Dear Saints,  

 

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below."

I've sung this song my whole life and not once has it ever evoked emotion-until last Sunday!

Last Sunday, when your beautiful faces were turned upwards towards the altar singing the words of the doxology, it caught me by surprise. The words were halted up by a huge lump in my throat!

As you sang, so much flooded in: prayers that we've prayed, meals that we've enjoyed, laughs that we have shared. Truly spread out before me was the feast that is All Saints' Church.

I was reminded in that moment of the abundance with which we are all surrounded, and of the love that we all share for one another, and (most importantly), the love that our self-giving God has for each and every one of us. This is at the heart of the holy meal that we share each week: that we come together, regardless of where we are in our beliefs, faith, or even the state of our lives, and we are fed and nurtured by God when we share the body and blood of Christ.

As I move through the grief surrounding leaving All Saints', I find such great comfort in the fact that you will all go on being God's Saints doing her work in this broken and beautiful world. I'm even certain that we will share the blessing of having that holy meal together once again and probably even be able to do some of that holy work together again.

So, August 4th I will go-strengthened by our time together-gratefully turning towards the future, blessed by your presence in this world and in my life.

"Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen."
-Ephesians 3:20, 21


Tim

 

Sundays, 9:00-9:55 a.m., P307, Parish House
Facilitator: Charlie Cork
Join this ongoing discussion of the news of the day and how we are called as Christians to respond in the public arena, in our private lives and in our prayers. This week, Charlie Cork will continue to take us back to the first couple of centuries C.E. The front page story might be from the year 135, when Roman armies under the command of Julius Severus retook Jerusalem and sacked it, or the year 122, when the Roman emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of a 70-mile defensive wall during a visit to Britain.  For more information, contact Ethel Ware Carter at ethelware@aol.com.

Let's Talk About Race 

This Sunday, and Sunday, July 28, 11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m., 

Ross Room, Parish House
Welcome to The MICAH (our Mission Is Conversation And Healing) Project, our grassroots conversation about race in our lives, our region, and in the history of the church. Join us for the second of three presentations this summer that will stimulate our conversations. Leah Burnette will perform the monologue "A Few Honest Moments With Sam," written by Minka Wiltz and produced by our own Ariel Fristoe's Out of Hand Theater. The performance tells the true story of a young African American woman growing up in Atlanta. The deadline to be included in the head count for lunch has passed, but everyone is welcome to come (and bring your own lunch, if you'd like). For more information, contact Sarah Hill at hill.sarh@gmail.com or 404-217-4400.

Picnic for Little Saints' Families
This Sunday, 11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m., 

Children's Playground
Come join us for a simple lunch, playtime, and fellowship for families with children around the same age and stage as yours. This is a great opportunity for parents to connect with the people we pass each week as we hurry to drop off our children at the nursery and go to church! We will have baby pools and sprinklers for water play and toys out for the kids. For more information, contact Kathy Roberts at kroberts@allsaintsatlanta.org.

Refugee Ministries Backpack Buddies
Pick-Up a Backpack Tag This Sunday, July 21 or 28
Bring-In the Backpack by Sunday, August 4, 

Kennedy Courtyard and Ellis Hall Foyer
Help us send refugee children back to school fully prepared - with new backpacks and school supplies. Come by the courtyard to pick-up a backpack tag with the name, gender, and age of a refugee child as well as a list of school supplies to purchase for them. Return your backpack filled with supplies to Ellis Hall Foyer with the tag placed inside by Sunday, August 4. After the worship service that Sunday, we will deliver the backpacks to the children in Clarkston. If you're interested in volunteering to help deliver the backpacks, please let Louisa Merchant know. To volunteer or for more information, contact Louisa Merchant at louisam@allsaintsatlanta.org.

Sign-Up for the American Red Cross Blood Drive
This Sunday, 11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 

Kennedy Courtyard
Stop by the table in the courtyard to speak to a representative from the American Red Cross, get answers to your questions about giving blood, and sign-up for our parish drive next Sunday, July 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To sign-up to donate or to volunteer, please email Mary Jo Bryan at mjb2bryan@gmail.com .