March 6, 2025 Edition

Ask most people “What is Lent?”, and if they have an answer, they will tell you about what they gave up as a child, or perhaps what they are giving up this year. But Lent is not just about what we give up – it is about supporting what we are cultivating within. It is about learning to love. 

The Bible is a love story. From the beginning, God created humanity out of love, shaping us in God’s own image to reflect God’s goodness. Despite human beings turning away, God continued to relentlessly pursue the people God created. God called Abraham, rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, sent prophets to guide God’s people back when they lost their way, and sent Jesus Christ to redeem the world. Click here to read more. 

New Christian Formation Class starts THIS Sunday! For Lent, all adults and teens are invited to guided small group conversations from our Lenten devotional – "Living Well Through Lent: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind." Together we'll be exploring a different “fruit" of the Spirit each week and connecting it to scripture and current life. Join the discussion each Sunday at 10 AM in the Parish Hall.

Labyrinth available March 7-17 in Parish Hall | The labyrinth design at All Saints’ is based on the labyrinth from Chartres. It will be available to all to walk in the Parish Hall, March 7-17, during times when the church is open. Rev. Nancy has prepared two pamphlets to aid those who are new to this spiritual practice. One pamphlet offers suggestions on how to pray the Labyrinth. The other provides scripture passages to meditate on. Both are available in the Parish Hall. Please note that shoes are not appropriate on the canvas labyrinth. Please either remove your shoes or use the shoe covers provided. To learn more about praying the labyrinth, please read Rev. Nancy's article from Lent last year.

Stations of the Cross in Nave and around All Saints' grounds | Many Christians include the walking of the Stations of the Cross, the Way of the Cross, the Way of Sorrows, or Via Crucis as their Lenten practice. The stations grew out of Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, which is believed to be the actual path Jesus walked to Calvary. The purpose of the stations is to assist faithful Christians in taking a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ.

The fourteen Stations of the Cross woodcuts, which hang in the All Saints’ Episcopal Church (ASEC) nave during Lent, are copies of the original woodcuts created by artist Noyes Capehart. The originals hang in Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Valle Crucis, NC, where Noyes and his wife, Suzanne, are members.

Laminated copies of the fourteen Stations of the Cross have been posted on the grounds of All Saints’ beginning at the top of the stairs to the right of the columbarium. Use the QR code provided on the posters to access All Saints' online meditation and prayer guide. You can also click here. This Lent you are invited to participate in this spiritual practice.

Hey! Do you have the time? Have you ever wondered about getting a bit more involved at All Saints’ but aren’t quite sure what you’d like to do – or how to do it? Whether your schedule is full or you have lots of free time, All Saints’ offers so many opportunities to participate that there’s something for just about any interest. Here are just a few ideas, depending on your availability:

• I have a few hours a week: read to children at the Academic Learning Center, join one of our choirs, help with building maintenance, become a Welcome Center volunteer, attend the weekly Men’s Group gathering
• I have a couple of days each month: become a chalice bearer, join one of our many awesome committees, take flowers and/or communion to a shut-in after services, help keep our grounds looking wonderful with our Creation Care team, lead a Sunday School class
• I’d like to help with an event or two: consider Tour de Saints, After Dark @ All Saints, or the Feed Your Neighbors ministry
• I can’t commit to anything regular, but I can step up if needed: prepare food for a funeral reception, help with the Easter Breakfast or Chili Cook Off or Maundy Thursday, make a meal for the EYC kids

These are just some of the many ways to engage further with All Saints’ ministries, parishioners, and the wider community. To find a more complete list, click HERE to view our Ministry Contacts list on the parish website. Our mission is to be a church of disciples making disciples for Jesus. Your participation helps to further this mission!

Help Kids Buy Books! The Fred L. Wilson (FLW) mentor program through the Academic Learning Center is a ministry with All Saints’ volunteers, who tutor first and second graders. FLW is a Title I school that supports low-income families to improve academic achievement and provide a high-quality education.

The week of March 24-28th is the Spring Book Fair. If you would like to make a monetary donation to allow students who otherwise would not be able to purchase a book, you can donate by check or by Giving via Realm. In Realm, add the amount you'd like to give, then scroll down in the fund space to find "FLW Book Fair" to earmark the funds. Checks can be made out to ASEC with a notation of "FLW Book Fair," in the memo line.

The school’s guidance counselor and media specialist will coordinate the disbursement of funds to identified students. Questions? Contact Karen Robinson. Her information is in Realm.

Facilitators Joyce Corbin Allen, Makeda Pennycooke, Jenny Beaumont and Sue Guptill share the ways in which the diocese's antiracism program, "An Introduction to Dismantling Racism: Reclaiming Our Baptismal Promise," has evolved over time to move ever deeper into Scripture and the Baptismal Covenant with an increased focus on conversation and personal reflection.

"Introduction to Dismantling Racism: Reclaiming Our Baptismal Promise" is an interactive workshop, usually offered via Zoom. It is designed to deepen spiritual commitment to dismantling racism as participants in the Jesus Movement. Through presentations, prayer, story sharing, videos and small group discussion, participants explore how the sin of racism impacts all lives.

Only one training – March 21-22, 2025 – remains during the spring before there is a summer break in the workshop schedule. All class times are 5-8 PM on Friday, and 9 AM-1:30 PM on Saturday.

Are you interested in a grand piano? If so, please contact John Erickson or Rebecca Bahn, each of whom can be found in Realm.

We offer prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Carol Lennox, dear cousin of Sandy Bernacki, who entered the Resurrection on February 24, after a long fight with pancreatic cancer. Special prayers are offered for her husband Rick, who provided loving care to Carol. Please keep Father Jim and Sandy Bernacki in your prayers as they travel to New York for Carol's Celebration of Life. May Carol and all the departed rest in Christ's peace and be raised with Him in glory.

We offer prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Suzann Miller-Boyar, who passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 16, after a lengthy and valiant fight with cancer and multiple sclerosis. Suzann was a member of the Resurrection Choir at All Saints'. Please keep Jay, Michelle, Stephen, Jaxon, and Thomas in your prayers as they grieve. Here is Suzann's obituary.

The Tuesdays at Three book discussion group will be studying Adam Hamilton’s book on the Gospel of Luke from March 4 to April 8. In the Book of Common Prayer, the liturgy for Ash Wednesday invites Christians “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word” (p. 265). You are cordially invited to participate in this weekly Zoom meeting to learn more about this Gospel of Compassion. Contact Charles McKinley, Ruth Bratton, Brenda Trott, or Kathy Thompson for the link. (Contacts' information in Realm.)

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 Ann and Heather.