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Dear saints,
This week, three of our staff and myself have been at the Episcopal Parish Network conference in Kansas City, MO where we were treated to time with the new Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe, and various other speakers and workshop leaders. With the mandate Bishop Rowe has received from General Convention - the legislative body of the Episcopal Church - structural change is underway in our denomination. The presiding bishop spoke of his desire to support and ‘scale up’ what is happening across the dioceses and parishes of the church. In time, what that will mean in practice will become clear. What I came away with was a message that communicated a certain kind of solidarity, a re-ordering that is thoughtful and caring and with its eyes on the flourishing of all people. Large scale structural change has to be carried out with thought and care because budgets and structural organizations are ultimately about people's lives. Moral leadership calls for such care, and we should demand nothing less from all people in leadership and authority.
The deeper question Bishop Rowe is asking us is who are we to one another? During the conference, we had the privilege of hearing from priests who are leading churches in profoundly challenging circumstances. We heard what it is like to minister in Pacific Palisades, CA, when yours is the only church that did not perish in fires that otherwise devastated the entire neighborhood. We listened to how the Church of the Transfiguration, Bat Cave, NC, is meeting local community needs amid devastation so seismic that one day the river was on one side of the church building and then following Hurricane Helene it had been moved to the other. And we tried and probably failed to understand the vast scale of destruction in Gaza from Fadi Diab, rector of St. Andrew's, Ramallah and vice chair of the board of the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. All of it was deeply moving and what tied these ministries from across the country and the world together was how each was so thoroughly a ministry of solidarity.
Solidarity, to be with, is a deeply Christian practice. The very fact of the incarnation puts into flesh and blood God's everlasting solidarity with us. 'God with us' is simply who God is. Yet, solidarity can only happen by design - by intent and action. And that is where it can get hard, especially when we find ourselves downcast by the state of the world. Chaos and destruction can easily feel defeating and we are left yearning for some hope. Indeed, in these closing days of the season after the Epiphany when we have encouraged one another to 'be a light', when the world feels too dark and dim, it is understandable that we might look for light to come to us.
Understandable, yes, but that was not what I heard this week. I heard the rector of St. Matthew's, Pacific Palisades, a seasoned church leader, say unreservedly that he has no idea what he is doing as he tries to support his community, but he is doing it anyway. I heard a priest in Sarasota, FL, whose parishioners' homes were inundated by hurricane waters, conditioning himself to just show up at the end of their driveways and be the church in the midst of their grief and pain. Over and over, their stories were consistent not only with our theology that God is with us, but also with the wisdom Dr. Fadi Diab offered when he cautioned us against waiting for hope to come to us. On the West Bank, in Gaza, indeed in Ukraine and Sudan and the Congo, people cannot afford to wait for hope to come to them, they must learn to enact hope, to live it into being themselves. They know that it is they who must learn to fashion a space for hope, even and especially when so little around them is hopeful.
So that's my encouragement. Enact hope. Enact hope down your street. Enact hope in your workplace. Enact hope in your closest relationships and enact hope with complete strangers. You and I are people of a gospel, of good news. Christ stands with us. Don't wait for the light to come - it already has. Don’t wait for hope. Be it.
Peace,
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For every $12,500 raised, we can support one refugee family for six months.
Let's work together to see how many families we can help!
You can give to the effort by clicking on this link and selecting 'Refugee Ministry Donation Fund' from the drop-down menu. We invite you to join us by inviting friends, colleagues and neighbors to do the same. And of course, we invite you (and your friends!) to join us for the party at All Saints' at the end of it all.
"HALLELUJAH ANYHOW" Evening of Celebration
Saturday, March 29, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Ellis Hall
Buy tickets here!
Don't miss our upcoming "Hallelujah Anyhow" Evening of Celebration in Ellis Hall on Saturday, March 29. The event will feature an exciting array of global cuisines from cutting-edge pop-up chefs, curated by Punk Foodie and Neighborhood Supper Club. Enjoy live music by The Lost Cats and a vibrant community atmosphere. Tickets are $100 - available here. We’re pleased to offer free childcare and dinner for children. For more details, please contact Louisa Merchant, louisam@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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The Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
Sunday, February 23, Church
Weekly Service Times
- 8:00 a.m. (Traditional Language, No Music)
- 9:00 a.m. (Contemporary Language, Choral Music)
- 11:15 a.m. (Contemporary Language, Choral Music)
- 5:00 p.m. The Welcome Table (Contemporary Language, Jazz Music)
| | PARKING: Overflow parking is available at the Bank of America—please enter on North Ave. Please request an additional validation ticket from an usher in the church narthex upon arrival or exit. Use both validation tickets upon exiting the Bank of America parking deck to park free of charge. Be aware, also, that on Sundays in Midtown Atlanta, street parking is free. | | |
Sunday Morning Breakfast
Sundays, from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., Ellis Hall
Join us for a delicious breakfast and fellowship with the saints before Sunday services in Ellis Hall. The cost is $10 for adults and $8 for kids.
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Interview with Lerita Coleman Brown, author of our Lenten All-Parish Book Read
Sunday, March 2, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., Ellis Hall & Livestream
Join us for a Sunday morning forum with Lerita Coleman Brown, author of What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman. Two weeks before we begin our Lenten “One Parish, One Book” discussions, take this opportunity to hear from the author — a sought-after retreat leader, spiritual director, and Professor Emerita of Psychology at Agnes Scott College. For more information, contact Jenny McBride (jmcbride@allsaintsatlanta.org).
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Jesus on the Front Page
Sundays, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., Parish Hall 307
In this weekly Sunday morning discussion of a current news story, participants reflect on how we are called to live as faithful people. In a nonpartisan reflection, we explore how we might be called to pray differently, think differently or act differently in our private and public lives. We ask where God might be found in this story and learn to name our lament as well as our hope. Email Clark Lemons (clemons@emory.edu) if you have questions!
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The Welcome Table: Sunday Evening Worship Service and Dinner
Sundays at 5:00 p.m., In the Chapel and Ellis Hall
Before your busy week begins, the Welcome Table is a place to join with others and find rest and refreshment. Come to the Welcome Table: a service with a jazz trio, singing, communion and prayer (together and in ways that speak to us individually). A community dinner for all participants follows the service.
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Ash Wednesday Service Times
Wednesday, March 5
- 7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Church
- 12:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist, Church
- 5:00 p.m. All Ages with Ashes, Church
- 5:45 p.m. Ashes to Go, North Avenue Marta Station
- 7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Choir, Church
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent with a powerful reflection on our own mortality and need for God’s grace. Join us as we begin our 40-day journey to the cross, and ultimately to Christ’s Resurrection. Watch for a special email on Monday highlighting Lenten opportunities at All Saints'.
| | WOW! What a great turnout for vocalist Carmen Bradford and pianist Reginald Thomas! Our 3rd Jazz at All Saints' concert Sturday night was a huge success and so much fun. Thank you to all who have worked so hard to make Jazz at All Saints' a reality! Be sure to get your tickets to the next concert in our series to experience Matthew Kaminski, the Braves organist, with his quartet on Friday, March 14th. | | Sunday night, our Men’s Ministry enjoyed dinner and fellowship together in Ellis Hall. This intergenerational group invites you to join them for the final dinner of the year, a New Orleans style Crawfish Boil on Sunday, May 18. | | |
Consider becoming a member of All Saints’ Cornerstone by making a planned gift today to All Saints’. You can include the church in your will or as a beneficiary of an IRA or insurance policy. If you don’t have a will, it may be time to write one.
For more information, contact our Planned Giving Committee, Chair: David Begley (david@wdbegley.com). The Cornerstone Society recognizes parishioners who have made a planned gift to All Saints’. Join the more than 200 members who have made this important commitment.
If you have questions, please e-mail them to:
Julie Lockhart, Director of Development, jlockhart@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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All Saints' offers easy ways to pay your pledge or to make a gift:
Online at allsaintsatlanta.org/give
Mail a check to All Saints’ Church, 634 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308 Put a check or cash into the offering plate during the services
Text to Give: text AllSaintsAtlanta to 73256
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Music Notes This Week:
A trumpet mardi gras for organ! This Sunday is the last time we’ll hear the high-pressure Tuba stop in the front organ or the Fanfare Trumpets in the rear organ until Easter, as Lent begins this week. But today, it’s time to enjoy those last blasts and Alleluias - expect a little extra fanfare on each hymn, and more-than-enough organ on the Voluntaries. British composer Percy Whitlock, writer of the opening voluntary Fanfare, was assistant organist at Rochester Cathedral between 1921 and 1930 when he moved to become director of music at St Stephen’s, Bournemouth, a post he held for five years. In 1932 he was appointed borough organist at Bournemouth’s Municipal Pavilion. His name shone brightly as a performer and he earned a considerable reputation as a recitalist and broadcaster. His untimely death at the age of 42 was a loss regretted by all who knew him. L.S. Barnard in the obituary for Musical Opinion (June 1946) states that “[Whitlock] had the most extraordinary and endearing personal qualities. His personality carried with it an atmosphere of serenity and gentleness seldom encountered in these sophisticated and disingenuous times. He had, too, a virile wit and sense of fun…” Perhaps you’ll hear those qualities in his music as well.
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Matt Kaminski Steps Up to the Plate for the March 14th Jazz at All Saints’ Concert
Friday, March 14, 7:00 p.m., Church
Matt Kaminski, the highly regarded stadium organist of the Atlanta Braves, will headline Jazz at All Saints’ on Friday evening, March 14. While especially beloved by Braves fans and sportscasters, Matt is also a musical legend in the city. Jazz is his first love, but he also performs in a western swing band, a polka band, a Latin salsa orchestra, and a rock band. For our concert, he and his jazz quartet will bring fan favorite songs to the mix, starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Church. The concert will be followed by the usual lively Q&A and then a reception in Ellis Hall. Be sure to tell your teammates and get your tickets for this family-friendly concert ($25/adult, $15/student) at allsaintsatlanta.org/jazz or at the door.
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The Journey Bible Study - Prophets & Kings
Weekly on Mondays, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., on Zoom
First the history and then the prophetic response will be our format for Bible study through May. The history of the two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, will be read including the stories of the prophets Elijah, Elisha and Amos. For more information or to sign up for the class, please contact The Rev. Karen Evans kevans@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Lenten Connects: Small Group Spiritual Conversation
March 3, 2025 through Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025
Groups meet by zoom once a week for an hour for the six weeks. There is a Wednesday noon group formed and the option for Tuesday or Thursday evening groups, starting at 7:00 p.m. If interested click here or, to see an example of a participant guide, email Jilli Robertson, jilli.ff.robertson@gmail.com.
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Rule of Life Launch: Live Intentionally & Listen Intently
Sunday March 9, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., Ellis Hall
With so much happening in our public life, have you wondered, “How can we live a better way?” — where we aren’t reacting but discerning; where we aren’t autonomous individuals being pulled in multiple directions, but a people rooted in intentional friendships and a community of support; where our outward life of action and our inward life of prayer mutually influence each another? How can we live more intentionally, guided by God’s Spirit? Join us for the launch of a new opportunity to enter into a Rule of Life with other All Saints’ parishioners, who are also seeking to live more intentionally and listen more intently to God’s Spirit. Hear from a panel of parishioners already involved in pilot groups. For more information, contact Jenny McBride, jmcbride@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Out of Hand Play at Faith & Justice Collective Luncheon
Sunday, March 9, register to eat lunch at 12:30 p.m., play starts at 1:00 p.m., Ellis Hall
Join us in March as we host the 2025 Out of Hand play, How To Make a Home by Amina McIntyre. The show is a collaboration with Partners for Home and Mayor Dickens and is designed to shed light on the realities of people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, from full-time students and workers to families living in their cars. Registration in advance is required for a box lunch and a donation of $12 is suggested to cover the lunch. Please register at https://bit.ly/faith_and_justice_march_2024. The play itself is free for parishioners and the public, so please spread the word about this opportunity. Contact Jenny McBride with any questions, jmcbride@allsaintstalanta.org.
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Adult Inquirers Class - Spring Session
Wednesdays, March 12, 2025 - April 9, 2025 at 6:30pm via Zoom and In-Person Dinner
Adult Inquirers Class is a five-part introduction to the life of faith at All Saints’. Meetings are on Wednesday nights, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The first four meetings are on Zoom with the final session in person over dinner at the church. Participants are asked to commit to all five sessions. Additional adult inquirers classes will be held later in the fall. Upon completion of classes, confirmation and membership will be available. For more details contact Tracey Sage, tsage@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Lenten "One Parish, One Book" Discussions
Sundays, March 16 - April 6, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., 3rd Floor Parish House
Tuesdays, March 18 – April 8, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Zoom
During the season of Lent, the entire parish will read one book together and gather over four weeks for small group discussion in person during the Sunday morning formation period or on Zoom the following Tuesday. “Jesus on the Front Page" will continue to meet together for this discussion, while other parishioners will be divided by alphabetical order with a clergy member leading the discussion group. After hosting the author on March 2, we will read Lerita Coleman Brown’s What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman. Purchase a copy wherever books are sold and join us! For the Tuesday Zoom link, or for more information, please contact Jenny McBride (jmcbride@allsaintsatlanta.org). The reading schedule is as follows: Sunday, March 16 / Tuesday, March 18 (Chpts 1&2); Sunday, March 23 / Tuesday, March 25 (Chpt 5); Sunday, March 30 / Tuesday, April 1 (Chpt 7); Sunday, April 6 / Tuesday, April 8 (Chpt 8).
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Shrove Tuesday
Tuesday, March 4, 5:00 Pancake Dinner (Ellis Hall), 6:00 All Ages Worship (Courtyard)
Join us for a Mardi Gras pancake dinner in Ellis Hall, followed by an all ages worship service in the courtyard as we burn last year’s palms and prepare for Ash Wednesday. Children and youth often enjoy the bonfire in the courtyard. As they say in New Orleans, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” The cost is $14 per adult, $7 per child. No registration needed.
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Wednesday Night Supper
Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., Ellis Hall
Join us for Wednesdays @ All Saints' (aka Wednesday Night Supper). Grab a friend to come enjoy a meal while connecting with the community. contact Marcia Mayfield, mmayfield@allsaintsatlanta.org, for more information.
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2027-2028 Vestry Nominations
We welcome nominations for 2027-2028 Vestry leadership from all eligible parish members who are confirmed and over eighteen, who regularly attend worship and who have made a financial pledge to the church. Between Friday, February 14 and Sunday, March 23, Vestry nominations may be submitted either by email or written notice to the Rector’s Executive Assistant, Tracey Sage: tsage@allsaintsatlanta.org. Please include all your church involvement in your submission. Vestry members will be elected during the Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, April 27.
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Weekly Children & Youth Formation (Sundays)
Nursery/Little Saints: Birth-Pre-K, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 1st floor of the Pritchett Center
Children’s Church: K-5th Grade, 8:40 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., 2nd floor of the Pritchett Center
Children Formation: K-5th grade, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., 2nd floor of the Pritchett Center
Youth Formation: 6th-12th grade, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., The Attic (3rd floor of the Pritchett Center)
SNL (6th-8th grade) and Y’all Saints’ (9th-12th grade): 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., The Attic (3rd floor of the Pritchett Center)
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Weekly Children's Choirs Rehearsals (Wednesdays)
Cherub Choir: PK-K, 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Primary Choir: 1st-2nd grade, 4:35 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.
Junior Choir: 3rd-6th grade, 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Junior Handbells: 4th - 6th grade, 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
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Weekly Youth Choirs Rehearsals (Sundays)
Youth Handbells: 7th-12th grade, 4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Youth Choir: 7th-12th grade, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Come sing, grow, and make a joyful noise with us this year! For more information, contact Emily Rebecca Halbert, Director of Youth & Children’s Choirs, at ehalbert@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Young Adult Fellowship Online!
Are you in your 20s or 30s and interested in fellowship, discipleship and service? Reach out to Tasia Blair at youngadults@allsaintsatlanta.org to receive our monthly newsletter, get added to the WhatsApp group chat and find out what events we have coming up!
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MAC Annual Lenten Food Drive
Sundays, March 9 through April 13
The MAC Lenten Food Drive starts Sunday March 9th and ends Palm Sunday, April 13th. Shopping bags with the food drive list will be handed out at worship on March 9th. Bags with donated food items can be dropped off in Ellis Hall any Sunday during Lent. Last year, the Food Drive brought in 2,522 pounds of food. These contributions enable MAC to support neighbors facing housing and food insecurity. For a detailed list of necessary food items, please visit midtownassistancecenter.org/donate/. For questions, please contact Jenny McBride or MAC’s volunteer manager, Savanna Keo, at savanna@midtownassistancecenter.org.
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Become a Volunteer Receptionist at All Saints'
Our volunteers work on a biweekly schedule from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Monday through Thursday. If interested, please contact Marie-Louise Muhumuza at mlmuhumuza@llsaintsatlanta.org or Tracey Sage at tsage@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Threads Welcomes Families for Shopping
Threads welcomes families for in-store shopping Thursdays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Interested in volunteering? Contact Marcia Mayfield if you are interested in volunteering; Threads needs you:
threads@allsaintsatlanta.org.
You may purchase items please via the Threads Amazon Wishlist:
bit.ly/ASECThreadDecember2024
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February Faith & Justice Newsletter
- Volunteers Needed for Refugee Settlement
- Spotlight on the Church of the Common Ground
- Faithful Advocates Go To The Capitol
- All Sorts Sponsor Sing-a-long
- Preview of 2025 Hunger Walk/Run
- F & J Luncheon Features New Out of Hand Play
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Novel Theology >> Meets one Wednesday a month on Zoom from 7:00-8:00 p.m.. Click the link above to learn more and register.
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Share Your Photos! Share Your Expertise!
Did you know that you can submit photographs of All Saints’ events to share with the Communications Team? If you want to make a habit of it, join the Photography Guild! Contact Kathy Powell at communications@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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Connect with us on Realm!
Learn more >> Don't forget to join Realm, our new platform for online giving, directory, and event registration.
Questions? Please contact Betsey Gibbs at bgibbs@allsaintsatlanta.org.
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