
We need some help staying on top of the watering schedule for the parking lot islands and maple tree because it has been so dry! The hoses and sprinklers are all set up and both islands can be watered at the same time because there are faucets on both the side of the church and the side of the Parish House. If you haven't responded to the SignUp Genius email, or are not sure how to do that, please just email the Parish Office to let us know you can help: allstsmill@hotmail.com. Thanks!
Please take a look at this week’s announcements, especially:
- Parking Lot News (Stewardship)
- Breakfast with the Bishop (Diocesan News)
- Last Week of Rummage Prep (Rummage Sale)
- Celebration of Parish Dedication (Worship)
RUMMAGE SALE
Sunday is the final day to donate items! What help do we need now?
- Price and pack during the week.
- Move rummage to front lawn on sale day at 6 am.
- Unpack rummage and put on tables at 7 am.
- Sell during the day – especially in furniture and tools.
- Assistants for the hot dog stand & bake sale – this is a great place for kids to help!
- Clean-up at end of sale at 2 pm.
DIOCESAN NEWS
Breakfast with the Bishop. Continuing her meet-and-greets around the diocese, Bishop Hughes will be here at All Saints’ on Saturday morning, Oct. 26, 9:30-11:30 am (doors open at 9 am) to meet parishioners and discuss the vision, hopes, and dreams for the diocese. We will host this diocesan gathering with our bishop and our Episcopal brothers and sisters from around the Diocese of Newark. Go to this link on the diocesan webpage to register for the event: https://dioceseofnewark.org/event/breaking-bread-bishop-hughes-millington
Our Diocesan E-newsletter, “The Voice Online” is published twice a month, and includes Bishop Hughes’ reflections/vlog. You can receive it directly into your inbox by following this link and signing up: https://dioceseofnewark.org/publications.
YOUTH
THIS SUNDAY: Diocesan Pop Up Youth Ministry Epic Games, Sept. 22 at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Oakland/Franklin Lakes. Registration begins at 3:30 and the event will begin at 4:00 and end at 6:30. Includes dinner and worship by campfire. All youth grades 6-12 are invited and encouraged to participate, and friends are welcome. All Saints’ youth and adults can travel by carpool. If you are interested, please contact Mother Vicki. Check the diocesan website for further information: https://dioceseofnewark.org/event/pop-youth-event-epic-games
STEWARDSHIP
Firewood Available in the back corner of the church parking lot. Free to a good home!
Parking Lot Renovation: Take a Look! The islands have now been seeded with grass seed and covered with straw. A Japanese red maple tree has been planted at the east end of the front island, with perennials planted around it; done in memory of Hugh Wallace. While the grass is coming in, please don’t walk on it so it can have a chance to grow. Thank you to everyone who has been taking turns watering!
Fall Clean-up & Pruning Party - Oct. 5, 9 am – 12 noon. We have shrubs that need pruning, brush in the back corner of the parking lot to go to the dump, and bricks to go to our garage (eventually to make a path on one of the parking lot islands) – all before Bishop Hughes and our guests from around the diocese come on Oct. 26 for Breakfast with the Bishop. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex to help!
WORSHIP
Celebrate the 113th Anniversary of Church Consecration and Dedication – Sunday, Sept. 29th (Feast of St, Michael & All Angels). We will celebrate this important parish anniversary at 10 am with a service of Festive Morning Prayer. We’ll gather outside at the front door of the Church to begin our service. Come and give thanks to God for our one-hundred-and-thirteen-year history!
Family Service, 10 am Oct. 6 – kids’ homily, birthday & anniversary prayers, no Sunday School.
Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis – Oct. 6, at 5 pm in the Memorial Garden. Bring your pets for a blessing as we give thanks to God for the goodness and beauty of Creation.
PARISH LIFE
Save the date! All Saints’ Cabaret Night is coming on November 23, 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall! Music, dessert, adult beverage (optional). Performances by some wonderful local talent. Want to know more or help with the event? Speak to Alison Siener Brown or Melissa Pagliaro. More details soon.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Bible Study meets this Wed. 9/23. We will be discussing Chapter 3 of the Book of Revelation. This group is for anyone interested in learning for about the Bible and its connection to our lives and our world. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
Narnia Book Club for all ages will be returning October 13. Families, parents & children, adults can all read and enjoy the book. We’ll read and discuss Prince Caspian, from The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. There will be a Facebook-based discussion group, and also an in-person group that will meet during Coffee Hour. The group will begin reading on Oct. 13 and have our first discussion the following week. If you need a book, let us know. This is a great way to explore faith from a different angle.
Forward Day by Day (FDD) is a daily devotional that comes in pocket-size or large print editions. It is published quarterly, and always available for you to pick up in the Narthex. It’s a great way to read a verse of Scripture and a one-page meditation. It also has some simple and moving prayers for your use. FDD also comes as a podcast! You can find it everywhere you get your podcasts, or on the Forward Movement website, here: https://prayer.forwardmovement.org/podcast.php .
CONVENT CORNER – from Sister Monica Clare
(all events are at Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham)
Centering Prayer - Thursdays 7:15 - 8:15 p.m. Join us for a quiet hour and learn a new way to pray. Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. There is no fee for this group. For info, call Sr. Barbara Jean 973-543-4641 ext. 1 or email her at srbj@csjb.org.
Yoga at the Convent - at St. Marguerite’s Retreat House. Mondays from 4:45 - 6:00 pm for gentle Yoga. Experience how Yoga can benefit your overall well-being. $12.00 per class ~ Classes are subject to change. Contact: Jill—973-271-8952. Give us your email address and we will add you to the class.
Associates’ Retreat - “From Commotion to Contemplation” November 23, 2019. 9-3. Conducted by Sr. Josita Marks, SCC. If you'd like information about becoming an Associate of CSJB, please contact the Reverend Sister Superior Eleanor Francis at sref@csjb.org or call 973-543-4641 ext. 3.
Winter Search Program - Our SEARCH program is for anyone who is hoping to determine God's call in their lives, whatever that call may be; as a Sister or serving God in the world. The Winter SEARCH program dates for 2020 are Friday, Feb. 14-Monday, Feb. 17. Please email Sister Monica at srmc@csjb.org or call 973-543-4641 ext. 2.
PARISH CALENDAR
9/23 Discernment Committee Rath House, 7:00 pm
9/24 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
9/25 Holy Eucharist Church, 7:00 am
Junior Choir Choir Room 5:15 pm
Adult Choir Choir Room 7:30 pm
9/28 Rummage Sale Church Lawn & Parish Hall, 9 am-2 pm.
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Creation Care: Autumnal Equinox – Monday, September 23 is the autumnal equinox this year. We call it the first day of fall, but it is the day when both the northern and southern hemispheres experience the exact same amount of daylight as night, one of the two times in the year when the whole world is in day and night balance. After the equinox, of course, we in the north will begin to experience shorter days and longer nights.
While there is no action to take or way to “care for” the sun, moon, and earth on this day, it is a good time to pause and reflect on your life: are you finding a balance (usually) between work, rest, and play? Do you have enough connection to the people in your life (family, friends) to sustain healthy relationships – or do you spend all your energy on doing for others in a way that is draining; or spend too much time isolating? Does your practice of Christian faith contain ample amounts of amounts of prayer and action; of feeling rooted and grounded in God’s love and willing to step out and take some risks for Christ’s sake?
We will never be perfect in our faith and following Jesus, but it is always good to aim for an approximate balance in life. This moment of physical and astronomical balance in our world is a good time to take stock.
Blessings, Vicki+