Altar Servers: Men, women, boys, girls to assist at the altar at all worship services. Duties involve helping to set and clear the altar, serving the chalice during communion and other help as needed. Training will be provided. See Fr Alan or Dcn Sandy.
Lector: A fancy name for people who read the lessons during worship. All are invited to apply. Training will be provided. See Dcn Sandy or Fr Alan.
Altar Guild: Men as well as women are sought to become members of the Altar Guild. These are the people who make sure that the altar is prepared for worship, that wine, bread, and other items needed for the Eucharist are ready. Training will be provided. See Fr Alan or Dcn Sandy.
Lay Eucharist Visitors: We have a number of members who are unable to come to worship at All Souls, some permanently, some temporarily. Part of our ministry to these people is to see that they receive communion regularly. This is a particularly rewarding ministry. Training will be provided. See Dcn Sandy or Fr Alan.
Coffee Hour hosts: We all love coffee hour, and we all want to take a share in bringing food and making coffee. Please see Sue Doing to get yourself on the schedule.
OSL: The Order of St Luke is a group of people who meet to study the healing ministry of Jesus and how it can be brought to life in today’s church. The All Souls chapter has been inactive for a while, but is being revived. If, as you pray, you think that God might be calling you to a ministry of healing prayer, see Fr Alan.
The Very Rev. Alan Kelmereit
A year or so ago, someone wished me a happy Lent. Now that stopped me short. Holy Lent, yes, but happy Lent? I’ve thought about that since and I’m beginning to think it’s probably a pretty good greeting and wish for the Lenten season.
We’re used to beginning Lent with Ash Wednesday, and it’s reminder of our mortality, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” On occasion I’ve seen people brought to tears by that thought. It’s certainly sobering, but it’s less intended to suggest that we are on the way out than it is to remind us to make good use of the time we have here and now.
Lent is a season during which we are reminded that we sometimes need to do a careful self examination, a reflection on who we really are and what we are really like. Even people who work really hard all year long to be good come up short. That’s our human nature, and no matter how hard we fight it, there it is. An honest look at what we are really like will do our souls good.
By an honest look, I don’t mean spending a little time thinking generally about the good stuff we’ve done. I mean taking the time to seriously reflect on all that we have done during the past year, especially ferreting out the not-so-good stuff. Once it’s out, we can face up to it, admit it to ourselves, confess it to God, and be assured once again that we are forgiven.
And that brings us back to “Happy Lent.” I cannot imagine a happier state of existence than when we have been reminded of God’s love for us, of his constant forgiving, and of the fact that we have a completely clean slate as we walk into the future. And there’s more! Since we simply don’t have what it takes to be perfect on our own, we have the Holy Spirit always with us to guide us, strengthen us, and remind us when we slip.
All that being the case, I want to wish you a very, very happy Lent!
The Very Rev Alan Kelmereit
Newsletter Article
February 2010
Easter comes early this year, and as Easter is early, so is Lent. Ash Wednesday falls on February 17. We will have our pre-Lent celebrations – parties at All Souls and Good Shepherd, Shrove Tuesday pancake meals at both missions as well. But Ash Wednesday marks a significant season in the church year, and a noticeable change in our worship.
Alleluias, the words of praise, will disappear from our liturgy until Easter day as a reminder of the penitential nature of the season. Our worship will begin with the Penitential Order, a rearrangement of both the Rite I and Rite II liturgies which brings the confession to the beginning of the service, along with the reading of the Decalogue, the ten commandments, as a way to remind us of our sinfulness and the magnitude of God’s love for us in granting us salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Yet the changes in our liturgy are far from sufficient for our observation of the Lenten season. There is a need for each of us to personally observe this time in the liturgical calendar. How we do that is up to each of us, and there are many different ways in which people have done that over the years.
Many people observe a discipline of giving up something they value and enjoy through the rest of the year. Some give up certain food items, others give up an entire meal once or twice a week. Some adopt an old form of observance by fasting on Fridays, or some other day of the week. Keep in mind, however, that it is not simply the giving up that constitutes the Lenten discipline. Much of the discipline’s value lies in what we do with the time or the money that we gain by the giving up. Many who give up some favorite food, save the money that would have been spent on the food and contribute it to charity. Others use the time that would have been spent in eating a meal for prayer, Bible study or other spiritual activity.
Recently many people have turned from a discipline of giving up to a discipline of adding. They take on some activity of spiritual benefit such as spending additional time in Bible study, spiritual reading or prayer. Others may make time to volunteer themselves to helping others through a variety of service organizations.
There are as many different ways to observe the season of Lent as there are devout people. What matters as you consider your own Lenten devotion and discipline, is that you find a means of focusing on your relation ship with God. For all of us, self examination is an important part of Lent. It’s a time to evaluate our spiritual lives, to find ways to renew or to deepen our relationship with God. Whatever we do, he is always ready to receive us and to help us know him more deeply.
As we enter this season together, I pray that each one of you will grow closer to the Lord. I pray that your lives will be greatly enriched by your observance of a holy Lent.
In Christ’s love,
Alan+
Monthly Calendars for All Soul's Ft. Myers, FL.
February 2010
March 2010
Every Wednesday morning, Barber Hall (our large social hall) comes to life at 9 a.m. when we open the doors for our Food Pantry. North Fort Myers residents with a limited income are eligible to receive two bags of grocery items each month. The food we dispense consists of donated items and products we purchase from the local Harry Chapin Food Bank – which is part of the national network of Food Banks.
In 2006, we gave out 5,852 bags of food with an estimated retail value of $70,000. The food we purchased weighed nearly 59,426 pounds.
SPECIAL EVENTS AT ALL SOUL'S
See MONTHLY CALENDAR for other special events
YEAR ROUND EVENTS
MEN'S MONTHLY PRAYER BREAKFAST...7:30 AM... First Wednesday of each month. All men are cordially invited to attend.
FOOD PANTRY Every Wednesday 9 A.M. until 12 Noon held in Barber Hall.
Blood Pressure Screening and Referral Services also available.
VET'S LUNCH Every Wednesday....held in Barber Hall (Free to all who come) - 11:30 A.M. - 1 P.M.
ALL SOULS PRAYER CHAIN
Our Prayer chain for urgent prayer requests may be contacted at the Church Office 997-7685.
To put a prayer request in the Sunday Bulletin call the Church Office or write your request on the Sunday Prayer Page which you will find on the Greeter's table before each Service.
MUSIC MINISTRY- Rehearses each Thursday in the church at 6:30P.M. New musicians and chorus members are invited......this is on hold presently look for more info shortly.
BIBLE STUDYsee the calendar or for further information call the church office.
MEN'S CURSILLO REUNION GROUP- Meets each Saturday 8:30 A.M. in the Parish Hall
FOOD BANK- Distributes food to residents of N. Ft. Myers in need each Wednesday, 9:00 A.M. to noon, Barber Fellowship Hall. The 3rd Sunday of each month is designated at Food Bank Sunday.
Donations of cash or non-perishable food items may be brought to both Sunday morning worship services or you send a check to All Souls Episcopal Church marked for the "food bank".
THRIFT STORE & OUTREACH CENTER- SUMMER SCHEDULE FROM MAY TO OCTOBER IS: Tue. thru Sat., 9A.M.- 4 P.M. WINTER SCHEDULE FROM NOVEMBER TO APRIL IS: Tue.thru Sat., 9A.M.- 4 P.M. Located on the north side of the building, 1st floor. Operates strictly on donations and run entirely by volunteers. phone: 656-6229
We also welcome your participation in the following:
Altar Guild, Ushers, Acolyte Ministry, Lectors, Greeters, Eucharistic Ministers, Hospitality.
For further information please call the church office: (941) 997-7685.
Additional groups that hold regular meetings at All Souls:
VETERANS GROUP FREE LUNCH PROGRAM - meets every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
WEIGHT WATCHERS - meets Thurs. 9-11 a.m. and 5-7 p.m., Barber Fellowship Hall.
The Ruth Tucker Memorial Thrift Store & Outreach Center
A ministry of All Souls Episcopal Church
14640 North Cleveland Avenue, North Fort Myers, FL. 33903
(941) 656-6229
STORE HOURS
WINTER (Nov - Apr) Tue. thru Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
SUMMER (May - Oct) Tue. thru Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Outreach Center/Thrift Store is staffed solely by volunteers and the merchandise is received strictly as donations by the generosity of our community. Residents of North Fort Myers are assisted with clothing and household items according to their need. With 50% of the space dedicated to clothing and personal items priced at $2.00 each, we enable our patrons to care for their own needs within their personal buying power. Our goal is to have 100% of the proceeds dedicated to outreach.
About every three months we hold a BAG SALE when buyers can purchase a grocery size bag and fill it to the brim with items from the back room....all this for only $2.00. Watch for these special events as you patronize our store.
