Dear Friends in Christ,
At the beginning of this week the clergy of the diocese gathered at our annual Clergy Conference at the Shawnee Inn in the Delaware Water Gap. It was our first in-depth with our new Bishop Carlye Hughes. Our time together was low-key and restful, focusing on getting to know one another. My experience of Bishop Carlye is that she is a person of deep prayer and delight in God, a “straight-talker” when it comes to matters of discipline and administration, and genuinely interested in knowing the people and churches of the diocese, trusting that God has a good purpose for us all, together. Thank you for keeping her, and All Saints’, in your prayers.
If you are making a contribution to those displaced by the fire in Dover, please bring new socks, underwear, and gift cards to Walmart or Target to church on Sunday. At this point, the most needed items are gift cards in any amount. Thank you!
Finally, I’ll be out of the office Monday and Tuesday of this week as part of a team of trainers for diocesan clergy at Crossroads, our diocesan camp and conference center in Port Murray (Warren County). As always, if you have an emergency, please call my cell phone.
Here are the week’s announcements. In particular, please see:
- Trunk or Treat this Sunday (Parish Life)
- Fish & Chips Dinner and Historical Society Show (Parish Life)
- All Saints' Day Necrology (Worship)
- Pledge Cards (Stewardship)
- WW I Service of Peace & Remembrance (Worship)
- Grateful Gathering: Murder Mystery Dinner Night (Parish Life)
Argyle Fish ‘n Chips: November 1st
Fish and Chips Dinner from 5:30-7:30 pm.
Plan to celebrate All Saints’ Day with a fish dinner in the Parish Hall. Bring your neighbors and friends, greet your fellow parishioners, or get take-out and enjoy your dinner at home. Tickets are $20 for adults/$10 for children (before 10/30); Walk-ins are $22/$11. They are on sale after both services this Sunday.
We still need help in the following ways: decorate the room, set tables, make up iced tea/lemonade, take tickets at the door, make up plates & pack take out bags. Please be sure to put your name on the sign-up poster in the Narthex, or respond to this e-mail, or speak to Jackie Sullivan. Thanks!
Nov. 1st, 7:30 pm - the Long Hill Historical Society will host The Letter with our own Laurie Gaulke. The Letter is a talk/one woman show about Mary Hudspeth Benson (pictured above) --one of All Saints’ founding members and a witness at the Lincoln assassination trial.
What’s so interesting and important about Mrs. Benson? She was a woman of rare courage and holy boldness. She was a social reformer in Jersey City (like Jane Addams) who worked with issues of juvenile justice, working conditions for street-car drivers, and children from poor Italian immigrant families. When her son Robert S. Hudspeth, a NJ state Senator, bought a summer home in Millington c. 1890, she came with him and became part of the group of local people who wanted to start an Episcopal Church in Millington. In 1903 Bishop Edwin Lines was consecrated as the new bishop for the Diocese of Newark, and in his address he shared his vision to build new churches where there were new lines of transportation. Mary Benson heard about the vision, and called upon Bishop Lines in Newark, inviting him to come and meet with the Millington group. In a very real way, All Saints’ is the direct result of a vision and holy persistence! But before all that, Mrs. Benson was a witness for the prosecution at the Lincoln assassination trial – a fascinating connection to our national history.
The show will be held in the Church, is free and open to all. Come and invite a friend!
ShopRite gift cards are available in $25 increments. Buy gift cards at the parish office or on Sundays to purchase your groceries. It does not cost you any more than what you would have spent at the store and 5% goes to All Saints’ ministries. Cards are usually available at Church on Sundays. Please speak to Barbara Barbeau.
PARISH LIFE
This Sunday - Trunk or Treat, 11:15 am – kids, adults, and families are invited to bring Hallowe’en candy and goodies to share out of their car trunks in our parking lot after church. Wear your costumes!
Grateful Gathering: November 17th, Murder Mystery Dinner Night! The invitations have gone out to your e-mail via Punch Bowl. This is a fun event to gather together as a parish and spend an evening together. Table teams will work together to solve the mystery of a murder drama titled: Thou Shalt Not Kill, set in an English country church. The cost is $12 per person. Please bring an appetizer or dessert. BYOB wine or beer; soft drinks provided. Please send in your RSVPs and check the clipboard in the Narthex to sign up to help with decorating/set-up and clean-up. Invite a friend and plan to come to what will be a classic “All Saints – prayer and a party” night!
WORSHIP
All Saints’ Sunday: Necrology, November 4 – As part of our celebration of All Saints’ Sunday we will remember in prayer all those of this parish who have died since last year. And if you have family and loved ones who have died that you would like to have included in the Necrology please send their names into the office before Oct. 31.
A Service of Peace & Remembrance: The Centenary of the End of World War I
November 11 at 4 pm. Come for a service of readings, music, and prayers in remembrance of the end of World War I, and as a commitment to peace in God’s world. If you have family members who served in that war, please send their names to the Parish Office by 11/6 and we will include them in the prayers. You are also invited to bring family photos or memorabilia from the war to be displayed during the service.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION & SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Narnia Book Club is reading C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This week we have been reading chapters 9-10. This Sunday’s conversation will take place in the parking lot during Trunk or Treat. All are invited to be part of this conversation.
Bible Study this week on Wednesday at 10:15 am in the Rath House. We’ll be reading and discussing the second half of Mark, chapter 5. We’d love to have you join us. Questions? Speak to Mother Vicki.
STEWARDSHIP
Transforming Generosity - Pledge Packets for 2019 were mailed out this past week. Your support of God’s mission of Building a Joyful Community in and through All Saints’ is at the core of all our ministries – your time, your talents, your financial contributions. Please make sure to read the materials; discuss them with your family members; pray about them; and then return the card with your pledge commitment by November 4th. Thank you.
PARISH CALENDAR
10/28 Trunk or Treat Parking Lot 11:15 am
10/29-30 Rector away at diocesan training
10/31 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
11/1 Eucharist & Healing Prayer Church, 7:00 am
Junior Choir Choir Room, 5:15 pm
Adult Choir Choir Room, 8:30 pm
Fish & Chips Parish Hall 5:30-7:30 pm
Long Hill Historical Society Church, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
The Seven Practices of the Way of Love:
Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest – The fourth spiritual practice in The Way of Love is WORSHIP. When we worship, “we gather with others before God. We hear the Good News of Jesus, give thanks, confess, and offer the brokenness of the world to God. As we break bread, our eyes are opened to the presence of Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are made one body, the body of Christ sent forth to live the Way of Love.”
The practice of gathering week by week on Sundays - the Lord’s day, the Day of Resurrection – is the primary practice of worship. Some people find it valuable to worship at other times, too, such as at our Thursday 7 a.m. service, and at special holy days throughout the year. When we come to worship we are there for ourselves and for God, but we are also there for others who need our prayers and presence as the Body of Christ is strengthened.
Here are some things to ponder as you reflect on your practice of worship:
• What is your favorite Sunday or other service of the Church year? Why?
• What is your favorite hymn? Why? (What is your least favorite hymn? Why?)
• What is the most meaningful part of a worship service for you? Why?
• Think about a time you experienced God’s presence in a worship service.
• What is your favorite way to worship God outside of Church?
• What communal worship practices move you to encounter God and knit you into the body
of Christ?
And here is a setting of the traditional spiritual “Walk together children” https://youtu.be/ZOlFxsJcELw
Blessings, Vicki+
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