Lightning Update
Dearly Beloved,
On Saturday, July 18, during severe weather, our church buildings suffered a lightning strike. It wasn’t noticed until Sunday morning as everyone gathered for church. The church’s phone lines and other telecommunications were affected, as well as the organ and bell tower. Unfortunately, Fr. Steve, Dss. Cynthia and I were in Annapolis, Maryland last week for the annual Synod of our diocese, so we were not able to begin the repair process until this past Saturday.
Yesterday afternoon, Optimum, our internet and phone provider, installed a new modem, allowing us to get our Local Area Network and WiFi back in service in the office. The Wifi service in the remainder of our buildings is still affected by burnt-out components, which have been ordered. (Update July 29: Local Area Network & Wifi are repaired)
Phone service has not yet been restored. Optimum must return, hopefully Wednesday, to trace the problem. (Update July 29: Optimum will not return until August 5) Until our phone lines are restored, please feel free to call us at the following numbers:
- 828-620-0860 (my cell phone)
- 828-275-7654 (Dss. Cynthia’s cell phone)
- 832-657-6366 (Fr. Steve’s cell phone)
We have contacted an organ repair technician and have an appointment with him for this coming Thursday morning.
We discovered that the power source and motherboard for the computer which runs the bell tower were also “fried.” Thankfully, the hard disk was not affected, so our data has not been lost. I have ordered a new computer and expect that to arrive on Wednesday. Hopefully that is the only problem with the bell tower, but we shall see once the new computer is installed.
In case you were wondering, we do have a whole building surge protector which protected all of our large appliances and HVAC systems. Unfortunately, in a lightning strike, small amounts of electrical surge still leak through and can affect more sensitive equipment, which is what has happened.
Slowly but surely we will get everything back in order. Read on about the ballgame, other summer activities, and some news of note.
Blessings,
Fr. Erich
This Week at All Saints
Tuesday, July 28
9:00 a.m., Office open
5:15 p.m., Baseball Caravan meets at church
5:30 p.m., Baseball Caravan leaves the church
6:30 p.m., Asheville Tourist ballgame
Wednesday, July 29
9:00 a.m., Office open
6:00 p.m., Holy Communion
Thursday, July 30
9:00 a.m., Office open
Ninth Sunday after Trinity, August 2
8:30 a.m, Holy Communion
11:00 a.m., Holy Communion
Prayer Lists for the Ninth Week of Trinity
Parishioners: Amy, Andrew, Brenda, Frances, George, Julie, Kathy, Mary & child.
Family, Friends, & Others: Arthur, Denis, Donna, Drew, Evelyn, Heron, Hugh, Jean, Linda, Matty Dee, Paul, Richard, Rick, Tory & child.
Travel: Allison, Paul.
Provincial Prayercycle: Mt. Calvary Church, Lothian, MD, Rev. Canon Robert Tregenza, Rector.
Peace in Iran & the Middle East
Our U.S. Armed Forces
Ballgame Tomorrow!
Our annual outing to watch our Asheville Tourists is tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28, 6:30 p.m. The Tourists will be playing our local “enemies,” the Greenville Drive! The tickets are $10/each. If you signed up, we have a ticket in hand for you!
For those who wish to carpool, please be at the church by 5:15 p.m. tomorrow, so we can leave promptly at 5:30 p.m. Fr. Steve and Doug will be leading the caravan. The group will leave promptly at 5:30 p.m.
I will be at the main gate at HomeTrust Park at 6:00 p.m. to meet you and pass out tickets. See you tomorrow!
News of Note
George Davidson came through his surgery very well last week. He was in great spirits when I saw him today at Advent Hospital. He is looking forward to moving to a rehab facility soon so he can continue his recovery and get himself back to church! Please continue your prayers for him.
Summer Evening Book Club—Faith by the Fireside
Several of you have asked, so now we have it! The summer evening book club will host it’s inaugural gathering on Friday, August 14, from 5:45—7:45 p.m. We will be discussing Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. This WWII era novel is based on the true story of a forgotten hero’s bravery and sacrifice during one of history’s darkest hours.
Our fireside discussion will be on St. Timothy’s porch. Dinner (to be determined) will be something from the grill. The cost for dinner is $5.00 per person.
Books, e-books, and audible are available on Amazon.com. Dss. Cynthia has copies for $15.00.
There is a sign-up sheet in the entryway of the church. Invite a friend!
Summer Book Club—Tuesday Morning
The next gathering of our Tuesday morning Summer Book Club will be on Tuesday, August 11, from 10:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m. We will also be discussing Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan.
Lunch will be served, $5.00 per person. Sign-up now!
End of Summer Picnic
On Saturday, August 29, starting at 11:00 a.m., we will have an end of summer picnic extravaganza here at All Saints. It will also give us an opportunity to officially welcome Fr. Steve, his wife Jennifer, and their children Abby and Josh, before all our usual activities begin in September. We have also invited the parishes of our Deanery, which encompasses western NC, eastern TN, and upstate SC. This will give us a chance to meet old friends, and new, who share our Anglican Way of Christianity.
Food Bank
Interfaith Assistance Ministry in Henderson County is this month’s recipient of our in-gathering of food stuffs.
