Dear Friends in Christ,
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3 ~ Opening Sentence for Morning Prayer
Here are this week’s announcements, especially:
WORSHIP
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and our traditional Choir Sunday. In honor of that, our Sunday worship will be a pre-recorded video which includes a choir anthem, two sung hymns (and the music for you to sing along), an organ prelude, and surprise postlude. Several different parishioners have recorded the readings, Mother Vicki is the officiant, and Father Shawn is the preacher. The service will be available on our You Tube channel at 10 am, but you can watch it any time after that. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/x5wZ36YX23I. The service leaflet to review or print is on the home page of the website. You can also just print the service leaflet and read it on your own. Thank you to All Saints’ Choir, all the readers, and Alison Siener Brown for making this happen.
Daily Compline at 9:30 pm. You don’t need a Facebook account (“Be on Facebook”) to participate; just follow this link: fb.me/allsaintsmillington. This community of daily prayer and worship includes people from our parish, from other places in New Jersey, and even from other parts of the globe! All Saints’ parishioners and clergy take turns leading the service. Compline is offered every evening and is a wonderful way to pray for your own concerns and for the well-being of the world. Come join us.
PARISH LIFE
Virtual Coffee Hour via Zoom on Sunday at 11:00 am. How does this work? It’s just a nice social time with others from church. It’s an opportunity to see one another, check-in, share news and fellowship. The link for this was e-mailed to the parish. If you didn’t get the link and would like to join us, e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com. Come and spend time with your fellow Saints!
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 10:15 am. This week, July 1, we’ll discuss the Letter of James, chapter 4. This is a short book of the Bible – five chapters. James focuses on practical aspects of Christian living. If you haven’t been part of Bible study before, this is a good way to start, and we’ve recently added some new folks, so the group is always evolving. We meet via Zoom. If you would like to participate or want more information, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Parish Worship & Fellowship Survey – thank to those who have sent in responses to the survey to help the Vestry and clergy evaluate and make decisions about when All Saints’ can hold in-person worship. If you have not already filled out the survey, please do so by June 30: https://forms.gle/Tdsn4w8v5gBS9zvU8. There is no need to print it or e-mail it back to us; the information will be conveyed automatically. Thank you for your very important response.
Diocesan Guidelines for Returning to In-Person Worship can be found here on the diocesan website: https://dioceseofnewark.org/resource-general/journey-forward-guidelines-person-worship-diocese-newark After the Journey Forward team concluded its work, Bishop Hughes’ office reviewed the document and made some edits to it. These guidelines are very similar to those for the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, with whom our own diocese is working closely. They are also quite close to the guidelines for other Episcopal dioceses in other parts of the country. The process from here is that the Vestry will take the guidelines and implement them in a way that is sensible for our own parish of All Saints’. We will be taking the necessary time to do this thoughtfully and safely. We will also need to take into consideration parish staff and clergy vacation time. Please also read Bishop Hughes’ pastoral letter to the diocese which gives some greater context for these guidelines: https://dioceseofnewark.org/bishops-vlog/pastoral-letter-guidelines-person-worship-diocese-newark And please keep the Vestry in your prayers as they make a plan to move forward – safely, with gratitude to God, and full of faith.
DIOCESAN NEWS
Checking-in: A Lay Conversation with the Bishop – Bishp Carlye Hughes is eager to once again spend time in conversation with the members of the diocese, to reflect and consider what we, our churches, and our communities have learned and experienced as we have adjusted to the changes this time has demanded of us. On Tuesday, June 30 at 6 PM the diocese will hold the second monthly Lay Conversation with Bishop Hughes. Scheduled for 90 minutes, this Zoom conversation is open to all members of the diocese. An email invitation will be sent Monday, June 29 to recipients of The Voice Online with sign-in instructions for this Zoom meeting. Anyone who does not receive The Voice Online and wants to participate can e-mail Mother Vicki for the Zoom link.
The Voice On-line - our diocesan newsletter can be found here: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-VOICE-Online--The-journey-forward---guidelines-for-in-person-worship.html?soid=1102692382496&aid=5hGdgHjcLJc
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Prayers for Pandemic – several weeks ago the diocese invited parishioners and clergy to write prayers that reflected the yearnings of their heart and soul in this time of COVID-19. The prayers that have been submitted can be found on the diocesan website here: https://dioceseofnewark.org/covid-19/prayers.
One of the prayers was written by our own Sister Monica Clare, csjb. Here it is:
Oh God of love and peace, help us to survive each day,
in the midst of things we cannot understand,
To those of us who are afraid, give us courage
To those of us who are exhausted, give us strength
To those of us in despair, give us hope.
Comfort us in our struggle, O Loving God,
Walk with us through this time of crisis,
Grant us and our loved ones’ safety, security and stability,
and help us to learn the lessons you are giving us at this time, so that we may all work together to rebuild our lives, and make the world a better place.
In the name of our loving Creator we pray, Amen.
– Sr. Monica Clare, Community of St. John the Baptist, Mendham
Blessings, Vicki+
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3 ~ Opening Sentence for Morning Prayer
Here are this week’s announcements, especially:
- Choir Sunday (Worship)
- Bible Study (Christian Formation)
- Lay Conversation with Bishop Hughes (Diocesan News)
- Worship Survey Reminder (What's Next?)
- Diocesan Guidelines for Resuming In-Person Worship & Meetings (What’s Next?)
WORSHIP
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and our traditional Choir Sunday. In honor of that, our Sunday worship will be a pre-recorded video which includes a choir anthem, two sung hymns (and the music for you to sing along), an organ prelude, and surprise postlude. Several different parishioners have recorded the readings, Mother Vicki is the officiant, and Father Shawn is the preacher. The service will be available on our You Tube channel at 10 am, but you can watch it any time after that. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/x5wZ36YX23I. The service leaflet to review or print is on the home page of the website. You can also just print the service leaflet and read it on your own. Thank you to All Saints’ Choir, all the readers, and Alison Siener Brown for making this happen.
Daily Compline at 9:30 pm. You don’t need a Facebook account (“Be on Facebook”) to participate; just follow this link: fb.me/allsaintsmillington. This community of daily prayer and worship includes people from our parish, from other places in New Jersey, and even from other parts of the globe! All Saints’ parishioners and clergy take turns leading the service. Compline is offered every evening and is a wonderful way to pray for your own concerns and for the well-being of the world. Come join us.
PARISH LIFE
Virtual Coffee Hour via Zoom on Sunday at 11:00 am. How does this work? It’s just a nice social time with others from church. It’s an opportunity to see one another, check-in, share news and fellowship. The link for this was e-mailed to the parish. If you didn’t get the link and would like to join us, e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com. Come and spend time with your fellow Saints!
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 10:15 am. This week, July 1, we’ll discuss the Letter of James, chapter 4. This is a short book of the Bible – five chapters. James focuses on practical aspects of Christian living. If you haven’t been part of Bible study before, this is a good way to start, and we’ve recently added some new folks, so the group is always evolving. We meet via Zoom. If you would like to participate or want more information, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Parish Worship & Fellowship Survey – thank to those who have sent in responses to the survey to help the Vestry and clergy evaluate and make decisions about when All Saints’ can hold in-person worship. If you have not already filled out the survey, please do so by June 30: https://forms.gle/Tdsn4w8v5gBS9zvU8. There is no need to print it or e-mail it back to us; the information will be conveyed automatically. Thank you for your very important response.
Diocesan Guidelines for Returning to In-Person Worship can be found here on the diocesan website: https://dioceseofnewark.org/resource-general/journey-forward-guidelines-person-worship-diocese-newark After the Journey Forward team concluded its work, Bishop Hughes’ office reviewed the document and made some edits to it. These guidelines are very similar to those for the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, with whom our own diocese is working closely. They are also quite close to the guidelines for other Episcopal dioceses in other parts of the country. The process from here is that the Vestry will take the guidelines and implement them in a way that is sensible for our own parish of All Saints’. We will be taking the necessary time to do this thoughtfully and safely. We will also need to take into consideration parish staff and clergy vacation time. Please also read Bishop Hughes’ pastoral letter to the diocese which gives some greater context for these guidelines: https://dioceseofnewark.org/bishops-vlog/pastoral-letter-guidelines-person-worship-diocese-newark And please keep the Vestry in your prayers as they make a plan to move forward – safely, with gratitude to God, and full of faith.
DIOCESAN NEWS
Checking-in: A Lay Conversation with the Bishop – Bishp Carlye Hughes is eager to once again spend time in conversation with the members of the diocese, to reflect and consider what we, our churches, and our communities have learned and experienced as we have adjusted to the changes this time has demanded of us. On Tuesday, June 30 at 6 PM the diocese will hold the second monthly Lay Conversation with Bishop Hughes. Scheduled for 90 minutes, this Zoom conversation is open to all members of the diocese. An email invitation will be sent Monday, June 29 to recipients of The Voice Online with sign-in instructions for this Zoom meeting. Anyone who does not receive The Voice Online and wants to participate can e-mail Mother Vicki for the Zoom link.
The Voice On-line - our diocesan newsletter can be found here: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-VOICE-Online--The-journey-forward---guidelines-for-in-person-worship.html?soid=1102692382496&aid=5hGdgHjcLJc
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Prayers for Pandemic – several weeks ago the diocese invited parishioners and clergy to write prayers that reflected the yearnings of their heart and soul in this time of COVID-19. The prayers that have been submitted can be found on the diocesan website here: https://dioceseofnewark.org/covid-19/prayers.
One of the prayers was written by our own Sister Monica Clare, csjb. Here it is:
Oh God of love and peace, help us to survive each day,
in the midst of things we cannot understand,
To those of us who are afraid, give us courage
To those of us who are exhausted, give us strength
To those of us in despair, give us hope.
Comfort us in our struggle, O Loving God,
Walk with us through this time of crisis,
Grant us and our loved ones’ safety, security and stability,
and help us to learn the lessons you are giving us at this time, so that we may all work together to rebuild our lives, and make the world a better place.
In the name of our loving Creator we pray, Amen.
– Sr. Monica Clare, Community of St. John the Baptist, Mendham
Blessings, Vicki+
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