Dearly Beloved,
Two weekends ago, we celebrated our patronal festival of All Saints Day. It was such a pleasure to have the Right Rev’d Chandler Jones, our Bishop Coadjutor, here with us. Bishop Chad preached at both of our Sunday morning services and spent time with us in Adult Sunday School. The highlight of the day was, of course, the confirmation of Ryan Perry and the reception of 5 other members, Joanna Rinehart, Nathan Tierney, Jeanne & Bob Perry, and Chuck Batherson. You can see everyone above in the header picture. Congratulations to Ryan and welcome to all the others as they are now “officially” members of our portion of Christ’s Church.
We Continue to Gather
It seems there is a bit of confusion about Governor Cooper’s latest Executive Order regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The order does NOT apply to churches. We will continue to gather for worship, study, and fellowship as we have been doing, with all the appropriate protocols in place following CDC guidelines. One of these recommendations is that, when possible, fresh air be introduced into an interior environment. This we also have been doing. It has not been particularly noticeable because it has been warm outside since we began gathering again. Now, however, as the weather turns colder, it may seem a bit odd having the windows open but reasonable caution requires us to do so. Please bear with us as we try to do our best to keep everyone as safe as possible when we are here at church.
Annual Parish Meeting and Thanksgiving Dinner
Our Annual Parish Meeting will be held in 10 days on Sunday, November 22, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion at 12:15 p.m. Please plan on being here then. We will broadcast the meeting into the parish hall to accommodate for proper social distancing. It will also be live-streamed for those who cannot attend.
Immediately following the Annual Parish Meeting, we will have our Parish Thanksgiving Dinner. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board for you to indicate which side dish you will be bringing to share with us. We will provide the turkey and ham.
Diocesan Women’s Retreat
The retreat day, which will be led by Bishop Chad Jones, is this coming Tuesday, November 17, from 9:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m. The topic for this year’s retreat is “The Marys: Servants of God.” It will be live-streamed on the large television in the parish hall. If you would like to attend, you may still let Dss. Cynthia know this weekend, if you have not already done so. A light breakfast of bagels, pastries, and fruit will be available by 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Lunch will also be provided. Please wear comfortable clothes and bring your Bible, Book of Common Prayer, and a pen and notebook.
Annual Stewardship Campaign
The final letter in our campaign was mailed out yesterday. You may mail the stewardship card back to the church or just drop it in the offering plate this coming Sunday. For those of you who have not yet returned your commitment card, please do so as soon as you possibly can so the vestry can provide an accurate accounting at the annual meeting.
Angel Tree
Once again our church has adopted children from our community who are in need this holiday season. These referrals come in from Henderson County Schools to the Storehouse in Hendersonville. If you would like to help us provide gifts and needed items, the Angel Tree at the back of the church has “ornaments” which identify a child. Please pick an ornament, or two (or three even!) and go out and shop for the child on that ornament. Return the gift to the church unwrapped, with the ornament attached to it. The deadline for returning the gifts is Sunday, December 6. If you would like someone to shop for you, give Dss. Cynthia a call at the church office.
Mark Your Calendars
- Thanksgiving Day this year in on November 26. As is our custom, we will celebrate the Holy Communion at 10:00 a.m. on that day.
- Advent Lessons & Carols is scheduled for the Second Sunday in Advent, December 6, at 5:00 p.m. The choir has been working diligently under the direction of our new choirmaster Todd Norfleet to get prepared for this annual event. Come join to support them and to celebrate in Scripture and song the story of our redemption!
That is about all the important news to be aware of this week. Keep up your prayers for one another and also for this our beloved parish of All Saints Church.
Blessings,
Fr. Erich
This Week in the Parish
Sunday, November 15
Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity
8:30 a.m. Holy Communion: in person
9:45 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Holy Communion: in person and live-streamed
Tuesday, November 17
9:00 a.m., Women’s Retreat
11:00 a.m., Holy Communion: limited seating
Wednesday,November 18
6:00 p.m., Holy Communion: in person and live-streamed
6:30 p.m., Dinner break
6:30 p.m., Choir Practice
7:00 p.m., Bible Study
