Lent is now in full swing and I invite you to partake in some of our offerings:

• Beginning this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. between the 9 and 11 :00 a.m. services we will hold an Adult Faith Series on "Faith and Violence".   

• On Wednesday evenings starting this week  we will have a simple soup supper followed by a time of contemplative prayer.  Dinner is at 6:00 p.m.  Please email kathy O'Donoghue if you wish to join us for dinner at kmeod713@mac.com

• We will also hold a special Lenten Quiet Day at the church on Saturday March 24 from 9-2 p.m.

As you can see we have many offerings and I hope that you will find some time to rest and feed your soul and spirit this Lent.

Please Mark your calendar for Holy Monday, Monday April 2, 2012 for CROSSwalk.  Our goal is to have 200 people from 

All Saints' attend this four-mile Holy Week Procession in the heart of city to remember murder youth.  CROSSwalk is not an end in itself,

it is a beginning of our work to address this issue and the goal is to help all of us connect with partners and organizations working to 

prevent violence in our city.  Please join us!  More information is available at www.crosswalk.org or you can contact Jack Clark at 

jack@allsaintschicago.org.  Please sign up today!

We will have buses leaving from All Saints' and returning to the church if folks are interested. CROSSwalk begins at St. James Cathedral with a stop at Daley Plaza, then proceeding to Old St. Patrick Church and finally ending outside Stroger Hospital. Buses will be available along the route for those who do not wish to do the entire walk.  

May you have a blessed Lent and a blessed week.

See you on Sunday,

Fran

PS - Need help keeping track of all that's going on during Lent? Kathy O'Donoghue has prepared a beautiful booklet outlining all our upcoming events, with special bonus insights into the significance of Lent. Look for copies in the back of the church, or download a pdf copy by clicking this link:  Lent at All Saints' 2012

Thanks Kathy! 

The Justice Circle is sponsoring its second annual Lenten Film Festival every Friday during Lent. Film will begin around 7 p.m. Popcorn and pop will be provided, but feel free to bring additional treats and beverages.

The schedule is:

• March 2 Let the Church Say Amen, a documentary about the lives of four parishioners at World Missions for Christ Church in the impoverished Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
• March 9 Inside Job, the 2010 Oscar-winning documentary about the causes and effects of the 2008 financial crisis.
• March 16 Tying the Knot, a documentary about the real-life consequences of marriage inequality.
• March 23 Hidden in America, a drama about hunger and the working poor in the United States.
• March 30 Love Free or Die, a documentary about the ministry of Gene Robinson.

Also the Justice Circle will be participating in the screening of The Interrupters, about violence prevention here in Chicago, at Fourth Presbyterian Church downtown on Monday March 5th at 5:30 p.m. Cobe Williams, one of the Violence Interrupters in the film, will be there for discussion after the screening.

We hope to see you all there! 

The Fail Club is a chance to admit to or devise a goal which may seem impossible, or at which you have already failed. Perhaps you are a hippopotamus and want to learn ballet? This is a place to voice a hope and, regardless of success, receive encouragement. We shall not fear failure, in fact we will befriend it together. 

Fail Club has its first meeting face-to-face at Intelligentsia Coffee at 3123 N. Broadway (walking distance from the Belmont and Wellington El stops) TONIGHT, Friday March 2 at 7:00pm. All are welcome, feel free to bring a guest!

Where: 4958 N. Troy, apt. #2

Albany Park neighborhood. Parking on Troy and Kedzie.

Your host: M.K. Victorson and Rob, Charlie (age 5) and Poppy (17 mos.) Lentz.

Please RSVP to M.K. if you think you can come:  mkvictorson@gmail.com

Join us on Wednesday evenings from March 7-April 4 for a simple soup supper and a time of contemplative prayer. We'll eat together at 6:00 and then move to the church at 7:00 for a half hour of prayer and silent meditation, utilizing Celtic prayers from the Iona Community. 

We'll be done by 7:30 for those heading to choir practice or EFM. Please feel free to join us on any or all of these evenings. If you are able to RSVP, we would be very appreciative! Joining us? Questions? Contact Kathy O'Donoghue at kmeod713@mac.com. 

Would you be willing to bake a casserole for a family who has had a new child? What about giving a ride to someone who can't otherwise make it to church? 

If you are interested in serving the All Saints' community, please join the Care Database! Send your email and phone number to care@allsaintschicago.org. When a need arises, you will get an email and information on how to help. 

Just one visit, one meal, one ride can make all the difference in the world to someone who needs it! Thank you!

More than 600 of our young people have been murdered since 2008.  As a faith community, we need to help do something about it.  Representatives from All Saints', St. James Cathedral, and the Diocese are leading a group of churches and community organizations from the Chicago area for CROSSwalk, a four-mile procession across the heart of the city to remember children we have lost and connect participants with opportunities for action.  

CROSSwalk takes place on Monday, April 2, and promises to be a moving way to begin Holy Week.  It will step off from St. James Cathedral, proceed through the Loop and stretch across the city to the lawn outside Stroger Hospital, with stops along the way at Daley Plaza and Old St. Patrick's Church.  At each stop we will lament the loss of our young people and-- importantly--commit ourselves to efforts that protect children and mitigate violence in our communities.  Please join us for all or part of the procession.  Buses will be available for those who require transportation along the route.  For more information or to sign up, visit  www.crosswalkchicago.org.

UPDATE:

Be sure to check the CROSSwalk website each week for a new Lenten meditation as we make our way towards Holy Week. The most recent meditations can be found by clicking HERE. Don't miss this special message from our Bishop:

Crosswalk: Bishop Lee invite

All Saints' is hosting a monthly "Interview to Win" Boot Camp offered by the nonprofit Jobbing America Foundation.  This one and a half day workshop helps unemployed and underemployed participants identify their strengths and passions, refine their interview skills and develop a personal brand to communicate the best they have to offer to potential employers.  Each participant also makes five video presentations and receives individual coaching and peer group feedback to improve their presentation skills.  The "Interview to Win" Boot Camp will maximize your strengths, help you build an interviewing strategy and provide a forum for you to practice with your peers.  Our workshop will positively, absolutely, and dramatically increase your chances to land the job of your dreams.  

There is a maximum of 15 participants per month, so early registration is encouraged.  The full workshop cost, including 12 hours of training and two meals, is $279, and there are scholarships available for those who need it the most and can afford it the least.  Register online at www.JobbingAmerica.org, or contact Laura Youngberg at Laura@JobbingAmerica.org to learn more about the program and possible scholarships. 

Program Dates:

March 15 (6-9pm) - March 16 (8am-5pm)

April 19 (6-9pm) - April 20 (8am-5pm)

May 17 (6-9pm) - May 18 (8am-5pm)

Would you like to assist All Saints' in getting our message out and about in the community?  

We are looking for someone who'd be interested in reconstituting and leading a communication's committee. 

Let Bonnie know if you might be interested.

All Saints will include a dramatic reading of Christ's Passion at the 9:00 and 11:00 services on Palm Sunday, April 1.  If you would like to participate in these readings, please send an email to Juleigh Ruby at jmruby23@aol.com. 

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John: each author has a different account of Jesus' last days.  Each of these gospel writers depicts Jesus saying different phrases as he is dying on the cross.  How come?  Are they all true? Which one should we believe?  

These are just a few of the questions we'll wrestle with in Atrium 3 on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30 to 5:30 March 13, 20, 27, and April 4.  Bring your own bible!  If you don't have one--we'll supply one--we are after all--a church!