Ground Breaking
March 4, 2018
11:00 a.m.
The groundbreaking for our expansion here at All Saints Church will be held this coming Sunday, March 4, in conjunction with our 11:00 a.m. celebration of the Holy Communion. We will process out of the church into the parking lot after the final blessing at Holy Communion. The groundbreaking ceremony will last approximately 15 minutes. That will be followed up by lunch provided by Kathy and Candler Willis. Please do come out and join us as we move forward rooted and built up in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Weekly News
Dearly Beloved,
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am with our groundbreaking imminent for our expansion here at All Saints Church. Our Lord has blessed us so very much that we are able to move forward in our life together here as we prepare for what our Lord has in store for us. I sent out an update letter to all of you over a week ago and apparently there was some confusion about it. That letter went to everyone in the parish. I do not know who has committed to this campaign (other than the Vestry) and so it was a general mailing, in which I expressed my joy over the commitments already received and urging others to get their commitments in soon. The response from all of you has been outstanding. As you know, we set a goal of $275,000 for our capital campaign. As of today, you all have committed $219,155! Fabulous!
We received news yesterday from our national church, the Anglican Province of America, that its Rebecca Henderson Memorial Trust has committed to providing us with a mortgage once our construction is complete. That is good news because the interest rate is well below market conditions and is “set in stone” for us despite what the market may do over the course of this year. We are awaiting word from HomeTrust Bank on our construction loan application. I anticipate hearing from them by the beginning of the week. Brewster Ward is diligently completing the construction designs and Bob Brooks is close to getting the necessary permitting completed with Henderson County. All in all, everything is moving very quickly. And we “officially” kick it all off on Sunday! See you then!
St. Timothy’s Church, Swannanoa
I would like to thank everyone who came over to St. Timothy’s this past Sunday to support the folks there as they closed down their beloved church. Your love and concern for them was very much appreciated. And thanks to Deacon Louis for keeping the home fires burning here at All Saints that day. We may well see some of the people from St. Timothy’s at All Saints so please be sure to welcome them in your typical All Saints fashion, while recognizing they are still grieving over the loss of their church.
Lenten Fish Fry
The Fish Fry is just two weeks away! On Friday, March 16, we will hold our Lenten Fish Fry. 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. There are still some tickets available so be sure to get yours this weekend. You don’t want to miss out on this incredible fellowship event. Hopefully, our expansion will make sure that this is the last time we have be all crammed into the parish hall by the time the next Fish Fry rolls around in October.
Please read on below to all the announcements and I look forward to seeing all of you at our groundbreaking on Sunday!
Blessings,
Fr. Erich
Announcements
Annual Lenten Appeal
· Mite boxes are available in your pews to use in this year’s Lenten Appeal. Please see below about the Appeal for this year.
Wednesday Bible Study
· Our Bible Study this week will continue with Chapter 11 in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Join us!
Tuesday Book Study
· C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters is our study book. We will finish this week. Join us at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday mornings.
Lent
· Lent is that time of year in which we make special devotion to our Lord in the Christian Duties of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Morning and Evening Prayer is offered daily and we will also walk the Way of the Cross in church. Its never too late to add something to your Lenten devotions.
Food Bank
· Western Carolina Rescue Ministry in Buncombe County is this month’s recipient of our in-gathering of food stuffs.
Meatless Wednesday Fellowship Meal
· Our weekly Wednesday fellowship meals will be meatless during the Lenten season as part of our fasting and abstinence.
Flowers and Sanctuary Candle Charts
· New charts are available on the bulletin board for the giving of flowers and sanctuary candles. The suggested donation for flowers is $50.00 and it is $10.00 for the sanctuary candle. Sign up today to be sure you are able to get your desired day.
Palm Crosses
· Mark your calendars! On Saturday, March 24, 2018, the All Saints Altar Guild will host a morning of making palm crosses. No experience necessary and ALL are welcome! We will gather for Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m. and begin making the crosses for Palm Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Breakfast will be provided that morning. Please join us!
Flowers and Sanctuary Candle Charts
· New charts are available on the bulletin board for the giving of flowers and sanctuary candles. The suggested donation for flowers is $50.00 and it is $10.00 for the sanctuary candle. Sign up today to be sure you are able to get your desired day.
Palm Crosses
· Mark your calendars! On Saturday, March 24, 2018, the All Saints Altar Guild will host a morning of making palm crosses. No experience necessary and ALL are welcome! We will gather for Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m. and begin making the crosses for Palm Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Breakfast will be provided that morning. Please join us!
This Week in the Parish
Saturday, March 3
8:00 AM, Morning Prayer
5:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, March 4
Third Sunday in Lent
8:00 AM, Morning Prayer
8:30 AM, Holy Communion
9:45 AM, Sunday School
11:00 AM, Holy Communion
12:15 PM, Groundbreaking
12:30 PM, Fellowship Lunch
5:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Monday, March 5
8:00 AM, Morning Prayer
5:00 PM, Evening Prayer
Tuesday, March 6
8:00 AM, Morning Prayer
11:00 AM, Book Study
12:00 PM, Stations of the Cross
5:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Wednesday, March 7
8:00 AM, Morning Prayer
5:30 PM, Evening Prayer
6:00 PM, Holy Communion
6:30 PM, Meatless Dinner
7:00 PM, Bible Study
7:00 PM, Choir Practice
Thursday, March 8
8:00 AM, Morning Prayer
5:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Friday, March 9
8:00 AM, Morning Prayer
5:30 PM, Evening Prayer
7:00 PM, Stations of the Cross
Lenten Appeal
Dear APA Clergy and Lay members,
Having focused our Lenten Appeal efforts on our domestic missions during these past three years, we are once again shifting our focus to our foreign missions and their needs.
Our focus this year will be to provide funds for a second APA Good Shepherd School, for Dalit children, in India. The first school was built at Kollur in the state of Telengana using funds from the 2011 Lenten Appeal. The school was part of a larger development initiative among women and children at risk in this region and was completed in late 2015. We are happy to report, there are currently six grades being taught at the school.
This second school will be constructed in the Kadapa District of the state of Andhra Pradesh and its exact location will be determined by Bishop Jaya Rao, the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of India. Children from several of our churches in the area will be able to benefit from our new school. The search for suitable land is already underway and we anticipate that the school will begin in rented premises once an agreement on the land is reached.
This school will change the lives of numerous Dalit children, as well as provide numerous benefits to the surrounding village communities. Through the spread of the Gospel and an English-medium education, future generations of children will be able to escape the crippling poverty and oppression resulting from the Caste system and be able to lead full and productive lives in Indian society.
Our Lenten Appeal Project 2018 challenge will be to raise $150,000 for an APA Good Shepherd School near Jammalamadugu, Andhra Pradesh in partnership with OM (USA) and Good Shepherd Ministries (India).
I am asking each individual within our churches to make a sacrificial Lenten offering of $1.50 per day for the 40 days of Lent (a total of $60 per person), or more as our Lord leads you. We will need one hundred percent participation in order to achieve this goal.
Please make this a family project for Lent. Remember, your generous gifts will enable Dalit children to be liberated from the bondage of poverty and oppression.
Please pray every day during Lent that God will use our offering to show His great mercy on the Dalit children of India.
Checks should be made payable to your local church with a notation in the memo field “Lenten Appeal 2018.”
Please make your Lenten Offering by Easter Sunday, April 1.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf, D.D., Presiding Bishop
