Dear Friends, 

Do you believe that you can change the world by practicing hospitality? I do.   

It might help to explain what I mean by “practicing hospitality.” In the Christian tradition, hospitality focuses on those dependent on kindness—like strangers, widows, orphans, and the poor. This Christ-like practice creates welcome and belonging for anyone, especially for those who might not be able to repay. 

Hospitality was a central practice in Jesus’ ministry. In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches his disciples that “when you welcome the stranger, you welcome Him.” The Apostle Paul echoes Jesus in Romans 12 encouraging us to, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”  

There is a transformational power behind this ancient practice. The Greek word for hospitality is philoxenia, which means “loving the stranger.” Loving the stranger not only transforms those receiving love. Having the opportunity to live out our faith changes the giver for the better, too. This is why I believe that practicing hospitality can change our world, one warm welcome at a time. 

I learned experientially about hospitality through Exodus World Service. Exodus exists to “mobilize the Christian community to welcome and befriend refugees.” While refugees are people just like you and me, they are also “strangers in a strange land” (Exodus 2:22). They’ve been forcibly displaced from their home country by war and persecution. After fleeing, waiting in another country, and going through a lengthy vetting process, refugees are invited by our government to permanently resettle in cities like Chicago. To better understand at a heart level the refugee experience, I invite you to watch this short video.

This Sunday at All Saints, we will “gnaw on” the practice of hospitality within the context of refugee resettlement. We’ll consider how Jesus in John 6 centered hospitality in his invitation to “dine on him.” Plus, we will launch the collection of a Welcome to America! Pack, so that you have the opportunity to offer hospitality to a newly arriving refugee family. To participate, select an item from this digital registry, then bring the item to the church by Sunday, September 8. To learn more about our local Christian ministry, visit our website: www.exodusworldservice.org.   

Looking forward to meeting you on Sunday as we gather for a hospitality practice session.

Warmly welcoming together, 

Jason O. Mohn 

Director of Church and School Engagement 

Exodus World Service 

jason.mohn@exodusworldservice.org 

Gnaw On This!

Sermon series on the Bread of Life

For five Sundays--July 28 - August 25--we will engage the "Bread of Life Discourse" in the sixth chapter of John. Each week a different preacher will gnaw on a passage from the discourse.

This week the Reverend Jason Mohn preaches and offers our Dear Friends letter.

Jason Mohn is Director of Church and School Engagement for Exodus World Service. With a love for cross-cultural experiences and service learning, Jason seeks to educate and inspire people in Chicagoland to practice faith and hospitality by walking alongside our refugee neighbors.

For the last twenty-five years, Jason served within the Evangelical Covenant Church as a Worship and Lead Pastor for churches in Phoenix, AZ, Salina, KS, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA, as well as the Associate Chaplain for Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Jason earned a Master of Divinity from North Park University and is currently writing his dissertation for a Doctorate in Contextual Theology from Northern Seminary.

He and his wife Rachel live in Mount Prospect, IL, with two of four children, a dog named Oakley, a cat named Tchai, and a Crested Gecko named Elliott.

Liturgical Minister Training

Saturday, August 24 - POSTPONED

In looking at our low sign up numbers and realizing how many people are still enjoying summer vacations, we have decided to postpone the liturgical minister training scheduled for next Saturday the 24th. 

We do, however, plan to offer trainings this fall for people new to ushering, reading, and chalicing that will take place right after church on Sundays. We will train new acolytes and altar guild members throughout the fall as well. Be on the lookout for those dates and most importantly, let Suzanne or Courtney know if you are interested in serving in any of these roles. There will also be a zoom meeting in September to review with everyone how we use our Breeze database for scheduling. 

As Suzanne said last week, liturgy is something we all do - it is our work as a people - and each way of offering service glorifies God and uplifts our community. Consider how you might want to serve and attend one of this fall’s trainings.

Questions? Please reach out to Suzanne, Colin, or Courtney.

Faith, Life, & Work series

Interview with Tina Tchen

Thanks to all who attended the interview with Tina Tchen on Wednesday night. Over 60 people joined us in the back room at the Annex (O’Shaughnessy’s Pub) to hear some of Tina’s story. She answered audience questions with humor and insight as we all wonder what it means to live faithfully in our professional and personal lives. As Tina reminded us joy is a big part of the answer. We’ll see you next month on Wednesday, September 11, speaker to be announced soon.

Wednesday, October 9

interview with parishioner Adam Nicholas Phillips

Adam Nicholas Phillips is the Chief Strategy Officer & Chief of Staff at Interfaith America. Adam serves as the senior lead in the Executive Office by managing internal and external inquiries from the President’s office and leads the organization’s narrative strategy, ensuring the advancement of Interfaith America’s mission and vision.

Connect (online) at All Saints this summer!

We invite you to join us on the All Saints Social Distance Collective Facebook page. 

Summer is a great time for All Saints members to find new ways to connect and get to know one another better. If you're planning an event and want to invite All Saints folks, you can post it on the Facebook page and/or send the information to edward@allsaintschicago.org for publication in e-news. 

Hey All Saints! Are you ALL IN?

We're kicking off our return to the program year with a Saturday celebration. 

Saturday, September 14

Games begin at 4:30pm | Pizza Dinner at 6:00pm | Disco Dance Party at 7:00pm

Save the Date and join us on Saturday, September 14 for an All Saints party that includes an All Saints Live Band followed by a DJ Dance Party. There will be Games, Pizza, PhotoBooth, and more.

Let us know you’ll be attending so we can make it ALL IN Perfect for you!

RSVP HERE

ALL SAINTS | ALL IN Parish Photo!

Sunday, September 15

Which Hue are YOU? Wear your Pantone Color-inspired outfit on Sunday, September 15 for the Annual All Parish Photo. So many hues, so little time (to choose).

The 2024 color is Peach Fuzz which has been described as "a velvety gentle tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul." Could it be more perfect?

Stay tuned for more details about the ALL SAINTS | ALL IN weekend.

Speaking of ALL IN - are You IN the Parish Directory?

2nd Annual Parish Directory Update

It’s time for our second annual Breeze (our secure directory database) update.

We want to know and serve you and your family better!

When we know more about our All Saints community, we can serve you better. In that spirit, we have added one field and updated another to learn more about our demographics, particularly race and age. To capture this updated info, we ask that you check your Breeze profile to make sure it is up to date. And we ask that you fill out the form (link below) whether you’re new to the directory or already have info there.

Add a current photo of yourself, your family.

The form (link below) provides a place to upload individual and family pictures. If you are unable to locate a current photo or are having issues uploading photos, we will have photo stations available after church during September and we will upload photos for you.

Print version of the updated directory.

We will print a copy of the updated directory this fall. If you choose "yes" to being in the directory, you will also be able to access the online directory by creating a password-protected login. This will allow you to search for contact information (email, phone, address) for other persons in the directory and for them to search for you.

Please NOTE: your info is not publicly available even if you choose to be in our directory and it is optional when you fill out the form. Your financial information or personal demographics are never visible to others and will not be printed.

Help us make sure the larger church knows how vital we are!

We are (faithfully) proud of All Saints and we add our statistics, demographic data only, to a Parochial Report sent to the larger Episcopal Church. The Parochial Report provides important information for the use of parishes, dioceses, and the whole Episcopal Church.

Please complete the survey by Tuesday, September 9. And thank you for helping us to update our database. Questions? Contact Courtney: courtney@allsaintschicago.org.

Back to School Drive for Ravenswood Elementary School

Our friends at Ravenswood Elementary have asked us to collect paper and supplies to get the school year off to a great start. Anything we are able to give will be welcomed by the staff and students at Ravenswood. And we look forward to other ways to build our relationship with the school throughout the year!

Please bring supplies to church no later than September 1 so that we can get everything delivered to them. Below is a list of what they’ve requested.

Copy Paper: Rather than collecting paper here, we are collecting money and will order paper to be delivered right to the school’s loading dock.

Contribute to the Paper Drive HERE

(Choose Ravenswood School Outreach)

Backpacks: We need 15-20 backpacks for newly arrived refugee and immigrant children who are enrolling in school for the first time.  

School Supplies: Pencils, erasers, markers, notebooks, etc (All the things you can find in the “Back to School” aisle) to fill up the backpacks. 

Feminine Hygiene Supplies: This is a request from students. While CPS provides tampons and pads for students, the pads tend to be XL. Girls have asked the the principal, Mr. Guerrero for more “tween” appropriate supplies. Both Kotex and Always make tween specific products. And you can also find various brands (Pinkie, Asana, Lil-lets) on Amazon.

Craft Supplies for Teachers: Many teachers have to spend their own funds for classroom supplies due to the tight budgets of schools. The list below can help teacher integrate the arts more fully into their classroom. These can all be found on Amazon or at places like Michael.

Assorted Color Pipe Cleaners, 2 lb buckets of Crayola Model Magic clay, construction paper crayons, 5” pointed tip scissors, construction paper.

THANK YOU!

SUPPORT RAVENSWOOD COMMUNITY SERVICES (RCS)

TUESDAYS:

Click to Volunteer Hub! 

RCS is also looking for volunteers who would like to join

the Tuesday Delivery Crew. 

Every Tuesday between 12:30-2pm volunteers unload A LOT OF FOOD from pallets on the sidewalk to the Parish Hall for distribution. You should feel comfortable lifting 30-50 lbs and going up and down stairs. Those interested should reach out to Parker at parker@ravenswoodcommunityservices.org.

"Vote Faithfully" Election Resources

The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations offers resources to help Episcopalians“Vote Faithfully” during this election year, as well as how to respond to political violence and train in civil discourse. 

Learn more about getting "souls to the polls" and find resources, including downloadable bulletin inserts, online.

Access Contemporary Music invites you to their annual THIRSTY EARS FESTIVAL

September 7, 2:00 - 11:00 PM

September 8, 1:00 - 9:00 PM

LEARN MORE

Chicago’s only classical music street festival returns for its ninth year!

For two days Wilson street between Hermitage and Ravenswood will be closed to feature stellar ensembles and soloists performing classical music from all eras on the main stage. There will be beer & wine, vendor booths, kid-friendly activities in Kidzone and food trucks on both days.

Chicago's Favorite Neighborhood Run Returns

The 29th annual Ravenswood Run returns to our historic neighborhood! 

Sunday, April 27, 2025 | Registration is open

We invite you to support All Saints & RCS 

whether by running, walking, cheering, or volunteering

The Ravenswood Run was started by dedicated parishioners/runners in 1996 to raise money for the parish-run food pantry, now RCS. It has grown into a beloved annual run, one of the only neighborhood 5K runs in the city. Open to all ages with special events for kids 10 years old and younger.

The next vestry meeting will be on Tuesday, August 20 at 7:00pm on Zoom. Vestry meetings are open to parishioners. Contact one of the wardens, Katrina Kasten or Ann McKenzie before the meeting for the zoom link. To see the most current Vestry Minutes click here.

Facebook Livestream Team at the 11:00am Service

Audio: Jacob Farmer

Camera: Josephine Koo

www.allsaintschicago.org

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