Dearly Beloved, As you know, as Anglican Christians, we normally baptize infants. This past Sunday, though, we had the honor of witnessing the baptism of an adult. Eron Skelton, who has come to worship with us this summer, was baptized by water and the Holy Spirit and brought into the fellowship of Christ’s holy Church here at All Saints Church. As a priest, it is incredible to privilege to baptize an adult, especially a fine young man such as Eron, who is now known by the name of the fellowship he keeps: Christian! Welcome, Eron! We are pleased to have you walking the way of our Savior with us, as we allow the light of the Gospel to shine forth in our lives. Here is a gallery of pictures of Eron’s life changing day.
And speaking of baptizing infants, this coming Sunday, September 24, I will have the profound privilege of baptizing my grandson Tucker at the 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion. I ask that all of you be there. This is an event that Kathy and I want to share with all those who are closest to us and no one is closer than of all of you, our family in Christ, All Saints Church! See you Sunday! Update on Fr. John & Marcella LohmannThe final tally for our outreach to Fr. John & Marcella Lohmann in Conroe, Texas, for their recovery from the flooding at their home, was $4950.00. God bless each and every one of you for reaching out to someone in need. A letter of thanks from Fr. John is at the bottom of this email. Big EventsTwo of our big annual events are right around the corner: Christmas Craft Market, Oct. 7, and the Friar’s Friday Fall Fish Fry, Oct. 13. The details are in the announcements below. Make your plans to be here for both events…and don’t forget to get your fish fry tickets this Sunday in church. Blessing of the AnimalsOur annual Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis of Assisi will be held next Saturday, September 30 at 10:00 a.m. Bring out all of your fine furry, feathered, and exoskeletoned friends for this day held especially for them! Education in the ParishEducation for us as Christian people takes a very high priority in this place and so we have classes that fit many of our needs: Sunday School for all ages, Youth Confirmation classes, Tuesday Book Study, and Wednesday evening Bible Study. See the details in the announcements below and avail yourselves of the opportunities to learn more of how we worship the Lord and live His Gospel! Read on to your announcements below and don’t forget to keep on praying for each other! Blessings,Fr. Erich
Announcements
Education Classes
· Children’s Sunday School is ongoing every Sunday at 9:45 a.m.· Adult Sunday School is focusing on why Anglicanism is unique and distinct in Christianity. Class begins about 9:45 a.m. every week.· Youth Confirmation Class is every Sunday at 12:30 p.m.· Tuesday Book Study is studying C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. See Cynthia Hensley to get your copy for $10.00. We finished the first three letters this past week. Please read Letters 4-6 for this week.· Wednesday Night Bible Study is studying St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. We finished our introductory material this past week and will get into the “meat” of the book this week.
Sunday Fellowship Lunch
· We always have a Sunday Fellowship Lunch following our 11 AM Holy Communion. Be sure to ask visitors to stick around and join us so we might get to know them better. Our lunch this coming Sunday will also be a celebration of Tucker’s Baptism!
St. Michael & All Angels Day
· We will celebrate the feast day of St. Michael & All Angels next Friday, September 29, with Holy Communion at 12:00 p.m.
Christmas Craft Market
· The annual Craft Market will be held this year on Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Please plan now on coming out that day and bringing family and friends to shop and support this fundraiser for the Ladies of All Saints.· We are looking for volunteers for this event as greeters, guides and general help. Please speak with Kathy Zwingert if you would like to help.· We will also have a classic “Church Bake Sale” during the Market. Pies, cookies, breads, cakes sell well and other offerings such as muffins, brownies, sweet rolls, etc. would be appreciated. Please see Julie to help with this, or she will track you down!· Are you in the process of canning your garden abundance from this year? Have you set aside some of your canned goods for sale at the Market? Please bring in those items.
Friar’s Friday Fall Fish Fry
· On Friday, October 13, the Friar’s Friday Fall Fish Fry in honor of St. Francis returns! Tickets are $9.00 each in advance ($10 at the door) for breaded tilapia filets, roasted potatoes, hush puppies, coleslaw, and iced tea or lemonade. Take-out will be from 5-6 PM and dine-in will run from 6-8 PM. Kids under 12 eat free. Ticket packets and individual tickets are now available…and they are running out the door! Get yours today before we run out!· We need your help to make this a success. We ask that you sign out 10 tickets and sell them to your friends, or just buy them and hand them out to folks, to introduce them to our parish.
College Care Packages
· Only 3 months are left. Sign up now! Please help us care for Ethan and Sam! The sign-up sheet is on the Youth bulletin board in the parish hall. Please see Sara Briggs, Alice Owen, or Sandy Peninger if you have any questions.
Food Bank
· Western Carolina Rescue Mission in Buncombe County is this month’s recipient of our in-gathering of food stuffs.
This Week in the Parish
Sunday, September 24, Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity· 8:30 a.m., Holy Communion· 9:45 a.m., Sunday School for all ages· 11:00 a.m., Holy Communion· 12:15 p.m., Fellowship Lunch· 12:30 p.m., Children’s Confirmation ClassTuesday, September 26· 11:00 a.m., Book StudyWednesday, September 27· 6:00 p.m., Holy Communion· 6:30 p.m., Fellowship Dinner· 7:00 p.m., Bible Study· 7:00 p.m., Choir PracticeFriday, September 29, St. Michael & All Angels· 12:00 p.m., Holy CommunionSaturday, September 30· 10:00 a.m., Blessing of Animals
Letter from Fr. John Lohmann
Dear Parishioners at All Saints Anglican Church, It is with a grateful heart that I am writing you today. You have been instruments of God to me and my family in our time of a major trial. We will never forget your kindness and generosity. The financial contribution you have made to support us in such a time of need goes way past the money sent. The past year has been very tough on us as we’ve attempted to start putting together an Anglican church in the Conroe, Texas area. January of 2017 we started the gathering process. About 20 people are interested currently, but there has been no real commitment past positive comments about what we are doing. I have changed jobs three times in the last year. The job I currently have is in Austin, Texas – about 3 hours from Conroe. Also, earlier this year, both Marcella and I were in accidents from cars hitting us from behind. Just when we started to feel like things were going back to normal a little physically, along came Hurricane Harvey. We really thought it was over and we’d ridden out the storm until two days later when we were given a two hour notification to evacuate our home. I’ve seen devastation on television, but going home to find 5 feet of water ruined so much was a real personal tragedy. Even though we knew these were only physical things, it still hurt to find we’d lost books, pictures, and some things that cannot be replaced.In the midst of tragic circumstances, however, God always shows up in my life. That’s the way it has been even from the beginning of God calling me into ministry. I think the Lord does this because I am so hard-headed. I need something major to happen for Him to get my attention and teach me things I would not learn otherwise. This year it was through Hurricane Harvey and the people He sent to help us. I cannot even tell you how many people have helped. Maybe that’s another lesson the Lord wants me to understand. What we see as immediate and physical in this world does not come close to the smallest understanding of the resources God always has at His disposal. Numbers don’t matter with God. God simply wants faithful and obedient followers who love Him and others. All of you at All Saints Anglican Church, as faithful and obedient followers who love God and neighbor, have been a major contributor to our lives. While many people have helped with the physical work of cleaning and sorting through what can be saved from our household, your generosity has helped me keep moving forward spiritually. Not that I have doubted God, but this has all become an ongoing spiritual lesson about the Lord watching over us. I certainly believe the Lord wants a faithful Anglican Church in the Conroe, Texas area. I feel as though God’s Spirit has been strengthened and renewed in my heart to take on whatever Satan places in our way to plant this parish. We are certainly not an island, but a part of God’s network in His Church – God the Father’s master plan to bring people to the feet of His Son, Jesus and change their lives through His Holy Spirit. This past Sunday my sermon was titled “Thankfulness.” It’s written from St. Luke’s Gospel story of the one leper out of ten who returned to give thanks. It is through a deep sense of humility, when we realize that our sinfulness makes us undeserving of God’s grace, that causes us to have thankful hearts. Please know that the Lohmanns realize we could never deserve the grace you have all shown to us. We are truly humbled by your thoughts, prayers, and financial support. Your part in God’s larger picture has been to help revive His priest to a greater love for Him and His Church. I will always be truly thankful for your part in God’s plan. I pray the Lord’s favorable blessings to each of you in ways you cannot yet even imagine! Sincerely in Christ,Fr. John Lohmann
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