Dear saints,

On this day, five years ago, I wrote to the parish to say that things were going to be changing due to a virus we had increasingly heard about in the news called Covid-19. Little did we know at the time quite how much March 2020 would be a watershed moment in our lives. Just a couple of weeks earlier, I had been in a Jerusalem hotel with about forty All Saints' pilgrims, hearing of flights being cancelled and wondering if we were going to take up semi-permanent residency in the holy land. Back at home, we saw the news of respiratory illness spreading across the population. Cruise ships were ordered to stay out at sea rather than bring the virus to the population on shore. I can distinctly remember conversations we had at the time about our hopes to be back in the church by Easter. Perhaps we didn't specify which Easter. 

There are a lot of images in my mind of those days. Our staff and parishioners did incredible work, innovating a traditional and not particularly digitally-savvy church operation on a dime. We preached to cameras inside an empty church. We led virtual bonfires with our youth. Children's choirs rehearsed on Zoom and our adult choir's “Hallelujah Chorus” made it onto the Today Show. We did drive-by pet blessings and backpack deliveries for refugee families. We followed the public health protocols assiduously, and then revised them, over and over again in an effort to keep everyone safe and as a result the health impact of Covid amongst our parishioners was minimal. 

The impact on our life as a congregation, not to mention as a nation, was profound. Many people who stayed home during Covid never came back to the building. Some continued to worship online, many others gave up church attendance altogether. As we would so often hear in the years following 2020, people "got out of the habit". Yet, All Saints' continued to grow in its generosity. MAC came back to the block and the majority of the 700+ newcomers who have come to All Saints' since 2019 only know us as a post-Covid church. As I have come to know those new folks through the newcomer adult inquirers classes I teach, at newcomer gatherings, and in the general life of the church, I have found that people who looked for church post-March 2020 came with a lot of intentionality. They were looking for a place that celebrated diversity, that valued the inclusion of all, that strived for justice, equity and peace, and that felt like there was a welcome place for them - and they found it in All Saints'. Over the past five years we have launched the Welcome Table service and a new Jazz Concert series (come on over Braves fans for tonight's final concert with Matt Kaminski) and in May we will bring our multi-year discernment process to a conclusion as we share a vision and campus master plan for the future of our block. All the while, America has changed, just a little bit, yet while we also have grown and changed, we have remained a community rooted and grounded in Christ, a still point in a swirling world.

I hope you'll get a chance to pause this weekend and remember. Several of us lost loved ones during Covid and some of us could not mourn their passing in ways we would have wanted to. Many of us saw our working or home lives undergo significant change and upheaval. The church has a word for moments when we might take stock of such things: prayer. It doesn't have to follow any set words, or happen in a particular place or time. It just needs to be yours. So, take a minute. Breathe. And remember whose you are. 

With thanksgiving that we are here, together.

Peace,

Raising Hope for Refugees

Help us support refugee families as they build new lives among us. All donations are welcome. Donate here and choose the Refugee Ministry Donation Fund. In celebration of our efforts, join us for Hallelujah Anyhow: A Night of Celebration in Ellis Hall on Saturday, March 29, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The event will feature an exciting array of global cuisines from cutting-edge pop-up chefs, live music, and a vibrant community atmosphere. Tickets are $100. We’re pleased to offer free childcare and dinner for children. Buy tickets before they sell out!

For more information visit the Refugee Ministries webpage or contact, Louisa Merchant louisam@allsaintsatlanta.org.

THIS SUNDAY

The First Sunday of Lent

Sunday, March 16, 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) 

ANNOUNCEMENT: The live stream of our Sunday worship services is now available at allsaintsatlanta.org/live, facebook.com/AllSaintsATL and on youtube.com/@AllSaintsATL. Feel free to join us via your preferred platform and be sure to give us a follow! 

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. 

SPECIAL NOTE: Sunday Morning Breakfast takes a break for Lent.

TONIGHT: Matt Kaminski Steps Up to the Plate for the 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’ tonight, March 14. 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 online ($25/adult, $15/student) at allsaintsatlanta.org/jazz or at the door.

TOMORROW: Refugee Ministries Picnic

Saturday, March 15, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Milam Park in Clarkston

Please join us for our annual Refugee Ministries picnic. We are excited to introduce our six new families in addition to the other 35 families we support at this picnic. This is a great time to invite someone that is new to Refugee Ministries to learn more about potential volunteer opportunities. RSVP to louisam@allsaintsatlanta.org, sign up for specific volunteer acts at this link, or just join us!

Lenten "One Parish, One Book": What Makes You Come Alive

Sundays, March 16 - April 6, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., 3rd Floor Parish House OR

Tuesdays, March 18 – April 8, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Zoom

During the season of Lent, the entire parish will read Lerita Coleman Brown’s What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman 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 meet in the Ross Room with a clergy member leading the discussion group.

Though we invite you to read the whole book, we will be focusing on select chapters. The reading schedule is as follows:

• Week of March 16 - Discussing Chapters 1&2
• Week of March 23 - Discussing Chapter 5
• Week of March 30 - Discussing Chapter 7
• Week of April 6 - Discussing Chapter 8

For the Tuesday Zoom link, or for more information, please contact Jenny McBride, jmcbride@allsaintsatlanta.org.

MAC Annual Lenten Food Drive

Bring your donations!

The MAC Lenten Food Drive has started and runs until Palm Sunday, April 13th. 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. Let's see if we can beat that this Lent! 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.

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! 

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. 

In celebration of the first Sunday of Lent, our 11:15 a.m. service started with The Great Litany, led by Rev. Dr. Andy Barnett. The Great Litany is an intercessory prayer listing a variety of human needs and concerns and asking for God to hear us, deliver us, and have mercy on us. Watch the video below.

On Sunday, Jenny led a panel of four parishioners who shared their experiences as pilot participants in our newly established Rule of Life small groups. These groups help you add another layer of intentionality to your prayer, discernment, and action. We were unable to stream or record this session, but it is not too late to sign up for a small group. Contact jmcbride@allsaintsatlanta.org for more information.

All Saints' Refugee Ministries was featured on the news! Below, one of our recently arrived families from Rwanda - Elizabeth, her husband, and young adult son - enjoy Ethiopian coffee in Clarkston as they chat with our translator Mbabazi and All Saints' parishioner Deb Cox before their tv interview. Louisa Merchant is camera-ready to share about All Saints' refugee ministries and the current hurdles facing refugees. Our segment aired on WSB Channel 2 evening news on Thursday. Watch the WSB-TV story here.

We look forward to you joining us for upcoming services and events throughout the year. For more information on upcoming events, read this weekly newsletter every Friday or visit allsaintsatlanta.org/calendar.

If you can't join us in-person, you are still a part of our All Saints' community!

Did you know you can watch our services online?

Please visit us at allsaintsatlanta.org/live during service times. We stream to our website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel, so you can join us in whichever way is most convenient for you. You can also view recordings of services and community events at allsaintsatlanta.org/media/video-audio-library/ .

If you haven’t yet made your pledge for 2025, there is still time!

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

If you have questions, please e-mail them to:

Julie Lockhart, Director of Development, jlockhart@allsaintsatlanta.org.

Donate at allsaintsatlanta.org/give 

WORSHIP & MUSIC

Music Notes This Week:

(George) Calvin Hampton was a leading American organist and sacred music composer. From 1963 to 1983 Hampton was organist and choirmaster at Calvary Episcopal Church in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan. His “Fridays at Midnight” organ recital series, which ran from 1974 to 1983, was among the most well-known and popular organ recital series in American history. Before Hampton’s untimely death during the AIDS epidemic, Erik Routley, an authority on church music, called Hampton “the greatest living composer of hymn tunes.” His settings of the Episcopal liturgy are also used in Catholic churches, and his choral works are innovative and challenging pieces of sacred music. Do you follow Music at All Saints on Facebook & Instagram?

A Meditation by Parishioner David Cross

How am I to know what to do when everyday seems to pile on new uncertainties? Do not be deceived by the powers that be, who incessantly tell you what to think and do; trust in your heart that there is a better way with God. I am told to let go of my worldly anxieties and surrender to the peace of God that surpasses my understanding. The mystery of that peace is that it opens the door for me to see God’s will for my life. And once inside, it provides the strength and conviction for me to actually live God’s will for my life. That is my purpose. Unique to me, but available if I’m willing to stop and listen as God is always with me. As St. Catherine of Genoa exclaimed, “My deepest me is God!” In my own way, I too am a prophet serving the divine mission of God. Read David's full meditation and more parishioner meditations here.

Throughout Lent, read mediations from All Saints' parishioners in preparation for the Sunday Gospel. Visit this link to read on the website and download printable .pdfs. Next week, read reflections from Laney and Rudy Ortega, Shelby Grubb, Dave Chambless, Ivy Moultrie, Clifton Askew, and Kathy Powell on the following Sunday's Gospel. Though they are labeled for each day, all of meditations from the week reflect upon the same scripture, so they do not need to be read daily. Be sure to bookmark the above link as the meditations get updated every Friday!

School of the Spirit: The Meaning of Worship

Wednesdays, March 19, 26, 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the church

Explore the signs, symbols, and sounds of Anglican worship in All Saints’ historic church as we learn about the stained glass, altar, instruments, vestments, and sacraments. Ultimately, we’ll unpack the ways Anglican liturgy gathers, calls, centers, and sends God’s people to do God’s work in the world. For more information, contact Andy Barnett, abarnett@allsaintsatlanta.org.

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.

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. 

Novel Theology: Old Filth by Jane Gardam

Wednesday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m., Ross Room

Please join Novel Theology to discuss how literature lends shape to our understanding of ideas like love, compassion, forgiveness, and redemption. Email Laura Trott, Lmtrott@gmail.com, to be added to the email list.  

Sacred Ground Alumni Lunch

Saturday, March 22, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Ross Room

All Sacred Ground alumni/alumnae are invited to join the latest Sacred Ground circle as they complete their time together with Session 11: "Walk On: The Journey after Sacred Ground." The current circle will be gathering at 9 a.m., and you are welcome to join them in walking the labyrinth in Ellis Hall and in conversation over coffee. We are especially hopeful that you will be present at least from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch and a special Eucharist in the Ross Room. Please RSVP to Jilli Robertson at jilli.ff.robertson@gmail.com so that we can have the right amount of food and also let her know if you would like to speak to the group during lunch.  

PARISH LIFE

Wednesday Night Supper

Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., Ellis Hall

Join us for Wednesdays @ All Saints'. Grab a friend to come enjoy a meal while connecting with the community. For more information, contact Marcia Mayfield, mmayfield@allsaintsatlanta.org.

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.

CHILDREN & YOUTH

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)

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.

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.

Please Note: Kathy Roberts, our Director of Children's Ministries, is on sabbatical and will return to work on April 8. In the meantime, all questions about children's ministries should be directed to Emily Halbert, ehalbert@allsaintsatlanta.org, and Luke Nolfa, lnolfa@allsaintsatlanta.org. 

YOUNG ADULTS

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! 

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.

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. Threads needs you! Contact Marcia Mayfield at threads@allsaintsatlanta.org.

You may purchase items please via the Threads Amazon Wishlist:

bit.ly/ASECThreadDecember2024 



March Faith & Justice Newsletter

• Lerita Coleman Brown
• Spotlight on the Church of the Common Ground
• Georgia Assembly Update
• Grady's Food as Medicine Program
• F & J Luncheon Features New Out of Hand Play
• and more!

• 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.

• The Journey Bible Study >> Meets every Monday at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom. Register here

• Jesus on the Front Page >> Meets every Sunday morning at 10:20 a.m. in P307 in the Parish House.



• Sports and Spirituality >> Meets the third Thursday of each month on Zoom. Register here

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.