Dear Friends, 

What an amazing Annual Meeting we had! We had over 80 people in the room and 35 people online, mouths were delighted with all the treats and aflame with hot wings, and joy overflowed as we voted, heard about our financials, learned about the Phoenix Fund, reviewed the past year and looked toward the next one.

We elected great Vestry members and Diocesan Convention Delegates: Congratulations to Co-Warden Katrina Kasten; Vestry members John DuFour, Craig Maki, and Skip Yates; and Delegates Lynn Bowers, Annie Logue, and Jennifer Reft!

Treasurer Margaret Ferguson gave a clear accounting of our 2022 financials and the amazing news of your great generosity and why we decided to have a (slight) deficit budget for 2023. John Williams unveiled our Phoenix Fund, formerly known as “the endowment,” which we hope to protect and grow and use to take care of our long-term capital (aka the buildings!) needs.

If you missed the meeting, see below for links to various documents, including the Annual Report. You can also go to our website to watch videos from the meeting, though they might not get posted for another day.

I can’t thank enough all those who organized and hosted (Jack Garland in a bald cap goading people into eating hotter and hotter wings must be seen to be believed) the Annual Meeting, those who organized good food and drink and decorations, and those who made sure the Annual Report and slide show looked great—thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is a church like no other, and I am grateful. See you on Sunday! 

Faithfully, Suzanne+

Our 2023 annual meeting was a roaring success! Visit the links below to view and/or download some of our meeting documents…

Suzanne's Rector Address

Financials for the 4546 N. Hermitage LLC

Our 2023 Annual Meeting webpage

Bread, Wine, and Word: "Love Stories, Love Songs”

Friday, February 10, 6:30 - 8:30pm.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, our stories will focus on that loftiest of emotions. We'll provide a hearty soup or stew. Please brings drinks, simple food (cheese, bread, dips, etc.), and possibly a story to share. Or bring nothing and just come!

If you do plan to tell a story, prepare a 3-5 minute story about love: love for your spouse, love for your children, love for your pet, love for your favorite casserole recipe… 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 3-5 minutes and consider taking a risk. If you are new to storytelling, The Moth offers these great GUIDELINES. 

Interested? Sign up here!

Questions? Contact Colin Collette at [email protected].

Calling All Newcomers!

Interested in connecting with others? Are you wondering about ways to get involved? Do you want to learn more about the seasons of Lent and Holy Week at All Saints? If so, join us for lunch, conversation, and connection on Sunday, February 19 at 12:45 PM. 

Sign up here. 

If you have questions, please email Courtney at [email protected]. 

Not the Last Supper

Lenten Supper Groups

Sign up by February 27

Once again, All Saints is organizing weekly Lenten suppers - opportunities for fellowship during the Lenten season, and a great way to get to know people in an intimate setting beyond Sunday morning Coffee Hour.

In the past, groups have gathered one night a week for potluck meals at parishioners’ homes or at neighborhood restaurants. We will meet for four weeks: the weeks of March 6, 13, 20, and 27. 

If you're interested, go here to sign up. You'll be contacted around March 3 with your group information. 

Questions? Contact Suzanne or Ann McKenzie.

Solemn Communion

This Saturday, eight All Saints children will begin their preparation for their Solemn Communion Celebration to be held on Saturday, March 18. The Solemn Communion program offers children the opportunity to consider what it means to receive the Eucharist in a more thoughtful way.

Although children in the Episcopal Church receive bread and wine from the time of baptism, they're able to examine the meaning of this gift more deeply as they grow older. To do this, the group meets at a special time and place apart from regular Sunday School classes - five two-hour Saturday sessions finished with a day-long retreat that ends with a celebratory Eucharist.

This year, children will be meeting on February 4, 11, 25, and March 4 and 11 from 9:00-11:00am. They will then meet again from Friday, March 17 from 5:00-7:00pm and on Saturday, March 18 from 9:00am-4:00pm.

The children participating this year are: Ada Medill, Bridget McDonald, Edvin Glessner, Isabella Maki, Joshua Harris, Sadie Landis, Willem Kapteyn-Dekkinga, and Stanley Housten. Please keep them and their leaders in your prayers during this time of preparation.

All Saints Book Club

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

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 and our spring schedule.

Our next scheduled meeting will be on February 9, 2023 during which we'll discuss A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.

All Saints Youth Group

The All Saints Youth Group (ASYG) will continue to meet in the Parish Hall on the second and fourth Sundays of the month from 3:30-5:30pm. All youth (7th Grade and older) are welcome. Please email Liz Bartels with any questions. Our next meeting will be held on Sunday, February 12.

RCS Volunteer Party, February 7!

Calling all RCS volunteers! Join us in the Parish Hall on Tuesday, February 7 at 7:30pm for food, drinks, games, and camaraderie. We'd love to see you there! 

Food donation needed for RCS After School Pantries

Ravenswood Community Services is seeking donations of food items for its after school pantry program. Specific items are needed and include - canned pasta sauce, plastic jars of peanut butter, kid friendly cereal, and cans of chicken noodle soup.  Any brand of these items is acceptable, however, please do not donate any item in a glass jar. 

How to help:

● You may purchase any of these items and bring them to church where we will have collection boxes just inside the front doors.  

● You can purchase any of the items using the links below and ship them directly to Ravenswood Community Services, 4550 N. Hermitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60640.

Canned pasta sauce

Plastic jars of peanut butter

Kid friendly cereal

Cans of chicken noodle soup

● Or you can donate directly to RCS here.

Any way that you choose to give will make a difference for the families we serve. And if you are interested in getting involved as a volunteer, you can learn more here or email Parker Callahan.

Like to cook? Volunteer for Love on a Plate! 

Cooking and delivering a meal to a parishioner in need is a great way to connect with other members of the congregation. It also helps make some of life’s challenging chapters — illness, grief, welcoming a new baby — a little easier and less lonely. No minimum commitment required.

Email Kelly McNees to add your name to our volunteer email list and receive a message when care opportunities arise. Participate when you can and help lighten someone’s load! 

Can You Help Veterans Make Their Homes Complete?

We’re collecting gently used (or new) small kitchen items - especially flatware, utensils, and anything needed for cooking. The Midwest Veteran’s Closet in North Chicago helps veterans and active military to transition from homeless to housed. A list of those needs can be found here.

We'll set up a box at the Church entrance to collect all donated items for four weeks starting January 22. We can also do car-to-car transfer on Sundays for larger loads or call Katie Nolan at 573-727-9164 (calls only please, no texts) for pick-up. We'll transport items to the site in North Chicago. 

Any questions you have about this endeavor please contact Katie Nolan or Therese Stasik at [email protected].

Join webinars on racial reconciliation work

“Past Reckoning: Exploring the Racial History of the Moravian and Episcopal Churches,” a webinar series presented by the Moravian-Episcopal Coordinating Committee Racial Reconciliation Working Group, examines racial histories of the two churches and how new methods for racial reconciliation are working in ecumenical contexts.

You can join the final webinar on Zoom from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Central (7:00 to 8:30pm EST) on February 8.

Register here.

Pre-Lenten Men’s Retreat 2023

February 10-11



The 20th Annual Diocesan Pre-Lenten Men’s Retreat will be held at the DeKoven Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin from Friday, February 10 to Saturday, February 11. This 24-hour event will be the first in-person Diocesan Men’s Retreat since February 2020, following a two-year break due to COVID.

The retreat will be led by Bishop Whayne Hougland Jr., interim rector of St. Chrysostom’s. The theme of the retreat is “Renewal and New Beginnings.” Find more details and a registration form online.

Early voting in all 50 Wards begins Monday, February 13!

Early voting in downtown Chicago started Thursday, January 26! Vote By Mail ballots have been going into the mail every day since Thursday, January 19!

Early voting in downtown Chicago for the February 28, 2023 Municipal Election will start at two vote centers: the Voter Supersite at 191 N. Clark and Board Offices at 69 W. Washington, 6th Floor - on Thursday, January 26. Super Sites remain open from Thursday, January 26 through Tuesday, February 28.

Vote By Mail Signup

Supersite Early Voting - 191 N. Clark St.

Weekdays: 9:00am- 6:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm

Election Day (Tues., Feb. 28): 6:00am - 7:00pm

*From February 20 thru February 27 - Open Weekdays from 9:00am - 7:00pm

From January 26 thru February 27 (not open on Election Day)

Board Offices Early Voting - 69 W. Washington - 6th Floor

Weekdays: 9:00am- 6:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm

*From February 20 thru February 27 - Open Weekdays from 9:00am - 7:00pm (not open on Election Day)

Early Voting in all 50 Wards of Chicago will begin Monday, February 13 and run thru February 28, 2023 (Election Day). All 50 Ward Early Voting sites and the Board Supersite (191 N. Clark) will be open as vote centers on Election Day. Click here  to see all Early Voting locations, times and addresses. There have been a handful of site changes in some wards since the November election.

From February 13 thru February 28

Weekdays: 9:00am- 6:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm

Election Day: 6:00am - 7:00pm (February 28)

Any voter in Chicago can vote at any Early Voting site, no matter where they live in the city. Voters can choose whatever voting site is most convenient for them, including on Election Day.

Voter registration services (new voters, name changes and address updates) will be provided at all Early Voting sites. Two forms of ID, one of which shows the voter's current address, are needed to register for the first time or to file a name change or an address update.

Voters with questions may contact 312.269.7900 or email [email protected].

Chicago Board of Elections

69 West Washington Street, Suites 600/800

Chicago IL 

How Do I find Out More About My Voter Information? 

CLICK ON: Your Voter Information

Your voter information is a lookup tool which provides several pieces of key information unique to you. You may:

• Locate your precinct polling place for voting or registering on Election Day

• Verify your voter registration (if you include your last name below)

• Obtain a sample ballot for your Ward/Precinct

• Find contact information for your public officials

• Check the status of your Vote-By-Mail application (if you include your last name below)

OWN YOUR VOTE!

Don't let anyone walk into the polling place before you do and claim they are you and steal your vote!

Prefer the ease, safety and comfort of voting from home? Voters can now join a Permanent Vote By Mail Roster and have their ballots sent directly to their preferred address ahead of every election. This form must be returned no later than 5 days prior to any election by personal delivery or mailing it to: Chicago Board of Elections, 69 W. Washington St. #800, Chicago, IL, 60602.

When choosing, please consider joining the permanent vote by mail option!

United Power: Come Make Good Trouble in 2023!

February 15 at 7:00-8:30pm: United Power Leadership Meeting

It's time to make some good trouble! Chicago’s Mayoral Election is February 28, and if needed, a runoff election will be held on April 4. United Power plans to take advantage of this political climate to have our voices heard. We'll ask the newly elected (or those in the runoff) to commit to the work of building affordable homes in North Lawndale and on the south side. 

Come join the All Saints United Power team in the Reading Room on Wednesday Feb. 15 from 7:00-8:30pm to plan how we will organize turn out from All Saints. Let’s once again stand up together with our neighbors and do the important work for justice in our city!

Questions? Contact Courtney.

February 18-20: Community Organizing Leadership Training 

Offered by United Power: this training will provide an overview of key concepts and critical components essential to building strong community groups and connecting those groups into a broad based organization necessary to create power.

TO REGISTER AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT: 

https://forms.gle/pefdwGqBJMR2n4CN6

Cost: $85.00. Scholarships available, speak to Courtney.

2022 Year-End Report

United Power’s work is tackling pressing issues in our communities—housing, mental health reform, gun violence—and holding the public and private sectors accountable for doing their part to address those issues. Learn more, check out the United Power year end report.

Questions? Contact Barbara Manley at [email protected] or 312-953–8802.

One Book, One Diocese: Resurrection Hope

An invitation from the Peace and Justice Committee

In 2023, the Peace and Justice Committee invites the diocese to participate in its inaugural "One Book, One Diocese" discussion of Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter by the Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas.

If enough of us from All Saints participate, we'll host our own book discussion after Easter. The Diocesan Peace and Justice Committee will also offer online discussions on Zoom on April 13 and April 25 at 7 pm.

Masks Strongly Encouraged

As people return from traveling during the Christmas holiday and a number of viruses are circulating, we know masking is an effective way to protect one another from contagion and illness. We strongly encourage the wearing of masks when in large groups at church. If you have forgotten your mask and would like one, there are masks near the front doors of the church; ask an usher. 

As we continue to care for one another and stay healthy in this time,

• Please do not come to church if you or your child has any cold or flu symptoms (cough, sniffles, congestion, fever, etc.); instead, worship with us online at 11:00am!
• Choose an effective mask; N95 and KN95 masks are best.
• Ensure that you and your children are fully vaccinated.

If you have questions or desire a conversation, please contact Suzanne at [email protected] or 773.724.1352.