December 17, 2025
Happy Advent Everyone!
This Sunday we light the fourth Advent candle, symbolizing our hope and anticipation, as we again gather to continue our season of preparation for Christ’s coming. I hope that you can join us in person this Sunday and want to share here our schedule of services with you for the holiday season: https://allsaintsfl.org/
For those unable to join us in person due to health challenges or other difficulties, please know that we always treasure you as one of our fellow travelers on our shared journey as Christians and invite you to join us at our online services found here: https://allsaintsfl.org/liturgy/
Please remember to let us know if you would like to receive a visit from one of our priests or Eucharistic visitors, by contacting the church office at (954) 467-6496 or office@allsaintsfl.org. We will arrange a visit with you or your loved one as soon as possible. While we do not yet have a full-time priest on staff, Father Carl will reach out to visit as soon as he can. Father Carl prioritizes visits especially when someone is ill or hospitalized. We can also schedule a visit with you for communion from someone on our team of Eucharistic visitors. If the office is not open when you call, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
We continue to have much going on at All Saints as we now approach the end of a very busy year. As I think about all that’s happened during the past year, it seems that time has gone by so quickly, and now a new year is already right around the corner. I’d like to share with you some of the things we are working on.
Our new ad campaign of welcome featuring our holiday services and events started this past week, and we hope to welcome many new people to All Saints in the coming months who may have never been here previously. We welcomed over a dozen new people last Sunday alone and we expect more in the coming weeks! If you have been in church anytime recently, you may have already noticed so many new people joining us! We as a parish family begin our warm welcome right at the front door with our wonderful team of greeters, as they each continue to honor Jeanann’s memory of extending the warmest welcomes and hugs to each person who comes to All Saints. I ask that when you come to church that you also take the opportunity to extend your warmest welcome, to say hello to someone new that you meet and to let them know that you are glad to see them. Please welcome them to sit with you in church or welcome them to join you at coffee hour. Take the time to make a new friend and you may be pleasantly surprised!
Our Sunday School program is in full swing as we have begun to welcome more young people and our families to our church. We have also been hard at work in refurbishing our nursery and soon plan to announce its reopening just in time as more families join us in the new year.
The Rector Search committee has now begun to review the resumes that were received for our potential new rector and will shortly begin interviews. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue their very important work.
Our vestry met Tuesday night to review our preliminary budget numbers for the coming year as we continue to plan for what we need to accomplish in the new year. Shortly we will also begin planning for our annual parish meeting, now scheduled for Sunday, February 1. More information will be coming out about the meeting and about our new vestry candidates in the coming weeks.
As we all continue to build God’s kingdom together, it is my pleasure to continue to serve as your Senior Warden. I could not do this without the help and love of each one of you. I am so thankful for you and your gifts, and I appreciate all that you do for All Saints Church. You are what makes All Saints a very special place.
Please reach out to me anytime if you have any questions at 772-239-1668 or srwarden@allsaintsfl.org.
Yours together in our faith,
Rich
Richard J. Markiewicz
Senior Warden
All Saints Episcopal Church