Dear Friends,

For the past few Sundays, we’ve been hearing parables in church—the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast, parables comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to people who sell everything for a pearl or hidden treasure in a field or to a dragnet that draws in everything in its path. 

Parables are whimsical and oblique. As Emily Dickinson wrote, they “tell all the truth but tell it slant”; just when we think we understand a parable, it slips from our grasp but always leaves us with a hope for something larger and more wonderful than we can imagine. 

We have come to the end of the parables in our cycle of readings and even take a break completely from the Gospel of Matthew this Sunday since August 6th is the Feast of the Transfiguration. This is the day when we remember that moment when Jesus took some of his followers—James, Peter, and John—up to the mountain to pray and he was transfigured before them, his clothes and face dazzling just as Moses’ face shone after speaking with God on the mountain. 

Although the Transfiguration is not a parable, it is a moment of epiphany, an “A-ha!” moment when the divine breaks into the mundane, like the koan shock of the parables Jesus tells. All show us something new about God and God’s kingdom (or is it kin-dom?); all are apparent only to those who pay attention, who continue pondering, who are open to the marvelous. 

As I wrote recently, the only way I know to approach such things is with poetry, so I leave you with a poem from one of my all-time favorite poets, Anglican priest R. S. Thomas. Here he considers the parables of the pearl and of the treasure in the field while gesturing back to Moses, too.

The Bright Field

I have seen the sun break through

to illuminate a small field

for a while, and gone my way

and forgotten it. But that was the

pearl of great price, the one field that had

treasure in it. I realise now

that I must give all that I have

to possess it. Life is not hurrying

on to a receding future, nor hankering after

an imagined past. It is the turning

aside like Moses to the miracle

of the lit bush, to a brightness

that seemed as transitory as your youth

once, but is the eternity that awaits you.

See you in church!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

Worship and Service at All Saints

Back to School Blessing for all Teachers, Students, and Back Packs!

Sunday, August 20 at ALL services and

Celebratory Coffee Hour at 10:00am

As students and teachers prepare a return to school, and as we collect school supplies for the children of the women at Grace House (see the story below), we will offer a blessing for all students and teachers preparing for the school year. We particularly want to bless our parishioners who are heading away to school or other adventures this fall—college, boarding school, military, or something else! 

We'll bless all backpacks—so bring your backpacks, tote bags, or briefcases!

Back to School Collection continues!

Later this month, the women of Grace House at Saint Leonard's Ministries will be holding an event to support their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who are returning to school. To help them out, All Saints is collecting new backpacks and school supplies for kids K-12. Through Sunday, August 13, you can leave donations in collection boxes in the Reading Room. If you have any questions, feel free to email Nancy Kipnis.

Not sure what the kids may need? Here's a list of things they could use:

- Backpacks

- Colored pencils

- Composition notebooks

- Spiral notebooks

- Washable markers

- Loose leaf paper

- Regular calculators

- Scientific calculators

- USB drives

- Protractors

- Crayons

- Glue

- Pencils

- Binders

- Rulers

- Pens

- Folders

- Pencil cases

Save the Date: Lunch for Adults Considering Baptism

Sunday, September 24 at 12:30pm

If you would like to learn more about how adults prepare for baptism here at All Saints, please join us for lunch in late September. This is a chance to learn about the history and theology of baptism and the process of preparing to be baptized at the Easter Vigil here at All Saints. This is a no-pressure meeting—come to lunch for fellowship and learning.

Interested? RSVP HERE.

Formation and Fellowship

Hymns in the Courtyard, August 23!

Wednesday night summer socials at All Saints are back! Join us on Wednesday, August 23 at 7:00pm for - drum roll, please - Hymns in the Courtyard. We'll provide the hymnals, you provide the hymn requests! We'll have a few light snacks and beverages on hand, but feel free to bring your own snacks to share or beverages of choice.

And don't forget to save the date for the following Wednesday night summer social: Showtunes in the Courtyard, Wednesday, September 27!

All Saints Book Club

Summer 2023

The All Saints Book Club meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30pm on Zoom. If you're not a regular attendee, email Mike Burke at mebcat@gmail.com for a meeting invite.

Our next meeting will be on August 10 to discuss the second of three books tied to the "Black Lives Matter" initiative: Deacon King Kong by James McBride.

The All Saints Book Club supports the book sanctuary initiative. We plan to include at least one banned book each year in our 2023 reading plan. 

Spanish Discussion Group

beginning August 28

Beginning August 28, All Saints is starting a Spanish Discussion group for people at all levels of learning the language. The group will meet at O’Shaughnessy's every other Monday starting at 7:00pm, and is open to anyone interested in developing or practicing their Spanish. RSVP-ing for the first gathering is helpful, but not essential. You can direct questions and RSVP's to Liz Bartels at ehbartels@me.com. 

Outreach and Justice

THIS WEEKEND!

ACM's Thirsty Ears Festival

Saturday, August 5, 2:00-10:00pm

Sunday, August 6, 1:00-9:00pm

Access Contemporary Music’s Thirsty Ears Festival is Chicago’s only classical music street festival! For two days, Wilson street between Hermitage and Ravenswood is closed to feature stellar ensembles and soloists performing music from Beethoven to Shostakovich to Reich and everything in between on the main stage. It also features delicious beer and wine, vendor booths, kid-friendly activities, and food trucks on both days. For more information, visit www.acmusic.org.

News from our Mexico Outreach ministry…

Thanks to the generosity of the All Saints community, our Mexico Outreach Ministry, also known as the Mariposa Campaign, has been able to provide support for Padre Bayron Chanchavac and his congregations in Cuernavaca, Mexico. With your help, he's been able to make necessary improvements in his places of worship and has continued to take God's Word to wherever it is needed in his community.

We've received 25 copies of El Libro de Oración Común, the Spanish language version of the Book of Common Prayer, which we'd like to send his parishioners. You can find them on and under the table in front of Suzanne's office. It would be much appreciated if you'd take a few moments to sign a few of these - include a short note if you wish. Break out your Google Translate and spend a few minutes during coffee hour connecting with our sisters and brothers in Mexico. ¡Muchas gracias, mis amigos!

Are you in a caregiving season?

Thank you to the brave souls who joined us at our previous meetings of Caregiver Connections, a monthly gathering of caregivers for listening, venting, sharing experiences, comparing notes, and hearing from experts on specific resources.

If you haven't been able to make it so far, we look forward to connecting with you at our upcoming meeting Monday, August 21 at 7:00pm in the Reading Room. Please email Kelly McNees with any questions.

Refugees are still arriving and they still need our help!

In accordance with our history and culture of accepting anyone who can put up with the weather, Chicago continues to welcome refugees. But our new neighbors still need items to get settled in while the city government continues to push the work onto volunteers. If you'd like to help, this Amazon wishlist has more items for the mobile free store that visits police stations:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/32X1SUMSPDJXJ

Questions? Yoga mats you'd like to donate? Email annielogue@gmail.com.

Did you know you can listen to All Saints sermons on Apple Podcasts?

www.allsaintschicago.org

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