September 28, 2023 Edition

Of all the saints, Francis is perhaps the most popular and admired but probably the least imitated; few have attained to his total identification with the poverty and suffering of Christ. – Lesser Feasts and Fasts, p. 450

Just over eight hundred years ago, Francis was born into a family of a wealthy cloth merchant. Charismatic and charming, Francis reveled in all that his father’s wealth could provide. He participated in various military campaigns, but only succeeded in getting himself captured. (At that time, poor soldiers would be killed on capture; wealthy combatants were imprisoned and ransomed.) One of these occasions saw Francis imprisoned for a year while ransom was negotiated. Click to read more.

First Sunday Offering | This Sunday's "loose plate" offering will be designated for the Community Free Clinic. Click for more. Thank you for your generous giving!

Announcements during Sunday worship services are to be given by the Vestry Person of the Month (VPOM). Please submit any content for verbal announcements to the VPOM. Only events or information about the week ahead will be shared during worship services.

Come read at Lockhart Child Development Center! You are invited to come to our center and read a children's book of your choice to a class. The teachers welcome you to get on their calendar and read to the students in the 3-year-old class or the 4/5-year-old class. There are forms to fill out online at NC Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, contact Alice Smith.

Cooperative Christian Ministry Needs Our Assistance | Last month was the busiest month ever for CCM’s food bank. As a result, their shelves are almost empty while the need for food remains very high. They have an urgent need for our assistance. Please help by bringing shelf-stable food with you to church. CCM needs canned vegetables, fruits, soup, stew, chili, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, and mac and cheese. You can leave the food in the permanent food donation box in the Welcome Center or food donation baskets near the altar in the Parish Hall and in the rear of the Nave.

Energy Saving Trees Update & Opportunity | We are pleased to inform you that all 300 native trees were ordered online in only 11 days. That's a new record! Mark Robinson is now organizing volunteer staffing for the pickup day, Saturday, October 21. We'll need to cover a morning and an afternoon shift. Jobs include: greeters, handing out information cards, traffic directors, and tree loaders. If you are interested in volunteering, call or email Mark Robinson.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is recovering from surgery and remains in the hospital. Click to read more. As we actively pray for Bishop Curry and his family, we also want to share good wishes and fond memories with him. So, we will begin collecting cards to send to Bishop Curry. Look for a dropbox in the Welcome Center. Tiffany Fulton and the youth will be setting up a card-making station next Sunday, October 8. You are encouraged to share your memories, stories, or gratitude with Bishop Curry. We'll collect and send the assembled cards to Bishop Curry's home in the next several weeks.

EYC Middle and High School | Doors open for BOTH Middle and High School students at 4:30 PM downstairs in the EYC and Community Room. We'll start off with whole group activities, then split into Middle and High School groups for deeper discussion. Teams of youth will rotate to help set-up dinner and clean up afterwards. Dinner will begin in the Parish Hall at 6 PM. We'll end the evening with Compline in the Nave from 6:30-6:45. Questions? Contact Tiffany Fulton. If you are interested in providing the EYC meal, we'd LOVE that! Simply click to sign up!

Parents and Guardians of Middle and High Schoolers are invited to a "book club" style discussion of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Dr. Lisa Damour. We'll be meeting during EYC time, from 4:45-6 PM. All youth parents are invited, but this is strictly optional. We acknowledge that parenting teens is a roller-coaster ride and having a community of support is what we're going for here. We'll discuss this excellent book, then join the youth for dinner at 6 PM. Questions? Contact Katy Ernst.

Important Recycling Reminder | Improper recycling in the outdoor dumpster costs the parish money. We are charged for every infraction. Please pay careful attention to what is placed in the church's recycling bins and dumpster. Please recycle ONLY aluminum, paper, cardboard, glass, and CLEAN plastic containers or products. Items should be loose and NOT bagged in anyway. Do not recycle plastic bags. For in-depth recycling information, read Rev. Nancy's article here.

(Re)Introducing Tom Lowe, Deacon Intern | Since leaving in February, Tom has become a postulant and is now coming back to All Saints' for a second internship! His first internship focused on discerning a call to ordained ministry, this second will be about developing skills for leadership as a deacon. Welcome back, Tom! We're so glad you are here! Click for more.

We are delighted to welcome Rachel Grossman-Zack to the leadership team of the Lockhart Child Development Center. Rachel comes to us with an array of experience working with children, most recently serving as the Guardian ad Litem District Administrator. She will start as Operations Manager and transition to Executive Director as she completes her certifications in May 2024. Click for more.

We offer condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Parker Fisher, grandson of Dawn and Brad Fisher, who entered the Resurrection on September 7. We hold the family close in their grief and comfort them with the love of God.

The Thursday small group is starting a new series using the book Devotional Classics, edited by Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith. Please join us for a taste of classic devotional writing and fellowship/discussion. We meet on Zoom at 5 PM. Contact Alice Baxter or Michelle Boehrer for the Zoom link or more information.

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 Courtney, Julie, Don, and Rebecca.