All Souls Weekly                 
Volume 3, Number 23, May 9, 2010

SUNDAYS IN MAY

May will be a busy and wonderful month at All Souls.  I know that we all have tremendous competition with graduations, anniversaries, and end-of-year activities, but I hope you will make every effort to be in church when you are in town. 

On Sunday, May 9, we will observe Rogation Sunday, an ancient feast traditionally used for asking God’s blessing on crops and fields.  Rogation Sunday, more recently,  includes a focus on the environment and an exploration of what it means for us to be good stewards of all that God has given us.  Our adult forum that morning will also focus on the environment, led by Ms. Joelle Novey and the Rev. Jered Weber-Johnson.

At the 11 a.m. Mass we will begin with an indoor Rogation Procession, led by the children.  We will stop for prayers at the window of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20, Matthew 13:1-23, and Luke 8:1-15). At this station in our procession, we will also bless seedlings that will be taken home by the children.  High Mass will continue with the sermon by Father Weber-Johnson and while we are in church, the children will continue their rogation activities by planting new pots for the outdoor garden. 

On Sunday, May 16, we celebrate the Seventh Sunday of Easter, the Sunday after Ascension Day; but we also celebrate the life of All Souls with our Annual Meeting. We keep our normal Sunday schedule with a Low Mass at 8:30 a.m. and the High Mass at 11 a.m.  After High Mass, we gather in the undercroft for sandwiches and begin our meeting.  Before the meeting, there will be a slide show of the previous year’s activities and during the meeting we will elect a junior warden and general members of the vestry.  We will also hear a progress report on work with the architect toward  accessibility and a long-range plan for our buildings. 

Sunday, May 23 is the Day of Pentecost, celebrated as the birthday of the Church.  On the last Sunday of the month, May 30 we celebrate Trinity Sunday, which will be the last Sunday this season that our choir is joined by our four professional section leaders.  The choir will sing Palestrina’s Missa Brevis and other music as thanksgiving and celebration for our extraordinary year of music in worship.  Mark your calendars, say your prayers, and join us when you’re able. John Beddingfield

Around the Parish . . .  A list of all eligible voters for the parish Annual Meeting on May 16 is posted in the narthex and in the undercroft.  If there are omissions, please see a member of the vestry or call the parish office . . . SAVE THE DATE: the annual parish picnic will be on Sunday, June 6 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Rock Creek Park, Grove 6 . . . Pray for Carolyn Farmer as she volunteers in Haiti through May 5.  We look forward to hearing about her time when she returns. . . Attendance on April 25, the Fourth Sunday of Easter at the 8:30 a.m. Mass: 41; at the 11 a.m. Mass: 120 . . . Total pledge offerings for the week were $6,353.00 and the plate offering was $1,017.01.

Updated Parish Directory . . . A new parish directory of addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses will be published in time for the Annual Meeting on May 16. An enlarged copy of the current directory is in the undercroft, for correction.  Also, changes may be submitted to the parish office no later than Monday, May 10.

Your prayers are asked for . . . Sam Baker, Gene Dunn, Susan Johnson, Jim Wallace, Susan Kornacki, Frasier, MaryJane, John Matthews, Bob and Louise Osborne, Joan Shapiro, Ann Dixon, Lorenzo Martinez, Family of Tom Martin, Hugh Yeomans, Helen Horne, Erling Hansen, Tim Dill, Mona Bauer, Mary Backus, Sandy Jenkins Dixon, I. Kathryn McKewen, Thais Blanchard, Bruce MacDonald, Bob Colborn, Elizabeth McKee, Freddie Cameron, Robert Long, Barb Chaffee, Harriet Martin, Chris Cobb, Landis Vance, Vickie Drell, Stephanie Russell, Ruth & Fred Huber, Jim St. George, Mark Henderson, Martha Holdgate, Chip Meyers, Walter and Sally Jason, Arthur Andrew Warren, Mary Beth McCutcheon, Bryan Powell, Regina Dading, Julia Gutierrez, and Ted Field . . . Pray for members of the parish in the foreign service and others who are working overseas, especially Chuck Hunter, Steve Kerchoff, Brad Moore, and Michael Pate . . . Pray also for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Jack Severson. . . If you wish to participate in our ongoing Internet Prayer Circle please contact Vicki Lowe at lowevg1@verizon.net.

Liturgical Notes . . . The flowers at the High Altar are given in celebration of the blessing of the union of Timothy Johnson and Derek Julius on Saturday, May 1. Tim and Derek are members of St. Thomas Church and the service was officiated by their rector, the Rev. Nancy Lee Jose . . . Flowers at the altar in the Mary Chapel are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Virgene Graybill Crane, given by David Crane and Jeff Wells . . . The sanctuary candle burns to the glory of God and in celebration of the 83rd birthday of Laurence W. Suggs, given by Nancye Suggs.

Foyer Dinner Groups . . . The new Foyer Dinner groups are posted on the kiosk in the undercroft.  Butch Bradburn has sent materials to Foyer Dinner captains.  It’s never too late to sign up to be a part of this program.  Forms are on the greeter’s table in the undercroft.

Heifer Project Wrap-up . . . As a result of a matching gift to our Lenten Heifer Project campaign, our total amount raised was $2,577.00 for the help of people in Haiti. This means that about 50 families will be helped over the next four years because of the “passing on” of the first born female animals to another family in the community. Thousands of persons will receive ongoing food and nourishment from the products produced by these families. Heifer International has been working in Haiti for over ten years and has helped thousands of farming families lift themselves from poverty to this date. The money from All Souls will bolster these families and enable them to raise more food and livestock for Haitians that are further in land where food and animals can not be raised. Charles Boone

Join us for the Adult Forum . . . The adult forum this Sunday, May 2, will include Ms. Maureen Walsh, who will share with us her work in Christian-Buddhist comparative theology and on her research on ritual activity around pregnancy loss in American Catholicism and Japanese Buddhism . . . On May 9, the forum will feature Ms. Joelle Novey, director of Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light, and the Rev. Jered Weber-Johnson, associate priest at St. Alban’s Church.  The forum is sponsored by All Souls are Green.

Cookies for Children . . . During the month of May it will be our turn to provide cookies for the children at the Episcopal Center for Children. Please bring homemade or store-bought cookies to the parish kitchen, make sure they are plainly marked, Episcopal Center for Children, and place them in the marked receptacle. If you have questions, please speak with Merriam Woodhouse.

Readings for the Daily Office