Dear Friends,

Thank you for a fabulous Pledge Campaign: your generous participation in our activities, your faithful pledges, and your good-natured participation in a Barbie-themed campaign! You can read more below about our results. Stay tuned as the Vestry crafts the 2024 budget . . . 

We turn our attention next, of course, to the best day in our church calendar: All Saints’ Day! We will celebrate on Sunday, November 5 with a brass band, a litany of the saints, lots of joy, and the great cloud of witnesses represented by the names of our beloved departed flying in the colorful flags overhead. This is OUR feast day, our name day, and a wonderful reminder that our lives after death are changed, not ended, and that those we love but see no longer are still with us. 

All Saints’ Day blends joy and sorrow as we remember and grieve, rejoice and celebrate. In that way, I think it crystallizes the complexity of being human, holding sorrow and joy in one hand. That’s certainly where we are living these days as we mourn and rage against violence in Gaza and Israel, as we mourn and rage against yet one more mass shooting, as we celebrate and cheer on our young ones who are over the moon about Halloween costumes, as we rejoice and celebrate the joys of our lives: births and baptisms, birthdays and anniversaries, time together. 

One of you recently shared this poem from Mary Oliver with me, and it has bolstered my desire to be present to the good, to the joy, even while lamenting and pushing back against injustice and loss. I hope it encourages you, too.

Don't Hesitate

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,

don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty

of lives and whole towns destroyed or about

to be. We are not wise, and not very often

kind. And much can never be redeemed.

Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this

is its way of fighting back, that sometimes

something happens better than all the riches

or power in the world. It could be anything,

but very likely you notice it in the instant

when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the

case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid

of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

Faithfully, Suzanne+

2024 Pledge Campaign Results

“I want to be a part of the people that make meaning.” - Barbie

The results of the 2024 Barbie-themed Pledge Campaign are in and we could not be more grateful for everyone’s generosity, commitment, and (K)energy!!! 

Number of pledges: 142

Total pledge amount: $462,864

Number of new pledges: 38

Total amount if everyone renews who pledged last year: $570,000 (a 14% increase over last year)

A huge, pink THANK YOU to everyone who faithfully discerned and committed to your pledge - as well as to those who didn’t make the deadline, but are still planning to pledge! ;)

Your financial gifts are a blessing to our church community and because of you, we can continue to build our Dream House right here at the corner of Wilson and Hermitage! Your pledges support our neighbors in need, help us build our community and faith lives so that they can be shared with all we encounter, and fuel the fight for justice in our city, country, and beyond. Thank you again for sharing your gifts!

Newcomers Lunch: THIS SUNDAY,

October 29, 12:45-2:00pm

If you are new to All Saints in the past six months, please join us at our next newcomers lunch on Sunday, October 29. We'll enjoy a light lunch and conversation about upcoming events and ways to connect with others. It'll be a great chance to meet other newcomers as well as members of the clergy.

Sign up here.

Ready for trick or treat?

Why wait until October 31 to flaunt this season's haute couture line from the House of Spooky? All Saints welcomes its younger members to wear their Halloween costumes to services this Sunday!

Prayer Flags and the Feast of All Saints

As part of our annual celebration of the Feast of All Saints on Sunday, November 5, we'll remember loved ones who have passed on. We invite you to make prayer flags for your beloved dead. Colored paper is available at the back of the church. You may also email names to [email protected].

On Friday, November 3 at 6:00pm, all are welcome to gather for a time of prayer, the hanging of flags, and delicious pizza. A brief service of prayer and song to honor the sacred work of remembering the dead will follow at 7:30.

Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Escalates Rapidly:

Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem Sends Urgent Call for Support

ABOVE: Destroyed home of Ahli Hospital Medical Director, Dr. Maher Ayyad, post-aerial strike of the Al Rimal area of Gaza. Three staff members of Ahli Hospital have lost their homes during the bombardment of the Al Rimal area. Displaced community members are using the Ahli Hospital and the United Nation Relief and Work Agency’s (UNRWA) schools as a shelter. © Episcopal News Service

“At this stage, our only hope is in God for a miracle in the midst of this scenery of death.” - Suhaila Tarazi, Director of Ahli Hospital

American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ), in partnership with Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, sound an urgent call for support.

Ahli's doctors and nurses continue to work non-stop, persevering in impossible conditions, to serve Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians civilians (1.1 million of them children) caught in the crossfire of the war between Hamas and Israel. 

The ongoing crisis demands Ahli’s critical attention and your generous support, as all patients during war are treated at no cost. Humanitarian first, Gaza’s only independent, Christian-led medical facility treats all people 24/7, regardless of gender, race, or religion.

You can make donations to support Ahli Hospital using this link, or by sending a check to: AFEDJ, 25 Old Kings Highway North, Suite 13, Darien, CT 06820.

Full article available here.

Worship and Service at All Saints

Assistive Listening options



We have options for folks who need assistive listening help with hearing the spoken word in the sanctuary. Interested folks can connect with Eileen Krause on Sundays to get more information on systems. Find her in the back by the AV station. 

You can also email her for information at [email protected].

Formation and Fellowship

Episcopal 101 & 102:

Belonging, Becoming, and Believing

Are you new here at All Saints? Been coming for a while, but still have lots of questions about what this “Episcopal” church is all about? Would you like a deeper understanding of our worship and why we do what we do? If so, then Episcopal 101 is for you! If you've already participated in Episcopal 101 but want to go deeper, please join Episcopal 102; if you want a review, then take 101 again!

Our next Episcopal 101 and 102 will meet on Wednesday, November 8 from 7:00-9:00pm. Both groups will start in the parish hall and will center their conversation on the topic of belonging. How do we experience belonging in our lives and at church? When we say, we belong to a faith community, what does that mean for us? The 101 group will begin with our own backgrounds of church (or no church), take a broad look at the Christian church, and then explore in more detail how the Episcopal church understands its mission and the ways it is organized to fulfill that mission. The 102 group will take a deeper dive into the polity and structure of the Episcopal Church. We will end our time with prayer. 

Sign up here. The sign-up form includes a place to note topics or questions you want to make sure we cover in the class. 

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: History of the Bible
• 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 November 9 to discuss The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber.

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, on 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

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!

Time to sign up for Revive Christmas Baskets

We're looking to help out more than 20 families ranging in size from 1-9 people with Christmas gifts ($30-50/person), food ($15-25/person on a Jewel gift card), and donations to support running the program ($15-25/family). Sign up HERE if you're interested. If we get enough interest, we may host a wrapping and packing party on Saturday, November 25.

All boxes are due at the church on Sunday, November 26 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving). If you're not interested in shopping, but would still like to assist in some other manner, feel free to email Katy Kelsey Morgan.

Your last chance to catch Peter Malmö!

One of our parishioners—Chad Eric Bergman—directed Peter Malmö by Raúl Dorantes and Mark Litwicki, a Colectivo El Polo and Akvavit Theatre Production. Performances are at Raven Theatre (6157 N Clark) through October 29. Go HERE for more information.

Did you know that last fall, a group of All Saints parishioner started a Creation Care Committee (a/k/a “Green Team”)? In keeping with the Episcopal Church’s Creation Care Pledge, we drafted a proposal for our community that outlined specific actions we could take to protect and renew God’s creation. We grouped these actions into four main categories: 

• Christian Formation;

• Buildings, Grounds, and Energy;

• Waste Reduction; and 

• Advocacy. 

Click HERE to read the proposal - a work-in progress. With the approval of our leadership and some budget help, we launched the waste reduction initiative at our 2023 annual parish meeting. 

Since then, all plates, cups, napkins, bowls and utensils we use at All Saints have been fully compostable. That's right! We're just about a year into our commitment to waste reduction and plastic elimination. By our count, we have sent more than 2,000 cups, plates, bowls and utensils to be composted instead of to a landfill! These will come back to us in our bucket from WasteNot in the coming weeks as finished compost for our garden. Well done and thank you, All Saints community! 

This is an ongoing effort, so let’s please remember to put our “waste” where it belongs: 

• Food waste, compostable plates, napkins, utensils go in the compost bucket.

• Paper, glass, and cans go in the blue recycling bins.

• Plastics (for now) and everything else goes in the trash bins. 

We can do more with your help to further develop and implement each part of the proposal. Join the All Saints Green Team. Help with working on particular initiatives. Offer your suggestions and feedback. We would love to hear from you!

Contact us or speak to one of our team members: Terry DeLisio, Trisha Diamond, Barbara Dufford, Allison Loecke (Chair), Josephine Koo, Chad Kruse, Liz Morris, Kathryn Nolan, Kuo-Lun Tye, and Jacqueline Wayne-Guite.

Stay tuned for more news in the coming weeks! 

Church Business

Vestry Business

The Vestry met on Tuesday, October 17 and discussed possible people to invite to stand for vestry; reviewed our one-on-one conversation process, the 2024 pledge campaign and budget, along with the most recent financial reports, and approved a discernment committee recommendation and the minutes from our September meeting. You can read the approved minutes by going HERE on our website.

A friendly reminder from the Office of Liturgical Promptness…

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

www.allsaintschicago.org

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