IN THIS ISSUE
Ministry in a Time of Social Distancing
- Zooming in on Bible Study
- Behind-the Scenes in Worship
Kingdom Moments!
About the Newsletter
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Welcome to a new monthly digital newsletter for the All Saints community - highlighting stories and events of our parish, and celebrating God's work in our midst. This first edition focuses on how we are "doing ministry" in this time of physical separation. As our banner says: "Doors Locked - Hearts Open!"
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Ministry in a Time of Physical "Distancing"
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We miss you!
The distance parishioners may be feeling is felt also by the staff and clergy of the parish - can you believe that it has been two months already since our building was closed?
However ... we have also been surprised and blessed by the many good things that have come from this time, including new opportunities to grow as a community and for increased participation in many of our online studies and worship! God is truly at work in the midst of us and He can and will accomplish His purposes for each of us and for
All Saints Church even during this time.
Thus saith the Lord:
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
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"Zooming"
in on Bible Study
A Reflection by Peggy Eastman, Poet-in-Residence
I have long enjoyed attending a weekly Bible study at All Saints in person, and I was skeptical when the coronavirus pandemic forced our close study group online. But now I’m a
Zoom
convert!
Our one-hour Wednesday morning women’s Bible study of the prophet Jeremiah is well organized by our leader, the Rev. Dr. BJ Buracker. It is easily accessible by computer or phone – a decided plus if the weather is bad. Snowbird church members or those out of town can join us – another big plus. Karin Weber, who is in Florida, has done exactly that.
As we did when we met in person, participants take turns reading the assigned Scripture passages, and we discuss them and ask questions. Tam Bryfogle keeps us on track with our online assignments. Our group is a true faith community: before each study session BJ asks us if we have any prayer requests, and we pray for those who are sick, bereaved, moving, or have any other needs.
Other Bible study groups have continued similarly strong communities online, including the Thursday morning women’s Bible study organized by Patty Kelaher – in which I have also participated. At
All Saints
we are blessed because it is possible to leapfrog from online meeting to online meeting to deepen our faith. Kathryn Weeman told me she is using this time in an intentional way to draw closer to the Lord. Social distancing does not have to mean being distant from each other spiritually. Our online Bible study, prayer, and support groups – along with other online messages such as the
Daily Moment with God
, Sunday worship services, and sermons (and even an online
Zoom
Sunday coffee hour!) - are an interlocking chain that is binding us together as a church family.
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Behind the Scenes of Worship
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Have you wondered these past weeks how the wonderful worship service videos are put together? It has certainly entailed a learning curve as we do new things every single week. We appreciate the clergy and staff members who come to the church building each week - taking suitable precautions! - to tape the services. Please join us in thanking all of them, and especially: Father Matthew, who works for many hours after the taping to make the videos for our congregation, and John Ballance, our IT Manager, who works so much behind the scenes and without whom none of this could happen!
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Keeping Students Engaged
by Mark Gottwald, Director of Student Ministries
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It has been such a blessing to continue our ministry to our middle and high school students and to feel close despite our distance. With the help of the staff and clergy’s great leadership, we were able to quickly transform our normal Sunday morning meetings into virtual “check-in’s” for both CLUB (5
th
-7
th
graders) and CREW (8
th
-12
th
graders). Each week, these meetings have been a great time for fellowship and connection as we talk about our week, the highs and the lows, and share a Bible study.
While there are definitely losses from not being able to be together in person, there are also some precious gifts from this time. One of these unexpected gifts is that we “meet “with students more often throughout the week, without having to juggle as many schedules. And the other is that, every Sunday, Meghan and I get to spend twice as much time with the students as when we all met during the Sunday School hour at church - because now CLUB and CREW do not meet at the same time!
When I came on staff at All Saints, Gary Wieder and I had a vision for how my first year or so would go. He encouraged me to first take time and focus on getting to know the community, our kids, our volunteers, and the ministry overall. Only after I had a good understanding and had built some strong relationships, would I begin to implement new programs or make any significant changes to our current programs. This way, we could try to avoid “losing steam," which often happens when a new leader comes into this ministry. My focus from the beginning has been on growing in a way that is both sustainable and fits the unique needs of our students, church, and community.
Despite the current circumstance - clearly a time when most plans have been upset - I think we can still say that we have moved into a stage of growth for student ministry. Which is amazing! One new program we have started is
CLUB Game Time
, where we meet to have fun and the students compete in new games each week for prizes. We’ve also launched additional small groups, which has been a part of our vision since the Fall. Despite social distancing, we now have four small groups meeting every week or two, with more on the way.
One of the programs we’re most excited about is our Old Town Farm Getaway, a CLUB summer trip that we are planning for July. If it is deemed safe to proceed, we will spend four fun-filled days on a farm in Virginia, playing games, doing service projects, and diving into the gospel and our personal faith. In everything we are doing, we are trying to be there for our students and for our families and to serve them in any way we can. That being said,
we cannot wait
to be able to all be together again and carry this momentum over to propel Student Ministry for years to come.
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"When my world fell apart, this was my favorite place to be."
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Young and old waved palms at home this year!
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All Saints Preschool students make special cards for front-line workers at Sibley Hospital.
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This Newsletter is FOR YOU!
We hope you have enjoyed this new monthly digital publication of All Saints.
Please join us in celebrating the good news of God working in our midst - ideas are always welcome! You may submit possible topics, photos, or short (1 - 3 paragraph) articles to Communications Manager Teri Ballou at
teri.ballou@allsaintschurch.net
.
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We are here for you. If you need help,
please call (301) 654-2488 or email
info@allsaintschurch.net
. All inquiries confidential.
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