All Saints' Millington
  • Home
  • Who we are
    • Clergy & Staff
    • 100 Years And Counting
    • Spiritual Connections
  • Worship
    • Becoming a Member
    • Sermons & Reflections
    • Words of Faith
    • Baptisms
    • Weddings
    • Funerals
  • Music & Choirs
  • Outreach
  • Giving
  • Calendar
  • E-Letter

This Week@All Saints'

11/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Dear Friends in Christ,

This is the last Sunday of the Church year, and the Sunday before Thanksgiving. While our lives are so very different now than they were a year ago, I hope you are able to find ways to express your gratitude to God and to those you love best.

I am reminded that when the Pilgrims first celebrated a festival of thanks in 1621, it was because their community had survived a very hard first year, by the grace of God and with help from Massasoit, leader of the local Wampanoag people.

And while there were intermittent days of thanksgiving observed in America over the next three centuries, the date of a national celebration was not established until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation declaring the last Thursday of November to be a day of “solemn thanksgiving”. This came, of course, in the depths of the Civil War – one of the most painful and perilous periods of crisis in our American history.

Our ability to give thanks to God and be aware of our blessings – large and small – are not dependent on outward circumstance, but on the attitude of our hearts, and our willingness to see God’s presence with us. I wish you and those you love a blessed and grace-filled Thanksgiving. ~ VGM+
+ + + + + + +
Our worship this Sunday will be at 8 am in the Memorial Garden and at 10 am on Zoom. Links and details are below.

Important New Worship Information in Light of Covid-19 – We had hoped to be able to move our 8 am service into the Church, now that our UV sanitizing lights have been installed. However, the rates of infection and community spread of the virus have moved very quickly. All of New Jersey (with the exception of Salem County) is in the red zone for new cases, positivity and transmission rates, and hospital capacity. We know that post-Thanksgiving this will only become worse.

After consultation with our Wardens Roger Kosempel and Linda Kestler we have decided not to start anything new in-person for the foreseeable future. That means that the 8 am November 22 service will be held outdoors in the Memorial Garden. It will be the last 8 am service until the virus is under much better control.

This is disappointing news, but our priority is always to serve God and our neighbor in doing what is best for all in our church community and our civic community. Our 8 am congregation have been faithful and cheerful. Our main Sunday worship will continue on Zoom at 10 am. Please remember that it is also accessible as audio-only via a phone call from a landline.
We know that there are quite a number of parishioners for whom worship on Zoom at 10 am does not work. We will continue to post the recordings of the 10 am service to YouTube and on our parish website. We will, of course, also continue with Compline each night at 9:30 pm on the parish Facebook page, as well as having other events and services on-line.
Thank you for your faithfulness and prayerful understanding.

Here are the announcements and links for Sunday’s worship.
  • Sunday Worship
  • Annual Pledge Campaign
  • Rummage Shoppe
  • Bible Study – New Topic for Advent
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Making Sacred Space
Sunday Worship – November 22nd – 8 & 10 am
8 am Service of the Word in-person in the Memorial Garden. Please register here: https://reopen.church/r/bloP83YN. Bring a folding chair and a copy of the bulletin (on the home page). Note – this will be the final Sunday 8 am service until further notice.
10 am Service of the Word on Zoom, followed by Coffee Hour. The bulletin is on the home page. To receive the Zoom log-in please e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com.

Annual Pledge Campaign – Thank you to everyone who has returned a pledge commitment for 2021 so far, either by returning the hard-copy form or by using the on-line pledge form on our website.
Pledge packets were sent to you via US mail last week. They contain a brochure telling the story of All Saints’ during this pandemic time, as well as a letter from me, and a pledge form. Please read this material and make your pledge commitment for 2021. If you did not receive a pledge packet in the mail, or is you have a question on the status of your current 2020 pledge, please send an e-mail to allstsmill@hotmail.com.
It is your prayer and your pledge of financial support that makes the ministry and mission of All Saints’ happen. We know that we still have some challenging months ahead of us, and so we need everyone to participate. Thank you!

Thanksgiving Day – on Thanksgiving morning at 10 am Mother Vicki will lead a short service of reflection and prayer on Facebook Live. You’ll be able to offer your thanksgivings in real time. Remember, because our page is public you do not have to be “on Facebook” to participate or watch; just follow this link https://www.facebook.com/allsaintsmillington/.  Please make time to pause for worship on Thanksgiving Day.

All Saints’ Rummage Shoppe – Our Rummage volunteers have been doing a wonderful job keeping up with all the donations and sales.  Our shoppe will remain open until December 11, so time is limited! Reserve a 30-minute shopping time here: https://reopen.church/r/bloP83YN. 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 only until the middle of December, so take a look now and tell your friends.

Bible Study this week is on Wed., Nov. 25 at 10:15 am. We are reading and discussing the end of Philippians, Ch. 4.  In Advent we start a new topic: we’ll spend time with the Old Testament readings for the Sundays of Advent which look forward to the birth of the Messiah. We’d love to have you and your friends participate in this Zoom class. For the link please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.    

Christian Practices: Making Sacred Space
We often think of sacred space as a church, synagogue, or some other place people gather for formal worship. Or we might experience a particular location in the natural world as sacred – what Celtic spirituality refers to as “thin places” where we sense God’s presence very strongly.

But we can also have sacred space in our home. This is particularly important during this time when we are spending so much time at home. This week Bishop Hughes shares a meditation with us about the sacred space she has created in her home. Take a look and listen and consider how you might make a space for prayer and reflection in your home, if you haven’t done so already. https://youtu.be/hbcO0H3qt5Q

Blessings, Vicki+

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    This Week
    @All Saints'

    The weekly e-letter of news, announcements and reflection from All Saints' Episcopal Church, Millington, NJ
    Join this list! please include your name and e-mail.  Thanks.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Categories

    All
    Aa
    Announcments
    Ascension
    Baptism
    Bishop Beckwith
    Book Group
    Book Of Common Prayer
    Bowling Party
    Carrie Newcomer
    Car Wash
    Christian Arts Camp
    Christmas
    Community Forum
    Csjb
    Easter
    Egypt
    Epiphany
    Facebook
    Father's Day
    Fish And Chips
    Food For Friends
    Gala Brunch
    Green Faith
    Holiness
    Holy Habits
    Holy Name
    Holy Week
    Independence Day
    Inquirer's Class
    Japan
    John The Baptist
    Lent
    Maundy Thursday
    Memorial Day
    Mother's Day
    Ordination
    Palm Sunday
    Parish House Entryway
    Parking Lot
    Parking Lot Challenge
    Penitence
    Pentecost
    Prayer
    Rogation Sunday
    Sabbatical
    Scouts
    Seder
    Small Saints
    Solar Screening
    Souper Bowl
    Stewardship
    Summer
    Summer Program
    Worship

    RSS Feed

All Saints' Episcopal Church

 15 Basking Ridge Road, Millington NJ 07946    phone: (908) 647-0067    email: allstsmill@hotmail.com
Photo used under Creative Commons from Dustin A. Lewis