March 26, 2026 Edition

Dear Friends in Christ,

As Lent comes to an end and we begin to focus on the events of Holy Week, I want to send you a personal invitation to join us for as many worship opportunities as you can. 

We will begin our Holy Week activities with Palm Sunday services at 9 AM and 11:10 AM. These services start outdoors with the Procession of Palms and conclude with the reading of the Passion Gospel according to Matthew. This will be a dramatic reading in which members of the congregation will read the words of the various characters in the story. 

Holy Eucharist will be offered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week at 7:00 PM in the Nave. I commend these services to you as the rhythm of the week progresses with worship leading to Maundy Thursday. Click to continue reading Father John's article.

Wanna fill some Easter Eggs?! You're invited to pick up a bag of Easter Eggs to fill with individually wrapped candy and return them for our Easter Egg Hunt and Parish Breakfast on Easter II, which is Sunday, April 12 at 10 AM. The bags will be available to pick up in the Welcome Center this Sunday! Questions? Contact Tiffany Fulton.

Easter Envelope Offering | The vestry has voted to designate the Easter Offering envelope money to the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund (ERD) for use at their discretion. Easter giving envelopes were included in our recent Easter mailing. If you did not receive this mailing, please reach out to Erin Vanasse, Church Administrator, at 704-782-2024.

Holy Week Helpers Needed! Next week, there will be multiple worship gatherings with receptions, called Revels. Volunteers are needed for setup, drinks, cleanup, providing savory, fresh, sweet foods as well as kid-friendly treats. Here are the main events we could really use your help with:

• Maundy Thursday before and after dinner on Thursday, April 2
• Revels after 8:30 PM Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 4
• Reception after the 9 AM Easter Service on Sunday, April 5
• Reception after the 11:10 AM Easter Service on Sunday, April 5
• Easter II Breakfast at 10 AM on Sunday, April 12

Of course, you can join in more than once! Your support will make these joyful gatherings possible. Please contact Kathy Thompson or Sue Osborne (information in Realm).

Everyone is invited to bring your special sweet or savory snacks for the Easter Sunday receptions held after each service. Working together we can make a bountiful table for all!

Good Friday services offer three unique worship experiences. At 11:30 AM in the Parish Hall, you are invited to a “Live Stations of the Cross,” an interactive and dynamic interpretation of the final moments of Jesus as offered by the All Saints’ Episcopal Youth Group. We are inviting parishioners to stay for the Noon Solemn Liturgy Service in the Nave. At 7 PM, members of EfM will present "Good Friday Monologues: Based on the Gospel of John." These services provide opportunities to meditate anew on the cross of Christ.

Next Tuesday Book Study Starts on April 7 | Every Tuesdays at 3 PM a group of parishioners meet by Zoom for Bible study and discussion. Our next book, Bad Girls of the Bible – And What We Can Learn from Them, by Liz Curtis Higgs, will start the Tuesday after Easter, April 7. All are welcome, even though the author is emphasizing women! Please contact Charles McKinley for more information. His information is in Realm.

Author  Liz Curtis Higgs says, “For ten years I studied bunches of biblical role models and finally realized what we had in common: Zip. Sarah was so faithful. Esther was so courageous. Mary was so innocent. I was SO none-of-the-above. Then I happened upon Jezebel, and something inside me clicked. I identified with her pushy personality, I understood her need for control, I empathized with her angry outbursts, and I began to wonder...'Could those Bad Girls from the past teach us how to be Good Girls in the present?' I'm here to tell you—Yes! Whether they were Bad to the Bone, Bad for a Moment, or Bad for a Season but - Not Forever, these infamous sisters show us how not to handle the challenges of life.” 

With her trademark humor and encouragement, Higgs combines a contemporary retelling of the stories of these “other women” in Scripture with a solid, verse-by-verse study to teach us how to avoid their tragic mistakes and joyfully embrace grace. Let these "bad girls" show you why studying the Bible has never been more fun!

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. The week of April 13-17 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 make a donation. You can donate online by clicking here and selecting "FLW Book Fair" in the dropdown giving list. Or checks can be made out to ASEC with a notation of "FLW Book Fair," in the memo line.

All Saints' Rector Search has entered a new phase! After being selected and commissioned, our Rector Search Committee is now actively meeting. The next stage of the search process will involve parish participation. In April, Canon Marion Sprott, who is shepherding All Saints' through this process, will lead congregational meetings specifically designed for you to provide invaluable input. Your voice is so important we're offering two dates and times for you to choose from so that everyone can participate.

Option #1

On Sunday, April 19, there will be ONE worship service at 10 AM, followed immediately by the congregational meeting at 11 AM. Nursery is provided.

Option #2

On Wednesday, April 22 at 6 PM, there will be a catered dinner, followed by a congregational meeting. Food and nursery staffing need to be planned, so please register if you plan to attend this meeting date.

All parishioners are being asked to attend one of these meetings. To sign up for the option that works best for you, click here. Please note: there will only be one worship service on Sunday, April 19 at 10 AM.

Please note that the church office will be closed on Easter Monday, April 6 so that our clergy and staff have the opportunity to be refreshed following their ministry during Holy Week. The church office will open for regular hours on Tuesday, April 7.

Update from the Rector Search Committee | Your Rector Search Committee convened last Saturday for an informal meet and greet. The time was used to get to know each other better. The entire committee is excited to have started our important responsibilities. On Monday, March 23, Canon Marion Sprott, the Canon for Transitions for the Diocese of North Carolina, facilitated a meeting to walk the committee through the search process in more detail. She answered our questions, and we discussed how the work of searching for a new rector is grounded in prayer and guided by faith, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead us toward the person called to serve the good of the whole church. The team is beginning to draft the Parish Profile and is looking forward to gathering your feedback during our upcoming congregational meetings (See article above to sign up and attend). You can read more about All Saints' season of transition, by clicking here.

We offer prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Clement Saywack Ramdin, a former member of this parish, who entered the Resurrection yesterday, March 25. The funeral service will be held Saturday, March 28 at 4 PM, Wilkinson Funeral Home, 100 Branchview Dr. NE, Concord.

Finance Report from Vic Clark, Treasurer | After the first two months of the year, we are pleased to report that for the church’s general operating fund, income exceeded expenses, which put us in a very positive position and resulted in a net income of $9,266. The Vestry expresses its sincere thanks to the Parish for the very positive financial start to 2026. Expenses remain well controlled, although we do expect those expenses to rise slightly over the next four to five months as we move forward. We remind the Parish that the Vestry approved a financial plan for Mission and Ministry that reflects a shortfall of income in relation to expenses of $42,145 for the year. Our objective is to close the gap between income and expenses through increased giving, to achieve a result of no shortfall for the year. While the first two months have seen higher giving and lower expenses, it is important that we all continue to financially support the mission and ministry that is going on every day in the life of our church. Making good on our Estimates of Giving, as well as our other donations enables us to help ourselves and the community around us. Your continued and generous support is greatly appreciated and is vital to the good stewardship of the church.

Prayer is the foundation of the ministry of this parish. If you or people you love are ill or hospitalized, it is our pleasure to support you with prayer and presence. We just need to know. So, please reach out and contact the church office (or call us at 704-782-2024). Alternatively, you can use the online prayer request form to let clergy and the prayer team know what you need.

Prayers have been requested for Henry, Bill, Dick, Amy, Tom, Don, Pete and Carol.