December Food Giveaway!

“You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”  Deuteronomy 15:11

Our next parking lot food giveaway is Saturday, December 11. This is another exciting opportunity to bless our community by following the commands of Jesus to help those in need! Anyone in our community who is in need of food is invited to come that day to fill up bags of groceries free of charge.

There are countless ways that you and your family can be involved. From setting up behind the scenes to passing out flyers in the communities that need to hear about the event to serving during the event itself, it will truly take all of us coming together to make this happen. If you are looking for a place for you and/or your family to serve, there are absolutely opportunities for you! Please sign up here or contact Tammy Bailey  if you have any questions.

Three Kings Search for the Newborn King!

The children of All Saints’ Church are invited to a “Three King's Search for the Newborn King!”

In the season of Advent, children will be taking turns in Sunday School receiving one of the three Kings dolls, carefully prepared by our beloved Margaret Nichols. The dolls will go home with 3 children each week, and they can either take pictures of their King doll on a special journey to find baby Jesus (perhaps an outing to grandma's house, sitting under their own Christmas tree or while reading an Advent family devotion, or even in the kitchen while cooking a family meal!) Or they can journal/write, or draw a picture of their King somewhere on a special visit.

Our King dolls will be traveling through all the weeks of Advent until Epiphany, when the children will be invited to share about their King's journey, hear the story of The Visit of the Wise Men, be visited by the singing and costumed Three Kings themselves on January 9th.

All families attending Sunday School will be invited first to take a King doll home for the week, returning it with their photos, writings, or drawing! Ages 3 and up are invited!

Advent Sunday School- Waiting in Hope

How Do We Wait in Hope? This short series will explore the Advent themes of hope, love, peace, and waiting in light of the last year and a half, of pandemic, strife, and social unrest.

How do we, as Christians, process these things and move forward? In a culture that wants everything instantly, how do we wait in hope for the promises of Christ’s return? And how might we extend love, celebrate with joy and practice peace while living in a world filled with brokenness and grief? This series will meet during the Education Hour (9:45-10:45) on December 5, 12, and 19.9:45 a.m.

Children’s Sunday School continues on Sunday, December 5, with interactive, friendship-focused Advent lessons and activities. We will also continue guiding our children on a foundational, Jesus-centered journey through God's story of love.

Parents and adults, and children come enjoy adult Sunday School at the same time with Advent teachings starting Sunday, December 5 at 9:45 a.m.

Step Ladders Needed for the Greening of the Church

We need 4 foot to 6 foot tall step ladders to reach the high places as we begin Advent by greening the Church. Please bring them on Sunday so they are available in the Atrium after the 10 a.m. service.

Don’t forget to RSVP, so we know how many lunches to provide.

Praise Report- Operation Turkey!

What a joy to deliver the turkeys and boxes of food to Featherstone and Vaughan Elementary Schools! Last Saturday, families of all ages from All Saints’ Church packed Thanksgiving boxes for 100 families in need at two elementary schools! On Monday, the boxes were delivered to the schools. This is one of the many examples where your giving is having a real impact on families in our community! Thank you All Saints’ Church for continuing to build relationships with these schools and families.

Readings and Collect for Sunday, November 28

Read ahead, follow along, and pray with the Saints using the “lectionary insert” for this upcoming Sunday- the first Sunday in Advent.

Thanksgiving Day Service and Church Office Hours this Week

Join us at 10 a.m. for Eucharist on Thanksgiving day as we celebrate and worship our Savior who provides every good gift we have.

Additionally, the church office will close at noon on Wednesday, November 24 and reopen on Monday, November 29 at 9 a.m. for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Blessed Thanksgiving to all!

Thank You for Donating Boxes!

Our generous congregation donated 145 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child for 2021! Thank you to everyone that contributed to the Samaritan's Purse mission! So many individuals thoughtfully prepared a gift for a child this Christmas including our Youth Group, American Heritage Girls, and Mothers of Preschoolers. They were delivered to our drop-off site, and now on their way to children around the world!

Blessing Bag Donations Needed

Jen and Lee Roberds have graciously decided to continue leading the blessing bag ministry! ACTS has shown so much appreciation for All Saints’ generosity in providing enough items for 25 women’s bags and 5 men’s backpacks this year!

With the Holiday and cold weather season upon us, we are praying that we receive enough donations for at least ten more bags. There are slips on the donation box in the atrium with our immediate needs for the bags to fulfill this goal. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Lee Roberds or by phone 703-590-7918. Thank you for helping us reach our goal!

Jen and Lee at ACTS dropping off some of the previously donated blessing bags! We need ten more to fulfill our goal for the holiday season.

Readings and Collect for Sunday, November 21

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

U.S. Flag Retirement Ceremony: You are Invited!

"When an American flag is worn beyond repair, it should be retired in a respectful manner." (The U.S. Flag Code)

On December 7, at 6:30 p.m, our AHG troop invites you to participate in a U.S. flag retirement ceremony at All Saints' Church. Please donate flags ready for retirement in the box found in the atrium. This short ceremony (less than 30 minutes) has been written by the oldest girls in the troop after research about our flag's history, meaning, and the U.S. Flag Code.

If you have a flag that is ready to be retired, please place it in the box in the church Atrium by Dec., 5. Please include a note explaining how the flag was flown, and if known, for how long. We will include each flag and its story in the ceremony. Instead of burning the flags, after the ceremony, the troop will take the flags to the county's American Flag Collection Center.

Immediately following this ceremony, the troop will conduct their winter award ceremony.

Questions? Contact Heidi Reichert.

Christmas Memorial Flowers

If you would like to honor your loved ones during this Christmas season with a special gift of beauty donations are open to the Memorial Christmas flowers. Fill out the information through the link below, and see your dedication projected throughout Christmas. All memorials and thanksgiving will be listed in the Christmas media (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Lessons and Carols, and in the Newsletter). Donations can be made through this form.

Join the A/V Team!

Are you interested in how the slides and soundboard operate each Sunday? Would you like to be a part of this important weekly ministry? There will be a training for all interested volunteers for the A/V ministry on Sunday, December 5 right after the 11 a.m. service. Please contact Jason Wills or come see him in the booth after any of the services.

There is Still Time to Submit Your Pledge Cards!

If you have not completed your pledge card for 2022, please fill it out and submit for the upcoming year. You can also submit your pledge online here.

"Old Retired Guys" Breakfast Thursday November 18

“Old Retired Guys” of All Saints’ Church meet monthly at Bob Evans on the corner of Smoketown Rd. and Gideon Dr. The next meeting will be Thursday, November 18 at 8:30 a.m. We meet in the back/rear of the restaurant. The group is open to retired and anyone else who might be available. This a group organized for men from All Saints Church and any friend they wish to bring with them.

Food Giveaway Needs This Week!

This Saturday is our monthly food giveaway for November, and we still need volunteers to come out on Thursday evening to help sort the food to prepare for Saturday. If you are available Thursday, please join us! We'll turn up the worship music, munch on some snacks (provided), enjoy great fellowship, and work away!

Also, if you are available to help with the perishable food drive or set-up Friday at 4:30 p.m., we could still use some extra hands. Likewise, there are still plenty of slots to help out Saturday as we bless our neighbors. Sign up here.

Additionally, these food items are most needed for this month's giveaway:

• Instant corn flour (Masa Instantanea or Maseca)

• Breakfast items such as pancake mix and oats

• Black beans (esp. dry beans but cans are needed too)

• Pasta sauce (please avoid glass jars if possible)

• For the perishable drive, please bring potatoes (Some form of potatoes are on the Thanksgiving menu in nearly every culture!) and fruit (bananas, apples, and clementines/oranges are all popular)

Children's Church in Advent

Calling all children for the 5 p.m. Family Christmas Eve Service! Advent is almost here, and we will begin our Christmas Production Rehearsals on Sunday, November 28 (the first Sunday of Advent) to prepare for the performance at the Family Christmas Eve Service at All Saints’ Church. Bring your children, (Pre-K through 6th grade) to the 11 a.m. Children's Church (10 a.m. on November 28) during all of Advent!

The rehearsals will include and Advent devotion, singing carols, and participating in roles reenacting the Nativity. Each child, whether participating one week in Advent or all four, will receive a costume and are invited! The Sunday mornings in Advent will be our rehearsal and preparation time- no additional practices!

(Note: The service and children's church on this coming Sunday, November 28, is at 10 a.m. only).

Children's Church Celebration- Fruit of the Spirit

Children age three through sixth grade will be wrapping up our study of the Fruit of the Spirit with a fun celebration during Children’s Church! Games, crafts, snacks, and prizes will all be a part of the excitement as we celebrate that God grows the fruit of his Spirit in each of his followers as we stay connected to him. Children who have memorized Galatians 5:22-23 will earn an additional prize!

Calling Families for Operation Thanksgiving!

All Saints' Church has been blessed to provide Thanksgiving meal boxes AND whole turkeys to 100 families at a local Title 1 Woodbridge elementary school. Families with children and teens are invited to help pack holiday food boxes on Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., at the church! We will pack food boxes for the families in need, and then enjoy cookies & cider. All parents, children (ages 5 and up), and teens are invited for this Family service event! RSVP's helpful but not required to Tammy or Tara.