Dear Friends,

The worship at All Saints is consistently inspiring: joyful, good music, engaged people. 

And, sometimes, it is amazing. On Sunday, it was amazing. But even that doesn’t capture the morning. For what happened as we sang and baptized and remembered our dead was something way, way more than something we created together. I hesitate even to try to describe it, but I know God was present. 

I know I left chronos (our chronological, daily time) and entered kairos (eternal, liminal, God time) as a reluctant three-year-old grew solemn, eyes-wide-in-wonder, as the rite of baptism began, as the choir beautifully sang “I Am Not My Own,” as a group spontaneously gathered during the offertory to write the names of their beloved departed on flags and taller folks stood on chairs and pews to add them to the the flags flying overhead, as children (so many—where did they all come from!?!) surrounded the font to watch the baptism and offer our newest member the light of Christ, as you came forward for Communion smiling with tears in your eyes (me, too).

Sunday was the best of All Saints, wasn’t it? I pray the joy, spirit. and faith of that day will strengthen and embolden and encourage us to keep doing the work God is giving us to do—sometimes hard, sometimes heartbreaking—here and in the world.

Faithfully, Suzanne+

PS: The flags remain up this Sunday and will be taken down after the 11:00am service. We can use your help! See the notice below.

Worship and Service at All Saints

“All Creation Waits” for us this Advent!

“The dark is not an end, but a door.” So writes Gayle Boss in her small book All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings (Paraclete Press, 2016). She offers a new way to open doors to our hearts this Advent: 25 short meditations on the amazing ways wild creatures in the Midwest cope with the cold and darkness of winter.

Delighted by the gift of this Advent book, members of The Green Team and the Worship Committee have teamed up to offer four evenings of communal reflections on select meditations - and everyone is invited to join the conversation!

We'll gather on Zoom each Wednesday night (November 29, December 6, 13, and 20) at 7:00pm. After an opening prayer, a parish storyteller will read aloud one of the meditations on a particular animal. Then we'll share the connections we find between how God’s creatures, large and small, prepare for and survive winter, and how we might prepare our hearts awaiting the coming of Jesus, the Light who is ever-present in our Darkness. If you wish to use this book throughout Advent as your daily devotional practice, the book is available in both print and e-book versions. There's also a children’s edition for ages 3-8. Watch for more info in coming newsletters.

Remembrance Flags! Advent clean-up day!

We'll provide the cleaning supplies, lists of tasks, and lunch. All we need is YOU! Join us on Saturday, December 2 at 9:00am in the church. We'll clean until about 11:30 and then have a quick lunch.

Please RSVP to Courtney if you plan to attend so we have enough sandwiches.

And if you're not doing anything immediately after the 11:00am service this Sunday, we could use everyone's help taking down our remembrance flags from All Saints' Day.

Singers needed for Advent Lessons and Carols

If you're looking for a way to give back to the community, meet some wonderful people, and have a great time doing it, please consider joining the All Saints choir for Advent Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 17.

The choir rehearses every Thursday evening at 7:00pm in the church or, if you can't make that time, it also rehearses for 45 minutes before Sunday services (8:15am in the parish hall for the 9:00am service, 10:15am in the church for the 11:00am). No audition required; just an open heart and a joyful spirit!

For more information, you can either write our Music Director Colin Collette or talk to him after a service on Sunday.

Formation and Fellowship

Are you a caregiver?

Caregiver Connections is a monthly gathering for caregivers to share experiences, listen, vent, get a break, compare notes, and occasionally hear from experts on specific resources. Our next meeting will be Monday, November 20, at 7:00pm in the reading room. Please email Kelly McNees with any questions.

It's Just Lunch!

Want a simple way to get to know folks at All Saints and spend time in fellowship? Join us for lunch on Sunday, November 19 after the 11:00am service! Everyone's welcome and we'll gather in the parish hall around 12:15pm. Lunch will be provided. Please sign up here by Friday, November 17.

Questions? Contact Megan at [email protected]

All Saints Youth Group: Fall Plans

All Saints Youth Group meets from 3:30-5:30pm on the Sundays below. We welcome youth ages 12 and older, and you can email [email protected] with any questions.

• November 12: TBD
• December 10: Cookie Decorating

Hope to see you at our next meeting! 

All Saints Book Club

Autumn 2023 - Winter 2024

The All Saints Book Club meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30pm on Zoom. If you're not a regular attendee, email Mike Burke at [email protected] for a meeting invite.

This year, the club continues to support the book sanctuary initiative by including at least one banned book in its reading plan. Our next meeting will be on December 14 to discuss Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep.

THIS SATURDAY: Celebrating the life of Patrick Doran

All are welcome to join us as we celebrate the life of Patrick Doran, husband of Judith, father of Diane, and grandfather of Elinor and Ansel, this Saturday, November 11, 10:00am at All Saints. In honor of Pat’s truest nature, ONLY CASUAL CLOTHING PLEASE! Although he could pull it off, suits were never his jam. 

Veterans and feeding people were two of his greatest passions. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that if anyone would like to make a donation, please feel free to contribute to one of the following in his memory: Wounded Warrior Project or Ravenswood Community Services.

Outreach and Justice

All Saints' Breakfast Ministry

For the past couple months, volunteers from All Saints have been partnering with a grass-roots effort, 20th District Station Aid, to provide breakfast to migrants staying at the 20th District Police Station on Lincoln Ave. 

About twice a month on Saturday afternoons, we prepare a breakfast for between 80 and 120 people that we deliver to the station on Sunday morning. We aim to provide a comforting meal to our newest neighbors who find themselves in what are certainly uncomfortable circumstances. As the city's response to the influx of migrants evolves, it's unclear how long the station will be hosting newcomers. We are committed to helping out as long as there's a need. 

If you'd like to get involved, there are two ways to help:

1) fill out this form to add your name to our roster of volunteers and receive communications about upcoming dates and needs, or

2) make a gift online (be sure to use the drop down menu and specify the breakfast ministry fund).

Volunteers Needed: RCS After School Pantry 

RCS' After School Pantry is back for the 2023-24 school year and we are looking for additional volunteer help! Partnering with Brennemann, Goudy, and McCutcheon elementary schools in Uptown, these Thursday afternoon pantries are designed to provide families with kid-friendly staples over the weekend when school meals are not available. So far this school year, we've seen an overwhelming increase in participation, which means we need more help! If you have a flexible schedule and can be available for 60-90 minutes on a Thursday afternoon, sign up here for one or more of the available volunteer spots. Thank you!

Revive Christmas Baskets

Thank you for your enthusiastic response to our call for basket volunteers. All baskets are currently spoken for! Please remember that your boxes are due at the church on Sunday, November 26 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving) before the 11:00am service. If you have any questions or would like to help, feel free to email Katy Kelsey Morgan.

Chicago refugees could use your help

For the last year and a half, All Saints has been working with refugees in Chicago. There are three distinct groups.

The first are refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. In many cases, these people worked with the US Defense and State Departments and must flee their homes or face persecution. They participate in organized refugee programs that rely on volunteers to supplement government resources.

The second group are people fleeing the war in Ukraine. They've benefited from a strong Ukrainian community in Chicago and the support of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, which had an existing relationship with the diocese in Kiev.

The third group is political and economic refugees from Venezuela who have been bussed to Chicago from their port of entry in Texas. While these people are in the US legally and qualify for work permits, there are no other government resources to support them, and they have no natural constituency here. 

So far, we've provided the furnishings needed to help a family from Afghanistan establish a household, purchased items for programs that serve all refugees regardless of their home country, and collected coats for Venezuelan migrants who are learning about cold weather for the first time. We've also connected All Saints volunteers to organizations that could use their legal or language expertise. 

This work is rooted in justice, not charity. Anyone who wants to help, or who has a coat or sleeping bag to donate, should contact Annie Logue.

Church Business

A call to serve

If you're interested in serving All Saints as a member of our vestry or a diocesan representative, please apply online by January 8, 2024!

If you'd like to find out more about what the Vestry is and how it works, we'll be hosting a Vestry Information Coffee Hour at some point in the future. Stay tuned for further details!

Upcoming vestry meeting schedule

Our next Vestry meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 14. The Vestry will meet on the second rather than third Tuesday of the month due to the Thanksgiving holiday. In December, Vestry will follow the same pattern, meeting on Tuesday, December 12 to avoid colliding with any Christmas festivities. 

From the Office of Non-Liturgical Holiday Observances…

Please note that the All Saints office will close early on Wednesday, November 22 and remain closed until Monday, November 27 for Thanksgiving. If you experience any pastoral emergencies, you can contact Suzanne at 773-724-1352. Enjoy a happy and safe weekend!

Did you know you can listen to All Saints sermons on Apple Podcasts?

www.allsaintschicago.org

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