Dear Friends in Christ,
Lent has begun. In addition to those who attended our services yesterday, on Ash Wednesday, we had about a dozen people stop by during their lunch hour for “Ashes As Needed” experiment – a few simple prayers and imposition of ashes as individuals came and went. Some were parishioners, some neighbors, some just saw the sign and came in...a good beginning to this important season. I hope that the start of your Lent has been a good connection with God.
In our Gospel passage this Sunday we will hear about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. We will also begin both services with the Great Litany, as we shift into the Rite I version of our worship, reconnecting with our Anglican roots. For some, the Great Litany is a trial to be endured; for others, it is a cleansing of the spiritual palate, knowing that there is no human condition unknown to our good, loving, and just God. Either way, the Litany is one of those spiritual practices that, when entered into in the right spirit and by God’s grace, leaves us better than we were before.
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:
Mid-Lent Coffee Hour Bake-Off: Simnel Cake. Attention all bakers!
For our Coffee Hour on 3/26 we are holding a bake-off, using recipes for Simnel Cake, the traditional English cake for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (aka Mid-Lent, Refreshment Sunday, Laetare Sunday, Mothering Sunday). Recipes and more info are available in the Narthex, along with a sign-up sheet to let us know you will be part of the fun. The congregation will be the judges during coffee hour. Ladies and gentlemen, start your ovens!
Thanks to Kerrie Stepko, Barbara Barbeau, Steve Kowalik, Camille & Kenny Yates, and our some of our parish youth for a wonderful Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. We were joined by members of the Christian Community. A good time was had by all!
Save the Date! Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, April 27 – 5:30-7:30 pm.
LENT
Lenten Daily Prayer in Virtual Community – all the details are in the brochure in the Narthex – also a reading schedule for the Gospel of Matthew during Lent. Sign up for this on the sheet in the Narthex, and/or send an email to allstsmill@hotmail.com.
Lenten Devotional Booklets – this year we have a variety of booklets from Forward Movement and from Episcopal Relief and Development. Please take one for your Lenten preparation.
Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Commandments. Monday nights at 7 pm, six sessions, starting 3/6. A foundation for our love and duty to God and neighbor, the Ten Commandments are the topic of this six-week series. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex or e-mail to reserve a book ($10) and let us know if you’ll come for a simple soup supper at 6:30 pm.
Pathways of Faith Coloring Evening, Wed. 3/15 – using a Biblically-themed coloring book published by forward Movement, we’ll spend a reflective evening in the Church – 7:30 – 9 pm.
“The Road to Character” Book Discussion, Wed. 3/29, 4/5. Join us for this 2-part discussion of David Brooks’ important book (available through the library or Amazon). It highlights a variety of different notable people and the way they developed traits such as honesty, goodness, altruism, loyalty, courage, and faith.7:30- 9 pm in the Rath House.
There are sign-up sheets for these events in the Narthex.
WORSHIP
This Sunday: Scout Sunday – at the 10 am service we will recognize all Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and their leaders. Scouts should wear their uniforms to Church. All Saints’ is the chartering organization for BSA Troop 56 and Cub Pack 56; we are also the host site for the monthly LHT Girl Scout Leader meetings, as well as many Den and Troop gatherings. If you know a Scout family, invite them to Church that day. All are welcome!
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church during Lent. Stop in on your way home from work.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
This Sunday: The Celtic Heart @ All Saints’
Irish singer/songwriter Carmel Boyle returns to New Jersey to share her spiritual tradition with original spiritual songs, stories and rituals inspired by the Celtic tradition. Her mystic voice touches the heart and opens it to prayer and healing. There are two opportunities to hear Carmel.
Concert ~ The Singing Heart
Sunday, Mar. 5, 7:30 pm –9 pm: Goodwill offering
A night of song and spirit; bring a friend and be refreshed at the start of Lent ~ in the Church.
Retreat Day ~ The Open Heart
Wednesday, Mar. 8, 9:15 am– 2:30 pm: $50/hot lunch
Be enriched by Carmel’s unique presentation of the Celtic Christian Tradition that offers inspirational and creative ways of prayer. Broaden your spiritual life by connecting with this ancient tradition ~ in the Parish House.
To register for the retreat call Pat Hughes: 908-608-3160.
Carmel comes to us through the kindness of Sacred Thread Ministries and the Christian Community.
Bible Study – Wed. at 10:15 am, in the Rath House. We are reading through the Book of Acts; this week, 3/8, we’ll discuss Chapter 24. Newcomers welcome!
HELPING HANDS
Our Next Night to Make Sleeping Mats for Homeless is March 8th 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.
Winter Soup is available to take home after Church on Sundays during coffee hour ($5 quart/$3 pint – frozen). It is also available to take to sick or shut-in parishioners. If you buy soup, please write your name on the sheet posted on the Parish Hall fridge, and leave your payment into the box in the freezer. Thanks.
Twelve Baskets Food Ministry - Please remember to check out the Food Pantry donation display in the side hallway in Church. Pick an envelope with the type of food you would like to contribute; put cash or a check in the envelope; put the envelope in the offering plate to help purchase food from the Community FoodBank for distribution in our community and at the food pantry in Dover. Thank you!
COMMUNICATIONS
“This Week@All Saints’”, our parish e-letter, has a new format. Each Thursday a short e-mail will be sent out with a link to the matching page on our parish website. This is an attractive, easy-to-read presentation. It also is more time efficient for our staff. Please be sure to take a look. And if you are not already receiving our parish e-mail, please send a request to allstsmill@hotmail.com.
Connect with us on Facebook at “All Saints' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Millington.” Why have we added “Anglican” to our FB name? Bishop Beckwith is encouraging all parishes to include this so Christians from other parts of the Anglican Communion where the term Episcopal is not familiar can find us when they come to our diocese.
STEWARDSHIP
2016 Year-end Statements of Contribution for tax preparation have been mailed home. Thanks for your support of God’s mission through All Saints’!
DIOCESAN NEWS
Bishop Beckwith Announces his Retirement and Calls for the Election of a New Bishop. After 10 years of service in the Diocese of Newark, Bishop Beckwith has decided it is time to retire, in part so that he and his wife Marilyn can enjoy their new grandson. The process of calling a new bishop takes 18 months, so the Bishop’s retirement date will be after September 22, 2018. As the Standing Committee of the Diocese (the body charged with this work) organizes the work of this search, we will be called into prayer. In the meantime, read the article on the diocesan website: http://dioceseofnewark.org/content/bishop-beckwith-calls-election-next-bishop-newark
PARISH CALENDAR
3/5 Celtic Heart Concert Church, 7:30 pm
3/6 Evening Prayer Church, 6:00 pm
Pilgrim Group Rath House, 7:00 pm
3/8 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
Plarn Mat Making Parish Hall, 7:30 pm
3/9 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 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
The Daily Examen - St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order in the 16th century, included in his Spiritual Exercises a prayer called "the Examen," which derives from the Latin word for examination...There are many versions of the Examen today, but all have five steps. Here is a simple rendering of some key elements:
1. Place yourself in God's presence. Give thanks for God's great love for you.
2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life.
3. Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time.
4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away? What are you grateful for?
5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God's plan. Be specific, and conclude with the Lord’s Prayer.
The heart of the Examen is the third part: reviewing your day.
"Think of it as a movie playing in your head," writes James Martin, S.J., in The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. "Push the play button and run through your day, from start to finish, from your rising in the morning to preparing to go to bed at night. Notice what made you happy, what made you stressed, what confused you, what helped you be more loving. Recall everything: sights, sounds, feelings, tastes, textures, conversations. Thoughts, words, and deeds, as Ignatius says. Each moment offers a window to where God has been in your day."
And remember that no experience is too trivial for spiritual investigation.
"Nothing in our lives is so insignificant that it doesn't deserve God's attention," notes Jim Manney in A Simple Life-Changing Prayer, a book about the Examen. "In fact, the mundane and the humdrum parts of our lives give depth and texture to our relationships with God. Washing the windows and cooking dinner are as much a part of the relationship as graduation day. If it's part of our human experience, God is in it." ~ from http://jesuits.org/spirituality?PAGE=DTN-20130520125910
And a link to a Latin setting of the hymn “Adoro devote” – in our hymnal as “Humbly I adore thee” # 314: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhpweXFNZow
Blessings, Vicki+
Lent has begun. In addition to those who attended our services yesterday, on Ash Wednesday, we had about a dozen people stop by during their lunch hour for “Ashes As Needed” experiment – a few simple prayers and imposition of ashes as individuals came and went. Some were parishioners, some neighbors, some just saw the sign and came in...a good beginning to this important season. I hope that the start of your Lent has been a good connection with God.
In our Gospel passage this Sunday we will hear about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. We will also begin both services with the Great Litany, as we shift into the Rite I version of our worship, reconnecting with our Anglican roots. For some, the Great Litany is a trial to be endured; for others, it is a cleansing of the spiritual palate, knowing that there is no human condition unknown to our good, loving, and just God. Either way, the Litany is one of those spiritual practices that, when entered into in the right spirit and by God’s grace, leaves us better than we were before.
Please take a look at the announcements below, especially:
- Celtic Heart Concert (Christian Formation)
- Mid-Lent Simnel Cake Bake-Off (Events)
- Family Worship & Scout Sunday (Worship)
Mid-Lent Coffee Hour Bake-Off: Simnel Cake. Attention all bakers!
For our Coffee Hour on 3/26 we are holding a bake-off, using recipes for Simnel Cake, the traditional English cake for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (aka Mid-Lent, Refreshment Sunday, Laetare Sunday, Mothering Sunday). Recipes and more info are available in the Narthex, along with a sign-up sheet to let us know you will be part of the fun. The congregation will be the judges during coffee hour. Ladies and gentlemen, start your ovens!
Thanks to Kerrie Stepko, Barbara Barbeau, Steve Kowalik, Camille & Kenny Yates, and our some of our parish youth for a wonderful Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. We were joined by members of the Christian Community. A good time was had by all!
Save the Date! Spring Fish & Chips by Argyle of Kearny, April 27 – 5:30-7:30 pm.
LENT
Lenten Daily Prayer in Virtual Community – all the details are in the brochure in the Narthex – also a reading schedule for the Gospel of Matthew during Lent. Sign up for this on the sheet in the Narthex, and/or send an email to allstsmill@hotmail.com.
Lenten Devotional Booklets – this year we have a variety of booklets from Forward Movement and from Episcopal Relief and Development. Please take one for your Lenten preparation.
Pilgrim, a Course for the Christian Journey: The Commandments. Monday nights at 7 pm, six sessions, starting 3/6. A foundation for our love and duty to God and neighbor, the Ten Commandments are the topic of this six-week series. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex or e-mail to reserve a book ($10) and let us know if you’ll come for a simple soup supper at 6:30 pm.
Pathways of Faith Coloring Evening, Wed. 3/15 – using a Biblically-themed coloring book published by forward Movement, we’ll spend a reflective evening in the Church – 7:30 – 9 pm.
“The Road to Character” Book Discussion, Wed. 3/29, 4/5. Join us for this 2-part discussion of David Brooks’ important book (available through the library or Amazon). It highlights a variety of different notable people and the way they developed traits such as honesty, goodness, altruism, loyalty, courage, and faith.7:30- 9 pm in the Rath House.
There are sign-up sheets for these events in the Narthex.
WORSHIP
This Sunday: Scout Sunday – at the 10 am service we will recognize all Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and their leaders. Scouts should wear their uniforms to Church. All Saints’ is the chartering organization for BSA Troop 56 and Cub Pack 56; we are also the host site for the monthly LHT Girl Scout Leader meetings, as well as many Den and Troop gatherings. If you know a Scout family, invite them to Church that day. All are welcome!
Evening Prayer, Mondays, 6 pm in the Church during Lent. Stop in on your way home from work.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
This Sunday: The Celtic Heart @ All Saints’
Irish singer/songwriter Carmel Boyle returns to New Jersey to share her spiritual tradition with original spiritual songs, stories and rituals inspired by the Celtic tradition. Her mystic voice touches the heart and opens it to prayer and healing. There are two opportunities to hear Carmel.
Concert ~ The Singing Heart
Sunday, Mar. 5, 7:30 pm –9 pm: Goodwill offering
A night of song and spirit; bring a friend and be refreshed at the start of Lent ~ in the Church.
Retreat Day ~ The Open Heart
Wednesday, Mar. 8, 9:15 am– 2:30 pm: $50/hot lunch
Be enriched by Carmel’s unique presentation of the Celtic Christian Tradition that offers inspirational and creative ways of prayer. Broaden your spiritual life by connecting with this ancient tradition ~ in the Parish House.
To register for the retreat call Pat Hughes: 908-608-3160.
Carmel comes to us through the kindness of Sacred Thread Ministries and the Christian Community.
Bible Study – Wed. at 10:15 am, in the Rath House. We are reading through the Book of Acts; this week, 3/8, we’ll discuss Chapter 24. Newcomers welcome!
HELPING HANDS
Our Next Night to Make Sleeping Mats for Homeless is March 8th 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.
Winter Soup is available to take home after Church on Sundays during coffee hour ($5 quart/$3 pint – frozen). It is also available to take to sick or shut-in parishioners. If you buy soup, please write your name on the sheet posted on the Parish Hall fridge, and leave your payment into the box in the freezer. Thanks.
Twelve Baskets Food Ministry - Please remember to check out the Food Pantry donation display in the side hallway in Church. Pick an envelope with the type of food you would like to contribute; put cash or a check in the envelope; put the envelope in the offering plate to help purchase food from the Community FoodBank for distribution in our community and at the food pantry in Dover. Thank you!
COMMUNICATIONS
“This Week@All Saints’”, our parish e-letter, has a new format. Each Thursday a short e-mail will be sent out with a link to the matching page on our parish website. This is an attractive, easy-to-read presentation. It also is more time efficient for our staff. Please be sure to take a look. And if you are not already receiving our parish e-mail, please send a request to allstsmill@hotmail.com.
Connect with us on Facebook at “All Saints' Episcopal/Anglican Church, Millington.” Why have we added “Anglican” to our FB name? Bishop Beckwith is encouraging all parishes to include this so Christians from other parts of the Anglican Communion where the term Episcopal is not familiar can find us when they come to our diocese.
STEWARDSHIP
2016 Year-end Statements of Contribution for tax preparation have been mailed home. Thanks for your support of God’s mission through All Saints’!
DIOCESAN NEWS
Bishop Beckwith Announces his Retirement and Calls for the Election of a New Bishop. After 10 years of service in the Diocese of Newark, Bishop Beckwith has decided it is time to retire, in part so that he and his wife Marilyn can enjoy their new grandson. The process of calling a new bishop takes 18 months, so the Bishop’s retirement date will be after September 22, 2018. As the Standing Committee of the Diocese (the body charged with this work) organizes the work of this search, we will be called into prayer. In the meantime, read the article on the diocesan website: http://dioceseofnewark.org/content/bishop-beckwith-calls-election-next-bishop-newark
PARISH CALENDAR
3/5 Celtic Heart Concert Church, 7:30 pm
3/6 Evening Prayer Church, 6:00 pm
Pilgrim Group Rath House, 7:00 pm
3/8 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
Plarn Mat Making Parish Hall, 7:30 pm
3/9 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 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
The Daily Examen - St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order in the 16th century, included in his Spiritual Exercises a prayer called "the Examen," which derives from the Latin word for examination...There are many versions of the Examen today, but all have five steps. Here is a simple rendering of some key elements:
1. Place yourself in God's presence. Give thanks for God's great love for you.
2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life.
3. Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time.
4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away? What are you grateful for?
5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God's plan. Be specific, and conclude with the Lord’s Prayer.
The heart of the Examen is the third part: reviewing your day.
"Think of it as a movie playing in your head," writes James Martin, S.J., in The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. "Push the play button and run through your day, from start to finish, from your rising in the morning to preparing to go to bed at night. Notice what made you happy, what made you stressed, what confused you, what helped you be more loving. Recall everything: sights, sounds, feelings, tastes, textures, conversations. Thoughts, words, and deeds, as Ignatius says. Each moment offers a window to where God has been in your day."
And remember that no experience is too trivial for spiritual investigation.
"Nothing in our lives is so insignificant that it doesn't deserve God's attention," notes Jim Manney in A Simple Life-Changing Prayer, a book about the Examen. "In fact, the mundane and the humdrum parts of our lives give depth and texture to our relationships with God. Washing the windows and cooking dinner are as much a part of the relationship as graduation day. If it's part of our human experience, God is in it." ~ from http://jesuits.org/spirituality?PAGE=DTN-20130520125910
And a link to a Latin setting of the hymn “Adoro devote” – in our hymnal as “Humbly I adore thee” # 314: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhpweXFNZow
Blessings, Vicki+
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