Sign up to help at Sunday's VBS Celebration Picnic!

Help make Sunday’s Picnic a great time for all! Many hands make light work, and many hands are needed in the Kitchen and the Atrium during the event and for clean-up afterward. Meal Coordinator Kim Russell has set up a Perfect Potluck page for you to sign up for specific tasks. Thank you!

Donate School Supplies for Neabsco Elementary School

Help kids "Treasure Learning" by donating much-needed school supplies.

The kiddos who attended our Scuba VBS are off to a fin-tastic start collecting school supplies for Neabsco Elementary School. You can support the students at this Title 1 school by bringing your donations to church by Sunday, August 4.

Here’s a list of the school supplies needed:

• Full-size backpacks

• Plastic pencil boxes

• Yellow pencils (12)

• Child-friendly scissors

• 24-count crayons

• 12-count colored pencils

• Glue sticks

• Dry-erase markers (black)

• Highlighters

• Large pink erasers

• Wide-rule paper

• 2-pocket folders

• Composition books

Contact Tammy for more info.

Food Giveaway Blessings Abound

by David Fawcett

The All Saints' monthly Food Giveaway is always a blessing for both those in the church and those who come in for food and for prayer.

To give everyone a closer look at how many blessings flow out of this event, here's a summary from the last one. It captures well how God moves in the most unexpected ways to meet the physical and the spiritual needs. 

First the physical. 

With the normal leadership group unavailable that day, Walt and Margie DeHoust stepped in to oversee everything for the July food pantry.

Things got off to a rocky start Friday morning (July 12) when Food Lion, the initial supplier, had no fruit or rice they were scheduled to provide.

Thankfully, Featherstone Elementary came to the rescue when they contacted All Saints’ to let us know they had leftover food from their give-away on Wednesday.

They said they had 18 bags. What they really had, though, were 18 very large bags each filled with five smaller bags packed with items the church usually gives out, including pasta sauce, tuna, soup, green beans and the much-needed canned fruit and bags of rice. Thankfully, a young teacher helped the DeHousts load the car since the bags were so heavy.

The blessings continued when Larry Moyer stepped in at the last minute in place of Jim Morrison (who was out of town) and graciously volunteered to drive the 200+ miles round trip to First Fruits Farm in Maryland. 

Then unexpected provisions continued the next day at the food pantry. There was a big shortage of maseca. But then Andrew Gray showed up with a truckload of it followed by another person who brought more.  

Also, more volunteers stepped in to make sure every role was filled. 

“It just seemed to me that every time I thought of something that had to be done I'd turn around and there would be someone doing it on their own, unsolicited,” Walt DeHoust said. “This happened at least five or six times.”

As far as prayer goes, we had four prayer warriors: David Fawcett, Kat Zwingle, David Lee, and in another unexpected blessing, Eduardo Steves, whose schedule allowed him to make it this time. Eduardo is bilingual, which really, really helps with mostly Hispanic people coming in for prayer.

We had 32 individuals come through for prayer, most in groups of two or three. 

As always, God was good in giving us the time to pray for each person without feeling rushed or having someone wait too long. 

All the prayer recipients were either African or Hispanic with most of them having a home church and a solid faith. Some kids were with adults, but most of those who came through were adults. 

We had at least seven come through who are regular prayer recipients.

It was a great opportunity for outreach. One couple planned on signing up their kids for VBS. Another couple planned on coming to a Sunday service. A young pregnant lady got information about Life First

The needs were varied and, in many cases, heavy-duty. 

There was a woman from Honduras who, along with her family, said she left everything behind in her native country for fear of being killed. Another woman needed prayer for her 28-year-old son who was going in for his sixth surgery that next day for intestinal issues. 

“The biggest takeaway for me was how grateful again these people are for prayer,” David Fawcett said. “Despite the challenges they are facing, they come in with smiles on their faces with hearts full of praise. There is no griping or woe-is-me. It’s very convicting.”

August 2024 Adult Discipleship Offerings

Adult Sunday School Hour (9:45-10:45 a.m.):

Small Group Studies continue during the Sunday School hour. Please enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and fellowship with fellow parishioners in one of the following offerings:

“Acts,” continuing in the Administrative Conference Room

A study of The Holy Spirit moving in dramatic ways in the early church continues and is open to all who are interested or curious. Please contact Jim Morrison (571.338.5774) if you have questions.

“30 Days to Understanding the Bible” by Max Anders, continuing in the Creation Room

In this six-session video Bible study, used in conjunction with the book 30 Days to Understanding the Bible, Max Anders explores the Bible's key people, places, events and messages in bite-sized pieces to increase your knowledge of the Bible and understand the doctrines of the Christian faith. This class is open to all who are interested or curious and is hosted by Art Pedersen.

Homebound Christian Education that meets via Zoom on Thursday evenings is taking a break during August with plans to resume in September. Please watch for future announcements!

NEW!! Foundations For Ministry Year 2 – New Testament
September 2024 - June 2025 Sign-up begins in August

This class begins on September 8 and meets on Sunday afternoons from 4 to 6 p.m., September 2024 through June 2025. A workbook (cost: $40) provides weekly homework and guides the class through each lesson. A prerequisite for this class is Foundations for Ministry Year 1 – Old Testament. Class meets in the Administrative Conference Room in the Administrative Wing. To register, or if you have questions, please call or text Jim Morrison at 571.338.5774 or send email to adultdiscipleship@allsaintswoodbridge.org.

Statement from ACNA Provincial Assembly Youth Delegates

“… We value what unites us and we want to be intentional to persist in love when we disagree. We want to stay in fellowship with each other and not allow our differences to divide us….”

All Saints’ own Reilly Pachecano (fourth from left) was a youth delegate to Provincial Assembly, which met last month. The delegation published its statement on July 12:

“We, the youth delegates of Assembly 2024, love the Anglican tradition and find depth, beauty, and meaning in the Anglican way of formation, mission, and worship. We value the high emphasis on scripture and the way the cross is central. We look forward to ways that young people can continue to connect with other Anglicans, with local churches outside our denomination, and those in our communities for the sake of the Gospel…. ”

Read the full statement here: https://anglicanchurch.net/youth-delegate-statement-from-provincial-assembly/

July 28 is VBS Celebration Sunday! 10 a.m. Service and All-Church Picnic

Celebrate with us this Sunday, July 28 at one combined VBS Sunday Celebration service at 10 a.m.! Have your children wear their VBS t-shirts and join in on all the VBS songs to celebrate friendship with Jesus. Activity bags will be provided for each child. Come watch the VBS slideshow! Nursery provided for ages 5 and under.

Following the 10 a.m. service, everyone is invited to the VBS Celebration Picnic at 11:30 a.m. Hot dogs, chips, watermelon, a Moonbounce, SCUBA gear, Slip ‘n’ Slide for the kids, trykes, and, of course, VBS games and music will all be part of the festivities! Bring a lawn chair. An extra-large covered tent with tables and chairs will also be available to provide shade.

Midweek Eucharist Returns to the Sanctuary July 31

After VBS finishes on July 26, the Sanctuary will again be available for Midweek Eucharist. Beginning on Wednesday, July 31, our 6:30 a.m. & 8 a.m. Midweek Eucharist services will take place in the Sanctuary. We appreciate your flexibility!

Men's Prayer Breakfast July 20

Men of All Saints’ and their guests are invited to breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, at All Saints’ Church. We will enjoy a time of food, fellowship, prayer, teaching, and ministry updates. We’ll conclude by 9 a.m. so men can enjoy family and other weekend activities. Please contact Jim Morrison at 571.338.5774 by text or voice to help ensure a good amount of food is available.

VBS Commissioning Sunday is July 21

Calling all SCUBA VBS volunteers! Get ready to make a splash as we lead children to dive into friendship with God July 22-26!  Everyone serving at any time during VBS week is asked to wear their SCUBA VBS t-shirt on Sunday, July 21, as Father Scott will be inviting the church to pray over us at both the 8:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. services to commission us for mission. Need a t-shirt (specifically labeled with “All Saints' Church”)? We have plenty for anyone that wants one! Contact Tara at tpedersen@allsaintswoodbridge.org or stop by the church office.

VBS Decor Setup Day Saturday, July 20

The decorations have been made, now it's time to transform our church into an under-the-sea world on Saturday, July 20, at 1 p.m.! Jobs for everyone: hang high, hang low, splish or splash the walls, corners, ceilings, and classrooms with blue seas, sea animals, ocean life, and coral reefs. Guidance is provided and for those who prefer to keep two feet on the sand, we have jobs for you too! This is an all-church invite starting at 1 p.m.; come and go as you are able. Contact Tara at tpedersen@allsaintswoodbridge.org with questions or for more info.

July 2024 PGC Class

Protecting God's Children at All Saints’ Church is a required workshop for all those 14 and older who volunteer with youth and children (Sunday School Leaders/Assistants, Nursery attendants, Youth Ministry, etc). The next class offered will be Monday, July 15, 7-9 p.m. 

Nursery and childcare for children in third grade and younger will be made available upon request at least one week prior to the class. Please RSVP to Tara with any childcare needs. Everyone who plans to attend the workshop is asked to register by emailing Tara at tpedersen@allsaintswoodbridge.org

July Birthdays and Anniversaries

We thank God for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this month!

If your name is missing from these lists, it is because the church office does not have that information for you on file. Please contact the office so we may accurately update our records.

No Morning Prayer or Compline Through the Summer

Wednesday Morning Prayer and Friday evening Compline, held on Zoom, will be on hiatus through the summer. Watch this space for updates!

ACNA Bishops Elect New Archbishop

The Rt. Rev. Steve Wood, Bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas, was elected Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America by the College of Bishops before Provincial Assembly began on June 24. He will serve as the third archbishop of the ACNA for a term of five years, with maximum service of two terms. Learn more here.