Dear Friends,

Here we are, at the great Rejoice Sunday of Advent! And, wow, do we know how to rejoice at All Saints!

Last Sunday we had a blast at Beer & Carols! I entered feeling a bit “Bah Humbug” and left full of the Christmas spirit. If you are on The Social Distance Collective Facebook page, check out the great video posted there (if you’re not, let us know, and we’ll get you hooked up).

THIS weekend will offer all the beauty of Advent and the joy of Christmas. 

We begin tonight with the Ravenswood Light Up Night. Join us between 5-6 pm for carols and hot cocoa; Alderman Matt Martin and I will light the Christmas tree at 6 pm.

Then, come Sunday, clear your schedule! For the 9:00 and 11:00 am services, comes to church where we will begin in Advent but move quickly to our Barbie “You Can Be Anything” Christmas Pageant! Luckily, this is Gaudete or “Rose” Sunday in Advent, so pink is the order of the day!

After services, please stay to help Green the Church to make it festive for the 12 days of Christmas. This is joyful work but needs many hands; we’ll provide music and lunch to lighten our labor.

Finally, you can ground yourself at our gorgeous Lessons and Carols at 6:30 pm; afterwards pop over to the Rectory Open House (even if you didn’t make the service) for a nibble and a glass of something nice!

This is a busy time, and the world is as busy and perplexing and sad as always, but in times such as these, in any time, what a grace to be part of a community like All Saints, a place of faith and joy at all times.

Faithfully, Suzanne+

THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17:

Gaudete Sunday at All Saints

The Barbie "You Can Be Anything" Christmas Pageant

(during our 9:00 and 11:00am services)

Don't miss your chance to be in the audience to see a Christmas pageant with a decidedly Barbie twist! As per usual, the 8:00am service will be donkey (and Barbie) free.

Greening the Church (following our 11:00am service)

Stick around after our 11:00am service or just come over at 12:30pm to help us green the church. Over a light lunch, we'll "spruce" up the place!

Lesson & Carols and Rectory Open House (starting at 6:30pm)

All Saints puts its own unique spin on the great Festival of Lessons & Carols from King’s College, Cambridge. We’ll read lessons from scripture and our Advent book All Creation Waits, and sing the great music of Advent and Christmas. If you can't join us in person, you can still experience this service on our live stream. 

Following Lessons & Carols, you're welcome to attend a Rectory Christmas Open House. Just enter through the reading room and enjoy a drink or some light bites while sharing Christmas cheer with the entire All Saints community.

Worship and Service

Advent and Christmas at All Saints

Sunday, December 24

Advent IV and Christmas Eve

This year, the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on December 24, so we'll celebrate Advent IV at the 8:00 and 9:00am services. There will be no 11:00am service. Our celebration of Christmas Eve begins at 4:30pm with our Children's Service and again at 10:30 for carols before our Candlelight Service at 11:00pm.

Monday, December 25

Christmas Day

Our Christmas Day service begins at 10:00am.

Children's Epiphany Celebration

“People were wondering, so it just seemed right to make this.”

-- Beth, age 6.

On Saturday, January 13 from 2:30-5:30pm, children ages 6 to 12 are invited to celebrate the season of Epiphany, the time when the Church recalls the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem.

Beginning in the All Saints’ Parish Hall, the afternoon will include reflections on prophecies of the coming Messiah and Gospel readings re-telling the birth of Christ, with candle decorating, singing, and simple crafts to reflect on the season. Older children (in the 9-12 group) will spend time in a candle lit labyrinth of greenery on the parish hall floor to represent the journey of the Magi. Parents and others interested are invited to join the children at 4:45 pm for a short celebration of Epiphany and the end of the Christmas season.

If your child would like to attend or assist, please RSVP by Sunday, January 7 to Polly Tangora (polly@allsaintschicago.org) so that we can plan for materials. This celebration is a project that requires more than just a few children, so knowing we have a sufficient number to make it work is important. Friends and neighbors 6-12 are also very welcome to join.

Formation and Fellowship

This Advent, what can we learn

from Lake Trout?

In late fall, silver-speckled Lake Trout begin to travel hundreds of miles toward wherever they first hatched in the cold water coves of Lake Michigan. Why? Gayle Boss in All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings (Paraclete Press, 2016) marvels at their instinct-driven travels: “It’s a kind of faith this shining fish practices, returning, perhaps from a vast distance, to plant life in the place where she came to life. It’s faith in the goodness of the rocks, their sheltering crannies, their cold-water cradles for her eggs.” How might we prepare to bring forth new life in the midst of the frigid crashing waters and rocky shoals of our lives? What might it take for us this Advent to prepare the way for Christ, the Light to be cradled in our hearts?

Everyone's invited to join this final conversation of our 4-week Advent series! You need not have attended the previous sessions. Just come and listen to the story and to each other on Zoom this coming Wednesday, December 20. If you wish to use this book’s 25 meditations as part of your daily devotional practice during the Fourth Week of Advent, you can buy the book in print (new and used) or as an e-book. A children’s edition for ages 3-8 is also available. 

Join us on Zoom:   

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85784654039?pwd=UkdRdmdrNXdJMzNhdEN0dmVYWW5jUT09

Meeting ID: 857 8465 4039

Passcode: 886459

For additional creation-themed Advent resources—both devotional and practical—for you and your family, download this PDF with links.

TONIGHT!

Ravenswood Light Up Nights: Kicks off at 5:00pm

All Saints will be hosting the official kick-off event for the beloved neighborhood tradition: Ravenswood Light Up Nights. There will be a fun craft activity, a tree lighting, Dave Wernette-Harnden will be playing carols with his brass quintet, and more! All Saints will be providing homemade hot cocoa packets as a way to advertise and (gasp!) evangelize. 

For more information, visit www.myravenswoodneighbors.org/events.

SAVE THE DATE:

Epiphany Bread, Wine, and Word

Saturday, January 6, 6:00-8:30pm



Share your gift of a story over dinner in the sanctuary. The point of gathering is to connect with one another, so your story should be real, your own, and focus on events and feelings rather than proving a point or teaching a lesson.

No pressure if you don’t want to tell a story, but if you do, stay within the 3-5 minute range and consider taking a risk. If you are new to storytelling, The Moth offers these great GUIDELINES. 

Interested? Sign up here! Bring your favorite beverages and desserts to enjoy and share. Questions? Contact Colin Collette at colin@allsaintschicago.org.

Small Group for Educators

Are you an educator? Being an educator hasn't been easy lately, and it can often feel like you're living on an island.

A number of your fellow educators at All Saints have expressed an interest in getting together for a little social time with someone else who "gets it." The holidays are always super busy, but a social event before returning from winter break might just be a great way to start this group off. This could be an opportunity to commiserate, debrief, and mentally prepare yourself for the months ahead.

All educators are welcome to join, including school leaders, teachers, tutors, support aides, psychologists, speech therapists, etc. - essentially anyone who works in the PK-12 realm.

Please share your interest by contacting Joe Wernette-Harnden at jcharnden@gmail.com. 

Marques Garrett at

St. Paul and the Redeemer:

January 13

The Church of St. Paul & the Redeemer in Hyde Park is hosting a free, day-long workshop with Marques Garrett, editor of the new, indispensable Oxford Anthology of Music by Black Composers, a 2023 publication which centers the non-idiomatic music of Black composers. All are invited to join this day-long event on Saturday, January 13 to learn about the composers featured in this anthology.

More info: www.sprchicago.org/garrett.

Outreach and Justice

Volunteers Needed for December: RCS After School Pantry 

RCS' After School Pantry is back for the 2023-24 school year and we are looking for additional volunteer help! Partnering with Brennemann, Goudy, and McCutcheon elementary schools in Uptown, these Thursday afternoon pantries are designed to provide families with kid-friendly staples over the weekend when school meals are not available. So far this school year, we've seen an overwhelming increase in participation, which means we need more help! If you have a flexible schedule and can be available for 60-90 minutes on a Thursday afternoon, sign up here for one or more of the available volunteer spots. Thank you!

Refugee arrivals continue, but All Saints is meeting the challenge

Here's how coats, sweaters, sleeping bags, and other items collected by parishioners and friends were distributed in November:

• 16 children's coats and one Amazon carrier were taken to Care for Real to distribute to refugees visiting its pantries.
• 29 adult coats and two Amazon carriers were taken to the District 16 police station for distribution there and at O'Hare airport.
• 7 children's coats, 3 pairs of snowpants, and assorted hats, gloves, and winter gear, along with one Amazon carrier, were taken to Murphy School for their closet for children at the Marine Shelter on Foster.
• 7 children's coats, 6 adult coats, 1 sleeping bag, assorted blankets, vests, hats, and scarves, and four Amazon carriers were taken to the Chi Welcome's police station response team storage site for distribution to newly arrived migrants.
• 8 sleeping bags, 3 blankets, 7 adult coats, and two storage bags were taken to the 11th District Police Station. 
• 5 men's coats, 3 men's sweaters, and 1 pair of men's snow pants were taken to the Albany Park Free Store, for refugees placed in permanent housing.

Refugees keep arriving, so Annie Logue is still collecting and distributing items. To arrange a drop-off or pickup, contact her at annielogue@gmail.com. 

Church Business

Vestry: a call to serve

If you're interested in serving All Saints as a member of our vestry or a diocesan representative, please apply online by January 8, 2024!

As a member of the All Saints Vestry, you'll participate in the oversight of the financial and spiritual health of the church. Fiscal responsibilities include reviewing and approving financial statements as prepared by the Treasurer; approving and institutionalizing recommendations from the Finance Committee concerning budget, loan, and investment activities; and managing our physical plant resources. You'll engage in the spiritual health of the church by supporting our mission and our ministries, offering time and energy to members of the congregation through both group and one-on-one interactions. Each Vestry member is expected to attend monthly meetings and to participate in the preparation and realization of the Annual Meeting at which Vestry and Warden elections are held. Any pledge-paying member of the church sixteen years or older is eligible. 

If you’d like to learn more about serving on Vestry, contact Co-Warden Susie Griffith at sgriffith17@sbcglobal.net.

From the Office of Christmas Down Time…

Please note that the All Saints office will be closed the week after Christmas, buy we'll all be back at our desks on Tuesday, January 2.

If you have a pastoral emergency, such as a death or hospitalization, contact Courtney at 312-318-3652.

If you have an administrative need, such as about your 2023 giving, contact Edward at edward@allsaintschicago.org.

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

www.allsaintschicago.org

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