From the Rector

One of the delights of this Lent and of preparing for Easter has been the Lenten “flowers.” Thanks to Marilyn Livingston, we have been treated to a delightful, albeit subtle, reminder of the resurrection which is about to happen.

For the first Sunday of Lent, the arrangement was easy to miss. The focus was on the purple banners proclaiming, “The giving up of what we are…For what we may become.” Marilyn made these with extensive help from Joyce Youngberg. Many thanks also to Bob Wilson the Sexton for helping to hang them. You had to look beyond the banners to see the arrangements. They consisted of grey twigs and moss in steel grey vases. From a distance the arrangements on the shelves above the altar disappeared into the grey stones. Only by deliberately looking at them could you tell how artfully they were arranged.

Then, on the third week of Lent, dark green leaves appeared. They could easily have been missed, especially if you had glanced at the arrangements the weeks before; they had become part of the Lenten background. Only if you looked very carefully could you notice the caterpillar quietly minding its own business. As Lent progressed, more leaves appeared. The caterpillars disappeared, replaced with cocoons. As we approach Easter, I cannot wait to see what delights will unfold.

Lent is a time of preparation, of joyful waiting for new life to unfold. I know that I am ready for some new life; this winter has been hard. It can be easy to miss the signs that new life is coming. Now, we must journey through Holy Week and the horrors of Jesus’ death. Even so, new life is about to overwhelm us. I anticipate the emergence of a butterfly, but I cannot imagine what it will exactly look like.

I pray that you have had a deep and holy Lent and that you have not missed the subtle hints of new life. They are about to break forth for all to see and experience. May your Easter be filled with joy and discovery as we experience the new life in the resurrected Jesus Christ.

Peace,

Tom

Memorial Garden

As I sit here in a snow storm, I know spring will be here by the time you get this edition of Saints' Alive. Every spring, we update the Memorial Garden which is the area just outside the Narthex. We supplement the permanent plants with colorful annuals. Parishioners are invited to donate funds in memory of loved ones, to purchase these plants.

If you’re interested, please send your donations to the Church office. Checks should be made out to All Saints' Church with the memo space marked Memorial Garden.

The Garden Committee

Holy Week Apr 5-11

Apr 6-11	Morning Prayer (about 30 minutes)	7:00am Chapel
Apr 9	Maundy Thursday service	7:00pm Sanctuary
Apr 10	Good Friday service	noon Chapel
	Good Friday service	7:00pm Sanctuary
Apr 11	The Great Vigil of Easter	7:30pm Parish Hall
Apr 12	EASTER services	7:30am 9:30am 11:00am

Mission Focus:

Mission Opportunities for

Youth and Adults

With winter ending and Easter coming up soon, it’s time to think about warmer weather. This month we’re highlighting some mission opportunities for youth and adults that will be offered this summer and fall. If you’re looking for a way to help others (and shake off the winter doldrums), take a look at the following opportunities being offered at All Saints’.

West Virginia Workcamp – June 20^th to 27^th – for high schoolers
This is a mission trip to Huntington, West Virginia to help fix the homes of those who cannot afford repairs themselves. All Saints’ participates in this project in partnership with Central Congregational Church. Youth will join work crews for projects that include repairing and replacing roofs, walls, windows and floors, painting homes and adding skirting to trailers.

Downeast Maine Mission Trip – August 9^th to 15^th – for junior high kids
Central Congregational Church has invited All Saints’ to participate in their summer mission trip to Maine. Last year, they built a handicap ramp for a family and helped renovate a garage into a home for a single mom.

Deanery Mission Trip to New York City - August 9^th to 14^th – for high schoolers
The Merrimack Valley Deanery is sponsoring a mission trip for youth to NY city. They will take part in the Youth Services Opportunities Project (YSOP) doing activities such as: prepare and serve meals at soup kitchens; help at clothing and furniture banks; provide recreational activities and companionship to young children; distribute food and supplies at food pantries; socialize and bring snacks to people in drop-in centers.

Mission Trip to Nyahela Sub-parish in Kenya – this fall – for adults
All Saints’ is planning to send a group of parishioners to Kenya in the fall of 2009 to visit our partner parish. We have several people who are interested in going but could accept more if you feel called to join this mission trip. We also urgently need people to help plan and prepare the trip.

If you want to support these efforts but cannot go yourself, there will be many opportunities in the near future to support those who are going with money, effort and prayer. Some upcoming fundraisers for the West Virginia workcamp are:

On April 1^st and 2^nd there will be a “Dining to Donate” event at Applebee’s in Tewksbury, Chelmsford and Westford, Just bring the coupon in this issue of Saints alive to Applebee’s for dinner and a portion of your bill will go to support the workcamp. Coupons have also been distributed in the bulletin and are available at the church office.
On April 25^th there will be a car wash at Central Congregational Church.
On May 2 there will be a talent show and pot luck supper at Central Congregational Church.

Fundraisers for other mission trips will be announced as they are planned. Please contact the church office or Dave Kuzara at 978-256-5484 if you want to participate in any of these mission trips or want more information

Dave Kuzara

for the Mission/Outreach Team

Plant Sale – May 16^th

Once again we will be conducting a plant sale in conjunction with the Parish Yard Sale on Saturday, May 16th. We will be looking for perennials, ground covers, shade- and sun-loving plants, small trees, bushes or whatever you have in your garden you would like to share with us. We also sell anything that is garden-related such as decorative pots, plant hangers etc.

Potting early makes plants healthier on sale day and makes them easier to sell. We can also use plastic pots ASAP to share with those who wish to donate plants.

Plants can be delivered to the church parking lot any time after Wednesday, May 13th. If you have any questions, please call me:

Carol Douglas at 978-256-3237.

Prayer List April 2009

In the Sunday Bulletin under the section on “those in our parish in need of healing,” we list those with more acute needs. Saints Alive carries a list of more “on-going” concerns to bring to God in prayer.

We will keep the description you provide as general or specific as you indicate. Please let us know what you would like included. We also encourage you to clip out these names and keep them in your prayers.

If you would like your name to be added or removed from any of the prayer lists, please contact Darlene in the Church Office.

Those who are at home, in nursing homes or living with chronic illnesses

· Gladys Stephens, Palm Manor Nursing Home

· Florence Frye at Palm Manor Nursing Home

· Eleanor Ferreira at home

· Mary Buote at home

· Bea Iams, in rehab at Sunny Acres

· Dora Smith, Betsy Eisenmann’s mother

· Priscilla Smith at Willow Manor in Lowell

· Doug Grant at home, chronic back pain

· Chaz Freeman, Lois Freeman’s son

· Debbie Anderton, Dora Carr’s daughter

· Bob Moorehouse at Nashoba Park#2 in Ayer

· Al Gorham, at home

· Lillian Doris Johnson, Loisann Grant’s mother, at D’Youville Manor

· Phyllis Page, Chelmsford Crossing, moved here from Amherst, MA

Ministering at Nyahela Sub-Parish in Kenya:

Rural Dean Rev. Jacob Mbunjiro, Dorcus Esilaba, Shem Bwonya, Elizabeth Osiolo, and Phanice Otenyi, Chairlady of the orphan feeding program.

Nyahela sub-parish currently receives SaintsAlive. If you would like to write directly to them, please note their address:

ACK: Anglican Church of Kenya

ACK NYAHELA PARISH

P.O. BOX 201

LUANDA - KENYA

CODE : 50307

Adult Christian Formation

Upcoming Formation Dates and Events

Apr 5	PALM SUNDAY
Apr 5- Apr 11	HOLY WEEK
Apr 6- Apr 11	Morning Prayer (about 30 minutes)	7:00am Chapel
Apr 9	Maundy Thursday service	7:00pm Sanctuary
Apr 10	Good Friday service	noon Chapel
	Good Friday service	7:00pm Sanctuary
Apr 11	The Great Vigil of Easter	7:30pm Parish Hall
Apr 12	EASTER services	7:30am 9:30am 11:00am
Apr 14	Prayer as 1^st Resort	7:30- 8:45pm Blue Room
Apr 26	Youth Ministries training	3:00- 6:00pm Cranberry Room

From the Associate for Adult Christian Formation:

As I write these thoughts, my mind is on the Cross — an appropriate topic for Lent and especially for Holy Week. It has nourished my mind and soul (and wonderful suppers have nourished my body!) to take part in this year’s Lenten program, a study of the apostle Paul, his thought and work and influence in the early church right on through until our time. Reading Paul’s letters, which are a significant chunk of our New Testament scriptures, one cannot escape the Cross. For Paul, the Cross explained everything. It converted him from trusting his own accomplishments and honor and righteousness. It challenged and overcame all the power bases he knew, whether religious or economic or cultural or political or even cosmic. It enabled him to face and endure hardship and conflict. Most of all, the Cross revealed the unfathomable love of God for all people (not just good people or educated people or one group of special people) and for the whole created order. Paul writes in his first letter to the church at Corinth, “…I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (I Cor. 2:2)

Holy Week, when we the Church remember — that is, intentionally call to mind and seek to participate in — the events of Jesus’ last days, dying, death and Resurrection, is our opportunity to join St Paul in knowing the power and the freedom of the Cross. I hope that you will dive deeply into the worship offered at All Saints’ beginning on Palm Sunday (April 5), continuing with Morning Prayer Monday through Saturday in the Chapel, with the remembrance of the last Supper and the stripping of the altar on Maundy Thursday, and with sitting with the horror and grief of Jesus’ death on Good Friday. The deeper we enter into these stories of Holy Week and let them shine their light upon the brokenness and fear and failure of our own lives, the more we are able to know and celebrate the astonishing joy of the Resurrection on Easter with the great Vigil on Saturday evening, April 11 and on Sunday morning, April 12.

I hold you in my prayers as you continue your Lenten journey into Holy Week and then into the light and glory of Easter. May we, like Paul, know the power of the Cross.

in peace,

Amy Hunter

Prayer as First Resort April 14

You are invited to join Prayer as First Resort on Tuesday, April 14 and on any second Tuesday of the month, 7:30- 8:45 in the Blue Room. This group offers support, safety and sanity to folks who are seeking to live their Christian faith in their day to day lives — at home, in the community and at work. This month the group will explore the various cycles in our lives—seasonal and personal — and how we experience God’s presence in change and stability. Our conversations are always rich and rewarding, and the group welcomes newcomers. For more information, please talk with Lynne Grillo or Amy Hunter.

Youth Leadership Training
Second in a series

Spiritual Practices and Worship with Youth
Sunday April 26, 2009, 3:00 – 6:00 PM

followed by a light supper

Led by Kit Lonergan, Director of Youth Ministry, Diocese of Massachusetts – Youth are often heard complaining that Church is boring. This does not mean that they do not have deep spiritual longings. This workshop will combine theory and practice of worship with youth.

For more information please contact the Rev. Tom Barrington at asctom@gis.net.

Doing God’s Work

Reception for Gerry and Nancy Hardison, Missionaries, Serving in Maseno, Kenya

Friday Evening April 17^th at

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bedford

All are welcome. Stay tuned for further details.

To learn about the Hardisons and their work, see http://www.masenomissions.org.

Information about the work of Jubilee Ministries of the Diocese of Massachusetts can be found at http://www.diomass.org/mission/AIDS_in_Africa. You can also subscribe to the Jubilee Ministry’s quarterly e-new report of the web site.

“Feed the poor”… and you might be surprised with some of their artwork, sent in grateful thanks to All Saints’ Church, from Phanice Otenyi, chairlady of the MU orphan feeding program at Maseno.

The End of Holy Week

After the battering rains of summer, there is often a comfortable dry season in Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, before the cold of May, June and early July approaches. This coincides with late Lent, but, Easter being as movable as it is on the calendars from one year to the next, it isn’t always clear whether this will be during the school term, or the school vacation. The Easter weekend itself begins with a public holiday on Good Friday.

One Easter Saturday, I found myself near the main branch of the Harare City Library, waiting for the lights to turn to green. It was a quiet holiday weekend, with few cars on the streets. On Thursday and Friday, I had attended services at our parish to commemorate the Last Supper, and the Crucifixion. Easter and the Resurrection would follow the next day.

In the middle of the intersection was a suspended four-directional light that, like the lights on metal posts at the four diagonal corners of the intersection, still showed a red light for me. It was a hot day, and, near noon, the sun was almost directly above.

Beneath the suspended light, where Rotten Row and the library access road come together, there was the cross-shaped shadow of that suspended light. Like the light itself, it reminded me to wait, just a little longer.

When the wait is over, and we reach April 12 (this year) remember: Happy Easter!

Patrick Blumeris

Editor

Vestry Members

Vestry Members

Cynthia Bennett Bob Bishop Andrea Bray

Carl Clark Liz Landers Edith Parekh

Sean Seyffert Harry Taplin Mike Thompson

Lois Freeman, Senior Warden

Scott Bempkins, Junior Warden

Melanie Hickcox, Treasurer

Derick Gates, Clerk

Parish Contact List

Church Office........ 978-256-5673

Senior Warden....... Lois Freeman

Junior Warden........ Scott Bempkins

Treasurer............... Melanie Hickcox

Clerk..................... Derick Gates

Acolyte Director.... Clem Cole

Adult Education...... Amy Hunter

Altar Guild............. Liz Landers

Buildings and…….. Deb Dutton

Grounds Dave Cahill

Christian School..... Laura Marshall

Elizabeth Danieli

Coffee Hour.......... Matt Hickcox

Endowment ........... to be filled

Environmental Stewardship

Committee............. to be filled

Fellowship.............. to be filled

Finance.................. to be filled

Handbell Choir……Ellen Jewart

Music Minister....... Maggie Marshall

Outreach............... Dave Kuzara

Pastoral Care......... Joy Chadwick

Saints Alive............ Patrick Blumeris

SaintsAlive e-mail:.. ........ saintsalive@yahoo.com

Stewardship........... to be filled

Thrift Shop............. Carol Cannistraro

Youth Group.......... Nancy March

Webmaster............ Richard Coles

Web site................ www.allsaintschelmsford.org

Submission

… for the May 2009 Saints Alive! is

April 19^th, 2009

Please leave your articles in the Saints Alive! mailbox in the church office, or send them via email to SaintsAlive@yahoo.com. Thanks.