worship
Communications All Saints'
No Prayer & Worship Hour July 20

Our next Prayer & Worship Hour service will be held on Sunday, August 24, at 6 p.m.

No Prayer & Worship Hour July 20
children, community, vbs, worship
Communications All Saints'
August 3 is VBS Celebration Sunday! 10 a.m. ...

Following the 10 a.m. combined service, everyone is invited to the VBS Celebration Picnic at 11:30 a.m.

August 3 is VBS Celebration Sunday! 10 a.m. Service and All-Church Picnic
church, liturgy
Communications All Saints'
Midweek Eucharist Calendar Update

Midweek Eucharist services resume on Wednesday, July 23.

Midweek Eucharist Calendar Update
prayer
Communications All Saints'
Praying for the Persecuted Church: Iran

Christians in Iran who have converted from Islam are under constant threat of arrest, imprisonment, and death.

Praying for the Persecuted Church: Iran
liturgy
Guest User
Readings and Collect for Sunday, July 20 ...

Read ahead, follow along, and pray with the Saints using the “lectionary insert” for this Sunday.

Readings and Collect for Sunday, July 20 (Proper 11)

Getting to Know the Church: Elizabeth Munzert

For our final interview in the 2023 edition of “Getting to Know the Church” we heard from our new Parish Administrator, Elizabeth Munzert. The position of Parish Administrator includes so many responsibilities and is truly at the center of the church’s day-to-day operations. Elizabeth has brought joy to her new position, and we are grateful for her willingness to step into such a vital role! She answered a few questions to help us get to know her more.

What brought you to ASC and how did you find yourself in this new position?

My husband Kim, and I did some research on Anglicanism and thought we would give All Saints' Church a try.  The liturgy was familiar to us because we were both raised in the Catholic Church as children, but it was Father Scott's preaching that made us return week after week.  As to how I found myself in my new position, it was decidedly the hand of the Lord.  Early this year the Lord impressed on me that He had something for me this year.  I had no idea what that meant.  A few weeks later I learned my position at work would be phased out by the end of 2023.  After much, much prayer I spoke with Father Scott and Desiree about applying for the position.  I think this is what the Lord was preparing me for in January.

Where did you first get plugged in at All Saints’ Church?

My husband, Kim, and I began serving at the Monthly Food Giveaways several months after we first started attending. We started by helping on Thursdays with sorting the food, then we moved into helping on Saturday mornings at the actual giveaways. We served as bagging buddies, worked at the food tables, and now serve as greeters. It was the perfect way to serve the community and get to know others in the church.

What does your day-to-day look like as Parish Administrator?

Every day is a new adventure!  I've learned there is no such thing as a typical day because the needs, requests, and requirements are quite varied.

What's been the most unexpected thing about this position?

The most unexpected thing is how much I've had to learn about HVAC, fire panels, backflow, lighting, and other physical plant matters very quickly.  This job is not just computers and keyboards.

What has been the highlight so far about working at a church?

Easy question. I've never worked with so many truly kind, helpful people (and I've had the good fortune to work with many fine people).

What is your hope for All Saints' Church in the coming year?

My hope would be that we would all pray to know what God's plan and vision is for All Saints' and work together moving forward toward whatever that plan is.   My other hope would be that people who have not really been involved in an area of ministry at All Saints' would volunteer to do one thing in 2024.  If many people just do one thing, so much could be accomplished.

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Mere Christianity (again) by C.S. Lewis, A Severed Wasp by Madeleine L'Engle, The Good and Beautiful God (for the Christian Ed class on Sundays) by James Bryan Smith, and actually quite a few other books which are in the book piles on my bedside table and dresser.

What is your favorite part of the Bible to study/read?

My three favorite books are Isaiah, Psalms, and Philippians.

How can we pray for you?

However you feel led by the Lord.  He knows better than I do.

Fall Parish Workday

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 28 from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. when we will gather for our seasonal Fall Workday!

Tasks to complete:

  • Spread compost and overseed

  • Clean up community garden

  • Work on other gardens

  • Cleanup Gideon Drive

  • Prune growth from base of trees

    Please bring:

  • Iron rakes

  • Shovels

  • Pruning shears

  • Work gloves

Shine Your Light!

With this year's Pre-Synod workshop topic "The Art of Neighboring: Going Deeper with People in Your Neighborhood," (Saturday, November 17, read more and pre-register here) and all that God is doing within our church with community outreach, All Saints' once again encourages you "to be overflowing with God's love..." in your neighborhood this Halloween as you “Shine Your Light this Night!”  Don’t miss the chance to bring the light and love of Jesus to a dark night by sharing Christian hospitality and friendship.  To Shine Your Light for Jesus in your neighborhood, you might:

·         Decorate in a way that proclaims Light and Life, perhaps with spotlights, cheerful Fall decor, and/or simply turn on all your lights.

.      Invite an elderly or lonely neighbor to join you in handing out candy, or to enjoy your firepit or yard.

.      Invite a new neighbor or one that does not have a church home to spend the evening with you.

·         Borrow a lawn game from church for children to play and set it up in your yard.

·         Pick up a Christian Pumpkin template from church and carve away. 

·         Offer visiting parents a small bottled water for their journey.

·         Engage parents in conversation as their children play a game or select a treat.

·         Add labels that have a neighborly message to your treats (available in the atrium).

·         Hand out glow sticks to the children.

 Shine Your Light this Night is another opportunity to demonstrate that Faith and Life really do connect!  

A Pastoral Word on the Crisis in Israel & Gaza

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
    and security within your towers!”
 For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good. -Psalm 122 6-9

Dear All Saints’ Church Family,

In light of the ongoing and tragic situation in Israel and Gaza triggered by the recent Hamas attacks, please join with me in praying for Israel and the residents of Gaza. Please pray especially for the following:

  • Pray for wisdom for the leadership of Israel of other nations working for a resolution to the conflict.

  • Pray for strength for the medical services.

  • Pray for mercy and the safe return of those who have been taken hostage.

  • Pray for the people of Gaza that they would come to know Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

  • Pray for civilians on all sides who are caught in the middle of this war.

Above all, pray for peace. Pray for the swords to be beaten into plowshears. Pray for the peoples of the region to seek God’s face. Pray for the Lord’s healing over this land, a place so dear to His heart.

In Christ,
Scott+

Anglican Relief and Development Fund is partnering with CMJ-USA to bring aid and support to survivors of the conflict. CMJ-Israel is providing relief, spiritual care, trauma counseling, and coordinating housing for displaced families. Donate to support much-needed relief efforts, and please keep them and all who are suffering from this violence in your prayers. You can support their work with a donation to ARDF here.

Last Chance to Bring in Cookies for Kairos!

Last chance to bring in cookies for Kairos! Kairos Weekend starts October 19th.  Thank you to all the cookie bakers! Please bring your cookies to church by October 17th. You can also leave them in the atrium this Sunday.

Suzy Speare and Carol Updike are team members of Kairos #44 scheduled for October 19 - 22 at the Central Virginia Correctional Unit for Women outside of Richmond. 

Kairos is similar to Cursillo or Walk to Emmaus. It includes a three-and-a-half-day weekend program where a trained team of Christians go into the prison to carry God’s message of love and forgiveness to those incarcerated. Would you pray about partnering with us? You can participate in three different ways.

  1. Prayer – Our goal is to have our weekend covered 24/7 in prayer. You can use this link to sign up for a 30-minute prayer slot.

  2. Cookies – Each team member is responsible for 30 dozen homemade cookies. Would you bake cookies for us? There are very specific instructions that can be found here. Cookies can be brought to the church to the Kairos table in the atrium beginning October 1, October 8, and October 15. You can also leave cookies in the Admin Office on weekdays during normal business hours. Final day for delivering cookies is October 17.

  3. Financial Support – help offset the cost of supplies needed for the weekend. It costs about $100 per prisoner to attend such a weekend. Checks must be made payable to “Kairos of Va” with “CVCU” on the memo line.

Questions? Would you like to learn how you can be a team member for a future Kairos team? 

Contact Suzy Speare at suzyspeare@aol.com or Carol Updike at updikecfs@gmail.com.


Participate in the tradition of the Living Nativity this December!

The Living Nativity is a church-wide annual event that shares the message of a newborn Savior in the season of shopping and holiday flurry. This year, signups will be in the atrium at the Nativity Kiosk on October 22 & 29, after Sunday services. All ages are needed to fill five scenes from the Christmas gospels, ending in the quiet stillness of a holy nativity. Each scene has a splash of lights, live animals, and friends of All Saints'! 

Sign ups include non-speaking costumed roles, traffic crew, canned food drive collection, parking lot greeters, Christmas light setup, angels/shepherds Leaders, and more! Costumed roles are asked to attend one mini-rehearsal (after Thanksgiving) and the final Dress/Scene Rehearsal (the week before the event) for one hour or less each. The Living Nativity date this year is Friday, December 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m.!  Contact Tara at tpedersen@allsaintswoodbridge.org with any questions.

Getting to Know the Church: Jim Morrison

When Desiree Barker retired in August of this year, she left two roles at All Saints’ Church. One of those roles was Adult Discipleship Director, and Jim Morrison and Josh Moore have stepped in to serve as co-leaders. Along with a faithful committee of leaders, Jim Morrison and Josh Moore plan and teach Adult Sunday School and other opportunities for adults to grow in their walk with Christ. This week we asked Jim Morrison a few questions to get to know him and his new position co-leading Adult Discipleship. Stay tuned for next week when we feature Josh Moore!

What brought you to ASC and what drew you to serve?

Our next-door neighbors invited us to attend their church back in 1988. With three young children ages 9, 7, and 4, my wife Debbie and I were asked to serve in children’s ministry initially. As I grew in faith, other opportunities to serve became available, especially with Youth Ministry for many years. 

What is your role as an Adult Discipleship Leader? 

“Go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I [Jesus] have commanded you.” Jesus Great Commission applies to me personally and corporately. I love studying the Bible with the Holy Spirit leading the way. Sharing this love with others, encouraging all to grow in the love and knowledge of Christ, and seeking to apply God’s Word in everything we do inspires me daily. And the icing on the cake? Working with dedicated and learned members of our Adult Discipleship Committee and other teachers in our congregation as we plan and conduct learning opportunities throughout the year.

Why Anglicanism?

I did not grow up Anglican. Baptist and other Protestant denominations were my beginnings. As Debbie and I continued with All Saints’, I learned to enjoy the liturgy, the adherence to the truth of God’s Holy Word, and the dependence on the Holy Spirit present here.

What is the process for deciding what to study for Adult Education offerings?

Prayer (discerning God’s guidance) and partnership with our Rector and other ministries. Together we seek to meet the needs of everyone attending All Saints’.  

What are you currently reading?

“The Miracle of the Scarlet Thread” by Richard Booker. To see how many of the Old Testament objects, events, and practices lead us to the shed blood of Jesus Christ is humbling yet affirming. 

What book or author has had the biggest impact on your walk with Christ?

Other than the Bible, “Victory Over The Darkness” by Neil T Anderson. Someone once said we live in a world with a praise deficit. When I am feeling down and discouraged, flipping to a page citing multiple verses in the Bible highlighting who I am in Christ picks me up every time. They remind me of the power of Christ and God’s Holy Spirit to transform me to be more like Him.    

What is your favorite part of the Bible to study/read?

I am enjoying The Book of the Acts of the Apostles in our Adult Sunday School each Sunday. Acts provides so many examples of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the early church. I have seen some of these works (e.g. healing, deliverance, conversion) occur again in my lifetime. Acts also reminds me of what living as a Christian community can be and challenge me to live that way. 

How can we pray for you?

To paraphrase Moses in Numbers 11, “would that all God’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on them”. We have God’s Spirit, may I and those who are Christ’s disciples grow in our love, knowledge, and application of God, God’s Word, and all His people. May all who attend All Saints’ attend our education offerings and provide input for what offerings would benefit them at this time in their life.  

Fun facts?

Stand anywhere in my vicinity, call my name, and watch me try to locate you. I’m deaf in my left ear and hard of hearing in the right ear so I have no sense of where sound comes from. But that’s ok, God has blessed me with a sense of humor, to include offering some really bad puns at times (like I have to ask, “Still friends?”, after some of them). 

Support the Bill Mehr Center at the Annual Banquet

You are invited to the 6th Annual Bill Mehr Banquet hosted by The Cooperative Council of Ministries on Saturday, October 21 at St Matthew's Lutheran Church 12351 All Saints Pl, Woodbridge, VA 22192.


The banquet starts at 6:00 p.m. with a silent auction, a full-course gourmet meal, and remarks from our keynote speakers La Tonya Thomas, Coordinator of CCoM, and Minister Cliff Colley. 


All proceeds from the banquet will benefit the Bill Mehr Drop-in Center for the Homeless. The Center provides essential services to the homeless population in Prince William County, including nutrition and wellness programs, social skills and job readiness programs, and medical services. If you would like to attend the banquet you can buy your tickets at BillMehrbanquet.eventbrite.com 

For additional information on the banquet, Contact Mrs. Terry O’Connor at 571-723-7065 or Bruce DeSoto at 703-501-1255. 

A Workshop You Won't Want to Miss!

Save the Date!

DOMA’s Annual Pre-Synod Workshop

The Art of Neighboring: Going Deeper with People in Your Neighborhood
Nov. 17, 2:30-5 p.m.
@ All Saints’ Church

What if Jesus meant that we should love our actual neighbors? This is a question posed in the book “The Art of Neighboring” and it’s a question that every Christian needs to wrestle with. Neighborhoods are much more than a collection of houses, or apartments, brick and mortar… they are a collection of people and potential life-giving relationships. We all have a need for genuine community, and nothing beats the frequency, availability, and spontaneity of connecting with others who live near us. Can you imagine the impact if the Christians in each neighborhood around our city and county took up the challenge to shine the light of Christ in their neighborhood? We will be tackling this very challenge as we offer practical teaching on the art of neighboring.

Open to everyone! (Registration is required)
Register today (space is limited)

Buy the book to read in advance

Details and registration online

Conveniently Drop Off Non-Perishables for Our Monthly Food Giveaways

Thanks to the donation house built by Isaac Fair for non-perishable food, it’s easier than ever to drop off much-needed food in your schedule! Simply come to the right of the main entrance doors where the outdoor food house is (featured below) to drop off your non-perishable food items to be collected. Our food giveaways have been steadily increasing the number of families served, and now there is a greater need for non-perishable donations!

We are no longer receiving large quantities of non-perishable food staples from Northern Virginia Food Rescue, but the needs of our community are still present. All non-perishable food can be dropped off in the atrium, church office, or outside the atrium in the white “donation house.” 

Are you able to donate? 

The items most needed are:

  • Pancake Mix

  • Oats

  • Flour

  • Maseca (instant corn flour)

  • Canned tuna or chicken

    It’s also not too late to sign up to serve at the Food Giveaway for October! Sign up here.

If you have witnessed or suspect the abuse of a child or vulnerable adult: