Wednesday, March 31, 2010

A quick reminder...

It wasn't too long ago that during Holy Week I spent a lot of time in the church. Sometimes going to a morning service or evening service or even volunteering for the garden watch. With young children the schedule doesn't seem to allow that kind of free time. Beth and I do what we can to get to church during this week, but it can still be hard. I do look forward to the time when Paul and Jack are a little older and they can join us at the Maundy Thursday or Good Friday services, but this year we were happy to bring them on Palm Sunday to see the donkey and begin to understand that this is a time we remember Christ's death and resurrection.

It looks like the weather is helping the Easter celebration this year. These warm temperatures will certainly awaken dormant flower buds. If you have some flowers in your yard don't forget to bring them for the flowering cross at All Saints on Sunday. It will be a crowded morning, but I look forward to seeing everybody in their new Easter outfits and maybe even a few bonnets.

Coming up on April 10 is our next get together at Piedmont Park from 11AM - 1 PM. Plan on meeting up at the playground closest to the lake and pool house. Bring your own snacks or lunch if you like.

If you are traveling for the holiday or spring break I hope you have a wonderful and safe trip.

-Timothy Frilingos

Sunday, March 7, 2010

"I heard there was a sacred chord. . ."

The 3 & 4 year olds at All Saints have been learning about David for the past few weeks and I can't help hum a few bars of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" as I try to get Paul to give me a few details from the morning lesson. He remembered that Jonathan and David were friends. Of course I am not sure Paul is ready for all the details of those Old Testament stories anyways.

A big thank you to Stacy Brees and Rainey Woodward for leading Junior Children's Church and Sunday School this week. We didn't have any Wandering Minstrels (Spring break for the private schools this week) but we hope they make it back next week.

If you can get away for something at All Saints this week, I would recommend the lecture on Dante on Thursday at 7PM. You can find some details here.

I hope everyone got to spend a little time outside this week. Paul and I did something we have not done in a while. On Saturday I strapped him into the red jogger and ran him 6.5 miles through the neighborhood. As we headed towards are house I picked the pace up a little. Paul recognized this and cheered me on, yelling, "We're gonna win, Daddy, we're gonna win" At some imaginary finish line his encouragement turned to congratulations and he yelled, "We won, Daddy, we won." I'll admit that 75% of the time I am usually telling Paul what not to do, what not to touch, what not to say, or what not to shove his little brother into. On Saturday, at the end of a tiring run, Paul knew just the right thing to say, not only to make sure we all got home, but to give his ol' Dad a chance to win at least one race. Even if we were the only ones who knew we were racing.

Have a wonderful week.
-Tim

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

April 10 at Piedmont Park Playground

After months of silence we have returned to announce our next get together on April 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Piedmont Park playground.

This past weekend I ran through the park and remembered just how nice Piedmont Park is as it transitions from winter to spring. I am hopeful that in a little more than a month trees and flowers will be blooming. I was also reminded of how many new families I have met in the past few months since our last get together. Beth and I have met these families on Sunday mornings during either Holy Baptisms or as we served as Red Aprons in the nursery. Let's make April 10 a time new families and veterans can connect names to faces and enjoy what I know will be a beautiful spring day.

Bring your own lunch and snacks. In case of rain we will send a message out via this blog the day before. Send us a message at bluefrilingos@juno.com if you plan on attending so we can look out for you.

There is a lot of great programming and activities coming up in the next few months so I will probably be posting more often to let you know how you can get involved with the church or highlighting how many of you are already involved on a weekly basis.

For this week:
If you are not subscribed to receive the daily Lenten meditations by e-mail you are missing out on some insightful and moving reflections from All Saints clergy, staff, and parishioners regarding the Lenten Gospel readings. I have noticed that so far many of the entries have been written by members of our group. To sign up or view the meditations online click here.

The wandering minstrels are back in the nursery on Sunday. Between the services (approx. 10:20 a.m.) two 11th graders are providing guitar and voice for the infant to pre-K set. They sing a great selection of songs that feature plenty of moving around. This is done in addition to the Junior Children's Church and Sunday School that is provided (by wonderful volunteers) for 3 & 4 year olds during the 9 a.m. service.

I invite each of you to join the singing between the services if you are not attending an Adult Formation class. You will either need to stay late or come early depending on which worship service you typically attend. It is a wonderful way to share some worship time with your kids. The wandering minstrels should be there every week that Adult Formation is offered.

That is all for now, but I look forward to updating everybody throughout the next few weeks.

Thanks,

Timothy Frilingos

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