Telios

 It never ceases to amaze me at how fast and forthcoming strangers are about sharing their feelings toward religion.  I encounter this at social events, civic functions, and especially in the mall.  I often hear, “The church should be this,” or “I’m opposed to that, the church isn’t doing enough of this…”  They are not convinced that the church has anything to offer.  One thing is for sure:  I’ve never listened to anyone who was totally and 100% happy with their church.

 Most people are not searching for advice.  They are defending their absence.  Sometimes I find it hard to understand how folks can be so indifferent to all that the church has to offer.  We look at the polls in which the percentage of believers who say they go to church remains high...  Then we ignore the fact that while the population of the United States has doubled in the last fifty years, worship attendance has declined.

 I wonder if in searching for the perfect church we don’t lose touch with God.  Sometimes we allow all the stumbling blocks to take us away from our vision of God.  In his book, Why Christian? For Those on the Edge of Faith, Douglas John Hall writes: “There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ church, and the people who go about looking for such an ideal are bound to be disappointed.  The Christian gospel isn’t about the perfect church; it’s about the perfect love of God, which none of us deserves, and from which we all fall short.  The church is not a little bit of the world that has finally been fixed up, righted.  In a real way, the only thing that distinguishes church from the world is that the church knows something about the world that it doesn’t usually know about itself: that it is greatly loved.”

 The gospel isn’t about the perfect church; it’s about the perfect love of God.  We receive and practice this each week as we participate in the confession and our affirmation of faith, as well as in  the hearing of the word and in the breaking of the bread.  This is when we should begin to ask, “What is our role in mission and the local community?”  “How do I live and experience the perfect love of God?”  Once we have this vision, then our obstacles go by the wayside and our focus is on God.  Then we are transformed and become one in Christ.

So maybe we have more to say than we think to folks absent from church who offer justification for their departure with words like, “The church isn’t this, it isn’t that.” “You’re right,” we might say, “the church isn’t many things.  But the church is a community of flawed, forgiven sinners who joyfully gather around the risen Christ, who in turn calls us to be far more than we could ever be alone.  We boldly confess our imperfections before a loving God who makes all things new, even me and you. Come join us.”  Thanks be to God!

 Margie

Dates to Note
 

· Nov. 1—All Saints’ Day and UTO

· Nov. 2—Brotherhood and Vestry

· Nov. 4—ECW

· Nov. 6-7 Annual ECW Meeting

· Nov. 21—Bazaar and Food Fair

· Nov. 29—Advent Wreath Making

The Messenger
is published the last week of each month by: All Saints’ Episcopal Church

Rector: The Rev. Dr. Margie Holm

Editors: Ms. Vickie Irby, (Parish Administrator) & Miss Summerlee Walter

Deadline for the next Messenger: November 20, 2009

Publications can be found on our website at www.allsaintsrr.org

Webmaster: Mr. Bob Pearce

If you do not wish to receive The Messenger, please contact the parish office at 252-537-3610 or allsaintsrr@embarqmail.com to have your name removed from the list. 

E.C.W. Chatterbox
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 111:24

On Wednesday, October 7, 2009, the second Episcopal Church Women’s branch meeting took place.  What a wonderful day it was because twenty-two ladies came with smiles to worship, sing, pray, learn, and share ideas.

The Reverend Marjorie Holm, our priest, was celebrant and gave an interesting homily on the life and contributions of The Reverend William Tyndale.  He was known for his translation of the Bible, and a large portion of the King James version of the Bible was translated into English by him.  Reverend Tyndale was determined to translate the Bible into English and was convinced that the way to God was through his word and that scripture should be available to every common person.  He lost favor with the King of England and could not continue his work.  He was tried on a charge of heresy and condemned to death.   His final words were “Lord!  Open the King of England’s eyes.”  Even though they burned him at the stake, the English translation of the  Bible continued to grow and the word of God was being read by all.  We as Christians are thankful for his tenacity to sacrifice his life in order that the common person could read, believe, and accept God’s word – THE BIBLE.

Before leaving the sanctuary, the members played a scavenger hunt called “Check your Book of Common Prayer,” and the lucky winners were Mrs. Frances Hursey, Mrs. Renate Ingram, and Mrs. Mildred Moncure.

After a wonderful lunch prepared by our caterer, David Young, we played “Solve The Mystery.”  Winners were Mrs. Angela Allen, Mrs. Sally Hardison, and Mrs. Mildred Moncure.  What fun to know that we are smarter than a 5^th grader!

Showers of blessings to all.  Please attend our next meeting Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

Patricia Barnes, aka Miss Mickey
President

Mark Your Calendar

Fall United Thank Offering Ingathering

Sunday, November 1, 2009

“Let us with gladness present the offerings and oblations of our life and labor to the Lord.”

Book of Common Prayer

Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting

Friday November 6, 2009 and Saturday, November 7, 2009

The Church of the Good Shepherd, Raleigh, North Carolina

Bazaar and Food Fair

Saturday, November 21, 2009

All Saints’ Parish House

· Calling all Crafters!  The craft tables welcome your creative designs of paintings, blankets, needle point, jewelry, etc…  Please contact Sarah Davis and Susan Hodge for more information.

· Calling all Bakers!  The food tables welcome your delicious donations of specialty food items.  Please contact Ruthie Gregory and Sadie Carol Ward for more information.

· Be a Bazaar Donor!  The Vintage Boutique and The Estate Room welcome your items of cocktail dresses, evening gowns, wedding dresses, tuxedos, sets of dishes, glassware, jewelry, teapots, silver trays, etc…  Please contact Angela Allen, Sally Pierce, and Sally Hardison for more information.

· Gowen and Ward Cook Off!  Eat more pig!!!  This great duo will cook minced barbecue and Boston butts, savory flavored with their special sauce.  Pre-sale will begin Wednesday, November 4, 2009.  Please contact Vickie Irby and Ruthie Gregory.  (Look for more information in Ruthie’s article.)

Food Fair
Saturday, November 21, 2009
9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Chuck’s Delicious Barbeque will be for Sale!!!

Chuck Gowen has informed me that we will have his delicious barbeque again this year.  We will sell by the pint for $7 and Boston butts for $25.  Both are really good and can be frozen for later use.  Take orders from your friends and include yours, then call the office (Vickie) so that Chuck can get an idea of how much he should cook.  Orders should be in by Monday, November 16, to guarantee your purchase. Come by and visit us that day because we have some good social cooks who help a lot.

We will have our Food Fair and Sale on November 21, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Please be thinking of what you might prepare and, in some cases, start preparing now.  I would love to get an idea of the food items that we will have for sale.  Please give me a call so we can communicate on this matter and I can answer questions you might have. (Ruthie 537-9278)  One year I bought some delicious sugar free peach jam or preserves, and I would love to get some again.  I will be making sweet hot mustard and Christmas tree sweet rolls, which I have made for years and used as Christmas gifts.

We want lots of items with a good variety. Thanks so much.   Ruthie Gregory

Fun Facts

Did You Know?
Poor Richard’s Almanac, Ben Franklin’s collection of aphorisms, was printed in at least 145 editions and six languages before the end of the 18^th century.  By his own admission, Franklin wrote only about one in ten of his sayings; the rest were adapted from other sources.  (New Yorker, January 28, 2009)

Forget Retirement
Because no one can afford to retire, says columnist Gail Collins, we should get used to the idea of a 75-year-old person fixing our car or removing our tonsils.  In fact, we should start thinking of everyone as 20 years younger than they actually are.  “Then you will feel much better when the 80-year-old postman delivers you mail and it includes a request for money from your 38-year-old offspring doing post-post-post doctoral work at Ohio State.”  (New York Times, February 12, 2009)

Supersized At the Pentagon:
25,000 employees
200,000 phone calls made each day
1,000,000 e-mails sent each day
3,705,793 square feet of office space
17.5 miles of corridors
131 staircases
4,200 clocks
691 drinking fountains
284 lavatories

Source: Andrew J. Bacevich, The limits of Power (Metropolitan Books)

EYC

We will hold our regular  Sunday night meetings, 6:00—7:30 pm, throughout November.

****************
Volunteers Needed

The EYC is still looking for people to volunteer to bring meals for the youth.  Even if you are not the parent of a current EYC member, we would love for you to get involved!  Contact Summerlee at 330-35-6176 or Summerlee.walter@gmail.com.

Thanks!

The Best Way To Pray

A priest, a minister and a guru sat discussing the best positions for prayer, while a telephone repairman worked nearby.
"Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray," the priest said.
"No," said the minister. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."
"You're both wrong," the guru said. "The most effective prayer position is lying down on the floor."
The repairman could contain himself no longer. "Hey, fellas," he interrupted. "The best prayin' I ever did was when I was hangin' upside down from a telephone pole."

Matthew 25:14-30
The gifts of God for the people of God…

We are well into our annual pledge drive.  The hidden talent in Matthew’s Gospel reminds me that our failure to invest our talents means no growth.  The Master received back only what he had provided.  That isn’t the way God wants us to live.  God wants us to take our talents and gifts and creatively invest them so that we can continue to grow and flourish.  If we bury our talents and don’t use them, then we will lose the ability to use them, and we also forget how to perform the task.

God calls us to use the gifts and talents that we have been given, not to allow them to grow idle or stagnant.  When we use our gifts, then we are practicing good stewardship.  That’s when we boldly invest our talents in order to build up the kingdom of God.  God knows that faith and works go hand in hand; we really can’t have one without the other.

Right now at All Saints’, we are working to explore our gifts and talents.  Our talents have changed over the years’, talents have come and gone, new talents are among us and more talents are still ahead.  We, like many other liturgical churches, have suffered the loss of people, and we are finding ways to attract them back and/or finding new people to sit in our pews.  When we are afraid to try new things, or become too fixed on keeping the old ways of doing things, then we miss our opportunity to live fully into the gifts and talents that God has given us.

I recently read a study claiming that churches or organizations seeking growth often sabotage themselves because they have a hard time committing to the change.  In our instant gratification society, it is easy to throw in the towel and move on.  New ideas need time to take root; sometimes it takes months, and sometimes it takes years.  This cultivation takes patience from experienced people.

As we approach the end of our church year, let us prepare for growth.  God has given us a variety of gifts, both temporal and spiritual.  We are called to use these gifts to further the growth of the kingdom.

Growth means change.  Change requires commitment, patience and perseverance.  We are trying, we have people with vision who are taking steps to try new ideas, and we need to commit to supporting them in their endeavors without pushing for instant results.  Change is never easy – it can be painful and slow – but remember – no pain, no gain.  God calls us to growth.  Hidden talents do not allow for growth or change.

As I’ve often said, change takes a lot of work.  On November 1, All Saints’ Day, it will be nearly 100 years since the first worship services were held in our church building.  I look around the church and I see that we have many old and treasured traditions within these walls that have become an important part of who we are.  Now, we can implement new ideas that will become part of our traditions and will lead us into the next 100 years here.

So, let us be ready.  Let us share our gifts and talents in new and innovative ways.  Let us share so that we can take our talents and build up the kingdom of God.

Margie

Music and Liturgy Notes for November
Long Advent
by Jim Lee 

Oh great,” I said sarcastically as I looked at the calendar for November and December.  “A long Advent.”  Of course, I did not mean it was really a long Advent; there are always four Sundays in Advent.  But sometimes, based on the day of the week Christmas falls on, the first Sunday in Advent gets pushed back into November, and, based on the way the Thursdays fall in November, the first Sunday in Advent is also the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.

So what problems does this present to someone who follows the Lectionary and its many moods?  Well, plenty!  The first Sunday in Advent has its own special significance.  We are called away from worldly things to a month of pious expectation.  The Gospel reading from Luke for Advent I reads in part, “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life.”

That’s pretty hard to do when less than 48 hours before hearing this you were elbowing someone to get the last “Tickle Me Elmo” or latest version of PlayStation at a Black Friday discount sale.  The turkey day leftovers are still crammed into all corners of the fridge, and you’re wonder where the Christmas ham will go when the last of the dressing has been consumed.

And what about church on the Sunday after Thanksgiving?  Many of us will be traveling after a big holiday weekend with relatives or a last pre-Christmas getaway.  The Advent wreath and the Advent calendar will just have to wait one more week while we get settled back into our routines at work and at home.

Here’s a suggestion.  Enjoy Thanksgiving, and be truly thankful for the wonders and bounties of your life.  But when Sunday comes, even if you’re on the road and not able to attend church, think about Advent.  Think about the expectation of the miracle of our redemption and how we need to be prepared in our hearts to receive the gift of God’s son.  As the days grow darker and shorter, think about the glow from the Advent wreath lighting our way to Christmas.

Advent Wreath Making
Sunday, November 29, 2009

 Calling all families of All Saints’ to attend our
Annual Advent Wreath Making
Sunday, November 29 at 6 pm
in the parish house.

Dinner will be available along with all the items needed to make a beautiful home advent wreath. Please bring your own clippers.

The price for this event is $10 per wreath.

Back by Popular Demand
Christmas Concert set for December 20, 2009, 6:30 pm 

 Mark your calendar for the second annual “Dinner and a Concert” which will be held Sunday, December 20.  Dinner will begin at 6:30 pm in the Parish House, followed by a concert in the Church featuring the Bell Choir, musicians Judith Harris and Danita Barnes, and more!  Stay tuned for more information.

Saints’-On-Wheels provides an opportunity for church members and friends to explore God’s creation….the beautiful world around us… with fun and fellowship.  Usually once a month we take a trip in the church van. Please call Vickie at the church office (537-3610), if you wish to go. The cost per trip is $10 to cover gas. Snacks, drinks, and bottled water will be provided.  Meals, admission fees, and other personal purchases are extra.  Parents must accompany their children.

Thursday, November 19th
Southern Supreme Fruitcake Factory, Bear Creek, NC

Travel with us to the showroom of Southern Supreme.  This has become an annual tradition.  We will eat lunch in Sanford and then head to the factory, which is located out in the country.  Their fruitcakes are the best; they are more like nut cakes.  We will leave the office at 9 a.m.


Their website is:

http://www.southernsupreme.com

   December   TBA

Magical Mystery Tour of Lights

We are waiting to take you away. 

Get into the spirit of the holidays by touring our local area to see Christmas lights! See displays both tasteful and, well, you know.  We’ll meet at the Parish House at 7 p.m. for a warm up. Space is limited, so please call to reserve your seat for this, the most popular tour of the year.  There is no charge for this one.

Outreach Notes

November 8th is Outreach Sunday, and our loose offering will go to Kelly Singh.  The Outreach committee will also meet on November 8th after the 11:00 service.  If you have an outreach idea for us to consider, share it with one of our members, or consider joining us!

Drivers Needed to Help  E.B. Odom

E. B.. Odom is in need of transportation back and forth to Duke everyday.  Her treatments will last  for six weeks.  Her first treatment begins Monday, Oct. 26, and treatments should end on Dec. 4.

If you would like to help E.B., please contact Rose Massey,  who is scheduling her drivers, at 537-0227 (home) or 532-3853 (cell),  Your prayers and help with transportation are greatly appreciated.

Kiosk
 

On November 12 at 4 pm in our Parish House, the Lake Gaston Village Foundation will hold a group discussion concerning the possibility of forming a Lake Gaston Retirement Village.  This is a non-profit organization formed by area residents and volunteers from local churches that is investigating the feasibility of building a retirement community at Lake Gaston.  This facility would offer cottages, apartments, assisted living, skilled nursing care, and a memory support center—all on the same campus.  Members of the foundation will be meeting with small groups of local individuals for about an hour to discuss their ideas about retirement living and understand their views on the desirability and need for a retirement community in this area.  Any interested persons are welcome to join in this discussion.

Hampton Manor Assisted Living and Memory Care located at 320 Broughton Street in Gaston, NC, has requested volunteers who could visit, read, or even lead a bible study for their clients to please contact them.  Vickie has the contact info at the parish office.

Prudential Long Term Care Insurance is available through our Church Pension Group.  Those eligible include: actively-at-work clergy, lay employees, eligible retirees 71 years of age or younger, vestry members, and eligible volunteers who work 20 hours a year, plus their spouses, domestic partners, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, grandparents-in-law, and children age 18 and older and their spouses.  Enroll Now!  October 9—November 17, 2009.  Long-term care encompasses the help or supervision provided for someone with severe cognitive impairment or the inability to perform the activities of daily living:  bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring, and continence.  Services may be provided at home or in a facility, and care may be provided by a professional or informal caregiver, such as a friend or family member.  The parish office has more information if you are interested.

Let us pray for those who have died, especially Betty Mooring.

O God, who knowest the necessities of all thy children: We pray thee to have in thy holy keeping those precious souls, nearest and dearest to us, who have departed this life in thy faith and love.  Provide for all needs, sustain and comfort them, protect them from all ill, and grant them eternal joy in thy service.  Give them peace and rest in thy presence, and bring them to that glorious perfection promised to thy saints; for the sake of him who died and rose again for us, thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Christmas Poinsettia Sale to Support Handbell Program Expansion

As many of you know, it is a tradition at All Saints’ Church to adorn the altar and sanctuary with vibrantly red poinsettias during the Christmas season.  This year, when you purchase a poinsettia to help beautify our church, you will also support our Handbell Program.  The Handbell Program, under the direction of Danita Barnes, is anxious to expand. They would like to buy four new treble bells, which will enable the program to accommodate new members.  Proceeds from the poinsettia sale will go toward the purchase of these bells.

The poinsettias will be sold for $15.00 a piece (same price as last year), and must be ordered in advance by the first week in December.  If you would like to purchase one or more of the flowers, please complete the form and mail it, along with your check, to the Parish Office on or before December 1, 2009.   Thank you in advance for your support of the Handbell Program and the beautification of the church.  If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Danita or any member of the Handbell Choir.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

POINSETTIA PURCHASE FORM

PLEASE MAIL THIS FORM, ALONG WITH A CHECK, TO THE PARISH OFFICE BY DECEMBER 1, 2009.

635 Hamilton Street, Roanoke Rapids, NC  27870

Name:  ____________________________________________________________________________

Person or Persons giving the Poinsettia.

I will purchase _______________ poinsettia(s) for $15.00 each.          Total Enclosed: $ ____________

Complete this section for publication in the service bulletin on Christmas Eve:

This poinsettia is given to the glory of God and in memory of, in honor of, and/or in thanksgiving for.

in memory of: _______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Print the person (s) name you are remembering.

in honor of: _______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Print the person (s) name you are honoring.

in thanksgiving for:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Print the person (s) name or event for which you are offering thanksgiving.

St. Gabriel’s Guild

I have established an email communication list for us to use to share news and information quickly with other members of All Saints' Church.   It's called St. Gabriel's Guild, named for the patron saint of messengers!

To join the group, simply send an email to: stgabrielsguild@yahoogroups.com

You will receive an email from Yahoo groups that will give you instructions for joining our group.

Once you become a member of the group, you can send email messages to all of the members of the group at one time by addressing your email message to: stgabrielsguild@yahoogroups.com

I will serve as the moderator of this group (until someone else volunteers!), and I have set up the following guidelines for participating in the St. Gabriel's Guild.

1)This group will be open to any member of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Roanoke Rapids with an email address who chooses to join the Guild.

2)This email group is intended to supplement our communication among All Saints' members, not to take the place of any existing communication tools, such as the Telephone Committee.

3)The St. Gabriel's Guild has been established to communicate news, events, concerns, prayer requests, etc., of interest to members of All Saints' Church. Forwarding jokes, spam, junk mail, chain letters, or any inappropriate emails to the St. Gabriel's Guild email address is prohibited.

Let me know if you have questions about the Guild.  I hope St. Gabriel's Guild will grow into another important and meaningful ministry of All Saints'!  Please join us!