"We are spendthrifts with words,
we squander them,
toss them like pennies in the air—
arrogant words,
angry words,
cruel words…
But the slowly wrought words of love
and the thunderous words of heartbreak—
these we hoard.”
Nina Simone was an artist whose career didn’t begin with words. Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born to preacher parents in North Carolina. Her musical gifts blossomed at church. She could play nearly anything by ear. Eunice was Juilliard-bound thanks to church folk, whose sacrificial collections funded her tuition. Indeed, this gifted young woman was on track to be the first Black classical pianist… until communal resources ran out. Eunice found herself searching to supplement income she earned teaching music students.
She auditioned for a piano gig at an Atlantic City bar & grill. Soon, she was mesmerizing audiences with renditions of popular tunes stylized in her own brand of jazz, blues, and classical. She also was singing in public for the first time. To keep her devout parents in the dark, Eunice went by Nina Simone at work. And her artistic light just would not stay hidden. Jazz festivals and record labels joined ranks with nightclubs clamoring for her talent.
By April 1963, Simone’s career was hitting new milestones, as race relations in our nation grew more tense. She graced concert goers at her first solo show at Carnegie Hall, the very same day that Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and held with other protesters in that pivotal Birmingham jail.
A few months later, Medgar Evers was gunned down on his own front lawn—
by a white supremacist who would only be held accountable for his crime 30 years later.
September of 1963, that same fall, four young girls were murdered at Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, by KKK terrorists who affixed a timing device to 19 sticks of dynamite and planted the bomb under the building’s east entrance.
Nina Simone released a death-defying love song six years later: her own stirring testament, much like Pauli Murray’s, whispering hope into the hearts of girls and boys throughout this nation who bear the tremendous weight of being "Young, Gifted, and Black” (as Simone’s song sings it).
People of faith, then and now, are remembered by what we squander and what we choose to hoard. Because words and deeds, like Black lives, indeed matter.
(To listen in on an All Saints' conversation sparked by this reflection, visit us on Facebook here).
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Giving thanks for your resilient witness to love, |
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The Rev. Sarah Stewart
Associate Rector for Young Adults and Innovation
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Don't Miss Our
COMBINED GATHERING
Tonight at 8:00 p.m.
Compline
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Jesus as a Radical Revolutionary
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Our weekly peer-led prayer group is immediately followed this evening by a conversation with the Rev. Kim Jackson, Vicar of Church of the Common Ground and Candidate for Georgia State Senate District 41.
All are welcome! Join us here!
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Spirit Reboot: Baptismal Practices for Borderlands
with the Rev. Sarah C. Stewart
**Final Week**
Sunday, October 4
9:00 - 9:55 a.m. on Zoom
This interactive series lifts up practices that strengthen us to reconnect, recreate, and rejoice in God's miraculous works of wonder. All are welcome! Contact Sarah Stewart with questions at sstewart@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Formation and Fun: Autumn Opportunities |
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Second Sundays Young Adult Formation
Continues on Sunday, October 11 at **11:00 a.m.**
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Gather ‘round our virtual/communal table the second Sunday of each month, starting September 13, for a lively bring-your-own-brunch conversation with peers and mentors.
You only need a posture of respect and generosity (and a suitable mobile device) to be in the “Zoom Where It Happens” as we explore God’s Living Word in scripture and in the unfolding texts of our lives.
Click here to sign up and Mark Kolojejchick-Kotch will send you the Zoom meeting link and password.
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All Saints' Connects Small Groups |
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All Saints’ Connects small groups will foster dynamic, facilitated, conversational environments for 6-8 adults to journey together for a season (60 min. weekly, 4 weeks at a time), as we seek to...
Center our lives around Jesus Christ
Care about one another
Converse about topics that truly matter
Create transformative community
through listening and sharing stories of faith
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Saints Untapped Upcoming Fall Festivities! |
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Saints Untapped: Save the Date(s) and Strut Your Stuff
October: Pumpkin Decorating Fun
Pumpkin pickup available on these Sundays:
Oct 4: Along W. Peachtree St. NW from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Oct 11: In the All Saints' Courtyard from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
November: Sizzlin' Saints Cooking Competition (ingredient list, TBA)
December: Christmas Cookies (decorating kit pick up dates @ church, TBA)
Click here to sign up and Michael Asmussen will send you the Zoom meeting link and password, or, click the link below to connect directly via Zoom.
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Rescheduled Service Project:
Beautifying Emmaus House
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SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, October 31
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
You may remember that the Young Adults were planning to host a landscaping service day this past April at Emmaus House called "Beauty Belongs Here."
Fortunately we are able to reschedule this event with some modifications. Participation will be limited to Young Adults only and the following safety precautions apply:
- Participants will wear masks and work outside, staying six feet or more apart at all times.
- Participants should bring and wear their own gardening gloves.
- Participants will not share landscaping tools. Emmaus House will provide appropriate tools for the projects we are undertaking.
- Please bring your own mask and gloves to wear (a small number of disposable masks will be available for those who forget theirs).
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Please sign up using this form for contact-tracing purposes.
We will have a very safe and fun morning of beautifying the Emmaus House and getting it ready for winter. Please do join us for this autumn project!
Questions? Contact Sarah Stewart at sstewart@allsaintsatlanta.org or Jessalyn Rogers via Slack.
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Service Opportunity: Threads Winter Coat Drive |
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Donate New or Gently-Used Children's Coats by October 20
Threads, our children’s clothing ministry, is collecting new or gently used winter coats for children (sizes toddler through big kids size 18 and adult small), along with new winter hats and gloves.
Between now and October 20, you can bring donations to All Saints' during business hours or you can place an order online and have it shipped to the church at 634 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 (attn: Threads).
Due to the global pandemic, we ask that you please follow these important guidelines when donating items:
- If you would like to donate a gently-used coat, please wash it before you bring it to the church.
- All donations that you bring to the church must be in a bag or container that is labeled “Threads Coat Drive.”
- Threads cannot accept donations of any other type at this time (winter coats, hats, and gloves ONLY).
We also invite volunteers to help deliver the coats to the families we serve on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25.
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Get Connected: Join All Saints' Slack Channel |
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Looking for the best way to catch up All Saints' Young Adults?
Stay up on the salient daily details via Slack!
Young Adults use our Slack Channel to communicate about activities such as hikes and socially distanced service projects. Haven't yet joined? Email Sarah Stewart at sstewart@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Resources for Personal Prayer in Daily Life |
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CONNECT WITH PRAYING PEERS via Young Adults @ All Saints' Slack Channel: youngadultsallsaints.slack.com #prayers
Compline by Candlelight from Trinity Wall Street:
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For more information contact The Rev. Sarah Stewart
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