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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA December 2009
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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA December 2009
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From the Rector
It’s that most wonderful time of the year – the time when we look forward, vocally, to the “real reason for the season.” The Senior Choir welcomes seasonal singers for Lessons and Carols (December 13, 4p.m., snow date December 20) and/or for 10p.m. Christmas eve. Rehearsals will be on Thursdays: November 19, December 3, and December 10 from 7:45 – 8:45 p.m. and on Saturday, December 12 at 12:30 p.m. All vocal parts are welcome, and the ability to read music is a plus since we’ll be learning a lot of music in a short time. Please contact me at maggie@ccc.com if you have any questions.
We’d love to have you!
Maggie Marshall, Minister of Music
Please join us on Sunday, December 13 at 4p.m. (snow date 12/20) for our annual service of Lessons and Carols. All three vocal choirs and our handbell choir have been working hard to bring you wonderful music for this special time. Through story and song, the story of the birth of Jesus will be told.
Christmas Eve
4:00 PM Pageant and Holy Eucharist
10:00 PM Candlelight Eucharist with Senior Choir
Christmas Day
10:00 AM Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
All Saints’ invites you to a special celebration of the joy of Christmas on December 27, the first Sunday after Christmas. There will be a Eucharist without music at 8:00 a.m. At 10:00 a.m., rather than the usual service, we will continue our celebration of Jesus’ birth through special readings and congregational singing of favorite carols. There will be no Eucharist or sermon. Our hope is that the service will be imaginative, joyful, and rich with the light of the season.
I love the hymn Will You Come and Follow Me by John Bell and Graham Maule. The simple melody beckons, but it is the lyrics which really speak to me.
Will you come and follow me, if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown,
in you and you in me.
The first time I volunteered to teach in a church school program I was anxious. A busy working mother of three I barely had time to prepare for the lessons! I knew I didn’t have all the answers to all the questions those inquisitive children might challenge me to answer. I was certainly going where I didn’t know. But armed with my lesson plan, the reassurance of more experienced teachers, and the hope that I was following God’s call to volunteer; I set aside my personal fears and simply began sharing in the journey of Christian formation with those fourth through sixth graders. And what an adventure we had together! My fears were replaced with the weekly installments of bible stories, anecdotes, laughter, and serious moments of sharing as we learned to find the messages of the bible verses, parables, and lesson plans together. I learned that the most important gift that I imparted to those children lay more in my commitment to them and my willingness to share the journey with them than it did in perfect answers or impeccable bible knowledge. And truthfully? They taught me so much! Young people have an amazing capacity for spirituality and it was a joy to understand the lesson better through their eyes week after week.
Will you let your love be shown,
will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown,
in you and you in me.
Put simply, our journey, which began in the black and white of a weekly lesson plan, became a mutual sharing and growing in Christ's love for us all.
Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In your company I'll go where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move
and live and grow
in you and you in me.
Why do I volunteer in the church school at ASC? The journey continues and there are many more stories to share, moments to illuminate, and so much more room to grow. Perhaps you would like to join us?
Peace,
Deb Forsberg
Opportunity for Giving
This year the always-generous parishioners of All Saints' will have a double opportunity to help some children in need who live in the area. As we have for years, we will be doing the Angel Tree Program, where we buy gifts for children of parents who are in prison. This helps to heal and strengthen the parent-child bond, which can be very important in the child's development even under strained circumstances. Also, many of the parents or other family members caring for the children at home often are struggling financially.
We also provide gifts for children served by Child and Family Services of the Merrimack Valley, where parishioner Jennifer Knapp-Hernandez is the adoption supervisor. Jennifer explains that the agency is contracted by the Department of Children and Families to provide case management and adoption recruitment services for DCF children with the goal of adoption. "Our children are between the ages of 1.5 and 16.5. Some are in pre-adoptive homes, while others are still in foster care awaiting a family."
On Sunday November 22, after both services parishioners may select specific gift requests which have been made by or on behalf of the children. The gifts should be returned to the church by December 6 in open gift bags. Complete instructions will be available.
I know this year has been financially challenging for many in the parish as well as in the wider community. We always have a mix of requests, some as simple as crayons and drawing tablets. There are also non-monetary ways to help. Volunteers to help check in and sort gifts will be needed after the 10:00 a.m. service on December 6, and a few delivery volunteers will also be needed in the days afterwards. If you would like to assist, you can just show up or contact Angel Tree Coordinator Stephanie Ackert for more information, 978-314-0938 (cell), 978-663-5188 (home) or sackert1@comcast.net.
Please keep these children in your prayers as we work to share God’s love with them in this special way.
4th Annual Gingerbread Fair:
Houses Around the World.
All Saints’ Church in Chelmsford wants you to travel the world through Gingerbread. We are calling on all youth groups, community groups, church groups, individuals, bakers, schools and anyone else who would like to build a home – out of gingerbread, that is – or out of anything else which is edible. This year’s Gingerbread Village display to support Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell will be Dec 5th and 6th at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Chelmsford.
The theme is inspired by Habitat’s commitment to building homes around the world. There are so many very different houses in the world. Build one of your choice or join us in the Builders Challenge and choose a Habitat home and display your creation in the Habitat Global Gingerbread Village. HFHGL has a list of countries along with pictures of homes to help inspire your creativity as well as learn about the work Habitat is doing in those regions. All types of houses and skill levels are welcome.
For additional information on this event and/or to register go online www.allsaintschelmsford.org or contact Habitat at 978-692-0927 or email info@lowellhabitat.org.
All Saints' Episcopal Church and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell are non-profit organizations. All donations to this event are tax deductible. We ask for a donation of $5.00 per family to visit the display.
Upcoming Formation Dates and Events
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Dec 5- 6 |
International Gingerbread House Display 2009 to Support Greater Lowell Habitat for Humanity |
Parish Hall |
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Dec 8 |
Prayer as 1st Resort |
Blue Room |
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Dec 13 |
Service of Lessons and Carols |
4:00pm |
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Dec 19 |
Advent Quiet Day |
Cranberry, |
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Dec 20 |
Service for the Longest Night |
Cranberry Room |
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Dec 24 |
Christmas Eve Family Service |
4:00pm |
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Christmas Eve Service with Choir |
10:00pm |
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Dec 25 |
Christmas Day |
Chapel |
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Dec 27 |
Services for the First Sunday after Christmas 8:00am Eucharist |
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Dec 28 |
The Holy Innocents |
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Jan 6 |
The Feast of the Epiphany |
Evening service |
In November 2005 I took a class with a renowned Quaker scholar, Ben Pink Dandelion (oh yes, there’s a story to go with that name!) about the history of Quakerism. Along with others, Ben is struck by the apocalyptic roots of the Quakers and how expectation of the imminence of the Second Coming shaped their worship and practice. I returned home four years ago with my head filled with a new vision of the apocalypse, not as a time of calamity and destruction, but of the joy of experiencing God and God’s Kingdom with such immediacy that one cannot imagine the world continuing to roll along in its old, familiar ways. “All I hear from you,” Tom told me one day, “is apocalypse, apocalypse, apocalypse!”
Last month I returned to the Quaker retreat center Pendle Hill for another class with Ben Pink Dandelion, only to find that he is branching out from his scholarly persona these days and was leading a retreat about the joys of Quakerism (he and the group were most hospitable to this Episcopalian) rather than teaching a class. He offered participants the chance to meet individually with him if we wished. Ben is extremely British and reserved and encouraged retreatants to use that time for silent worship together. Instead, I read him a poem I’d written about longing for the apocalypse and getting Christmas instead. We had a marvelous conversation about what it means to long for the inbreaking of God and God’s Kingdom into this world.
This fall a group of us were beginning to plan for December. Tom said, “In Advent we can focus on…” “The apocalypse!” I suggested. “Actually, I was thinking of the Incarnation,” he reminded me.
The season of Advent invites us to make space for both. Advent prepares us for the celebration of the Incarnation, the amazing grace of God who does not stand far off from humanity and our condition but has come to us as one of us. Advent also asks us to long for the apocalypse, that is, for the coming of God’s reign here and now in this time and place. We pray this Advent theme every Sunday when we say the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
There are so many invitations to stop, wonder and worship this Advent season. From the whimsy of Gingerbread to the glorious music of Lessons and Carols to reflection at the Quiet Day to remembering the sorrows that the holidays can magnify at the Service for the Longest Night — I urge you to make space for the hospitality of Advent and in doing so to create space in your heart and life for the coming of Jesus Christ.
in peace
Amy B Hunter
Associate for Adult Christian Formation
Prayer as First Resort, December 8
Prayer as First Resort meets the second Tuesday of every month, 7:30- 9:00pm in the Blue Room to support one another in practicing the Christian faith in our daily lives. Participants asked for a session about the End Times, and Advent seems the perfect time for that discussion! If you are curious about apocalyptic thought or want to find out about this group, I urge you to join us on December 8th. Lynne Grillo and Amy Hunter co-lead this group and would be happy to talk with you about it.
Advent Quiet Day, December 19, 8:30am- 2:00pm: Hospitality as the Heart of Advent
Advent Quiet Day is a unique experience at All Saints’. The day is designed for folks to come for the day, or for an hour, or even just for lunch at noon. We begin with coffee, tea and pastries at 8:30. Then we open each hour with a reflection and a prayer, with the group invited into silence until ten minutes to the hour. During the silence folks are welcome to pray, read, write Christmas cards, sew, sleep! In short, any worshipful task that allows you to be in quiet reflection. We break at noon for lunch together, then spend one last hour in reflection, silence and wrap-up.
The theme for our day is Hospitality. Advent asks us to welcome the Christ Child. How can we be hospitable to the divine? What does that hospitality mean as we look at those around us, those who are close to us and those who are strangers, even enemies? I hope that you will give yourself the gift of taking even just an hour for quiet reflection and fellowship. Come and step more deeply into the hospitality of Advent!
Sunday, December 20, 5:00 pm in the Cranberry Room, Worship Service for the Longest Night
For many folks, the holidays are a tough time, highlighting a sense of loss and exclusion at what can feel like a relentlessly cheery time. The service for the Longest Night or “Blue Christmas” creates a space for us to bring those feelings and our losses before God and into community and prayer. This is the second year that All Saints’ is offering this service. Those who attended it found it nurturing and uplifting. Please join us as we once again gather for a simple, quiet service for the acknowledgement of loss and the desire for hope.
A wonderful group of people came together on a rainy Saturday to do the work of making 100 pies, both apple and blueberry. Thank you so much for all of your support and help over the years. Some of you have been coming ever since we started making these pies over 20 years ago and I appreciate your continued faithfulness. Thanks are also due to all who helped behind the scenes by contributing money to buy the ingredients. As a result of your generosity all money from the sale of the pies will be profit.
Faithfully yours,
Esther and Vi
“The Gospel,” began the incantation in my home parish, “is taken from …” and in sing-song fashion the GOOD NEWS of a new covenant is shared. The singing, our confirmation classes reminded us, was to stress the GOOD NEWS. This used to be a clear clue to people who couldn’t follow the services in Latin that a Very Important Part of the service was beginning. Times were very different once (see Margaret Geanisis’ summary of the King James Conspiracy, elsewhere in this SaintsAlive! issue.) But we sang the Gospel well into the twentieth century, and I expect many parishes still do, not at every service, but often enough. We had news so good the priests would SING it.
Leave the “eye for an eye” mentality to a previous covenant in which only select priests might have access to Solomon’s Temple’s Holy of Holies, behind curtains, and only on special occasions. Here, being SUNG, was the reason that we can all speak directly with God, with the expectation that He will listen and guide us and our endeavors.
But even in the Old Testament, God advises us to leave “getting even” to God. God required the Jews to have patience while Babylon controlled their destiny: God’s people would their exile end, in God’s time, not on their schedule (Jer 29); God reminded them that their strength, even when far away from home, lay in support of the common good … not in rampaging, not in violent acts of retribution. And that’s the way things were supposed to be, BC.
So when we the church find problems in our members’ actions, or even in wider society’s actions, we need to look charitably at the “problem people” to see how God is working in them. God is working in them, and we should be prepared to suffer seventy times seven times while we approach those problem people. Zeal for doing good made a murderer of Moses (Ex 11:11-12), before a certain burning bush incident (Ex 3:2), and a mass murderer of Saint Paul, before a brief blinding episode.
There are church pastors in Nigeria who freely point out little children as worthy of death for being witches. For one or two months’ wages, these pastors will perform “exorcisms”, but will not stand in the way of adults who, once the pronouncement of witch-hood is made, choose to execute the children. These are children whose only crime is that their parents cannot feed them. These pastors lead churches with promises that praying to Jesus will make people financially rich.
Now, when Jesus encountered people who truly were possessed, the people ended up in a much improved state, even if in the Gergesenes, a bunch of wild pigs ended up drowning (Luke 8:26-39). And when the 12, and later the 72, were sent out (Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:1-2), there were no reports that deaths resulted. Even the rich man who went away saddened (Luke 18:23) had new insights into himself that he could use to make changes in time. It doesn’t seem that assailing one’s own, or one’s neighbors’, children really is “the Christian way.”
And “Thou shalt do no murder” (Deut 5:17) in the commandments, and “Suffer little children to come unto me” (Luke 18:16) in the (sometimes SUNG) words of Jesus Christ … these might be the most powerful arguments to use against those who “divine” witches and seek to destroy little children. On December 28, we recall the Holy Innocents: with our prayers for this group we may add these Nigerian outcasts, spurned and too often killed by their villages.
We all, even Jesus, were children once. Just a few days after Christmas, we will want to pray for His (and our) Father’s will to be done.
Patrick Blumeris, editor.
SaintsAlive! routinely includes a column with prayers, including prayers for those "ministering at Nyahela Sub-Parish in Kenya." We also need to think prayerfully about Lois Freeman and Tom Barrington who are preparing for Ministry in Kenya. Lois and Tom remain of a group of five who have been planning this trip. Please pray for at least one other to join this mission—and prayerfully consider whether God is inviting you to come to Kenya.
O God, You have made of one blood all peoples, to live in
creation, and sent your blessed son Jesus Christ to preach peace to people both
near and far: Help all your people to seek your will and find you; and hasten,
O Lord, the fulfillment of your promise, to pour out your Spirit upon all
flesh; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Kenya trip is scheduled for January 2010.
In the Sunday Bulletin 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.
· Eleanor Ferreira at home
· Al Gorham, at home
· Bea Iams, Sunny Acres
· Lillian Doris Johnson, Loisann Grant’s mother, at D’Youville Manor
· Chaz Freeman, Lois Freeman’s son
· Doug Grant at home, chronic back pain
· Bob Moorehouse at Nashoba Park#2 in Ayer
· Edwin Redman at home
· Dora Smith, Betsy Eisenmann’s mother
· Priscilla Smith at Willow Manor in Lowell
· Phyllis Page, at Chelmsford Crossing (from Amherst, MA)
· Gladys Stephens, Palm Manor Nursing Home
Ministering at Nyahela Sub-Parish in Kenya:
James Mwaura, Pastor. Rev. Mwaura has asked us to pray for political stability 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
Our fourth visit from our friends in Wolverhampton, England is fast approaching. Fifty students, ages 12-18 and six staff will be coming to us on February 12 and leaving on February 17. This coincides nicely with our school vacation.
This is the concert band from St. Peter’s Collegiate School in Wolverhampton, England, and they will be first flying to NYC to play several concerts there, and then coming here to sightsee and play several times.
We are looking for host families to take 2 or more students or adults, and I have a list of paired students by age. Host families can be empty nesters, families with children the same age, families with young children, or just about any other combination that might exist. English homes, in general, are smaller than ours, so you don’t have to worry if you don’t have a lot of extra space. The emphasis is on the opportunity rather than providing a 5 star hotel feel!
Extra beds are not mandatory, since air mattresses, futons, and couches can also be used.
While they are here, you will be incorporating them into your family life, and will also be responsible for getting them to certain places at certain times like the Senior Center for a lunchtime concert, All Saints’ for a day trip to Boston, and other events.
These kids have never seen much snow, so their coming at this time of the year is a real treat for them.
Please contact me if you are interested in hosting. A brief informational meeting for those interested will be held after church on 12/7 in the choir room.
Maggie Marshall, Minister of Music.
maggie@ccc.com
Thank you to Margaret Geanisis for providing the following list of resources.
Website of the month:
www.5minutesforfaith.com
5 Minutes of Faith For Moms Everyday is a biblically based web-site which features blog type daily meditations written by contributing moms from all around the globe. Some are stay at home, some work out of their home and some have several jobs. Most entries are short and perfect for busy moms to need and want a daily spiritual lift.
"Here at 5 Minutes for Faith, we strive to be a little different. Every day we all face struggles, disappointments and difficulties. We sometimes feel as if we are on our journey alone … that is where we want to make a difference in your day. We want to share God's love and grace with you on the days when you need it the most."
Book of the Month:
The King James Conspiracy
Image from www.amazon.com
What if, in the original Hebrew gospels, there were secrets so shocking that revealing them could be disastrous for the Church of England? And what if there had been a fiendish conspiracy to prevent the creation of the King James Bible, a conspiracy of men so desperate to keep the buried secrets from being exposed that they would stop at nothing, not even murder? That’s the premise of this exciting and thought-provoking novel, set in 1605 and featuring a large cast of real-life characters. The only completely fictional character is Brother Timon, who is hired by the translators to find out who is trying to stop the translation. Timon is a compellingly multilayered character (we spend most of the book trying to decide if he’s a good guy or a villain). Like Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, which also involves murder and religion, the novel is a splendid mixture of history and mystery, with vibrant characters and some solid twists and turns.
DVD of the Month
Image from www.amazon.com
This inspirational drama recounts a period in British history unfamiliar to most Americans. In fact, his eye-opening biography of 18th century abolitionist William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) is likely to come as a revelation to many Britons, as well, but it is a powerful story. The title comes from John Newton's hymn "Amazing Grace.” Newton (Albert Finney) was a former slaveholder, who became a clergyman and spent his days repenting. Wilberforce and Newton helped to abolish slavery in the UK. Amazing Grace reserves its focus for the politicians who risked their reps for the greater good, like Wilberforce and Prime Minister Pitt and is an amazing tale of how faith can transform the world. This is not a new DVD, but one which needs to be in everyone’s collection.
When we’ve finished reviewing the evidence, I doubt we’ll know for sure what the star at Christmas is all about. It was there for men to follow, but is gone. It drew from the east, faithful regal well-wishers, to welcome a new and less temporal king into the world.
Like the star, kings come and go. And sometimes get replaced. There aren’t too many monarchies with political power these days. Recently, a few African tribal kings gathered to make social pronouncements, but the press coverage was of their unusual garb, not their sentiments.
When we do look to wise men and women, or to guiding principles, let them guide us, like that no-longer visible heraldic star, to see our duty, in sharing our treasure with Jesus. May we learn that the sharing is itself the treasure!
Patrick Blumeris
Editor
Vestry Members
Vestry Members
Bob Bishop Andrea Bray Carl Clark
Liz Landers Edith Parekh Sean Seyffert
Harry Taplin Mike Thompson open position
Lois Freeman, Senior Warden
Scott Bempkins, Junior Warden
Cynthia Bennett, Treasurer
Derick Gates, Clerk
Church Office........ 978-256-5673
Senior Warden....... Lois Freeman
Junior Warden........ Scott Bempkins
Treasurer............... Cynthia Bennett
Clerk..................... Derick Gates
Acolyte Director.... Clem Cole
Adult Education...... Amy Hunter
Altar Guild............. Liz Landers
Buildings and…….. Scott Bempkins
Grounds Dave Cahill
Christian School..... Laura Marshall
Elizabeth Danieli
Melissa Flewelling
Coffee Hour.......... Matt Hickcox
Endowment ........... Derick Gates
Environmental Stewardship
Committee............. to be filled
Fellowship.............. to be filled
Finance Interim...... Derick Gates
Handbell Choir …. Debbie Psilopoulos
Music Minister....... Maggie Marshall
Outreach............... Dave Kuzara
Pastoral Care......... Ann Kirk
Saints Alive............ Patrick Blumeris
SaintsAlive e-mail:.. ........ saintsalive@yahoo.com
Stewardship Interim Derick Gates
Thrift Shop............. Carol Cannistraro
Youth Group.......... Nancy March
Webmaster............ Richard Coles
Web site................ www.allsaintschelmsford.org
… for the January 2010 Saints Alive! is
December 20th, 2009
Please leave your articles in the Saints Alive! mailbox in the church office, or send them via email to SaintsAlive@yahoo.com. Thanks.
