August 8, 2024 Edition

Rally Day! Blessing of the Backpacks, Ministry Fair & EYC Kick-off – August 11

The school year is starting! This Sunday, students are all invited to bring their backpacks to church for a special school year blessing during the worship service.

All are invited to the Rally Day Ministry Fair at 10 AM, and again following the 11:10 service. Stop by the informational tables in the Parish Hall to speak to ministry leaders. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the ministries here at All Saints' and how you can get involved!

Sunday School and EYC “registration” will be taking place at 10 AM, where parents can fill out emergency-protocol paperwork and sign liability paperwork.

EYC kicks off at 4:30 PM, with volleyball, foam fun, games, and dinner provided by Stephen Ministry. Grades 6-12 are welcome! Contact Tiffany Fulton so she can get a meal count or with questions. We always need help feeding our hungry EYC kiddos. If you are interested in helping, please sign up here!

A word from Father Jim | During my sermon this past Sunday, I mentioned the words that the priest says during the “Breaking of the Bread” in the Eastern Orthodox Liturgy (Communion Service). Here are those words, for those who were interested in seeing them in print:

“Broken and distributed is the Lamb of God,

Ever broken and yet never divided,

Ever eaten and yet never consumed,

But sanctifying those who partake of it.”

I had expressed the importance of Jesus as the “Bread of Life,” and at the early Service, I talked about the ministry of “Lay Eucharistic visitor” (LEV), whose role is to take Holy Communion from the Sunday Service and share it with one of our homebound church members. At 10 AM this Sunday, August 11, our lay Eucharistic visitors and I will be in the Parish Hall, available to talk about this important ministry in the life of our church. If you’d like to learn more about the ministry of LEV’s and what’s involved in preparing people for this ministry, please stop over and pay us a visit. We’d love to see you this Sunday!

All Saints' provided dinners at the Night Shelter from July 28–August 3. Over those seven nights we served more than 300 meals. 50+ people answered the call to serve. In addition, some nights we had leftovers that fed people at Aya House, VBS, and were used for family dinners at the night shelter.

Thank you for feeding our neighbors! The care we provide at the night shelter is about much more than feeding people. Every night, ASEC volunteers were able to sit down, eat, and build relationships. And as wonderful as it was to break bread together, we pray that those relationships are short-lived. Hopefully, the guests we met this week won't still need the night shelter's services during our next week in November.

Thank you for loving our neighbors! In the past, most of the guests arrived at the shelter in time for dinner with only a few plates set aside for late-arrivals. Last week, we often set more than 10 plates aside for late-arrivals, who came after completing their work day. While estimates of unsheltered people in our county have not risen much, the number of people facing a housing crisis is extremely worrying.

Thank you for praying for our neighbors! Mark your calendar – our next opportunity to serve is November 17-23, 2024. It's never too early to pick your night AND if cooking for a crowd isn't your thing, there are many other ways to help out. Contact Gary Kovar (contact info in Realm).

Creation Care Update | Thanks to Elizabeth, Deborah, and Teri for harvesting a bounty of okra and cukes last week. With permethrin treatment, the kudzu bugs are gone off the soybeans, but the beans are not yet ready for harvest. The tomatoes are still mostly green from all the rains, which continue.

Special thanks to John Erickson, Brad Fisher, John Cline, and Don Smith who helped us spread 4 yards of gravel in three different spots, which were eroding onto the newly resurfaced driveway. We also dug out two storm drains that had become obstructed by grass and roots. This job needed to be completed for several months so we are especially grateful to see the gravel neatly installed! Reminder: we are harvesting on Wednesday mornings for the rest of this summer.

We offer prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Rebecca Anne Powell, mother of Karen Crotty, who entered the Resurrection on Friday, August 2. May God provide peace and comfort.

We offer prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Frederick "Buddy" George Hilbish, who entered the Resurrection on Saturday, August 3, 2024. He was 100 years old. Over his many years at All Saints', Buddy blessed this parish and the wider community in countless ways. He will be dearly missed. Buddy's Celebration of Life was held earlier today at All Saints'. We cherish Buddy's memory and hold his children, Melissa and George, his step-children, Grady, Dana and Shelton and all of his dear family in our prayers. His obituary can be found here.

Finance Report (June 2024 month-end) | All Saints' continues to be blessed by giving in full-year pledges and un-pledged & plate offerings. Consequently, all pledged income is running as expected to budget, being 100% of the June year-to-date budget of $286,000. The Church has managed expenses very well, and they remain slightly below budget for the year-to-date. Our costs continue to run at approximately $65,000, per month through to the year-end, so it is important that giving continues at expected rates through the last six months of 2024, especially these summer months.

The budget for the full year showed a deficit of almost $28,000, which the Vestry planned to reduce as much as possible by year end through a combination of increased giving and well-managed control of expenses. Your continued generous support of the Church is key to good financial stewardship. When you are out of town, online giving is simple. Login to Realm and give! If you need any assistance with the process, please contact Stephanie Trosper or call the church office at 704-782-2024.

All Saints' Music Ministry starting up soon! There are five groups that meet or serve weekly:

The Choir of All Saints’ rehearses on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM and leads worship at the traditional service at 11:10 AM on Sundays. Rehearsals start on 8/14.

The Resurrection Choir leads worship on Sundays at the 9:00 AM Renewal/Contemporary Service and rehearses on Sundays starting at 8:15 AM. Rehearsals are every Sunday.

The Bells of All Saints’ rehearse on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM and play during the 11:10 AM service several times each academic semester. The age range is 9th grade through adulthood. Rehearsals start on 8/21.

The St. Nicholas Choir, for Grades 1-3, meets on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:00 PM and sings and plays periodically throughout the academic semesters. Rehearsals start on 8/27.

The Junior Choir of All Saints’, for Grades 4-7, meets on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00 PM and sings and plays periodically throughout the academic semesters. Rehearsals start on 8/27.

Interested in a choir? That’s great! Contact Brian Sapp-Moore.

Adult Formation Starts August 18 at 10 AM with Rabbi Barbara Thiede – Burlesque in Bible | Once upon a time, a long time ago, the stories ancient Israelites told each other were not just recited but performed. Much of the humor of these narratives has been lost in translation. And yet, scene after scene in the Hebrew Bible would be fodder for a performance in a burlesque theater. The ancient audience must have expected to laugh when these narratives were performed. Why shouldn't we? In this two-part series, Rabbi Barbara will take us through a selection of hilarious scenes in the Hebrew Bible. No need for a laugh track – we’ll make our own! Rabbi Thiede will teach on Sunday, August 18 and August 25 at 10 AM. All are welcome!

Get ready to ride, sponsor, volunteer! Tour de Saints is on Saturday, August 24, 2024! The Tour de Saints charity bike ride is an annual outreach event hosted by All Saints’ Episcopal Church. This community event supports local charities in Cabarrus County. Our objectives are to raise awareness about the work these charities do in our community, collect non-perishable food items the day of the ride, and generate funds to directly support these charities. Click for details about how YOU can get involved!

All Saints’ has reserved a group of seats for Pride Night at the Cannon Ballers game on Thursday, August 29. Baseball, fellowship, community! Tickets are available on Realm for $3 each until August 22. Those who purchase their tickets on Realm will pick them up from Debby Smith on game day, August 29, at the Cannon Ballers main gate between 6-6:30 PM. Let’s have a great big turnout! 

The "Tuesdays at Three" Zoom Book Study will be reading “When Christians Get It Wrong” by Adam Hamilton. This will be a six-week study starting on Tuesday, July 30 through September 3. For the Zoom link, or further information, please contact Charles McKinley or Brenda Trott.

The Wednesdays at 7 PM group will also start reading “When Christians Get It Wrong” by Adam Hamilton, on Wednesday, August 7 through September 10. Join for conversation and fun. For the Zoom link, or further information, please contact Chuck Collier.

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 Caroline, Peggy, Penny, Eero, Fred, Madison, and Jacob.