All Saints' Millington
  • Home
  • Who we are
    • Clergy & Staff
    • 100 Years And Counting
    • Spiritual Connections
  • Worship
    • Becoming a Member
    • Sermons & Reflections
    • Words of Faith
    • Baptisms
    • Weddings
    • Funerals
  • Music & Choirs
  • Outreach
  • Giving
  • Calendar
  • E-Letter

This Week@All Saints'

2/5/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Dear Friends in Christ, 
Here are the announcements and the links for Sunday’s worship.  
You will notice that there are quite a number of new names that have been added to our Sunday prayers in this week’s service bulletin. There has been a lot of illness and death in our extended parish family – some COVID-related, but most not. Please be gentle with yourselves and with one another and keep each other in prayer. 
  • Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Worship  
  • Narnia Book Group 
  • Parish Office News 
  • Stewardship 
  • Ash Wednesday 
  • Christian Practices 
  • Lenten Opportunities 
  • In-Person Worship Timing 
+ + + + + + + 
Sunday Worship – Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Feb. 7th –10 am 
Service of the Word, followed by Coffee Hour.  
Please e-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com for the Zoom log-in. The service bulletin is on our home page.
+ + + + + + + 
Announcements 
Parish Office News – All Saints’ has signed-up with a church management software program called Breeze. This allows us to have a database of our parishioners and visitors, which we did not have before. All of our previous records were on Word documents and required multiple updating for new e-mails addresses, phone numbers, etc. The new system is also a donor management program which tracks pledges and donations and creates easily produced giving statements. It doesn’t replace our QuickBooks accounting system but works in tandem with it. Breeze also has some communications and scheduling features that we are learning to use. You’ll be hearing more about this new tool for our parish ministry as we get more adept at it. 

Ash Wednesday Worship will be held on Zoom on February 17 at 7:30 pm. The link will be sent next week. How will we do Ash Wednesday this year? 
  • The most important aspect of the day is the start of our spiritual preparation for Easter. Please read and meditate on the Invitation to a holy Lent at the bottom of page 264 in the Prayer Book. Please note - ashes are optional (and always have been). 
  • Small containers of blessed ashes may be picked up in the church Bell Tower starting Feb. 12. You may impose ashes on yourself or on other members of your household during the service.  
  • You may also read the service on your own, starting on page 264 of the Prayer Book, or using the service leaflet that will be e-mailed to you.  
  • If you can’t get to church to pick up ashes, you can make your own from palms (if you have them) or use wood ash from your fireplace or fire pit.  
 Candlemas – the video from this prayer service for the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple is posted to the home page of our website. The reflection starts at minute 7:01. It’s about waiting with hope – even in the midst of our pandemic journey. Take a listen!   

Bible Study is on Wednesdays at 10:15 am. Our current study is Ephesians in the New Testament. This week we will read and discuss Ch. 6 to finish the book.  
The following week we’ll start our Lenten series. We’ll look at the Gospel reading for the Sunday to come (either from Mark or John) and also at the Collect (theme prayer) for the day and look at the way the Gospel and the Collect connect with each other. To participate in this Zoom class, or if you have questions, please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com .   

Narnia Book Group: The Silver Chair - this group will meet on Zoom Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm starting on 2/21 and continuing for eight sessions (skipping Easter Day). The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. The group is open to anyone; you don’t have to have read the previous Narnia books, or been part of the group before. To sign up, please email Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com. 

Stewardship – Please remember that you can fulfill your pledge by setting up auto-pay with your bank or by electronic fund transfer (EFT) through the secure giving portal on our website. If you are interested in making a gift of appreciated stock, please call David Thursfield. Until we can have the safe and full use of our buildings for both worship and building use rental our parish income will be challenging, so your timely, heartfelt and generous support will be essential. Thank you!
 
Opportunities Around our Diocese - Lenten and Otherwise 
There are several opportunities for prayer, study and conversation between now and Easter. Here are several that may interest you: 
Book Study - Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubled Times by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Wednesday evenings during Lent on Zoom with St. Peter’s, Livingston, St. Paul’s, Chatham, St. Gregory’s, Parsippany, and All Saints’ starting Feb. 24 at 7:00 pm. Here is the description of the book from the Amazon page. Please e-mail Mother Vicki at allsaints_rector@hotmail.com if you would like to participate.  

“As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Bishop Michael Curry's life illustrates massive changes in our times. Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more important, how to go a whole lot further. 

The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. This book will lead readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity.” 

Daily Morning Prayer with the Rev. Susan Sica at St. Gregory’s; Monday-Saturday; 8:30-9:00 AM on Zoom. E-mail allstsmill@hotmail.com for the log-in.

Convent Corner: Centering Prayer, Thursdays 7:15-8:15 pm on Zoom - the Community of St. John Baptist Centering Prayer Group has been meeting for many years and is one of its most popular ministries. Guests can gather on Zoom. Please e-mail Sister Monica Clare at srmc@csjb.org if you are interested in joining. A description of this silent contemplative practice can be found here.

Faith Groups - learn more about this new opportunity in our diocese by reading the material on our diocesan website here: Faith Groups. It’s not just for Lent. If you are interested in starting or being part of a Faith Group here at All Saints, please let Mother Vicki know. 
+ + + + + + + 
When Will Churches in the Diocese of Newark Open for In-Person Worship? 
At present Bishop Hughes has still not lifted the restrictions on in-person worship. Our diocesan guidelines are tied to the metrics of the CovidActNow website https://covidactnow.org/us/new_jersey-nj/?s=1578518 .  As long as Morris County is red or dark red (which all of NJ currently is) we will remain fully on-line.  

This may seem confusing because different denominations have made differing decisions about what is safest for their parishioners. For instance, both St. Vincent’s and the Shrine of St. Joseph are holding in-person worship under limited conditions. First Presbyterian in Stirling and Meyersville Presbyterian are fully on-line.  

Adding to the variety of worship decisions is the fact that All Saints’ is part of the Diocese of Newark, which includes Morris County. Other nearby Episcopal churches in Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, and New Providence are in the Diocese of New Jersey, which has a different set of guidelines and has left more decision-making up to the parishes. Currently St. Mark’s in Basking Ridge is doing a hybrid of in-person and on-line. St. Bernard’s in Bernardsville is only on-line. 

Once we are able to proceed cautiously with worshipping in-person we will still need to be quite limited in our gatherings because of the need for distancing. We have measured out the minimum of at least 6 feet distance between our pews which are small and close together, with narrow aisles. The measurements give us 10 of our 36 pews to use at any given service. If 10 families of four or five people each register for a service, we can have 45 people. If 10 individuals from different households register for a service, we will have a congregation of only 10 people for that service.  

We will also continue to need to wear masks and will not be able to sing together in person until public health officials tell us it is safe and prudent to do so. We know that once we can be fully back in-person we will continue to live-stream our services for those who are at a distance or can’t attend for some other reason.  

The process of moving from fully on-line to fully in-person will take time, work, and patience once the public health conditions and the Bishop allow.  

The full diocesan guidelines can be found here; in particular, look at the quick color-coded overview page: https://dioceseofnewark.org/sites/default/files/resources/Journey%20Forward%20Guidelines%202.0%202020.12.14.pdf 
+ + + + + + + The Parish Office is generally staffed Mondays and Thursdays but with limited contact for the public. Please call ahead if you need to do in-person parish business. 

Parish Schedule this Week 
Sunday Worship & Coffee Hour – 10:00 am; Zoom, posted later to YouTube and our website 
Compline - daily, 9:30 pm; Facebook Live 
Finance Committee - Tue, 7:15 pm; Zoom 
Bible Study - Wed, 10:15 pm; Zoom 
Office Angels - Thu, 11:00 am; Zoom 
Junior Choir – Thu, 5:30 pm; Zoom 
Adult Choir - Thu, 7:30 pm; Zoom 
Parish Office - Mon & Thu, 10:00 am-5:00 pm (usual hours).  
Please call ahead if you need to do in-person parish business. 
+ + + + + + + 
Christian Practices: Intercession 
Intercession is the practice of praying for someone else – for their well-being, guidance, encouragement in faith, healing, whatever the concern may be.  We most often think about this in connection with people we know and love, but as Christians we are also called to pray for the good of the world, or at least our neighborhood or community, however the Holy Spirit leads us. 

How do we intercede and pray for others? God certainly knows the needs of others and knows what is on our hearts and minds even before we can form the words of our prayer. We do well to trust God even when we don’t know “the right thing” to pray, or what the best outcome might be for a person or situation. 

Equally, it is important for us to spend time with our intercessions, to visualize the person or concern for which we are praying, to sit with them (metaphorically) in the light of God’s love. Perhaps the Spirit will give us some wisdom or insight that will help us to pray more directly or effectively. Perhaps that insight will lead us to speak with the person we are praying for in a way that is helpful to them. 

If we are praying for something beyond an individual or family, try to picture the situation from the perspective of the Kingdom of God – where God’s wholeness, goodness, purpose, and right relationships are a reality. Another term for this is what Martin Luther King, jr called “The Beloved Community.” This type of prayer is not about giving God a list of tasks, it is about envision and inviting God’s best for God’s world. 

For whom do you feel called or moved to pray this week? 

Blessings, Vicki+ 
 
 
 


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    This Week
    @All Saints'

    The weekly e-letter of news, announcements and reflection from All Saints' Episcopal Church, Millington, NJ
    Join this list! please include your name and e-mail.  Thanks.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Categories

    All
    Aa
    Announcments
    Ascension
    Baptism
    Bishop Beckwith
    Book Group
    Book Of Common Prayer
    Bowling Party
    Carrie Newcomer
    Car Wash
    Christian Arts Camp
    Christmas
    Community Forum
    Csjb
    Easter
    Egypt
    Epiphany
    Facebook
    Father's Day
    Fish And Chips
    Food For Friends
    Gala Brunch
    Green Faith
    Holiness
    Holy Habits
    Holy Name
    Holy Week
    Independence Day
    Inquirer's Class
    Japan
    John The Baptist
    Lent
    Maundy Thursday
    Memorial Day
    Mother's Day
    Ordination
    Palm Sunday
    Parish House Entryway
    Parking Lot
    Parking Lot Challenge
    Penitence
    Pentecost
    Prayer
    Rogation Sunday
    Sabbatical
    Scouts
    Seder
    Small Saints
    Solar Screening
    Souper Bowl
    Stewardship
    Summer
    Summer Program
    Worship

    RSS Feed

All Saints' Episcopal Church

 15 Basking Ridge Road, Millington NJ 07946    phone: (908) 647-0067    email: allstsmill@hotmail.com
Photo used under Creative Commons from Dustin A. Lewis