Dear Friends,

Last weekend Tracey and I went into a flurry of movie watching to prepare for The Oscars. On Friday night, we watched American Fiction, on Saturday morning we went to The Music Box to see Perfect Days, and on Saturday afternoon we watched The Holdovers. What an array of films! I loved each of them but was especially taken by Perfect Days, perhaps because we saw it on the big screen with popcorn. 

Directed by the great Wim Wenders, this film arose because Wenders was approached to make a short film that highlighted the amazing public toilets of Japan—always perfectly clean and often beautifully designed. Instead of making a commercial, Wenders created a story centered on Hirayama who cleans these toilets and the life he crafts focused on simple pleasures, finding beauty and meaning in each day. 

Hirayama rises each morning to water the small group of tree seedlings he nurtures in beautiful porcelain pots; when he sees a struggling seedling in a public park, he pulls out a flat piece of newspaper folded so it might become a little pot to transfer that seedling to his ersatz greenhouse at home. Each day he pauses to observe how light falls through the trees, sometimes capturing that light with his analog camera. Each day he drives to work listening to his favorite songs on cassette—Patti Smith, Nina Simone, and Lou Read, including “Perfect Day,” from which the movie takes its title.

I could continue, but you get the idea. Hirayama’s life isn’t perfect, and he seems to have chosen this simplicity as a talisman against a past filled with shadows.

But these ordinary, perfect days are only so because Hirayama pays such exquisite attention. There is dialogue in the movie, but it is the visuals, the way of seeing that matter.

Taking time to see, to really see, is a discipline. 

When we slow down and savor what is before us, it can become extraordinary, beautiful.

When we slow down and really pay attention to what is before us, it becomes important to us, we care, we act when necessary.

Seeing is a way to see God, God at work, God in the world, God in other people.

This Sunday, we’ll hear in the Gospel about some Greeks who come to Philip and say, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Ah, don’t we all?

Perhaps we begin by looking.

Faithfully, Suzanne+

NEXT Saturday March 23 from 10:00am - 2:30pm

Reserve your spot by TUESDAY, MARCH 19 for children ages 5-12

Just a reminder that if you are in town on Saturday, March 24, in preparation for Easter, All Saints will offer a "Palm Saturday” from 10am to 2:30pm for children ages 5 to 12. This is a wonderful way to introduce children to the traditions and theology of Holy Week, the day includes reflection, singing, and simple crafts centered on the events that took place in the last week of Christ’s life.

Friends and neighbors (from 5 to 12 years old) are welcome to join us. 

The morning will include baking bread and a “prayer walk” that simulates the events of Holy Week including entering the darkened tomb. Parents of 5-year-olds should plan on attending with their child for the first part of the morning (10:00am to 12:00pm). 

Lunch will be served with prayers and songs as we remember the evening Jesus and his friends celebrated Passover together.

In the afternoon there will be simple craft activities including preparing a simple chain of prayers for Holy Week and “tomb garden” that hopefully will sprout grass by Easter.

We ask a $5.00 fee per child to help cover the cost of materials and lunch.

If your child would like to attend, please reserve a spot by e-mailing Polly Tangora (polly@allsaintschicago.org) by Tuesday, March 19 so that we have enough time for food and materials.

PREPARE FOR HOLY WEEK AT ALL SAINTS

Sunday, March 24: Palm Sunday

Services at 8:00, 9:00, and 11:00am

Drummers & Procession with Palms at the 9 & 11 services

Monday, March 25: Holy Monday

7:00pm Healing Prayer Service

Tuesday, March 26: Holy Tuesday

7:00pm (online) Evening Prayer

Wednesday, March 27: Holy Wednesday

7:00pm Service of Tenebrae

Thursday, March 28: Maundy Thursday

7:00 pm Eucharist with Foot Washing and Stripping of the Altar

Friday, March 29: Good Friday

12:00pm Stations of the Cross

The church will be open for personal prayer until 3:00pm. 

Confession available from 12:45 - 2:00pm. Sign Up sheets on the rector’s office door.

7:00pm Service with Meditation on the Cross

Saturday, March 30: Holy Saturday

9:30am Service of the Day

Saturday, March 30: The Great Vigil of Easter

8:00pm Easter Vigil with Great Fire, Salvation Storytelling, 

Baptism, Blessing, and First Eucharist of Easter

Sunday, March 31: Easter Sunday

Services at 8:00, 9:00, and 11:00am

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 30 at 10:00am

All children between 0 and 8 are invited to hunt for eggs.

Rumor has it the Easter Bunny will be stopping by!

Church Clean-Up

Saturday, March 30: 10:00am-12:00pm

Join us to make the church sparkle for Easter! Meet in the sanctuary.



Interested in being confirmed or received?

Come to a brief meeting in the Reading Room on Sunday, March 24 (Palm Sunday) after the 9 or 11 services or you can contact Suzanne or Courtney directly. 

As well, join us for Episcopal 101/102 (see more below). Open to all, this intro class will answer questions about All Saints and the Episcopal church. It also serves as preparation for adults seeking to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church which will occur on Sunday, May 5 during the Bishop’s Visitation to All Saints.

Communion Bread Bakers Needed

Baking Communion bread is a terrific way to help out All Saints from your kitchen! As our community continues to grow, we are in need of more bread-bakers. Volunteers bake fresh bread at home and deliver it to the church on the day of the month they have signed up for. 

The recipe is simple, and kids love to help and taste-test. 

Interested in signing up, contact Courtney (courtney@allsaintschicago.org)

A Note on Worship in Lent: Beginnings and Endings

You may have noticed that how we begin and end service is different in Lent. We are starting without fanfare: the bell tolls (note that we are using the "tolling bell" used for funerals rather than the cheery bell used on other Sundays), and the altar party enters from the hallway without cross or candles, no gathering hymn, no procession down the center aisle. We end in a similar manner: no closing hymn, a simple dismissal, and we all disperse quietly.

Why all the changes? Well, we worship and know God not just with our minds but with our whole selves and so our whole selves deserve to be addressed in worship. We know what season we are in by the sounds around us, how we move, what we sing, and what we wear. And of course, the simplicity, even starkness, of worship in Lent sets us up for the profusion of joy that bursts forth at Easter!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

Why the Veiled Cross?

A reflection from Polly Tangora

"Right now, you can’t see the cross clearly through the veils but you know it’s there, hanging over our heads, the part of the story we’d rather not think much about. That Jesus the Good Shepherd, deliberately sacrificed himself to save us, to repair the covenant God has been offering humankind over and over again."

Click here to read more about our veiled cross in the sanctuary from Polly Tangora, Children’s Formation Coordinator.

PRAY TOGETHER DURING LENT

Scripture and Compline on Zoom

 Wednesday Evenings at 7:00pm



MAR 13, and 20

Deepen your understanding of scripture and spend time in prayer with others at All Saints. We will explore the Scripture for the upcoming Sunday using Lectio Divina and other meditative methods. We’ll close with the church’s “bedtime prayer” of Compline.

An Invitation to Weekday Morning Prayer at 8:30am on Zoom

Give this Small Group a try during Lent. This “small group” is a cross-section of All Saints folks from near and far, people who attend daily or once a week, who participate just before they start work, or when they wake up. Morning Prayer Resources, including Zoom, available below.

SAVE THE DATE

CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS

Saturday, April 20 & Saturday, May 18

This spring, we want everyone at All Saints to come to one of our community conversations to get to know one another, share our hopes for our lives together at All Saints, and to dream about our future.

Be on the lookout for your invitation to one of these conversations. If you can't make the date to which you are invited, you can come to the other one.

EPISCOPAL 101 & 102

3 Wednesdays in April

April 10, 17, 24 from 7:00 - 8:30PM

BELONGING | BECOMING | BELIEVING

Are you new here at All Saints? Been coming for a while, but still have lots of questions about what the Episcopal church is all about? Would you like a deeper understanding of our worship and why we do what we do?

Episcopal 101 / 102 provides an introduction to the history and culture of All Saints, the Episcopal Church, and Anglican Communion; how we worship and why; and our approach to scripture, theology, sacraments, and social issues.



Confirmation & Reception

The class also serves as preparation for adults seeking to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church which will occur on Sunday, May 5 during the Bishop’s Visitation to All Saints.

CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER

Caregiver Connections

Guest Speaker: Jim Statler

THIS COMING Monday, March 18 at 7:00pm

Caregiver Connections is a monthly support group for caregivers. On Monday, March 18, we are pleased to welcome Jim Statler as a guest speaker. Jim is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is now retired. He worked in mental health for many years, providing psychotherapy to individuals and couples, and he spent his last twelve years working in hospice care. Jim is very knowledgeable about the experiences of hospice care and long-term care, and we are so grateful for his presence. All are welcome to attend this discussion.



Any questions, please email Kelly McNees, kellymcnees@mgail.com.

All Saints volunteers at the Mobile Pantry

Saturday, April 13, 8 -11:30 AM

Join us as we volunteer as a group for RCS Mobile Pantry on Saturday, April 13. The volunteer time is from 8:15-11:30am, and in that time volunteers unload pallets of groceries from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, set up the pantry, and distribute groceries. This pantry operates, rain or shine, so volunteers are encouraged to come prepared for the weather.

Volunteers of all ages are welcome (volunteers who are 17 y/o and under must be accompanied by an adult.) It’s a terrific way to connect with other All Saints members and to support our neighbors in need. 

You can sign up here. 

We can only bring 15 volunteers so please sign up early. 

Our Neighborhood 5K is fast approaching!

Sunday, April 28

The Ravenswood Run 5k is coming! Not only is this a great community event, it's an important part of All Saints' support for the RCS Food Pantry and Community Kitchen.

Sign up to race HERE

Keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities as we get closer to race day!

Ravenswood Community Services (RCS)

is looking for Tuesday Afternoon volunteers!

RCS is currently experiencing an historic increase in neighbors seeking assistance. If you've been thinking you might like to give volunteering with RCS a try, now would be a really great time. If you've tried volunteering in the past but were discouraged by full sign ups - please give us another shot! 

TUESDAYS:

Here are links to our upcoming dates:

March 19

March 26

We're also looking for volunteers who would like to join our 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

THURSDAYS: After School Pantries

We're looking for volunteers for our After School Pantries on Thursdays. More information in the link: Thursday After School Pantry Sign Up 

RAVENSWOOD SCHOOL

Paper Delivery!

We have had a long relationship with Ravenswood Elementary School, so when Principal Guerrero reached out to see if we might help them have enough paper to make it to the end of the year, we took a look at some of our funds and realized we could help right away!

So, All Saints delivered 16 cases of paper, each case contains 8 reams of 500 sheets each for a total of 128 reams of paper 64,000 pieces of paper.

It seems like it might be time re-kindle our relationship and our back-to-school supply drive!

Access Contemporary Music (ACM) Presents

Meditative Mondays

The first-ever Meditative Monday is at All Saints

Monday, April 15 at 6:30 - 7:30pm

$20 donation suggested

Ethereal Gratitude

Guided Meditation by Hannah Grove

Music performed by Seth Boustead

ACM invites you to take a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect on the things we’re thankful for. This mindfulness practice involves intentionally focusing on appreciating the good things in life, whether big or small.  

They will pair this with the immersive, ethereal piano masterpiece For Bunita Marcus by Morton Feldman. The music is light, spare, gorgeous and was written as a gift of gratitude to one of the composer’s patrons.

Donate Blood In Memory of Lucy Newman

Blood Drive hosted by All Saints

Friday, March 22 from 1:00pm - 6:00pm

As her friends and greater community, we are grateful for this tangible opportunity to honor her life and give back in an important way. Learn more about Lucy Newman HERE.

SAVE THE DATE: The Bishop will visit All Saints on Sunday, May 5.

Interested in being confirmed or received? Come to Episcopal 101 / 102 in April (see above) and / or talk to Courtney or Suzanne.

Facebook Livestream Team at the 11:00am Service

Audio: Jacob Farmer

Camera: Josephine Koo

Facebook Greeter: Maureen Kupstas

www.allsaintschicago.org

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