January 18, 2024 Edition

Today’s Weekly Word is coming to you on January 18, which is the day in the Church year that we commemorate what is known as the “Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle.” The Gospel appointed for today is from Matthew Chapter 16:

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 16:13-19

It’s certainly appropriate to have the Confession of Peter commemorated during the Season of Epiphany. The dictionary defines an epiphany as a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something. Peter is commended for this flash of understanding regarding Jesus’ identity while everyone around him seems to be hemming and hawing in response to the question posed by the Lord. Click to read more.

Our Epiphany Giving this year will focus on Duffle Bags of Hope. There are many ways you can provide necessary items to children who are in foster care. Click here for donation information.

All Saints' will continue to mentor/tutor with the Academic Learning Center at Fred L. Wilson Elementary School beginning the week of January 22. If you are interested in joining or learning more about this program, you are invited to contact Karen Robinson or Nancy Foskey.

Also, the Cabarrus Brewing Company in Gibson Mill has chosen the Academic Learning Center as their January non-profit to receive a portion of their sales on Monday, January 22, 2024 from 5-8 PM. They are also collecting gently used children's books at that time. Please join some of the tutors and others to support this endeavor!

Ahead of the Annual Meeting, there will be a Financials Deep Dive held on Saturday, January 27 at 2 PM in the Parish Hall. This is a great time to hear in-depth information about All Saints' finances and to ask any questions!

Our next Blood Drive is February 7, 2024 | The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years. Less than half of the appointments at the upcoming All Saints’ blood drive are filled. Please consider giving blood Wednesday, February 7. Appointments available from 2:30 to 7:00 p.m. Go to www.redcrossblood.org, enter allsaints (one word) in the Find a Blood Drive box, and make an appointment today!

We offer praise and thanks for the birth of Maurice Elmen Benshoff to Dr. Matthew and Leemarie Benshoff on January 4, 2024. Grandparents Al and Kris Benshoff are happy to announce the birth of their new grandson. We share in their joy!

We offer condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Richard Gardner, husband of Diana Gardner, who entered the Resurrection on December 5, 2023. The Celebration of Life will be held at All Saints' on Friday, January 19 at noon. Here is Richard's obituary.

We offer condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Ted Berg, father of Kevin Berg and father-in-law of Rachel Berg, who entered the Resurrection on Monday, January 15, 2024.

We offer condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Doug Osborne, husband of Susan Osborne, who entered the Resurrection on Monday, January 1, 2024. The Celebration of Life was held at All Saints' on Saturday, January 13.

We offer condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Harry Lee Folden, father of Courtney Steinberg, who entered the Resurrection on Sunday, January 7, 2024. Here's the obituary. We keep this precious family in our prayers.

We offer praise and thanks for the birth of Chloe Janemarie, to Nancy Hunter's daughter, Carolyn. Chloe arrived on Christmas Eve! Both mom and daughter are doing great. Grampa Joe and Grams are ecstatic to welcome this new life into the family. We rejoice with them and share in their joy.

Missing Crèche Piece | Sadly, the baby Jesus figure has gone missing from the Nigeria crèche, which was displayed in the Sanctuary during Christmas. Rev. Nancy is hoping it can be found and returned. Thank you for looking!

A Note about Columbarium Niche Vases | John Ericson has noted that some of the small vases in the columbarium are being blown out of place during wind and rain storms. It can be hard to know which niche they belong with, making correct replacement difficult. Therefore, if you have a flower vase on a niche in the columbarium, please weigh it down with heavier material, such as pea gravel, so that will not be disturbed by the elements. Thank you so much!

Prayer is the foundation of the ministry of this parish. If you would like to request prayers, please share here. If you are hospitalized, please let the church know. If you are unable to make the call yourself, ask for the chaplain on call and they will make it for you. The church phone number is 704-782-2024.

Prayers have been requested for Phil, Donald, Charlotte, Bernadette, Deanna, George, Pam, Courtney, Phil, Lincoln, and Jacob.

We continue to keep Presiding Bishop Michael Curry in our prayers. Bishop Curry is undergoing a procedure in Raleigh today to address his reoccurring subdural hematomas. Click to read more.