SAINTS ALIVE! January 2021 Friday, January 15 Mark 6:30-44 Online Services Saturday, January 16 Mark 6:45-56 Once again, in-person worship services have been suspended. We are still live streaming the Morning Sunday, January 17 Mark 7:1-13 Prayer worship service on Sundays at 10:15am. Join the Monday, January 18 Mark 7:14-30 * service online by going to our home page at (Confession of St. Peter) allsaintsrichland.org and clicking the “Sunday Service at Tuesday, January 19 Mark 7:31-37 All Saints” link on the top left corner of the image of the Wednesday, January 20 Mark 8:1-13 church. Thursday, January 21 Mark 8:14-26 Morning Prayer is offered each weekday at 9:00am Friday, January 22 Mark 8:27-38 via Zoom. Join in by going to the All Saints’ website and Saturday, January 23 Mark 9:1-13 clicking on the link on the homepage under the Worship Opportunities heading. Sunday, January 24 Mark 9:14-32 Monday, January 25 Mark 9:33-49 (Conversion of St. Paul) Adult Formation Tuesday, January 26 Mark 10:1-12 Begin 2021 with the Gospel of Mark! The Good Wednesday, January 27 Mark 10:13-31 Book Club returns in Epiphany to read the earliest and Thursday, January 28 Mark 10:32-52 shortest of the four gospels. Together we will read a Friday, January 29 Mark 11:1-11 section every day through the Epiphany season. We’ll Saturday, January 30 Mark 11:12-19 start Friday, January 1, 2021, through Shrove Tuesday, February 16. Then we’ll return to meeting “Tuesdays at Sunday, January 31 Mark 11:20-33 2” via Zoom to share what we’ve read and learned. The reading list for January is below. You can also find more resources, and sign up to receive weekly Children and Youth Ministry updates, on the Good Book Club website: https:// Godly Play in January. Our Godly Play Zoom sessions www.goodbookclub.org/. continue at 9:00 AM on Sundays. In January, we are telling the following stories: January 3–Epiphany; Friday, January 1 Mark 1:1-11 January 10–Holy Baptism; January 17–Parable of the (Holy Name) Good Shepherd; January 24–Parable of the Good Saturday, January 2 Mark 1:12-20 Samaritan; January 31—Parable of the Great Pearl. This is a great time to join in on the Godly Play experience Sunday, January 3 Mark 1:21-45 from the comfort of your home! Our families will be Monday, January 4 Mark 2:1-12 receiving an Epiphany bag with at-home response items Tuesday, January 5 Mark 2:13-28 * for the January stories. If you are new to Godly Play, Wednesday, January 6 Mark 3:1-12 contact Theresa Grate to get the Zoom link and the at- (Epiphany) home response box. Thursday, January 7 Mark 3:13-35 * Friday, January 8 Mark 4:1-20 Footsteps in Faith, Zoom series for Youth. The Youth Saturday, January 9 Mark 4:21-34 Leadership Team of the Diocese offers a monthly Zoom series focusing on different themes. These youth-led talks Sunday, January 10 Mark 4:35-41 are available to all youth in 6th grade and up. The next Monday, January 11 Mark 5:1-20 one is Saturday, January 2 at 4:30 PM on the topic of Tuesday, January 12 Mark 5:21-43 “Questioning, doubt, and struggle.” If you are not already Wednesday, January 13 Mark 6:1-13 getting our Youth Group emails, contact Theresa at Thursday, January 14 Mark 6:14-29 [email protected] for the link. 1 writes about the natural world from a place of such Youth Book Study. Our Youth class will be holding abundant passion that one can never quite see the world discussions over Zoom on “The Faithful Spy: Dietrich the same way after having seen it through Kimmerer’s Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler,” a graphic novel by eyes. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she takes us on a journey John Hendrix. Look to receive the book during the first that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it week of January. The Youth Class meets on Sunday is historical, as clever as it is wise. She is a great teacher, afternoons, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM beginning on January and her words are a hymn of love to the 10. If you are not already receiving the emails about All world.”―Elizabeth Gilbert Saints’ Youth, and would like to, contact Theresa at We will meet to discuss the book on Thursday, [email protected]. January 7, 2021 at 7 PM over Zoom. Anyone is welcome to join the discussion! Donations needed for Blessing Bags. The Youth will be packing the Blessing Bags with food, toiletries, and warm clothing for the homeless on Reflection January 24. The complete list of I’m writing before Christmas, somewhere in the what we put in the bags is here; tension of liturgy planning, sermon writing and listening especially needed are canned meals to music that all point toward Christmas even as I try to with pop top lids, crackers with remain in the spirit of Advent. It’s December, but it’s peanut butter or cheese, foil pouches almost January, and I’m less and less willing to even hope or small cans of tuna or chicken, that all the challenges of 2020 are going to wrap up on or small bags of nuts, fruit cups, and near January 1st. And alongside all these transitions is the warm socks, hats and gloves. Your nagging feeling that, really, nothing much has changed donations are very much appreciated! Please bring any since the stay at home order back in March. donations to the church by January 17 so we can Of course, things are changing, even if I sometimes purchase what else is needed; our goal is to pack between still feel like I started working from home just yesterday. 50 and 70 bags. We will be packing the bags taking all The stories of Jesus’ birth—and really, every account Covid precautions. The Blessing Bags will then be in the Bible—tell us a great deal about those who were available for parishioners to pick up and keep in their cars most impacted by the arrival of Jesus, God made to distribute as they see need. incarnate. Mary bears Jesus, raises him with Joseph; shepherds follow the angel’s direction and meet the newborn Jesus, going on to tell the good news of what All Saints’ Book Group they saw; and magi follow a star, uprooting themselves in Our next book to read is Braiding Sweetgrass: pursuit of that strange and wonderful sight in the sky. It’s Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the quite a stir, but it seems that there were plenty of people Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. in Bethlehem who go on without recognizing that The author is a trained botanist and a member of the anything special has happened, both residents and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Hopefully, this book will be a others who, like Mary and Joseph, have flooded the pleasant and uplifting read through the holidays! It has community to be present for the census. earned rave reviews! Despite those who didn’t know what was happening “Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and when Jesus was born, plenty has changed. News of Jesus as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living has spread around the world, countless people have beings―asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, believed and found their lives changed. Yet God’s vision salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass―offer us gifts and of justice, mercy and reconciliation is far from complete. lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. Still, in a year of pandemic and online holiday In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island celebrations, Christmas comes, Jesus is met, celebrated to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles and worshipped, and perhaps that is the miracle and toward a central argument: that the awakening of scandal of the incarnation: the circumstances don’t have ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment to be perfect—God still comes. To a young woman in and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest Bethlehem, to a world aching from pandemic and racism of the living world. For only when we can hear the and climate change, God comes and, indeed, never languages of other beings will we be capable of abandons us. understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.” Yours in Christ, “Robin Wall Kimmerer is writer of rare grace. She Shanna 2 Rector’s Corner This may be the first newsletter of the New Year; but as I write we’re nearly at the end of Advent, and still Save the Date getting ready for Christmas. Still, the days march on, and All Saints’ Annual Meeting January 1 is in sight. Sunday, February 14 I’m always a bit more introspective this time of year. Time TBD For all that calendars are human constructs, the turning of the page seems to trigger contemplation. Look for more information in the coming weeks And so I think back over the last year. As I do so, I on our website, social media, and email blasts. freely admit that 2020 is one year that I will be glad to see The meeting will most likely be an online in the rear view mirror.