Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are the week’s announcements:
Creation Care Conversation, Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 pm in the Rath House. A group will be gathering for an initial discussion of ways we here at All Saints’ can be good stewards of the environment and resources God has given us – especially here at Church. No one can do everything.... but everyone can do something. Questions? Speak to the Rector.
Parish Work Day, Saturday, July 13, 9 am-12 noon. Please come and help for an hour...or three. What needs doing? Outside work around the Church, Parish House, and parking lot; garage & shed. If we get a good turn-out we can get a lot done. Kids can help, too! Bring work gloves and helpful yard/garden tools. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex to let us know you can help. Thanks!
Rummage Drop-off will begin Sunday, August 4 in the Parish Hall. What do we take? Good, useful, fairly clean items that you can no longer use: furniture, house wares, linens, electronics, garden/lawn tools, toys, children’s books, holiday items, small appliances, boutique items, etc. We don’t take tube TVs, tires, broken items, large appliances, pull-out couches, entertainment centers and other over-sized furniture, shoes, clothes or hardcover books for grown-ups. Right now we need people to volunteer to help sort and price rummage (in air-conditioned comfort!) throughout August and September. To volunteer, please be in touch with Kimberly Celeste. Sale date: September 28. Thanks!
Summer Finances – we always have a cash flow slow down during the summer as people are traveling and on vacation. If you can keep current with your pledges and contributions it would help greatly! In addition to putting a check in the mail or in the office mail slot in the Rath House, you can set up a direct payment through your bank to All Saints’ Church, or sign up for EFT. For information about these options, please speak with Barbara Barbeau. However you contribute, please know your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you. ~ The Finance Committee
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Bible Study this week, Wed. at 10:15 am in the Rath House. We’ll discuss Chapter 15 of Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright – “Believing and Belonging”. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
Diocesan Youth Ministry Event - Save the date! On September 22 join us at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Oakland/Franklin Lakes to compete in the very first Pop Up Youth Ministry Epic Games! Registration begins at 3:30 and the event will begin at 4:00 and end at 6:30. Go for the gold against friends old and new in a series of the most epic games ever imagined. We will top the night off with dinner, a medal ceremony, and worship by campfire. All youth grades 6-12 are invited and encouraged to participate. We can't wait to see you there!
WORSHIP
Charlie Hogan’s funeral will be this Saturday, July 20 at 11 am. It will be followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. Please keep Charlie’s children Mike, Kathleen, and Chuck and their families in your prayers.
Summer Hymn Sings - in July we begin our 10 am services with a Hymn Sing. That means you get to suggest a favorite hymn and we’ll all sing a verse or two. Your old favorite may be someone else’s brand new hymn – so we’ll all learn something.
Children’s Corner – We’ve created a corner of the church to be welcoming to our parents with babies and toddlers who have a hard time sitting in a pew during worship. It has a bench, a rocking chair, space on the floor - with a rug to come (that is currently being cleaned), and a basket of soft, quiet toys. Young children who can see and hear what is going on at the altar while they have the space to wiggle a bit are much more likely to be engaged with the service. They absorb far more than we often give them credit for. And it helps their parents, too! The corner is at the back of the side “alcove” (under the windows that face Basking Ridge Road). For adults who sit in that area during worship, the front four pews in that section remain exactly as is, while making room for our youngest members. Take a look.
PARISH LIFE
Summer Refreshments after our 10 am worship are served on the lawn - iced tea, lemonade, cookies. Please join us for this enjoyable time of conversation and friendship with parishioners and visitors. And if you see someone you’ve not met before, introduce yourself! And we need refreshment hosts during the month of August. Please take a look at the sheet in the Narthex and sign up.
Welcome Sunday Picnic, September 8 – Gather with fellow parishioners for a new school year/program year get-together after the 10 am service. We’ll grill hot dogs and veggie burgers; you bring a salad, side, or dessert. New this year: we are sending invitations to our neighbors (with an RSVP) and we hope they will want to join us. Please sign-up on the sheet in the Narthex, and let us know what you will be bringing, or e-mail the Parish Office at allstsmill@hotmail.org.
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Blood Drive at St. Mark’s, Basking Ridge – next Sunday, July 21 from 9 am- 2 pm the Red Cross will hold a Blood Drive in St. Mark’s Parish Hall, 140 South Finley Avenue. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS or go to RedCrossBlood.org and enter St. Marks to schedule an appointment. This event is co-sponsored by Congregation B’nai Israel.
CONVENT CORNER
Outdoor Labyrinth – a labyrinth is a prayer pathway laid out on the floor or the ground that is a tool for meditation. The Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham has an outdoor labyrinth on the Convent grounds (to the right of the retreat house), and everyone is welcome to use it.If you want to know more about this aid to prayer and centering in a peaceful and beautiful spot, go to the Community website at www.csjb.org.
PARISH CALENDAR
7/13 Parish Work Day Parking Lot, etc., 9am-12pm
7/17 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
7/18 Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am
7/20 Hogan Funeral Church & Parish Hall, 11:00 am
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
The Way of Love: Worship – worshiping God is at the core of our lives as a Church and as individual Christians. But how often do we stop and think about what worship is for? Here are two basic answers to that question: 1) to give praise, glory, and thanks to God from whom our very existence and all of life’s blessings flow 2) to become more and more Christ-like (over time) so that we may be more truly the people God created us to be.
To delve into that a little further, here are two quotations about worship from N.T Wright, Church of England bishop and New Testament scholar:
“You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on something of the character of the object of your worship.” – from Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
“When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around.
Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the [image-of-God-bearing] quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.” – from Surprised by Hope
How do you find yourself being drawn close to God in worship?
Blessings, Vicki+
Here are the week’s announcements:
- Summer Finances (Stewardship)
- Rummage Drop-Off (Stewardship)
- Children’s Corner (Worship)
Creation Care Conversation, Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 pm in the Rath House. A group will be gathering for an initial discussion of ways we here at All Saints’ can be good stewards of the environment and resources God has given us – especially here at Church. No one can do everything.... but everyone can do something. Questions? Speak to the Rector.
Parish Work Day, Saturday, July 13, 9 am-12 noon. Please come and help for an hour...or three. What needs doing? Outside work around the Church, Parish House, and parking lot; garage & shed. If we get a good turn-out we can get a lot done. Kids can help, too! Bring work gloves and helpful yard/garden tools. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex to let us know you can help. Thanks!
Rummage Drop-off will begin Sunday, August 4 in the Parish Hall. What do we take? Good, useful, fairly clean items that you can no longer use: furniture, house wares, linens, electronics, garden/lawn tools, toys, children’s books, holiday items, small appliances, boutique items, etc. We don’t take tube TVs, tires, broken items, large appliances, pull-out couches, entertainment centers and other over-sized furniture, shoes, clothes or hardcover books for grown-ups. Right now we need people to volunteer to help sort and price rummage (in air-conditioned comfort!) throughout August and September. To volunteer, please be in touch with Kimberly Celeste. Sale date: September 28. Thanks!
Summer Finances – we always have a cash flow slow down during the summer as people are traveling and on vacation. If you can keep current with your pledges and contributions it would help greatly! In addition to putting a check in the mail or in the office mail slot in the Rath House, you can set up a direct payment through your bank to All Saints’ Church, or sign up for EFT. For information about these options, please speak with Barbara Barbeau. However you contribute, please know your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you. ~ The Finance Committee
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Bible Study this week, Wed. at 10:15 am in the Rath House. We’ll discuss Chapter 15 of Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright – “Believing and Belonging”. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
Diocesan Youth Ministry Event - Save the date! On September 22 join us at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Oakland/Franklin Lakes to compete in the very first Pop Up Youth Ministry Epic Games! Registration begins at 3:30 and the event will begin at 4:00 and end at 6:30. Go for the gold against friends old and new in a series of the most epic games ever imagined. We will top the night off with dinner, a medal ceremony, and worship by campfire. All youth grades 6-12 are invited and encouraged to participate. We can't wait to see you there!
WORSHIP
Charlie Hogan’s funeral will be this Saturday, July 20 at 11 am. It will be followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. Please keep Charlie’s children Mike, Kathleen, and Chuck and their families in your prayers.
Summer Hymn Sings - in July we begin our 10 am services with a Hymn Sing. That means you get to suggest a favorite hymn and we’ll all sing a verse or two. Your old favorite may be someone else’s brand new hymn – so we’ll all learn something.
Children’s Corner – We’ve created a corner of the church to be welcoming to our parents with babies and toddlers who have a hard time sitting in a pew during worship. It has a bench, a rocking chair, space on the floor - with a rug to come (that is currently being cleaned), and a basket of soft, quiet toys. Young children who can see and hear what is going on at the altar while they have the space to wiggle a bit are much more likely to be engaged with the service. They absorb far more than we often give them credit for. And it helps their parents, too! The corner is at the back of the side “alcove” (under the windows that face Basking Ridge Road). For adults who sit in that area during worship, the front four pews in that section remain exactly as is, while making room for our youngest members. Take a look.
PARISH LIFE
Summer Refreshments after our 10 am worship are served on the lawn - iced tea, lemonade, cookies. Please join us for this enjoyable time of conversation and friendship with parishioners and visitors. And if you see someone you’ve not met before, introduce yourself! And we need refreshment hosts during the month of August. Please take a look at the sheet in the Narthex and sign up.
Welcome Sunday Picnic, September 8 – Gather with fellow parishioners for a new school year/program year get-together after the 10 am service. We’ll grill hot dogs and veggie burgers; you bring a salad, side, or dessert. New this year: we are sending invitations to our neighbors (with an RSVP) and we hope they will want to join us. Please sign-up on the sheet in the Narthex, and let us know what you will be bringing, or e-mail the Parish Office at allstsmill@hotmail.org.
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Blood Drive at St. Mark’s, Basking Ridge – next Sunday, July 21 from 9 am- 2 pm the Red Cross will hold a Blood Drive in St. Mark’s Parish Hall, 140 South Finley Avenue. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS or go to RedCrossBlood.org and enter St. Marks to schedule an appointment. This event is co-sponsored by Congregation B’nai Israel.
CONVENT CORNER
Outdoor Labyrinth – a labyrinth is a prayer pathway laid out on the floor or the ground that is a tool for meditation. The Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham has an outdoor labyrinth on the Convent grounds (to the right of the retreat house), and everyone is welcome to use it.If you want to know more about this aid to prayer and centering in a peaceful and beautiful spot, go to the Community website at www.csjb.org.
PARISH CALENDAR
7/13 Parish Work Day Parking Lot, etc., 9am-12pm
7/17 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
7/18 Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am
7/20 Hogan Funeral Church & Parish Hall, 11:00 am
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
The Way of Love: Worship – worshiping God is at the core of our lives as a Church and as individual Christians. But how often do we stop and think about what worship is for? Here are two basic answers to that question: 1) to give praise, glory, and thanks to God from whom our very existence and all of life’s blessings flow 2) to become more and more Christ-like (over time) so that we may be more truly the people God created us to be.
To delve into that a little further, here are two quotations about worship from N.T Wright, Church of England bishop and New Testament scholar:
“You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on something of the character of the object of your worship.” – from Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
“When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around.
Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the [image-of-God-bearing] quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.” – from Surprised by Hope
How do you find yourself being drawn close to God in worship?
Blessings, Vicki+
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