Please make sure to click on "View Entire Message" at the bottom of the email to view the entire newsletter.

Happening This Week

December 21

Neighbors Table; doors open at 11, meal served Noon to 1pm

December 22

8 am, Spoken Eucharist

9 am, Nursery opens

9 am, Sunday School all ages

10:30 am, Eucharist with choir

10:30 am, Christmas Party for Kid's Chapel and Nursery

12 pm, Greening of the Nave w/lunch for volunteers

5 pm, Blue Christmas at Central Presbyterian Church (400 W Main St)

December 24

5:30 pm, Family Christmas Eve Service with special visit from St. Nicholas of Myrna with Hot Chocolate and Cookies

10 pm, Christmas Carols in the Nave

10:30 pm, Christmas Eve Midnight Mass

December 25

10 am, Christmas Day Service

Advent 2024

December 22 - Greening of the Nave after the 10:30 am service. Lunch will be provided for volunteers.

Blue Christmas Service at 5 pm hosted at Central Presbyterian Church, 400 W Main Street in Russellville and presented by Central Pres, All Saints' and First United Methodist Church.

Christmas

December 24 - Christmas Eve family service is at 5:30 pm with a visit from St. Nicholas after the service. Hot Chocolate and cookies will be served.

Carols at 10 pm and then Christmas Mass at 10:30 pm.

December 25 - Christmas Day service at 10 am.

December 29 - Morning Prayer offered at 10:30 am.

Office Closed for Holidays

The office will be closed starting December 24 to January 1, returning January 2nd.

Mother Mercedes Leave

The Rev. Mercedes Clements will be out on medical leave starting January 6th, 2025 to February 15, 2025.

End of Year Contributions

Contributions or Donations must be received by Sunday, December 29, 2024, to be included as a 2024 gift. Your continued contributions will be appreciated.

2024 Statements will be available to pick up in Shoemaker Hall in January 2025. If they are not picked up by Jan 31, they will be mailed to the address on file.

Diocesan Youth Leadership Council

Congratulations to our very own Teresa Lay who was selected to be on the Episcopal Church of Arkansas' Diocesan Youth Leadership Council for 2025.

Teresa has shared her gifts here at All Saints' for years through translation for services, assisting with youth programs, serving with altar ministries, and this past summer she was a Counselor in Training at Camp Mitchell.

Teresa will work alongside 5 other students from Arkansas to help pave the way for future youth events and inspire other youth along their faith journey. We are so proud of Teresa and the future is bright with our youth in Arkansas.

Christmas Music Fundraiser

All are invited this Saturday at 7 pm to 9 pm to a local music fundraiser at 215 S Arkansas Ave to help some amazing highly-motivated young artists attend a Music for All Festival in Indiana in March 2025. Performing will include Moss Eshelman and the grandchildren of Deb Bradley: Jennifer and Allison Belongia. The youth have been practicing with the Arkansas Tech University Wind and Brass Chamber Music Program. This is only the second time a group from Arkansas has ever been invited to this event.

Merry Christmas Poinsettias

Each year at All Saints’, our celebration of Christmas includes a colorful display of Poinsettias around the altar. If you would like to make a donation in an expressions of honor, thanksgiving and remembrance of those people and occasions that are special to you. Please, send your donation to our office by mail or dropping it off or online. Please put in the memo line or email our office who the remembrance is for so we can add them to our bulletin.

Donations are due to the office by December 22.

All Saints' Episcopal Church

501 S Phoenix Ave

Russellville, AR 72801

Online Giving - https://onrealm.org/allsaints/-/go?page=donor-form

If you give online please use the fund - "Flowers for Altar" and use the memo line to add who your donation is in remembrance.

Saying “Thank you” at Christmas

Dear Parish Members

At this time of year, we give thanks for the presence of our staff.

Traditionally in the spirit of the holiday season, we make special monetary gifts to them. If you wish to contribute, please turn in your gifts to the church office or place it in the offering plate, no later than Sunday, December 22nd. Checks may be made out to All Saints' with the amounts designated on the memo line.

Thank you,

Charles Tyrone, Senior Warden

Annual Meeting 2025 - NEW DATE!

Save the date for our Annual Meeting for Sunday January 26. Coffee and donuts will be provided.

Each January All Saints’ gathers to talk about how we have felt the Holy Spirit at work in our midst the previous year, where we feel the Holy Spirit leading us in the year to come, and the logistics on how we will strive to fulfill that calling (budget, staff, building concerns, etc.).

This is an important part of our life as an Episcopal congregation, and we hope to see you there for the meeting. If you cannot attend in person we will offer it through Zoom.

Vestry Nominations 2025

At the Annual Meeting on January 26th, we’ll be electing new vestry members. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else (please ask that person first) for a position on the Vestry, please notify Mother Mercedes. To serve on the Vestry, one must be a confirmed member of All Saints’, 18 years of age or older, a frequent attendant of worship services for the preceding six months, and a regular contributor of record. 

If you would like to learn more about the responsibilities and time commitments involved in being a member of the vestry, please don’t hesitate to talk with Mercedes.

Diocesan Delegate Nominations

Would you like to be an All Saints' delegate to the 2025 Diocesan Convention in Little Rock? The convention will be held February 14th and 15th, 2025. All Saints' vestry will need to select 2 delegates and 2 alternates at the January vestry meeting. If you have never been or don't know what Diocesan Convention is, please don't hesitate to contact Mother Mercedes or Melissa Simpson about your interest. We want anyone interested to feel welcomed to apply.

Baby Shower for Htee Hsee

Congratulations to Htee Hsee and Po Tu Tu on their new baby boy Htee Tmwe Po, born November 17. In light of the holiday season, we are celebrating mom and baby in January for Epiphany! Join us on Sunday January 5th after the 10:30 am service for a baby shower.

Htee Hsee is registered here.

Neighbors Table News

Last Saturday, Neighbors Table provided a hot, delicious lunch to 32 hungry neighbors, 7 meals were delivered to friends of the parish, and 5 meals went to Neighbors Table staff, who ate and visited with our guests. A total of 44 meals were served. Also, 26 guests were served out of the

Loaves & Fishes food bank.

This week Neighbors Table welcomes our First Christian Church partners, who’ll cook our Christmas lunch. On their menu: roasted pork loin, roasted potatoes, Arkansas green beans, hot rolls and butter, and vanilla and chocolate sheet cakes for dessert. Diane Yarborough is decorating the tables, and we’ll have a musician from New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church playing Christmas music.

All Saints’ Neighbors Table is approved by the Russellville School District to offer opportunities for high school students to earn service hours. Volunteers should arrive around 10 AM. One of our volunteers will welcome you and get you involved in preparing for our guests.

New adult volunteers are always welcome. Please look for the Neighbors Table volunteer sheets posted in Shoemaker Hall, choose one of the jobs, and help feed our hungry neighbors.

Neighbors Table is funded by designated gifts from parishioners and grants. If you wish to donate, go to https://www.allsaintsrussellville.org/giving, select Realm Secure Giving, and donate to Food Ministries.

Youth Activities

Our Nursery is open on Sunday from 9 am until after the 1 pm. All youth ages newborn to 5 years old are welcome to our nursery. Light snacks will be provided. Please let our childcare providers know of any allergies or concerns.

Nursery will be closed for Sunday December 29.

All Saints' Youth Programs

• Children in the Nursery will have their Christmas Party Dec 22.
• Kid's Chapel will go on break from December 29 and return January 5.
• Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) meets from 5:30 pm to 7 pm on Wednesdays. See the schedule here. EYC will be on break starting December 25 until January 8th.
• Sunday School for ages 6-11 meets at 9 am on Sundays. December 22 we will talk about Mary! We will be on break for December 29 and return January 5.

Youth and Young Adult Holiday Parties

Young Adult Christmas Party will be Saturday December 21 at 5:30 pm at Carol Lee's house at 2314 Rice Lane in Russellville. Children are welcome to attend. Please bring a side to share and a simple white elephant gift for our exchange.

Episcopal Kids (ages 6-11) will have their party on December 22nd at 10:30 am. The Nursery (ages 0-5) will also have their party on December 22nd.

The Nursery will be closed on December 29, children are always welcome in the Nave during worship.

Christian Formation

Christian Formation on Sunday

Faith & Reason class for Sunday, December 22, will be the viewing and discussion of the YouTube video "Experiencing God in Nature" with Victoria Loorz (Church of the Wild). Class will start around 9am. We will then be on break for December 29 and January 5th, returning January 12, 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8p4J4-PRDo

Faith and Scripture with Dr. Stan Lombardo will meet in the Small Classroom at 9am.

Young Adults

On Break until January 5, 2025.

Bible Study & Stitch Cafe

Both classes will be on break for two weeks, returning January 8th, 2025.

Bible Study on Wednesdays at 11:30 am will start studying Ruth and Esther using material from The Good Book Club. The reading schedule is listed below and materials are available following the links provided.

Reading Schedule - Read before the meeting date:

Session I: January 8 - Ruth, Chapters 1-2

Session II: January 15 - Ruth, Chapters 3-4

JSession III: January 22 - Esther, Chapters 1-2

Session IV: January 29 - Esther, Chapters 3-4

Session V: February 5 - Esther, Chapters 5, 6, & 7

Session VI: February 12 - Esther, Chapters 8, 9, & 10

Ruth and Esther Bible Study

Ruth Reading Material

Esther Reading Material

Practicing Prayer

On Break until January 5, 2025.

Giving at All Saints'

Contributions may be mailed to the church office or to give online, go to https://www.allsaintsrussellville.org/giving. You can designate your donation toward a specific ministry or our general fund through the Realm Secure Giving option.

Text "allsaintsgift" to 73256 to give using your mobile device. This number will never send unsolicited texts to you. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply.