All Saints Episcopal Church
Celebrating our Life Together in Christ
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100 North Drew Street / Appleton, Wisconsin 54911 / 920-734-3656
Parish Office Hours: (during COVID-19) Monday 9-11am, Thursday 9-11am
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From Fr. Christopher Wilkerson |
“Staying Connected”
My dear friends in Christ,
When I initially sat down and began to write these words ~ upstairs in a corner “nook” that’s been retrofitted into a makeshift office ~ it was a cold, wet, rainy, rather dismal Wednesday afternoon. Unseasonably so, I was reassured by a number of long-time locals. Nevertheless, it was one of those afternoons in which there are so very many things that need doing that you really have no idea where to begin. How to prioritize, when everything is critically important? An impossible task, of course. Okay, I told myself ~ so pick one thing, just one thing, that is critically important for All Saints.
Quick, I said to myself—what’s the first one that comes to mind?
Staying connected. That was my first thought.
It’s been more than half a year, now, since the great plague of our time swept through our country and turned our everyday lives and habits and patterns and rituals and comforts and expectations … and connections … upside down. We made it through the first three months or so on adrenaline, and the next month or two were a white-knuckled affair as we gritted our teeth and endured with a sort of a siege-mentality, convinced we could outlast the virus.
And now here we are, six months and change into what is no longer a “new” normal and realizing that there will be no outlasting it. At least, not in the way that we had expected or hoped.
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From the Youth Minister, Erin Wolf
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Greetings, All Saints families and friends!
I hope this finds you all well and healthy as school is underway for everyone now.
2020-2021 Program Year: Reminder: The All Saints program year for 2020-2021 will begin in early October. Details are still being worked out, so please stay tuned! Thank you for your patience.
Youth Group Reminder: For those families with students in grades 5-12, your students are welcome to participate in All Saints Youth Group activities. Some 5th grade students are ready to jump in fully with Youth Group activities, while others use 5th-6th grades to test the waters out. Both are okay ways to participate!
While there are some activities not available to 5th graders (some diocesan events and other local youth events with other churches), parents, if your student wants to give Youth Group a try at any point this year, they are welcome to do so for All Saints specific events. If you have any questions, please contact Erin Wolf at asygappleton@gmail.com for more information.
Diocesan Events this fall/winter: At this time, there are a couple of diocesan youth offerings that will tentatively be offered in fall/winter of 2020-2021. However, as with any other event at this time, we will be making final calls about the nature of the event and announcing them within two weeks of the event start. Some of these events may be offered in person with reduced capacity or alternative arrangements, they may take place virtually, or we may postpone them until the spring. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make decisions that will hopefully best serve and honor the families of the Diocese of Fond du Lac.
Upcoming Events
Oct. 16-17 (TENTATIVE): Youth Fall Lock-In (grades 6-12) While this event has traditionally been an in-person, overnight experience, there will be no overnight component to the weekend for 2020. Details are still being worked out, and more information will be available soon.
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From the Parish Treasurer, Alicia Bayambang |
Hello All Saints,
Please find the August financial summary below. A few large annual pledges were received in August which resulted in a surplus for the month. Thank you for your continued support of the church.
Pledges for August were $24,798 versus the budgeted amount of $18,333.
Ministry expenses, at $2,330, were less than the budgeted amount of $2,768 due to not incurring flower expenses.
Minister expenses at $12,542, were less than the budgeted amount of $15,840 due to payroll timing and not incurring musician expenses.
Facility costs came in at $6,480 compared to the budgeted amount of $6,258 due to the completion of the heating system repairs and maintenance.
Operation costs came in at $473, compared to the budgeted amount of $1,119 due to lower than planned telephone/internet and office expenses. The transition to the new telephone/internet provider is complete. Thank you to Tina Wilfer and Brad Retzlaff who make this initiative a reality.
All Saints ended the month with a surplus of +$3,179. YTD All Saints now has a surplus of +$6,634. We estimated the deficit would be ($28,510) so we continue to outperform expectations.
Peace,
Alicia Bayambang
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Connecting with our All Saints Community |
All Saints is using Facebook to help us stay in touch with one another. We’re using it in two ways.
1: NEW! The All Saints Facebook GROUP.
The purpose of the Facebook group is to provide a way for parishioners and those with close connections to All Saints to interact online with one another, especially when we can’t interact in person. It is a community group and a more private environment than the very public Facebook page. Posts in the Facebook group might include members sharing pictures, sharing news or resources, asking questions, or requesting help. The All Saints Facebook group is a private group, which means only those folks who join the group may see who's in the group and the things that are shared in the group. You need a Facebook account to participate. Search for the group and request access. If you can’t find it, please ask for help via the “Send Message” link on the All Saints Facebook page. Learn more about how to use Facebook groups here.
2: The All Saints Facebook PAGE.
The Facebook page is accessible to anyone with internet access. You do NOT need your own Facebook account to access the page. The purpose of our Facebook page is to share information with the public about what’s happening, or what has happened. Our online worship services (Sunday mornings and Daily Office during the week) are live streamed through this page for anyone to watch. Each message or service that is added to the Facebook page is called a post. If you miss a worship service, you can go to the All Saints Facebook page and look back through the posts to find the service you want to watch. Only staff and a few leaders can create posts on the All Saints Facebook page.
It is challenging to be apart from one another for so long. It’s heartening to hear about members staying in touch with phone calls, emails, and sidewalk visits. We hope that the new Facebook group will be another tool for many people to use to share updates with our church family.
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Book of Common Prayer Access |
With our worship remaining online for the time being, below are some options for access to the Book of Common Prayer at home if you do not currently have a copy handy. Of course, having your own BCP is valuable anytime for daily prayer, the Catechism, the Daily Office Lectionary listings, the Psalter, and more. Explore this treasured resource!
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All Saints Online Weekly Schedule |
NOTE: Even if you're not on Facebook, you can still view the livestreams or any other information on the All Saints page by clicking the links below.
Sunday
10:30 a.m.: Virtual Coffee Hour - Zoom
Monday*
11:00 a.m.: Weekly Lectionary Bible study - Zoom
3:00-5:00 p.m.: Pastoral Care “Office Hours”**
~ Fr. Christopher (920.266.9262)
Tuesday*
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Pastoral Care “Office Hours”**
~ Fr. Christopher (920.266.9262)
Wednesday
Thursday*
12:00 p.m.: Faith Talk - Zoom
6:30-8:30 p.m.: Pastoral Care “Office Hours”**
~ Fr. Christopher (920.266.9262)
Friday
Saturday* (services TBD)
Notes
* Morning Prayer @ 9:30 a.m., Evening Prayer @ 5:30 p.m., and Compline @ 7:30 p.m. (7:45 on Wednesdays) services can be lay-led, and at least some of them should be lay-led. Anyone interested in leading any of the Daily Office prayer services should contact me @ fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com ~ I am happy to provide any needed guidance and/or training (hint: it’s pretty easy!). I will also be leading these services, myself, but I really want to get more of the parish involved with leading prayer.
** I will announce at the appointed hour via the All Saints Facebook page that I am available and post my Google Voice phone number (listed above), inviting folks to share comments and conversation, and I will use that time to check in with folks, answer questions, and make appointments for private pastoral conversations as needed.
Thank you, everyone, for your patience and flexibility as we have worked to put together an online presence for All Saints Episcopal Church. It is a steep learning curve, and I (like many of you) had to start largely from scratch. As we go forward, please let us know what is working, what could work better, and what else you would like to see as part of our online ministry and outreach. I am putting together a new ministry team to oversee our digital presence and ministry; if you would like to get involved, please send me an email and let me know.
Blessings,
Christopher+
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Parish Birthdays & Anniversaries |
September Birthdays
9/2 - Tina Wilfer
9/4 - Michael Soffa
9/7 - Mick Rutz
9/8 - Ethan Rutz
9/9 - Susan Allen
9/10 - Brynn Dobkoski
9/17 - Abigail Wolf
9/21 - Michael Laswell
9/21 - Tracy Peterson
9/23 - Pam Sealy
9/29 - Eric Neiswender
Arden Kuehmsted
September Anniversaries
9/12 - Peter & Sarah Gilbert
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Forward Day by Day booklets for August-September-October are available. If you'd like one, please contact the office, and we'll make arrangements.
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Due to the pandemic, there will be no literal CROP Hunger Walk this year. The "virtual"walk will be October 11, and fundraising for the valuable work of Church World Service will go on as usual! If you are able to contribute to the effort this year, there are two ways to do so: online via the website, or you can donate by check: Payable to Church World Service, P.O Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. Thank you for supporting this worthy cause.
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Diocesan & Community Events |
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Bishop Godfrey Tawonezvi, Bishop of our companion diocese of Masvingo, Zimbabwe, reached out to the Diocese of Fond du Lac to share that the Diocese of Masvingo is struggling financially under the current circumstances of economic meltdown in the country coupled with the pandemic. After consulting with diocesan leadership, Bishop Matt is launching a short-term appeal in September to respond to the need of the Companion Diocese.
Each member of the Diocese of Fond du Lac is asked to prayerfully consider giving financial support to the Masvingo Appeal. 100% of your gift will go to Masvingo as wire fees and bank fees involved are being underwritten by a donor. The first transfer will happen October 1, so please give by then.
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Oct. 24 - Diocesan Convention |
The Diocesan Convention will be held virtually this year, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 9am-4pm. Delegates will participate via Zoom; if you're not a delegate, you can watch a livestream on the diocesan YouTube channel. Visit the diocesan website for more information.
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Tech Support Volunteers Needed |
Now that we are beginning to expand our online worship offerings (thanks to our official Online Ministry Team’s impressive efforts), and especially given the fact that it looks like Covid-19 won’t be going away anytime soon, we need your help to make sure as many folks in our parish are able to get connected.
We’ve found that the most effective way to get folks who are not computer-experienced connected, plugged in, and up & running with the electronic technologies that All Saints is using for worship, Bible study, formation, and fellowship … is personal, one-on-one help.
So if you are A) computer-savvy yourself, B) relaxed & comfortable when walking people through new things, and C) willing to be a one-person IT/tech support department for someone in our parish, please let Fr. Christopher, Emily Gilbert in the church office, or Carol Jegen on the Online Ministry Team know, and we’ll connect you with someone who needs your help getting connected!
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Lectors & Intercessors Wanted |
We are expanding our online worship! If you have access to Zoom (and a decent internet connection) and would be interested in serving as a lector or an intercessor (reading Scripture or the Prayers of the People) as part of our Sunday morning livestream worship service, please contact Emily at allsaintsappleton@gmail.com.
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Building a New Pastoral Care Team |
Covid-19 has been with us for half a year, now, and it’s starting to sink in that this virus and all the changes its brought to our daily lives won’t be going away anytime soon. The people of All Saints have been amazing and truly inspiring in your responses to the kinds of drastic changes that have pulled other parishes apart. Your resilience, and the strength and depth of your faith, are to be commended and celebrated!
The time has come to be a bit more organized in our approach to ministry under the shadow of Covid, and to be a bit more long-term in our planning. To that end, we need to put together a Ministry Team to oversee pastoral care within the parish. It will not be the job of this team to do all of the pastoral care that needs doing at All Saints. The team’s job will be to identify the pastoral care needs in the congregation, and to coordinate with volunteers and clergy to make sure those needs get met.
If you have a passion for taking care of your brothers and sisters in Christ, if you have a strong feeling of connection with this parish family—or would like to develop one—and if you have a heart for the Gospel as revealed in loving and caring for people in need, please consider joining this Ministry Team. Help us provide the best pastoral care possible. Help us to be truly the hands of Christ here at All Saints.
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Stephen Ministry:
Bringing Christ's healing love to hurting people
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What is a Stephen Minister?
Could you or someone you know benefit from the Christ-defined, confidential care of a Stephen Minister? Do you feel called to be part of this caring ministry?
Contact: Susan McCardell 920-915-0288 or Susan
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Emergency Shelter Servers |
From Sue Stenz:
Dearest friends,
It is with great sadness I once again pen a note about the next few months at Pillars. Although some groups have gone back to volunteering with stringent guidelines, due to our higher ages in our volunteer groups, we will not be doing so at this time. It will be revisited in Jan. 2021. Tony, the current director of volunteers totally understands and has been very gracious.
That being said, I have discussed this with Sarah. Phil and I, being so far away from Appleton, especially in winter, have decided to resign as leaders of this exceptional team. We have loved every moment of our time with you all, and hope to stay on at least in the non-winter months. Sarah will discuss this with Father Christopher and see what 2021 might look like in the terms of leadership.
I am including a wonderful opportunity to donate to Pillars with a matching donation. I hope you will consider this wonderful cause.
Feeling very blessed.
Sue and Phil
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Calendar of Upcoming Events |
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All events are canceled until further notice. |
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Worship services are suspended until further notice.
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All Saints Episcopal Church | 920-734-3656 | allsaintsappleton@gmail.com | allsaintsappleton.org |
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