On Thursday, January 15 at 2pm and 6pm, Bishop Matt Gunter will be at All Saints to answer questions and discuss the future of the parish. Please attend one of these sessions if you're able; we want everyone to feel heard as we go through this time of transition. Bishop Matt has also written a thoughtful letter to the members of All Saints, which was sent out via email and snail mail on Dec. 18. A few extra copies are available in the office for anyone who would like one.

Beginning on January 21st, Evening Prayer will be offered weekly at 6:30 on Wednesdays in Grace Chapel. Please join us for scripture, prayer, and reflection. Reach out to Lydia Warfel for more information.

Sunday, Jan. 25 is our Annual Parish Meeting! We'll have one service at 9:30 am, followed by a potluck lunch and the meeting in Kemper Hall. A virtual version of the packet will be sent out next week for those who want to look over the reports ahead of time.

Business includes ministry reports; election of delegates to the Diocesan Convention; and presentation of the 2026 budget. Come and participate in making All Saints a thriving parish!

• To bring food for the potluck, please sign up on the bulletin board or contact the office.
• If you have a report for the Annual Meeting packet that hasn't yet been submitted, please send it to the office by Monday, Jan. 19.

Volunteers are needed for a cleaning party of the Kemper Hall kitchen on Friday, January 23rd at 9am! The kitchen has not been used in a while and needs a deep clean to be ready for the Annual Meeting Potluck and Shrove Tuesday. If you want to join in on the cleaning and camaraderie, email Rachel Levine.

The Shrove Tuesday pancake supper returns on February 17, 5-7pm in Kemper Hall! Join us to celebrate the last day before the beginning of Lent.

The next Mahjongg Night is Tuesday, Jan. 27. All meetings are held 6-9pm in the Palmer Room. Contact Catherine Neiswender with questions. Come join the fun!

There's a new sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour in Jan-Feb-Mar. Please sign up on the bulletin board or contact the office if you'd like to provide treats for our socializing time after the 10:30 service.

We've fallen into a pattern where coffee hour is usually hosted by the same few people, and it would be great to get more of the parish involved. You don't have to provide a full spread unless you want to; it's perfectly fine to just bring a couple of different options for treats. You can even sign up with a friend and share the work. Talk to Emily or any of our current coffee hour hosts if you'd like to know more!

Forward Day by Day devotional booklets for February-March-April are available on the shelf by the lift, at the back of the church, and in the office.

The new Ordo Calendars for 2026 have arrived! They're useful for tracking the seasons of the church year; the color of the date matches the vestments and hangings to be used in church, and the back of each month's page lists the readings for Sundays and holy days. Highly recommended for lay servers, altar guild members, and church nerds of any sort. Stop by the office, the Palmer Room, or the shelf by the lift and pick one up for free!

REMINDER: If you'd like to have your birthday or anniversary recognized, please contact the office.

January Birthdays

1/1 - Carolyn Crawford

1/7 - Fr. Patrick Twomey

1/15 - Jim Padley

1/17 - Andrew Fischer

1/23 - Bill Crabb

1/24 - Laurie Leonard

1/30 - Chris Mitchell

Transition Updates: 

About the 2026 clergy search process 

All Saints is not engaging with a standard clergy search process at this time because a full search process would be a deeper drain on All Saints’ energy and resources. The vestry, with the assistance of our diocesan consultant, has considered and agreed with the bishop’s recommendation to call a priest-in-charge, with the option of calling that person to be rector at some point in the future. We agreed that it is in the best interest of All Saints to have a full-time priest in place as quickly as possible; and given the lack of available full-time trained interim priests, a priest-in-charge arrangement is our best option. We want to make time and space for our next priest to get to know us and for us to know them before entering a long-term relationship. By leaning on the diocese we are able to move faster and more efficiently to a more stable place. 

How is a priest-in-charge different from a rector?

There are differences in tenure and diocesan support. A comparison to academia is most often used. A rector is like a tenured position; the relationship is in place with no expectation of ending unless the rector asks to leave for another position or the parish moves through the formal process of a dissolution of a pastoral relationship (which All Saints has just completed.) A priest-in-charge has all the same rights and responsibilities as a rector, but is contracted for a specific length of time that is renewable while the parties learn to work together and mutually discern the possibility of a long-term rector/parish relationship. If over time both the vestry and cleric determine that would be desirable, the vestry may then call the priest-in-charge to become the rector. It is expected that diocesan guidance is regularly received by both the clergy and the congregation during this discernment process.

Requested priorities for the new priest-in-charge

The vestry has set priorities for the coming year, in the context of telling a priest-in-charge candidate about All Saints and shaping the candidate's first year with us.

1. Connect with and get to know all parishioners and staff. Try to meet with everyone in the first year.
2. Be present with and learn about our community ministry efforts. Both outward-facing and inward-facing.
3. Explore how to connect with our neighbors. Lawrence University is our primary focus, but there are ecumenical and business connections to make, plus other downtown churches. We would like our priest to help us pair All Saints gifts to community needs.
4. Build an interest and awareness of our current and future financial stewardship. We have both needs and opportunities for education and planning in this area.
5. Expand our small group formation opportunities and Christian education. Help us grow our understanding and our social connections.

This list is conversation-focused for the first year to help this priest get to know us and our greater Appleton community. Besides these goals, the vestry has prepared to ask about leadership and decision-making styles, what makes an effective priest, their own habits of self-care in this demanding role, and their spiritual journey and calling to the priesthood. 



We have described All Saints as a small but solid congregation, prayerful, quiet yet active. A couple years ago we started using this description: Ancient worship. Modern mission. Inclusive community. You may have seen it on our Music at All Saints concert series flyers. The vestry wants us to live into this and we hope everyone else will, too. We have a timeless worship format that we love to share with visitors and newcomers. We strive to practice and apply our Christian principles in the present time and in the midst of constant change. We are a compassionate parish that wants to be intentionally welcoming to all seekers, and keep growing in our awareness and understanding of how to do this. For example, long ago we updated our disabled access to the sanctuary, we went through the purple angels memory-loss awareness training, and we used our space as an overnight warming shelter for the homeless. More recently, we added hearing and visual impairment tools, and affirmed our space to be welcome and affirming of the LGBTQ community. Each one of us can contribute to the strength, vitality, and wisdom of this community. Thank you for your presence and your actions to make this our collective church home, and invite all seekers to join us.

Congregational Care at ASEC

In the event of an immediate and/or critical situation, such as a hospitalization, a death in the family, end-of-life pastoral care or those entering hospice or assisted living, parishioners should contact Julie Holly at (920) 809-2416 or Susan McCardell at (920) 915-0288. After a call or text is received, Julie or Susan will immediately contact an on-call priest. 

Susan and Julie will be on-call 24/7 on the following schedule:

Julie   Jan 02-15

Susan  Jan 16-31

Julie    Feb 1-15 

Susan   Feb 16-Mar 1

Julie    Mar 02-16

The parish care line number is no longer in use! That number was created and owned by Father Christopher and will not be answered.

Julie and Susan will continue to provide a caring ministry for anyone struggling with personal issues. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact:

Julie Holly 920.809.2416 (call or text) or email at jmholly76@gmail.com 

Susan McCardell 920.915.0288 (call or text) or email at bassoonist.slm@gmail.com. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this transitional time.

Julie Holly and Susan McCardell, Congregational Care Team