All Saints Annual Meeting was held on January 27, 2019. Giving and pledging are up, as you can see on the chart below.
If you'd like to read the 2018 Annual Report, which is chock full of great things, you can view it here.
THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our annual meeting last Sunday!! We had great attendance and scrumptious food, organized by Jan Briggs and Lore Deon. We elected new wardens, Gail Arnold and Jane Maihos; Lisa Palmer as our Treasurer; and Sue Spencer as our clerk. To the vestry we elected Ray Lemieux, Ken Bouffard, Jan Briggs and Lore Deon. Our deanery representatives include Jan Briggs, Jane Maihos and Leah Olendzenski. To represent us at Episcopal City Mission, we elected John Gettings and Sandi Drover. Finally, we elected Leah Olendzenski and Lore Deon to be our Diocesan Convention Delegates, with Carol Bouffard as an alternate. Since the year 2014, our annual pledged income has risen from $94,000 to $194,000!! That is an increase of 106% in just over 5 years. You - the people of All Saints Church - are responding with commitments to increase your giving. And this is very encouraging! I believe that God is at work through this generosity. There is a metaphor of turning a very large ship, something that sailors understand is not easily done, nor quickly. We are making the turn, and we can all be encouraged by this! Well done, good and faithful servants!
+Marya
2018 Finance Report
Get a 2018 Finance Report by clicking here. The detailed, line-by-line, 2018 Finance Report is available upon request. Call or email the parish office to have a copy emailed to you or ready for you to pick up at the office.
Souper Bowl 2019
Each year on Super Bowl Sunday, parishes and youth groups across America are called upon to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring to support food ministries in their communities. All Saints has been an enthusiastic supporter of Souper Bowl, with the proceeds going directly to, and shared equally by, People to People and Haven from Hunger. This year, the church school children will be collecting both monetary donations and cans of soup in the Narthex prior to, and immediately following, the 10:00 am services on February 3rd. (Note: for those who attend the 8:00 service, we would be so grateful if you would leave your canned donations in the red wagon in the Narthex, and monetary donations in the collection plate. Please mark the envelope and memo line on checks: Souper Bowl).
We are looking forward to another successful collection!
Please contact Leslie Blake with any questions or for more information on how you can help!
Do you work for the Federal Government? Are you on furlough without a paycheck?
All Saints wants to help. We can connect you with resources in the community, such as People to People, Council on Aging and the town emergency fund. We have folks on our pastoral care team who are able to offer homemade cooked meals. In some cases, we may even be able to offer direct help for groceries and transportation. Please identify yourself to Rev. Marya and Rev. Jim, if you are not receiving a paycheck from your employment with the federal government. We wish to bring hope to those who are fearful, and include you in our personal and parish prayers.
Adult Inquirers - STARTS THIS WEEK
For anyone seeking to be baptized as an adult, looking to join the Episcopal Church, or simply needing a "refresher course," the Adult Inquirers' Class is an opportunity for all these things. This 5-week class has been designed to stimulate conversation, and raise and embrace provocative questions, rather than provide answers only, and to empower folks to dive deeper into their Christian lives. Sessions include fellowship and presentations by your clergy, as well as small group discussion, and closing worship. Bishop Alan Gates will visit All Saints on Sunday, March 31, and will receive those interested in becoming members of the Episcopal Church, reaffirm vows of those already members, and confirm those who are new members! Sundays, February 3 - March 3, 3:00 - 4:30 pm
Altar Flowers
Because Ash Wednesday is later this year, there are a few openings for altar flowers.
The open dates are February 10, February 24 and March 3.
Contact Barbara Hooper to make arrangements.
Community News
Maple Street Church is hosting the next DIP First Sunday Youth Gathering February 3rd, 12 noon-1:30 pm. A Super Bowl Lunch & Cereal Bowl Challenge - we'll share in a feast of favorites: chicken wings, chili, nachos, and chips and dip, and plan two upcoming mission projects with Common Cathedral of Boston and Lifebridge in Salem. This month, MSC has been championing a Cereal Challenge to collect 500 boxes of cereal for the People to People Food Pantry. We have about 200 and counting. Let's put the count over the top, bring your favorite box(es) to add to the bowl! And, for fun, Patriots Super Bowl Jeopardy!
Next month, it's a SOCK CHALLENGE, so we're just warming up.
Hope to see you on the 3rd; we'll meet in the social hall.
It’s not too late to join our lively book group: Climate Church, Climate World will meet February 27 - March 27 from 11-12:30, in the Chaplain's office at Brooksby Village! Call the office to let us know when you are available on Wednesdays (morning or afternoon).
Here are a few quotes from a section in Chapter One entitled "Are we Choosing Extinction?"
“We find ourselves born into a time when human activity and aspiration—if they simply continue without profound repurposing—will sentence our children to lives of struggle, not promise; skies of extreme weather not rainbows; and landscapes of deprivation, not abundance.”
“God set before them (not before this individual or that individual but before them together) the choice of life or death, blessing or curse.” (Deuteronomy 29-30)
Collectively, they needed to make a decision. The Paris Climate Accord embraces this same recognition: We’re all in this together! However, for the agreement to take effect, 55 countries that produce at least 55% of the world’s green house gas emissions must ratify, accept, approve or accede to the agreement. Both China and the US (the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions) signed on in November 2016. The withdrawal by President Trump in June 2017, will not take effect until November 2020.
Walking through the Psalms
All are invited to join artist and deacon, the Rev. Gay Cox, for an evening of creative contemplation at Christ Church (149 Asbury St, South Hamilton, MA), Friday, February 15, 6:30-8:30 pm. Rev. Cox has previously exhibited her stunning Psalm-inspired paintings at St. Peter's, Beverly. "Leave the busyness of your life for a while and come for a refreshing and peaceful evening." See this flier for more information.
Diocesan News
Pastoral Letter
On January 17, 2019, Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Gayle E. Harris issued this pastoral letter to the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts regarding the church's response to sexual misconduct, particularly the General Convention's three-year suspension of the statute of limitations on initiating clergy disciplinary cases involving sexual misconduct against adults. You can download the letter here.
