This Sunday's Readings:
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 105:1-5,
23-25, 45c
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
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Greetings!
As we prepare for fall, our minds turn toward the idea of harvest and bounty. Applied to our personal faith journey, we can think in terms of Christian ideals or ministry we have followed that have brought us to a place of spiritual fruition. We bring in a harvest of awareness in Christ and a bounty of blessings to the lives we have touched. Perhaps without realizing it, we have truly tried to live up to the words of our Baptismal Covenant. This may be a time when many may be feeling a new sense of dedication to the Body of Christ and desire to make a more public affirmation of spiritual experience. One way to make such a commitment is through the sacramental rite of Confirmation, the laying on of hands by a bishop.
The theologies of baptism and confirmation have evolved in the Episcopal Church. Confirmation is no longer seen as the completion of Christian initiation, nor is it a prerequisite for receiving communion. Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's body the church. Accordingly, Confirmation has been increasingly understood in terms of mature, public reaffirmation of the Christian Faith and the baptismal promises.
If you feel drawn to Confirmation and would like to take part in this public reaffirmation of your Christian faith, All Saints by-the Sea is offering confirmation classes this fall in preparation for
the November 23 visit of Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce. The classes will also be for those who have already been confirmed but wish to formally reaffirm their faith and those baptized or confirmed in different Christian denominations but wish to be formally received into the Episcopal Church. Knowledge seekers who do not wish to be confirmed but desire a greater understanding of what it means to live out our Baptismal Covenant are more than welcome to join classes as well.
May God bless you on your journey,
Rev. Vicki Mouradian
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Photo of the Week
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All Saints' Parishioner Andy Grimm, braves the heights to clean the upstairs windows of the Parish House during our Campus Clean-up Day, Saturday August 23.
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Kathleen Winters To Be Commissioned
This Sunday, August 31
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| As a way to officially welcome Kathleen Winters into her role as All Saints' Director of Administration, she will be commissioned by Father Bob at both the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services on August 31. Join us for a celebration on the patio following both services to meet Kathleen and to help give her a warm welcome to our All Saints family. |
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School's Back at All Saints Parish School
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 All Saints by-the-Sea Parish School is ready for the first day of school on September 8! There are only a few spots remaining in the school (for children ages 2 years to 5 years). With new grass, new paint, clean rugs and polished floors they're ready for a year of love, laughter and learning! For information about the school or about enrolling a new student, please contact
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The M-4 Churches Need YOU
on Saturday, September 6
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There's still time to sign up to help for just three short hours at the M-4 Half Day of Service on September 6! We'll meet at 8:30 a.m. at Cleveland Elementary in the cafeteria for a light breakfast and then we'll all choose our work groups. You can choose from a variety of tasks: working in the garden or around the grounds, helping to set up computers, or helping teachers prepare their classrooms. There's a task for all ages and abilities.
 If you aren't able to join us, please consider making a small financial donation toward the purchase of tools and paint. We are also in need of wheelbarrows (for loan). To volunteer, donate or loan supplies, or to make a financial contribution, please contact Susan Evans.
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September 14: A Very Special All Saints' Homecoming Picnic Honoring Father Bob
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Homecoming Sunday is quickly approaching. Please plan on joining us on Sunday, September 14 for a special brunch on the patio and bittersweet celebration as we bid farewell to our beloved Fr. Bob and look forward to the start of an exciting new chapter for All Saints. Our celebration will start on the patio after both the
 8 and 10 a.m. services. Join us in rejoicing in the bountiful gifts God has bestowed upon All Saints, including a special sendoff for our beloved Father Bob as he starts his new journey. We look forward to seeing you at this most memorable All Saints' Homecoming! Sunday School teachers, please plan to be at the 10 a.m. service for your commissioning by Fr. Bob! If you have any questions or would like to help in any way please contact the Church Office (805) 969-4771. |
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Adult & High School Confirmation Classes
Offered This Fall
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Confirmation classes will be offered for adults and high school students this fall in preparation for the November 23 visit of Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce. Those who have been baptized are welcome to participate in this journey. Anyone who has already been confirmed but wishes to formally reaffirm their faith, or those confirmed i n different Christian denominations but wish to be formally received into the Episcopal Church are welcome to participate as well.
Adult Confirmation Class will be held on the following Wednesdays: September 17 and 24; October 1, 8, 15, and 22 in the Parish House from 7:15 - 8:45 p.m.
High School Confirmation Class will be held on the following Sundays: September 21 and 28; October 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Both adults and high schoolers must complete at least four of the six classes in order to be confirmed. Sign up at the Information Table on the patio starting this Sunday, or contact the Rev. Vicki.
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Sunday School Classes Resume September 21
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Sunday School classes will start again on Sunday, September 21 at 10 a.m. We will have four classrooms this year, all meeting in the Parish House: Pre-K to Kindergarten; 1st-3rd grades; 4th-5th
 grades; and 6th-8th grades. All children are welcome to join us as we discover the wonders of God's love through the curriculum Living the Good News. Our nursery will be open for children 3 years and under in the Bumble Bee room in the Parish School. Please note that Family Feast and God, Music & Fun will meet in the Parish Hall next Sunday, September 7. We welcome back our Sunday School teachers and our children and look forward to a great year! To learn more about Sunday School at All Saints, contact the Rev.Vicki or call the Church Office at (805) 969-4771. |
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All Saints' Choir Is Back This Fall
With NEW Additional Sunday Morning Rehearsals
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 We welcome back the All Saints Choir on Sunday, September 14. The choir's first rehearsal will be Thursday, September 11. Our Music Director Steve O'Connor is pleased to offer additional Sunday morning rehearsals for parishioners wishing to sing in the choir but unable to make Thursday evening rehearsals. If you'd like to learn more about the choir, please contact Steve.
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Join the All Saints Hearts Team!
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 Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center, a recipient of an All Saints Outreach grant, has invited us to build an All Saints volunteer team to assist with lessons one day a week. Volunteers change lives, making lifelong friends and joining a larger community of fun-loving, energetic individuals intent on making a difference! Some of the things you'll do as volunteers include: assisting riders during their weekly lessons, learning to groom and tack horses, helping to maintain the facility, or assisting with administrative tasks. Therapeutic riding is life changing, and so is volunteering at this organization. Contact Heather Childress if you'd like to join the All Saints Hearts Team.
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From the All Saints Archives
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An introduction to "The Little Church of All Saints-by-the-Sea"
"TAKEN FROM ONE OF THE CHURCH PAPERS
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ALL-SAINTS-BY-THE-SEA
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Montecito Valley, California.
The Little Church of All Saints-by-the-Sea, in Montecity Valley, California, designed by Mr. A.B. Benton, of Los Angeles, is often mentioned as one of the prettiest churches on the Pacific Coast. All Saints' Mission was begun by Rev. W.H. Ramsay in 1893 or 1894, the first services being held in a vacant store-room. It continued as a mission of Trinity parish, Santa Barbara, until May 1896, when it was duly organized and admitted to the Convention, and the Rev. W.T. O'Brien appointed as Priest-in-charge. A lot for the church building had been given by Miss Humphry, and about $100 had been gathered for the building fund, which sum was increased to nearly $200 the following year.
In June, 1897, Mr. O'Brien resigned, and only irregular services were held until May 1898, when the Rev. W. M. Moore took charge. The building fund was then increased to $450 which was expended in erecting a very simple and temporary structure to serve as a Church until the present beautiful building could be erected. The lot first given had been exchanged for another, which was also found unsuitable, and which Mr. Moore was able to again exchange for an ideal building [site].
In March, 1900, Mr. Moore begun to accumulate a building fund for the new Church and by September he had received over $2500.00 -- not until the whole amount needed was in hand, did the work begin. The Church was begun [on] September 3rd, completed November 4th, and consecrated November 27th, 1900. Its total cost, not including seats, was about $2,500.00."
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The All Saints Book Club Meets In Two Weeks
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 What is grace? If grace is God's love for the undeserving, then what does it look like in action? These are just two questions the All Saints Book Club will be exploring as we discuss Philip Yancey's novel, What's So Amazing About Grace? on Monday, September 8. Join us in the Parish House at 6 p.m. for a potluck dinner and lively discussion of Yancey's personal and provocative book on a most poignant topic. Email the Rev. Vicki with questions. Friends & family are welcome!
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Refreshment Table Volunteers Needed
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| We are in need of individuals or families to volunteer for the Refreshment Table at Coffee Hour on Sundays. Duties include providing and setting up light refreshments - donuts, pastries or cookies. If you are able to assist on Sundays please contact Anne Hopkinson. A sign-up sheet will also be at the Information Table. |
Cleveland Elementary School is a year-round school and home to approximately 380 students, grades K-6, and most are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. Budget cuts mean that there is more work in the office than there are staff to complete it. All Saints' Outreach Committee is calling all parishioners with administrative/office skills and a few hours during the work week to serve our Focus Project. If you fit this description, please consider answering that call. Contact Susan Evans, other Outreach Committee members, or David Boyd. Administrative/office assistance is only one way to be involved in this important project. Learn more.
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This Sunday, we will enter the final week of our summer music series, which has taken us on a three-part tour of the music of the world-wide Anglican Communion. Sunday we will complete our three-week venture deep into our American roots with the sounds of Southern Gospel and Mountain music with the help of our Eventide Band. These musical sounds are indigenous to Frontier Americans and are still a large part of the American worshiping landscape today, especially in the regions of Appalachia and the South. Join us Sunday and enjoy authentic Bluegrass instruments, rhythms and singing. You (y'all) won't want to miss it!
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St. Michael's Episcopal Church In Need of Election Workers for Nov. 4 General Election
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 Please join volunteers from Trinity and St. Michael's Episcopal Churches to be an election worker in a precinct at the St. Michael's chapel in Isla Vista and donate your stipend to benefit St. Michael's Episcopal Campus Ministry at UCSB. Isla Vista is where election action will be and you can be part of it. Half- and full-day positions are available and training will be provided the week of October 20. A sign-up sheet will be available at the Information Table after the services this Sunday. For more information, please contact David Boyd, (805) 969-2710. |
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Because we all deserve a chuckle now and then...
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There are many more items for your attention than we can comfortably fit in the email each week. Please click on the headlines below to view some of the stories from the All Saints website and from around the Internet!
St. Mary's Church in Napa joins in quake clean-up -While the outside of St. Mary's Episcopal Churchin Napa, California, looks perfect after the Aug. 24 magnitude-6 earthquake, the inside of the church is a different matter. Read more...
'New and creative ways of prayer' available for everyday life - What is being called "a daily office for the 21st century" is now available to members of the Episcopal Church and beyond. Read more...
Liberia's Cuttington University, diocese at epicenter of Ebola crisis - Liberia's Cuttington University, located near one of the epicenters of West Africa's Ebola outbreak, is reaching out to its surrounding communities while worrying about the epidemic's impact on the now-closed school's future, and mourning the loss of graduates and friends. Read more...
Church sees imperative role in racial justice, reconciliation - While the fatal police shooting of an unarmed African-American teenager continued to spark protests in Ferguson, Missouri, Episcopalians throughout the U.S. were grappling with a tough reality that it could have happened just about anywhere and with a difficult question: what should the church be doing about it? Read more...
Massachusetts Bishop Shaw offers update on illness - Massachusetts Bishop Thomas Shaw, SSJE, sent a message to his diocese on Aug. 25 announcing that the brain cancer he has been battling since May 2013 is incurable and expressing gratitude for ongoing prayers and support. Read more...
South India alcohol ban could include Communion wine - Churches in India's southern Kerala state have given a mixed response to government proposals for a total prohibition of alcohol within 10 years. Read more...
'Self-sustainability, unity are church priorities': Central Africa primate - The Most Rev. Albert Chama, primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA), has emphasized that self-sustainability and unity remain top priorities for the church. Read more...
Sept.-Dec. bishop consecrations, elections and consents - In the next four months - September 1 to December 31 - the Episcopal Church will witness the consecrations of four bishops, the election of one bishop, and the consent process of two bishops. Read more...
Panorama: Blogs of the Episcopal Church - Panorama presents various opinions and viewpoints of Episcopalians, as well as discussions of personal faith journeys, and conversations about the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church, its actions, social activism, traditions, and liturgy. Read more...
Did you know that each week's Sunday service bulletin is posted on the All Saints website? Just click here.
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