October 2005
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the
race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)
Dear All Saints' Family,
A few weeks ago in our Gospel lesson, Jesus
asked his disciples, Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the
Christ, the Son of God!" Jesus responded by saying, "And I tell you that
you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." Peter was the
first to openly confess Jesus as the Christ, and God has been building
His Church with all who have made the same confession of faith over the
centuries. When we recite the creeds we say that we believe in "the
communion of saints." What we are saying is that we are in fellowship
(communion) with people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ all over
the world, and through all time. The one thing we have in common with
those saints that have gone before, and with the saints who are with us
now, is our mutual confession the Jesus is Savior and Lord.
We are a people who are built on the foundation
of others who have been faithful to God in leading, building,
sacrificing, and spreading the good news of Christ over the centuries.
The writer of Hebrews referred to them as a "great cloud of witnesses."
The clear message from Hebrews is because there is such a wonderful
history of faithful who have inspired us, taught us, and provided for
us, we should do our part to provide for future generations who are
counting on us.
All Saints' began 150 years ago in St. Michael's
Chapel on the grounds of Hannah More Academy, under the leadership of
the Rev. Dr. Arthur Rich. In 1871, All Saints' was officially organized
as a parish and received into the Diocese of Maryland with services
being held in a small chapel on the grounds of All Saints' Cemetery. The
congregation outgrew the chapel and moved to our present location in
1891. Thanks to the generosity of William Keyser, we continue to enjoy
the blessing of his gift. We indeed have been blessed by a ' great cloud
of witnesses" who have continued to perpetuate the ministry of God to
the people in our community. With this in mind we will celebrate the
"great cloud of witnesses" that have been the foundation of all Saints'
on Sunday, October 23rd.
Letters with a reply card have been sent to
current members and others who have been a part of this parish over the
years. If you are planning to attend and have not sent in your reply
card please do so this week, or call the parish office. We need to know
soon in order to plan for the reception, and to plan for the combined
service at 10:00 a.m. We will have a service of Holy Communion at 8:00
a.m. on that day for those who wish to come at that time. Let us make
this a celebration of our history, as well as an inspiration for us to
"run with perseverance the race marked our for us."
God's blessings,
Fr. David
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