Dear Friends in Christ,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! This Sunday is Pentecost – the celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit, one of the principal feasts of the Church year. Both our 8:00 & 10:00 am services will begin at the front door of the Church, before we process inside. At 10 am the children will start at the front door, process into the Church, and then downstairs to Sunday School. Please wear something red – the color of the Holy Spirit!
The Diocesan Convention to elect our next Bishop begins at 10 am Saturday, May 19. Please keep our diocese in your prayers as we listen to the movement of the Holy Spirit in this election, that we may be faithful to God’s vision for our Church - the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement here in northern New Jersey.
And finally, our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has been invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to be the preacher at Saturday’s royal wedding! Even if you don’t get up early Saturday morning to watch the service live, do look for it on-line later on You Tube. He is a powerful and engaging preacher. As Bishop Beckwith said when he was here Sunday, turn on your TV and then jump back! It should be a wonderful opportunity for our Episcopal Church to shine. And who knows - a neighbor or work colleague who tuned in to the wedding may even ask you what it means to be an Episcopalian, or what our Church is all about!
* * * * * * *
Here are this week’s announcements:
Veterans Community Dinner, this Saturday, May 19 at 5:30 pm - Vets and their families from our local community and from the V.A. in Lyons will be invited for fellowship, conversation, and friendship...and a wonderful home-cooked meal in All Saints' Parish House at no charge. How can you help? Set up, clean up, serving, cooking (side dishes, salads, desserts). And please invite any Vets you know! This ministry is a partnership with our friends in the Christian (Catholic) Community. For more information speak to Kerrie Stepko.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
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 8, “The Spirituality 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
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!
VESTRY NEWS
Your hardworking Vestry has been busy in the last few months with several different projects:
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 - In the days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost (May 10-20), the Archbishop of Canterbury has called us to join with Anglicans (Episcopalians) and other Christians throughout the world to pray for God’s kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven” as Jesus taught us. That means praying daily for people in your life (individuals or families) to know the love of God in Jesus, as well as praying for a blessing of the common good of our communities, that they will reflect God’s wholeness, peace, and justice. At our Pentecost celebration on Sunday, May 20 we will highlight these prayers, writing down the names of those for whom you have been praying, and offer them to God.
PARISH CALENDAR
5/23 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
Altar Guild Dinner 6:00 pm
5/24 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
Prayer of St. Bonaventure to the Holy Spirit
Lord Jesus, as God's Spirit came down and rested upon you,
May the same Spirit rest on us,
Bestowing his sevenfold gifts.
First, grant us the gift of understanding,
By which your precepts may enlighten our minds.
Second, grant us counsel, by which we may follow
in your footsteps on the path of righteousness.
Third, grant us courage,
by which we may ward off the enemy's attacks.
Fourth, grant us knowledge,
by which we can distinguish good from evil.
Fifth, grant us piety,
by which we may acquire compassionate hearts.
Sixth, grant us fear,
by which we may draw back from evil
and submit to what is good.
Seventh, grant us wisdom,
that we may taste fully the life-giving sweetness of your love. Amen.
And here is a link to a recording of the Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) hymn from the Taizè Community: https://youtu.be/ak4a-fu-R-c
Pentecost blessings, Vicki+
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! This Sunday is Pentecost – the celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit, one of the principal feasts of the Church year. Both our 8:00 & 10:00 am services will begin at the front door of the Church, before we process inside. At 10 am the children will start at the front door, process into the Church, and then downstairs to Sunday School. Please wear something red – the color of the Holy Spirit!
The Diocesan Convention to elect our next Bishop begins at 10 am Saturday, May 19. Please keep our diocese in your prayers as we listen to the movement of the Holy Spirit in this election, that we may be faithful to God’s vision for our Church - the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement here in northern New Jersey.
And finally, our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has been invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to be the preacher at Saturday’s royal wedding! Even if you don’t get up early Saturday morning to watch the service live, do look for it on-line later on You Tube. He is a powerful and engaging preacher. As Bishop Beckwith said when he was here Sunday, turn on your TV and then jump back! It should be a wonderful opportunity for our Episcopal Church to shine. And who knows - a neighbor or work colleague who tuned in to the wedding may even ask you what it means to be an Episcopalian, or what our Church is all about!
* * * * * * *
Here are this week’s announcements:
- Veterans’ Dinner (Helping Hands)
- Vacation Bible Camp (Christian Formation)
- Lifetime Achievement Award (Diocesan News)
- Parish House (Vestry News)
Veterans Community Dinner, this Saturday, May 19 at 5:30 pm - Vets and their families from our local community and from the V.A. in Lyons will be invited for fellowship, conversation, and friendship...and a wonderful home-cooked meal in All Saints' Parish House at no charge. How can you help? Set up, clean up, serving, cooking (side dishes, salads, desserts). And please invite any Vets you know! This ministry is a partnership with our friends in the Christian (Catholic) Community. For more information speak to Kerrie Stepko.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
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 8, “The Spirituality 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
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!
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 dimmible 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.
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 - In the days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost (May 10-20), the Archbishop of Canterbury has called us to join with Anglicans (Episcopalians) and other Christians throughout the world to pray for God’s kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven” as Jesus taught us. That means praying daily for people in your life (individuals or families) to know the love of God in Jesus, as well as praying for a blessing of the common good of our communities, that they will reflect God’s wholeness, peace, and justice. At our Pentecost celebration on Sunday, May 20 we will highlight these prayers, writing down the names of those for whom you have been praying, and offer them to God.
PARISH CALENDAR
5/23 Bible Study Rath House, 10:15 am
Altar Guild Dinner 6:00 pm
5/24 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
Prayer of St. Bonaventure to the Holy Spirit
Lord Jesus, as God's Spirit came down and rested upon you,
May the same Spirit rest on us,
Bestowing his sevenfold gifts.
First, grant us the gift of understanding,
By which your precepts may enlighten our minds.
Second, grant us counsel, by which we may follow
in your footsteps on the path of righteousness.
Third, grant us courage,
by which we may ward off the enemy's attacks.
Fourth, grant us knowledge,
by which we can distinguish good from evil.
Fifth, grant us piety,
by which we may acquire compassionate hearts.
Sixth, grant us fear,
by which we may draw back from evil
and submit to what is good.
Seventh, grant us wisdom,
that we may taste fully the life-giving sweetness of your love. Amen.
And here is a link to a recording of the Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) hymn from the Taizè Community: https://youtu.be/ak4a-fu-R-c
Pentecost blessings, Vicki+
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