Sunday, February 3, 2008 — 2:30 PM – Special Time for all you Super Bowl Fans!

On Sunday, February 3rd, at 2:30 PM, there will be a performance by the Kevin Kouts Quartet as part of the Arts at All Saints concert series. The hour-long performance will be followed by a festive Mardi-Gras themed reception in the Parish Hall complete with a New Orleans-syle menu of food and drink.  

Admission is free with voluntary donations accepted.

The Kevin Kouts Quartet will perform a mix of traditional jazz and jazz/rock fusion tunes featuring composers like Billy Cobham, Horace Silver, and Thelonius Monk, plus a few of their own. The band is a meeting of musical friends of varying backgrounds and experiences who have come together to make music that is familiar, like comfort food, and at the same time fresh and dynamic. This will be their fourth year to perform in the All Saints series, and so far each performance has been great fun.  

And don't worry...there will plenty of time to enjoy the show and reception and still make it to your Super Bowl party!  

For more information, call the church office at 635-2538 or email music@allsaintsindy.com.

Chuck Braden was kind enough to share this holiday card that was used by Bishop Joseph Marshall Francis, whose tenure ran from 1899 until his death in early 1939. (The scan barely doesn't do it justice.)

Since the cornerstone for All Saints was laid in 1910, we're assuming that this card was produced somewhere between 1911-1938.

All Saints can barely be seen under all the snow!

UPDATE: Gordon Chastain adds these comments:

The photo was taken by The Rev. Rush Sloan, who was Vicar and Canon from 1914-1916. Here is a quote from "Episcopal Bishops: by Sarah Pratt (who lived across the street from All Saints was the mother or grandmother of Arthur Pratt, whom you may remember from Christ Church): "Once when All Saints and it adjacent trees and bushes were covered with snow, a young clergyman, the Reverend Rush Sloan, who was staying at the Bishop's (Francis), came over to our lawn opposite, and took a picture. This very beautiful picture the Bishop had made into a Christmas card, which he sent to Bishop Lloyd, of New York, and to the Mission House. The Spirit of Missions (a publication of the national church) reproduced it on its cover. Unfortunately the name of the church was omitted, and the Indianapolis Diocese did not receive credit."

Friday, January 25, 2008 — 6-8 PM
Community Forum on Kenya
Christian Theological Seminary, 1000 West 42nd Street

On December 27, 2007 immediately following a presidential election, violence erupted in Kenya. This tragedy has claimed an estimated 600 lives so far. The crisis continues as we are learning from news reports and people returning. International efforts at mediation continue. The state of Indiana has a special relationship with Kenya. Indianapolis is a sister city of Eldoret, Kenya.  IUPUI has academic links with MoiUniversity.  Rotary Club of Indianapolis works with Kenyan partners.

The Global Interfaith Council works with social services in Chulaimbo and Ambassadors for Children and other groups work in Eldoret and western Kenya. Literally thousands of Hoosiers have personal, business, and religious ties to the people of Kenya.

In our attempt to understand the situation and find ways to help, a community forum will be held on January 25, 2008.

Professors Jeanette Dickerson-Putman and Dawn Whitehead will facilitate our discussion starting with  presentations and remarks by:

Gilbert Nduru, Geographer-Human Ecologist at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya 
James Chelang'a, Historian and Political Scientist, Moi University 
Naftali Gichaba, Kenyan Association in Indianapolis and member of the Kenyan community in the US 

Fran Quigley from the IU-Kenya Partnership will comment and representatives from IU-Moi Committee; Ambassadors for Children; Rotary of Indianapolis Downtown; Indianapolis Eldoret Sister City Committee; Umoja and the Global Interfaith Council; and other NGOs who work with other organizations in Western Kenya will also be present. If you would like to learn about what is happening in Kenya and share your ideas for collaboration and positive action, please come to the forum.  For more information, please contact Carol Darst at carolearts@mac.com <<span style="color:#284FA9;">mailto:carolearts@mac.com>  or call 317-849-0133. 

Click here to learn more about the statue of Mary holding the Christ child.

Sunday, March 2, 2008 — 11:30 AM Forum
Mary Magdalene: In the Beginning OR Will the Real Mary Magdalene Please Stand Up?
Holly Hearon, Associate Professor of New Testament, Christian Theological Seminary

We all know about Mary Magdalene—or do we? What stories can we believe? What was her role among the followers of Jesus? Why was she remembered by the early church? What does her story teach us about discipleship today?

Holly Hearon (Ph.D. Graduate Theological Union) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Christian Theological Seminary. She is also a minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Her publications include studies in the area of Christian origins, women in the early church, and storytelling in the ancient world. When time allows, she likes to spend time out-of-doors and especially in her garden.

On Tuesday 8 January, Goulding & Wood delivered a new (to us) console for the organ. The current console and solid-state control systems have faced increasing problems in recent years, and full access of the organ's musical resources have as of late been beyond reach. 

The console, like many of the furnishings of the church, has a checkered past. The woodwork cabinetry dates from an installation John Goulding oversaw at Takoma Park Seventh Day Adventist Church in Maryland. The keyboards first served the Casavant organ that was at Christ Church on the circle before the Moller organ that was then replaced by the Wolff organ that serves the Cathedral now. 

The solid-state switching and combination action, an early system with significant limitations, was installed by Larry MacPherson with much volunteer wiring help by Roger Whitehead. The console and control systems, which were state of the art at the time, served the musician of All Saints Church well for many years. Indeed, how many people keep the same computer at home or work for twenty years? 

As the console began rebelling more and more, Tom Honderich began exploring options with the blessing of Fr. Steven. At the time, discussion centered on replacing the computer controls, but cost consideration prevented any thought of replacing the console itself. Through an extremely fortunate turn of events, Goulding & Wood came into possession of a console it supplied for Loyola University in Chicago, and the company was in a position to pass along the console for a small fraction of what a new one would cost. Indeed, while the $45,000.00 price tag for this project raised some questions during the evaluation of the Cornerstone Campaign (and rightly so), it pales in comparison to the more than $125,000.00 it would have cost had the console been all new. The vestry quickly endorsed this singular opportunity to address a preexisting problem with a providential solution.

After much planning and waiting (including Christmas Eve 2006 with its embarrassing forte intonation of the Lord's Prayer), the installation of the console is now underway. Members of the Goulding & Wood staff have been working on the console, preparing it for the All Saints organ, since December. On Tuesday 8 January, a crew of six made the console swap, removing the old and installing the new.  Paul Greatbatch even documented the move with some photos of the work in progress. Over the next three weeks, the entire organ will be completely rewired, bringing the electrical systems in line with current codes.

During the time that the gallery organ is unusable, the choir will sing in the Michael chapel. St. Paul's Church has graciously allowed us to use their portative organ during this time as well, and we appreciate their generosity greatly. We will be without the gallery instrument for the masses on 13 and 20 January.  On the 27th, we will inaugurate the new console with festive hymns and music.

The organ itself isn't undergoing any changes, thus it won't sound any different. By the same token, the control systems will once again be reliable, so unexpected changes in the stops playing won't create disruptions. In addition, greater changes in sounds will be possible, so that hymn accompaniments can be more creative, choral accompaniments more sensitive, and solo literature more exciting. The sound of the organ won't change, but organists will be able to access the variety of sounds as never before.

The musicians of the parish appreciate the support the entire congregation continues to show us. We ask for your patience for the next two weeks, knowing that absence makes the heart grow fonder. We look forward to a new chapter in the history of the organ at All Saints Church.

Have you ever seen them together??



Happy 30th Anniversary, Father Steve!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Women Who Incarnate Christ Advent Adult Education
Session 3: Praying With the Mystics, Julian of Norwich and Hildegard of Bingen
Sister Norma Rocklage, Executive Director, Education Formation Outreach, Marion College, Indianapolis, IN

Sister Norma is a Sister of St. Francis of Oldenburg, Indiana, and holds a M.A. and Ph.D. from St. Louis University. She has experience as an educator, administrator, lecturer, and retreat and spiritual director. She has done postgraduate work in theology at the Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sister Norma is president of the governing board of Indiana Network for Higher Education Ministries, and Indiana Newman Foundation, and serves on the Brebeuf Jesuit Board of Trustees.