​Rearranging Some Spaces
 
As many of you already know, we are gearing up for a return to in-person worship, albeit in a limited capacity and with a number of safety restrictions in place. And it is so very tempting, in our excited anticipation, to allow ourselves to think of this new phase we’ll be entering into as if we’ll be “finally getting back to normal.” That, unfortunately, will still not be the case for some time. Covid is yet with us, and while more and more people are getting vaccinated against the virus every day, the risks are still far too great for us to jump back into life as it was prior to March of last year.
 
Even so, grace—and good news—abounds! If we continue to mask, to observe social distancing, to get vaccinated as soon as we are able, and to follow established safety procedures, there is every reason to believe that we will continue to see improvements in the numbers. And one day, we will reach a point at which we can finally come back together in our beautiful church to pray and to worship without restriction. It will happen.
 
But there is even more good news than that. Namely, that we now have before us an incredible opportunity. We have the opportunity at this time to do more than merely try to “get back to normal”; we have the opportunity to determine with faithful intention exactly what we want our “new normal” to be.
 
As we finally begin to move through and beyond this time of pandemic, we can explore, imagine, brainstorm, and otherwise faithfully discern what we’d like to get back to … and perhaps also what we’d like to do differently. We have an incredible chance, now, to lay the foundations for an exciting new chapter of vitality and growth in the life of All Saints Episcopal Church. Now, that might sound like a tall order, but I’ll tell you truthfully that I’ve seen this parish accomplish amazing things over the past twelve months, and I’ve seen y’all do that under the worst conditions of this pandemic. Grace does indeed abound in this place!
 
So on the teeniest, tiniest scale, I have begun my own little experiment in exploring how things might be different as we come back into our church building. In preparing to resume in-person worship, I’ve transitioned from working completely from home, as I have for most of Coronatide, to working two days a week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) from the church. And when I started coming back into the office on a regular basis a few weeks ago, I suddenly had an idea about rearranging the space in which I was working. Basically, I decided to try switching out the “office” and the “library/conference room.” 
 
At the moment, then, my office is now in the room that used to be the library/conference room. It’s my intention to try out using the old office space as a library/conference room/project room. The transition isn’t complete; there’s more arranging to be done to make it all work. But thus far, I think it’s going to be a good change. The new setup already seems to me to be much more conducive to pastoral care and counseling, for one thing, and with doors that open directly into the hallways, I believe it will also be more inviting to anyone who stops by and wants to talk to the priest. Take a look and see what you think.
 
Now is a fantastic time for reimagining, for re-envisioning, how we see the treasures and assets that have been entrusted to us, for considering exciting new ways to appreciate and utilize the resources that we have, as well as for remembering and preserving everything we love and cherish about our parish. I invite you all to enter into this period of discernment with faith, joy, and eagerness. God is here, in the midst of our parish; who knows what the Holy Spirit is already working to stir up in us as we come back together and rekindle our shared faith in our shared space?

Lenten blessings to all!
 
For the remainder of the program year, Sunday School and Youth Group will be exploring lessons surrounding “The Way of Love” through “Faith @ Home”, offered through Forward Movement and Forma. If you’d like to explore the materials, which are offered for adult-preschool, adult-elementary, adult-youth, adult-adult, CLICK HERE. These are designed to use at any time during the liturgical year and are free to all.
 
We are still in need of secondary adult support on Wednesday evenings for our Youth Group gatherings. We meet from 7:00-7:45pm via Zoom. If available and willing to assist, contact Erin Wolf for more information.
 
Care Packages for college-age/young adults: If you have a college-aged student and/or young adult ages 18-24 that would like to receive a care package on behalf of the All Saints Youth Ministry, please send their name, current mailing address, and any allergies/dietary restrictions to Erin Wolf at asygappleton@gmail.com by Sunday, March 21. We’d like to get packages in the mail before Easter, if at all possible. Thank you!
 
FDL Summer Camp: If safe enough to offer camp in-person, we will be heading to Waypost Camp in Hatley, WI (east of Mosinee and southeast of Wausau). Our group will be the only one on-site during our time there, and there are lots of cool new activities and program opportunities available to use, including a low ropes initiative course, gardening/composting, and bread making.
 
At-home camp activities will still be made available for families who are unable to join in-person, yet still want to be connected. If conditions become such that it is not safe to offer in-person camp at all for 2021, we will return to the Camp @ Home model from 2020.
 
COVID-19 precautions and safety measures will be put in place, and we are working with Waypost Camp, Crossways Camps, our diocesan COVID-19 Task Force, and guidelines set out by the American Camping Association to help provide as safe an environment as possible.  Registration, volunteer staff applications, and more details coming soon. Updates will be shared via official diocesan channels – diocesan website, FDL Summer Camp webpage, diocesan Facebook page, @diofdlyouth Instagram account, and Scattering Seeds newsletter.
 
Senior Camp (completed grades 9-12 & high school 2020 grads): June 20-26, 2021
Middler Camp (completed grades 6-8): June 27-July 1, 2021
Junior Camp (completed grades 2-5): June 27-July 1, 2021
Kinder Camp (ages 4-7 with adult): July 1-3, 2021
 
Have a safe and blessed rest of the week, all!

An Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent
 
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
 
The Lenten season is upon us!  As of Ash Wednesday, we bade adieu, for a while, to the green of ordinary time which we’ve enjoyed in the season after the Epiphany, and we have now embraced the purple that ever reminds us of the inner reflection and penitence that are the hallmarks of the journey to Easter.
 
As you may know, the observation of Lent as a liturgical season has its origins in the disciplines and practices of the early Church.  Easter, the great feast celebrating the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, was understood from the earliest days of the Christian era to be a proper and fitting time for new converts to the faith to be baptized. 
 
Preparation to receive the sacrament of baptism involved a great deal of prayer, instruction, study, prayer, contemplation, penitence, and prayer, in a process that took up to two full years.  And the final forty days leading up to the converts’ baptism at Easter marked a period of particularly intensive prayer, fasting, prayer, devotion, prayer, penitence, and prayer (notice a theme developing here?).
 
As Christianity became culturally dominant, eventually more people became Christian by being born into families that were already Christian than by converting as adults.  With that shift, the forty days leading up to Easter became a time of fasting, penitence, and (you guessed it) prayer for all Christians in preparation for the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord.  In the modern age in the West, we begin our observance of Lent with the liturgy of Ash Wednesday, which allows for a period of forty days—not counting Sundays—leading up to the Great Vigil of Easter. 
 
(Sundays are not considered part of Lent because every Sunday is a feast day of Jesus Christ and celebrates His resurrection; that’s why we describe each of them as, for example, the “third Sunday in Lent,” rather than the “third Sunday of Lent.”)
 
In preparing our hearts, our minds, and our souls, as well as our congregation and our community, for the highest of high holy days, the single most important feast in the entire Christian religion, we intentionally observe these forty days as a time for introspection, reflection, discipline (a time for us to be “disciple’d”), self-control, self-denial, and intensive prayer.  In particular, we deliberately focus our attention upon our own mortality (right from the beginning with Ash Wednesday), our own heavy burden of sins (our specific individual sins and the collective stain of sin upon our communities, the burden of which we share simply because we are part of those communities), our need for Jesus as savior, and the importance of discipline as we seek be become ever more deeply conformed to Christ in our own lives.
This particular year, however, as many of my friends and colleagues have observed, it hardly feels like Lent is the start of a “new” season; emotionally (and even spiritually) for many of us, it feels as if Lent, 2020, never actually ended, and that this year we are simply moving into some sort of Lent ~ Phase II.  That feeling, I think, is quite understandable.  The pandemic that has isolated us physically from each other and cut us off from worshipping in community together has imposed upon us an array of sacrifices and disciplines that have significantly changed the way we live our daily lives.
 
How, then, do we even consider moving into a meaningful observance of a holy Lent this year?  What more can God ask of us?  … we might cry to the heavens.
 
We might just as well turn that question around, though:  What more can we offer God?  Is there anything that we could do that would ever be enough?  Coming at the question from that angle might change our calculus somewhat, yes?  And we must remember, moreover, that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus ~ there is nothing we need to (for there is nothing we can do) on our own to achieve or earn our salvation.  It is a free gift from God.
 
Discipleship, however, is another matter entirely.  That is work, and it is work that is never finished, not in this earthly life.  Even something as seemingly simple as prayer is often hard work.  One of my favorite stories from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the Fourth Century puts it like this:
 
The brethren also asked Abba Agathon, “Amongst all good works, which is the virtue which requires the greatest effort?” He answered, “Forgive me, but I think there is no labor greater than that of prayer to God. For every time a man wants to pray, his enemies, the demons, want to prevent him, for they know that it is only by turning him from prayer that they can hinder his journey. Whatever good work a man undertakes, if he perseveres in it, he will attain rest. But prayer is struggle to the last breath.”
 
To what works, what struggles, are we called this Lent, coming as it does on the heels of such hardships already? 
 
My friends, as we begin our Lenten journey together, as we make our way this year to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, I invite you prayerfully to consider that our work for this year’s Lent may be a true repentance, a true turning.  This Lent, let us begin by transforming our hearts and our minds to see the hardships imposed upon us by Covid-19 not as unjust impositions and unfair burdens that we are forced to bear because we’re scared of getting sick, but rather as sacrifices we make and disciplines we willingly take on because we love each other and all of our fellow human beings, we respect the dignity of each and every human being, and we truly desire to serve God by safeguarding the people around us.
 
In other words, I’m not asking you to take on any additional burdens, to make any additional sacrifices.  I’m asking us all to “turn around” how we see all of the hardships we’re currently enduring, to make them into the disciplines and sacrifices of a holy Lent, offered up in devotion and service to the One who sacrificed everything of himself for us on the cross of crucifixion.  Let that be the Way for us who would follow Jesus through Lent to the glory of Easter.
 
Peace and blessings to you all,
Christopher+

Greetings, family and friends of All Saints!
 
February is Black History Month, and as such, a list of resources has been assembled for families & individuals to explore for further learning both within and outside of the Episcopal Church. These resources are available via the Resources webpage of the All Saints Youth Ministry website or by CLICKING HERE.
 
We are still in need of secondary adult support on Wednesday evenings for our Youth Group gatherings. We meet from 7:00-7:45pm via Zoom. If available and willing to assist, contact Erin Wolf for more information.
 
Students in grades 5-12: Mark your calendars now! We are having a combined youth group Zoom gathering with students from around the diocese on Wednesday, February 24 from 6:30-7:30pm. Please be sure to check your email for more details. I know this means some of our younger students won’t be able to participate, but this is in keeping with age & grade appropriate content and having some events worth waiting for.  : )
 
FDL Summer Camp will, God-willing, be offering in-person sessions this summer if safe enough to do so. If this is indeed the case, we will be heading to Waypost Camp in Hatley, WI (east of Mosinee and southeast of Wausau). It is one of three camp locations that make up Crossways Camps, an ELCA camping ministry with offices located in Appleton, WI. Our group will be the only one on-site during our time there, and there are lots of cool new activities and program opportunities available to use, including a low ropes initiative course, gardening/composting, and bread making.
 
At-home camp activities will still be made available for families who are unable to join in-person, yet still want to be connected. If conditions become such that it is not safe to offer in-person camp at all for 2021, we will return to the Camp @ Home model from 2020.
 
COVID-19 precautions and safety measures will be put in place, and we are working with Waypost Camp, Crossways Camps, our diocesan COVID-19 Task Force, and guidelines set out by the American Camping Association to help provide as safe an environment as possible.  Registration, volunteer staff applications, and more details will be available in the coming weeks. Session dates & ages are listed below. Updates will be shared via official diocesan channels – diocesan website, FDL Summer Camp webpage, diocesan Facebook page, @diofdlyouth Instagram account, and Scattering Seeds newsletter.
 
Senior Camp (completed grades 9-12 & high school 2020 grads): June 20-26, 2021
Middler Camp (completed grades 6-8): June 27-July 1, 2021
Junior Camp (completed grades 2-5): June 27-July 1, 2021
Kinder Camp (ages 4-7 with adult): July 1-3, 2021
 
Have a safe and blessed rest of the week, all!

Grace and peace, family and friends of All Saints!
 
We are still in need of secondary adult support on Wednesday evenings for our Youth Group gatherings. We meet from 7:00-7:45pm via Zoom. If available and willing to assist, contact Erin Wolf for more information. THANK YOU to those who have helped us since October!
 
At this time, we will continue to gather virtually until further notice. We are following advice put out by Bp. Matt Gunter, the diocesan COVID-19 task force, and All Saints parish leadership. We realize this is not ideal for many families, and we thank you for your continued perseverance and patience during this time.
 
Summer Camp announcements will hopefully be coming in early February. I’ve had a few questions come in about what FDL Summer Camp will look like for 2021 – please stay tuned, and thank you for your patience!
 
Finally, in honor of Inauguration Day today, I ask that families please continue to hold our nation and our leaders in your prayers. Below is a Prayer for Sound Government (BCP p. 821-822).
 
O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth.
To the President & members of the Cabinet, to Governors of States, Mayors of Cities, & to all in administrative authority, grant wisdom & grace in the exercise of their duties.
To Senators & Representatives, & those who make our
laws in States, Cities, & Towns, give courage, wisdom, & foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.
To the Judges & officers of our Courts give understanding and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded & justice served.
And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength & to accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they may elect trustworthy leaders & make wise decisions for the well-being of our society; that we may serve you faithfully in our generation & honor your holy Name. Amen.
 
Have a safe and blessed rest of the week, all!

Epiphany blessings, family and friends of All Saints!
 
Sunday School and Youth Group are back! Our first Sunday School gathering of the new year was this past Sunday, and Youth Group gatherings will resume this evening. Be sure to check your email for fresh Zoom links for each. If you’re not currently on our email list and would like to be, please send a request to Erin Wolf at asygappleton@gmail.com.
 
We are still in need of secondary adult support on Wednesday evenings for our Youth Group gatherings. We meet from 7:00-7:45pm via Zoom. If available and willing to assist, contact Erin Wolf for more information. THANK YOU to those who have helped us since October!
 
At this time, we will continue to gather virtually until further notice. We are following advice put out by Bp. Matt Gunter, the diocesan COVID-19 task force, and All Saints parish leadership. We realize this is not ideal for many families, and we thank you for your continued perseverance and patience during this time.
 
Finally, I'd like to leave you all with a poem by Howard Thurman, The Work of Christmas. This will also be part of our discussion for the next few weeks with Youth Group as we continue hearing stories from scripture and sharing our own. 
 
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.
 
Have a safe and blessed rest of the week, all!

CHRISTMAS EVE, CHRISTMAS DAY, & THE 1ST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
 
My dear friends in Christ,
 
We will have two online services on Christmas Eve:  one at 4 p.m. and the other at 7:30 p.m.  The earlier service will be a celebration of Spiritual Communion with special hymns by and a special message for the younger members of our parish, but of course everyone is both invited and encouraged to tune in and take part.  The evening service will be a traditional service of Holy Eucharist offered on behalf of our parish, our nation, and our world, in celebration of the coming into the world of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
Ordinarily (and by “ordinarily” I mean “in a year not shaped by the worst pandemic in global living memory”), we would have a third service, as well, on Christmas morning.  This year’s being what it is, however, and given the fact that we still cannot gather together in person to worship, we will not be streaming an additional service on the 25th itself.
 
Our bishop, +Matt Gunter, has very graciously but very firmly encouraged the clergy of the diocese to take a bit of unscheduled time off during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  I extend that very same invitation to all of you:  if you can, take this opportunity to rest and recharge immediately after Christmas.
 
The All Saints virtual-office will therefore be closed during that week.  We’ll take a break from regularly scheduled Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline, as well as from our regular Monday and Thursday Bible study and Faith Talk, respectively, in order to have a bit of a Sabbath before we carry on into the new year together.
 
Now, I won’t be on vacation.  I’m not going anywhere (and wouldn’t, anyway, until we’re all nice and vaccinated!); I’ll still be reachable by phone (920.266.9262) and by email (fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com) ~ especially in the case of pastoral emergency.  But I think the bishop’s notion that we ought to lay low and breathe easy for just a bit after Christmas is a good notion, and I think most of us could use the break.  Please use the links below to access worship services from Christmas Day through New Year’s Day:
 
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day diocesan services may be found here, starting December 24th at 5 p.m.:  https://www.diofdl.org/events/christmas-eve-christmas-day-at-the-cathedral
 
For the First Sunday after Christmas (December 27th), please tune in to the livestream service from St. Thomas in Menasha here:  https://www.stthomaswi.com/livestream/
 
Pandemics and shut-downs and virtual reality have made for an … interesting … first year among you as your priest and with you as a new member of All Saints parish.  Despite the unprecedented challenges we’ve weathered since last Advent, I want all of you to know that my family and I are still absolutely delighted to have been called here to serve God amongst you in this congregation and with you out in this community.  This church has been a tremendous blessing to me and mine.  I hope that it will continue to be so for you and yours as we move into the coming year.  God bless you all!

Christopher+

Merry Christmas, family and friends of All Saints!
 
THANK YOU to everyone who gave toys/books/gifts to the St. Nicholas gift drive for Harbor House! In-kind gifts were delivered last week and were greatly appreciated. If you donated online, thank you for that, too! We appreciate the generosity of this community, however that looked for you this year!
 
If you’ve appreciated following daily content on our social media accounts during Advent, you’re invited to stay tuned through Epiphany! The All Saints Youth Ministry Facebook group is sharing posts daily as we follow the “Wandering Wisemen” on their journey through Epiphany. Because it is a public group, you should be able to see the posts even if you don’t have a Facebook account – just click the hyperlink above!
 
Christmas Break: Sunday School will not gather on Sunday, December 27, and Youth Group will not gather on Wednesday, December 30 so families may enjoy the holidays together. Sunday School will resume Sunday, January 3 (9:00-9:25am), and Youth Group will resume Wednesday, January 6 (7:00-7:45pm).
 
O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Collect for The Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day (BCP p. 212)
 
Have a safe and blessed Christmas season, one and all!

My dear friends in Christ,
 
I know that we are still very much in the process of getting to know each other ~ this pandemic has unfortunately slowed that process down to a fraction of what I believe would have been the case had 2020 been a normal year. And that makes it difficult for me to come to you and say, “trust me” … but that’s what I’m about to do.  I’m going to ask you to trust me, because I’m about to take a bit of a risk.
 
Last week, I received an anonymous note, typed in a plain font and without date, signature, or any other identifying mark, from someone who is apparently very dissatisfied … no, more than that ~ quite upset, actually … at All Saints and (though the note doesn’t mention me by name) at me, personally.  I know nothing about the author; I don’t even know for sure that he or she is a member of the parish.  All I can say for sure is that it’s someone on our mailing list.
 
Now, conventional church wisdom, as well as all my seminary training and the advice of many priests who have served for far longer than I, says “ignore it.”  And under normal circumstances, I admit I would probably do just that.  But that’s just it:  2020 is hardly a “normal” year by any metric, and maybe the fact that this year has been so full of crises … is the best reason not to treat this note like I might in any other year. 
 
I believe that whoever wrote this letter is hurting and maybe afraid.  I believe the author feels abandoned, if not outright betrayed, by his or her church.  Y’all, it breaks my heart to know that anyone who’s been connected with our All Saints family is feeling that way.  And to be prevented from reaching out to this person (because I not only have no idea who wrote the note, but I have no way to find out, either!) breaks my heart a second time.
 
So … I’m taking a risk.  I’m not ignoring this anonymous note.  I’m bringing it to all of you, and I’m inviting us to talk about it.  Honestly, I don’t hold out much hope (some hope, but not much) that the mystery author will see this response and be willing to talk with me personally.  I suspect that if he or she were interested in any sort of follow-up communication, he or she would have left a phone number, or an email address, or at least a name …
 
But it seems likely to me that if one person on our mailing list is having such thoughts & feelings, then someone else out there is probably having similar thoughts and feelings, too, and I do hold out a real hope that it’s not too late for us to connect, or at least converse, and see what kind of relationship we can build.
 
So, here’s the thing:  you all need to know that each and every one of y’all can talk to me about anything.  
 
If you’re worried about something, tell me about it.  If you’re concerned about something, tell me about it.  If something in the world has got you scared, talk to me ~ don’t try to carry that burden all alone!
 
And for God’s sake, if you’re angry, even if you’re furious, holler at me!  Especially if what you’re furious about is something that I, as your priest, am doing.  Or not doing. 
 
You’re not going to hurt my feelings (and even if you were, that’s no excuse for me not to listen to you!), and if you don’t talk to me about it, it’s almost guaranteed to get worse, whatever it is.
 
So that’s the general message ~ talk to me!  That’s it.  Just know that you can talk to me, and that I will listen.
 
Of course, I cannot guarantee that I won’t talk back. 
 
I say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but also with a hint of seriousness, as well.  Let me explain…
 
My vocation ~ my job and my calling ~ here with you is defined by my ordination vows.  As the bishop says in the ordination liturgy, I am “called to work as a pastor, priest, and teacher” (BCP 531), and I take those roles very, very seriously.  So you might say that fully one third of my job here at All Saints is to teach.
 
Now, pastoring and teaching are two different things, but my job and calling include both.  Part of my vocation (as pastor) is to provide comfort, support, encouragement, counsel, and healing; and part of my vocation (as teacher) is to provide information, inspiration, challenge, and even gentle correction. Sometimes, I have to be pastor and teacher at the same time.
 
That should tell you two things about me: 
 
First, if you’re concerned, or hurting, or afraid, or angry, about anything, you can come to me and unload everything you’re feeling.  When you’re talking to me, you are safe!  So get it all out, and say what you need to say.
 
Second, I will always speak truth with you.  The Church is God’s house, and our God is the God of truth ~ our God is Truth.  So as Christians, we have to seek the truth, always.  So if you come to me and you’re upset about something that isn’t true, I will hear you and listen to you and comfort you … but I will also, always, be truthful with you.  I have to.  Anything less would be a disservice to you.
 
I mention the importance of truth because, of the four sentences in the anonymous note I received, all four contained statements or assertions that are factually untrue.  Two of them expressed virulent ~ and easily debunked ~ conspiracy theories based upon Q-Anon propaganda.
 
Folks, that won’t do.  Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.”  As his followers, we must constantly guard against letting ourselves be taken in by falsehoods, deceptions, lies, or any kind of distortion of truth.
 
But here’s the thing:  even though the author of this anonymous note got his or her facts completely wrong, nevertheless, the underlying pain, fear, and anger are very real, and they cry out for help, for ministering, for pastoral care ~ they cry out just to be heard.
 
And that is what I am here for.  Literally, it’s my job.  Beyond that, it’s my calling.  It’s why God formed me to be who I am, and it’s why God brought me here to this place. 
 
So if you’re upset, bring it to me, and let’s at the very least share that burden together.  Or if you’re upset at me, then pick up the phone, shoot me an email, or ask for a Zoom meeting so you can be upset at me, to my face.  Again, when you’re with me, you are safe.  So bring me whatever you’ve got, and let’s work through it together. 
 
I love you.  I am blessed to have the opportunity to minister among you and to share with you in the work that God has given us to do.  And I so look forward to walking with you in faith towards wherever God is leading us next.
 
Yours always in Christ,
Christopher+

Advent greetings, friends and families of All Saints!
 
While we are in the second week of Advent, it is never too late to pick up a new spiritual discipline or new way to pray. CLICK HERE for Advent activities to do at home. For those on social media, daily #AdventWord meditations are being shared on the All Saints Instagram account; and the All Saints Youth Ministry Facebook group is sharing posts daily as we follow the “Wandering Wisemen” on their journey - Advent through Epiphany.
 
THANK YOU to those who made holiday greeting cards during our November service project! If you have cards to share with nursing homes & assisted living facilities that you forgot to drop off, please get them to All Saints by the extended deadline, Sunday, December 13.
 
St. Nicholas Gift Drive: A reminder for anyone participating in the St. Nicholas Gift Drive for kids & teens at Harbor House shelter, books may be dropped in the mail slot to the left of the Drew St. doors. Toys and other gifts may be dropped off at the Parish Office Mondays & Thursdays from 9-11am.
 
If you need to arrange a separate pick-up time, contact Erin at 920-918-4007. There are also alternative ways to give online if you and/or your family members are in quarantine. All gifts should be unwrapped, in original packaging, and to All Saints by Dec. 15. Please see the separate St. Nicholas announcement in the newsletter for more information. Thank you to everyone who has already begun dropping off gifts!
 
Christmas Break: Sunday School will not gather on Sunday, December 27, and Youth Group will not gather on Wednesday, December 30 so families may enjoy the holidays together. Sunday School will resume Sunday, January 3, and Youth Group will resume Wednesday, January 6 (Feast of the Epiphany).

Happy Thanksgiving, friends and families of All Saints!
 
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Thanksgiving Day, BCP p. 246)
 
A reminder that there is neither Youth Group tonight, Wednesday, nor Sunday School this Sunday, Nov. 29 due to the holiday weekend. However, as this weekend also marks the first Sunday of Advent, there will be a special Sunday School activity going out Friday for families to check out, and all are welcome to CLICK HERE for Advent activities to do at home.
 
#AdventWord: For those seeking a new way to explore and experience Advent this year, consider checking out #AdventWord, a global, online calendar. Meditations and images will be offered daily through Virginia Theological Seminary each day beginning this Sunday, Nov. 29. These can be found through email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and American Sign Language videos on YouTube. Meditations will be offered in English, Spanish, ASL, and Haitian Creole.
 
Service Project Opportunity: During the month of November, everyone is invited to create holiday greeting cards for those who are in nursing homes/assisted living facilities, as well as parishioners who are mostly offline and/or typically homebound.
 
In previous years with similar projects, students have often created holiday cards and signed them on behalf of the Youth Group and/or All Saints Youth Ministry. If you have holiday cards from years past, such as blank cards from nonprofits or cards that can be recycled (such as a design on the front with a blank back cut along the fold), those would be acceptable as well. Please do not address them to any one person specifically.
 
All cards should be sent to/dropped off at All Saints by Sunday, Dec. 6. Please make sure to note that they are for the service project, and I will make sure they are distributed. Thank you to everyone who has already begun making & dropping off cards!
 
Saint Nicholas – Dec. 6: St. Nicholas will be making his annual visit to All Saints, albeit virtually this year on Sunday, Dec. 6 during our regular service at 9:30am.
 
Gift Drive: A reminder for anyone participating in the St. Nicholas Gift Drive for kids & teens at Harbor House shelter, books may be dropped in the mail slot to the left of the Drew St. doors. Toys and other gifts may be dropped off at the Parish Office Mondays & Thursdays from 9-11am. If you need to arrange a separate pick-up time, contact Erin at 920-918-4007. There are also alternative ways to give online if you and/or your family members are in quarantine. All gifts should be unwrapped, in original packaging, and to All Saints by Dec. 15. Please see the separate St. Nicholas announcement in the newsletter for more information. Thank you to everyone who has already begun dropping off gifts!

My dear All Saints family,
 
Grace to you, and peace, in God the Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ!
 
We are rapidly approaching the start of a new year together.  The last Sunday of November will be the first Sunday of Advent, which this year not only marks the beginning of the Church year, but also the 1-year anniversary of my arrival in Appleton and my stepping into the role of rector for All Saints Episcopal Church.  Safe to say, I suspect, that the nearly twelve months that have passed since December 1, 2019, have not exactly gone the way that many of us would have predicted last winter.  Nevertheless, I want you all to know that my family and I remain overwhelmingly grateful to have been welcomed by you into this parish family, and we continue to thank God for calling us to this place, to this ministry, and to this relationship with all of you.  We are blessed!
 
All Saints is blessed, as well!  Thanks to the grace of God and the faithful efforts and hard work of the Vestry, staff, and lay leadership of this parish, we have weathered the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, managing not only to maintain our worship, fellowship, and formation, but also to expand the scope and range of our ministry in totally new ways.  Necessity really is the mother of invention:  when the pandemic forced us to shut the physical doors of our building and kept us from gathering in person, we created an online ministry and online worship services, and we did it nearly overnight. 
 
It is due to your continued and generous giving throughout this pandemic crisis that All Saints has been able to pay our bills, sustain our payroll, address critical maintenance issues in our building, and at the same time expand our ministries into the online environment.  Your ongoing support has meant that All Saints has not had to face a financial crisis on top of the Covid crisis.  THANK YOU!  It is a sign of your love for this parish and your enduring faith in God that even in a time of global plague you have made your faith community a priority.
 
As one parishioner observed:  “Are you pleasantly surprised that our connection to one another has endured, even though we haven’t seen each other in months?  Are you pleasantly surprised that our connection to All Saints Church, our spiritual home, has endured, despite our not having entered her doors in eight months?  Apparently, the mystical body of Christ is stronger than we knew.”
 
I would bet that some of you knew, though.  This parish has deep roots in faith.  That has been apparent to me since I got here a year ago.
 
We’ve been through a lot together since December of last year.  But one thing we haven’t been through together yet is the annual stewardship campaign.  I’m told that, normally, the stewardship drive would have already ended by now, with pledges being gathered in by All Saints’ Day.  Since almost nothing has been “normal” about 2020, however, perhaps it isn’t too surprising that stewardship is working a little differently this year.  So I’m writing to you all today to invite you to join me in a new way of looking at stewardship and, by extension, an exciting vision for the future of All Saints Episcopal Church.
 
Each of us is at this moment dealing to varying degrees with feelings of separation, constraint, uncertainty, and/or fear. What if we, as a parish, were to transform our sense of uncertainty into a spirit of inquiry? As new circumstances compel us to enter a new church relationship for a new decade, we need to consider opportunities for flourishing in new ways. What if, as we look forward to a return to in-person gathering, we also work together to plant the seeds for a post-pandemic All Saints Church that preserves all that we love about our church yet allows us to expand the reach and impact of our church in our lives and in our community?
 
Working with the Vestry and the Finance Ministry Team, and supported by a Stewardship Team called together to help flesh out and implement this vision, here is what I am proposing:
 
Three phases & three stewardship drives—a unified three-year plan
 
THIS YEAR:  PLANTING THE SEEDS
 
What we need to do:  Sustain the parish.
 
In a year full of crises and unforeseen changes & challenges, we seek only to maintain what we currently have.  We need to pay the bills and keep the church functioning, yes.  But beyond that, we need to offer our thanks to God and our gratitude to this church for all the blessings we share together.   In that way, we will plant the seeds of future growth.
 
At this stage, we are primarily concerned with keeping the seeds of our faith and of our All Saints community alive.
 
What does that mean in practical terms?  Well, here is a rough calculation of the daily costs of our three main areas of expense:
 
Ministry staff                        $391 per day
Buildings & grounds            $209 per day
Current operations              $202 per day
 
These figures are based on a very conservative budget proposal that is aimed at simply maintaining our current ministries and levels of expense.  We have benefited somewhat from being shut down during the pandemic, since closing the building has meant lower costs in terms of cooling and heating.  Eventually, however, we will return to in-person worship, and that will cost us more than our current, online worship does.
 
We need your generous support and your faithful giving that has kept us going during this pandemic to continue.  We need you to help keep the seeds of ministry alive until we can emerge from this crisis and begin to grow our future together.
 
NEXT YEAR:  TENDING THE GARDEN
 
What we need to do:  Move from maintenance toward mission.
 
Building upon the solid foundation we have established, we must seek to discover our identity as a community of believers and followers of Jesus Christ, and also to discern God’s specific call to us to act as Christ’s body in this place.  We need to ask challenging questions to push us beyond mere maintenance to get us excited about the future and to prepare us for real growth to come.
 
At this stage, our focus begins to pivot from being primarily internally-focused to becoming more externally-focused as we move beyond securing our own needs and sustaining our own community toward a vision of what we might do for God with the community and stability God has given us.
 
What does that mean?  It means prayer and discernment.  It means studying the Holy Scriptures.  It means discovering and naming the specific gifts and resources that God has entrusted to us—both as individual members of the parish and especially as a community of Jesus-followers.  What do we have to offer anybody who is not already a member of our parish?  What gives us joy?  More importantly, what are the most critical needs of the folks who live just outside our parish doors?
 
To paraphrase Frederick Buechner, the intersection of our deep joy and the world’s deep need is where we discover our vocation.
 
God is calling us to do more than merely continue existing.  God has work for us to do.  In Year Two, we begin the work of discovering the details of the mission God has in mind for us—the reason God wants us to grow.
 
These will be challenging conversations that invite us to re-vision how we see ourselves as a parish and how we see our purpose as the people of God in Appleton, Wisconsin.  How exciting!
 
THE YEAR AFTER:  WORKING THE HARVEST
 
What we need to do:  Define and enact God’s call to us in concrete actions
 
Having discovered our identity rooted deeply in Jesus Christ, and having listened faithfully to His call to grow His Church (“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – Matt. 28:19), we begin to harvest the seeds planted and tended in previous years.  We need to discern the specific ways in which Jesus is calling us to be His body here in Appleton—the particular people in our area (and beyond) to whom Jesus is sending us as apostles and ministers.
 
At this stage, we look to both present and future with excitement, confidence, and zeal, and we offer up to God a stable, sustainable, highly-functioning community of committed believers ready and eager to do the work that God has given us to do in our community, our city, our region, and beyond.
 
What will that look like?  Who can say?  But I imagine it looks like a dynamic, engaged parish, full pews on Sundays and Wednesdays (at least), a congregation actively living out our discipleship in many different ways, a presence in the Appleton community that sees us tending the needs of “the least of these” whilst at the same time offering a safe haven and a source of healing and true inspiration for all of God’s children.
 
Does that sound outlandish?  Unobtainable?  Not to me.  I’ve seen hard proof in my first year of what your faith can do.  And I have no doubt whatsoever in the absolute power of God to do great things within, through, and by means of All Saints Episcopal Church.  But we do not have to figure out how to get there (or how to fund such a vision) all at once! 
 
All we have to do is commit to God, and commit to God’s Church.  We do not, will not, cannot ask anyone to give beyond your means or to commit to more than you can manage.  We simply ask you, please, to continue to support All Saints with your generous giving as you’ve done throughout this year.  Help us maintain the great gifts we have in this church, and help us plant the seeds this year that will grow into a beautiful, bountiful harvest in years to come.
 
Thank you, and God bless you all!
Christopher+

23rd Annual Alternative Gift Market

To be safe in this time of pandemic, we are holding our Alternative Gift Market remotely, online and by mail and phone. See below for how to support our various partner organizations and find gifts for your friends and family. Thank you for helping us continue this ministry and work with each other to build a better world! Shop anytime November 1-22 (the earlier the better for shipping!), or in the case of Equal Exchange, November 1-15. Contact the church office or Sarah Gilbert with questions: H 920-735-9832, C 920-205-9053, pses@sbcglobal.net.

NOTE: This is the last week for Equal Exchange orders. Contact Sarah Gilbert by Sunday, November 15 if you want to order coffee, tea, or chocolate.

​Alternative Gifts International
Choose from 30 charitable causes worldwide.

Crowdfund (Virtual Gift Market):
Follow this link to our Crowdfund: https://alternativegifts.org/giving/crowdfunds/67

• Select which cause(s) you wish to support.
• Choose cards if so desired and check out!
• Greeting cards and gift inserts will be mailed to you directly from AGI.
• You can also place an order by phone by calling AGI at 316-269-0635.

Or
Catalog Express Market:

• Pick up an AGI catalog inside the Drew Street entrance of All Saints, Mondays or Thursdays 9-11.
• Or we can drop off or mail a catalog to you -- contact the church office or Sarah Gilbert.
• Fill out the order form and send it with payment to AGI. Order forms are labeled so that your orders will be credited to our gift market. Cards and gift inserts will be mailed directly to you.

All checks payable to Alternative Gifts International.

​SERRV
Fair trade handmade crafts from artisans around the world.

Online: Go to our SERRV & Earn page at https://www.serrv.org/?a=AllSaints where you can shop their entire (not just consignment) selection. Check for the orange banner at the top of the page designating All Saints for donations.
20% of all sales will be donated to All Saints.

Or: If you do not have easy internet access, we will have a limited number of print catalogs available. Contact Sarah Gilbert to have your order entered into our SERRV & Earn site, and your goods will be shipped to you or your gift recipients.

Equal Exchange
Fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate, and more.

Online: Go to https://shop.equalexchange.coop/ to view their wholesale catalog.

• Choose what deliciousness appeals to you for yourself or to give.
• We can only order by the entire case, but we will try to combine various partial case orders when possible.
• Prices you see are wholesale. Add 20% to that, which will go to All Saints.
• By November 15 call (920-735-9832) or email orders to Sarah Gilbert who will combine them for one big order on our congregation’s account.
• When the shipment arrives, we will sort it and have it ready either for you to pick up, or for our elves to drop off on your doorstep.
• Payment is due upon receipt. Checks made out to All Saints Episcopal Church.

Or if you do not have easy internet access, we have some wholesale price lists available. Contact Sarah Gilbert to have your order entered.

Caneille Regional Development Fund
This Appleton organization funds a tuition-free primary school in rural Haiti, plus emergency medical transportation, community seed distributions, and vocational training.

• Watch this inspiring 7 min video about CRDF.
• Donate online: https://caneille.org/contribute/alternative-gifts/  
• Or mail checks to CRDF, 1009 N Oneida St., Appleton, WI 54911


Thank you for giving the world a present!

Hello, friends and families of All Saints!
 
A reminder that Youth Group (grades 5-12) is meeting weekly on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-7:45pm via Zoom. Likewise, Sunday School (grades 4K & up) is also meeting weekly on Sunday mornings from 9:00-9:25am via Zoom. Links are sent out ahead of time via the Weekly Update email on Wednesdays.
 
If there are questions, or if you wish to be added to the email list, please contact me, Erin Wolf, at asygappleton@gmail.com for assistance. Calendars may be found via the “Calendars” page of the Youth Ministry website.
 
Adult Chaperones Needed: Parents and adults of All Saints: I need at least ONE other adult (though TWO are preferred) to assist me with virtual gatherings as we maintain Safeguarding guidelines in digital spaces. If you are interested in helping, please contact me at asygappleton@gmail.com.
 
THANK YOU to those who have already been assisting! Your time and presence are greatly appreciated!
 
Service Project Opportunity: During the month of November, everyone is invited to create holiday greeting cards for those who are in nursing homes/assisted living facilities, as well as parishioners who are mostly offline and/or typically homebound.
 
In previous years with similar projects, students have often created holiday cards and signed them on behalf of the Youth Group and/or All Saints Youth Ministry. If you have holiday cards from years past, such as blank cards from nonprofits or cards that can be recycled (such as a design on the front with a blank back cut along the fold), those would be acceptable as well. Please do not address them to any one person specifically.
 
All cards should be sent to/dropped off at All Saints by Sunday, Dec. 6. Please make sure to note that they are for the service project, and I will make sure they are distributed. 
 
Alternative Gift Market Online: A reminder that the Alternative Gift Market is still going from now through November 22 (Equal Exchange is through November 15). These make great gifts for teachers, neighbors, family, and so on, so feel free to take a look and see how you can give in a way that helps others around the world!  
 
Contact the church office (allsaintsappleton@gmail.com) or Sarah Gilbert with questions: H 920-735-9832, C 920-205-9053, pses@sbcglobal.net.
 
Thanksgiving Break: There will be no Youth Group on Wednesday, November 25 nor Sunday School on Sunday, November 29.

All Saints’ Day, traditionally celebrated on November 1st in the West, is one of the seven principal feasts of the Church.  It developed in the early Church initially to commemorate the deaths of the holy martyrs.  By the Fourth Century, there were frankly too many martyrs to commemorate each one’s death separately, so the idea emerged to have a single major feast to commemorate them all. 
 
We need to take a moment to let that sink in.  Three hundred years into this new faith, so many people had given their lives for Christ—not merely in abstract devotion only, but also in actual fact:  willingly, literally dying for Christ—that it was not feasible to hold annual memorials for each of them individually.  The calendar simply wasn’t big enough.
 
From our corner of the world, in our time within history, here in this place, it is hard for most of us, myself included, to imagine, much less really to know, what it’s like to be a Christian in a time and place where you can be killed—executed by the state—for being Christian. 
 
I’d wager that many of us in this country and in this culture, when we think about what it might cost us to offer up our lives to Jesus Christ, think mainly of reorganizing our priorities, giving up certain things (maybe), taking on “difficult” goals like being kinder and less selfish in our dealings with other people.  And to be honest, I truly hope that you and I won’t have to think about much else other than that.
 
Because there are places in the world even today where simply gathering to worship Jesus Christ really does mean risking one’s actual life, just as it did in the early days of the Jesus Movement, under the shadow of the Roman Empire.
 
That is the testimony of the blessed martyrs, the saints whom we remember on this feast day.  The word “martyr” comes from the Greek word for “witness,” and in the early Church, it was believed that those who remained faithful to Christ in the face of suffering and death had offered to the world the highest and purest possible witness to the truth of the Gospel.
 
And that is what we commemorate and celebrate at the Feast of All Saints.  If it sounds like a big deal, it is!  It hearkens back to the origins of our faith tradition and invokes the very heart of the Gospel.  For us here in this parish, moreover, it serves as our “patronal feast.”  Since we are not dedicated to a single, particular saint, we wouldn’t normally think of ourselves has having a specific feast day for our “patron,” but since we are in fact dedicated to the entire body of the saints in light, I’d say this is also our feast day!
 
All Souls’ Day is something a little bit different.  The celebration of All Souls, observed on November 2nd in the West, emerged in response to a slightly different but equally important need in the church:  the need to remember and celebrate the lives of countless “unknown” baptized Christians in every generation who lived and died in the faith of Jesus Christ. 
 
“Unknown” in the sense of not having become famous as hermits, mystics, or martyrs on a grand scale, but known to each of us as parents, children, extended family, friends, neighbors—all of the children of God whose lives intertwine with ours in the great Communion of Saints.  Generations past and generations yet to come, all part of the “great cloud of witnesses” to the Gospel in their ordinary, individual lives.
 
In many places throughout the various Anglican communions around the world, and especially here in this country, All Souls’ Day is often folded into and blurred together with the observance of All Saints’ Day.  The All Saints liturgy will in such cases include a reading out of the names of those in the parish (and those connected to folks in the parish) who have died in the preceding year.  It is a good and holy practice, and I understand it is something that has also been a tradition here. 
 
This year being what this year has been (and continues to be), however, I propose to honor All Souls’ Day with its own distinct observance.  So on next Monday, November 2nd, at 7 p.m., I will be live-streaming a special worship service from the church in commemoration of All Souls’ Day.  At this service, I will lift up the names of those who have died, and the service will be dedicated to honoring them.  I believe it is important for us at this time to give greater emphasis to the observance of All Souls’ Day than we could if we simply included it in with our All Saints’ Day celebration, both because of the ongoing onslaught of Coronatide on our mental and spiritual health and also because of the number of parishioners and family members and friends we've lost, both in this season and altogether.  
 
So I hope you will all join me virtually, both this coming Sunday for our patronal feast of All Saints’ Day, and also this coming Monday evening at 7, for a special observance of All Souls’ Day.
 
Blessings,
Christopher+

On Holy Communion
 
My dear friends in Christ,
 
As you know, we have been working hard behind the scenes to figure out the best way to return to celebrating Holy Eucharist as our principal act of weekly worship.  Rapidly changing—and rapidly increasing—Covid numbers in our area and our state have made the task … difficult, at best.  As I’ve observed in a number of my previous Newsletter columns lately, it has become apparent that, for various reasons, this virus isn’t going away anytime soon.
 
Because the virus is still with us, and because it is not likely to abate in the foreseeable future, we are left in a tricky spot:  we cannot simply “wait it out” before we get back to Communion; we also cannot simply resume gathering together in the church building to celebrate Eucharist, either.  What, then, can we do?
 
Well, the best we can do is experiment a bit within the parameters of our current situation.
 
Current diocesan restrictions limit us to having no more than four persons together in the church building for the celebration of Eucharist (including the priest).  That doesn’t leave much room for physical participation on the part of the parish.  Our current Zoom format actually allows greater interaction and participation in the service than we could have if we just switched over to Communion in the church that’s limited to four people.
 
Given those factors, here is what I’d like to try going forward:  let’s do exactly what we’ve been doing for live-streaming, but let’s add actual Communion to the end of the service.  In other words, we’ll still use Zoom to connect to social media for live-streaming the service.  We’ll still have lectors and intercessors and psalmists join in the service from their homes, thus avoiding having to have groups of people physically gathered in the church space.  But instead of concluding the service with Spiritual Communion, we’ll conclude with literal Communion.
 
Here’s the catch, though:  in the Anglican tradition, and therefore in The Episcopal Church, priests are not to celebrate “solo” Mass.  In other words, in order for me to celebrate the Eucharist, there must be at least one other person present with me to share in the Communion of Jesus.  Now, the experts are telling us pretty clearly that the next six to twelve months are going to be with worst since the pandemic first broke upon us early this year.  I am extraordinarily hesitant, therefore, to take the chance of putting anyone at risk in this climate.
 
So what I’d like to do, again as an experiment, is to offer this possibility to the church:  my wife, Anne, and our children, Emily & Elena, already live together with me in the same space (often on top of each other!) and share the same air.  Because of that, if I were simply to bring them to the church building with me on Sunday mornings, we would be able to celebrate the Eucharist because there would be people here to share in the celebration with me.  We could then live-stream actual Holy Eucharist for our Sunday worship service.

I realize that doing things that way does not offer the larger parish the opportunity to receive Communion, and that’s what we’re sorely missing after all these months.  But I’m seeing this proposal as a very temporary “solution” until the Covid numbers allow us to bump up to larger numbers in the church building.  If we can get the pandemic numbers down enough, we’ll be able to move to a lesser level of restriction (perhaps 20 people in the building, instead of four).  At that point, we would absolutely adapt our practice to make sure as many parishioners as possible could come participate. 
 
So.  A temporary solution.  Not an ideal situation.  But it has been weighing more and more heavily on my heart that, during a time of great strife and great plague, we ought to be saying more Masses, not fewer.  As a priest, the centerpiece of my vocation is a call to celebrate God’s holy sacraments.  And our entire Christian tradition is very clear that the celebration of the Eucharist brings immeasurable benefits not only to those who participate physically, but to all those on whose behalf we offer the sacrifice, and indeed to the whole world, the entirety of God’s creation.  So if we can get back to celebrating Eucharist, even in a less-than-ideal way, sooner rather than later, I think it’s worth it.  And we would be doing it especially with an eye towards expanding the scope of the service as soon as it’s at all safe to do so.
 
So that’s the plan at the moment, and a bit of the reasoning and thought process behind the current plan.  Please let me know what you think, what questions you have, what you’d like to see in the future, etc. – I’d love to hear from you and have the chance to talk about our worship in these trying times in greater depth.  Please drop me a line at fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com and let’s connect!
 
Yours in Christ,
Christopher+