Dear saints,

I want you to know before I share this, that it is not my usual habit to read the obituaries. While it is true that in my line of work the contemplation of our finitude as human beings is a hazard of the job, I am not typically lingering on those pages in the newspaper. That said, I found myself drawn this week to tributes made to the recently deceased former President of Uruguay, José Mujica. Not everything about Mujica will be everyone's cup of tea, especially in his early years, but he will be remembered most fondly of all for being called 'the world's poorest president'. Instead of moving to the presidential palace after his election win, he decided to remain in his own home, a tiny, ramshackle place on the outskirts of the capital, Montevideo. He would sometimes commute to work in his pale blue 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, stuck in traffic with the rest of them. 

Mujica told New York Times reporter Simon Romero in a 2013 interview, 'We have done everything possible to make the presidency less venerated'. He argued that the palaces, the vast staffs, the luxury travel, were the opposite of what democracy was supposed to be about, saying, 'The cultural remnants of feudalism remain - inside the republic. The red carpet, the bugles when the feudal lord came out of the castle onto the bridge. All that remains. The president likes to be praised'. Indeed he does.

The problem, I find, is so do we. Or perhaps it is just me. 

For Mujica, there existed a discrepancy between the ideals of democracy that he believed in and the practices of the state he led. Have you ever paused to ask after the relationship between the ideals of your faith and the state of your castle? Believe me, I need to be first in line for that inquiry. For one, I am hoarding far too many brightly colored pants in the Mainwaring keep. And shirts. I am a sucker for British thrift stores. On my return from a recent visit ostensibly 'to see my mother', Monica gave me a knowing look as I pulled from my suitcase about a dozen too many shirts of various sorts, freshly mined from the good people of Worcestershire's unwanted garments. 'It's for a good cause', I offered, weakly, but she is not to be duped. My castle is bursting with contradiction. 

My discovery of José Mujica has led me to ask, all the same: have we dressed up political leadership the way we really need it to be? After all, thinking, as I sometimes do, of the Sultan of Brunei, how many cars does one head of state need? Or closer to home for me, when it causes a family feud to ask which castle to have the family over, then the British royals could probably lose a few here and there. Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines, was infamous for her 3,000 strong collection of shoes. What would you want to be remembered for?

It all makes me think of the same kind of questions for the church. Of the many things I love about All Saints', I love the fact that the fine robes that our clergy wear - what the church calls vestments - are mostly handmade. They are gorgeous, but I don't think we are precious about them. I know that we love our deep red chancel ceiling and the rich warmth of all of that wooden paneling and the pews. It feels and it smells like home. When Martha Sterne first showed me around, I told her that it reminded me of my maternal grandmother's house. I hope, though, that we are rightly related to our 'castle'. I love the stained glass windows of our church and chapel and we intend to look after them into perpetuity, yet at the same time, if they were gone tomorrow, I would be sad, but I would try not to mistake that sadness for them having some sort of essential element in our being a church. I feel the same way about all of our buildings - they are by nature passing. They are not the church. That is you and I, crossing the bridge, leaving the castle behind and stepping out into the world.

At its worst, the church - like presidents - has done all it can to be venerated. At its best, it has remembered itself and the One in whom all have their life and being. I am glad that at All Saints’ on balance we have been more the latter kind of church than anything else. Let's keep on leaving that castle and meet Christ on the sidewalk. 

In the meantime, the castle is serving ice cream in Ellis Hall this Sunday to celebrate the completion of the block discernment process. Wear any color pants you like.

Peace,

This Sunday

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Sunday, May 18

Weekly Service Times

• 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I (Traditional Language, no music)
• 9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II and Confirmation (Contemporary Language, choral music)
• 11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II and Confirmation (Contemporary Language, choral music)
• 5:00 p.m. The Welcome Table (Contemporary Language, jazz music)

** NOTE: NEXT SUNDAY, May 25, All Saints’ moves to our summer schedule with an 8:00 a.m. Spoken Eucharist Rite I, a 10:00 a.m. Choral Eucharist Rite II, and The Welcome Table at 5:00 p.m.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Please worship with us online! Our 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services will be available live at allsaintsatlanta.org/live, facebook.com/AllSaintsATL and on youtube.com/@AllSaintsATL. Starting next week, when we move to our summer schedule, the 10:00 a.m. service will be livestreamed only to our website and YouTube channel. Recordings will remain immediately available on our YouTube channel.

PARKING: Overflow parking for 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. 

End of the Formation Year Ice Cream Celebration

Sunday, May 18, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., Ellis Hall

Join us to celebrate the end of the year and our wonderful Formation teachers with Ice Cream Sundaes. Children are encouraged to get their ice cream and head out to the courtyard to play.

Future of Our Block Celebration

Sunday, May 18, 10:20 a.m. - 11:05 a.m., Ellis Hall

Join the Vestry, members of the Future of Our Block Steering Committee, our block discernment process consultants, and fellow parishioners of all ages for a celebration and thanksgiving for all of our collective work in creating a campus master plan for All Saints'. Ice cream sundaes will be served and thank you gifts will be presented. Come to the party! For more information contact Simon Mainwaring smainwaring@allsaintsatlanta.org.

Young Adults' Brunch & Bible Study

Sunday, May 18, 12:30 p.m. – 2.30 p.m., Ross Room

Come enjoy a delicious catered meal, lively conversation, and bible study with the All Saints' Young Adults' following the 11:15 service. All are invited – whether you're looking to connect for the first time, reconnect after a long while, or keep connections going! Childcare is available upon request. Contact: Tasia Blair at youngadults@allsaintsatlanta.org. 

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. 

Men's Crawfish Boil Dinner

Sunday, May 18, 6:30 pm, Kennedy Courtyard

Please join us for a New Orleans Crawfish boil, complete with an organ trio in the beautiful Kennedy Courtyard. We’ll move to Ellis Hall in the event of rain. This dinner is hosted by Kevin Lyman, Trav Carter, and Harvey Eisenberg, and you can register on Realm. Cost is $25 per person, and financial support is available upon request. If you don’t know how to register, just come to church on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Marcia Mayfield, mmayfield@allsaintsatlanta.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 Bishop's visitation last Sunday was a beautiful day celebrating as a parish with youth and adult candidates as they were confirmed, reaffirmed, and received in the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Wright and Simon also got to share a conversation about All Saints’ vision for the future and their shared theological imagination for the urban church. Watch the recording of the forum here.

Remember a loved one, honor a graduate or welcome the baptized with a gift to our Memorials and Gifts Fund. All Saints’ notifies your honoree or family of the deceased of the gift you gave. Make checks payable to All Saints’ with “Memorials and Gifts” in the memo line or for online giving, click the “Memorials and Gifts” dropdown choice. Questions? Please contact Charlie Boyd, Chair of the Memorials and Gifts Committee, at chsboyd@aol.com.

Please give generously to our All Saints’ offering plate, in-person and online. 

All Saints' offers easy ways to pay your pledge or to make a gift:

Give online: allsaintsatlanta.org/give

Mail a check: to All Saints’ Church, 634 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308

Text to Give: text AllSaintsAtlanta to 73256

Put a check or cash into the offering plate during the services, gift stocks or securities

Discover more ways to give at: allsaintsatlanta.org/give. 



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

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

Music Notes

British-Australian composer Edgar Bainton’s most iconic anthem, And I saw a new heaven, is a tone-poem of ecstatic beauty. Borne aloft by the composer’s wonderfully wrought harmonization, it brings the story of creation to its ordained climax – that ultimate moment when “the former things are passed away” – and evokes St. John’s vision of heaven, one so sublime as to ease the pain and sorrow of even the saddest heart.

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.

PARISH LIFE

Please Note: Wednesday Night Supper takes a break for the summer and will return on August 20th.

Save the Date: Annual Parish Retreat at Kanuga Conference Center

Friday, October 3 - Sunday, October 5, 2025, Hendersonville, N.C.

Save the Date to join the All Saints’ Parish for a weekend of fun and fellowship. We will begin sharing information and registering families this Sunday, May 18. Visit the table in the courtyard or contact Marcia Mayfield, mmayfield@allsaintsatlanta.org, for more information. 

CHILDREN & YOUTH

Vacation Bible School Registration is Open!

All Saints' VBS 2025: God’s Love

Monday, June 2 through Friday, June 6, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Aftercare until 5:00 p.m., The Attic

Rising Kindergarteners-5th grade are invited to come see what God’s Love is all about! All children are welcome! VBS is such a different and wonderful time for the kids. They go deeper in their formation, deeper in their friendships - old and new, and deeper in their connection with God and this community. They form friendships with all ages that keeps them wanting to come back on Sundays throughout the year. 5th graders will be counselors-in-training, but still do all the camper stuff! Register for VBS here: https://bit.ly/AllSaintsVBS2025

6th-12th graders can be counselors. To sign up to be a counselor, please email Kathy Roberts with your interest and T-shirt size, kroberts@allsaintsatlanta.org.

Summer Break



Nursery/Little Saints: Birth-Pre-K, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 1st floor of the Pritchett Center - Remains open for the Summer!

Our children’s and youth programs take a break for summer, as do our children’s and youth choirs. Our nursery remains open for children, ages birth through Pre-K, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All other children’s and youth programs will return in August. Email Emily Halbert for more information at ehalbert@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! 

Bring and Share a Meal with Covenant Community Residents

Mondays, 6:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m., Tate Hall

What better way to get to know the residents at Covenant Community than breaking bread together? Sign up for a Monday Insight Dinner, where parishioners bring and share a meal with approximately 15 men. Most residents arrive after detoxification to live in Covenant Community for six to nine months, building a new life without addiction, while learning new life skills to enable their success. Sign up at covenantatlanta.org and contact Arjun Srinivasan at arj6950@gmail.com. 

Volunteer Opportunity Respite Care Atlanta Information Session

Monday, May 19, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church

Looking for a fulfilling volunteer opportunity with flexibility? Respite Care Atlanta, a daycare for those with dementia, is the answer! It’s held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Second-Ponce, 2715 Peachtree Rd NE. There are multiple ways you can volunteer…come see what the fun is all about! An information session will be held May 19 from 10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Please contact Susan Virgin at sdv20@bellsouth.net for more information.

Matthew 25 Service Project: Threads at Emmaus House 

Saturday, June 7, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Emmaus House, Peoplestown

Our Matthew 25 volunteer group is excited to host a Threads pop up at Emmaus House in Peoplestown. Our pop-up will offer clothing, diapers, lunch and a festive atmosphere for 75 children and their families. This Matthew 25 project will strengthen relationships between All Saints’ volunteers, Emmaus House, and Threads, and will help us learn how to implement the Threads pop up model so it can be used in the future in other contexts such as Clarkston. If you would like to volunteer on June 7, you are welcome during the time of the event at Emmaus House or during set-up from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Louisa Merchant, louisam@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 

NEW! May's Faith & Justice Newsletter! Here are the highlights:

• Small Groups Forming for a Better Way
• Community Building Amidst Challenging Times
• Hallelujah for Refugees!
• Join MAC’s Annual Midtown Race 
• Midwives of Justice: The Work of Casa Alterna
• Novel Theology Reviews James
• Recommended: Video of the Rev. Jennifer Butler Presentation

• 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.