All Saints Sunday

[Mike Schutz]

What did your church do for All Saints Sunday?

[Eric Frey]

Memorial Roll, Distinguished Service Award along with other thematically appropriate liturgical elements

[Bob Evans]

I taught Sunday School to through a translator to Viet Nam speaking people.

My Pastor started a serics on Stewardship.

[Mike Schutz]

For our children's time, I brought all of the children up front and had them introduce themselves and state their age.

And then for the sermon I had nine people of various ages come up, line themselves up by age, and preached from 1 Timothy 4:12 and 2 Timothy 4: 6-8 on our responsibility to generations past and generations to come.

After communion we sang "For All the Saints," and I was surprised that our song leader did not know it.

[Ian Gentles]

Weird song leader lol

[Doug Kitchen]

What did your church do for All Saints Sunday?

We had a special teen service where the teens had a skit, read scripture, gave testimonies and a special song. We didn't do this for all saints sunday.

We read the revised common lectionary readings which included the habakkuk passage of "the righteous shall live by his faith". I described the significance of all saints day and Martin Luther. My daughter who was about to read this scripture rolled her eyes as only a 17 yr old can do.

I was in Hungary during all saints day, which is a national holiday there. My colleagues asked me to explain halloween and why we celebrate it. It was an interesting thought to figure out why we ended up celebrating halloween and ignoring all saints day and a formerly communist country still celebrates all saints day.

Doug

[Mike Schutz]

Weird song leader lol

The song leader for this morning grew up in the Salvation Army, and then as a teen and college student attended a church that seldom sings the anthems. So, considering her background, it is not unusual that she did not know it. However, for me, growing up Presbyterian, and then spending over 25 years at Wollaston Church (on the campus of ENC), it always takes me aback when a musician doesn't know one of the great songs of the faith.
My wife (who is our organist) reminds me that I cannot get any crazy ideas in the middle of the week and change a hymn selection after worship team practice, as in all likelihood many of the folks on the platform will not know it.

[John Kennedy]

My church sort of combined Reformation Sunday with All Saints Sunday and observed St. George's Day. Actually, they've been doing this for years. Now, St. George is the patron saint, I believe, of England, and the real St. George's Day comes elsewhere in the Christian calendar, but we, being Congregationalists (once called Nonconformists in England), observe a "Non Conformist" St. George's Day.

We had a piper and drummer who led the processional, "Jesus, what a friend for sinners.." (sung, ironically, to a Welsh tune) and, of course, the pipes played "Amazing Grace". Many people in the congregation wear their tartans - the minister's stole was plaid. He spoke both of the Reformation and of the beginnings of Congregationalism in England.

Oh yeah, at the fellowship time between services, the piper played and they served shortbread. There's a strong possibility that until they manage to perfect the direct injection of lard, Walker's shortbread is probably your most reliable source for grease and sugar. MMMMM good.

We didn't sing 'For all the saints...", but we did sing "God of our Fathers..." We also sang "We are God's people", a hymn that is a vivid challenge to Christians to live out their faith, and "The Church's One Foundation". The author of "We are God's people", a minister named Bryan Jeffrey Leach, also wrote an anthem we have sung on several occasions entitled "Let us praise God with magnificent music'. I sort of think we did.

[Mike Schutz]

The author of "We are God's people", a minister named Bryan Jeffrey Leach, also wrote an anthem we have sung on several occasions entitled "Let us praise God with magnificent music'. I sort of think we did.

I enjoy Leach's hymns.

[John Kennedy]

In thinking about All Saints Sunday, I ran across this hymn by Brian Wren, an English minister and hymn writer. I had the privilege of attending a seminar at which he spoke and presented some of his hymns a number of years ago, and this one got my attention.

It was written for an Anglican parish in Australia.

All saints? How can it be? Can it be me, holy and good, walking with God?
How can we say that we're all saints? O that we could!

All saints! -- Crucified love sings from above what it will do making us new,
Naming and claiming us "all saints," till it comes true.

Some Saints touch the divine, and as they shine, candles at night, holy and bright,
Gladden the spirits of all saints, giving us light.

All saints stumble and fall, God, loving all, knowing our shame, longs to reclaim:
Standing or falling we're all saints. Treasure the name!

Come,saints, crowds who have gone beckon us on, hindrances shed, joy in our tread,
One in the Spirit with all saints, looking ahead.

[Anita F. Henck]

What did your church do for All Saints Sunday?

We were all saints at our church this Sunday.

:basic07

Each Sunday, as we drive to and from church, we pass the exit for Santa Anita Avenue (and the Santa Anita race track). My family is pretty tired of me reminding them that I *really* am a saint! I mean, they have named a road after me! :cool:

==(santa) anita==

[John Kennedy]

You had me going there. I thought maybe you had attained sainthood by not turning off and going to the races. Now that I think of it, I guess I qualify under the same criteria (although they've never named a racetrack after me).