Dear Friends in Christ,
This Sunday is the start of the church program year – including Sunday School and choirs. It is also our annual Welcome Sunday Hot Dog Picnic. I hope that you will be able to join us, and make a good start to this new year of worship and spiritual growth at All Saints’.
This week’s announcements are below. Please look particularly at:
· Rummage Sale Coming Close – Fun & Fundraising
· Sunday School Starting– Formation
· Choirs Starting – Worship and Music
· Kids’ Ice Cream Social - Events
· Blessing of the Backpacks - Events
+ + + + + + + +
EVENTS
Welcome Sunday Hot Dog Picnic – Sunday, Sept. 13, 11:15 on the Parish House lawn. We provide hot dogs, rolls, and drinks. You bring a side dish, salad, or dessert. Come and greet your fellow Saints...and meet some new ones!
Blessing of the Backpacks – this Sunday kids should bring their school back packs to Church. They (and the children) will be blessed for the start of the school year. Children in the youngest Sunday School class will have their blessing in their class. All others will be blessed at the Peace.
Sunday School Ice Cream Social, Fri. Sept. 11@7 pm. This is a fun event to get together with friends, classmates and teachers before Sunday School begins. If you haven’t already RSVPd, please respond to this e-mail to let us know you are coming! Friends are invited, too!
Save the date: October 18 for All Saints’ Annual Community Art Show! Look for more info soon!
FUN & FUNDRAISING
The Rummage Sale is next week, September 19, 9 am- 2 pm!
The last day for collection is this Sunday. If you must bring items later please make sure they are already priced.
What help do we need?
· Set up tents and tables Friday night w/ Geof Kimak
· Move rummage out Saturday at 6 am
· Take a shift selling
· Bake for bake sale
· Make chili
· Staff bake sale/food table
· Help with clean-up/boxing up left-overs (at 3 pm)
· Donate sturdy cardboard boxes with lids or flaps
Please sign up on the poster in the Narthex! Or e-mail us! Thanks for all your support. Got questions? Speak to Kimberly Celeste.
WORSHIP and MUSIC
Mid-Week Worship Thursdays at 7:00 am. Gather in the Church for a simple celebration of Holy Eucharist & healing prayer. Optional breakfast follows. A great start to your day, connecting with God and others.
Kids’ Choirs
Junior Choir, Grade 2 and older, Thursdays 5:15-6:30 pm
Small Saints Choir, K/Grade 1, Thursdays 5:15-5:45 pm
Both groups learn the basics of music and singing through games, activities, instruments and songs. They become part of a supportive community, make friends, and have fun. Junior Choir sings at the 10 am Sunday service weekly. Small Saints Choir sings at 10 am once a month. Want to know more? Please speak to Alison Siener Brown, Director of Music, asienerbrown@gmail.com.
Adult Choir is open to anyone in the parish and wider community who likes to sing in a fun and supportive group. Rehearsals are Thursdays at 7:30 pm. We’d love to have you join us! Interested? Please speak to Alison Siener Brown, Director of Music.
All God’s Children Service our monthly worship service for kids and families with special needs returns next Sunday, September 20 at 12 noon and lasts for 30 minutes. It’s a casual, calm service in a safe and supportive environment. The Church is wheel-chair accessible. Please let someone know who can benefit from this service For more information, speak with Mother Vicki.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Sunday School for age 3 through 8th grade starts this Sunday, September 13. Classes meet in the following locations:
Nursery (infant- age 3) Church Undercroft (downstairs)
PreK-Grade 1 Parish House Lower Room
Grades 2-5 Church Undercroft (downstairs)
Grades 6-8 Rath House (parish office/next to Church)
Children in Grades 2 and older start in Sunday School and then join their families in worship at the Peace. Younger children remain in their class for the entire time. Babies & toddlers are always welcome in worship!
Sunday School registration forms and preliminary schedules on the table in the Narthex. We need one or two high school helpers with the youngest class. Please speak to Barbara Erday or Jackie Sullivan to volunteer. Thanks! For more info e-mail the parish office: allstsmill@hotmail.com.
Confirmation Class for youth in Grades 9 & 10 will begin in October and meet two Sundays a month after coffee hour (most likely on the 2nd and 4th Sundays). The class will be taught by Mother Vicki. The service of Confirmation will then take place in April at the Cathedral in Newark. Older teens who have not yet been Confirmed may also be included in this class. More information will be coming soon.
Bible Study - Wed., 10:15-11:30 am in the Rath House. This week we’ll discuss Micah’s mother, Naomi, Ruth & Orpah, and the women of Bethlehem, pages 143-163 in Bible Women, All Their Words and Why They Matter. We are always happy to have new people join us. For more information, please speak to Mother Vicki.
Women's Book Group will meet next Wednesday, September 16, 7:30 pm in the Rath House. The book for discussion will be All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. Come for a relaxing and informative evening. Feel free to bring a friend.
STEWARDSHIP
Important Financial Update – we appreciate and need all of your pledge contributions and non-pledged donations! If you have been away over the summer or have gotten behind, please try to bring your pledge up-to-date; at least nine families/individuals are in this category. Our cash flow is very tight right now. We started 2015 with a budgeted deficit of $6800, and over the summer several families have left so we are not yet on track to close the deficit. Whatever you can do to help support the mission and ministry at All Saints’ is vital. Thank you!
HELPING HANDS
Food Pantry Update – We collect non-perishable foods for the food pantry at St. John’s Church in Dover. Please place your donations in the basket by the front door of the Church (or in the barrel by the side door). We are moving forward with the new food pantry storage and contribution system in tandem with the Community Food Bank of NJ, but that is taking longer than anticipated. Stay tuned!
COMMUNITY HOSPITALITY
Musikgarten classes for children from birth through age eight are available at All Saints’ and other area locations, offered by Music in the Somerset Hills. They are taught by Alison Siener Brown.
For classes, registration, and fees please go to http://musicsh.org/musikgarten/.
Sacred Thread Ministries offers monthly day retreats in All Saints’ Parish House. They are open to the wider community and run by a team that is led by Fr. Peter Krebs, S.T. This Sunday, Sept. 13, Sacred Threads is holding an Open House from 3-5 pm at the Long Hill Senior Center. You are invited to come and find out more about this ministry. Flyers are available in the Narthex.
Food Truck Festival this Saturday, September 12 from 10 am to 8pm in Millington at the Fire House to benefit the Millington Fire Company. Overflow parking will be available in All Saints’ parking lot. Check it out – and support our fire-fighters!
+ + + + + + + + +
PARISH CALENDAR
9/14 Vestry 7:30 pm Rath House
9/15 Bible Study 10:15 am Rath House
9/16 Holy Eucharist 7:00 am Church
Small Saints & Junior Choirs 5:15 pm Choir Room
Adult Choir 7:30 pm Choir Room
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.
Parish Office Hours: 9:30 am-4:00 pm, Mon., Tues., Thu.
Rector’s Sabbath day: Friday
FOR ALL THE SAINTS
September 13, John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, died 407
“John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, is one of the great saints of the Eastern Church. He was born about 354 in Antioch, Syria. As a young man, he responded to the call of desert monasticism until his health was impaired. He returned to Antioch after six years, and was ordained a presbyter. In 397, he became Patriarch of Constantinople. His episcopate was short and tumultuous. Many criticized his ascetical life in the episcopal residence, and he incurred the wrath of the Empress Eudoxia, who believed that he had called her a “Jezebel.” He was twice exiled, and he died during the second period of banishment, on September 14, 407. Thirty-one years later, his remains were brought back to Constantinople, and buried on January 27.
John, called “Chrysostom,” which means “the golden-mouthed,” was one of the greatest preachers in the history of the Church. People flocked to hear him. His eloquence was accompanied by an acute sensitivity to the needs of people. He saw preaching as an integral part of pastoral care, and as a medium of teaching. He warned that if a priest had no talent for preaching the Word, the souls of those in his charge “will fare no better than ships tossed in the storm.”
His sermons provide insights into the liturgy of the Church, and especially into eucharistic practices. He describes the liturgy as a glorious experience, in which all of heaven and earth join. His sermons emphasize the importance of lay participation in the Eucharist. “Why do you marvel,” he wrote, “that the people anywhere utter anything with the priest at the altar, when in fact they join with the Cherubim themselves, and the heavenly powers, in offering up sacred hymns?”
His treatise, Six Books on the Priesthood, is a classic manual on the priestly office and its awesome demands. The priest, he wrote, must be “dignified, but not haughty; awe-inspiring, but kind; affable in his authority; impartial, but courteous; humble, but not servile, strong but gentle ...” ~ Holy Women, Holy Men
Note ~ The Prayer of St. Chrysostom is a regular part of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Episcopal Prayer Book. We also hear Chrysostom’s famous Easter homily proclaimed at the Great Vigil of Easter, as it is in every Eastern Orthodox Church throughout the world.
Question for reflection: How do you use your gifts of communication to share Christ’s message with others?
+ + + + + + + + +
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one
accord to make our common supplication to you; and you
have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two
or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the
midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions
as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of
your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
~ Book of Common Prayer, page 102
Blessings,
Vicki+
This Sunday is the start of the church program year – including Sunday School and choirs. It is also our annual Welcome Sunday Hot Dog Picnic. I hope that you will be able to join us, and make a good start to this new year of worship and spiritual growth at All Saints’.
This week’s announcements are below. Please look particularly at:
· Rummage Sale Coming Close – Fun & Fundraising
· Sunday School Starting– Formation
· Choirs Starting – Worship and Music
· Kids’ Ice Cream Social - Events
· Blessing of the Backpacks - Events
+ + + + + + + +
EVENTS
Welcome Sunday Hot Dog Picnic – Sunday, Sept. 13, 11:15 on the Parish House lawn. We provide hot dogs, rolls, and drinks. You bring a side dish, salad, or dessert. Come and greet your fellow Saints...and meet some new ones!
Blessing of the Backpacks – this Sunday kids should bring their school back packs to Church. They (and the children) will be blessed for the start of the school year. Children in the youngest Sunday School class will have their blessing in their class. All others will be blessed at the Peace.
Sunday School Ice Cream Social, Fri. Sept. 11@7 pm. This is a fun event to get together with friends, classmates and teachers before Sunday School begins. If you haven’t already RSVPd, please respond to this e-mail to let us know you are coming! Friends are invited, too!
Save the date: October 18 for All Saints’ Annual Community Art Show! Look for more info soon!
FUN & FUNDRAISING
The Rummage Sale is next week, September 19, 9 am- 2 pm!
The last day for collection is this Sunday. If you must bring items later please make sure they are already priced.
What help do we need?
· Set up tents and tables Friday night w/ Geof Kimak
· Move rummage out Saturday at 6 am
· Take a shift selling
· Bake for bake sale
· Make chili
· Staff bake sale/food table
· Help with clean-up/boxing up left-overs (at 3 pm)
· Donate sturdy cardboard boxes with lids or flaps
Please sign up on the poster in the Narthex! Or e-mail us! Thanks for all your support. Got questions? Speak to Kimberly Celeste.
WORSHIP and MUSIC
Mid-Week Worship Thursdays at 7:00 am. Gather in the Church for a simple celebration of Holy Eucharist & healing prayer. Optional breakfast follows. A great start to your day, connecting with God and others.
Kids’ Choirs
Junior Choir, Grade 2 and older, Thursdays 5:15-6:30 pm
Small Saints Choir, K/Grade 1, Thursdays 5:15-5:45 pm
Both groups learn the basics of music and singing through games, activities, instruments and songs. They become part of a supportive community, make friends, and have fun. Junior Choir sings at the 10 am Sunday service weekly. Small Saints Choir sings at 10 am once a month. Want to know more? Please speak to Alison Siener Brown, Director of Music, asienerbrown@gmail.com.
Adult Choir is open to anyone in the parish and wider community who likes to sing in a fun and supportive group. Rehearsals are Thursdays at 7:30 pm. We’d love to have you join us! Interested? Please speak to Alison Siener Brown, Director of Music.
All God’s Children Service our monthly worship service for kids and families with special needs returns next Sunday, September 20 at 12 noon and lasts for 30 minutes. It’s a casual, calm service in a safe and supportive environment. The Church is wheel-chair accessible. Please let someone know who can benefit from this service For more information, speak with Mother Vicki.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Sunday School for age 3 through 8th grade starts this Sunday, September 13. Classes meet in the following locations:
Nursery (infant- age 3) Church Undercroft (downstairs)
PreK-Grade 1 Parish House Lower Room
Grades 2-5 Church Undercroft (downstairs)
Grades 6-8 Rath House (parish office/next to Church)
Children in Grades 2 and older start in Sunday School and then join their families in worship at the Peace. Younger children remain in their class for the entire time. Babies & toddlers are always welcome in worship!
Sunday School registration forms and preliminary schedules on the table in the Narthex. We need one or two high school helpers with the youngest class. Please speak to Barbara Erday or Jackie Sullivan to volunteer. Thanks! For more info e-mail the parish office: allstsmill@hotmail.com.
Confirmation Class for youth in Grades 9 & 10 will begin in October and meet two Sundays a month after coffee hour (most likely on the 2nd and 4th Sundays). The class will be taught by Mother Vicki. The service of Confirmation will then take place in April at the Cathedral in Newark. Older teens who have not yet been Confirmed may also be included in this class. More information will be coming soon.
Bible Study - Wed., 10:15-11:30 am in the Rath House. This week we’ll discuss Micah’s mother, Naomi, Ruth & Orpah, and the women of Bethlehem, pages 143-163 in Bible Women, All Their Words and Why They Matter. We are always happy to have new people join us. For more information, please speak to Mother Vicki.
Women's Book Group will meet next Wednesday, September 16, 7:30 pm in the Rath House. The book for discussion will be All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. Come for a relaxing and informative evening. Feel free to bring a friend.
STEWARDSHIP
Important Financial Update – we appreciate and need all of your pledge contributions and non-pledged donations! If you have been away over the summer or have gotten behind, please try to bring your pledge up-to-date; at least nine families/individuals are in this category. Our cash flow is very tight right now. We started 2015 with a budgeted deficit of $6800, and over the summer several families have left so we are not yet on track to close the deficit. Whatever you can do to help support the mission and ministry at All Saints’ is vital. Thank you!
HELPING HANDS
Food Pantry Update – We collect non-perishable foods for the food pantry at St. John’s Church in Dover. Please place your donations in the basket by the front door of the Church (or in the barrel by the side door). We are moving forward with the new food pantry storage and contribution system in tandem with the Community Food Bank of NJ, but that is taking longer than anticipated. Stay tuned!
COMMUNITY HOSPITALITY
Musikgarten classes for children from birth through age eight are available at All Saints’ and other area locations, offered by Music in the Somerset Hills. They are taught by Alison Siener Brown.
For classes, registration, and fees please go to http://musicsh.org/musikgarten/.
Sacred Thread Ministries offers monthly day retreats in All Saints’ Parish House. They are open to the wider community and run by a team that is led by Fr. Peter Krebs, S.T. This Sunday, Sept. 13, Sacred Threads is holding an Open House from 3-5 pm at the Long Hill Senior Center. You are invited to come and find out more about this ministry. Flyers are available in the Narthex.
Food Truck Festival this Saturday, September 12 from 10 am to 8pm in Millington at the Fire House to benefit the Millington Fire Company. Overflow parking will be available in All Saints’ parking lot. Check it out – and support our fire-fighters!
+ + + + + + + + +
PARISH CALENDAR
9/14 Vestry 7:30 pm Rath House
9/15 Bible Study 10:15 am Rath House
9/16 Holy Eucharist 7:00 am Church
Small Saints & Junior Choirs 5:15 pm Choir Room
Adult Choir 7:30 pm Choir Room
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.
Parish Office Hours: 9:30 am-4:00 pm, Mon., Tues., Thu.
Rector’s Sabbath day: Friday
FOR ALL THE SAINTS
September 13, John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, died 407
“John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, is one of the great saints of the Eastern Church. He was born about 354 in Antioch, Syria. As a young man, he responded to the call of desert monasticism until his health was impaired. He returned to Antioch after six years, and was ordained a presbyter. In 397, he became Patriarch of Constantinople. His episcopate was short and tumultuous. Many criticized his ascetical life in the episcopal residence, and he incurred the wrath of the Empress Eudoxia, who believed that he had called her a “Jezebel.” He was twice exiled, and he died during the second period of banishment, on September 14, 407. Thirty-one years later, his remains were brought back to Constantinople, and buried on January 27.
John, called “Chrysostom,” which means “the golden-mouthed,” was one of the greatest preachers in the history of the Church. People flocked to hear him. His eloquence was accompanied by an acute sensitivity to the needs of people. He saw preaching as an integral part of pastoral care, and as a medium of teaching. He warned that if a priest had no talent for preaching the Word, the souls of those in his charge “will fare no better than ships tossed in the storm.”
His sermons provide insights into the liturgy of the Church, and especially into eucharistic practices. He describes the liturgy as a glorious experience, in which all of heaven and earth join. His sermons emphasize the importance of lay participation in the Eucharist. “Why do you marvel,” he wrote, “that the people anywhere utter anything with the priest at the altar, when in fact they join with the Cherubim themselves, and the heavenly powers, in offering up sacred hymns?”
His treatise, Six Books on the Priesthood, is a classic manual on the priestly office and its awesome demands. The priest, he wrote, must be “dignified, but not haughty; awe-inspiring, but kind; affable in his authority; impartial, but courteous; humble, but not servile, strong but gentle ...” ~ Holy Women, Holy Men
Note ~ The Prayer of St. Chrysostom is a regular part of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Episcopal Prayer Book. We also hear Chrysostom’s famous Easter homily proclaimed at the Great Vigil of Easter, as it is in every Eastern Orthodox Church throughout the world.
Question for reflection: How do you use your gifts of communication to share Christ’s message with others?
+ + + + + + + + +
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one
accord to make our common supplication to you; and you
have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two
or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the
midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions
as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of
your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
~ Book of Common Prayer, page 102
Blessings,
Vicki+
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