Dear friends,
This year, All Saints Sunday falls on November 1, just two days before Election Day. The Center on Faith and Justice has prepared a set of worship resources to help congregations mark this moment, and I am glad to share them with you. The guide can be found here.
The resources invite congregations to remember those who gave their lives so that others could vote, to pray for a peaceful and fair election, and to prepare their people for the patience that a careful and complete count may require. The guide includes:
Lectionary themes and scripture suggestions for All Saints Sunday (Year A)
A responsive call to worship.
A prayer for the election and for calm.
A short message clergy can read or adapt, encouraging patience while every lawful ballot is counted.
Two litanies of remembrance: one name martyrs of the voting rights movement, and one honoring the broader store of those who struggled for a voice in our nation's life.
A benediction
Links to iconography of civil and voting rights leaders.
Please use what serves your community and adapt freely. Many of you will want to add names from your own community, state, or tradition, and the litanies include space for that.
If you use the guide, or write a liturgy inspired by it, we would be grateful if you let us know through this short form. We would also love to see any prayers, litanies, or other elements you create, and we welcome your feedback and questions through the same form.
In the coming weeks we will also release worship resources for Christ the King Sunday (November 22) and Epiphany. You can sign up to receive them through the same form.
Finally, please share this with clergy and lay leaders in your networks, denominations, and local communities. These resources are meant to be used widely, and the more congregations who gather in prayer and remembrance this week, the stronger our shared witness will be.
Thank you for your leadership and partnership. We would love to hear from you.
Grace and peace,
Jim Simpson, Executive Director
Center on Faith and Justice
Georgetown University