The Latest News

In recent months you may have heard someone mention the phrase “Sunday JAM.” Let me explain. Janie and I returned to Jackson in June of last year as church planters and immediately set to work establishing relationships with as many folks in our community as possible. The Lord has crossed our paths with so many new people that it has been difficult to keep up. On October 15, 2021, we held a retreat with the Vailes and Denker families who committed to our planting efforts early on. We all agreed that we needed a weekly gathering to which we could invite friends old and new. Thus was born Sunday JAM.

Our church is filled with people who love to read, but too often we find ourselves reading alone, wishing we had others with whom we could discuss our thoughts. As a step toward creating a community that reads, thinks, and converses together, we are offering a variety of different book clubs during the season of Epiphany. Each will be facilitated by a different person, will read a different book, and will meet at a different time and place to discuss. Descriptions coming soon!

We are thrilled to welcome Laura Griffith to the All Saints staff as our new Administrative Assistant. Laura is a recent college graduate originally from Nashville. Among other things, she loves reading, music of all kinds, travel, and long walks in her sweet midtown neighborhood. Laura has loved being involved in the life of All Saints, first as the ASIS intern and now in administration, and she looks forward to seeing how God will continue to use this church to further His kingdom.

We pass them every day on our commutes. Even if a new one pops up here and there, we rarely ask: Where do churches come from? We may be aware of our church’s humble beginnings, but as a congregation changes, there are fewer people who remember those beginnings. Ask one of All Saints’ founding members and you will realize that a lot went into starting something that we take for granted today. There are countless systems, paperwork, and documents to prepare, but before we begin to think of the red tape, we must first think about the people.

As we often remind ourselves at All Saints, the church exists “for the life of the world.” We remind ourselves this important truth because we tend to forget it. Churches too often—even if unintentionally—isolate themselves from the world. But that’s not as God intends. As the Father sends Jesus into the world, so now Jesus empowers us with his Spirit and sends us into the world to bear witness to his kingdom.

We were thrilled to welcome Fr. Ben and his family to All Saints back in June. As you know, Fr. Ben has come on board as our Curate for Church Planting. But what does this mean exactly? What will this “curacy” look like? What are Fr. Ben’s duties here at All Saints?

The sequence of Commission-Ascension-Pentecost sets the scene not only for the entire book of Acts, but also for the entire life of the church. We are a people commissioned by Jesus Christ to bear witness to him. As the ascended Lord of all, we are a people committed to bringing the reign of Jesus in heaven to bear upon this earth. And then it’s Pentecost that makes this possible.

Last year, as the COVID pandemic was surging and no one really knew what kind of impact this might have on the economy, All Saints took advantage of a PPP Loan (Payroll Protection Plan) from the federal government for approximately $40,000 to make sure our employees would be paid during this time. The loan was forgiven since we used the relief funds as intended.

We are excited to announce that the Church Planting Catalyst Team has identified a curate for our Church Planting Curacy Program. Deacon Ben Williams is soon to graduate from Beeson Seminary with an M.Div. and become a priest in the ACNA. He currently serves on staff at Christ the King Anglican Church in Birmingham, and years ago served as an elder alongside Fr. Ross here in Jackson at Christ Community Church. Ben has been married to Janie for fifteen years. They have four boys and a newborn girl.

We are excited to announce that Katie Beavers has been hired as our new Children’s Church Coordinator. Katie is wife to Jay and mom to Jane, Lucy, and Sylvia. Some of her favorite things to do include being outdoors and soaking up the beauty of creation, and cooking and eating delicious food. A former educator and lifelong learner, Katie enjoys reading and continuing to explore the depths of the Anglican tradition. She is happy to be part of the growing healing prayer ministry at All Saints and is especially grateful to come on board as Children’s Church Coordinator. She hopes that together we will grow with our children, the church, in our knowledge of Jesus, in His love for us, and in our capability of responding to that love .