Seeking a Direction: Celebration of the Saints, November 1, 2026
Seeking a direction
Celebration of the Saints
November 1 @ 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm CST
All Saints’ Day falls on All Saints’ Sunday this year. In honor of those who have completed their baptisms, we bring back our popular celebration of Saints with a luminaria display at San Gabriel Presbyterian Church. The lanterns are both prepared and funded by the Wholeness Community, as a gift to the Georgetown, Texas area. Watch for a call-out for remembrances, which we will collect until October 29 this year.
On this night, we also meditate on the topic, “Seeking a Direction.” Br. Matthew writes, “The Jesus who invites us to ‘Come and see’ is gentle and humble of heart, and He loves us with a love that is unconditional, secure and unfailing.” The evening’s homily will be prepared and spoken by Rev. Vicki Joy McClure.
Like last year, we plan to worship outdoors in the columbarium of Partner Church San Gabriel Presbyterian Church. Surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, will once again collect non-perishable food for Helping Hands of Georgetown, Texas, as well as cash donations to support their ministry to the underserved of Georgetown, Texas. Since 2020, we have celebrated Saints on All Saints’ Day. Starting in 2025, we began to devote our entire service to the celebration.
What are you seeking? These first words of Jesus in the Gospel of John are a question to two young people standing in the Jordan valley. Last year, six young adults from six countries across four continents heard the same question. They answered:
Silence. A direction. Joy. Meaning. A just world. Community. Peace.
When Jesus asks His question, the young people reply, “Master, where do you live?” Jesus tells them, “Come and you will see.” (John 1:38-39) In his January 2026 letter, Br. Matthew, Prior of the Community of Taizé, reflects on the words of the six volunteers, and then responds with the Word of God. Our focus starts there, with inspiration from Taizé’s annual letter for 2026, “Que cherches-tu ?” Throughout our season, we will bring these lessons home to Central Texas.
Pastors and lay speakers will prepare brief homilies and written words of inspiration throughout the year. Scripture will be selected for meditation based on each of the seasonal topics. We will worship using a combination of both the Service of Healing and Wholeness and Taizé Common Prayers on various dates. Service type and location will always be noted.
About the songs: Taizé Prayer chants are congregational, made of short phrases that are repeated for ease of participation. Because Taizé represents over 100 countries worldwide, the songs are translated into many languages. In our services, we usually sing these songs in English. For an idea of how the songs sound in their original languages, please enjoy this YouTube playlist.
About the Service: Our worship services use two very special types of templates: the Protestant Service of Healing and Wholeness and Taizé Common Prayers. Songs are sung from the Community of Taizé. Time is set aside for intercessory prayer, candle lighting, and private prayer with a minister. Many of our meetings offer open Communion, with gluten-free elements available. All services are open to the public.
We hope to see you, our friends and neighbors, in 2026-2027.