Purpose To be a Community where all persons will encounter the power and love of the Living God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Vision All Saints Episcopal Church is called by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to... · Worship Jesus Christ · Learn and Teach His Word · Minister in His Name · Proclaim Him and Share the Blessing of His Love · Welcome All in His Name |
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The All Saints Messenger
August 24, 2017
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Greetings in the name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
This Sunday's Gospel passage from Matthew contains one of Jesus' hardest sayings in all the Gospels, "If any man would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." I often find myself thinking that this is one of Jesus' sayings that we could do without. We prefer the warm and fuzzy passages of Jesus, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted," "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me," and "Peace I leave with you, my own peace I give to you." These are warm and fuzzy passages that are comfortable, safe, and provide stability in our disruptive and frightening world.
But who needs to hear Jesus saying "deny yourself and take up your cross?..." when you are knee deep in flood waters without power and a warm place to lay your head, keeping up with the bills, caring for a dying friend or parent, or just trying to meet the challenges of the day ... who really needs to hear these words? We often want to believe that Jesus was only talking to those twelve special disciples but we all know better don't we? It is not just the 12 who Jesus is calling to take up their cross, it is you and I as well.
The deep secret of Jesus' hard words to us in this passage is that our fear of suffering and death robs us of life, because fear of death always turns into fear of life, into a stingy, cautious way of living that is not really living at all. The deep secret of Jesus' hard words is that the way to have abundant life is not to save it but to spend it, to give it away, because life cannot be shut up and saved any more than a bird can be put in a shoebox and stored on a closet shelf.
Episcopal Priest and noted preacher Barbara Brown Taylor writes about this passage, "Better yet, life cannot be shut up and saved any more than fresh spring water can be put in a mason jar and kept in a kitchen cupboard. Yes, it will remain water, and if you ever open it up you can probably still drink it, but it will have lost its essence, it's life, which is to be poured out, to be moving, living water, rushing downstream to share its wealth without ever looking back."
To be where God is -- to follow Jesus -- means going beyond the limits of our own comfort and safety. It means receiving our lives as gifts instead of guarding them as our own possessions. It means sharing the life we have been given instead of bottling it for our own consumption. May each of us make it so!
See ya Sunday! Remember to join us for breakfast.
See ya Sunday
Fr. Gary+
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The Fall session of EfM is coming up quickly. EfM is a four year program from The University of the South, Sewanee. It is a wonderful way to study the Bible, history and theology. EfM has two new Mentors, Don Stine and Adam Nygren. If you are interested in joining in the fun, please contact one of these Mentors as soon as possible.
We will continue to accept applicants up until September, with the understanding that it could delay you getting your books.
If you have any questions, please contact
Don at 704-691-4089
Adam at 980-285-0915.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
* First Sunday of the month Coffee Hour: We need someone to set up and clean up only
for Coffee Hour on Parish Breakfast Sunday. You do not have to provide any food, just set out the food left from breakfast. Please sign up for this on the Coffee Hour sign-up sheet.
* Parish Breakfast:
Breakfast will take place this Sunday, September 3rd. On the menu is bacon, eggs, grits, coffee cake, fruit & toast. Breakfast starts early (9:00) and continues until 10:00. It is a great time to relax and visit!
* Reminder
: All loose offerings from the first Sunday of every month are deposited into the Rector's Discretionary Fund.
* Cooking for the Army: On the 1st
Saturday of every month (2nd
Saturday if the first weekend is a holiday weekend) parishioners gather at
9AM to cook approximately 700 meals for The Salvation Army & Cornerstone Ministry. We are always in need of more hands to assist in this life-giving project since "more hands make light work." If you are interested in this ministry, please contact the church office and we will put your name on the monthly e-mail reminder.
* Work Day
: We will have a parish workday on Saturday, October 7th at 8AM. Please put the date on your calendar and join us in sprucing up the church and the grounds. Many hands make light work! "Please don't fall for that voice that tells you someone else will do it"
* Youth Christian Formation
: Christian Formation for our young people begins on Sunday, September 10
th
at 9:30 sharp. Our new program is an Episcopal curriculum. We have 11 dedicated teachers and three dedicated musicians who will be guiding our young people. Please bring your children and let them experience God and Jesus with others.
* Towel Ministry Coordinator
: All Saints Towel Ministry funds and builds handicap ramps and does other small building projects for those in Gaston County who have a need. If you are a good organizer and understand basic building techniques All Saints could use your services as our new Towel Ministry Coordinator. You are not expected to do all the work, just take requests, assemble the teams and help out the citizens in our community who need help. If interested please speak to Fr. Gary.
* Ministry Schedule: The September through December Ministry Schedule is on the table in the Family Life Center.
* Parade of Tables: Saturday, September 23rd from 6 - 8:30PM. This is an outreach event that raises money for our church. It is an elegant evening with friends and includes dinner, a band and an auction. Church members host a table that is decorated in various themes. The table hosts sell tickets for a seat at their table. There are usually 12 to 15 tables and each ticket is $25.00 dollars. This includes appetizers, dinner and desert as well as great music and an auction. We will also sell raffle tickets for 2.00 a ticket and a 50/50 cash prize. The evening is very enjoyable and full of fun. Please feel free to contact Lee and Casey Allison if you have any questions. All proceeds go to support our All Saints Outreach Programs. Tickets: $25.00 per person. Please let your table host know if you need babysitting as we can have it available.
* Choir Rehearsal: Sunday mornings at 9:25 am.
* Handbell Rehearsal: Rehearse at 6PM on 9/13, 9/20, 9/27 - Ring on 10/1.
Rehearse on 11/1, 11/8, 11/15 - Ring on 11/19.
* Food Pantry: Please help us restock the shelves by bringing in the following items: canned meats only (chicken, ham, vienna sausages, spam, salmon, etc.). Through your generosity, we have been able to help many families and individuals.
* Zumba: FIRST CLASS IS FREE! All Saints will host a Zumba Gold class on Fridays at 9am in the Family Life Center. It will be taught by certified instructor Barbara Mooradian who has been teaching for 6 years. Especially suited to older adults or those with mobility issues or restrictions, Zumba Gold has all of the liveliness and fun of Zumba while being low impact and easier on the body. It can even be done while sitting! Zumba Fitness is fun-filled, energetic, and contagious. You do not have to know how to dance; you just have to enjoy yourself and keep moving! Classes will be $5 each and payable by the month. Come try it out. You will be glad you did. For more info email Barbara at [email protected] or call 808-281-7172. See you on Friday.
* Preaching ROTA (rotation) at All Saints
: We are blessed at All Saints to hear three different voices in preaching. Each one of our clergy; Gary, Cris and Martha, have experienced the world and see the world differently and through different lenses. Because our community is made up of different people from different experiences we need to hear different voices. At All Saints, Deacon Cris preaches on the 3rd
Sunday
of each month, Deacon Martha preaches on the 1st
Sunday
of alternate months (next time is in September) and Fr. Gary preaches the other Sundays. We hope you find the different voices fulfilling in your spiritual journey.
* Bible Study: The Faith Club is a wonderful book that has generated excellent discussion. It is not too late to join this group which meets on Wednesday morning at 10:00 in the Family Life Center library. If interested in joining, get the book and come.
* A liturgical change for the summer: We are currently rotating between three alternative Eucharistic prayers written by The Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Liturgy & Music. The three prayers are in booklets placed in each pew. We hope these new prayers, with new images might help open the Eucharist in new and exciting ways for you. The plan is to return to the Prayer Book prayers in the fall. Other minor changes include: a different Gloria, the Contemporary Lord's Prayer (said not sung, also considered by some scholars to be the original prayer of our Lord), new Sanctus & Fraction anthems, and a new Great Amen.
* Family Promise: The remaining 2017 dates that we will be host to the Family Promise guests are 10/8 - 10/15. Family Promise is a community program that provides housing and support to families that are having to deal with an unfortunate time in their lives. All Saints is one of the original churches that helped establish this ministry more than ten years ago. We host families in this ministry four times a year at our parish facilities with assistance from the Redeemer Lutheran Church here in Gastonia. There are many ways to support this ministry. During weeks that we host our guests, we need parishioners to greet and engage guests, to provide homework and enrichment activities for the children, to prepare and serve dinner, and to spend the night.The other way that parishioners can assist these families is to donate items that our guests need. Suggested items to donate are clothes, detergent, toothbrushes and toothpaste, small first aid kits, hair products, soap and/or body wash, suitcases (both used or new), 10, 20, and 30 gallon storage tubs w/ lids, towels and washcloths (both used or new), bed linens (both used or new), family friendly movies or videos, board games, & craft supplies. For more information, or to volunteer please contact Marc Dudley at 704-718-4044 or [email protected].
* Needed: Monetary donations for lettuce and carrots for the Salvation Army salads on Mondays. Our lettuce in the garden has "gone over to the dark side...bolted". Will be a month or two before the new crop is in. Until then, we need donations for lettuce and carrots. Each week, we use up one large bag of sliced carrots and 6 heads of lettuce. Cost is about $8 a week. Donations are needed to offset this cost. Anyone willing to donate cash or a gift card to the project, please see Linda Klocker, 704-827-3901. Checks should be made out to All Saints, garden fund. Thanks for your generosity. The clients at the Salvation Army really enjoy a fresh salad.
* Parish Nurse Ministry will be taking blood pressures after the 8:00 and 10:30 services on the second Sunday of the month. Nurses interested in the parish nurse ministry please contact Cheryl Saylor, MSN.
* Cookbooks: $10 If you don't need a cookbook, but would like to help our Outreach committee reach their budget goal, consider buying a cookbook to donate to our newcomers committee. Any donated cookbooks will be included in the welcome bag we hand out to newcomers.
* Adult Christian Formation: We are studying "Great Figures of the New Testament." Our guide is the esteemed Jewish scholar Amy-Jill Levine who teaches at Vanderbilt University. What Ms. Levine brings to the table is a unique Jewish understanding of the New Testament, the culture and people of the day. She will take us on a journey of specific characters: who they are, what they do and how they have been assessed across the centuries. We begin at 9:25 AM. Please join us!
* Sign Up Sheets for coffee hour, altar guild and altar flowers are on the bulletin board in the Family Life Center. Coffee Hour hosting can be as simple as drinks and cookies. Coffee hour is provided to have fellowship with our parish family. Please sign up or call the church office to add your name to the list (704-864-7201).
* Salvation Army Service Schedule: Monday, September 4 - Team #6. (Jerry Wertz & Deloris Stewart)
* Church Financials: The Vestry wants to make sure that all parishioners are aware that the monthly financial reports are posted on the bulletin boards in The Family Life Center. If you have any concerns or questions please contact Phill Wertz or Fr. Gary. Thank You!
* Why Do You Love All Saints? Who here loves All Saints? Do you want to tell the world why you love being a part of the All Saints family? Please help us spread the word about our congregation by telling your All Saints Story. All Saints Stories will be published on our website: AllSaintsGastonia.org as well as our facebook and twitter pages. To submit your story, go to AllSaintsGastonia.org and click "All Saints Stories" under the Parish Life tab. If you can, please submit a photo with your story.
* Prayer List: Our prayer list grows rapidly. We ask all parishioners to keep the office informed so that our prayer list remains current and manageable.
* Partnership: All Saints has entered into a relationship with the YMCA's Resource Connection Gateway. This relationship enables us to help those in need more rapidly and efficiently while also addressing long-term needs versus only addressing immediate concerns. If you would like more information please see Fr. Gary.
* Salvation Army Serving: If anyone is interested in serving at the Salvation Army on Mon. nights from 5:00 to 6:00, please contact Candy Albergine at 704-868-8691 or email [email protected]. We have a couple of spots open and you will find this ministry is a true blessing to all involved. The schedule is on bulletin board in Family Life Center.
* All Saints Sermons online: Thanks to John Woodward, our sermons are available in audio and video on our website at: www.allsaintsgastonia.org/sermons
* Free Mulch: There are several piles of mulch in the upper parking lot that you are welcome to take. We need to free up some parking spaces in that upper lot. Please do not take the mulch by the shed as that is intended for the garden.
* Church Directory: Available on the table in the Family Life Center.
* Building Use Policy
: Our buildings are being used more and more and scheduling conflicts are occurring. Effective immediately, all rooms/buildings will be scheduled by the Parish Administrator by the submission of a form which is available at the office and will soon be available on the web site. We appreciate your understanding realizing that this will improve our ability to serve our parishioners and ministries.
* Planned Giving: Programs for Outreach Ministries are an important part of our parish. You can ensure the continuation of these programs by setting up an endowment or including a bequest in your will. The Episcopal Foundation of Western Carolina has set up "The Living Stones Society" to provide Education and training to all clergy and parishioners about setting up a program. For more information see Fr. Gary or call the foundation at 828-225-6656.
* Ministry Opportunities: There are a variety of Ministries available at All Saints including feeding at The Salvation Army, tending the Garden, Family Promise where we take care of those without a home for a week at a time, Altar Guild, Readers, Lectors, Acolytes, Chalicers, and many more. Everyone at All Saints is encouraged to serve in some way. Please let us know what you are interested in and we will put you in touch with the ministry coordinator. You can call the office (704-864-7201), email ([email protected]) or speak to Fr. Gary.
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| Upcoming Schedule September 1st: Zumba September 3rd: Parish Breakfast September 9th: Cooking for the Army September 11th: EfM begins September 13th: Handbells Rehearse September 19th: Vestry September 23rd: Parade of Tables September 26th: Pastoral Care Meeting September 29th: Lion's Club BBQ October 7th: Parish Work Day October 29th: Worship & Picnic at Rankin Lake |
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This Sunday's Scripture Readings
The Collect
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Lesson: Exodus 3:1-15
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you':
This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c
1 Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Search for the LORD and his strength; *
continually seek his face.
5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.
23 Israel came into Egypt, *
and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.
24 The LORD made his people exceedingly fruitful; *
he made them stronger than their enemies;
25 Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, *
and dealt unjustly with his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant, *
and Aaron whom he had chosen.
45 Hallelujah!
The Epistle: Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28
Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
"For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
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Saint Day / Feast of the Week
Prudence Crandall
Teacher and Prophetic Witness, 1890
Born to a Quaker family in Rhode Island in 1803, Prudence Crandall
was educated in arithmetic, the sciences, and Latin at the New
England Friend's Boarding School in Rhode Island. The Quakers, or
"Friends," believed that women should be educated, and it was in the
environment of the Friend's Boarding School that Prudence Crandall's
passion for teaching was first awakened.
In 1831, Crandall started a girl's school in Canterbury, Connecticut,
where she educated the daughters of the town's wealthy families.
In 1833 she admitted to her school a young African American girl
named Sarah Harris. Harris wanted an education so that she could in
turn teach other African American children. The parents of the white
children at Crandall's school were outraged and demanded Harris's
expulsion, but Crandall refused and decided to open a new school for
African American girls.
Despite repeated attempts by town members to close the school,
and even threats to destroy it, Crandall persevered in her labors. She
enlisted the help of William Lloyd Garrison, editor of The Liberator,
the nation's major antislavery newspaper. Through his paper and
advocacy, Garrison spread awareness of her cause all over the nation.
However, later in 1833, the state legislature passed the so-called
"Black Law," which made it a crime to open a school that taught
black children from any state other than Connecticut. Crandall, who
had received pupils from other states, was arrested, jailed, and tried.
She was eventually convicted, but a higher court reversed the decision.
Far from subsiding, the harassment she endured grew worse, and,
fearing for the safety of her students, she closed her school in 1834.
After her husband died in 1874, Crandall moved to Elk Falls, Kansas.
In 1886 the Connecticut stage legislature awarded her a pension.
In a petition signed by more than a hundred citizens of that state,
many expressed their regret and shame over her treatment. Mark
Twain attempted to persuade the state to buy back her original home
in Canterbury. Prudence Crandall died in 1890, and today she is
recognized as the official State Heroine of Connecticut.
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August 31st - Bob Forbes
September 1st - Bill Collins
September 2nd - T.J. Solomon
September 2nd - Jay Roberts-Miller
September 3rd - Jessica Woodward
September 5th - Justin Butterworth
September 5th - Jack Gaskey
September 5th - Lydia Kish
September 5th - Carol Maiden
September 6th - Lynne Stine
September 8th - George Sowersby
September 9th - Adam Nygren
September 11th - Susan Maxon
September 14th - Aiden Klocker
September 15th - Ryan Klocker
September 17th - Casey Allison
September 18th - Erica Baird
September 19th - Kathleen Sowersby
September 22nd - Joan Cieslik
September 26th - Rob Forbes
September 28th - David Outsen
September 28th - Laura Tilly
September 29th - Tyler Baird
Please let the office know if we have missed your birthday!
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MINISTRY SCHEDULE
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2017
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September 3
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September 10
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CHALICE/LECTOR
8:00 AM
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Lee Wells
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Jim McCarthy
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CHALICE
10:30 AM
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Terry Eckard
Jack Gaskey
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Lee Wells
Bob Forbes
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LECTOR
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Bob Forbes
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Claudette Forbes
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ACOLYTES
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Phill Wertz
McNeil Miller
Emory Borner
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Sydney Wertz
Zoe Tilly
Lindsey Wells
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GREETER/USHER
8:00 AM
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Jerry Wertz
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Laurie Stewart
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GREETERS/USHERS
10:30 AM
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George Sowersby
Pam Hart
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Candy Albergine
Marc Dudley
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ALTAR GUILD
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Terry Eckard
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Marc Dudley
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BREAD
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September
Chris Butterworth
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October
Gay Lindsey
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ALTAR FLOWERS
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Inga Kish
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Susan Maxon
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COFFEE HOUR
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Parish Breakfast
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Lee & Allison
Wells
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MORNINGSIDE
10:30 AM
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C.B. Barr
Morningside Resident
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George Sowersby
Eileen Klimkowski
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SOUND TECH
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Marc Dudley
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John Woodward
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LAY EUCHARISTIC
VISITORS
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George Sowersby
Susan Stroud
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Jim & Flo
McCarthy
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YOUTH
FORMATION
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N/A
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Christine Borner
Christine Borner
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VPOD 8:00
10:30
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Linda Klocker
Phill Wertz
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George Saylor
Linda Klocker
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Blessings & Peace,
Fr. Gary+
phone: 704-864-7201
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