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
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My dear friends in Christ,
As we move further into the season of the “long green” after Pentecost, we will find ourselves confronted by a number of difficult and challenging passages from Scripture, as we follow the Lectionary each Sunday morning. In the world of our society beyond the walls of our church, we are already being confronted by some difficult and challenging tensions in the history of our community, our state, and our nation. Navigating the Scriptures and navigating the times in which we live both require patience, intentionality, compassion, curiosity, context, vulnerability, and the honesty to be authentic, with ourselves and with each other.
Above all, making our way through challenging texts and difficult times in history require
faith.
Faith that God is truly here, in this place, in these times … and even in the chaos that swirls around us. Often, the movements of the Holy Spirit seem to human eyes to be chaos, for we do not know yet what wondrous things God might be doing among us. We know from Scripture that the movement of the Holy Spirit in our midst almost certainly means things are about to change, that something new and different is about to be born. And we know from human experience that, more often than not, we tend to respond to the prospect of change with fear. (Is it any wonder that God’s messengers almost always begin by saying “Be not afraid!”?)
But change can potentially be a good thing, and not just a scary one. As we explore the parts of the Bible that make us, perhaps, a bit uncomfortable, we have an opportunity to dig deeper into the roots of our Christian faith—an opportunity to encounter God in new and unexpected ways, to be shaped and reshaped by God’s Holy Word until we become more fully the “new creation” He calls us to be.
And as we respond to the tensions and chaos swirling in the culture around us, we have opportunities to discover new ways to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in a world that perpetually cries out for hope, for healing, for reconciliation. That is, after all, the vocation we received and accepted in baptism, to be Christ’s body in this world, so that through us, all the world might come to know Him and be saved.
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From
the Youth Minister, Erin Wolf
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Greetings to All Saints family and friends!
Thank you
to everyone who joined in for any and all of Camp @ Home! All Saints was well represented across the ages, both with campers and staff. It’s always great having shared experiences together, so thank you for your time, dedication, and faithfulness. God sure blessed us even as we gathered while apart!
Stay tuned for more information within the next week or two about “A Day at Camp Lakotah” opportunities available later this summer.
Anti-racism resources
can be found on the All Saints Youth Ministry website under the “Resources” tab (
CLICK HERE
). This includes recommendations for a wide range of ages for personal study and/or having conversations at home. If anyone has any recommendations that might be beneficial to this list, please contact
Erin Wolf
or
Fr. Christopher
.
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My dear friends in Christ,
Several times since the beginning of 2020, bursts of scam emails have circulated throughout our area. It’s a particular type of scam that churches all over the country are experiencing: an email appears in your inbox that appears to have come from your pastor, priest, rector, etc. The pastor sends a quick note to the effect of “I need a quick favor from you,” or some variation thereof, followed by a request to write back.
Of course, since the email did not actually come from your pastor, any reply to that email does not go to your pastor but rather to the scammer. From there, the scammer asks for your financial support for some sort of project or donation or other “good cause.” Most recently, it’s been iTunes gift cards for a “needy family.” Essentially, the scammer tries to get you to buy the cards for him or her, under the pretense that you’re donating something to people in need. It’s an especially egregious form of theft.
Folks, please know that you will never receive a casual email sent directly to you asking for money of any kind.
If All Saints Episcopal Church has a ministry that needs your financial support, you will hear about it through all of our official church channels: Constant Contact (with our All Saints logo and “letterhead”), our church Facebook page, our church newsletter, formal print letters sent by snail-mail on our official letterhead, etc.
If I as your priest ever send you a direct email about a ministry that needs your support, that email will ask you to call me at my official church phone number (see below) so we can talk in person. I will never as you for money to be sent to me over the internet!
And if you receive a communication that
appears
to be from me, but that you are unsure is legitimate, then please call the church office or call me at my official church phone number (see below) to confirm.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any way to predict or prevent these scam emails from going out, so we all have to be on our guard at all times.
Some important safety tips:
- I will never introduce myself or sign any message with “Rev. Christopher” or anything like that. In the Episcopal Church, “reverend” is not a title—it is an adjective that is only used with a cleric’s full name in a formal context (e.g., The Rev. Christopher T. Wilkerson). As a priest, when I sign my name casually, it will be either “Christopher+” or “C+”. For priests, the cross follows the name; for bishops, the cross comes first (e.g., +Matt, our bishop).
- My official church email address is: fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com . Before you reply to any email that seems to be from me, make sure that it came to you from this address. But, again, any request for support for a ministry, either financial or otherwise, will most likely go out to the parish via Constant Contact and our official newsletter. Be suspicious of ANY request that does NOT come to you through those channels, and call the church office to confirm before you do anything else.
- My official church phone number is 920.266.9262 ~ that is both my “office” number and the pastoral care emergency hotline. If you ever have any doubts or questions about any communication you’ve received that seems to have come from me, you can call that number to double check.
Lastly, if something seems strange to you, it probably is. Always call and verify. And do not, under any circumstances, make any purchases or online donations without making absolutely sure that the request and its source are both legitimate. It is an unfortunate side effect of living the “information age,” where everything is so interconnected electronically, that we must be ever vigilant. It’s even harder now that we’re distanced from each other thanks to the virus. But remember that we are still a community—reach out to each other and especially to the church office or to me if you see anything that strikes you as odd or the least bit suspicious. Together, we’ll keep each other safe.
Thanks, and God bless!
Christopher+
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Revised All Saints Online Weekly Schedule
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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.: Noonday Prayer & Faith Talk ~ virtual “brown bag lunch” -
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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The old TDS email will no longer be active after
Wednesday, June 24
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Fabric Face Mask Ministry
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Are you sewing face masks? Do you have fabric, elastic, and other supplies to share with those who are? Do you need masks or know of others who do? Marion Bowers and Heidi Bates are both sewing up a storm and have each reached out about connecting with others who are doing likewise and offering masks to our community. If you would like to be part of this ministry or contribute supplies or request some masks, contact Marion at 920-731-3040 or
mbowers1504@sbcglobal.net
, or Heidi at 920-749-3491 or
handibates@gmail.com
.
The Facebook group
Wisconsin Face Mask Warriors
is also looking for people who can make masks or provide supplies; they have lots of resources and tips for sewing masks. Click on the link above to contact them.
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Diocesan & Community Events
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From Bishop Matthew Gunter's letter about the 2020 Bishop's Annual Appeal:
Dear Friends in Christ,
A year ago, we launched the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. You were generous giving over $56,000 for vital congregations, a successful Revival and a training center in our companion Diocese of Masvingo. What a blessing,
to receive more than twice the goal
of that initial appeal. Our diocesan ministry is rich in hope and possibility. Appeal plans this year were to support new, worthy causes. God wants us to give beyond ourselves, doing the work of the Kingdom. Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Our lives have changed. The appeal changed, too.
Prayer is the most significant thing we can do, so I appeal for you to
pray daily
for the diocese and congregations. I appeal for you to give, not through the diocesan structure, but
directly to your congregation
. On a national and international level (and local, too), I encourage you to support needs through gifts to
United Thank Offering
.
In my years as your bishop, I’ve come to understand we are all called to give – our giving can transform lives. Please prayerfully consider making a generous gift for the spread of God’s Kingdom, of whatever amount, in response to this Bishop’s Annual Appeal . Pray daily for the diocese and our ministry.
Under the Mercy,
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter
Bishop of Fond du Lac
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Eucharistic Festival - August 29
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In 1960, Bishop William Brady worked with members of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac to establish a gathering of the diocesan community for worship and fellowship. The day typically includes Holy Eucharist, the Bishop’s Picnic, Evening Prayer, and the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. While this tradition continues, the 2020 Festival does come with notable changes.
The Eucharistic Festival date has moved to
August 29, 2020
, and for the first time ever, will be held virtually, beginning at 11:00am. You can find more information at
the diocesan website
.
This year’s preacher is Mother Hilary Crupi, OJN. She is the Guardian of the Order of Julian of Norwich
(
orderofjulian.org
), a contemplative monastic Order of monks and nuns of the Episcopal Church.
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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
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From Sue Stenz:
Dear wonderful volunteers,
Once again, we have to make a decision about serving meals at the Shelter.
After discussion with team leaders, we have decided we will take the summer off and reevaluate the beginning of Sept.
If you have a desire to prepare a meal or dessert or
donate money
….the shelter staff would be delighted. Make sure you let them know you are members of All Saints.
Thank you for your continued volunteerism and generosity to the shelter. Thanks to Emily for keeping the congregation updated.
Any questions?
Email
or call 920-787-7921.
Feeling so blessed.
Sue
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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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