As of November 23: we have received

Help us further enhance our community. Make it a place where everyone feels welcome. A place that feels like home and family. And now is the time of year when we plan what we are doing as a community and budget for it. So we appreciate your prayerful consideration of this coming year's commitment to keep our mission and ministry flowing. Yes, it has been a tough couple of years and we really need your support.

Pledge Cards are available on the Welcome Table in the Church Narthex, in the Church Office, online by clicking here, and by request to banderson@allsaintsoncentral.org. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and your continued faith in the All Saints' Community.

Thanksgiving Day is a favorite holiday of many Americans. It is a day that is celebrated across the country by people of all faiths. While the history of the day might not truly include the romanticized story of “the first Thanksgiving” many of us were taught as children, it is a special day that puts a lot of us into the holiday spirit. Traditionally, it has been seen as the official start of the Christmas shopping season and it often falls a week or less before the first Sunday of Advent. Thanksgiving is celebrated as a national holiday in various countries at different times. In the United States, we observe Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November.

For many years, people who lived in the North American continent have had a feast at the end of the growing season to give thanks to God for bountiful crops during the spring, summer, and early fall. Before the days of rapid long-haul shipping, the end of the growing season meant the end of fresh produce for the year. The year’s harvest was gathered, and a portion of it was enjoyed in a large feast. Thanksgiving is an important piece of American culture, and Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated as a national holiday off and on since the nation was founded. In the early days of our country, the date of Thanksgiving Day (or even whether there would be a Thanksgiving Day in a given year) was determined by presidential proclamation. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of a Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as an annual event. While the observance shifted back and forth between the third and fourth Thursday in November over the years, the fourth Thursday was finally secured by an act of Congress, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942.

Today, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with many varied traditions. Often, the centerpiece of the celebration is a meal of abundance. Some Thanksgiving tables feature regional cuisine like cornbread, seafood, or macaroni and cheese, while others include potatoes, yams, and dinner rolls. For the meat-eaters among us, a turkey is almost always at the center of the feast. Many people run a 5-k on Thanksgiving morning, while others watch a parade. Some families play a touch football game in the back yard, while others watch a slate of NFL and college football games on TV or in person. There really is no wrong way to celebrate, provided we do so with thankful hearts.

We take time this Thanksgiving week to give thanks to God for all the blessings that we have. We remain mindful of what we have and in turn, we give of ourselves out of gratitude. For Christians, giving thanks is part of our lives. The Greek word “eurcharistia” literally means “thankgiving.” When we celebrate the Eucharist, we acknowledge that it is right to give God thanks and praise. As we take time this week to give thanks by helping at a food bank, enjoying a turkey, watching football, shopping, or just relaxing, let us remember to be mindful of our blessings. As President Lincoln wrote in October of 1863, “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Time for All Saints' Annual Christmas Pageant! We will begin our preparations next Sunday, Dec. 5. We need participants ages 4-9 to be part of the pageant. No reading or speaking is required. We need Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds, animals, kings, and a star. We will begin costume fittings on Dec. 5 and finish them on Dec. 12.  Your child must be present on at least one of those days in order to participate. We will have rehearsals for the pageant on Dec. 19 and at 2:00 p.m. on Dec. 24. We also need children and youth ages 10 and up to serve as narrators for the pageant, as well   as participant helpers. Narrators and helpers must be able to be present on Dec. 19 and 24. We also need adults to help with the costume fittings and supervision during rehearsals.

If you or your child are interested in being part of this very special tradition, please email dtrueblood@pvschools.net and let me know. Happy Holidays!

All Saints' Annual Youth Christmas Angel Shopping Expedition for children of incarcerated parents will take place in the afternoon on Saturday, Nov 27 (exact time and location still TBD)! This service project is open to youth in grades 5 and up. At least 3 service hours will be signed for anyone who needs them. This project will also count as one of three required service projects for Youth Confirmation preparation this coming spring! Email Pastor Emilie at efinn@allsaintsoncentral.org to sign up.

If you know of a family who may be interested in All Saints’ Episcopal Day School, please extend an invitation to them to attend an upcoming Open House. We encourage people to sign up early for the December 9 or January 25 Open House. Prospective parents will meet faculty and administration, receive general information about All Saints' Episcopal Day School, and learn about curriculum and student life.

We are excited to connect with prospective families through an Open House. Please forward this link to register. If they are unable to attend one of our Open House events, please contact Sylvia Connolly, Associate Director of Admissions, at 602.274.4866 or sconnolly@allsaints.org to schedule a personal tour of campus.

Youth Confirmation preparation begins in January! If you are a student in grades 7-8 (or above), or if you know someone who is, it is not too early to sign up for Confirmation class! This year, the youth Confirmation class will meet on Sunday mornings during the 9am education hour. As students prepare to make their own mature commitment to their Christian faith and to the Episcopal Church, we will read and discuss the Gospel of Mark together, learn about the baptismal covenant and different practices of prayer, discuss with All Saints' clergy and adult mentors how our faith influences our daily lives and actions, and participate in service projects, both within the church and in the wider community. Students and their families are encouraged to attend the Eucharistic service after class on Sunday mornings. Students will be confirmed by Bishop Jennifer Reddall at the diocesan confirmation service at Trinity Cathedral in May, 2022. The registration fee is $100 (scholarships are available). For more information, or to sign up, contact Pastor Emilie Finn at efinn@allsaintsoncentral.org. 

  

After Sunday school drop off, please join us in the Urbano Library in the Church Office for coffee and conversation in a new group for parents of school-aged kids. The format for the group is yet to be determined, but the goal is fellowship and connection. Join us! We'd love to meet you. Questions? Please reach out to Erin and Kevin Lentz at ktlentz@gmail.com or erinlentz@gmail.com.

There is still opportunity to support our Angel Tree families. The gift cards are an important part of what we do to support our Angel Tree families as many of the children we serve are being raised by elderly grandparents, are in foster care, or are in the care of family friends, and the need for assistance is overwhelming. We are way short on Walmart Gift cards for the caregivers, and we can make this very easy for you. If you want to help purchase $25 gift cards for the Angel Tree caregivers, please write a check to All Saints' Episcopal church, put "Angel Tree Gift Cards" in the memo and we will do the shopping for you. If you prefer to purchase the cards yourself, you can drop them off at the office or put them in the offering tray any time before December 13. If you have any questions, please contact Lora Villasenor at lmvillasenor@msn.com.  

We have lots of neighbors at Maryland Gardens Care Center who could use a gift or two this year to help make their holiday a little brighter. Many of these residents have little or no local families and spend the holidays in the confines of the facility. Please take a tag (and sign it out on the sign-out sheet near the tree) beginning next Thursday November 25, and bring back your gift, wrapped and tagged, by December 13. This year, you will be given a tag specifying a resident’s name, gender, and size. We are asking for purchases of a sweat shirt & pants combo, or a lounging outfit that is comfy, along with some socks and anything fun you would like to add. Just think “comfort and joy.” Your gifts will put smiles on all the residents' faces.

   

If you or a family member are struggling with a short term health crisis, are welcoming a new baby, or have faced a serious loss, the Meals of Mercy feeding ministry is here with a hot meal to give you the strength to get through. If short term meals support would be a blessing in your life, please contact Deacon Patrice Taylor at 623 242-4692 or palshatti@allsaintsoncentral.org. If you’d like to join us in feeding the body of Christ here at All Saints’ please contact Lois Francis at lmfrancis@hotmail.com or call her at 602 214-0675. Contact Deacon Patrice for more info about the program at palshatti@allsaintsoncentral.org.

Our outreach partner, ICM, is now Nourish Phoenix, and it's mission remains the same: To serve the working poor with food, clothing, and other basic necessities. Nourish Phoenix has seen a sharp increase in the number of clients reaching out for support, and there is a particular shortage of personal hygiene products (soap, body wash, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste) and cleaning products like laundry detergent. They also always need non-perishable, protein-rich food, nutritious children's snacks, clothes and shoes (particularly men's and children's), and baby care products. If you can help, bring your donations to church at any time, and place them in the red bins out in front of the main doors to the sanctuary.

Do you have a need for prayers that will be anonymous? These can be for concerns, illness, celebrations or whatever your heart carries. Fill out the blue card on the Welcome Table. One of the Daughters of the King will retrieve it and a message will be sent out to the chapter about your request, so each member can pray for you. The Order of the Daughters of the King’s pray daily and include those prayers that are requested. If you have any questions about the prayer cards or the Order of the Daughters of the King, please call Pit Lucking at 602-481-1674, or email pit.lucking@gmail.com.

A big thank you to all our members who have celebrated memorials and special occasions through altar flower dedications with a donation of $100 or more. It is one more way we enhance our worship to the glory of God.

Please provide ample time for the request, with a minimum of 2 weeks before the date you want to commemorate. Send your dedication information to Nanette Towsley at ntowsley@allsaintsoncentral.org and either mail the check made out to All Saints’ with “altar flowers” on the memo line, or put in the offering basket at services. 

Planning on purchasing ANYTHING on Amazon? 

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support All Saints' every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to All Saints’ Episcopal Church. Bookmark the link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/86-0133389 to support us every time you shop.