Advent at All Saints’:
Close to Home
ADVENT 2021
Join us as we prepare for the birth of Immanuel this year. When something hits close to home, it affects us deeply. The stories and scriptures of Advent are tender, heavy with emotion, and vulnerable. We hold the memories and truths of this season close to our hearts. The theme “Close to Home” acknowledges that Emmanuel is with us, and yet, God’s promised day—our everlasting home—is not fully realized. We long for God to come close.

Adult Formation
Advent “Visio Divina” – Guided Art, Meditation, and Prayer
Virtual: Wednesdays, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22: 6:00-7:30pm on Zoom (Meeting ID: 899 9308 5156 Passcode: 223657)
In-person: Sundays, Nov 28, Dec. 5, 12, 19: 11:30am-1:00pm in the Parish Hall
As the light of day becomes shorter and the dark of night grows, come for a soulful series on reconnecting with the sacred and the ancient practice of Visio Divina, or divine seeing, using art to focus your prayers. Sign up now!
You can also download this year’s Advent Devotional or Advent Calendar for self-guided reflection and centering.
Youth Formation
Sundays at 11:30 am, in-person on our Campus
Sunday 11/14 – Prayer Study Week 3
Sunday 11/21 – Prayer Study Week 4, create Advent Wreaths & talk through instructions
Sunday 11/28 – Advent 1 No Youth Formation
4pm Advent Wreath Making with Families – youth will help lead
Sunday 12/5, 12/12 – Advent 2 & 3 – ‘Close to Home’ Youth Formation
Field Trip to Emergency Shelter with a Service Project, TBD
Friday 12/17 – Youth Christmas Party, 7 – 10pm Details TBD
Sunday 12/19 – Rehearsal for Christmas Eve
Friday 12/24 4pm Youth-Led Christmas Eve Service
Sunday 12/26 – No Youth Formation
Sunday 1/2 – No Youth Formation

Worship
In addition to our 8am and 10am weekly Sunday Worship, come for our special offerings:

Advent 1 – Hope: Homesick
Nov 28 at 4pm: Making Advent Wreaths in the Great Hall
Together we will make Advent wreaths in the Great Hall and receive a comprehensive Advent booklet, “Close to Home” to invite us into reflection and prayer this season. Please bring your own wreath form if you are able to do so. We will provide greens and candles, we have some extra wreaths. Join us in the candlelight of hope.

Advent 2 – Peace:Laying the Foundation
Dec 5 at 4pm Advent Lessons & Carols. Livestream and in-person, Historic Church
Join us in the Historic Church for this service of readings, carols and anthems presented by the All Saints’ Ringers and the All Saints’ Choir. Scripture lessons help us gather with our faithful ancestors, awaiting the coming of Christ. Join us in the candlelight of peace.

Advent 3 – Joy: A Home for All (Mary Sunday)
Dec 12 at 4pm Guest Musician, Thomas Keesecker (In-person only, will not be available via livestream)
Tom will share his piano music from his best-selling piano collections and offer poetry from Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver, Daniel Berrigan and others. Tom, from the piano, will also lead those gathered in a few hymns of the season. Join us in the candlelight of joy.

Advent 4 – Love: Seeking Sanctuary
Dec 19 at 4pm Longest Night & Blue Christmas Worship. Historic Church. (In-person only, will not be available via livestream)
This “Longest Night” worship service provides space for prayer, reflection, and remembrance amid the holiday hustle and bustle. If you have experienced a loss and need a space for grief and comfort, quiet and healing, join us in the candlelight of love.
Outreach: Centro Hispano
All Saints’ is being invited to help the Centro Hispano community during the upcoming holiday season. We are partnering with Grace Brunswick and St. Luke’s Brownsville to provide household baskets to 30 families. Learn More
