Saturday, October 22, 2011

Photos from the 100th Anniversary & Rededication of All Saints Church

On Sunday, October 16, Bishop Cate Waynick joined rectors and associate clergy of All Saints, past and present, to rededicate the church building in celebration of the building's 100th anniversary. To evoke the atmosphere of the original dedication in 1911, our liturgy came from the 1892 Book of Common Prayer, and combined the rite of consecration of a church with a choral evensong.

Bishop Cate's sermon was a reflection on the term "liturgy", which is derived from the Greek liturgia. The word originally had a secular meaning, referring to a public work accomplished at private cost -- such as a bridge constructed by a caravan trader and left behind for public use. The redemption of the world through Jesus Christ is also a form of liturgia, Christ's incarnation and death coming at unknowable cost to the Holy Trinity. All Saints, too, stands as a space that for 100 years has welcomed generations of people, with a particular ministry to those rejected by church or society. The wide embrace hosted by our building is our gift from those 100 years ago who provided funded the building of All Saints church, and those today who continue to maintain, grow, and fund the church for generations we will never know.

Music for the evensong was provided by All Saints organist/choirmaster Mason Copeland and the choir of All  Saints church, in addition to guest organists Bruce Neswick and David Kazimir, and numerous friends of the All Saints choir.

Photos by Tim Jensen.

Bishop Cate knocks on the door with her crozier.
The procession into the church.

The Bishop rededicates the baptismal font, including the new copper bowl given in memory of Nancy Thompson.


The congregation listens to the comprehensive Old Testament lesson (1 Kings 8), read by former rector Gordon Chastain.


Bishop Cate's sermon.
The choir.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

100 Hands Over All Saints


The sign in the yarn shop read, “I make pretty string.” For many that's true, but for the as many more the sign might read, “I make pretty useful string.” The Knitting Ministry at All Saints Episcopal Church followed the second sign. For the past year the knitters of All Saints have been working together to make 100 hands or 50 pair of mittens as their way of marking the 100th anniversary of the the church building.

For some in the group the idea of controlling four needles instead of the usual two seemed monumental and daunting, for some it was a chance to learn something new and was met with zeal and for some it was an opportunity to pick up a well worn pattern and revisit an, “old friend.”. A few in the group opted to make hats and scarves to go with the mittens. Together, in just a little more than a year mittens to fit everyone from infants, toddlers, children, women and men have appeared on the clothes lines that were strung from the beams of our parish hall. 100 Hands Over All Saints has been a colorful reminder of our congregation's zeal for caring for others.

The mittens have been a learning experience for many of our church and beyond. While some in the knitting ministry learned how to make cable patterns, or knit in the round, some learned the secret codes of the craft now knowing just exactly what SSK means in the pattern. A few visitors to our parish hall have spoken of how fun and meaningful it was to see the hands over their heads learning that they would begin to warm the hands and hearts of some folks in our community who would welcome them as the winter chill comes to Indianapolis.

These mittens are more than just, “pretty string,” they are labors of love and care and a witness to the long standing commitment that this parish has to offering a hand to those who need it. The mittens will be blessed during the offertory on October 30th and will be distributed to neighboring support agencies, Julian Center and Dayspring Center. The knitters are pleased to announce that there are now 55 pairs of mittens to share with the Julian and Dayspring Centers.

These 100 Hands Over All Saints have proven to be a reminder that God uses our hands as his own here on earth.

— Don Bryant


Thursday, October 6, 2011

One Person Can Still Make A Difference





By now you've heard of the death of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and the driving vision behind the personal computer you're using today, and the man who put the power of the internet into the hands of the average consumer with the introduction of the iMac.

Not to mention the iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Pixar, and the best operating system and personal computers in the world.

He was fired from the company he founded and returned in 1998 to an organization on the brink of bankruptcy. As he said, "Apple is like a ship with a hole in the bottom, leaking water and my job is to get the ship pointed in the right direction."

As I write this, Apple's market cap today is over $350 billion.

Steve felt that Apple stood at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, and that was what drove their designs and product lines. "We make things that we like to use," he often said. "Part of what made the Macintosh great was the people who were working on it were musicians, poets, artists, historians, zoologists, who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world."

A lot of tributes are being paid online, in the press, on television and cable. People are going to individual Apple stores around the world and leaving personal messages and flowers.

All for an adopted kid who dropped out of college to pursue what he loved and not settle for the status quo.

So the next time you think that you alone can't make a difference in your home, work, neighborhood, or church—think again.

Or as Mr. Jobs said, "Think Different."

Famous Stanford Commencement Speech

iTunes on Windows

Think Different