Reflection for Family Ministry e-news

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. That means (as the video reminded us) family, football, and a lot of food. Thanksgiving is also the time where we make a special effort to share what we are thankful for in our lives. Last week Reverend Licia and I shared some of the things we are grateful for in our ministries at All Saints and this week we would like to ask you to do the same...

What are you thankful for at All Saints'? What event or program or group at All Saints' allows you to use your gifts and talents to glorify God? What do you love about being part of this community?

I know that we can't hear your responses as you are reading this, but chances are your answers to these questions have some similarities with one another. We are thankful for our friends at All Saints', we are thankful for a church that allows us to get to know God, we are thankful for the programs for ourselves and all of the members of our families.

All of the things that we are thankful for at All Saints' are only possible because of the people who have been or are members of this community. It is through our financial pledging and giving that we are able to support all of the programs that makes All Saints'...well, All Saints'. This Sunday is Commitment Sunday, which is when our annual pledge campaign formally comes to an end (though we welcome pledges at any time!). If your family has not turned in a pledge form yet, please do so this Sunday by placing it in the offering plate. All of our pledges matter, whether big or small, to the work of God here at All Saints'.

Thank you,

The Reverends (Lauren & Licia)

Free Liturgical Resources

Episcopalians rejoice!

Church Publishing and the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music have just released Enriching Our Worship (series of liturgical books) for free as PDF downloads.

Enriching Our Worship 1: Morning and Evening Prayer, the Great Litany, and the Holy Eucharist

Enriching Our Worship 2: Ministry with the Sick or Dying; Burial of a Child

Enriching Our Worship 3: Burial Rites for Adults, together with a Rite for the Burial of a Child

Enriching Our Worship 4: The Renewal of Ministry and the Welcoming of a New Rector or Other Pastor

Enriching Our Worship 5: Liturgies and Prayers Related to Childbearing, Childbirth, and Loss

After clicking the links above, scroll down to the description section for the link to start downloading the PDF.

These newly released PDF resources join the already available Book of Common Prayer and Liturgical Resources 1: I Will Bless You and You Will be a Blessing, resources for the Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant in a Same-Sex Relationship.

Reflection for Family Ministry e-news

For the past few weeks, we have been talking a lot about the importance of pledging and stewardship around All Saints'. What we hear about it in church is mostly about financial giving, which is hard for children to understand when they aren't financially responsible for most of the things in their lives. With that being said, Reverend Licia and I have been trying to support you in talking with your children about stewardship through our reflections in this e-news. A few weeks ago, Father Reed reminded the children in children's chapel about tithing their Halloween candy, and I am here to ask you to do the same.

 

I know that candy is not the same as money, but candy is something that most children love so giving some of it to the church will help them better relate to the pledge conversations they are hearing in church. I know that many of you have already brought in your candy pledge, but just in case you haven't please consider bringing it this week. We are asking that each child participate in our pledge season by donating 10 pieces of candy from Halloween. If you have an older child or teen who know about percentages, ask them to consider tithing their candy. This would mean that if they collected 120 pieces of candy, they would give 10% which is 12 pieces to the church.

This is the last Sunday that there will be baskets in the narthex for collecting the candy. All candy will be donated to children who could not go trick-or-treating!

Peace,

Lauren+ 

All Saints Day for Kids

Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18, Luke 6:20-31

Today is a special day in the church. Why do you think today is a special day? (allow kids to answer)

          Today we celebrate all of the saints that have come before us. Today is our church and school’s patronal feast, which is a fancy way of saying that it’s the day to celebrate who we are named for.

          And because today is so special our service is a little different. So far this fall the clergy have been wearing green vestments, but today we are wearing white to show that we are rejoicing. We are also rejoicing today because we have baptisms and people receiving communion for the first time.

          When we celebrate baptisms we are adding new members to our Christian family. Most of you were baptized when you were little babies too, so it’s hard to remember your own baptism; when we baptize these children in a few minutes make sure to pay close attention so that you get the full experience.

          Now that we know what we are celebrating and how we are celebrating, let’s look a little deeper into what it means to be a saint.

All Saints Day

Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18, Luke 6:20-31

          Today is a special day in the church. Today we celebrate all of the saints that have come before us. Today is our church and school’s patronal feast, which is a formal and fancy way of saying that it’s the day to celebrate who we are named for.

          So, what is a saint?  Is it a person’s words that makes him or her a saint? Or is it their actions in the world? Or maybe is it the way they lived their lives?  Are saints only those who have lived and died or do they walk among us?

          There aren’t exact answers to each these questions. Some religions have official ways that someone becomes a saint and others believe that saints are people who we should try to be like. Around here, we hear about specific saints often in our midweek services of Eucharist and evening prayer. Some of the people we celebrate as saints became saints because they taught others about their faith, some because they took care of others, and still others because they died for their faith.

          In the Episcopal Church we celebrate a specific saint almost everyday, but today we celebrate all saints, those known by name or deed and those unknown, those who have come before us, or who live among us. Yes you heard me right, saints are not just great figures that lived long ago, there are saints that have been and continue to be a part of our community here at All Saints.