Choirs & Music

Our music program is important to us. Under the direction of our organist/choir director, the adult choir rehearses every Sunday at 9:00 am. The adult choir sings every Sunday from September through mid-June and participates in extra services during Advent, Christmas and Holy Week.

Our All Saints’ Children’s Choir rehearses throughout the year and sings several times during the year, usually during family worship services and during our annual Christmas Pageant, held close to Christmas Eve.

We use both the 1982 Hymnal and the Lift Every Voice and Sing (LEVAS) hymnal on a rotating basis during our worship services.Occasionally, we enjoy hymn sings led by our choir director during the summer months. Presentations on music and hymns are welcome.

Future plans call for adding one additional section leader to our choir to have one professional voice in each section. Also, additional music will be purchased for all groups and we hope to get a hand bell choir going with some of your young people on a more regular basis. As you can see, we have a lot of plans to continue making a joyful noise to our God!

Christian Education

All Saints’ offers Sunday school for children ages three through eleven during the 10:30 service. The children join the service at the Peace for Communion. Nursery care is provided for families with children under three years old.

Our teachers use a curriculum featuring “Living the Good News” and art related projects. There are three terms: fall, winter and spring. Each teacher serves one term with one of two classes: Pre-Kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade.

The rector teaches confirmation classes for adults and young adults. On May 10, 2008 12 of our young adults from All Saints’ were confirmed by Bishop Taylor at The Cathedral Church of St. John of the Divine in New York City.

Adult education classes/activities have been a part of life at All Saints’ over the years: Wednesday morning Bible study followed by Holy Eucharist; evening Bible study; and Lenten programs featuring guest speakers.

Craft Group

The Craft Group is a dedicated group of people who enjoy craft making and fellowship. This group generally meets one day a week during the day and then one night a month to include those who are unavailable during the day.

Fall crafts are sold at the “Great to Live in Harrison” Day every October and it provides a preview of items that will be available at the parish’s Angel Fair in November. (See Parish Life for more information about our Angel Fair.) Many community members mention that they look forward to our booth. In late October we also participate in the community Pumpkin Patch by selling our crafts alongside the pumpkins.

Outreach

All Saints’ is proud of its diversified outreach program. We reach out to people locally, nationwide and abroad. We have a strong relationship with the town’s Department of Community Services, which provides opportunities for us to take care of those in our community. Some of our local outreach activities have included:

• Planting flowers in pots decorated by our Sunday school children; the flowers are blessed on Rogation Sunday and distributed to our elderly and home bound residents in Harrison and West Harrison;
• Participating at the Inter-Congregational Laymen’s Fellowship Dinner and enjoying the company of members of the Quakers, local Jewish congregations, Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox churches;
  
• Collecting school supplies in September and donating them to the local schools for the needy children in our town;
• Year-round donations to the Harrison Food Pantry;
  
• Serving the hungry at the Carver Center in Port Chester, NY six times during the year; parishioners are encouraged to donate the food to be served or come spend time at the Carver Center preparing and serving the meal;
• Fulfilling the wishes of Harrison’s children at Christmas time by being an “Angel” and providing gifts;
• Joining Region 2 of the Diocese of New York in its Carpenter’s Kids program; All Saints’ parishioners have pledged $50 per year for 5 years to support HIV/AIDS orphans in parish schools in the Diocese of Tanzania.

Parish Life

All Saints’ is a social parish, with events scheduled for fundraising and fellowship. The vibrancy of our communal life is enhanced by the many social events that take place throughout the year. Several of these events are the result of an organic process in which parishioners independently identify, institute and run events with the support of the congregation.

Below are descriptions of some of the events that take place throughout the year.

• Our annual Pancake Supper is a lively event complete with New Orleans-style decorations, masks, live music and dancing.
• In March we continue our fundraising and outreach efforts with an enormously successful St. Patrick’s Day celebration. This fun family event has grown considerably from the previous years in participation and funds raised. The event is celebrated with a terrific assortment of Irish food, an excellent M.C. and a highly entertaining talent show, which features All Saints’ members of all ages.
• There is a large, social fundraiser held every other year in September. Last fall members and friends of the parish contributed to and turned out in great numbers to attend the All Saints’ Cocktail Party and Silent Auction. Graciously hosted at one of our parishioner’s home, party attendees enjoyed delicious food and drink; had fun bidding on a diverse and exciting array of auction items; and took in the lovely night air surrounded by friends and the superb live music provided by Arcadia Jazz Trio. It was a night to remember and, with the tremendous support of parish and community members, a very successful fundraiser.
• The Angel Fair is held in November. The Craft Group continues their long history of fundraising successes with a consistently outstanding event. The Angel Fair also offers a generous assortment of baked goods at the Bake Table; the ever-popular Bottle Table; crafts for the kids; and the always delicious Snack Bar hosted by the men of the parish. We also offer the Used Toy Sale and holiday-themed Silent Auction. The Angel Fair Raffle is hugely popular and offers participants the chance to win many wonderful prizes.
• To help new attendees feel welcomed, the Parish Life Committee hosts a Newcomers’ Dinner to welcome new visitors to All Saints’ once a year. The rector, new attendees, and some long-term All Saints’ parishioners gather at the Rectory for an informal meal (including babysitting) to allow everyone to get better acquainted.

“Second Chance” Thrift Shop

The “Second Chance” Thrift Shop is a special outreach/in-reach program at All Saints’. The shop is open 2 days per week 4 hours each day from September through June. It offers gently used kitchen items, knick-knacks, women’s and children’s clothing, as well as books, CDs and videos for children, teens and adults. Items are donated by parish members and people in the community. It is a volunteer powered organization with sixteen volunteers. It is a service to the community providing items in good condition at affordable prices. Thrift Shop proceeds are used to fund capital improvements to All Saints’ buildings. In 2007 almost $20,000 was raised. When you consider that the majority of items sell for $1 or $2, you get an indication of the amount of traffic our shop sees.

Resident Organizations

All Saints’ currently has three independent organizations that use or rent our facilities. Alcoholics Anonymous meets at the church three evenings a week, year-round. The Metropolitan Japanese Ministry offers ESL classes to local residents one day a week from September through June. The Harrison Children’s Center rents our Parish Hall, main kitchen and related facilities for its day care program. The Center operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, year-round, to provide affordable, quality day care for pre-school aged children.

Webster Avenue Nursery School

Founded by former Rector Walter Chater in 1970, the school is a parish-sponsored organization offering pre-school for 3 and 4 year old children. Morning and afternoon classes run from mid-September to early June. The school contributes to the church’s annual budget to support the use of its space. The school’s Director handles the hiring and supervision of teachers. The Rector and Vestry are charged with stewardship and supervision of the school and its staff, all of whom are employees of the church.