Day.
Our next baptismal date is Sunday, Nov. 6, the Sunday after All Saints’ Day. If you or your child would like to be baptized please be in touch with Deacon Beth whose contact information can be found below.
All Saints’ Day Pot-Luck on Sunday, Nov. 6, after the 10 o’clock service in the Parish Hall. Bring a dish to share (entrée, salad/side dish or dessert) that is traditional to your family or your national/ethnic background.
Memorial Garden Planning Team – Please speak to Beth if you are interested in being a part of this planning team which will work with the Memorial Garden Committee to develop a plan for new plantings in the Memorial Garden.
Thinking about serving on Vestry? We have a one-year position open on the Vestry. In the Episcopal Church, the Vestry is the leadership board responsible “to define and articulate the mission of the congregation; to support the church’s mission by word and deed, to select the rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances” (from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians). If you are interested in joining the Vestry, please speak with a vestry member, warden (Jackie Sullivan or Tom Day), or the curate.
Sports and Families – Finding the Right Balance – Our fall Community Forum will be Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Parish House. Sports can be a wonderful part of life, and the lessons learned can be applied for a lifetime. But what happens if your family life becomes disrupted by the constant schedule of games and practices? When do you know you are too involved in your child’s sports activities? What if your child wants to quit after a tough game? What if your child prefers no physical activity and would rather spend all his or her free time in front of a computer? Explore these questions and more on Nov. 16. Please invite your friends and neighbors to attend this offering to our community.
Acolytes Needed: All 8th graders and high schoolers who are not currently acolyting during the 10:00 a.m. service are invited to join this important worship ministry. Our current group of faithful acolytes would really appreciate adding more youth to their ranks. Please speak with Deacon Beth or Janice Lettieri to volunteer and schedule training.
Confirmation, Spring 2012 – Confirmation is “a public affirmation of [your] faith and commitment to the responsibilities of [your] Baptism,” which includes “the laying on of hands by the bishop” (BCP, p. 412). All Saints’ 9th and 10th graders are invited to participate in a Confirmation Class with our rector, Vicki, this coming spring. The bishop expects that confirmands are involved in formation in the year prior to confirmation, which we are doing through J2A service projects, bible studies, and fun activities. The diocese requires that we submit names and numbers of confirmands by Dec. 1. Please let Beth know if your high schooler is considering Confirmation, we can adjust the number in the spring downward but not upward. A retreat for high school confirmands is scheduled for March 30-31. Confirmation will be held Sunday, May 6, at 3:00 p.m. at Trinity & St. Philip’s Cathedral in Newark with other parishes from Districts 3 and 7 of the diocese. If you are an adult who would like to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church, please speak with Beth as well. An adult inquirers class can also be held in the spring if there is interest.
Please let Deacon Beth know if your high schooler plans on coming to NIGHTWATCH. (We have space reserved and if we are fewer in number we can extend an invitation to another parish to join us.) On Friday, Dec. 2, our high school members are invited to NIGHTWATCH, an overnight retreat at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The retreat "includes a time for meeting and mixing [with other youth], a program highlighting a ministry of the Cathedral and exploration of its space, a candlelight meditation and Eucharist and a tour that traces both the story of the Cathedral and Christian tradition as it is embodied in the building." The cost is $48 per person plus money for dinner on Friday night before we arrive. High schoolers, please mark your calendars for this experience. Contact Deacon Beth to learn more.
Women’s Book Group will meet Thursday, Nov. 17, at Jean Kimak’s house (please note the change in date). Join us for a discussion of The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent.
Kittens: Parishioner and choir member Lory Anello has three lovely domesticated kittens in search of homes. They’ve received almost all their booster shots and are in good health. If you have a home to share with a kitten, please contact Lory at 908-687-5121 or LoryJulia@gmail.com.
BUNCO! The dice will be rolling on Friday, Nov. 4, in the Parish House. $20 entry donation. 12 people make a team: come solo or bring 11 friends. It is a fun time either way! There is limited seating, so if you know you want to reserve a spot, let Nancy Mink know: mink88@verizon.net.
Stewardship Pledge for 2012: Please submit your pledge by mail or in the collection plate by Sunday, Nov. 20, at the latest. Thank you for all the time, talent, and financial resources you share with All Saints’ Church. We would also like to thank our Stewardship witnesses in the month of October who remind us all of our own All Saints’ stories and the spiritual gifts we discover in community at All Saints’.
Have an extra refrigerator? The church is looking for two full size refrigerators to replace those in the lower level of the Parish House and the Rath House kitchen. If you know anyone renovating their kitchen, find out if they’d be willing to donate their old fridge to the church. A mid-size fridge is needed to replace the one in the top floor of the Parish House as well.