April 13, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Easter has come! Not as in years past with glorious flowers and music; or our delicious Easter breakfast and joy-filled children’s Easter egg hunt; nor with fellowship and hugs. But none the less, Easter has come.
This Easter has been more like the first Easter — one without fanfare. Most of the disciples were hidden indoors, fearful of what was outside. A few ventured outside to do their essential tasks, women who visited the tomb to conduct the required burial rites. Our first-century brethren were not facing the fear of a pandemic, but without a doubt, they did face the fear of death.
When the women discovered the empty tomb, they quickly passed on this amazing Good News, becoming the first witnesses of the Risen Christ. Our Lord and Savior had broken the bonds of death and risen victorious from the grave, bringing a light to all creation and leading us to new life in Him.
We at All Saints continue to live into a new life in Christ. We continue our efforts to stay connected, as shelter-in-place orders are extended. Based on our Bishop’s direction, we were already planning to lean into our virtual operations through the end of May, which has helped us prepare for an extended absence from one another.
None of us know today exactly how long our current state will continue, but we can stay involved, keep connected, and continue to pray. Even when we are remote, we are still a community, united as the Body of Christ and committed to walking together in Jesus’ way of love.
As the Easter Season continues, here’s what you can expect at All Saints:
• Sunday Worship: we will continue with pre-recorded Morning Prayer services on Sunday mornings, and these services will be posted both on the All Saints Facebook page and on our All Saints website, with bulletins available on the website and in the weekly emails. Rev. Shirley Porter will be joining our liturgy beginning next week, as we make our service recordings available to both the All Saints and St. Christopher’s communities.
• Weekday Worship: Morning Prayer will continue on Monday mornings at 9:30 and Compline at 7:00 pm on Wednesday and Thursday. If you are interested in helping to lead any of these services, please contact Mother Bonnie. We have the capability of using Zoom as part of our Facebook Live recordings, so those assisting directly can be remote. Remember the Daily Office services are not “priest-led” services, but fully accessible to all, and I encourage you to incorporate daily time with God into your day-to-day family schedules.
• Youth Offerings: Virtual offerings continue, with opportunities for our All Saints youth to participate in both All Saints EYC activities and Diocesan events. Contact Colleen Norris or Mother Bonnie if you have any questions.
• Other Virtual Programs: Our virtual Prayer Partners and Book Study activities also continue. Contact the church office if you’d like information on either of these opportunities.
And watch for additional offerings for video gatherings, as we explore new options in upcoming weeks for our All Saints families.
What else is happening at All Saints?
• Food Pantry:
- Not surprising, we’ve seen a spike in those requiring our Food Pantry services, at the same time some of the local food pantries have temporarily closed. Our average weekly participants have grown from 30 to 60 to 80 families, in just a few short weeks. I am now connecting with the wider Houston County community service providers, as we strive to work together to maintain these important services.
- How can you help? We are always looking for volunteers at the Food Pantry, whether helping directly serve our clients, or bagging groceries, or assisting through donations. You can have confidence that any additional assistance provided to either the Food Pantry or the Rector’s Discretionary Fund will go to good use.
• Quarterly Pledge Statements: Your first quarter pledge statements will be mailed to you soon. I imagine many of us expected to be back together before now and do want to extend a special thanks to all who have already mailed in their pledge commitments. Please contact the office if you are interested in online giving options, rather than mailing your contributions to All Saints.
And finally, I want to share with you that I listened to the recording of the National Cathedral service on Sunday morning and it was glorious. The recording is found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPV2KYaGO-U. I would like to direct you to two particular items I especially enjoyed. The first is the sermon of our Presiding Bishop, The Most Rev. Michael B.Curry’, found at 49:26. And the second is a phenomenal recording of one of my favorite hymns, The Strife is O’er, appropriately recorded for us today by a phenomenal group of virtual musicians at 1:06:40. Enjoy!
May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen us to walk in His Risen Life, doing what love does. And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us and remain with us, always. Amen.
Alleluia. Christ is Risen.
The Lord is Risen Indeed. Alleluia.
Blessings,
Mother Bonnie+