Dear Friends,

On Wednesday morning, staff from ReVive Center for Housing and Healing picked up 55 boxes filled with gifts, including 45 stockings stuffed by our Church School children, for 24 families! Our deepest gratitude to the 26 All Saints families who participated in this annual event, and to Jacqueline WayneGuite who again solicited volunteers, made assignments, and assured we all got everything to the church on time.

And then on Wednesday evening, 18 of us gathered in the Parish Hall for our first night of Lectio Divina, reading and praying from Isaiah 11:1-10, this Sunday’s first reading. We spent time intentionally slowing down, reading aloud thoughtfully and prayerfully, sharing what struck us in the reading, what questions arose, and how we saw God in the passage. It was a quintessential All Saints day framed by service and prayer.

The season of Advent invites us to slow down, to pay attention, and to see God’s presence among us, perhaps in places not noticed before. In the midst of all that keeps us busy and rushing from thing to thing, take some time to pause, watch, and pray this season.

Join us on Sunday as Colin preaches and our choir sings one of my favorite anthems, “On That Holy Mountain.” I look forward to our continued journey together during this season of Advent.



All my best,

Courtney+

Upcoming events at All Saints…

Wednesdays in Advent, December 7, 14, and 21

Lectio Divina (7:00pm)

Sunday, December 11 - Advent III

Beer and Carols (6:30pm)

Thursday, December 15

Liturgy for Hard Times (7:00pm)

Friday, December 16

Light Up Nights in Ravenswood Kick-Off

Sunday, December 18 - Advent IV

Christmas Pageant (9:00 and 11:00am)

Greening (12:15pm)

Lessons and Carols/Rectory Open House (6:30pm)

Quiet your soul and deepen your understanding of the scripture we read in Advent as we gather to read and meditate on the promises of a coming Savior. Learn how to read scripture prayerfully—lectio divina means “sacred reading”—and connect with others in this season of waiting and preparation. 

We will gather on December 7, 14, and 21 at 7:00pm in the Parish Hall. On our last Wednesday—the Solstice, the longest night of the year--we will end with a worship service. 

RSVP for the Lectio Divina series HERE.

The Return of the All Saints Christmas Pageant!

Rehearsals for the Fabulous “Sunday Morning Live” All Saints Christmas pageant

are underway with the first script reading happening this weekend. The cast is really excited to return to live performances, though there are a few problems: the donkey baristas are striking over the unfair labor practices of their multinational conglomerate. Where will Elizabeth and Mary get their decaf lattes? Be in the audience on December 18 at either 9:00 or 11:00am to see who unexpectedly steps in to help out!

Cast members should receive an email with a link to the Google drive containing script and rehearsal schedules. Children who want to be in the pageant, but who haven't received that email after Friday, December 2 should check in with Polly Tangora.

Beer & Carols: Sunday, December 11 at 6:30pm

A great tradition returns as we belt out Christmas carols while drinking beer or another yummy beverage at “The All Saints Annex,” otherwise known as O’Shaughnessy’s. Invite your friends!

Greening the Church

Stick around after our 11:00am service on December 18 or just come over at 12:15 to help us green the church! Over a light lunch, we'll "spruce" up the place for the season!

New Neighbors in Need

Chicago is a destination for refugees from all over the world, especially Afghanistan, Ukraine, and now Venezuela by way of Texas. All of these folks are now are neighbors; in fact, the immigrants sent here from Texas as part of a political stunt were recently being housed in the Leone Field House in Rogers Park.

While the US State Department provides some assistance, most of it is provided by volunteers. Exodus World Service has asked All Saints to help our new neighbors get settled. Please go here to sign up to contribute.

All items should be new, so keep your eye out for great bargains as you do your holiday shopping. (Regifting is okay, as long as you didn't use the item first!) Annie Logue will set up a bin by the back stairs, or you can have items shipped to the church c/o Annie Logue. We're looking to have it all together by the middle of December. You can email her at [email protected] or text at 773-835-1059.

Liturgy for Hard Times,

“Hold on to Hope – Together!”

December 15, 7:00pm

As Christmas and New Year’s approach, many of us feel “blue” for many reasons. We're grieving losses, worried about a loved one's or our own health, feeling sad or low because our family is no longer near, or just despairing at a world in which cruelty erupts too often. We just aren't ready to join in a jolly chorus of “Ho, Ho, Ho.”

For many of us, living with a loved one’s Alzheimer’s or other dementias colors how we feel about the holidays and the memories connected to them. These are the times when we need to “Hold on to Hope – Together!” by joining in prayer at our special Advent

Liturgy for Hard Times, a service of lamentation, intercession, thanksgiving, and shared hope.

Join us Thursday, December 15 at 7:00pm. For those who wish to participate via Zoom, please send your name and email address to Eileen Crowley so our Zoom Minister of Hospitality will know to expect you, and you can receive instructions on how to prepare for this service. We'll post the Zoom link on the parish “Worship” webpage for “Online Resources for Worship.”

Ravenswood Light Up Nights Kicks Off December 16!

Light Up Nights in Ravenswood was a hit last year as hundreds of people descended upon the neighborhood for lights and festivities, and it all started at our corner with a tree lighting and Christmas carols. This is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit! Join us this year on Friday, December 16 at 6:30pm. Go here to learn more.

Lessons & Carols & Rectory Open House:

Sunday, December 18 at 6:30 pm

At this service, we borrow from the great Festival of Lessons & Carols at King’s College, Cambridge, though we put our own All Saints spin on it as as we read lessons from scripture but also from poetry and hear and sing the great music of Advent and Christmas. This is another great event for your friends and family! 

Interested in being part of the choir for Lessons and Carols? Contact our music director Colin Collette.

This year, we will follow our service with a Rectory Christmas Open House. Enter through the reading room and enjoy a drink and some light bites while sharing Christmas cheer with your All Saints community.

January 2023 Baptism Preparation

Baptism will be offered on our celebration of The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, Sunday, January 8, at both the 9:00am and 11:00am services. If you're interested in baptism for yourself or your child, please let us know by visiting this page and filling out a Pre-Baptismal Form.

Preparation sessions are also offered and little ones are absolutely welcome! If you have any questions, please email Suzanne.

Becoming Beloved Community - All Saints History Project

All Saints is a church with a very long history - which should come as no surprise if you know that our beautiful building dates all the way back to 1883. But have you ever wondered what else has happened at All Saints in its almost 140 years of existence? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you this winter!

In connection with our Becoming an Anti-Racist Beloved Community efforts, we would like to compile a full history of All Saints, taking care to include both the most joyous successes of our church and community, as well as the times where we have fallen short and failed to live up to our principles. The majority of this work will likely involve going through our archives on a few Saturdays over the next couple of months, with the goal of better organizing our records and ultimately producing an historical overview of All Saints that places our local events in context with the history of our diocese, city, and the nation as a whole.

If this sounds interesting to you, please contact June Coyne. In early December, we'll meet to discuss the project and our goals and timeline.

Volunteer for All Saints' Building and Grounds Committee

The Building & Grounds Committee is looking to expand its roster, so that we have more helping hands on future projects. Over the last few years, we have helped with the 

renovation of the Rectory, refinished the church pews, and painted the porch on the Church’s 3-flat. If you'd like to be on the list when we call for volunteers, please 

send an email to Mark Ortlieb at [email protected].

All Saints Book Club

The All Saints Book Club continues to meet on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30 PM on Zoom. If you are not a regular attendee, email Mike Burke at [email protected] for a meeting invite.

In addition, we are now supporting the book sanctuary initiative. We'll include at least one banned book each year in our reading plan starting in 2023. 

Our current schedule moving forward is:

December 8, 2022: 

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller (At this meeting, we will select books for 2023.)

January 12, 2023:

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson

We want you . . . to update or join our database!

There are three easy ways to update your information or join our database.



• Already in our database? Sign up for your own online account here and check your information;
• OR fill out this form and we will update your information;
• OR make updates and get your picture taken at church on December 11 after all services.
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Contact Courtney or Edward with any questions or concerns.

Coffee Hour Announcement!

Unfortunately, the RCS sanitizer is temporarily unavailable. Until further notice, please feel free to bring your tumblers from home to use during coffee hour so that we can minimize trash production. Thank you!