Dearly Beloved,Yesterday was All Saints Day, our patronal festival. The Epistle for the day is taken from Chapter 7 of the Book of Revelation. It gives a beautiful picture of what it will be like when we finally are present with God and Christ in life everlasting. It should bring up within us a “want” to be there. And if we want to be there, how do we do so? The Church down through the ages has answered that question by appointing the reading of the Beatitudes from Chapter 5 of St. Matthew’s Gospel. Those who are “blessed” in the Beatitudes are those who have followed the call of Jesus. The Beatitudes lay out very succinctly the “marks” of the true followers of Christ: poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst after righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness’ sake. These are the qualities, characteristics, marks, of those who have followed the call of Christ and these are the characteristics, in fact, the very being, of the Saints who shall abide always in the new heaven and new earth depicted, and promised, by God in the Book of Revelation. Murder Mystery!Did that grab your attention? Our young people are gathering tonight for a murder mystery dinner. Many of us have had the pleasure of having attending such an event and now it is our kids’ turn. Its not too late for your child to be here, so come on out at 5:45 p.m. to find out “Whodunnit?!” Annual Stewardship CampaignThe final letter in our annual stewardship campaign was mailed yesterday. Please respond today if you have not yet made your commitment for next year. It is only with your response that the vestry will be able to properly allocate our resources for the Gospel work of this parish. In the pews are stewardship cards and envelopes. If you leave your stewardship card at home on Sunday, please fill out one of the cards in the pew and drop it in the plate. Your commitment is a tangible expression of giving thanks to Almighty God for the gift of salvation He has wrought for you through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Construction Update
I am well aware it looks as if we have ground to a halt in our construction but that is not the case. Since my last email to you, work began on the architectural panels on the front of the church. Work will continue on the panels this coming week. Insulation work began in the office addition and was completed on Wednesday of this week. As I am writing, one of the contractors is in the building installing the sheetrock on the ceilings and walls (as you can see in the picture above). The roofer was scheduled to come out today to install the metal roofing on the bell tower but the rainy weather has gotten in the way (that’s a surprise, isn’t it??!!). Fingers crossed, he will be here tomorrow. Once the sheetrock is installed and properly floated, it will be our time to get in there and do the finish work. Be ready to come out to help when we get started. Also, 2 new planters have been placed by the bell tower (a third one had to be returned due to shipping damage). These planters, while a nice decorative touch, will act as “bumpers” to be sure vehicles do not hit the bell tower. Many thanks to Thomas Baldwin for setting the planters in place and planting the greenery in them. Annual Meeting & Thanksgiving DinnerOur Annual Meeting and Parish Thanksgiving Dinner will be held on Sunday, November 18, immediately following our 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion. We should start the meeting at 12:15 p.m., with dinner to follow within the hour. There is a sign-up sheet in the parish hall to let us know the dishes you will bring for the dinner. We provide the turkey and ham. See you on that day. Rest in PeaceAs most of you are aware, Edwin Blackburn died on October 20. We held his funeral here last Friday, October 26. Thanks to all of you for coming out to support Glen, Sally, and the whole family. We will certainly miss Edwin and pray that his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace and may light perpetual shine upon them. Amen. There are a few more announcements down below. Please remember to bring in food for our monthly gathering for those less fortunate than us. Bread of Life in Transylvania County is the November recipient. Blessings to all of you and I will see you in church!Fr. Erich
This Week in the Parish
Friday, November 2· 5:45 p.m., Youth Murder Mystery DinnerSunday, November 4, All Saints Day, transferred· 8:30 a.m., Holy Communion· 9:45 a.m., Adult Sunday School· 11:00 a.m., Holy Communion· 12:15 p.m., Fellowship LunchTuesday, November 6· 11:00 a.m. Tuesday Book StudyWednesday, November 7· 6:00 p.m. Holy Communion· 6:30 p.m. Fellowship Meal· 7:00 p.m. Bible Study· 7:00 p.m. Choir Practice
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 11-13 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 with chapter 5 in our study of 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!
Please follow and like us:
