Monday, November 23, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this year.

Our next get together is planned for Saturday December 12, 2009 from 10AM-12PM at All Saints. We will meet on the second floor of the Pritchett building. The playground will be available if the weather is pleasant. Vic Patrick has offered to lead a craft activity for the older kids and there will be some Christmas picture book reading as well around 11:00AM. It certainly is a busy time of year, but we would love to have as many of you come as can make it. Also please use this as an opportunity to share with your children the importance of giving. Feel free to bring children's clothing for Threads, a child's toy for Midtown Assitance Center, or newborn and infant needs for Genesis Shelter. If you bring an item we will make sure it gets to the right place. If you can make it contact us at bluefrilingos@juno.com

Also in December: St. Nicholas supper on December 2, 2009. Details can be found here. The program is geared towards elementary age kids, but three year old Paul had a lot of fun last year.

December 20, 9:00AM-Children's Christmas Pageant- a lot of fun to participate in or to watch.

And of course Christmas Eve offers plenty of opportunities. With services at 3PM, 5PM, 7:30PM and 10:30PM. Another alternative for Christmas is the Christmas Day service that Beth and I have begun to attend annually. No parking problems or pew saving.

Also be on the lookout for an Advent online calendar from All Saints. This is a great way to observe the season. We had a great time with Paul last year lighting our own Advent wreath at home.

I hope to see all of you at some point this Advent and Christmas season.

Thank you,

Timothy Frilingos

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

All Hallow's eve

Happy Halloween everybody. Sorry for the lack of communication but we have been away during much of October visiting family in Chicago. It is nice to be able to travel in the fall before our kids are fully engaged in the school calendar.

We will not have a formal get together in November, but I instead want to draw your attention to all the opportunities at All Saints this feast day weekend. Check out all the info here. On October 29th the festival weekend begins with the free annual Woodall Lecture featuring Walter Brueggemann. This is definitely an event worthy of heading down to All Saints. It promises to be an evening of enrichment and fellowship. If you can't find a babysitter for the kids then flip a coin.

On Saturday there are a slew of fun family events: a costume parade, a performance by our children's choirs in the courtyard, and a magician. Chuck has promised fun for all. Lunch will even be served by the men of the parish. The arts and craft market will also be open for some early gift buying. It's a great place to find host gifts to bring to those looming holiday get togethers.

DO NOT MISS EUCHARIST THIS SUNDAY. Yes I shouted it. All Saints Day sometimes goes unmarked as a major feast day, but it is really not to be missed, especially at All Saints Atlanta. Come early if you can since the church can get crowded. DO NOT MISS EUCHARIST THIS SUNDAY.

The annual St. Nicholas dinner on Wednesday, December 2, hosted this year by the newly formed St. Catherine's Guild, will be a great way to kickoff Advent. If you are interested in helping with this dinner or joining St. Catherine's contact Kelli Taylor, kelli.f.taylor@gmail.com. You can also find the group on facebook.

We are planning an event in early December (probably the weekend of December 5-6) that will function as a get together, but also, I hope, as a way to introduce some of our older children to the idea of giving to others as part of our preparation for the Christ Child. It will also be a chance to see each other. Keep an eye out for announcements about that.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Reminder: Popsicles on the Playground

This is one last reminder about "Popsicles on the Playground" this Saturday, September 12 from 11 AM to 1 PM at All Saints. Please send us a message if you are coming, bluefrilingos@juno.com, if you haven't already. Bring your own snacks for lunch if you would like.

If you can't make it Saturday, make sure you come early on Sunday for the Celebration of Ministries. This is an awe-inspiring glimpse at all the opportunities at All Saints to share in this parishes ministries. I am sure there are many who are involved in this group who will be holding a banner or standing by a sign-up sheet for their ministry. (NOTE: Since I see our young parent group as an extension of the Foyer Group program we don't have our own banner).

I would encourage each of you this year to consider taking something on. Maybe a six week commitment to GIFT or giving a few Saturdays a year to our Buildings and Grounds crew. Maybe you admire the flowers on the altar and would love a chance to be part of that ministry. There is nothing All Saints does that is not available to all parishioners, but it is up to you to make the first step. I know that in our hectic lives with little children it is hard to take on too many projects, but I think engaging in the work at All Saints adds perspective as a parent and strengthens our commitment to this community.

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you again soon,

Timothy Frilingos

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Threads

Threads needs clothes and volunteers and we want to help.

Last Sunday, the church celebrated 5 years of this wonderful ministry. I spoke briefly on Sunday with coordinator, Lori Guarisco, about our desire to help. She says that she welcomes parents to come and volunteer with their children. She has children's toys and space for them to play. My thought was that we could arrange a day for our group to volunteer. During our time there, some of us could act as volunteers to help directly with Threads and others could volunteer to help keep the children busy. Then, we could rotate these roles as appropriate, giving everyone an opportunity to lend a hand.

Right now, I am thinking specifically about those in our group who could volunteer time during the week, but need there to be childcare. Please let me know if you are interested in this opportunity and are interested in making this a seasonal commitment or more frequently depending on people's schedules.

Threads always welcomes donations of clothing items for children, which can be brought to the Parish life table on Sunday morning or contact Lori at 404-267-4317 or lguarisco@allsaintsatlanta.org.

Hope everyone is well and I look forward to seeing many of you on September 12th in the courtyard for Popsicles and Playground.

Best,
Beth

Monday, August 24, 2009

Some reminders

Hope all is well for everybody. It was great to see so many familiar faces yesterday at All Saints. Beth and I are always happy to chat with you all between services, especially while the kids are transfixed by the Juju bean magician guy.

The cooler temperatures and low humidity got me thinking about fall this past weekend. Growing up I used to hate late summer. In Florida things just stayed hot with less rain to cool down the afternoons. The start of a new school year didn't help me like the fall any more.

Now, I really enjoy these times of transitions. Routines can be broken and new routines made. A lot is made of the transition from Winter to Spring, but I really like Summer to Fall as well. Savoring those last fresh tomatoes from the garden, but looking forward to warm soups (and really needing them to keep yourself warm.) Being able to linger outside in the evening without worrying about insects attacking.

I wonder how many seasons you have to experience before you can recognize the differences. Do our young children get a sense of the change that is coming? or is it only after several years that they can notice.

This Sunday, make sure you get to All Saints for an orientation to the nursery and children's formation with Fr. Chuck. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about what goes on on a typical Sunday. It would be a good time to volunteer to help throughout the year as well.

I also want to remind you to take some time and fill out a survey for our strategic thinking group. If you need a password contact Emily Peterson at 404-267-4266 or at epeterson@allsaintsatlanta.org. These surveys are important and it seems that they have had few responses from our demographic.

Remember our next get-together is September 12 from 11AM-1PM at the All Saints' playground. Please let us know if you plan to make it.

Have a great week and we look forward to seeing you all this Sunday.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Is Summer Over?

For those of us whose kids are still too young to be starting elementary school,we might not realize that summer break is already over for metro Atlanta. I have noticed it on my morning commute. The bus runs a little bit slower than it had been the last few months.

With the start of school it is only a matter of time before All Saints gets back in the swing of things as well. In fact there are some great opportunities coming up in the next few weeks. The first is this Sunday's blessing of the backpacks. Of course this is for older kids, but we are going to let Paul bring his new "Cars" lunchbox he just got for pre-school. This is going to happen at the 9AM service.

On August 30 there will be an introduction to Children's Church and all that goes on in the Pritchett Center on a typical Sunday. There will be a special focus on parents and kids in our age group (infant to pre-K). Plan on being there.

On September 13, All Saints will have its annual Celebration of Ministries. An awe-inspiring event that displays all there is to do at All Saints. I challenge all of you who have not gotten more involved at All Saints to use this opportunity to find a ministry to become a part of. There are a lot of leadership opportunities available for people who are interested. In fact as a Vestry member I would love to hear from you about different areas you would like to get involved with. I would be delighted to introduce you to the right person.

The day before Celebration of Ministries we will have our next get-together at the church in the playground. It will "Popsicles on the Playground" from 11AM to 1PM. Bring something for lunch if you would like. We will be trying out the new water feature so an extra pair of clothes for the kids might be good. Please send us an e-mail if you plan on coming: bluefrilingos@juno.com .

Kanuga is also coming up the first week of October. If you haven't considered it before please think about it for this year. It has always been a great trip and a great way to spend time with your All Saints family.

Finally, many of you received an e-mail earlier this summer about filling out a church wide survey. PLEASE fill these surveys out as soon as you can. I have been informed that they have received almost no feedback from parents with young children. If you don't have the e-mail anymore or you didn't get one to begin with please contact Emily Peterson at EPeterson@allsaintsatlanta.org to get the survey information. You can also stop by the information desk on Sunday mornings. This survey is an important part of the Stragetic Thinking Group and the Vestry and All Saints staff is taking the responses very seriously. PLEASE don't forget to do this for our church.

Thank you for making it all the way through. I look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Peace,

Timothy Frilingos

Monday, July 20, 2009

Reminder: July 25, 2009

This is just a reminder about this coming Saturday. We will be meeting at Tributary this Saturday, July 25, 2009, from 11AM-1PM. We have gotten quite a few responses and we can't wait to see you there. Here is a message from our host Vic Patrick:
Home Address: 9967 Brantingham Road, Douglasville 30135, phone 678-213-1497, cell 404-234-2777
Turn right into Tributary, take an immediate left onto Darby, and an immediate right onto Ardwick Green Way, which dead-ends into the Village Activity Center, turn right onto Bakewell and park behind the pool. Remind folks I'll have hotdogs and juice boxes for the kids, just bring adult bevs and maybe a side. thanks!

If you plan on attending please send us an e-mail: bluefrilingos@juno.com

Also it is great seeing a lot of you on Sunday this summer. If you haven't been regularly attending the 10AM service, try to make it a point to come this Sunday and plan on staying a little bit after the service to catch up on summer vacations and travels.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Next get together: July 25, 2009

Our next get-together will be hosted by Victoria Patrick at the pool at Tributary from 11AM- 1PM on Saturday, July 25. If you will be in town that weekend I really encourage you to attend. Tributary is a great development and the pool is really nice. We are going to do it in the morning again, that seemed to work really well at Scott, Scott, and Caroline's. If you are going to try to make it please send us and e-mail at bluefrilingos@juno.com. I will send you directions, so please tell me where you will be coming from. We hope you guys can make it.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

June Event

Our next get together will be at the Glenwood Park pool on Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. This event is being hosted by Scott Porter and Scott Hayes, so please RSVP to them directly at us@scottandscott.info. We hope to see you all there.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Eastertide

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and that your family is enjoying some of this incredible weather. It seems like the rains came at the right time to wash away some of the pollen and now the spring is beginning to hint at summer. I ran by a freshly mowed field the other day and could not help but think of the lazy summer days to come. Even though I don't get long summer vacations anymore I still consider June through August as a chance to do some extra reading and extra napping. Now if only Paul would consider some extra napping as well.

Our next get together will be Saturday, May 9, at Grant Park from 4PM to 6PM. We will meet first at the playground. Around 5:15PM we will head down to the old fountain where Milledge Ave dead ends into the park. Erin Miller used this as a great backdrop for some storytelling a few months back and we are going to happily steal the idea. Bring a picture book if you would like to read it to the group. Also feel free to bring snacks for your family and to share. In case of rainy weather we will be meeting at the Miller's house which is very close to Grant Park at 513 Oakland Ave. If the weather looks iffy I will post a message the day before indicating the change of venue. Send us an e-mail if you are planning on coming: bluefrilingos@juno.com.

Please look out on Sundays for new parents that might want to join us in May. Also feel free to invite your neighbors and co-workers as a way of introducing them to the All Saints community.

Coming up at All Saints:

April 26, 2009, 12:30 PM,-Everyone is invited to participate in a discussion about the future of All Saints facilitated by members of the All Saints' Strategic Thinking Group. These discussion will cover a wide range of issues facing the parish along with brainstorming about the future. If you would like to attend you will need to contact Lauri Begley at (404)267-4273. Lunch and a nursery will be provided. Beth and I participated in a similar discussion and it was a great way to think critically about our parish.

Women's Luncheon, May 3, 2009, 12:15 PM-A celebration of All Saints women's chapters along with the establishment of a new chapter.

Also on May 3- Baptisms-Come support our newest members to the Body of Christ. A great time to introduce yourself to their parents as you congratulate them.

A Night Out with Arts Theology, May 7, 2009, 5:30PM-7:30PM-"First Thursday" gathering at the TULA Art Center, 75 Bennett Street Atlanta, GA 30309. Ann Rhodes will be opening her studio to All Saints' parishioners, with light food and refreshments provided by Arts Theology! Hundreds of works of art will be on display, and Arts Theology hopes that you will come to Ann Rhodes' studio (k-1) to kick off your tour of TULA and MOCA GA. For more information, please contact Eileen Nebhut (404) 309-2152, eileen@nhabitation.com.

Parish Picnic, May 31, 2009-Get those dessets ready and don't miss this annual kick-off for summer. The picnic will be held this year in our own courtyard.

Peace,

Timothy Frilingos

Monday, February 16, 2009

End of January

I am finally getting around to posting some photos from our last get together. It was a fun afternoon and I think everyone had a great time. I will be sending out word real soon about our next get together. Have a great week.





Saturday, January 24, 2009

Next get together

Our next get together will be Saturday, January 31, from 4-6pm at All Saints in the Pritchett Center. I hope to see all of you there. Go ahead and respond to this post as an RSVP.

Also since the blog is meant to keep me from having to send an e-mail and keep track of everyone's addresses, please ask others you know in this group if they are coming next Saturday. And remind them to verify their e-mail subscribtion to this blog. See you all soon.