Dear Friends in Christ,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Please take a look at the week’s announcements, in particular:
THIS SUNDAY: Family Service at 10 am. Congratulations to our Confirmands - Jess Gillespie and Kara Phillips, and Abigail Saitta! Give thanks for these young people and this important step they have made in their faith and life. Please be on hand to do so. We’ll give thanks, also, for our Sunday School teachers and children, and for our Junior Choir. Sunday School is on hiatus for the summer.
Pentecost, June 9 celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit and is one of the four great baptismal feast days in the Church year. We’ll hear the Gospel in a number of different languages and renew our Baptismal Covenant.
Choir Sunday/Trinity Sunday, June 16 – we’ll have the first performance of the anthem “Ubi Caritas” that All Saints’ commissioned in honor of Bill Smullen’s fifty years in our choir. And as a special treat, the composer R. Douglas Helvering will be here and will conduct his piece. You won’t want to miss this wonderful celebration!
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Vacation Bible School - for Kids, Adults, & Families - Aslan is on the Move: based on ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ Sunday, June 23–Thursday, June 27, 6:00-8:30 pm
This is an inter-generational Christian experience for kids, adults, and families...in evening time slot, starting with a simple dinner. Invite your friends and neighbors!
The program is open to anyone age 6 and older. The cost is $75 per family for the week. For more information please contact Alison Siener Brown (Director of Music at All Saints’): asienerbrown@gmail.com or call the parish office at 908-647-0067.
Themes that are part of this program:
Bible Study this week, Wed. at 10:15 am in the Rath House. We’ll discuss Chapter 7 of Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright –“Jesus and the Coming of God’s Kingdom”. Copies of the book are available on the table on the Narthex. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
STEWARDSHIP
The Rummage Sale is Coming! September 28! And we need your help. There are jobs that everyone can do – including praying for good weather, safety, and the success of the Sale. This is a multi-purpose event: our biggest fund-raiser; an outreach for families on a tight budget; a community festival; and an environmental ministry to help reuse, recycle, and keep items out of the landfill. The volunteer sign-up poster is in the Narthex. Maybe there is a job that you’d like to take on that you need more information about. Speak to Kimberly Celeste. And invite a friend of parishioner to join you in what you are doing – it’s more fun that way, and gets others involved. Thanks!
Care of Creation - If you are interested in exploring ways that we at All Saints’ can be better stewards of Creation close to home, please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex and we’ll find a time to gather and discuss ideas. You can also look here for Episcopal Church resources: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/creation-care
PARISH LIFE
The Altar Guild summer social will be a dinner on Wednesday, at 6 pm, June 12 at Bruno’s restaurant in Warren. Please RSVP to Liz Gorny to let her know you will be there. And the Altar Guild is always looking for people to join in the ministry of caring for the altar and preparing the Church for worship each week. Want to know more? Speak to Liz Gorny or Mother Vicki.
OUTREACH
Food Ministry - Last week we received a large and generous donation of non-perishable food from the Gillette Post Office, from their Letter Carriers' food drive. We were able to share that this week with Market Street Mission in Morristown. Market Street's ministry is to the homeless - providing a soup kitchen, clothing, a men's emergency shelter, and counseling. Thank you to the Gillette Post Office for helping us in our food ministry!
DIOCESAN NEWS
The Rev. Canon Greg Jacobs is retiring after serving our diocese for eleven years. He’ll relocate to North Carolina to be near family. A farewell reception is planned for Thursday, June 20 from 5:30 PM until 8 PM at Episcopal House in Newark. A festive Celebration of Ministry Evensong will be held at St. Paul’s Church, Englewood on Sunday, June 23 at 3 PM with a reception following. Thanks be to God for Canon Greg’s ministry among us.
THY KINGDOM COME
From Ascension to Pentecost (5/30-6/9) - There’s still time to join this “global wave of prayer”, as Archbishop Justin Welby calls it. From Ascension to Pentecost (5/30-6/9), Anglicans, Episcopalians and other Christians throughout the world are praying daily for our communities and our world – and people we know in particular - to come to know the love of God in Christ. Mother Vicki is hosting a Facebook Live Prayer Event at 5:45 pm each day. Information about how to join the Event, as well as print prayer resources, are available in the Narthex. There are also daily videos that Archbishop Juston’s office have been producing that we are sharing on the Church Facebook page.Next Sunday at the altar we’ll offer cards with the names of all those for whom we have been praying.
PARISH CALENDAR
6/5 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
6/6 Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am
Junior Choir 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 PRACTICES
Confirmation in the Episcopal Church is about making a more mature affirmation of the promises made on our behalf in baptism…assuming that baptism took place when the person was a baby or young child. For teenagers and adults it is an opportunity to delve further into the beliefs and practices of Christian faith and the way the Episcopal Church practices them. Preparation for Confirmation is often done as a class or series of conversations with others who are also engaged in this same journey of faith. At Confirmation each person is presented to the Bishop who then lays hands on them and prays for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to confirm and strengthen their faith and ability to live a Christian life.
In the Episcopal Church at a service of Confirmation, the Bishop also formally receives people into the Episcopal Church who have previously been Confirmed members of other Christian traditions. There is also an opportunity for those who would like to make a public reaffirmation of their faith for a variety of reasons to do so, and to have the Bishop’s prayers and blessing.
The meaning of Confirmation has had several interpretations over the centuries. The Church’s position now is that Baptism is the full rite of initiation into Christian faith and life – which is why Confirmation is not necessary before Communion. But Confirmation continues to play an important role in the formation and spiritual development of Episcopalians. Any adults wishing to know more about Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation of Faith for themselves should speak to Mother Vicki.
Blessings, Vicki+
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Please take a look at the week’s announcements, in particular:
- Celebration of Confirmands & Sunday School (Worship)
- Rummage Sale Sign-ups (Stewardship)
- Narnia-themed Vacation Bible School for All (Christian Formation)
THIS SUNDAY: Family Service at 10 am. Congratulations to our Confirmands - Jess Gillespie and Kara Phillips, and Abigail Saitta! Give thanks for these young people and this important step they have made in their faith and life. Please be on hand to do so. We’ll give thanks, also, for our Sunday School teachers and children, and for our Junior Choir. Sunday School is on hiatus for the summer.
Pentecost, June 9 celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit and is one of the four great baptismal feast days in the Church year. We’ll hear the Gospel in a number of different languages and renew our Baptismal Covenant.
Choir Sunday/Trinity Sunday, June 16 – we’ll have the first performance of the anthem “Ubi Caritas” that All Saints’ commissioned in honor of Bill Smullen’s fifty years in our choir. And as a special treat, the composer R. Douglas Helvering will be here and will conduct his piece. You won’t want to miss this wonderful celebration!
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Vacation Bible School - for Kids, Adults, & Families - Aslan is on the Move: based on ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ Sunday, June 23–Thursday, June 27, 6:00-8:30 pm
This is an inter-generational Christian experience for kids, adults, and families...in evening time slot, starting with a simple dinner. Invite your friends and neighbors!
The program is open to anyone age 6 and older. The cost is $75 per family for the week. For more information please contact Alison Siener Brown (Director of Music at All Saints’): asienerbrown@gmail.com or call the parish office at 908-647-0067.
Themes that are part of this program:
- How our view of truth & reality affects our behavior.
- How our values lead us to action.
- The difference between fear and love.
- The power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
- Willing sacrifice, abiding belief, grief, and joy.
Bible Study this week, Wed. at 10:15 am in the Rath House. We’ll discuss Chapter 7 of Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright –“Jesus and the Coming of God’s Kingdom”. Copies of the book are available on the table on the Narthex. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
STEWARDSHIP
The Rummage Sale is Coming! September 28! And we need your help. There are jobs that everyone can do – including praying for good weather, safety, and the success of the Sale. This is a multi-purpose event: our biggest fund-raiser; an outreach for families on a tight budget; a community festival; and an environmental ministry to help reuse, recycle, and keep items out of the landfill. The volunteer sign-up poster is in the Narthex. Maybe there is a job that you’d like to take on that you need more information about. Speak to Kimberly Celeste. And invite a friend of parishioner to join you in what you are doing – it’s more fun that way, and gets others involved. Thanks!
Care of Creation - If you are interested in exploring ways that we at All Saints’ can be better stewards of Creation close to home, please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex and we’ll find a time to gather and discuss ideas. You can also look here for Episcopal Church resources: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/creation-care
PARISH LIFE
The Altar Guild summer social will be a dinner on Wednesday, at 6 pm, June 12 at Bruno’s restaurant in Warren. Please RSVP to Liz Gorny to let her know you will be there. And the Altar Guild is always looking for people to join in the ministry of caring for the altar and preparing the Church for worship each week. Want to know more? Speak to Liz Gorny or Mother Vicki.
OUTREACH
Food Ministry - Last week we received a large and generous donation of non-perishable food from the Gillette Post Office, from their Letter Carriers' food drive. We were able to share that this week with Market Street Mission in Morristown. Market Street's ministry is to the homeless - providing a soup kitchen, clothing, a men's emergency shelter, and counseling. Thank you to the Gillette Post Office for helping us in our food ministry!
DIOCESAN NEWS
The Rev. Canon Greg Jacobs is retiring after serving our diocese for eleven years. He’ll relocate to North Carolina to be near family. A farewell reception is planned for Thursday, June 20 from 5:30 PM until 8 PM at Episcopal House in Newark. A festive Celebration of Ministry Evensong will be held at St. Paul’s Church, Englewood on Sunday, June 23 at 3 PM with a reception following. Thanks be to God for Canon Greg’s ministry among us.
THY KINGDOM COME
From Ascension to Pentecost (5/30-6/9) - There’s still time to join this “global wave of prayer”, as Archbishop Justin Welby calls it. From Ascension to Pentecost (5/30-6/9), Anglicans, Episcopalians and other Christians throughout the world are praying daily for our communities and our world – and people we know in particular - to come to know the love of God in Christ. Mother Vicki is hosting a Facebook Live Prayer Event at 5:45 pm each day. Information about how to join the Event, as well as print prayer resources, are available in the Narthex. There are also daily videos that Archbishop Juston’s office have been producing that we are sharing on the Church Facebook page.Next Sunday at the altar we’ll offer cards with the names of all those for whom we have been praying.
PARISH CALENDAR
6/5 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
6/6 Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am
Junior Choir 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 PRACTICES
Confirmation in the Episcopal Church is about making a more mature affirmation of the promises made on our behalf in baptism…assuming that baptism took place when the person was a baby or young child. For teenagers and adults it is an opportunity to delve further into the beliefs and practices of Christian faith and the way the Episcopal Church practices them. Preparation for Confirmation is often done as a class or series of conversations with others who are also engaged in this same journey of faith. At Confirmation each person is presented to the Bishop who then lays hands on them and prays for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to confirm and strengthen their faith and ability to live a Christian life.
In the Episcopal Church at a service of Confirmation, the Bishop also formally receives people into the Episcopal Church who have previously been Confirmed members of other Christian traditions. There is also an opportunity for those who would like to make a public reaffirmation of their faith for a variety of reasons to do so, and to have the Bishop’s prayers and blessing.
The meaning of Confirmation has had several interpretations over the centuries. The Church’s position now is that Baptism is the full rite of initiation into Christian faith and life – which is why Confirmation is not necessary before Communion. But Confirmation continues to play an important role in the formation and spiritual development of Episcopalians. Any adults wishing to know more about Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation of Faith for themselves should speak to Mother Vicki.
Blessings, Vicki+
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