Dearest All Saints Family and Friends,I want to thank each of you for the unwavering support this parish provided me while I studied and prepared for the deaconess ministry. Over the last couple of years, God always sent one of you to fulfill my needs, whether it be a word of encouragement, some much needed guidance, or forgiveness when I slipped. I appreciate that my faith family listens so attentively to His whispers, for without you all, none of this could have been possible. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” I have most certainly been sharpened by the love of this parish family. And when the work was complete and the time to celebrate arrived, so many of you came out with joyous hearts to worship Almighty God and share in my setting apart. Because that is what families do! I earnestly pray that, with the Lord’s help, my work in this parish is diligent, dutiful, and done with the humble heart of a servant. I so dearly love this church and this family of believers. Thank you again!Dss. Cynthia It has been an incredibly busy month so far here at All Saints. The highlight, of course, was Cynthia’s Setting Apart as a Deaconess in Christ’s Church. We were privileged to witness this rare occurrence. There are now but 5 active deaconesses in our diocese and we were blessed to have 3 of them from other parishes with us. It was also an historic occasion for this parish, as this was the first time in our 38 year history that someone from here was made a deaconess. Thanks be to God! If you want to see pictures of the occasion and read a brief news article about it, please click here to see the article I posted on our national website. I so look forward to Cynthia’s ministry among us as she blesses us with her gifts that Almighty God has showered upon her! Thank you to everyone who made sure Cynthia’s day came off without a hitch. Special thanks to Alice Owen and the altar guild for preparing the church and also to my wife Kathy and her whole reception crew, who decorated, cooked, and made sure the reception was a typically outstanding All Saints feast and fellowship time! Annual Craft MarketLast Saturday, the Ladies of All Saints held their annual craft market. While the weather was not particularly favorable, it ended up being a big success for them. Last I heard, the ladies were able to raise an additional $2500.00 for their work here at the church and in our community. Many thanks to Kathy Willis, who coordinated this event, and also to all who worked, crafted, visited, purchased, etc., etc., etc. It is only with everyone’s participation that such an event is successful. Friar’s Fall Fish FryThe fall fish fry was its usual resounding success. I cannot begin to thank everyone enough for all of you who chipped in to help. There is the prep crew, the fry crew, the kitchen crew, the front of the house crew, the dessert crew, and, of course, our young people, who did their usual outstanding job of serving all our patrons. We have gotten to the point where we are serving nearly 300 meals in a short two and a half hours. That is incredible work. I don’t believe there is any restaurant around that can say the same AND deliver delicious, quality food like we do! And, bottom line, none of this has been possible without all of you who purchase tickets and sell them or pass them out to family and friends to introduce them to our parish. In case you didn’t know, we have at least one faithful member of this congregation who came to us via the fish fry. So you see, you never know how you can touch someone and bring them closer to Christ! Thanks again. Kairos WeekendOne of our members, Thomas Baldwin, is coordinating a Kairos International Prison Ministry Weekend at Mountainview Correctional Center in Spruce Pine. He and his team are there right now bringing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the inmates there. Thanks to all of you who signed up to keep prayer vigil over the weekend. Even if you didn’t commit to a prayer vigil, please do pray for the team and the inmates that the Holy Spirit may guide them all to bring the prisoners to a saving knowledge of Christ. The prayer book provides a wonderful prayer for prisoners on page 46 that you may use. Here it is:
- O GOD, who sparest when we deserve punishment, and in thy wrath rememberest mercy; We humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, to comfort and succour all prisoners. Give them a right understanding of themselves, and of thy promises; that, trusting wholly in thy mercy, they may not place their confidence anywhere but in thee. Relieve the distressed, protect the innocent, awaken the guilty; and forasmuch as thou alone bringest light out of darkness, and good out of evil, grant to these thy servants, that by the power of thy Holy Spirit they may be set free from the chains of sin, and may be brought to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Annual Stewardship CampaignIt is that time of year as the vestry begins the work of planning our finances for the new year. Our annual stewardship campaign began last week and 10% of the congregation has already responded. The second letter went out yesterday. Please read the letters as they come to you to help give perspective on our responsibility to support the Gospel ministry of this parish. Please turn in your commitments as soon as you can by either mailing them back or dropping them in the plate on Sunday. Construction Update
As most of you are aware, the area below the bell tower was completed last Tuesday, October 9, when Carolina Paving laid the asphalt to finish the base of the tower. The HVAC company came and finished installing the vents for the office heating and air conditioning system and the electricians came this week and finished all the “rough-in” wiring. We expect the insulation to be installed this coming week with drywall to immediately follow. God willing, we will bring the new offices to completion in a few short weeks. We will be calling on all of you to come out and help us finish the inside with flooring, trim, and paint so we can move in! The supplies were delivered this week to finish the front wall of the church. Unfortunately Bob Brooks was sick this week and unable to work. We look forward to him feeling better and getting back to it next week. Now its time for all of us to take a “breather” and relax a bit after this hectic month. We are back to a “normal” schedule so be sure to take advantage of all of our worship and educational opportunities. And please pray: for prisoners, each other, and this parish family! Blessings,Fr. Erich
This Week in the Parish
Sunday, October 21, Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity· 8:30 a.m., Holy Communion· 9:45a.m., Adult Sunday School· 11:00 a.m., Holy Communion· 12:15 p.m., Fellowship LunchTuesday, October 23· 11:00 a.m. Tuesday Book StudyWednesday, October 24· 6:00 p.m. Holy Communion· 6:30 p.m. Fellowship Meal· 7:00 p.m. Bible Study· 7:00 p.m. Choir PracticeFriday, October 26· 1:00 p.m. Classical Scholars Halloween Party
Other Announcements
Adult Sunday School· Fr. Paul continues to look at the Seven Virtues. Class is at 9:45 a.m. in the parish hall. Tuesday Book Study· Tuesday’s Book Study this week will be looking at chapters 7-10 in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship. This class is led by Fr. Erich and meets at 11:00 a.m. weekly in the parish hall. It is never too late to join us. Wednesday Night Bible Study· This coming Wednesday we will continue our study of the Beatitudes in chapter 5 in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Come, join us! LASSES Advent Luncheon· The Ladies of All Saints will have their Annual Advent Luncheon on Saturday, December 1, 2018 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. We will gather at The Cedars in downtown Hendersonville, 211 7th Ave. W. The cost is $15.00. Please sign-up on the bulletin board in the parish hall to R.S.V.P. You may give your money to Cynthia Hensley or Kathy Zwingert. We encourage all ladies to attend this fellowship event. And as always, invite a friend! Food Bank· Interfaith Assistance Ministry in Henderson County is this month’s recipient of our in-gathering of food stuffs.
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