Dear Friends in Christ,
The Annual Parish Meeting will be this Sunday, February 9 at 11:15 am in the Parish House. We’ll elect new Vestry members and deputies to Diocesan Convention. We’ll hear from our parish clergy and lay leaders. And we’ll have time for discussion and fellowship with fellow parishioners. Please plan to attend this important event in the life of our parish.
The following people are standing for election (as of 1/30/2020): Linda Kestler - Warden; Randy Gaulke, Steve Kowalik - Vestry; Waring Webb - Convention Deputy.
And on a sad note - we've had word that Lorraine Shand, a former All Saints' parishioner of many years who moved away quite some time ago, died earlier this week. Her funeral and internment in the Memorial Garden will take place on Saturday, February 15 at 10:00 am. May Lorraine rest in the Peace of Christ and rise in the Glory of God.
+ + + + + + +
Here are this week’s announcements, especially:
Grateful Gathering: February 22, 6:00 pm, Parish Hall - Murder Mystery Dinner Night! This is a fun event to gather together as a parish and spend an evening together. Primarily for adults, it’s appropriate for youth in middle school and older, also. Table teams will work together to solve the mystery of a murder drama with a 1920’s/Jazz Age theme: “Stiffed at Speakeasy”. Dinner will be catered at $15 per person; you bring a dessert or appetizer. Laurie Gaulke is our director; she and Patricia Vovchansky will need help to set up and decorate. There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex to volunteer. Look for the invitation from Punchbowl in your inbox, bring your friends and join us for a fun evening!
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Feb. 25, 5:45-7:30 pm. Burning of the Palms, 5:30 pm
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday – traditionally a time for using up all the butter/oil/sweets in the house – hence the pancakes! It’s also the day to burn last year’s Palm Sunday palms to make ashes for Ash Wednesday. If you have last year’s palms, please bring them.$5 per person/$20 maximum per household; kids under age 3 are free. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex so we know you are coming and if you can help set-up/serve/clean-up. Thanks!
Coffee Hour Hosts are needed for our conversation and fellowship time after worship. It’s a simple offering of coffee, tea, juice, and snacks/munchies. If you have questions or are not sure about making coffee, speak to John McGrath. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Prince Caspian Film - on Sunday, February 16 at 4:00 pm we'll have a screening of Prince Caspian (based on C.S. Lewis' book) in the Lower Room of the Parish House! This is a follow-up to our Narnia Book group, and it's open to all - adults and kids alike...even if you've never read the book! Hope to see you there.
Bible Study will meets on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 10:15am in the Rath House, discussing Revelation, Chapter 18. New folks are always welcome. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
Sunday Forum – our next Sunday Forum will be on March 15 at 11:15 am. Sister Deborah Francis will give a presentation and discussion on praying with icons. Do plan to come and learn about this visual form of prayer.
Lenten Learning – Signs of Life: Why Church Matters Monday evenings in March, 7:00-8:30 pm. This program from Virginia Theological Seminary & the Society of St. John the Evangelist exploring the signs and symbols at the heart of Christian worship includes a short video, a brief written reflection, and discussion. There is also a Daily Practices calendar for Lent which you can pick up in the Narthex.
Here is a quote from the material: “Worship engages our deepest human needs and has the power to transform our lives. [This study] explores the riches of our worship traditions, liturgy and sacraments, and the art and architecture of our worship spaces, revealing the full meaning of these signs, deepening our experience of Christian vocation and guiding us toward ongoing conversion.” Please sign up for the Lenten group on the sheet in the Narthex and plan to bring a friend!
WORSHIP
Ash Wednesday, February 26 is the start of Lent. Here are the service times for the day:
9:30 am Eucharist & Ashes
7:30 am Eucharist & Ashes with music
11:45 am-1:00 pm Drop-in Prayer & Ashes
STEWARDSHIP
ShopRite Cards – buy a ShopRite gift card for your own groceries or as a gift for someone else. You pay face value and All Saints’ gets 5%. See Barbara Barbeau or call the Parish Office.
Save the Date, May 17 at 4:00 pm – Altar Window Concert. Our Parish Choir will present a concert to continue our fund-raising efforts to restore our Resurrection Window.
OUTREACH
Family Promise: March 9 is our next date to serve at the homeless shelter program when it is hosted at Trinity House in Stirling. We always love to have new folks be part of this wonderful outreach ministry – cooking, greeting/visiting with shelter guests, staying overnight at Trinity House in a private room. Interested – want to help? Speak with Afsaneh Thursfield, faerietale@hotmail.com.
CONVENT CORNER@CSJB in MENDHAM
You’re invited to the Convent! If any All Saints parishioners would like to have a tour of the Convent, walk our outdoor labyrinth, stop by for noonday prayer or join us for lunch on a Sunday after church, please contact Sister Monica Clare at srmc@csjb.org. Since one of our primary ministries is hospitality, we always welcome visitors.
PARISH CALENDAR
2/11 Finance Committee, Rath House, 7:30 pm
2/12 Bible Study, Rath House, 10:15 am
2/13 Eucharist & Healing Prayer, 7:00 am, Church
Junior Choir, 5:30 pm, Choir Room
Adult Choir, 7:30 pm, Choir Room
2/15 Funeral: Lorraine Shand, Church, 10:00 am
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
The Way of Love: Bless – We all like to receive blessings – even if it’s someone saying “God bless you” when you sneeze. And we may take time at the end of each day remembering and reflecting on the ways in which we have been blessed.
But how often do we consider the ways we may be a blessing to others? We might think about offering a neighbor a ride to the doctor; but what about helping to watch a two-year old when you are in the line at the DMV as the child’s parent fills out paperwork? How about responding with a kind (or at least calm) answer when angry, hurtful words want to come out of your mouth? How about praying for the health of someone who is struggling, but you don’t particularly like?
In Matthew’s Gospel, in Chapter 5, Jesus told his disciples and the crowd at large that they would be blessed to the extent that they were pure in heart, peacemakers, poor in spirit, when they mourn, when they hunger and thirst for righteousness. All these are values quite different from what most of our surrounding culture and society tell us is important. And yet, they are important enough to Jesus to name them as signs of blessing.
How will you offer yourself to be a blessing to others in the week ahead?
Blessings, Vicki+
The Annual Parish Meeting will be this Sunday, February 9 at 11:15 am in the Parish House. We’ll elect new Vestry members and deputies to Diocesan Convention. We’ll hear from our parish clergy and lay leaders. And we’ll have time for discussion and fellowship with fellow parishioners. Please plan to attend this important event in the life of our parish.
The following people are standing for election (as of 1/30/2020): Linda Kestler - Warden; Randy Gaulke, Steve Kowalik - Vestry; Waring Webb - Convention Deputy.
And on a sad note - we've had word that Lorraine Shand, a former All Saints' parishioner of many years who moved away quite some time ago, died earlier this week. Her funeral and internment in the Memorial Garden will take place on Saturday, February 15 at 10:00 am. May Lorraine rest in the Peace of Christ and rise in the Glory of God.
+ + + + + + +
Here are this week’s announcements, especially:
- Prince Caspian Film (Christian Formation)
- Lenten Learning – Signs of Life (Christian Formation)
- Murder Mystery Dinner Night (Parish Life)
- Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper (Parish Life)
Grateful Gathering: February 22, 6:00 pm, Parish Hall - Murder Mystery Dinner Night! This is a fun event to gather together as a parish and spend an evening together. Primarily for adults, it’s appropriate for youth in middle school and older, also. Table teams will work together to solve the mystery of a murder drama with a 1920’s/Jazz Age theme: “Stiffed at Speakeasy”. Dinner will be catered at $15 per person; you bring a dessert or appetizer. Laurie Gaulke is our director; she and Patricia Vovchansky will need help to set up and decorate. There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex to volunteer. Look for the invitation from Punchbowl in your inbox, bring your friends and join us for a fun evening!
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Feb. 25, 5:45-7:30 pm. Burning of the Palms, 5:30 pm
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday – traditionally a time for using up all the butter/oil/sweets in the house – hence the pancakes! It’s also the day to burn last year’s Palm Sunday palms to make ashes for Ash Wednesday. If you have last year’s palms, please bring them.$5 per person/$20 maximum per household; kids under age 3 are free. Sign up on the sheet in the Narthex so we know you are coming and if you can help set-up/serve/clean-up. Thanks!
Coffee Hour Hosts are needed for our conversation and fellowship time after worship. It’s a simple offering of coffee, tea, juice, and snacks/munchies. If you have questions or are not sure about making coffee, speak to John McGrath. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Prince Caspian Film - on Sunday, February 16 at 4:00 pm we'll have a screening of Prince Caspian (based on C.S. Lewis' book) in the Lower Room of the Parish House! This is a follow-up to our Narnia Book group, and it's open to all - adults and kids alike...even if you've never read the book! Hope to see you there.
Bible Study will meets on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 10:15am in the Rath House, discussing Revelation, Chapter 18. New folks are always welcome. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
Sunday Forum – our next Sunday Forum will be on March 15 at 11:15 am. Sister Deborah Francis will give a presentation and discussion on praying with icons. Do plan to come and learn about this visual form of prayer.
Lenten Learning – Signs of Life: Why Church Matters Monday evenings in March, 7:00-8:30 pm. This program from Virginia Theological Seminary & the Society of St. John the Evangelist exploring the signs and symbols at the heart of Christian worship includes a short video, a brief written reflection, and discussion. There is also a Daily Practices calendar for Lent which you can pick up in the Narthex.
Here is a quote from the material: “Worship engages our deepest human needs and has the power to transform our lives. [This study] explores the riches of our worship traditions, liturgy and sacraments, and the art and architecture of our worship spaces, revealing the full meaning of these signs, deepening our experience of Christian vocation and guiding us toward ongoing conversion.” Please sign up for the Lenten group on the sheet in the Narthex and plan to bring a friend!
WORSHIP
Ash Wednesday, February 26 is the start of Lent. Here are the service times for the day:
9:30 am Eucharist & Ashes
7:30 am Eucharist & Ashes with music
11:45 am-1:00 pm Drop-in Prayer & Ashes
STEWARDSHIP
ShopRite Cards – buy a ShopRite gift card for your own groceries or as a gift for someone else. You pay face value and All Saints’ gets 5%. See Barbara Barbeau or call the Parish Office.
Save the Date, May 17 at 4:00 pm – Altar Window Concert. Our Parish Choir will present a concert to continue our fund-raising efforts to restore our Resurrection Window.
OUTREACH
Family Promise: March 9 is our next date to serve at the homeless shelter program when it is hosted at Trinity House in Stirling. We always love to have new folks be part of this wonderful outreach ministry – cooking, greeting/visiting with shelter guests, staying overnight at Trinity House in a private room. Interested – want to help? Speak with Afsaneh Thursfield, faerietale@hotmail.com.
CONVENT CORNER@CSJB in MENDHAM
You’re invited to the Convent! If any All Saints parishioners would like to have a tour of the Convent, walk our outdoor labyrinth, stop by for noonday prayer or join us for lunch on a Sunday after church, please contact Sister Monica Clare at srmc@csjb.org. Since one of our primary ministries is hospitality, we always welcome visitors.
PARISH CALENDAR
2/11 Finance Committee, Rath House, 7:30 pm
2/12 Bible Study, Rath House, 10:15 am
2/13 Eucharist & Healing Prayer, 7:00 am, Church
Junior Choir, 5:30 pm, Choir Room
Adult Choir, 7:30 pm, Choir Room
2/15 Funeral: Lorraine Shand, Church, 10:00 am
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
The Way of Love: Bless – We all like to receive blessings – even if it’s someone saying “God bless you” when you sneeze. And we may take time at the end of each day remembering and reflecting on the ways in which we have been blessed.
But how often do we consider the ways we may be a blessing to others? We might think about offering a neighbor a ride to the doctor; but what about helping to watch a two-year old when you are in the line at the DMV as the child’s parent fills out paperwork? How about responding with a kind (or at least calm) answer when angry, hurtful words want to come out of your mouth? How about praying for the health of someone who is struggling, but you don’t particularly like?
In Matthew’s Gospel, in Chapter 5, Jesus told his disciples and the crowd at large that they would be blessed to the extent that they were pure in heart, peacemakers, poor in spirit, when they mourn, when they hunger and thirst for righteousness. All these are values quite different from what most of our surrounding culture and society tell us is important. And yet, they are important enough to Jesus to name them as signs of blessing.
How will you offer yourself to be a blessing to others in the week ahead?
Blessings, Vicki+
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