As we continue our Lenten reading, we know what is coming - the Glory of the Risen Lord! In the meantime, we must remain steadfast in our journey, with prayer and fasting. We encourage you to come to Stations of the Cross at 6:30 pm on Fridays. We moved it back to this time because the regulars prefer it.
Please give to the Easter lilies fund. Special envelopes are in the pew pockets. We hope to see a profusion of white at the altar on Easter Day.Remember to sign up for flowers and refreshments for the month of April.
Thank you to Sheila Cadilli, who is now on the Altar Guild, and to Tess Stevens who has accepted to be on the Flower Guild.
SAVE THE DATE - It’s time to clean the church for Easter. Please circle 9 am March 23rd on your calendar. Breakfast is available for all workers.
You will note the Inquirers’ Class is not listed, but Mike Creek would be happy to set up again for those who may be interested. Just let him know.
If you see that your name is not mentioned for your birthday or anniversary, please give the information to Judy.
Following are the Easter Day Services;
On early Sunday morning,
An announcement was told to us,
Our beloved priest Fr. Tony
Is with God now holding His trust.
We will never ever forget
Sermons with us he always shared,
All past experience
To us all, we all knew He cared.
If sick, always he came by to us,
Communion for in God he did trust.
If in trouble we needed to talk,
He was there with us to walk.
Yes, we will miss our beloved Priest,
His kind loving words at the door we meet.
And with loving kindness his last words,
All Saints’ Church will always be heard.
Good Bye Fr. Tony
January 13, 2013
Poetry by Lois Thompson
Dear Friends in Christ,
As we begin Advent and our preparation for Christmas, we must remind ourselves that this is a period of penance and prayer, which is why our altar colors are violet or purple signifying penance and royalty. As we approach Christmas, we are deluged with merry and joyful music and advertising that celebrates winter as a period to party, go on shopping sprees and not much thought as to its true meaning.
It is a period of celebration of Christ's birth, the perfect gift from Our Father to all of us, and to prepare ourselves to rejoice that this perfect gift is given to us not only on Christmas day but every time we receive Holy Communion throughout the year. It is also a period of giving, not just to our family and friends, but to reach out to the needy. I urge you to read the enclosed letter from Bishop Gill who writes eloquently on this important message.
Last year, some of us prepared soup and sandwiches that we distributed at the Huntington Beach Pier on Christmas Eve. The smiles and thanks were worth all the effort, in addition to knowing we were doing God's work. We must and we will do more of this community service. I hope that more of the congregation will join us this year as we share with others the true Christmas spirit, especially with so many people struggling to just survive.
We have much to be thankful for this year as we look at all the improvements and, finally, real maintenance to our church and annex. The Vestry will be discussing what additional needs we have at our annual meeting in January and will be presenting our budget for 2013. Thanks to all of you for getting your pledges in as it helped the Vestry make the budget a more accurate projection on our yearly revenue than in times past.
December's calendar is available on the website under the "Community" menu.. We hope to see you for church cleaning and tree trimming.
May this month bring you closer to Christ and celebrate all His blessings He brings to us.
God Bless.
Fr. Tony+
Dear Friends in Christ,
As we approach the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I’m reminded of that most beautiful hymn, “Adeste Fideles”… O Come all ye Faithful, and how these beautiful words call us to respond to this most wondrous event. The hymn beckons us first to Come to Bethlehem! It goes on to tell us to make this journey in a Joyful way, and then to be Triumphant as we approach the miracle of the virgin birth. We need to consider this call to Bethlehem and ask ourselves why we should respond to the call.
We are called to be in Bethlehem in both mind and spirit to behold the gift God has sent us, and behold the child come down from heaven to ransom captive Israel. We are called to see and hear the sights and sounds of the stable where the Christ Child was born, not in royal splendor but in deep humility. Indeed, the creator and redeemer of the world came to serve and not to be served! By being present, it will be fixed in our hearts and minds how we must model our own lives by becoming the servant of the servants of God.
Upon reaching the manger, we are called to be Joyful as we behold the sight of our redemption! Joyful that God has renewed his covenant with humankind, giving us renewed hope for our salvation and that of the whole world. We then share this joy with those around us by proclaiming the good news of this wonder of wonders that took place in a manger in the city of Bethlehem.
As we realize this great happening, we find ourselves being Triumphant! Triumphant because through this miracle of the virgin birth we have begun the process of breaking the chains of sin, and putting on the royal robe of the Christ Child that defeats the evil one who prowls the earth looking for lost souls. No longer can the evil one have power over those following the babe born in the manger.
So my dear brothers and sisters in the Christ Child, let us go to Bethlehem in our hearts and minds. Let us be Joyful as we approach the manger, and feel the Triumph given to us by God through the birth of His Son.
My prayer for all of us is to renew ourselves during this season of Wonders and commit to one another to be the servant of the servants of God.
Blessings in the Christ Child,
The Very Rev. Canon Anthony J. Morello, Ph.D.
Vicar General, Diocese of the West
