The Rummage Sale is this Saturday, 9 am-2 pm! We still need people to set up at 7 am, sell, staff the bake sale and food table, sell Fish & Chips tickets, “fluff” the rummage and clean up at the end of the Sale (2 pm). New this year – if anyone is available to be in the rummage tent on Sunday (from about 11 am on) it will help facilitate getting rid of the leftovers and receiving donations! Please let Kimberly or Charlotte know if you can do this.
In advance of Saturday, I want to thank you for all your hard work and persistence. I know the sale has its challenges, but it also has its joys. Of course, the primary purpose is a fund-raiser, but just as important is the ministry aspect of the sale, and the visibility it gives us.
How is the Rummage Sale a ministry? "Let me count the ways...."
- It helps donors de-clutter their house and their lives.
- It provides a place to shop for people who are on limited budgets, and for those who just love bargains.
- It draws people together from the wider community and strengthens community spirit.
- It gives us the chance to show ourselves as Christians in a good light. Too often these days secular people views Christians as narrow-minded, judgmental, mean-spirited and hypocritical - in short, not what Jesus is all about! So please make your first response to shoppers be kind and welcoming. If someone is trying to scam you, be as firm as you need to be. In short, as Jesus said: "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Now there's a passage to meditate on!).
- Finally, the sale gives us good visibility as a parish. If someone starts to ask you about All Saints', go with the conversation. If someone would like to see the inside of the Church, have them find me - I'll be happy to unlock the door and let them in.
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STEWARDSHIP
Undercroft Update – there was a delay last week with the work. The new schedule is as follows: the wall finishes (dry wall patching, stud repair, taping and priming) will start Monday. The following Monday (9/29) the new floor will be laid, waxed and allowed to dry, and cove molding installed. We’ll be able to use those rooms again in early October. Thank you for your continuing patience!
Argyle Fish & Chips is coming to All Saints’ Thursday, October 16; 5:30-7:30 pm! This has become a great event for the wider community, but it needs many hands to make it go. Take a look at the sign-up sheet in the Narthex. What do we need? Servers (teens); greeters/seaters; pack take-out bags; set up eat-in plates; bakers for cookies/desserts; provide cold drinks; door/cash box; publicity; set up room; clean up. We’ll be selling tickets at the Rummage Sale - $18 per adult/$9 per kids under 12 (tickets at the door will be $20/$10). And take a stack of flyers to give your neighbors!
FORMATION
Adult Faith Study Group Wed. nights 9/24-10/29, 7:30 pm, meets in the Rath House. We’ll read and discuss The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others, by Scott McKnight. The book focuses on what Jesus taught, in the light of his Jewish background, and what difference that makes to our life and faith. The book costs $10. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex so we know you are coming! Even if you can’t come, but want to read the book, sign the sheet and we’ll order it for you.
Women’s Book Group Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 pm in the Rath House. The book for discussion will be The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel, about the race to save European art from Nazi destruction at the end of World War II. Come for a fun evening of friendship and discussion.
Wednesday Bible Study Group 10:15-11:30 am in the Rath House. This fall we are reading the Gospel of John. Newcomers to Bible reading are welcomed and encouraged. We’ll provide you with a Bible if you need one. Come and try us out! Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
WORSHIP and MUSIC
Blessing of the Animals in Honor of St. Francis - Sunday, Oct. 5 at 5 pm in the Memorial Garden. Bring your dog, cat, or other pet (on a leash or in a carrier for their own comfort) for a 30 minute service of gratitude and blessing for our animal friends.
Save the date! December 7 at 4 pm we’ll have a festive Advent Evensong to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Mother Vicki’s ordination to the priesthood, followed by a Parish Pot-Luck Supper. Put the date on your calendar now.
All Saints’ Choir is open to new members and would love to have you participate. Children (in Grade 2 and older) rehearse Thursdays at 5 pm. Adults rehearse Thursdays at 7:30 pm. The choir sings at the 10 am service on Sunday mornings. The choir is affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music in America, which encompasses music education, choir and vocal training, and Christian education, spiritual development and leadership for all ages. For more information, please speak to our Director of Music Alison Siener Brown.
Mid-Week Worship Early morning Eucharist and Healing Prayer, Thursdays, at 7 am. It’s a simple, quiet way to start your day before work and connect with Christ and others during the week. An optional light breakfast is served in the Rath House following the service.
Daily Prayer On-Line is a great option when you are at your computer. The Spiritual Connections page on our website has links to several versions: screen, spoken audio, and a sung Compline podcast. Take a look!
COMMUNITY HOSPITALITY
CommunityArt Show, October 19, 3-6 pm, All Saints’ Parish Hall. Artists of all ages are invited to enter their work! Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, mixed media... whatever your art is, please share it with us. And invite your friends to share their work also. The entry fee is $20 and will allow you to submit 2 to 3 pieces. There is a flyer with information on the Narthex table. Speak to Nancy Mink for more information.
Musikgarten Music Classes for children from babies up to 8 years old – singing games and musical play all the way up to pre-piano/instrument classes, here at All Saints’. The classes are offered in partnership with the community organization Music in the Somerset Hills, and are taught by our own Alison Siener Brown. For more information/registration speak to Alison or go to http://musicsh.org/musikgarten/.
HELPINGS HANDS
Knitting for Seafarers All Saints’ has a dedicated group of volunteers who knit scarves and caps for Seamen’s Church Institute’s Christmas-at-Sea ministry. If you are interested in knitting for this ministry, please speak to Janet Mansfield. She can give you directions and yarn, and then you work on the project on your own time. Your gift will help keep a seafarer warm this winter!
PARISH CALENDAR THIS WEEK
Fri 9/19 Tents & Tables Go Up Church Lawn
Sat 9/20 Rummage Sale 9 am-2 pm, Church Lawn and Parish Hall
Wed 9/24 Bible Study 10:15 am, Rath House
Adult Faith Study 7:30 pm, Rath House
Thu 9/25 HE & Healing Prayer 7:00 am, Church
Choir (kids) 5:00 pm, Church
Choir (adults) 7:30 pm, Church
And be sure to check our full on-line calendar on the parish website www.allsaintsmillington.org.
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God, open my mind and my heart.
Lift the barriers,
unbind the strong grasp of my demands
when I want everything to go my way. [or when I want more]
God reach into my inner space
sweep out all my old clutter,
enlarge my capacity to receive.
God, empty me of whatever impedes
the growth of our relationship.
Help me to recognize and accept
your sources for my growth.
God, soften my resistance to emptying.
May I welcome each inner season
as a catalyst for my transformation.
O God, deepen my trust in you.
Ease my doubts, fears and discouragements.
When I am feeling vulnerable,
remind me that you are my safe haven.
God, may I be ever more rooted in you.
Draw me into solitude.
Entice me into endless encounters
where I experience oneness with you.
O God open the ears of my heart,
May I hear your voice within the silence
as well as within the noise of my life.
Re-awaken me so that I can listen to you
wholeheartedly.
God of goodness, we yearn to be open and receptive
to your generosity.
May we trust your presence amidst the cycle
of emptying and filling. ~ Joyce Rupp
Blessings,
Vicki McGrath+