Endings and beginnings surround us, and in a life of faith, they are given more attention perhaps because we realize the fragility of life, our dependence upon God, and the hope we have that in our comings and goings, our waking and sleeping, we are in the flow of God’s will. Here at All Saints’, our pets are very much an important part of our lives.

Life circumstances are what they are right now, and the flow of things led to Birdie coming to our family. Her mild manner and gentleness (so far), her sweet yet protective nature and brilliance suggest she will be a lovely office companion for me and a great addition to our family. (She has a quiet nature quite like Duncan did.) Indy is not so sure about all this, though, and the two cats (Cosmo and Mr. Sophie) are making sure Birdie knows she is not their friend. We are very much still in an adjustment period. She is only 1 year old, so we’re keeping as close an eye on her as we can so she can learn the ropes. She’s stealthy and smart, so I’m definitely getting more steps in. :)

Padre Guillermo’s last day in the office at All Saints’ will be this Thursday (the 18th). Birdie will be with me at the church on Friday (not Thursday since I have an appointment in town). You are always welcome to come say hi (at least between 10-2, though we’re often here earlier and later!). I hope you can participate in the celebration of Padre Guillermo this Saturday evening at church, and know you and your family are welcome to come for a swim Sunday, weather permitting. Next weekend is Bingo night, so be sure to check below for ways to volunteer and make it another rousing success. (If you would like a fuller look at some activities in the past month, you can also read my Vicar’s Report to the Vestry.) I look forward to seeing you soon. +

Sunday’s readings: Isaiah 58:9b-14 | Psalm 103:1-8 | Hebrews 12:18-29 | Luke 13:10-17

Saying goodbye is never easy, but in the vocational life of a priest, there are stages of transition where we are called by God to serve other communities. These years have been years of learning and growth. I am grateful to God and to you, for the mission we have accomplished together.

My decision to serve in another community is not because I am not happy here, on the contrary, I feel happy and enthusiastic in this community. But also want to clarify that nobody said that I should leave, but that after a time of discernment, I realized that I would like to share the gifts of faith and love of God in other communities as well.  My transition does not mean forgetting my friends and community of faith, but rather, it is extending and growing the friends and family in God.

I am deeply grateful to God for his blessings and generosity in my personal, family, and vocational life. I am lucky and, at the same time happy to receive from God his strength, his grace, and his unconditional love in all stages of my life. My personal life, family, and priesthood have been renewed, have grown, and have become stronger in faith and in love and pastoral experience next to each one of you.

I am grateful to the Episcopal Churches of Northwest Arkansas, All Saints’/Todos Los Santos, Saint Andrew’s, the Hispanic ministry and clergy, thank you for your love and trust you have bestowed on me all these years, you are and will always be my friends. We have had wonderful experiences have renewed ourselves and made us grow together in different circumstances of our lives. Thanks for the love and friendship from each of you to my family.

And I thank my wife Cheli for her patience, her support, and dedication, and for always serving with love and faith and joy.

Thanks to the wonderful Episcopal Church of Arkansas. We have been blessed to have a generous and hospitable bishop, not only is he a great bishop, a great pastor, but also a great human being. Thank you, Bishop Larry Benfield, for your unconditional support of the Hispanic community. I am very grateful to the staff in the Diocese, you have been very kind, attentive, and helpful.

We have been blessed by the support received from Mother Sara, the Vestry, and the non-Hispanic community, thank you for your hospitality and love.

One important thing I want to say is: Thanks to Bishop Larry Benfield, Rev. Jason Alexander, and the Discernment Committee in my process of transitioning my Priesthood to the Episcopal Church of Arkansas 13 years ago, from which I am very proud and grateful they trusted me.

I want to mention that all this would not have been possible without the help of God and of two people who were key in my discernment and search, to whom I am very grateful: Father Roger Joslin and my friend Joe DeLaCruz.

Dear Hispanic community of the Northwest Episcopal Church of Arkansas, this mission does not end. Keep sharing your gifts with generosity and joy. You have great leadership, keep up the love, faith, and enthusiasm that characterizes you.

God bless you always and thank you so very much.

Father Guillermo Castillo

Saturday, August 20, at 6 pm in the Parish Hall, we will celebrate the ministry of Padre Guillermo and his family before his leaving for San Pablo Iglesia Episcopal in Phoenix, AZ. All are invited to attend. If you would like to contribute to setup/cleanup/food/beverages, please contact Connie Woodbury for information. We will continue to hold Padre Guillermo and family in our prayers through their transition, and even as we grieve his loss, we celebrate the opportunities ahead of him.

I write to you as we head toward the end of summer of an eventful year–a year of both joyful and sorrowful events as well as exciting yet bittersweet announcements. We at All Saints’ have responded to these events with the love of God operating in the human heart, seeking to preserve and create community. We have much to remember and much to celebrate as we grapple with the dynamic and ever-changing world we live in. 

Steadfast support by donating and keeping up with your pledges will help our church community not only deliver on our budget but also cope with the unexpected. (The triple-digit temperatures and flooring project produced a very high electricity bill this month!). If you need a summary of your donations and pledges, please contact me at jkb@theridgeway.com or Edie Paxton at

bookkeeper@allsaintsbentonville.org.

Thank you for all that you do for our community at All Saints’/Todos Los Santos. 

Peace,

Julia K. Bailey, Senior Warden

Online offerings can be made at any time HERE. 

The 2022 Budget can be viewed here. If you have any questions regarding finances or wish to see our balance sheets, please contact Leigh Cole, treasurer@allsaintsbentonville.org. We are so thankful to everyone for making our budget sustainable.

Looking for a space in which to share in community conversation promoting anti-racism, encouraging self-reflection, and sharing ways in which we can make our community more truly inclusive? We will be resuming Continuing the Conversation at Cafe 211 (in the Bentonville Library) this Thursday, Aug. 18th at noon. All are welcome who have the willingness to listen and to share.

You are invited to attend the 11-part Sacred Ground series which will meet each Tuesday from 5:00 to 6:30 pm starting August 23rd.

Sacred Ground is a film and readings based dialogue series on race. Grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America's history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. 

This series is open to all, including all faiths.

If you would like to sponsor someone’s camp experience, please make a check out to All Saints’ and put “Camp Scholarship” in the memo. Camp is from $138-$172. Any amount is appreciated so we can make accessing these opportunities available for everyone!

Weather permitting, we will mark the end of summer and the start of the school year with a pool party at Mother Sara and Casey’s home. The weather isn’t looking very cooperative, so we will announce on Sunday if it will happen. Whether you have kiddos or not, know you are welcome to come hangout in/around the pool with us from 3-6pm at 101 Christian Lane, Bentonville.

August 27th, we look forward to another entertaining round of Bingo games and prizes! Proceeds benefit Clothed with Compassion, a ministry of our friends at First Christian Church and headed by Peggy Hicks. Come for church, stay for dinner and fun or come for a fun night out. $20 covers it all, and it’s the best deal in town! Buy/reserve tickets through Eventbrite (which helps us with reporting and keeping track). Sign up to volunteer or provide prizes through SignUp Genius. If you need help, contact Ashton@purpleshutters.net or MotherSara@allsaintsbentonville.org.

We are excited for folks to be back at camp! The first weekend in September (2-5), we’ll take advantage of the Labor Day weekend for an extended time of fellowship and worship for our Hispanic community. The camp is open to all of All Saints’! Mother Sara plans to go, and worship materials will be offered with translation. This is a wonderful immersion experience and a great time to get to know one another. There is a cost for the weekend. If you are interested in signing up and/or interested in supporting scholarships, please be in touch with Mother Sara. Registration is now open! $172 for adults for the whole weekend; $166 for 7-18yo’s; children under 6 are free. You may pay for half at time of registration or in full; the remaining balance is due by August 21.

It may seem a long way off, but will be here before we know it! On Sunday, Sept. 25th, ministries are invited to host a table and share what their ministry is all about after the service. If you want to have a table/presence, please contact Mother Sara. Only those who commit to being present will have a space and the opportunity to share and be listed among our ministries, unless other arrangements are made.

Our congregational directory is available 24/7 online through Instant Church Directory. There’s even a convenient app for your phone/tablet. We will be printing copies to distribute at our Ministry Fair in September, so all updates need to be made by the first week of September. You can submit changes online—including a picture you choose rather than one we find of you!—by logging in, using your email, the same one receiving this newsletter, and whatever password you set. If you have difficulty, you can contact Sandi Lynn for help.

Hello Everyone! Altar flowers make a great dedication for birthdays, anniversaries, remembrance of our loved ones, or just because. If you would like to donate flowers for the altar, please contact me, Judi Sturgill, at judi.sturgill@yahoo.com. Thank you & I look forward to hearing from you!

If you have been considering learning more about our faith tradition and exploring how you see God at work in your life and in the world around you, now is the time to contact Lori Snelgrove or Jayme Amonsen. Lori is our mentor here at All Saints’, and Jayme is a mentor at Grace in Siloam Springs. We have many EfM alumni here at All Saints’. Thank you for your prayerful discernment.

Our discretionary fund continues to be a source of funding for assistance to the community for rent and other needs. So far this year, we have assisted our local community with $6,793.71. If you are able to contribute, please mark “Discretionary Fund” on your donation. We also welcome Walmart gift cards to give for assistance for gas or groceries. You may drop those off to Mother Sara at the church.

These always need loving attention! Ready to eat and easy to open foods are best for the pantry, as are protein-rich snacks. Both the pantry and library welcome kid-friendly snacks and books, especially in the summer months. Thank you for helping our neighbors!

What does it mean to be a “green church”? Do Churches have a mandate to care for Creation? Or is being a green church simply the logo du jour? Faith communities across the globe are asking these questions. Clearly no person, institution or society is immune from the impacts of climate change, but perhaps no institution has a greater moral responsibility than the Church to minimize its carbon footprint. Theologian Wilson Dickinson wrote, “God breathed life into humanity and then planted a garden and put the earthlings in it. Humanity’s task is to serve and preserve creation: we are formed into dependence on creation and with each other.”

Congregations that choose to prioritize environmental justice are referred to as green churches. One Episcopal church leader defined a green church as one that acknowledges it is present in a climate and ecological crisis and responds as a caregiver to planet Earth. “Caring for creation is woven into every aspect of church life such as preaching and praying, education classes, public witness and advocacy. Rather than being just another ministry, creation care is considered essential to fulfilling the commandment to love one another and being witnesses for Christ in the world.” (Margaret Bullitt Jonas, missioner for creation care, Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts)         

Getting to green is not the same for every church. Clearly, larger congregations can access more resources for climate change mitigation measures such as solar panels and major landscaping projects to minimize water use. There are many changes each of us individually and as a church family can take to move closer to being problem solvers than part of the problem. All Saints has already reduced paper, plastic and water waste by using real dishes & flatware and installing rain barrels to catch rainwater. Using compostable paper towels and napkins may be the next step. The Director of Interfaith Power and Light said churches should recognize small steps like giving others rides to church, biking or walking to church and working for access to local, healthy food. The heart of what it means to be green is “seeing where community needs meet caring for creation”.

For more information download  Interfaith Power and Light’s free start-up kit and pick an item to work on. Amen

On the 16th we began our study of the Book of Daniel. We will continue on Tuesdays at Noon, and you’re welcome to read and discuss with us, via Zoom or in-person. Contact Mother Sara if you have questions.

Deadly flooding and fires in southern and western parts of the US are displacing thousands and creating a financial burden on the most vulnerable. Episcopal Relief & Development is working with church and local partners to provide help where it’s needed the most. Your swift response and compassionate gift to the Episcopal Relief & Development Disaster Fund will provide supplies to help communities in Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri, California and other places make a full and sustained recovery. Visit episcopalrelief.org to make a contribution today.

All Episcopal women are invited to attend the Province VII ECW Fall Gathering at the Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, Texas, (or via Zoom) on Sept. 9–11. For more information and to register, visit provinceviiecw.wordpress.com/ecw-fall-2022/.

Episcopal Election Activators is an Episcopal Church program, run by the Office of Government Relations, that seeks volunteers to help promote and facilitate local non-partisan voter engagement efforts for the 2022 U.S. midterm elections and beyond. We hope to identify a team of dedicated volunteers across the Church who will then help Episcopalians and local communities cast their votes. Hear from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry about why you should become an Election Activator and learn more by visiting this link.

WEBINAR INVITATION:

“Welcoming Our Neighbor with Gratitude”

with United Thank Offering and Episcopal Migration Ministries

August 30th, 3PM ET

Join United Thank Offering and Episcopal Migration Ministries on August 30 at 3 PM ET for “Welcoming our Neighbor with Gratitude.” This one-hour webinar will explore EMM’s Neighbor to Neighbor program, the relationship between UTO and EMM, and the upcoming Great EpisGopal Race. Participants will learn how UTO continues to support critical educational, advocacy, and support programs at EMM, ways individuals and congregations can become more involved in NtN, and how we can all express our gratitude through the Great EpisGopal Race.

REGISTER TODAY

At All Saints’, we encourage you to do what is best for you and your family. All are welcome to full communion, and we also welcome you to wear a mask, though not everyone will be wearing one. We will keep our Sunday services on Facebook Live for those who attend virtually, and many meetings also have a Zoom option. Truly, all are welcome.

August 18 - Thursday

12:00 noon

Continuing the Conversation

Cafe 211

August 19 - Friday

8:00 am

Morning Prayer

Facebook

6:00 pm

AA

Parish Hall

August 20 - Saturday

5:00 pm

Holy Eucharist

Church

6:00 pm

Celebration of Ministry

Church

August 21 - 11th Sunday after Pentecost 

Zoom/Church

11:00 am

Holy Eucharist

Holy Eucharist - Spanish

Church

3:00 - 6:00 pm

Back to School Pool Party

Milford home,

101 Christian Lane

August 22 - Monday

August 23 - Tuesday

12:00 noon

Bible Study

Church/Zoom

5:00 - 6:30 pm

Sacred Ground

Church

August 24 - Wednesday

• Rosa
• Elvis
• All students, teachers, faculty, staff, and admin.
• Hewitt and the Sluyter family
• Florence
• Cheryl
• Jayme
• Amanda
• Ben
• Peter and family
• Jan
• Leigh
• Mary
• Julie
• All who grieve

• Carol
• Terry
• Shawn
• Carey
• Sally
• Immanuel
• Alex
• Mavia
• Karrie
• The people of Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and all affected by war and unrest
• Cameron
• Kelly
• Rose
• Hospitals and healthcare workers

• Joyce
• James
• Victims of gun violence - those who've died and those who mourn
• Knox
• Adrienne
• Mary Sue
• Camp Mitchell
• Refugees
• The housing insecure

It takes many people to support the ministries of All Saints'. Here are email links for leaders of lay ministries. If you have any questions or would like to help, please reach out. There is a place for you. Your participation is much needed and appreciated!

Acolytes - Ellen Corbett-Welch

Altar Guild - Jennifer Stoner

Bread Guild - Pedro Allegrio

Chalice Bearers and Lectors - Lou Honderich (Sunday) Marj Bernhardt (Saturday)

Creation Care - Jackie Bromley and Susan Woodruff

Diversity Representative - Julie Collins

ECW - Ellen Corbett-Welch. all women of the church are encouraged to attend!

EfM - Mtr. Sara Milford

Facebook - Belinda Ostrowski, pictures are always appreciated!

Flower Guild - Judi Sturgill 

Hospitality - Connie Woodbury

Interfaith representative - Rev. Kathy Corbett-Welch

Music - Jayme Amonsen

Newsletter - Sandi Lynn, feedback and suggestions are always welcome!

Theology Pub - Sandy Wylie

Vestry - Julia Kilbourne-Bailey, Senior Warden

Youth Ministry - Mandy Stiglets