Dear Friends,

I begin my letter this week with a note of caution: someone has been impersonating me and texting members of the church saying I have a favor to ask. Luckily, the people who alerted me to this text understood it was fake. 

While I do text to communicate with folks, I will never send a vague request for you to contact me, nor will I ask you to send money or gift cards directly to me, another member of staff, or a parishioner. Any donations, whether for weekly offerings, pledges, or a fundraiser, are made directly to All Saints, recorded, and attributed to your annual giving. If you do get a text like this, please block the number, delete the message and, of course, never click on any links in a questionable text or email. 

And, now, I turn to a much more pleasant topic: thanksgiving! Not thanksgiving the holiday but thanksgiving for each one of you and your generosity. Thank you for responding so generously to the All Saints pledge campaign. Your support of this community and our mission allows us to thrive now and into the future! 

I hope to see each of you this Sunday for the last Sunday of our liturgical year, which is known as Christ the King. On this Sunday, we remember that there is One who is above all earthly powers and elected officials, and that is the One who didn’t use power to control, didn’t seek wealth or fame, but humble Jesus who came to serve, not to be served, and showed us what it means to forgive and to love beyond measure. So, this Sunday, we read readings that might feel a bit out of place, more appropriate for Holy Week, but that point to the Prince of Peace.

See you in church!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

A fun dinner party in the All Saints’ Sanctuary

with food, drink, and stories!

Given the time of year AND the past few years, our stories will focus on giving thanks in the time of pandemic. 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 giving thanks in hard times. Hard things that yielded grace. Being happy when everyone around you is sad. Hope in a hard time.

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].

2023 Pledge Drive Results

Jack Garland, our Stewardship Co-Chair writes:

The results of the 2023 Pledge Drive are in. Drum roll, please…!

We had 156 pledging units giving over $475,000!

All we can say is, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Your generosity and financial pledges are a blessing to our church. Because of your contributions, we can continue to write the history of All Saints. This supports our ministries to feed our neighbors in need, fight for justice in our city, and connect with our brothers and sisters in Mexico, South Sudan, and beyond. Katrina and I are in awe of what we can do as a people of faith when we come together. Thank you again for sharing your gifts!

Lectio Divina in Advent: Wednesdays at 7 pm

Quiet your soul and deepen your understanding of the scripture we read in Advent as we gather to read and meditate on the promises of a coming Savior. Learn how to read scripture prayerfully—lectio divina means “sacred reading”—and connect with others in this season of waiting and preparation. 

We will gather on November 30, December 7, 14, and 21 at 7:00pm in the Parish Hall. On our last Wednesday—the Solstice, the longest night of the year--we will end with a worship service. 

RSVP for the lectio divina series HERE.

All Saints Baptism Preparation

Baptism will be offered on our celebration of The Feast of the Epiphany, Sunday, January 8, at both the 9:00am and 11:00am services. If you're interested in baptism for yourself or your child, please let us know by visiting this page and filling out a Pre-Baptismal Form.

Preparation sessions are also offered and little ones are absolutely welcome! If you have any questions, please email Suzanne.

Revive Christmas "Baskets" Due Sunday, November 27

As a friendly reminder, all boxes should be delivered to the church's Reading Room by Sunday, November 27.

If you have questions, feel free to email Jacqueline WayneGuite.

Becoming Beloved Community - All Saints History Project

All Saints is a church with a very long history - which should come as no surprise if you know that our beautiful building dates all the way back to 1883. But have you ever wondered what else has happened at All Saints in its almost 140 years of existence? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you this winter!

In connection with our Becoming an Anti-Racist Beloved Community efforts, we would like to compile a full history of All Saints, taking care to include both the most joyous successes of our church and community, as well as the times where we have fallen short and failed to live up to our principles. The majority of this work will likely involve going through our archives on a few Saturdays over the next couple of months, with the goal of better organizing our records and ultimately producing an historical overview of All Saints that places our local events in context with the history of our diocese, city, and the nation as a whole.

If this sounds interesting to you, please contact June Coyne. In early December, we'll meet to discuss the project and our goals and timeline.

The Return of the All Saints Christmas Pageant!

It may seem like Christmas is still far away - but it’s not! And planning for the fabulous All Saints Christmas pageant is beginning now. The theme for this year’s production is “Sunday Morning (instead of Saturday night) LIVE" as we return "in person" and dream of the future.

This year, we're giving 2 performances (at 9:00 and 11:00am) in the church sanctuary on December 18th.  Both speaking and non speaking parts are available for anyone 0-18 years old.

There will be in-person rehearsals on Saturday, December 10th and mandatory rehearsal on Dec. 17th from 3:30- 7:30pm. There'll also be Zoom rehearsals of specific scenes on weekday afternoons during the weeks of Dec. 5-9 and Dec. 12-16. These will be scheduled depending on cast availability. 

IF YOUR STUDENT WOULD LIKE A PART, please let Polly Tangora know now so we can reserve a role just for them.

Liturgy for Hard Times, December 15, 7:00pm

This liturgy - our 13th since September 2019 - is an opportunity for us to bring our hard times before God in a community of prayer. On Thursday, December 15, we'll gather in the sanctuary and via Zoom to hold each other up in prayer and song in a special liturgy of lamentation and hope.

Right now, many of us are worrying about the health of a loved one or ourselves, or we have deep concerns about the world in which we live. We may be suffering hard times from lost jobs, lost loved ones, lost shelter, lost dreams. We may be suffering from other traumatic or troubling events. We may find ourselves feeling “blue,” especially during the holidays, dreading the coming weeks when we won’t exactly feel like singing “Joy to the World.”

In addition, progressive memory loss is the cause of ongoing hard times for many. Consequently, we are especially inviting people who have been or are now affected in any way because of Alzheimer’s or other dementias. All are welcome!

New Neighbors in Need

Chicago is a destination for refugees from all over the world, especially Afghanistan, Ukraine, and now Venezuela by way of Texas. All of these folks are now are neighbors; in fact, the immigrants sent here from Texas as part of a political stunt were recently being housed in the Leone Field House in Rogers Park.

While the US State Department provides some assistance, most of it is provided by volunteers. Exodus World Service has asked All Saints to help our new neighbors get settled. Please go here to sign up to contribute.

All items should be new, so keep your eye out for great bargains as you do your holiday shopping. (Regifting is okay, as long as you didn't use the item first!) Annie Logue will set up a bin by the back stairs, or you can have items shipped to the church c/o Annie Logue. We're looking to have it all together by the middle of December. You can email her at [email protected] or text at 773-835-1059.

Volunteer for All Saints' Building and Grounds Committee

The Building & Grounds Committee is looking to expand its roster, so that we have more helping hands on future projects. Over the last few years, we have helped with the 

renovation of the Rectory, refinished the church pews, and painted the porch on the Church’s 3-flat. If you'd like to be on the list when we call for volunteers, please 

send an email to Mark Ortlieb at [email protected].

Safe Church/Safe Communities

At All Saints, we take the mandate to create a safe and welcoming environment for all very seriously, especially our children and vulnerable adults. When we renew our

baptismal covenant, we promise to respect the dignity of every human being, with God’s

help.

Several months ago, the Diocese of Chicago issued updated Safe Church/Safe

Communities training guidelines and policies. Some of you may remember this as the

program formerly known as Keeping God’s People Safe. The leaders and clergy of All

Saints are committed to welcoming and protecting all people who participate in activities

in our church. Any kind of sexual misconduct, abuse, harassment, or bullying is a

violation of our mission, is prohibited, and will not be tolerated.

All clergy, employees, vestry members, church school teachers, youth group leaders,

nursery workers, and other volunteer leaders are required to read and acknowledge the

diocesan policies and complete an online training. 

Members of the congregation are also encouraged to review the diocesan policies and if

desired, to take the training. Links to the policies are below. If you wish to take the

training, please contact Courtney to get log on information.

Diocesan Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth

Diocesan Policy for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults

In January, we'll host a meeting to talk more about the ways All Saints is committed to

following these policies and to creating a safe space for all.

Resumption of the Common Cup

The Diocese of Chicago recently lifted its restriction on sharing of the common cup during the Eucharist. You can read Bishop Clark’s letter here. We began using the common cup again on All Saints Day, November 6. 

Please know that if you choose to receive only the consecrated bread, you are still participating fully in the sacrament. To mitigate the risk of germs, we always use a gold or silver chalice, wipe the chalice after each Communicant, and now use a higher alcohol port wine which is more likely to kill germs. Worried about the common cup? Read more here.

We ask that you do not intinct (dip) your bread into the chalice so that we might limit infection of any kind. If you prefer not to drink from the cup, cross your arms over your chest; the chalice bearer will still present the sacrament with the words “The Blood of Christ” to which you may respond “Amen.” Please wait for the person next to you to receive Communion before returning to your seat.

Of course, if you are experiencing symptoms of illness, not only should you not drink from the Common Cup, but you should worship with us from home during the 11:00am service.

If you have any questions, please speak with Suzanne or Courtney. 

All Saints Book Club

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.

In addition, we are now supporting the book sanctuary initiative. We'll include at least one banned book each year in our reading plan starting in 2023. 

Our current schedule moving forward is:

December 8, 2022: 

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller (At this meeting, we will select books for 2023.)

January 12, 2023:

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson

Coffee Hour Announcement!

Unfortunately, the RCS sanitizer is temporarily unavailable. Until further notice, please feel free to bring your tumblers from home to use during coffee hour so that we can minimize trash production. Thank you!

Turkey Day Weekend at All Saints!

Please note that the All Saints office will be closed on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

On a similar note, the deadline for submitting items to the November 25 newsletter is 5:00pm, Monday, November 21.

Questions? Just email Edward!

Upcoming events at All Saints…

Friday, November 18

Bread, Wine, and Word (6:30pm)

Saturday, November 19

Diocesan Convention (online)

Thursday, November 25 - Thanksgiving

Sunday, November 27 - Advent I

Revive Christmas Baskets due

Wednesdays in Advent, November 30, December 7, 14, and 21

Lectio Divina (7:00pm)

Sunday, December 11 - Advent III

Beer and Carols (6:30pm)

Thursday, December 15

Liturgy for Hard Times (7:00pm)

Sunday, December 18 - Advent IV

Christmas Pageant (9:00 and 11:00am)

Greening (12:15pm)

Lessons and Carols/Rectory Open House (6:30pm)