The people of All Saints Church have worked over the last 100 years to create a vibrant and friendly spiritual home in what can be a large, impersonal metropolitan area. We are a caring community dedicated to providing a place at our table for all who wish to celebrate God's love. As our society undergoes many changes, we wish to reflect the depth and diversity of modern life while also providing a balance that only spirituality can provide.
The preparation of this profile has reminded us of how important a peaceful haven is to our congregation. It has also challenged us to consider what path we will follow as we move into the 21st Century. To aid you in getting some insight into us, our profile describes our worship services, facilities, staff, organizations and activities. We also provide some background about our Diocese. Read this with love and joy.
MISSION STATEMENT
All Saints Church is an inquiring and sharing community of faith,
embracing the unconditional and all-inclusive love of Christ through welcome and acceptance of all people,
encouraging knowledge of our faith and exploration of our spirituality through education and worship, and
proclaiming the transforming power of God's presence by sharing our gifts.
What is probably most striking, and most important about the mission statement is that the very first word we use to describe ourselves is "inquiring.'' Such an emphasis may be unusual for a church. From there, we expand upon that idea, saying that we believe in "encouraging knowledge'' of our faith and use the word "exploration" to describe our spiritual search. We then define our methodology: "through education and worship." Indeed, thinking about our religious beliefs is vital to us.
Between those thinking statements are two interpersonal ones. Immediately after "inquiring," we state that we are a "sharing" community of faith "embracing the unconditional and all-inclusive love of Christ through welcome and acceptance of all people." All Saints Church defines faith not only internally but also in its expression. The way its members show their faith to others is vitally important to us.
And this is a community that believes that the ways its members understand God and their faith is much more important than the doctrine or tradition one might find in other mainstream Anglo-Catholic churches. We at All Saints Church put great emphasis on understanding and sharing our spirituality.
A RICH HERITAGE: ALL SAINTS YESTERDAY
THE HISTORY OF ALL SAINTS
The beginnings and early growth of All Saints Church mirror the transformation of Bergen County from largely small farms to a metropolitan community.
In November 1893, a few Episcopalians in Leonia - then part of Teaneck - opened their doors for services. Just two months later, Sunday morning services began in the Leonia Lyceum, a community hall that was home to several civic organizations and budding churches. In 1897, a one-acre plot on Park Avenue at Orchard Avenue in Leonia, now its own borough, was purchased, and our present church was built. On April 21, 1898, Bishop Starkey officiated at the opening services. The Rev. Aubrey H. Derby accepted a call to become All Saints' first resident
vicar in 1906. During his 19-year ministry, the old parish house was erected. The house served the community as headquarters for the Red Cross, the American Legion and was the site of the first productions of the local drama company, the Leonia Players Guild. A beautiful pipe organ was installed in the sanctuary, and many memorial windows and other interior decorations were added.
All Saints was incorporated as a parish within the Diocese of Newark in March 1926. A rectory next to the church was purchased. At the same time, plans for an elaborate new church building were being prepared by one of the best known architects in the country at that time, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, who designed St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan. All Saints' new church building, however, was never built.
Under the leadership of the Rev. Norman Spicer (1951-76), the church underwent a number of important developments. The child care center was established in 1955. A new parish house was constructed in 1956. Other capital improvements were made, enhancing our church building as the parish grew. In 1986, the Rev. Albert D. Jousset Jr. became All Saints' 15th rector. His years here were fruitful ones in the life of our parish. Our child care center was renovated and continues to be recognized as one of the finest in eastern Bergen County.
In 2003, we called Rev. Dean Weber to be our rector and lead us into an exciting second century.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
All Saints Church is nestled on a sloping, one-acre plot within the quiet and elegant residences of Park Avenue and Orchard Place. While the church has undergone many renovations since its construction in 1896, its original design, style and stone-based construction has been preserved. The latest renovation was completed in 1993, with the addition of an atrium connecting the church to the parish hall. New and expanded classrooms were also added to the child care center and nursery school.
Within the church, a great hanging cross dominates the chancel, with a beautiful rose window and memorial stained glass windows adorning three sides of the church. The fully operational 27 rank Austin pipe organ was given as a gift in 1959 and installed on the north side of the church. Throughout the church various memorial gifts can be appreciated. The church tower sings forth with a fine memorial carillon that was given in 1997. A serene Memorial Garden lies just behind the church.
The original parish house, built in 1914, was replaced with a new dual-purpose brick structure in 1956. Today, the two-story parish hall houses a modern 3,000 square-foot nursery school and child care center. The first floor consists of the school director's office, classrooms and play areas, an infant care section and bathrooms. Davidson Hall, a 2,500 square-foot auditorium with a theatrical stage, a large, fully functioning kitchen, a bathroom accessible to the handicapped, parish offices and the Guild Room make up the second floor. The Guild Room, immediately adjacent to the kitchen, has an active, wood-burning fireplace and is used for smaller, more intimate gatherings. All buildings are centrally heated.
The children of the nursery school and day care center have access to a fully equipped fenced-in playground along the south periphery of the property. Beautifully maintained landscaped grounds surround the church and parish hall.
AS WE ARE: ALL SAINTS TODAY
VESTRY
"Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.'' 2 Corinthians 3:5
As in all Episcopal parishes, the vestry is the elected governing body of our parish. The junior and senior wardens and nine members represent a broad cross-section of the All Saints Congregation.
All vestry meetings are opened with prayer to help the members invite the Holy Spirit into their hearts and minds as they make decisions affecting the parish community.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
"Having gifts that differ...let us use them.'' Romans 12:6
The purpose of the finance committee is to assist the vestry in reaching sound decisions regarding the management of the All Saints Episcopal Church's financial resources. It functions as a proposing, reviewing and recommending body to the vestry on financial matters, including the activities of the All Saints Child Care Center.
The committee consists of a chairperson and four members. The treasurer is also a member of this committee.
ALTAR GUILD
"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.'' Psalm 122:1
The work of the altar guild is a shared voluntary activity and includes many necessary duties and responsibilities. As God's housekeepers, they work diligently behind the scenes of all church activities. Its volunteers perform the following duties:
• Preparing the altar for all services of worship
• Attending to the general housekeeping of the sanctuary
• Caring for the sacred vessels
• Caring for the linens
• Decorating in the church for special services such as Christmas and Easter.
THE MINISTRIES OF ALL SAINTS CHURCH
There are two regular services on Sunday mornings, at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. After the 10:30 a.m. service, there is a coffee and fellowship hour,
with refreshments supplied by a volunteer parishioner. Both adults and children participate in this hour, and it is popular and lively.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
The rector holds classes on successive themes for the adult education program. In addition, outside speakers as well as parishioners have led adult education classes. Quiet Days (half-day retreats) are held four times a year, co-sponsored by The Church of the Atonement in Tenafly.
The number of children in Sunday school varies from week to week, and a range of ages are taught in two classes. The Sunday school is taught by volunteers.
MUSIC
Our music ministry is led by Charity Wicks, who plays the organ during services and directs the choir. The size of the choir, drawn from parishioners, is usually between four to seven members. They practice once a week. The Sunday service music begins with a prelude, then a processional hymn, a hymn before the Gospel, an offertory anthem sung by the choir, a hymn during the Eucharist, a recessional hymn and a postlude. Styles of music vary from tradional to contemporary.
SPECIAL SERVICES
During Lent, Ash Wednesday is observied with a noon service and a 6 pm Children's sermon. Maundy Thursday is the occasion for a Lamb Supper and special Worship Service. On Good Friday, many parishioners participate in the Ecumenical Walk through Leonia.
On Palm Sunday, members of the congregation read a dramatic reenactment of the arrest and condemnation of Jesus. We have a special brunch on Easter Sunday and an Egg Hunt following the Worship Service.
For the Easter and Christmas services, there is often special music, and outside musicians supplement the regular program of choir and organ. We have had trumpets, violins, drums, tambourines, clarinets, saxophones and electronic keyboards, as well as guest singers.
A children's nativity pageant is scheduled for a week or two before Christmas so the children can invite their friends. On Christmas, we have a 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service, which features a children's sermon. Later that evening, usually 10 p.m., we have a candlelight service, with choral music and guest soloists. On Christmas morning, a Eucharist without music is celebrated. The Sunday following Christmas is typically a celebration of readings and carols.
We are adding new celebrations all the time, such as a Thanksgiving morning service this year.
OUTREACH
The major contribution to outreach has been in the amount of money given to the Diocese. We have also had several successful fund-raisers, including an annaul square dance and strawberry festival, which have enabled us to provide donations to organizations in Leonia and elsewhere. Together with other Leonia congregations, each year we assume a week long responsibility for meal preparation and overnight supervision at a shelter for the homeless in Englewood. Parishioners have said that they would like to do more outreach, so this is an area that should receive more attention in the future.
THE DIOCESE
Our Diocese is the Diocese of Newark. The Diocese - a dynamic, diverse and challenging community of God - is comprised of 119 congregations and numerous allied organizations in the northern part of New Jersey. Its size and resources rank it in the first tier of dioceses in the Episcopal Church. Its reputation for progressive theology places it in the vanguard of the Anglican Communion and the wider Christian Church. With its newly elected ninth bishop, the Right Reverend John Palmer Cronenberger, the Diocese looks forward to continuing its reputation for strong leadership, both lay and clergy, as we begin the new century.
The distance from the Hudson River west to the Delaware Water Gap is not far, but it covers a lot of territory. In the east lies the urban core of the Diocese, struggling with the problems of poverty, yet celebrating the exciting renaissance along the waterfront cities facing New York and around Newark's downtown. Episcopal House, headquarters for the Diocese, is located in the center of Newark's renaissance, across the street from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Suburban communities make up the substantial center of the Diocese, some quite upscale and affluent, others more modest, still others grappling with change and decline. The rural western section, experiencing strong exurban growth, is the most surprising of those unfamiliar with New Jersey beyond the Turnpike. Here, the Garden State boasts 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail, as well as natural habitat for bear and beaver. This geography, all of it God's country and our home, says much about the diversity that is the Diocese of Newark.
STEWARDSHIP
Stewardship is always an important issue at All Saints. Historically, All Saints has about half of its parish families, or units, committing to a yearly pledge. We also have faithful members who consistently contribute, but who never submit a pledge card. In 2003, Stewardship Season took place over several weeks in October. Pledge cards were requested to be returned by the end of October so that budgeting for the following year could be finalized.
All Saints parishioners have always been very generous in giving of their time and talent. This spirit was evident to an interim rector, who commented after only a few weeks, "I've noticed that there are no gaps, you all pitch in whenever needed.''
KOREAN CONGREGATION
Since 1990, All Saints has rented its worship space to Korean congregations. So far, we have had three tenants. The first two moved on when our space was no longer adequate for their needs. The current congregation, Jesus P. Village has the use of the church and Davidson Hall during the following times:
• Sunday afternoon: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
• Weekday mornings: 5 a.m. - 7 a.m.
• Wednesday evenings The first and third Friday of the month
• Holidays and other special occasions by agreement
