All Saints’ Service Sunday Nov. 7 – Outdoor Worship
During our Nov. 7 worship we will observe All Saints’ Day where we will honor our church members and remember friends who have entered Heaven since last year’s All Saints’ Sunday. This year we will celebrate the lives of Dennis AsKew, Gordon Grant, Marion Chamberlain, Charlotte Cook, Ella Crouch, and Herbert “Red” Strader. This service serves as both remembrance and calling for us to follow the path of faith of those who have modeled faithful living.
All Saints’ Day is actually November 1 and the event can be traced back to the fifth century as a feast day (celebration and remembrance) in Syria for all known and unknown martyrs. First mention of “All Saints” is in May of 609, but moved to November 1 in 835 following a dedication of a chapel at St. Peter’s in Rome.
Throughout history, the day emphasizes the presence of holy men and women in the church and presents them as examples of faithful and joy-filled service for the living members of the church to emulate their journey. November 2 has been known as All Souls’ Day and is a day Christians pray for the dead and remember their loved ones. Often these two days historic events are combined where we remember those who have died from the Church universal and our local congregations and others in our lives. From: The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship, Paul Bradshaw, ed., & Brett Mitchell-Webb and Diane Archer’s Sacred Season: A Journey through the Christian Year.
