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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA April 2010
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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA April 2010
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Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
You are enthusiastically invited to participate in our Holy Week and Easter celebrations.
Last month, at the Vestry retreat, I was asked to state my vision for All Saints’ Church. The first thing that came into my mind was for us to be a community that is joining God in God’s mission of reconciling all creation back to God’s self. I then began fret that this was too simplistic, so I began to add examples and specifics and quickly got a list of about 20 bullet points of my vision. It now felt way too scattered. All I wanted to say is that we are invited to be loved by Jesus and to share that love with others.
Holy Week and Easter is our core story. I can spend lots of time trying to explain it, but it is much easier to invite others to come and experience it. Our Holy Week and Easter services are our way to express the love of God in Jesus Christ and God’s invitation to join in that love.
I do hope you will be able to join in as well.
Peace,
Tom
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell will be having its annual Hike for Humanity to the top of Mt. Monadnock, on May 22. This year, participants can opt to have the funds raised go to help the people of Haiti and/or Chile. An All Saints' team for this event will be an opportunity for us to do something together, as a parish, to help the victims of these devastating earthquakes.
If you'd like to participate, contact David Shochat (978-290-0412 or shochatd@yahoo.com).
The Memorial Garden is the area just outside the Narthex. It is Memorial because a number of former parishioners are buried there.
Every year we invite people to donate funds to support the garden for the summer season. Most of the money goes to plants selected by the gardening committee and maintenance of the garden. If you are interested, please write a check to All Saints' Church and mark the memo space Memorial Garden.
If the donation is in memory of a loved one, their name will be acknowledged in the bulletin and in Saints Alive.
The Garden Committee
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Mar 29 to Apr 3 |
Morning Prayer for Holy Week |
7:00am in the Chapel |
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Apr 1 |
Service for MAUNDY THURSDAY, with Stripping of Altar |
7:30pm in Main Sanctuary |
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Apr 2 |
GOOD FRIDAY |
noon service in the Chapel 7:30pm service St Mark’s Westford |
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Apr 3 |
EASTER VIGIL with adult baptisms |
8:00pm in Parish Hall |
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Apr 4 |
Services for EASTER DAY |
7:30am 9:00am 11:00am |
Yard Sale is coming! It is hard to believe, but spring is here. That means it is time to start planning for the annual Yard Sale. This year it will be held on May 15th, 8AM-2PM. This is one of the church's major fund raising efforts. It will again be held in conjunction with the Plant Sale, led by Carol Douglas. As you do your spring cleaning, please keep in mind that we will be accepting donations of household items, books, pictures, toys and games, bikes, tools, outdoor items, etc. We will not be accepting electronics, bowling balls, or skis as they do not sell and then we have to pay to get rid of them.
We will be setting up on Friday, May 14th from noon on. Donations may be brought to the church the week before and left in the foyer. We will need help setting up, at the sale itself, and especially for cleanup which will be after church on May 16th.
Please contact Lois Freeman at loissf@comcast.net with any questions, offers to help, or donations.
Save the Date! Saturday May 8 everyone is invited to an Evening in Italy.
An Italian dinner will be served at 6:00 pm in the parish hall and Illumination Opera will transport you to Naples via festive Neapolitan song at 7 pm in the sanctuary with dessert to follow. Tickets will be sold at coffee hour or by making a reservation by contacting Ron or Carol Cannistraro at 978-256-0929 or carolron@comcast.net before Monday May 3rd or see us after Church on Sundays. The dinner is limited to 100 people. Reservations are required so we can plan for plenty of food.
Ron and Carol Cannistraro
978-256-0929
We will again have a Plant sale in conjunction with the Spring Yard Sale. As you get your garden ready this spring, would you please pot up perennials that need thinning and bring them to the Sale? The planned date of the sale is May 15th. You will be hearing more but we wanted to give you early warning.
Any questions, please call or email Carol Douglas (978-256-3237) (ndouglas3@verizon.net).
For details of the Yard Sale, you can contact also Lois Freeman at loissf@comcast.net.
The second annual
“Jubilee Celebrates Africa” Dinner
May 1st, 2010, 6:00 PM
Church of Our Redeemer, Lexington
6 Meriam Street, Lexington, MA
Jubilee Celebrates Africa: The second annual Jubilee Celebrates Africa Dinner, Saturday, May 1, 6 p.m., at the Church of Our Redeemer in Lexington. It will be an evening of traditional African food, music, storytelling and fellowship, with live and silent auctions and a marketplace of handmade African crafts. Cost $35.00. All proceeds benefit the Jubilee Ministry of the Diocese of Massachusetts in supporting education, nutrition, health care and economic stability in East Africa. Contact the Rev. Tom Barrington for more information and to arrange carpooling. To register please go to www.diomass.org and follow the links to Support our Partners in Africa.
South Lawrence: In March, the Chelmsford Cluster of RIM successfully helped an Iraqi family of five move into a new home in South Lawrence. Special thanks to all those from All Saints’ who helped furnish their kitchen. Also, thank you to the Thrift Shop for letting them come and pick out some warmer clothing. They are living in a duplex owned by their cousin. Their cousins are officially sponsoring them so our work has been limited to helping furnish the apartment.
Iraqi Family: The Chelmsford Cluster is planning to sponsor another Iraqi refugee family who do not have any relatives in the USA. They will be living in Lowell and we will not only help furnish their apartment but we have agreed to help them settle in, find work and learn how to live in a new country. We do not know when they will arrive, but we expect it to be in the next couple of months. (The date is set by the UN and the State department. We will be given about a two-week notice.) Right now Rev. Tom is our representative to the Chelmsford Cluster. He is looking for one or two others who will be willing to assist him as we help sponsor this new refugee family. Please contact him if you are interested at asctom@gis.net.
RIM in Chelmsford: The Chelmsford Cluster or RIM includes Trinity Lutheran Church, First Baptist Church of Chelmsford, Central Congregational Church in Chelmsford, the Congregational Church of Billerica, All Saints’ Church and a few other individuals.
We have blocks of 30 seats for the Sunday August 1st (1:30PM) Spinners baseball game at Le Lacheur Park in downtown Lowell. All tickets are $5. The seats are in section 117 along the third base side. If interested in tickets, send an email to matt@odic.com, call 978-340-7677, or see me after church. Go Spinners! Matt Hickcox
SaintsAlive has received (many thanks to Ruth Canonico) a forwarded announcement for a very worthy fundraiser:
Dear Friends:
CTI is gearing up for our 8th Annual Carnival Fundraiser to Prevent Homelessness, taking place on Thursday, April 22nd. This event helps us to raise money to prevent homeless. With the economy in turmoil and unemployment on the rise, our services have helped to keep hundreds from becoming homeless in the past year. This year we will need to raise more funds than ever to meet the rising demand for services in the community. The state has cut many programs that help us keep people housed, which means that what we raise from this event may be all we have to prevent homelessness in the coming year. We need Carnival to be a big success…
This year we are significantly behind in our fundraising efforts compared to where we were last year. We need to match or exceed the amount raised last year in order to meet the rising demand for services. If your church or synagogue is able to help with this request, please contact me, Brent Rourke at 978-459-0551 x219 or brourke@comteam.org.
Best regards,
Brent Rourke
Mr. Rourke attached the following announcement:
HELP PREVENT HOMELESSNESS – Community Teamwork Inc.’s 8th Annual “Key West” Carnival Fundraiser to Prevent Homelessness will be taking place on Thursday, April 22nd at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Join the folks from CTI for a great night of Caribbean fun, including dinner, dancing, and great music. Tickets are $100 each and admit up to 4 people. Each ticket purchased enters you in a grand prize drawing for $10,000. All proceeds help to prevent homelessness in The Merrimack Valley. There will be raffles, silent auctions, and other great prizes, all for a great cause. So don’t miss this fantastic event. Call CTI at 978-459-0551 to order your tickets today.
The Environmental Stewardship group has been very busy this season:
· They've put a green box in the narthex which will be for the disposal of compact fluorescent (spiral) light bulbs with mercury switches.
· Also, they've purchased for the use of the congregation a 'Kill-o-watt' meter and a thermal imaging meter to test how well your home does with electricity and heat. These will allow you to see where your utilities dollars are going and at the same time, save energy.
· And get your fashionable "Green is Easy" All Saints' T-shirts, which can be purchased for $10.00 each. We'll wear them in church on Sunday, April 18th (rain date Sunday, April 25th), and, after the service, we'll go out to clear the trash off of Chelmsford Center and Route 110. All are invited along for this event, which is timed for the beginning of Earth Day Week. Please plan to attend. This is the first cleanup All Saints' has participated in this year, though according to the Environmental Stewardship (ES) group, not the last.
We'll need a pickup truck to pick up trash bags on that day, as well as a light lunch for the participants, and we hope someone in the congregation will come forward.
Thank you!
Please join us in Environmental Stewardship. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 21, at 7:30 pm at the church.
We’ll be learning, teaching, and doing the things we’re capable of to support the earth.
Humans, in their arrogance and limited vision, have upset the balance of nature. But believing that all paths lead to God, including paths that God created in nature, gives us hope. We’ll be involved in local area cleanups; nature walks; education; and special projects.
Are you ready? Not many of us are. We can help you face this uncertain future with a little more knowledge and confidence.
So again:
Please join us in Environmental Stewardship. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 21, at 7:30 pm at the church.
One more environmental stewardship notice? One more reminder? One more calendar event? Or, as was the case a month ago in “this” space, an announcement titled “One Ringy Dingy”?
One: “One more step, my savior, one step more…”
One: just one more kind word spoken…
ONE: the organization that caused my switch in hotels because their dynamic fundraiser, Bono, was in town (if you happened to be in Maputo the week of St. Patrick’s Day, 2010!)
Some reunions are totally unexpected. Like the one hope I harbored in March, to visit the one little village in Inhambane from which Bernard Mizeki hailed. With the “free” weekend I had, work ended up being done, and review of a detailed map showed why the plan was not feasible at all. But the following Thursday, I was invited to visit a dam. (This is a big deal when you’re a dam engineer!)
Now, when you’re in a busy city, driving out in a hurry, you just don’t have the camera ready when you come across a dozen or so members of the Mothers’ Union in their distinctive uniform, hurrying to their charitable work about town. It might have made a good picture to bring back for All Saints’ to see. At about the same point on the return journey, our host mentioned that he himself was originally from Inhambane, although he had left with his family when he was about four years old.
And back to “one”: the way we’re all supposed to be. Not yet a perfect “one”; just nearly “one”: not yet “one in the spirit, one in the Lord”; but in our broken plans and glimpses of perfection we may yet see how we can improve the unity of our world.
And take that one next step to build bridges, fix our relationships, fix our broken world. For now, we have just one world; just as we have only one life.
Patrick Blumeris, editor
From the Associate:
One of the many gifts of my time here at All Saints’ has been a deepening love for the season of Easter. Preaching during the 50 days of Easter, as well as discussing the gospel lessons each Sunday morning brings home to me that Easter is not simply one day or even an event as I understand events—something I can dress up for and know the right time to show up, knowing just what I’m supposed to do. Easter is new life and new creation, coming not out of the cycles of human existence, but the redeeming action of God. Year after year I fall more in love with the stories of the disciples fumbling to relate to the resurrected Jesus. They worship and doubt, both at the same time. They grieve and they fear. They recognize him. They rejoice beyond any rejoicing they have experienced before. They are transformed. They go fishing. And finally they just wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
For five weeks, beginning Wednesday April 14, I invite you to come to an adult formation program, Easter: Promise and Threat. We will meet in the downstairs Meeting Room for a light supper at 6:30, followed by the program from 7:00- 8:30. I will open each session with a presentation, and then we will have time for questions and conversation. The topic, as you can imagine, is rich with hope and with challenge—hence a threat as well as a promise. We will look at St Paul’s proclamation of the Resurrection (the earliest New Testament writings), the appearance stories in the gospels, counterfeit images of resurrection, Easter as apocalyptic hope, and the practices of a resurrection community. I look forward to sharing these evening with you!
in peace,
Amy Hunter
Associate for Adult Christian Formation
Upcoming Formation Dates and Events
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Mar 29 - Apr 3 |
Morning Prayer for Holy Week |
7:00am in the Chapel |
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Apr 1 |
Service for MAUNDY THURSDAY, with Stripping of Altar |
7:30pm in Main Sanctuary |
|
Apr 2 |
GOOD FRIDAY |
noon service in the Chapel 7:30pm service St Mark’s Westford |
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Apr 3 |
EASTER VIGIL with adult baptisms |
8:00pm in Parish Hall |
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Apr 4 |
Services for EASTER DAY |
7:30am 9:00am 11:00am |
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Apr 12 |
Worship Commission meeting |
6:30pm in Parish Office |
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Apr 13 |
Prayer as 1st Resort |
7:30- 9:00pm in Blue Room |
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Apr 14 |
Easter: Promise and Threat |
6:30pm light supper |
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Apr 21 |
Easter: Promise and Threat |
6:30pm light supper |
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Apr 24 |
Deanery Confirmation |
10:00am at All Saints’ |
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Apr 25 |
Family-friendly service |
4:30pm in Main Sanctuary |
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Apr 28 |
Easter: Promise and Threat |
6:30pm light supper |
Praying through the day — and through our lives
The past few months and concluding this month, Prayer as 1st Resort has used the monastic tradition of stopping every three hours to pray as a lens through which to look at prayer and at our movement through our days. None of us has taken up praying set prayers at seven set times of day – at least to the best of my knowledge – but as a group we have come to a richer understanding of God’s invitation to us to be intentional about praying and to be aware of the many ways God is present to us.
We have looked at the seven traditional hours of monastic prayer and reflected upon them as images for our own lives.
First, Vigils or Matins, prayers said in the late, late hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning. We talked about the worries that keep us awake at night or the reasons, day or night, that we are asked to keep watch for someone or something. This monastic hour reminds us that God is always keeping vigil for us and with us, that we are cherished and that we are never alone in our watching.
Lauds, Prime or Morning Prayer, prayers said at daybreak or at the beginning of our day. This hour invites us to practice being awake, to anticipate resurrection, and to give our days to God.
The Little Hours or Daytime Prayer, the practice of taking time during the day to stop and praise God. There are three of these hours, Terce or Third Hour in midmorning; Sext or Sixth Hour at midday; and None or Ninth Hour in midafternoon. We talked about the invitation simply to praise God, to be glad for God simply for God’s own sake and not for any benefit we might gain.
In April we will look at the final two hours, Vespers or Evening Prayer at the close of the day and Compline or Night Prayer. Our conversation will start with two questions—How does God invite us to stop and rest? And how are we called to let go, both of what has been done and what has not been done.
Prayer as 1st Resort meets on the second Tuesdays of each month, 7:30- 9:00pm in the Blue Room. We welcome you and hope that you will join us!
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19
In 1998 The Prayer Shawl Ministry, an ecumenical organization was created, with an enduring message of caring and love. Prayer Shawl Ministries are varied and dispersed but are bound together with a common charter, united in prayer and service. Shawls have a long and beautiful tradition of providing shelter, warmth, and comfort and have come to symbolize these things for us.
All Saint’s Prayer Shawl Ministry will create and distribute prayer shawls to those in need of comfort, support, and healing. Perhaps you know someone today who is grieving, battling an affliction, or fearful and alone in a troubled world? Imagine them wrapped in a soft, colorful shawl, imagine them sighing as the fibers settle on their shoulders – a tangible reminder of God’s presence in their lives. The Prayer Shawl Ministry calls us to let our hands be God’s hands – to use our knitting or crocheting talent and our prayerful intercessions to bring comfort.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Volunteers in the Prayer Shawl ministry at All Saints will come together once a month to gather in prayer, bless the shawls that were crafted that month, share in our journeys, support each other’s efforts, and discuss Prayer Shawl Ministry business. Meetings will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month, and will run from 7:00-8:00 pm. All are welcome.
Please contact Deb Forsberg at Dforsberg@juniper.net with questions and to sign up to receive Prayer Shawl Ministry notices.
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
· Chaz Freeman, Lois Freeman’s son
· Al Gorham, at home
· Doug Grant at home, chronic back pain
· Ken Hunter, Brian Hunter’s father
· Bea Iams, Sunny Acres
· Lillian Doris Johnson, Loisann Grant’s mother, at D’Youville Manor
· Bob Moorehouse at Nashoba Park#2 in Ayer
· Dora Smith, Betsy Eisenmann’s mother
· Phyllis Page, at Chelmsford Crossing (from Amherst, MA)
· Priscilla Smith at Willow Manor in Lowell
· 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
We had been organizing a mission trip to Maseno Kenya this summer for two weeks in late July & early August. We had been seeking a team of 4-8 individuals to be guests at St. Philip’s Theological College in Maseno, Kenya, hosted by Missionaries Nancy and Gerry Hardison. This is where Tom stayed during his sabbatical in 2006. We would have experienced the Mothers’ Union orphan feeding program, and visited the Maseno Mission Hospital. We hoped to visit Elphas Wambani, who taught here at All Saints’ last year. People were casting about for community service projects that our small team might have done while there.
Since air fares have recently doubled, our plans have been shelved, and we will need to talk, share stories, pray and be inspired through less direct contacts.
The Hardisons will not be breaking routines to host our team. The task being set aside for us remains something that people nearby will need to tackle. Elphas, whose patience and counsel we know, will know to wait. And we will still support our faraway friends with paper beads and faraway tales … and feeding program funding.
Until a direct visit is possible, we might want to choose a Nyahela name off the bulletin board outside the parish office, and think about that one Kenyan contact, and write to them, and pray for their well-being. If you write, though, enclose the materials for a reply, and be prepared for a long wait. The address is in the previous column.
We need to remember the many mealie meal porridges there are in even half an airfare.
Patrick Blumeris
Thank you to Margaret Geanisis for providing the following list of resources…
Website of the Month:
http://www.dayspring.com/ecards/ This is my favorite source for free e-cards. They have cards for: holidays, special occasions, care & concern, "just because", and church ministries. They also have special collections cards which include ones featuring Christian music, Really Woolley featuring sheep and Max Lucado cards. The cards all have scripture quotes and most are animated with musical backgrounds. They are perfect way to brighten someone's day and bring a smile or laughter.
Books of the Month: Irish Saints, Fiction
Patrick Son of Ireland : a novel.
Brigid of Kildare : a novel / Heather Terrell.
I've linked these books together in one article because all three saints were contemporaries of each other, though Brigid was younger (she was baptized and made bishop by St. Patrick).
All the stories are well researched and show these saints as real human beings. You can also even trace bits of Anglican theology to these ancient roots. I've read Brigid of Kildare, which tells her story interwoven with a rare artifact-find set in the present. Patrick, son of Ireland includes his life between the time he left Ireland after being a slave and his return (Lawhead has departed from his usual Christian Sci-Fi). Brendan's story is more one of legend and is beautifully told by one my favorite authors, Morgan Llewellyn.
CD of the Month: Recommended by Maggie Marshall
Sing Ye Heavens - Hymns for All Time
Cambridge Singers (Artist), John Rutter (Artist)
This has all your favorite classic hymns arranged by the incomparable John Rutter and sung by the Cambridge Singers. I just doesn't get better than this - I've already ordered my copy!
Pastor Rev. Mwaura has asked us to pray for political stability in 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.
Bob Bishop Carl Clark Joan DeChane
Laura Geary Edith Parekh Connie Pawelczak
Sean Seyffert Chantelle Somers Mike Thompson
Scott Bempkins, Senior Warden
Liz Landers, Junior Warden
Cynthia Bennett, Treasurer
Gail Laundry, Clerk
(All phone numbers are area code 978 unless indicated)
Church Office...................................... 256-5673
Senior Warden....... Scott Bempkins...... 877-8966
Junior Warden........ Liz Landers............ 256-9681
Treasurer............... Cynthia Bennett..... 256-5673
Clerk..................... Gail Laundry.......... 250-4031
Acolyte Director.... Clem Cole.............. 251-1296
Adult Education...... Amy Hunter........... 459-3418
Altar Guild............. Liz Landers............ 256-9681
Buildings and…….. Scott Bempkins...... 448-6872
Grounds Dave Cahill............ 250-3592
Christian School.....Laura Marshall…....256-1460
Elizabeth Danieli..... 256-3044
Melissa Flewelling...250-8164
Coffee Hour.......... Matt Hickcox......... 448-0931
Endowment ........... Derick Gates ………250-1569
Environmental Stewardship
Committee............. Bill Moreau .............250-4028
Fellowship.............. to be filled……..... 256-5673
Finance Interim...... Derick Gates.......... 250-1569
Handbell Choir …. Debbie Psilopoulos... 256-0797
Music Minister....... Maggie Marshall.... 251-1296
Outreach............... Dave Kuzara………256-5484
Pastoral Care......... Ann Kirk............... 251-4547
Saints Alive............ Patrick Blumeris..... 256-9638
SaintsAlive e-mail:.. ........ saintsalive@yahoo.com
Stewardship Interim Derick Gates......... 250-1569
Thrift Shop............. Carol Cannistraro…256-0929
Youth Group.......... Nancy March......... 250-1695
Webmaster............ Richard Coles........ 256-1311
Web site................ www.allsaintschelmsford.org
… for the May 2010 Saints Alive! is
April 18th, 2010
Please leave your articles in the Saints Alive! mailbox in the church office, or send them via email to SaintsAlive@yahoo.com. Thanks.
