My dear friends in Christ,
 
Here is the next installment of my Spiritual Autobiography.  As I mentioned in the introduction to Part 1, I’m sharing these details of my spiritual journey from childhood to priesthood and to All Saints Episcopal Church not (with all due respect to Walt Whitman) to celebrate myself, but in an attempt to begin (at least) to make up for time lost to the Covid-19 pandemic, time we would otherwise have been able to spend getting to know each other and building the close relationships that are so important to the life and health of a thriving parish.  If anything here sparks your interest, if you have questions, or if you’d just like to connect and talk about something else entirely, please let me know at fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com, or at 920.266.9262.  I look forward to hearing from y’all!
 
Discernment Process, Part 1
         
And that is where the matter stood when I arrived in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the fall of 1999.  Some important things happened at that point:  I became active in a parish, participating in its Canterbury young adult ministry from my first weeks here.  In the summer of 2000, I traveled (as one of several adult chaperones) with the church’s youth to the village of White Horse, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, for my first mission trip.  I attended meetings of the Committee on Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, including a planning session for the annual Cross-Roads gathering.  For two years, I taught Rite Thirteen Sunday School.  All of these activities gave me insight into the meaning of living a life of service, and all of them strengthened my sense of purpose and calling to ministry.
           
In early 2001, after participating in a workshop facilitated by Fr. Rob Brown (then the associate rector of the church I’d been attending since coming to Spartanburg) entitled “The Voice of the Lord’s Invitation,” all of these experiences came together for me.  The workshop focused not on directions or end-goals for our lives, but rather on discovering what gifts we have been given by the grace of God and by virtue of being who we are.  Doing that showed me what choices I’d already been making, subconsciously at least, about which priorities were most important to me in my life.  And I began clearly to see a distinct pattern, a definite direction that my life had been taking up to that point—sometimes in spite of myself.
           
That direction was one of ever deeper, ever more profound encounter with the mystery of the Christ.  A close friend of mine once told me he respected the fact that I was willing to ask spiritual questions that made him too uncomfortable, that he himself would never ask.  The comment surprised me, because I hadn’t realized until then that it wasn’t something I was willing to do at all; it was something that, being who I am, I have to do.  As I had grown closer to Christ, through my searching and questioning, and through my life experiences, I felt a growing need to share what I felt, what I’d seen, what I’d experienced firsthand, with others.  Helping others, if possible, to approach and move into that mystical encounter with Christ Jesus, or merely proclaiming the very potential of such an encounter (that it is something that can actually, really happen!), was something that I not only felt called to do; it was something that—having now examined closely the details of my life up to that moment—I had apparently already been doing, for as far back as I could recall.
           
That is what led me, in the spring of 2001, to feel called to seek Holy Orders.  I was at the point of making a conscious choice:  to make the seemingly random patterns that led me to that moment in my life an active part of my awareness and daily activity.  To do intentionally and consciously what I had been doing automatically and unconsciously.  It became clear to me that whatever gifts I’d been given in life had been entrusted to me by God for the work of bringing about God’s Kingdom in the world.  I felt that, in order to develop these blessings to their fullest extent and to use them for the greatest good and the highest purpose, I would need the training, community, structure, and—eventually—the authority that comes with seminary and ordination.
           
To that end, I became even more actively involved at my church than I had been up to that point.  I became a lay reader and chalice bearer, so that I could participate more fully in the liturgy and especially the Eucharist; I offered my abilities as a musician, playing guitar for contemporary evening worship services.  I directed a “reader’s theatre” production of the play Christ in the Concrete City as both a Lenten reflection (for the actors) and as an Easter celebration (the performance) for the parish.  Over a period of roughly two months, I co-presented, with the Rev. Marilyn Sanders, an adult education class/Bible study/workshop the purpose of which was to bring together parishioners of varying viewpoints and opinions (in the wake of the confirmation of Bishop Robinson) to discuss issues of sexuality within the Church from cultural, anthropological, theological, and Scriptural perspectives (this parish, at the time, was deeply divided, as were so many parishes, and indeed the national Church itself, over such issues).
           
Despite all of that activity, however, my own discernment process never seemed to move forward.  I met with the church’s Vestry; I participated in a six-month workshop, meeting with a committee of Vestry members and lay folk to explore the various canons of ministry.  I met regularly with the rector, Fr. Clay Turner, but in spite of his strong support, the process seemed to stall out.  At the time, I didn’t quite understand what was going on.  To this day, I’m sure I do not have the whole picture.  I did discover, however, in later years that this particular church has in its history only rarely sent anyone to seminary, even though it is one of the largest churches in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, and one of the most blessed in terms of people, education, and resources.  Eventually, I became not so much disillusioned, but frustrated and more than a little confused about God’s plan for me.  After having felt like I’d finally achieved such clarity about my calling in 2001, by the time it got to be 2004 and no further progress had occurred (at least from my point of view), I believed I needed to reconsider some things.

To be continued...

Peace,
C+

My dear friends in Christ,
 
Here is the next installment of my Spiritual Autobiography.  As I mentioned in the introduction to Part 1, I’m sharing these details of my spiritual journey from childhood to priesthood and to All Saints Episcopal Church not (with all due respect to Walt Whitman) to celebrate myself, but in an attempt to begin (at least) to make up for time lost to the Covid-19 pandemic, time we would otherwise have been able to spend getting to know each other and building the close relationships that are so important to the life and health of a thriving parish.  If anything here sparks your interest, if you have questions, or if you’d just like to connect and talk about something else entirely, please let me know at fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com, or at 920.266.9262.  I look forward to hearing from y’all!
 
Call Story, Pt. 3
 
By the time I was in graduate school (at Southern Illinois University) in my late twenties, I believed I had managed to get a pretty fair idea of what I, personally, believed, and that I had nurtured a healthy and productive relationship with Christ Jesus on my own, independent of any formal worship or of any formal institution.  Not really having experienced such a thing for myself at that point, I had little concept of a “faith community,” much less a “church family.”  The irony, therefore, of nurturing a healthy and productive relationship with Christ Jesus in the absence of the covenant community was quite lost on my younger self. 

Having spent so many years “on my own,” I took it as given that my particular beliefs, understandings, and perspectives would never fit in within the mainstream Church.  Of course, I hadn’t stopped to examine that assumption, or even to realize it was in fact an assumption—not until I had been in grad school for almost two years (of a three year program).  Coming back into town after visiting a friend for the weekend, it struck me (“out of the blue,” as it were) that in all the time I’d been in school in Carbondale, I’d never set foot inside the local Episcopal church.  The particular thought that hit me, riding back on the train, was that I had no clue what the inside of the local church looked like.  On a whim (or so it felt at the time), I resolved to get up the next morning and go to the Sunday service there.

That proved to be another pivotal choice.  Once I got involved at St. Andrew’s, I quickly experienced a series of revelations.  No more visions or anything like that; these were much more mundane realizations, yet their impact upon me was nearly as profound.  To put these realizations into perspective, let me jump back in time for just a moment.  I had been taught from an early age, being brought up in the Church, that God is everywhere, in all things, and so I’ve always felt that connection on a personal level, as I’ve described.  But I also grew up with the notion that priests, as the official servants of God’s Church, were somehow different from regular, normal folk—that they were in some strange way not “real” people.  So for all the years I spent pursuing the spiritual quest that I’d begun at age 13, it was possible for me to admire the priesthood as an institution, and the individual priests who served the churches I’d attended, all the while thinking, “It would be wonderful to serve God in that way … but those people aren’t like me.  And I’m certainly not like that.  Not like them.”

Several things happened toward the end of my studies in Illinois to alter that belief.  First, I began to meet—as an adult—actual members of the clergy, as well as people preparing for or already in seminary.  I kept thinking, “But wait, these people seem to be exactly like me.”  It was unnerving at first, to say the least.  At the same time, I was realizing that, though I was about to complete my master’s degree (and thus be qualified to begin a career in college teaching), I had yet to find a direction or purpose in life that truly commanded my conviction.  Teaching was something that I could do, but I was not at all sure that it was something I should do.  I felt compelled to seek a vocation that would make the best use of my life, for the greatest good.  Additionally, through working with the priest in Carbondale and through attending various Province V and national conventions, I had come to see that the personal beliefs and perspectives which I thought I had hammered out for myself in isolation were, in many cases, perfectly in-sync with where the contemporary Church stood. 

I also started noticing a lot of little things, which collectively seemed to point in a particular direction.  Sometimes, it was a subtle as a line in a book that leapt off the page—“Who, in this modern day and age, will once again take up the Mysteries of Christianity?” one author asked, seemingly of me, personally.  At least once, though, it was really on the nose.  I’d worn a black, circle-necked shirt to church one Sunday (because I didn’t like wearing neckties), and at the peace, Father Isaac came over, shook my hand, and told me “We need to get you a collar to go with that!”  I hadn’t even known the man for a month, and I’d not yet spoken to him of any feelings of vocation.  And for his part, he was I’m sure just joking around with a parishioner.  But still.  In the context of my life at that point, the moment stood out like a shout in a silent room.  How did he know?  

Thus, having lost my best excuses for not seriously considering the priesthood, I realized that if I didn’t explore that possibility in earnest, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

To be continued…
 
Peace,
C+

Greetings to all!
 
FDL Summer Camp is right around the corner, and we are incredibly thankful to be able to return in-person even though things still look at bit different due to the pandemic. All sessions will take place at Waypost Camp in Hatley, WI. Please keep the following campers & staff from All Saints in your prayers:
 
Senior Camp (June 20-26): Campers: Mallory; Staff: Erin
Middler Camp (June 27-July 1): Campers: Jorden; Staff: Erin
Junior Camp (June 27-July 1): Campers: Martin, Fletcher, Abby, Charlie; Staff: Brad, Mallory, Erin
Kinder Camp (July 1-3): Campers: Jonah; Staff: Erin
 
For more information on Summer Camp and to access materials from Camp @ Home 2020, head to the FDL Summer Camp webpage. Check out the Virtual Camp Tour, too!
 
Camp Mail: If you would like to send mail to any campers or staff during their respective sessions, you can! It’s a great way to connect and to show prayer support while they’re away. Please plan at least 2-3 days for delivery when sending a letter.
 
Camper Name
c/o Waypost Camp
210608 Crooked Lake Dr
Hatley, WI 54440
 
Summer Events: At this time, we will be offering TWO events this summer for families to gather in-person for fellowship, prayer, and play.
 
Dates: Wednesday, July 14 and Wednesday, August 18
Times: 6:00-7:30pm
Location: North Lawn, corners of Drew & Washington Streets
Details: To be announced
 
Have a great rest of the week! Peace be with you all.

By now, you may have noticed that the Diocese of Fond du Lac has updated the guidelines and regulations governing in-person worship. While we are not yet “out of the woods” in terms of the Covid pandemic, we are seeing some very encouraging signs across the country and in the state of Wisconsin. The fact that the Bishop Matt and the Covid Task Force are making some changes to our safety protocols reflects the general, if modest, good news that we are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel (and that it’s probably not an oncoming train 🙂).
 
The updated guidelines may be found here.
 
It is important to note that the permissions granted to parishes by the diocese are options, not mandates. From the beginning of the pandemic and resultant shutdown, the diocese has set limits, restricting what parishes are allowed to do. As things have improved, the diocese has allowed certain restrictions to be relaxed, but each parish has had to decide individually how much to relax restrictions, based on the needs of each community respectively. 
 
Since the diocese first began allowing parishes the possibility of partial, limited reopening, as your rector I have proceeded out of an abundance of caution, preferring to move incrementally, rather than rushing to do too much too soon (and possibly having to pay a price for such haste). Now, as we (hopefully!) near the end of this pandemic, I still intend to move us back towards full reopening incrementally. I know that’s not what everyone wants to hear, but it is, I believe, the way we need to handle this process.
 
The three most significant subjects about which changes have been made to the diocesan guidelines are masks, singing, and wine. 
 
Masks. Recent research has shown that fully vaccinated individuals are at minimal risk not only for contracting Covid but also for spreading the virus to others. Unvaccinated people, however, remain at high risk for both. At All Saints, therefore, we will for the time being continue to encourage strongly all persons to wear masks whilst in the building with other people present. During worship, I will unmask only for reading the Gospel & preaching the sermon (when I am the minimum distance of 20-30 feet away from the congregation), and for the Eucharistic prayer (during which all wafers being consecrated for distribution will remain completely covered in the respective containers), replacing my mask and sanitizing my hands before coming down to distribute the host.
 
Singing. We must still avoid congregational singing, unfortunately. That said, we now have permission to have small groups of choristers—all of whom must be fully vaccinated and who must be sufficiently distanced from the congregation—who may sing during the service (while masked). Obviously, this arrangement is not ideal, but I think it will be a huge step forward on the journey back to church-as-we-know-it to have vocal music be part of our shared worship once again. I’m excited about this one, y’all—I hope you are, too!
 
Wine. The new guidelines offer a couple of options for resuming the distribution of wine during Communion. Both options are, in my professional opinion, both theologically problematic and rather distasteful. For the record, I’m delighted to discuss the underlying theology involved with anyone and everyone who is interested in such things. But for the sake of saving space here, let me simply say for now that 1) I very much miss our being able to share the Cup at Communion, and that 2) I very much look forward to the time when we can, once again, all share in the communion of the common Cup, as we all share in the saving grace of Christ’s one sacrifice for all. Even with the new options from the diocese, we are not yet to the point where we can safely share the common Cup, and so we must wait a little longer on this front. Let is, in the meantime, remember and give thanks that, theologically, as the blood is inherent in the body, so the wine is inherent in the consecrated host, and therefore to receive Communion “in one kind” is not to receive merely part, but is in fact to receive and experience the whole and complete Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood.
 
As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about these policies and/or the reasons behind them, please contact me at fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com or 920.266.9262.
 
Peace & blessings,
Christopher+

Spiritual Autobiography
 
My dear friends in Christ,
 
Here is the next installment of my Spiritual Autobiography.  As I mentioned in the introduction to Part 1, I’m sharing these details of my spiritual journey from childhood to priesthood and to All Saints Episcopal Church not (with all due respect to Walt Whitman) to celebrate myself, but in an attempt to begin (at least) to make up for time lost to the Covid-19 pandemic, time we would otherwise have been able to spend getting to know each other and building the close relationships that are so important to the life and health of a thriving parish. 
 
This chapter that I’m sharing this week may strike you as … a little strange.  It is not an episode of my journey that I’ve shared with many people ~ it is certainly not one with which I would ordinarily begin a conversation with someone I’d just met.  To be honest, I had considered being a bit more selective with my storytelling and only sharing certain excerpts (read:  probably not this one), rather than the entire narrative, for this newsletter column.  But upon reflection, I realized that I would rather y’all have a chance to get the whole story, as it were.  If nothing else, perhaps my sharing an experience like this one might serve as an invitation to some very interesting follow-up conversations!
 
On that note, if anything here sparks your interest, if you have questions, or if you’d just like to connect and talk about something else entirely, please let me know at fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com, or at 920.266.9262.  I look forward to hearing from y’all!
 
Call Story, Pt. 2
 
From the age of 13 until my late twenties, I pursued that goal of discovering and understanding whatever it was that I actually believed, both informally, on a personal level, and to an extent formally, getting my bachelor’s degree in anthropology.  (I had, early on in high school and only very briefly, entertained the notion of becoming a theoretical physicist and studying “reality” in that way, but a couple of higher math classes quickly disabused me of that error!  But I had always had a love so social sciences, anyway, and when I took Anthro 101 at Georgia Southern in the spring of 1990, I was hooked.)  I spent time reading about all sorts of religions and belief systems, from my native Christianity and its cousins Judaism and Islam, to eastern faiths such as Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism, eventually exploring belief systems of various non-Western, non-industrial, indigenous cultures and “alternative” nature religions, so-called “New Religious Movements,” like Wicca and Druidry.  And I spent even more time in conversation with as many different people, from as many different backgrounds, as I could find. 

In hindsight, it seems a bit odd, but throughout this period of intense and wide-ranging exploration, I never considered myself to be anything other than Christian, though admittedly I rarely attended formal services during those years.  Only once did I seriously entertain the idea of actually leaving the Church.  That moment of consideration was another formative milestone on my spiritual journey, and it deserves a bit of description and explanation.

It happened one evening during my junior year of college at Georgia Southern.  I had been doing field research for a term paper in my cultural anthropology class, studying a group of Wiccans (they were more common that you might expect in south Georgia in the early ’90s!) as a religious sub-culture.  It had struck me more than once, over the course of that research, that, although it would have taken me a lot of adjusting, I could in fact have found a spiritual home amongst the people I was meeting and interviewing.  It was shocking, in fact, to realize how fully and completely I would have fit in with and been welcomed into their community. 

I found especially compelling the degree to which the people who practiced this religion integrated their spiritual beliefs and religious rituals and practices into the ordinary business of their everyday lives.  For me, that way of living their religion was a bit of contrast to what I’d experienced in the tradition into which I was born, which all too often relegated religious concerns and practices to one or two designated days out of the week and, also all too often, left one wondering what connection the religion even had to the actual business of living day-to-day. 

At any rate, on the night in question, I was thinking pretty hard about that idea of really living the faith, about one’s entire life being a continuous act of religious devotion and expression, and about the realization that I could potentially find a spiritual home in this new tradition … when I had what I’ve only been able to describe afterwards as a vision.  I happened to be looking into my bathroom mirror and, instead of my own reflection, I suddenly saw the figure of Jesus, smiling at me kindly. 

He didn’t speak out loud, but I was given to understand that I was perfectly welcome, if I liked, to choose the change in direction that I was considering, and that if I did choose that change, there would be no wrath or punishment from Him because of it.  I was also shown, however, an image of myself as a Wiccan, and then an image of His slowly turning around and walking away from me until He vanished in the distance, and I was left staring at my own image in the mirror once again.

The experience was devastating.

The utter finality I perceived in that that image that struck me like a physical blow.  For the first time, I caught a glimpse of what my Baptist friends from childhood had described as a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”  Watching the that possible future unfold in which Christ allowed me my free choice and stepped away, never to return, I felt a sense of loss that goes beyond expression in words.  And I knew—suddenly and completely—that, though I was free to choose my own path and that I would continue to build friendships with people of all sorts of faith backgrounds and to learn as much as I could about as many different belief systems as possible, I would never, could never, choose a path that led me away from my relationship with Christ Jesus. 

It was in that moment that I discovered that that relationship, that His presence, had always been with me, though I had only just embraced it fully consciously for the first time.
 
To be continued…
 
Peace,
C+

Greetings to all!
 
Youth Ministry: We give thanks for all those adults who have served in any capacity within the Youth Ministry of All Saints in the 2020-2021 school year: Brad, Catherine, Heidi, Ian, Ben, Carol, Matt, Maria, Emily, Suzanne, Oliver, Tina, Stephanie, Sarah, and Fr. Christopher.
 
Lord, we give thanks for these your faithful servants and the gifts that they have shared together in community this school year. We thank you for their presence, their persistence, and their commitment to helping teach and nurture our children and youth as they continue to grow in knowledge and wisdom.
 
As we take leave of this school year, Lord, please bless these teachers and helpers on their given paths, and may they find comfort, rest, and rejuvenation in the days ahead. Bless their families and those whom they serve. All this we ask through your son, our savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
 
Graduates: Please congratulate and pray for our Class of 2021 graduates!
 
Alexander J. Laswell will be graduating from Kimberly High School and is still discerning what his next steps will be.
 
Andrew N. Ring will be graduating from Neenah High School and will be going to Fox Valley Tech to pursue an Associate’s Degree in the Fire Protection Technician Program.
 
Thomas J. Kiesnowski II graduated Summa Cum Laude from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA this spring with a Bachelor’s of Art in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, with a minor in Chinese and Business Consulting. He is currently based in Philadelphia and working for the medical device startup company Cagent Vascular.
 
Holy and Everliving God, we lift up to you your servants, Alex, Andrew, and Thomas. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon them as they celebrate this moment of graduation, and as they look ahead to discover what you have in store for them next.  Give them that peace which the world cannot give, that peace which comes from knowing they are truly, deeply loved, that peace which abides in Jesus Christ.  Help them to feel and to know the truth of your eternal presence, within them and around them, everywhere they go, so that whatever they face, their hopes, their fears, their successes, their failures, their dreams, their challenges, indeed their whole lives, may rest securely in the power and the certainty of your love for them, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.  Amen.
 
FDL Summer Camp: There is still time to sign-up for Summer Camp! Head to the FDL Summer Camp webpage for more information. Check out the Virtual Camp Tour, too!
 
Senior Camp (completed grades 9-12 & high school 2020 grads): June 20-26
Middler Camp (completed grades 6-8) & Junior Camp (completed grades 2-5): June 27-July 1
Kinder Camp (ages 4-7 with adult): July 1-3
 
Have a great rest of the week! Peace be with you all.

Spiritual Autobiography
Introduction
 
One of the worst aspects of these past fourteen months of pandemic shutdown has been that you and I, the parish and your new rector, have been essentially robbed of a year’s worth of time we would otherwise have been able to spend actually getting to know each other.  My dear friends in Christ, I have agonized over that fact.  And while it’s true that we are finally beginning to be able to open back up, at least a little bit, we are still a ways off from being free to come together for face-to-face fellowship, the telling of tales, the swapping of memories—not to mention the sharing of meals—that are so deeply part of what makes a parish feel like a family.  So I’ve been trying to figure out what to do about it, in the meanwhile of waiting for Covid numbers to decrease and Covid restrictions to relax a bit further.
 
I don’t know if it will be helpful at all, but it occurred to me that, although I might not be able to get out there and get to know all of you as I would like to yet, perhaps I can give y’all a chance to get to know me a little better.  I thought, what would happen if I shared with you my Spiritual Autobiography?  When folks are discerning a possible call to ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church, they are required to compose and share their “spiritual autobiographies”—accounts of their lives with particular emphasis on the events and experiences that were spiritually significant, that were formative, that led to the conviction that God was calling them to the diaconate or to the priesthood.  So my Spiritual Autobiography is, in many ways, the story of how I came to be here with you, serving you as your priest. 
 
Under normal circumstances, I would no doubt have ended up sharing much of this information with you informally, chatting during coffee hour or in conversation at various church functions, or perhaps even over coffee or a shared meal in small groups.  And I still very much hope that we can do all those things together!  But as an experiment, while we wait for the pandemic to be enough under control that we can resume gathering freely like that, here is the first excerpt from my formal Spiritual Autobiography, for anyone who might be curious.  If anything here sparks your interest, if you have questions, or if you’d just like to connect and talk about something else entirely, please let me know at fatherchristopherallsaints@gmail.com, or at 920.266.9262, and let’s talk!
 
 
Call Story, pt. 1
 
My “official” spiritual journey—at least in terms of my conscious awareness of being on such a journey, and of the fact that I was taking deliberate steps on that journey—began when I was 13 years old.  I remember clearly a particular Sunday School class, taught by a nice lady who was actually younger then than I am now, which served as a catalyst in my spiritual life.  That morning’s lesson was a pre-printed tract which attempted to “prove” by means of the mathematics of probability that life simply couldn’t have evolved on the Earth, as the scientists claim. 

At that point in my life, I was very much what my friends at school would call a “nerd.”  I had watched hundreds, perhaps thousands, of nature documentaries on Public Television and had spent countless hours poring over whatever scientific information I could find on dinosaurs and related subjects.  I also had very little patience with anything that I, in my 13-year-old “wisdom,” deemed silly.  So I really couldn’t help myself when confronted with that lesson.  I felt compelled to raise my hand and point out that the infinitesimal percentage that the lesson plan indicated was the chance that life actually evolved on our planet was nothing of the kind; rather, I informed the class, that was the percentage chance of the exact same pattern of evolutionary development happening again on some other planet, exactly the same way it had on Earth.

I remember being aware on some level, even at the time, that the lesson plan was not written by our Sunday School teacher, that she was just presenting the curriculum she’d been given to present.  But I also remember how important it seemed to me that the truth be spoken and understood.  It was something that was bigger than anyone’s personal opinion, including mine.

As soon as my family made it back home after church that morning, I informed my parents that I would not be attending Sunday School any longer.  My father was particularly displeased; I can still hear his voice as he told me, very calmly, that he had a problem with the notion that my formal religious education was to end at age 13.  I did too, I replied.  It was just that I felt pretty certain that I wasn’t going to receive any real education in that class.

In hindsight, all these years later, it seems odd to me that I never once had any intention of walking away from the Church.  Nor, as I tried to explain to my father, was I shying away from religious education.  If anything, I felt compelled to seek out such education.  What had been presented in that Sunday School class made no sense, and something deep within me told me that not only should things make sense, but that, somehow, some way, they actually do.

It was about that same time period in my life when I noticed that many of my friends at school were not just rejecting the religious practices of their parents, but also often rejecting religion itself outright.  “I don’t let my parents force me to go to church anymore,” I remember hearing, and “I’m not going to be a hypocrite like that.” 

In light of my own experience, I realized that what I’d been doing for 13 years was essentially just going through the motions, imitating what I’d been exposed to.  I knew all of the liturgy by heart … but it occurred to me then that I had no real understanding of what any of it meant.  I concluded that I needed either to quit being a hypocrite myself and stop attending services I didn’t really understand, or I needed to figure out exactly what it was I did believe, and (perhaps more importantly) why.  As I mentioned above, leaving the Church never seemed like a serious option to me; I felt strongly (even if I had no idea why) that I belonged there, somehow.  So at 13 I set out to find some way to understand the tenets of the faith in which I’d been raised. 
 
To be continued…
 
Peace,
C+

Happy Easter to all!
 
Youth Ministry Volunteers: We are thankful for our Youth Ministry volunteers! We will be acknowledging all their work and gifts this Sunday, May 16 during our worship service. Thank you to everyone who has shared their time, talents, and gifts with students this year!
 
Graduates: For those graduating from high school and college, we’d like to hear from you so we can honor your achievements and celebrating what’s coming next! Please send your full name, school you’re graduating from (with major/focus if applicable), and what your next steps are (e.g. further education with major/focus, entering the workforce, taking a gap year, etc).
 
Over the last several years, we have traditionally recognized graduates the Sunday before Memorial Day weekend, which this year is Sunday, May 23 (Pentecost), so please send info to Erin Wolf at asygpappleton@gmail.com by Sunday, May 16. Thank you!
 
Virtual Camp Tour: CLICK HERE to spend a few minutes exploring the camp grounds with Camp Director Erin “Erni” Wolf.
 
FDL Summer Camp: Camper Registration & volunteer Staff Applications are live! Check for updates 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
 
At this time, we are intending to hold all camp sessions at Waypost Camp in Hatley, WI, which is a part of the ELCA Crossways Camping Ministries.
 
Have a great rest of the week! Peace be with you all.

​My dear family in Christ,
 
A recent exchange I had via social media has brought my attention to a topic that I don’t think we, as a Christian community, talk about as much as we should.  A certain individual took issue with a particular phrasing I used in one of my comments (on a thread I had myself started) ~ I had quoted a character from Star Wars/Disney’s The Mandalorian:  “I have spoken.”  It was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek pop-culture reference in the midst of a more serious discussion.  The individual I mentioned above demanded to know if I “talk to my children that way.”  I responded to this person by asking “How dare you attempt to use my children in an attempt to shame me just because you disagree with my point?”  Personally, I found and still find that tactic to be extraordinarily offensive.  This individual replied:  “I thought you were supposed to be a pastor.  Some pastor you are.”
 
That response—and let me tell y’all, it is one that’s heard all too frequently by those of us who are in the business of ministry, whether lay or ordained—is evidence on the surface of what I think is a fairly deep issue, both within the Church and beyond, in the larger secular culture.  There is a widespread misconception that being a Christian, in general, and that begin a pastor/priest/minister/etc., in particular, means first and foremost being “nice.”  Now, nice, of course, is a good and wonderful thing; what makes this expectation problematic is that “nice” gets defined as “never, ever pushing back against any words or actions, no matter how offensive or vile those words or actions may be; never challenging anyone or anything, but instead just being happy and making sure nobody ever feels bad for any reason.”  Christians, and especially Christian ministers, are just supposed to smile, nod, and “take it,” no matter what sort of vitriol is directed our way.
 
Now, to be sure, we are absolutely called to conform our lives to the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who commands us unequivocally to turn the other cheek, to return kindness for malice, compassion for hate, love for fear, and to make of our lives a living sacrifice in service to God and God’s people (i.e., everybody).  Beyond that, Jesus calls us to be, ourselves, agents of transformation:  when hatred or anger are directed at us, we are called to transform that hate and return only love, to transform that anger and return only peace.  We must follow not only the commandments but also the living example of Jesus, every single day. 
 
So I am not even remotely suggesting that any of us ought to “fight back.”  To do so is irretrievably un-Christian.
 
That said, however, Christians in general and Christian ministers, especially, do have an additional obligation, and that is to teach, through word and example, the faith of Jesus Christ.  Teaching sometimes requires a bit of compassionate confrontation, a willingness to call people’s attention to the nature of their own actions and those of others … and the courage to offer loving correction when needed.  What happens, all too often, is that the expectation that Christians and (again especially) Christian ministers are to be meek and mild at all times gets weaponized:  “I can say and do whatever I want, and the pastor has no choice but to allow me to do so, because if he or she pushes back at all, I can accuse him or her of being a bad pastor and not following Jesus … and yet I don’t even have to try to live up to that same expectation myself.”
 
Folks, in the Christian community, we all have to live up to that standard, together.  That’s the piece of the puzzle that’s so often missing in our modern Church and especially in the larger, secular culture that surrounds us:  it’s not about individuals’ behavior at all.  It’s about the way the entire community is called and commanded to behave towards each other within the community, and towards the larger world outside the community.  We’re all in this together.  That’s the only way any of this Christian life can work.
 
That means that I sometimes need to receive—with as much gratitude as I, in my own sinfulness, can muster—a loving rebuke from a fellow follower of Christ.  Even, and really especially, when I don’t want to, I have to make myself close my mouth and open my ears and my heart to hear where it is that I’ve misspoken or acted inappropriately, how my behavior has hurt or is hurting someone, and what I need to do to make it right.  It’s hard to be on the receiving end of such a rebuke at all, much less to take it in gracefully, but that’s what I’m obligated to do. 
 
It also means that, when I witness someone’s mistreating another person (whether that other person be me or some other individual), I am obligated by my faith to speak up.  I can’t let it slide; I have to step in and let the offending party know, as gently but as firmly as possible, that he or she is speaking and/or acting in a way that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and that such behavior will not be tolerated in my presence.  Looking out for each other, taking a stand for each other (or even for ourselves, sometimes), whilst maintaining a humble awareness of our own capacity for harming others (whether advertently or inadvertently)—that’s all part and parcel of the Christian witness that is our obligation and our collective vocation.  Again, we’re all in this together.  To borrow once more from The Mandalorian:  “This is the Way.”

A blessed Holy Week to all!
 
A reminder that if you’d like to explore any Way of Love Faith @ Home 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 through the end of April. We meet from 7:00-7:45pm via Zoom. If available and willing to assist, contact Erin Wolf for more information.
 
Spring/Easter Break: Youth Group will NOT gather tonight, Wednesday, March 31, and Sunday School will NOT gather Easter Sunday, April 4. Virtual gatherings for the remainder of April WILL resume Wednesday, April 7 (YG) and Sunday, April 11 (SS), respectively.
 
Holy Week Services: As has been announced in several places, Holy Week services will be both in-person and live-streamed. Contact Emily in the parish office to reserve your spot to attend in-person, if you wish, and please note that masks and distancing are required. A note re: Saturday’s Vigil & Easter Sunday – please choose one OR the other to allow more people to attend an Easter service. Thank you!
 
Maundy Thursday: 6:30pm
Good Friday: 12:00pm NOON
Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil: 6:30pm
Easter Sunday: 9:30am
 
There will NOT be an in-person or virtual Coffee Hour on Easter Sunday, nor will there be any other activities offered at this time. As hard as this is to again miss out this year on some of the extra pieces that make Holy Week and Easter Sunday so special, we thank you for your continued patience and support as we continue navigate opening things back up at All Saints.
 
End of Year Virtual Celebrations: Our 2020-2021 program year ends at the end of April! Sunday School’s end of year celebration will take place Sunday, April 25, and Youth Group’s end of year celebration will be Wednesday, April 28.
 
FDL Summer Camp: Camper Registration and volunteer Staff Applications are live! Be sure to check for updates 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 Holy Week and Easter! Peace be with you all. ​

My dear family in Christ,
 
The short version first:
 

• Limited in-person worship will begin on Palm/Passion Sunday
• 50 persons, maximum, including priest/servers/tech support
• Facemasks and social distancing are both required of all attendees
• Live-streamed services will continue as before via Zoom/Facebook
• Registration/reservations are required—you must contact the office
• No physical contact during the passing of the Peace
• No singing in the church building
• Seating will be distanced; one family unit per pew, alternating pews
• Those who are “at risk” and/or not comfortable with physical gatherings should continue to worship with us virtually via our live-streams

 
The longer version:
 
As you know, it has been a year and a week since the last time we were all together in our beautiful church, praising God, singing hymns, and sharing the sacrament of Holy Communion as the gathered Body of Christ in Appleton.  A year is a long time to be apart, even under the best of circumstances, and—regardless of one’s perspectives, preferences, proclivities, or priorities—I think we’d all be a bit hard pressed to describe 2020 as having comprised “the best of circumstances.”  It has been particularly difficult to have to fast for so long not only from each other’s presence but also from Holy Communion shared together.
 
Now, as the season of Lent draws to a close and we look eagerly toward Easter, I have some good news to share.  Of course, the greatest good news is that Jesus is Lord! and that we will once again celebrate the Resurrection this Easter!  But I have some more immediate, down-to-earth good news to share, as well: 
 
We will reopen our church (in limited fashion) beginning on Palm Sunday!
 
It’s time.  Not because Covid is over—it isn’t!  (More on that in a moment.)  Not because the risks are gone—they are not!  Even so, the overcrowding in our hospitals and healthcare facilities has started to go down, more and more people are getting vaccinated every day, and as long as we continue to mask, distance, and observe the recommended safety protocols, we can finally worship together again in limited numbers.  So it is time for us to begin the long process of moving back into our shared, communal worship.
 
That’s the good news.  As you can tell, however, from my careful wording above, there is unfortunately also some bad news.
 
The bad news is that the return to our remembered experience of full-scale in-person worship, including so many of the things we love about the All Saints experience, is still a good ways off.  In other words, we will NOT be “going back to the way things were” anytime soon.
 
Instead, our return to in-person worship will have to happen in stages, in increments.  And this first stage will NOT be ideal.  In many ways, it will be awkward and strange.  It will almost certainly feel frustrating.  But it WILL be a necessary and important first step towards a complete post-pandemic reopening, and that’s not nothing, y’all.
 
So how is it going to work?  What exactly will it look and feel and sound like?  What will be different?  Here’s a breakdown of some key features of this next phase we’re about to enter into together:
 
Face masks & social distancing are absolutely required.  Until the Covid numbers get significantly better, these requirements MUST be observed.  We don’t ever want to turn anyone away from our doors … but as pastor, my responsibility—and my sincere desire—is to safeguard the well-being of the entire flock.  So these restrictions are non-negotiable.  (We will try to keep a small supply of disposable masks on hand, in case someone just happens to forget to mask up before leaving the house to come to church, but if possible, please bring your own.)  As for spacing, we will limit seating to one family unit* per pew, and we’ll have to skip a pew in between each family unit as well.  The pews will be marked off accordingly when you come in to the church.
 
Reservations are required in advance.  You’ll have to contact the church office before the close of business on Friday in order to reserve a physical place for yourself and your immediate family* for the following Sunday service.  In order to make sure as many folks who want to attend in-person get the chance to do so, we are going to ask that if you reserve a spot and attend in-person in a given week, you then join us virtually/online the following week, to give someone else a chance to worship in-person.  If we can voluntarily alternate weeks like that, it will make it easier for us to adhere to the other restrictions we have to follow, and also hopefully calling the office to sign up will maybe feel a little less like trying to get a vaccine appointment. : )
 
* NOTE:  I am using the terms “immediate family” and “family unit” to indicate a small group of people who live in the same space together.  If you have family in the parish, but you and they live in separate houses, then you and they would count as different “family units” for purposes of maintaining social distance.
 
One single service will be offered (to start) at 9:30.  As we begin to add in-person worshippers back into our Sunday morning service, we will continue to have a single 9:30 a.m. service that will combine in-person worship and live-streamed online worship.  At least, we’re going to try it that way to begin with; if it does not work to combine in-person with live-streaming, we might have to separate the two types of service, but I am truly hoping that we don’t have to do that.  I would prefer that what we do be what we live-stream out, in terms of worship, so that we have one communal act of worship, with some folks taking part in person and some folks taking part online, but all of us sharing the same worship together.
 
In-person capacity is limited.  Current diocesan restrictions for in-person worship services limit us to 25% of building capacity OR 50 persons total (including priest & servers), whichever is fewer.  With a space as large as ours, that means we are limited to 50 people per service.  For comparison, prior to the shutdown a tad more than a year ago, we were averaging between 70 and 90 people between two services.  Given that a significant number of our parishioners will not yet feel safe and/or comfortable attending in-person services, it may not be too unreasonable to expect that a single service that allows for 50 people would suffice for us, at least for this first phase of reopening.  Of course, if demand is too great, we will add a second service on Sunday morning. 
 
NOTE:  Folks who attend in-person on Palm Sunday will still be eligible to attend one or the other (but not both) of our Easter services, either Saturday evening or Sunday morning.  But, again, we would prefer that you choose in advance which one of the Easter services you want to attend.
 
In-person worshippers will receive the Bread only.  Diocesan restrictions require that both Bread and Wine be consecrated, that the Celebrant receive in both kinds, and that all other participants receive in one kind (Bread only).  Essentially, at this point it is still far better to be safe than sorry, and that is why we will not be sharing a common cup just yet.
 
In-person singing is NOT allowed.  This restriction, I predict, will hit our specific community particularly hard.  Music and (especially) singing are so deeply ingrained in the culture and identity of this parish that it’s almost unthinkable to consider returning to worship together … without also returning to our practice of singing together.  Overwhelming amounts of research show, however, that, because of the ways that the virus spreads most effectively, singing in groups is one of the most dangerous things we could do.  At this time, we simply cannot risk it.  Of course, the folks participating in our live-streamed service from their own homes can belt those hymns out as much as they like. : )
 
Grace will be needed.  We will need to remember that a number of our fellow congregants won’t want to, or even shouldn’t, attend in-person gatherings until the rates of Covid infections go down significantly.  So we must be absolutely clear that participating in our worship online via live-stream is every bit as valid and meaningful as attending in-person.  We can’t have higher or lower “tiers” of worship in our community, and we certainly cannot have “second-class citizens” in our parish.
 
You will need to dress for the weather.  For purposes of maintaining as much non-re-circulated airflow as possible, we will need to open some of our windows and exterior doors.  Using recycled air in enclosed spaces pretty much destroys any advantage we gain through social distancing, because it mixes everybody’s air all together and blows it all over everyone in the group.  Depending upon the weather on any given day, you’ll want to keep your heavy coats with you in the pew.
 
None of this process will be easy, at first.  It’s going to be awkward and strange and likely rather frustrating to be back in church, but in such restricted and unfamiliar ways.  But I have great faith in the faith and the grace that, in my experience, define this parish family.  With a bit of patience, continued devotion, grace from above, and a healthy sense of humor (or at least irony), I believe we will continue to be a blessed people of God together during this new phase of our shared life, just as we have during the long separation and isolation of Coronatide.  You all continue to inspire me, and you remain in my daily prayers.  Please call or email if you have any questions, and God bless you all!

​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!