ADVENT and WAITING

Advent signifies a new church year for us.  It also presents to us a time of waiting, as we prepare for the birth of our Lord.  Most of us hate waiting, and I am one of the worst.  Our world is filled with time saving devices that help us to avoid the waiting rooms of life.   We tend to associate waiting with emptiness and waste.

Advent is a time of actively waiting with patience while the theme of Christmas and the world around us pushes us like the rush of the mighty wind.   When we are pushed around, it is virtually impossible to stop, listen, and prepare ourselves.

As we wait, how do we prepare ourselves?  The waiting in Advent is different, as it is purposeful and centered on our prayer life.  We are called to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ spirit in our midst.  Maybe we can look at this season of Advent as a time of waiting when the rest of the world is rushing toward Christmas.

A lot of people seem to associate the season of Advent with the waiting room of pregnancy.  While I have been pregnant and know what that patience and waiting mean in that sense, I am reminded of a person who taught me what waiting is all about.

The meaning of waiting was a gift given to me from someone who was about to die.  He died while waiting patiently.  During that time, he took me to a waiting room I never expected.  I did not know him very well, but my connection with him and his family was one of those things that happened without any warning or expectation.   It was one of those instant and deep connections that we rarely encounter in life.  He was waiting for God’s call to leave this world and, while I did not know it at the time, I was waiting for a different call to my life in ministry.  Although we did not talk about our own predicaments much, we both connected with each other and thrived.

Have you ever felt that way with someone you did not know well?  Someone you did not know, someone who came into your life unexpectedly and changed it forever?  Someone who left as suddenly as they came?

The bottom line is that we both needed each other.  We both saw the changes that were in store for us, and, for some reason, God put us together.  We were not really ready for God’s call, but together, we sat in the waiting room.  It was in the patience and waiting that we connected and were with each other.  We were still with our families.  We were still with our friends.

We were two totally different people whom God put together for a time of waiting…   Looking back, it was a time when we both heard the call of God at the same time.  It was a trying time for us, as we did not really want to move or change the direction of our lives.  Although we were struggling, we wanted to stay where we were.

This could be a time to seek out someone who is lonely this Christmas, to visit a nursing home, or to say, “I love you.”  It could also be a time to look at forgiveness and healing issues among those we love.  And it could also be a time of thanking God for all that we have and for those whom we love and who love us.

So, in this New Year, let us take this season of Advent to discover and actively prepare for not less of a Christmas, but for more of a Christmas.  All of our patience and waiting just might be preparing and making room for a connection with someone who will show us the way.  We never know what the realm of God in Christ will bring us as we wait.  Let us look at the waiting rooms of life.  The more we have, the more we share.

Your faithful servant,
Margie

Christmas Highlights and Schedules

On December 5th at 7:30 (dinner at 6 pm), we will be hosting a Christmas concert at All Saints’ featuring our musical abilities with Please be sure to come!

Charlotte and John Moss will host our Annual Christmas Party again this year on Saturday, December 13 from 6 until.  Please bring your favorite hor d’oeuvres. (511 Washington St, Weldon.)

At the 11:00 am service on Sunday, December 21, we will celebrate the festival of Lessons and Carols.  Everyone is welcome!

Our first Christmas Eve service will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a Children’s Eucharist.  This will be a little different from last year as our children will be participating in a Christmas Pageant.  There will also be a Eucharist designed to facilitate full participation by our children.  In addition, we will sing from several of our favorite Christmas carols. This service will be inspiring for all adults, teens, and babes as well!  After the 5:00 service, Santa will be in the Parish House to meet and greet all of you.  We will also be serving light refreshments. (If you are interested in participating in the Children’s Christmas Pageant, please contact Lori Gowen or Paige  Cutchin.)

At 10:30 pm on Christmas Eve, the Saints’ in the All Saints’ Choir will begin with a special selection of musical preludes.  Please come join us!

At 11:00 pm, our Christmas Eve service will begin.

Our Christmas Day service will be at 10:00 am.  This will be a Rite II Eucharist.

ALL SAINTS’ OUTREACH

The second Sunday in December is Outreach Sunday.  Please bring gently used or new children's Christian books.  We'll send them to Dr. Stephen Post at the Mission of the Good Shepherd in Belize.  The loose offering will be used to buy school supplies for the children at the mission.  Thank you!  

Come Enjoy Dinner and a Concert
Friday, December 5!

You don’t want to miss this….. a holiday concert  on Friday, December 5 at 8 p.m. at  All Saints’ Episcopal Church,  featuring musicians Judith Harris and Danita Barnes at the organ and piano and the All Saints’ Hand bell Choir.  A program of traditional and contemporary holiday music will be presented.

A lasagna dinner will be served at the Parish House prior to the concert, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Reservations are required.  Please let Vickie know if you need transportation and we will arrange a ride for you.

Church members, family, and friends are welcome!  We’ll see you there!

Saints-On-Wheels Tour Schedule

Saints’-On-Wheels provides opportunities for church members and friends to explore God’s creation….the interesting, the beautiful, the amazing world around us… with fun and fellowship. Each trip has been unique and everyone has found something to admire and enjoy on every trip. 

Val and Tony Short are coordinating these trips in the church van.  Please register so we will know to expect you.  To register, call Vickie in the church office at 537-3610.  Cost per trip will be $10 to cover the cost of gas.  Meals, drinks, admission fees, and other personal purchases will cost extra. Parents must accompany their children.  Please sign up for one or all of the following trips...

Sunday, December 7   Magical Mystery Tour of Lights, Roanoke Rapids, NC

There’s nothing that can get you into the spirit of the holidays like a ride around town to see the Christmas lights! We’ll meet at the Parish House at 7 p.m. for hot cider, wine, and cheese and a tour briefing. Space is limited so please call Vickie at the church office to reserve your seat for this final trip of the year.  There’s no charge since Santa (Tony) will cover the costs of this trip.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN

UTO Sunday brought in $530.46. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Our next UTO Sunday will be in May. We made about $3200 on the Food and Craft Fair.  Thanks to everyone who contributed time, money, food, specific skills and to all the customers, we couldn't  have raised this money without them.

On December 5^th Betty Pearce will have our Poinsettias waiting in the parish house for us to deliver. Set this date in your mind if you have said you would deliver a poinsettia.

Have a very nice Christmas and I hope to see all of you at our next meeting on January 7^th.  I also look forward to David Young’s meal. You are welcome to bring guest just let Sadie Carol know by Monday morning before the meeting and be in contact with Deedie.

Sisters in Christ,
Ruthie G.

Garden Guild

 We had wonderful weather and got a lot done the morning of November 1^st . Thank you, thank you to Bob Burke, Tony Short, Jane Rice, B. T. Brown, Olga Zhak, Tom Mebane, Peggy Lynn, Peggy Barber, Miles Gregory, and Ruthie Gregory. Also special thanks to Jan Murray and Peggy Lynn for the pretty pansies at the front of the administrative building. The extension of the columbarium is beginning to get underway so the help you gave was certainly well timed. I get compliments on how nice our church yard looks rather often and this is because of all of you. Thanks you, thank you, thank you. 

Special Thanks from Kelly Singh!!

Thanks to everyone for your cards, prayers,   support and blessings.  am doing well, still having to take chemo every 6 weeks.  There is no way I could have survived this ordeal without my church family.  Words can not express my deepest appreciation for everything all of you have done for me and my family.

Love hugs and kisses.
Kelly

All Saints Bookshelf

Last Night at the Lobster
By: Stewart O’Nan
Penguin 2007

This is a touching story about a man during the last twelve hours of managing a corporate restaurant.  He has been told that the restaurant is not bringing in enough revenue and that it will have to be closed down.  The last night is full of bitter sweet memories along with one man’s struggle to maintain his own dignity as a major part of his life ends.

I Am Potential
Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams  By: Patrick Henry Hughes

This is a true story of a person born without eyes and who has been crippled from birth.  However, he has ears.  And his ears serve him well as he embarks on a most unusual journey.  He says that God made him with disabilities, but God also gave him opportunities to overcome his disabilities as well.  He is a musical genius who plays every genre of music and is in the University of Louisville marching band (his dad pushes his wheelchair).  He turns his disabilities into abilities.  His is the music of opportunity and potential.   After reading this book, you will look upon your weaknesses in a different way.

For Children

 Good King Wenceslas
By John M. Neale (Author), Tim Ladwig (Illustrator)
Eerdmans, 2005

This book is based on a true story that occurred in the 10^th century.  It is about a big hearted king, who along with his page, sets out to help a poor man.  The discoveries along the way are the stuff miracles are made of.

Prairie Christmas
By Elizabeth Van Steenwyk (Author), Ronald Himler
Eermans, 2006

This book has wonderful drawings and sketches.  The story is about a little girl, Emma, who fears that Christmas will be ruined because her mother, a doctor, has to deliver a baby.  Soon, other gifts emerge as Emma learns the valuable gifts that come for interruptions.  Emma learns to see past herself as this becomes her most memorable Christmas. 

Interested in running for Vestry?? Contact parish office, Sr. Warden Bob or Margie.

A Short History of Music and Liturgy in the Episcopal Church
Part 8 . How Did Those Hymns Get Into Our Hymnal?
By—Jim Lee

Part Two—The Oxford Movement to Today

Back in England, the Oxford Movement rose in reaction to the Second Great Awakening, which had stripped Anglican and Episcopal churches of any hint of their Catholic past.  John Mason Neale, an Anglican priest (and the rebellious son of an Evangelical priest) was physically attacked by Evangelicals on several occasions and barred from celebrating the Eucharist by his own bishop from 1848 to 1861 for having a cross and candles on the altar, among other transgressions.  Neale translated Latin and Greek texts from the earliest days of the Church for use as hymns.  Neale’s hymnal Hymns Ancient and Modern was produced in 1859 to standardize hymnody in England.  The “ancient” texts are reflective of the Oxford Movement and consist primarily of translations of Greek and Latin texts used in the mass since the first days of the Church, 61 by Neale alone; a number of “modern” gospel hymns were also included.  The tunes were edited by William Henry Monk (composer of “For the Beauty of the Earth”) and his leading contributor was John Bacchus Dykes (“Holy, Holy, Holy”).  Their musical style influenced the next generation of English hymnodists, including Sir Arthur Sullivan (“Onward Christian Soldiers”).  Hymns Ancient and Modern bridged the gap between Liturgical and Evangelical music and formed the framework for all future Anglican and Episcopal hymnals.

The first official Episcopal hymnal, The Church Hymnal, was authorized by the 1874 General Convention (previously hymn texts had been included in the Prayer Book). The texts were taken largely from Hymns Ancient and Modern.  No tunes were assigned, but four different editions paired the texts with tunes, and a supplemental tune book was issued in 1880, edited by the Rev. John Ireland Tucker, a leading Liturgist.  A new hymnal was issued in conjunction with the 1892 prayer book and six editions pairing the texts with tunes were issued.  In 1916 a new Hymnal with only one authorized edition was issued, standardizing hymns and tunes in the Episcopal Church for the first time.

Ralph Vaughn Williams’ edition of the English Hymnal in 1906 under the supervision of Percy Dearmer, an Anglican priest, was the culmination of the Oxford Movement taking the Anglican church back to its liturgical roots. The book provided a complete set of hymns for the liturgical calendar. The arrangement of the book was also uncompromisingly liturgical, with the first section giving hymns ordered to suit the church's year, and the inclusion of supplementary material giving the appropriate texts and plainsong chants for days such as Palm Sunday and Good Friday.

During the 20^th Century, hymnody was made uniform in each denomination, ending with the Baptists’ Broadman Hymnal in 1945. The 1940 and 1982 Episcopal hymnals incorporated more liturgical music, including much of Vaughn Williams’ work, reflecting the Episcopal Church’s swing back to a more eucharistically centered worship.  The Rev. F. Bland Tucker, rector of Christ Church, Savannah (ironically the same church John Wesley was rector of when he published his first hymnal) from 1947 to 1965, contributed many translations of ancient liturgical texts for the Episcopal Hymnal in both 1940 and 1982 and added verses to other hymns to make them more liturgically relevant.

All of these sources—from Bach to Vaughn Williams, from the Wesleys to The Southern Harmony, from William Cowper to F. Bland Tucker—are represented fully in the over 700 hymns in our Hymnal (for examples of their work, look them up in the indexes of sources for tunes and texts in the back pages).  But remember that the 1982 Hymnal is also the product of composers of modern music, and the tradition of hymns is that they are sung to more than one hymn tune.  As a result, the editors of our hymnal have taken familiar texts and placed them in modern musical settings.  In addition, the editors sought out modern religious poets such as Carl P. Daw, Jr., and incorporated their words to modern and sometimes ancient music.  Also, consider that the inclusion of popular music in religious services was just beginning to take root in mainstream worship services when our Hymnal was published.  As a result, several simple, tuneful contemporary songs were included in the Hymnal as well.

All of these tails, trunks, tusks, and ears have come together to produce the elephant that is our Hymnal.  And on any given Sunday we sing from a variety of these musical sources and traditions, proving that the elephant is more than just the sum of its parts.

Next: The Elephant in the Room

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…

Last Sunday evening (Nov. 23) two thieves broke into the church office and vandalized it.  While we have tried hard to anticipate and prepare for the thieves that come in the night by taking every precaution, we have not been able to totally secure the office building against theft and vandalism.

What was taken was of minimal value, the vandalism has been costly.  It has once again put us behind in our work serving you and the community.  The worst thing about this is that the theft and vandalism has left us once again with the sense of feeling invaded, violated, and unprotected.

Our Christian faith helps us to move through our troubles.  We are comforted that God will provide a way for us to overcome our anger and hatred and fill us with a sense of peace that no thief can take away.

This week we received a generous donation from Danny Haislip to purchase a security system and cameras.  Now, I firmly believe that this office will be safe and secure.  Thank you!

I would like to give a special thanks to Danny for his donation and to all of you for your continued support of All Saints’ through donations and prayers.

Thy kingdom come, Lord, we pray for your will to be done on this earth as it is in heaven.  This we pray in good faith which will fill us with a peace that no thief can steal.

STEWARDSHIP

As the end of the year approaches, we are asking once again for your support by filling out a pledge card.  This is a tough time for all of us we face the uncertainty of the economic realm in this country.  It seems as if things in this world are always changing.  One thing we can focus on is the fact that God never changes.  God’s promises are independent of the conditions around us.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us:  Give and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.  Luke 6:38

God is generous and giving and that never changes.  God also desires our loving response to his generosity.  We are greatly blessed at All Saints’ with an embracing and loving church family.  Stewardship is thanksgiving; by giving thanks for all that God has given us, our time, our abilities and our money.

Please take a moment to pray and reflect as you fill out your pledge card.  We need them as soon as possible in order to plan our budget for coming year of 2009.