God is Present in the Valleys
"God is Present in the Valleys"
Sermon by The Rev. Ranie Neislar
March 2, 2025
It is those valleys which fortify us in our faith. And that is what I hope we can all walk into as we experience lent. God is equally present in the valleys, and the more that we discern God's presence at these lower points of our lives, just like the followers are discerning these hard moments and their new season as they follow Jesus down off the mountain and to the cross, we are also called to do that, and in that we will persevere in our lives as disciples.
More Announcements
Join us for the Primetime Saints’ March Program, *Holding Our Sacred Text Through Lent*, led by the Rev. Ranie Neislar. This will be Tuesday, March 11, at 2:00pm in theGreat Hall. We will explore our perspectives on Sacred Scripture and reflect on the consistency of God’s character throughout the Old and New Testaments—a meaningful way to begin our Lenten journey. Please bring a light snack; beverages will be provided. If you have any questions, reach out to Susan Ponder: suponder@bellsouth.net
Join us every Monday at 6:00pm in the Jackson-Thorpe Room for a series on reconciliation and being God's beloved community. For our Lenten discussion, we will be reading the One Diocese, One Book offering, The Church Cracked Open. All are welcome!
Contemplative Outreach Birmingham is honored to host Rev. Dr. Stuart Higginbotham for a one-day contemplative conference on *Poetic Imagination and the Consent to the Divine Presence*. The conference will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025 , from 9:00am to 3:00pm at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church. The cost is $70 by credit card or $65 by check, with lunch included. Registration is required. Toward the end of his life, Fr. Thomas Keating turned to poetry to express his deepest awareness of the Divine Presence. His poems serve both as a personal testament to his spiritual journey and as a teaching tool for others to explore in their own practice. Understanding why Fr. Thomas embraced poetry at that stage of his life offers valuable insights into his spiritual wisdom. The Rev. Dr. Stuart Higginbotham is an Episcopal priest and serves as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, Georgia. He is also Assistant Professor in the Practice of Spiritual Formation and Ministry at Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
All Saints is excited to take part in a Habitat for Humanity Build! The kickoff event is set for March 13 at 8:00am, with build days scheduled for April 3, 4, and 5 from 8:00am to 3:00pm each day . We'll wrap up with a special dedication on May 3. We’re looking for 10–25 volunteers each day, and participants must be at least 14 years old.
Our youth program needs your help providing meals for Sunday school breakfast and then for dinner on Sunday evenings. You can cook or bring anything you think would be enjoyable to eat for our youth. Breakfast should serve approximately 10-20 people, Sunday school begins at 9:45am. Dinners should be provided for around 20-30 people. Check with Grace below for specific dinner times. SIGN UP to serve breakfast SIGN UP to serve dinner For more information, contact our Director of Youth Ministries, Grace Turner ( gturner@allsaintsbhm.org ).
Altar Flower Memorials You are invited to donate altar flower arrangements to honor, remember, or give thanks for someone special. These arrangements can be dedicated in honor of a loved one, in memory of someone who has passed, or in thanksgiving for a particular blessing or person in your life. Each memorial dedication will be acknowledged in the bulletin for that week, ensuring your tribute is shared with the congregation. Flowers are $100.00 and checks should be made out to All Saints Episcopal Church. If you are ordering flowers and would like to dedicate them in honor, memory or in thanksgiving for someone, please indicate what you would like for the dedication to say. If there is no dedication filled in we will assume they should be dedicated “to the Glory of God." The flower guild can create your arrangement but if you would like to order them from the florist we will honor that request. Please comment that you are using a florist and contact Mountain Brook Florist or Dorothy McDaniel's directly. With questions, contact office@allsaintsbhm.org or allsaintshwdflowerguild@gmail.com
