Dear Friends,

This weekend, our diocese gathers for its annual convention out in Lombard, where your clergy and lay delegates will gather with delegates from all over—from all over the city and from all over the state, as far north as Galena and as far west as Warsaw. While there, we’ll attend workshops and worship together; we’ll receive the budget for the diocese; we’ll elect people to serve on our governing bodies; and we’ll pass resolutions affecting our local life and that might be sent forward to be considered at our General Convention next summer. Our keynote speaker is the Rt. Rev’d Jake Owensby, Bishop Diocesan of Episcopal Church in Western Louisiana, who is also a very fine writer; I have often turned to him for spiritual wisdom and his reflection on the readings for Sunday. You can learn more about him HERE and more about Diocesan Convention HERE.

It can be tempting to think that Diocesan Convention is just one more church meeting, but this is how the church discerns where God is at work and how we are to respond to God’s call and this is how we “do” theology in the church and how we govern ourselves. Whenever I feel a little cranky or bored at a church meeting, whether at our church or the diocesan convention or general convention, I remember that it is church meetings throughout history that have decided major tenets of our faith. 

When we were wrestling with who Jesus is—some thought Jesus was a really, really good human, others thought he was God in a human disguise—it was the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) that discerned and taught that Jesus is truly God and truly human. It was a Council that gave us the Nicene Creed we recite each Sunday. It was at a convention in 1888 right here in Chicago that we identified four “essentials” to Christian unity (see pages 876-78 in your Book of Common Prayer to learn what they are).

So, please pray for us and all who will gather for a council of the church this weekend.

See you in church!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

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 Worship Committee have teamed up to offer four evenings of communal reflection on select meditations. And everyone is invited to join in the conversation!

We'll gather on Zoom each Wednesday night — Nov. 29, Dec 6, Dec 13, and Dec 20 at 7:00pm. We'll open with prayer, and then a parish storyteller will read aloud one of the meditations on a particular animal. We'll share where we find connections between how God’s creatures prepare for and survive winter and how we might prepare our hearts as we await the coming celebration this Christmas of Jesus, the Light who is ever-present in our Darkness. If you wish to use this book throughout Advent as your daily Advent devotional practice, you can buy the book in print or as an e-book. A children’s edition for ages 3-8 is also available.  

Join us on Zoom:   

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85784654039?pwd=UkdRdmdrNXdJMzNhdEN0dmVYWW5jUT09

Meeting ID: 857 8465 4039

Passcode: 886459

For additional creation-themed Advent resources—both devotional and practical—for you and your family, download this PDF with links.

Advent clean-up day: Saturday, December 2!

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 11:30am and then have a quick lunch.

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

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.

Christmas pageant casting call!

The search has begun for the 2023 ALL SAINTS’ CHRISTMAS PAGEANT cast. Be part of our annual theatrical Christmas event that’s been called “inspiring,” “incredible,” and “somewhat… well… nontraditional.” This year’s theme is BARBIE. Because the day of Jesus’s birth is the best day ever! Performances take place Sunday, December 17 during the 9:00am and 11:00am services.

Interested? Clink on this link for more info about auditions and rehearsal times.

Formation and Fellowship

It's Just Lunch! This Sunday!

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 before the end of the day today!

Questions? Contact Megan at [email protected]

Are you a caregiver? Join us this Monday for support!

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. Christina Kapteyn will be joining us. She has a decade of experience as an RN Care Manager in Home Based Primary Care at Hines VA Hospital. Home Based Primary Care uses a multidisciplinary primary care model to meet the primary care needs of veterans with complex medical issues in the home setting with the goal of preventing emergency room visits, hospital admissions, or institutionalization in nursing homes. She recently moved to a new position that has her training nurses in this work. This is a wealth of experience for us to draw on, so please come with any questions you have! 

Please email Kelly McNees with any questions.

All Saints Youth Group: Upcoming plans

All Saints Youth Group meets from 3:30-5:30pm on Sundays. We welcome youth ages 12 and older, and you can email [email protected] with any questions. On Sunday, December 10, we'll be decorating cookies!

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.

Outreach and Justice

Revive Christmas Baskets:

Gift wrapping party, November 25

Baskets due November 26

Thanks again for your enthusiastic response to our call for basket volunteers. We'll be hosting a wrapping party in the Parish Hall on Saturday, November 25 from 3:00-5:00pm.

All boxes are due at the church on Sunday, November 26 before the 11:00am service.

Helpers are always very welcome! To RSVP for the party or if you have any questions, feel free to email Katy Kelsey Morgan.

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 for RCS Mobile Pantry

On Sunday, December 10 from 8:00-11:00am, All Saints is volunteering at the Ravenswood Community Services Mobile Pantry at Ravenswood Elementary School (corner of Montrose and Paulina). We'll need 10 volunteers to help set up and distribute groceries from the school parking lot. 

The Mobile Pantry provides a selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, and non-perishable food items in a farmer’s market-style atmosphere at no charge to families in need of food assistance. It’s a great chance to hang out with All Saints folks and serve others. Families are welcome. The pantry is outdoors and we won’t have access to the school building, so please dress accordingly. 

You can sign up here and contact Courtney with any questions.

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!

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

Mystery table

The disassembled table pictured below was recently discovered in the church boiler room. Does it belong to you? If so, would you like it back? Let Edward know either way. If no one claims it, we will be disposing of it by the end of the year. Speak now or forever hold your peace!

Vestry: 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!

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!

Upcoming vestry meeting schedule

Our next Vestry meeting will take place 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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