Dear Friends,

I write to you covered in flour as I prepare for our All Saints Bake Auction! Even a baking novice like me cannot resist the siren call of one of the great annual events of our church, truly a high holy day!

Who can resist the creative efforts, the valiant attempts, the glories of the Bake Auction? Every year, there is at least one surprise as a new baker enters the competition, there is at least one upset as parishioners flash their auction paddles, vying for the same cake. Every year, our children learn the art of upselling cookies and reveal the heart of this community towards generosity. What drama in just one hour!

So, I join all of you in trying to offer something delicious for the auction and in eyeing my bank account to see just how high a bid I can offer this year, and I do that because there is nothing so life-affirming and joyous as watching our community come together for a common purpose: working to bake something great and then turning around to spend a lot of money buying someone else's bake, all to raise money for our friends in South Sudan and neighboring countries. What a sweet hour our bake auction is--hilarious and joyful and poignant. I can hardly wait!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

THE 24TH ANNUAL

All Saints Bake Auction

Sunday, March 3, 2024

10:00am

In-Person & Online

GET READY TO BID!

10am - 11am on Sunday

THE BAKE AUCTION NEEDS YOU!!!

SOOOO MANY DELICACIES, SOOOO LITTLE TIME!

Can we possibly beat the record for money raised last year??

Can we do all this in only 1 hour? 

Hard to believe it's possible. But come and see it done!

In just one short hour, you can support our kids and a great cause with your bids (big & small) (In-Person & Online), donations, and cash purchases of items in the Parish Hall.

Some of the best bakers in the congregation have stepped up this year to produce a BOUNTY of delicacies. Long secret family recipes are being employed and new creations invented to make this year's auction an all time record breaker. 

Though not guaranteed to be diet friendly, you can eat any of these products knowing that in doing so you have helped to make life better around the world. And, have won the admiration of our children for your generosity.

SEE YOU SUNDAY!

Calling all singers and musicians!

Remember what St. Augustine once said: “The one who sings, prays twice!”

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a part of the music ministry at All Saints, we invite you to join us for Lent and Easter. No auditions necessary; the only requirement is a willing heart! if you play a string, woodwind, or brass instrument, we need you. Rehearsals dates are limited, but lots of fun!

For more information or to sign up, you can see Colin after services or email him at [email protected] 

 I Will With God’s Help

Over the coming weeks of Lent we will be hearing more about covenants. In our first readings, we will listen to the stories of God’s covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the ancient Jews in captivity. And we will reflect on our own Baptismal Covenant. Stay tuned!

A Note on Worship in Lent: The Penitential Order

You may have noticed that our Sunday mornings look and feel different in Lent and are wondering why we're doing what we're doing.

On the first Sunday in Lent we began with the Great Litany, which has been used for centuries as a way to begin Lent and at other times when we are in need of repentance. It is often used during times of war so that the church might repent of the use of violence or at times of civil strife.

In the following Sundays of Lent we continue with a more solemn, penitential tone as we begin the service in silence, immediately moving into The Penitential Order (essentially, the Confession) as a reminder of the focus of Lent--repentance, turning away from our own ways and errors and back towards God.

We are also focusing on covenants since that is the focus of the Old Testament readings in Lent this year. So, we decided to use covenants as the lens by which to shape our Penitential Order.

We are using a penitential rite from the Anglican Church Of Canada that focuses on our Baptismal Covenant. Each element of the Confession is one of the questions in the Baptismal Covenant. You'll notice that the rite invites people to kneel, a traditional posture of humility, for the Confession. This is an unusual posture at All Saints for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that we removed the kneelers from our pews!

One of the distinctions of Anglican (and Roman Catholic and Orthodox) worship is how we use our bodies to indicate different modes and realities (we stand to sing and pray, we sit to listen, we shake hands to indicate being at peace). For confession, kneeling is usual. However, if you cannot kneel or prefer not to kneel, standing with a slight bow is equivalent, so please participate as you are best able. Whatever your posture, we hope that beginning with the penitential order in Lent invites each of us to allow our hearts to be turned more and more Godward.

Faithfully, Suzanne+

PRAY TOGETHER DURING LENT

Scripture and Compline on Zoom

 Wednesday Evenings at 7:00pm



MAR 6, 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.

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.

Volunteer for Love on a Plate!

Cooking and delivering a meal to a fellow parishioner through the Love on a Plate ministry is a great way to meet new people in our congregation. It also helps make some of life’s challenging chapters — illness, grief, welcoming a new baby — a little easier and less lonely. Love on a Plate is looking for new volunteers to meet the needs of our growing community. Participation is simple:

1) Sign up as a volunteer by emailing Kelly McNees.

2) When a request comes to you via email, sign up for a date that works for you.

3) Cook and deliver a simple meal on your assigned date. No minimum required time commitment. Participate when you can, and help lighten someone’s load. 

All Saints Book Club

March 14 at 7:30pm (on Zoom)

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Olga Tokarczuk, 

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

“A marvelously weird and fablelike mystery. . . . Authors with Tokarczuk’s vending machine of phrasing . . . and gimlet eye for human behavior. . . are rarely also masters of pacing and suspense. But even as Tokarczuk sticks landing after landing . . . her asides are never desultory or a liability. They are more like little cuts — quick, exacting and purposefully belated in their bleeding. . . . This book is not a mere whodunit: It’s a philosophical fairy tale about life and death that’s been trying to spill its secrets. Secrets that, if you’ve kept your ear to the ground, you knew in your bones all along.” — New York Times Book Review

The All Saints Book Club meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30pm on Zoom. If you are not a regular attendee, email Mike Burke at moc.liamg@tacbem for a meeting invite.

Palm Saturday Camp

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

In preparation for Easter, All Saints will offer a Palm Saturday Camp 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.

Lunch will be served with prayers and songs as we remember the evening Jesus and his friends celebrated Passover together. Friends and neighbors (from 5 to 12 years old) are welcome to join us; however, the group is limited to 20 children, so please reserve early. Parents of 5-year-olds should plan on attending with their child for the first part of the morning (10:00am to 12:00pm). 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 ([email protected]) by Tuesday, March 19 so that we can plan for food and materials.

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 5

March 12

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 [email protected]

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 

The Philadelphia Eleven Online Premiere

March 8 at 7 pm Central

A new documentary about the Philadelphia Eleven will premiere online on March 8 at 7 pm Central, in honor of International Women's Day.

The film tells the story of eleven women ordained Episcopal priests on July 29, 1974 at Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, two years before the ordination of women was approved by General Convention. A panel discussion will follow the online screening, featuring the Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward and the Rev. Nancy Wittig, two of the eleven, as well as Bishop Nedi Rivera, the first Hispanic woman to be ordained a bishop, and filmmaker Margo Guernsey.

Learn more and purchase tickets.

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

Facebook Greeters at the 11:00am Service

Audio: Kuo Tye

Camera: Lelia Fry 

Facebook Greeter: Mark Piroch

www.allsaintschicago.org

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