Dear Friends in Christ,
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday – that day the Church celebrates a Truth, more than an event in the life of Jesus, the early Church, or the Old Testament. The Truth that is the Trinity is that at the heart of God is a community of love: the love of God shared mutually between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is the love we are all drawn into, and sent forth from into the world. Good News, indeed!
And Monday is, of course, Memorial Day, which began after the Civil War as Decoration Day to mark the graves of the fallen soldiers. As it developed, the day expanded to remember all those who have given their lives in service to our country, especially in times of war. While that is still the official definition of Memorial Day (Veterans’ Day being a time to honor all Vets), we now also give thanks for all who served our country in the Armed Forces in any way. However you mark Memorial Day, let not the sacrifice of those who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of all of us go unremembered, and pray that the peace for which our service men and women worked and died will flourish.
+ + + + + + + +
Last weekend was a very exciting time to be an Episcopalian in the Diocese of Newark! Saturday started, of course, with the broadcast of the royal wedding, and our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s wonderful sermon; the Gospel preached with clarity and conviction.
Then, at our Diocesan Convention in Morristown, we elected the Rev. Carlye J. Hughes to be our next bishop. She was elected on the first ballot (in which there needs to be a majority of votes from the laity and from the clergy), which is very unusual. There was overwhelming support and acclamation for her. Details of the arrival in New Jersey of Bishop-elect Hughes and her husband David Smedley will be coming soon, In the meantime, save the date Saturday, September 22 for the Ordination and Consecration of our new Bishop at NJPAC in Newark. The ordaining bishop and preacher for the day will be the Presiding Bishop. And we are all invited to attend! Please keep Carlye+ and David, and the Beckwiths, in your prayers in this time of endings and beginnings.
* * * * * * *
Here are this week’s announcements:
Sunday School is over for the season, but Nursery Care at 10 am continues. June 3 will be the last Family Service before the summer break. June 10 will be both Sunday School recognition and Choir Sunday. Hope to see you at both!
In the Evening – Sunday June 24-Thursday, June 28, Vacation Bible Camp: “Wizards and Wonders – A Hero’s Journey with Harry Potter.” This will be an inter-generational experience for kids, adults, and families...and at a new time: 6:00-8:30 pm, starting with a simple dinner. Invite friends and neighbors. Pick up a flyer in the Narthex!
Bible Study/Adult Christian Ed Wednesdays at 10:15 am in the Rath House. We are currently reading and discussing Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life, by Derek Olsen. This week we are discussing Chapter 9, “The Shape of the Eucharist.” Even if you haven’t read the chapter, the presentation and discussion will be open and helpful to you. Hope to see you there!
WORSHIP
Family Service – next Sunday, June 3rd at 10 am.
Choir Sunday – June 10. The last Sunday for our choirs before the summer break.
Altar Guild – are you looking for a behind-the-scenes way to serve God and All Saints’? The Altar Guild welcomes anyone interested in this ministry. What do they do? Set up the altar for Sunday services, care for the linens and silver, as well as caring for the interior of the worship space. Members work in teams once a month, with all hands on deck for Christmas and Easter. This is a practical and prayerful ministry and your help would be greatly appreciated. For more information speak to Liz Gorny or Mother Vicki.
DIOCESAN NEWS
Sister Monica Clare will take her final vows as a fully-professed Sister in the Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham on Friday, June 8 at 10:30 am – and we are all invited! Sr. Monica spent several years with us, singing in our choir and doing pastoral visiting when she first came to the Community. This is both a solemn and joyful event – a blessing to CSJB and the whole Church. If you plan on going, please RSVP to the Convent so they can plan for lunch, etc., 973-543-4641. If you need a ride, please speak to Mother Vicki to arrange a carpool.
This year’s Diocesan Senior Ministries Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from All Saints’ is Hugh Wallace. The awards will be made at a festive Evensong at St. Peter’s, Morristown at 4 pm on Sunday, June 10., preceded by a reception at 3 pm. Hugh has been a parishioner here for forty years and has served as an usher, a greeter for Family Promise Homeless Shelter, a member of the Going Local Guiding Team, a driver for the food pantry, a coordinator for quite a number of buildings and grounds projects, and an integral part of the Veterans’ Dinners team. Please come and show your support and appreciation for Hugh on June 10. Congratulations, Hugh!
Save the Date – September 22! Consecration of Bishop-elect Carlye J. Hughes.
VESTRY NEWS
Your hardworking Vestry has been busy in the last few months with several different projects:
Wednesday Walkabouts: Coming Again in June and July! On three different evenings we’ll gather to walk a neighborhood in our parish community, to learn more about the places we live and work, and about our neighbors. We’ll end each walk with dinner. Look for more information to come soon!
FUN & FUNDRAISING
Rummage Sale! The Sale is coming.... September 29, and we need you to sort, price, bake, staff tables, help with publicity, set up, and donate rummage. The sign-up poster is in the Narthex. Please take a look and see what you can do. We’ll begin accepting rummage August 5, “The First Sunday of Rummage.” Questions? Speak to Kimberly Celeste.
PRAYER & SPIRITUAL LIFE
Thy Kingdom Come – thank you to everyone you offered names last Sunday of those for whom you have been praying during the days between Ascension and Pentecost. Please continue to pray for those who need to know the blessing of the love of God in Christ. The names that you offered will be prayed for at the Thursday morning service for the next month. And here is a link to Archbishop Justin’s reflection on this year’s effort across the Anglican Communion and ecumenically: https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/priorities/evangelism-and-witness/thy-kingdom-come/thy-kingdom-come-2018-message-archbishop-justin
PARISH CALENDAR
5/28 Parish Office Closed for Memorial Day
5/30 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
5/31 Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am
Junior Choir Choir Room, 5:15 pm
Adult Choir Choir Room, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Memorial Day Prayers
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead: We give thee thanks for all thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence; and give us such a lively sense of thy righteous will, that the work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ BCP pages 488 & 823
And here is a link to a recording of the hymn “I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity” (aka St. Patrick’s Breastplate) https://youtu.be/dWdZ13cH5lU
Trinity blessings, Vicki+
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday – that day the Church celebrates a Truth, more than an event in the life of Jesus, the early Church, or the Old Testament. The Truth that is the Trinity is that at the heart of God is a community of love: the love of God shared mutually between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is the love we are all drawn into, and sent forth from into the world. Good News, indeed!
And Monday is, of course, Memorial Day, which began after the Civil War as Decoration Day to mark the graves of the fallen soldiers. As it developed, the day expanded to remember all those who have given their lives in service to our country, especially in times of war. While that is still the official definition of Memorial Day (Veterans’ Day being a time to honor all Vets), we now also give thanks for all who served our country in the Armed Forces in any way. However you mark Memorial Day, let not the sacrifice of those who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of all of us go unremembered, and pray that the peace for which our service men and women worked and died will flourish.
+ + + + + + + +
Last weekend was a very exciting time to be an Episcopalian in the Diocese of Newark! Saturday started, of course, with the broadcast of the royal wedding, and our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s wonderful sermon; the Gospel preached with clarity and conviction.
Then, at our Diocesan Convention in Morristown, we elected the Rev. Carlye J. Hughes to be our next bishop. She was elected on the first ballot (in which there needs to be a majority of votes from the laity and from the clergy), which is very unusual. There was overwhelming support and acclamation for her. Details of the arrival in New Jersey of Bishop-elect Hughes and her husband David Smedley will be coming soon, In the meantime, save the date Saturday, September 22 for the Ordination and Consecration of our new Bishop at NJPAC in Newark. The ordaining bishop and preacher for the day will be the Presiding Bishop. And we are all invited to attend! Please keep Carlye+ and David, and the Beckwiths, in your prayers in this time of endings and beginnings.
* * * * * * *
Here are this week’s announcements:
- Family Service (Worship)
- Vacation Bible Camp (Christian Formation)
- Lifetime Achievement Award (Diocesan News)
- Parish House (Vestry News)
Sunday School is over for the season, but Nursery Care at 10 am continues. June 3 will be the last Family Service before the summer break. June 10 will be both Sunday School recognition and Choir Sunday. Hope to see you at both!
In the Evening – Sunday June 24-Thursday, June 28, Vacation Bible Camp: “Wizards and Wonders – A Hero’s Journey with Harry Potter.” This will be an inter-generational experience for kids, adults, and families...and at a new time: 6:00-8:30 pm, starting with a simple dinner. Invite friends and neighbors. Pick up a flyer in the Narthex!
Bible Study/Adult Christian Ed Wednesdays at 10:15 am in the Rath House. We are currently reading and discussing Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life, by Derek Olsen. This week we are discussing Chapter 9, “The Shape of the Eucharist.” Even if you haven’t read the chapter, the presentation and discussion will be open and helpful to you. Hope to see you there!
WORSHIP
Family Service – next Sunday, June 3rd at 10 am.
Choir Sunday – June 10. The last Sunday for our choirs before the summer break.
Altar Guild – are you looking for a behind-the-scenes way to serve God and All Saints’? The Altar Guild welcomes anyone interested in this ministry. What do they do? Set up the altar for Sunday services, care for the linens and silver, as well as caring for the interior of the worship space. Members work in teams once a month, with all hands on deck for Christmas and Easter. This is a practical and prayerful ministry and your help would be greatly appreciated. For more information speak to Liz Gorny or Mother Vicki.
DIOCESAN NEWS
Sister Monica Clare will take her final vows as a fully-professed Sister in the Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham on Friday, June 8 at 10:30 am – and we are all invited! Sr. Monica spent several years with us, singing in our choir and doing pastoral visiting when she first came to the Community. This is both a solemn and joyful event – a blessing to CSJB and the whole Church. If you plan on going, please RSVP to the Convent so they can plan for lunch, etc., 973-543-4641. If you need a ride, please speak to Mother Vicki to arrange a carpool.
This year’s Diocesan Senior Ministries Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from All Saints’ is Hugh Wallace. The awards will be made at a festive Evensong at St. Peter’s, Morristown at 4 pm on Sunday, June 10., preceded by a reception at 3 pm. Hugh has been a parishioner here for forty years and has served as an usher, a greeter for Family Promise Homeless Shelter, a member of the Going Local Guiding Team, a driver for the food pantry, a coordinator for quite a number of buildings and grounds projects, and an integral part of the Veterans’ Dinners team. Please come and show your support and appreciation for Hugh on June 10. Congratulations, Hugh!
Save the Date – September 22! Consecration of Bishop-elect Carlye J. Hughes.
VESTRY NEWS
Your hardworking Vestry has been busy in the last few months with several different projects:
- Parish House Energy Savings – we qualified for a state grant for 70% of the cost of retro-fitting the lighting and heating in the Parish House. All the light fixtures have been fitted with LED ballasts and dimmable bulbs. We will be adding dimmer switches to the ceiling lights upstairs and down. Later in the spring the gas-fired forced hot-air furnace will be replaced. This is both an environmental and financial benefit. Our portion of the project will be paid for in savings on our energy bill in fifteen months, and we’ll have continued savings going forward. We are also hoping to replace the boiler in the Church on a similar program. We will hear in July if we qualify.
- Parish Hall Floor will be refinished in June. The color will match the stairs in the main entryway. This is the last time the floor can be refinished so it will receive three coats of polyurethane to be extra durable. The floor in the upper hall will also be replaced. This project will increase our attractiveness to groups and individuals seeking rentals, as well as general upkeep of the building.
- And there are some other repair projects that are in the pipeline, as there always are at your own house. As we get closer to them, we’ll let you know about them.
Wednesday Walkabouts: Coming Again in June and July! On three different evenings we’ll gather to walk a neighborhood in our parish community, to learn more about the places we live and work, and about our neighbors. We’ll end each walk with dinner. Look for more information to come soon!
FUN & FUNDRAISING
Rummage Sale! The Sale is coming.... September 29, and we need you to sort, price, bake, staff tables, help with publicity, set up, and donate rummage. The sign-up poster is in the Narthex. Please take a look and see what you can do. We’ll begin accepting rummage August 5, “The First Sunday of Rummage.” Questions? Speak to Kimberly Celeste.
PRAYER & SPIRITUAL LIFE
Thy Kingdom Come – thank you to everyone you offered names last Sunday of those for whom you have been praying during the days between Ascension and Pentecost. Please continue to pray for those who need to know the blessing of the love of God in Christ. The names that you offered will be prayed for at the Thursday morning service for the next month. And here is a link to Archbishop Justin’s reflection on this year’s effort across the Anglican Communion and ecumenically: https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/priorities/evangelism-and-witness/thy-kingdom-come/thy-kingdom-come-2018-message-archbishop-justin
PARISH CALENDAR
5/28 Parish Office Closed for Memorial Day
5/30 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
5/31 Eucharist & Healing Church, 7:00 am
Junior Choir Choir Room, 5:15 pm
Adult Choir Choir Room, 7:30 pm
For a full schedule of our buildings check the website calendar www.allsaintsmillington.org.
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES
Memorial Day Prayers
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead: We give thee thanks for all thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence; and give us such a lively sense of thy righteous will, that the work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ BCP pages 488 & 823
And here is a link to a recording of the hymn “I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity” (aka St. Patrick’s Breastplate) https://youtu.be/dWdZ13cH5lU
Trinity blessings, Vicki+
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