All Saints Episcopal Church
Celebrating Our Life Together in Christ
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100 North Drew Street / Appleton, Wisconsin 54911 / 920-734-3656 or 920-249-4147
Parish Office Hours: Mon-Wed & Fri 9am-3pm, Thurs 9am-12pm
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Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to see
the schedule of servers for upcoming Sundays.
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From Fr. Christopher Wilkerson |
My dear friends in Christ,
Our Annual Meeting (January 30 @ 2:00 via Zoom) is nearly upon us once again! An appropriate moment to pause for a bit of reflection and, perhaps, a bit of intention as we get set to move forward into this new year together.
One thing I hope to see this year is the formation of a number of new Ministry Teams to manage and steward the important ministries of All Saints. The stellar work of the longstanding Finance Ministry Team and of the nascent Online Ministry Team have given us examples and models of how this type of parish organization works well both to sustain ongoing ministries and also to respond to new (and unexpected) needs with new and exciting ministries. The financial challenges of the pandemic have been, as you might imagine, not insignificant, and the fact that we’re entering 2022 is such comparatively good shape is down to remarkable leadership from our Finance Team. And as for the Online Ministry Team, well, we didn’t have an online ministry when the pandemic hit ~ now we do. Can I get an “amen”?
Our Pastoral Care and Music Ministry Teams are the latest to come together … or rather, to come back together. Now, Covid has once again, thanks to Omicron, curtailed for the moment our ability to do home visits safely and to sing together as a congregation. I’m delighted to say, nevertheless, that both these ministry teams are doing remarkable things despite the ongoing pandemic. The Pastoral Care Team is off to a fantastic start, reaching out to folks in the parish, making sure that I as rector and other church leaders are made aware of people’s pastoral needs, preparing training sessions for lay Eucharistic visitors, rekindling our Stephen Ministry, and revitalizing (or re-starting, in some cases) the kinds of pastoral care that have been a hallmark of this parish community. And the Music Ministry Team has worked incredibly hard to incorporate both pre-recorded and live, in-person music back into our shared worship in spite of the extreme difficulty imposed by Covid safety protocols.
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From the Senior Warden, Sarah Gilbert |
January Vestry Highlights
- This being the last meeting of this vestry year, we expressed appreciation for members whose terms are wrapping up, and for the faithfulness and dedication of the group as we worked through these challenging times.
- We approved a letter of agreement for parking lot use with Dreyer Wealth Management, and also a revised contributions policy.
- With our heating system needing more repair, it may be time to look into what replacement would involve, for future reference.
- Plans for our second annual meeting by Zoom are firming up. (Look for a registration invitation soon!)
- New ministry teams are on the horizon for 2022, so recruitment and communication strategies were discussed.
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From the Youth Minister, Erin Wolf |
Greetings, families & friends of All Saints!
YOUTH GROUP will continue to gather Wednesdays from 7:00-8:00pm via Zoom, and SUNDAY SCHOOL will continue to gather Sundays from 9:30-10:00am via Zoom. Whenever we are able to resume in-person gatherings, families will be notified. Links can be found in the Weekly Update email. CLICK HERE to sign up for the Youth Ministry email list.
ADULTS: We need your help with supervision – while adult leaders are welcome to participate fully in Youth Group, we need other adults in the building/online to meet our safeguarding guidelines. If you are able to help out, please contact me at asygappleton@gmail.com for more info. Thank you!
CALENDARS: You can find updated calendars for Winter/Spring 2022 SS & YG classes - CLICK HERE. Diocesan summer camp dates for June 2022 are also listed on the main calendar page for families that are starting to plan ahead.
RESOURCES: A reminder that we have a resources page on the Youth Ministry website for those families wishing to find more ways to pray, learn, and more at home. CLICK HERE to explore options, and if you have a great resource you'd like to share, simply reply to this email so I can check it out and add it to the list!
ACOLYTES/TECH SUPPORT: If you are a student interested in re-joining the acolyte roster or learning how to become an acolyte, please contact Emily Gilbert in the parish office at allsaintsappleton@gmail.com.
If you’re a high school student or young adult interested in learning how to help run the livestream for worship services, contact Brad Retzlaff at allsaintsappletononline@gmail.com for more info.
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From the Rector: COVID Updates |
My dear friends in Christ,
By now many of you have seen the recent recommendations put out by the Wisconsin Council of Churches. But whether you’ve seen that document or not, you’ve likely been keeping track of current Covid trends, especially in terms of Omicron, the latest variant of the virus that’s been causing infection rates and hospitalizations to spike yet again. Questions arise (also yet again) about whether we should modify or revise our Covid mitigation protocols and procedures. With such questions in mind, the Covid Task Force appointed by Bishop Matt in 2020 met again this week. Here is a summary of where we are at the moment.
Both the bishop and the task force agree that decisions about in-person worship, congregational singing, et al., are best handled at the parish level. Bishop Matt has not at this time issued any further diocese-wide directives. That said, some parishes are considering returning to all-virtual worship, suspending in-person services until the current spikes in the numbers start to come back down. Some parishes are not. Infection rates, death rates, and hospitalization rates are some of the metrics being used to make those decisions; for my part, one metric that weighs very heavily on me is the saturation of our hospitals and healthcare infrastructure. While it is true that Omicron ~ in most cases ~ does not seem to result in as severe an illness as Delta or earlier strains of Covid, it is also true that, in our area, hospitalization rates are high ~ back up in the summer 2020 ranges.
That’s a real problem, because it means that even if you don’t get Covid, you’ll likely run into difficulty gaining access to the medical care you might need for other illnesses and issues. People’s chemo treatments, for example, have had to be rescheduled, and hospital beds are not available for other emergencies because they’ve been filled by Covid patients. One of the reasons we shut down in-person worship in the first place was to give our healthcare infrastructure time and space to “catch up” and not be so over-saturated.
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All Saints 2022 Annual Meeting |
On Sunday, Jan. 30 at 2pm, we will hold our annual meeting remotely once again via Zoom. The purpose of this meeting is:
- To elect officers for the Vestry
- To elect Vestry members
- To discuss the electing of Delegates to the Diocesan Convention
- To present the budget
- To hear from and celebrate the ministries of All Saints
- To give thanks for our parish, while also looking forward
A packet with the agenda, ministry reports, budget, and vestry nominations will be available either digitally or in print ahead of the meeting.
All are invited to attend!
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“I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.” (Matt 25:35)
Our Food Pantry ministry continues at All Saints to provide food donations to St. Joseph Pantry. Please bring your donations of non-perishable, healthy food items and place it into the food baskets at the back of the church. Donations are picked up by pantry staff and distributed to individuals and families in need throughout our community. Donations can also be dropped off at the parish office during office hours.
Hygiene and personal care products (e.g. toilet paper, diapers, feminine care) are also needed on a regular basis through local social service agencies. Please bring donations of these items and place them in the baskets at the back of the church. They will be delivered to Salvation Army to support families in need. Donations can also be dropped off at the parish office during office hours.
Photo credit: Salvation Army USA West
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Would you like to take home a poinsettia or other plant from the Christmas flowers in the sanctuary? Stop in the Palmer Room on Sunday and pick one up!
NOTE: If you have pets at home, please be careful about where you put your poinsettias, as they are toxic to cats and dogs.
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Parish Birthdays & Anniversaries |
REMINDER: If you'd like to have your birthday or anniversary recognized, please contact the office.
January Birthdays
1/7 - Dean Kaul
1/7 - Fr. Patrick Twomey
1/17 - Rebecca Erickson
1/17 - Andrew Fischer
1/23 - Bill Crabb
1/24 - Laurie Leonard
1/24 - Erin Wolf
1/30 - Chris Mitchell
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Diocesan & Community Events |
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Epiphany Giving - Dairy Cows for Masvingo |
The Diocese of Masvingo, companion diocese of the Diocese of Fond du Lac, is starting a dairy farm. Since Wisconsin is the "Dairy State", it would be udderly ridiculous for us not to help! In Epiphany we remember gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh - and in this spirit the Companion Diocese Task Force calls members of the Diocese of Fond du Lac to give.
The diocesan-wide fund raising effort from January 6-March 5 is to fund dairy cows for the farm at Daramombe, Zimbabawe, and Anglican school campus in the middle of 1,200 acres of school owned farmland. Each heifer costs about $2,000 with at least 5 needed to start a good herd.
One cow isn't enough. The campaign kicks off with 2 cows funded by early givers! Can we build a herd? Our goal is to build the herd with every congregation providing support to the effort. How many cows in the herd is up to you! Every contribution - from as small as the price of a fast food meal to as large as the cost of a professional sporting event - can change the lives of entire communities in Zimbabwe.
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Calendar of Upcoming Events |
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All Saints Weekly Schedule |
NOTE: Even if you don't have a Facebook account, you can still view the livestreams or any other information on the All Saints page by clicking the links below.
Sunday, Jan. 23
8:30 am Holy Eucharist (in-person)
9:30 am Choir Rehearsal
9:30-10 am Sunday School (Zoom)
Monday, Jan. 24
11:00 am Bible Study (Zoom)
Tuesday, Jan. 25
Wednesday, Jan. 26
7-8 pm Youth Group (Zoom)
Thursday, Jan. 27
12:00 pm Faith Talk (Zoom)
Friday, Jan. 28
Sunday, Jan. 30
8:30 am Holy Eucharist (in-person)
9:30 am Choir Rehearsal
9:30-10 am Sunday School (Zoom)
2:00 pm Annual Parish Meeting (Zoom)
Monday, Jan. 31
11:00 am Bible Study (Zoom)
Tuesday, Feb. 1
Wednesday, Feb. 2
E-newsletter out
7-8 pm Youth Group (Zoom)
Thursday, Feb. 3
12:00 pm Faith Talk (Zoom)
Friday, Feb. 4
Sunday, Feb. 6
8:30 am Holy Eucharist (in-person)
9:30 am Choir Rehearsal
9:30-10 am Sunday School (Zoom)
Monday, Feb. 7
11:00 am Bible Study (Zoom)
Tuesday, Feb. 8
Wednesday, Feb. 9
7-8 pm Youth Group (Zoom)
Thursday, Feb. 10
12:00 pm Faith Talk (Zoom)
Friday, Feb. 11
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Sunday, January 23
Third Sunday
after Epiphany
Rite II
8:30 am
Lector/Intercessor
Robert Schimmelpfenning
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Acolyte
Barb Schoenike
Usher
Ken Schoenike
10:30 am
Lector
Susan Allen
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Intercessor
Peter Gilbert
Cantor
Carol Jegen
Psalm 19
Acolyte
Julie Holly
Usher
Mike Gadzik
Altar Guild
Suzanne Fischer
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Sunday, January 30
Fourth Sunday
after Epiphany
Rite I
8:30 am
Lector/Intercessor
Judy Hebbe
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Acolyte
Judy Hebbe
Usher
Mike Soffa
10:30 am
Lector
Ken Bozeman
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Intercessor
Mike Gadzik
Cantor
Eric Neiswender
Psalm 71:1-6
Acolyte
Fletcher Retzlaff
Usher
Peter Gilbert
Altar Guild
Catherine Neiswender
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Sunday, February 6
Fifth Sunday
after Epiphany
Rite II
8:30 am
Lector/Intercessor
Robert Schimmelpfenning
Isaiah 6:1-13
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Acolyte
Barb Schoenike
Usher
Ken Schoenike
10:30 am
Lector
Bill Reeves
Isaiah 6:1-13
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Intercessor
Jan Watson
Cantor
Erin Wolf
Psalm 138
Acolyte
Suzanne Fischer
Usher
Chris Laswell
Altar Guild
Sarah Gilbert
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All Saints Episcopal Church | 920-734-3656 or 920-249-4147| allsaintsappleton@gmail.com | allsaintsappleton.org |
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