Dear Friends, 

Last night, Tracey and I went to see Andrew Bird again for his annual Gezelligheid tour at Fourth Presbyterian downtown. This tour happens every December and is a perfect way to enter into Advent. “Gezelligheid” is a Dutch word that means “cozy” or “conviviality,” sort of like the Danish “hygge” and German “gemütlichkeit.” After all, those cold, northern countries know our need for coziness in winter!

And the concert was all those things: a beautiful gothic church, lit only by dim chandeliers and beautiful holiday lighting and decorations reminiscent of both horns and flowers at the front of the church, swathing the musicians—Andrew Bird, his bass player Alan Hampton, and long-time collaborator and Chicagoan Nora O’Connor—in glowing sparkles. 

If you don’t know Andrew Bird’s music, you can do worse than listen to “Pulaski in Lights,” with the line that Tracey and I loved to sing as we lived elsewhere: “Come back to Chicago . . .”!

Bird often plays large venues and with larger bands, but for his Gezelligheid shows, he plays simply in the resonant church space. Some of the songs are Christmas adjacent, many gesture towards his Catholic upbringing, but the entire show is pure, deep joy, whether the songs are joyful or somber: the joy of watching musicians play beautifully and well together; of an annual tradition going back for 15 years; of a nave filled with hundreds of people feeling poignant music run through us, connecting us.

This jewel-box of a show captures the jewel-box season of Advent—a time of anticipation, holding one’s breath in waiting, a glimpse of the beauty to come.

Many of us are already enmeshed in the extravaganza of Christmas, needing to decorate and shop and attend Christmas recitals and parties and more. That’s okay and normal, even if slightly exhausting. But I hope we can all keep a little place of quiet in our hearts, a place of coziness and warmth, even as the days grow shorter and colder, trusting the Gezelligheid of God is on the way. 

See you in church!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

P. S. Today is the Feast of St. Nicholas, OG Santa, one of the many markers that point towards Christmas, There are more below; I hope to see you at one or more of the lovely events this season.

RAVENSWOOD LIGHT UP NIGHTS FESTIVAL + HOLIDAY MARKET

New year, new concept!

Saturday, December 7 from 4:00 - 8:00pm

Festivities will be anchored at All Saints with events along the block for one night only. 

Tree lighting, caroling, and hot cocoa in front of the church and a holiday market in the Parish Hall. This free event will include food and drink vendors, restaurant specials, a tree decorating competition, kids’ scavenger hunt, photo stations, a street/tree lighting ceremony, multimedia window displays, and a raffle.

We hope you can join us for this kickoff to the holiday season!

The fundraising raffle benefits the Ravenswood Neighbors Association and the Ravenswood Community Services Food Pantry.

NEWCOMER CONNECTION

Brief Gathering after the 9 & 11 am Services

Coffee, Donuts, and Conversation.

Are you new to All Saints? Perhaps you’ve just attended 1 or 2 times and would like to learn a little bit more about our community. 

Join us in the Reading Room for a 20-minute gathering to connect with other newcomers and briefly hear from one of our clergy and vestry members. The reading room is located adjacent to the sanctuary. 

Beer & Carols

6:30pm at the Annex 

(O’Shaughnessy’s Public House)



Join members of the All Saints community as we descend upon O’Shaughnessy’s Public House (the corner of N. Ravenswood and W. Wilson) to belt out Christmas carols while drinking beer or other yummy beverages! Invite your friends!

EVENTS NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15

The Annual Christmas Pageant is coming!

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

Don't miss your chance to be in the audience to see our children and youth in the beloved Christmas pageant!

As per usual, the 8:00am service will be donkey-free.

Greening of the Church AT 12:30 pm

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

All Saints Youth Group Christmas Party at 3:30 pm

Lesson & Carols and Rector's Reception

Sunday, December 15 at 6:00 pm

Rector’s Reception immediately follows in the sanctuary. 

Stay in place for sparkling beverages and passed small bites.

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 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. 

Christmas Decorating and Clean-Up Day!

Sunday, December 22 after the 11 am service

It’s once again time for our before Christmas Eve church decorating and clean up. While the church will be greened on December 15, we will put out the flowers and other decorations on Sunday, December 22 following the 11 AM service, from 12:30-2:30 PM. 

We will also spruce up the church for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Lunch, cleaning supplies, and lists of tasks to complete will all be provided. Come help us dust mop, organize, and make our church sparkle even more for the holidays. 

Please let Courtney (courtney@allsaintschicago.org) know if you can help out. 

CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS SERVICES

Tuesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve

Children’s Candlelight Service | 4:30 pm 

Christmas Eve Vigil | 11:00 pm 

Carols begin at 10:30 pm

Wednesday, December 25 - Christmas Day

Christmas Day Service | 10:00 am

Sunday, December 29 - Christmas 1

Christmas 1 | 8:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Services with Christmas Carols

Sunday, January 5 - Christmas 2

Christmas 2 | 8:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Services with Christmas Carols

We’re baptizing babies and children!

On Sunday, January 12

Are you Interested in baptizing a child? Fill out this pre-baptismal FORM.

Traditionally, we baptize children in January on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, in late spring on the Feast of Pentecost, and in the fall on the Feast of All Saints. Adults are usually baptized at the Easter Vigil (the night before Easter Sunday).

All Saints Book Club

Thursday, December 12 at 7:30 pm on Zoom

Banned Books: The World’s Most Controversial Books, Past and Present edited by Victoria Heyworth Dunne



Which novel is claimed to have inspired an assassination? Why were Grimm’s Fairy Tales once banned in German schools? Which book about censorship has routinely fallen afoul of the censors? Banned Books brings together some of the world’s most controversial written works, form Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary to J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Shocking, scandalous, offensive, and often surprising, this books offer a fascinating insight into censorship, culture, society, and politics. – Back Cover

The All Saint’s 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, contact Mike Burke mebcat@gmail.com for the meeting invite.

NEWCOMER LUNCH

Sunday, January 12 at 12:30 pm

Join us for a casual luncheon, conversation, and a chance to learn more about All Saints and ways to continue connecting with our community. 

Are you new to All Saints? Are you interested in meeting other newcomers and learning more about our community? Join us for our next Newcomers lunch. 

Please RSVP so we can plan food accordingly.

Questions? Contact Courtney at courtney@allsaintschicago.org

RSVP HERE

VOLUNTEER AT RAVENSWOOD COMMUNITY SERVICES (RCS)

TUESDAYS:

Click to Volunteer Hub! 

RCS is also looking for volunteers who would like to join

the Tuesday Delivery Crew. 

Every Tuesday between 12:30-2pm volunteers unload A LOT OF FOOD from pallets on the sidewalk to the Parish Hall for distribution. You should feel comfortable lifting 30-50 lbs and going up and down stairs. Those interested should reach out to Parker at parker@ravenswoodcommunityservices.org.

Access Contemporary Music presents

MEDITATIVE MONDAY at All Saints

Monday, December 9 at 6 pm

Combination of a mantra-based chanting meditation with a performance of drone music in the style of Lamonte Young, widely considered to be the first musical minimalist. 

LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS ($20)

The next vestry meeting will be on Tuesday, December 17 at 7:00pm. Vestry meetings are open to parishioners. To see the most current Vestry Minutes click here.

A Call to Serve: Vestry Members and Delegates to Convention

If you're interested in serving All Saints as a member of our vestry or a diocesan representative, please apply online by January 5, 2025!

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 find out more about how the Vestry works, we'll be hosting a Vestry Information Coffee Hour at some point in the near future. Stay tuned for further details!

As a Delegate to Diocesan Convention, you will attend a Deanery meeting to learn more about the way that the diocese governs itself and to meet other delegates; review resolutions, budget, and ministry reports from the diocese before convention; and attend our online convention on November 22, 2025 which includes voting to elect candidates to varies governing bodies and on resolutions. This is a great way to get to know people around the diocese and to influence the future of the larger church!

VESTRY APPLICATION

The results of the 2025 VOTE FOR ALL SAINTS Pledge Campaign are in!

We are so grateful for everyone’s generosity and for voting for all we do here.

Number of pledges: 179

Total pledge amount: $555,957

Number of new pledges: 43

Total amount if everyone renews who pledged last year: $616,769

Total amount we need to do all we hoped in 2025: $632,000

Your pledge supports our neighbors in need, help us build our community and faith lives so that they can be shared with all we encounter, and fuel the fight for justice in our city, country, and beyond. Thank you again for sharing your gifts!

And If you haven’t pledged yet, you still can!

Facebook Livestream Team at the 11:00am Service

Audio: Jacob Farmer

Camera: June Coyne

www.allsaintschicago.org

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