Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
I am saddened to report that last night between approximately 1 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. our church was vandalized. There is damage in both St. Luke’s Chapel and the Sanctuary. This morning, we have been working with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department to complete the necessary paperwork, review our surveillance tapes, and do all we can to ensure the individuals who committed these crimes will be identified. We are also working with our insurance company as well as the Diocese to determine what clean up and restoration efforts are covered.
As you may have noted on our website and Facebook page, we were unable to livestream worship this morning as our efforts were solely dedicated toward this matter. Please know, we will be live-streaming all of our scheduled services for Holy Week and Easter. Join us in walking the way of our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection.
Also, in today's Sun Sentinel,
you may read my OP-ED
that addresses the need for virtual worship during this time. While we love our church buildings, the Church is not the building. It is community, the Body of Christ. Our beautiful church building has been damaged, but All Saints Episcopal Church is alive and thriving in you and me.
During this time I ask that you not only pray for our church team and your fellow parishioners, but also for the person or persons who performed these unthinkable acts.
The prayer for Palm Sunday reminds us that as we walk the way of the cross and suffering, we also are walking to the empty tomb and the resurrection. I invite all to pray this collect throughout this Holy Week.
In the peace of Christ,
Leslie+
The Collect for Palm Sunday
Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross,
giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
